One More Generation – An Interview with Olivia Ries!

February 21, 2012

Ashmore Carey was fortunate to catch up with one of the inspiring co-founders of One More Generation — nine-year-old Olivia Ries.  As you know, this wonderful organization is dedicated to the protection of endangered wildlife and the environment, and its founders work tirelessly on the behalf of the cause.  Here is that interview.

Ashmore Carey: How did you first get interested in helping animals?

One More Generation:  We have always loved animals and as we learned that some of them are in trouble, we decided to help.  All my life we have had animals around the house.  We currently have 6-cats, 3-dogs, and a Guinee Pig named Rapunzel (a.k.a. Punzzy).  We also have 2-Cheetah’s (Talala and Diputsu), a Whake Shark named Wally, 2 Fruit Bats named Kurri and Tyrant.  We have had up to 20-fish, two lizards and a Hairless Rat named Brownie as well.

Ashmore Carey:  Wow, that’s a lot of pets! How did you decide to adopt Cheetahs? And how did you go about it? How can other kids do the same thing?

One More Generation:  Well my Aunt was visiting South Africa about 5 years ago and as a present, she brought us our first adoption certificate.  She always knew we loved animals.  Carter and I decided to continue the adoptions each year.  We have been adopting the same two Cheetah’s ever since.  If anyone else wants to help save an animal, it is very easy. You just have to get online and search for your favorite species and find an organization which offers adoptions.  It’s really easy and I have done it many times.

Ashmore Carey:  What has been the most rewarding part of One More Generation?

One More Generation:  Wow… that is a hard question.  Since starting OMG we got to go and help save all the animals during the Gulf oil spill.  We went to South Africa where we delivered a big donation check to the Cheetah Center. We also collected soccer balls and toys for the poor kids in the townships over there.  We recently were successful getting the Claxton GA Rattlesnake Roundup to officially be changed to a Wildlife Festival were no snakes will be caught and killed anymore.  We have had great meetings with the O’Charley’s restaurant chain in an attempt to get them to help their customers stop using so many plastic bags by encouraging them to bring their own as they come to pick up their To-Go order.  We are also working with the GameStop Corporation on a science project that will ask every customer to consider carrying out their purchase as opposed to accepting a plastic bag.  We are hoping to run the experiment all summer and then the students at GA State University will help us conduct an environmental impact study.  I also love watching the looks on all the kids faces as we teach our Plastic Awareness Week program and they learn how easy it is for them to also make a difference.

Ashmore Carey:  What has been the hardest part about starting a non-profit? Does it take a lot of time to run a non-profit? Kids are so busy these days, how do you make it happen?

One More Generation:  Well my parents help us with all the hard stuff.  They make most of the phone calls and help set up most of the meetings and events for us.  My brother and I usually come up with the ideas of what we want to do and then ask them to help us and show us how to make it happen.  Having OMG does take a lot of time but it is always fun.  My brother and I play soccer, have piano lessons, in the summer we are on a swim team and we are trying to learn racquetball as well.  We could not do this without our parents help.

Ashmore Carey:   What advice would you give to other kids who want to do something similar?

One More Generation:  The first thing we tell kids and adults alike at every event we do is that “Anybody Can Make A Difference… If We Can They Can Too”.

Ashmore Carey:  Can you tell us a little more about you’re your Plastic Awareness Coalition? What do you think is the worst thing about plastic? Was it hard to develop a curriculum to take to schools? How do you reach kids?

One More Generation:  Well we wanted to get communities involved with trying to stop plastic pollution.  Our parents told us we needed to build a team of companies who also wanted to do the same so we could show everyone we were not alone.  Since starting the coalition, we have now over 50 organizations supporting our efforts.  The worst thing about plastic pollution is that not all types of plastics are easily recycled.  Some plastics can not be recycled at all.  The other thing bad about plastic trash is that it never goes away.  The plastic itself is not necessarily the problem, but what we are doing with the plastic is more the problem. We need everyone to recycle and to avoid plastics that are not recyclable.  The school program was written by a great teacher in Boston who helped us create a program that would be fun for kids and their parents to learn about the problem.  Getting schools interested in our program is easy, helping them find the funding for the program is harder.

Ashmore Carey:  What can we all do to encourage recycling plastic?

One More Generation:  I think everyone should have a sticker on their cars and books and homes reminding them to Recycle.  Everyone needs to also learn about the harms of plastic pollution and to understand what the recycle numbers mean.

Ashmore Carey:  Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

One More Generation:  Not really, I do want everyone to know that ”Anybody Can Make A Difference… If We Can They Can Too”.  I am nine (my birthday is on Aug 30th) and my brother is ten (his birthday is coming up on Feb 22nd) and we are proof that if you really care about something, you can make a big difference.  Oh, one more thing.  My Grandfather gave me a small greenhouse for Christmas and I am going to start a new division in our OMG organization called GreenWell.  GreenWell will grow organic fruits and vegetables which we plan to sell to our local zoo and aquarium to help make sure all their animals have healthy food.  We already have a reptile company interested in our first crop.  I am so excited.

Ashmore Carey:  Awesome. Thank you so much, Olivia, for taking time for this interview!

Posted in Green Kids, Spring into Action! | Leave a comment

OMG! Green Kids Doing “Good” & Having Fun!

February 15, 2012

OMG, in this case, stands for One More Generation. It might seem unlikely that two youngsters — nine and ten years old — could make a real difference in saving animals from extinction, but brother-and-sister duo Carter and Olivia Ries have set out to prove otherwise. Like many kids, the ten-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl from Fayetteville, Georgia have always cared a lot about animals and conservation. They made a decision early on to put time and great effort into developing an organization dedicated to protecting endangered species and the environment. They formed One More Generation (www.onemoregeneration.org)  in 2009 and it officially became a non-profit in 2010. Like Ashmore Carey, they are also members of 1% for the Planet. The goal is an ambitious one: to “ensure that all endangered species survive at least One More Generation… and beyond.”

Having said that,  the goal seems less ambitious when you consider all they’ve accomplished in just a couple years. Already since founding OMG, they have made great strides. They had already “adopted” cheetahs in South Africa for years.  When they first learned that Cheetahs and about 1,000 other species were in danger of going extinct, they were dismayed. But instead of staying sad, they got busy on many fronts. For example, after visiting the Gulf of Mexico and seeing how polluted it was, they did research to see what some of the biggest threats to the ocean were.

The biggest culprit they found? Plastic. So they developed a Plastic Awareness Program, which includes a curriculum that they take around to elementary schools and environmental camps. Carter and Olivia are trying to reach out to every elementary student in the country to show them how they can help solve the plastic problem. To show just how serious the problem is, they’ve come up with some creative strategies. For instance, they ask students to bring in all their plastic trash from home each day, storing it in a big trailer. Then Carter and Olivia teach the students about the different kinds of plastic — which types are easily recycled and which should be avoided because communities don’t usually recycle them. At the end of the week, all the children create an art sculpture out of the plastic they’ve brought in. These are just some of the examples of the work Carter and Olivia have undertaken through OMG.

While they work on global issues, including the problem with plastic that we face globally, they also on local issues like saving rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes might not seem like the most sympathetic animal, but Carter and Olivia realized these slithering critters are an important part of the ecosystem. In their home state of Georgia, the snakes were being killed in huge “Rattlesnake Roundups” — and animals like the threatened Gopher Tortoise were dying with them. So they organized a campaign to stop the roundups, writing to the governor of Georgia and gathering more than 1,000 signatures. Carter and Olivia continue to set admirable goals, including raising $50,000 for a Cheetah Rescue in South Africa. Ambitious, yes, but they’ve already proven such goals are attainable!

Regarding plastic, we’d also like to say that it is an issue that Ashmore Carey has written about before when we featured 5Gyros in our blog, and we’d like to join OMG as friends in their Plastic Awareness Coalition. If you have ideas on how to reduce plastic waste, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment here or join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ashmorecarey and comment there.

Also, note that we caught up with the busy duo and will post our interview with Olivia next week. So be sure to check back to find out more about them and their wonderful organization. And, of course, check out their website at www.onemoregeneration.org.

Posted in Green Kids, Organizations for Kids | Leave a comment

CoolMom– An Interview with Terri Glaberson!

February 8, 2012

If you’re following Ashmore Carey’s Connecting Dots blog, you know that last week we caught up with CoolMom Executive Director Terri Glaberson. Check out Part II of that interview below, and feel free to leave a comment or reach out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ashmorecarey. We’d love to hear from you!

Ashmore Carey:  Most of us have at least a vague idea that climate change won’t be good for our kids, but do you have specific concerns about what the health impacts might be? Do you see the link between climate change and health problems that parents should be concerned about?

CoolMom.org:  Carbon and particulates in the air already directly impact air quality creating health challenges like asthma.  But the impacts of climate change are also indirect – more violent and more frequent storms and flooding, extreme drought all impact food and water availability – rising temperatures will impact crop production.  Professor Shi-Ling Hsu, professor at University of British Columbia, estimates a 3-5% chance that our children will have to wait in line for food and water by the end of the century.  This scarcity will likely be far more extreme in poorer parts of the world, creating its own direct and indirect health issues.

Ashmore Carey:  How did you get the idea to have a scientific advisory board? How did you connect with those scientists?

CoolMom.org:  The founders felt that a scientific advisory board could sort through the facts and the myths surrounding climate change.  It would help moms connect their everyday decisions, with the science of climate change.  We take the science and translate it into why this is important to your family.  Two of the original advisory board members had climate scientists in their families and they helped make other connections.

Ashmore Carey:  What is the coolest project that CoolMom has taken on?

CoolMom.org:  Several come to mind, but one of the coolest is “Think Outside the Car” http://www.coolmom.org/programs/think-outside-the-car It urges us to think about mobility differently.  It helps educate and connect a community and allows for families and residents to get involved through their school or the larger community. It promotes better health, cleaner air, money and energy savings for families. We start with educating families about the impacts of idling outside schools and also encourage them to start Walking School Buses and Bike to School Days.  One elementary school took on this campaign in the spring of 2011 and reduced their car idling by more than 88%!

Ashmore Carey:  Your organization appears to be primarily local but is there a way for moms around the country get involved in CoolMom?

CoolMom.org:  Yes! We encourage any mom to get involved through signing up for our local newsletter and learning about our organization. Inspired moms can start local networks in their communities and take on at least 2 to 4 projects to make a difference.  Information and helpful tips can be found on our website on how to implement projects in your own area.  They could be anything from organizing a toy swap, helping organize moms to visit their legislator regarding an environmental issue they care about, educating their community about recycling, composting, and/or reducing consumption, or starting a Walking School Bus, etc. Our strategic plan calls for us to expand nationally for maximal impact.  We hope moms contact us and start taking action in their area!

Ashmore Carey:  Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

CoolMom.org:  CoolMom is always looking for blog writers, project interns, and sponsors to help us grow and implement our mission. Right now we are developing a “local lunch box” program and we need writers, designers and sponsors to help us launch it!  The local lunch box program will encourage parents to buy local, healthy products and reduce waste in kids’ lunches.   Our goal is to unite families around the US, in order to promote sustainable lifestyles and to affect climate policy. We want a healthy sustainable planet so our children will have a healthy and bright future!

Ashmore Carey:  Very cool — Couldn’t resist saying that:-). Thanks so much Terri!

Posted in Green Moms, Inspiring Interviews | Leave a comment

Hot Planet Seeks Cool Moms – Gotta love that!

February 1, 2012

The Seattle-based group CoolMom believes that moms and their families can be a force for a greener, healthier planet. Their slogan? “Hot planet seeks cool moms.” The goal? Simply, “A healthy planet for moms and kids.” From coordinating the  ”walking school bus” trips to school to organizing campaigns against idling cars outside of schools to working with lawmakers, CoolMom helps mothers work within their neighborhoods and beyond to make smart, informed lifestyle changes and advocate for a healthier planet. Like other groups we’ve interviewed, CoolMom started with a couple mothers who knew things were not right with the planet, but were spurred to take action as mothers. That was in 2007. The mothers, two long-time friends, already knew the facts about the dangers of climate change because they had atmospheric scientists in their families.

After watching the documentary an Inconvenient Truth with a group of other mothers, they saw the need to unite and advocate for future generations. Since then, they’ve organized sustainable programs in their local neighborhoods, encouraging parents and children to walk to school in groups to reduce carbon emissions and fight childhood obesity. They got a $60,000 grant from the city of Seattle to fund their “Think Outside the Car” campaign. And they’ve also worked outside of their neighborhoods, gathering a scientific advisory board of university professors and researchers to help make sure their information was grounded in facts. They’ve also written letters to local newspapers and reached out to their legislators.They’ve coordinated small local events, like hosting car seat recycling events. They’ve also coordinated larger scale projects, like a campaign against dirty coal. CoolMom is working locally in Seattle, but their message is one that moms anywhere can take on: educate yourself, help educate others, and start taking action to cool the planet for your kids!

We were fortunate to be able to catch up with their Exectutive Director Terri Glaberson and she was kind enough to take time for an interview with Ashmore Carey.  We will post part one of the interview below and part two in our next blog post so be sure to check back next week for the follow-up post! As always, feel free to comment below or join us on Facebook to comment there at www.facebook.com/ashmorecarey.

Part I – Interview with CoolMom.org

Ashmore Carey:  One of the focus areas of CoolMom is advocacy. Do you think moms have a special role to play in advocating for the environment and climate protection?

CoolMom.org:  Yes!  No one is better motivated to ensure that today’s children inherit a world that is sustainable and climate-friendly than moms.  Moms, not only make most of the day to day decisions about what our children eat, what they wear, but also about how their children grow up better prepared for their future.  Policy decisions and regulations implemented towards safe-guarding air and water quality, the food we eat, are all avenues of advocacy for a better future for their kids.

Ashmore Carey:  Why is climate protection at the top of your list in terms of the environmental challenges we face?

CoolMom.org:  Climate change is the most important issue of our time and is shaping the very future of our children.  If we do not take important steps in our homes, our communities and all levels of government, we will leave behind a world with depleted resources and volatile climate.  As the late Ray Anderson, former CEO of Interface Carpets, said “..theft is a crime.  And theft of our children’s future would someday be a crime.”  The lives our children will lead, their health and well-being, depend on the decisions we make now in our own life-styles, and in climate policy.

The majority of the world’s scientists agree that the earth’s climate is changing as a result of man-made industry and use of fossil fuels.  Even former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California referred to the precautionary principle with a metaphor when he said: “If 98 doctors say my son is ill and needs medication and two say ‘No, he doesn’t, he is fine,’ I will go with the 98. It’s common sense—the same with climate change. We go with the majority, the large majority….The key thing now is that since we know this industrial age has created it, let’s get our act together and do everything we can to roll it back.”

Ashmore Carey:  Can you talk about how children or your child inspires your work?

CoolMom.org:  CoolMom, was founded by two friends – Kirsten McCaa and Kristy Royce back in 2007.  It started with a simple house party, showing the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.”  With climate scientists in both their families and after learning about the scientific evidence pointing to the increased need to mitigate climate change, they felt it imperative to help start a movement of moms to impact climate change.  What stemmed from this initial gathering was the formation of Moms groups united in their desire to mitigate the impacts of climate change.  Sharing advice and stories on topics ranging from how to drive their kids around less, to whether cloth or disposable diapers had the lower environmental impact.  My story is somewhat similar in that the reason I became interested in CoolMom was to help educate myself and others about the importance of mitigating climate change, so that my daughter will have a bright and healthy future. I measure my day to day decisions on what is best for her and the environment.

Posted in Green Moms, Inspiring Interviews, Spring into Action! |

Roots & Shoots – A great name and organization!

January 26, 2012

Wow. It’s been busy around here. Sorry we’re late posting! We don’t know how companies are able to blog on a regular schedule — we’re trying though. :-) So, here goes…. Is your young environmentalist looking for a way to make a difference, but unsure of how to get started? Consider pointing your Internet browser to http://www.rootsandshoots.org, where you’ll find a lively, engaging website that is home to Roots & Shoots, Jane Goodall’s http://www.janegoodall.org/jane youth-based service group. As a parent, you may also be interested in the parent section on the site, which presents great ideas on how kids and parents can have fun and participate together.

Roots & Shoots helps and encourages youth, from kindergarten through college, to take on projects that will help people, animals or the environment. It’s so named because roots create a firm foundation and shoots, which seem weak, are actually incredibly strong. If the problems humans have created are like brick walls, writes Jane, then, “Hundreds of thousands of roots & shoots, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls.”

Jane Goodall, the famous chimpanzee expert and environmentalist, is known for her optimism. She started this organization to spread hope in 1991, after seeing that many youth around the world were sad about the state of the world and had little hope for the future. She and a group of teens in Tanzania decided to make a group that was all about hope. The hope comes from the youth taking on projects and seeing that they can make positive change for people and the environment. Through their service, youth also learn important scientific and social concepts that relate to their school curriculum.

The idea has caught on — Roots & Shoots has engaged youth in 120 countries, and thousands of projects are completed through the group each year. The projects are driven by young people, based on their interests and skills. They vary widely depending on the age of the child and the local need. Projects have included: creating community gardens, doing eco-audits of large corporate offices, and saving local turtle populations.

The group’s goal is to accumulate one million hours of community service through its members’ projects. It’s easy to chip in. Just sign up at www.rootsandshoots.org and start recording any hours of community service you donate. One young girl, Kathryn E., summed up on the website why she loves Roots & Shoots:       ”When I do a project or activity, I feel good about myself because I know that I helped do something to make the world a better place.”

If you’ve been following Ashmore Carey’s blog, Connecting Dots, you know that one thing we love to do is highlight organizations that help parents and kids find environment-related organizations they can connect with, along with activities that they can work on together. If you’ve got any ideas or organizations you’d like us to look into, please let us know by commenting below or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ashmorecarey.  We’d love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!

Posted in Family Activities!, Organizations for Kids, Spring into Action! |

Eco-Heroes – Kids Making a Difference

January 12, 2012

From selling lemonade to help raise clean-up money for the gulf oil spill, to creating fun videos to get other kids excited about nature, children as young as seven have done amazing environmental work. Some of these kids have won the Young Eco-Hero Award, which the organization Action for Nature gives out each year to young people who have done creative environmental projects. For more information about this wonderful organization for kids, check out an earlier blog post that we wrote and visit their website.

We know lots of our readers have kids who have taken on great creative projects for the environment, so we wanted to share a reminder that this year’s awards application deadline is fast-approaching. Applications are due by Jan. 15. Want to apply? Visit Action for Nature here to gather all the information you’ll need. Winners will receive a cash prize, a special certificate and public recognition. Winners also get to be in great company. The kids who won last year’s awards have inspiring stories. Here are just a few of them to give you an idea of the kinds of things they are doing:

— Brooklyn invented a female character and wrote a book about an earth-saving superhero, The Earth Saving Girl, when she was seven. She plans to write a series of books using her superhero, on subjects like going green, pooper scooping, protecting animals and getting out or spending time outside to play. She’s gotten others to pledge to be earth savers too. Brooklyn also keeps a blog and goes around to schools to spread her important message. For more information on her work, check out her website at: http://www.earthsavergirl.com.

— Avalon, ten years old, traveled to Costa Rica to learn Spanish so she can help people in Spanish-speaking countries save reptiles and amphibians and have better drinking water.  Her current goal is to go to Honduras to help build water filters there. As if that’s not enough, she’s also started her own small business, where she sells homemade jewelry and donates the proceeds to her favorite non-profits. Avalon also has a blog and you can check out her website here:  http://www.conserveitforward.org.

—Enzo is helping inspire young people to seek careers in math and science with his program “Exploration Nation.” It uses exciting, fun video in connection with lessons that tie into school curriculums, all created through the eyes of a child for other children. It all started with an Internet show, called Enzoology, about cool animals that Enzo created with the help of his dad. If you’d like more information, you can find it on his website at: http://www.enzoology.com.

— Eight-and-six-year olds Mark and Lizette  raised thousands to help seabirds in the gulf after the oil spill in Louisiana — all by selling lemonade at a stand by their aunt’s store. Check out this inspirational lemonade stand here: http://www.lemonaidforthegulf.com.

—Charles  has inspired many schools to create Earth Savers Clubs after seeing the recycling problem at his own school and wanting to do something about it. At age12, he decided to make a difference and founded the organization Greening Forward. He also created a website to educate other middle schoolers about recycling. His website has grown into an impressive organization that empowers communities around the country to join the green movement and the Earth Savers Club. For inspiration and more information, visit his website here:  http://www.greeningforward.org.

—Rujul and Kevin help bring drinking water to places in India where people haven’t had access to it. It started when Rujul visited India in 2007 and saw a town where people had to walk very far just to get a clean drink of water. When Rujul came home and talked about it with his friend Kevin, they knew they needed to do something. So they fundraised with bake sales, a car wash and more. By December of that year, the boys had raised enough money to build a well, and Rujul went back and helped build a well there. The boys didn’t stop there ‑ now they’ve gotten 30 schools to sign on to the mission of getting clean drinking water to different villages in India. To learn more about the vital work that they are doing, visit their website at: http://www.drinkingwaterforindia.org.

The work that these kids are doing is heart-warming and inspiring. Of course, there are more kids of note, but we wanted to at least highlight a few. If you’d like to learn more about the young Eco-Heroes or, if you know someone who might want to join their ranks, again, check out Action for Nature’s website. They host an Eco-Hero Search each year.

Posted in Green Kids, Organizations for Kids |

Natural New Years Resolutions – 5 surprisingly easy ways to get off to a fresh start in 2012

January 4, 2012

The New Year offers a wonderful chance to start anew, whether in a big way or through a few little lifestyle changes. What better time to refresh your commitment to leading a low-impact, environmentally friendly lifestyle? Here are some resolutions that might help you and your family remain or get on a greener path in 2012. 

1. Resolve to reduce and reuse more: This seems like an easy one, but following through with it can have a big impact. The amount of plastic being used each day takes a tremendous amount of energy to create, and meanwhile that plastic ultimately ends up in rivers and oceans, where it can harm wildlife. Using fewer disposable items in 2012 is a great way to help the environment. By investing in some reusable cloth bags  and buying beans, rice, and raisins, for example, and other item in bulk, you can save a lot of plastic bags — and often, a lot of money, as bulk prices tend to be cheaper. Now there are also even smaller reusable bags specifically for fruits and vegetables. And if you choose to use plastic, why not bring them back and use them again next time? Also, consider looking for milk and other beverages being sold in returnable glass bottles, rather than disposable paper or cardboard. When purchasing items in disposable containers, think of ways you can reuse them: large yogurt containers make great leftovers storage, glass spaghetti jars can hold crayons, buttons and a variety of other craft items.

2. Recycle and compost: Here’s a resolution that doesn’t cost a thing. It’s also satisfying to watch your number of trash bags shrink. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, yard trimmings and food waste make up nearly a quarter of all solid waste. Here’s some information: http://www.composting101.com/what-to-use.html on how to get started composting and a great list of all the items that can be composted — it’s more than most people think!

3. Give up plastic water bottles: Most of us know now that plastic water bottles create tons of waste and sap natural resources. Still, in the rush of daily life, it’s easy to forget the reusable bottles at home and end up buying a bottle or two at the store. But by committing to planning ahead more and keeping the car stocked with several reusable bottles, you can help yourself avoid those sorts of pinches — and help the planet while you’re at it.

4. Give up hot water in the washing machine: Here’s a simple way to save tons of energy. According to the US Department of Energy, you can dramatically reduce your energy cost and consumption by using cold or warm water instead of hot water in the washing machine. Click here for more information from the Department of Energy. Unlike a dish washer, washing machines don’t require a certain temperature for the best cleaning. Granted, the occasional stain might require a hot water wash (Hmmm… are stains better handled by cold water? Can never remember that. Oh well, that challenge is for a different blog), but the rest of the time, keep that dial set on cold.

5. Replace TV and computer time with outdoor time: Whether its thirty minutes or two hours each week, commit to taking time that is now spent in front of a screen and replacing it with hiking, biking, backyard exploration, or whatever suits your fancy. Not only will you reduce your energy consumption, you’ll feel healthier and hopefully reconnect with that wonderful natural world these resolutions are all about saving. Here are some ideas for ways to get outside with your family:  http://www.examiner.com/frugal-family-in-philadelphia/resolutions-2012-get-the-kids-outside .

If you’ve got some ideas you’d like to contribute to the list, we’d love to hear them. Feel free to comment below or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ashmorecarey and leave a comment there.

Happy New Year!

Posted in Spring into Action! |

8 great ways to green our …

December 21, 2011

In the crush of the holiday rush, it’s easy to throw sustainable principles out the window altogether.  This holiday season, we decided to brainstorm to think about some simple, easy steps families can take to reduce the “holiday impact” without making wrenching changes to existing plans. It’s not easy for any of us to do things differently, but if we make small changes here and there, collectively it may make a difference. The following is a list of things we came up with so far. If you have some ideas that you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you.

1. Travel Together: People travel for the holidays. That’s unavoidable. But you might be able to avoid some of the stress of holiday driving by carpooling with other friends and family going in a similar direction. Your family might also consider taking the train or bus if the option exists. You’ll reduce your carbon footprint and likely meet other people in the holiday spirit, too. Once the family has all arrived in one place, plan and schedule trips so you can continue to carpool.

2. Buy Local: Your family can easily reduce gas consumption, help local farmers and avoid pesticides by finding local, organic alternatives to the traditional supermarket food items. Head down to your local farmer’s market to get lots of fresh, seasonal, local food in one place. It’s easy to change some classic recipes to give them a local twist. Yams usually are grown in the winter, but some other goodies such as pineapples have to travel thousands of miles. Depending on your location, you could replace the pineapple with oranges, which are just coming into season in California and Florida. Greens, like mustard, chard and kale, grow in the winter in many places and make a healthy addition to the holiday meal. For seasonal food ideas, check out this Slow Food USA member site with recipe ideas.

3. Turkey Talk: If you eat turkey and ham, you may want to consider buying your main course from a local farmer, if possible. Ideally, the animal will be organic (raised without antibiotics, growth hormones or any synthetic substances) and/or free range (allowed to run about). Your family could even take a turkey purchase one step further by finding a heritage bird. Heritage turkeys are old breeds that haven’t been over-bred for their meat. Many breeds of heritage turkey are close to disappearing, as most people opt for the standard Butterball turkey instead. Buying one can help raise demand for these healthier birds and bring them back from the brink of extinction. Here’s an article where you can learn more about heritage birds and read where to find them.

4. The Veggies: The less meat on the holiday table, the less energy involved in making the meal. Whether you decide to go completely vegetarian for the holiday or simply make more of your vegetarian side dishes, there are ample resources on the web to guide you to a delicious, vegetable-based meal. Check out these tasty-sounding alternatives from the Savvy Vegetarian: http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/vegetarian-vegan-holiday-recipes.php

5. Drink to a Green Planet: In crowded, busy houses, it’s always tempting to resort to disposable drink containers and bottled beverages. Stay strong! Purchase wine and beer in large glass containers when possible (well, maybe not the wine :-) ). Buy milk in glass bottles that you can return to the store, and replace soda with a large pitcher of sparkling apple cider.

6. Trash to Holiday Treasure: Still, it’s likely that a few drink containers will inevitably accrue. Save them, along with other Holiday like cardboard boxes, and use them as craft materials. See our post on turning trash into art. Your family might be able to get an early start on the next green holiday by designing some recycled decorations. Another way to reduce holiday waste is to compost food scraps — or even better, turn them into new dishes. Here are some ideas for how to use those peels you might normally toss: compost cooking scraps or use them in another way.

7. Decorate Wisely: It’s a sad truth that decorating for the holidays often involves lots of disposable plastic products. Some of our ideas may be a little late for this holiday season but here are some ways to minimize your impact while brightening your home:

  • Consider Decorating with potted flowers like Paperwhites, Amaryllis or Poinsettia.
  • Look into LED Christmas lights or a Menorah made with LED lights to save energy.
  • Rethink your tree: consider getting a tree you can replant after the holidays are over, or replace it with an interesting piece of artwork that you can decorate with lights.
  • Find a Menorah made from recycled materials.
  • Trim some pine or holly bows from a tree in your yard to brighten up a mantelpiece or to make a homemade wreath.

8. Green Giving:

  • In these challenging times, practical gifts, like gifts of food, are much appreciated. Consider putting together gift baskets of your favorite local produce and cheeses, or give a family a membership to a Community Supported Agriculture farm.  Chocolate is always a wonderful choice — just try and make it’s fair trade and organic, if possible.
  • Make your own wrapping paper: newspapers, magazines and old maps can make beautiful gift-wrapping. Another option is to wrap in a reusable napkin, bag or other cloth item.
  • Another great gift for the nature lover in your life is to dedicate a tree or adopt a parcel of rainforest or coral reef in his or her honor.
  • One of our favorite green gift ideas is making an education-related donation to Donors Choose by sending an e-gift card. The recipient gets to choose the classroom project he or she wants to support and kids around the country benefit. Projects range from supporting the development of a green classroom to a classroom math, science or literacy program. It’s pretty cool and win-win for everyone – we love giving and getting these gifts.

 Okay, that’s it for now! We wish you and your family all the best. Happy Holidays!

 

Posted in Family Activities! |

Urban Farming – An Interview with Founder Taja Sevelle

December 14, 2011

 

Taja Sevelle started the organization, Urban Farming, which we featured last week. She began six years ago in Detroit with nothing but a dream, some pamphlets, and a small amount of startup money. Being a recording artist, she had come to Detroit to make a record but upon arrival was shocked by the loss of jobs and lack of good food in the city. So she put her recording on hold temporarily to pursue another goal: helping people grow good food right there in the city of Detroit. Now, Urban Farming has over 55,000 community, residential and partner gardens. The cause appeals to many  receiving support that ranges from individuals, to city officials, companies and celebrities, and it has received mention on national radio and television. It’s also the adopted charity of Atlantic Records. But perhaps most importantly, Taja and those who have signed on to the cause have produced more than 400 tons of fresh produce — enough to feed about 800,000 people. We interviewed Taja to learn more about her work.

AC: Can you tell us more about how you came to start this organization in 2005, going from music recording to farming?

TS: While recording a CD for Sony Records in Detroit, I became acquainted with the job loss due to jobs being shipped overseas, and the poverty, along with the vast amounts of unused land in the city.  I pulled from the experience I had as a teen, living on a farm for three years.  In my mind, I visualized food on that unused land, food that would feed people in need.  So I put my music career on the back burner for awhile, and started the global organization, Urban Farming, with a pamphlet, $5,000.00 and three gardens.

AC: Were you inspired by other urban farming initiatives? 

TS: I didn’t know of any other urban agriculture initiatives in Detroit at that time.  There were a few start ups and there was a history of community gardening in Detroit, like so many other cities, but I was really only focused on the global vision to end hunger in our generation.  We ended up creating quite a buzz in Detroit and our story began breaking in National and International news six months after we planted our first seeds.  The Urban Agriculture movement was catapulted forward with much of our momentum as well as that of other great people like Will Allen.

 AC: Did you garden growing up? How did you know how to get started?

TS: I was born and raised in the city, but I also lived on a farm for three years as a teen and I wanted to become a botanist before I decided to pursue a recording career.  I had 150 houseplants in my bedroom as a teen.

AC: What’s the best way for young gardeners to get involved with Urban Farming?

TS: They can register their gardens with the Urban Farming Global Food Chain(R), donate food from their personal gardens to their local food bank and let us know about their story. They can also email us if they are serious about volunteering at a community garden in their area, or donate to the charity to help us continue our work in the community.

AC: How do you go about setting up a new garden? Does the community have to agree to maintain it? What sort of training and materials do you supply?

TS: If the funding stream is there for a new garden, we first soil test the selected area.  If the soil is clean, we still drop and spread about two semi-trucks of topsoil in to start a 20 by 20 foot garden.  The recipient of our Urban Farming Garden(TM) gift must have a sustainability plan in place in order to receive the gift, which generally includes community residents maintaining the garden. We provide training and tools for our fully funded community gardens.  We also teach groups how to plant and maintain the gardens.

AC: What sort of vegetables do you plant? Are the seeds organic, heirloom, gmo-free, etc?

TS: We plant vegetables that are in season for the area and we try our best to stick to organic and heirloom, but cannot always guarantee it.  We use organic methods of planting and maintaining the gardens though.

AC: How do you find the vacant lots to plant in? What happens if someone wants to build there?

TS: We are a movable feast and if someone wants to build, we work with city planning to locate another spot.  We recognize that cities need to develop and we encourage development because that means new jobs and we feel that giving people jobs is the best way to get rid of hunger ultimately.  We scout for potential spots and have an intake process for potential recipients of an Urban Farming Community Garden(TM) gift.

AC: Can you tell us a bit about edible walls? That sounds like something out of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. :-)

TS: The Urban Farming Edible Walls(TM) are literally gardens on the wall.  The can save on up to 60% of the heating and cooling costs of the host building, they cut down on the rainwater runoff in urban areas and they also cut down on the urban heat index.  They provide LEEDS certification points for the host building as well and they may be planted indoors or outdoors.

AC: Can you tell us the story of one garden that was especially inspiring?

TS: The Gladstone and Linwood Garden in Detroit is the largest Urban Farming Community Garden(TM) that we have. It is about two acres in total and It is located at the epicenter of where the 1967 riots occurred. The area looks exactly the same as it did after the riots.  About 50-75 people pick from that garden every day during the harvest season.  People have come up to me crying on many gardens, including and especially that one, and thanking us for the garden.  They say that they don’t know how they would have fed their families without it.  There is a woman named Rose who diligently picks from that garden and brings the food to shut in seniors who are unable to get fresh food easily.  The garden is in the middle of a food desert, which means that there are no grocery stores within miles of that location, so people in that community do not have access to fresh produce.  When we first started it, a generous donor named Delores, who has a composting/topsoil company called Uni-Dig, had the entire vacant block mowed.  Then Delores trucked in eighty semi-trucks of topsoil and compost and had it spread out with a back-hoe.  Next, she hired a farmer to come down from the countryside to plant cucumber seeds.  It was an entire city block.  At first, we were watering it with fire hoses, and to curious onlookers, it looked like we were just watering dirt.  When people asked what we were doing, many were in happy, shocked disbelief when we told them that we had just planted a really big garden and that all the food was free for the community.  As the plants grew, so did the community excitement.  Harvest season was delightful.  A woman told me that the community was smiling more, talking to each other more and that they had more hope, all because of that garden.

AC: Thank you so much Taja for sharing your inspiring story with us. 

Posted in Inspiring Interviews, Spring into Action! |

Urban Farming – Sowing Seeds to Fight Hunger

December 7, 2011

You probably know the old saying about empowering people to make their lives better: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Today, we’d like to feature a group that is teaching people in cities around the country not to fish, but to farm. It’s called Urban Farming, and its goal is a great one: to end hunger by planting and supporting gardens and encouraging others to do the same — all within cities.

The crowded streets of Philadelphia, Detroit or St. Paul might not seem like the most fertile grounds for a garden — but at a second glance, there are lots of small, abandoned plots that could hold rows and rows of food.

That’s where Urban Farming comes in. They convert those forgotten eyesores into productive spaces that grow food for the community. About 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities. And within most cities lie food deserts — poverty stricken zones where grocery stores won’t set up shop. In these areas, the residents’ only access to food is often fast food or the corner store, where the few vegetables offered are usually old and low in nutrition. Living in such an area can lead to obesity, diabetes, bad nutrition and a host of other health problems. And if you live in a food desert, there’s also a good chance you don’t know where your next meal will come from. For more information on urban agriculture, click here.

When R&B musician Taja Sevelle moved to Detroit to record an album, she was struck by this sort of widespread poverty and bad nutrition. But at the same time, she saw lots of open plots of land. In 2005, she started Urban Farming, planting three city gardens. People living in these areas suddenly knew where their food would come from — the garden down the street! Since then, gardens have sprouted up (forgive the pun) around the country and even internationally. Urban Farming has accomplished this by working with local government, community leaders and businesses, as well as big corporations like Coca Cola and Kraft and many celebrities.

While it has not been an easy path, the organization has had and continues to have great success. Some have cast doubts on the efforts of urban farmers, saying there’s no way such small plots could ever yield enough food for whole communities. But the folks at Urban Farming point out that during the World Wars, small Victory Gardens produced a meaningful amount of food — in fact, these vital gardens accounted for approximately 40 percent of the nation’s produce during the Second World War period. As we mentioned earlier, Urban Farming doesn’t stop at growing food and giving it to the hungry. It asks local community members to maintain the gardens and teaches them how. It even goes a step further to empower community members by holding training in green collar fields like solar and wind, in addition to leadership and entrepreneurship classes. The hope is that those trained will start their own green enterprises and bring jobs into the community.

We think this group is sowing the seeds for a great way to grow food and community! If, after reading this, you’re already scheming how to convert that vacant lot a few blocks down, sign up to volunteer with Urban Farming here: http://www.urbanfarming.org/volunteer.html. Or if you’d rather chip in at an existing garden, you can find existing gardens near you here: http://www.urbanfarming.org/garden-locations.html. Another option is to convert a window box or a corner of the back yard into a small garden, where you can grow food for your family or the hungry. Young gardener Katie Stagliano, who we interviewed  earlier, also has some great tips for how to dive in and start a garden. And here’s another detailed, step-by-step guide to embarking on a garden adventure as a family: http://eartheasy.com/grow_backyard_vegetable_garden.html.

Be sure to check back next week to read our interview with Urban Farming’s inspiring founder Taja Sevelle.

Posted in Family Activities!, Spring into Action! |