Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Check the Greenies out today!

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9 comments:

  1. Well dear friends, this is Green Editor, back at you after a too, too long absence. I am indebted to the following: Josh Rubin, Technical Advisor and Blogsmith; Kyle Brumbaugh, Technical Advisor and Blogguru; and Kathy Soulard, Blogprodder Extraordinaire & Green Godmother. This first blog post will be about www.snacktaxi.com - for which I am indebted to Kathleen Coughlin, who cannot speak highly enough about this product. We will get to Kathleen C's. comments in the next post, as well as my review of this web site. For now, I just want to see who is watching.
    Good night all, and Good night Doctor Chek

    ReplyDelete
  2. Green Editor sez'
    I went to: wwww.snacktaxi.com and was suitably knocked out! You can buy them online or at one of their retail outlets on the Peninsula

    Kathleen says: "I LOVE these bags! We have six of them and I pack my fellas off with them every day in their lunches. I'm glad to see the proprietor hasn't had to increase her prices. She only recently added retail outlets to her website and there are three relatively near us. I can heartily endorse the product. I feel VERY green when I use them."

    What are snackTAXIs? Here you go:

    snackTAXIs were invented in the hills of western Massachusetts by a mother of three who packs over 500 lunches every year!

    They are made in our home-based workshop by talented local sewers. We are committed to keeping our business local, and will never outsource our labor.

    snackTAXIs are a great alternative to plastic bags and wraps, especially when just one reusable bag has the potential to eliminate an average of 1000 plastic bags over its lifetime.

    This TGIF, for you, a little extra. Not much to do with "Green", but if you are a movie buff, this will feed your interest. I have an old, dear friend who is a film critic in LA and his Oscar predictions have been astoundingly accurate over the years. Not perfect, but he often hits 70 - 80%. Let me know how he does. Here is "Green Editor's Mystery Hollywood Insider's List for '09:
    Best Picture: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
    Best Actor: SEAN PENN
    Best Supporting Actor: HEATH LEDGER
    Best Actress: KATE WINSLET
    Best Supporting Actress: MARIA TOMEI
    Best Director: DANNY BOYLE
    Best Documentary: MAN ON WIRE
    Best Animated Feature: WALL-E

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Today I sent our principal David Reilly a list of everything "green" we are doing at Woodside. I share it with you because I think it is a list to be proud of + it is a list that I hope will keep growing. Here it is:
    Woodside Goes Green

    Earth Day Activities – April 22
    • The WHS Cycling Club hosts a friendly competition in 3 events: (a) a whipped cream and worm pie eating contest; (b) a multiple choice question and answer test; and, (c) a big wheel race to see who can correctly re-cycle a bag of goodies.
    • There will be tables outside the “D Wing” to display the following: (a) art from re-cycled materials; (b) varieties of water for tasting; (c) plastic problems; (d) seed give-a-ways; (e) KLEAN KANTEENS and CHICO BAGS, a fund-raiser for Woodside Environmental programs

    Re-cycling Efforts
    • Weekly re-cycling of white and colored paper, bottles, and cardboard – staffed by students in the LIF (moderately/severely disabled) program.
    • Re-cycled (“good on one side”) paper available for staff printing projects in the Staff Room.
    • Investigation is on-going to find a copier for the Staff Room that uses recycled (“good on one side”) paper.

    Arts and Re-cycling
    Students in the 3-D design program are experimenting with pendants created from re-cycled plastic salad containers, from the school cafeteria. A prototype has already been developed.

    Academic Initiatives – on-going
    • An AP Environmental Science class is a regularly scheduled elective and has traditionally been a very popular course offering.
    • “The Greenie’s and Gardener’s Task Force (G2 Force)” has existed at Woodside for several years. The group has regularly scheduled meetings and its purpose is to: (a) highlight “green issues” at school; (b) analyze and research problems; (c) propose solutions; (d) and take appropriate actions to solve-problems/issues.
    • District Green Team – Woodside has one representative on this informal district group that meets regularly.
    • Green Academy – This is a new program which will start in fall 2009. It offers English, Social Science, Science, and a Green Career Class for sophomore students (current freshmen). The emphasis in the program is on renewable water and energy use. The cohort will be together for three years taking four classes from the same teacher. This small learning community is modeled after Woodside’s high successful Business Technology Academy.

    Gardening
    • A thriving vegetable garden has existed for several years behind the Environmental Science room. It is a joint project of the Science Department and the LIF (moderate/severely disabled) program.
    • A new garden will be in place shortly in the area above the school’s A Wing.
    • There are 3 regular composting bins, and one tumbler bin, on campus.
    • Worm composting happens daily in the Environmental Science room. The compost is used in the Environmental Science garden and Science students are involved on a regular basis.
    • All Environmental Science classes utilize the worm bins for educational projects and research. 85 students are involved in the garden program.
    • Compost materials (coffee grounds and appropriate lunch materials) are provided by staff in the English, Science, and Special Education departments,
    • The Woodside Foods Class also composts regularly, and Math staff will be joining the program soon.
    • San Mateo County Recycleworks Program staffs have proved to be popular presenters at Woodside Staff Development days.

    Communications
    The “G2 Force” has its own blog – www.whsgreenies.blogspot.com – which contains several pages of practical hints for a greener life as well as resources to increase environmental awareness and education.

    My next post will look at an informal survey of plastic bottle use by students at Woodside; herbal cleansers you can make at home; and some news about the killing of trees by schools.

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  5. i will contribute to a sustainable environment by turn off all the lights in the house

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  6. Thank you Alextable!!
    Here is another idea from the "...not just Green, Emerald" people at Foothill...a good cause for your May 30 efforts


    Hello-

    I just wanted to pass along info about a unique sustainability event
    we are having up on campus next Saturday, May 30th.

    The Sustainability Committee at Foothill College has been working
    very hard to make our campus, not just green, but Emerald. We are
    looking at many ways of improving our energy efficiency, reducing
    waste and our carbon footprint. As part of our efforts, we are doing
    a very special plant sale next weekend, on Saturday May 30th.

    As part of the continuing bond construction work on campus, the old
    Ornamental Horticulture site is scheduled for redevelopment this
    summer. When the division moved into its new Bio Science bldg, many
    plants, shrubs, trees and some 40+ rose bushes in-ground were left
    behind. The Foothill Sustainability committee has gotten special
    permission to salvage these plants before they are destroyed, and
    sell them to raise money for an Organic Garden we are working to
    build on our campus. We have dug up and potted many plants, and
    there are many more that are 'dig your own' at very low prices (most
    between $1-5). By purchasing a plant at this event--you can help the
    environment, save a plant, help us build an organic garden on campus
    and green up your own yard for very little $$. Not bad huh?

    This sale will take place on Saturday, May 30th, from 9am - 2pm.
    People should park in Lot 4, and follow the signs.
    If you have a bulletin board where you could post this flyer, or
    could share this information with others interested in sustainability
    and/or horticulture, it would be most appreciated!!


    Best,
    Mia

    ReplyDelete
  7. A site I always enjoy reading - for it's distinct student flavor, it's passon for sustainable environmental work, and it's great heart+ voice is:

    EarthTeam Environmental Network
    2525 10th Street, Unit B
    Berkeley, CA 94710
    510-704-4030
    www.earthteam.net

    Their July newsletter is now on-line. I commend them to all environmental educators and educators concerned about the environment. I am always interested to read the work of their participants and their supporters.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is a wistful post. And a somewhat guilty one. I wish I had the occasion, the time, the inclination to garden - we have at our home, a good size piece of land to do so ... but I don't garden and have not for almost 25 years. However ... it is a wistful thought always on my part - here dear readers is something we all can do - the workshop below sounds intriguing:

    Preparing For A Winter Vegetable Garden

    This lecture will cover the planning and planting of fall and winter
    vegetables that will produce in late fall and with the right timing,
    throught the winter season. Detailed instructions for starting seedlings
    and/or purchasing nursery grown starts; suggestions for planting into
    existing summer veggies without disrupting the current harvest, and tips
    and hints for maximizing water use and reducing erosion over the rainy
    season. All information made for sustainable/organic garden care only.
    Date: Tuesday, August 25th
    Time: 7 - 9 pm
    Location: San Mateo Garden Center
    605 Parkside Way
    Cost: Free ... Open to the Public...Reservations not required.
    Thank you, Jacqueline
    Please do not respond to this email. Please send all email inquiries to
    info@RecycleWorks.org County of San Mateo- RecycleWorks Program
    555 County Center, 5th floor
    Redwood City, CA 94063-1665
    USA
    For more information visit our website at www.RecycleWorks.org Save
    Paper! Please don't print this email.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is a wistful post. And a somewhat guilty one. I wish I had the occasion, the time, the inclination to garden - we have at our home, a good size piece of land to do so ... but I don't garden and have not for almost 25 years. However ... it is a wistful thought always on my part - here dear readers is something we all can do - the workshop below sounds intriguing:

    Preparing For A Winter Vegetable Garden

    This lecture will cover the planning and planting of fall and winter
    vegetables that will produce in late fall and with the right timing,
    throught the winter season. Detailed instructions for starting seedlings
    and/or purchasing nursery grown starts; suggestions for planting into
    existing summer veggies without disrupting the current harvest, and tips
    and hints for maximizing water use and reducing erosion over the rainy
    season. All information made for sustainable/organic garden care only.
    Date: Tuesday, August 25th
    Time: 7 - 9 pm
    Location: San Mateo Garden Center
    605 Parkside Way
    Cost: Free ... Open to the Public...Reservations not required.
    Thank you, Jacqueline
    Please do not respond to this email. Please send all email inquiries to
    info@RecycleWorks.org County of San Mateo- RecycleWorks Program
    555 County Center, 5th floor
    Redwood City, CA 94063-1665
    USA
    For more information visit our website at www.RecycleWorks.org Save
    Paper! Please don't print this email.

    ReplyDelete