Giving Thanks in an Eco-Friendly Way

I am writing this blog post before I pack up and head home to Omaha, Nebraska.  Thanksgiving has secretly been my favorite holiday since I was little for multiple reasons.  I love eating mashed potatoes, rolls, and creamed corn in the company of the strange individuals that make up my family.  I love hearing everyone's stories and sitting next to my grandma who tells me to keep eating and that I have good "child-bearing hips."

Like clockwork, the food is always the same and the people are the same.

But in tradition of this blog, I thought I'd offer a couple ideas I had on how to keep Thanksgiving "green" and show your thankfulness for this lovely planet.

Two-years-ago Thanksgiving when I had bangs.

1. Re-Use
Starting off with something obvious.  Recycle any paper or plastic or aluminum as long as there is no meat/food residue on them.  Opt to use cloth napkins that can be cleaned and used again instead of paper ones.  When you go shopping for the big meal, bring cloth shopping bags instead of using plastic.

2. Be Aware of What You Eat
Best choice is to go local when buying your food.  If you don't want to do a ton of research, I usually rely on Whole Foods to provide the better options.  Also your local co-op, like Open Harvest, is a good place to find local and organic foods.  Also, you don't HAVE to have turkey.  Half of my family is either vegetarian or vegan or gluten-free, so we get kind of creative with our Thanksgiving.  Try out new recipes, might I suggest the wonder that is Creamed Corn?

3. Be a Green Traveler
First option, try not to travel so far this year.  Stay home and skip the stress that is traveling on a holiday.  However, if you want to make the trip home, be conscious of how you travel.  Make sure your car's tires are properly inflated and try your best to carpool and offer rides to anyone traveling to the same area.

As for flying, you could try a Carbon Offsetting Program.  These are more of a thing in the UK right now, but still interesting enough to look into.

4. Invite Neighbors
I don't know if this necessarily "green," but it is important to extend the invitation to others.  No one should be alone on Thanksgiving.

5. Keep Your Home Temperature Down
With the oven on, stove on, and a lot of people in your house, turn your heat low.  Everyone is wearing sweaters already and once they start eating they will be sure to increased their body fat.  If things get too warm, open some windows and let the autumn air in. (Self-explanatory, but if you do open windows make sure to shut off the heat in your house)

So most of this tips are self-explanatory, but once again I wanted to prove that no matter what holiday you are celebrating, there are always a few ways to make that event even better for our earth.

Cheers!  Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S A Haiku for you all:

A haiku for Thanksgiving:

Creamed Corn, I eat you

I do not breathe, I just eat

I lick the bowl clean

NYC High Line: What is Urban Re-Use?

I spent this past week in the city of unsettling smells and fairly nonexistent nature; New York City.  I went mainly to see if this city could ever be a good fit for me and though this blog focuses on Nebraska, I wanted to write a quick review of something that really excites me for the future of urban development.

It is the introduction of sustainable design to portions of urban cities that have since reached the end of their useful life.  First, let's start in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Remember where the old train station used to be?  In order to pay homage, the train tracks were left at the back and developed into a grassy area, lit with lamps placed under the old platform.  Instead of tearing up the track, city planners decided to invest in aesthetic appeal and add some nature to downtown Lincoln.

So now let's head back to New York City and the High Line in Chelsea.  Here, an abandoned elevated freight train track has been developed into a public park.

The High Line now allows never-before-seen views of New York City, all while being surrounded by elevated grassy patches, trees, and various plants, all drought resistant and native to New York.  It quickly is becoming a desired location for residents of NYC to get away from the noise of the city and experience a sense of calmness.

It also is a "living roof" with a porous  drainage layer, gravel, filter fabric, subsoil, and topsoil.  The High Line recirculates water and all materials chosen to build the High Line were selected based on life-cycle costs.

From my visit there were a couple moments that really stuck out to me.

First, the entire experience was visually romantic and nostalgic for me.  I have always loved trains and the sense of wonder that arises from traveling on them.  I was appreciative how the tracks were mixed in with the greenery and walking path as a nod to the history of the cities old methods of transport.

Second, I loved the hidden gems of the path itself.  Urban art was strategically placed to only be viewed from the High Line.  Different benches and chairs were tucked around corners, along with photo opportunities with framed lights and bridges that oversaw the traffic of the streets below.

And finally, I think the most important thing from walking the High Line was the discovery that humans have the capabilities to create beauty by focusing on sustainable landscapes.

In fact, NYC is currently working to expand the High Line even longer, due to the demand residents have for a space like this and NYC is also asking residents if they have ideas for other places that could be turned into pedestrian walkways.

Will and I walking the High Line

Obama in China and Why We Should Care

I may harp on the United States for our climate change denying senators or the fact that pipelines continue to sprout up in multiple states, but you know who really is a mess?

China.

I'd like to think back circa 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing where multiple articles detailed the ridiculous amount of smog and air pollution that almost kept the olympics from happening.  There was an official decree to stop all manufacturing plants, construction sites, and chemical plants in order to keep spectators and athletes from experiencing the horror that is Beijing's air pollution.  

In total, for the olympics, Beijing spent $17 billion in efforts to clean up their act from making apartments energy-efficient to installing better subway systems etc.  The photo to the left shows tourists at Beijing having to get their photos taken in front of a poster instead of the actual skyline because of how thick the air is.

Anyway, so Obama goes to China this past week and suddenly there is a huge media storm about China and American and climate stuff.

So here's exactly what went down.

There's a treaty currently in the works through the UN that sort of "makes-it or breaks-it" for our planet's future.  Basically it says that all countries need to start giving a crap about this earth because if anything can unify every continent, it's our need for this planet to survive.  So Obama heads off to meet with President Xi Jinping in order to make some negotiations ahead of this treaty's approval.

On our end, the US announced that we would reduce pollution emissions from 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025. (Earlier in his presidency he promised cutting emissions by 17 percent)

On China's end, President Jinping didn't commit to cutting any emissions, especially as China is in the works to build multiple coal plants.  However, he set the emission peak for China in 2030.

Together China and the US create one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions.  It is a promising commitment to have both leaders of their countries discuss environmental concerns, but I personally wish they had developed more plans from this discussion. But it is something, which as an environmentalist, is ALWAYS better than nothing.

But don't forget we have Congress's leading climate change denier in charge of the environment committee. WHICH MAKES NO SENSE!  Seriously there is no sense in Congress.  Look up Senator James Inhofe and try not to cry, especially since he is planned to take over as the next chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  Hopefully he decides to not stand in the way of the president's goals for the future of the United States.

Anyway, I basically wanted to remind everyone that though everyone is really excited about this agreement between China and the United States, they aren't perfect and I'm not ready to celebrate just yet.

The First Step: How to Start Being an Activist

Here is something that really REALLY grinds my gears.

Someone says: "Melissa you would really like this."

Followed by: a) some article on climate change b) a video of nature c) recycling bins at a building d) etc.

And here's why I get upset.  Caring about the Earth should never be limited to a few individuals.  I personally don't want my identity to be "Melissa the girl who likes the environment" because then it makes it seem like that makes me different from others.  These articles, videos, even recycling bins should be liked by everyone and we all, collectively should be interested in their existence.

But I understand that this is not possible right away.  But it isn't impossible.

First, we all need to continue to be educated.  Number one reason people didn't vote this past midterm election?  They didn't feel like they were personally educated enough to vote.

Number one reason people don't want to be associated with environmentalism?  They don't feel they are educated enough to use the term "environmentalist."

So here's what I've done for anyone who is on the fence.  I am assisting with an event this coming Tuesday, Nov. 11th from 5-8pm in the UNL City Union.  It UNL's "4th Annual Sustainability Roundtable" and we will have speakers who are knowledgable on a variety of topics.  Instead of searching online for your information, you will literally just have to attend and sit and let the knowledge flow into your brain.

And trust me, after attending you will want to be an environmentalist.  And you will have already taken the first step of activism.

RSVP HERE

Election Results: What Last Night Meant for Nebraska

Midterm elections were last night and the "Democalypse" has taken its toll.  For those of you just tuning in, Republicans took over multiple contested seats in order to gain Senate majority and a stronger influence overall.

So what does this mean for us tree-huggers?  Well things aren't looking that good, especially in Nebraska.

Last night we elected Pete Ricketts as our new governor.

Unlike his opponent Chuck Hassebrook, Ricketts doesn't have any desire to invest in the wind energy potential in Nebraska or capitalize on the jobs that could be created through this program.  Instead, Ricketts wants to explore the oil located in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, where an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil are available.  Just one small problem.  IT'S A NATIONAL WILDLIFE RESERVE!  Is it worth it to be able to compete in world oil markets while at the same time causing immense harm to the natural wildlife living there?  No.

Ricketts also is a supporter of using ethanol and bio-diesel fuels.  However, we all know the idea of "clean burning fuel" is a myth.  If something is fuel and it is burning, then there will be green house gas emissions and harmful nitrogen oxide as well.  Finally he opposed prioritizing green energy with the mindset that though there is some evidence for global warming, the the effects are not certain.

We also elected Ben Sasse.

I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet because Ben Sasse is honestly the furthest thing from the type of senator I would ever want in office.  He is a vocal supporter of the Keystone Pipeline and was the only republican candidate to bring it up in debate when trying to win his nomination.  He also is a member of the Tea-Party, a group of republicans that are openly attacking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling it a "job killer."  They are climate change deniers and have destroyed 40 years of progress on clean air and water.

So last night was rough for me, but it all boils down to who shows up to the polls and usually midterm elections don't drawn in the most voters.  It was a rough day for environmentalists everywhere and I'm anxious to see what this means for the next four years.

Hallow-"Green"

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, mainly because of the candy.  I also was a theater dork in high school so I happily use any excuse to get dressed up.  However, with most commercial holidays comes the chance to be extremely wasteful, so I thought up a couple ways to keep Halloween green.  (Hallo-Green?)

1. Thrift those Costumes

No-sew costumes are easy and painless to put together.   There are so many websites/Pinterest boards that offer ideas and these costumes are easily more clever than any plastic nonsense you'd buy at a Halloween Store.  Also, most cheap store-bought costumes are made of the material polyvinyl chloride, a soft plastic that releases harmful toxins in it's creation and breakdown.  So stay away from those costumes.

Once you've picked which outfit you want to wear, head over to your nearest thrift store to find the clothing items you'll need to compete the ensemble.  Thrifting is a great way to give gently worn clothing a second-chance and keeps them from being tossed into landfills.

Verily Mag had a cute article on "no-sew costumes"

Example: Margo Tenenbaum from Wes Anderson's film "The Royal Tenenbaums"

2. Trick-or-Treat Responsibly

Use canvas totes, reusable shopping bags, or an old pillowcase for collecting candy instead of the plastic pumpkins that take FOREVER to breakdown in landfills.

Most of us may be past the age to trick-or-treat, but encouraging kids to start using reusable shopping bags is never a bad idea!  Another fun way to incorporate clothing bags into Halloween would be to decorate them to match the outfit of the trick-or-treater.

I am a huge fan of this Eco-Friendly Candy Monster homemade bag where the candy fills up the monster's belly.

4. Be Good to Your Pumpkins!

Use every last bit of your pumpkin decorations!  Choose real pumpkins instead of plastic ones as you can allow them to compost in your compost bin after the festivities.  (Fun story, my family did this and the very next year we had our own pumpkin growing in our backyard thanks to the remains of the decomposed pumpkin)

Also when you are carving your pumpkin, collect the seeds and clean them off before roasting them. Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious and can then be used at a Halloween party as a treat!

5.  Smart Decorations

Next to Christmas, Halloween is the biggest holiday that calls for decorations.  I'm lazy and usually only get around to carving a pumpkin, but for those of you who like to go above and beyond for decorations be smart about what you choose.  So many decorations are made of plastic or use plastic fibers for their fake-spiders webs (all harmful to the environment)

Using recycled materials for decorations is the best way to go.  A couple years ago I got some of my dad's old work clothes and stuffed them with the leaves I had just raked.  I made the head out of a brown paper bag stuffed with leaves and drew on a face and added a hat on top.  I then set this "home-made man" out on my front porch since my family wasn't going to be home for Halloween and I wanted to scare kids who walked up to our porch.

I love the example to the left for a couple reasons.  1) Dia de los Muertos is a colorful alternative to the usual Halloween options 2) They use old paper & tissue paper to make the flowers. 3) They lit the path with old mason jars with candles inside them and used christmas lights as a decoration as well.

6. Party Eco-Friendly

For those who are hosting a Halloween Party remember to keep the decorations plastic free and try to use paper cups over red solo cups.  Send invitations out online to keep them paperless.

There are a million and one ideas on Pinterest for Eco-Friendly Halloween Parties.  So I'll let you all explore and decide how your want to party this Friday!

Final note, pick up wrappers stupid people throw on the ground.  Recycle all your beer bottles.  Have a Happy Halloween!

UNL's Sustainability Roundtable

I'm very excited to announce the 2014 Sustainability Roundtable hosted by the Environmental Leadership Program.  The event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 11 from 5-8pm in Centennial in the City Union.

I'm honored to have gotten the chance to help the ELP members plan this event and just last week we passed legislation for it at the ASUN senate meeting.  Stay tuned to hear more info about the speakers that will be present, but for now I made a quick newspaper about what this event is all about.