The Wearing O'The Green

The "wearing o'the green."  Leprechauns do it.  Celtic dancers do it (and jig while wearing it).  Those who are Irish at heart do it (and sometimes clinking their frosty mugs while doing it).

Here on the cusp of St. Patrick's Day,  it's got me pondering what other ways this spring people will be "wearing their green" -- in non-traditional Irish ways.  Will they be...

• "Unplugging" those TV's-games-dvd players-computers, and taking advantage of the great outdoors with that extra hour of after-school/after-work sunlight here with Daylight's Saving Time [take the Nat'l Wildlife Federation's "Be Out There pledge at http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BeOutThere_Pledge2010&s_src=BOTDaylightSavings31310];

• Eliminating water bottles and using more stainless steel bottles or glass cups, following Cynergreen's "Certified Bottle Free" example  (www.cynergreen.com);

• Walking a bit more, driving a bit less; 

• Choosing wiser when it comes to what we put into our body food-wise--upping the greens, buying organic, shopping locally, & partaking in fewer preservatives (ultimately lowering the risk of obesity);

• Using less throw-away baggies and such, and more reusable containers;

• Taking part in Earth Hour a mere 10 days from now on Saturday, March 27th, turning off lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm to signal global environmental support (www.earthhour.org); 

• Reducing ... reusing ... recycling .... rethinking ... respecting.    Responsibility.

How are you wearing your green this St. Patty's Day?

 

picture from http://media.photobucket.com/image/four+leaf+clover/Charmpopgrl77/four-leaf-clover.jpg?o=66

Ode to Annie Leonard

Walking into DC's Politics & Prose bookstore (and local gem in Washington, DC for over 25 years), I'm not sure why I was startled to find standing-room-only for their 5 pm speaker event on a Sunday afternoon.  Especially when the speaker was Annie Leonard... someone who has become an internet phenomenon over the past few years with her animated documentary "The Story of Stuff."  With over 10 million hits to her film, a packed room in a political town was truly a no-brainer.

Annie's quick pace, positive spirit, and sense of humor made for a rapid fire of stories about how she got to where she is now, both with the film and the new release of her book by the same name.  I think she truly has her finger on the pulse of where we are and -- more importantly -- where we need to be.  A recurring theme in her talk was about the interconnections of issues.  You most certainly don't need to be an environmentalist per se to be concerned about the environmental issues.  It's connected to the issues of production, health care, consumption, economy, personal satisfaction, time we spend working/making money (and conversely time away from our family), and our role as citizens in our communities and our planet.

Other nuggets of memorable moments from Annie today:

• When asked "What should I do?" (whether that be to question "What's best for the planet?" or "Where should I begin?), Annie's retort: "I don't care...just do something that excites you to make a difference."

• We all need to get off the "Work--Watch TV--Spend $  Treadmill."

• There is a "dis-ease within society, and a desire to make a change" as 60-85% of Americans (depending on the polls used) support the environmental movement.  In order to move more people along the continuum from sympathizers to activists, what's needed most is to bring more people into the conversation.

• We all need to "exercise our critical thinking muscles."

• "Make sure our victories don't create burdens elsewhere."  We need to move away from being "NIMBYs" ("Not In My Backyard" people) to being "NOPEs" ("Not On Planet Earth" people)...meaning, if it's not good enough for us to have a harmful/toxic situation nearby, then it's not right for anyone--whether that be computers dumped in African countries or a "downstream dumping" mentality.  She felt that a visit to New York's Fresh Kills Landfill should be required viewing for all!!

Annie sees a change as not only a necessity, but inevitability.  Given we're using natural resources at a rate of 1.5 planets per year (and gee folks, we only have one planet per year to use), change is on the horizon "by either design or by default."  Seems wiser to be the designers & decision-makers.  Hence the reason there's a boat out there in the San Franciscan Bay that's readying for a journey to show that reclaimed bottles can be constructed into something purposeful like the Plastiki.  Hence why we need to rethink what it is we buy, and honor it, rather than trashing it a season or two later. 

More people need to be part of the conversation, making connections.  Annie Leonard's "The Story of Stuff" is helping to make that happen!

My ode to you, Annie Leonard....

(sung to the tune of "the Brady Bunch")

Here's a story, of a gal named Annie

Who admits she's obsessed with garbage & waste.

Who saw a need to do something about it

Before our planet became utterly disgraced.

Till the one day when this lady made a movie,

To share her eco-knowledge "off the cuff."

That little film turned into a sensation

That's the way we've come to know "The Story of Stuff."

"The Story of Stuff," "The Story of Stuff..."

That's the way we've come to know "The Story of Stuff."

If you haven't seen internet film "The Story of Stuff" yet, find 20 minutes to do just that!  Click the title link above or go to http://storyofstuff.org/index.php.  There you will also find Annie Leonard's presentation of "The Story of Cap & Trade" and the upcoming "The Story of Bottled Water" (coming out on World Water Day, March 22nd, 2010). By joining their mailing list, you'll get email notification when new movies come out (& there are a handful in the works!)

picture from a scene in Annie Leonard's www.storyofstuff.org

Sweet Tweets and "Stuff"

1.  Thank you to David de Rothschild for "Tweeting" this blog this morning...what a great find on your Plastiki website--you made my day:   

@DRexplore: message in a bottle Green Team Gazette:  Earth Day, Earth Hour, & 

the Plastiki http://bit.ly/9KxW6O yesterday 07:17 am  from http://www.theplastiki.com/

2.  I'm very much looking forward to hitting up Washington DC's "Politics and Prose" bookstore tomorrow to catch Annie Leonard and her book talk about "The Story Of Stuff."  David de Rothschild alluded to Annie Leonard's site/book in his CNN video on "Expedition Plastiki" at   http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010//10/amanpour.plastiki.de.rothschild.cnn?iref=allsearch.   

"Stuff does not equal happiness" (though, on any given Sunday at the local mall, seeing the consumers out, shopping away, do most people believe that?!)    We want stuff...we buy stuff...we temporarily feel blissful about our stuff....we clean out the stuff in our garages (as I did today) and get rid of tons of stuff.  What is that?  Are we happier?  Does our pile of stuff/recyclables/stuff for Goodwill make us happier in the end?  Nope, nada, nien, non, zilch.  

Annie's got her finger on the pulse.  We bury ourselves under the things we felt we couldn't live without.  Some might call that "entrapment" as we are shackled to our stuff.  And yet... we get rid of that stuff--later.  Annie's point is that we, as Americans, humans, consumers, take in wayyyy too much...much of which is trashed in 6 months!  This illustrates David de Rothschild's Dumb Planet 1.0:  "We have this sort of voracious appetite for throwaway, single-use plastics, what I call Dumb Planet 1.0 plastics -- the plastic bag, the Styrofoam cup.."  Our poor planning creates piles of waste.  We need Smart Planet 2.0.

So, here we are, buried under our stuff, but with the message that we need to do what?  Reduce our waste.  Reuse!  Recycle!!  Rethink--what the heck are we doing and what can we do better?!!  Responsibility and Respect!  Reclaim a new way of thinking with a clarity that is missing.   We can do this.  We should do this.  Why are we not doing this?  

To see an interview with Annie Leonard, click "Sweet Tweets & Stuff" above, or go to http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/03/09/swimming.in.stuff.amanpour.cnn?iref=allsearch

"Together is the only way we can move forward and create the necessary solutions for our oceans and our planet."  ~David de Rothschild

  

picture from http://www.storyofstuff.org/

Earth Day, Earth Hour, & the Plastiki

It’s an exciting time. Not only because the spring thaw is coming to the MidAtlantic States and is successfully melting off the 3 feet of snow we’ve gotten in the last month. Not only because there’s a hint of warmth in the air. (True, that is exciting in and of itself). Also not only due to our current week off of school--“Spring Break.” (Again, to teachers and students alike, nirvana!)

No, it is an exciting time because the next month holds some pretty impressive Earth events. Earth Hour, Earth Day, and the departure of Plastiki…3 eco-events that are eye-opening events, bringing about both environmental awareness and activism.

Starting with the most well-known, and the one furthest down the pike, “Earth Day” is just over a month away on Thursday, April 22nd. Slated by some as the 40th anniversary (or would that be 41st?), this marks a breakthrough year given the first Earth Day began in 1970. Time-honored day to celebrate our planet. Given it’s a month away: more on that later.

Closer on our calendar is “Earth Hour.” This is newer on our list of eco-dates. 2007 marked the first of what has now become an annual event. It began that year in Sydney, Australia. By 2008, 35 countries and 50 million people took part. 2009 enlisted 4000 cities in 88 countries, which made Earth Hour the world’s largest environmental movement addressing climate change. This year it returns on Saturday, March 27th from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. What is this “hour of power” all about? It’s about personal involvement and responsibility….and your light switch. It’s about the little act of turning that switch off as a sign and symbol of one’s commitment to our planet and taking a stand against climate change. By turning off your lights, for just that hour in your time zone, a “wave” of activism will overtake our planet, akin to the spectator support of the “hand wave” at a football game. As cities, historic buildings, and global landmarks across the continents turn off their lights, our planet unifies over a common theme…that of people honoring and dedicating themselves to the longevity of this li’l Earth of ours. It’s worth marking the calendar for and being a part of something meaningful.

For more Earth Hour insights, go to:  http://www.earthhour.org/, http://www.earthhourus.org/,  and http://www.earthhourkids.org/.

Event #3: Around about the time of Earth Hour…if not a smidge before, is perhaps the most exciting of the three eco-events occurring because it’s an adventure, and it’s something that’s never occurred before. Somewhere in the next week to ten days, David de Rothschild and his crew will be embarking on a high seas adventure slightly longer than Gilligan’s “3 hour tour”...in a vessel a tad more innovative than the Minnow of “Gilligan’s Island’s” and even more creative than Captain Stubing’s “Love Boat.” The Plastiki has run its sea trials and is getting geared up to sail the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia. An ocean cruise might not seem all that inspiring, yet when the catamaran-esque ship that is tackling those 12,000 miles is ship made up entirely of plastic bottles and recycled products, it brings about a new light on the subject. Add in, the purpose of the 100+ day journey is to trek on a recycled ship through the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch (an oceanic dump-pile of human trash-matter that is twice the size of Texas swirling in the center of the ocean)…people start standing up and taking notice. Taking notice, perhaps, of things they didn’t even know were out there.

Some might wonder “what’s the big deal” to have all this trash out where it seemingly doesn’t hurt anyone, but being a person who likes to eat seafood, it’s a little disconcerting to me that (in David de Rothschild’s own words) “there are 6 bits of plastic to every bit of plankton.” Not to mention a garbage patch in each of the oceans (with the Pacific one surpassing them all in size). I’m hoping the fish I have for dinner has made its way through a plastic-free food chain since plastic doesn’t fully break down at sea and totally disappear—ever! Odds of that happening though, with a 6:1 ratio of plastic (bite-sized bits of which are called “nurdles”) to plankton is probably nil.

Given all of that, I’m very intrigued to see what David de Rothschild discovers en route to Sydney via the Plastiki.

To follow “Expedition Plastiki,” take your own expedition to http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/plastiki/  or http://www.theplastiki.com/ for videos, photos, info, and more.

Picture courtesy of http://www.theplastiki.com/whatisplastiki/

Counting On You, America

Around the corner, coming to a house near you, will be "USA Census Day 2010"...April 1st (no, not an April Fools' Day joke).  Of course, the mailings will come mid March, and house visits will follow if the questionaires don't come back in a timely manner.


The Census Bureau is making the most out of their "once every decade" deal.  They have a wealth of information available for classrooms, teachers, kids, and curious beings.  A good place to start is to click on "Counting on You, America" above to get to http://www.census.gov/schools/.


There you'll find:

• "For Teachers" Link ~ where you'll find downloadable lesson plans, reproducibles, and more for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.
• "For Kids" Link ~ where you'll find color pages and other printables, quizzes, and online activities (complete with the musical interludes of the "Census for Kids Song")
• "For Teens" Link ~ with activities for...you guessed it, teens grades 6 and beyond.
• "State Facts for Students" ~ click the map image to find out more about yours or another state
• History & Pop Culture ~ Fun Facts by the decade are a click away...both what was going on that decade and some pretty darn interesting statistical data.  As a teacher, this is a nice place to incorporate place value based on the top 10 largest urban areas during that time period.  Also there's a slew of mapping opportunities and graphing potentials along with providing a great chance to build critical thinking skills through data interpretation.
• Great maps of the Distribution of US population from 1790 to 2000 are available at this part of the website:  http://www.census.gov/history/www/teaching_resources/maps/growth_distribution_of_cities_1790-2000.html 

For US & World population clocks (6.8 billion world wide and counting), check out http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html


Now the question might be...what the heck does all this have to do with "going green?"  Lots!  Population information provides some pretty good "what ifs" to consider, along with eco-implications of all these growing numbers. How does overpopulation affect limited natural resources?  More people means more cars, which means what?  What will more people in my community mean for water clarity and availability?  What if population goes down--what are the pros and cons environmentally to my community? 


Can't get enough population inspiration, check out "Population Education" http://www.populationeducation.org/  150+ lesson plans, teaching products, recommended reading; children's book titles, & more await.


So, while it might not be a good idea to "count your chickens before they hatch," do be sure to follow the Census' advice and "stand up and be counted."  While you're at it, spread the news, and check out some info "you can count on" along the way.


picture from http://www.bapaweb.org/images/Census2010_with_Hands_Color.gif

#14 March 2010 Green Team Gazette

Mark your calendar...World Water Day (March 22nd) and Earth Hour (March 27th 8:30 to 9:30) are around the bend.  To learn more about those eco-dates and the biodegradability/landfill lifespans of certain everyday items, click "#14 March 2010 Green Team Gazette" above!  You might surprise yourself what will still be around 5, 10, 50, 550, a million years from now!  
picture from www.earthhour.org 

Leave Nothing But Tracks

  

Interesting that one of the 2010 Winter Olympic mascots is the Quatchi, a sasquatch....funny too, I ran across a sasquatch just yesterday in the Target school supply aisle. From their own website, Carolina Pad Notebook company writes: 

"Sasquatch lives deep in the forest, far from where most humans dare to go. He lives off the land, and except for a footprint now and then, leaves little trace of his existence. 

Sasquatch lives a green life, using only what he needs. Carolina Pad is trying to follow in Sasquatch's footsteps. We know that forests are one of our greatest treasures.   

What Makes Sasquatch Products Eco-friendly?
Sasquatch™ Brand products use less virgin wood products. They are made of mostly recycled paper. This means fewer trees are cut down and less water and fossil fuels are used during processing. This helps reduce air and water pollution and helps protect wildlife from harmful chemicals and habitat changes." 

Quatchi, of Vancouver Fame, reiterates the wisdom and wonder of nature.  Here on the final day of the Olympics, embrace your inner sasquatch. Along the way, learn about recycling and sustainability. Games and videos too!!

http://www.vancouver2010.com/mascot/en/games.php
http://www.vancouver2010.com/mascot/en/meet.php 
http://www.find-sasquatch.com/fun-stuff/games.cfm

Green Thoughts

When you are the girl your styrofoam-loving friends scoff at, you might just be an eco-nazi or a greeniac.  Maybe true.  But when you know what a nurdle is, where to find it, and the damage it can do to sea turtles and other marine organisms, perhaps it's more like this:  you're the one in the know; the one who's done her research, the one who wonders "just how soon will it be until that landfill is filled?!  Then what?"  Plus, where's all this individual research to go...by the wayside? To the landfill?  I'm shakin' my head on that one.  It's gotta go somewhere...out there....where others who are searching can grab it.  It's my hope you grab it, and run with it!

#13 February 2010 Green Team Gazette

Click "#13 February 2010" above for the Green Team Gazette's "Rainy Days Edition:"  Raingardens, Rain barrels, Watersheds, Oh My!

#12 January 2010 Green Team Gazette

Playing Your Cards Right.. Click "#12 January 2010" to find out some pretty eye opening stats to start your year with greater awareness!

#11 December 2009 Green Team Gazette

What's going on in Copenhagen this December??  Click on "#11 December 2009 GTG" above to find out!

#10 November 2009 Green Team Gazette

What are you eating for Thanksgiving...maybe it's time to check out the 100 Mile Diet.  Click the "#10 November 2009 GTG" above!

Synergy at Work

Here's a wonderful article by Carl Treff, Gibson Island Country School parent and Communications & Volunteer Coordinator for the Magothy River Association.  In it he details the events of the first Friday of our 2009-2010 school year and the amazing goings-on on our campus with the "Marylanders Grow Oysters" program.

Click the title above or find it at: http://www.h2006.net/images/GICS_Gazette_Oysters09.pdf

#9 October 2009 Green Team Gazettes

The Colossal Plastic Facts Edition!  Click "#9 October 2009 GTG" to learn more about what you can do to eliminate plastic and gain awareness of "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch."

#8 September 2009 Green Team Gazette

Back To School Edition!  Oh how I love green, let me count the ways....there are so many ways in Anne Arundel County, MD to "go green."  Click on "#8 Sept. '09" above to count along!!

# 7 Summer 2009 Green Team Gazette

Summer Vacation, Summer Reading List, and more....Click "#7 Summer 2009" to see what's in store in this month's Green Team Gazette.

#6 May 2009 Green Team Gazette

1970....Clean Air Act, the Smell o'Clean, and what that all means.  Clean up your act by making your way to the title above:  "#6 May 2009 GTG" to get your Green Team Gazette.

#5 April Green Team Gazette

Be a part of something big....investigate Earth Day 2009

#4 March 2009 Green Team Gazette

The Illuminator, Earth Hour 2009, and beyond.  Don't miss your opportunity to find out more.

#3 February 2009 Green Team Gazette

Love your planet!  Check out "#3 Feb'09's GTG"

#2 January 2009 Green Team Gazette

Happy New Year!  New Year's resolutions and more are yours by clicking "#2 Jan. '09 GTG" above.

Green Vitals Press From CGKidz/GICS Trip to NYC

For the actual internet article, click on the title above ("Green Vitals Press") to read more about our trip accompanying Riley Hoffer up to Alain Locke School in NYC

Sixth Grader Brings Eco-Friendliness Message to a Harlem’s Alain L. Locke School

NEW YORK - Spreading the message of eco-friendliness across elementary schools throughout the United States, 12-year-old Riley Hoffer has come to New York this month to visit the Alain L. Locke Elementary School in Harlem.
     Young Riley is the spokesperson for CGKidz, the community outreach arm of stainless-steel water bottle maker CynerGreen, Little Rock, Ark.. The Hoffer family-owned company has devoted itself to spreading the word about conservation and environmentally friendly living.
     The event opened with a school assembly for the upper grades in which the student listened to a presentation about how they could be more environmentally friendly.
     Riley opened the event discussing the three Rs—Reuse, Reduce and Recycle. “I want to talk to you about attitude, the attitude to think green,” she said, adding, “Most of the things that you use today, like light bulbs, newspapers and cardboard boxes can be recycled.
     You can do things at home to help out your parents, like separate cans, bottles and newspapers for recycling, and you can join your environmental club at school. Just find a way to get involved because every little bit helps.”
     Riley also showed the students how to decorate for Christmas using things that they had around the house, such as colored paper to make origami candy canes and ornaments using CDs.
     She showed the students a Rudolph Junior CD ornament and explained the procedure as follows: “He is made out of just a regular CD that I had, some pipe cleaners, jingle bells, googoly eyes, and colorful pompoms that I put all together. If you add a magnet, he can go on the refrigerator.”
     Following her demonstration, the students were introduced to teachers from the Gibson Island Country School, Pasadena, Md., which will be providing mentoring and curriculum materials for the Locke school to get it started with its new environmental club. The Gibson school is Maryland’s first certified eco-friendly school.
     Vicki Dabrowka, a teacher from the Gibson school, spoke to the Locke students saying, “I thought that maybe we should bring a message from our kids because we have been doing a lot to help the environment over the last couple of years.
     We do all the plastic, paper, and cardboard recycling, and we are also recycling glue sticks. We even recycle food and that is called composting which can be a messy job, but we get to keep a lot of those things out of the trash. And so the kids from the third, fourth, and fifth grade wrote some letters and helpful hints that we are going to leave with the school.”
     Danelle Hoffer, co-founder of CynerGreen and Riley’s mother, presented the Locke school with an “environmental club in a box,” which contained: green pens, pencils, notepads, an environmental guidebook, and a binder full of letters from students from the Gibson school.
     After the assembly, the Hoffers went up to one of the classrooms and worked with the students on making more origami candy canes. During this time, speaking with Mrs. Hoffer, she said the guidebook is “a collection of different projects that they could do. We combined them with projects from what Gibson Island does. There are probably 100 different types of projects, tips, and ideas of how kids can get involved in the community.”
     Also as a gift to the students, CGKidz gave a stainless-steal water bottle to every student in the assembly. “Our gift to these kids is not just that club, but that bottle. There is such a message behind that bottle, that we really want them to think about and use in their everyday lives. We are also hoping that it will rub off on their parents.” said Mrs. Hoffer.
     All of the bottles were donated to the school by CGKidz. All of the profits that come out of the CGKidz division of CynerGreen, go back into making the bottles that are donated to the schools, according to Mrs. Hoffer.
     This school event was brought about in collaboration with PENCIL, New York City-based organization that supports customized relationships between business leaders and principals to inspire innovation and transform public schools, Karasma Media,, a Harlem-based boutique specializing in social media, and Sperling Greene Partners, a Tenafly, NJ-based marketing and public relations company.
     CGKidz next stop on its school tour will be Riley’s own school, Cabot Middle School North, Cabot, Ark. Subsequently, CGKidz is in talks to present their message in schools in Oregon and Wyoming.

from http://www.greenvitals.net/communitypoliticsnet/2008/12/15/sixth-grader-brings-eco-friendliness-message-to-a-harlems-al.html

Live from New York....

Wish you could have been there...seriously!   It was a great experience.  Here we are, on the road in NYC and hanging out with the kids and classes of Alain L. Locke school!  To learn more, don't pass up clicking on "Live from New York" Smilebox.

image from http://play.smilebox.com/SpreadMoreHappy/4e5463324d7a49354d5877784d4441344e7a6b344d773d3d0d0a

Riley Hoffer at Alain L. Locke Elementary

This is a video-must see!  New York's local CBS affiliate's news story of Riley's and our visit to Alain L. Locke School....Click the "title" above or go to http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=120818@wcbs.dayport.com!!

#1 December 2008 Green Team Gazette

Welcome to the very first Green Team Gazette...the Inaugural Issue!  Find out more about us by clicking the title above:  "#1 December 2008 Green Team Gazette."

Fall Fest '08

12 year old Riley Hoffer of Arkansas' CGKidz
Speaking at Gibson Island Country School (now Eagle Cove School)
Fall Fest '08....October 18, 2008


For a video montage of the day, click title "Fall Fest" above!