hey kids! im glad to see that a bunch of you have joined the blog! be sure to keep up with it and look for fun opportunities as well!!

thanks so much!

the ten GREENEST schools in america!

hey yall! be sure to check out this website as well!!

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200809/coolschools/index.asp

Renewable Energy, Green Collar Jobs at Risk

hey yall! heres a link mrs goodman sent me!


Renewable Energy, Green Collar Jobs at Risk
Congress is about to pull the plug on our renewable energy program and endanger thousands of jobs! Some 115,000 renewable energy workers - performing vital green jobs - may be thrown out of work and hundreds of wind and solar projects put on ice unless Congress renews significant incentives for renewable energy. What's causing the gridlock? Senate Republicans are insisting they want offshore oil drilling in the package; neither side is able to reconcile, producing the legislative stalemate. Earth Day founder Denis Hayes outlines the issue in this article . It's just like the Washington insiders to attach a provision that only digs us deeper into our addiction to oil - and completely ironic that they are doing it as renewable energy takes off under an existing program that receives wide public support! Offshore drilling will only add to our carbon dependency at a time when we need to construct alternative sources of energy. In 2003 - the last time Congress let incentives for renewables expire - wind turbine installations fell by 93%, and progress ground to a halt. We need wind and solar development now to help us create a new energy future! Call your member or Senator at (202) 224-3121 and tell them you want incentives for wind and solar, without an offshore oil drilling provision. Call (202) 224-3121 NOW, there isn't much time before Congress adjourns in early October! Sincerely, Kathleen Rogers
President

Earth Day Network - 1616 P St. NW Suite 340 - Washington DC 20036 - earthday.net - ph 202.518.0044 - fax 202.518.8794


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Comcast Sponsors Animal Planet Expo at Shelby Farms!

I can't believe summer is almost over! I wanted to give everyone a heads up though about an event coming up...the Animal Planet Expo at Shelby Farms!

The Expo will feature all sorts of animals and fun events- it's definitely worth checking out! I'll be finding out more to tell you about once the date gets closer, but the event will be August 23rd and the 24th from 10 am to 4 pm, so mark your calendars!

See you Wednesday :)

an interesting email i got!

Maurice Cox, Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts,
stressed excellence, public involvement, and education in all areas of the
arts in his talk yesterday at the Center City Commission Annual Luncheon.


He ended with these words,
"And then, lastly, the most memorable moment for me, visiting Memphis, was
looking out at your extraordinary natural resource, and that's the river.
And I would encourage you to preserve your riverfront as a public living
room of Memphis - at all costs, because the collective dignity of Memphis
begins at the river, and you should give it back to the public to whom it
rightfully belongs."

His talk and specific highlights of suggestions for Memphis are posted on
the web http://www.friendsforourriverfront.org/index.html

Virginia McLean
President, Friends for Our Riverfront
www.friendsforourriverfront.org

lettuce growing..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAEpU--Kin0

lettuce

I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!! 

I found this article about a billboard in chicago for our favorite..McDonald's. It is made of none other than lettuce!! 

Dare we say that we actually like something from McDonalds? It's a billboard that was set up in Chicago last fall to promote their "health conscious" menu, and just won a Gold Award for Leo Burnett at the Innovative Advertising Awards. 

Fast Food News says "the creative team worked closely with a horticulturalist to create a billboard that could start with 11/2 inch spouts and grow into lush leaves. The garden appears to be safe from being plucked apart by birds because there is no place for them to perch and peck."

you can watch the billboard actually grow..cool

A Look at What the Memphis City Council is Doing to Preserve Our Community

Courtesy of an email from Friends for Our Riverfront:

Yesterday the City Council voted to

 

1.) to keep the Cossitt Library open;

2.) to approve all the RDC Capital Improvement budget requests:

Beale Street Landing-- $22M in reprogram and new money. In addition to that amount $6M has already been spent and $500,000 will be requested next year.

Cobblestone Landing - $6M

Confederate Park- Law School - $2M

Mud Island Maintenance- $300,000 with additional requests of $2.6M in the next five years.

In the course of the budget meeting, lots of interesting things were discussed. 

Highlights, broken into short segments on issues like the future of the Cobblestone Landing, parking in Tom Lee Park, and the current state of the masterplan, are posted for you at 

http://www.memphiscobblestone.com

The full audio is posted at http://river.freshbits.com/library

Help our Nation's K-12 Schools Go Green!!

Photo: Kim Muench
It isn't often that we have the opportunity to pass a truly great piece of legislation, but this week the House of Representatives will vote on a measure that will provide almost $7 billion in grants to help our nations' K-12 schools go green. Called the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 3021), this bill, sponsored by Ben Chandler, will help schools to become more energy efficient and healthier. There is a special emphasis on low-income schools where children are most at risk from unhealthy facilities and on schools that still suffer from the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

Why Green Schools? Close to 60 million students spend up to 40 hours a week in facilities that are often unhealthy and a hindrance to their ability to learn. Green schools reduce sick days, significantly improve the health of students with asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and improve student morale and confidence. If this bill passes, we will be taking a huge leap forward toward our goal to make every school in America a green and healthy place to learn, while we save energy and create new green jobs!

Our Representatives need to hear that their vote will improve the lives of millions of our school children. Take action now and send a letter to your Member of Congress.

For more information on green schools, visit Earthday.net.

Earth Day Network - 1616 P St. NW Suite 340 - Washington DC 20036 - www.earthday.net - ph 202.518.0044 - fax 202.518.8794

Help Repair the Blue Trail on Saturday!

hey kids! this is from the shelby farms park conservancy:

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation--Natural Areas Division is hosting a trail repair and maintenance day at Shelby Farms Park in the Lucius Burch Jr. State Natural Area on Saturday, June 7 from 8am-12pm. Volunteers will meet at the Visitor Center at 8:00am and go together to the Natural Area to repair the Blue Trail by re-routing sections around wet areas, removing privet, building steps and short boardwalks, and installing signs at the trail heads. If you use these trails and want to be part of a special trail project, contact Allan Trently at (731) 512-1369 or allan.trently@state.tn.us. Volunteers must register with Allan!

Call your Senators! Strengthen The Climate Security Act

Dear Earth Day Network activist: I am writing to urge you to call your Senators and demand amendments to the Climate Security Act (S.2191) to ensure that the final version of this bill will truly mitigate the climate crisis. In its current form, the Climate Security Act falls far short of what is needed to gain control of our planet's future. Please urge your Senators to support amendments that will require a moratorium on new coal fired power plants; require that no less than 30 percent of our energy come from renewable sources by 2030; require national building standards that will result in carbon-neutral buildings by 2030, and provide support for the poor and middle class as we build the new green economy. Without these provisions the bill is simply not going to address the global warming problem. The switchboard number for the US Capitol is 202 224-3121. We owe our children and grandchildren a better future. The climate crisis cannot be solved unless we have tough and fair action now. Please urge your Senators to strengthen S.2191 and work to pass a revised version of this bill that will prevent the devastating impacts of global warming, before it is too late. Kathleen Rogers
President

Earth Day Network - 1616 P St. NW Suite 340 - Washington DC 20036 - www.earthday.net - ph 202.518.0044 - fax 202.518.8794

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Community Service Opportunity

Hey Everyone,

Since summer is almost here, I thought I would inform everyone about a volunteer opportunity. Unfortunately, I do not think I will be able to go because of the SAT, but it would be a really fun thing to do with a group of people. Let me know if you have any questions!

The Tennessee Department of Conservation- Natural Areas Division is hosting a trail repair and maintenance day at Shelby Farms in the Lucius Burch Jr. State Natural Area on June 7 from 8 am to 12 pm. Volunteers will repair the Blue Trail by re-routing sections around wet areas, removing pivet, building steps and short boardwalks, and installing signs at the trail heads. If you want to be a part of this project, contact Allen Trently at (731) 512-1369 or allen.trently@state.tn.us. Volunteers must register with Allen!

facebook

hey kids! yay schools almost out! well anyway, im making a environmental club group on facebook soon so keep and eye open for that! good luck on exams everyone!

Hola! 

I also got an email from Friends of Our Riverfront talking about another lunchtime tour this monday (5/19), so if you do not have an exam that day you should check it out!

In March 2007 the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) brought their expertise to Memphis to lead us in taking a fresh look at ways to enliven and enhance the public spaces along the riverfront. 

We've just posted the Placemaking report on the web -- a compilation of citizen comments at the workshop and recommendations by PPS.

Please take a look.

http://www.friendsforourriverfront.org/2008/05/placemaking-report-on-memphis.html

We'd love to have your input and have set up a questionnaire for additional suggestions.

This coming Monday (5/19) there's a great opportunity to learn more abou tthe sites evaluated in the PPS report on a riverfront lunchtime walk with Jimmy Ogle. It's the third of his downtown walking tours sponsored by the Center City Commission. Each tour is filled with interesting tidbits of Memphis history, and they're getting rave reviews. The tour will start at 11:45 in Confederate Park.

Hola!

I also got an email from Friends of Our Riverfront talking about another lunchtime tour this monday (5/19), so if you do not have an exam that day you should check it out!

  

hey yall just got this email from Friends for Our Riverfront! if anyones interested, there you go!

Also.. dont forget the meeting today during lunch for the new officers!!

Sorry for the last minute notice, but thought you'd like to know that
tomorrow (Tues. 5/13) Jimmy Ogle will lead his 2nd lunchtime walking tour
-this one focusing on the River. It will start in Confederate Park at
11:45 a.m. and end up at the foot of Beale Street 30 minutes later. Sounds
like a great way to spend your lunch break.

recycling oppertunity!!

Electronics Recycling Opportunity:
Electronics Recycling Event:

A major electronic recycling event will be held at the University of Memphis on May 14 – 17. This recycling event (in partnership with Apple Computers) is taking place, simultaneously across the state with Vanderbilt and ETSU.

Information on both the electronic recycling days for the public and local institutions is on http://www.memphis.edu/erecycling.htm


Nonprofits and institutions will recycle on UM South Campus on May 14 -16.

The public event is on Saturday, May 17 at the Southern Avenue/Echles parking lot.

This electronic recycling event is a huge win for our community. Anyone, free of charge, can drop off their old electronic computers, televisions, office equipment and audio equipment to be recycled. Hard drives will be shredded, so no worry about stolen information.

Please bring your old electronics and pass this email along to your friends and neighbors. Thanks!

Hazardous Household Waste Collection Facility:
We are pleased to announce, the opening of the first permanent household hazardous waste collection facility for Memphis and Shelby County! The Memphis & Shelby County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, is located at 6305 Haley Rd (off Farm Rd., between Walnut Grove and Mullins Station) near the Penal Farm. The facility will be open two days per week (TUESDAYS and SATURDAYS) 8:30 a.m. till 1:00 p.m., year-round (again beginning November 27th).
Residents of Memphis and Shelby County may bring up to 15 gallons or 100 lbs. of household hazardous waste material per month at no charge. Identification (driver’s license etc) is required. Commercial/business waste, commercial vehicles and out-of-county/state vehicles will not be allowed. A list of acceptable and unacceptable items is currently being compiled for our website (memphiswaste.memphistn.gov) and should be available in the next few days, if not sooner. Also, we will provide addition information in our next newsletter. Please note, a large initial turnout is anticipated; therefore, we suggest residents consider waiting until a later day to avoid long waits or perhaps not getting in by the 1:00 p.m. closing time. For budgetary and operational reasons the facility will be open two days per week initially. Additionally, the 1:00 p.m. closing time is necessary in order to allow staff and management ample time to prepare the collected materials for disposal by the end of the work day. Your patience and cooperation is appreciated.
The following is a General list of ACCEPTABLE household hazardous waste:

Aerosol spray cans (with content)
Automotive fluids

Antifreeze
Brake fluid
Engine cleaners
Motor oil
Starter fluid

Batteries

Household
Automotive

Cleaners

All purpose cleaners
Bleach
Oven cleaners
Metal cleaners
Polishes
Toilet cleansers

Construction & Home Repair products

Adhesives
Caulk
Driveway sealant
Grease and rust solvents
Roofing tar/patch
Stains and varnishes
Wood preservative
Wall paper remover

Cooking Products

Lighter fluid
Fire starters

Electronics

Computers (PCs and laptops)
Monitors
Ink cartridges
Printers (small desktop & combo/fax)
Scanners
Servers
Audio/visual equipment
Telephones/cell phones
Typewriters
Calculators
Circuit boards
Misc. electrical equipment

Flammable liquids

Gasoline
Lighter fluid
Kerosene
Naptha
Paint thinner
Propane cylinders (with contents)

Plumbing

Drain cleaners/openers

Lighting

Flourescent tubes
Light bulbs

Lawn and Garden Products

Herbicides
Pesticides (poisions)
Fertilizers

Paint

Aerosol paint (liquid still in can)
Latex paint (note: latex paint is nonhazardous)
Oil based paint
Paint strippers/removers
Paint thinner

Pool Chemicals

Chlorine (powder,tabs etc)
PH up/down
Algaecides
Soda ash

Other

Moth balls
Insect repellent
Mercury & thermostats

The following is a general list of items NOT ACCEPTED at the household hazardous waste collection facility.
UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS:

NO Commercial waste

No business, large or small
No home improvement or painting contractors
No school/college/university etc
No hospitals
No farms
No government waste

NO Explosives

No Ammunition
No Gun powder
No Nitroglycerin
No Military weaponry

NO Medical Waste

No Used Bandages
No Pathological Waste (body related parts/fluids etc)
No Diapers
No Soiled Bedding
No prescriptions or over the counter drugs

NO Non Propane Cylinders

No Fire Extinguishers
No Oxygen Bottles
No Welding tanks

NO Radioactive waste (includes smoke detectors)
NO Refrigerants
NO Cooking Oil or Grease
NO Televisions
NO Microwave ovens
NO Copiers
NO Tires
NO Unidentifiable materials

maybe we can DO that kayak race next year if outdoor events gets goin! Anybody maybe up for that? Also Lindsey- question- do these light bulbs have mercury in them?

The 27th Annual Outdoors Inc. Canoe & Kayak Race is "ON" for 10 a.m. this
Sat.(5/3)in Jefferson Davis Park. It is always a wonderful event, so come
down and be sure to stop by the FfOR booth. For a map and more info., go
to http://www.friendsforourriverfront.org
just got this email and it seemed like fun!!

CFLs

Hey guys! I just went out and bought a few CFLs today, and I had a few people ask me what they were when I mentioned them so just in case any of you still don't know exactly, here's an explanation! They cost more money (about $3 a bulb), but they can last like 8 times longer than normal bulbs. I found the article below on the website Energy Star:

CFL stands for compact fluorescent lamp, and it is a small fluorescent light bulb that uses 75% less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and can be screwed into a regular light socket. Don’t let the fact that it is fluorescent turn you off! ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs must pass extensive testing to ensure they produce only the highest quality light.


By the way, I put 2 in my bathroom today and it lit it exactly the same, if not better! Here's another article I got from Energy Star:

CFLs provide 75-80% energy savings
An incandescent wastes 90% of its energy generating heat.
In comparison to using 100-watt incandescents, one 27-watt* CFL
can save 730,000 watts over its lifetime!
This is enough electricity to power an average home for a
month!!
Over its lifetime, one single CFL bulb prevents 2,000
pounds (1 ton) of carbon dioxide from heating the
atmosphere.
It will also prevent the emission of 8-16 pounds of sulfur dioxide
which causes acid rain.
CFLs also reduce nitrogen oxide emissions which contribute to
atmospheric ozone and can cause severe health hazards.

CFLs can be purchased at most retail stores. You can also order
them by mail. www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ess-p2-
brightidea-vosslighting.pdf

That's pretty much it...
If you want to buy some, they sell them pretty much everywhere...
I got mine at Kroger!

--Lindsey

sweet website!

http://www.greenisuniversal.com/

If anyone has any shopping to do you should get it out of this way this Saturday or Sunday!

Macy's will give you 20% off if you simply give a 5 dollar donation to the National Park Foundation! It would help save you money and go to a great cause!

                                          This is SOO awesome! great idea AY!

i just went to this website- (wecansolveit.org) after seeing a tv commercial for it & its pretty cool so if anyone is web-surfing, check it out!! 

This is a great idea! Alright, so I have been in contact with some agencies throughout this school year about volunteer opportunities and how we as a club can become more involved in the community. I wanted to let everyone know of volunteer opportunities, as well as various organizations you can join around Memphis to get more involved. With summer almost here, I also wanted to encourage everyone to do something this summer that will help the environment. So take a look and please let me know if you have any questions at all! 

-Shelby Farms Youth Alliance: I have been in contact with the director for some time. There is an essay to fill out, but you can go to meetings about conserving the park, sponsor volunteer projects, etc. Let me know if this interests you and I will be happy to give you an application.

- Call your lawmakers about global warming and saving energy: you can contact Senator Lamar Alexander or Senator Bob Corker, illustrating to them your concern about global warming and implementing strong federal legislation to protect the environment, something Tennessee legislators have not made a priority. Any form of communication will help! I spoke with some people who have taken steps to do this at the Down to Earth celebration last weekend and they expressed that it really does make an impact, even an email. You have a powerful voice...use it!

Lamar Alexander- http://www.alexander.senate.gov (contact via email)

Memphis Office Phone Number: (901) 544-4224

Bob Corker: http://www.corker.senate.gov

Memphis Office Number: (901) 683-1910

If you feel uncomfortable doing this...not to worry! There are still ways to make an impact regarding environmental legislation. I picked up some cards already made to send to our senators, explaining concerns and asking for a signature (a petition, if you will). If we could all do this, think of the impact we could be making. 

-Hang with me....I also encourage everyone to visit greenpowerswitch.com, an organization which works to create clean and renewable energy. If you sign up and donate $4, you purchase green power in 150-kilowatt hour blocks (12% of a typical month's electricity use) This purchase adds to the mix of power the TVA provides to the Valley. This can only help. JUST $4! Let me know if you are interested in contributing.

Lastly, you can visit www.cleanenergy.org, a website geared towards educating the public on ways to make their lives cleaner and better the environment. Join the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and you can write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, stay educated about current environmental issues, and learn even more about how we as a school can help our community.

I have some volunteer projects that I've somewhat communicated with other organizations about and I will be sure to let everyone know about them, so be sure to keep yourselves updated at the end of the year and into summer!

Botanic Gardens

This is great! I just talked with representatives from "Sprouting Out" at the Botanic Gardens today at SMCF, and they are definitely interested in having SMS students learn about nature over the summer in Botanic Garden workshops and help teach little kids. They promised to contact me with specifics.

Thanks, Alexandra, for getting this up and running. What a great opportunity for us all to share ideas with one another. I am so proud of all the E-club members and the leadership they've shown this year in educating SMS about how to help maintain a safe and healthy environment. I hope to see bunches of us at the Shelby Farms Earth Day celebration on Sunday.

the duckling

okay so i had the coolest thing happen last night. We got home to my house to see my dog awkwardly running around the pool chasing something that was swimming in it. We ran outside to see what was going on to find a little baby duckling swimming around in our pool! We have no idea how it got left without its parents since ducks never fly carrying their babies so we are assuming my dog had scared off the other birds and left the poor baby!so we immediately called all these wildlife places to see what we could do and ended up getting in touch with this extremely nice lady who has been caring after about 40 birds at the moment and informed us how to care for it and keep it warm and said we could take it to her house! so for about an hour we made friends with our little ducky and i held him and pet him and fed him worms. He was soo cute! ahh. well we let him scamper around the house and all he did was follow me so i assumed i was the new mother, but unfortunately we had to take him to the lady to be raised with other birds since ducks are social birds. I learned so much when i got to her house! she showed me all the amazing birds she has been taking care of and all the wounded birds she was healing, even like resetting broken legs! Well this nice lady and her husband has a website and we have any oppertunity to help them, since they have so much to do with all those birds! They have to also pay so much for feeding all of them so i was thinking we could maybe do a fundraiser to get some money to donate to her for all she has been doing. Shes a really cute lady and if you want you can visit her website at wildwingsrescue.com for more information!

The beginning.

Well, the concept of an environmental blog is definitely a new approach. I’ve never been a devout blogger unfortunately, but the idea seemed quite appealing after having an economics blog for our class 1st semester. Since this school year is coming to a close, along with our club, I feel that we should still have the ability to serve and take care of the environment surrounding us at any opportunity offered; therefore, I have created this blog. The purpose of the blog is to keep the club together throughout the entire summer and enable us all to become more involved with Mother Nature and have a strong start to next year! Whenever you have free time on your hands, feel free to check the site to look for any upcoming opportunities I have posted for community service! This will also help us next year, since we will be able to communicate and discuss issues through this blog, and be prepared for any upcoming meeting in Mrs. Goodman’s room. If you hear of any service opportunities, you are welcome to post it on here so we all may attend! This summer and upcoming year should be full of fun activities, so don’t forget to check the blog!


Remember, "We must all work together in order to save the environment and the world that we live in from further change" -Dave Foreman