I’m still surprised to find people who think blogs are simply an online journal - a place to tell your personal story, or write about your emotions, etc. Blogs are very personal sometimes, but not as frequently as some people imagine. I find it helpful for sharing your personal knowledge or expertise about a particular subject, or creating a place for posting big ideas (eg. how to make the world a better place) or advice (eg. how to turn your shoe into a water fountain). (Don’t Google that.)

Sometimes I find a blog post that is particularly inspiring or thoughtful, and The Green Divas posted a poem that I read as a kid, but haven’t really understood before, or given much thought. It’s lovely, and I think it shares a peaceful vision of an earth-friendly, sustainable living world.

This poem can probably help all of us remember a quiet, peaceful place in our lives. It makes me think of my grandparents’ home in the country, surrounded by big fields, numerous flower gardens, orchard, and little nooks and crannies that were secret and mysterious, which all turned my childlike perception of reality into one long summer daydream.

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright.

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know

The place where the sidewalk ends.

                                                                                                                          Shel Silverstein, 1974

Consider some of the most obvious edits that we can make to our daily lives:

 - Changing our light bulbs and turning off the lights

 - Carpooling to work

 - Starting a garden (and composting to fertilize it!)

 - Um, recycling?

 - Riding your bike for short distances instead of driving

 - Unplugging all unused electronics

 - Turning down the heat or air conditioning in your home

The only way to motivate all of us to make such simple changes, and possibly dozens of others, is to help people find a reason, their own personal reasons. People only do what they want to do, right?

This article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine by Michael Pollan suggests a few reasons for living a greener lifestyle, and he also addresses the most basic question: why bother?

Pollan suggests that perhaps it is a matter of personal virtue. Virtue, defined as moral excellence and rightousness, is certainly one motivator. As many people feel anger over watching someone litter (you can see the result immediately), there are others who would feel the same if their neighbors weren’t recycling.

Pollan also suggests that perhaps each individual could influence others to become more conscious of living a sustainable lifestyle, that it isn’t such a lonely effort after all. That perhaps it could become cool to NOT have things, instead of having everything. I think this as a viable possibility. This type of infectious cultural movement is seen in many places - otherwise how could we have such a difference in sustainable living habits in communities from, say, Portland, OR to Omaha, NE?

And, once we find our reasons - whether to feel better about our personal values, to join a hip cultural green trend, or to preserve the earth for our future generations - all it takes is that one bold but very difficult move to make a change, and just maybe join your local carpool or learn something about gardening. Once you start a garden, you never know what challenge you might feel like tackling next. Solar panel roof? You go.

Best Gas-Saving Tip Ever, from the Sierra Club:

Drive slower.

Obviously this isn’t breaking news, but they translated miles per hour into money spent in one of their last e-newsletters.

Some interesting facts:

- According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, dropping from 70 to 60 miles per hour improves fuel efficiency by an average of 17.2 percent.

- Dropping from 75 to 55 improves fuel efficiency by 30.6 percent.

- In a family sedan, every 10 mph that you drive over 60 is like paying 54 cents per gallon more for gas you bought at $3.25 a gallon. (That cost is even higher for larger vehicles, like SUVs or trucks.)

- On a 300 mile trip, driving 65 instead of 70 mph would only cost you an additional 20 minutes.

I don’t know about you guys, but I have a little bit of a lead foot. It’s not that I want to drive fast. It’s just that I’m usually late for things.

So maybe my ultimate gas saving tip is to “get organized” so that I am leaving my house with plenty of time to get where I’m going. So that, yes - I can drive slower.

Not only does driving slower allow you to save money and burn less carbon, it also lets you:

- Take it easy on your brakes.

- Avoid some accidents and/or traffic tickets. (Ahem, yes, I’m speaking from experience!)

- Have a less stressful day.

- Listen to more of your Eat, Pray, Love audio book.

- Have an excuse for being late for work. “Boss, I was trying to save the ozone layer.”

So - Save money. Save the environment. Be lime. Drive lime.

Does anyone else out there have some gas saving tips, or reasons to drive slower? Please share in the comment section below! Thanks!

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.

Save the organic limes. Buy green.

Brian O’Malley, the chef/instructor from Metro, informed me about the Nebraska Food Cooperative. Here is their mission:

“To foster a local food community and promote a culture of stewardship by cultivating farmer-shopper relationships, promoting the enjoyment of healthful food, increasing food security through diversity, and enhancing overall rural sustainability.”

If you are a person who believes in supporting locally grown, organic food, then this is exactly where you should be shopping!

In order to participate in the Co-op, there is a membership fee. You can buy a share of the Co-op for $100 if you live in Nebraska and become a voting member (help to decide what’s going on, since you are a part-owner), and then pay a $20 membership fee, which is waived the first year. Or, you can pay a fee of $40 per year to be a non-member shopper.

You can shop for the most unique and most tasteful groceries online, and then have them delivered to your area at least once a month. For example, Jane’s Benson Health Market is where I would need to pick up my food order on delivery day. Their website provides delivery pickup times and locations that are nearest to you.

There are a lot of smart benefits to consider. You’re buying from people in your community, which supports your local economy. Because you’re purchasing goods from a short distance, you’re also supporting food which requires less transportation cost. And, bonus - your food is so much healthier when you eat local!

The Co-op website includes a downloadable list of foods that you can order, which include in-season fruits and veggies, frozen pies, jams and jellies, local livestock, homemade crafts, handmade soaps, Thanksgiving turkeys, and so much more! And, the more we can support the Co-op, the more products will be able to be provided.

I also found this cool tidbit - they’re coming out with a cookbook. The cookbook, entitled Twelve Dishes from Here, will benefit The Nebraska Food Cooperative. Copper Core Consulting, a faculty/student consortium at Metro’s Institute for the Culinary Arts, is helping to create the book. The release date will be in early fall 2008, and they are asking for input regarding price, content, and design. So, if you have time, please visit www.mccneb.edu/culinary to provide your opinion.

Please check out the Co-op’s website and let me know if you are involved or if you’re thinking about doing so! Thanks!

For my junior and senior year proms, I got short fake French-manicured nails. Very chic. The nails would click on the keys of the piano when I played. They never stayed on for more than a day after the dance.

Ever since, I’ve never been into doing fingernails - I’ll paint my toes, though, and that’s why I thought this find was interesting.

I wasn’t aware that there is such a thing as water-based fingernail polish. Apparently there are a lot of chemicals that are bad for your fingernails in regular fingernail polish. Water-based polishes harden as the water evaporates, rather than relying on evaporating chemicals. If you choose to use water-based polishes, you should also use a soy-and-corn-based polish remover, since the regular acetone-based won’t work very well.

The two products that are recommended in Natural Solutions magazine are Honeybee Gardens (how cute is that?!) and Suncoat Nail Polish Remover (another happy name!).

Another problem I’ve had is dry cuticles. Always with the dry cuticles. I’ve heard that soaking them in olive oil for a few minutes helps. Lately I’ve been using this shea butter balm from Gilden Tree - an organic spa product company based in Omaha. I usually just use it before I go to bed, which helps a lot.

My nails will always be short, but if I’m thinking about painting them LIME I’ll definitely go with the water-based version.

Share your tips as well! Thanks.

One Earth Day.

The Power of One was the theme of this year’s Earth Day Omaha. While I originally imagined it referring to the power of one person, it transfers to various subjects.

After this year’s Earth Day Omaha, my coworkers started a discussion with me over lunch. They asked about the events. How it went. Then they started to discuss their own recycling woes, their opinions about being green. My boss asked me what else our office could do to be greener. (A lot.)

So the power of one Earth Day inspired how many conversations, I wonder?

And just whose idea was it to start Earth Day Omaha?

You know there’s usually one member of a family who makes recycling easier for everyone else. There’s one member of a neighborhood committee who initiates green discussions and efforts.

Hey, there’s only one Oprah. Someone needs her to go crazy green. Endorse Earth Day.

Earth Day could join the ranks of Eckhart Tolle and Obama. And Dr. Phil.

You don’t have to be a super-national endorser of feel-goodness, though.

All you gotta do is teach your kids to protect the world for their kids, who can then chide their friends for not car-pooling to school, who then might even convince their parents that they need bikes for trips to get ice cream, and so on.

The power of recycling one newspaper equals putting you in the habit of recycling every newspaper.

I think you get my point. I love this year’s Earth Day Omaha theme.

The power of one Earth Day theme?

Absolutely.

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.

Thanks for reading!

The actual Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22nd.

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.

Elmwood Park on this Saturday - Be there.

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.