Sustainability from the eyes of Young People

Part 1: The Drexel University Sustainability Learning Community.

This is the first article of a series looking at how college age young people live Sustainability and how this experience transforms their life.
This post and the next 2 , focus on the experience of a group of students who took part in a Sustainability Learning Community that emerged at Drexel University.

During the Fall of 2008 new student orientation, Drexel University Residence Hall Administration asked members of the incoming Freshmen Class to fill out a survey that included questions that checked the interest of the new students in joining 5 proposed Communities to be created on themes such as: Sustainability, Diversity, Social Justice , etc…The purpose of the “Living-Learning Communities” initiative was to improve the experience of first year students living in Drexel University Residence Halls by allowing them to create their own living themes.

Getting Started…

The Gods of Small Things – Episode 1: The Mail Carrier was here

We are the God of Small Things, because Small Things is what most of our life is made of.

Here is an example of a very small thing.

Did you notice?
Did you notice the elastic bands laying on the frozen ground the other day while walking to get your latte at your favorite neighborhood Cafe??

<<<Here they are. Do you remember now?

Do you remember that you have been seeing elastic bands on the ground for years now. Have you ever wondered where they came from???

They show up here and there, apparently falling from the sky like manna.
There are days I find lonely singles and days I find 4 or 5 rubber bands bunched up in one small spot.

Walking the talk

You may know that I have a “Green Job”.

What is a “Green Job” ???

A “Green Job” is a job that participate to the “Green Economy”. Examples would be someone working for a company installing electricity generating solar cells or manufacturing wind turbines. Or someone working for a house insulation contractor.
A “Green” Job is a usual job where the output, the result of the work effort participates in decreasing carbon emissions or pollution.

In other words, it does not matter a  bit whether the holder of a “Green Job” drives a gas guzzling SUV and vigorously trashes the environment by throwing unwanted plastic packaging out of the window of his/her tank. It is still a green job.

Philly-born “Father of Bee Science”: National’l bicentennial launching next week.

“Science Friday” Initiatives (Carl Flatow) is coming to Philadelphia next week to launch this national science celebration of the life of of Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth – Philly-born “Father of Bee Science” and inventor of a movable frame for beehives. It made bees the most studied insect in the world, and made it possible to retrieve honey without destroying colonies.

That’s important, especially now – with “colony collapse”, and given that bees pollinate 1/3 of the foods we eat. We all rely on an amazing instinct of bees for “bee space”. Thank you Lorenzo Langstroth!

This event is open to the public and will take place Thursday, Jan. 21, 7 PM,
at the Unitarian Society of Germantown,

6511 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia.
see: http://www.usguu.org/pages/Directions for directions, public transportation and (free) parking info.
Also visit www.scifri.org/dte , www.phillyhoneyfest.com and www.phillybeekeepers.org

Are D-I-Y Car Shares Possible? I’m Out to Prove It

I just finished a loose car share arrangement with my friend Jacques, the founder of this blog. We both live in West Mt Airy, and while he telecommuted by day, I used the car as needed, and then he had the car most nights and weekends. It was his car, so it was not a pure car share, and he recently passed it on to his son down in DC. So goodbye car sharing bliss, hello Septa and my sore two feet!

Leed is Just the Tip of the Melting Iceberg and Philadelphia Takes the Lead

Can you measure the good that a corporation does and certify it as a “B” company, one that buys its supplies locally, hires underprivileged workers from the community, or helps to improve local schools? This article in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer explains this new concept that attempts to develop a Leed-type certification that extends beyond sustainability to systemic corporate altruism:

Sustainabilty and Risk Management: Are we doomed to manage yesterday’s risks?

As a former risk management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, I really enjoyed this piece from Huffington Post. The author explains our tendency to normalize outlier events such as 9/11, swine flu, etc and ignore real risks like port security, long term health care and sustainability.

What can I do about all those idling cars and trucks??

Are you one of those people who go ballistic when you notice two Philadelphia police cruisers idling and parked just so that the two cops can chat from the convenience of their driver seat??

How about the multiple delivery trucks idling while their driver makes his/her delivery??

How about the two Fairmount Park Trucks nicely parked at the curve and idling while their drivers are catching up on the latest…

Yanks Plan Green Parade but Phils’ Win would have been Greener

According to a piece in NY1 news, the Yankees are going green with their victory parade:

Atlas Materials in Red Hook, Brooklyn is donating recycled confetti strips for the Yankees parade down the “Canyon of Heroes” in NY’s financial district.  They say parades these days are much more environmentally friendly than ticker-tapes of the past.

“What we’re doing here today is taking 1,200 pounds of shredded, recycled paper to be delivered to the buildings of Lower Manhattan to start the process of what kind of paper should be thrown from the windows tomorrow. It will all be cleaned up by the sanitation department and recycled yet again. So this is going to be a green parade,” said John Cioffi of Atlas Materials.

From the looks of this pic, lots of New Yorkers will be emptying their waste baskets as well.  Wonder if that stuff will be recycled too.  All in all, good news, but small consolation for Phils fans.   Next year, if the Phillies win, there would be no ticker tape parade in NY at all, just a good ol’ fashioned Philadelphia parade.  Now that would be the most environmentally friendly thing of all.  So, wait ’till next year!

Terracycle opens Retail store downtown Princeton.

PhillyEcoCity has covered the activities of West Trenton based Terracycle Inc.  several times, most recently in this post: Terracycle or How to Turn your Trash into Gold

Until now, Terracycle has been selling its products from kites made of Oreo cookie wrapping material to school bags made out of drink pouches and wall clocks made out of vinyl records  through major national retail chains such as Target and Wall Mart and more recently through its website.