Earth Day Saturday April 19th

Earth Day will be celebrated in Manitowoc at the UW-Manitowoc Campus on Saturday, April 19th from 9am-2pm. Several valuable disposal programs are being offered to help keep our environment safe and clean so you will have the opportunity to turn in any wanted:

• medications/prescriptions;


• printer cartridges; batteries;


• mercury thermometers;


• CFL's;


• old athletic shoes


• plastic bags

There will be a community rummage sale of donated items.

Exhibitors include:

• Woodland Dunes Nature Center


• Bay Lakes Ecowater Systems


• Lakeshore Natural Resources Partnership


• Manitowoc County Recycling Center


• League of Conservation Voters


• Leage of Women Voters


• Go Green Manitowoc


• Green Sky Energetics


• Orion Energy Systems


• WI Maritime Museum


• Cartridge World


• Discovery Farms


• Wal-Mart


• MPU

Look for Go Green Manitowoc located next to MPU to pick up a free CFL bulb.

Presentations to include:

• Woodland Dunes Nature Center: Backyard Landscaping - Attracting Wildlife with Native Plants;
• Green Sky Energetics: Buying a Solar System;
• Orion Energy Systems: Energy, the Environment and Your Wallet;
• Lakeshore Natural Resources Partnership: Engaging Community - Expanding Awareness and Action through Education and Partnerships;
• WI Maritime Museum: Aquatic Invasive Species
• League of Conservation Voters: Protecting the Great Lakes with the Strong Compact for a Strong Wisconsin.

Live music and good times.

Love your Mother :-)

Conservation

Simple: The LESS you use, the LESS you need to make.

Task Lighting

Illuminate only the area you are working in, not a whole room.

German Philosophy

"We do not want one German to die for a resource war."

Dr. Imad Mahawili

Dr. Imad Mahawili gave a great presentation at the recent Myths of Energy Summit II.
Points to consider and some to be alarmed about:

• be alarmed: 21,000,000 barrels of oil per day are consumed in the USA...60% of which is imported at approx. $95/barrel for a total cost of $1.2 billion/day for OIL exported to other countries.
• consider: Energy makes or breaks an Empire.
• be alarmed: In China, two 1.5 megawatt coal fired power plants are being built each week for the next ten years to sustain China's energy needs.
• consider: where the money goes, so go the jobs.
• consider: to keep money local: reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels and increase renewable resource alternatives

EFFICIENCY DOES NOT EQUAL "Going Without". It means "Doing Smartly".

Earth Hour

On March 29, 2008, cities around the world will join together to literally turn off the lights for one hour to offer leadership and symbolize their commitment to finding climate change solutions. Individuals, local businesses and corporations will all be asked to join in.

The momentum is building for Earth Hour—8 to 9 pm, March 29, 2008 —the global movement to shut off the lights for one hour to make a bold statement about climate change. More and more individuals, businesses, and even cities are planning to participate to deliver a powerful message to the citizens and leaders of the world about the need for action on climate change. Earth Hour is an opportunity for each one of us to take action, influence others and start a wave of change that alters the course of climate change

The Satisfaction of Sustainability

Sustainable Living is a different approach to living and working that is more deeply satisfying.
Give it a try!

Commuting By Bike

Commuting by bike?
Visit http://commutebybike.com/cats/commuting-101/ for safety and other tips for traveling by bike.
Remember, in the City of Manitowoc, if you have your bike, you can always hop on Maritime Metro Transit buses and use the convenient bike rack on the front of the bus. This comes in handy if the weather the changes, you've gone shopping and made purchases, have pedaled farther than you care to pedal back, or are just simply desirous of a comfy air-conditioned ride.

Jack Johnson's "All at Once": Your actions, Your voice, Your choice

Singer-Songwriter Jack Johnson has launched a pro-environment concert tour including requirements in his concert rider for placement of recycling bins among other things.

His website allatonce.org (http://www.jackjohnsonmusic.com/allatonce) provides a forum for people who want to become active in their local and global community. All at Once, in addition to being a great song you can hear on the site, promotes the concept, "An action multiplied by millions creates global change. Collectively, individual actions create global change and impact." The goal of All at Once is to allow each individual to see how their actions impact the global picture."

It also brings to mind a quote from the great Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Virgin Puts Biofuels on Maiden Voyage

Talk about committed to green, kudos to Virgin Atlantic....

(WallStreet Journal, Feb. 26, 2008)
Ever a showman, Virgin Atlantic Airline President Richard Branson opened a vial of jet fuel made with oil from coconuts and Brazilian babassu nuts and drank it, forcing a stiff smile. "It's more appropriate for the engine," he said before TV cameras. Later, he said privately that he ahd been told he could drink it, "by my god, it was horrible."
On Sunday, Virgin flew a Boeing 747 from London's Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam with one of the four engines burning a mixture of 80% jet fuel and 20% oile from naturally grown plants. The first commercial airline test of biofuel came off without a hitch....demonstrating that someday planes may not fly on petroleum alone. Virgin and the handful of other companies involved in the project, are hopeful that in 3 - 6 years, passengers may be riding on jets at least partially powered by naturally grown oil...believed to result in a 20% reduction in total emissions.

Plastic Bags aka White Pollution

(WPR - Joy Cardin)

Last year, in the USA, 100 billion plastic bags were distributed by stores requiring 20 million barrels of oil to produce....a majority of which end up in landfills. It is estimated that less than 5% of plastic bags are recycled.

An estimated 400,000 plastic bags were picked up last year in coastal area clean ups which interefere with marine life.

The problem has become so bad in China that it is referred to as White Pollution. China has taken the step to ban plastic bags estimated to save 37 million barrels of oil.

Plastic Bag Ban in China

(CNN) -- China is banning free plastic bags common at shops and supermarkets and ordering customers to be charged for any they use, the government said Wednesday.
The rules, which take effect June 1, come as the country tries to tackle a significant source of litter, a statement on the government's Web site said.
The bags also are banned from all public transportation, including buses, trains and planes and from airports and scenic locations, the government said.
Companies caught breaking the new rules face fines and possible forfeiture of goods, the government said.
Shops have been instructed to mark the price of the plastic bags clearly and not fold them into the cost of other items.
Environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, praised China's move, and Christopher Flavin, president of Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization in Washington, said "China is ahead of the U.S. with this policy," AP reported.
The Chinese use up to 3 billion plastic shopping bags a day.
Often, the flimsy bags are used once and discarded, adding to waste in a country grappling with air and water pollution as a result of rapid economic transformation, officials said.
"Our country consumes a large amount of plastic bags. While convenient for consumers, the bags also lead to a severe waste of resources and environmental pollution because of their excessive use and low rate of recycling," the statement at the Web site Gov.cn said. "The ultra-thin bags are the main source of 'white' pollution as they can easily get broken and end up as litter."

The government statement added, "We should encourage people to return to carrying cloth bags, using baskets for their vegetables."
More durable plastic bags still will be allowed for sale by markets and shops, The Associated Press reported.
When the ban goes into effect, China will join countries such as Uganda and South Africa, the statement said.
Bangladesh banned plastic bags four years ago when officials realized they blocked drains and led to flooding. Since then, customers have taken to using bags made of jute or cloth for shopping.
Last year, San Francisco, California, became the first U.S. city to outlaw plastic checkout bags at supermarkets.

Plant a Tree

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The 2nd best time is NOW. The challenge is just to start. So what are you waiting for? Get planting! Remember EARTH DAY is April 22.

2% Solution

Visit Focus the Nation at focusthenation.org to watch the "2% Solution" video.

Consider...

In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy. --John Sawhill, former president, the Nature Conservancy.

Computers

More than 315 million computers are expected to become obsolete by the year 2004, containing an estimated 1.2 billion pounds of lead, 2 million pounds of cadmium, 400,000 pounds of mercury, and 1.2 million pounds of hexavalent chromium. --Kansas City Star, May 9, 2000

Changing Patterns of Consumption

U.S. citizens "waste or cause to be wasted nearly one million pounds of materials per person per year...the total annual flow of waste, including wastewater, is 250 trillion pounds." This waste includes materials such as carpets, Styrofoam, discarded food, carbon from carbon dioxide, and manufacturing waste. "Less than 2% of the total waste stream is actually recycled - primarily paper, glass, plastic, aluminum and steel. Even more staggering: only 1% of North American materials ends up in products that are still being used six months after their sale. --The Natural Step

Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often & much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics
& earn the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better whether
by a healthy child,
a garden patch or
a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier
because you lived
is to have succeeded.

From WasteNews.com Pen makers want writers to BeGreen

Feb. 7 -- Pilot Pen Corporation of America has introduced what it is touting as the world´s first full line of earth-friendly writing instruments.
The BeGreen product line includes ballpoint pens, rolling ball pens and mechanical pencils. They are made from at least 70 percent recycled content and packaged using recycled materials. They also are the same price as their nonrecycled counterparts, said Robert Silberman, vice president of marketing for Trumbull, Conn.-based Pilot Pen Corp.
"The product line will expand as consumer interest heightens for the well-being of our planet," he said.

Think about it....

We have the capacity to shape a different future.

Now do it!