Sorry, I haven’t posted in a while, but found this to be an interesting fact for North Carolina. According to Doug Peeples, “it really is not surprising that the utility proposals were not approved. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, $787 million was invested in home, business and utility solar in 2013, an increase of 156 percent over the previous year. The solar association and others rank the state as fourth in the country in installed solar capacity” (January 7, 2015 | By Doug Peeples)
I’m excited to share Queens University students progress growing an organic garden this Fall 2014.
Queens University organic garden is growing spinach and lettuce for the dining hall. Fall semester 2014
U.S. Green Building Council student group built five raised beds this summer. Local businesses helped make this garden a reality. Valley Crest Landscape Design donated the irrigation system. Lowe’s Hardware on Iverson Way gave us a discount on building materials. Henson’s Inc. who is a leader in wood waste recycling donated mulch and compost.
I can hardly wait to go to GreenBuild 2014 in New Orleans, LA.
Since Katrina, New Orleans has been rebuilding their city and history, but this time with sustainability as their focal point. I’m exciting to learn more about alternative energy, green building, architectural design, energy efficiency, water conservation, and much more……
New Orleans is one of the most historical places on earth. Now this city can influence other cities to make green changes for improving future sustainability practices.
One of my dreams will be coming true next week. Listening to jazz, sitting in a historical bar and watching people from all over the world listening to amazing music.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and run into Harry Connick, Jr…… I’ve been a fan since I was 17yrs. old.
This summer I spent time on the beaches of Hilton Head, SC and Lake Worth, FL. It was nice to see people controlling their trash and throwing it away. The beaches were clean, which means less pollution going out to sea. Thank you everyone who cleans up after themselves at the beach. It does make a difference!
National Sierra Club’s short video using infographics to engage the viewer. Coal is making our kids sick with #asthma. People living near #coalash have tons of #healthissues. #burningcoal adds #pollution into our air and water. Forests are being destroyed for coal but we can Reduce or need for coal by supporting Renewable Energy. #Iowa is doing their part by implementing #wind and #solar. I encourage you to support laws chaining the way we use coal and other natural resources for energy. #climatechange is happening and we can help prevent increasing #carbon.
The Midway Atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian Islands is the halfway point for many birds. This video shows the destruction of plastic on birds. Published on YouTube, February 19, 2013 by xXAzetXx.
Please stop and think before you use more plastic.
Our trash is killing animals by the millions. Birds are one of many animals who become victims to plastic trash, but there is a solution! Properly disposing our plastic, Recycling or Reusing is one of many ways to help with our trash dilemma.
Sperm whale washed up in the Netherlands this past summer. The whale died from “stomach obstruction after accidentally ingesting plastic”(Realnews24, 2013). Unfortunately, whales have become subjected to increase in plastic pollution. Whales travel thousands of miles across oceans which makes them vulnerable to pollution located in floating islands of trash. March of 2013, “a 10 meter long sperm whale washed up on Spain’s South Coast, This whale had swallowed 59 different plastic items totaling over 37 pounds”(Realnews24, 2013).
Social media can be part of the solution. Sharing with our friends, family and colleagues photos or videos can make a difference in human behaviors. It breaks my heart to see animals dying because humans are careless. As I stated before, recycling can help with our trash problem. In a previous blog, I shared with you 3 W’s to Recycling – ‘What, Where and Why’. Please try and recycle more each day. Your small contribution can have a huge impact on the future.
Questions to Ponder:
Do you have any cool ideas for reusing plastic?
Did you know most grocery stores collect plastic bags?
Reusable bags are the best practice to reducing plastic bags.
Plastic waste is a big environmental problem in India. In its recent submission to the Supreme Court, the Central Pollution Control Board said four metros, including Chennai (419.4 tonnes a day) were the major plastic waste generators in the country. It is littered on roadside, because of which waterbodies get choked. In 2005, after monsoon rains flooded Mumbai, plastic bags were blamed for clogging the underground drainage system and intensifying the effect of the floods. Nowadays the cattle in the streets used to eat the plastics and dies because of it. In lucknow more than 2500 cows died in a single year because of the same reason. Landfills are growing like a monster and make the pollution in surrounding locations.
Plastic road is an effective way to reduce the recycled plastic waste. Although it not replacing the bitumen completely, but replacing it with 10% of waste plastic. Already K.K. Plastic…
My mind is overloaded. Every day we hear new research about the potential causes of cancer. Then we hear from other sources the research is not significantly enough to know for sure what causes cancer. What does that really mean,”significantly enough”? My gut tells me, there is a connection to chemicals and cancer. What does your gut tell you?
You hear about the “C” word all the time. Kids, young adults and mothers & fathers of young children getting cancer. I feel vulnerable and lost. We want to trust government to do the right thing but I can only wonder if government is being bullied by lobbyist. Why are we allowing “Big Business” to call the shots in Washington, DC?
So far this blog has shared recycling and organic food tips and facts. Conversations about why it’s important to recycle, where to recycle and what to recycle have been helpful to readers, but my heart is leaning towards organic efforts for living green.
Chemicals are all around us, that is why I hope to enlighten you with tips or facts on sustainable practices. The world we live in has more opportunities then ever before to use social media as a tool for changing government and “Big Business” practices.
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Video published by denisewh1 on March 17, 2011.
I found this great document on safer chemicals. Please open the pdf to read more about what is being said on chemicals today.
“The good news is, we have everything we need now to respond to the challenge of global warming. We have all the technologies we need, more are being developed…. But we should not wait, we cannot wait, we must not wait.”
Al Gore
Al Gore gave many speeches about climate change but this quote gives a positive message to us all.
Hilton Head, SC
Jennifer's R.O.a R. on living green. 