My sales pitch for the world: Buy Green! Buy Organic! Buy Lime Things!
You’ve probably already heard about the exciting news: collars are now also allowed to be categorized as green.
Last Sunday’s World Herald had a cover story called: Green Around the Collar, which explored the idea that jobs related to sustainability practices will become more and more popular with the increasing consumer demand for green products. (Why not lime ones? I don’t know either.)
The article also suggests that there are green collar jobs available that aren’t being filled because of the lack of training within the current job applicant pool. It goes on to recommend the Sustainability Business Program at Aquinas College. I don’t know about the program, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea that those who are interested in “green collar” jobs look for some job-specific training to get an edge on their competition. It’s a revitalized and growing consumer demand that will need to be met.
I also found this research article that lists 22 specific sectors in which to find the new green collar jobs. According to the article, many of the new green collar jobs will be available even to those with entry-level abilities, and also to those who are looking for apprenticeship opportunities.
I’m sure many of the green collar employers will not find anyone with the specific abilities required, so apprenticeships are the only option that these companies have. It’s an amazing opportunity to look into.
Treehugger.com has a seemingly popular environmental job board for openings all across the country.
Forbes.com also has an article that suggests several other universities which offer joint graduate degrees in business and environmental science, which include: Stanford, the University of Michigan, and the University of North Carolina… in case you were wondering.
Dually helpful to our economy and our environment, I’m definitely excited about these new job opportunities. We have to remember that they are primarily consumer-driven, though, so we need to carefully choose the companies that we support. And, although it’s initally hard on our bank accounts, especially with the awesome gas prices, we have to remember that supporting our organic/ green companies will be the only way to see the return within our economy, and for our environment.
The Pendrakes are just wrapping up their set, and the crowd has grown quite a bit since this morning! While it’s been a good turnout all day, visitors were definitely more apt to come out later in the afternoon.
There are a couple more speakers and a couple more bands left. Vinx is singing right now. It’s really quite beautiful. He has been working with HIV awareness in Mozambique. He’s supposed to be speaking? I’m sure that’s coming next. Omaha’s Son, Ambulance will be performing after Vinx at 6:10, and Steve Thyberg will be the last speaker of the day at 7:00. Sarah Benck and The Robbers will be closing the Earth Day Festivities at 7:10 and playing until 8:00.
In case you haven’t heard, it has been announced that Omaha will now accept recyclable plastics #3 and #5, besides the #1 and #2 that are currently accepted. The crowd cheered and clapped for that. Glass is still not accepted (again), but one step at a time!
I will write more about the Earth Day Omaha soon! Tomorrow, if I can. But for the rest of the night I think I’m going to kick back and enjoy the show.
It’s been a GORGEOUS day - I’m so grateful for that.
Another thanks to Brian Smith and his wife Kelly (who works for Nebraska State Recycling Association) for asking me to blog for Earth Day Omaha, and more thanks to Sprint for providing the Wireless Internet card! It worked SO well. Jake, the Sprint rep, has been trying to switch me to Sprint all day. We’ll see Jake, we’ll see!
Had a great time! Hope you can make it out for the rest of the day, too!
4:30 PM
Bear Country is performing right now, and they sound amazing! Whoa - I’ve been here for over 5 hours, and I think I now have enough news to share with you for at least the next four years.
I picked up my free compact fluorescent lightbulb from the Sierra Club and my free kitchen towel with 10 green tips from the Omaha Green Coalition.
I spoke with Andy Hoig from Metro Magazine about their renovation project this year. This year they went green with their remodeled house, which you can read about in the Metro Magazine special edition. You can also read about it at www.designershowhouseomaha.com, which also provides info about viewing the house for yourself. I’ve asked Andy to send me some favorite green, organic, and local vendors that the designers used for remodeling the house. Will have to have that update later!
You also might want to note that there are free massages being given at the Universal College of Healing Arts booth. And, Omaha Health Expo has been giving demonstrations all day. When I walked by there was a group of people doing Tai Chi, and I believe that Tango Omaha is going on right now. The Omaha Health Expo is an event that will be held at the Omaha Civic Auditorium NEXT weekend, April 26th & 27th.
I think I might visit the beer garden and talk to the New Belgium rep. Did you know that New Belgium is an environmentally friendly beer??? www.newbelgium.com
2:45 PM
Linda Lovegren is speaking about the Omaha Sewer Overflow program and the sewer upgrades that have to happen in our community in order to comply with federal water regulations and the Clean Water Act. Apparently the improvements will cost almost $1.5 billion. WHOA. More construction for Omaha?
The Friends of the Environment Award is presented to one individual and one corporate nominee every year. The Friends of the Environment Awards were presented by Brian Smith, chairman of Earth Day. The individual winners were the middle school class from Jesuit Middle School in Omaha, with their instructor Mike Mansour. The children set up the website called www.greenmonkeyschools.com. Please check it out!
The corporate Friends of the Environment Award was given to HDR. Apparently they have a very large list of green practices and environmental activities that they’ve completed this year.
CONGRATS to the winners of the Friends of the Environment Awards!
I also spoke with Brian O’Malley, who is an instructor at Metro’s Institute for the Culinary Arts about his message to Omaha. As a chef, Brian tries to teach his students about the value of using local food in their creations, not only because it’s valuable to support local growers, but because the food tastes so much better. Brian pointed out that food is the only unifying factor between all people, in all cultures, and it’s much more satisfying to understand your food and its energy and where it comes from. He asks that we engage our local food scene and that we engage our cooking skills so that we don’t forget the origins of our food, and to teach our kids those skills so that they aren’t ever lost. Very inspirational!!! I’m off to check out the Nebraska Food Co-op booth.
The Black Squirrels are next! And the beer garden is officially open!
1:55 PM
Yay for the sun! Let me say again - it is PERFECT outside - unless you hate 70-degree, sunny, slightly breezy weather, this is a great day to be outside for Earth Day Omaha. People are bringing their blankets and their lawn chairs and just chilling in front of the stage.
The Southpaw Bluegrass Band is performing right now, and I’m eating a YUMMY veggie pita from the Institute for the Culinary Arts. They also have smoked meat sandwiches that I see a lot of people snacking on, and some fresh citrus juice with oranges, limes, lemons, and honey. They’re right next to the stage. A must-stop when you come down.
Cammy Watkins with Earth Day Omaha spoke for a few minutes giving “thank yous” to all the organizers. She mentioned that the theme of this Earth Day is “The Power of One” (love it!) and that you can pick up a free energy-saving lightbulb and a coupon at the Sierra Club booth.
Then the Wildlife Encounters group showed a few beautiful animals that they will have available for interaction in the children’s booth. They presented an adorable fennet fox (the world’s smallest fox), a Eurasion Eagle Owl (the world’s largest breed of owl), the European Barn Owl (so pretty!) and a two-year-old North American Alligator. You can come see the animals in the children’s area now!
Next to speak will be Shata Bakheit with the Darfur Community Organization at 2:40, Friend of the Environment Awards Presentation, and then Brian O’Malley with the Metro Community College Institute of Culinary Arts.
THEN my good friend Kat and The Black Squirrels will be playing. A lot of good stuff lined up for this afternoon!
12:55 PM
Earth Day festivities are under way! It’s getting warmer, too - the perfect day for being outside and giving the Earth some love.
Right now the Side Effects are rocking hard, and they sound awesome. Cammy Watkins from the Sierra Club is speaking next, and then Wildlife Encounters will be speaking after that. I hope they’ve brought some fun animals with them! Wildlife Encounters is like a traveling zoo. Very fun.
I’ve been walking around to the various vendors, and there are a lot of green initiatives going on around our area. You can stop by here for some cool buttons (they’re everywhere!) and information about what’s going on here in Omaha.
My buddy Maureen works at the Lauritzen Gardens, and they are giving out cute little soybean seed necklaces that sprout a soybean plant, and information on how to take care of it.
The Octopus Garden Art Alliance is here and providing painting and craft activities for the kiddos. There are tables full of art supplies and some kids are painting big white trash cans that will be used at the Summer Arts Festival. You can learn more about their organization at www.octopusgardenart.org.
I talked to Jason Smith at Omaha Streetcar, too. This is an initiative that I fully support, both for green reasons and for economic purposes in our city. Here’s a quick fun fact: For each mile traveled, fewer pollutants are emitted by transit vehicles than by a single-passenger automobile. Buses emit 80% less carbon monxide than a car; rail, almost none! Learn more about public transportation in Omaha at www.OmahaStreetcar.com.
OH There’s a climbing wall, too. I’ve been info-gathering and haven’t gotten a chance to try it yet. Let’s hope I do! Get down here!
11:20 AM
I’m at Elmwood Park, and it’s gorgeous outside! About a week ago, the weather reports said that it was going to be rainy, but this is such a refreshing change from the weather we’ve had the past couple of days. Bikers are everywhere, everyone’s got their sunnies (sunglasses) on, and I see a lot of white arms and legs ready to see some sun!
THANK YOU to Sprint! Jake Ludacka at Sprint hooked me up with a Novatel Wireless Internet card so that I can blog for the activities here at Earth Day Omaha. It works super fast. It’s honestly like using my computer at home. You’ll have to talk to Jake if you’re looking for something like this - it’s seriously sweet. I asked him how much it would be if I wanted to pay for the service on my own - $59.99 a month. FYI.
ALSO of course a big THANK YOU to Brian Smith, co-chair of Earth Day Omaha, whose idea it was for me to live blog for this event! He also helped me to get the Wireless Internet card from Sprint.
Stay tuned to the blog today. I’m going to add to and update this post all day.
I was wondering about the history of Earth Day, and I found this info here. I’m not sure that all of these things actually happened on an Earth Day, but this is an interesting time line of significant “lime” governmental policies!
For example, did you know that the first Earth Day was in 1970? Or that the EPA was rung in by “peace-fingers” Nixon in 1970? It wasn’t until 1974 that the EPA was able to regulate our drinking water. In 1986, Congress declared that the public rightfully should know when toxic chemicals are released into the land, air, and water. It wasn’t until 1988 that Congress banned the dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste into the ocean.
In 1993, the EPA reported that secondhand smoke pollutes indoor air. In 1996, the EPA required that home renters and buyers be alerted to lead-based paints. The list goes on.
My point is - we’ve come a loooong way, people!!! Although it’s shocking that some of these regulations - so normal to our everyday lives - were so recently put into place, it’s obvious that we have been taking steps in the right direction.
Earth Day is another reminder - to those of us that aren’t the EPA - that every little step helps.
My buddy Christin found another interesting weboid for you! (Weboid is my word - copyright that.) Is Earth Day the New Christmas?
Now that Earth Day has been around for almost 40 years, the event has started to get a tad commercial. There are a lot of companies that claim to be green, but are kinda full of “toilet garbage”. The consumer is still left to do their own research, which can be hard. Who to believe?
According to this article that Christin found, consumers are turning to bloggers. Yep, that’s right. Peeps like me. The article also details some of the more popular green blogs. (One of them has 10 staffers! I’ve only got one staffer. Me.)
The article also presents the 95-5 rule - that some companies feature 95% green advertisements, but only 5% actual green practices. Turning to the web for an honest opinion probably is the easiest option.
So - in honor of Earth Day and recycling, I’d like to introduce Swaptree. At this website, you create a list of items that you want, items that you’re willing to trade, and Swaptree makes it happen for you. The site even prints up the correct postage for you! No - I haven’t tried it yet, but I JUST found it today.
When I look at their “In the News” link (in the footer), I see that a lot of other trusted sources have recommended it as well. Give it a go! I’m going to, and I will report the results.
Um, hello!!! Earth Day Omaha is this Saturday! From 12 PM to 6 PM in Elmwood Park there will be a schedule of musical performances and guest speakers who know a thing or two about being green. From 6 PM to 8 PM, Omaha can enjoy a beer garden, live music, and food. Nice start to a fun Saturday! (Yes, I said “start”. I know you crazy Omahans aren’t going to quit there! You’re going to go straight home and change your lightbulbs to energy-conserving swirly versions.)
One great way to know how to become involved with Omaha’s green initiatives is to visit the Green Omaha Coalition website. The Green Omaha Coalition is working steadily toward a larger membership with more participation from the community. Their goal is to make Omaha one of the greenest cities in the country. Remember this article, about the 50 Greenest Cities? We can be a part of that list, too, especially by partaking in events like Earth Day Omaha.
The Green Omaha Coalition has five subcommittees which include Public Agency, Green Education, Green Neighborhood, Green Business, and Design and Construction. You can contact any of these committees here.
Right now, the Green Neighborhood Council is working on a Green Neighborhood Scorecard - a way for neighborhoods to measure their environmental health. They hope to implement this Scorecard within the next month. The Scorecard would be used by neighborhood leaders to call attention to specific environmental concerns. Hey - if we don’t know there’s a problem, how can we fix the problem, right? These scorecards will help to shed some “lime-light” on the situation. (Tee-hee.)
The Green Business Committee aims to develop a Green Business Directory that would serve as a resource for Omaha area businesses to contact for recycling and green education assistance. (This is something that I’d love to have as a resource for the small business that I work for! Can’t wait.)
ALSO, if you’re looking for Green Tips, I have found a jackpot! The Nebraska State Recycling Association’s website features a lot of green-focused articles. These articles are also categorized according to your needs as a citizen, as a business, as an educator, and information about how our government is helping. Here you can find a list of recycling locations, interesting facts, a list of state nature areas, and more.
Interesting fact from the Nebraska State Recycling Association: The average person produces five pounds of trash PER DAY. Whoa! Of course, you’re not average if you’re like my friend Mimi, Pro Recycler! We’ll have to learn more from her soon.
Brian Smith from Earth Day Omaha just asked me to do some live blogging for their event on Saturday, April 19th.
I’m not exactly sure about all the details, but this is the gist:
I’ll be there, at Earth Day in Elmwood Park. I’ll have my laptop and a Sprint wireless connection, and I’ll be interviewing speakers and entertainers at Earth Day. I’ll update my post by adding new information all day long as I have more information to share.
That’s pretty sweet. You must plan on visiting whynotlime.com on Saturday, April 19th, and you should probably plan on actually going to the event, too. There will be speakers and live music and activities for the kiddos. Visit their website for more info.
Bonus fact: Earth Day Omaha is the largest ecological event in Nebraska. I don’t know how to put this… but I’m kind of a big deal. (Anchorman quote - credit to Will Ferrell. More cowbell later.)
FREE FOOD! FREE FOOD!!! Please see below!!!
On THIS FRIDAY, you should also check out Benson for Earth Day Omaha’s benefit concert, which will include six venues and over 15 bands.
Regarding the free food… it’s a potluck dinner that runs from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Benson Branch Library. So you should probably bring some food, too!
Tix for the music performances are $12 for 21+ peeps and $7 for the ones who wish they were 21+. The bands, which are totally donating their time, will play from 8 PM until close - or until the bar says so. (Must always obey the bar!)
I’ve never been much of a planner, so I apologize for the late notice.
Earth Hour - Have you heard of it? This lovely video, narrated by Jeremy Piven, explains quite a bit, and includes dramatic orchestral music.
Google recognized Earth Hour today as well, in order to raise awareness of the event.
Essentially, all that everyone is being asked to do is to turn off your lights at 8 P.M. (your own local time).
Although this event will save a lot of energy from being consumed, it’s the awareness of energy conservation that is more important. To shut off your electricity for one hour is very simple, although I’m not quite sure why they’re doing it on a Saturday. When else does the majority of the population sit down to a movie, go out to eat, or have the urge to play with your old Lite-Brite toy? Just kidding.
I think this is an event that, in the future, could be implemented on a more regular basis. Similiar to our government rationing gas in the 1970s during the oil crisis, governments all over the world could begin issuing suggested times to shut off your lights. Crazier things have happened.
How would you feel if the government began rationing energy usage? For example, if your household could only use so much energy, and through close monitoring, your home’s energy bill have a fine for going over your allowance?
Like your cell phone plan. Go over your minutes, and you’ll be charged $10 per additional word spoken.
My opinion? It would be a tough adjustment, but I think it would work.
It’s hard enough transitioning into living a greener lifestyle when I’m just thinking about myself and how I live my life. Can you imagine trying to inspire an entire city?
This blog post on National Geographic’s Green Guide website talks about some of the biggest concerns of cities that are trying to “go green.” There are some interesting ideas presented here, except that I’m not sure how they will all be implemented. For example, one idea is that cities will begin charging drivers to use the streets, so that there will be less congestion, except that I thought we already charge people to use the streets, with registration fees? Wheel tax? Tolls? Meters for parking?
One idea that I think Omaha needs to implement is a light rail system and street cars. Do I have any idea of how much something like that costs? Not really. Do I know that it has been seriously talked about? Kind of. Do I still think it’s a super sweet idea? Absolutely.
Buffet would be shaking his head at my logic here, but would it or would it NOT be really cool to be able to live in Lincoln and work in downtown Omaha, and just read the newspaper on your way to work? Leave your car at the train station and hop on, using your Nebraska Rocks Rail Pass everyday? Wouldn’t it be a relief to rely on a train to take you back home to Omaha after a crazy Huskers game?
And how about Greensburg, Kansas? Have you heard this story? Last May, Greensburg was almost completely destroyed by a 2-mile wide tornado - an extremely sad story - can you imagine having your entire town erased within one storm? Apparently, after the entire city was leveled, the city council got together and collectively decided, “We should go green. It is IN our name, right?” (Quote manufactured by yours truly.) USA Today picked up a real quote from a city administrator six days after the tornado, and then the Discovery Home Channel picked it up, too.
Apparently in the rebuilding of Greensburg, there is heavy talk of a reality show that will document the revitalization of this devasted town into a fully functioning city of fantastic green-ness.
It’s almost too much of a coincidence for me, the fact that a town called Greensburg is going to rebuild their town into an eco-friendly city. This is exactly what makes me shake my head and go, “Yeah, I’d definitely watch that.”
Read this recent report from the Kansas City Star about updates and a comprehensive overview of the situation.
Would you ride the rails from Omaha to Lincoln? How about a streetcar from Dundee to downtown? If you could make any traditionally green item the symbol for Omaha’s green aspirations, what would you choose?
Would you travel to Greensburg, Kansas with me, on foot, for a future Greensburg pilgrimage? Footing it could only be replaced by a fleet of lime Prius-es. Hey - it would be something to write home about, on recycled paper with soy ink, of course.
Steve Larrick is a Senate candidate who walks his talk. The Reader recently published a feature article on his green lifestyle and ideas for environmental policy change, which actually made me want to vote for the guy.
Mr. Larrick is a Nebraska Green Party co-chair, serves as president of the Lincoln chapter of the United Nations Association, and likes long walks on litter-free beaches.
He rides his bike to work, even in the middle of the winter. A pedal bike - no motorcycle for this guy.
While he’s riding his bike to work, he picks up discarded aluminum cans along his route. The article doesn’t mention how long his route is, which would be interesting, but it does say that he gathers and collects (from neighbors, too) approximately four to five pounds of aluminum per day.
That’s nuts. The man is a model for recycling. AND he and his wife have gone without central air and heating for almost 30 years. (The article doesn’t mention what they use instead, but since he is pushing for more solar and wind energy in Nebraska, I’m going to guess he’s got the sun on his side.)
Larrick will be running against Mike Johanns, the former gov. and U.S. Agriculture secretary, so he is definitely optimistic. But I think it’s commendable that he’s working so hard to spread the message of a sustainable lifestyle.
Larrick is looking to young voters to support him. But, I think that voters of any age can see the value of his message, and at the very least, be impressed at what he does for the community already.
Brian Smith from 
