Everybody can do something to make a greener Indiana
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Marianne Peters
Female
Plymouth, Indiana - Share
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Marianne Peters's Groups
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Epworth United Methodist Green Team
6 members
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Campaign for Sustainable Economics
12 members
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Hoosier Environmental Council
25 members
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Indiana Wildlife Federation
16 members
Marianne Peters's discussions
Starting a Green Group
Replied Dec. 22, 2008
Starting a Green Group
2 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by Marianne Peters Dec. 22, 2008.
Hoosier Wordsmith
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Marianne Peters commented on the group Epworth United Methodist Green Team
Dec. 22, 2008
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Dec. 5, 2008
Profile Information
- About Me:
- I'm a freelance writer/editor/speaker living in the wilds of northern Indiana--in Plymouth, more particularly. A work-at-home-mom and part-time English professor, I'm also Master Gardener and a member of the Garden Writers Association of America. My writing on the environment has appeared in Indiana Living Green Magazine, Greeniacs.com, the Plymouth Pilot news (column), and the Covenant Companion (Creation Care Column). I have found myself lately writing more and more about faith and environmental issues (i. e. , educating and encouraging local faith communities to be more green). But, hey, I'm freelance--I'll write about anything! My blog is http://hoosierwordsmith.typepad.com.
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Green Books and Movies for a Snowy Season
Take a break from the latest Disney video (how many times have you seen “Kung Fu Panda”?) to catch up on some green books and movies. You’ll be informed, entertained, and even inspired to change your life.
Here are some books I’ve been reading lately:
• Two by Michael Pollan: The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals offers an unflinching review of “food systems” in our world, from the industrial corn-based system that produces package… Continue
Posted on December 22, 2008 at 7:34am — 1 Comment
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Blessings,
Derek
Hello, I'm Nova
I have been running an alternative energy myspace site for about 7 yrs now.
I came across this site when the owner added me as a friend. I am very excited about this site. For now most of my stuff is on myspace. I will be trying to move alot of the info. to this site over the next few days. I finally sprused up my page to look like something I would be running. So hopefully people like it when they visit. Hope to see ya on there and Have a great day.Spread the word out if you can.
Your friend,
Nova
We recently hosted recycling at the Feast of the Hunter's Moon in the Lafayette area. It is a big event and it went very well. The event is a re-enactment, not focused on being green, but obviously we wanted to make the event more green anyway. I can give you lots of details if you want to call or email me. We might even be able to loan you recyclinig bins. Thanks. Rae Schnapp 765-714-4829 or rschnapp@hecweb.org
I am writing in response to a desire to know more on how to make an event go green.
First off if you wish to contact someone from the Good Life Show, Karen Tejera, an AGI member, is the organizer for that event and you could message her in hopes of finding the info you are looking for.
I myself have hosted or have helped organize green events, from shows, concerts, fundraisers, and on the ground work like river clean ups. From my perspective the following are actions the event should take to be a green event.
The first main staple action that has to be followed through when doing a green event is to have recycling for all trash and composting for organic material. If you don't have this, it won’t be respected and you will have fall out. You will be judged heavily on this factor. Partner with your Solid Waste District so that you can offer electronic and hazardous waste recycling/removal as well. Offering these actions is monumental in demonstrating a green initiative for the event.
The best way to do it is to have color organized bins for each type of material. The EPA I believe has released a color coordinating scheme which eventually will be implemented throughout the country. But currently is implemented by the Solid Waste Districts. Use the proceeds of the recycling to go towards an environmental program or grant match/contribution for a group doing such work. Even AGI could use the financial backing to further the benefits it is building for Indiana's green movement. Promotion like this is of great help for supporting a free network and services.
Having activities that get the community to take a first hand role in environmental stewardship is another essential part. For example: holding tree plantings, river or road clean ups "waivers need to be signed, but is a favored activity" or forming a rain garden or green roof would be spectacular.
Passing around a public quiz or poll is a good way to evaluate your efforts as well as educate the public. Education and outreach of green works and living is the basic step we are all facing at this moment. It is hard to do the work and be successful at an endeavor that takes everyone, if everyone is ignorant of what it means and the logics involved. In till the understanding is present, there will be no forward movement and we will find our self walking a path to nowhere. We all have to hold each others hand to shift this paradigm into a living reality in Indiana.
Demonstrating the intelligence of green living throughout your fair and creating displayed boards to highlight the activity and reasons behind the action is necessary. Having food vendors supplied by local growers and locally owned businesses is a great step and having billboards flaunt it. Showing that all building material used for displays, stage, booths, etc was from local renewable/recyclable sources and having tags on the stage remarking on such is a good form of education and perpetuates the 100th monkey. "DO NOT LIE OR BE FAKE!!!!" If you can’t do it, don’t say it.
Misinformation and hollow actions is enemy #1 to this great work.
Recreation and health are also other niches that are closely related to being green. All foods necessary to have a truly efficient and healthy diet are directly related to the green industry as well. Eating organic, is the greenest form of agriculture as well as the best form of nutrition. Even displaying vegetarian or raw diets is green. It takes 20 lbs of grain to produce 1 lb of meat in a cow. 60% of the Country's grain goes to livestock not to mention the commodity price difference and extra costs that go into livestock. If this habit was changed for one harvest season, we could stop world hunger for a year. According to what mathematics demonstrate and what I have seen published. Either way you get the gist of that alternative diets also serve environmental purposes.
Walkable communities, smart design, and trails and paths are all infrastructural choices that are synominous with being green. A trail bike ride or river walk is a way to get the recreationists involved.
Vendors that supply green products are a no brainer. Clothing vendors offering clothing made by more sustainable practices such as: organic cotton, bamboo, and the "King of Sustainability" Hemp will not only educate, but supply the people with a quality product that supplies a feel good feeling. It is worth the extra 2 dollars in cost for a shirt.
The ultimate test in having a green event is if it isn’t all just talk or smoke and mirrors, offering the same goods at a higher cost, with little education and offering no facets to get busy and dirty doing the work to actually be green.
To top off the event you need an answer. An action to direct the flow of momentum generated. The fundraiser from recycling and maybe a petition for a cause or issue is good but you can do more. Supply the event with booths from nonprofits, public works, and grassroots initiatives that offer real solutions and programming. Have one of these groups present and actively participate like a renewable energy organizer like ECI or a watershed imitative like Grace College’s group, which the people can be directed to. Allowing the people to take the next necessary step to propel the change over. A selected action or program for the people to be able to donate time, services, material, and monies to that is directly put back into the community. For example: if the committee was to have an event collaboration with ECI, have the proceeds and volunteers go to producing a Wind Turbine for the local community that will netmeter and the earnings will go to the community as a whole. This could be the start of a wind farm that takes the whole small community off the grid and supplies it with free electricity and profits for time to come. Or have the USGBC involved and have the proceeds go to putting a green roof on the next public structure, maybe a community garden that the workers and public can enjoy. This is how you truly empower the community to empower its self through green practices. That is the meat and glory of the paradigm before us.
We are all in this together and together we can do better. I hope these suggestions have helped. If you wish to tidy up this contribution and submit it to your publishers, you’re more then welcome.
Rally Ho!
Derek Reuter