Share and Voice: Living Green Expo

Hey everyone!
Lately I've been having some serious cabin fever and needed to get out of Duluth for a bit... so I went to the Living Green Expo on Saturday at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. I had never heard of this event until Abbey posted a Share and Voice about it earlier this semester. I drove down for the whole day on Saturday, and I'm definitely glad I went! I was really impressed by all the exhibitors, workshops, etc. that they had.

Here's a few pictures from the expo:


Bins were available EVERYWHERE for trash, recyclables, and compostable materials. There was no excuse not to properly dispose of waste!


This was really cool - it's the Brac Grey Water Recycling System. This system recycles greywater from the shower, bath, and laundry and reuses it to flush the toilet! Their website says it can save approximately one-third of our water consumption!


An example of a green roof! Yes, those are real plants! For more information about, visit the Minnesota Green Roofs Council website and check out their RoofBloom program.


Did you know that Organic Valley has trucks that run on vegetable oil? I sure didn't!

A great example of Metro Transit's efforts to go greener! They've added new hybrid buses in recent years, among other things.






Alternative energy options such as wind and solar were displayed. There were even mini wind turbines for powering a small building such as a workshop!


As I mentioned earlier, I thought this expo was awesome! It was especially cool to see the huge variety of individuals that were there. It was very apparent that the "living green" concept is not something only select groups of people are concerned about. This is great, because it needs to be a cooperative effort among everyone! Also, there were lots of small children at the expo (there was even a whole section just for kids with fun hands-on activities), one scene that particularly struck me was these two little boys who were looking at the hybrid and electric cars with their dad and they were just so incredibly excited about them! It was adorable, to say the least.

I'll admit I spent most of my time at workshops and vendors that were related to food... it was definitely my main focus. I think the main reason I'm so interested in food is because, well, I eat every day! Making the effort to eat local, organic, and sustainably grown food is one thing I can do and feel like I'm really making a difference. All the exhibits were interesting, of course, but I didn't feel the same connection with them. For example, I don't drive every day and I'm in no financial situation to purchase a new vehicle, so although the alternative vehicles were neat, they're not a change I would make right now. Also, the products/ideas related to alternative home energy, housing/building options, and landscaping were really cool and now I'm aware of many options for the future, but again, these are things that I feel aren't feasible for me right now.

I could probably ramble on and on about this expo, but I'll try to keep it relatively short. :)

Here's a few highlights:

The one thing that most surprised me was seeing Walmart represented among the exhibitors! Apparently they are making some "green" efforts - the one they were specifically promoting was their sustainable packaging of plastics made from corn instead of oil. (I tried to find this on their website, but I was unsuccessful.)

A few fun things:
- We can help the bee population in our state by growing plants in home gardens that support
bee health!
- Some Chipotle employees were there selling tacos and chips at a pretty low price, and 100% of
the weekend's proceeds are going to Renewing the Countryside.
- Tree seedlings make great wedding guest favors!

In case you're interested, here are some other cool links!

- Tree Trust: Transforming Lives and Landscapes
- Eat Local America
- Homegrown Minneapolis
- By the Yard, Inc.
- Solar Oven Society
- EarthVitality
- Mississippi Market: Recipes for 3 Days, 3 Ways
- Mr. Ellie Pooh
- Play it Forward


Okay, that's probably enough links! Sorry I just bombarded you guys with a lot of info, but I hope you found some of it to be interesting!


(All photos taken by me on May 2, 2009. Permission was gained from vendors.)

Share and Voice: Volunteer!

Hey guys!

I came across a good article in the Duluth News Tribune this morning and thought it was worth sharing! The first part of the article talked about the 14th annual "Clean and Green Duluth" city wide cleanup day this coming Saturday, April 25th.

The second part of the article, however, is the part I really wanted to share. For those of us who will be staying in Duluth this summer, here's an easy way to help keep our city looking good while enjoying the summer sunshine:

(The following paragraphs were copied directly from the April 23, 2009 edition of the Duluth News Tribune.)

Want to Help this Summer?

Details aren't finalized yet, but the city of Duluth has a plan for the public to help maintain city parks and gardens this summer after funding cuts.

People can help once, a few times or on a regular basis, said Amy Norris, the city's public information coordinator, who came up with the idea with Tom Kasper of parks maintenance.

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the city will seek volunteers at specified sites Mondays through Saturdays to help with cleanup and other projects. Certain days will be dedicated for certain sites, such as the Lakewalk on Mondays.

"It's an exceptional way to get the community involved in a consistent program of volunteering and helping with keeping our parks beautiful," Norris said.

The tentative lineup is:
Mondays: Lakewalk. People will meet at Leif Erikson Park and head out from there.

Tuesdays: Rose Garden at Leif Erikson Park. Meet at the gazebo to help maintain hundreds of roses.

Wednesdays: Trail cleanup and repair. A different trail will be cleaned each week.

Thursdays: Enger park. Assist in maintaining the gardens and park area.

Friday: Park Point beach cleanup.

Saturdays: Special projects.

City staff will be on hand to assist volunteers. Work probably will begin at 10 a.m. Volunteers can call a "Volunteer Hotline" at 730-4301 to receive more details.




Just something to keep in mind - keep an eye out for more details if you're interested! Thanks for reading!

(Photo taken by me.)

Share and Voice: Thanks!

Dave Vadnais, the manager of Kenwood SuperOne Foods here in Duluth, recently donated reuseable bags for everyone in our Environmental Health class!

Dr. V. encouraged us all to stop in and personally thank him for his generous gift. I had to pick up some groceries this evening so I went to that store and was actually able to thank Dave myself. He said that multiple people from our class have already spoken to him and he really enjoys knowing that his gift is being appreciated.

In class today we took a group picture and all signed a paper bag from SuperOne which will be given to Dave as well. Great idea, Heather! (And Shar? I apologize if I'm forgetting to give someone credit for the idea... I don't remember who was all in on it. Oops!)

Good job everyone!

Also, thank you Dr. V. for telling him about our class!

Share and Voice: Compost

Hey guys! Since we're getting close to spring (well, hopefully), I thought it would be a good time to talk about composting. I started a compost in my backyard at the beginning of last summer when I moved back to Duluth and loved it! I made it out of wire mesh and just attached it to the fence in our backyard - nice and easy. Here's a picture of it (unfortunately it hasn't been getting much use these last couple of months):



What is composting?
Composting creates an environment for organic waste (food scraps, yard trimmings, etc.) to quickly decompose into a dark soil-like material. Organisms such as insects, worms, and bacteria all help to break down the matter. It is a natural form of recycling!


Why should I start a compost?

• less trash sent to landfills - cut down your garbage by hundreds of pounds each year
  
• reduced odors in household garbage cans
• putting food through an in-sink garbage disposal means it will have to be removed from the water at a treatment plant

What can I put in my compost?
A basic principle of composting is to remember to combine both "greens" and "browns". This ensures proper amounts of nitrogen and carbon, and provides protein and energy for the organisms that live in and decompose the compost. Greens include matter such as green leaves, fresh grass and plant trimmings, coffee grounds, tea bags, and raw fruit and veggie scraps. Some browns are dried grasses and leaves, straw, woodchips, twigs and branches, shredded newspaper, and sawdust.

(As a side note, make sure air can circulate through the compost pile. This can be done by occasionally turning and mixing it up with a shovel. Also, see to it that the pile stays moist, but not too wet.)


What can't I put in my compost?
If you plan to use your compost as a soil amendment, keep it free of seeded weeds, diseased plants, and pet doo-doo. Also, excluding foods containing meat, dairy, and oils will help prevent unwanted visitors such as raccoons and neighborhood dogs.


What can I use my compost for?

• add the nutrient-rich matter to a garden or flowerbed
• mix it with existing soil to improve erosion control, soil fertility, and proper pH balance

What if I can't start a compost in my yard or I live on-campus?
There are some residential food waste drop sites here in Duluth:

• The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District's (WLSSD) Yard Waste Compost Site at 27th Ave West & Courtland St. (During winter months, it moves to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at 27th Ave West & Courtland St.)
• WLSSD's Materials Recovery Center at Rice Lake and Ridgeview Roads
• Marshall Hardware at 4415 E. Superior St.
  
• Willard Munger Inn at 7408 Grand Ave
• Chester Creek Cafe at 1902 E 8th St.
  

Click here to view the hours for these drop-off sites.


This post is meant to be just a quick overview of composting, but there is much more that can be said about it! If you're interested in starting your own compost, visit these sites for more information and in-depth tips on how to get started:

• http://www.wlssd.duluth.mn.us/compost.php

• http://howtocompost.org/

• http://www.reduce.org/compost/index.html

Share and Voice: Earth Hour

Hey guys!

As I'm sure you all know, this past Saturday, March 28th, was Earth Hour 2009. I had never heard about this event, but since it was brought to our attention weeks ago in this class, I was determined to participate!

On Saturday night, I ended up at my friends' house and a bunch of us were having a "Stone Soup" dinner. We managed to get our soup made by 8:30pm, and then we turned off all the lights, appliances, etc. in the house. Multiple candles were lit in the kitchen and dining room so that we could see and not spill food on each other (or ourselves). With no music, TV, or laptops, we all ended up having great conversation that otherwise may not have happened. Everyone loved the atmosphere so we ended up keeping everything off for the rest of the night instead of for just one hour!

Here are some pictures from the evening - they didn't turn out the greatest, but you get the idea. :)














I'm really glad I heard about this event so that I could take part in it! It was a great way to spend the evening, and as an added benefit, my friends and I got to spend some quality time together.

Share and Voice: Erika's Spring Break Challenge

In case anyone didn't see Erika's Share and Voice: Spring Break post, she asked us to post a picture from our spring break. Since I was fortunate enough to travel around Europe during my five-week break last year, I decided to lay low for this year's break and only made it as far as central Wisconsin. I didn't really think about taking any pictures that were related to the environment, but I just remembered this one and it made me laugh:

The U.S. goes green!

I'll admit this definitely wasn't the original intention behind this - basically we just found that ridiculous Jell-o mold at a thrift store and had to try it, and we used lime Jell-o to make it green for St. Patrick's Day. Nonetheless, I think it fits the theme of this class very nicely as we all strive to make our country just a little bit "greener"!

Share and Voice: Clean!

How to go from this...



to this...



...in no time at all!

And the best part is, you can still be environmentally friendly because no toxic cleaner is involved!


So I'm sure you're wondering what this is all about, and why I have pictures of a microwave, right? Well, I returned to my house after going away for spring break, only to find that someone had definitely exploded some sort of tomato-y food in our microwave. Of course, no one wanted to clean it up.

Since we recently talked in class about our dependence on chemical products, I decided I wanted a "green"-er way to clean our microwave. Besides, it dawned on me that using chemical cleaners to clean a microwave is not a very healthy decision - I don't know about you, but the thought of chemical residue heating up and seeping into my lunch doesn't sound very appetizing.

Anyway, I found this great website about homemade cleaners and decided to give the microwave cleaner a try:

Microwave Cleaner
Mix 2T baking soda or lemon juice and 1 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for five minutes or until the liquid boils and condensation builds up inside the microwave. Wipe down.

This recipe worked like magic! I used to spend far too long scrubbing baked food off the microwave walls, but this made it possible to clean everything up in only a few minutes. And, best of all, it used baking soda and water - two INEXPENSIVE ingredients I always have on hand.

It was such a great feeling to know exactly what I was using to clean - no long lists of toxic chemicals. I think I'm going to try and make all my cleaners from now on!

Share and Voice: "Blog On!" Blog Award

Hey guys!
I received the "Blog On!" blog award from Sara H. for my Share and Voice: Air Pollution and Environmental Injustice post. Thanks, Sara!

I would now like to pass this award on to Ben for his Share and Voice: Do You Have Any Good Ideas! Ben, that website was a really great find. Thanks for making us all aware of an easy way we can make our environmentally-friendly ideas heard. Excellent job!

Award Instructions

1. Leave a comment below so that I know you "picked up" the award.
   
2. Create a Share and Voice post that says you've received the award and indicate who the award is from (be sure to hyperlink).
3. Also indicate to whom you are going to pass on the award and why. Be sure to hyperlink the blogger (use main blog URL) and the blog title (use the specific URL for that blog post).
4. Copy and paste these instructions at the bottom of your post.
5. Publish the post.
6. Visit each blogger you've awarded and leave a comment telling them they've won.
7. Continue the process...

Share and Voice: Air Pollution and Environmental Injustice

Since we've been talking about the issue of environmental injustice in class this week, I was curious what other examples of this problem were prevalent in our country. One topic that caught my attention was exposure to air pollution, both indoor and outdoor.

According to the American Lung Association, "communities of color in the United States have higher prevalence and death rates of the most common respiratory illnesses than do predominantly White communities".

Why is this? Here are the sad, but true, facts:

• Asthma occurs disproportionately in low-income and urban communities, especially in inner-city African American and Hispanic populations.
• Minorities live in greater concentrations both in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards and in areas with above-average numbers of air-polluting facilities.
• African Americans were found to be more likely than Whites to live in areas with higher toxic air pollutants in every large metropolitan area in the country.
• Compared to Whites, a higher percentage of African Americans live closer to industrial sources of air pollution, including toxic emissions, and were more likely to live near multiple sources of such emissions.
• Power plants release nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which form particle pollution, and exposure to these pollutants has been linked to more than 550,000 asthma attacks and 23,600 premature deaths nationwide. 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, compared to only 56% of Whites.
• Communities of color and low income are also disproportionately located near freeways and other areas with heavy diesel truck traffic, and diesel refining, distribution, and storage facilities. Use of diesel fuel increases toxic air pollution, raising the risk of lung cancer and other lung diseases.
  

(Information from the "Environmental Injustice" page of the ALA website.)

Is it fair for minority populations to have to live in areas with substandard air quality? What can be done to equalize the pollution load amongst our population?

What do you think?


(Photo taken by Adam Jackson at stock.xchng.)

Share and Voice: "Blog On!" Blog Award

Hey everyone!
I recently received the "Blog On!" blog award from Dr. V. for my "Share and Voice: A Healthy Vegetarian Diet" post. Thanks again Dr. V!

I would now like to pass this blog award on to... Samantha, for her "Share and Voice: SMOKING!!" post! I thought this post was awesome because it gave us all a new perspective on the negative affects of smoking! Although I've always been against smoking, I had never really stopped to consider what smoking does to our environment, so thank you for this enlightening post!

Award Instructions

1. Leave a comment below so that I know you "picked up" the award.
   
2. Create a Share and Voice post that says you've received the award and indicate who the award is from (be sure to hyperlink).
3. Also indicate to whom you are going to pass on the award and why. Be sure to hyperlink the blogger (use main blog URL) and the blog title (use the specific URL for that blog post).
4. Copy and paste these instructions at the bottom of your post.
5. Publish the post.
6. Visit each blogger you've awarded and leave a comment telling them they've won.
7. Continue the process...

Share and Voice: A Healthy Vegetarian Diet

All the discussions we’ve been having about how our food choices impact the environment have gotten me thinking. It seems a lot of us – myself included – were raised to believe that having animal products in our diet is a necessity! Personally, my level of meat consumption is low, but I do consume a large amount of dairy products. Because of the new knowledge I have gained from some of our readings and documentaries, I thought it would be interesting to try to cut back a little now that I know the toll these livestock take on the earth.

Animal products provide a variety of nutrients that our body needs, but cutting back on them doesn’t mean missing out on proper nutrition! In order to make sure we are still giving our body the proper nutrition it deserves, I found some facts about how to get these key nutrients from non-animal sources:


Protein
Function: maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles, and organs
Sources: soy products, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, and whole grains

Calcium
Function: build and maintain strong teeth and bones
Sources: spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, broccoli, and almonds. Also, tofu, soy milk, and fruit juices may be calcium-fortified.

Vitamin B-12
Function: production of red blood cells
Sources: enriched cereals and fortified soy products, and dietary supplements

Iron
Function: component of red blood cells
Sources: dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grains, dark leafy green vegetables (collard greens, spinach, kale), dried fruit. In order to efficiently absorb iron from these foods, eat vitamin C-rich foods (strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli) at the same time.

Zinc
Function: enzyme component, role in cell division and formation of proteins
Sources: whole grains, soy products, nuts, wheat germ, white beans, kidney beans, chickpeas

Reducing consumption of animal products doesn’t mean having to give up favorite foods!

• Being Minnesotans, I’m sure we all love our occasional hotdish, right? Try putting a new spin on that old recipe by substituting tofu, tempeh, or even some beans instead of the ground beef.

• Love that bowl of cereal in the morning? I know I do! Try substituting soy milk for cow’s milk.

• Worried about missing out on summer grill-outs? Throw a veggie burger on the grill instead, your friends might not even notice the difference. :)

• Used to chicken or pork in your stir-fry? Switch in some cashews instead!

For anyone who thinks a meatless diet is boring and bland, check out these delicious meatless recipes! Yum!

Another fun way to branch out is try to try different ethnic dishes that use grains and vegetables as the main ingredients.

Obviously, I'm not trying to persuade anyone to be a vegetarian - I don't consider myself to be one - but we've all been learning about the huge reduction in resources that would occur if Americans cut back on animal products in our diet. I hope this information was useful for anyone who is attempting to make some dietary changes!

After all, variety is the spice of life!

(Some nutritional information and the food pyramid image was gathered from the Mayo Clinic website.)

Share and Voice: Schoolhouse Rock

Okay, so this post was inspired by Kathy's awesome Share and Voice with the Sesame Street video clip. It got me thinking about which cartoons or shows from my childhood had the the catchiest songs that have stuck with me for years, and I realized that a favorite series of mine has always been Schoolhouse Rock! I adore Schoolhouse Rock, and those cartoons helped me memorize everything from multiplication tables to the Preamble to the United States Constitution. In fact, my siblings and I used to rent the complete set from the library just so we could sing along and drive our parents crazy!
Anyway, I was wondering if they ever had songs that talked about the environment, and I couldn't think of any. Slightly disappointed, I searched around online for awhile, and then I came across an exciting discovery! The creators of Schoolhouse Rock have come up with 13 new songs specifically about our environment, and the DVD comes out on March 31st!

If there are any other Schoolhouse Rock fans out there, you should definitely check out Schoolhouse Rock! Earth. This website even lets you see clips of some of the songs. Personally, I really like "Caron Sasquatch" and "The Little Things We Do". (Does anyone remember Mr. Morton from the subject and predicate song? He's in this one, too!)
Enjoy!

Share and Voice: Role Models

Hey everyone!
I have a question for you:

Who has been/is your biggest role model for living an environmentally-friendly lifestyle?

After doing the eye opener activity the other day, I began wondering when I started becoming environmentally-conscious and who first taught me the importance of taking care of our planet,and I realized that it was my grandma and grandpa. They are the biggest nature lovers I know, and since I was fortunate enough to spend a huge amount of my childhood with them, they tried to pass their knowledge and their awareness on to me. They succeeded in doing this first and foremost by instilling in me an appreciation for all living things. My grandparents live by a state park and we would often go for walks through the woods. Whenever we heard a bird singing, they would stop and quiz me on what type of bird it was; when we saw any sort of tracks in the woods, we would talk about the animal that made them. My grandpa was always pointing out deer, eagles, and beaver dams, and my grandma was always picking up caterpillars for me to see or showing me some gorgeous wildflowers. Also, they taught me the importance of taking care of the environment: after almost every walk we went on, we ended up back at their house with a bag of trash that we collected from the woods. They showed me that even though I was a little kid, I could still help out.

Besides their nature enthusiast ways, my grandparents live a very thrifty lifestyle, always looking to conserve water, not waste food, not purchase unnecessary material items, etc. I realize that they were both raised in this manner out of necessity, but I think these are important skills to have nowadays, too, to reduce our impact on the environment. Skills such as gardening, which once may have been the only means for food, are now looked at in a new light - a way to lessen one's carbon footprint.

Now that I'm a little older, I realize how many important things my grandparents taught me, and I feel deeply indebted to them. Now, my goal with this post was not just to tell a heartfelt story, but to give a huge THANK YOU! to my grandparents and everyone else who has stressed the important of living an environmentally-conscious lifestyle.

And so here is my challenge for you:
Think about those people in your life who served as role models! I would love for you to acknowledge them in a comment to this post. After all, they deserve a big thank you, don't you think?

Share and Voice: Tourism

While I was traveling in Europe last school year during my time spent studying abroad, I noticed that many of the hostels and hotels I stayed at were making an effort to "go green". I hadn't done a lot of traveling in the U.S. so this was a new and exciting experience for me as I began to appreciate those lodgings that were striving to be environmentally friendly. Here are a few of the changes that I repeatedly noticed:

1. Hostel showers that only turned on for about twenty seconds at a time.
2. Signs in hotel bathrooms that encouraged people to reuse their towels, saying only towels left on the floor would be washed during their stay.
3. Hotel room lights that only turned on when activated by the room key, eliminating the event of lights being left on when no one was in the room.
4. Real dishes and silverware being used at breakfast instead of paper products.

Once I returned back home, I began to keep my eyes open for hotels in the U.S. that were going green. Did you know that our very own The Inn on Lake Superior here in Duluth is the recent winner of the Minnesota Sustainable Tourism Award? This award "is presented to the person, company or institution that supports outstanding efforts to sustain, protect and enhance Minnesota's environment while promoting tourism markets."

Here are some of the improvements they have made:

1. Using Duluth Steam's waste hot water to heat water, the pools, spa, and front entrance.
2. Using worm juice instead of chemicals to treat the lawn.
3. Buying recycled paper products.
4. Buying locally whenever possible.
5. Using energy efficient CFL light bulbs.
6. No more Styrofoam products during breakfast!
7. Accessible recycling bins, including a food waste bin in the breakfast area.

These are just a few of the ways in which The Inn has gone green. Check out their web site to learn more!

Share and Voice: Steve's Photo Challenge

Steve challenged each of us to find a photo relating to class and I thought this one fit nicely.

A couple of years ago, my roommate and I participated in the Great Lakes Beach Sweep here in Duluth as part of The Ocean Conservatory's International Coastal Cleanup. It was a gorgeous day, and we helped clean up our shores by collecting many bags of garbage!

Welcome to Environmental Edification!

Hi, my name is Hannah and I'm currently taking an Environmental Health class at the University of Minnesota Duluth as I work towards a major in Community Health Education. This blog will be used for posting all assignments for this class, including reviews of environmental readings and documentaries, and exchanging new ideas with my classmates.

There are 5 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Reviews
5. Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post is has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are:

1. Jessica
   
2. Erika
   
3. Jeff
   
4. Lauren
   

You can subscribe to my blog by clicking the subscribe gadget in the gadget column. You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. I am subscribed to all the blogs in my blog list gadget. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile".

My profile picture was created using FaceYourManga.com

I am looking forward to a very educational semester and welcome any comments you would like to add to my blog!