Sustainability

Let's get to the point: The "nutritional" foods given to children at schools for lunch aren't so nutritious. There are pesticides and other nasty, harmful things that are placed into our foods the way they are produced and handled.

Meet Ann Cooper. She's a lunchlady, but she's not like most. In the district in which she works in, salad bars and organic foods have been implemented into school lunches with great success.

And she wants this to happen everywhere else too. Cooper wants America to start with schools in providing organic, healthier foods to save future generations from the poisons that are placed into our foods now.

Want to learn more? Check it out:

Conscious Lifestyle's recent partnership with Slow Food USA included a commitment to send the social innovators leading the Conscious Lifestyle - Slow Food Ventures to Slow Food Nation in San Francisco.

Slow Food Nation (SFN) was a summit of over 60,000 people who celebrated the birth of a broad and inclusive food movement to build an American food system that is sustainable, just, and delicious. It included tastings, a farmers market, workshops, a concert, lectures, and a lot of great food.

Paul Valetutti and Kathy Helfrey represented Slow Food - Rutgers. Their venture connects local growers with Rutgers University Dining Services to dramatically increase the amount of "good, clean, and fair" food served to students.

Genya Erling and Megan Pease attended SFN on behalf of Slow Food - Univ. of Wisconsin Madison. They are working hard to start a sustainable food cart. This would be a pilot program leading to a Slow Food Cafe on campus.

In addition to all of the great food, the weekend was wonderful because it allowed the social innovators to spend time with one-another, as well as Conscious Lifestyle and Slow Food staff. All of the social innovators spoke at events about their ventures.

Conscious Lifestyle and Slow Food USA provided accomodations, access to Slow Food Nation events, and travel reimbursements for the four Social Innovators.

Jane Goodall, a well-known chimpanzee researcher, knows plenty about primates - more than just about anyone else. She's studied them for many years and created an institute in her name back 1977.

Her ideas influenced the way scientists view humans and other animals together. And in this video, she explains how various programs and projects help Africans live in close proximity with other animals.

Norman Foster is a well-known British Architect that has helped build plenty of structures throughout the world, including Wembley Stadium, Hearst Tower, and plenty of others throughout his career of four decades. Efficient and green, his buildings are easily recognizable throughout various countries of the world.

In this TED Talk, he reveals how computers can assist in the building of "green" and nearly pollution-free buildings during the DLD Conference 2007 in Munich.

Watch this TED Video in which Foster explains more:

What do you do with items that are in good condition but are not needed any more? You could have a yard sale, throw them away, or try to recycle them, but Throwplace.com offers another alternative that both benefits the environment and people in need.

In 1999, Throwplace.com was developed by Lomangino as an internet site of exchange. The process is easy, fast, and simple. Charities, businesses, and individual people can all contribute. Anyone can list online possessions they are willing to give away. Then, interested people can take what they like for free.

This ingenious creation not only keeps many items out of our already overflowing landfills, but also keeps things out of recycling facilities. Recycling of course is good, but it is even better to reuse than the recycle. Remember, the order of preference is reduce, reuse, and recycle, in terms of the energy required for each process.

There are four sections to Throwplace: U.S. Charity, International Charity, Business/Individual, and Up-For-Grabs. Where you place your items depends on who you want the receiver to be, an official charity or anyone at all.

Some items that have turned up on the site include computers, furniture, and appliances. Other items I have noticed upon browsing include a shower caddy, women's attire, and a fax machine. Also, viewers are able to make requests for potential items, so donors have an idea of what is needed. Email addresses are exchanged so that the two parties can make shipping arrangements directly.

Throwplace has created a wonderful site that connects givers with receivers through the world wide web, where items are exchanged rather than tossed away. Visit their website, www.throwplace.com, to register for free.

This here compilation has some killer tunes on it. Check it out. PLUS it's a fundraiser for places like the Surfrider Foundation and the Sierra Club to help protect the places we love to play.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPreorder?id=285231...

Ukrop's, a community-serving and environmentally friendly grocery chain in Virginia, has begun another sustainable program. The supermarkets, which fry their own chicken, will use the soy oil from the fryers to convert into bio fuel.

Southside Fuel, a local company, will process the used oil from the frying vats into a standard 15 percent biodiesel, the most that the current trucks can handle.

Ukrop's expects to produce around 60,000 gallons of bio fuel each year, about one fourth of its needs. This is really an incredible amount and will really cut down on their carbon emissions.

These types of changes are the ones that our country really needs. Not only seeking out alternative energy sources, but the ones that are already lying in front of us. The chicken oil was already in the store, without any further purpose. What a great way to recycle and reuse a substance that would have gone to waste!

Many other stores and restaurants could switch to this method, saving them money and decreasing their carbon footprints. We don't necessarily have to grow corn and soy for the sole purpose of creating fuel - this method causes many criticisms and concerns. We can just creatively utilize the resources we already have.

Scientists have discovered that there is a large fossil fuel reserve underneath the ice of the Arctic. This massive reserve may contain up a fifth of the world's oil- 90 billion barrels, and a third of the known reserves of gas.

Yes! We are SAVED from the energy crisis!

I don't think so.

Let's skip the part about oil drilling ruining the Arctic environment. It is important, it is relevant, but it is always the same argument back and forth. Wildlife...or human desire? Environmentalists pitted against the oil executives. Sadly, usually greed for fuel wins out, and another piece of nature is marred by development.

The main issue is, as long as we depend on oil, we will always be threatened by an impending energy crisis. Discovering new reserves only changes whether or not the "doomsday" will arrive in ten years or in twenty years. All the same, our focus should be on lessening our usage of fossil fuels and concentrating on renewable energy.

Two scenarios can occur. Countries can rush to the Arctic, dig up the treasure, and a glut of oil will appear on the market. Prices will drop, consumers will go mad, oil will be used like crazy. All of our old problems will come back. Pollution, global warming, endangered species, etc., possibly worse than before. Soon, the excess oil will run out, and we will be back to square one.

Another situation: we remain calm and allow the reserves to sit there. We keep on raising fuel efficiency and conserving current reserves. We develop alternative energy. We learn how to cut back on usage (hey, a century and a half ago our ancestors did fine, right?). Our world may not ever be as healthy as it was before humans arrived, but in time it should heal.

It is easier said than done. But it is something that must be done.

The folks at onefewer.com do not mess around. Check out the video below to hear how you can decide what to do with this obsolete gas guzzler. Can anyone say domino effect? Ok, that may be a stretch, but this is cool nonetheless. Here's the story from digg.

"There's no way around it: 13 MPG sucks. But what do you do with a Range Rover that's already on the road? Selling it just passes the burden on, so, should we blow it up? Drive it off a cliff? Convert it to a biodiesel or plug-in hybrid and give it to an organization that can use it to do something great? This guy will use the best idea he gets.."

Read the whole story on onefewer.com and make sure to share this with others. You can do so by clicking the green "share" icon below.

Congratulations to Adi Segal of the Green Camp Initiative on his recent media coverage in The Jewish Standard!

The article lauds Adi for his success at implementing a recycling program, which uses bins with logos he designed; switching to greener cleaning products, light bulbs, and paper products, all at minimal cost thanks to his innovation; adding courses on eco-friendliness to the camp curriculum; and encouraging campers to bring their own reusable water bottles.

Read the full article here.