Hannah here. Today our blog has planted under the Green Bean name in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in my home state of Washington! This is one of the oldest national forests in the country whose iconic peak has faced three devastating wildfires within recent years. Our tree, a Ponderosa Pine, will help recover the area and improve the watershed health of the ecosystem. This tree is living proof that any small act can make a difference! In honor of this small act of gratitude, below is a small act of creativity! Here is my erasure poem based off of Sleeping in the Forest, by Mary Oliver:
Every summer in Durham, North Carolina there is an incredible three day festival, The Festival for The Eno, that raises money to help preserve the Eno River and the surrounding wildlife. Their mission statement reads, we are an organization dedicated to “raising awareness and funds to protect and restore exceptional places that provide our region with clean water and healthy forests, wildlife and natural areas, and open space.” The festival is made up of a showcase of local bands, artists, and other performance groups. Activities include pottery, face painting, dancing, swimming, learning and holding the wildlife (snakes, turtles, and owls), eating lots of grilled food, and even a parade of hand made puppets! The tickets are very affordable ($14) and it is the perfect way to remind people of their effects on the environment! All through out the festival there are stations teaching people how to recycle, and how they can switch to solar panels, and electric heating. Growing up having this experience has inspired my conscious lifestyle, and I only hope it can do the same for others.
Zero waste is a term in reference to a set of principles aimed to reduce waste or waste prevention.
How can you participate?
It’s as simple as making the decision to change your lifestyle and lead it consciously. That is the hardest step. Once you can fully commit to that decision the best thing is to invest. Invest in items that are used to replace waste products. I carry around a bag full of items that, in the case I need them, they are at my disposal instead of the convenience of throw away items. Anyone’s zero waste bag can have items they find useful, but to get you all started, below is what I’ve collected and use regularly cutting my waste consumption in half.
My zero waste pack.
Brandenburg Stainless Steel Bento Box
Comes with three compartments for separating foods and snacks. I purchased mine on amazon for $32. It’s perfect for lunches but also holding leftovers from restaurants rather than using one of their throw away boxes.
To-Go Ware Reusable Utensil Set
This is an easy to carry pack set including a bamboo spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. Bamboo is a source that grows rapidly and easily decomposes. Meaning that, if at some point the set goes bad or you throw it away, the break down process will not cause any environmental harm. I purchased this set for $12 on amazon.
Stainless Steel Straws
Stainless steel is a material that does not corrode or rust, which keeps it from contaminating our environment like many other metals. It’s overall impact is minimal making it a good use for reusable items. I purchased a four pack set with a straw cleaner on amazon for $7.
Hand Towel
This is an easy thing I simply carry around so I don’t need to use paper towels to dry my hands. Sounds stupid, but if you think about how many times you wash your hands in a day, the waste from drying them adds up.
Netted Grocery Bags
These are perfect for storing bulk food items from the grocery story. I carry them with me because I tend to go grocery shopping when I find a random moment and oftentimes can’t run home to grab the essentials. What’s nice about these is they say the weight of the bags on the tag. This way you can subtract that amount from the total weight of your food items. I purchased my set with sizes of S,M,L on amazon for $18.
Reusable Hot & Cold Cup
I currently use a Yeti which is great for keeping cold and hot drink and is made of titanium. A great brand that makes stainless steel reusable bottles is Klean Kanteen, which offer different sizes and designs. You can take these and any other reusable cup to your local coffee shop and have them fill your drink in it rather than using one of their cups.
All of these things I carry around in my daily life. There are many other innovative ways to reduce your waste as well. The way people contribute to waste daily is different by person, so identifying what it is you use and don’t need to will help determine what is essential in your zero waste pack.
Living in NYC it can be difficult to find that nature getaway. We are surrounded by skyscrapers, honking horns, and rude people all day long. However, little do we know is that on the outskirts of Manhattan, a 45 minute ferry ride, is a nature refuge full of greenery and wildlife called Blue Heron Park. The ferry ride is also free. I repeat FREE. Here you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city whilst experiencing nature at its finest. However, we strongly advise that you do so with the intention of exploring the grounds quietly. Noise pollution is a huge issue in neighboring nature reserves to the city. Additional noise, while may not have as big of an impact as the cities, can still contribute to nature’s decline. The last thing we want is to ruin little rarities such as this park with its convenience to our city lives.
Montana Lower is an environmentalist who uses her artistic talents to help inspire change, or as she calls herself an “artivist”. Lower graduated with a degree in civil/environmental engineering from Queensland University of Technology, and soon after traveled abroad to India to explore the impact community trade agreements have on the waste and recycling industry.
She continued her work in Cambodia through an internship with Engineers Without Borders. Additionally while in Cambodia, Lower worked with Outland Denim to “experience the reality of the fast fashion industry” and began to help design a sustainable wash house. But that’s not where Lower’s experience with fast fashion ends, she models for an ethically hand produced fashion brand called Chasing Unicorns to help promote environmentally sustainable fashion.
Her work abroad has led her to start her own nonprofit located in Australia, Murals For Change, to inspire the crossover of art, activism, and mindfulness. As written on her website, “The murals provide a platform for bringing awareness to locally relevant but globally scalable causes – while supplying workshops on fine art skills, self belief, resilience and team work to nurture and support the inner activist.”
Do you feel overwhelmed by all of the things you’re supposed to do to save the environment? Don’t worry! You’re not alone, and we have some small habitual changes you can make that make a difference!
Photo and article by Naomi Nelson on December 02
Add Ecosia to your browser!
Ecosia is a search engine that is dedicated to using their profits to plant trees around the world where they’re needed most. It’s easily downloaded and from there, every 45 searches you make they’ll plant a tree! They run entirely on renewable energy and they don’t sell your data to advertisement companies like Google or Yahoo!
This takes two seconds and it’s another way to save energy and money! By keeping the lights on you’re using unnecessary electricity which is powered from natural gas, oil, and coal.
Go to thrift stores!
Every year the US sends 13 trillion tons of clothing to landfills, and resells less than ten percent! Fast fashion is a heavy contributor to carbon emissions and well as the decrease of clean water. By shopping at second-hand stores, you can decrease your carbon footprint!
Try to only eat meat on the weekends!
The livestock sector creates just as many carbon emissions as all cars, buses, and planes combined. These emissions come from deforestation (to create space for farms), methane emissions (from fertilizers used on the animals), and pollution to rivers and streams. Not to mention the amount of water it takes to make a single burger! Try to be conscious of how much you’re eating, and try alternatives like the impossibles.
Invest in a set of reusable utensils!
There’s no excuse for single use plastic! Buy a set of reusable plastic utensils that you can bring with you! Go buy a set for less than ten dollars!
Car pool!
Gasoline is essentially a non-renewable energy source. Cars are a huge source of carbon emissions and if possible, driving with a neighbor or friend, can help reduce your carbon footprint.
Try to take shorter showers & turn off the tap when you don’t need it!
There is a limited supply of clean water and it’s important we don’t waste it! Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and more countries are experiencing crises over the lack of clean drinkable water.
Digital over printing!
Everytime you don’t need to print something, don’t! Approximately 80,000 to 160,000 trees are cut down daily worldwide. We need trees for their oxygen, housing for wildlife, and leaves for composting!
Recycle (and compost)!
Recycling is one of the best ways to positively impact the environment! There is essentially no more room for landfills in the US (and the ones that we have leak toxics into the soil contaminating the surrounding areas)! Make sure the packaging you’re using is recyclable! Additionally collect your leftover food scraps in a compost bin and bring it to a compostable station close to you!
Inform yourself!
The best thing you can do for your planet is learn about the impact you have on it! Climate Change Scientists expect to see irreversible major effects of global warming by 2050, and it’s essential we do everything we can to help the Earth while we still can!
The Green Beans 