ShermaineWaugh

The college selection process is a rigorous one. As a rising senior, I know how difficult it is to search for a school that meets all your needs, be they class size, student teacher ratio, best dorms, or even best parties. Every little thing counts in order to make sure your four years go smoothly. But when cruising college campuses and digging through acceptance stats, how many of us stop to think about how a school best our meets ecological needs? I doubt most even have a clue how to tell just how green their dream college or university really is.

It might not be a top priority for some, but for those young men and women who are becoming increasingly environmentally aware, it is important for them to have this information at hand.  read more »

What do underwear, the environment, and poverty have in common?

On the surface, not much, but Pants to Poverty is changing all that.

Pants to Poverty – the group's name may sound absurd, but their premise certainly isn’t. By selling their unique brand of organic underwear, Pants to Poverty uses the money raised to promote their “Make Poverty History” Campaign. What started in Edinburg, London has prompted mobilization all over the country towards this grand cause.

In their first year, Pants sound about 11,000 pairs of underwear, but wouldn’t stop there. They took their innovative idea much further and are now selling pants through a network of ethical and independent shows, through both their website and student groups.  read more »

Every year the Goi Peace Education Foundation develops educational programs and contests to promote global awareness in young people, emphasizing the leading role they can play in promoting world peace.

Together with UNESCO and the Earthwise Society, the Foundation has organized a series of International Essay contests for young people to take part in. Years 2005-20014 have already been designated by the United Nations as the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development." Through this, the UN hopes that young people not only benefit from global initiatives, but are also empowered to play a part in them any way they can.

The theme of this years' International Contest Essay is "My project to create positive change in my environment. How can I foster sustainable development in my community?" Young people from around the world are invited to submit innovative ideas and concrete plans to address the social, cultural, environmental or economic problems faced by their community.  read more »

Every five minutes two million plastic beverage bottles are used in the United States. Five minutes; that’s all it takes for a nation to create this mass of waste.

426,000. That’s the number of cell phones retired in the US everyday. Now how many of these phones do you believe are disposed of properly, or even recycled?

These statistics are alarming to hear, but the reality is often hard to bear without visualizing the extent of these issues. Thanks to Chris Jordan of Chris Jordan’s Photographic Arts, we can do just that – visualize. In his collection, Running the Numbers, Jordan turns raw statistics like these into stunning pieces of artwork, each one a poignant social commentary regarding our penchant for consumption.  read more »

Ever wondered how environmentally, economically or even humanity-conscious your favorite products are? As conscious consumers, we have the responsibility to educate ourselves about these impacts before making our purchases. Well, a new website, BuyItLikeYouMeanIt.org, helps you do just that.

BILYMI lets people review everyday products and companies, and then publishes a core based on which of the factors matter to you as an individual – how green they are, how well they treat their employee, or even if they have a history of deplorable practices such as the use of child labor.  read more »

On a whole, we produce 500 billion plastic bags which take up to 1,000 years to decompose. These bags pose a threat to animals, oceans and even our streets and parks. 16 year old Daniel Burd, a student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has made a discovery that could potentially alter the way we think about discarding these pesky plastics.  read more »

The leaders of one of our ventures, Eco-pledge, have been featured by Boston College as “Person of the Year.” Katherine Walsh, Peggy Fox, Jessica Young, Katie Cava, and Merril Putnam are all seniors at BC and use their group to promote student involvement in environmental concerns.  read more »

The Barnard Eco-Representatives one of Conscious Lifestyle’s ventures, has a new website! These 10 students from Barnard College organize educational programming to help students live “environmentally-conscious” lifestyles. On their site you can learn even more about the EcoReps, what they do, and even get involved in Earth-friendly campus happenings. Take a look at their Green in NYC page, which has lots of good info about eco-friendly activities, restaurants, bakeries, farmers’ markets, and thrift stores in New York City. There are also some good tips on green living in general. Check out the The Eco-Reps today!

Well, it's about time. We have stations just for men, women, and even animals, so why not for our own mother Earth? Launching in June 2008, Planet Green aims to produce programming that promotes healthy, mindful living while demonstrating how to take care of this planet we call home.  read more »

The Laker School in Michigan has taken great strides in going green. As one of the windiest places in the country, the small, rural, school gathers their power from wind. Giant, utility-scale wind turbines provide the Jr. High with year-round power, thanks to the District’s zest for embracing renewable energy.  read more »