Blog
Flip Flops
July 20, 2010
My son is on the swim team and as any parents of swimmers know, we end up living in flip flops for the summer. My flip flops were dead and FLAT. Last night I happened upon a pair of Earth Shoes flips at my fav closeout store. Earth Shoes just celebrated their 25th anniversary. They were the first shoes to market the shape that puts your feet at a 3.7 degree incline moving your body weight back just a bit so that you strengthen and tone your muscles while you walk. But they didn't look much like the old Earth Shoes I remember.These shoes are made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. The outsole is said to use a technology that accelerates post-lifecycle decomposition so it will reduce landfill waste. And they use water-based adhesives reducing potentially harmful environmental runoff.
It's All About the Baby Steps
July 16, 2010
This process of blogging is another one of those habits that’s been difficult to establish. But it’s finally dawned on me that it is a great way to report many baby steps. I’ve been trying to find the time to write more complete stories- to report on the small steps I’ve taken and turn each of them into bigger things than they are. But now I see that process of taking baby steps is exactly what I’ve set out to impress upon us all.
So here then are a few of the baby steps I’ve taken during the campaign to make connections and educate myself. I plan to report on some of them more fully later on.
- Launched the campaign at the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce Environmental Committee’s “Green is Good” Mixer and Expo held on April 15, 2010. This was a well-attended event that I helped to market and get speakers for.
- On April 22, 2010, I had the opportunity to share the campaign and teach about earth day and the importance of caring for our environment with my son’s fourth grade class. (see the previous entry about that experience).
- Met with and joined the Fairfax County Restoration Project. As a group, we are working together to make a significant visible impact in the area. You should know about possiblities this public/private partnership provides. Visit www.fcrpp3.org to learn more and get involved.
- Attended educational field trips organized by the totally excellent Doug Guernsey of Guernsey Office Products, chair of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce Environmental Committee. The trips included tours of Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., headquarters in Gainesville, VA - Virginia's first facility certified "Gold" by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system; the Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA) in Centreville, VA, who provides state-of-the-art treatment for all wastewater generated in the Occoquan Watershed, and most recently, the Covanta Energy-from-Waste facility in Lorton, VA, where they convert virtually all of Fairfax County’s Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into energy which then powers 85,000 of the area’s homes. These trips were awesome and I’ll definitely write more about each one of them.
Fourth Grade is the Place to Be!
April 22, 2010
Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk about Earth Day and present the Stop! Think Green campaign to my son’s 4th grade class. Fourth graders are so green! We discussed a lot of the ways that they already go green at home. One girl intimated that they conserve water but are having trouble getting their Mom to change her ways. Exactly! That’s why this campaign began. Us grownups need help establishing new habits and changing old behaviors.
These kids loved the opportunity to take the message home to their families. Some kids took 7 stickers for light switches all over the house. One kid took 5 wallet cards to remind each person in his family to think about their purchases. We talked about many ways they could use the Stop! Think Green symbol to help them and their parents stop and think about their choices. One boy was so excited, he said that if he had the THINK t-shirt, he’d wear it everyday. (t-shirts and other items will be available for sale on the website soon). I hope that each of them will put a big sticker on their kitchen trashcans so their family members will stop and think before putting recyclables in them. I can see already that this campaign will quickly become very visible and encourage so many of us to change our habits.
We want to hand out as many stickers as we can. Some of you have offered to help with that. But we could use some help paying for the stickers. As we spread the word through schools, events, businesses, social media, etc. the traffic to this site will grow. Advertise here and be seen. Ad revenue will help fund the campaign getting both of our messages out. Contact me about becoming a charter advertiser or even about trading services. With your help we can have a huge impact.
Thoughts About Clothing
March 29, 2010
Organic clothing can be made from cotton, bamboo, soy or hemp. The more organic clothing we buy, the more demand we create for farmers to grow sustainable crops grown with fewer pesticides. Conventionally grown cotton is one of the most chemically dependent crops. By buying organic, not only do we keep the land from sucking up all of those pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers, we provide better working environments for those farm workers who would ordinarily be exposed to some of the most harmful pesticides in the world. And generally, organic cotton products are softer and easier on your skin. So the next time you buy clothing, stop and think about your purchase. How will your choice impact your health and health of the planet?
Helping Haiti
All aspects of human existence are affected by our environment. Sustainability is a quality of life issue. It is so clear to me that caring for the environment means caring for all the people in it as well. As the earth continues to change and we experience more disasters, the people in the poorest countries will suffer. If you haven't yet figured how you can help Haiti and live in Northern Virginia, please consider helping the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. A local collection center has been set up here in Chantilly, Virginia at 14550 Lee Rd. near the Target and Costco. They'll be collecting from now until 2/12/10. Download a pdf that contains details on ways you can participate and a list of items that are needed. Please help.First Steps - Precycling
01.21.10
Recycling is the thing most people think of as a first step to becoming more green at home. But how do we reduce the amount of stuff we are putting in both the trash and the recycling? I asked my friend Sue, to share with me how she cuts down. This is what she wrote:
“When you say you’re going to throw something away, where’s away?”
-Julia Butterfly Hill
For so many of us, it’s second nature, a thoughtless act. Throwing a piece of trash in the trashcan makes us a considerate citizen, neighbor, person. We’ve done our part, cleaned up our house, yard, street, community. But is that where our responsibility ends? Just because we keep our space clean, does that mean we should consume without thinking of what happens to all that stuff we throw away? And where, like Ms. Hill asks, is away?
Establishing Habits
Everything we do is a habit. Habits are the automatic behavior that happens without the need to think. So if we want to establish new habits it helps to have a reminder until the new habit is established and the need to think about it is gone. According to many experts, it takes 21 days to break a habit. Similarly, it takes a while to establish a new one.Calendar
Green is Good Expo/Mixer
presented by the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce Environmental Committee
April 15, 2010
pdf flier
Earth Day at Loudoun
April 25, 2010
