Happy Holidays Planet Stewards! Sometimes we wonder if the little things we do can really make the world a better place and hopefully, you believe the answer to be yes! Most importantly, with children in your lives, you are setting an example. Doing a little almost always leads to a desire to do a little more. Reducing our negative impact on the planet is a powerful and lasting gift to our children. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Holiday greetings: Consider sending a computer greeting—saving paper, transportation and postage. There are many e-card websites to help or you can even turn to a photo-sharing website and send the latest family shots. If you’re not quite ready to eliminate cards on the mantle, perhaps buy only cards with recycled content and avoid glitter, fuzz or special coatings which are not recyclable. Another technique is to cut up the cards you do receive and use them as gift tags or postcards. While you’re at it, be sure to recycle catalogs, junk mail and envelopes; move toward paperless bill paying; and visit proquo.com to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive as you enter the New Year.
Wrappings and Ribbons: Americans discard an inordinate amount of additional trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, much of it holiday gift wrapping and packaging. Fortunately, finding an alternative to standard gift wrap is no longer a challenge. Holiday gift bags can be used over and over; maps, comics or children’s art work make fun free wrapping. You can even buy discounted holiday fabric as wrap after the holidays and reuse it year after year. Many gifts don’t need wrapping—cookies in a reusable tin; a potted plant for décor and improved indoor air quality; tickets and gift certificates; just for starters. Ribbons and bows are very reusable and when they wear out, consider eliminating or reducing their use.
Gift-giving: Observe the amount of packaging that your prospective gifts come with and when possible, choose those with less. Step out of your comfort zone and mention to store management those products you are unhappy with. In addition to the ideas mentioned above, consider gifts with the environment in mind—an organic food gift basket, free trade coffee or cocoa, a stainless steel water bottle, a battery recharger—you get the idea. You can encourage a lifetime of conservation mindedness, particularly in families with children, by giving a bird feeder or house and a backyard bird guide. Donations to charity in your relative’s name, a service performed, free childcare—all of these may be as or more valuable than a material item. When choosing flowers and plants as gifts, opt for organic—these are no longer difficult to find.
Trees: If a real tree is in your holiday decorating plan, consider a local grower. When the season is over, you have multiple options. Stand the tree near bird feeders as a perch or create a wildlife habitat. Assuming local ordinances don’t prohibit it, lay the tree in the background of your garden and let it collect leaf litter and debris—many creatures count on this type of protected area to hide from predators and for nesting. With a little more effort, you might even be able to have your yard certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Habitat (www.nwf.org). If you can’t keep your tree for wildlife, be sure it goes out to the curb on yard refuse day to be composted.
Lights: When replacing old light sets, seriously consider LEDs (light-emitting diodes) in place of incandescent bulbs. They use 80-90% less energy, cutting your electric bill, and last up to 20 years. Their price has come down substantially as well. Think carefully about investing in additional decorations that require electricity.
I hope you come up with many more ideas for your own “green” holiday season! Next month, we’ll look at some New Year’s resolutions we can implement to make our homes and environment safer for our children.
November 7, 2008
May 18, 2008
Planet Stewards: Summer with the Kids
Welcome back Planet Stewards! Last month we talked about water quality and conservation and some of the things you can do to protect this valuable resource. I believe our reward was over 8 inches of the wet stuff in one weekend in May! Spring and summer are very important times to keep water issues in mind and to create new habits with your family. We’ll assume it wasn’t your automatic sprinkler running during the recent rain deluge!
Summer is approaching and parents’ thoughts turn to keeping the kids constructively occupied over the break from school. Perhaps you often turn to nature and the environment for the answer, but if not, this summer might be a great time to start. The “no child left inside” movement offers compelling evidence of the benefits of more time outside for our kids—and not just playing sports or hanging out at the pool. Kids who learn about nature begin to care about nature and this might just be critical for solving our environmental issues. Studies show that kids who spend time in nature are often happier, healthier, and perform better in school. A walk after dinner; a night hike to see bats (helping to reduce those pesky mosquitoes) and the night sky; a Saturday morning hike on the Cross County Trail or at one of our many wonderful, nearby parks; a visit to Hidden Pond (Springfield) or Hidden Oaks (Annandale) Nature Centers; a row boat rental at Burke Lake Park—all of these are chances to slow down and appreciate the natural world right here in our county. And, most are free—don’t dirty the house, and help your kids sleep better at night! If you have fears about the outdoors, educate yourself—a little preparation for the summer in terms of a hat and insect repellent go a long way!
In addition to casual observations of nature through a bird feeder, insect jar, or even a visit to the new Smithsonian Butterfly Pavilion, you and your family can become more active and “give back” through citizen science projects or by developing your own backyard or balcony wildlife habitat. A great place to start is on the National Wildlife Federation website. Click on “Outside in Nature”, then “Play and Observe Outside” to learn about Green Hour, the Great American Backyard Campout, or Frogwatch USA, just for starters. Or try “Garden for Wildlife” to learn about how easy it can be to certify your space as a wildlife habitat. Squirrels, butterflies, and birds welcome! Other favorite websites that suggest citizen science projects or student’s activities include the National Zoo, Audubon Society, and Cornell Ornithology Lab. White Oaks 6th graders are involved in a project to construct, place, and monitor bluebird nesting boxes on school property. We may need help with summer monitoring. Ask me for more details!
Summer is also a great time to put kids in charge of an improved family recycling program, a pint-sized home energy use audit, an outdoor compost pile or a worm composting bin, a few pots of veggies or herbs—the list is endless. Maybe a nature class or camp could be substituted for one of last summer’s activities. Vacations can include stops at parks and unique natural habitats. The library is a wonderful source of nature related non-fiction reading and inspirational nature stories, and you could read them outside!
We all know that our actions speak louder than our words. When we stop to admire a bird, catch a lost “inside” insect and let it go, or help a box turtle across the street, we are sending a powerful message to our students about the interdependence of the many forms of life on our planet. Summer is a great time to take some next steps. Go outside and have FUN!
Summer is approaching and parents’ thoughts turn to keeping the kids constructively occupied over the break from school. Perhaps you often turn to nature and the environment for the answer, but if not, this summer might be a great time to start. The “no child left inside” movement offers compelling evidence of the benefits of more time outside for our kids—and not just playing sports or hanging out at the pool. Kids who learn about nature begin to care about nature and this might just be critical for solving our environmental issues. Studies show that kids who spend time in nature are often happier, healthier, and perform better in school. A walk after dinner; a night hike to see bats (helping to reduce those pesky mosquitoes) and the night sky; a Saturday morning hike on the Cross County Trail or at one of our many wonderful, nearby parks; a visit to Hidden Pond (Springfield) or Hidden Oaks (Annandale) Nature Centers; a row boat rental at Burke Lake Park—all of these are chances to slow down and appreciate the natural world right here in our county. And, most are free—don’t dirty the house, and help your kids sleep better at night! If you have fears about the outdoors, educate yourself—a little preparation for the summer in terms of a hat and insect repellent go a long way!
In addition to casual observations of nature through a bird feeder, insect jar, or even a visit to the new Smithsonian Butterfly Pavilion, you and your family can become more active and “give back” through citizen science projects or by developing your own backyard or balcony wildlife habitat. A great place to start is on the National Wildlife Federation website. Click on “Outside in Nature”, then “Play and Observe Outside” to learn about Green Hour, the Great American Backyard Campout, or Frogwatch USA, just for starters. Or try “Garden for Wildlife” to learn about how easy it can be to certify your space as a wildlife habitat. Squirrels, butterflies, and birds welcome! Other favorite websites that suggest citizen science projects or student’s activities include the National Zoo, Audubon Society, and Cornell Ornithology Lab. White Oaks 6th graders are involved in a project to construct, place, and monitor bluebird nesting boxes on school property. We may need help with summer monitoring. Ask me for more details!
Summer is also a great time to put kids in charge of an improved family recycling program, a pint-sized home energy use audit, an outdoor compost pile or a worm composting bin, a few pots of veggies or herbs—the list is endless. Maybe a nature class or camp could be substituted for one of last summer’s activities. Vacations can include stops at parks and unique natural habitats. The library is a wonderful source of nature related non-fiction reading and inspirational nature stories, and you could read them outside!
We all know that our actions speak louder than our words. When we stop to admire a bird, catch a lost “inside” insect and let it go, or help a box turtle across the street, we are sending a powerful message to our students about the interdependence of the many forms of life on our planet. Summer is a great time to take some next steps. Go outside and have FUN!
February 28, 2008
Bad foods that are great for your waist
Matt sent me an article called "Bad foods that are actually great for your waist" that he saw on CNN.com. This was my reply to him: ...like many news stories, they really try to grab you with the headlines, don't they? What I find interesting, is that while there are new discoveries all the time, many of these things aren't really new news but just new ways of appearing to disagree with what people think is accurate info. (did that make sense?) In other words, no one ever said you had to avoid red meat if you don't want to, just don't eat it really often, and try to choose leaner cuts. What I like about the Healthy Cookbooks and the volumetric concepts is that you don't need to deprive yourself--in fact, that will never be successful--you just need to make better choices and readjust your taste buds and habits to really enjoy things that are healthier for you. I think that was my problem before I met with Nicole Brown to talk about nutrition. I felt guilty whenever I ate (that was when I was about 20 lbs heavier than I am now) which was not fun at all. Now, by making substitutions in recipes like the cookbooks do and choosing to include lots more veggies in recipes, you can eat a really satisfying portion of things and not overconsume calories. Now I love to eat and cook much more than I used to! I don't count calories but I know that by making good choices 75% of the time or so, I can maintain. Making good choices 95% of the time, I can lose weight if I need to.
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