Action Project Journal

EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY THINK THAT PAPER AND PLASTIC IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS FOOD AND WATER WE STILL USE THEM IN OUR DAILY LIVES. FOR INSTANCE, WE USE PAPER FOR THINGS LIKE TAKING NOTES IN CLASS OR WRITING IMPORTANT LETTERS TO OUR FAMILY. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE USE AND NEED PAPER TO BETTER OUR FUTURE (SUCH AS TURNING IN ASSIGNMENTS TO OUR TEACHERS SO THEY WILL KNOW WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR EDUCATION).

WE ALSO USE PLASTIC DAILY TOO. LIKE GOING ON A WALK, WE USE OUR (PLASTIC) WATER BOTTLES TO HAVE ENERGY AND TO STAY HYDRATED. ANOTHER WAY WE USE PLASTIC IS TO CARRY OUR GROCERIES OUT TO THE CAR. IF WE DIDN’T HAVE PLASTIC BAGS IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO CARRY OUR GROCERIES OUT OF THE MARKET.

OUR PROJECT, DESIGNING AND SELLING CLOTH GROCERY BAGS, WILL BENEFIT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BECAUSE PLASTIC BAGS ARE RECYCLABLE AND IF WE USE CLOTH BAGS THAT SAVING A LOT OF MONEY AND HARM TO OUR ANIMALS. TO ENSURE THIS PROJECT IS A SUCCESS I WILL TRY MY HARDEST TO SPREAD THE WORD AROUND LETTING EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY KNOW ABOUT OUR PROJECT. IN CONCLUSION, DESIGNING AND SELLING CLOTH GROCERY BAGS INSTEAD OF PLASTIC WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

First Overnight Trip

Sept. 15-16, 2007-  We took our first overnight trip at White Ranch. Skills we learned and practiced during the weekend included friction fire, fox walking, the 360 degree stalking game, how to set up camp, use cook stoves, and hanging a bear bag. The weather was great, and we all enjoyed plenty of jokes and music around the campfire. 

Journal Discussion for Tuesday, September 18, 2007

This weeks journal entry is a chance for students to reflect on how the Action Project is going so far.  In general, how do you think our action project is going so far?  Specifically, what is going well in terms of positive actions, behaviors, successes. etc. that you have observed?  Also what is not going well?  What changes in your actions or in your behaviors can you make to help improve your experience and to be more efficient in organizing our project in the next few weeks?  Please feel free to comment on todays trip to the Growing Gardens, specifically what you learned from our guest speaker.  A comment or two on what you feel are the limitations and realistic goals for this project would also help the project managers organize the rest of our project. 

The Deadliest Item at Your Grocery Store?

Somewhere
in the northern Pacific floats a non-biodegradable petrochemical
blob that’s twice the size of Texas. Much of this deadly mess
originated when someone innocently took home their shopping in a
plastic bag.

In the U.S. alone, we throw away 100 billion plastic bags each year — the equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil. Yikes!

What can you do? Tune in to Orli Cotel’s Sierra Club Radio interview with Katherine Mieszkowski, of Salon, to find out.

Source: Sierra Club Insider

Let’s Talk Some Trash

Sustainable Travel International recently posted the following article about Live Earth and the trash generated at New York’s Giant Stadium, one of its venues. Guiding Question: Events like Live Earth are great at raising awareness about our environmental footprint, but once the event is over, it seems like we go back to business as usual. What are some simple things we can do to sustain environmental awareness after major events to promote behavioral change after the crowds leave?

Live
Earth recently rocked the green world as it relates to waste and carbon
reduction, but what happens next at these venues, and in these cities?

At
New York City’s Giants Stadium, for example, a successful triple waste
stream management program geared toward separating compost, recyclables
and ‘other’ materials, resulted in an estimated 50% reduction in waste
for that event. However, it cost a lot relative to standard waste
removal. Why is this? Why does NYC, one of the most densely waste
populated and least landfill available cities on the planet, charge $50
per ton in tipping fees for standard waste being dumped in landfills,
and an $80-90 per ton tipping fee for recyclables? Shouldn’t it be the
other way around? Consider GHG emissions associated with waste versus
recycling: for each pound of trash recycled it reduces an average of
one pound of carbon dioxide equivalent from going into the atmosphere.
Now, I don’t know exactly what NYC’s waste stream is, but here are some
figures on Google:

"NYC currently produces about 11,000 tons per
day of residential waste, 10,000 tons per day of commercial waste, and
26,000 tons per day of construction and demolition debris." (Source: www.weact.org/mts/wasteexport.html)

Just
looking at residential and commercial waste, it totals 21,000 tons per
day, or over seven and half million tons per year!!! If half were
recycled, you’re looking at 3,832,500 tons of carbon dioxide reduced
each year, not counting the added emissions savings from the fact that
much of this waste is now exported out of state. Recycling this amount
would be equivalent to taking about three quarters of a million cars
off the road for a year, or about 28,500 acres of avoided
deforestation. Bearing in mind emissions reduction targets set forth by
many cities, we look forward to hearing more about how NYC is tackling
climate mitigation as it relates to waste management.

For
businesses looking at climate mitigation, better waste management is a
great way to go, as shown by the example above. If you’re interested in
learning more, STI and its sustainable advising team can help, so
please contact us.

Source: Sustainable Travel International 

Americans Want More from Business & Seek it Online

More than two-thirds of Americans say they consider a company’s business practices when deciding what to buy.

Increasingly, Americans, both as customers and as employees, are seeking more from business, according to the 2007 Cone Cause Evolution Survey.
They want companies to be socially and environmentally responsible, and
this desire is increasingly affecting their purchasing decisions and
expectations of their employers.

More than two-thirds of
Americans say they consider a company’s business practices when
deciding what to buy. And Cone believes that long-term support of
social issues has become a major brand differentiator – something SRB
Marketing as seen with our mostly small and mid-size clients for years
now. That brand differentiator is a big reason many of our clients and
their colleagues have been snapped up by Fortune 1000 companies (e.g.,
Ben & Jerry’s, Cascadian Farms, Stonyfield Farm).

Americans’
expectations of companies are at an all time high: 83 percent say
companies have a responsibility to help support causes, and 92 percent
acknowledge they have a more positive image of a company that supports
a cause they care about.

In many areas, Americans are more
likely than ever before to reward companies for their support of social
issues. Eighty-seven percent are likely to switch from one brand to
another (price and quality being about equal) if the other brand is
associated with a good cause – an increase of more than 31 percent
(from 66%) since 1993.

American employees’ expectations of
companies have also increased, and quite dramatically: 72 percent wish
their employers would do more to support a cause or social issue. This
has climbed 38 percent (vs. 52%) since Cone’s last survey in 2004.

Advertising
and the Internet are the two main ways Americans prefer companies to
communicate their social and environmental issues and practices (45%
and 41% respectively). Americans are also using technology proactively
to learn about and support social and environmental issues and causes.
More than one third are searching for information on issues (37%) or
are forwarding important messages to family and friends (38%).

"Consumers
have always relied on word of mouth recommendations to influence their
decision making, and the increase in prominence of viral communications
has made this form of idea exchange even easier," explains Julia Hobbs
Kivistik, executive vice president of Cause Branding, Cone, LLC. "When
a company communicates its cause activities in relevant, emotionally
compelling ways and highlights the related social impacts, consumers
will pass along the message to those around them."

Source: Conscious Clicks, SRB Marketing, Inc., Sustainable Travel International

Quote for September 17, 2007

“Only those, who work hard can think of achieving something. Sitting idle or hoping for results without making any effort is nothing but foolishness. ” – Sam Veda

Quote for September 13, 2007

“Good ideas are common – what’s uncommon are people who’ll work hard enough to bring them about” – Ashleigh Brilliant

CAP-15 Weekend Overnight

Quote for September 10, 2007

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours.” – Cesar Chavez

Next Page »