Bicycles on College Campuses

“Promoting Pedaling”.  American School and University.  April 1, 2010.

Academic OneFile – Document.

Build a Bicycle — Some Assembly Required

From Nashville Public Radio.

Bicycles are more than just toys.  Listen to this amazing story.

Some Assembly Required – Nashville Public Radio.

Tennessee’s Arbor Day

State Arbor Day celebration is March 2

Ceremonies commemorating Arbor Day in Tennessee are set for Centennial Park in Nashville March 2 at 11 a.m. State and local representatives will make remarks, read the official proclamation and present Tree City and Treeline USA awards.

Co-sponsor Metro Nashville Beautification and Environment Committee will plant three memorial trees and present awards for Arbor Day essays. The celebration is held annually in the city of TUFC’s tree board of the year, which was Metro Tree Advisory Committee in 2011

Recycle your old Greeting Cards with St. Jude’s

From St. Jude’s website:

Recycled Card Program

WE NOW ACCEPT USED, ALL-OCCASION CARDS YEAR ROUND!!

You can mail your donations to:
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude’s Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Phone orders:
877-977-SJRC (7572)

Recycled Card Program History

Over thirty years ago, wishing to show our donors appreciation for making St. Jude’s Ranch for Children possible, the idea was conceived for turning the previous year’s Christmas cards into “new” cards for the coming season. The recipients were so delighted with their unique “thank you,” they requested the children sell them the special cards. And so, the St. Jude’s Ranch Recycled Card Program was born.

Since then, the program expanded to include all occasion greeting cards…just about anything that starts with a used greeting card. People from all over the world have sent us their used cards!

Operated by Kids’ Corp., a program for the children at St. Jude’s Ranch to learn entrepreneurship skills, the children participate in making the new cards by removing the front and attaching a new back. The result is a beautiful new card made by the children and volunteers. The benefits are two-fold: customers receive “green” holiday cards for use and the children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of “going green”.

The ongoing support for the Recycled Card Program has been overwhelming! The Program grew and soon we were receiving over one million cards. We have since redesigned the process to more efficiently manage the increased production from the increased volume and we welcome your submissions!

NOTE: We currently have an increased need for both Birthday and Thank You card submissions.

To Purchase Cards:

Cards are sold in packets of 10 for $10.00 and are available in the following categories:

• General Christmas Cards
• Religious Christmas Cards
• Easter Cards
• Birthday Cards
• Thank You Cards
• All Occasion General Greeting Cards

Orders may be placed by any of the methods below:

• By Phone:
  1-877-977-SJRC (7572)
• By US Mail:
  Send your request and donation to:
  St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
  ATTN: Donor Office
  P.O. Box 60100
  Boulder City, NV 89006-0100

To Donate Cards:

We welcome your donation and ask that you please review the below tips before sending your donation. Currently, we have found the least expensive way to mail large quantities of card donations is through the USPS in a Flat Rate Box which holds up to 70 pounds (available at the Post Office).

Card Donating Tips:

• All types of greeting cards, including Christmas are used.
• Only the card front can be used (please check to be sure the back side is clear of any writing, etc.)
• We can not accept Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards.
• 5″ x 7″ size or smaller is preferred.
• Mail donations to :
  St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
  Recycled Card Program
  100 St. Jude’s Street
  Boulder City, NV 89005
• Thank you!

What 10:10ers did in 2011

http://www.1010global.org/2011-roundup/

TASSC Project Proposal

The statewide network of groups like Green Sleeves that we have discussed, TN Alumni and Students for Sustainable Campuses (TASSC), is actually compiling a list of possible projects for schools across the state to work on. You can access a copy of the latest (very) rough draft here: http://tinyurl.com/tasscprojectcopy

New kind of bike that reads your mind!

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/pulse/201112/ring-my-bell-new-bike-reads-your-mind

From Toyota and Parlee Cycles.

Richland Creek Watershed Alliance

http://www.richlandcreekwatershedalliance.org/

“A watershed is a land area that catches rain and snow and
drains it into streams, wetlands, groundwater and rivers. Watersheds create and nourish a web of natural resources…. air, soil, plants and wildlife.”

Project Paper @ NSCC

“Project Paper” is meant to encourage students to empty their notebooks out into the green recycling bins instead of the trash cans.  The pick-up date for the Fall 2011 semester is Dec. 15.

Save the Grand Canyon from Coca Cola! Ban Plastic Bottles in the Park

Ban Plastic Bottles in the Park

Hi, folks–

Thought you might be interested in this, if you haven’t already heard about it:

Last year, shortly before the Grand Canyon National Park was due to implement a carefully considered ban on the sale of plastic water bottles within the park (similar to one that had been well received at Zion NP), Coca Cola weighed in. Coke is a major donor to the parks, as well as the owner of the Dasani water brand, and whether or not these things had anything to do with it, the ban was almost immediately put on hold.

Plastic water bottles are the #1 source of litter in the Grand Canyon, and this was the reason for the ban. Vendors had all been notified, and the park had installed numerous water-bottle filling stations.

Over the summer, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility sought records from NPS. When none were provided, PEER filed suit on Nov. 10. The New York Times ran a story that day (see below), which led to more news coverage. followed by a petition to NPS Director Jon Jarvis at change.org, urging him to move forward with the ban.

The petition already has 94,033 signatures, and I’m hoping you will help push it over 100,000: http://www.change.org/petitions/save-the-grand-canyon-from-coca-cola-ban-plastic-bottles-in-the-park.

The petition page has lots of additional details, and here are links to the NYT piece, and to an editorial in the LA Times:

New York Times: Parks Chief Blocked Plan for Grand Canyon Bottle Ban
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/science/earth/parks-chief-blocked-plan-for-grand-canyon-bottle-ban.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all

Nov. 10, 2011: Weary of plastic litter, Grand Canyon National Park officials were in the final stages of imposing a ban on the sale of disposable water bottles in the Grand Canyon late last year when the nation’s parks chief abruptly blocked the plan after conversations with Coca-Cola, a major donor to the National Park Foundation….

Los Angeles Times: Trashing the Grand Canyon
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/14/opinion/la-ed-coke-20111114

Nov. 14, 2011: Every year, more than 4 million visitors come to see the awesome majesty of Grand Canyon National Park — the soaring rock formations, the mighty erosive power of the Colorado River, the plastic bottles strewn along the trail, the chipmunks chewing on twist-off bottle caps . . .

Marge Davis
Coordinator
Pride of Place/Tennessee Bottle Bill Project
A Project of Scenic Tennessee, Inc.
45 Burris Court
Mount Juliet, TN 37122
home / fax (615) 758-8647
cell (615) 294-2651
www.tnbottlebill.org

How green is my IT? Efficiency game

http://media.bmc.com/edu/outgoing/GreenIT_EN/index.html

“Struggling with escalating IT costs and a corporate mandate to take IT green? This interactive game will identify what you do know and help you with what you don’t.”

I thought this was interesting. 

U.S. Colleges are reversing global warming.

Eight U.S. Colleges Win National Award for Their

Innovations in Reversing Global Warming

 

 

http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/multimedia/media/ChillOut%2008.pdf

This is about NWF’s campus “Chill Out” program.

PowerVote — Clean energy/Green jobs

Check out this video about PowerVote and clean energy

http://www.youtube.com/user/energyaction

Here is the web site for PowerVote:

http://www.powervote.org/

Here you can sign the pledge for clean energy. 

 

ClimateEdu: News for a Green Campus

This is the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology e-newsletter.  Published bi-monthly.

http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/climateedu/index.cfm

Includes an archive.

The Eco-Friendly Bicycling Photographer — Russ Roca

Just wanted to share this video.  For all you photography majors out there. 

From the Eco-Friendly Bicycling Librarian!

Tips about Recycling

Recycling 101 http://www.nrc-recycle.org/recycling101.aspx

Local eating for Thanksgiving: “100-mile Diet”

Check this out for tips on how to eat locally for Thanksgiving.

http://100milediet.org/thanksgiving

The book: Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally .

Cumberland River Compact

Check out this organization. http://www.cumberlandrivercompact.org/

Since 1997 they have been working on restoring the Cumberland River basin throught education and cooperation.  They are interested in helping Nashville State build a trail in the wooded area near Richland Creek.  This would help to protect the watershed and protect the old growth trees which would reduce global warming.   It would also provide a place for biology and horticulture students to go outside and study the outdoor environment.

Check out this article about the importance of trees to the environment.

“Twenty years of global ReLeaf: after 20 years and 25 million trees, global ReLeaf’s mission remains to empower people to improve the environment.”(Editorial).

Source:American Forests 114.3 (Autumn 2008): p7(1). (684 words)

Full text in General OneFile (Tennessee Electronic Library)

http://find.galegroup.com/ips/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&docType=IAC&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=IPS&docId=A187926835&userGroupName=tel_a_nsti&version=1.0&searchType=BasicSearchForm&source=gale

(password: elvis)

Energy and Environment — Of the People, By the People

Checkout this video by the Obama-Biden change team.  They want people to submit their ideas. 

Go to the web site to submit ideas:

http://www.change.gov/page/s/energyenviro

Plastic Recycling! TerraCycle

Products from waste

Checkout their web site:

http://www.terracycle.net/index.htm

and their story:

http://www.terracycle.net/story.htm

1 climate, 1 future, 1 chance

Check out this link:

www.1sky.org

Bicycle City: drive less, live more

Check out this eco-friendly city where people and animals can live together sustainably. 

http://www.bicyclecity.com

Library bikes – Bicycles you can borow

http://librarybikes.org/

Environmental Nature Trail at NSCC

Environmental Nature Trail at NSCC

 

Nashville State Community College in Nashville, Tennessee, is working on building an outdoor classroom/trail that will be used as an educational learning tool for biology and horticultural students, as well as community groups.  In the Spring of 2009 there will be an Environmental Science course offered. We are partnering with the Cumberland River Compact, Richland Creek Watershed Alliance and local Boy Scout troops to get the trail built.  The campus groups involved in this project are the Biology and Horticulture Departments, the administration, the Environmental Concerns Committee (a faculty and staff group), and the Students for the Environment club (a sub-group of the ECC).  Our president has demonstrated his commitment to leadership in eliminating global warming emissions, and achieving climate neutrality by signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment last year. 

The trail is being designed to have minimal impact on the watershed and to protect the old growth trees that are on the school’s campus and provide cover and places for wildlife to raise young.  This will help reduce the school’s carbon footprint since trees produce oxygen, which is needed to help absorb carbon dioxide one of the main causes of global warming.  85 acres are wooded and part of Cumberland River water basin and the Richland Creek watershed.  Richland Creek was settled because of its fertile soil which is how the creek got its name “Rich” land.   Along the trail there will be bird nesting boxes and bat houses.  There will be tree identification and cover boxes placed to provide cover and habitat for snakes and salamanders.  It is hoped that we can turn this area into an official National Wildlife Federation Habitat Area by providing the 4 basic needs of wildlife:  food, water, cover and places to raise their young.   We will be planting only native species.  On Arbor Day, in March 2009, we will have our annual tree give-away of native species trees, and will be educating the students and faculty about the importance of planting trees to help control global warming.  Some of the trees will be kept and planted on the campus, thus helping reduce the carbon footprint of the campus.  The nature trail will connect to the existing Richland Creek Greenway which will promote its use as a transportation alternative for students, faculty and staff coming and going from the campus.  This will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels thus reducing global warming. 

Rain gardens will be planted with native vegetation to control the storm water runoff from the school’s parking lot.  Mulching and composting methods of gardening will be used in the gardens.  Evasive species will be removed.  Pesticide use will be limited.  Benches will be placed along the trail so that classes and community groups can have areas for group study. 

We want to build this trail to be a state of the art educational tool for college students and the surrounding community. 

 

This is what was submitted to the National Wildlife Federation Chill Out Contest. 

 

 

Go carbon neutral

Check out CarbonNeutral.com to see how much CO2 you add to the atmosphere.

Carma Points

Interesting article about a web site that tells about Carbon Monitoring.  It gives details about the carbon emissions of power plants and companies worldwide.

http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&docType=IAC&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=ITOF&docId=A174818511&userGroupName=tel_a_nsti&version=1.0&searchType=SubjectGuideForm&source=gale

Christmas Trees

Here is a tip about fake trees vs. real trees.  Fake trees are made overseas (translation: fuel costs) and are made of non-renewable, non-biodegradable materials.   A real tree is usually grown on land that is not suitable for farming anyway, but still contributes oxygen to the atmosphere.  Real live trees are also recyclable.

Green Wheels

Check out this video about college students who have designed cars that use very little fuel.  It’s the Shell Eco-Marathon!  The cars are amazing.

http://gogreentube.com/watch.php?v=MTg3ODU1

You can also view other green videos by college students and vote for your favorite.

University of California San Diego

Check out all the things that UC San Diego is doing to lower their carbon footprint.

http://gogreentube.com/watch.php?v=NDc4OTQ1

For each video you watch as a logged-in user, one pound of CO2 will be offset through CarbonFund. So get watching and let us know whose campus deserves your vote!

Walking / Biking Forum

Check out this walk/bike blog.

www.walkbikeforum.blogspot.com

This forum is to allow for an interactive exchange of ideas, news, information, and general thoughts about walking and biking in the greater Nashville region.

Clean Slate Agenda

Check this out, and take action. 

E-mail President-elect Obama with your thoughts.

http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=NAT_CleanSlate&autologin=true

Here is the link to the Obama-Biden Energy Plan where you can submit your ideas. 

http://change.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment_agenda/

Recycle Christmas leftovers

Don’t be a Grinch and just dump all the Christmas wrappings and cards in the trash!  Here are some great ideas for recycling Christmas. 

The Ribbons, The Wrappings, The Tags, The Tinsel, The Trimmings, The Trappings

• Have a bag ready to put wrapping paper in to recycle.
• Break down clothing boxes immediately and put away to use again. I usually break them down Christmas morning, put them under some heavy books to help flatten them good, then take them down the basement.
  
• Save gift bags to be reused next year.
  
• You know those absolutely horrid, annoying, somebody must really hate parents twisty ties that come on so many toys. The ones that make parents spew foul words out of their mouth on Jesus’ birthday while their children impatiently wait one hour for a Barbie to be extricated from its packaging. They make fabulous tomato plant ties. Save them and use them to attach tomato plants or other plants to steaks.
  
• Packing and shipping materials from all that online shopping should be saved to be reused. If you have so much that you can never reuse it all, give it away on freecycle. There’s some avid ebay-er who will be happy to take it off your hands.

The Christmas Trees

Real Christmas trees should be kept out of landfills after their time in your home is done. They make great mulch, and many towns now have curbside pick up for trees after the holidays. If your community doesn’t pick trees up, you can find a place nearby by going to Earth911.

Artificial trees should also be kept out of landfills if possible. If you are getting rid of your artificial tree and it is still in usable shape, donate it, do not throw it in the trash. They are not biodegradable and the toxins in the plastic leach into the soil in the landfill.

The Food for the Feast

It’s estimated that Americans waste about 30% of their food. I can imagine that during the holidays, that percentage gets a little higher. Our celebrations always come with lots of food. I found this advice for reducing food waste on CVS.com.

• Reduce the volume of food waste you generate — buy and prepare only what you will sell or use.
• Give to those in need by donating your extra food to food banks, soup kitchens, and shelters or other charities.
• Feed animals by sending food scraps to accepting farms.
• Donate waste oils and food scraps to industrial companies who convert them into new products, such as cosmetics, pet food, fuel, and energy.
• Compost food scraps and yard trimmings.
• Discard any remaining scraps as a last resort.

One thing this advice doesn’t mention is to eat your leftover food. Freeze larger portions for future meals and turn leftovers into new meals before they go bad.

We need to make sure that all the trappings of Christmas don’t end up trapped in a landfill.

Have a very Merry Christmas  and see you in 2009!

In the Bike Lane

Check out this article from Bicycling magazine.  It tells how biking to work in the city is far more efficient than driving a car.

http://inthebikelane.bicycling.com/2008/12/the-unthinkable.html

Locally-Grown Organic Food

Check out the Westin A. Price Foundation for finding locally-grown organic and biodynamic vegetables, fruits and grains; and milk products, butter, eggs, chicken and meat from pasture-fed animals.  They have a local chapter in Brentwood.  Contact:  Shawn Dady (615) 336-2286, shawn@sunsetblvdstudios.com

Their goal is education, research and activism

The Green Movement

Check out these links about the green movement from the library’s SIRS database.

Each month SIRS features a different topic. 

Jan 2009 is the presidential inauguration. 

Come to the library in January and see our U.S. presidential exhibit.

Friends of the Earth

Go to the Friends of the Earth website to tell congress that coal is public enemy number one. A ban on new coal-fired power plants is needed immediately, and we must rapidly phase out existing coal facilities and replace them with clean energy alternatives and energy efficiency. 

Friends of the Earth’s campaigns are:  global warming, government and industry, transportation, healthy people, energy, land, air and water. 

Check them out and take action to help the environment.

National Climate Events from the National Wildlife Federation

Inform
February 5, 2009 – Host “The First 100 Days,” a National Teach-In on your campus on the importance of the President’s Climate Action Plan and campus leadership in the pivotal first 100 days of the new administration.  The kick-off webcast features David Orr, Larry Schweiger, Jessy Tolkan, Billy Parish and others.

Influence
February 28-March 2, 2009 – Send your students to Washington DC to converge on Capitol Hill seeking clean energy solutions and green jobs at Powershift 2009.

Innovate
April 15, 2009 Celebrate bold climate solutions and host Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming on your campus. The acclaimed national webcast showcases some of the most successful innovations to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint on campuses and beyond. The campus that registers the most people for this free program wins a free campus concert by The Steps!

We invite you to participate in all of these activities this spring!  If we can help you with logistics, don’t hesitate to let us know by phone or email.

Cheers,

Julian Keniry
Senior Director, Campus and Community Leadership
703-438-6000 or 1-800-822-9919
campus@nwf.org 

“I have a dream…” Martin L. King, Jr.

Listen to Dr. King, and be inspired to dream your dream whatever your dream may be.

http://www.stephenmoseley.com/misc/mlk/

Growing Green; The Potential for Green Job Growth in Tennessee

THOUSANDS OF TENNESSEE WORKERS STAND TO GAIN
FROM GREEN INDUSTRIES
NEW REPORT ON GREEN JOBS PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO TENNESSEE’S JOB POTENTIAL

 

NASHVILLE – A new report released today shows Tennessee could reduce the unemployment rate, reduce manufacturing job losses and increase income growth by investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

 

The report “Growing Green: The Potential for Green Job Growth in Tennessee” was prepared by the Research and Statistics Unit of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Employment Security Division and released to the Governor’s Task Force on Energy Policy.

 

“Green jobs have the potential to be an important economic engine for Tennessee,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “Transferring skills from manufacturing and other industries to the growing green job market could mark a turning point for job creation and retention in our state.”

 

An analysis of five Tennessee energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors – green building, biofuels, wind, solar, and geothermal energy – identified 162 occupations with significant employment potential in Tennessee.

 

“Solving Tennessee’s energy and environmental problems will stimulate our economy at a time when many people are looking for work,” says Commissioner James Neeley. “The report suggests that not only large employers like Hemlock Semiconductor in Clarksville are the answer, but also smaller companies involved with installation and retrofitting of buildings can bring in a lot of work across the state.”

 

Many of the potential gains would be in the same categories of jobs people work in today.  For example, construction and modification of green buildings requires electricians, roofers and carpenters.  Expansion in biofuels requires chemical engineers, agricultural equipment operators and truck drivers.  Construction of wind energy sources requires tool and die makers, metal fabricators and industrial production managers, among many others.

 

 

 

Tennessee statistics included in the report are as follows:

-          With an expenditure of $1.9 billion in Tennessee over a period of two years, it is estimated that around 45,000 new jobs could be created from expanded energy efficiency and renewable energy production.

-          Early estimates suggest with an accelerated investment effort, Tennessee could gain more than 4,200 full-time jobs in wind and nearly 400 in solar components manufacturing by 2015.

-          Among the 162 occupations considered to be related to green jobs in Tennessee, three out of four do not require a college education. 

 

The complete report, “Growing Green; The Potential for Green Job Growth in Tennessee” can be found on the Internet at the following:

http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/Publications/EmploymentSecurity/GrowingGreenInTN2008.pdf

Bottled Water

Drinking tap water is better for the planet than bottled water.  Check the Environmental Working Group’s web site to learn about your state’s water.  If your biggest concern is chlorine, try filling a pitcher and letting it sit, uncovered, on the counter overnight.  The chlorine will evaporate.  Then you can store it in the the fridge for a nice refreshingly clean class of water you can put in your reusable bottle to bring with you to school, instead of buying drinks from the vending machines.

Stimulus Package Clean and Green

Make the Call Today:
Help Keep the Stimulus Package Clean and Green

Dear Campus Partners, The Senate will be voting on the Economic Stimulus/Recovery Bill tomorrow and we need your help.This bill contains HUGE funding for clean green technology, environmental education, and wildlife and natural resources restoration. But the senate is still considering details – both what to add and what to cut – and it’s still unclear if the Bill can get the 60 votes needed to pass filibuster. We need you to call your senators TODAY and ask them to “pass the Stimulus Bill, and keep it green and wildlife friendly by supporting the current green provisions and passing the Bingaman Amendment, the Landrieu Amendment, and the Harkin Amendment”. Find Your Senators’ Phone Numbers! Here are the top points for what’s already included in the Senate Bill: Invests up to $5.1 billion for wildlife and habitat restoration.   Invests $73 billion for efficiency and renewable energy (a 335% increase from FY’09 spending on effeciency and renewables).   Invests up to $20 billion in modernizing schools, colleges, and universities with efficiency and renewable energy, and up to $400 million in green education and job training. Invests $250 million to help advance more sustainable, next generation biofuels and energy efficiency on farms. What the Good Amendments are: 1. Landrieu amendment: Would increase funding by $2 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to restore priority ecosystems such as the Everglades, Long Island Sound, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River. 2. Bingaman amendment: Would increase funding by $2.5 billion for habitat restoration on wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests, and other public lands and for State Wildlife Grants. 3. Harkin/Thune amendment: Would increase funding for several USDA programs that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.  The programs would help advance next generation biofuels and bioenergy that are friendlier to wildlife and more sustainable than corn ethanol If/when passed the Senate stimulus/recovery bill will be conferenced with the already passed House bill and become one of the largest environmental and conservation investment bills ever!  But the senate bill needs to pass and stay green.  So please call your Senators today and say: “Pass the Stimulus Bill, and keep it green and wildlife friendly by supporting the current green provisions and passing the Bingaman Amendment, the Landrieu Amendment, and the Harkin Amendment” Make the call to your Senators today, asking them to  keep the stimulus package clean and green. Thanks so much, Jim Lyon Senior VP, Conservation Programs alerts@nwf.org P.S. Don’t forget to share this message with your friends.

Make the Call Today to Keep Wildlife-friendly Amendments off the Chopping Block!

Inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

Tennessee Greenways and Trails

Annual Forum April 2-4

Released on Wed, Feb 04, 2009 – 12:05 pm under

• Environment and Conservation

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Greenways and Trails program will hold its annual forum at East Tennessee State University April 2 – 4, 2009, which will be hosted by Johnson City and the Commissioner’s Council on Greenways and Trails.

The three-day networking and skill-building conference, titled “Connect with Tennessee,” will be held at ETSU’s D. P. Culp Center in Johnson City and will feature expert presenters from across the country in addition to a variety of diverse field trips and educational sessions. Educational sessions will include topics such as, improving community health through greenways and trails, the economic impact of greenways and trails on local communities, Off-Highway Vehicle park development, funding and technical resources, historic trails, and long-range planning utilizing the new Greenways and Trails statewide plan. 

Dan Burden, founder of Walkable Communities, Inc., will serve as the keynote speaker on April 3. Nationally recognized as the authority on the development and promotion of alternative transportation and sustainable communities, Burden has thirty years’ experience as a civic innovator and is recognized for his efforts to create better places to live, work and play. 

“This forum is a great opportunity to learn more about the benefits of Tennessee’s greenways and trails and the positive impact they have on communities across the state,” said Greenways and Trails Program Coordinator Robert Richards. “We are especially excited about Dan Burden’s keynote address and honored that he will be sharing his expertise with the group.” 

Advanced registration received prior to March 6 is $75. Registration received after March 7 is $100. Registration fees include full access to the event, including educational sessions, one of three exciting field trips, a Thursday evening reception at the Tipton Haynes Historic Site, and lunch on Friday and Saturday. For hotel accommodations, conference attendees will receive a special rate of $70 by calling the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City at (423) 979-6413 before March 3.

More information on the “Connect with Tennessee” forum, including a list of speakers, an official event brochure, event sponsors and registration forms is available at: www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/#gtforum.

The annual forum also kicks off Greenways and Trails statewide “Connect with Tennessee” marketing campaign, designed to promote the use of Tennessee’s outstanding greenways and trails. To access the Greenways and Trails Web site and the new statewide plan, please visit: www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/greentrails.shtml.

Curbside recycling comes to Wilson County

“Tennessee Curbside Recycling, Inc. (TCR) is a curbside recycling service located in Mt. Juliet, TN. They offer service to residential and commercial customers on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.”  Currently serving Mt. Juliet and Old Hickory.

Call: (615) 773-2746

E-mail: tcr_recycle@live.com

They accept:

• All Paper – Newspaper, computer paper, magazines, phone books, envelopes, junk mail, shredded paper, etc.
• Cardboard – All cardboard, examples are food boxes, paper towel/toilet paper tubes, soap boxes,etc. Please flatten all cardboard before recycling it.
• Aluminum – Cans, food containers, etc. Please rinse out food waste before recycling.
• Plastic – Check the recycling symbol on the plastic. If it has a #1-7 it can be recycled. Examples are plastic bottles, baby food containers, yogurt containers, milk cartons, detergent containers, etc.
• Glass – All glass can be recycled. Just remember to wash out any food waste. We ask that you do separate glass from your other recyclables because it is taken to a different location.

 Do not recycle:  Fabrics, windows, mirrors, used paper towels, black microwave trays or anything with a wax coating.

All containers must be completely rinsed out before recycling.

Check out their site for some easy tips to going green.

http://www.tncurbsiderecycling.com/EasyWaystoGoGreen.html

Final Economic Recovery Bill

How green is the final economic recovery bill?

Really, really green. Check it out:

$80 billion for clean energy, public transportation and green infrastructure, the largest such investment in our nation’s history.

1.6 million new green jobs, including 135,000 green jobs created by a $4.5 billion investment in greening federal buildings — an investment that your contributions to our online ads helped spare from John Boehner’s budget axe.

A 68 million ton reduction in our nation’s carbon footprint, a cut equivalent to a city the size of Chicago, IL going completely carbon-free.

We even managed to convince congressional leaders to drop a controversial $50 billion loan guarantee for the coal and nuclear industries, thanks in part to 20,000 online petition signatures urging our congressional leaders to keep President Obama’s recovery plan clean and green.

It’s big, it’s bold, it’s green, and while winning it wasn’t pretty or easy, it was well worth the effort.

Together, we helped President Obama make an enormous down payment on a new energy future for America. Today, our staff will join him in Denver, Colorado, when he signs it in to law.

Click here to view a photo book of our advocates and activists meeting with members of Congress and their staff last week.

May 14 — Great American Cleanup Event — Bicentennial Mall State Park — 10 am to 3 pm.

The Metro Beautification & Environment Commission would like to invite students to participate in the May 14:

Great American Cleanup Focus City Event at Bicentennial Mall. 

Learn more about how you can help Keep Nashville Beautiful by touring our education display area, which will be open between the hours of 10am – 3pm on May 14 at the Bicentennial Mall.

  

This is a national and state-wide event that will include education about litter prevention, recycling, and community beautification as well as volunteer cleanups at selected locations in the area.  Nashville is one of three U.S. cities selected by KAB to host national spotlight events this year, Mayor Karl Dean and KAB President Matt McKenna announced today. Held annually from March through May, the Great American Cleanup™ has become the nation’s largest volunteer  coordination effort.

 

Nashville will host the final national event on May 14 with a day of community projects, volunteer cleanups and educational exhibits in and around the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall State Park. Planned activities include a kickoff rally, “green” exhibits and education programs, and community cleanups in surrounding neighborhoods.   “My goal is to make Nashville the greenest city in the Southeast,” Mayor Dean said. “As a  national Spotlight City in this year’s Great American Cleanup, we have the opportunity to showcase to the rest of the country our commitment to clean streets and livable communities.”

Clean Coal!

Check this out!

http://action.thisisreality.org/page/s/coenbrothers

Metro Beautification and Recycling

Check out the recycling videos at the Metro Beautification website.    They make you think. 

Here is a quote about the importance of water:

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water… Its substance reaches everywhere; it touches the past and prepares the future; it moves under the poles and wandered thinly in the heights of air.  It can assume forms of exquisite perfection in a snowflake, or strip the living to a single shining bone cast up by the sea.”  — Loren Eisley, The Immense Journey.

Something to think about.

Pride of Place (POP) — 5 cent TN container deposit bill

Pride of Place (POP) Dear POP Supporters,   I’m happy to report that the 2009 “Tennessee Beverage Container Recycling Act” has been finalized and is now in the pipeline. Our job now is to make sure legislators know that Tennesseans want a bottle bill, so feel free to send this message to others. In the meantime, I’ll be issuing a press release and following up with the media. This e-mail is lengthy, so if you are pressed for time, please at least read items 1, 2 and 3.  1. VITAL STATISTICS The bill number is SB1404 and HB1167. You can see it at http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/; type in either of the bill numbers in the search box called “Find Legislation.”  IMPORTANT NOTE: An amendment has been filed that reduces the distributors’ fee to 1/8¢ (we started out at 1¢), but as of this morning it has not yet appeared on the website.  Prime sponsors are again Sen. Doug Jackson and Rep. Mike Turner;  cosponsors (so far) are Sen. Beverly Marrero, Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. Ben West, Jr., and Rep. Jim Coley. We expect that all of last year’s other cosponsors will sign on as well, once we get the sign-on forms to them. If you have a moment, please drop these folks a thank-you e-mail. 2. BEST BOTTLE BILL EVER! I know I say this every year, but this time I absolutely mean it. This year’s bill: Places no new cost on beverage distributors Will generate hundreds of small businesses (“redemption centers”)  Will create as many as 2,000 new jobs Has the support of major industries and industry trade groups Will eventually recover 85% of 4.5 billion containers a year, compared to 10% now Will create access to recycling even in rural areas Will dramatically reduce litter while preserving the existing litter grants program Will keep 200,000+ tons of valuable container material out of landfills Will save local governments millions in waste-hauling and landfill tipping costs Will avoid the equivalent of 150,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases Will save enough energy to power 85,000 homes for a year  Will create job training, jobs and income opportunity for nonprofits and their clients Has bipartisan legislative support  Has 80% public support (UT survey) 3. WHAT YOU CAN DO The first thing you can do is send an e-mail to  Governor Phil Bredesen; to your own state senator and state representative; and to the members of the key committees  (Environment, Conservation and Tourism in the Senate, and State and Local Government in the House). The bill has not been “put on notice” yet, but we expect hearings could begin by late March. You’ll want to keep your message brief, but consider pointing out that this bill addresses every legitimate concern that has been raised by legislators, the beverage companies, the retailers, the recyclers, the manufacturers, the counties, the state’s solid waste professionals and the consumers.  Legislators love to hear from their own constituents, so if your legislator happens to be on one of these committees, that is great. However, since committees are the “gatekeepers” deciding which bills make it to a vote by the full legislature, committee members expect to hear from the rest of us. To see who they are, check the list at the bottom of this e-mail. To find your legislators, go to http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/. Under “Find my legislator,” enter your street address and city. 4. NO NEW COST TO DISTRIBUTORS Last year’s bill required distributors to pay a container-recovery fee of 3¢ per container to fund program operations and compensate “redemption centers.” (Redemption centers are what keep the empty containers out of the grocery stores.) Last year’s hearings, however, convinced us that legislators will not accept a 3¢ fee. So we’ve spent the intervening months conferring and researching and crunching numbers, and have now determined that we can run the deposit program with a fee of just 1/8¢ from the distributors. This happens to be almost precisely what they will NO LONGER BE PAYING in “litter taxes” on beer and soda. In effect, therefore, there will be no new cost to distributors at all.  (And keep in mind that though the litter taxes will be eliminated under this bill, Tennessee will still have its litter programs, including Keep Tennessee Beautiful and litter crews from the county jails, because the bill requires that these programs now be funded with unclaimed deposits.)  In order to reduce the cost to distributors, we had to retool the compensation to redemption centers. They will now be paid a maximum of 1.5¢ per container, which will come almost entirely out of the unclaimed deposits, as available, plus accrued interest. At the same time, redemption centers will now sell the aluminum, plastic and glass to processors. (In past bills, the processors got the scrap for free.) Scrap prices are down right now due to the economy, but in normal years, bottle-bill scrap collectively works out to an average of about 1.5¢ per container, depending on quantities and other factors. 5. INDUSTRY SUPPORT As I mentioned in an earlier e-mail, container deposits now have the backing of some major industries and their trade groups, including the Aluminum Association, the Glass Packaging Institute and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers. These three associations together represent more than 200 processors and manufacturers, from Alcoa to Mohawk to Owens-Illinois. Some of them are actively helping to lobby this bill in Nashville. 6. OTHER KINDS OF RECYCLING Because redemption centers are now authorized to sell their scrap to processors, at least some of them may want to become collection sites for other recyclables as well, such as cardboard. This offers an immediate, cost-effective solution to the lack of recycling in Tennessee, especially in rural counties. It also defuses the beverage industry’s latest argument that “what Tennessee really needs is comprehensive recycling via curbside collection.” Curbside recycling is a good thing, but it is not a magic bullet. Curbside programs can be expensive (in contrast to redemption centers, which cost local governments nothing). They aren’t practical in rural areas (in contrast to redemption centers, which will be everywhere). Without some kind of incentive, such as “pay-as-you-throw” restrictions on weight or number of bags or certain items, curbside (especially in the South) tends to have low participation rates (in contrast to bottle bills, which have participation rates that average 80% nationwide).  And unlike a bottle bill, which produces an extremely “pure” scrap (i.e., properly sorted by material and color), curbside materials tend to be of considerably lower quality, because they cannot avoid being contaminated by other materials (e.g., broken glass baled with newspaper). This is especially true in the much-touted “single-stream” type of curbside, because once you’ve thrown everything into a single bin, it’s impossible to completely “unscramble the egg” at the sorting plant. So while citizens may like single-stream for its convenience, communities find that the materials generate less revenue and are harder to sell. Indeed, some processors won’t buy scrap from single-stream programs because of the potential damage to their processing equipment. In some cases, the community winds up paying to landfill the very materials it just paid to collect! 7. DON’T IGNORE LITTER 8. MORE SUPPORT FOR NONPROFITS After seeing thriving nonprofit redemption centers in other states, we’ve decided to set an informal goal of having 25 percent of redemption centers in Tennessee owned by nonprofits such as Goodwill Industries or Habitat for Humanity. While the bill doesn’t actually stipulate any goal, it does allow program funds to be used to help redemption centers get up and running. If we make the effort, I think Tennessee can become a national model for nonprofit redemption centers, thus providing social services while relieving the strain on public coffers. 9. COMMITTEE INFO The bottle bill has been assigned to the Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee in the Senate, and to the State Government Subcommittee of the State and Local Government Committee in the House. Here are the members:  THANKS!!! Marge Davis, Ph.D. Coordinator, Pride of Place/Tennessee Bottle Bill Project A Project of Scenic Tennessee, Inc. 45 Burris Court Mt. Juliet, TN 37122 home (615) 758-8647 fax (615) 754-0966  cell (615) 294-2651 www.tnbottlebill.org margedavis@comcast.net     Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee LP= Legislative Plaza WMB= War Memorial Building  Area Code (615)   Sen. Tim Barnes D-22 Cheatham, Houston, Montgomery 305 WMB 741-2374 Sen. Charlotte Burks D-15 Cumberland, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, White 304 WMB 741-3978 Sen. Mike Faulk  R-4 Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Union 11A LP 741-2061 Sen. Doug Jackson D-25 Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis   741-4499 Sen. Jack Johnson R-23 Williamson, part of Davidson 10A LP 741-2495 Sen. Steve Southerland R-1 Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Unicoi 10 LP 741-3851 Sen. Eric Stewart D-14 Franklin, Bledsoe, Coffee, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren 310A WMB 741-6694 Sen. Jamie Woodson R-6 Knox 6 LP 741-1648 Sen. Ken Yager R-12 Campbell, Fentress, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Scott 3 LP 741-1449 House State and Local Government Committee Rep. Joe Carr R-48 part of Rutherford 205 WMB 741-2180   Rep. Ty Cobb D-64 part of Maury 23 LP 741-3005 Rep. Jim Coley R-97 part of Shelby 207 WMB 741-8201 Rep. Joshua Evans R-66 Robertson 207 WMB 741-2860 Rep. Ryan Haynes R-14 part of Knox 203 WMB 741-2264 Rep. Ulysses Jones, Jr. D-98 part of Shelby 35 LP 741-4575 Rep. John Litz D-10 Hamblen 17 LP 741-6877 Rep. Gerald McCormick R-26 part of Hamilton 117 WMB 741-2548 Rep. Larry Miller D-88 part of Shelby 20 LP 741-4453 Rep. Gary Moore   D-50 part of Davidson 35 LP 741-4317 Rep. Mary Pruitt D-58 part of Davidson 25 LP 741-3853 Rep. Bob Ramsey R-20 part of Blount 207 WMB 741-3560 Rep. Eric Swafford   R-25 Cumberland & Bledsoe 202 WMB 741-2343 Rep. Harry Tindell D-13 Knoxville 33 LP 741-2031 Rep. Curry Todd R-95 Shelby 209 WMB 741-1866 Rep. Eric Watson  R-22 Meigs, Polk, part of Bradley 205 WMB 741-7799 Rep. Ben West Jr.   D-60 part of Davidson 108 WMB 741-6959 Rep. Eddie Yokley D-11 Cocke and part of Greene 35 LP 741-6871   One other key limitation of curbside is that while it addresses municipal solid waste, it does nothing to address litter. Bottle bills do both. Because beverage containers account for roughly half of Tennessee’s litter, and because each container will now be worth a nickel, we can expect to see container littering in particular drop by 80% to 90%, resulting in an overall litter reduction of around 40%. After a few more years, we could see an overall reduction of 60%. And if we are like Maine, Vermont, Iowa, Oregon and the other deposit states, we can ultimately look forward to the day when litter is no more than an occasional eyesore.  Compare this to what we have here in Tennessee under our current litter-control system, which is based on a stubborn insistence that education alone changes littering behavior. For almost three years now, Tennessee has been paying for an aggressive anti-litter campaign, known as  ”STOP IT,”  that features billboards, TV ads, radio spots, t-shirts, placards and so on. How effective has this campaign been? Not so much, judging by the latest litter figures from the county litter grants program. Since the campaign was launched, Tennessee’s litter has increased by 15%–from 22.3 million pounds in 2005-2006, to 25.9 million pounds in 2007-2008.     The litter & recycling solution based on a 5¢ Tennessee container deposit   March 9, 2009

Green Nashville

Check out this article from Nashville Lifestyles magazine:

http://www.nashvillelifestyles.com/article/20090303/NL01/302260007

It tells about the “green” initiatives in the Gulch area downtown and how the area is now LEED certified. 

The library subscribes to this title.  (Feb. 2007 — current)

Live a “Green” life

Check out Tennessee Green.com

Daily green tips

Latest environmental news and green living

Interact with others through forums.Learn about green organizations and businesses.

Calendar of events like hikes, clean-ups, public meetings and social events.

Discover places to hike, paddle and enjoy natutr in Tennessee.

Rain Garden Workshops

These workshops are being done by the Cumberland River Compact.

Upcoming Rain Barrel Workshops:

• April 11 at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 10 am

• April 14 at Strafford High

• April 21 at Strafford High

• April 30 at Warner Park Nature Center, 6:30 pm

• May 9 at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 10 am

• May 15 at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, Noon

• June 6 at Shelby Nature Center in conjunction with the Catfish Rodeo and Water Festival, 10 am

• July 11 at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 10 am

• August 15 at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 10 am

See a date you like?   Call 862-8539 to register!

 The mission of the Cumberland River Compact is to enhance the water quality of the Cumberland River and its tributaries through education and by promoting cooperation among citizens, businesses, and agencies in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Double Duty

Think of transportation and exercise as a glorious package deal. 

Can walking/biking/rollerblading to work, school or to errands and appointments eliminate the need for a gym membership, and its associated expense and resource consumption.

News stories about Earth Hour (3/28/09)

Check out this article about Earth Hour.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/earth_hour_2009.html

2009 Chill Out Webcast — National Wildlife Federation

Check this out to see what other campuses are doing to improve the environment.

http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/chillout/broadcast.cfm

Webcast is April 15.  Go to the site and sign up.

New Environmental Books in the Kisber Library

Check these books out and celebrate Earth Day this month.

April 15 is Spring Fling/Earth Day on campus.

How to Reduce you Carbon Footprint: 365 simple ways to save energy, resources and money.

Cut Your Energy Bills Now:  150 smart ways to save money and make your home more comfortable and green   Bruce Harley

The Carbon-Free Home:  36 remodeling projects to help kick the fossil-fuel habit.   Stephen and Rebekah Hren.

Energy Independence:  your everyday guide to reducing fuel consumption.

Ready, Set, Green: eight weeks to modern eco-living.   From the experts at treehugger.com

The Bike to Work Guide: Save gas, go green, get fit.

Pride of Place (POP) — 5¢ Tennessee container deposit

Dear Friends:

I’ve given up on my effort to use cool e-mail stationery. We’ve got more important things to focus on. Like . . . VICTORY!  

For once I’m not going to go on and on and on. I’m just going to give you a handful of action items (along with the usual list of key features) and ask you to pour your hearts out for these last few hours before Tuesday’s all-important Senate Environment Committee hearing. 

Action items:

• PLEASE COME TO THE HEARING TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! The Senate Environment Committee convenes Tuesday (April 7) in Room 12 of Legislative Plaza, corner of 6th and Union in downtown Nashville. Start time is 11 a.m. rather than 11:30. Our bill (SB 1404) is next to last on the agenda, so it probably will be 11:30 before they get to it.  

• Note: There is no House hearing on April 8. This will likely happen on April 15, IF the bill passes out of committee on Tuesday. Plan to come to that, too.

• Know any FARMERS?? If so, send me their contact info, asap. We need a farmer to testify on Tuesday. This is planting season, and none of our usual farmer-supporters is available.

• Got any great images of litter? If so, e-mail them to me, and I’ll put them in a slide show to be aired at Tuesday’s hearing. If we are going to survive the opposition’s efforts to kill the bill by putting it into a “summer study committee,” we need to remind them that a container deposit does as much about litter as it is about recycling. The opposition bills do nothing to address litter. (And they do little, realistically, about recycling.)

• Continue to
  • work your networks
  • e-mail the governor: phil.bredesen@state.tn.us
  • contact committee members if you haven’t already done so (see list below), especially chairman Steve Southerland

Key features:

• The bottle bill will dramatically and permanently reduce TN’s litter, roughly half of which is bottles and cans. The 11 states with bottle bills found that overall litter dropped by an average of almost 40% within a few years of passage, and container-only litter dropped by as much as 80%. 

• This year’s bill imposes NO NEW COST on the beverage distributors. Under an amendment that will be voted on on Tuesday, beverage distributors will pay only a “container-recovery fee” of 1/8 cent, which works out almost exactly to what they now pay in “litter taxes” to fund inmate litter crews and Keep Tennessee Beautiful. Funding for these programs will now come out of the bottle-bill revenues.

• Empty containers do NOT get returned to the grocery store under this bill. Returns are to any of hundreds of independent businesses known as certified redemption centers. These may be owned by individuals, businesses, scrap yards, local governments and nonprofit agencies. 

• Redemption centers make a living by (1) selling the container scrap to local scrap dealers or end-users; and (2) receiving a handling fee of 1 cent per container, which is paid out of the accrued unclaimed deposits. 

• Redemption centers may, if acceptable to the local government and the local recycling infrastructure, also accept non-deposit items such as cardboard, newspaper and pickle jars. 

• The bill is endorsed by the Tennessee Association of County Mayors. 

• Manufacturers prefer bottle-bill scrap not only because it gets collected in such high quantities–the national average is 80%–but because it’s properly sorted by material and color, and with none of the cross-contamination, foreign materials and low volumes that tend to plague drop-off and curbside recycling programs. 

• For the first time in history, all three of the major container-commodity trade groups–the Aluminum Association, the Glass Packaging Institute and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers–now support container deposits.

• In addition to recovering $50 million or more of scrap each year, this bill will save landfill space, reduce collection and hauling costs, save 1.5 million barrels of crude oil a year and avoid 150,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee members:

Marge Davis, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Pride of Place/Tennessee Bottle Bill Project
A Project of Scenic Tennessee, Inc.
45 Burris Court
Mt. Juliet, TN 37122
home (615) 758-8647
fax (615) 754-0966
cell (615) 294-2651
www.tnbottlebill.org
margedavis@comcast.net

  

Sen. Tim Barnes	D-22	Cheatham, Houston, Montgomery	305 WMB	741-2374
Sen. Charlotte Burks	D-15	Cumberland, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, White	304 WMB	741-3978
Sen. Mike Faulk	R-4	Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Union	11A LP	741-2061
Sen. Doug Jackson SPONSOR	D-25	Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis		741-4499
Sen. Jack Johnson	R-23	Williamson & part of Davidson	10A LP	741-2495
Sen. Steve Southerland CHAIR	R-1	Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Unicoi	10 LP	741-3851
Sen. Eric Stewart	D-14	Franklin, Bledsoe, Coffee, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren	310A WMB	741-6694
Sen. Jamie Woodson	R-6	Knox	6 LP	741-1648
Sen. Ken Yager	R-12	Campbell, Fentress, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Scott	3 LP	741-1449

 

Think positive!

 

The litter & recycling solution based on a 5¢ Tennessee container deposit

Tennessee Bottle Bill

This week’s long-awaited hearing on the bottle bill was cut short, due to endless discussions of other items, and will resume next week. That’s the bad news.

The GOOD NEWS is that the little bit of testimony that we had time for was absolutely perfect! See the short press release below. 

The other GOOD NEWS is that the delay may prove to be a blessing in disguise, because it gives us that much more time to hammer away at the 5 votes we need. 

In the meantime, here’s how you can help, one more time . . . And don’t forget to share this e-mail with your own network and beyond. You never know whose desk it might land on.

1. COME TO THE DAD-GUMMED HEARING! TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 11:30 CDT, LEGISLATIVE PLAZA, ROOM 12

I hate to say it, but except for our legion of speakers, Tuesday’s hearing room was PRACTICALLY EMPTY. Folks did trickle in over time, and we are grateful to every one of them. But if this bill is really as popular as we say it is, we should be able to PACK THE HEARING ROOM!!! Shame on us if we cannot.

Think of it this way: One way or the other, you’ll see history being made. Either the bill passes, which will be hugely historic; or I explode into a thousand pieces, which will also be historic, though not nearly so pleasant.

But seriously: Next week, we’re the second item on the agenda, following a budget presentation by the Department of Tourist Development. That will probably take 20 minutes, so feel free to arrive closer to 12 noon. We should be finished–one way or the other!–by 12:30.

2. WORK YOUR CONTACTS IN THREE SWING DISTRICTS 

We need to be sure of five votes, and we can’t take any chances. The following three senators in particular need to hear FROM THEIR OWN CONSTITUENTS by Tuesday morning, and preferably by Saturday evening. (Please don’t call on Sunday–that’s Easter.)

They’ll all be back in their districts later today and will return to Nashville Monday afternoon. If you personally don’t live in one of these districts, try to think of folks who do. Tell them the basics–using the bullet points below if you like–and then give them the contact info.

Thanks as always!

1. SENATOR MIKE FAULK (R-Church Hill)

Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson and Union counties

District office (423) 357-8088

Nashville office (615) 741-2061

sen.mike.faulk@capitol.tn.gov

2. SENATOR KEN YAGER (R-Jacksboro) 

Campbell, Fentress, Morgan, Rhea, Roane and Scott counties 

District office (865) 285-9797

Nashville office (615) 741-1449

sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov

3. SENATOR CHARLOTTE BURKS (D-Monterey)

Cumberland, Overton, Pickett, Putnam and White counties

Home: (931) 839-3392

Nashville office (615) 741-3978

sen.charlotte.burks@capitol.tn.gov

TODAY’S PRESS RELEASE:

Bottle Makers to Senate Committee: “We Support Bottle Bills”

Tuesday’s Senate hearing on the proposed “bottle bill” (5-cent deposit on glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers) was cut short by the clock, but not before executives from the nation’s second-largest glass-container manufacturer told lawmakers, “We used to oppose bottle bills. Now we support them.”

Peter J. Walters, vice president for purchasing and distribution at Muncie, Ind.-based Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc. (formerly the Ball Corporation), explained that container-deposit programs alone provide the quantity and quality of recycled glass required by his industry. 

Other collection systems, such as curbside and drop-off bins, not only yield low volumes, he said. What material they do generate is often mixed with unacceptable items such as test-tube glass, Pyrex bowls and ceramic coffee mugs.

The problem is not simply the cost of buying and installing expensive sorting equipment, said Walters, nor is it just the added energy cost of running furnaces at higher temperatures. It’s the fact that even the best sorting systems can’t always filter out minute contaminants. Champagne bottles have been known to explode because of the weakness created by a tiny bit of embedded stone. 

Also giving testimony on Tuesday was Jai Templeton, mayor of McNairy County in southwest Tennessee. Templeton is a member of the Tennessee Association of County Mayors, which has endorsed the bottle bill.

Templeton told the committee that he personally favors the measure, in part for its ability to create jobs and reduce solid waste at no cost to local government, but equally for its ability to reduce litter. According to the county sheriff’s deputy in change of litter pickups, he said, at least half of McNairy County’s litter is beer bottles, soda cans and other beverage containers. 

The proposed bill is expected to eliminate 80% – 90% of beverage-container litter while continuing to fund the county litter crews and other litter programs.

Hearings on SB 1404 are scheduled to resume Tuesday, April 7, at 11:30 a.m. in the Senate Environment Committee.

###

A summary of key points:

• This year’s bill (via an amendment that was approved on Tuesday) poses no new cost to beverage distributors. They will pay only a “container-recovery fee” of 1/8 cent, which works out to roughly what they now pay via the  ”litter taxes.” These taxes will be repealed when the bill passes, and the funding for the litter grants will instead come out of the bottle-bill revenues. 

• Empty containers do NOT get returned to the grocery store. Returns are to any of hundreds of independent businesses known as certified redemption centers, which may be owned by individuals, businesses, local governments and nonprofit agencies. 

• Redemption centers make a living by (1) selling the container scrap to local scrap dealers or end-users; and (2) receiving 1 cent per container out of the unclaimed deposits. Assuming 5 billion containers a year, 85% redemption, 500 redemption centers and a 5-year average of scrap prices, this provides an average annual gross revenue of more than $200,000 per center. 

• Redemption centers may, if acceptable to the local government and the local recycling infrastructure, also accept non-deposit items such as cardboard, newspaper and pickle jars. This potentially doubles the number of “convenience centers” in the state, at no cost whatever to the state or to local governments. And because people will be going to the redemption centers to get back their deposits, their recycling of these other items will also increase. (Overall residential recycling in deposit states is 3 times what it is here–31% vs 10%.)

• The bottle bill will dramatically reduce TN’s litter, half of which is bottles and cans. A 5-cent deposit will reduce this portion of litter by 80% to 90%, and will reduce overall litter by at least 40%, perhaps more. 

• A randomized survey of 777 registered voters by UT’s Social Science Research Institute found that 80.4 percent of Tennesseans support a 5-cent deposit. 

• All three of the major container-commodity trade groups–the Aluminum Association, the Glass Packaging Institute and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers–now acknowledge container deposits to be a legitimate and effective way to get both the quantity and quality of container scrap their members need. 

• 80% of all containers are beverage containers; and 80% of all returned containers (including virtually all of the glass and aluminum) are used to make new beverage containers. The plastic that is not used in containers is used in such products as carpet and fleece.

• The bill will keep more than 200,000 tons of material, collectively worth at least $50 million, out of landfills, while saving the energy equivalent of 1.5 million barrels of crude oil a year and avoiding 150,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases.

• The bill will actually help hold down future beverage-price increases, because in most cases, it’s less expensive to make new containers out of recycled ones. Beverage prices are lower, on average, in the 11 deposit states.

Marge Davis, Ph.D.

Coordinator

Pride of Place/Tennessee Bottle Bill Project

A Project of Scenic Tennessee, Inc.

45 Burris Court

Mt. Juliet, TN 37122

home (615) 758-8647

fax (615) 754-0966 

cell (615) 294-2651

www.tnbottlebill.org

margedavis@comcast.net

NWF’s Chill Out Contest winners

Watch this webcast to see what the awarding colleges and universites across the nation are doing to reduce their carbon footprint.

http://www.fc-tv.com/clients/nwf/700k.asx

 

Water: Take care of it!

Water Tip of the Day

Pick up litter in your neighborhood and on your school grounds – everything eventually ends up in a water body.
Source: The Groundwater Foundation

For a list of water facts in English and Spanish, visit our Be Water Wise! Facts page

Nashville’s Earth Day – Sat., April 18 — Centennial Park

New Environmental Books in the Library

Come check them out.

 

QC981.8      Dire Predictions: understanding global warming.  (2008)

.G56                                       The illustrated guide to the findings of the IPCC.

M3

2008

 

QC981.8     The Long Thaw: How humans are changing the next 100,000 years

.G56                                       Earth’s History.    (2009)

A72

2009

 

QH541.1     Sustaining Life: how human health depends on biodiversity.   (2008)

.B56

S96

2008

 

QC981          Human Impacts on Weather and Climate.  2^nd ed.  (2007)

.C72

2007

 

G128              Diversity Amid Globalization: world regions, environment,

.D58                                       development.  (2009)

2009

Protect the places we play

Clif Bar Green Notes marries the power of music with a passion for the environment, partnering with musicians to reduce the environmental impact of their tours.

Buy the benefit album: Protect the Places We Play on iTunes.

Download 2 free tracks (code:  M6LR76RFRNW3) expires 7/15/2009

Volunteer events

Contest: Tell about places you want to protect and win free green gear. 

Take the pledge.

Expand Your Green Vocabulary

Got a question about a green term?

Check out the EPA’s “Terms of Environment” page for an excellent glossary of green terms, abbreviations, and acronyms.

Cumberland River Compact Activities

NASHVILLE CLEAN WATER PROJECT: WAY TO GO NASHVILLE, WE’RE KICKIN’ BUTT ON TRASH! You can make another huge difference on Saturday, May 2, from 8 am until 5 pm (and snag a fun, free boat ride) by participating in the third Nashville Clean Water Project at Percy Priest Lake. We have trash bags, gloves and sunscreen for you… we have snacks, hand sanitizer, T-shirts and hats… …we also have gobs of giveaways. It’s the largest water cleanup in Nashville’s history so of course it’s going to be huge!  And, yes, it’s absolutely free.  Boats will depart from Nashville Shores Water Park to specific lake locations every 45 minutes; just choose your departure time with the yellow “Register” button on any page. Participants must be 16 years or older.  To register, click here.      MAY 14th BUILDING OUTSIDE THE BOX MONTHLY MEETING Join us for the BOB Meeting on Thursday, May 14th at 11:30 for a special tour of the new Beaman Park Nature Center… contact Gwen for meeting details.   NASHVILLE NAMED A NATIONAL HOST VENUE FOR 2009 GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP™ Tennessee’s capitol will have the chance to showcase its Volunteer spirit and green initiatives this spring for Keep America Beautiful Inc.’s Great American Cleanup™. Nashville is one of three U.S. cities selected by KAB to host national spotlight events this year. Nashville will host the final national event on May 14 with a day of community projects, volunteer cleanups and educational exhibits in and around the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall State Park.  Planned activities include a kickoff rally, “green” exhibits and education programs, and community cleanups in surrounding neighborhoods.  Organizers are looking to recruit 1,000 volunteers from all 95 counties in Tennessee to demonstrate the “Volunteer State” moniker in action. Sign up to volunteer here.       GET INVOLVED!  May 18- Red River Watershed and TDEC Public Meeting        5:30 PM in Clarksville, TN. The topic will be “Karst Aquifer Studies in the Red River Watershed.” Clarksville Civic Hall 350 Pageant Lane Clarksville, TN 5:30 PM–light refreshments, 6:00–meeting, 7:30–adjourn The meeting is designed to tell the members of the Red River Watershed Association, other local residents and interested parties what the karst project is and what TDEC and Kentucky will be accomplishing. Contact Jim for more details.   June 6-  Catfish Rodeo and Water Festival               Shelby Park, 8 am- Contact Laura for registration details or to VOLUNTEER.   Rain Barrel Workshop In conjunction with the Catfish Rodeo and Water Festival, Shelby Bottoms Nature Center – 10am Call 862-8539 to register.   August 22- Dragon Boat and River Festival Riverfront Park, Contact Brooke to register your competitive team!   The mission of the Cumberland River Compact is to enhance the water quality of the Cumberland River and its tributaries through education and by promoting cooperation among citizens, businesses, and agencies in Kentucky and Tennessee. If you want to be a part of the Compact’s current initiatives, but don’t have the time, give a little in the form of a charitable, tax-free donation here.

P.O. Box 41721 | Nashville, TN 37204 info@cumberlandrivercompact.org | 615.837.1151 www.cumberlandrivercompact.org

One action can make a difference.

“When people ask me ‘What can I do?’ — I say, ‘There’s two things.  One, you must realize that, unlikely though it seems, your little life does make a difference, what you do each day.  And secondly, leading from that, people must learn a little bit more and think a littlebit more about the consequences of the choices we make each day — what we eat, where it comes from, how it was made, has it got chemical poisons in it, whether it involves the torture of animals.”  –  Jane Goodall.

To help us make better choices in our purchases we can shop at a new “green” store the Green Wagon at 4429 Murphy Rd. (across from McCabe’s Golf Course).  Everything is made America, and many of the products are made in Middle Tennessee.   They are all environmentally friendly. 

For some Green Driving Solutions contact Chris@greendrivingsolutions.com   The store has the DVD for sale.

The campus bookstore now has recycled paper products. 30% post-consumer content.   Check it out!

Community Colleges Stepping Up, Freshwater Wind Turbines and More!

From the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program:

The latest issue of ClimateEdu: News for the Green Campus is live! Here are this week’s headlines: Community Colleges Step Up to Train Clean Energy Workers http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/climateedu/articleView.cfm?iArticleID=72

With all the buzz on green jobs, and new legislation in the pipeline, how are schools training a green-collar workforce? Canvassing the Climate: Art Takes Its Own Approach to Science http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/climateedu/articleView.cfm?iArticleID=73

Traveling art exhibits from University of Wisconsin and University of Chicago make climate change personal and local. CWRU to Experiment with Freshwater Turbine http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/climateedu/articleView.cfm?iArticleID=75

Case Western Reserve University hopes to make waves by building the world’s first freshwater wind turbine in Lake Erie. St. Thomas University Prepares Lawyers to Take on Environmental Issues http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/climateedu/articleView.cfm?iArticleID=74

A small but steadily growing legal discipline is training lawyers to defend one of the world’s most under-represented clients: the environment. You can also visit our site and archives at: http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/climateedu/

Transportation for the 21st Century

Federal Transportation Authorization Take Action! Prioritizing biking and walking in our transportation system     Congress is preparing to draft legislation that will define our national transportation system for the next 6 years. We need your help to ensure that bicycling is a part of that system, a transportation system for the 21st century.     Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus is circulating a  ”Dear Colleague” letter to his fellow Bike Caucus Members respectfully asking them to support  increased federal support for establishing a truly multi-modal national transportation policy that better integrates bicycling and walking into our nation’s transportation system.   We are thankful for Congressman Blumenauer’s efforts on behalf of cyclists nationwide and urge  you to contact your Representative, who is on the Congressional Bike Caucus, to ask them to  join Mr. Blumenauer and lend their voice to this important bike-partisan debate.   Please contact your Congressional Representative today to urge them to sign on to Representative Blumenauer’s “Dear Colleague” Letter.

Ban on plastic bottles

Interesting article on why we need to ban plastic on campus.  When fish injest bits of plastic they float and cannot swim down to eat, and then they die.

If off campus the password is:  elvis

Living herbs

This Spring, plant herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes, and you will save money at the grocery store and pharmacy, and eliminate lots of packaging. 

For some help on herb gardening check out the library’s book collection.

Call numbers to browse are SB321 – SB404.

One example is:  The Chef’s Garden — SB321 .C77 1999

The library also subscribes to quite a few good gardening magazines.

Examples are:  Organic Gardening and Fine Gardening.

Some good web sites are:

www.backyardgardener.com/herb

www.herbnet.com

www.herbal-home-remedies.org

www.all-natural.com/herbguid.html

PRIDE OF PLACE

The comprehensive litter and recycling solution based on a Tennessee bottle bill

 

The bottle bill is still very much alive. At its final hearing in the Senate Environment Committee, the sponsor, Sen. Doug Jackson, opted to roll it, intact, to next year.

All things considered, this is a good outcome. We knew we faced a whole new slate of legislators and committee members this year, and I think we made good progress getting them to understand the legislation. We heard a lot of excellent testimony, gained some vital allies and logged more press endorsements. Most important, the bill itself is now essentially perfect. It poses no new cost to distributors, it levels the playing field for recyclers, and it eliminates what I call the “mayonnaise jar” argument, by allowing redemption centers to accept other, non-deposit recyclables as well as deposit beverage containers.

Anyway, now that we have a perfect bill, we need to spend the rest of 2009 making sure it has the votes to pass in 2010. Here’s what I have in mind; please let me know which of these you’d be willing to help with:

1. Gain endorsements from all 95 county commissions (we already have three!)

2. Do door-to-door canvassing in Williamson County
3. Organize “Litter-&-Legislators” roadside cleanups 

4. Expand our support network (Facebook, Twitter, blogs?)

5. Make sure the bottle bill is an issue in the gubernatorial race

 

1. Gain endorsements from all 95 county commissions

Three county commissions have already passed resolutions (Loudon, Hickman and Maury) supporting the bill; our goal is to gain the endorsements of the remaining 92. As most of you know, the TN County Mayors Association has already done so. Commissioners tend overwhelmingly to like this bill for the same reasons (more jobs, more revenue, less litter, lower waste costs and more money for schools, all at no cost to county budgets). 

I’ve written a sample resolution (borrowing from Maury County’s) and am sending a copy to each county mayor and commission chair, along with a letter and brochure summarizing the revised bill. (Midtown Printing here in Nashville has generously donated 4,000 copies of the brochure.)

I’ve also promised to make sure the commissioners have whatever other information they need, including testimony from county residents. If you can help out in your county, let me know, and I will plug you in.

 

2. Go door-to-door in Williamson County

Although folks are welcome to canvass their own districts, this effort is aimed at Williamson County, home of District 23 Senator Jack Johnson. (His district also includes a small part of Davidson. To see if you are a constituent, click on this link: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/districtmaps/Senate23.pdf.) 

Sen. Johnson is a high-powered legislator who led the opposition when the bill came before Senate Environment Committee in April. His chief objection, he said, is that it is a “$250-million tax” that is opposed by most of the businesses in his district. He dismisses the results of the UT poll that showed 80 percent support among voters. 

Some politically astute folks have told us that the best way to address Johnson’s opposition is to talk directly to his constituents. The plan is to have volunteers go door-to-door in District 23, briefly summarizing the bill and asking respondents (1) if they support the measure, and (2) if they consider the deposit to be a tax. We’ll pass the results on to Sen. Johnson and other Williamson County legislators. We may also share them with the press. If you can help organize or take part in these efforts–esp. if you live in Williamson County–contact me.

 

3. Get youth to organize “Litter-&-Legislators” roadside cleanups 

Everyone says we’ve got to get young people involved. Why not have them–Scouts, outdoor clubs, etc.–persuade legislators to join them in picking up local roadsides? 

Our system is real simple. Participants simply put all the deposit-beverage containers in one 13-gallon drawstring garbage bag; put everything else in another bag; and tally the results. We had great success with a similar series of cleanups in 2005-2006 that showed 50% of litter volume is bottles and cans. Contact me if you want to know more, or go to www.tnbottlebill.org, click on “Events and Cleanups,” and download the guidelines for “X Marks the Spot.”  

4. Expand our network using new-fangled tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogs

I’ve just been introduced to the brave new world of social networking. Granted, all I’ve done so far is create my own profile at Facebook, and I’ve never even sent a text message, let alone Twittered. Nonetheless, I know it’s the organizational tool of the future. If you know how to do such things, please set up a blog, Facebook and/or Twitter network for POP, tell me how to use it, and I’ll notify everyone else. 

5. Help make sure the bottle bill is an issue in the governor’s race

Nashville businessman Ward Cammack, one of the Democrats running for governor, recently became the first mainstream candidate for any office, ever in the history of the state, to publicly call for passage of a bottle bill! This really is an act of courage (one of the other candidates owns a beer distributorship!) but it can only help give this issue more credibility and visibility.

I’d like to see every candidate take a position publicly on the bill. If you know any of them–or even if you don’t–contact them, and ask if they have a position on the bill. If they have no position, offer to provide them information so that they can take one. If they are opposed, suggest that they look more closely at the bill. And if they support it, consider putting your own support–and money–into their campaign–and make sure they know why you are doing so.

Here are links to their campaigns:

a. Ward Cammack (D) www.wardcammack.com  SUPPORTS BOTTLE BILL
b. Kim McMillan (D) www.kimmcmillan.com c. Mike McWherter (D) www.mikemcwherter.com
d. Roy Herron (D) www.tndp.org/group/royherronforgovernor
e. Bill Haslam (R) www.billhaslam.com
f.  Ron Ramsey (R) teamronramsey.com
g. Zach Wamp (R) www.zachwamp.comh. Bill Gibbons (R) www.gibbons2010.com

Thanks, folks. I hope to hear from you!

Marge Davis, Ph.D.

Coordinator

Pride of Place/Tennessee Bottle Bill Project

A Project of Scenic Tennessee, Inc.

45 Burris Court

Mt. Juliet, TN 37122

home (615) 758-8647

fax (615) 754-0966 

cell (615) 294-2651

www.tnbottlebill.org

margedavis@comcast.net

Sierra Club Meeting — Butterfly Gardens

June 11, 7:00 pm at Radnor Lake visitor center.  The talk will be about “creating a butterfly-friendly backyard” by Regional Naturalist John Froeschauer. 

Check out this article on “Gardening for Butterflies.(attracting butterflies)” from Audubon magazine.  (May 1999)  The library has the magazine.

http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&docType=IAC&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=AONE&docId=A54611365&userGroupName=tel_a_nsti&version=1.0&searchType=BasicSearchForm&source=gale

Off campus password for TEL: elvis

Create a new climate for action

Find out how to be a Climate Ambassador:

http://www.epa.gov/climateforaction/

Climate ambassador

Streets Blog

Check this out:  http://streetsblog.net/

The national blog network for sustainable transport, smart growth and livable streets.

Go In-Depth on American Clean Energy & Security Act

Go In-Depth on ACES

Shared via AddThis

Campus Sustainability Planning Network

Check out this social network for the higher education community in support of integrated sustainability planning.

http://www.campussustainability.info/

October is Sustainability month.

Bells Bend

Check this video out about the Bells Bend issue. 

Conservation

“The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.”  Theodore Roosevelt

Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Study — July 27 – 30

Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Study Enters Next Stage Public Meetings Scheduled for July 27-30 The Nashville Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will host a series of public meetings between July 27 and July 30 to report on the development of a Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Study:  A Strategic Vision for Walking and Bicycling in the Greater Nashville Region. This study relies on information gathered and priorities identified at community meetings held earlier this year and will incorporate input from the upcoming public meetings. After a presentation on the progress of the MPO report, attendees at the July meetings will have the opportunity to ask questions and to provide feedback on prioritizing needs for future bicycle and pedestrian projects. A meeting is scheduled for each county in the MPO area as follows:

• Davidson County on Monday, July 27 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at East Park Community Center, 700 Woodland Street, Nashville, 37206.

• Rutherford County on Tuesday, July 28 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Smyrna Town Centre, 100 Sam Ridley Parkway East, 37167.

• Williamson County on Tuesday, July 28 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Williamson County Public Library, 1314 Columbia Ave, Franklin, 37064.

• Wilson County on Thursday, July 30 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Lebanon City Hall, 200 Castle Heights Avenue North, 37087.

• Sumner County on Thursday, July 30 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Hendersonville Public Library, 140 Saundersville Road, 37075.

The Nashville Area MPO is the regional planning organization federally established to carryout transportation planning within the greater Nashville region. The MPO policy board is comprised of local elected Mayors and County Executives and guides federal and state funding of transportation projects such as roads, bridges, sidewalks and bikeways, and transit within the greater Nashville region. Additional information on the project can be found by logging on to the MPO website. Public input is welcome – email the Project Manager.

Plant a Tree on your Car!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Contact:   Kami Bruner – 615.310.6873,  tnurbanforestry@gmail.com 

Proposed Urban Forestry specialty plate will benefit communities across Tennessee.

Nashville, TN. (August 7, 2009) – The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC)

 Trees work hard for all of us. They reduce air pollution, replenish water tables, prevent erosion, absorb noise, cool urban areas, reduce household and business energy costs, increase property values, trees even reduce crime and foster safer, more sociable neighborhoods…all for free.  But it’s hard work and each day brings increasing demands on their time and energy.  Now there’s a way you can help trees and communities across Tennessee by doing something most of us do every day… Drive.  But drive with a cause!

 The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, a statewide nonprofit organization, needs your help to gain approval for the Tennessee “Trees Make a Difference” specialty license plate! To meet the legislature’s requirements, 1,000 “Tree Tags” must be pre-sold by June 30, 2010 before production can begin.  Proceeds from the Tree Tag help fund programs including:

The Tennessee Tree Fund, supporting tree plantings throughout the state.

• Urban Forestry Workshops, facilitating new urban forestry programs in communities and enhancing existing programs.
• Tennessee Groves, a memorial, honorary and environmental landscaping program.
• The Arboretum Certification Program, boasting 50 certified arboreta serving as exemplary educational outreach resources for local communities.
• The Landmark, Historic, and Heritage Tree Registries, recognizing and preserving trees with distinguished historical, geographic or cultural significance.
• The Notable Trees of Tennessee exhibit, traveling for free and captivating audiences with photographs of some of our state’s most majestic boughs.
• Urban Forestry Toolboxes, providing technical tools, educational resources, available on loan for free to tree boards, urban foresters and utilities.

 A standard “Trees Make a Difference” plate will cost $35, with an additional $35 to personalize it.* For more information about the Tree Tag and the benefits of urban forestry visit www.TennesseeTrees.org. You may also order the tag directly from TUFC’s site www.tufc.com. Make Tennessee a cleaner and greener place for generations to come, plant a Tree Tag on your car and help Urban Forestry GROW!

 About the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council

The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, established in 1991, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to public awareness, understanding and improving Tennessee’s urban forests.  Our mission is to serve as an advisory body to promote healthy and sustainable urban and community forests in Tennessee by providing leadership and assistance through education, planning, advocacy and collaboration.

*All specialty plate costs are in addition to the standard yearly renewal fees based on county of residence and generate funds for the designated organization each year they are renewed. Please see www.TennesseeTrees.org for more details about the specialty plate program.

The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council is also on MySpace and FaceBook:

www.myspace.com/tnurbanforestry

www.facebook.com/tnurbanforestrycouncil

Campus Sustainability Day — Oct 21, 2009

Campus Sustainability Day (CSD) celebrates sustainability in higher education. On a designated day in October, colleges and universities are encouraged to create events on campus and elsewhere that draw participants for the exchange of ideas and knowledge among faculty, staff, and students, from across all departments and disciplines, and even from across the campus “edge” between town and gown. This is the kind of integrated, comprehensive planning that is a major focus for higher education planners among SCUP’s constituency, as well as for the increasing number of professionals who hold campus sustainability positions.

Watch for developments on Nashville State’s campus.

Being “Green” on college campuses.

Check out this article on “Green goals” for college and university campuses.

If you would like to see Nashville State be a sustainable campus and celebrate Sustainability Day, see Sally Robertson in the library about becoming involved in the Students for the Environment organization.

Conservation

“Conservation is something perceived as stopping everything cold, as holding whooping cranes in higher esteem than people.  It is up to science to spread the understanding that the choice is not between wild places or people.  Rather, it is between a rich or an impoverished existence for man.”  — Thomas E. Lovejoy, World Wildlife Fund.

Verizon Wireless — Power Shift 2009!

I bet you didn’t realize that part of your Verizon Wireless bill is being spent to support an anti-environmental rally did you?

Well it is.  Verizon Wireless is sponsoring the “Friends of America” rally this weekend at a coal mine in West Virginia.  Verizon’s partner in this event?  None other than Massey Energy, best known for having to pay the EPA $20 million for over 4,500 violations of the Clean Water Act! Take action by doing one or both of the following:

Click here to tell Lowell McAdam, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless to immediately withdraw their sponsorship and publicly state why they support this extremist, anti-environmental rally.

If you are Verizon Wireless customer you can hit them where it hurts the most, in their wallet, and drop their service. CREDO Mobile, is offering a special promotions where they will cover the costs of the termination fee if you switch to their service so check it out.   We currently use Verizon for our office phones are in the process of ending that contract.  Join the movement!

It’s important to note that this is just one example how energy companies and corporations are working to misinform people about our movement.  They have many more resources than us which allows them to easily create big events, throw a lot more money at organizing people, and influence media which can be seen through Fox News’ Sean Hannity being listed as a speaker at this one sided event.  So much for ‘fair and balanced’ right?  This is why it’s that we grow our movement bigger and stronger than ever right now!

If your not already part of this movement please forward this email to your friends to get them join the movement by clicking here.

So maybe I’m just exaggerating the facts to make it seem like this peaceful picnic has some anti-environmental agenda right?   Here is what Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship’s invitation to the event said…you decide:

“Hello I’m Don Blankenship and I’d like to invite you to a Labor Day rally in West Virginia. We’re going to have Hank Williams and have a good time but we’re also going to learn how environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your jobs.“

Destroying jobs? Isn’t that the exact opposite of what the millions of American’s who are trying to create new jobs and economic opportunities by investments in clean, renewable energy are all about?

If you’re like me, you also probably thought this rally was sponsored by some local Verizon Wireless affiliate and the national corporate office doesn’t know anything about this and if they did they would do the right thing and back away from these extremists right? WRONG!

James Gerace, VP of Corporate Communications at Verizon Wireless is not only aware of the sponsorship, but defended it by dismissing, then demeaning, the activists who brought it to his attention.  The VP of Corporate Communications is the official spokesperson for a company so his words that dismissed environmental concerns and put down youth activists should be taken literally as the position of Verizon Wireless. This is why we all need to act now. Take one of the actions above today!

Attack the snack pack

Bring a sustainable lunch to school.   For ideas on how to pack  a waste free lunch go to their website.

No Impact Man — movie

This movie opens on Fri., Sept. 11, 2009.

Check at the trailer:

http://www.1sky.org/noimpactman

National Public Lands Day Photo and Video Contest 2009

http://www.publiclandsday.org/photocontest.htm

While planting trees, repairing trails and restoring shorelines on National Public Lands Day, don’t forget to bring those cameras — photo and video– and take some great shots of your fellow volunteers.

Participate in our Ninth Annual “Volunteers in Action” Photo and Video Contest. This year, a new category for short videos has been created for those talented but undiscovered film directors out there.

Fair Climate Project Photo Contest

Photography students check this out:

“Faces of Climate Change” photo contest.

http://fairclimateproject.org/photocontest/

Bike commuting blog

Here are some great tips about bike commuting. 

We have the Bike to Work Guide in the NSCC library.  Check it out and try bike commuting.  It is fun, and a great way the lower your carbon footprint.

Climate Ride — CROP

Alison Gannett is a lot like Eddie Van Halen: she does things on skis (and with other sports paraphernalia) that you cannot even dream about, and she looks totally cool. So don’t even think about it.

Having conquered most of the world’s tallest mounts, Alison has her eyes fixed on an even higher goal: saving the planet, one CROP at a time. CROP is Alison’s innovative tool for de-carbonizing lifestyles. She is CROP-ing her way to low-carbon existence, and you CROP yours too. http://www.ospreypacks.com/Athletes/AlisonGannett/.

Here’s how.

CROP has four elements. First, compute your carbon footprint. Second, learn how to reduce your footprint. Third, identify strategies for offsetting your greenhouse gas emissions. Fourth, generate your own power. Let’s recap:

C – compute carbon footprint

R – reduce GHG emissions

O – apply sensible offsets

P – generate your own power

Get your CROP going today!

Campus Ecology — National Wildlife Federation

Campus Ecology is the national student environmental organization.

Tells how individual students can help the environment, as well as college campuses. 

Be a friend on Facebook, blogs, web conferences, internship opportunities, Chill Out Contest, e-news.

Teens Turning Green: a way of life.

This ”is a national movement of youth transforming the world by investigating and eliminating toxic exposures in daily lives, schools and communities, advocating for change in policy and habits to protect our health, and educating peers and the community about greener alternatives. Through collaborative change, these young leaders inspire us all to work toward healthy people and a sustainable future.” — website.

Check it out. http://teensturninggreen.org/

was launched in the Spring of 2008 harnessing the inquisitive nature of teens to investigate their schools and find the greener alternatives available to replace toxic products and practices.

“Teens Turning Green: Schools became the new name of the campaign, encompassing all aspects of the teen initiatives under one umbrella. The campaign focuses not only on cosmetics and personal care products, but broadens the scope to all areas of a teen’s life that potentially exposes them to harmful chemicals.” — Website.

Bike commuting is the way to go.

Published on Thursday, October 8, 2009 by The Telegraph/UK

Era of Cheap, Easy Oil is Over, Warns Study

The world could start to run out of oil in the next ten years, sparking soaring energy prices and a rush for even more polluting fossil fuels, an influential new study by the UK Energy Research Council has warned.

by Louise Gray

The exact date of “peak oil” – when the amount of oil being pumped out of the ground every day reaches its highest point before beginning an inexorable decline – has been hotly debated for decades. Environmentalists have tended to warn oil could run out at any moment, while oil companies insist there are plently more oil fields yet to be discovered.

 

Oil supplies could start running out before 2020, according to a new study. (Photo: Getty Images)

The most recent estimation from the International Energy Agency, that advises Governments around the world, said conventional oil would not peak until after 2030. 

However an authoriative new study from the Government-funded UK Energy Research Council called this prediction “at best optimistic and at worst implausible”. The peer-reviewed research looked at 500 studies from around the world and took into account the difficulty of accessing new oil fields as well as growing demand. It predicted oil will begin running out before 2030 and there is a “significant risk” peak oil will be reached before 2020.

“In our view, forecasts which delay a peak in conventional oil production until after 2030 are at best optimistic and at worst implausible. And given the world’s overwhelming dependence on oil and the time required to develop alternatives, 2030 isn’t far away,” said the report’s lead author Steve Sorrell. “The concern is that rising oil prices will encourage the rapid development of carbon-intensive alternatives which will make it difficult or impossible to prevent dangerous climate change.”

Robert Gross, Head of Technology and Policy Assessment at UKERC, said as soon as oil begins to run out it will make energy more expensive, sparking a knock on effect on industry and economies around the world. Petrol prices would rise and long distance travel become more expensive.

“The age of easy and cheap oil is coming to an end,” he said. “It doesn’t suddenly come to an end, obviously it’s a gradual change, but we’re moving away from easy and cheap oil to increasingly difficult and expensive oil.”

At the moment oil is around £44 ($70) per barrel after peaking at around £92 ($147) per barrel earlier in the year during the height of the economic crisis.

Dr Gross said the spectre of peak oil should encourage Governments to invest in more energy-efficient vehicles such as electric cars, renewable energy like wind or solar and improving energy efficiency in industry and homes.

But he said there was a risk that instead the world will start to look at even more intensive forms of fossil fuels, therefore producing more carbon emisions and causing “catastrophic climate change”. Alternatives include heating tar sands to produce oil at huge cost both environmentally and financially.

“The danger is high oil prices push us into high carbon resources just as much as they might help push us towards renewables,” he said.

“The challenge for policy makers is to make sure, on a global scale, that that isn’t the response to more difficult and expensive oil.”

The world produces around 85 million barrels of oil every day. It is estimated this could rise to more than 100 million barrels per day before declining.

Oil companies like BP claim billions more barrels are availabe in new oil fields discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.

However Mr Sorrell said these new supplies are extremely difficult to access and will only delay peak oil by a few weeks or even days.

Even if the new fields are exploited, he said the world needs to move away from oil in order to stop global warming.

But Mr Sorrell said the UK Government had no contingency plans for oil peaking before 2020.

“If these problems are ignored and we do not make these changes ahead of time, we are heading for trouble,” he warned.

The IEA is due to release its latest report on peak oil this November, just before the world meets in Copenhagen to decide a new deal on climate change. The report will be a key influence on whether the rich world is willing to agree to set targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, while also helping poor countries to switch to a low carbon economy.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change is currently considering the UKERC report.

“We are already well aware of the significant challenges for investment in future oil production and that there is a role for Governments to play in reducing demand for fossil fuels,” a spokesman said. “Our climate change, energy efficiency and energy security policies outlined in the UK low carbon transition plan are not only reducing the UK’s carbon emissions, but are consistent with the need to reduce our use of fossil fuels.”

www.commondreams.org

Join the movement, for the greater good.

College Sustainability Report Card

Colleges: less green in bank, more green on campus.

http://www.greenreportcard.org/media

Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne

This is a very interesting blog by a aging musician turned urban bike commuting advocate.  His book is a chronicle of his adventures and musings while traveling around the world with bicycles.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/on-two-wheels-with-david-byrne/

Calculate your Ecological Footprint

Find out how much land it takes to support your lifestyle by taking this quiz. 

“Paper Trail” American School and University. 82(1) Sept. 1, 2009.  From the Academic OneFile Database (A TEL database).    About what educational institutions can do to reduce their school’s carbon footprint.

Sierra Student Coalition

The Sierra Student Coalition (SSC) is a broad network of high school and college-aged youth from across the country working to protect the environment. The SSC is the youth-led chapter of the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization.

Greening the Ivy Tower, by Sarah Hammond Creighton

This book is in the NSCC NetLibrary collection. 

Appendix A contains the “Talloires Declaration” which is a document, signed by college and university presidents from all over the world, stating that their campuses will do what they can to be more environmentally sustainable and help educate their students about the need to take care of the earth.  It was written in 1990 in Talloires, France at Tufts University. 

Dr. Van Allen, president of Nashville State CC, has signed this declaration.

Environmental Cell Phone Company – CREDO

http://action.credomobile.com/specialoffers/oct09/sierra/sierra1a.html

Special offer for Sierra Club supporters.

Countdown to Copenhagen — Dec 2009

Take action and the climate change pledge:

http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=how_adv_main

Minimize accidents between autos and bicycles.

How to minimize accidents between autos and bicycles — latimes.com

Posted using ShareThis

“Earth Revolution” Television

Good morning!! This week on “Earth Revolution”;

John McFadden, Director of the Tennessee Environmental Council, talks about the incredibly important work of the council in preserving and protecting our natural resources through a series of programs involving education, advocacy, hands-on restoration work, and the development of state legislative policy goals through the two day “Summit for a Sustainable TN” coming up on Nov. 13th and 14th in Lebanon, TN.

 (See registration info. below in “events”). John’s passionate commitment to conservation and his personal charisma are contagious!

 Next week;

 Pete Vash, Managing engineer and systems designer for Lightwave Solar Electric, talks about his role in this groundbreaking company, and offers a wealth of information on photovoltaic energy and design, market trends, cost, and the current state of business and residential incentives for solar here in TN.

 Showtimes: Tuesdays @ 7pm, Thursdays @ 10am, Saturdays @ 10pm and Sundays @ 2pm on CATV / Comcast 19, Davidson County

Short clips of shows available on youtube HERE (these will be added by tonight).

 Upcoming Events

 Wed, Nov. 4th

 ”Green Drinks” at Blackstone Brewery, 7pm

  Sun., Nov. 8th, 4-7pm

 TAP (Tennessee Alliance for Progress) House Party

Home of Mark Burnett and Ann Olsen / 617 Harpeth Trace Drive / Nashville, TN 37221

 Food, Wine, Conversation, Speakers, Music 

 Tickets: $50.  Two for $90. / Limited space.  Register now!  

 You can register online at TAP’s new website at www.taptn.org or by sending a check to TAP, PO Box 60338, Nashville, TN 37206.   

 WED. – NOV. 11TH

 Learning Green and Living Green

 7 PM@ Little Hamilton Collective, 1318 Little Hamilton St, 37203

 Join ‘Local Green Revolution’ for a discussion on learning green at Gaia University, and growing green with year-round gardening and wild edibles. Representatives from Gaia University and Cindy Moonrose, a local homesteader, gardener and wild food enthusiast will present.

Come hear about learning green through Gaia University ’s unique programs and areas of study. Gaia, located at the Farm in Summertown, TN, offers majors such as “Green Business”, “Integrative EcoSocial Design”, and “Re-Localization”.  With a mission aimed at building leaders for local and global sustainability, justice and peace, Gaia is a unique opportunity for students interested in sustainability and the environment. Also hear Cindy Moonrose discuss growing green by using year-round gardening techniques. Cindy will also detail wild edibles and identify many local, wild plants that can be eaten at home.Please RSVP to Kate Kiefling at kate_kiefling@yahoo.com or Shavaun Evans at Shavaun.e.evans@vanderbilt.edu  – Sponsored by the Nashville Peace and Justice Center ’s ‘Local Green Revolution’

THURS, NOV. 12th

  “Coal Country” Viewing and Discussion

 7pm @ Sue and Gary’s  / 4806 Michigan Ave., Nashville 37209

 We will gather at 7pm. Folks are encouraged to bring a snack or beverage to share. The film, which deals with the devastation of mountain-top removal coal mining in the Appalachias, will begin at 7:30 and run approx. 40 minutes. Discussion will follow. Please RSVP at www.sierraclub.org/coalcountry

 Click “find an event” and enter our zip code. We can comfortably accommodate about 30 people. Hope to see you there!

Fri. and Sat., Nov. 13th and 14th

 Summit for a Sustainable TN / Ward Agricultural /  Center, Lebanon, TN

 The 3rd Annual Summit for a Sustainable Tennessee brings together citizens, conservation groups, environmental policy experts, elected officials and representatives of private business and industry to forge new partnerships and innovative solutions to the most pressing conservation issues in Tennessee.

Register, schedule & info.: www.sustainabletn.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clean Air / Cool Planet

Clean Air / Cool Planet  is a web site for  campuses, communities, science centers, corporations and climate policy centers to use to help find solutions to global warming.

Contains a Campus Carbon Calculator and information about green jobs. 

Their mission statement:

We are in the business of solving the global warming problem through civic engagement, education and effective policy.

Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP) is the leading organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming:

• We partner with companies, campuses, communities and science centers to help reduce their carbon emissions.
• We help our partners, their constituents, and other regional opinion leaders and stakeholders understand the impacts of global warming and its best available solutions, through comprehensive outreach efforts celebrating commitment, innovation and success in climate action.
• We showcase practical climate solutions that demonstrate the economic opportunities and environmental benefits associated with early actions on climate change.
• We propose and recommend the implementation of effective policy solutions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the state, regional and national levels.

CA-CP is a science-based, non-partisan, 501(c)3 non-profit. 2008 Annual Report

Copenhagen Meeting in Dec. — Climate Change

Take Action now: 

Go to the It’s Game Time Obama website to encourage President Obama to attend the World Climate and Energy Summit in Copenhagen in Dec,. 2009.

Sierra Club: “Coal Country” House Parties

A Stunning Documentary All Communities Should See

Coal Country is a stunning new documentary that reveals the devastation of mountaintop-removal coal mining to the forests, streams, and communities of Appalachia. Produced by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller, Coal Country brings us inside the lives of Appalachian residents who are directly threatened by mountaintop-removal, a destructive mining practice where mountaintops are blasted away to expose the coal; the waste is then dumped in the waterways of nearby communities. As it takes us through each stage of coal mining and processing, Coal Country reveals the shocking true cost of America’s over-reliance on coal. We need to get this film in the hands of Americans nationwide. Help spread the word and end mountaintop-removal coal mining by attending a Coal Country House Party. These community house parties will happen nationwide the week of November 9th through 15th. Coal has an impact on every single community — one way or another. Join this national movement by sharing this important film with your friends and neighbors. Watch the sneak-peek of Coal Country (a 40 minute version of the original film). Hold a discussion about the movie and mountaintop-removal coal mining. Take action by writing a letter to the Obama administration asking them to end mountaintop-removal coal mining. Make new friends!  *The deadline to receive the host packet and free sneak-peek DVD is now passed. If you sign up to host after November 1st you will not receive a host packet in the mail. Contact us with any questions: club.events@sierraclub.org Planet Green Coal Country airings: November 14th at 8pm ET, November 15 at 12pm ET, November 19th at 11pm ET, and November 20th at 3pm ET.

Project Blue Stream (PBS) — Cumberland River Compact

Project Blue Stream’s Fall Planting

 Project Blue Streams (PBS) protects and restores Nashville’s small streams. Partnering with neighborhood groups, schools, churches and businesses, Project Blue Streams restores streams using a collection of tools ranging from tree planting, to stream bank restoration, to in-stream habitat rehabilitation.

One initiative of PBS is to plant 10,000 trees in Davidson County over the next five years. 

PBS will move closer to this goal with a Fall Planting.  On Saturday, November 21st, PBS will partner with Neighborhood Associations in the East Nashville area for a huge planting. Other partners include the Nashville Tree Foundation, Nashville Electric Service, Metro Tree Advisory Committee, Metro Parks, and Metro Beautification and Environment Commission. To join the effort, contact Mekayle Houghton, PBS Director.

Williamson County – Recycling Day – Nov. 21

Saturday, November 21

8 am – 2 pm

Shred Day

420 Century Court 37064

790-5848

Free Shredding of personal documents from

Williamson County Residents

No Commercial Documents Accepted

Please bring your paper removed from wire binding, 3 ring binders and heavy clips/clamps. Paper clips and staples are acceptable. 

 Please bring your documents in paper bags, cardboard boxes

or a returnable container.

BOPAE Drop-off

Batteries, Oil, Paint, Anti-freeze and Electronics

No Other Items Will Be Accepted

417 Century Court 37064

794-1516

Free Drop-off of items from

Williamson County Residents

No Commercial Items Accepted

 

Prescription Drugs Disposal   Provided through the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and the 21st Judicial Task Force. Collection Location: City of Franklin Solid Waste Department 417 Century Court 37064 For more information about this event, contact Hugh Tharpe, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, at (615) 790-5554 or HughT@williamson-tn.org.

 Visit www.KeepWilliamsonBeautiful.orgfor details.

 

Power Shift ’09 Nov. 19th & 20th

On November 19th & 20th, students and youth all over the country will be taking action and calling President Obama to remind him that It’s Game Time and we need his leadership on climate and energy policy. We’re asking him to meet with young leaders, give a national address outlining his strategy and to attend Copenhagen in person.

President Obama is listening: He said he would attend the critical Copenhagen climate negotiations IF it is deemed necessary to clinch a deal. We know it’s necessary, so we’ve got to let him know it’s game time! Will you host a Call-in Day Event?

We can get this message across to Obama by getting our voices into the White House.  When lots of young voters call in with a consistent demand, it doesn’t go unnoticed.  We can make sure this happens by hosting Call-in Day events across the country.

Can you help make sure this critical message reaches Obama in the White House? Call-in Days are fun and simple.  All you need is a couple of hours, a public location, and a small group of volunteers.  See our Call-in Day Event Guide here.

Bicycling Infomation

http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/

Why bicycle?

Bike more.

Get crash and safety facts.

Address community problems.

 

Global Climate Treaty in Copenhagen — Dec.

Tell Obama to step upSign the petition Write your local paper

Last Saturday, President Obama and other world leaders announced that a global climate treaty wouldn’t be finalized in Copenhagen next month after all. Instead, they will create steps for a comprehensive deal that will set the stage for a treaty sometime in 2010.

We were disappointed to hear this, of course — but there is still promise to set the stage for a global treaty. President Obama has said we can still lead the way and rally the world around a strong political agreement that will result in a fair, ambitious, and binding (FAB) treaty next year.

We need President Obama’s leadership on climate now more than ever:

• Sign the petition telling the President to step up on climate
• Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper

We need President Obama to show America’s seriousness about tackling climate change by attending the conference. The President must use his enormous prestige to push for a blueprint that will lead to a strong treaty in 2010 — and to keep pushing Congress for the strongest possible clean energy and climate bill.

Let’s show the President and the media that the grassroots are paying attention to his actions leading up to Copenhagen. We’ve already surpassed our goal of 25,000 petition signatures — help us reach our new goal of 30,000 and spread the word by writing your local newspaper:

• Sign the petition telling the President to step up on climate
• Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper

We finally have a president who understands the consequences of inaction, and the enormous benefits of building a clean energy economy. Now we need him to step up his leadership on climate — and to show him and the media that there’s a vibrant grassroots movement ready to support bold climate action. Sign the petition and write your local newspaper today!

Liz Butler
Deputy Campaign Director, 1Sky

Organize to be Heard Challenge

Organize to be Heard is a competition to see which youth leaders can generate the most activity to raise awareness with our elected officials about the importance of passing climate change legislation NOW. The Consequence Campaign is working with Senator John Kerry’s office to encourage America’s youth to take action.

This contest lasts throughout the month of November and you can join anytime. You will receive points based on the activities you engage in!

• Media Coverage: 50 points

• Printed Letter to the Editor: 25 points

• Letter to Representative: 10 points

• Call to Representative: 5 points

• Signing Petition: 2 points

 All points will be added up at the beginning of December and the top point earners will win a free trip to D.C. to meet with non-profit leaders, and elected officials! Don’t waste any time! Register now and start making a difference.

It’s Game Time Obama!

Are your interests more international? Do you want President Obama to take a stand at Copenhagen and show the world we’re ready to lead the way to a clean energy economy?

Tell the President: It’s Game Time Obama!

This movement asks President Obama to take 3 key actions during November:

1. Invite young leaders to discuss climate and energy issues with him and his staff.

 2. Follow up on that meeting with a public speech outlining specific goals for national and international climate policy.

3. Publicly commit to attend the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen. Tell President Obama that as Captain of the U.S.A. it’s time he lead his team to victory against climate change! Or stop by NWF’s Action Page and send President Obama a “ticket” to Copenhagen.

No matter how you choose to take action. The important thing is that you take action NOW!

Green Community | Eco Friendly Information | Green Sustainable Communities – Greenest Place on Earth

Green Community | Eco Friendly Information | Green Sustainable Communities – Greenest Place on Earth.

A “cool” place to go for information on how to lower your carbon footprint and live a more sustainable life.

ClimateEdu: Campus Ecology newsletter

http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/climateedu/

Online newsletter for green campuses.

Southeast Climate Action Network Fellowship

National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program is currently accepting applications for their Southeast Climate Action Network Fellowship! 

Undergraduate students in NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, AL, LA and MSare encouraged to submit applications if they are interested in working with multiple colleges and universities to assist in collectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions both on campuses and in some cases, specific cities. 

Timeframe/Compensation:  The Fellow will serve a term of 2 semesters, Spring 2010, and receive a stipendof $2000.00 for their work. 

For more information, please visit: http://www.nwf.org/fellows

Deadline to apply is December 20, 2009.

Copenhagen: Climate Change Conference.

The United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen is here!  It began Dec. 7 (today).  Keep up with what’s going on at the Friends of the Earth website.

Copenhagen Blog:  http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/copenhagen2009/

Generation E — Campus Ecology contest

National Wildlife Federation releases new report

Generation E
Students Leading for a Sustainable, Clean Energy Future

35 ways students are creating a sustainable future at U.S. colleges and universities – cutting carbon emissions, saving resources and equipping the coming generation for a green energy economy.

Generation E is a 70 page, example-rich, best-practices report on exemplary student-led sustainability activities and programs at schools around the U.S. Like other guides in the NWF Campus Ecology Climate and Sustainability Series, it features dozens of examples from postsecondary institutions of all types; public and private, urban and rural, large and small. Generation E spotlights more than 160 campuses from 46 states plus the District of Columbia.

Download Generation E (for free)

Copenhagen Global Summit

The Copenhagen global climate summit began Dec 7 – and I wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss this chance to send your message to President Obama along with NWF’s delegation.

The National Wildlife Federation sent a delegation to the global climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark to speak up for a climate treaty that protects our natural resources and reduces global warming pollution.

Take a moment today to send your message with NWF’s delegation, urging President Obama to remain committed to passing a strong international climate treaty.

We all know that up to 30% of plants and wildlife species will be at risk for extinction if we don’t act now.

A strong climate treaty will protect our communities, cap carbon emissions, set up a clean energy economy to benefit workers, and protect our planet’s wildlife and natural wonders for future generations.

Make sure the message for a strong international climate treaty is heard loud and clear.

All the world’s leaders are gathering to talk about the future of our climate and we’ll be there to make sure your voice is heard.

Ask President Obama to lead the way to a strong international climate treaty for our country and the world.

Copenhagen — the “Danish Text”

Today, news leaked [1] that the U.S., Denmark, and a cabal of other wealthy nations that are among the world’s biggest polluters have, in secret back-room dealings, produced an alternative draft text to the one that’s officially under negotiation.

This secret alternative — known as the “Danish text” — would let rich countries shirk their responsibilities to lead the way in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and force poor countries to bear an unfair burden of the costs of keeping the climate stable.

Let lead U.S. climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing know that this is unacceptable. Sign our petition now — and our team here in Copenhagen will personally deliver your signatures to him.

The United States must reject this secret text and renounce the type of underhand wheelings and dealings that have produced it. We’ve already filled the atmosphere with far more than our fair share of greenhouse gas pollution. The climate negotiations should not be about helping the U.S. save face, they should be about spurring effective global cooperative to solve global warming.

Tell Jonathan Pershing that secrecy and greed are not the sort of values you expect your U.S. climate negotiator to represent.

Stay tuned to www.foe.org/copenhagen for updates on this petition and all of our efforts to hold President Obama’s negotiating team accountable.

[1] The Guardian. “Copenhagen climate summit in disarray after ‘Danish text’ leak,” December 8, 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/08/copenhagen-climate-summit-disarray-danish-text

A “Green” Christmas

With all the “Ho Ho Ho” of the holiday season upon us, here’s a simple way to do something green instead of killing a pine tree for Christmas.

The green way is to rent a live Christmas tree for the holidays and then have the tree returned to the environment, alive.

And, the glory of this approach is that you don’t have to do any of the work, you just order the tree and it arrives potted.

After the holidays, the company picks up the tree and bingo, a green Christmas. Your company joins the ranks of those adopting a green office strategy.

Two companies, Evergrow Christmas Trees Co. and Carbonsync Christmas offer the live-tree rental service for about $100 a tree. The trees are returned to nurseries until needed next year. Normally, a tree that takes six to twelve years to grow into a Christmas tree is turned into mulch after a single season.

By renting a live tree and returning it to the nursery, the trees continue to soak up carbon dioxide, so the rental service is yet another way to minimize emissions that create climate change.

In other green Christmas developments, how about running the lights on your tree in a carbon-free manner?

In Copenhagen, home of the big international greenhouse gas emission conference, the city’s Christmas tree lights are powered by pedal power — a team of stationary bicyclists power the tree’s lights

Copenhagen News

Right now, the National Wildlife Federation has a delegation at the global climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark to speak up for a climate treaty that protects our natural resources and reduces global warming pollution.

Take a moment today to send your message with NWF’s delegation, urging President Obama to remain committed to passing a strong international climate treaty.

We all know that up to 30% of plant and wildlife species will be at risk for extinction if we don’t act now.

A strong climate treaty will protect our world’s forests, cap carbon emissions, set up a clean energy economy to benefit workers, and protect our planet’s wildlife and natural wonders for future generations.

Make sure the message for a strong international climate treaty is heard loud and clear.

All the world’s leaders are gathering to talk about the future of our climate and we’ll be there to make sure your voice is heard.

Ask President Obama to lead the way to a strong international climate treaty for our country and the world.

EPA and climate change

This week the Sierra Club’s Big Picture Campaign won its biggest victory yet when the Obama Administration finalized the Endangerment Finding, giving the EPA the authority to fight global warming emissions.

Thanks to the tens of thousands of Sierra Club activists like you who sent messages to the EPA, attended rallies coast to coast, and testified at public hearings the EPA finally has the power to fight climate change – now it’s time to use it.

Tell the EPA you support holding Big Polluters responsible for their share of the dirty air.

Did you know that only a handful of huge factories emit over half of all global warming pollution in the US? It’s time to make these Big Polluters clean up their act, and that’s exactly what the EPA is proposing to do with the new authority granted by the Endangerment Finding.

Check out our video about the EPA’s plan to hold Big Polluters accountable and send a public comment before the December 27th deadline!

Big Oil and Coal are already fighting the EPA’s plan to use the Endangerment Finding to hold them responsible. We need your help to show that Americans are tired of Big Polluters putting us all at risk.

Ask the EPA to put the Endangerment Finding into action and make Big Oil and Coal clean up their polluting ways.

Thank you so much for getting involved and making a difference.

Understanding Cap and Trade

Watch this video about the Cap and Trade solution to climate change.

Also, check out The Story of Stuff.  

Very interested.

My Commute Sucks

My Commute Sucks.

Check this out if you want Congress to fix our broken transportation system.

Bicycle transportation in Copenhagen

Streetsfilm reports from Copenhagen during the UN climate summit, looking at the city’s innovative bicycle infrastructure, including a prominent bicycle counter next to a lane to inspire civic pride.

Watch the video, which Streetsblog says features “‘the busiest bicycling street in the Western world’, and lots of other you-gotta-see-them-to-believe-them features including bike counters (featuring digital readouts), LEDS, double bike lanes (for passing) and giant hot pink cars.”

Counting bikes in Copenhagen

Wetland Habitat

This year our country will likely lose about 80,000 acres of wetlands.

That’s 80,000 acres of habitat for herons and pelicans, trout and turtles, and countless other wildlife species.

If you haven’t made your New Year’s Resolution yet, do it now.

Sign the petition, asking President Obama to protect America’s wetlands.

By signing you will join the group of 80,000 people committed to speaking up for wetlands, which provide us with clean water and flood protection, as well as critical nesting and breeding grounds for many of America’s iconic wildlife species.

So, be sure to start your year off right.

Urge President Obama to protect America’s wetlands.

The Clean Air Act — Under attack!

The Clean Air Act — the key federal tool that can cut the pollution that causes global warming — is under attack.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, is expected to offer an amendment on January 20 that would stop the Obama administration from using the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The vote on the amendment is expected to be close, but with your help, it’s one we can win. Please stand up for the Clean Air Act today by asking your senators to vote NO on the Murkowski amendment.

Last month, the Obama administration finalized its formal conclusion that global warming substantially endangers the health and well being of the public. Because of this endangerment finding, the administration is now required to move forward with sensible regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But Senator Murkowski’s amendment would reverse this endangerment finding. Her amendment represents an attack on an existing law, an attack on science, and an attack on efforts to strengthen our economy by transitioning to clean energy.

The amendment is also an attack on the millions of people — including her own constituents in Alaska, where glaciers are disintegrating and permafrost melt is causing property damage — who will be harmed by climate change if we don’t rapidly cut emissions.

Congress should be working to find smart, creative new ways to reduce emissions, but instead Senator Murkowski is trying to roll back the most important existing tool at the federal level. We need your help to defeat this wrongheaded amendment so we can go back to advocating climate solutions.

The Senate vote on January 20 will be a defining moment in the fight for clean energy and a healthy climate. Please help change the outcome of the vote by taking action today.

With you in the fight for climate justice,

Erich Pica
President, Friends of the Earth

P.S. Senator Murkowski explains her behavior by claiming the Clean Air Act threatens the economy, but the exact opposite is true. Transitioning to clean energy and the green economy of the future as the Clean Air Act requires won’t just create millions of new jobs, it will also prevent the economic devastation certain to be caused by climate change impacts if global warming continues unabated.

Earth Hour 2010 — March 27 — 8:30 pm

World Wildlife Fund is proud to announce Earth Hour 2010 will take place Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 pm. National Monuments including Mount Rushmore, the Empire State Building, the Las Vegas Strip, and the Golden Gate Bridge have already pledged to participate but what we really need is for you to participate again. Standing nearly one billion people strong, we made last year’s Earth Hour the single largest mass action in human history. This year we need you to grow it. We have worked tirelessly to bring the international community, governments around the world and corporate leaders to the brink of breakthrough action on climate change in 2010. That’s why it’s so important we make our voice heard again. Please join millions of people around the world in turning off the lights for Earth Hour to raise awareness and demand action to fight climate change. Grow the movement by sharing this message with your friends and family. Working together, we can overcome one of the greatest challenges facing our planet. Visit our new site at EarthHour.org to access to videos and toolkits to help grow the movement as well as fantastic ideas on how to make Earth Hour a special event in your home, community or business.

VISIT EARTHHOUR.ORG

Bicycle Commuting Club on Campus

If you commute to school by bicycle come to the next Green Sleeves meeting on Feb. 18, at 2 pm in room S-108.

At the back of the campus there is a wonderful greenway the follows Richland Creek and is perfect for commuting to school on. 

If you can’t make the meeting come see Sally in the library.  

sally.robertson@nscc.edu

Green Sleeves Logo

What do you think of the logo?

Please comment on which one you like.

Tennessee Tree Project

 Tennessee Environmental Council launches the…

Tennessee Tree Project

 TREE FACT: Studies indicate communities with more trees have less crime

TREE FACT: Planting 30 trees each year offsets greenhouse gases from your car and home

TREE FACT: In 50 years one tree provides $130,750 in total benefits including oxygen, air pollution control and storm water drainage

 Tennessee Tree Project has a goal of planting 1 million native trees in Tennessee by 2020. Tree planting projects are among the most popular programs we offer at the Tennessee Environmental Council, and they bring terrific publicity and community relations opportunities for our partners. The Tennessee Tree Project offers an easy, affordable community project for organizations you may belong to including businesses, schools, churches, and non profits that would like to plant trees and offer environmental service projects in their community. Click here for more information.

Green Sleeves Logo (revised)

How is this?

Conservation Education Day – Feb. 23

9am - 4pm ~ Legislative Plaza, Nashville

Let’s talk about this at the next meeting.  Feb. 18, 2pm, S-108.

Hopefully someone can go to this.

 WHAT IS CONSERVATION EDUCATION DAY? Part of our Sustainable Tennesssee initiative, Conservation Education Day is one of our most important opportunities to educate Tennessee legislators about the 2010 Tennessee Sustainability Agenda and to show unity as a conservation community. TN Parks and Greenways Foundation, TN Recreation and Parks Assoc., & TN Conservation Voters are co-sponsors of this event.   

 WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE?  Individuals and organizations who care about the issues outlined in the 2010 Tennessee Sustainability Agenda and other environmental/conservation issues in TN.  Forever Green Tennessee (info below) is a priority issue at this event, but this is one of the best opportunities of the year to come together as a community and show a unified front for a number of conservation issues.   

 WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE?  Throughout the day we encourage you to

schedule meetings with your State Senator and Representative to educate them about issues that are most important to you and your organization ~ We may also have opportunities for you to attend Committee meetings ~ If you represent an organization, you may register to set up a table at Legislative Plaza and invite your members to attend, staff the table and meet with their legislators ~

At the end of the day we’ll meet at Blackstone Brewery from 4:30-6:30 to network, kick back and review the day.

 HOW DO I SIGN UP?

Click here to register and for schedule, directions and other information. 

Please register on or before Feb 15.  If you are with an organization, please complete a registration form for all of your members who are attending.   

 

Forever Green Tennessee

Restoring TN Real Estate Transfer Funds

At the recent Summit for a Sustainable Tennessee, our coalition of environmental leaders, business leaders, educators, citizens and government officials established the 2010 Sustainable TN Agenda. The top priority within the Agenda is to Restore the Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Funds.  We have an urgent and important opportunity today to make a real difference for our state.

Below is a letter from Kathleen Williams, President and Executive Director -Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, who explains the great need for this program. Since the time of this letter, the Governor has restored the Real Estate Transfer Funds in the 2010 Budget Proposal. This is great news, but our work is just beginning. We need to ensure this is included in the final budget. Here are some actions you can take to help:

1. Call or write your State Senator and Representative. Your legislator’s name, address, or phone can be found at: www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/. Here is a sample letter you may use.

2. Call or email the Governor Bredesen at (615-741-2001) or Phil.Bredesen(at symbol)TN.Gov. Thank him for restoring the Real Estate Transfer Funds in the 2010 Budget proposal and let him know this is a top priority for you. Here is a sample letter.

3. Ask your friends, coworkers, business, organization…everyone you know…to join in this effort!

Thank you for taking action today.

Please let us know how you will be helping by sending an email to forevergreentn(at symbol)earthlink.net.

Here are some links with more information on Forever Green Tennessee: Fact Sheet Economic Benefits Forever Green Website Forever Green Blog Forever Green on Twitter (you can also find Forever Green on Facebook) Forever Green on YouTube Forever Green Tennessee — Restore Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Funds in June, 2010!

I am writing you to ask for your immediate help. The Governor is in the process of preparing our State’s budget. If you love the natural beauty of Tennessee, our woods and wildlife, our fields and farmland, let the Governor know TODAY.

Let Governor Bredesen know that our homeland is at risk and you want Tennessee to always be known as the “greenest state in the land of the free.” Please ask that his budget “Restore Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Funds in June, 2010!”

Let him know you want a Forever Green Tennessee. Twenty years ago our Tennessee Legislature passed the most important conservation bill in Tennessee’s history. Using a small increase in the Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Fees, four “dedicated” funds were established: The Wetlands Fund, the State Land Acquisition Fund, the Local Parks and Recreation Fund, and the Agriculture Resources Trust Fund. These Funds generate approximately $20 million per year and have conserved Tennessee’s most important natural treasures, bluffs, waterfalls, wetlands, rivers and wildlife areas. Successes have benefitted every corner of Tennessee with new state parks, wildlife areas, projects on farms to protect our drinking water, and matching grants for new local parks. Thank the Governor for all he’s done for conservation, but let him know that this funding must continue to conserve the Forever Green Tennessee that we want our children to inherit. Two major obstacles threaten Tennessee’s future: A silent public and a budget shortfall. In 2003 and again in 2008, these “dedicated” funds were taken and diverted to the general fund. That is not why these Funds were established. The Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Fees were increased by the legislature to offset the damage done by converting farmland and forest to developed lands; as the real estate changed hands, a small fee would be invested to PROTECT the best lands and waters in the State. These Funds represent less than one-tenth of 1 percent of Tennessee’s $29 Billion budget. Our homeland is worth this small investment. Tennessee loses 80,000 acres of farms and forests to sprawl and development every year – we are the 7th worst in the nation in how quickly we lose our farms and natural lands. Attached is a fact sheet on the Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Funds, a brief history of the Funds and a model letter to send to the Governor. But, a phone call or email would be faster and just as effective. If you love Tennessee like I know you do, please take 5 minutes and call (615-741-2001) or e-mail him today: Phil.Bredesen@TN.Gov. Also, please forward this to your members. The future of Tennessee is in our hands. Secondly, we will circulate a roster of groups or businesses that have endorsed this campaign to Restore Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Funds and plan to get support from legislators for our cause.

Please reply if we can list you as a supporter. With your help, we will Forever Green Tennessee. Join with our organization, the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association, the Tennessee Environmental Council, The Tennessee Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, Tennessee Conservation Voters and others to support this effort.

With your help, we will Forever Green Tennessee. For our kids and their kids. Thank you for answering this call. Kathleen Williams President and Executive Director Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation 1205-A Linden Avenue Nashville, TN 37212 Phone: 615-386-3171; Fax: 615-386-3115 www.tenngreen.org

Investing in Nature

  Collaboration Between Business and Conservation

 William Ginn, Chief Conservation Officer for The Nature Conservancy
 author of Investing in Nature.

This book is on order in the library.

Carbon Forkprint

Check it out: “Americans toss out enough plastic spoons, knives, and forks each year to circle the equator 300 times.” Wow.

We here at Cool People Care have been saying how cool it is to be mindful of how you take your lunch and order out, and now this info from GOOD highlights the implications of all our bags, utensils, and wrappers. So, as a reminder, here’s how to be cool when you chow down:

• Skip plastic spoons.
• Take your own mug.
• Pack a waste-free lunch.
• Decline the extras.
• Bonus: Get your own chopsticks.

Green Sleeves logos

These are from the Graphic Arts students in Priscilla Nash’s practicum class.

“Green” IT initiatives for campuses

http://h10038.www1.hp.com/informed.asp?agencyid=136

Take a look at the video: Closed Loop Life Cycle Planning (Part 2)

Checkout the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Educause Review.  The entire issue is dedicated to “IT and the Greener Future”.

A future with less driving

Check out this from the Friends of the Earth:

http://www.foe.org/transportation/future-less-driving

We need to need to encourage riding bikes and walking to campus.  We may offer a once a month free breakfast for all bicycle commuters and walkers.   If you live too far to ride all the way why not try driving your car part way and then biking the rest of the way.

“Even with cleaner cars and better fuels, if we don’t start driving less altogther, we won’t be able to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions enough to avoid dangerous impacts from climate change.

Providing people with cleaner alternatives to driving isn’t just good for the planet. It’s also good for our pocketbooks. When gas prices increase, families aren’t hit as hard if they can walk, bike or take public transit. Unfortunately, Americans who don’t have those options end up being forced to shoulder the burden of higher gas prices. This is an especially important issue for low-income Americans, as the working poor already spend a disproportionate share of their income on transportation.” — website.

Bicycle commuting in San Francisco

The Mayor of SanFranciso speaks on Bicycling in San Francisco.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORW8-bqRQL0

Ryan Van Duzer — Bicycle commuting advocate

Mr. Van Duzer will be speaking at the West End Bike Pedlar at 7:00 pm on March 2. 

Check out this article:

http://find.galegroup.com/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T007&prodId=IPS&docId=A202009561&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=tel_s_tsla&version=1.0

He has ridden a 3-speed cruiser bike from California to Washington, D.C.

He advocates that more people should take to 2-wheels to get to work or school.

Call for Clean American Power

If you’re like me, you’ve been inspired by the dedication and talent of Team USA during the Winter Olympics. That’s why I’m excited that 3 time Olympian and Stanley Cup winner Mike Richter is joining the 72 hour Call in for Clean American Power.

Check out Mike’s letter for inspiration, then call your senators and help change our energy future.

- Sarah Hodgdon, Sierra Club Conservation Director

---

Join Mike Richter and the 72 Hour Call in for Clean American Power

Fellow Sierra Club Supporters,

As a hockey goalie who loves winter sports, it’s hard to think that climate change may deny my children and others the winters I have enjoyed.

Harder still is to see the damage climate disruption brings to our health, to the economy, to national security, to our moral standing and to our quality of life.

This is why I am joining the Sierra Club and dozens of organizations across the country for a 72 Hour Call in for Clean American Power.

I’m calling my senators because I want my three sons to benefit from a lifetime of winter sports, to graduate in a country that continues to be a world leader in industry and innovation, especially when it comes to clean energy, and to protect them from the reliance on foreign oil that threatens our national security.

And I’m calling my senators because if we don’t act now, it may be too late.

I’m making the call for clean energy — will you join me?

For 3 days, we will flood the Senate with calls for strong, clean energy and climate legislation that will build a clean energy economy to create jobs, make our country more secure by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and fight global warming.

Our clean energy future is on the line, and we need you on the team to win.

Thanks for all that you do.

Mike Richter
Sierra Club Member, Olympian, Hockey Champion, and Father

Ryan Van Duzer — Bicycle advocate

Van Duzer and a Cruiser: Sharing Bicycle Advocacy Coast to Coast.

From Marketwire, (June 18, 2009)(562 words) 

In the Custom Newspapers database.  One of the TEL (Tennessee Electronic Library) databases. (Password: elvis) If you need it.

Checkout his story.  It’s amazing!

Here is his website for more amazing stories about Ryan:  http://www.duzertv.com

The Active Community Transportation Act of 2010

 BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) introduced H.R. 4722, the Active Community Transportation Act of 2010 in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 2, 2010. Encourage your U.S. representative to co-sponsor the legislation now!

 For the past several years, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has been working closely with local, state and national partners around the country on the Campaign for Active Transportation.

 Building on the successes of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, the ACT Act would establish a competitive active transportation investment fund, to invest in walking and bicycling improvements in targeted communities around the country.

 These resources would enable communities to build interconnected systems—allowing people to travel between the places they work, live, play, learn and shop without needing  car.

If the act is passed, the U.S. Department of Transportation will administer a competitive fund, which will invest in communities that best make the case for resources to shift large numbers of trips from driving to walking and bicycling.

The two billion-dollar program, with funds set aside within the Surface Transportation Program, will allow dozens of communities nationally to improve their walking and bicycling networks.

For more:

•  Active Community Transporation Act of 2010 - bill fact sheet
• Active Community Transporation Act of 2010 – press release

Logos from the Graphic Arts students

Seanna - 1

Seanna – 2

Suzanne

Rick — option 2

 

Kim

Jason

Amanda

Amanda -- black & white

Jeremy — to encourage bike transportation

Jeremy

Melissa

Seth

Seth

Sarah

Aaron R

 

Jason -- black & white

Career Opportunities: Conservation field.

 Fellowship Opportunity: Indiana Wildlife Federation Phosphorous-Free Campaign Fellowship Please contact 703-438-6000 or campus@nwf.org with questions.

Register today – March 25 at 1:00 pm Central

Student Leadership and Careers: What opportunities are available in the conservation field and what skills are needed?

This webinar will focus on different career tracks in the conservation field and what skills are key to be successful. Two speakers will be featured, sharing their stories from college to where they are now.

The webinar, with Q&A, will be 1 hour.

Participants will receive dial-in and URL information two days before the conference. Participants that want to participate via the phone only can request a copy of the presentation.

REGISTER for the March 25 webinar

Awards for College Students – from AASHE

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

 2010 Awards Program Accepting Applications

Submitted by Niles Barnes on February 25, 2010 – 9:55am

in

• AASHE Biz

AASHE invites applications for our 2010 AASHE Awards. All winners will be announced at the AASHE 2010 conference in October, and will be featured in Sustainability: The Journal of Record. The deadline to apply is July 1. Nominations are not required for any award, but certainly are encouraged. Send any nominations to awards@aashe.org. The award categories are:

• Campus Sustainability Case Study Awards – This category, which is new for 2010, includes two awards: “Best Campus Case Study” and “The Oops! Award for Lessons Learned”.
  
• Student Sustainability Leadership Award – This award includes a $750 prize and is granted to an undergraduate student from an AASHE member institution who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting campus sustainability.
• Student Research on Campus Sustainability Award – This award is for the best research paper of any length that was completed in the previous 12 months and not previously published.

For more information please contact me at niles@aashe.org.

Pride of Place – TN Container deposit bill

PRIDE OF PLACE: 

The comprehensive litter and recycling solution 

based on a 5-cent deposit on beverage containers

I wish I had solid green news–but in fact there was no vote yesterday on the container-deposit bill. It still lacks the 4 votes needed in House State Govt Subcommittee, and that’s not likely to change. 

However, it’s never over till it’s over, and in the meantime we’re getting some pretty good press coverage–see links in item #3–so Rep. Mike McDonald rolled HB3429 to the final meeting, which is next Tuesday, March 23.

1. COMMITTEE STATUS

Rep. Mary Pruitt  rep.mary.pruitt@capitol.tn.gov: YES. Please thank her.

  

Rep. Joe Carr rep.joe.carr@capitol.tn.gov: NO. (Says he’s “undecided,” but on a committee with no other Republican support, it’s the same thing.)

 Rep.Ty Cobb  rep.ty.cobb@capitol.tn.gov: NO. (Officially he is also “undecided.” This probably has more to do with election-year politics than anything else.)

Rep. Ryan Haynes rep.ryan.haynes@capitol.tn.gov: NO. Similar to Joe Carr, only with less indecision.

Rep. John Litz  john.litz@capitol.tn.gov: NO. What he told his hometown newspaper is that the bill is good “in theory” but “the numbers don’t add up,” there’s no market for glass and plastic, the litter grants aren’t paid for, etc.–all unfounded.

Here’s the article: www.citizentribune.com/news/view_sections.asp?idcategory=47&idarticle=14717) 

Rep. Gerald McCormick  rep.gerald.mccormick@capitol.tn.gov: NO. 

2. WHAT TO DO NOW

Feel free to contact the legislators, if you like. However, it will probably be more useful for you to contact your local newspaper and other media–especially in the smaller communities–and urge them to follow (or continue to follow) this bill. Assure them that this is a popular and effective public policy that will create real jobs for real Tennesseans, and that the special-interest myths against it are just that–myths. Lies. Distortions. If you like, give them my contact info. But they prefer to hear from their own.

3. POSITIVE PRESS

As I said above, the bill has been getting some great coverage; I especially love the editorial in the Chattanooga Times Free Press. 

(Note that some of the stories contain some errors, e.g., we go thru 4.5 billion containers a year–not 450 billion! But nothing fatal.)

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/mar/15/3-15-t1-a-great-new-bottle-bill/?opiniontimes)

http://www.lebanondemocrat.com/-bottle-bill-linked-to-business-job-creation-cms-7984

http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/articles/2010/03/16/top_stories/01bottle.txt

http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20103140327

http://www.heraldandtribune.com/Detail.php?Cat=OPED&ID=58568

http://wpln.org/?p=15865

THANKS, GUYS! Talk to you next week.

Marge Davis, Ph.D.

Coordinator

Pride of Place/Tennessee Bottle Bill Project

A Project of Scenic Tennessee, Inc.

45 Burris Court

Mount Juliet, TN 37122

home (615) 758-8647

fax (615) 754-0966 

cell (615) 294-2651

www.tnbottlebill.org

margedavis@comcast.net

 

 

‘Bottle Bill’ offers incentives to go green, Our view   From the Tennessean, April 8, 2009.  “A bill before the General Assembly would return the 5-cent deposit to Tennessee, but in a new version that has seen success in 11 other states.”

The comprehensive litter and recycling solution 

based on a 5-cent deposit on beverage containers

Dear Friends of a Clean, Green Tennessee: 

The bill is still in play in the House State Government Subcommittee, but it’s hanging by a thread.

1. WHAT HAPPENED TUESDAY (March 9)

Committee members have been hammered with misinformation from groups opposing the bottle bill.  This had its intended effect of creating doubt and making legislators think the status quo is the safest route. 

  

Knowing the votes were not there, Rep Mike McDonald asked the chair to roll the bill to next week, but to let us give a presentation this week. The chair agreed to allow ten minutes.

You really need to watch the online video of the presentation, which included videotaped interviews with businesses as well as testimony by Susan Collins, executive director of the Container Recycling Institute, who flew in from California for one day to help us. It will make you proud of our side:

1. Go to http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
2. On the main menu, click on “Videos.” This will bring up options–click on “House Videos.”
3. On the list to the left, open the drop-down menu for “State and Local Government Committee” by clicking on the little arrow to the left of the committee name.  
4. In the drop-down menu, click on “State Government Subcommittee.”
5. Under “Archived Videos,” go to the item for March 9, 2010, and click on “Video.” This opens the video screen.
6. The discussion of HB 3429 (bottle bill) starts at 21:10 minutes, so slide the little playback slider until you get to that point.

2. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT TUESDAY: HOUSE AND SENATE

If we are sure of four votes by next Tuesday, March 16, Rep. McDonald will allow the bill to be voted on. I WILL LET YOU KNOW NEXT MONDAY IF THERE WILL BE A HEARING. If the votes aren’t there, he’ll withdraw it. That means the bill will be dead for 2010. 

However, if it lives, things will start moving in the Senate the following week. (The bill is on the calendar in Senate Environment for next Tuesday, but the calendar is so crowded that there’s almost no chance they’ll get to it, and it will be moved to the following week.)

3. WHAT TO DO NOW

• Watch the presentation, then e-mail the subcommittee members, below.  Do this even if you’ve contacted them already, because now you can urge them to support the new jobs that they heard about in the presentation.

• Urge legislators to at least let the bill get out of sub and advance to the full committtee! They are just six people, making a decision that will affect 6 million–to say nothing of the manufacturers around the country who need the material this bill will provide. Do they really want to be responsible for getting it wrong?

• Enlist help from your friends, especially those in Maury, Hamblen, Rutherford, Knox and Hamilton counties. These are the districts represented by the subcommittee members. They need to know that their legislators have the power to create–or forego–new jobs and small businesses AND clean up Tennessee.

• Talk to the media in those counties. Urge them to cover this issue over the weekend.   

4. PICTURE HOW TN WILL LOOK WITH AND WITHOUT THiS BILL

This really is a cool exercise that should fire you up: Picture Tennessee with 500 small businesses (minimum!) spread across it, some in every county, all dedicated to recycling. These are the redemption centers. (I see it as a sort of game board in the shape of the state, and the redemption centers are those little green Monopoly houses.) Now envision perhaps 100 bigger businesses–I use the red hotels from Monopoly–also distributed across the state. These are the processors, manufacturers and service providers that will either start up or expand as a result of this bill. Now think of at least 2,000 new workers moving around inside these buildings. This is Tennessee with a container deposit, and it is no exaggeration. Forty years of bottle bills support these growth projections. Oh, and you can also picture most of the bottles and cans gone from the roadsides and lakes and rivers.

Okay, now: Take your arm and wipe the board clean. This is Tennessee without the bill. This is what our legislators are prepared to give us on Tuesday. Oh, and you can put all those bottles and cans back in the ditches.

(This little exercise comes from Ward Cammack, the first candidate for governor to endorse a container deposit. Ward is no no longer running, but now he’s helping us.)

 5. HOUSE STATE GOVERNMENT SUBCOMMITTEE

WMB = War Memorial Building

LP = Legislative Plaza

Gerald McCormick, chair  R-26 (Chattanooga: represents part of Hamilton County) 117 WMB   (615) 741-2548   rep.gerald.mccormick@capitol.tn.gov 

Mary Pruitt, vice-chair (SPONSOR)  D-58 (Nashville; represents part of Davidson County)  25 LP      (615) 741-3853       rep.mary.pruitt@capitol.tn.gov 

Joe Carr  R-48 (Lascassas: part of Rutherford County)     205 WMB     (615) 741-2180       rep.joe.carr@capitol.tn.gov 

Cobb, Ty  D-64 (Columbia: represents part of Maury County)   23 LP       (615)  741-3005       rep.ty.cobb@capitol.tn.gov 

Haynes, Ryan R-14 (Knoxville: represents part of Knox County)    203 WMB   (615) 741-2264      rep.ryan.haynes@capitol.tn.gov 

Litz, John  D-10 (Morristown: represents all of Hamblen County)    17 LP         (615) 741-6877        rep.john.litz@capitol.tn.gov 

THANKS, GUYS!

Marge Davis, Ph.D.

Coordinator

Pride of Place/Tennessee Bottle Bill Project

A Project of Scenic Tennessee, Inc.

45 Burris Court

Mount Juliet, TN 37122

home (615) 758-8647

fax (615) 754-0966 

cell (615) 294-2651

www.tnbottlebill.org

margedavis@comcast.net

Let’s start a clean energy revolution! Sign the petition:

Let’s start a clean energy revolution! Sign the petition:.

Campus Solutions to Global Warming — Webcast

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Get eco-active and celebrate by hosting a free webcast at your school that offers inspiring stories of colleges and universities who are making a difference against climate change today!

On April 21, tune in to National Wildlife Federation’s FREE webcast – Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming – and hear from colleges that are leading the clean energy movement. Chill Out showcases colleges that are cutting their carbon footprint and working towards a sustainable future. See the leading campuses in green jobs, student activism, innovative design and campus actions and get project ideas for your school.

The Chill Out webcast is the perfect organizing tool to host on its own or with your other Earth Day activities. Each registrant will receive an organizing tool kit via email to help plan your event. The webcast will be available “on-demand” starting at 9:00 am Eastern on April 21, and lasts 30 minutes and is great for students, faculty, staff and administrators.

Bring this FREE webcast to your campus!

Tune in and Chill Out on April 21, 2010.
www.campuschillout.org

Battery Recycling Just Got Easier

The iRecycle Kit from Battery Solutions makes it easy for everyone—from households to corporations—to environmentally and economically recycle spent dry-cell batteries.

Each iRecycle Kit includes everything you need to recycle your batteries and handheld electronics. You simply collect all dry-cell battery types and hand-held electronics together—without separating—and mail them to us. We do the sorting, logistics, shipping, receiving, and recycling.

This is our no-hassle solution to help you ensure batteries and electronics are recycled properly. And easily.

How to Get Started

It’s easy! To get your iRecycling Kit – Purchase Now

iRecycle Kit Features

• Fully-Inclusive Recycling Product
• Pre-Paid Shipping Included
• UN-Approved Collection Containers
• Two Attractive Boxes And Two Pails From Which To Choose

How It Works

1. Purchase the size of recycling kit that’s right for you.
2. Receive your recycling kit in the mail.
3. Fill the kit with all types of dry-cell batteries and handheld electronics.
4. Once your kit is filled, ship it pre-paid to our recycling center. It’s as easy as that.

Benefits Of Recycling

• It’s the safest way to recycle batteries
• It helps you remain in compliance with any applicable environmental laws
• All hazardous materials are recycled properly
• The plastic and metal materials reclaimed are reused
• It saves landfill costs
• It saves natural resources
• It’s the right thing to do

Materials We Accept

• Household batteries, both rechargeable and non-rechargeable, such as
  • D-cell, C-cell, AA, AAA, 9-volt, and button cells
• Rechargeable battery packs from:
  • Cell phones, cameras, laptop computers, power tools, etc.
• Handheld electronics:
  • Cell phones, iPods, PDAs, pagers, and so on
• Any other dry-cell batteries

Pricing

All-inclusive pricing covers all charges for container, shipping, and recycling.

iRecycle Kit 12 Household Box (holds 12 lbs)

iRecycle Kit 35 Medium Pail (holds 35 lbs.)

iRecycle Kit 40 Medium Box (holds 40 lbs.)

iRecycle Kit 55 Large Pail (holds 55 lbs.)

Community Tree Planting by SSA and Green Sleeves.

A group of student and faculty met on Saturday, March 20, at 10:00 am and planted 5 Shumard Oak Trees on the Dominican Campus.  The weather Saturday was perfect for planting and today they are getting watered by the rain. 

The next tree planting is on March 24 at Eakin Elementary School.  We will meet outside of the Kisber Building at 10:00.   Bring shovels if you can. 

Ecofreek.com — swap items.

Ecofreek.com  is a search engine for free and swap items. Their mission is to provide a means for people to find items they need while reducing
landfill waste.

Check them out.  They would like feedback on their website.

Obesity in Nashville — Healthy eating & active living

BY CHRISTINA E. SANCHEZ • THE TENNESSEAN • MARCH 23, 2010

Nashville plans to use a $7.5 million federal grant over the next two years to make barriers to healthy eating and active living go away.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded Nashville an obesity prevention grant that will be used to target the city’s obesity epidemic. The federal agency gave out more than $372 million to 44 cities nationwide for a new initiative. Nashville was the only city in the state to get money.

“For the first time, our children may not live as long as we do because of obesity, diabetes, and a failure to eat healthy and partake in physical activities,” said Dr. Bill Paul, director of the Metro Public HealthDepartment.

One of five children and two out of three adults in Nashville are overweight.

With the grant money, the health department will create 40 full-time jobs and 40 part-time jobs to run the two-year program.

The money will be used to:

- Make safe routes to school for children, an initiative in partnership with Metro Public Schools.

- Start a share the road program to increase awareness about cyclists and motorist sharing the road and to improve policy and signage on shared roads.

- Begin The Golden Sneaker Program, which will help teachers incorporate physical activity and health eating into the curriculum.

- Create a bike rental around Nashville so people can see the city and get exercise at the same time.

- Promote health eating by putting fresh foods in corner stores and neighborhoods markets.

Second Tree Planting

The second tree planting on March 24 was at 2 elementary schools: Kirkpatrick (East Nashville) and Westmeade.  As you can see in the photos the students were all very excited to be getting these trees.  5 trees were planted at Kirkpatrick (Two are in their new playground).  6 trees were planted at Westmeade.

Last tree planting Wed., March 31.  Meet at K-Building — 12:30.

Kirkpatrick Elementary

Kirkpatrick -- Pre-K -- Shumard Oak

Westmeade Elementary

This 1st grade class help plant and adopted this tree.

Mark, Alex, Mr. Breese (the principal), and Pam

New “green” blog/website by Tanisha Ola

http://shoutyourthoughts.weebly.com

Check it out.

Recycling Fundraiser

<a href=”http://www.recyclingfundraiser.com“>Cell Phone & Laptop Recycling Fundraiser </a>

Earn an extra $10 to $50 just for linking your organization’s website to RecyclingFundraiser.com.

Do we want to do this?

Victory for Kids Outdoors

Thank Tennessee’s State Leadership

This goes right along with our school tree plantings we have been doing.

Great news! Both the Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution of support for the TN Every Child Outdoors Coalition and the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. The Governor has also demonstrated his support for efforts to provide children with outdoor experiences. Please take a moment to thank them for their actions. Helping Tennessee children experience nature will prepare our kids to be well-equipped to understand and overcome complicated environmental challenges that face our communities, our nation, and our planet. Let your elected officials know you appreciate their actions to connect children with nature in Tennessee. Tennessee is too beautiful of a state to stay indoors. Thanks so much, Kelly D. Wagner Online Outreach Coordinator info@nwa.org Friend us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Send a message to your Tennessee leaders»

Culinary Breakfast for bike commuters and walkers to campus

On April 8 the Escoffier Society and Green Sleeves are sponsoring a free breakfast for people who commute to campus by bicycle or on foot.  By doing this they hope to encourage more people to lower their carbon footprint by using alternative transportation.  Another added benefit of bicycling and walking to campus is that they both help you maintain a healthy weight.  It is also a great way to learn local history. 

The breakfast will be served from 7:15 to 9:00 am in the food service area of the S-Building.   It may be outside if the weather is really nice. 

Adam Trapani will be there to talk a little bit about bike commuting and answer any questions anyone might have.  Adam is a student a NSCC and a bike mechanic at the Bike Pedlar – West End.

Paradise Regained: The Regreening of the Earth

April 6, 2010, Tuesday 6:00 p.m Vanderbilt University, Stevenson Center Room 1206

Les Johnson, a NASA physicist, author, and environmentalist is coming to speak at Vanderbilt on Tuesday, April 6 about his new book, “Paradise Regained: The Regreening of the Earth.” You can read more about the book at http://lesjohnsonauthor.com/. The event is free and open to the public, and co-hosted by the Vanderbilt Society of Physics Students and the Vanderbilt Chapter of the Sierra Club. Pyne’s Ground Plum by David Duhl

 April 8, 2010, Thursday 7:00 p.m Monthly Program at Radnor Lake Visitor Center Visitors are very welcome!

*Note – you must enter from Granny White Pike Andrea Shea Bishop, a botanist with the Natural Heritage Program in the Bureau of State Parks, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), works with the 22 federal endangered plant species throughout the state. With annual funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she establishes monitoring projects, conducts research and surveys the state for new populations of these species. Through field investigations and research and management activities this program seeks to prevent imperiled species of plants and animals from becoming further imperiled, to affect the recovery of federally listed species so that they may be de-listed and to prevent the extirpation of critically imperiled species. Andrea’s PowerPoint presentation will discuss the current status of the rare plant program and the significance of the Act. Be prepared to learn while enjoying some beautiful slides.

The Nashville Green Scene

For “green” activities in Nashville check this out:

http://www.nowplayingnashville.com/page/green

Bike commuter benefits is now USA law.

http://commutebybike.com/2008/10/03/bike-commuter-benefits-is-now-usa-law/

Winning Green Sleeves Logo — Sarah

Winning Green Sleeves Logo, by Sarah

Simplier version of the winning logo, by Sarah

 

Eco Tips from the Sierra Club

http://www.sierraclub.org/tips/

Check out these “Green Tips”.

Chill Out: Campus solutions to global warming

Join Alisa Reyes and David Mizejewski as they showcase inspiring stories of students, faculty and staff making a difference in their communities. Host a FREE webcast at your school or in your classroom to celebrate, educate and organize! Chill Out is a 30-minute program, featuring campuses with a wide variety of initiatives including: green jobs, students in action, innovation & design, and campus actions. - Watch students and faculty design an innovative approach to green roof technology. - See students working towards a sustainable food system. - Hear a special message from global leaders, including a senator, leaders of federal agencies and a Nobel prize winner! The Chill Out webcast is the perfect organizing tool to host on its own or with your other Earth Day activities. Each registrant will receive an organizing tool kit via email to help plan his or her event. The webcast will be available “on-demand” starting at 9:00 am on April 21. It lasts 30 minutes and is great for students, faculty, staff and administrators. Tune in and Chill Out on April 21, 2010. www.campuschillout.org

Climate Rally – April 25 in DC! Sunday, April 25, Earth Day Network and partners are organizing a massive climate rally on The National Mall to demand Congress enact climate and clean energy legislation in 2010. It is time to stop protecting polluters and enact comprehensive climate legislation that will create American jobs, cap carbon emissions and secure our nation’s future. Join Sting, the Roots, John Legend and others to make Earth Day 2010 a pivotal moment in the environmental movement.

Earth Day # 40!

Good afternoon,

We’ve been celebrating Earth Day for 40 years now, but the truth is that tomorrow may be the first one when we are truly able to say that we have started down the road to a real clean energy economy — and a better world for our kids.

Today I am kicking off the Administration’s celebration of Earth Day in advance by announcing $452 million in Recovery Act “Retrofit Ramp-Up” awards. These awards will help make energy efficiency affordable for hundreds of thousands of homeowners and businesses, and are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in the process.

And this is just a tiny sliver of what we’ve done. As the President’s point man on the Recovery Act, which included America’s biggest investment ever in clean energy, I’ve visited countless communities that have seen jobs come back through these kinds of initiatives.

You can learn more about all our efforts at WhiteHouse.gov/EarthDay, and also join Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, for a special online video chat tomorrow at 12:00PM EDT at WhiteHouse.gov.

Of course Earth Day is about more than just government action to protect our air, water and environment. Since the first Earth Day forty years ago countless Americans have taken action to make their local communities cleaner and healthier and to have a positive impact on our planet.

This year, President Obama is calling on all of us to pitch in and participate in the Earth Day of Service. On Serve.gov/EarthDay you can find thousands of Earth Day Service events in communities across the country.

Whether you pick up trash at a local park, plant trees, or clean up the river or stream in your hometown, there are plenty of ways to get involved. I hope you’ll join President Obama and me in celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

Sincerely,

Joe Biden
Vice President of the United States

Blessed Earth Live International Simulcast

This live simulcast can be viewed here for 1 week.  Check it out!  It will make you think!  A Belmont student was inspired and wrote a song about trees, and he performed it at the end of the broadcast. 

It is about what churches and schools can do to take care of the Earth. (Creation care.)

John Muir Exhibit — Sierra Club

Happy Birthday, Mr. Muir Our founder, John Muir, was born 172 years ago yesterday. We’ve celebrated by updating The John Muir Exhibit — the best online source of John Muir information on planet Earth — curated by superstar Sierra Club volunteer Harold Wood. (Take that, Wikipedia!)Although we hope John Muir would appreciate his new website, we know what he’d really like is for more people to pull on their boots, go for a hike, and tell others how they can do the same. Here’s the place to do exactly that!

Earth Day: April 22, 2010

Help Turn America Green
Earth Day is a chance for each of us to think about how we can help our planet. Add your pledge for a simple green action to our Earth Day map of America and you’ll be amazed at how everyone together can make a big difference by doing small things.

And if you make your pledge by April 30th, you could also win a trip to Hawaii!

Forever Green Tennessee Funding

Dear Tennessee Conservationist: 

 All funding for land conservation from the State of Tennessee is at risk!  This may be the most important request for action you will receive this year. The fate of $16.5 million for conserving Tennessee’s woods, waters and wildlife will be determined next week (we think by Tuesday or Wednesday) when the Senate Finance Committee reviews the State budget. If we lose our funding this year, we may never get the “dedicated” funds returned again.

Please help. PLEASE make phone calls to the following TODAY:

* Senator Mark Norris, Republican Leader (615-741-1967)

* Senator Randy McNally, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee (615-741-6806)

* Your Senator (if he/she appears on the list below)

Here’s your message: Restore all land conservation funding in the State’s budget, “dedicated” from the Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Fees. It is important for JOBS. It is important for a Forever Green Tennessee, our woods, our waters, our wildlife. Less than 1/10th of 1% of our State’s Budget supports these vital programs. It is wrong to divert them again.

Quick overview: In 1991, the legislature added a small increase to the Real Estate Transfer Fees (the fee you pay when a real estate deed is recorded) to generate money to save parks, wetlands, woods, wildlife and waters. In 2003-2008 this “dedicated” fund was diverted to the general fund. They were supposed to return to their “dedicated” purpose in June 2008, but unfortunately were taken the last week of the budget process and once again diverted from their “dedicated” purpose to balance the budget. This is wrong. These funds are in the Governor’s budget to reinstate in June 2010, but they are in jeopardy of being taken from their original purpose yet again! The fees generate $16.5 million and include $6.5 million for conserving wetlands and wildlife areas, $3.1 million for conserving state park lands, $3.7 million for local parks (requires a match from the city/co.) and $3.2 million for farmers to clean up or prevent pollution of our creeks and rivers.

More Talking Points: * These funds create jobs and are great for our economy. Tourism generates 180,000 jobs, and parks are our most popular tourist attractions; * These funds leverage federal funding, city and county funding, private gifts, and investments from farmers; * These funds are a common sense approach – as real estate is developed a small fund saves the best Tennessee has to offer; * We want our children and grandchildren to have a beautiful environment and strong economy and these funds are critical for the Forever Green Tennessee that we want our children to inherit; * We want Tennessee to always be known as the “greenest state in the land of the free.”

For more information, there is a fact sheet and 13-minute movie that describes these funds as well as pictures of our legislative friends on our blog:

http:// forevergreentn.wordpress.com.

Please take 5 minutes to save our precious homeland. We must show our legislators that Tennesseans care about our environment. With your help, together we WILL Forever Green Tennessee.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Williams Executive Director,

Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation

Beautification And Environment Commission

http://www.nashville.gov/beautification/

The 2010 Great American Cleanup™ is Underway!

Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program, takes place annually from March 1 through May 31, involving an estimated 3 million volunteers and attendees. Here in Nashville, volunteers come together for roadside litter collection, landscaping projects, Ring Around the School cleanups, graffiti removals, illegal sign round-ups, and a host of other neighborhood beautification efforts.  To learn how you can participate, contact Metro Beautification and Environment at (615) 862-8418.

Richland Creek Greenway Flood Damage

Check out the power of water!

Richland Creek Greenway Flood damage - May 1-2, 2010

Richland Creek tributary bridge is gone!

Looking down the tributary at the former bridge:(

Bridge out!

Green Sleeves T-Shirt

Green Sleeves logo on t-shirt

The silk-screens are ready.  Please reply if you would like to meet and print some shirts, and possibly some bike flags, too.

Tulip Poplar Trees

Trees planted along the Richland Creek Greenway — April 2010.

Tulip Poplar Tree planted April 2010

2010 Flood — Richland “River” — May 2 and 3

May 2

May 3

After the water goes down…

Clean-up day for Richland Creek Greenway

May 15 Richland Creek 1st trail clean-up.

Richland Creek debris

Bike to Work Tips

Here are some tips to get you started bike commuting from Bike Victoria.

Bike commuting is a great way to get some fresh air and learn about the city you live in. You can also meet some really nice people while bike commuting.  Try it, you might like it!

Bicycle Group — Sierra Club

http://connect.sierraclub.org/Groups/Bicycle

BP Oil Spill

This is what BP does not want us to see!

Eco-Journey: Oil spill

Eco-Journey is the blog of the Environmental Ministries Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It will include a wide array of environmental topics

Bike-ku Honorable Mentions

Check out these bike-ku’s.  There is one about riding in the rain.

http://connect.sierraclub.org/post/Groups/Bicycle/blog/bikeku_honorable_mentions.html?nc=6/9/2010

Bells Bend Outdoor Center – Astronomy Channel

Nashville’s Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society and the Middle Tennessee Space Society

 Present

 The Astronomy Channel

(A free Mobile Observatory Program)

 Friday, June 18^th

8:30 – 10:30 p.m.

 Bells Bend Outdoor Center

4187 Old Hickory Blvd.
Nashville, TN  37218

 Program will be cancelled in the event of rain, cloudy skies or extremely cold weather.

 A variety of deep-sky objects will be shown throughout, including the: Pleiades Star Cluster, Orion Nebula, Crab Nebula Supernova Remnant in our own Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda and Sculptor Galaxies, which is millions of light years away.

 In addition, the mobile observatory will present a series of short videos, which includes a 3D fly-thru animation of the Orion Nebula, brief updates on recent NASA missions and a sky tour of constellations using a powerful laser pointer will also be presented.

 The mobile observatory is designed to aid those who have trouble using telescope eyepieces or have impaired vision.  It is also handicap accessible. If you can watch TV, you can observe the constellations with this powerful telescope!

Come discover the universe!

To register, please call (615) 862-4187

For assistance or accommodation, please contact the Bell Bend Outdoor Center, 615-862-4187

Cut your oil: Food

On April 20, 2010, news broke of an explosion on a deepwater BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 52 miles off the Louisiana coast. Eleven workers tragically died. Now we all are left with a giant gash in the ocean floor that is spewing hundreds of thousands of oil a day. It could be one of the biggest environmental disasters of our lifetime

One reason the BP oil disaster makes us sick is the flood of heartbreaking images of dead or dying wildlife and despoiled wetlands coupled with an infuriating sense of helplessness. BP’s “handling” the crisis, so there’s nothing we can do — right?

Wrong.

Oil has infiltrated our daily lives to an astonishing degree, but that doesn’t mean we can’t significantly reduce our use of it. Americans burn nearly 20 million barrels of oil every single day, most of it for personal transportation.
Even for the most committed environmentalist, to go completely oil-free overnight would be next to impossible. But taking the first step toward an oil-free future — by simply reducing our current daily consumption — is actually incredibly easy. It’s also one of the most significant things you can do to wrest control of our energy future back from the Big Oil companies, which have enjoyed cozy political relationships and big government subsidies for far too long.

Each day this week, we’ll highlight a different strategy for getting oil out our lives.

1. We Are What We Eat

If the oil disaster makes you angry and you eat a lot of meat, one powerful solution is sitting right on your plate. The U.S. meat industry is a major consumer of petroleum. In fact, raising one cow in a factory farm requires takes about 35 gallons of oil — just under a barrel (according to The Omnivore’s Dilemma, p. 84). Processed foods and corn syrup also heavily depend on petroleum.

* Cutting meat out of your diet for just one day each week is equivalent to driving 1,000 miles less per year.

* When you do buy meat, consider the source. Grass-fed, sustainably raised livestock are a breath of fresh air compared to the filthy, industrialized feedlots that have taken over the U.S. Click here for a directory of responsibly raised meat.

* Location matters. The label “organic” doesn’t necessarily mean “oil free.” Organic apples from Chile, for instance, use as much oil as non organic domestic apples because of the required transportation. Look for produce that’s grown as close to home as possible first, then consider whether it’s organic or not.

* Farmers rule! The easiest way to get healthy and low-oil-use foods is to take you reusable bags to a local farmers’ market. Most of the market vendors are local, seasonal, and sustainable.

Cut Your Oil: Your Car

Americans burn 378 million gallons of gasoline a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. Oil is the lifeblood of the automobile, and there’s no better place to start cutting down your oil usage than that metal box sitting in your driveway.

We’re not saying you have to sell your car. But if you can make your trips to the pump less frequent, it’ll add up. Start by inflating your tires, clearing your trunk (Carting around an extra 100 pounds can reduce your mileage by 2 percent), driving more slowly (or at least not over the speed limit), and biking or walking short trips.

Just how much better is bicycling compared to driving? Mr. Green had fun with some arithmetic by comparing gas usage of a car to that of a bicyclist who eats cornmeal for his or her fuel. Let’s say it takes two gallons of gas to drive 48 miles. A typical cyclist would need about 1.25 pounds of cornmeal for the energy to bike 48 miles. “It takes a gallon or so of fossil fuel to produce 50 pounds of corn, so the amount of fossil-fuel energy needed to grow enough corn for the 48-mile ride is a meager .025 gallons,” says Mr. Green. Imagine every American walking or bicycling short trips. Do you think BP (and other oil companies) would take notice?

Do you want to start bicycling to work and nearby locations and don’t know how to get started? The Crossroads blog has excellent starting tips by Canyon Kyle here, here, and here. Also, check out Commutebybike.com’s Commuting 101. 

Campus Sustainability Projects.

National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology program is calling for case studies.

Submit a case study on your campus sustainability projects or green workforce training programs.

Submissions are due July 15 *

If you need an extension please email campus@nwf.org.

Each year NWF’s Campus Ecology program publishes case studies contributed by its members and partners showcasing their campus sustainability practices and global warming solutions for the past school year (2009-2010).

NWF will release these illustrated reports in Fall 2010 in our online searchable case study database, one of our most popular resources. The case study database is searchable by school, topic, state, and year. Check it out! The case study database is used by hundreds of students, staff, faculty and administrators who tell us that it’s a source of inspiration and insight into the potentials of conservation and sustainability on their campuses and in their communities. It also serves as the primary outlet for Campus Ecology members and partners to document their accomplishments and gain national recognition. Colleges and universities throughout the U.S. have made great strides toward addressing global warming and protecting wildlife and habitat.

We invite you to share your success stories, and let other campuses learn from you! Please share your story and submit a case study today. Submission deadline is July 15, 2010. There are case study guidelines and case study templates (to help you begin) at the above link. *

Schools are welcome to submit more than one case study if you are working on multiple projects in different areas of sustainability and green workforce development. Case studies can focus on completed projects/programs or ones still in development.

Please contact Campus Ecology with any questions: campus@nwf.org 703-438-6000 / www.CampusEcology.org

Meeting — Feb. 9, 2011

Meeting will be at 11:00 in room S-108.
There will be pizza.
Please respond to Cliff if you can come. (cewing7@my.nscc.edu)

Things to talk about are:

1. Can and plastic recycling schedule for empting containers on campus.
2. Officers – (please reply if you want to be an officer) Cliff: President; Phuong: VP; Jason: Treasurer.  Thanks.
3. Trees for the tree donation/give-away in the Spring (Earth Day)
4. Planting trees at schools in Jan or Feb. Maybe with the assistance of Sound Forest. http://www.soundforest.org/
5. Volunteer beautification opportunities on the NSCC campus.
6. More alternative transportation choices on campus.
7. More secure bicycle parking (i.e. more bike racks, possibly in a covered location).
8. Battery recycling on campus.  (Math and Sciences would like this.)

Sarah has fixed the words “Follow me to . . . Nashville State Community College” to go on the bike flags around the logo she designed.

Please respond to this post with a preferred day and time to meet.

Student Life Council Meeting — Spring 2011

Student Life Council Meeting       Feb. 8, 2011	1:00-2:00	Feb. 8, 2011
Student Life Council Meeting       March 1, 2011	1:00-2:00	March 1, 2011
Student Life Council Meeting       April 5, 2011	1:00-2:00	April 5, 2011

All in S-208!

Write letters to Coca-Cola

State how the new plastic containers could give Coca-Cola a stronger visual presence on the Nashville State campus. this might speak to their bottom line and fit in with their Zero Waste initiative.

Coca-Cola’s address is:

P.O. Box 1734

Atlanta, GA 30301

Go here to electronically submit ideas.

Their website says that they are committed to a “zero waste vision”. http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/packaging.html

Green Living Tips

Green Living Newsletter.  Check it out.

Amazing student leaders opportunity

 I want to share two great opportunities coming up for next semester.  Please consider getting involved and share with other students.  Let me know if you have any questions or if you are interested in discussing your plans for the coming year.  Hope you are having a great summer! – Carly

 The Energy Action Coalition (National Wildlife Federation is a coalition partner) is looking for students leaders who want to run a local non-partisan electoral campaign this fall focused on bringing clean energy, environmental justice and climate change to the forefront of the midterm elections in the face of the worst dirty energy disaster in U.S. history.  The Power Vote campaign would run from August through November, with trainings to develop leadership and campaign management skills among students taking place in late summer / early fall and personal support from me and other EAC field staff throughout the campaign.  You can find out more and sign up to be a Power Vote leader here:

http://energyactioncoalition.org/fall

You can register for our first national training August 4-7 in Chicago, IL here:

http://energyactioncoalition.org/falltraining

Here are the training logistics and details:

http://energyactioncoalition.org/falltraining/logistics

Contact me if you register or intend to register for the training because I have fund-raising resources and matching funds to help cover your travel costs, in some cases.  NWF will also be offering a limited number of paid student fellowships for the fall, with priority going to folks who attend the Chicago training (although other dedicated individuals will be eligible).  If you are interested or have any questions about this campaign or the training, please contact me ASAP: Carly Queen queenc@nwf.org or (404)312-2860

 Also, FYI:

 Greenpeace is looking for passionate and dedicated 18-24 year old students to join their team next semester!  The Greenpeace Organizing Term (http://www.greenpeace.org/got) is a semester of action and training held in D.C! The Organizing Term is the best hands on training for students to learn leadership training-and hit their campus running! Working with Greenpeace you’ll learn grassroots organizing, campaign skills, and get to travel to work on real campaigns in the field with incredible activists! In addition, you can also receive college credits!

If you’d like more information or are interested in applying-check out: http://www.greenpeace.org/got  or email Jules.Abecassis@greenpeace.org

 Carly Queen

Campus Field Coordinator, Campus Ecology

Phone: 404-876-8733 x238 | Cell: 404-312-2860| queenc@nwf.org
Southeast Regional Center
National Wildlife Federation

Recycling in China

Check this out:

Chinese peddle their overladen tricycles in Beijing.

Cycling Copenhagen through North American Eyes

Check out this  street film to see what Copenhagen has done to make cycling a safe and enjoyable mode of transportation for everybody.

This was filmed during the June 2010 Velo-City Conference in Copenhagen.

Pretty amazing stuff!

Biking for Nashville — Flood relief

Join Jesse Murphy, Daniel Finney, and Ryan Pierce as they bike across the United States for Nashville flood relief!

www.bikingfornashville.com

Nashville’s New Bike Share bike ride — Fri., Aug 13

Join Mayor Karl Dean and members of his Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) as they officially launch Nashville’s new free bike share program— Nashville Bike Share—this Friday with an inaugural ride on the “City Cruisers” between Shelby Bottoms Park and the Music City Star Riverfront Station—the two locations for the pilot program.

For the first ride, there will probably be fewer than 10 cruisers available to the general public, but riders are encouraged to bring their own bikes (and helmets!) to participate in the group ride.

Come celebrate this great new resource for exploring our city!

WHO: Karl Dean, Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville
Representatives from Metro Parks
Members of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee

WHAT: Bike Share Program Launch / Inaugural Ride on “City Cruisers”

WHEN: Friday, Aug. 13,
8 a.m. – arrive at Shelby Bottoms Greenway Main Trailhead
8:45 a.m. – expected arrival time at Riverfront Station

WHERE: Event starts at Shelby Bottoms Greenway Main Trailhead
Event concludes at Music City Star Riverfront Station

Bike Fender Blender

Make smoothies the “green” way with no electricity using the Fender Blender.  

This would be great for Sustainability Day in October on college campuses.

Bike Share Nashville

NBS is a free service provided to all residents and students in Nashville, 18 and older.   It is a pilot program that brings the first free-public bike rental program to the state of Tennessee.

The goal of NBS is to provide alternative transportation and healthy-recreation opportunities for Nashvillians. There are 2 free-bike rental locations in Nashville: The downtown Music City Star Riverfront Station and the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center. The bicycles we call City Cruisers can help fill the gap for trips too far to walk, and too short for other modes of public transit or automobiles.

The 2 bike stations are directly linked to more than 40 miles of greenways trails and 94 miles of on-road bike lanes and routes.

Pellissippi State Community College Goes Green

Pellissippi State Community College (TN) has opened a new environmentally friendly campus. Green features include bicycle racks, showers for bicycle riders, reserved parking and charging stations for electric vehicles, passive solar design, light sensors, added insulation and recycled materials. The facility was recently awarded the Nashville Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award for successful environmental projects and conservation measures.

Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative

Please join senior representatives from the U.S. Department of the Interior
(DOI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for a public listening session and discussions in Nashville, Tennessee on conservation, recreation, and reconnecting people to the outdoors.

The session will be held Friday, August 27, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the auditorium at the Main Branch of the Nashville Public Library.

Listening Session and Discussion Information:

WHEN:

Friday, August 27, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
(Check-in table opens at 9:30 a.m.)

WHAT:

Public Listening Session on President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors
Initiative

WHERE:

Nashville Public Library (Main Branch), 615 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219,
615-862-5800.

WHO:

Representatives from DOI, USDA and CEQ will be present to hear your thoughts and to participate in a conversation with you about land conservation, recreation, historic preservation and reconnecting Americans to the great outdoors.

REGISTER:

This event is free and open to the public. We will make every effort to
accommodate everyone. To help with our planning, we encourage you to
pre-register by Thursday, August 26th. To pre-register, please email Ashley
Baggettser_americas_great_outdoors_nashville@nps.gov. Include with your email your name and organization. We also welcome registration on the day of the listening session beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Nashville Public Library (Main Branch).

QUESTIONS:

Call Chris Abbett at (404) 507-5685 with any questions about the listening
session.

In the event you are unable to participate, please submit your comments and
ideas via the America’s Great Outdoors website
at:www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/.

Let’s try and have some representation from Green Sleeves.

Environmental Education in Tennessee

TEEA Conference: The Magic of EE!

Sept. 17 – 19, 2010 in Memphis at St. Columba.

Smart Commute Tennessee

Check out this website from TDOT for lots of ways to commute:

http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/smartcommute

Friday Campus Clean-up Days

Please come and help keep our campus clean.

Meet in the S building lobby.

Oct. 8, 9 - 10 am.

Oct. 22, 2 – 3 pm.

Nov. 5, 2 – 3 pm.

Nov. 19, 2 – 3 pm.

Ride for Reading

The biking librarian's book trailer

 

Ride for Reading is an organization, started by a former 4th grade teacher, that gets books into the hands of school children that cannot afford to buy them.  At the same time it encourages safe biking for children since the books are delivered to schools by bike.  They are delivered by bike because children can relate to bikes, and both books and bikes are a good way to travel without wasting any resources.  Reading allows you can go anywhere. 

Yesterday, Tuesday Sept. 28, I was off campus to help deliver books to the children at Warner Elementary School in East Nashville.  As we rode up to the school the children and their teachers were outside cheering us on. It was very exciting!  There were about 15 riders and we were carrying around 1000 books.  Five of us were pulling bike trailers loaded with books the others had backpacks containing more books.  

Before taking the bikes and the trailers into the building, Matt the founder of RfR, made the children pledge to read their books at least twice and to take care of them and share them with family and friends, and also to ride their bikes safely and always try to wear a bike helmet.  Once the books were unloaded and placed on tables the children got to pick out 2 books each to take home.  The really rewarding part was seeing their smiles, and how excited they were about getting books their very own books.     

Check out Ride for Reading for more information. 

If anyone would like to donate new or gently used books I am riding in a mountain bike race on Saturday, Oct 16, and I would be happy to take a collection of donated books with me to the event.  If there are any mountain bikers out there, please come and join and ride.  It should be fun.  It is called the Dirt, Guts, and Donuts Race.  Krispy Kreme is a RfR sponsor. 

Arriving at the front door of the school

 

Children at Warner Elementary picking out books.

Campus Sustainability Day — Oct. 20

STRATEGIES AND TOOLS FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND LARGE-SCALE TRANSFORMATION! The eighth Campus Sustainability Day virtual event | OCTOBER 20 | is a streaming video webcast featuring renowned social change author David Gershon and New York Times-affiliated Andrew C. Revkin. Don’t miss it: http://www.scup.org/page/profdev/webcast/2010/csd8/content

Visit Campus Sustainability Planning Network at: http://www.campussustainability.info/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education (IEJEE-Green)

This is a brand new open access (freely accessible to the general public) refereed journal.

International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education

First issue Sept. 2010

Fully searchable and browseable by issue, author and title.

Check it out.

News for the Green Campus — NWF

Happy New (School) Year!   School’s back and ClimateEdu is back, too, with some exciting changes and new directions for 2010-2011. We have a new official facebook page, this year’s Chill Out competition is now open and we have a host of amazing events and webinars lined up!  We’re also looking for some of you (yes, you!) to share your thoughts and stories with us as guest writers for ClimateEdu and the Campus Ecology blog. So, check out the links below, make sure you’re following us on Twitter, & get ready for an amazing semester!   [Media & Events Coordinator]
OCTOBER:    8-10   WHEATS Workshop  10-12  AASHE Conference   15-17  NCWE Conference   20     Campus Sustainability Day    25     Green Communities, Green Jobs more>>     NOVEMBER:    4-5    UNCF Building Green Training 14-17 Behavior, Energy & Climate Chg 17-19  GreenBuild 2010  23-26  Int’l Commitment to Sustainability more>>     DECEMBER:    3    World Sustainable Development 8-10 Energy Engineering Congress more>>

 

STUDENTS: TAKE THE LEAD FOR GREEN – 10 WAYS TO BE AN ECO-LEADER ON YOUR CAMPUS THIS YEAR  A new school year is a time of many changes, which makes it a perfect time to build new habits, get rid of old ones, and encourage those around us to do the same. There are many ways to be an environmental leader on campus, and some of the most effective of them are easier than might be expected. From residence halls to recreation activities, most colleges and universities (even the eco-friendly ones) are full of opportunities for increased sustainability. Here are 10 ways that students (pr faculty/staff looking for ways to motivate students) can help their campus “go green” in 2010-2011. READ MORE >> REPAPER PROJECT HELPS CAMPUSES STEP UP CLIMATE PROTECTION, VIA WASTE REDUCTION AND PAPER RECYCLING This fall, help your campus move beyond simple paper recycling and take climate and sustainability practices to the next level by considering the entire campus paper cycle, not just the disposal. The RePaper Project, an initiative of the Environmental Paper Network, has released a  new comprehensive tool designed to facilitate that process. The guide, entitled Paper Steps on Campus: 9 Steps to Protecting the Climate and Reducing Waste through Campus Paper Policies and compiled in partnership with NWF and Recycling Organizations of North America, is an essential resource even for colleges and universities that have already begun implementing sustainability initiatives on campus. READ MORE >>

 

Recent Articles from our Campus Ecology Blog: The Greenforce Initiative™ Underway at Community Colleges White House Hosts First-Ever Community College Summit What you need to know to go Back-To-School Shopping Dept. Of Ed. to make Sustainability Grant Decisions The Ohio State University’s First Zero-Waste Event

 

Social Media & Campus Ecology Initiatives:

Thanks for reading! To subscribe, share feedback, or send us a story, visit our site. Looking for greener pastures? Check out the National Wildlife Federation’s Career Gateway.

“Green” article in Newsweek magazine — Oct 25, 2010

Check out the Oct. 25 issue of Newsweek magazine to find some cool ways to help save the planet.  (The Mayfield Library subscribes to this title, and it is full text in the Academic OneFile database — A Tenn. Electronic Library (TEL) database.)  The magazine’s website does not have all the articles that the paper issue has.

10 big green ideas  — One of the ideas is using CO2 to make cement! 

The greenest companies in America

The greenest companies in the world

True green

Richland Creek Greenway reopening — Sat, Nov. 6

Meet Mayor Karl Dean at 11:00 am at the White Bridge Rd trail head and walk with him and celebrate the re-opening of the greenway that is right behind NSCC. 

Come and discover this great transportation corridor right behind the school.

Scientific Knowledge Database

http://www.osti.gov/.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s TrailBlog keeps you in touch with what’s happening at RTC and across the world of trails and greenways – from innovative practices to the latest action alerts. The mission of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.

Middle Tennessee’s Transportation Future

Many of you have participated in previous MPO planning studies, or expressed an interest in hearing about opportunities to weigh in on the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan.

 We’ve been out and about, all over the region, presenting on the major policy initiatives of the draft plan throughout most of 2010. Time flies when you’re having fun, and the plan is now scheduled for adoption at our December 15th Executive Board meeting– so the last remaining opportunities for public review and comment are upon us! 

 Everyone living and working in Middle Tennessee is invited to learn about what’s in the Plan, and express support or opposition to policy changes therein. Join us tomorrow evening in Lebanon with Wilson County‘s mayors, or find out about a Community Conversation in our neck of the woods! Let us know you’re coming by RSVP’ing on facebook.

• Wilson County - Tues., Nov. 9th, 5:30-7:45 p.m., Lebanon Town Meeting Hall, 200 Castle Heights Ave N, Lebanon 37087 – with Mayors Craighead, Elam, and Hutto
• Rutherford County - Tues., Nov. 16th, 5:00-7:00 p.m., Smyrna City Hall, Council Chambers, 315 S. Lowry Street, Smyrna 37167 – with Mayors Bragg, Burgess, Dover, Erwin, and Tune 
• Davidson County – Mon., Nov. 29th, 5:00-7:00 p.m., Nashville – with Mayor Dean, details to come
• Williamson County - Tues., Nov. 30th, 5:00-7:00 p.m., Franklin Police Dept., Community Room, 900 Columbia Ave, Franklin 37064 – with Mayors Anderson, Crossley, Dinwiddie, and Schroer

 Everyone living and working in Middle Tennessee is invited to learn about what’s in the Plan, and express support or opposition to policy changes therein. Join us tomorrow evening in Lebanon with Wilson County‘s mayors, or find out about a Community Conversation in your neck of the woods! Let us know you’re coming by RSVP’ing on facebook.

 

PLEASE NOTE new adjusted times (above) for tomorrow’s Wilson County meeting, to accommodate the 5:55 p.m. Lebanon arrival of Music City Star rail transit passengers.

 

Chill Out: Climate Action on Campus competition

National Wildlife Federation has launched its fifth annual Chill Out: Climate Action on Campus competition this Fall. We are now accepting entries from colleges and universities (and high schools) in six categories – one of these categories is Green Jobs and Education (other categories include student actions, campus actions, green sporting events, innovation & design, and high school actions). You can enter by:

1. Creating a 2 minute video about your program or project
2. Filling out the entry form with info about your program or project
3. Uploading your video to http://www.gogreentube.com/groups/NWFChillOut2010-2011  

Entries are due by December 19. 

Winners will receive:

* Grant money 
* National publicity  
* Your campus video featured in national webcast

Students, faculty and staff are eligible to compete! Visit www.campuschillout.org today!

 

Please contact me with any questions or you can email campus@nwf.org.

 

Thanks,

Kristy

Reusable Bags may contain a risk to the environment

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/nyregion/15bags.html

envirolibrarianwordpresscom Sample App

A web simulated app gives you a good idea

via envirolibrarianwordpresscom Sample App.

Earth Easy: Solutions for Sustainable Living

http://eartheasy.com/

Ideas for gren home, yard and garden, water conservation, non-toxic pest control, energy efficiency, and gifts.

A native of Long Island, New York, Greg Seaman was raised in a typical middle class home with two working parents and four children. After graduating from university, his first job was supervisor of the Centennial Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This was a two-year temporary exhibit called “Can Man Survive?”, and was a multimedia presentation of the impact of our modern lifestyles on the health of the environment. It illustrated how the earth’s carrying capacity was threatened by excessive energy consumption, pollution, overpopulation and unsustainable development. It was a real eye-opener, and this was 1970! Little did he know at the time that this job experience was the seed which would ultimately lead to the development of the Eartheasy website.

Buy textbooks, save money and the world!

If you’re a college student – or the parent of a college student – then you know that the start of a new semester means forking over big bucks for your textbooks. Not anymore. Thanks to two cool sites, you can get your textbooks for less, and make a big difference when you do. Chegg lets you rent your textbooks – like Netflix – and they’ll plant a tree for every book you rent. Better World Books has a great used textbook selection, and each purchase there helps the world through literacy partners. Now you can save money and the world at college.

Greenways — Why we need them.

Greenways Can Achieve Most of 2020 US Climate Goal

by Dennis Markatos-Soriano

As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to negotiate international strategy to lower global greenhouse emissions, I’d like to share a vision for part of the solution. Greenways and other improvements in bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure can make make a huge impact lowering emissions in the coming decade. Some economists and politicians who drag their feet regarding climate action complain that lowering emissions could come with a difficult price tag. But at least half of Obama’s 2020 goal can be achieved alongside large savings if we seize the opportunity to increase our use of renewable human power for transportation.

In 2009, US greenhouse gas emissions are ~10% above the goal Obama and the House have set for US emissions in 2020 (17% below 2005 levels). So, how do we lower pollution levels in the 2010s?

Transforming our Transportation System from Polluter to Solution

Transportation is currently one of the biggest polluting sectors, accounting for ~28% of US greenhouse gas emissions (US EIA, 2008). Carbon dioxide-spewing cars, trucks, and planes make up most of our national means of transportation. According to a recent study, only ~12% of Americans utilize active transportation regularly today (9% walk, 1% bike, and 2% take the bus or train). By increasing the bicycling and walking share by just 12.5% per year in the decade to come, we can achieve an active transportation share of more than 36% in 2020.

Such an increase in walking and cycling would cut transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions by over 20%, translating into a >5% drop in total US emissions. That’s more than half the goal Obama is aiming for over the next 11 years, and it comes with serious savings rather than costs. The shift would lower our need to import expensive oil by 25% or more than $60 billion per year (based on $70/barrel oil this would cut our trade deficit by more than 10% from 2009 levels). And by reducing demand for oil, it could help prevent a huge spike in oil prices in the 2010s as oil production becomes more difficult from hard-to-reach sites such as deep offshore fields and polar regions.

A 36% share for active transportation is not far-fetched, since countries such as The Netherlands and Sweden already enjoy 50-65% shares. And the health benefits from more active transportation would help keep health care costs from rising so quickly in the future.

There are some investments necessary to make this transition a smooth one. We need to foster more respect between drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. And we need to improve cycling and walking infrastructure — building greenways so that non-motorized users have a safe, accessible route without competition with dangerous cars and trucks.

The East Coast Greenway is a perfect example of a transportation corridor that is vital to achieving a 36% active transport share. By connecting neighborhoods to schools, work, and play within cities and between cities, this developing 3,000-mile greenway makes everyday use and long-distance travel achievable by everyone from children to seniors. Where financing is lacking for greenways, we are incorporating low-cost but high-impact improvements in bicycling infrastructure such as bike lanes and signage to achieve the safest route possible in the near-term. And we look forward to working with our friends at the Alliance for Biking & Walking and elsewhere to make this vision one that communities and regions all over the US and beyond can embrace.

While efficiency, solar, and wind power are poised to provide the remaining emissions reduction, an increase in the use of our own renewable muscles can help stabilize our global climate in the decade to come. Achieving emissions reductions never felt so good!

Onwards in the Sustainable Energy Transition-

Greener Campus Webinar Series

Campus Ecology’s Greener Campus Conference Series gives NWF Campus Ecology members and partners the opportunity to hear from leading practitioners in the field on conservation and sustainability topics and to provide a forum for questions and discussion.

Each conference features three to four speakers and provides a question and answer session to encourage discussion among the participants and speakers.

Check out archives from the 2009-2010 Greener Campus Conference Series and previous series below.

 

2010-2011 WEBINAR SCHEDULE:

February 10: Eco-Reps – Training student leaders to model environmentally responsible behavior

February 24: Geothermal on Campus – Clean, green approaches to heating and cooling campuses in all parts of the U.S.

March 10: Green Community Partnerships – Advisory councils and other ways community college leaders are building partnerships for the success of green workforce initiatives

April 27: Green Campuses and Hands-on Training – How community colleges are tapping campus sustainability initiatives to provide hands-on green jobs training

May 12: Green Credentials – Examining diverse certifications and other credentials and their role in facilitating green career pathways for lower-skilled adults and others

July 14: Sustainability in the Curriculum – Successful strategies for integrating sustainability into the curriculum

September 22: Student Perspectives – Green jobs education and training and perspectives from current students and recent graduates

* All webinars begin at 2:00pm Eastern and end at 3:00pm or 3:30pm. 

A dial-in number and URL will be sent to each participant two days before the webinar. If you are unable to participate online a copy of the presentation will be sent to you via email upon request. Webinars are a free resource for Campus Ecology members and partners. Please contact campus@nwf.org with any questions or to suggest webinar topics.

Campus Ecology Fellowships from the NWF

National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Fellows confront global warming on their campuses and help to educate and engage the campus community on global warming impacts and solutions.

NWF Fellowships allow students to pursue their vision of an ecologically sustainable future through tangible projects to confront global warming on campus and in the community. Fellows gain practical experience in the conservation field and first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities inherent in successful conservation efforts.
 

Now Accepting Applications for 2011 Campus Climate Fellowships!

 

How to Apply

Please review the following documents and send all application materials to campus@nwf.org.

• 2011 Fellowships Request for Proposals
• 2011 Fellowship Application
• 2011 Fellowships: Perks, Privileges, Review and Selection Process

 

Deadline Extended - Applications due January 31, 2011.

 

Meet Past Campus Ecology Fellows

Since 2000, NWF has awarded 133 fellowships to students across the country working on projects ranging from campus-wide energy audits to implementing sustainable forestry practices. Search the Fellowships database by campus, topic and year to learn about these projects and get inspired!

Eat wild

Try steering clear of factory-farmed foods.  Check out eatwild for a great directory: local purveyors of grass-fed meat. eggs, and dairy in all 50 states.

Green Living “propaganda” posters and ideas.

http://www.victorygardenoftomorrow.com/

“The VGoT is a poster-art campaign committed to civic innovation and social progress– better food, better gardens, better cities. It is modern propaganda art for new American homefront values.”  Each year there is a new set of  designs.

College student campus connection

Check out CollegeOnly.

It’s a site where college students can chat and socialize with students on other campuses.

Nashville State Community College is not yet listed, but all a student needs to do is to contact the site creators to be added.

There is also a college interactive TV game show. Featuring the “Game of Boxes”.

Volunteer Awareness Day

Richland Creek Watershed Alliance
“This is the organization that works to protect the watershed for Richland Creek. The creek that runs right behind the college. They have a fun walk/run every Spring.”

Ride for Reading
This organization, started by a school teacher here in Nashville, helps get books into the hands of low income children, while at the
same time promoting bicycle safety and a healthy lifestyle.

Rain Garden Workshop — TN Environmental Council

February 25, 2011 — CANCELLED

Will announce next week the new date. 

Rain gardens add beauty to the landscape, help reduce flooding by allowing storm water to be absorbed by the plants and infiltrated into the ground, and help clean our streams and watersheds.  This workshop offers the following

~ We will address problems associated with traditional storm water management practices and lack of maintenance of facilities and presenting ideas, information and practices designed to retrofit urban environments.   

~Learn basic ecological concepts and how to make practical and cost effective aesthetic and ecological improvements through hands-on training.

~ We will build an actual rain garden as a part of the workshop.

~ Several $250-$500 grants for riparian tree planting will be given to qualified participants on a first-come, first-served  basis. 

The workshop will be led by Tennessee Environmental Council Executive Director, John McFadden (PhD).  The workshop is ideal for city stormwater managers and coordinators, local park and greenway managers, greenway design consultants, watershed associations, landscapers and others interested in learning about rain gardens.   

Please wear field clothes, boots etc. and bring a water bottle, your own shovel and a brown bag lunch.  

CEUs available.  Please contact us for more details at tec(at symbol)tectn.org. 

LOCATION:   We will meet at the Peter Jenkins Trailhead (corner of Bern Road and Port Royal) in Wyngate Estates.  Please bring gloves, wear work boots and bring water to drink.  

Directions from Nashville

Take  I-65 South to Exit 53 Saturn Parkway

To the next off ramp Port Royal exit turn right and go past Kroger

Port Royal turns a hard left after about one mile, keep following it around about a mile when it takes a hard right.  Go across Duplex Road into Wyngate subdivision and follow down to bottom of hill.

Trailhead is on the right hand side of the road.  Follow the paved trail (approx. ¼ mile) to the storm water basin on the right.  

  

REGISTRATION

Registration is included with your $25 donation to the Council.  Click link below to register:

 

Letsgogreen.biz

Buy eco-friendly produts here and 25% of your purchases will go to the Tennessee Environmental Council.  All you need to do is select the TEC as the fundraiser organization when you submit your order.

Transition Nashville — Local Food Movement

“Transition Nashville” is hosting a great event this Sat., Feb. 12th

 When: Saturday, February 12, 2011 9:00 AM

Where: Liscomb University, Ezell Center Room 136 – One University Park Drive Nashville TN 37215

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Join us Saturday Feb. 12 at Lipscomb University between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. for a live webcast on the Local Food Movement from the award-winning nonprofit TED agency.

The webcast features 20 high-profile speakers from the local food and slow food movements who will discuss the importance of redefining the way we grow and eat food. Speakers include Slow Food USA’s President Josh Viertel; the makers of the acclaimed documentary “King Corn”, the first farmer to receive a MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellowship, and the USDA’s coordinator of ‘Know Your Farmer, Know your Food’, all sharing ideas about how we can shift our industrial food system to one that provides good, clean, fair food for all. The event is free and open to the public. Come for all or part of the day. Between the scheduled webcast presentations, we will share ideas about promoting healthier and more sustainable food in Nashville. This is a fantastic opportunity to stimulate these conversations here in Nashville.

 The webcast is happening throughout the day. Please come to participate in our Viewing Party for as much of the conversation as you can.

Here’s the schedule:

9 a.m. Coffee and Welcome from Transition Nashville

9:30 – 11:15 WebCast Session 1 — “What Happened?”

11:15 – 12:30 Lunch Break. Grab a sandwich to bring back to the room, warm up your coffeee, and let’s talk!

12:30 – 2:15 WebCast Session 2 — “Where Are We?”

2:15 – 3:00 Discussion of Nashville’s Situation and Initiatives. Possible guest panalists from local projects here in Nashville.

3:00 – 4:45 WebCast Session 3 — “Where Are We Going?”

4:45 – 5:00 Closing remarks

To learn more about TED, visit http://www.ted.com. Created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” the TEDx program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.

Also, check out info. on our Community Potluck and learning, “Eating Local Foods in the Winter” on Feb. 21st, at www.meetup.com/transition-nashville!!

Kilowatts Ours Event — March 2

Come watch and discuss this locally made film. 

March 2, 10 am in Room S-118

Light refreshments will be served.

Recycling at NSCC

On the NSCC campus we can recycle:

• office paper, including cardboard (big green plastic containers)
• aluminum cans (big blue plastic containers)
• plastic bottles (white and red cardboard containers)

Where the containers are located:

• S-building recycling containers are in the vending area and labeled.
• In the other buildings, plastic recycling containers are in white and red boxes near break areas, and can recycling bins are 96 gallon blue plastic containers.
• Paper recycling are in staff areas only in green 96 gallon containers.

 We need student volunteers to help maintain our plastic and can recycling on the main campus.

Ways to help:

• Make sure you don’t throw trash into a recycling container.
• EMPTY your aluminum can and plastic bottles before throwing it into a designated recycling bin. Otherwise it’s a sticky mess to empty the container!
• Fill out an environmental survey in the library or at the Kilowatt Ours event on March 2 about your feelings about how important recycling is to you. Thank you.

 If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Elizabeth Stein (Environmental Concerns Committee Chair) or Clifton Ewing, Green Sleeves president at cewing7@mynscc.edu or Sally Robertson in the library (librarian and faculty advisor of Green Sleeves) sally.robertson@nscc.edu

Environmental Survey on the way!

Green Sleeves, the environmental organization at Nashville State Community College, has a goal of administering a total of 900 Campus Sustainability surveys by the end of the semester. (10% of the student population.) We hope to see a “Green” fee implemented on campus to help with recycling programs, green energy switch, energy conservation ideas, and even the reinstatement of the Nashville State Environmental Scholarship, that has unfortunately lost its funding. We have had some success with tabling, clip boarding, and with class raps at the main campus. Currently we have administered about 200 survey. Well, to meet our goal we needed to get a little more creative. NSCC has the main campus as well as five other campuses. We needed to contact those students and get them involved with making NSCC sustainable. So, Green Sleeves drafted a letter to the other campuses, with Student Life’s support, asking their administrations to survey the students. The surveys were sent through the internal mail system and will be sent back to the main campus upon completion.

Survey letter to campuses

We will be checking back with the campuses to see how things are going. We are excited to see the support from the students and will continue to get the word out at all the campuses. We know of other success stories in Middle Tennessee and we want to be like those other schools. Green Sleeves would like to send a shout out to TASSC and thank all the students for their great advice, support, and hard work.

350.org — Lessons from the Middle East

to learn what you need to do help get the planet back to 350 PPM.

Bikes, Advocacy, Taking Action and Share the Road

http://www.bikelights.com/blog/blog/bikes-advocacy-and-taking-action-qa-with-meredith-miller/

Share the Road Festival in Nashville, TN — May 21, 2011.

Help make Tennessee roads safer for riders and drivers
by learning to to see the road through the eyes of
other road users.

Eco-Reps | Student Sustainability Educators

EcoRepCentral.com has launched a Facebook-based resource for Eco-Reps, also known as student sustainability educators, to share best practices across campuses.

http://www.facebook.com/ecorepcentral

SSA’s 2nd Annual Lunch & Lecture Series — Fri. April 15

Friday, April 15 in the Clement Auditorium (C-208).  Lunch will be served at 11:30 am, and the seminar will promptly begin at 12:00 noon and will run until 1 pm. 

The purpose of this event is to open our science students to networking opportunities by bringing in off-campus speakers to talk about current topics and job opportunities in the sciences.  In addition to the seminar and a wonderful networking opportunity, a pizza lunch will also be served to those students who attend the presentation.

This year our speakers will be Monette Rebecca and Kim Elkin.  Monette is the Executive Director of the Richland Creek Watershed Alliance and Kim is an Instream Flow Biologist for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.  Both have worked closely with Mayor Karl Dean and the city of Nashville in an effort to help mitigate urban runoff.  The seminar will touch on the research and action plans that have been successful in lessening the impact that runoff has on the health of our watershed.  There will also be some discussion and Q&A on how the general public can help this cause.

Volunteer Guide — Used bicycles

http://volunteerguide.org/volunteer/fewhours/used-bicycles.htm

 

National Environmental Education Week — Ocean Connections

The ocean covers nearly three quarters of our planet’s surface, provides 70 percent of the oxygen in the atmosphere and houses about 20 percent of the known species on Earth. It regulates climate and weather and provides food and energy resources for humans worldwide. No matter how far from the coast, water in every stream or river on the planet eventually ends up in the ocean, and all life on Earth is dependent upon its health. Recognizing the importance of protecting the health of our ocean and understanding our dependence upon it regardless of its proximity, EE Week’s 2011 theme is Ocean Connections. Register today to participate in EE Week 2011.

The NSCC library has several new books on the ocean ecosystem.

Ocean facts

Did you know…?

The ocean’s carbon reservoir is about 60 times the size of the atmosphere’s carbon reservoir.

Did you know…?

Coral reefs support more species per square meter than any other ocean ecosystem.Source: Smithsonian Ocean Portal

Did you know…?

The ocean is connected to major lakes, watersheds and waterways because all major watersheds on Earth drain to the ocean. Source: The Ocean Literacy Guide

C.O.O.L Classroom

Did you know…?

Scientists estimate that there are at least a million new species to be discovered in the deep oceans.Source: C.O.O.L. Classroom

Walk 100 miles with the mayor

Greenways for Nashville is proud to support Walk 100 Miles with the Mayor. Volunteers are needed to help spread the word about this healthy initiative. Please contact Alix, if you have some time to share.

If you have yet to sign up, visit www.walk100miles.com. Join your neighbors, who have logged nearly 22,000 miles.

Wed, April 13 today!	Fort Negley Park (starts at Park entry)	5:30 p.m.	1.06 miles
Sat, April 16	Centennial Park (starts at Parthenon parking lot)	2:30 p.m.	3 miles
Wed, April 20	MetroCenter Levee Greenway (starts at Great Circle Rd. Trailhead)	5:30 p.m.	3 miles
Sat, April 23	Seven Mile Creek Greenway (starts at Whitfield Park)	10 a.m.	3 miles
Wed, April 27	Hadley Park (starts at Hadley Rec. Center)	5:30 p.m.	2.2 miles
Sun, May 1	Whites Creek Park-Greenway (starts at Hartman Community Center)	2 p.m.	2.35 miles

 

Saturday, April 23, from 10:00, a.m. Greenways for Nashville will have a booth at the Nashville Earth Day Festival at Centennial Park.

Come out and celebrate!

Solar Trash Compactor

This is at Centennial Park in Nashville, TN

Glenview Elementary Ride for Reading Book Delivery

Ride for Reading delivers books by bicycle to children in low income areas of Nashville.  On April 21st about 20 cyclists loaded backpacks and trailers with books and rode 8.5 miles to Glenview Elementary.  The children were so excited to see us.  They each got to pick out one book to take home and keep.

The students and the bikers.

Three students with their books

Bike Commuting Quote

I would almost say every good thought I’ve had during the last several years has been on a bicycle. I can fill my life with a lot of activity, but riding gives me an opportunity to think productively.

It prepares my mind for a day of work, and it allows me to detox after work and be on as a dad and husband when I get home.

—Derrick Purvis
“Two-wheeled Commuting”

As a bicycle commuting librarian I can definitely say that I agree with this statement about bike commuting.

Rails-to-Trails green issue

Rails to Trails Magazine:: Green Issue 2011

via generic page name here.

Get inspired to be more green!

Write a haiku about a rail-trail for poetry month; or better yet, write one about our own rail-with-trail, the Richland Creek Greenway.

If you have not yet discovered the Richland Creek Greenway behind the Nashville State campus check it out.  It is a very peaceful way to walk or bike over to the Sylvan Park or Cherokee neighborhood.  The Richland Creek Greenway is a great asset to the NSCC campus.

Biking and walking are great ways to get around, and Nashville’s greenways make is so much more fun and safer.

My haiku:

Greenways and trails

Connect people and places

Richland Creek Greenway.

311 Green Colleges — Princeton Review

http://www.princetonreview.com/green-schools-by-state.aspx

Go Green with U.S. Stamps

http://www.usps.com/green/gogreenstamps.htm

May is National Bike Month — Bikes make life better

Friday, May 20, is commute to work by bike day.

Help lower you carbon footprint, ride a bike.

Check out the library’s Bike Month exhibit.  We have books on how to commute by bike. 

Check out this article from the Wilson Web database about bicycle commuting called “Riding Pretty”.

FREE E-WASTE RECYCLE EVENT (May 28, 2011)

FREE E-WASTE RECYCLE EVENT THIS SATURDAY AT LP FIELD

Valvoline Instant Oil Change giving away $10 off coupons to participants

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As a grand finale to this year’s Great American Cleanup, Public Works and the Metro Beautification & Environment Commission (MBEC) will host a free electronic waste recycling event at LP Field on Saturday, May 28th.

 The event is from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in Lot D of the stadium, and will include coupons for $10 off a Valvoline Instant Oil Change for residents who bring their e-waste to be recycled.  Valvoline Instant Oil Change is a new sponsor of the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Great American Cleanup campaign, and is participating in Saturday’s event to promote their new NextGen motor oil made from 50 percent recycled oil.

“To wrap up an outstanding Great American Cleanup effort for 2011, we’re excited to offer this e-waste recycling opportunity to all residents of Davidson County, as a way to educate citizens about the importance of properly recycling electronic equipment,” MBEC Director Veronica Frazier said.  “At the same time, we’re very pleased to welcome Valvoline Instant Oil Change as a new KAB affiliate partner, and look forward to working with them on our recycling education and sustainability initiatives.”

 Creative Recycling, another MBEC partner, will be onsite at Saturday’s event to collect all types of electronics, including microwaves; cell phones; old televisions, VCR or DVD players; computers, monitors, disks and accessories; music and video cassettes and disks; power cables; printers and scanners.

 Only household waste – no business waste — will be accepted.  Car and boat batteries, paint, tires, CFLs and other hazardous waste will NOT be accepted at the event.  These and other HHW items can be taken to MPW’s East Convenience Center, located at 943 Dr Richard Adams Drive (off Ellington Parkway and Trinity Lane).  East Center is Metro’s designated household hazardous waste disposal site and is open seven days a week.

For more information, visit www.nashville.gov/recycle, or call 880-1000.

About Creative Recycling

Creative Recycling Systems, Inc. was founded with the mission of providing private companies, local, state and federal government and institutions with electronics recycling solutions that represent a viable, economical alternative to environmental contamination. The company incorporates innovative methods into the processing of obsolete electronics as a way to provide solutions to the problem of unwanted electronics.

 

About Valvoline Instant Oil Change and NextGen:

Last month, all 10 Valvoline Instant Oil Change locations in the greater Nashville area began offering consumers a “green” oil change option featuring NextGen motor oil made from 50 percent recycled oil. Over three billion quarts of oil are consumed in U.S. cars and trucks each year, and using re-refined or recycled oil cuts fossil fuel use, lowers emissions and reduces environmental impact.  According to Valvoline’s parent company, if Nashville drivers switched to NextGen oil, more than 2.1 million gallons of crude oil would be saved annually.

Moving Planet — Move away from fossil fuels

http://www.moving-planet.org/events/us/knoxville/538

September 24, 2011.

Rally day for alternative/ clean energy, reducing our carbon footprint in TN.

Things that can be recycled: 14 unique items | MNN – Mother Nature Network

Things that can be recycled: 14 unique items | MNN – Mother Nature Network.

“Street Librarian” — books for the homeless

http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/06/22/meet-portlands-street-librarian

Winter bike commuting

I know it is in the 90′s now, but cold weather will eventually come to Nashville, Tennessee again.  Here is a video on how to cycle to work or school in the Winter.

Graduates prefer careers in sustainability

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/fashion/new-wave-of-graduates-prefers-environmentally-friendly-jobs.html

Community Health and Fitness Trail

Please vote everyday in August

http://pep.si/ptyCeE

Moving-Planet Day at NSCC — Sept. 21

Let’s move away from fossil fuels!

I would like to challenge everybody to come to campus by some other means of transportation for the whole week.  September 19 – 23.  Try it you just might like it!

Bike, walk, roller skate,  skate board, pogo-stick… to campus on Wed., Sept. 21.

Welcome to Nashville State CC

Green Sleeves is an environmental student organization.

Teens Turning Green

Teens Turning Green is a student led movement devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally and socially responsible choices for individuals, schools, and communities. We  seek to promote global sustainability by identifying and eliminating toxic exposures that permeate our lives and threaten public and environmental health.

What began in the Bay Area in 2005 now has a presence at elementary, middle and high schools, universities, and student organizations across the country, as well as a strong virtual platform and media presence.

 

A flywheel bicycle!

http://www.sciencefriday.com/embed/video/10400.swf

 

National Wildlife Federation Webinars: Fall 2011

September 22 at 2:00pm Eastern Student Perspectives – Green jobs education and training and perspectives from current students and recent graduates. This webinar will feature students and recent graduates from across the U.S. sharing their experiences on topics such as: ~ What training programs are most appealing and why? ~ How do students find out about programs? ~ What types of hands-on training opportunities were available? ~ Was there direct employer engagement in your program? ~ What skills are most valued and in demand? ~ How did you find a job? ~ Are there recommended resources or networks for job seeking?More Upcoming Webinars: October 20 at 2:00pm Eastern Green Credentials – Examing diverse certifications and other credentials and their role in facilitating green career pathways for lower-skilled adults and others November 17 at 2:00pm Eastern Sustainability in the Curriculum - Successful strategies for integrating sustainability into the curriculum at 2 and 4-year schools Check out the full schedule for Fall 2011. The free webinars, with Q&A, will begin at 2:00pm Eastern (NY time) and end between 3:00pm and 3:30pm. Participants will receive dial-in and URL information two days before the conference. Participants that want to participate via the phone only can request a copy of the presentation.

Keep Dirty Oil Out of Whooping Crane HabitatNebraska’s central Platte River valley is a critical stopover that allows endangered whooping cranes to rest and eat before they migrate to northern breeding grounds. But right now, these birds are facing a huge threat — the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline – which would pump nearly one million barrels per day of dirty tar sands oil right through Nebraska and five other heartland states, putting the whooping crane at risk of a devastating oil spill and extinction. Right now, the Obama Administration is deciding whether or not to grant the permit for this dangerous pipeline — and they need to hear from you by October 9th! Comment Today!  Learn more about the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Moving-Planet Day Rally at Vanderbilt — Sept. 24

Where: Vanderbilt Alumni Lawn, on campus behind West End Ave. @ 23rd St.

When: Sat., Sept. 24th, 11am-2pm (followed by optional action site events, 2-4pm; e.g., tree-planting, raingarden installation)

What else: 

Speakers to address key energy and sustainability issues, esp. as related to Keystone XL Pipeline / tar sands development.

Music by GREAT local artists / bands.

 Why: “Moving Planet”, established by Bill McKibben’s 350.org, is a global day of grassroots citizen action in the fight against climate change, with events happening in cities and countries around the world. 

NSCC will have a pre-Moving-Planet Day on Sept. 21 in the S-Building. 9 am – 1 pm.

Plastic Soda Bottles Become Source of Light

Hear Green News: Sea Change Radio

Tune in to Sea Change Radio for some hopeful news.  Sea Change is a not-for-profit, nationally syndicated weekly radio show and podcast that reports on progress in the areas of climate change, human rights, renewable energy, and social, environmental, and economic sustainability.

Green Sleeves meeting — Fall 2011

Time: 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

 Date: September 26th, 2011

 Place: S-108

MPO Bike/Pedestrian Count 2011

- Over 5,700 bicycle and pedestrian trips were documented at 23 locations in five counties.

- There was a nearly 50% increase in trips over the 2009 counts in which 3,935 trips were documented.

- The location with the most trips was Belmont and Bernard near Belmont University with over 1,300 trips.

- Other notable increases:

Middle Tennessee Boulevard and East Main Street in Murfreesboro – 92% increase in trips

Mallory Lane and Liberty Pike in Franklin - 81% increase in trips

Cumberland Drive and South Greenwood in Lebanon – 75% increase in trips

South Water and Main Street in Gallatin – 383% increase in trips

Moving Planet Day — Sept. 24, 2011

Nashville celebrated the day with a volunteer rally at Vanderbilt University.

 

Music City Bikeway

http://www.nashville.gov/pw/pdfs/projects/%20bikeway/MCB_Statistical_Summary.pdf

Computer Recycling by Apple — Free

Not all recycling programs are created equal. The secure and environmentally responsible process that Apple uses results in a high recovery rate of commodities. So you can rest assured that your old electronics will not be shipped overseas.

Give old electronics a new lease on life.

This spring, Apple will recycle your school’s old, unwanted Mac computers, PCs, and qualifying peripherals from any manufacturer — for free. There’s no purchase required, and all accredited K–12 and higher education institutions with at least 25 recyclable items* are eligible to participate. Just register, follow the steps, and we’ll do the rest.

How the recycling works:To take advantage of this opportunity, you’ll need to register by October 28, 2011. All products must be packaged according to the instructions below. Remember, you must recycle a minimum of 25 items* in order to participate.

We accept all brands of the following equipment: computers, monitors, laptops, printers, fax machines, scanners, desktop-size copy machines, CD drives, hard drives, TVs, VCRs, projectors, overhead projectors, networking equipment, cables, keyboards, and mice.

This offer expires October 28, 2011, so register now — it’s easier than ever to manage your e-waste.

To register for the program:

• Fill out the online form. A representative from an Apple-authorized freight company will contact you within three business days to coordinate the pickup.
• Call 1-800-APPLE-LN (1-800-277-5356) to speak with a representative.

Leveraging the Apple Recycling Program for Education ensures that your retired equipment will be disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner, with special consideration given to data security:

• All recycled hard drives are ground into confetti-size pieces.
• Customers receive a certificate of destruction for each lot recycled through the program.
• All asset tags and other identifying information are destroyed.
• All of the electronic waste collected through the program is processed in North America.

How to shrink-wrap old equipment:

1. Put the first layer of equipment on the pallet and go around the pallet four times with the shrink-wrap. Make sure that you include the wooden pallet when you wrap the first layer, always pulling the shrink-wrap tight. Tie it off to the pallet.
2. Put a layer of cardboard down before loading the second layer of equipment. If you are loading monitors or all-in-one computers, this will help keep the equipment steady when you load the next layer.
3. After you load the second layer of equipment, wrap the shrink-wrap tightly around the first and second layers four times, and tie it to the pallet.
4. Do this for each layer because it keeps the load from shifting during transit. Go no more than four layers high. The pallets get too heavy if you stack them any higher. You can have more layers for computers, but you shouldn’t exceed 66 inches.
5. Please put smaller equipment such as keyboards, mice, and external drives into boxes before loading them onto the pallets. Label each pallet with the name of your school or institution.

Where to get pallets:

You may be able to pick up pallets for free at one of your local stores that receive deliveries.

Where to buy shrink-wrap:

Below are links to some companies that sell shrink-wrap. We recommend shrink-wrap of at least 80 gauge.

• ULINE1-800-958-5463
• Grainger1-800-323-0620
• National Shrinkwrap 1-800-423-7971

Sustain VU Newsletter

America Recycles Day is Nov 15. 

Don’t forget to recycle your paper, cardboard, cans, and plastic bottles here on our campus.

White cardboard boxes = plastic

Big blue containers = aluminum cans.  (in the S-Building the containers are labeled and located in the food eating area.)

Big green containers = paper and cardboard

Checkout what Vanderbilt University is doing do be more sustainable:

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/email/?utm_source=sustainVUemail-November.2011&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sustainVU

ANT Bicycles

Want to make your own bicycle?  Check this out!

http://antbikemike.wordpress.com/

Ant bicycles is a small bicycle fabrication shop run by Mike Flanigan and Betsy Eckel Scola in Holliston, MA. We are dedicated to building bikes for transportation that have the right combination of function and style.

 

 

Student Fees for Sustainability

http://www.aashe.org/resources/student-fees-sustainability

“Student fees are a popular source of funding for sustainability because there are usually clear and straightforward processes in place for accessing them. Moreover, when they have been proposed, dedicated student fees for sustainability are generally approved by large majorities in student elections.”

2011 Campus Sustainability Case Studies

This is from the National Wildlife Federation — Campus Ecology

 National Wildlife Federation’s campus sustainability case study database, the only catalog of its kind, is available online now at www.nwf.org/campuscasestudies.

Close to 100 new case studies were added for 2011, highlighting efforts to dramatically reduce pollution, waste and costs, including recycling, energy efficiency improvements, alternative transportation systems and green jobs training programs.

In addition to the 2011 submissions, the database includes more than 650 case studies from campuses across the U.S. spanning more than a decade.

Browse by topic or school.