Environmental Club's FLOW Showing a Huge Success!

Mrs. Turner was right--extra credit really does bring large crowds! While we the officers were thinking that only a handful of students would show up, at least one-hundred students attended last Wednesday's free showing of the film FLOW. The purpose was to raise awareness, and with an audience that size, the message about the issues surrounding freshwater privitization most definitely reached at least some of them. For more information about the film, please visit the website http://www.flowthefilm.com/. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and to those of you who attended, even if just for extra credit :-)

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.

Ways YOU can easily change the world

By Melissa, AVHS Environmental Club secretary. February 26, 2010.

Energy
According to the EPA, 75% of the electricity used to power electronics is consumed when they are turned off. Have your class/family members take turns being a weekly “energy monitor,” making sure electronics are off and unplugged when not in use.

- Turn off the lights and television when you leave the room, and make sure the lights are off in your house during daylight hours.

- Shut down the computer at night and unplug it to avoid wasting energy and vampire energy-sucking electronic cords.

- Use your cell phone and computer less to reduce energy consumption and increase time spent with family, friends or outside.

- Try to go stove and oven-free for a day and eat foods like hummus and pita bread, salad, veggies with dip, or plan to reheat leftovers in the microwave (microwaves aren’t the best alternative, but they use less energy than an oven).

- Take BART to the City instead of driving.

- Purchase fewer new products. Try to buy used, or don’t buy at all. Every time we purchase something new that could have been avoided, we encourage the continued production of that item. Often we buy things without really needing them and this wastes energy that could have been conserved or used for a better purpose.

- Shop at places like Plato’s Closet, the Discovery Shop, and thrift stores. Often these places have more unique clothing, books and other products than you’d find at the mall.

- Ride your bike at least once a week to school.

Paper
- Print double-sided to avoid wasting paper.

- Buy recycled paper products and always recycle paper when you’ve used it to its capacity.

- Write smaller, use the whole page and find creative ways to reduce the amount of paper you use.

- Save paper that has only been printed on one side and reprint on the back for school worksheets and printed things that can be less formal (use clean paper for nice projects, of course).

- Stop using paper towels and paper napkins and instead, use dishtowels and cloth napkins.

- Reuse wrapping paper.

- Buy brown paper for wrapping—it can be used for any occasion and it’s recyclable (most wrapping paper isn’t).

- Buy used books (the library sells some books for $0.50 - $1.00; The Bookstore on Hopyard has a neat selection of used books). Or reuse by borrowing books from the library or from friends.

- Avoid post-it notes—use old scrap paper instead.

- Bring a reusable mug to the coffee shop or fast food restaurant. Try to buy a metal-based coffee mug instead of plastic, since plastic is never a good choice.

Water
- Turn the water off when brushing your teeth and lathering your hands when washing them.

- Take shorter showers. Turn the water off while shampooing, etc.

- Instead of buying plastic water in a container from the store, invest in a water filter (Brita makes some great ones) that you can just pour cold tap water into. It filters out the bad stuff and leaves the water tasting great.

- Just drink tap water—a lot of the time it’s the same water you’re drinking from the bottle. Plus, plastic can leach into the bottles :(

Plastic
- Plastic doesn’t break down easily and it can cause many health problems. It’s also made from petroleum, which has causes pollution and other health problems. Plus, it’s a nonrenewable resource.

- Pledge to never again use plastic water bottles. Buy a reusable metal water bottle and never look back!

- Avoid food that comes in plastic. Often, the plastic can leach into the food.

- Avoid plastic baggies. Use Tupperware or glass jars (Anchor Hocking has great choices) instead.

- Say no to straws. If everyone used them as sparingly as possible, we’d save a lot of plastic from ending up in a landfill.

- Use old silverware instead of plastic utensils. Some companies make reusable wooden utensils that you can bring with you places.

- Any product (other than paper, for example)that is only used once should be a sign to any environmentally-conscious person…think about what the purpose of the product is and make a decision about using it or not based on how important using it is. There are almost always alternatives if the thing is truly necessary. People survived for thousands of years without plastic utensils or straws. Being able to see this—the concept of what is necessary versus what just makes my life easier (it takes planning to remember to bring your own utensils, so using a plastic one is easier, for example) is something that we all must think about if we really want to make a difference. Being aware is the FIRST step to changing your habits. Be always thinking about the impact of what you are doing.

- This may sound trivial, but it is something to think about: using a wooden pencil is a better choice than mechanical. In my opinion, plastic is never a better choice. Ever. Therefore, wooden pencils are a better choice.


Some more things to think about from EcologyCenter.org:
“Of all the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, 36% are emitted from industrial sources and product manufacture, 28% from commercial and passenger transportation, 18% from commercial business, and 18% from residential sources.5 Significant greenhouse gas reduction requires a reassessment of many of our everyday activities.”

“Be a critical consumer. Cut down on CO2 by selecting locally produced whole foods, thereby reducing energy for processing, transport, and refrigeration. Purchase products that are manufactured without large energy inputs. For example, buy recycled — it requires much less energy to make a product using recycled materials than using new, raw materials. Picking used goods keeps materials from going to the landfill and eliminates energy for new manufacture. Avoid products with excess packaging, which is wasted energy. Livestock is a major source of methane and requires lots of energy to produce — consider your meat intake. Buy less stuff.”

There are so many other ways to make a difference. Got some ideas? Post them here or on our Facebook group.

Press Release for "Flow" Movie Showing

Amador Valley High School’s Environmental Club, which focuses on raising awareness about conservation and the environment, will be showing the award-winning film Flow about the world water crisis. The film takes a look at fresh water privatization and the many issues surrounding it, including human rights violations, pollution and politics. The movie also talks about practical solutions to the growing problem of a decreasing fresh water supply and ways in which technology may play a role in reversing this global issue. The film has won many awards, including Best Documentary at the United Nations Association Film Festival and Jury Prize at the 2008 Mumbai International Film Festival.

The movie will be shown in Amador Valley High School’s multipurpose room on Wednesday, April 21 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Admission is free and snacks will be for sale.

The club can be contacted at avhsenvironmental@yahoo.com.

More information: "Flow" Film Showing post (1/29/10)

"Flow" Film Showing

Our club is planning a showing of the documentary Flow sometime this semester. The film won multiple awards at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and tells the story of our current water crisis. The topic relates to people everywhere, and we thought it would be a useful, inspiring, and informative movie to present to the Pleasanton community.

We will show the film for free in the multipurpose room and possibly sell popcorn or cookies at the event to raise funds for the club and help offset the cost of renting the MP. It will be open to the public and we would encourage teachers to give extra credit to students who attend. The event will be all about raising awareness for the issue the movie discusses.

Here's a link to the trailer: http://www.flowthefilm.com/trailer

From the movie's website:
"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.

Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question 'CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?'

Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround."

For more information on the film, please visit the website at http://www.flowthefilm.com/.

Weekly Goal #1: Say no to plastic water bottles

Our first Environmental Club Green Goal was to use only reusable water bottles for a week or more. If you could not get a reusable one, we asked you to reuse the same plastic bottle over and over. (This can be dangerous, as plastic breaks down and can leach into your water, but at least it reduces waste somewhat.)

Most people gave it a try, and many of us already use reusable bottles consciously. Let's all try to get a reusable water bottle sometime soon so we can really eliminate that source of waste.

Check out this TreeHugger.com article to learn more about why you should say no to plastic water bottles: A World of Reasons to Ditch Bottled Water by Union of Concerned Scientists