Friday, April 25, 2008

Composting Carnivale

On a recent trip to Davis, CA, a bike-friendly haven just west of Sacramento, I met some very interesting co-eds. A friend, who is doing her post-doc in neuroscience at UC Davis, offered to show me around the campus (on a bike of course).


If there's a way to look cool on a bike, I have yet to find it.

What I found were inspiring microcosms; small, student-run organizations that have formed communities, which work together to effect real change in the world. Rather than just complain about waste and inefficiency, they are changing their lifestyles. I'm certainly down with that.

The first little stop on our bike trek was what I will call composting central; it was located at the back of a few of the houses where members of The Co-op live. In their own words, The Co-ops are "an ecologically-conscious culturally diverse student community dedicated to alternative living. We power our homes with solar energy, we grow some food organically, and love to compost and recycle."

No more guilt over scrapping your broccoli

What's more, some of these students run Project Compost, which is a student-run and funded initiative that both educates the university population about compost through free composting workshops, and picks up over 1000 pounds of food refuse daily from all over campus.



Sign Reads: "Crank Lever to Mix Content"
Leigh: A+ (Nice Form!) Steve: F (At least hold the sign!)


True to their mission, the composting area was both educational and functional. It had several different types of bins along with explanations about how each system worked. Some required sifting, rotating racks, or spinning, and we were happy to get down and dirty with them all.


"Behold, the composting power of worms!"


"Holy Hell, that is a stinky business!"

Where does all of this nutrient-rich (and alarmingly bug-infested) compost go? Right next door - to The Co-ops bountiful organic gardens.

So if these college students can pull this off, why can't those of us with a college diploma do the same thing? And most importantly, why are so many of us still dumping biodegradable matter into the landfill where it creates methane emissions (yes, that's one of the types of gases that causes global warming).

Lastly, with the cost of food ever on the rise, why not start growing a little bit of your own? For more info on the UC Davis composting program, visit the website. If you are a college student, look around at how much food waste is being generated each day - I guarantee you will be horrified - and then consider starting one of these projects at your school. I'm sure the UC Davis crew would be happy to offer some pointers. They do attend an agricultural school after all, and these students obviously have been staying awake in class.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Earth Day Extravaganza

On this Earth Day Eve, "eco," "enviro," and "green" have become common parlance in almost everyone's vocabulary. Pick up almost any magazine this month - my personal favorites are the Discover Magazine issue and this week's New York Time's Magazine - and you can read about the latest environmental news and find easy ways to become more eco-active. One of my favorite new how-to resources is National Geographic's, Green Guide, which is a quarterly publication dedicated to "consuming wisely." You can even subscribe to the full magazine online - yup, that's definitely green.

Perhaps a bit too enthusiastic

Of course, Tuesday, April 22nd is Earth Day, and I admit that Earth Day festivities make me kind of giddy because of the many opportunities to raise awareness, take some action, and have a good time. Yes, I fall into the category of another new environmental buzzword - eco-geek.

However, you do not need to be "eco-anything" in order to join the Earth Day fun. Here are five easy ways to get involved:

  1. Visit the Earth Day Website to locate events, get informed, and find ways to take action. Be sure to join the Earth Day Network campaign tomorrow in which thousands of people (you!) will call their representatives and senators and ask them to enact fair climate change legislation.
  2. Plant a tree. If you live in the NYC area, visit Million Trees for more info about how to enjoy more greenery and clean air pronto!
  3. Check out Earth911 for "Eight Ways to Green Your Earth Day," or the Green Guide's "Earth Day Tips 2008." For the record, these two articles offer a total of 15 tips. Challenge yourself to try out at least 5 suggestions for the rest of the year. Let us know how it goes...
  4. Watch TV - Check out The Discovery Network's new Planet Green, or The Sundance Channel's The Green. Thanks to one of my readers, who turned me on to the Planet Green show, Wasted. The show's first stop? A fraternity house, but not for the reasons you might think. Definitely a must-see.
  5. Talk to your friends tomorrow about what you, and by association they, can do about climate change.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Apocalypse?

It is either spring or the apocalypse - how do I know? Pat Robertson and Al Sharpton just joined forces with Al Gore to make a commercial about climate change.

I know, they make strange, uh, er bedfellows -Sorry, I couldn't resist, and if there actually is a hell, I am pretty confident that I am already going anyway. Apparently, these two religious leaders feel so strongly about the need to protect the environment, regardless of religious beliefs or political affiliations, that they have made this spot to promote unity and action.



While these two could use a little work on their comedic timing, their message is clear - get more involved...now. All jokes about the apocalypse aside, the world is at a crucial point with regard to climate change.

So what to do, if you are not a former Vice President or prominent religious leader? Here are 4 simple ways to get more involved:

  1. Join We Can Solve It. This new organization offers ideas for action and solutions to help heal the climate crisis. After you have joined, encourage your friends to do the same.
  2. Pledge to cut back on your carbon emissions. Earth Hour and Facebook have teamed up to offer a Zerofootprint Carbon Calculator that not only allows you to calculate your yearly emissions, but also offers suggestions for ways to reduce them.
  3. Attend or host an Earth Day Event. Founded in 1970 by a senator and his small staff, Earth Day has grown into a global day of awareness and action. Find an event near you here.
  4. Join forces with 350.org, Author Bill McKibben's latest campaign to stop global warming. What is the significance of 350? McKibben explains that "350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth."
If Al, Al, and Pat can put aside their differences and join forces in what may be the oddest threesome yet, it is clearly time for all of us to follow suit.