by Beth Gray

Recently, a coworker who is also an American Public University (APU) student (as many of our employees are) sent me a link to a YouTube video that her professor posted as part of that week’s assignment.  The video, produced by The Story of Stuff Project and narrated by Annie Leonard, is 20 minutes in length and provides a somewhat scathing look at the life cycle of our “stuff.” 

Through the use of basic yet effective animations, Leonard describes in accessible terms how all of our stuff comes to be and what happens when we are finished with it.  Through the five steps of the materials economy (extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal), our stuff requires tremendous resources, natural and human.  Along the way, the process harms many of the parties involved.  During the extraction process, for example, people living in the places where the first resources are culled often lose the lands and natural materials on which they have relied for generations.  Because their resources are lost, some 200,000 people a day (worldwide) move from environments that had previously sustained them for generations to cities in search of work, often finding it in the factories that are making stuff from the resources taken from their lands.  During the production process, workers are subjected to many harmful chemicals that are used to create the stuff.  At the same time, working conditions in many of the factories producing our stuff leave much to be desired. 

Even the consumer, who is the driving force behind the manufacturing of this stuff is harmed.  The toxins that go into making the stuff impact those who buy and use these items.  Leonard uses the phrase, “toxins in, toxics out” to make the point that many of our products are actually toxic to us.  Through all of this, the environment takes the most consistent abuse, however.  The loss of vast quantities of natural resources, toxins emitted into the environment, and the irresponsible disposal of most items leaves our planet quite vulnerable, according to Leonard.

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by Shawn Skinner

Many people often do not equate auto performance with efficiency.  This is often true of many early American performance cars.  The first performance engine available to the masses was the Ford Flathead V-8 introduced in 1932.  It is often associated with bootlegging and hot rodding, but it was compact and fuel efficient when compared to larger inline six or eight cylinder engines.  Road tests were even able to achieve 20mpg fuel economy, quite remarkable for the times.

In 1949 the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 was introduced with the first high performance modern overhead valve V-8 engine.  The horsepower wars continued throughout the 1950s with the Chrysler C-300 becoming the top performer with its Hemi engine.  Larger, higher horsepower engines continued to be offered throughout the first half of the 1960s, but mostly in larger cars.  This was soon to change.

In 1964, Pontiac shoved a full sized 389 cubic inch V-8 from its full size car line into its midsize Tempest, calling it the GTO.  This created what some argue is the first muscle car (a large, high horsepower engine midsize car).  The Ford Mustang was introduced the same year, with high performance engines offered the following year.  Both of these cars found imitators such as the Plymouth GTX and Roadrunner, Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Chevelle SS, Oldsmobile 442, Plymouth Barracuda, and Chevrolet Camaro, just to name a few.  The large, gas-guzzling muscle cars were constructed with straight-line performance, not fuel economy as the number one priority.

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by Jennifer Lefebvre

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 19th. If you are looking for an environmentally friendly gift for your dad, there are many items available.

Earthtec offers functional apparel while keeping green thinking at the forefront.  In fact, all of their products are made from recycled or renewable materials.  They focus on materials like organic cotton and wool and work with eco-textiles, as well.  Some of these new materials include recycled nylon, corn and coffee beans.

For the hungry dad, Hearst Ranch offers grass-fed meat products for shipping.  Hearst Ranch’s cattle live as foragers and grazers.  The rancher believes that this “enhances a complex and balanced mosaic of native grasslands which in turn maintains vigor and distribution of these habitats, ensuring a sustainable food system.”

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by Beth Gray

The thought of “going green” can be daunting and even overwhelming.  It may appear that living a greener lifestyle will require funds that many families are finding difficult to come by.  Some people may not know where to start.  Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  Beginning the journey to a greener lifestyle should be looked at in the same way.  Once you take that first step, however, take several more to keep your momentum going!  Below are some easy suggestions that will not cost you much money, will not require tremendous energy or maintenance, and will get you started on your journey to a greener lifestyle.

Day 1
Change the settings on your thermostats.  Many thermostats can be programmed to automatically set themselves lower at specific times.  Set your thermostat a bit cooler than you would typically when you go to bed at night and when you leave the house for the day.  Even better, if you have ceiling fans, combine them with open windows on opposing sides of your house to get a natural breeze and some fresh air.  In the winter, keep your thermostat at 68F and in the summer, set it at 75F to get the most effective use of those systems.

Day 2
Make or purchase a composting bin and start composting.  For many, the notion of composting is unfamiliar and conjures images of waste piles that make you hold your nose.  The process of composting involves mixing yard and household organic waste in a pile or bin, then providing conditions that encourage decomposition.  The microscopic organisms in these materials devour the contents, leaving behind an organic fertilizer which can do wonders for your plants.  You can build your own composting bin or purchase one from a vendor like Planet Natural that offers many varieties of bins depending on the extent of your composting goals.  Composting can reduce yard waste by between 50 and 75 percent. 

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by Kelly Wenner

Pioneered in the mid- 1970s by Australians David Holmgren and Bill Mollison “Permaculture”- a contraction of the words permanent culture or permanent agriculture-is land use design based on ecological and biological principles.  Simply speaking, the goal of permaculture’s application is to create systems that promote harmony between the land and the people who inhabit it. Once a method -and now becoming a worldwide movement -permaculture’s methodologies can be applied to any environment and project from large farms to small urban landscapes to window gardens.
 
This broad-based, holistic approach to sustainability follows a fundamental system of core values to be applied to any situation:

Earthcare: realizing the Earth is the source of all life and that we are a part of Earth, not apart from it;

Peoplecare: supporting and maintaining one another in finding ways of living that do not harm ourselves or the planet; and

Fairshare: placing limits on consumption, and using Earth’s resources in ways that are equitable and wise.

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