Green Teens on Planet Earth
By Jenna Kirkman
Filed Under Arts & Culture, The Big Picture | 1 Comment
Too often, teenagers are seen in an ageist light as the lazy, self-centered, and irresponsible future of our world. It should be exactly the opposite.
A recent survey conducted by Greenpeace and the online teen hangout, Habbo questioned nearly 50,000 teens from 18 different countries on their environmental opinon. Less than 50 percent said their parents express a general concern for the environment, yet, 74 percent agreed that they consider global warming to be a serious problem. Sixty-four percent also said they believe the climate crisis can be solved by people working together; and these green-minded teens are ready to do something about it.
The teenage environmental movement is inspired by celebrities like Miley Cyrus, who sings the eco-pop tune Wake Up America, as well as the cast of The Secret Life of an American Teenager, who promote environmentalist views and film on a set made from recycled wood and materials. And this year the Teen Choice Awards used recycled bottles to make a “blue carpet” that is planed to be reused each year.
Teens aren’t just following their favorite superstars, though. They are joining, and founding environmental groups and demonstrating the leadership skills that will prove crucial to the future of our world.
Do Something emphasizes respect, trust, and belief in the power of teen activism. The online community features inspirational videos from celebrities like the Jonas Brothers and Rihanna, and encourages teens to share, read, and learn about human rights, poverty, animal welfare, teen sexuality and violence, and much, much more.
Do Something is also a helpful way to jump-start teen entrepreneurs and their ideas, like the recent group of eco-teens: Team K4A (made up of Kaitlyn, Keegan, Katherine, Kimber, and the lonely “A”, Albert). These five gathered information about hybrid cars, CO2 emissions, and other ways to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle in their Washington community and then used Do Something to help spread the word about their website.
Founded by Jane Goodall and 16 inspired students in 1991, Roots and Shoots connects thousands of international kids, teens, and college students who want to make a positive difference for people, animals, and the environment. The organization helps empower youth by promoting local campaigns, programs, and volunteer work in areas that focus on each member’s individual strengths.
One of the most impressive is 13-year-old Peter A.’s group: the Green Eagles, from Silver Spring, Maryland. The Eagles have not only implemented sustainable gardening and composting projects within their community, but they have also raised over one thousand dollars in donations for the Jane Goodall Institute. This school year, Peter’s plans include lobbying for healthier school lunches and selling energy-efficient light bulbs at fund-raising events.
Founded as early as 1982 by environmentalist, Shimon Schwarzschild, Action for Nature focuses on “encouraging young people to take personal action to nurture and protect a healthy environment on which all life depends”. In addition to tips and resources, the website holds the annual International Young Eco-Hero Awards which highlights impactful youths from across the globe.
The 2008 winners include 14-year-old Alexander Lin of the United States, who set up a program to help end e-waste exports from America to developing countries; 16-year-old Linus Wafula of Kenya, who created the Mazingara Safi Campaign in his poor, heavily polluted Nairobi community to help gather and properly dispose of toxic waste and trash; and 16-year-old Vania Santosa of Indonesia, the “dirtiest country in the world”, who implemented a system of recycling, composting, and publicly educating her East Java community about environmental harm.
Other organizations and teen info sources include the Global Youth Action Network (GYAN), Teens for Planet Earth, the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Your Environment, Your Choice teen website and High School Environmental Center.
With encouragement and support, our global youth can take responsibility as leaders for a healthy, sustainable future. We need to educate the global community about what these young people are doing for the Earth and learn how to view the potential they hold as an invaluable resource.
Posted on September 22, 2008 |
The Healthiest Egg: Designing Chickens Into Your Urban Lifestyle
By Erin Gallagher
Filed Under eCo TV | 1 Comment
We found these British Blokes online who call themselves “Giving It A Go” and are bent on creating an edible backyard and putting permacultural principles into action. Some may say that this feat would be extremely difficult if not impossible to accomplish in an urban setting where temperatures can get extremely low and the sun makes only a few guest appearances, but these guys are proving that to be a myth and we think they deserve a massive “jolly good job well done” pat on the back.
In many permaculture designs, a domesticated bird species is used to speed up the process of making food scraps into soil nutrients. This portion of the video series illustrates how to build a chicken coop in a tiny backyard space. The first is a time-lapsed overview of the construction process and the second is a walk-through of the design.
Enjoy!
If you are really keen to know more about chickens in your backyard and how they can be an essential component in your sustainable home design
- eCo Times will be publishing an article on this in the next few weeks, so check back
- If you are wanting to know more about the permacultural design concept, start with our Permaculture 101 article
- Read an article on Urban Hens by the BBC
- Look at what “Urban Chickens” organizations is doing to promote chickens in your backyard
Posted on September 5, 2008 |
Vegetarians Do It Better
By Jenna Kirkman
Filed Under The Big Picture | 7 Comments
By now you have probably figured out the general idea of living a “sustainable” lifestyle: biking to work in your 100% organic fair trade clothing, eating local organic food and recycling absolutely everything. One thing you may not be considering is that free-range organic steak from the farmer’s market that you’ve tossed that into your reusable grocery bag. What is the true impact of our carnivorous indulgences? It may be time for us to seriously reconsider our dietary habits.
A recent study by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science concluded that just one kilogram of beef creates more greenhouse gas pollution than a three hour car ride. Also, switching from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian diet can be more beneficial to the environment than trading in your SUV for a hybrid. Wow. How is this possible? Let’s look at some of the major environmental impacts caused by the meat industry…
Continue reading Vegetarians Do It Better…
Posted on August 1, 2008 |
Skate Or Die
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living, Sustainable Style | 3 Comments
Did you see Gleaming The Cube in ‘89 and wish it could have been you instead of Christian Slater? Do you still own all your back issues of Thrasher and Transworld? Do you see those kids tic-tacing past you on the sidewalk and think, “if only I knew how to skate, my morning commute would be so much cooler?” Regardless of why you may be interested in skating, if you don’t have a board and always wanted one, there’s no time like the present. With most vehicles releasing about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon of gas used, it’s time to start getting around in a carbon neutral way. In the words of so many skaters before you…skate or die.
Three major eco skateboard companies are out there sourcing sustainable-managed wood, low-impact glues, soy-based resins and more to produce rad boards that rip with the best of ‘em. eCo Times caught up with all three of them: Dan Gesmer of Seismic Skate Systems, Jason Salfi of Comet Skateboards, and Bob Carlson of Arbor.
SEISMIC SKATE SYSTEMS///COMET SKATEBOARDS///ARBOR SKATEBOARDS
Company Founded: 1993///1998///1995
Location of Headquarters: Boulder, CO///Oakland, CA and Ithaca, NY///Venice, CA
Location of Manufacturing: San Diego, Los Angeles, Boulder, CO, and China///Ithaca, NY///San Diego, CA
Product Lines: Wheels, Trucks, Decks and Completes///Skateboards And T-Shirts///Skateboards, Snowboards, and Apparel
Company practices that need improvement: Integrating more green materials in production ///Sourcing raw materials within a 300 mile radius, green commuting by staff, using 100% renewable energy,eliminating scrap instead of just composting it///Using even more eco-friendly glues
What makes your boards eco?
SEISMIC: All of our decks are manufactured using FSC-certified woods. And we’re committed to staying on the cutting edge as green materials and processes become viable for the production of performance-oriented wheels and trucks.
COMET: 100% soy protein based resin, FSC-certified hardwoods, water based paints and inks. They are biodegradable. If you could chew them you could eat them. We compost the scrap.
ARBOR: 100% of the bamboo and wood used in our skates, including the all maple plys, is sustainably sourced and has been since we started making skates 10 years ago. We also use only water-based sealers during production. Further, all risers are made from recycled plastic. Finally, we reclaim and recycle all the wood and bamboo by-product created during construction for use in other Arbor products or by outside companies.
Continue reading Skate Or Die…
Posted on July 21, 2008 |
Top 5 Eco Cities
By Pippa Sorley
Filed Under The Big Picture | 18 Comments
Every year urban sprawl spreads upon farmland, forests, and shorelines. Rural areas are rapidly losing ground to their rival cities. Hundreds of thousands of people flock each year to their nearest city in search of sustainable employment. Farmers are losing their farms, ranchers are losing their pastures, and fishermen their livelihoods. Some say it is unavoidable-with population growth comes development. And with development, comes a loss of nature. So, in light of this inevitability, we face a predicament. If cities generate the greatest pollution across continents, which ones are taking the lead in their fight against climate change? eCo Times searched for the greenest cities, attempting to find one on each continent. We picked out our Top 5 and a couple of runners up which seemed to deserve it. Each of these cities have gone above and beyond standard operating practices to implement policies and incentives to create a truly sustainable urban environment.
CURITIBA, BRAZIL (SOUTH AMERICA)
With a population of 1.6 million, Curitiba represents a model sustainable city. Faced with a fast-rising population, worsening air pollution and imminent gridlock, this city turned its center into a pedestrian-only zone and transformed several key highways into roadways reserved solely for mass transit. By planting millions of trees, the city created “green moats” to buffer against the harmful effects of polluting industry. Perhaps Curitaba’s most famous greening story is that of its innovative recycling program. The Mayor created a social and environmental revolution by offering groceries and bus passes to the city’s poor in return for bags of recyclables. The result? Two-thirds of Curitiba’s garbage is recycled. Continue reading Top 5 Eco Cities…
Posted on May 29, 2008 |
The Natural Evolution Of Business: Introducing the B Corp
By Greg Berry
Filed Under Conscious Commerce | Leave a Comment
Historically, progressive business leaders had a few different ways to create companies. The Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), ‘S’ Corporation, and ‘C’ Corporation are the most common legal forms of business. Some of the most socially minded business people have chosen to start ‘earned-income non-profit corporations.’ Without devolving into a Latin-laden deconstruction of these choices, each of the existing options includes some major flaws for this generation’s greatest heroes, the social entrepreneurs.
Our friends at B Lab have set out to change that, with the formation of the B Corporation (B Corp). The ‘B’ here stands for Beneficial. B Corp provides a comprehensive ratings system and certification to help both businesses and buyers distinguish “good companies” from “good marketing.” Founding B Corporations include eConscious Market, Method, Seventh Generation, and Dansko. We spoke to Andrew Kassoy, one of the B Lab founders, who explained their purpose as a way to support “the power of business to create benefit, and to ‘be the change.’”
The socially conscious business movement is by no means limited to a handful of lefties in Boulder and San Francisco. According to Kassoy, there are approximately 60 million ‘green consumers’ in the US today (roughly 20% of the population), 30-40,000 businesses that identify themselves as socially-driven businesses, and over 2.5 trillion dollars has been assigned to “more conscious investments” which span a diverse group of investors and strategies. Continue reading The Natural Evolution Of Business: Introducing the B Corp…
Posted on May 6, 2008 |
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