Last week of the summer

At the beginning of my last full-time week at the Green Project, I want to share what I have learned.  However, if I were to really share how much I have learned this summer — you may be reading until tomorrow.  There have been so many instances where I have wanted to write on this blog and haven’t gotten the chance, so here goes:

The Sioux Falls Green project intern is not responsible for busy work, but rather is offered a daily opportunity to contribute to the “green projects” that we are currently working on.  The job is flexible and fun, and even though I have been full time this whole summer, I have not had an issue getting the days off that I need.  I work to get my projects done and take each day as a new learning experience.

I have learned about the value of online networking tools.  I have discovered a lot of blogs that are better than ours and realized the true value of a good blog.  Working with the Green Project has given me the opportunity to start this blog, do some web editing, create groups on Facebook, use Backpack and Basecamp daily to work together on projects.  Working with other groups via the internet is an exciting alternative to long email chains.

Both Jamie and I have learned a few things about grant writing and parnterships.  I, now, by the end of the summer can list off all of the Green Project founding sponsors and supporting sponsors.

If I’m prioritizing my list of things I learned, I have to mention TRASH TALKING!  No, not the junior high art, but rather the skill that the Green Project’s volunteers have polished over the summer.  We had trash talkers at 3 events this summer, and I’d like to say we have learned a lot about recycling and trash management.  The program was a pilot and two important things came out of it for me: the importance of co-location of bins, accurate and effective labeling, and activation of community volunteers.  We recruited volunteers via the website, signs, blog, and word of mouth.  In doing that we turned up around 40 volunteers over the course of the summer.  All this excitement about trash, it’s got me wondering about the fun-threshold here in Sioux Falls….

One other thing that is notable for me is the opportunity for community and economic growth due to the green movement.  Right now, we are in a spot where we understand the climate crisis at hand, and have the opportunity to educate others about it and influence policy on a big scale!  We are relying heavily on fossil fuels, and shifting the focus to renewable energy may be the biggest shift we will make as a nation.  We need to start considering the environment in all of our choices and take the available first steps, like increasing our energy and fuel efficiency.  While the economy may be in a seemingly endless downturn, we need to step up as individuals, take action, and become a part of this movement towards a greener economy.

Anyway, one thing I personally did not learn how to do was how to ride the public transit….maybe one more summer and I’ll have it figured out!

Click here to check out some highlights from this summer.

-karin

green drinks summer tour to wrap up at Wild Sage Grille

Come join us this Wednesday at Cherapa Place’s Wild Sage Grille! Come to hear a presentation by Anne Haber and Stacey McMahan on LEED certification.  This month’s Green Drinks is sure to be the best yet!  Don’t forget to consider the environment: take your bike to the event!  Cherapa is very close to the bike trails.

a great quote

“What separates us from beauty of nature is our attitude.” –Will Steger

We’re going to see Bill McKibben and Will Steger!

Tonight, Jamie and I are leaving for Minneapolis for the Will Steger Summer Institute for Climate Change 2009!  While at this conference we will get to hear first hand about educational cirriculum centered around environmental issues and policy.  This cirriculum is meant to peak student’s interest on the topics and offer them tangible ways to contribute to this movement.

Some specific topics and speakers

Will Steger: Polar Explorer and Founder, Will Steger Foundation

Bill McKibben: Author of The End of Nature, environmental activist, and Founder of 350.org

check out Bill on the Colbert Report last night!

Kristin Daniels: Education Consultant, Will Steger Foundation and Educator at Hill-Murray School

Barbara Freese: Clean Energy and Climate Policy Advocate, Union of Concerned Scientists

John Farrell: Research Associate, Institue for Local Self Reliance

Peter Reich: Professor and Researcher for Forest Resources, U of M

Shalini Gupta: Bush Fellow, Institute for Agriculture and trade policy

(This would not be possible without Jamie, a midwest delegate for Expedition Copenhagen. Thanks Jamie!)

We will fill you in on this more when we return!  Oh, and thanks for reading–we are almost up to our goal of a million viewers a day.

Calling all Trash Talkers

Last night I went to the fair grounds to check out the scene and do a little photographic detective work.  Fairs are always a good spot for photography, and as most photo shoots go, I ended up finding unexpected subject matter.  Let me share with you my photo documentary.

With swirls of blinding lights racing around metal frames, my attention was at first directed toward the incessant stimulation from rides and screaming teenagers.  It was not long before the fried aroma of donuts heavy in the air shifted my thoughts to subjects a little closer to the ground.  This was the beginning of a discovery….

As landfill carts overflow with trash, bottles and food waste start piling up all over the ground.

As I continued walking past buildings and vendors, I couldn’t help but notice the unusual amount of trash that was haphazardly scattered around the ground.  Why is it that fair grounds become temporary landfills during these events?

My exploration led me to where a concert had just taken place.  Here’s what I saw:

Bottles and streamers line the ground after last night's concert.

The ground as well as the stadium bleachers were filled with trash of all kinds: bottles, streamers and confetti, and food waste.  This looked like a call for the Trash Talkers.

One mysterious landfill cart lies empty while another one near it is overflowing with bottles and food waste. Why?

Although there was a lot of trash and recyclables on the ground instead of in carts, I did notice things that seemed to be working along with factors that could be improved.

First of all, the carts that were used were large and easy to spot, but they had no markings on them to denote whether they were for trash, recycling, or both.  And there was only one kind in one color.  Everything was being put into one cart (was it sorted after that, or will it all end up at the landfill for the next several hundred years??).  In the future, two different colors of carts could be used along with labels to let people know which is for recycling and which is to go to the landfill.  Both a recycling and a landfill cart could be placed side by side.

The placement of the carts could be more strategic as well, and the number of carts used could be increased to allow for easier management and less overflow problems.  Each of the carts could be checked more often as well.

It takes the participation of each person at an event like the fair to take responsibility to dispose of their recyclables or food waste properly.

I think one of the most important things to note is that with the combined effort of carts being convenient and accessible and each person taking responsibility to dispose of their used items appropriately, the fair can be kept clean and garbage-free.  And that means both a clean earth as well as a more aesthetically-pleasing and healthy environment for fair-goers to enjoy.

Tonight

If you were a part of our Trash Talkers program this summer–you’re welcome to join us for a picnic dinner tonight at McKennan Park!  We will be out there grilling around 5:30.

See you then!

Breaking News: Kimberly-Clark Creates Stronger Environmental Fibre Policy

Kimberly-Clark has just announced that it is going to take measures to stop destroying ancient forests with the release of its new policy.  By 2011, Kimberly-Clark will stop getting any fibre from the North American Boreal Forest that is not FSC certified, and it will also make sure that 40 percent of its North American tissue fibre is either recycled of Forest Stewardship Council certified.  These are great steps for the company to take that will ensure sustainability of our most precious forests.  Way to go, K-C!

Want more information? Click here.  For Kimberly-Clark’s sustainability report, click here.

Check out this awesome full rainbow that I got a chance to capture!

Just another good example of nature at its finest.

Repower America’s Office Opening

Karin and I recently attended Repower America’s office opening last Thursday.  They now have an office at 335 N. Main Ave, Suite 200 (look for the Repower signs in the 2nd floor windows).

Repower America SD is trying to help create more jobs in renewable energy and help the Midwest lead in renewable energy sources. Want to find out more information? Go check them out downtown. Karin and I even had the opportunity to fill out postcards to our legislators while we were there.

Elena is the Program Organizer for Repower. Go talk to her sometime at their new downtown headquarters.

Matt McGovern

green drinks@carnaval brazilian grill

“No one is ever 100% right or 100% wrong.”

This quote from Brian Assam sparked the beginning of a great talk at last night’s Green Drinks event.  His presentation entitled, “An Integral Approach to Building a Greener Business”, gave a new deeper meaning to the green business model.  The integral approach to anything is a comprehensive approach; it is one that is compassionate and holistic and one where everything is taken into consideration.  The integral theory is based up the idea of emergence.  What is emergence? “Emergence is the ‘transcend and include’ nature of everything; all things strive to become, to grow, and to develop, as things develop they include all previous levels.”  Everything is built upon something else and growth results by this idea of emergence.

Assam talked about a comprehensive approach that considers all perspectives.  This he called the, “four quadrant model,” and it focuses on “I”, “It”, “We”, “It’s”–or the interior and exterior of the individual.  This internal AND external focus is how he has created an integral approach at Carnival.  He said the conventional approach to building a greener business would focus on external changes and implementation of greener products, processes, waste reduction, energy efficiency.  He stresses that there is nothing wrong with that sort of approach to greening your business, but there is something that is more effective.  The integral approach focuses on the individual and the external.  The internal builds individual and communal relations to enhance the effectiveness of a green business but this goes hand in hand with enhancing the external processes found throughout the working environment.

So, how is Assam implementing his integral approach at Carnaval?

• use of environmentally friendly products
• non-flushing toilets
• light sensors to decrease energy usage
• eliminated table cloths to reduce on water use
• use a natural citrus cleaner in restaurant and kitchen
• compost
• use local products when they can
• offer buffalo burgers and wild salmon, which are more natural

These could all be categorized as conventional methods to building a greener business.  However, to build the integral approach….

• they allow their customers to be a part of their “green process” by talking to them and use of comment cards
• give the server tests and offer extra credit for questions about how management can make it a better experience for them, the community, AND the environment.

He also emphasized that people display different sets of value systems and these value systems depend upon their life situations and their awareness.  So, it is important when meeting people to find out where they are at and make it theirs–and give them the chance to form their ideas  and maybe you can learn something from them. We are never 100% right, and we are never 100% wrong!

It was an interesting approach that sparked quite a bit of green drinks conversations…

Brian explains the Four Quadrant model during Green Drinks at Carnaval.

Karin invites anyone to participate in the SFGP green pages. We're looking for people who live green and businesses that practice environmental stewardship. If you're interested, email us at info@siouxfallsgreenproject.org