Attention Film Makers!

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP) team is launching an innovative video contest that allows middle, high school and college students in the city to develop a 90 second video that illustrates how they are participating in one or more of the 35 mitigation or adaptation strategies in the Chicago Climate Action Plan.

Click HERE for more details!

Now get outside! I's a GORGEOUS Spring day!

Danni

Cutting Back on Yellow Pages

When it comes to sustainability, we all know that little things can go a long way to preserving our planet’s resources. Whether it’s turning off your power strip when you’re not using it, or just making sure to hit the light switch when you leave the room, small changes add up to make big differences. The founders of a new website are working on their own way to combat waste, one phone book at a time. Inspired by the National No-Call Directory, a save haven for all of us who hate telemarketers, and motivated by the constant delivery of phone books he was receiving, a Missouri college student has started YellowPagesGoesGreen.org. The aim is not to stop the production of phone books and directories all together, but to prevent them from being delivered where they will not be used.

Every year, 19 million trees are harvested in order to produce 500 million directories. Due to the increase of smart phones and the popularity of search engines, many of these books will just end up in landfills without ever having been used. By adding your name to the list, you can prevent the delivery of your own book and raise awareness about the amount of waste involved in their production.

By: Caro Griffin
Story Courtesy of: Eco Columbia

NOTEBOOK MAKING!

So here's the deal. On MARCH 30th...tomorrow, from 3:30 to 6:30, the book and paper center is going to allow us to use their equipment to make and bind notebooks. It's gonna be great. It's located at 1104 S. Wabash on the 2nd floor. Come, Join us! make some notebooks so we can give them away at eco fair on april 22nd! You can probably make one for yourself too:)

The Story of Bottled Water

Hey guys, here's another video about bottled water, this one is more interesting than the other...worth watching! so CHECK IT OUT!


Happy Monday
Danni

Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of Coal

Coming to Columbia this weekend!

This multi-media performance portrays lfe in the coal fields of Appalachia where men and women chain themselves to heavy machinery as they try to stop mountaintop removal mining, and where others try to protect, sometimes violently, jobs the mining industry provides.

The play is loosely inspired by Jeff Bigger’s newly released book, Reckoning at Eagle Creek, the Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland. Based at the home of Marie and Hovie, a young couple living in the mountain holler of Eagle Creek, the play chronicles their attemps to come to grips with their conflicting fates, when their 150-year-old homestead is threatened by a planned mountaintop removal operation.

With a backdrop of film montages and historically-based satirical faux-mercials by filmmaker/actor Ben Evans. “Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of Coal” is a rare journey into the lives of those on the coalfield frontlines, and an entertaining, informative and illuminating theatrical production on the true cost of mountaintop removal and coal mining to our land and citizenry.

Springfield Lobbying Trip

On April 9^th I loaded my belongings in a rental car leaving sky scrapers behind for corn fields. We drove through the afternoon, destination: Springfield. We arrived at our motel early evening. We were there for a planned “lobby day”. Put together by ISEC, or the Illinois Student Environmental Coalition it was an annual trip to empower concerned student activists and let them speak out on a number of environmental topics.

We dropped off our belongings and headed over to a gathering in downtown Springfield. There were environmentalists and politicians together, mingling and chatting. We ate dinner and had a very inspiring conversation with representative Julie Hamos. It calmed some nerves about the situation as we got to converse openly and naturally. She has been involved with political lobbying in Illinois since the 1970’s and has a vast understanding on the subject. To our surprise, she was willing to share loads of it. It was a good practice run for the next day.

Before bed, we were put through an hour training session with representatives from the Sierra Club. What could we expect? What would we do in certain situations? ISEC-related students were separated into groups and assigned a packet. Each packet had different state senators and representatives that we were going to discuss issues with. It included detailed information on each individual politician from pictures and office numbers to bill sponsor details. Tracking them down was made as pain-free as possible. It was a really well thought out plan by every organization involved. I was encouraged by the buzz in the room and found it hard to sleep that night.

We woke early on Wednesday. I studied fact sheets and did some last minute cramming before we were to put our knowledge and preparation to the test. Energized by coffee and the beautiful sunshine I set off for the Capitol. I was partnered with a fellow E.P.I.C. (Environmental Protection Initiative at Columbia College) member and friend. We became more confident in our work as the day went on, we were a successful team.

We focused intently on four bills. The first was a package that pertained to solar energy. It would do great things such as lower barriers of entry for homeowners that want to use solar, increase the solar portfolio (make a higher regulated amount of solar necessary as a fraction of all energy use), and also allow citizens with solar panels to give excess energy back to the grid (preferably making some money from it). The second was a bill against Bisophenal-A, or bpa. It has been discovered as a cancer causing agent that still makes up many plastics, especially infant products. This bill would eradicate bpa from child products and force corporations to label any goods that include it. The third bill would allow new housing developments to be built on flood plains. We spoke out against this bill citing various environmental and social repercussions. For example, the big Mississippi River flood of 1993 cost the government over $500 million to move residents out of disaster areas and clean up the damage. The fourth bill we opposed, proposed lifting the moratorium on nuclear plants. We explained that we can’t have any more nuclear waste created if we still don’t have a reasonable way of disposing of it!

We went from office to office leaving business cards and fact sheets in case we couldn’t catch up with our intended “targets” of the day. We wanted them to know that we are paying attention. We got to meet with one representative in her office and a few others in passing. We made a strong case for each environmental bill. At first thought, lobbying seemed a very daunting task as we were up against experience and corporate power. Some of these lobbyists were people that were paid to do just that. We felt fresh and new in comparison, but we did have some important power on our side. We were young, educated and passionate. Soon, our generation will be making most of this country’s decisions.

I can’t stress how vital it is for young people to get involved in their political process. After overcoming the initial shock, one will realize that politicians are just people. If they don’t hear your concerns, how they can be held responsible? The political system as confusing and scary as it is, doesn’t work without citizen cooperation and there’s no better time to start then now.

ISEC

Columbia Recycling

Peace,

Neale

MARCH 27th is EARTH HOUR

Earth Hour

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S. where we are already feeling the impacts of climate change, Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.

Participation is easy. By flipping off your lights on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America. View the toolkits, to find out what else you can do to get involved including leading the Earth Hour movement in your community.

Set Your Clock

On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time, Earth Hour will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii

Sparking a Movement

Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon. Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.

Last year, 80 million Americans and 318 U.S. cities officially voted for action with their light switch, joining iconic landmarks from around the world that went dark for Earth Hour, including:

• Empire State Building
• Brooklyn Bridge
• Broadway Theater Marquees
• Las Vegas Strip
• United Nations Headquarters
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Seattle’s Space Needle
• Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple
• Gateway Arch in St. Louis
• Great Pyramids of Giza
• Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens
• Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro
• St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
• Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London
• Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower in Paris
• Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube
• Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong
• Sydney’s Opera House