How to Live a Greener Life

How to Live a Greener Life
Resources: A few ways to help reduce the billions of metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions created yearly by the U.S.
By Jessica Ramirez
Newsweek

At Home Calculate your impact: If knowledge is power, then take a minute to assess the damage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's online calculator estimates greenhouse-gas emissions that result from your household energy use and waste disposal. Get your number at epa.gov/climate.

Trade up: Not ready to replace the roof with solar panels? Then start small. The average U.S. home has two TVs, a VCR, a DVD player and three telephones. If everyone replaced these with Energy Star models, which meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines, it would be equivalent to taking more than 3 million cars off the road. Learn more about Energy Star at energystar.gov.

Sweat the small stuff: A faucet that leaks 60 drops per minute can add up to 192 gallons per month. You can find out how to leak-proof your home and even create a water budget at h2ouse.org.

Ramp up recycling: Increasing the recycling rate in the United States from 30 percent to 60 percent would save the equivalent of 315 million barrels of oil each year. Visit earth911.org for a rundown on how to properly recycle everything from aluminum to motor oil.

Do some green cleaning: Natural cleaners like borax and lemon juice are ecofriendly alternatives to regular chemical-based products. Check out eartheasy.com for basic household-cleaner recipes.

Power properly: Using energy generated from renewable sources like wind helps reduce the burning of fossil fuels such as coal. The Green Power Network at eere.energy.gov/green power will list what's available in your area.

On the Road

Drive in the green lane: Compare fuel-efficiency rates and learn about green tax credits at fueleconomy.gov. Not looking to buy? The site also offers tips to help make your vehicle less of a gas guzzler. Properly inflated tires alone could save Americans more than 4 million gallons of gas each day.

Go public: You can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,590 pounds per year if you leave the car home two days a week and take public transportation instead. Find out about public-transportation options in your state at publictransportation.org.

Neutralize it: With some basic vehicle information, sites like terrapass.com and gocarbonzero.com will give you an estimate of the carbon dioxide your car produces. You can offset the damage by donating money to suggested ecofriendly projects.

At Work

Get rid of the excess: Companies can stop receiving mail meant for former employees by visiting ecologicalmail.org. For every former employee entered into the site's database, a company will avoid 100 pounds of waste in undeliverable mail. That's equivalent to one tree.

Pool your people: Simple carpooling or ride-sharing can have a great impact when you consider that 78 percent of cars on the road carry only one person. Create a company carpool at erideshare.com.

E-cycle: The EPA estimates that more than 2 million tons of electronic hardware ends up in landfills each year. Your company can recycle properly or donate old computers with the help of eiae.org and get information on ecofriendly replacements at epeat.net.

In Your Community

Be cool: Cities across the country are making a pact to meet or beat Kyoto Protocol targets through community efforts. Visit coolcities.us to see how you can get your city involved.

Pay it forward: Want to teach your community more about climate change? Find lectures in your area or apply to become a presenter at the climateproject.org.

Keep it local: Most food travels 1,200 miles or more from the pasture to your plate. Buying locally saves fuel and helps farmers in your community. Web sites like localharvest.org and usda.gov provide lists of local farmers markets.

Text the next generation: E-mail your kids and their friends a link to mtv.com/thinkmtv and have them sign up for daily green tips via text message. Each text suggests a small way to make a big difference.

Wildlife: Where's Mommy?

Wildlife: Where's Mommy?
By Karen Springen
Newsweek

Spring is birthing season for baby animals. What should you do when you come across newborn squirrels, raccoons and skunks under your deck or in your attic? It's likely that their moms moved there to find a private spot to give birth. If you can, wait until the babies are 6 to 8 weeks old. Then, rather than move the animals yourself, make their moms want to relocate by blasting rock and roll and keeping lights on, says Laura Simon, field director of urban wildlife for the Humane Society of the United States ( wildneighbors.org ). Don't assume solo babies are orphans. Mothers of bunnies and deer visit their little ones only a couple of times a day. "People will take a wild animal away from its mother without meaning to," says Simon. Don't feed them anything. They can't digest cows' milk and lettuce.

If you're sure the babies are motherless, call your local nature center or an animal shelter to find a "wildlife rehabilitator"--a volunteer licensed by the state fish and game agency to take in injured and orphaned wild animals.

Let kids outdoors

Let kids outdoors
Crime is down, but parents shelter their children as if there's a child predator on every corner.
By L.J. Williamson, L.J. WILLIAMSON (ljwilliamson.com) is a freelance writer in Los Angeles.
March 29, 2007

ONE SUNNY afternoon as our children played nearby, I asked a neighbor at what age she would allow her son to bicycle around the block by himself.

"I don't think I would ever do that," she replied. "The world is a very different place now than it was when we were growing up."

Did she really think the number of child molesters and kidnappers in the world had increased in the last 20 or 30 years, I asked? "Oh, yes, I think it is increasing. Because of the Internet."

At a PTA meeting, during a discussion of traffic problems around the school campus, I asked what we could do to encourage families to walk or bike to school. Other parents looked at me as if I'd suggested we stuff the children into barrels and roll them into the nearest active volcano. One teacher looked at me in shock. "I wouldn't let my children walk to school alone … would you?"

"Haven't you heard about all of the predators in this area?" asked a father.

"No, I haven't," I said. "I think this is a pretty safe neighborhood."

"You'd be surprised," he replied, lowering his eyebrows. "You should read the Megan's Law website." He continued: "You know how to solve the traffic problem around this school? Get rid of all the predators. Then you won't have any more traffic."

Huh?

Our hyper-anxiety about the safety of children is creating a society in which any outdoor activity that doesn't take place under the supervision of a coach or a "psychomotor activities" mandate from the state is too risky to attempt.

An example: My son's school has a written rule that students in grades K-4 may not ride their bicycles to school. My son and I cheerfully ignore this restriction; I think school rules belong on campus, not off. As we ride together each day, I remember the Huffy Sweet 'n' Sassy I rode to school when I was a kid. Hot pink, with a flowered wicker basket, it stood out among the other bikes parked in the crowded racks, its tall orange safety flag flapping in the breeze.

Now, my son's bike stands alone, always the sole occupant of the school's tucked-in-a-faraway-corner bike rack. When we arrive, other kids look at us in amazement and ask questions like "Why do you ride a bike?" and "Don't you have a car?"

Although statistics show that rates of child abduction and sexual abuse have marched steadily downward since the early 1990s, fear of these crimes is at an all-time high. Even the panic-inducing Megan's Law website says stranger abduction is rare and that 90% of child sexual-abuse cases are committed by someone known to the child. Yet we still suffer a crucial disconnect between perception of crime and its statistical reality. A child is almost as likely to be struck by lightning as kidnapped by a stranger, but it's not fear of lightning strikes that parents cite as the reason for keeping children indoors watching television instead of out on the sidewalk skipping rope.

And when a child is parked on the living room floor, he or she may be safe, but is safety the sole objective of parenting? The ultimate goal is independence, and independence is best fostered by handing it out a little at a time, not by withholding it in a trembling fist that remains clenched until it's time to move into the dorms.

Meanwhile, as rates of child abduction and abuse move down, rates of Type II diabetes, hypertension and other obesity-related ailments in children move up. That means not all the candy is coming from strangers. Which scenario should provoke more panic: the possibility that your child may become one of the approximately 100 children who are kidnapped by strangers each year, or one of the country's 58 million overweight adults?

In 1972, 87% of children who lived within a mile of school walked or biked daily; today, just 13% of children get to school under their own power, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a significant parallel, before 1980, only 5% of children were obese; today that figure has tripled, says the CDC.

The next generation of grandparents won't even need to harangue their progeny with tales of walking seven miles to school in the snow; it'll be impressive enough to say that they walked at all. My neighbor was right — the world is a very different place.

The “Wow” Factor

The “Wow” Factor
An Outdoor Experience Your Child Will Never Forget
by Mac Duffy
Teach Children To Love The Earth Before We Ask Them To Save It
Richard Louv, in his book, “Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder" (Algonquin Books), stated, "Our society is teaching young people to avoid direct experience in nature" by reducing open space, physical education, and field trips and allowing electronic media to consume an increasing portion of children's lives. "Healing the broken bond between our young and nature” he writes, “is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demand it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depend upon it."
Its not hard to see that, in our society today, most kids, particularly inner city kids, are disconnected from nature. They may know about it from TV, but they don’t have a personal experience, and without that personal experience, kids won’t have the necessary understanding and emotional stake to even consider the state of the environment, let alone do something about making necessary changes.
Simple connections are the key. When a child takes pleasure in the world around them and sees the how their actions directly affect their world, both positively and negatively, most will really respond to that. Those simple connections will inspire them to make changes in their own behavior and, hopefully, inspire others to do the same.
Our schools can take our children a long way down the road of book knowledge, but it’s up to outdoor education programs to bring that knowledge into each child’s personal reality as they help students make crucial initial connections with the natural world.
The “Wow” Factor for Teachers
According to Dave Work of the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI), “Teachers that are in the classroom introducing science, marine science, and oceanography bring their students out here because we make the classroom teaching come alive…Let’s say you’re on a sports team and you’re practicing every day,” Dave continues. “At some point you’re going to want to play the game.”
Mark Waddington, of CIMI Tall Ship Expeditions, agrees, stating, “Schools in general are important for their economy of time, effort and money and their ability to teach large numbers of people, but they are simulations of the real world…At all moments, we should be taking our students into the real world and showing them practical applications of those simulations.”
“At these programs, they get a “wow” factor,” says Mike Dobson, Director of Astro Camp (a camp dedicated to giving children a chance to train like NASA astronauts, learn about Space, and much more). “The kids become the scientist, the person proving that knowledge, which appeals to a child’s sense of adventure. This stuff is just exciting.”
Deborah Twemlow, Principal of Outdoor Education at Pali Institute in Lake Arrowhead, CA, adds, “(Outdoor education provides) a classroom that breaks the boundaries of walls and lets the children have freedom to explore learning in the outdoors. It’s so much more empowering when kids see directly where specimens come from, where they live and breath.””
Outdoor educational programs provide experiments and other activities that schools either don’t have the resources to get or the environment to implement. The goal isn’t to cram knowledge into their heads. Kids connect to having fun. “Imagine being in school and learning about marine mammals,” suggests Mark. “You go home and maybe remember it, maybe you don’t. Now imagine coming out on a ship and being able to see that marine mammal. Now you have this lesson you just learned and suddenly you have an imprint of an experience that links to that lesson. That, in itself, increases retention 100 fold.”
The “Wow” Factor for Parents
All parents appreciate experiences that their children “will remember for the rest of their lives,” says Mike, experiences they “would not otherwise get by staying at school everyday or by staying at home during the summer”. At the right outdoor education program, parents are able to spark their child’s interest in a way that’s fun, energetic and, most importantly, safe, a primary goal for each of the programs referenced in this article.
“Besides”, asks Deborah, “what parent wouldn’t want their child to leave a classroom for a week and learn at a rate that excites them to go back to their classroom and connect with more info on the birds that they saw, the insects they may have dug up and the soil and water samples they may have examined?”
“(Outdoor education also) gives you the ability to introduce new things not covered in a classroom,” says Mark. “For example, building character. On one of our ships you need to learn to work together to get the sails up, bring the sailboat out, which fosters cooperation and confidence. It’s just an amazing experience.”
Dave agrees. “There are social skills the children can learn when they come here. For example, we eat family style, sitting around a table. We encourage good hygiene, all things very important to the home.”
Outdoor Education Teaches Children How They Can Make a Difference
“Outdoor education is a great way to show cause and effect,” says Mark. “There are threads through all of our activities,” shares Dave, “that we can connect to daily existence. For example, plankton are connected to a significant part of our planet. They are the bottom of the food chain. They create a large part of the oxygen we breathe. When we are (studying) plankton, we can connect the thread of how our actions can impact, positively or negatively, something as simple as (this).”
Deborah concurs, adding that “by giving them the opportunity to have a guided exploration through different types of environments in a contained outdoor school setting, (children) can see the connection between different organisms that make up the whole. From the trees to the plants to the soil to the water to the compost they understand the full circle of life and how, when one part is affected, the whole is affected.”
Once children learn about how everything is connected, then they can learn about the effects our everyday life incurs. “For instance,” offers Mark, “cigarette butts are the most common thing found in the gyres (circular currents)* of the ocean. All the slow currents in the middle of the gyre are where a lot of floating garbage collects (and stays). Albatross feed in that area and bring this “food” back to their young who starve to death. When they are examined, we find that they are filled with the plastic you find in cigarette butts.”
The garbage in the world is not limited to cigarette butts or other trash. It includes chemical and medical waste dumped in large quantities. Even with the changes that have been made in our national policy, children need to be ready to implement more. It’s not enough that children understand cause and effect when it comes to nature. They need to understand how to deal with other humans who may not agree with their newfound passion.
Deborah offers that outdoor education provides “a connection between so many classroom disciplines, stating, “Every school class has a connection to the environment. Even in a class like “Model Government” which focuses more on history and debate, you can go outdoors and debate issues that directly affect the environment such as sustainable living and solar energy…A climbing wall teaches problem solving, leadership, and team cooperation. Some schools are very adamant that every class (we teach) has to relate to a science. The ropes course allows us to teach elements of physics, communication, problem solving, math, and personal growth…We have the ability to connect them all because (children) can go on a hike and use all of their senses to learn a multitude of subjects from solar cooking to edible plants and filtering water, wilderness first aid and building shelters to learning what to do in case of an emergency.”
As mentioned earlier, the potential for personal growth at an outdoor education program is extraordinary. In addition to the schedule activities, children have the opportunity to have a certain level of autonomy and a chance to grow while they live in a cabin with their peers. For kids who don’t have experience away from home, the opportunity to live with their peers builds their self-confidence and communication skills. “Many (kids) are away from home for the first time,” says Dave. “When they get here, we stack up a lot of hurdles close together. Most haven’t snorkeled or even hiked… As long as long as they are willing to take that step, they can see that they can accomplish (what they set out to)…and the kids (leave with) a greater level of confidence.
Deborah marvels “at the change in ordinarily meek children after tackling the ropes course” and states, “90% of teachers want their kids to experience such an activity for that very reason.”
“At the very minimum we want to show them that science can be fun,” Mike reveals, “that they can reach out and grasp these kinds of things, that they are not huge concepts that are way over their heads. We’re going to give them a lot of the basics, stuff that will help them understand more further down the road. And, with that, they can understand the world a bit better, what’s hurting, what will help us more and move forward from that.
Outdoor Education Makes A Difference For Future Generations
“The mentors that work at any outdoor center have such a pride in what they do,” shares Deborah, “The kids meet people who really care about them and what they have to teach them. (It) rubs off on the kids, and we receive letters saying that they remembered to turn the water off when they brush their teeth (or practiced other conservation methods at home).”
“We’re inspiring people that want to inspire others in a way,” says Mike. “We’re gonna be able to spark some kids who’ll want to do this, teach this, and have fun doing it while giving this same experience to others. It’s self-perpetuating in a way.
“The people that work here realize that the kids are the future,” adds Deborah. “The teachers who bring their kids here realize that as well. It’s not just a field trip. It shows (the children) that they are the future leaders and, hopefully, the future leaders in conservation so that we can preserve what’s important so that their generation will have a healthy future.
As passionate as each of these outdoor education professionals are, they all know and respect the important role of the teacher in this process. “The general success of the trip rests on the teacher’s shoulders,” says Dave. “The teachers that really make this program come alive for the children make the experience come alive by building up to and following up on this experience, as opposed to just treating it like a fun outing.” I agree. Keep in mind it’s a lot of extra work for the teachers. They don’t arrange for their students to have this type of extraordinary experience simply to provide a recreational activity for the kids. Teachers do so because they know that this experience connects their students to the material they are trying to teach in an invaluable manner.
Conclusion
It’s depressing to think that in most of the country people are only seeing a small portion of our planet. By providing our children a chance to get out there and see the rest of the world, we not only provide them with an amazing learning opportunity, but we also give them a chance to get to know their home and what has happened to it.
Outdoor education brings it all together. By fostering a love for nature and nurturing the latent abilities children are just waiting to be introduced to, outdoor education gives children what they need to start to see the world differently, that it’s not just a picture in a book or on TV. It’s real. It’s important. And, hopefully, as a result, our children will have more of an inclination to want to take stewardship of the Earth and inspire their children and their children’s children to do the same.
Once a child sees the ocean and how clear the water is just twenty miles out or how beautiful and lively an uncluttered landscape can be, once that child understands how a simple, negligent act can have far reaching consequences, perhaps now, when they go home, they might stop someone who might be about to dump something like oil down in a storm drain. “Taking that home,” says Mark, “you’ll say, ‘Wait. Let’ not dump that there. Let’s find another way. You take that ownership home with you from an outdoor education experience.”
For more information on each of these programs, please visit: www.astrocamp.org www.guideddiscoveries.org www.paliinstitute.com
Mac Duffy’s recent acting credits include a national commercial, as well as several independent films. He has an extensive background in comedy and improv and over 15 years of experience working with children of all ages as Storyteller, comedian, acting teacher, director, writer, and puppeteer. For more information, please visit www.macduffy.com.
©2006 Los Angeles Family Magazine

Why Kids Need Nature

Why Kids Need Nature
Experience and explore the great outdoors with your child — it's good for her!
Whether you grew up in a suburb, on a farm, or in a big city, you probably spent a lot of time playing outside, getting dirty, and coming home happy. Maybe you watched ants making anthills in your backyard, climbed trees in the park, or simply lay in the grass contemplating the drifting clouds. Unfortunately, young children today do not have as many direct experiences with nature, and it's taking a toll. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, maintains that this disconnect from the natural world is producing ill effects in both mind and body. But he's optimistic that well-meaning, forward-thinking parents and educators can close the kid-nature gap. "We should not think of a child's experience in nature as an extracurricular activity," says Louv. "It should be thought of as vital to children's health and development." The editors of Scholastic's Parent & Child talked with Louv about his book.

Parent & Child: Why do children need a meaningful relationship with nature?
Richard Louv: Research suggests that a connection to nature is biologically innate; as humans, we have an affinity for the natural world. When children spend most of their time indoors, they miss out. Problems associated with alienation from nature include familiar maladies: depression, obesity, and attention deficit disorder. Kids who have direct access to nature are better learners. Exposure to nature has been shown to reduce stress and increase attention spans.

When a child is out in nature, all the senses get activated. He is immersed in something bigger than himself, rather than focusing narrowly on one thing, such as a computer screen. He's seeing, hearing, touching, even tasting. Out in nature, a child's brain has the chance to rejuvenate, so the next time he has to focus and pay attention, perhaps in school, he'll do better.

But even if kids don't have any of the specific problems mentioned above, kids who don't get out much lack the sense of wonder that only nature can provide. I've taken kids into the woods who've never been there. At first, they're scared because it's unfamiliar, but then you can see them open up and start exploring.

P&C: What's changed over the past generation or so that's caused this disconnect with the natural world?
Louv: There are some obvious reasons, such as the fact that many families are overscheduled, which chips away at leisure time. Parental fears — of traffic, of crime, even of nature itself, such as with Lyme disease or the West Nile virus — also play a big role in keeping kids indoors. What's unfortunate is that these fears have been overamplified by the media, and the overall effect is that kids spend more time in their homes, or very close to home.

In many places, children's access to nature has been cut off. The woods at the end of the cul-de-sac were made into a new subdivision. New neighborhoods are carefully planned, and as a result, they often dramatically restrict what kids can do with nature. Even parks are manicured — there may be a nice smooth soccer field or a baseball diamond but no rough edges. Rough edges are the places children gravitate toward to explore, where they find rocks and weeds and bugs. Efforts to provide nice-looking and safe outdoor spaces are well intentioned, but they give kids the message that nature is not something you go out in to get your hands dirty.

P&C: Don't children in rural areas still have access to nature — and haven't city kids always been restricted from participating in it?
Louv: Interestingly, the answer is no to both questions. These days, kids in rural areas are just as indoor focused as their suburban peers, and for the same reasons — parental fears, less unscheduled time, an emphasis on computers and other indoor activities. And while we might think that, historically, kids in cities have had limited contact with the natural world, it's not always true. In older cities, especially, there are lots of green spaces, lots of unplanned areas like vacant lots. Sure, it's not the woods, but when we talk about nature it's not about the kind of nature, it's about children having the opportunity and freedom to explore what's out there in their surroundings. That may mean a city park, a farm, a patch of woods in a suburb — even a tiny roof garden counts.

P&C: What can parents do to help their children get the safe outdoor experiences they need?
Louv: You would think it would be ideal to let kids run loose and come back dirty and happy at end of the day, but in reality this is not likely to happen anymore. We have to come up with new ways for kids to have direct contact with nature. This probably means parents have to get out there with their kids, and explore with them. Schools, too, including preschools, can incorporate natural surroundings. In many schools in Western Europe, nature is incorporated into the design of child care centers and schools, and there have been positive results in terms of kids' attention spans and stress levels.

A lot of parents are already doing the right thing, almost instinctively. Perhaps they remember how they used to play, and strive to provide the same thing for their kids. While they may not let their kids roam free in the neighborhood, they do take their children hiking or let them run around in the local park.

P&C: What are some easy ways to experience nature with preschool-age children?
Louv: The best thing you can do is to be enthusiastic about nature yourself. Go out in your backyard. Instead of a manicured lawn or garden, leave some spots untamed so kids can dig in the dirt and find rocks or interesting weeds. If you have a vegetable garden, have your child help you plant seeds or pick tomatoes. Even walking to your local park can be a nature walk to a preschooler — he can collect leaves, you can point out trees and bushes and show him the bugs crawling along the curb. Let your kids get down in the dirt so they can see at eye level the whole universe there. Nature is good for everyone's mental health. Nature isn't the problem; it's the solution.

From: Parent & Child