From Green Right Now Reports

As the nation celebrated Earth Day this week, teen environmentalist and Green Youth Movement founder Ally Maize led schoolmates in planting the first “sustainable garden” at The Archer School for Girls in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The vegetable and herb garden was the latest project initiated by Maize, who started the Green Youth Movement after seeing former Vice President Al Gore’s Academy Award winning film An Inconvenient Truth. Maize organizes numerous events to promote the cause around Los Angeles, hoping to bring formalized green learning into junior and senior high school curricula.

“I’m really excited about this first sustainable garden at my school,” Maize, 16, said in a statement. “Volunteers who know how to create wonderful sustainable gardens have generously donated their time, and everyone has been so great about working as a team to make this happen.

“The whole school is psyched about promoting eco-consciousness and learning what a sustainable garden is all about, which is really cool.”

The garden will be maintained and nurtured by students at Archer, and the crop will benefit the Westside Food Bank and Santa Monica’s Daybreak Center and Shelter for Women. To encourage other students to start their own sustainable gardens, Maize presented each participant with a seed-in-a-cup to take home.

The United States Conference of Mayors celebrated Earth Day today by commending the Obama Administration for setting climate change as a top policy priority, and for funding $2.8 billion in energy efficiency grants specifically for cities, counties and states.

“This Earth Day we are proud to announce close to 1,000 mayors committed to reducing carbon emissions in their cities. We are fortunate to have the support of President Obama, who is dedicated to protecting our environment against climate change,” U.S. Conference of Mayors President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said in a statement.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) program was originated by The U.S. Conference of Mayors and was a top priority of the organization’s 10-Point Plan and the Mayors’ MainStreet Recovery Program. Last month, the Obama Administration acted to distribute $2.8 billion in EECBG grants as part of the federal Recovery Package — the first time in history that green grants for cities are available to specifically fund energy-efficiency projects

So far, more than 944 U.S. mayors have pledged support for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, officials said.

Related links:

• Map of participating mayors
• Report: Green best practices in cities

Earth Day is here. In my burg, the streets were filled with people walking and biking to school this morning. Odd thing happened. Many of the parents lingered, talking to each other. You couldn’t have herded them off the sidewalks. So much for suburban isolation. Why don’t we do it more often?

But the big Earth Day event today is in New York City this morning, where Denis Hayes, one of the two U.S. Earth Day founders, and Kathleen Rodgers,  president of the Earth Day Network, are appearing in Times Square to kick off a call to action for the coming year. They’re calling it the “Green Generation” campaign, an effort to enlarge the movement for a fossil-fuel free future and more green jobs. They’re installing a new rotating “Earth Ball” in Times Square as a symbol of the drive, which culminates on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010.

So, ummm, let’s not drop the ball on this one. Okay?

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Also this Earth Week, the clearing of ditches and planting of trees continues.

All sorts of groups are getting out to tidy up their towns, beaches and public parks. These community projects, while not sexy like lofting a giant globe in the heart of the city, are still the lifeblood of the green movement, which must be strong both locally and globally to succeed. (Hey, how about a slogan, Think Globally, Act Locally?)

There are thousands of these “actions” this week. We’re nominating the one in Long Beach, N.J., as having the most party potential:

The Long Beach Island Business Alliance hosts its first “Green Up Clean Up” (this coming Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to noon) to clean the Boulevard and streets along the island, including debris blowing in the bay and ocean. Volunteers can pick up cleaning supplies, gloves and trash bags at local businesses designated as “Crab Traps”. Early birds will get a t-shirt.  All volunteers will get a bracelet entitling them to business discounts that day, and the first 100 volunteers to visit the Dark Star Café in Ship Bottom starting at 12:15 (after the clean up) will get a free lunch. (So there is such a thing.) A bonfire follows that night.

This is what passes for a work day on the beach?!

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Finally, on Green Right Now we’ve got a great story posted on this Earth Day, a primer on global warming called No math needed: A look at global warming by the numbers. This status report on the planet by reporter Laura May gives us some vital information using key numbers from the green movement. Like the number “one”. That’s how many degrees the Earth warmed this last century. Doesn’t sound like much, does it? If only the picture were so simple. The warming is accelerating.

Want to know the significance of the numbers 60, 80 and 360? Check out the piece. It’s sobering, but hopeful too. Time to act.

Happy Earth Day!

You want to go for it, but after paying for the Iraq War, the bank bailout and the stimulus packages you’re just plain tapped out. A new greener lifestyle with its eco-gadgets, shiny solar panels and breezy wind turbines sounds fun – and costly.

But wait. You don’t have to wait. Sure a lot of the new green foo-fahs are fashionable budget-busters.  But green can also be, well, cheap. In fact, it has its roots in cheap, having been born back when people in caftans tried living together in packs called communes while eating hummus because it was economical and efficient. That was back when lots of people got next to nature, without gadgetry, because, man, it was a beautiful thing. This was before “tree hugger” become a term of derision and students openly doodled rainbows and ecology symbols on their notebooks. Back then in the pre-iStuff period many people also eschewed excessive consumerism (and sometimes clothes, too, but let’s not go there today).

So green, the color of the American dollar notwithstanding, can be cheap, cheap, cheap. And as we re-new our green vows this Earth Day week, let’s count the ways we can penny-pinch a green path.

Let’s go green, for under $100.

Earth Day isn’t just a date on the calendar or an annual do-good commitment; it’s a way of life, a state of mind, a mission even – and certainly an intention. The date itself, April 22, merely reminds us that, January through December, all days  should be “earth days” in our respective, collective communities.

You know this is true when mainstream news giants like Time magazine feature cover stories declaring the eminent demise of millions of species. Climate change is real, and potentially catastrophic. Still, there are loads of things we can do to stem climate change, or even help reverse it. Which is why each year Earth Day gathers more meaning and momentum, urging us to expand our green consciousness to 365 days a year.

Eva Radke, founder of Film Biz Recycling in New York City – a nonprofit committed to greening the film industry – grasps that idea.

“This might sound trite, but everyday is Earth Day in my book,” she says. “I think it’s stupendous to heighten awareness, and these events across the country (which number in the tens of thousands) get more and more people involved and I salute everyone involved, truly. But to me personally, it’s just another day. … We have to think about what we do to the planet as a result of our daily lives — daily.”

That said, Radke – recognized as April’s “Industry Star of the Month” by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting – concluded, “I will probably do nothing different from what I do everyday, which is build Film Biz Recycling as an environmentally and socially responsible model for every industry, not just the film business. If New York City’s film community can alter its thinking and methods, even slightly (to the tune of 62 tons since Radke started FBR in June 08), then so can the hotel industry, clothing and auto makers, chemical companies, grocery stores, conventional farmers, carting companies, toy companies, the U.S. government, banking, Renaissance festivals, construction companies, land developers, space programs, day-care centers. … On Earth Day, I’m just gonna keep on keeping on.”

But – you ask – how can I do something as meaningful? Something that can truly change my immediate community?

Let’s say you don’t have the time or resources to commit to a 24-7 venture, as Radke did. But ask yourself these things: How can I convince my family, my kids’ school, my neighbors, or my government to be more pro-active? Well, like any grassroots movement, these things start by applying our imaginations – and a few of those little gray cells.

Here are three potential approaches:

• Plant trees. Join a tree-planting campaign in your town or city; make your community look more lush, and help Mother Earth breathe mo’ better.

• Grow food: Carve out a plot in your yard (it’s easier than you think!) or join a community garden. If your burg doesn’t have one, then start one.

• Promote Pedal Power. If your town doesn’t have designated bicycle lanes, grease the wheels at City Hall to help the town lower its carbon footprint.

Although every teacher and student at Green Woods Charter School will be devoting themselves to a full day of environmental service this Earth Day, in reality, it’s pretty much like any other day at the school.

The only public charter school in the country that is located inside a nature center-Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and its surrounding 350 acres in Philadelphia-Green Woods uses environmental and ecological concepts to drive the development of its curriculum and instruction.

Environmental education became serious in 2001, when the state legislature passed the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology, the only such standards in the country. It also left schools scrambling for new curricula to meet the standards. Jean Wallace, who had a degree in environmental education from Arcadia University and was working as a curriculum developer at Earth Force, a nonprofit organization, was suddenly deluged with requests for materials.

“Working with hundreds of schools, I could see that principals and teachers just weren’t getting behind the new standards from a leadership perspective,” she recalls. “I kept hearing, ‘I just don’t see the point of devoting instructional time to environmental study, or ‘I’m sure these standards aren’t here to stay.’”

Wallace could see that most schools were not using the standards for the rich opportunity they presented. So when she learned that Green Woods had an opening for a curriculum coordinator, she jumped at the chance.

But there was a small glitch: Green Woods had no curriculum, she discovered. So Wallace and her team set about creating one.

“Yes, it was a Herculean task but also an incredible opportunity,” says Wallace, now the CEO and Academic Director for Green Woods. “We had a clean slate and that gave our teachers tremendous creativity. We could really focus on how we knew students learned best.”

Kindergarten through fourth grade focuses on the basics, including studying four different ecosystems, using four of the center’s ponds. The program encompasses in-depth study of seed dispersal, insects and wildlife of the field, weather patterns, the forest ecosystems, migrating birds, and much more.

The fourth grade is the “bridge” year, where students transition from a focus on local environment to a global perspective, including an in-depth look at the Kyoto Protocol.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grades branch out further, studying science, literature, and history within an ecological context.

On Earth Day, Farm Sanctuary wants people to “eat green” as well. Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, encourages people to reduce or eliminate meat and other animal products from their diet by raising awareness about factory farming’s negative impact on the environment. The group believes that choosing a plant-based vegan diet is the most ecologically sustainable way for people to eat.

The group will be involved in nearly two dozen outreach and education events on Earth Day. At the different Earth Day festivals, volunteers will man tables and hand out leaflets documenting meat’s devastating impact on the environment. The group will also hand out literature promoting a healthy, sustainable vegan lifestyle.

“People need to know how their food choices impact the planet, so during Earth Day, Farm Sanctuary will be getting the word out, and promoting vegan lifestyles as a key part of the solution to our environmental crisis,” said Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur in a statement.

A 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report indicated that about 18% of total greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere are produced by modern animal agriculture. The report says the livestock sector is a major source of land and water degradation. The Farm Sanctuary says the animal agriculture industry consumes more than half the water and over one-third of the petroleum used in the United States.

The group also cites the large amount of pollution as another reason to start a vegan diet. According to EPA estimates, farm animal excrement has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.  Farm animals excrete half a billion tones of manure, which is three times the amount of waste produced by the entire human population according to Farm Sanctuary.

To find out more about their Earth Day events check out their website.

(Photo credit: Keith Weller USDA)

Copyright C 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

MORE FROM GRN

As Earth Day approaches, one of the most significant things you can do is to help a child celebrate nature and embrace a greener lifestyle. Here are ten ideas for creating a fun and meaningful Earth Day celebration.

1 – Picnic (with local food)

Get outdoors and enjoy a snack with the squirrels and ants. To really get the most out of this, take your favorite kid(s) to the market in preparation and let them search out local healthy foods. Even young kids can participate, choosing the apples, veggies and cheeses they want to include. So introduce them to the farmer’s market or local foods section of your neighborhood grocery. Look for organic and lower your impact by using reusable dinnerware and plates, or biodegradable paper plates.

Then head to your favorite city park or nearest lakeside picnic spot to relax. Note the trees, the wildlife, the wonderful spring flora, the plastic bags wafting in the breeze…what!? Be a good scout and pick up a bit of trash during your visit.

(Photo credit: Sebcz/Dreamstime.com)

Earth Day is every day. It truly is, and should be. Still it’s nice to have a special time set aside for this commemoration, now 39 years old.

It gives us a time to celebrate. A time for people who live the issue daily, as foresters, gardeners, organic bakers, fair trade importers, scientists and energy experts, to connect with each other and newcomers on the green path. It’s a time when tree huggers can come out of the forest, composters can declare their love of the soil and all sorts of other quirky “naturalists” can unabashedly rejoice — in an accepting climate.

On this Earth Day weekend (the official day is Wednesday) we met many of these concerned and hopeful people at the Oak Cliff Earth Day celebration in Dallas. We chatted with a guy who’s a person of irony: He teaches automotive arts at a high school, but just got rid of his car to reduce his carbon imprint. Kenneth Cotten plans to bike, walk or take mass transit for the foreseeable future. We met a coffee importer who markets only organic fair trade coffee; a maker of natural soaps and perfumes; a master gardener, an urban forestry expert, a cookie maker, a meter reader expert and a solar panel salesman — all of whom are passionately doing their part for the planet in their jobs and hobbies. They were a joyous group.

There were a lot of dogs at this event. Everyone seemed to be walking a dog or carrying a plant (I guess the cats had to stay home). We saw lots of young people, too, including students from Skyline High School, a magnet in Dallas, who were volunteering for the day at the annual festival at Lake Cliff Park, an urban jewel that was brought back from the brink several years ago.  (That’s Maria Ruiz, Alicia Vega, Marystella Rodriguez, James WIlliams, Ga Corey Eaton and Esther Soto in the picture.)

This Sunday also saw celebrations on the National Mall in Washington D.C., in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle and Austin where the Earth Day Network partnered with Green Apple Festivals. See a video of the event on the Mall on the Green Apple website.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

CafePress, the popular online self-print service, and Carbonfund.org, today announced a special edition carbon-neutral T-shirt in honor of Earth Day. The shirt will spread Carbonfund.org’s message to reduce carbon emissions while giving back to the organization to further its climate efforts.

Certified CarbonFree by Carbonfund.org’s Product Certification Program, the AnvilRecycled T-shirt is made of 69 percent pre-consumer recycled cotton. To meet Carbonfund.org’s certification standards, manufacturers have a life-cycle assessment of their product performed and agree to make the product carbon neutral through reductions and carbon offsets.

The T-shirt is available for $15 on CafePress.

Earth Day 2009 is April 22, and Amazon is launching Earth Day Savings at www.amazon.com/earthday, where customers can save on organic groceries, home products, CFLs and more. Additionally, learn how to go Extreme Green, Ease Into Green, or be Eco-Chic.

Amazon and ENERGY STAR will also host the Earth Day Sweepstakes. Five first-place winners will receive two ENERGY STAR-qualified powerhouses: a Toshiba laptop and a Brother multifunction printer. Fifteen second-place winners will receive the Brother printer. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter here by April 22, 2009. See Official Rules for details.

You can also celebrate with recycled and repurposed wood and plastic toys. Shop our large selection of eco-friendly toys from Spring Toys, Green Toys, Plan Toys, and more.

In celebration of Earth Day, Staples is making it easy for customers to recycle their old printers. The company is offering free printer recycling and a $50 rebate with the purchase of a new printer valued at $179 and up.

This is the second consecutive year that Staples will be hosting a printer recycling event. The company collected over 100,000 printers last year and expects more this year.

Customers just need to bring their old printer to any Staples location in order to participate.

As another bonus, Staples is going to offer free recycling of any technology product it sells on Earth Day, April 22. This means that any customer can bring in one old telephone, digital camera, laptop, or GPS device and drop it off to be recycled at no cost to them. There is usually a $10 charge per large recycled item.

“We are committed to making it easy for customers to make a difference,” said Scott Rankin, VP/DMM of technology merchandising in a statement. “The printer trade in program is an easy way for customers to recycle their old printers safely.”

For the eco-conscious customers, Staples also offers EcoEasy printers by Hewlett-Packard. The printers in this line are Energy Star qualified and have automatic double-sided printing.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media