No Impact Project

Check the No Impact Project especially the experiment option that will allow you into a one week program beginning on April 18th that helps you to assess and reduce your impact on the planet.
I'm hoping to get a number of people from the Pingree Community to sign up as a group. The web site is: www.noimpactproject.org

Gold, Silver, Bronze and Green

In the past few decades, hosting the Olympics has become synonymous with construction, construction, and more construction. On top of that, the host city must house and feed hundreds of thousands of athletes and spectators while putting on a spectacular show. How is Vancouver doing in keeping green? Check out this article from Scientific American.
Canada also gets bonus points in execution for making this year's medals from reclaimed tech materials!

Green Websites

Check out these websites my ethics class discovered during a recent project:

http://www.tomsofmaine.com

http://www.simpleshoes.com

http://www.ecobutterfly.com

http://www.oftheearth.com

http://mamasearth.com/green_shopping/2/Bed_Bath

The Good News About Paper Recycling

Did you know...

More than 56% of the paper consumed in the U.S. during 2007 was recovered for recycling- an all-time high.

In total 54.3 million tons of paper and paper board products were recovered last year in the United States- approximately 360 pounds for every man, women, and child in the country, up from 233 pounds per person in 1900.

Every ton of paper that is recovered saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.

Enough paper was recovered for recycling last year to fill 130 Empire State Buildings.

Since 1990, when the paper industry established its first recovery goal to advance recycling in the U.S., paper recovery has grown by more than 87%.
Source: American Forest and Paper Association

Although we have made progress, still almost half the paper produced is thrown away! Remember to recycle- even if it takes a little extra effort!

I'm dreaming of a GREEN Christmas...

Holiday tips from the Sierra Club!

Have a green Thanksgiving!

With Thanksgiving just two days away I wanted to post some tips to make it a little greener! Here they are:
1. Look for organic turkeys, fruits and vegetables, and if you really want to go all out, check out Tofurkeys!
2. Get creative with your plating- think squash soup served in the rinds you hollowed out to make it.
3. Find alternative (re: recycled) centerpieces for your table. Instead of the typical greenhouse-raised and pesticide-filled flowers, take some branches and fallen leaves from your yard and make your own arrangement.
4. As always, recycle and compost everything you can.
Give thanks to Mother Earth this year- she deserves it!

(Yep, that's a Tofurkey temporary tattoo.)

More on Bikes

Jimmy's last post reminded me of way back in August when Emma, Kyle, and I attended GreenFest and Emma rode a similar bike.





This bike was made by a group called Maya Pedal in Guatemala. They turn bikes into machines such as mill/corn degrainers, water pumps, coffee depulpers, and metal sharpeners. At GreenFest, the group had the bike set up as a blender.