create a greener world

Vancity is participating in EarthHour, which makes me happy!

the post below appears on The Greenpages By M. Tupper on February 12, 2008

So, I saw Al Gore on Saturday, Sept. 29th, here in Vancouver. I've seen the movie, but it was cool to see him in person.

One of the things I learned was that the world's oceans are on the verge of collapse! This means: no more fish, no more whales, no more dolphins, no more a lot of stuff!

So, I decided that a good thing to do would be have a fundraising dinner. I read about them in a magazine and I thought it was a good idea. I get tired of complaining about how no one does things to make the world better, and also not doing anything myself.

I am holding an electronics roundup for recycling on Sat. Sept. 8th, from 10 am to 4 pm, by donation.

And and all electronics are welcome, including: cell phones, any computer parts, tvs, any video equipment, microwaves, etc. Basically any electronics are okay. They will go to Technotrash recycling for demanufacturing and appropriate disposal.

So, I watched and participated in Live Earth and, of course, signed the pledge.

The funny thing about signing the pledge is that it says " I will..." . I hope a lot of people sign and follwo through. Why it was funny for me, is I already *do* all that stuff :)

May 16 is Turn It Off BC – have you pledged to Turn It Off! for the day? Other ChangeEverything members Alexandra Samuel, Rob Cottingham and Envirowoman have all made their pledges. Make yours! Conservation of resources is one of the principles of sustainability. Whether it’s electricity, water, fuel, dimming or turning off unnecessary lights or other sources of energy, conservation is something that everyone can do immediately to make an immediate impact. Check out 30 days of Sustainability for more information.

See, I typed all of this already, and it mysteriously disappeared when i went to post it, so here I am typing it again, even though what I kinda want to do is navigate away and not come back.

1. I bought compostable trash bags.

2. I use more Choice Theory in my ESL classroom.

3. I showed the movie  'An Inconvenient Truth' to my ESL students.

4. I am taking a course in Non Violent Communication.

Green Drinks Vancouver
A monthly gathering of anyone interested in 'green'. Green Drinkers are from all ages, backgrounds and groups - non-profit organizations, academia, government, small business, big business, self-employed, volunteers, students, concerned citizens...and everything in between. Every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 5.45pm At Steamworks (375 Water Street at the edge of Gastown)

Social Tech Brewing
If you work at the intersection of technology and community-building, chances are you'll enjoy the March gathering of Social Tech Brewing's Vancouver chapter. Social Tech Brewing brings together folks from social media, nonprofit organizations, community service, social activism, social ventures and technology to share ideas -- and beer!

When I lived in Korea, I learned that the people there had to use biodegradable plastic bags for trash disposal. I thought it was a great idea. Yes, they are more expensive than the free, non-degradable bags one gets from the store, but I got to thinking:

Why doesn't our goverment mandate that all plastic bags be bio-bags that would degrade in the dumps? Yes, the bags would be more expensive to produce, but no one would lose jobs and we pay for the bags anyway. It isn't like corporations don't make enough money. I think they could afford to spend a little for a nice long term impact.

I once overheard my friend Ruben tell someone who was complaining about dumpster divers that as long as we continue to throw away things of value, there will be dumpster divers. That it is partly our fault. Quite a neat way to frame the issue.

I wonder if there should be some way to leave potentially valuable items outside the garbage for those divers who actually perform a recycling service. Locked dumpsters, although I understand why they are locked, seem odd to me now.