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Earth Day 2009
You already belong to the Green Generation.
By reading this on-line newsletter, turning off the lights when you leave a room, and recycling that water bottle, you -- along with millions of other people -- are moving toward creating a healthier, more sustainable planet. On Earth Day, April 22, 1 billion people worldwide will celebrate the 39th anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement.
The Earth Day Network, a U.S.-based nonprofit, is launching a Green Generation initiative to help shepherd in a whole new, sustainable way of living and doing business.
The term is a play on the phrase “The Greatest Generation,” which was ascribed to folks who grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then in the early 1940s, they went off to fight in World War II or helped the war effort at home.
To rally today’s generation to face the challenges of the present era, Earth Day events will take place in communities all over America. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to fill Washington, D.C.’s National Mall on Sunday, April 19, capping a weekend of volunteer activities in D.C., New York and eight other major cities.
To find an event near you, visit www.earthday.net/search/node.
Schools & Communities Making a Healthier Planet
Imagine
using the roof of your school to harvest the sun’s energy. That’s exactly
what’s happening next month at the middle schools in Piscataway, N.J., when
20 percent of the electricity to power the lights and computers in classrooms will
come from rooftop solar panels.
At a total cost of $1.2 million, the 800 panels are expected to save the three schools in the district $66,748 in annual energy costs, and a grant from the state’s Public Utilities Clean Energy Program will help pay for 36 percent of the cost. Plus, the project will keep 45 tons of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) annually from entering the atmosphere. “This is the equivalent of planting 13.5 acres of trees each year or not driving 125,000 miles per year,” says District Superintendent Robert L. Copeland. Everywhere around us, people are taking steps that all add up to making schools, communities and the planet healthier.
These are all steps toward sustainability. But what does that buzzword really mean?
Take a deep breath. Your body needs that clean air to breathe, along with clean water to drink and wholesome food to eat. Our planet’s systems — the air in the atmosphere, water in its lakes and streams, soil in the farm fields — all work together to support life. Globally, the United Nations defines sustainable development as meeting present needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.<
In the United States, the current push toward sustainability is the latest evolution of the modern environmental movement, which arrived on the national stage on the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, when more than 20 million Americans celebrated the planet. By 1980, the federal government had passed many important laws to protect the environment.
One way to achieve sustainability is to conserve natural resources so that they are not used up any faster than nature can restore them. Doing what we can to reduce, reuse and recycle (the 3Rs) natural resources and using renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are key to building a more sustainable future. That’s why the Piscataway middle schools’ solar project and the solar project at ShopRite’s Wharton, N.J. (see box below) store are small steps toward embracing alternative forms of energy.
But you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to make a difference. Families can make small daily changes to live more sustainably. The good news is that many sustainable practices save money, too.
Here are a few more simple things you can do right now:
Reduce your energy consumption. Changing your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs will reduce your energy use by one-third. Look for the U.S. Energy Star label. Changing just five bulbs will save $150 over their lifetime.
Use your car less. One way to save gas is by grouping your errands together. Consider walking instead of driving when you can and if you have to wait in the car for more than 30 seconds, turn it off.
Lower your home thermostat. In the winter, lower your family’s home thermostat by just a few degrees. Every one-degree change translates to a 5 percent savings on your heating bill.
Turn off your electronics. Turn lights, computers, televisions, stereos and video games off completely when you’re done. The cost of “standby power” (so that those electronics are ready to use) among all U.S. households adds up to $4 billion a year. (Divide those savings among 105.5 million U.S. households and that’s about $38 a year, or about three large pizzas.)
Take shorter showers. Taking short showers uses less hot water than taking baths. To motivate family members to conserve, offer a reward to the person taking the shortest shower.
Repair drafty windows and doors. Drafty windows and doors mean energy is escaping. To check, hold a ribbon up to the edge of a window or a doorframe in your house when it’s cold outside. If the ribbon moves, air and heat are leaking out of your house.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Check with your town or municipality to ensure that you are maximizing your community’s recycling program. Try reusing scrap paper, and when printing documents, use both sides. Remember to take your reusable grocery bags when you go shopping and to look for products that are made from recycled materials.
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Solar Power |
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle |
Energy Conservation |
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| On the roof of the ShopRite of Wharton, N.J., owner Terry Glass and store manager John Lombardo inspect the more than 1,600 newly installed solar panels. The panels cut carbon dioxide emissions by 280 tons per year while keeping the milk cold and the waffles frozen. | Don and Diane Drust, owners ShopRite of Meriden, Conn., get “hands on” -- adding food waste to the store’s compost bin. They recycle everything they can -- wooden crates, plastic buckets, circulars, soda bottles, etc. In just three years, they have reduced their trash by 50 percent! | Shawn D. Ravitz, VP-admin., in front of ShopRite of Marlton, N.J. The store earned the coveted Energy Star certification in 2007. Smart technology in super-efficient refrigeration systems and energy-saving lighting systems add up to big savings. This ShopRite uses 35 percent less energy than similar buildings! |
ShopRite Recycles
ShopRite's 2008 recycling efforts included:
- 98,000 tons of corrugated
- 2,110 tons of plastic bags and film
- 934 tons of newspaper
- 1,355 tons of waxed corrugated
- 280 tons of office paper
- 88 tons of metal
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