National Agriculture Day: March 20, 2010, the First Day of Spring

From the AgDay website about why we should celebrate Agriculture Day:

"Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis. But too few people truly understand this contribution. This is particularly the case in our schools, where students may only be exposed to agriculture if they enroll in related vocational training.

By building awareness, the Agriculture Council of America is encouraging young people to consider career opportunities in agriculture.

Each American farmer feeds more than 144 people ... a dramatic increase from 25 people in the 1960s. Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more - and doing it better. As the world population soars, there is an even greater demand for the food and fiber produced in the United States."

We owe the basis for our society's knowledge about agriculture to the first farmers of ancient civilizations who settled down and began experimenting with plant foods. See the below image of the major agricultural regions of the ancient world. Here is some more information.

For more information on the origins of agriculture, watch this video:

Happy First Day of Spring!

Agriculture Facts: An Apple A Day

This week is National Agriculture Week. Each day, we will post a new set of agriculture facts. We got these awesome facts from AgDay.org.

- "Apples are a member of the rose family.
- Washington state grows the most apples in the U.S.
- The apples from one tree can fill 20 boxes every year.
- Fresh apples float because 25 percent of their volume is air.
- In the winter, apple trees need to 'rest' for about 900-1,000 hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit in order to flower and fruit properly.
- If you grew 100 apple trees from the seeds of one tree, they would all be different.
- Apples are high in fiber.
- There are more than 7,000 varieties of apples grown in the world."


You can buy locally grown apples at the Farmer's Market in Pleasanton. Martinelli's Apple Juice is made of apples grown near Monterey Bay. Here's some information about the apple orchards in California: AllAboutApples.com.

Agriculture Facts: Broccoli Basics

This week is National Agriculture Week. Each day, we will post a new set of agriculture facts. We got these awesome facts from AgDay.org.

- "We are eating 900% more broccoli than we did 20 years ago.
- In 1970, consumption of broccoli was only a half a pound per person. Today, the average person in the United States eats four and one half pounds a year.
- In the United States, broccoli was probably first grown by immigrants from Italy in home gardens in Brooklyn, New York. In 1923, a group of Italian vegetable farmers in Northern California started to grow broccoli commercially and in a few years they were shipping fresh broccoli to Boston and New York."


Speaking of gardens, they are great ways to connect with the land. You can grow what you like to eat and save money. Plus, garden-fresh produce always tastes better than the produce from the grocery store. Especially tomatoes!

Agriculture Facts: Pumpkin Eater

This week is National Agriculture Week. Each day, we will post a new set of agriculture facts. We got these awesome facts from AgDay.org.

- "Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites!
- Pumpkin flowers are edible.
- Pumpkins are 90% water.
- Pumpkins are used for feed for animals.
- Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack.
- Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.
- In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling. - The name "pumpkin" originated from 'pepon,' the Greek word for 'large melon.'
- Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A."
Learning about the different ways foods were and are used by traditional cultures from around the world can be so interesting! Food is fascinating because it can say so much about a group of people and about a civilization.

Agriculture Facts: Green Greek Goddess

This week is National Agriculture Week. Each day, we will post a new set of agriculture facts. We got these awesome facts from AgDay.org.


- "The name asparagus comes from the Greek language and means 'sprout' or 'shoot.'
- Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.
- Asparagus is related to onions, leeks, and garlic.
- One of the most popular varieties of green asparagus is named after Martha Washington, the wife of George Washington.
- California grows about 70% of all the asparagus grown in the United States.
- More than 50,000 tons of asparagus are grown in California every year."

From the Pleasanton Farmers' Market site:
"Spring heralds the arrival of much-anticipated California Delta asparagus. From the fertile soils of the San Joaquin Delta region, the farmers' market has tasty bundles of fresh green spears in a variety of sizes, from fat jumbo to pencil-thin spears. Asparagus is here for only a few months so pick it up now for a real taste of spring!

Asparagus Tips!
♦ When buying asparagus, select firm, bright green stalks with little or no white, and tight, dry tips.
♦ Choose asparagus spears that are about the same thickness so they will all cook evenly.
♦ Thick stalks or thin stalks? It’s a matter of taste.

Visit the California Asparagus Commission website for more information."

Understanding seasonality for fruits and vegetables is an important part of being a "green" consumer. Grocery stores don't really have seasons anymore because we import food from all over the world. Recognizing the value of eating in season is a part of living according to nature. Just go to the Farmers' Market to see what fruits and veggies are in season for your location's climate.

Agriculture Facts: Cherrific!

This week is National Agriculture Week. Each day, we will post a new set of agriculture facts. We got these awesome facts from AgDay.org.


- "The same chemicals that give tart cherries their color may relieve pain better than aspirin and ibuprofen in humans.

- Eating about 20 tart cherries a day could reduce inflammatory pain and headache pain.

- There are about 7,000 cherries on an average tart cherry tree (the number varies depending on the age of the tree, weather and growing conditions). It takes about 250 cherries to make a cherry pie, so each tree could produce enough cherries for 28 pies!

- Today, in Michigan, there are almost 4 million cherry trees which annually produce 150 to 200 pounds of tart cherries."

Understanding where your food is coming from is a big step in living a more natural life. Stop by the Farmer's Market to buy local, fresh food. You can ask the people at the booths where the food is coming from. It's fun to eat local!

40th Anniversary of the First Earth Day—April 22, 2010

“Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment…It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year... The first Earth Day had participants and celebrants in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States. More importantly, it ‘brought 20 million Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform.’
“Senator Nelson stated that Earth Day ‘worked’ because of the response at the grassroots level. Twenty-million demonstrators and thousands of schools and local communities participated. He directly credited the first Earth Day with persuading U.S. politicians that environmental legislation had a substantial, lasting constituency. Many important laws were passed by Congress in the wake of the 1970 Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act, wild lands and the ocean, and the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

“It is now observed in 175 countries, and coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network, according to whom Earth Day is now ‘the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a half billion people every year.’ Environmental groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action which changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.” (Wikipedia)

More on the history of Earth Day can be found here.



Events taking place in honor of the 40th Earth Day:
Note: Most of the following information has been pasted directly from other sources in order to advertise these events, so we do not claim credit for writing the information about each one.

- Monday, April 12 (Not really part of Earth Week...part of Earth Month!)

Green Event - Reuse/Recycle at the Discovery Shop
Location: American Cancer Society Discovery Shop
1987 A Santa Rita Rd. Pleasanton
Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
(925) 462-7374
The Discovery Shop is a thrift store/consignment store on Santa Rita (next to Filigree Cakes & Pastries). They are having a "green" event, likely due to the proximity to Earth Week. You never know what neat things you'll find there!


- Saturday, April 17

Livermore Earth Day Celebration
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Volunteer community clean up)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Earth Day Celebration)
Location: Robertson Park, 3200 Robertson Park Road, Livermore.
The goal of this volunteer community clean up, non-profit event is to recognize, celebrate and promote the region’s unique beauty and to educate the public regarding how to conserve, preserve and protect our local and global resources. Free event.

Earth Day at Forest Home Farms
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Forest Home Farms, 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon.
(between the Bollinger and Alcosta exits off the 680 freeway)
Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day while helping to spruce up Forest Home Farms Historic Park for spring! There'll be projects in the vegetable garden, the wildlife garden and around the farm. Bring your own gloves and garden tools. Refreshments will be provided.
This is a FREE, volunteer event perfect for scout groups and service clubs.

Earth Day Santa Cruz 2010
Once again the County of Santa Cruz, the City of Santa Cruz, Ecology Action, Save Our Shores, local non-profits, and concerned citizens are working together to make Earth Day 2010 the premier environmental event for the greater Santa Cruz community, with educational information, activities for kids, live music and a focus on green businesses. Come join us for this fun-filled celebration!
Earth Day 2010 will take place on 11am to 4pm rain or shine in the San Lorenzo Park and Benchlands behind the County building.
For more information on the event contact:
Amy Gross, Environmental Programs Coordinator; County of Santa Cruz, Dept. of Public Works
(831-477-3988) amy.gross@co.santa-cruz.ca.us

Earth Day Celebration/Restoration Work Day at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center
9am-11pm.
Location: Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary, 376 Greenwood Beach Road, Tiburon, CA 94920
Celebrate Earth Day by bringing your family and friends for a morning of restoration and clean-up at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary. We may be removing trash, invasive plants, helping with restoration projects, or improving trails. Appropriate for young children. Children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Please bring a re-useable water bottle, wear appropriate clothing and close-toe shoes. FREE program. RSVP: 388-2524.


- Sunday, April 18

Earth Day Celebration at the Headlands Institute
11am-4pm.
Location: 1033 Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito, CA 94965
Join us to learn new ways that you and your family can be environmental stewards!
- Enjoy naturalist-led hikes across the coastal hills.
- Take part in stewardship projects to support the park’s natural environment.
- Create your own Earth Day-inspired arts and crafts.
- A healthy snack will be provided. Please bring your own water bottles.
FREE, drop-in program; Registration appreciated, but not required: http://www.naturebridge.org/headlands/family-programs-registration


- Wednesday, April 21

AVHS Environmental Club presents Flow
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: AVHS multipurpose room
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
Free admission; popcorn, cookies and water will be sold.


- Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day!)

Pleasanton’s Museum On Main Street's "Sustainability: Then and Now" Lecture
Lecture begins at 7 p.m.
Location: Lynnewood United Methodist Church, 4444 Black Avenue, Pleasanton
The Museum On Main Street Ed Kinney Lecture Series presents "Sustainability: Then and Now" to celebrate Earth Day with Alviso Adobe Naturalist Eric Nichols, and Maria Lara, from the Office of Pleasanton's city manager, in a discussion of native, historical and current sustainability efforts. Admission is $5 members and seniors, $10 non-members, and $3 students and teachers with ID. Reservations are suggested; however, tickets may be purchased at the door.
For reservations and information call the museum on (925) 462-2766. The museum is located at 603 Main Street, Pleasanton. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Visit http://www.museumonmain.org/.

Bay Area Discovery Museum Earth Day celebration
Day-long event
Location: Bay Area Discovery Museum at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at E. Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito 94965
Nature-themed art projects and walks, conservation-based workshops, environmental guest scientists and plenty more help teach children the importance of the environment at the annual Earth Week Celebration. Adults: $10. Children & seniors: $8. Under 1 year old is free.
More information: http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/


- Friday, April 23

Mohr Garden Work Day
Amador students will be field-tripped over to Mohr at lunchtime to visit with the kids and do some gardening. Details to be announced.


- Saturday, April 24

AVHS Jefferson Club’s “Environment Day”
10:30 AM
Location: Pleasanton Sports Park
Everyone is riding their bike there and the time spent cleaning up the park and picking up trash does count for graduation hours for you seniors who will still need hours by that point.
Talk to Mr. McCafferty (Jefferson Club advisor) for more information: mmccafferty@pleasanton.k12.ca.us

AVHS Leadership Environmental Commission Del Valle Cleanup
Location: Del Valle Reservoir.
(More information coming soon.)

Berkeley Earth Day
12 PM – 5 PM
Location: Civic Center Park, MLK & Allston in downtown Berkeley (near Berkeley BART)
Here's a tentative schedule of the day:
- Kid's Eco-art making area coordinated by the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse
- Over 150 booths representing businesses, craftspeople, community organizations, food vendors and government groups
- Demonstrations of alternative energy including electric cars, straw bale structures, hemp products, solar panels
- Berkeley Farmer's Market with mostly organic farmers

Night Hike with the Naturalist at Bernal Creek
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
All ages
Join the City Naturalist for an enchanting night hike as he introduces you to the trails and parks that make Pleasanton such a great place to live and explore. Learn about local wildlife, plants, habitats, tracking and much more. Dress with weather in mind. Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult during the entire hike.
1 class $8.00Resident/$11.00Non-Resident
Activity code: 48072
More information: http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/pdf/AG-winterspring2009.pdf


- Ongoing activities

Garden chores volunteering at the Alviso Adobe.
January 2, 2010 – December 18, 2010. Times: 10:00 – 11:00 AM.
Location: Alviso Adobe Community Park
Call to schedule a time to volunteer: 925-931-3483
Free; open to all ages. Come up to the Alviso Adobe Community Park and lend a helping hand. It’s a new park, with new plants, and that means new chores. Be a steward of the land as we plant, water and weed the garden. Native plants help native animals find food and shelter, so stop by and sift the soil through your fingers . . . it’ll be good for your soul.

Earth Hour March 27

Bulletin Green Tip #7: Bring Your Own Bag

Which one do you think is "greener": using a plastic bag or a brown bag at the grocery store check out line? As it turns out, they're both pretty bad, each with its own reasons to avoid it. (However, I am anti-plastic anything and if faced with the choice, I will always choose paper. Plastic is evil.) The best option is to bring your own bag. Here are some facts for reinforcement of why we should bring our own:

- "in most of Europe and Canada it is considered customary to bring your own bag...Instead of offering discounts for people who do bring their own bags (like in the US), they charge for those who don't."

- "Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest them."

- "A plastic bag can take between 400 to 1,000 years to break down in the environment."

- "Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food."

- "Nearly 90% of the debris in our oceans is plastic."

- More than "380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year."

- The United States "goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually."

- "Four out of five grocery bags in the U.S. are now plastic."

- "The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store."

Source: The Crunchy Wife at http://www.thecrunchywife.com/.


Having trouble with remembering to bring the reusable cloth bags with you? Leave them in the car. After you unload your groceries, bring them right back outside and put them in the car. Or, get yourself a free window cling that will remind you to grab the bags before you leave. You could save the energy required to ship you the little window cling and make yourself a pretty little sign for the backdoor. Whatever works for you, just try to remember to bring those bags with you. And if you find yourself at the store without a bag, just reuse the bag as much as possible and then recycle it when you're finished. :)

Some articles on the brown paper versus plastic bag issue:
- The paper vs. plastic question must die (Grist.org)
- Which is more environmentally friendly: paper or plastic? (HowStuffWorks)
- Paper vs Plastic: The Final Decision (Organic Lifestyle magazine)
- Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know (TreeHugger)
- Plastic bags are the devil (No Impact Man)

-- Melissa, secretary

Meeting Agenda with Notes March 12, 2010

Amador Valley High School
Environmental Club Meeting Agenda
March 12, 2010 12:45 PM – 1:21 PM
Mrs. Turner's room, E5

1. Welcome and Introductions: New members.

2. Discussion of paper conservation (2/26/10 – 3/12/10)
- Notes: Taylor printed double –sided, used the backs of old binder paper for new assignments. Liana tried writing smaller to save room.

3. Pleasanton Unified School District Environmental Awareness Committee meeting
- March 24 at 4:30 PM in Bernal Room at PUSD District Offices 4665 Bernal Avenue
- Amador student presentation about Environmental Club’s projects, successes
- Volunteers: Emily and Swethaa

4. 40th Earth Day/Week Celebrations (week of April 19 – 23; Earth Day is April 22nd)
- Reminder to look at Earth Week calendar on blog and in email. Mohr Garden project work day April 23 to be planned.

- Club Events:

Saturday, April 17
Livermore Earth Day Celebration. YES / NO
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Volunteer community clean up)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Earth Day Celebration)
Free to the public. Location: Robertson Park, 3200 Robertson Park Road, Livermore. The goal of this volunteer community clean up, non-profit event is to recognize, celebrate and promote the region’s unique beauty and to educate the public regarding how to conserve, preserve and protect our local and global resources.

OR

Earth Day at Forest Home Farms YES / NO
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Forest Home Farms, 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., between the Bollinger and Alcosta exits off the 680 freeway. San Ramon, CA
Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day while helping to spruce up Forest Home Farms Historic Park for spring! There'll be projects in the vegetable garden, the wildlife garden and around the farm. Bring your own gloves and garden tools. Refreshments will be provided. This is a FREE, volunteer event perfect for scout groups and service clubs.
The club will be attending this event as an informal activity—not school sponsored and the school is not liable. We will have parent drivers for carpooling.

Wednesday, April 21
AVHS Environmental Club presents Flow
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
Location: AVHS multipurpose room
Time: 7 – 9 PM. Free admission; popcorn, cookies and water will be sold.
We need to ask teachers if they will offer extra credit for attending.

5. Additional events/activities:
- Alviso Adobe “Tools from the Ancient World” March 27 2PM to 3PM
- Earth Hour March 27, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM turn the lights off! (www.earthhour.org/); Farmer’s Market to pass out fliers 9AM The club will be meeting at the Farmer’s Market on this day, and everyone is welcome to attend. It’s informal, not school-sponsored, etc.
- School black out April 22 We have to write a proposal to submit to administration. There will be different levels/stages of “greenabilty” that teachers can achieve for this day.
- National Agriculture Day March 20: Fact Sheet & Video



6. These Come From Trees: Guerilla Paper Waste Elimination Project: thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com $1 donations?

7. Did anyone check energy meter? Check it out before our next meeting.

8. Share DOTs (Do One Thing).
- billionactsofgreen.net
- Post your DOT on our Facebook page or group to share your idea.
- Liana pledges to take shorter showers. We discussed unplugging electronics to save energy.

9. Food scrapping discussion. We have decided not to apply considering the fact that the bins do not cost anything to obtain. We may consider applying for grant money for solar lights, but for now we will plan on obtaining some bins and possibly starting the food scrap program this school year. We will, at least, obtain them and figure out logistics, etc. We hope to work with Leadership and other clubs (Interact, etc.) to get the process going.

10. Brief discussion of focus group ideas. Taylor will make a list of teacher suggestions to make cards at our next meeting.


11. ACE lesson plan. (We did not discuss this and will discuss it at a future meeting.)

12. Next week’s bulletin green tip #7: Bring your own bag.
- Interesting facts about plastic bags:
We didn’t have time to talk about them, so a bulletin green tip post will be added to the blog including information about plastic bags.

13. Interested bloggers? Check out Taylor's new green blog at taylorconfessions.blogspot.com

Thank you everyone who attended today's meeting!

Tentative Agenda for March 12, 2010 Meeting

This is a tentative agenda; items may change/be added, but here's a general idea of the plan for Friday's meeting (March 12).

Amador Valley High School
Environmental Club Meeting Agenda
March 12, 2010 12:35 PM – 1:06 PM
Mrs. Turner's room, E5
1. Welcome and Introductions: New members & focus group sign ups.

2. Discussion of paper conservation (2/26/10 – 3/12/10)
- Notes:

3. Pleasanton Unified School District Environmental Awareness Committee meeting
- March 24 at 4:30 PM in Bernal Room at PUSD District Offices 4665 Bernal Avenue
- Amador student presentation about Environmental Club’s projects, successes
- Volunteers:

4. 40th Earth Day/Week Celebrations (week of April 19 – 23; Earth Day is April 22nd)
- Reminder to look at Earth Week calendar on blog and in email.
- Club Events:

Saturday, April 17
Livermore Earth Day Celebration. YES / NO
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Volunteer community clean up)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Earth Day Celebration)
Free to the public. Location: Robertson Park, 3200 Robertson Park Road, Livermore. The goal of this volunteer community clean up, non-profit event is to recognize, celebrate and promote the region’s unique beauty and to educate the public regarding how to conserve, preserve and protect our local and global resources.

OR

Earth Day at Forest Home Farms YES / NO
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Forest Home Farms, 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., between the Bollinger and Alcosta exits off the 680 freeway. San Ramon, CA
Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day while helping to spruce up Forest Home Farms Historic Park for spring! There'll be projects in the vegetable garden, the wildlife garden and around the farm. Bring your own gloves and garden tools. Refreshments will be provided. This is a FREE, volunteer event perfect for scout groups and service clubs.

Wednesday, April 21
AVHS Environmental Club presents Flow
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
Location: AVHS multipurpose room
Time: 7 – 9 PM. Free admission; popcorn, cookies and water will be sold.

5. Additional events/activities:
- Alviso Adobe “Tools from the Ancient World” March 27 2PM to 3PM
- Earth Hour March 27, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM turn the lights off! (www.earthhour.org/)
- School black out April 22 (Alex Pickert)
- National Agriculture Day March 20: Fact Sheet & Video



6. These Come From Trees: Guerilla Paper Waste Elimination Project: thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com


7. Did anyone check energy meter?

8. Share DOTs (Do One Thing).
- billionactsofgreen.net
- Post your DOT on our Facebook page or group to share your idea.

9. Food scrapping discussion – ACE grant application.

10. Brief discussion of focus group ideas.

11. ACE lesson plan.

12. Next week’s bulletin green tip #7: _______________

13. Interested bloggers? Check out Taylor's new green blog at taylorconfessions.blogspot.com

Bulletin Green Tip #6: Conserve paper

As students, we come into contact with paper many times every day. Most people living in America come into contact with paper all the time, regardless of what type of job they have. Paper is everywhere and it isn't going away anytime soon. It comes from trees, can be composted and can also be recycled, which you probably already knew. Some things you may not know about paper:

According to DesignVitality.com, "the pulp and paper industry is the third largest consumer of energy and uses more water to produce a ton of product than any other industry. In 2005, out of 245,000,000 tons of waste 34.2% was paper according to the EPA. That is over 83,300,000 tons of paper that is wasted every year."

So we should reduce and conserve paper, which hopefully you already realized. But how do we do that?
When doing homework and classwork, be aware of the amount of paper you use. That is key. Awareness is really important in anything you do when trying to live a more caring, environmentally-conscious life.

- Use scratch paper whenever you can. If you're taking notes you won't be turning in, use the back of an 0ld quiz or assignment.

- Print on both sides of the paper and if you do print on only one side, when you're finished with it, save it for the future. I have a stack of papers by my printer that only have writing on one side. I print on the opposite side for many homework assignments or if I'm printing an article out to save, etc. "You can even use it to jot down notes for yourself instead of wasting Post it notes."

- Try to take up less space with your writing so you can use the paper to its full capacity. If you write small, then use that to your advantage to use the paper as efficiently as possible.

- Buy recycled paper to save trees and energy. When you make paper from old paper, it takes less energy than to create new paper from a tree. "According to the City of Seattle a ton of paper made from recycled paper, as opposed to virgin paper, saves the equivalent of 4,100 kilowatt hours of energy, 7000 gallons of water, 60 pounds of air emissions, and 3 cubic yards of landfill space."

- "Make sure to spell check your work, and even read over it on screen. Use the Print Preview feature to preview your work to make sure everything lines up correctly."

Have some other simple ways to reduce paper use? Post a comment!

Source of quotes: "7 Ways You Can Easily Save Paper and Avoid Killing the Environment."

Ooops...Confession #1

I have recently been using plastic water bottles up the yin yang. I can't seem to get myself to make the effort to fill my reusable one up and/or reuse whatever plastic one is empty...I don't know how to get out of this rut, and I honestly don't really want to because of the convenience. Plus, the water taste's kind of funky in my reusable bottle. I have to figure out some motivation...

adios. Taylor

This was originally posted at Confessions of an Environmental Noob on March 2.

Welcome to Fresh Air, Biggest Noob Ever.

I hiked the ridge today, for the first time, might I add. I think with being environmental friendly comes being more friendly to my body as well. I am so used to dancing in an inside, air-conditioned, away-from-nature studio. This hike was a much needed welcome back into the natural world, and a great form of alternate exercise. Don't get me wrong, it was tough: I huffed, and puffed, and fell down many times. Yet, there is definitely something to be said for being outside, breathing in the surroundings and fresh air, everything seems so much more interconnected and meaningful, but I don't mean to sound cliche and dramatic. The trees surrounding the trails give off oxygen which takes a journey through my lungs, so I am able to keep going and enjoy the beauty of the trees; it's a beautiful circle that I now know I should take advantage of more often. It's nice to step away from my hectic life and cherish the peace hiking and nature bring. It has also inspired me to go back, and perhaps, take my camera to document the beauty and serenity.

adios. Taylor

This was originally posted at Confessions of an Environmental Noob on February 28, 2010.

Welcome to Reality, Biggest Noob Ever.

Alrighty, so, truth be told, I have never really cared much about issues concerning the environment. Environmental awareness is something people can easily avoid since its not so noticeable in our hectic, 100 miles-per-hour lives. Granted, I have been informed, I just never took it upon myself to do anything about it. I felt like it was too big a problem, so if I couldn't fix the whole thing, why try at all, right? Wrong. Finally, after hearing my good friend Melissa talk about being environmental friendly for three years, I have started to actually listen.

Since I'm starting from scratch on this whole sustainable living thing, I might as well fess up to all the stuff I would never admit to environmentalists:
-I grab a new plastic water bottle from the fridge every day
-I enjoy my showers for way too long
-I use a new piece of binder paper when I don't like how I wrote my name
-I am an unaware driver when it comes to saving gas
-I drive to school when its a ten minute walk from my house
...I could go on an on, but essentially: I'm an environmental noob.

The thing is, I look at people who truly live environmental friendly/sustainable lives, and I feel like it would be too overwhelming to try to do the same. I like taking long showers, its easier to just grab a water bottle and go, and vegging out in front of the television and computer screen is my choice activity...So where do I find the balance?

I think I should start slow. Change one or two things until they are habit, and then add something else. Making each change a habit will make it so much easier to stick with it.

Things I have already started to do:
-take smaller notes utilizing the whole page
-print things on the front and back of a paper
-joined my schools environmental club
-unplug unused items from outlets
-turn off a light in my house if no one is in the room

On this blog I will confess my struggles and successes with trying to be environmental friendly in everyday life. Taking it slow will take away the pressure to change everything right at this exact moment. Hopefully, someone will take this journey with me after they read this.
Remember, green is good.

adios. Taylor

This was originally posted on Confessions of an Environmental Noob on February 27, 2010.