To date, I have tried to cover a range of topics related to sustainability. But our society faces countless environmental challenges of global proportions.
So today, I pose a question to you, Dear Reader: What are your top environmental concerns; or at least, which topics would you like to learn more about? If you give three specific subjects pertaining to sustainability that you'd like to see on "The Green World," I will make sure I cover them within the next few posts. As I stated in one of my first few blog posts: we are in this together, and so we must learn together.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sustainable Reading
The Internet is a host of information on becoming more ecologically sound. But let's not forget the print resources that are also available to us. Grid magazine is one such resource.
Grid's motto, "Toward a Sustainable Philadelphia," speaks to its intention of providing valuable, accurate information on the environmental issues our society faces and possible solutions to them. Their latest issue entitled "Moral Support: Earthly Concerns and Religious Commitment Spark the Growing Green Faith Movement," focuses on strides that local religious communities have made towards becoming more green. From Quaker and Catholic to Jewish and Muslim, these believers have really stepped up to the eco-challenge, and Grid says, "hats off to you" for it.
Other topics you can expect from Grid include educational environmental studies opportunities in PA, such as at the University of Pennsyvania, the Waldorf School of Philadephia, Temple University, and Philadelphia University; articles on local farms and farmers markets; healthy, unique recipes such as sausage, kale and white bean skillet as well as chicken and zucchini stew; and briefings on the most local current events regarding ecological matters, such as the Philly Farm & Food Fest.
If you're searching for a reliable resource on sustainability, search no further than Grid magazine. Did I mention it's free? For the purposes of WCU students (who are the ones most likely reading this blog), take a pit stop at Lindsay's Garden in Lawrence Dining Center for your free copy of Grid.
Grid's motto, "Toward a Sustainable Philadelphia," speaks to its intention of providing valuable, accurate information on the environmental issues our society faces and possible solutions to them. Their latest issue entitled "Moral Support: Earthly Concerns and Religious Commitment Spark the Growing Green Faith Movement," focuses on strides that local religious communities have made towards becoming more green. From Quaker and Catholic to Jewish and Muslim, these believers have really stepped up to the eco-challenge, and Grid says, "hats off to you" for it.
Other topics you can expect from Grid include educational environmental studies opportunities in PA, such as at the University of Pennsyvania, the Waldorf School of Philadephia, Temple University, and Philadelphia University; articles on local farms and farmers markets; healthy, unique recipes such as sausage, kale and white bean skillet as well as chicken and zucchini stew; and briefings on the most local current events regarding ecological matters, such as the Philly Farm & Food Fest.
If you're searching for a reliable resource on sustainability, search no further than Grid magazine. Did I mention it's free? For the purposes of WCU students (who are the ones most likely reading this blog), take a pit stop at Lindsay's Garden in Lawrence Dining Center for your free copy of Grid.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Go Green, Go Local
When we think about saving our planet, oftentimes our minds go straight to the overwhelming environmental emergencies of our time: The glaciers are melting! The ozone is depleting! The rain forest is disappearing!
How in the world is one person supposed to begin making an impact when the world’s problems are so big? On a Saturday morning, it’s much easier to roll over in bed and go back to sleep than to give yourself a headache thinking about all the work we’ve got ahead of us.
But what if you started small? What if instead of panicking, you decided to set aside 15 minutes of your day to read environmentally educational blogs, such as this one? (See? You’re already moving in the right direction!) What if in place of shopping at chain grocery stores that have their produce shipped across state and country lines, you visited your local Growers’ Market, which produces food within 10 miles of your own home? What if instead of rolling over for the few extra minutes of weekend sleep that probably aren’t going to make that big of a difference, you joined a local Go Green movement of individuals just like yourself who are looking to learn about our planet and lend a hand to Mother Nature?
If we are ever going to make a large-scale change, we’ve got to start with a small-scale movement. And people are responding to the call for change; all you’ve got to do is look around you.
For those of us in the Greater Philadelphia Region, the following are just a few of the many groups/events you can become involved in to find out what Going Green is all about:
Chester County Citizens 4 Climate Protection
Next event: Wed., March 7
401 E. Gay St. West Chester, PA
For more details, go to http://www.meetup.com/Chester-County-Citizens-4-Climate-Protection
Eastern Pennsylvania Permaculture Guild
Next event: Sun., March 18
Location TBA
For more details, go to http://www.meetup.com/permie
Greenpeace Philly
Next event: Wed., March 21
232 S. 4th St. Philadelphia, PA
For more details, go to http://www.meetup.com/GreenpeacePhilly
The Schuylkill Center
Next event: Mon., Feb 20
8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd. Philadelphia, PA
For more details, go to http://www.schuylkillcenter.org/
Philadelphia Green List
Next Event: Saturday, Feb. 25
5818 Germantwon Ave. Philadelphia, PA
For more details, go to http://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Green-List/events/49639882
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Let's Get it (Re)Started
It has been an embarrassingly long time since I last updated this blog. The story is it's time to get it going again. If you read my older posts, you'll realize this blog is all about sustainability education and learning what this whole "Go Green" movement we've been experiencing over the past decade or so is really all about.
This is an important topic (and therefore an important blog) because we are all world citizens who need to be aware that our actions have consequences. Regardless of where you stand on issues of global warming and the like, there is no denying that non-renewable--and even renewable--resources are scarce, and they will continually be less available as time goes on. That is, unless we take action and become more responsible members of this planet.
This is an important topic (and therefore an important blog) because we are all world citizens who need to be aware that our actions have consequences. Regardless of where you stand on issues of global warming and the like, there is no denying that non-renewable--and even renewable--resources are scarce, and they will continually be less available as time goes on. That is, unless we take action and become more responsible members of this planet.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green (Link post)
There are countless "Green" websites and blogs out there that provide valuable information for those of us who are trying to reshape our worlds and become at least a bit more environmentally conscious and environmentally friendly. Therefore sometimes it's better for me to simply provide you with a link to other reliable websites than for me to reiterate the information that others have already presented.
With this in mind, the following link will bring you to the Worldwatch Institute's website. The Worldwatch Institute was the first independent research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental concerns, and the particular page this link will bring you to to contains a list of "10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green." I have chosen this link because not only does it come from a reliable source but it lays out specific steps you can take in your own life to help preserve our planet. Too often we think about how we want to make a change but then we don't take the initiative to find our exactly what types of changes are possible. Well, here is somewhere for us to start!
http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green
With this in mind, the following link will bring you to the Worldwatch Institute's website. The Worldwatch Institute was the first independent research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental concerns, and the particular page this link will bring you to to contains a list of "10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green." I have chosen this link because not only does it come from a reliable source but it lays out specific steps you can take in your own life to help preserve our planet. Too often we think about how we want to make a change but then we don't take the initiative to find our exactly what types of changes are possible. Well, here is somewhere for us to start!
http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green
Sunday, February 20, 2011
1 Tee= 1 Tree
"30 Billion plastic bottles every year; less than 5% is recycled.
Bottles take 700 years to decompose.
100 Billion bags per day; only 1% gets recycled.
No. the facts"
These words are scrawled across my black and white Verde Styles t-shirt that I proudly wear not only to educate others about these particular facts but also to support the eco-friendly company started in 2008 by college students Nish Patel, Matt Muchnick, and Chris Zachariah at Temple University. Each item of the Verdes Style clothing line displays eye-catching designs meant to raise awareness about environmental issues in our world, and for every t-shirt that Verde Styles sells, they plant a tree. Thus, 1 Tee= 1 Tree.
I had the privilege of working with the creators of Verde Styles when they sold their merchandise on my campus at West Chester University, and all I can really say about them and their mission is "Right on!" Nish, Matt, Chris, and those who work with/for them clearly believe that each of us is capable of creating positive change in our world, and these innovative leaders have stepped up to the plate to walk their talk. I commend and applaud Verde Styles and would highly recommend their merchandise because the products not only benefit our environment in several ways (they raise awareness of environmental issues when you wear them and you plant a tree when you purchase them) but they look great, too!
For more information on Verde Styles, go to their website: http://verdestyles.com
Bottles take 700 years to decompose.
100 Billion bags per day; only 1% gets recycled.
No. the facts"
These words are scrawled across my black and white Verde Styles t-shirt that I proudly wear not only to educate others about these particular facts but also to support the eco-friendly company started in 2008 by college students Nish Patel, Matt Muchnick, and Chris Zachariah at Temple University. Each item of the Verdes Style clothing line displays eye-catching designs meant to raise awareness about environmental issues in our world, and for every t-shirt that Verde Styles sells, they plant a tree. Thus, 1 Tee= 1 Tree.
I had the privilege of working with the creators of Verde Styles when they sold their merchandise on my campus at West Chester University, and all I can really say about them and their mission is "Right on!" Nish, Matt, Chris, and those who work with/for them clearly believe that each of us is capable of creating positive change in our world, and these innovative leaders have stepped up to the plate to walk their talk. I commend and applaud Verde Styles and would highly recommend their merchandise because the products not only benefit our environment in several ways (they raise awareness of environmental issues when you wear them and you plant a tree when you purchase them) but they look great, too!
For more information on Verde Styles, go to their website: http://verdestyles.com
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Blog Review: http://www.ecosizeme.com/
Ecosizeme.com is a blog that provides suggestions for your everyday individual looking to start making changes in his/her life to live more eco-friendly in even the smallest ways. The blog writers, Tracy Purrenhage and Juli Kushel, realize that you don't need to be an extremist to help save our planet. Tracy, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy Studies, and Juli, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science, are both well-taught experts in their fields and are looking to share their knowledge so that they can evoke positive change in our environment one person at a time. In their very first blog on March 4, 2009, they write:
"We didn’t arrive at our current environmental state in one fell swoop. And, we surely aren’t going to reverse it that way either. One person making one change and taking one step each day will have a compounding impact as we move forward. I am making a conscious effort every day to be a little greener in both my actions and purchases. If that will inspire another person to do the same, then change has begun."
After looking through their archives and reading some of their entries, I can see that Tracy and Juli have created a blog that makes complicated environmental issues and their solutions easier to understand. Aesthetically speaking I enjoy the blog because it has an array of colors but at the same time there isn't too much going on with it. There are a few advertisements but not too many where the page is saturated with them, distracting you from the actual content of the blog. Tracy and Juli provide pictures with some posts and videos with others, and each title of the blogs specify precisely what is discussed in that blog so that you are not confused or led astray into thinking the blog will be about something other than what it is truly about.
The blogs are typically a good length because they are long enough to provide you with important information but not so long that you are too overwhelmed to even begin reading them. There is space for readers to make comments on the entries, and the writers include links for you to gain more information about the given topics.
All in all, I would say this is a great blog and would recommend it!
"We didn’t arrive at our current environmental state in one fell swoop. And, we surely aren’t going to reverse it that way either. One person making one change and taking one step each day will have a compounding impact as we move forward. I am making a conscious effort every day to be a little greener in both my actions and purchases. If that will inspire another person to do the same, then change has begun."
After looking through their archives and reading some of their entries, I can see that Tracy and Juli have created a blog that makes complicated environmental issues and their solutions easier to understand. Aesthetically speaking I enjoy the blog because it has an array of colors but at the same time there isn't too much going on with it. There are a few advertisements but not too many where the page is saturated with them, distracting you from the actual content of the blog. Tracy and Juli provide pictures with some posts and videos with others, and each title of the blogs specify precisely what is discussed in that blog so that you are not confused or led astray into thinking the blog will be about something other than what it is truly about.
The blogs are typically a good length because they are long enough to provide you with important information but not so long that you are too overwhelmed to even begin reading them. There is space for readers to make comments on the entries, and the writers include links for you to gain more information about the given topics.
All in all, I would say this is a great blog and would recommend it!
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