Archive for Sustainability

Green Guide to Back-to-School

August 13, 2008 at 4:32 pm · Filed under Consciousness, Ecological Footprint, Sustainability ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Yesterday I went to Hall Middle School to start getting my new classroom ready and I thought about all of you, and figured you’d be soon heading to the store to start getting school supplies. Stop and read this before you do and make sure to share it with your parents too.

I was inspired to make two websites in the last 24 hours. One is called a Green Guide to Back-to-School. It has helpful ideas on what to avoid and things to be mindful about. Make sure to look over this PDF from the Sidwell Friends School on buying school supplies with the Earth in mind. I’ll be sure to put links to some of the materials on the site so you can find them if your local store doesn’t carry them. I also created a blog called The Green School that will have ideas about how to make your school and classroom environment more green. Be sure to share it with your teachers. I’ll eventually add activities and highlight some successful projects, such as Mrs. Buono’s classes’ water education program and the subsequent installation of a water refill station. Very cool!

Have a great year and keep the planet cool buy wise choices.

Blessings,
Ms. Newburn

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Visit to Free Range Graphics’ Studio

March 23, 2007 at 5:00 am · Filed under Cool Science, Ecological Footprint, Environment, Sustainability

After school I had dinner with a friend, Ms. Erica Priggen, from Free Range Graphics. That’s the company that made all of those amazing videos like Grocery Store Wars, The Meatrix and the Mouth Revolution.

I meet one of the company’s founders, Mr. Louis Fox, who was the Moutholution’s Che’. I kind of tilted my head a little so that I could recognize him because my view of him from the video is upside-down. (You’ll know what I mean if you watch the video.)

It was fun to scout around the studio because their office has props from various videos, including C3 Peanuts, Darth Tater’s helmet and the Moutholution’s logo. What an fabulous company that has inspired millions to make this a better world. Thanks, Louis, Erica and all of the folks at Free Range Graphics.

You can do your part to make this a better place by sharing these videos with your friends and by living the wisdom imparted in these fun clips. Links to all of these videos and more are also on the Ecological Footprint Education site.

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Learn About Biodiversity: Bio DaVersity Code

March 2, 2007 at 4:55 am · Filed under Consciousness, Cool Science, Ecological Footprint, Sustainability, YouTube

Man is not alone on this planet. He is part of a community, upon which he depends absolutely. - Ishmael, Daniel Quinn

Check out the latest clip from the folks at Free Range Graphics. This video is called Bio DaVersity Code and teaches about the importance of biodiversity and that humans are part of the web of life. You may recognize the plot.

Much of the ecological devastation has been caused because people don’t believe we are part of the web of life, and hence they don’t respect the Laws of Nature. I’ve been amazed over the years when I taught science that a number of my students didn’t even know that humans were animals!

If you want to read an excellent book that will transform the way you look at humans in relationship to the other creatures on this planet, and one that provides a possible vision for people as stewards of the planets, I recommend the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It will change your life. It did mine.

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Global Warming and Future Possibility Videos

January 19, 2007 at 5:56 am · Filed under Ecological Footprint, Sustainability

A friend sent me a video that Leonardo diCaprio made about global warming. I added this video and the one from Renew US to the ecological footprint website. Check it out.

While you’re on the website, fill in the number of planets it would take if there were 6.5 billion of you.

Remember to put on a sweater and turn the heat down a bit.

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Global Warming Video and a New Possibility for the Future

January 12, 2007 at 6:40 am · Filed under Consciousness, Ecological Footprint, Environment, Sustainability

I found this video about global warming. It’s by the same folks who did Store Wars and the Meatrix. Do you like it?  Do you think it would be helpful for other kids to see? If so, let me know and I will post it to the Ecological Footprint website.

I’ve also made some other great additions to the Ecological Footprint website that I think you’ll appreciate:
1.  Quick polls – Tell others how many planets we’d need if there were 6.5 billion people consuming like you.
2.  Cool Friends Recycle Party – Learn what and how to throw a cool friends recycle party.
3.  Food and Your Ecological Footprint – Additional information about how your food choices impact your ecological footprint are now available. Make sure you read about the impact of eating tomatoes versus beef. You’ll be shocked!

You can post your comments here or directly on the Squidoo Ecological Footprint lens.

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Ecological Footprint Part III

December 18, 2006 at 5:41 am · Filed under Consciousness, Ecological Footprint, Environment, Sustainability

This weekend I was inspired to create a website called Save the Planet: Ecological Footprint Education. One of the most valuable things we can do is to become stewards, or protectors, of the Earth. This website has resources, videos and suggestions on how to reduce your ecological footprint. If you know of any other great ideas on how to save the planet or other helpful resources, please share them with the class. (Click on the title of the email. It’ll take you to the blog where you can post comments for all of our benefit.)

We are currently in a very consumer-based culture, which is not living at a sustainable level. We need to question the value of this pattern, if we are to change it. Do you feel better when you make a purchase? Does it give you a deep sense of satisfaction or is it temporarily filling a void? Creating a shift in awareness and values will be important aspects of healing the planet. Are you willing to question your shopping impulses?

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Ecological Footprint Part II

December 14, 2006 at 3:32 am · Filed under Consciousness, Ecological Footprint, Environment, Sustainability

I just took the ecological footprint quiz. Have you taken it yet? Here are my quiz results.

 

CATEGORY ACRES
FOOD 2.2
MOBILITY 2
SHELTER 9.9
GOODS/SERVICES 8.2
TOTAL FOOTPRINT 22

IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 24 ACRES PER PERSON.WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ACRES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 5 PLANETS.

5 planets! Yikes! It can be a bit depressing to see the results of your quiz. Don’t despair. Take action! Look at the choices you make daily and your consumption. What can you do to decrease your ecological footprint? Post your comments for others to benefit from your wisdom and insight.

If you liked the ecological footprint quiz, you may also enjoy taking the Bobby Bigfoot Quiz. It shows how the daily choices that you make impact your ecological footprint.

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Ecological Footprint Part I

December 12, 2006 at 3:29 am · Filed under Consciousness, Ecological Footprint, Environment, Sustainability

We all leave footprints in the sand, the question is, will we be a big heal, or a great soul.

‘Tis the holiday season for many of us. What choices will you make when it comes to the ecological footprint you place on the planet? Why not create a healthy footprint for yours and future generations!

First off, you may be asking, “What is an ecological footprint?” According to Wikipedia’s definition, “an ecological footprint is a metaphor used to depict the amount of land and water area a human population would hypothetically need to provide the resources required to support itself and to absorb its wastes.”

Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz to see how much resources you use. I hope you’re sitting down when you take it. It’s quite intense to hear the amount of resources we as Americans use. I also recommend you take the quiz pretending you are from another country. You’ll be flabbergasted at the difference!

Things to Consider About Sustainability and Your Footprint
1. When you buy something, it must last as long or longer than it takes to make the raw ingredients to be sustainable.

  • Water bottles: A plastic water bottle, which is made of petroleum, takes millions of years to create. Yet we throw it away after an hour.

millions of years to make > 1 hour to drink NOT sustainable

  • Jeans: Jeans are made from cotton, which takes less than a year to grow.

less than a year to grow < wear jeans for more than a year Sustainable

2. Packaging is a huge waste of natural resources. Buy things with a minimum amount of packaging. Also bring your own bags to the store. If it’s a small purchase, ask that they don’t put it in a bag.

Holiday Suggestions from My Family to Yours
My family used to do several things that I’d like to share with you to help you be more environmentally conscientious.

  • First, we often wrapped gifts in the comic section of the paper. It was fun and colorful, and we all agreed that it was an easy step we could all take for the planet.
  • We also had boxes that had tops and bottoms. The tops were wrapped in wrapping paper and we used these boxes year after year… not to mention the bows. This year I received some gifts for my 40th birthday and they were in the boxes that I remember from when a kid. What a nice childhood memory!
  • Create attractive cards or gift tags that identify gifts that can be used year after year. For example, “From Mom & Dad, To Rebecca.” We had little felt gift tags that we made and we used them every year for Christmas. Think of all of the paper we saved, and it was a sweet thing to see those little tags. We still have them 35 years later!
  • Another cool thing that we did is that we didn’t have a Christmas tree. In 2002, over 20,000,000 trees were cut in the US alone by commercial farmers. And that’s just for the US! We had a Christmas branch instead. We cut some large limbs from trees that needed to be pruned and from the limbs we created a “tree.” Everyone always commented on how beautiful our trees looked. UC Berkeley School of Forestry has an annual sale of trees that have been cut from national parks that are potentially a fire hazard. If you celebrate Christmas, see if there is an alternative that suits your family’s needs and concerns when it comes to Christmas trees.

For more information on ecological footprints, check out this web quest.

This holiday think about the purchases you are making and the gifts you are requesting. What ecological footprint will you leave on the planet for your generation and future generations?

Have a lovely holiday!

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