Maria Sotero

I usually write about environmental innovations and social/conservation ideas on this site. But this week, I thought I would reflect on a more personal development. When I started writing for TGLC last summer, I was studying for the GRE. This fall, I applied to Columbia University’s 12 month Master’s in Environmental Science and Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs. And the day before Thanksgiving, I came home to an acceptance letter. My wildest dream came true, and I think I know why.

I applied to this program (check it out) not because it’s at an Ivy League school, not because I didn’t have a job (because I do), not because “it’s what you do.” I applied because I wanted to take all the classes it includes- I am not a math person, but have always geeked out for geology and the other natural sciences. And I applied because the brochure explains what I think and believe about the world better than I ever could.

(Oil: Finite. Population: expanding. Waste: stupid. Think of this program as,  a How-to Guide to Solving Changing Problems Within Bureaucracies and Organizations.)

This is what I want to learn. I could use aluminum bottles until the cows come home, but that’s not going to change our political economy. We need policies that transform the world, and we need people who understand both climate science AND how bills become law in the real world first.

So, I knew I was right for this program. I have social marketing experience, policy and publishing experience, and some colleagues who are amazing editors. I played every card in my hand, and I convinced myself, and because of that, this crazy dream came true. I’m moving to New York City in May.

But self-congratulation is not my purpose here. What I am trying to get across is that anyone who has lofty conservation goals should not cynic-ize themselves out of reaching for them, because even the things you think are impossible sometimes are not. I want to remind every reader that there are incredibly interesting advances going on right now in the environmental field and that we are going to need highly educated leaders in the future, no matter how loosely-defined your passion is today.

Basically, just don’t think, “Oh, I won’t get in–I can’t make a difference–I can’t save the world.” I truly believed that I couldn’t get in, and I did, and because of that, I have a little more optimism in those other, impossible-sounding goals.

Photo Credit: John Castaldo

It’s always nice to see good news about your alma mater.  This time, fortunately, the good news coincides with the “green” philosophy that so many of us share.  Last week, University of San Diego turned on the second largest solar array of any private university in the United States.  The 1.23 megawatt installation will save the university 15% in electricity costs and provide clean, renewable energy for at least the next 25 years.

One year ago, Vice President of Business Administration Len Herring signed a deal with Solana Beach-based AMSOLAR for a power purchase agreement that provides 5200 photovoltaic panels on eleven buildings of USD’s campus.  AMSOLAR provides the panels and installation, selling the electricity produced back to the university at a discounted rate.  Currently, the solar panels will cut approximately $100,000 off the annual energy bill, and even more if energy costs continue to rise.  The best part of the deal is that USD did not have to put any money into the project, because AMSOLAR essentially leases the space on top of the buildings and just sells the discounted electricity to the university.  In addition, all maintenance, repair, and upkeep is handled by AMSOLAR.

Over the last five years, USD has made great advances in sustainability.  According to Herring, the university now consumes as much electricity as it did in 1997 and as much water as it did in 1991, despite a rapidly growing student population and many more buildings on campus.

Many of us can pat our backs on this one.  The last five years have seen great advances in student involvement through T.R.E.E., sustainability clubs, and various other organizations that pushed the administrative buttons and showed that the students cared.  At the solar event last week, President Lyons commended the student organizations for being proactive and getting the ball rolling.

Although this is a great step for USD, it is just the beginning.  With more conservation efforts in the works coupled with solar and geothermal projects, USD is well on its way to being a top player in the sustainable campus initiative.  Let’s just hope they reach their claim of being “the most sustainable university in America by 2025.”

To read the whole article, click here.

Photo Credit: NASA/GSFC

Have you ever thought that the concept of “Going Green” could be turned into a national competition?  The Campus Conservation Nationals 2010 sure has. 40 colleges have banded together to compete to measure conservation of both electricity and water from November 1^st to November 19^th.  Even though this is a short time period, it could potentially make a huge difference.  I think that this is a great cause, especially since more and more colleges nationwide have been getting involved over the years including Brown University, New York University, University of New Hampshire, and University of San Diego.

The Campus Conservation challenge is broken down into multiple categories, but all include reductions in electricity and water in dormitories.  There are awards given to the school and single dormitory that has the greatest reduction.  Some schools also give out awards to dormitories and areas that have the greatest reductions.  Other divisions exist, including state and head-to-head competitions in case the school wants to have some fun against its big rival.

The objective of this competition is to educate students on how much electricity and water is wasted on a daily basis. Since students do not see their college’s electric or water bills, there is often very little desire to conserve.  Hopefully, once the students realize the troubling amount of waste, they then have a desire to continue practicing the ideals of conservation.  Although the Campus Conservation challenge will definitely instill good habits, I hope that students focus more on the conservation end of things, instead of the prizes and title of “Energy Champions”.  The motion of Going Green should be focused on the central idea that people want to help, not that they should help in order to potentially win something.  Overall, I think that it is a very fun idea to see the enthusiasm of so many colleges across the Unites States who are all trying to make a difference.

To view original source: http://www.competetoreduce.org/about.php

Photo Credit: Fields To Families

Katie’s dreams of feeding the hungry began at age 11, when the third grader turned a donated cabbage seed into a 40-pound vegetable that helped to feed 275 homeless people in her hometown of Summerville, South Carolina. “I knew I wanted to do more to help all of those people who were struggling to eat so I started vegetable gardens,” she said.  “I now have 5 gardens and the harvest is donated to people in need in my community. This fall I should be able to donate over a thousand pounds of healthy food to people in need.”

The story began when Katie Stagliano realized she had more than just a green thumb: she also has a huge heart and deep desire to help others. After donating a 40 pound cabbage to the local soup kitchen, and reaching the mouths and bellies of those in need, her determination sprouted into Katie’s Krops, a nonprofit vegetable garden (she now has six), including one the length of a football field at her school, that has provided local soup kitchens with over 2,000 pounds of lettuce, tomatoes and other vegetables.

Katie appears to be an environmentalist at heart. Concerned about a local drought in Summerville, the third grader felt it was the duty of her school to do more in order to conserve water.  After offering her suggestions to the headmaster and the high school’s environmental studies teacher, Katie’s suggestions for rain barrels to catch water and other ideas, such as a community garden to feed the students, were soon implemented throughout the school.

Katie serves as inspiration to not only her local community, who are becoming involved in her garden program, but to others across the country as she achieves media recognition for her charitable and environmental efforts. She says, “I want more people to get involved, more people to help in the fight against hunger.  Growing vegetables is fun and it is so great to help people.  If I can do it anyone can.”

For more, visit Katie’s Krops.

The creation of ThinkGreenLiveClean.com can be traced back to a bumper sticker brainstorming session that took place in Australia in 2007 while studying abroad. What better way to promote the environmental awareness movement than with a catchy bumper sticker that will really make people think? Well, that idea lasted for about three months until I purchased the URL ThinkGreenLiveClean.com… and soon after became neck deep in creating an environmental awareness blog for young adults that was filled with optimism, beautiful imagery, and a fun, simple, and short writing style that hopefully informs and inspires our generation to action! The journey that I unknowingly embarked on that fateful brainstorming session has had many ups, many downs, and many unknowns, but has been truly epic in scale. Young adults from all over the country have been jumping on board since ThinkGreenLiveClean.com lauched in May of 2009 and now we are even featuring writers from Canada! Our awesome team of writers are working to spread environmental awareness all over the world!!! Please follow our movement and get involved in away way you can! Anything is possible if you put your mind to it!

Photo Credit: Taylor McBride

I just survived my first few days of sophomore year at college… This usually means dozens of syllabi, handouts, reading packets and the like, all printed out on crisp white sheets of paper.  However, as this semester kicks off, I am noticing that the majority of my teachers are giving out assignments by email and asking us to turn in assignments online as well.  Whether for convenience or eco-friendliness, it seems that more and more of the world is using email to send information, but is sending all this information really good for the environment?

Digital information such as term papers, homework assignments, calenders, tables, etc.- is written, stored, downloaded, and viewed on a second-to-second basis.  According to data storage expert from the UK Matthew Yeager, the world has 1.2 zettabytes of stored data, which is equivalent to “all the content in all the US’s academic libraries and multiplied it by half a million”, which needless to say uses a lot of energy!

When we email, download, and store documents, we use energy. Now, by not printing we are definitely saving trees, which is truly great, but there is another issue at hand. Last July, Yeager told BBC that sending an email with an attachment that is equivalent to about 4 pictures from a standard point-and-shoot camera (around 4.7 megabytes) creates as much greenhouse gas emissions as boiling tea in a teapot about 18 times!

So when you are sending an attachment, think about how big your attachment is (and really needs to be), and think about who you are sending it to (and who really needs to see it).  Avoid sending giant attachments if possible and if you need to send photos, consider central websites like Flickr or YouTube.

Learn more about the eco-friendliness of email attachments here.

Caitlin Regan

It is no secret that the Los Angles Unified School District (LAUSD) has been struggling in the face of budget cuts, layoffs, overcrowding, and numerous other problems that etch away at the foundation of L.A.’s public school system However, there is one program that seems to bring a ray of hope and vitality for the future of LAUSD. This three year old program, known since 2007 as Green LAUSD, has helped the district make cuts of the positive sort. The program has been working to reduce the green house gas emissions, water, and energy use by 10% as of 2013. Slowly but surely the program as been helping the 14,000 buildings within the growing LAUSD system upgrade decades old buildings and install 50 megawatt solar photovoltaic arrays that could save the district $20 million per year on an electricity bill that has averaged at $85 million.

This March a fleet of hundreds of buses will be upgraded to use cleaner burning propane. Schools will be retrofitted with irrigation systems that will reduce millions of gallons of imported water that is consumed per day by the district. The majority of this water is used for outdoor watering systems. In addition, it has been confirmed that 8 out of the 250 schools will have solar power installations within the next month.

After hearing of such improvements one wonders where the funding for such a program is coming from, especially in the wake of one of the largest recessions the country has ever faced. The majority of the funding has come from voter-approved state bond measures, grants, and utility incentives from companies such as Southern California Edison and the LA DWP. In order to go solar there is $120 million available in federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds. This investment is one of longevity; it is keeping the financial future of the district in mind, while contributing to a healthier environment. Essentially, if it can work in a school district as large as LA in a sustainable and cost-effective way, the program may set a national precedent that can be replicated all over the country.

For schools who value such conservation efforts, a portion of the savings is returned to the particular school in order to fix leaking faucets or other such quick fixes that can eventually add up. There is a projection to build 44 more campuses by 2013, and each campus will have to comply to the standards established. This means that water and energy efficiency will be included with other aspects such as classroom acoustics, mold prevention, and natural lighting.

Use of land, quality of air and space, and a natural human comfort are all aspects that contribute to the “greening” of high energy consuming systems. If these aspects are improved, energy will be distributed and utilized in a sustainable manner. Studies have found a correlation between sustainable building practices and higher learning. As Vivian Loftness, co-chair of the 2008 National Research Council reports, insulated walls and windows (an energy saving building practice) also reduces noise pollution so students can better concentrate in class. Also, natural light flowing into rooms stimulates melatonin production that eventually contribute to enhanced viewing of colors in text books and healthier sleeping cycles. Using painting supplies without VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) will reduce exposure to harmful diseases and asthma problems.

In addition to the practical infrastructure being built, LAUSD plans to integrate knowledge of such practices and the importance of sustainability in school subjects. Core classes in English, math, history, and science will have hands-on sustainability issues infused with the regular curriculum and the students will learn of the district’s sustainability measures. The overall effect is intended to raise an environmentaly conscious generation while facilitating a healthier learning environment in which to do so.

L.A. Times

Green LAUSD

Photo Credit: Cristian Bortes

Ok, so maybe it isn’t exactly in the curriculum…but D.C. Public Schools is continuing to make a difference in the community by planting numerous trees throughout the city. Students, faculty and staff  in our nation’s capital have the opportunity to partner with an organization called Casey Trees in an effort to take some time out of the school day to plant trees around many of the district’s schools.

One school that is taking advantage of this opportunity is Noyes Education Campus, a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School. On March 18th, led by Principal Wayne Ryan, students, faculty and staff from Noyes will take an hour out of the day to put away their school books, and take out their shovels and gloves. Everyone will work together to plant several trees, improving the environment as well as the campus atmosphere (no pun intended). The trees are provided by Casey Trees, and students will be able to apply knowledge of environmental and life science as they prepare the trees for a healthy and prosperous life.

Casey Trees is a local organization that supplies trees to any group, organization or individual wishing to plant 10 or more trees. Through their Community Tree Planting Program, these trees are donated for free, and staff from Casey will even come help put them in the ground! Although Casey Trees is only in D.C., it is a part of a national organization called Alliance for Community Trees (ACT), which serves largely the same purpose on a national level. Check out the ACT website if you want to get involved and make a difference…every tree helps.

Check out the website for Casey Trees and Alliance for Community Trees.

It’s always refreshing to hear about new environmental objectives that aim to make our world a better place.  It’s even better to fall upon one that seeks to make an economic, social, and environmental impact.  Well, that is exactly what Better World Books has sought to do- and they’ve succeeded in doing so.  Beginning with three motivated friends from the University of Notre Dame, a single book drive turned into a movement across our entire continent, and has made an impact worldwide.

Better World Books is now a for-profit social enterprise that collects used books and sells them online.  The organization not only raises money for literacy initiatives across the globe, but is conserving our resources and avoiding landfills one used book at a time.   In addition to selling new titles online, Better World Books collects books and supports book drives at more than 1,800 college campuses worldwide, not to mention partners with over 2,000 libraries.  All in all, the company has converted more than 25 million donated books into $7.3 million in funding for education and literacy- and saved around 8,000 tons of books from landfills.

The three entrepreneurs actually derived the “green” aspect of the business from the idea that a true economy mimics ecology in it’s “circular no-waste” principles.  While not everything can be done to imitate this perfect scenario, they do what they can in the process. This includes working with organizations like Carbonfund.org (a non-profit provider of carbon offsets), which allows them to offset their shipping costs, along with the National Postal Service, who uses the lowest energy per package of any carrier.

So what do we have here?  Three friends who needed something to pursue after graduation.  Three friends tired of seeing old textbooks pile up.  Three friends who today, have empowered people around the world through literacy, taken a slight burden off our environment, and also contribute to the economy.  If that isn’t an inspiration for anyone trying to make a difference, I don’t know what is.

To learn more about Better World Books and their impact, continue reading here.

Photo Credit: Rupert Ganzer

Do you still remember the criteria you used to pinpoint your college of choice? Granted it had to be one that you got accepted into…and maybe it had to be a Liberal Arts, have relatively small classes, and have a decent standard of excellence? Or were you the one comparing the ratio of guys to girls, the number of beer cups next to the college name, and the size of the coed dorms? Whomever you were and whatever your criteria, I am guessing that an easily accessible ‘Green Rating’ was not involved in your final decision. Well now it can be with Princeton Review’s second annual ‘Green Rating’ available online for 697 colleges and universities around the country. (All you guys and girls still applying for colleges are psyched!)

Scores in the Green Rating are based on the opportunities available for students to lead a healthy and sustainable campus lifestyle, the universities dedication to environmental issues, and how well the university is preparing students for a world riveted with serious environmental problems. Scores are on a numerical scale that ranges from 60 to 99. The 15 universities that received the highest green rating of 99 were placed on the Princeton Review’s ‘Green Honor Roll‘ and they included, in alphabetical order: Arizona State University, Bates College, College of the Atlantic, Colorado College, Dickinson College, The Evergreen State College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard College, Middlebury College, Northeastern University, State University of New York at Binghamton, University of California-Berkeley, University of New Hampshire, University of Washington, and Yale University.

Not on there? Find out what Green Rating your college received. Mine, the University of San Diego, got an “83″…not too shabby. And I know that they are working on some projects that will definitely be bringing up their score in next years Green Rating.

To learn even more click here