Posts Tagged ‘Hot Flat and Crowded’

Green Can Be the Norm, With a Little Help From All the Earth’s Friends!

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

Have you heard the news?  The Empire State Building is GOING GREEN!  Can you believe it?!  It seems like that is a symbol for our country, when a landmark such as the Empire State Building retrofits…I think it is really sign that, as Thomas Friedman says, “green is the new red, white, and blue.”  I really believe that there will come a time in the relatively near future that going green becomes the norm.  Just look around at all the good green news:

the soon-to-be-green NYC landmark

the soon-to-be-green NYC landmark

*New York City is currently carrying out a mission to make all taxis hybrids by 2012! (Hot, Flat, and Crowded, page 329)

a fleet of NYC hybrids

a fleet of NYC hybrids

*Houses in our nation’s capital are setting the trend by retrofitting!

houses being retrofitted in the DC area!

houses being retrofitted in the DC area!

*There are currently over 82,000 LEED graduates in the US!  (What the heck is LEED?!  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and it is a certificate awarded by the US Green Building Council to those who have passed the LEED exam.  Passing the LEED exam means that you are qualified to give green consulting in building design!) (Information from the LEED-certified eco-guru, Caitlin Cunningham.)

*The forestry and logging industries are also experiencing environmental movements, which helps to preserve the forests AND the loggers’ jobs!  A stunning example of this is the largest Chinese tire company, GITI Tire, and its carbon offset program.  GITI Tire now plants rubber trees around Indonesian forests, which provides a “buffer zone of sustainable agroforestry around the edge of the forest, which will protect the trees, produce rubber for tires, and provide additional livelihoods for the villagers,” as Thomas Friedman explains in Hot, Flat, and Crowded (page 308).

Indonesian reforestation efforts

Indonesian reforestation efforts

Everywhere you look it seems that there are green efforts all around, from Norway’s impressive carbon-offset programs, to Indonesian reforestation initiatives, to Costa Rica’s ban on drilling oil—it is all evidence pointing to the fact that the environmental movement is becoming a global phenomenon.

BUT, there is still a lot of work to be done.  I want to share with you and stress all of the good things that are happening to keep you inspired and keep you motivated.  But, I also want to remind you of gaps that need to be filled in so that we can help mend the holes together.

One of the greatest degradations of the earth right now is happening because of industrial, chemical-laden farming.  Yes, many argue that industrial farming is what feeds us, but it is also what is causing us to go hungry at the same time, as rampant pesiticide and chemical use has rendered 30% of farmland un-farmable since the 1970′s (Barbara Kingsolver, “The Blessings of Dirty Work,” first published by The Washington Post on September 30, 2007, and later reprinted at the back of her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle). 

In Barbara Kingsolver’s essay, “The Blessings of Dirty Work,” she recaps the work being done by Vandana Shiva, the director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy and a well-known advocate for farmer’s rights.  Ms. Shiva is particularly interested in the farmers of her homeland, India, which houses 1/4 of all farmers in the world.  India knows first-hand the trauma presented by industrial farming, as 150,000 farmers have taken their lives (many by consuming pesticides) out of the desperation that ensues after becoming bankrupt from the expensive chemicals they are forced to use by the industrial farming market (information found on page 8 of the essay, following Animal, Vegetable, Miracle).

Vandana Shiva has dedicated much of her life’s work to helping these farmers that encounter such desperation.  She runs an institute that teaches Indian farmers how to farm sustainably, and how to make a living through such endeavors.  But her efforts will remain futile if we consumers do not change our purchasing habits.  If we are serious about helping the world, about helping the green movement, we MUST get serious about eating local, organic, and natural food.  It is one of the first steps to realizing this world-wide change. 

the activist herself, Vandana Shiva

the activist herself, Vandana Shiva

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Environment, Local Food Movement | No Comments »

Tulum Series: How Ecotourism Gives to the Environment AND to the Traveler

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Here is a beautiful fact: the world-wide middle class is growing exponentially.  Across the globe, with an increase in access to technology–and thus, opportunity–standards of living are rapidly rising.  Which is an amazing social feat.

However, though this is no-doubt one of the greatest accomplishments of the human race, this also means that carbon emissions are also rapidly rising, as more and more people seek a more comfortable (and consumptive) lifestyle.  One of the sources of these increased carbon emissions is the rise in airplane travel.  For so long, aviation travel was limited to the most economically fortunate eschelons of society.  Now, airplane tickets are relatively affordable, which makes foreign travel a viable option for hundreds of millions of people the world over. 

Take China for instance.  On page 60 of Hot, Flat and Crowded, Thomas Friedman remarks how,

In 2006, more than 34 million Chinese traveled abroad, a 300% increase from the year 2000, according to Foreign Policy (July-August 2007).  By 2020, 115 million Chinese are expected to vacation overseas, which will make them the largest bloc of tourists in the world and will certainly drive more airplane travel, hotel bookings, gasoline use, and CO2 emissions…China alone intends to construct more than 40 large airports over the next several years.  In the US, the number of annual airline passengers, already approaching 1 billion, is anticipated to double by 2025.  Greenhouse gases from planes could rise to as much as five times curret levels.

Now no one is saying DO NOT TRAVEL.  It is an exciting and amazing thing that so many people today can experience different parts of the world, and encounter so many different opportunities.  However, the environment can not afford that increase in carbon emissions.  The solution: not a stop in travel, but rather a change in the way we travel.  The solution lies in Ecotourism.

As Nick wrote in his blog post “Growing” Tourism, the past extravagances of travel (such as indoor skiing in Dubai and golfing in the Palm Desert) seem a bit obsolete now as the extent of their environmental strain becomes clearer and more unjustifiable.  Travelers seem to be catching onto the changing tides in the tourism industry and hopping on the ecotourism jet stream, heading for more eco-friendly ventures such as adventure tourism and agritourism.  For example, during the week I was in Ulaa on the organic farm, there was a group of Spanish tourists staying in Ulaa’s eco-friendly lodges.  When asked if they were enjoying themselves, they explained that YES, when they are on vacation they much preferred to embark upon wildlife vacations filled with the nature that they miss in their daily city/office lifestyles. 

The Spanish tourists pointed out an interesting point of view: ecotourism, while being healthy for the environment, can also be healthy for the travelers.  It is important to not remove ourselves too much from nature, as we are, afterall, dependent upon nature.  Ecotourism journies can help us regain that balance and literal breath of fresh air that we so need and that at times can be so hard to come by.  So, it really is true that while you can help the world through ecotourism, you can also help yourself.

Right now, the pioneer volunteers Aleigha and Maria are doing just that on the Educational Ecological Service Trip in Tulum.  They are staying in the energy efficient Zahra cabanas, where mosquito nets protect sleepers rather than chemicals and electricity stops buzzing at 11 pm, when it is not really necessary anyways.  The girls have made their stay eco-friendly, and also their activities, as today they are snorkeling through cenotes and learning about plant-life and animal-life in the beautiful Tulum Bioregion.  they will come away from this experience more aware of their natural surroundings and more aware of how to better interact with the environment.  Meanwhile, they are traveling through sunny Mexico, swimming in the Caribbean sea waves and walking through the beach sands.  Bettering the world and bettering themselves.  Remember, contact me at sarahannmaxwell@gmail.com if you are interested in participating in a future Educational Ecological Service Trip to Tulum!!!

the eco-friendly rooms in Zahra cabanas

the eco-friendly rooms in Zahra cabanas

the beach outside of Zahra cabanas

the beach outside of Zahra cabanas

the beautiful Caribbean Sea

the beautiful Caribbean Sea

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Environment, Tulum Eco Spring Break Service Trip | No Comments »

Going Green and Giving Green

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

 

A Green U.S.A.

 

In the words of Thomas Friedman, “Green is the new red, white, and blue” (Hot, Flat, and Crowded, 173).  Everywhere I look, I feel that statement reinforced.  From the President’s inaugural speech to his website, he underscores our need to turn to renewable energy and to stop abusing resources.  Take a little spin around his Energy and Environment webpage and right away you will be struck by its headline and first bullet point:

New Energy for America

  • 5 million green collar jobs

The United States’ presidential administration is resolving to solve our energy problems.  Unbelievable!  And it’s not just the US.  A recent BBC headline read, “Tories Plan ‘Energy Revolution’”.  Now, if that doesn’t catch your eye!  The article summarizes the British government’s plans to minimize their gas and oil imports as well as their carbon emissions, while maximizing their energy effectiveness (i.e., harnessing energy and channeling it without wasting it).  This article is not only an interesting read, but also a great reminder that this green movement is international, and will continue to become more and more international as time goes on.

 

With the new political focus comes an ensuing response from the educational, economic, and professional sectors to face the facts and go green. 

 

Green College

 

Let’s start with education.  I found a comprehensive list of environmental academic majors called (appropriately) Enviro Education Majors , and its contents blew my mind.  There is everything from Agricultural Science to Ecotourism to Population Studies to Zoology, and everything alphabetically in-between.  Whatever you are interested in, it now comes in green.  What is also really interesting is that even if you do not major in an environmentally focused field, there are a number of academic courses and programs you can take to give you the tools needed to direct your knowledge and your field of focus towards that of helping the environment.   For instance, for architecture and design majors, there is LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a certification program that teaches students how to design and rate buildings on their environmental efficiency. In addition, for every major, there is the Green Corps, a volunteer organization directed at running environmental campaigns to promote and pass environmental policy.  Any college graduate can enroll in their training school and learn the tools to become an environmental activist.  For more details, visit their website.

 

Green Careers

 

As for jobs, well just look at the aforementioned Presidential task: the creation of 5 million green collar jobs.  Just like academic majors, these jobs cover the range of professions, from environmental law to sustainable farming—something for everyone.  And it is not as if you need to be a scientist to have a green collar job.  The environmental era is ushering in brand new products and systems that need to be engineered, manufactured, and sold.  Take for instance, the business of windmills.  Suddenly, a relatively new business like the windmill industry is in demand and thus in dire need for people to make the product and for people to sell the product.  In an article on the online journal Science, Robin Arnette brings to light the fact that “Over the last 2 decades, research and investment in sustainable energy have increased dramatically. Wind power, meanwhile, has become one of the fastest growing sources of electricity generation in the United States and the world” (click here to read the full text).  This means that thousands and thousands of windmill turbines are being installed in the US and abroad, which means that thousands and thousands of people are needed for all the components, from the windmill’s initial building to its final installation (click here if you are interested in either an internship or career in wind energy). 

 

Such jobs are becoming so necessary and so popular that there are now a number of colleges and universities that offer academic programs in wind research.  In her article, Robin Arnette lists the following programs:

  • Texas Tech University Wind Science and Engineering Research Center
  • University of Massachusetts Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  • University of Utah Wind Energy Research Program
  • MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment
  • Illinois Institute of Technology Energy and Sustainability Institute

And we are only talking about wind energy jobs in these examples!  I wanted to give you a little taste of the depth of opportunity behind each green job, as there are literally hundreds and thousands of new careers being created to fit the rising tide (no pun intended) of necessary environmentalism.  For a list of some of the most pressing green jobs and how to become qualified for them, visit the Green Opportunities website. 

 

A Green Economy

 

As always comes with booming jobs comes the potential for a booming economy.  Some companies have made enormous profits from producing environmentally sustainable products, such as the wind power company Vestas (visit their site here).  These companies have shown innovation, ingenuity, and dedication to developing what is necessary, and largely still, unavailable; they have filled a desperately needed niche.  Just as there is an untapped green job market, there is an untapped green economy, and it has the power to be great.

 

Green Service Trips

 

So with all of this excitement buzzing around the green world, how, you may ask, can you serve in a green way?  If your college or university offers service trips, it probably offers environmental service trips.  If however, your college or university does not offer service trips, or does not offer environmental service trips, I highly recommend that you check out what the Sierra Club has to offer.  The Sierra Club is a national environmental activist group that, among other tasks, coordinates eco-friendly service trips where volunteers are accompanied by Sierra Club aficionados, and together they work to restore natural habitats.  On their website, they describe their service trips as

ranging “from helping with research projects at whale calving grounds in Maui to assisting with archaeological site restoration in New Mexico. Usually, service trip participants team up with forest service rangers or park service personnel to restore wilderness areas, maintain trails, clean up trash and campsites, and remove non-native plants.”  For an up-to-date list of Sierra Club environmental service trips, click here.

 

Sierra Club

 

Who wouldn’t want to go to tropical Maui and work with exotic animals?  Who wouldn’t want to go to the mysterious deserts of New Mexico and work to restore parts of unbelievable history?  A green service trip will really help to heal the world in an environmental way, and also, it is absolutely fun.  In the end, it could also eventually lead you to a career in one of the emerging green fields, which also can be absolutely fun and absolutely always rewarding.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Education, Environment, Family Volunteering, Spring Break, Summer Break, Winter Break | 2 Comments »

The Vital Literary Tools for Every Volunteer

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

I am currently tearing through the pages of Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded.  Though it is terrifying to read of all the destruction that has allready wreaked havoc on our planet, it is also incredible to read of the international collaborative efforts being done to remedy such destruction.  Page-by-page Friedman chronicles who is doing what, what has been done, what needs to be done, and how it can all be done.  He speaks of Al Gore and his role in bringing climate change to the forefront of the media’s attention; he speaks of famous chemists who have mapped out plans to viably recycle so much of what we consume; he elaborates on how Danish entrepreneurs helped the economy and the environment by making a profitable business out of making and marketing windmills; and on and on.  The book also speaks of the need and ability for all of us to get involved in this necessary and collective effort.  And it is inspiring.

 

Reading this book is waking up my mind and my spirit, getting my brainstorming juices flowing in the direction of how I can contribute, and getting my spirit determined to contribute.  I remember when I was attending Marquette University, a Jesuit university with a heavy focus on social justice, and there was the famous Frederich Buechner quote pasted all over the dorm hallways, reminding us of what direction to take our lives after college: ¨[Your vocation] is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.¨  Reading Hot, Flat, and Crowded is reminding me that there is that place for everyone, there is that vocation for everyone (and a service trip is the perfect starting place to discovering that vocation J ). 

 

Last year I read Bill Clinton’s book, Giving, a read that triggered this same flow of passion and inspiration.  Giving focuses on the small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale ways in which we can all give back to our communitites.  He tells moving stories of people giving all that they can give, like the proverbial story of the poor man donating his last coin to the temple, giving more in personal worth than the millionaire who gives a large monetary sum but a small fraction of his wealth.  Giving is such a great reminder of how the service we do helps to spread an attitude of altruism around the world, making us all equal contributors to a greater world, even if what we can give is less in terms of monetary value than someone else.

 

Reading books like Giving and Hot, Flat, and Crowded are inspirational reads that put you in touch with the quest for your personal vocation, your personally unique place where, again, ¨your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.¨  Such a vocation does not appear overnight; it takes a wandering journey of self-exploration and exploration of the world around you.  And that journey may be best begun with a service trip.

 

 *To buy Hot, Flat, and Crowded on Amazon.com, visit http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Flat-Crowded-Revolution-America/dp/0374166854/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232202408&sr=1-1

*To buy Giving on Amazon.com, visit http://www.amazon.com/Giving-How-Each-Change-World/dp/0307266745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232203196&sr=1-1

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Animals, Children, Education, Environment, Family Volunteering, Spring Break, Summer Break, Winter Break | No Comments »