Going Green: Designing Eco-Friendly Schools

In Chicago's urban sprawl, an environmentally friendly school blooms.

by Evantheia Schibsted

Top Soil:

On the third-story roof of Tarkington Elementary School, in Chicago, a garden of drought-resistant plants serves as a teaching tool -- and provides energy-saving insulation.

Credit: JJ Sulin Photography

Clad in a tailored gray suit and heels instead of her typical garb of jeans, steel-toed boots, and a hard hat, Julie Chamlin begins her tour of Tarkington Elementary School in the airy atrium. The loftlike space exudes a squeaky-clean feel, with its scuff-free floors and unsmudged windows. The morning sun floods the room with warmth.
As project manager of this newly opened K-8 school on Chicago's Southwest Side, Chamlin -- whose job includes making sure that the three-story, 134,000-square-foot building meets certain environmental standards -- quickly highlights the entryway's so-called green features: understated bluish-green floors made of recycled glass, elegant two-story-high windows that allow for natural lighting, and honeycolored maple ceilings made from wood logged in what she refers to as an "environmentally responsible" way (read: no clear-cutting).
These are just a few of the design elements that give Tarkington its bragging rights. It's the first campus in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the nation's third-largest school district, built to meet the stringent green standards established by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, a coalition of 6,000 building-industry organizations that is considered the standard-bearer of greenness. Tarkington will also serve as a prototype for future Chicago public schools, which CPS officials say are all required to be green.

Bright Ideas:

Oversize windows and scuff-proof reflective floors made of recycled glass, plus a sensor system to reduce the need for artificial light, reduce the school's power use.

Credit: JJ Sulin Photography

Earning the USGBC's seal of approval, known as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification -- which Tarkington expects to officially receive soon -- requires looking at the building process through a different lens.
"It's like baking an oat-bran bagel instead of one with white flour," says Erin Lavin Cabonargi, managing architect for CPS's Department of Operations. (Previously, she worked at OWP/P Architects, the Chicago firm that handled the school's initial design phase.) "You're using the same recipe, only now the ingredients are organic."
And, just as any vegan will tell you, a healthy diet doesn't sacrifice taste. By borrowing from the Chicago palette of rich, durable materials, such as limestone and brick, and incorporating stainless steel hardware and oversize windows, Tarkington projects a rare combination of Midwestern heartiness and urban hip.
"A school is the anchor of the community," says Cabonargi. "Students need to think of it as a place of permanence. The architecture is a manifestation of that permanence."

Going Native:

Many of the building's construction materials, which come from within a 500-mile radius of the city, echo the Chicago palette.

Credit: JJ Sulin Photography

Fueling Curriculum

But schools are more than eye-pleasing assemblages. Beyond making school an aesthetically vibrant and environmentally friendly place, the ultimate goal of those involved with Tarkington, from the builders to the teaching staff, is to instill in students a sense of wonder as well as one of responsibility for their natural environment.
"Curriculum is key," Cabonargi says. "If we can teach students about sustainability, that's the highest praise we could possibly hope for."
Vincent Iturralde, Tarkington's principal, concurs. As a former science teacher, he is particularly excited by how having a green school shapes curriculum and consequently generates an interest in science among the facility's 900-plus students.
Enter Steven Cota, a charismatic science specialist, who with his thirty fellow teachers designs a green curriculum for all grade levels. At Tarkington, teaching science entails a collaborative effort between him and his colleagues. Instead of sending students off to science lab, teachers accompany their classes and team-teach the subject with Cota.
With an abundance of enthusiasm and ideas, he explains how a green school provides fertile ground for his hands-on teaching style. "To raise students' awareness, there must be a physical engagement," he says. "Teachers must make students aware of a reality they're not used to seeing."

Gym Dandy:

A point of pride for the elementary school kids is the regulation-size gymnasium, roomy enough for high school students.

Credit: JJ Sulin Photography

So, for instance, Cota encourages kids to see garbage in a new way by teaching a lesson on recycling. He might ask kids to keep all the garbage they generate at a picnic and consider the following: "What does trash look like? What are recyclable materials?" Kids get their hands dirty, so to speak, by separating the two. In one class, Cota created a math lesson by having students display their collective picnic garbage and multiply that amount by seven days.
Similarly, when Tarkington's solar panels are installed on the rooftop, Cota will teach students about alternative energy sources. Likewise, someday, when he has access to an electric car, he'll use the recharging stations already installed in the school's parking lot for hands-on demos.
Peter Templeton, the USGBC's vice president for education and research, considers the indoor environmental quality at schools their most important green feature: "We want to create the optimum environment for learning, one that ensures students can concentrate and be free from distractions."
These include indoor pollutants such as mold, bad air quality and circulation, which often cause drowsiness, and inadequate lighting, known to hamper learning by diminishing a child's ability to concentrate. Also, Tarkington's indoor air quality adheres to a higher standard because of the building's low-toxic paint, glues, and caulking.
In addition, classrooms contain extra-large windows that allow more natural light. Not only that, but sensors incorporated into the lighting system automatically adjust to the amount of sunlight entering the room, thus maximizing the use of natural energy.

Lofty Goals:

The maple ceilings are made using wood logged in environmentally responsible ways.

Credit: JJ Sulin Photography

The Windy City and Beyond

Tarkington is not the only school that, well, has seen the light when it comes to going green. In November 2002, Goodwillie Environmental School, in Ada Township, Michigan, and Third Creek Elementary School, in Statesville, North Carolina, both suburban public schools, became the first LEED-certified educational facilities. Since then, 14 others located from Massachusetts to Oregon have followed suit. Now, 145 K-12 schools are registered to earn the green seal of approval. Most, like the pioneering schools in Michigan and North Carolina, are in the suburbs, where construction of new buildings is more likely. That's what makes Tarkington -- located in an urban neighborhood with its fair share of fast food joints and convenience stores -- all the more unique and meaningful.
"To have a school like this built here on the South Side is fantastic," says Tarkington principal Iturralde. "It offers lots of possibilities to kids who really need it in this area."

In Her Element:

Project manager Julie Chamlin is in charge of making sure the 134,000-square-foot school meets the stringent standards of the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council.

Credit: JJ Sulin Photography

A Crowning Jewel

While green features exist throughout the building, the crowning green jewel of Tarkington rests atop its third story. Here, a roof garden of plants from the tundra (ever been to Chicago in the winter?) promises to bloom almost year-round. The plot serves practical purposes, too: This covering of vegetation offers insulation that helps moderate the building's temperature, which is expected to help the school save on cooling expenses in warm months and heating bills in the winter. Large windows open up to this area, allowing students to observe and learn about the life cycles of plants.
The garden covers one-third of the roof; the remainder consists of a white coating (as opposed to the typical black tarred surface) that reflects light and consequently prevents it from turning into heat. By reducing what's known as the urban-heat-island effect, a common problem plaguing cities, air-conditioning costs will be lower than usual. The roof also boasts a storm-water management system, with pipes that feed clean runoff water directly into a lagoon adjacent to the school.
From the initial planning phase, which began in early 2002, to the March 2003 ground-breaking ceremony to when the school doors opened this September, Tarkington's design and building team adhered to the USGBC's requirements. This checklist is designed to examine all aspects of a building to determine whether it uses natural resources efficiently and with little impact to the environment, while also providing an indoor environment that makes for healthy and productive occupants.
So, for example, at Tarkington, one-fourth of the building materials came from within a 500-mile radius of the school -- a requirement of LEED certification aimed to minimize transportation pollutants and fuel the local economy -- 90 percent of the structural steel is made of recycled metal, and a whopping 82 percent of the construction waste from the building was recycled. (LEED requires only half of this material to be processed for reuse.) In addition, the school anticipates using one-fifth less water than a regular building because of features such as low-flow toilets. Getting certified by the LEED also lends credence to a building's greenness, making it easier to secure grants in the future -- not an insignificant consideration for cash-strapped schools.
All this came with a $23 million price tag, roughly 6 percent more than a nongreen school would have cost. However, as green proponents argue, these upfront costs must be weighed against the savings of operating a sustainable building throughout the structure's lifetime. (A 2003 study conducted for California's Sustainable Building Task Force that examined the costs and benefits of thirty-three diverse LEED-certified buildings found that most green strategies paid for themselves within three years.) In the case of Tarkington, that life expectancy is a hundred years. If early indications prove true, it will be a very good century indeed.

♥ Environmental Message Song: Drip Drop (Parody of Ke$ha's Tik Tok)

This song comes with an important message; 

Make an effort, and do your part to help the earth thrive!

The lyrics and voices belong to to Danee Jord and Friend.

DRIP DROP ORIGINAL LYRICS

Wake up in the morning staring at a park

Where glaciers used to be, but then they did embark.

Before they left, they did melt without any warning

Because of all the selfish people who caused global warming.

Im talkin bout: glaciers being too small.

Better say bye bye to them all.

Cause of climate change, theyd fall.

Now, now, this change will kill the fish, wildlife, trees, and *@%^&.

The world needs to prevent this

Lets stop all this flop.

Burning fossil fuels aint hot.

Tonight cut the lights.

Use alternatives tonight.

Drip drop! Ice will pop.

You cant clean it with a mop. No!

Carpool or ride a bike.

Stop that driving. Take a hike.

Reduce and recycle and reuse, if you would like.

Plant trees, wont you please?

To absorb carbon dioxide. Oh!

Today the climate is too warm.

We gotta cool that #*@& up.

These glaciers might just disappear,

So we better giddy up!

Since time has gone by

You know its just getting warming.

Is it impacting animals?

Well just look around the corner.

Im talkin bout: ducks losing their homes.

From just the drought alone.

Cause of us depleting their ozone.

Now, now their habitats will suffer.

Their lives will now just shutter.

Lets help them one another.

Lets stop all this flop.

Burning fossil fuels aint hot.

Tonight cut the lights.

Use alternatives tonight.

Drip drop! Ice will pop.

You cant clean it with a mop. No!

Carpool or ride a bike.

Stop that driving. Take a hike.

Reduce and recycle and reuse, if you would like.

Plant trees, wont you please?

To absorb carbon dioxide. Oh!

Those grizzly bears,

They dont got food.

The fish will die.

Yeah, you got me?

All of these parks,

Theyre looking bad.

Weve got to just do something.

The government is telling us

To calm down with that fire.

Just change our ways

To save the earth and animals.

Now weve got to save the national parks.

GLOBAL TEMPERATURE DROPPING!

ECOSYSTEMS!

EPA STUDIES!

AL GORE AND GIZZLY BEARS!

Climate change, ozone layer, greenhouse gases.

Polar icecaps, snowglobes, suspended particulate matter.

Organic compounds.

Hazardous air pollutants are bad.

Ways to conserve water

There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.

• #2
  When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
• #3
  Some refrigerators, air conditioners and ice-makers are cooled with wasted flows of water. Consider upgrading with air-cooled appliances for significant water savings.
• #4
  Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.
• #5
  Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
• #6
  Choose shrubs and groundcovers instead of turf for hard-to-water areas such as steep slopes and isolated strips.
• #7
  Install covers on pools and spas and check for leaks around your pumps.
• #8
  Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Compost vegetable food waste instead and save gallons every time.
• #9
  Plant in the fall when conditions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful.

For cold drinks keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain.

• #11
  Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.
• #12
  Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.
• #13
  Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.
• #14
  Spreading a layer of organic mulch around plants retains moisture and saves water, time and money.
• #15
  Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.
• #16
  If your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with a water-efficient model.
• #17
  Collect the water you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables, then reuse it to water houseplants.
• #18
  If water runs off your lawn easily, split your watering time into shorter periods to allow for better absorption.
• #19
  We're more likely to notice leaks indoors, but don't forget to check outdoor faucets, sprinklers and hoses for leaks.
• #20
  If you have an automatic refilling device, check your pool periodically for leaks.
• #21
  Check the root zone of your lawn or garden for moisture before watering using a spade or trowel. If it's still moist two inches under the soil surface, you still have enough water.
• #22
  When buying new appliances, consider those that offer cycle and load size adjustments. They're more water and energy efficient.
• #23
  Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you'll save up to 150 gallons per month.
• #24
  Upgrade older toilets with water efficient models.
• #25
  Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. A taller lawn shades roots and holds soil moisture better than if it is closely clipped.
• #26
  When cleaning out fish tanks, give the nutrient-rich water to your plants.
• #27
  Use sprinklers for large areas of grass. Water small patches by hand to avoid waste.

Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.

• #29
  When running a bath, plug the tub before turning the water on, then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up.
• #30
  Walkways and patios provide space that doesn't ever need to be watered. These useful "rooms" can also add value to your property.
• #31
  Collect water from your roof to water your garden.
• #32
  Designate one glass for your drinking water each day or refill a water bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash.
• #33
  Rather than following a set watering schedule, check for soil moisture two to three inches below the surface before watering.
• #34
  Install a rain sensor on your irrigation controller so your system won't run when it's raining.
• #35
  Don't use running water to thaw food. Defrost food in the refrigerator for water efficiency and food safety.

Use drip irrigation for shrubs and trees to apply water directly to the roots where it's needed.

• #37
  Grab a wrench and fix that leaky faucet. It's simple, inexpensive, and you can save 140 gallons a week.
• #38
  Reduce the amount of lawn in your yard by planting shrubs and ground covers appropriate to your site and region.
• #39
  When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load.
• #40
  Teach your children to turn off faucets tightly after each use.
• #41
  Remember to check your sprinkler system valves periodically for leaks and keep the sprinkler heads in good shape.

Use a water-efficient showerhead. They're inexpensive, easy to install, and can save you up to 750 gallons a month.

See how Waterpik® EcoFlow® can help reduce your water use.

• #43
  Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.
• #44
  Don't water your lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away or evaporates.
• #45
  Water your plants deeply but less frequently to encourage deep root growth and drought tolerance.
• #46
  Know where your master water shut-off valve is located. This could save water and prevent damage to your home.
• #47
  To decrease water from being wasted on sloping lawns, apply water for five minutes and then repeat two to three times.
• #48
  Group plants with the same watering needs together to avoid overwatering some while underwatering others.
• #49
  Use a layer of organic material on the surface of your planting beds to minimize weed growth that competes for water.
• #50
  Use a minimum amount of organic or slow release fertilizer to promote a healthy and drought tolerant landscape.
• #51
  Trickling or cascading fountains lose less water to evaporation than those spraying water into the air.
• #52
  Use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
• #53
  Avoid recreational water toys that require a constant flow of water.
• #54
  Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and save 25 gallons a month.
• #55
  Use a rain gauge, or empty tuna can, to track rainfall on your lawn. Then reduce your watering accordingly.
• #56
  Encourage your school system and local government to develop and promote water conservation among children and adults.
• #57
  Learn how to shut off your automatic watering system in case it malfunctions or you get an unexpected rain.
• #58
  Set a kitchen timer when watering your lawn or garden to remind you when to stop. A running hose can discharge up to 10 gallons a minute.
• #59
  If your toilet flapper doesn't close after flushing, replace it.
• #60
  Make sure there are water-saving aerators on all of your faucets.

Next time you add or replace a flower or shrub, choose a low water use plant for year-round landscape color and save up to 550 gallons each year.

• #62
  Install an instant water heater near your kitchen sink so you don't have to run the water while it heats up. This also reduces energy costs.
• #63
  Use a grease pencil to mark the water level of your pool at the skimmer. Check the mark 24 hours later to see if you have a leak.
• #64
  If your dishwasher is new, cut back on rinsing. Newer models clean more thoroughly than older ones.
• #65
  Use a trowel, shovel, or soil probe to examine soil moisture depth. If the top two to three inches of soil are dry it's time to water.
• #66
  If installing a lawn, select a turf mix or blend that matches your climate and site conditions.
• #67
  When you save water, you save money on your utility bills too. Saving water is easy for everyone to do.
• #68
  When the kids want to cool off, use the sprinkler in an area where your lawn needs it the most.
• #69
  Make sure your swimming pools, fountains, and ponds are equipped with recirculating pumps.
• #70
  Bathe your young children together.
• #71
  Consult with your local nursery for information on plant selection and placement for optimum outdoor water savings.
• #72
  Winterize outdoor spigots when temperatures dip below freezing to prevent pipes from leaking or bursting.
• #73
  Insulate hot water pipes for more immediate hot water at the faucet and for energy savings.
• #74
  Wash your car on the lawn, and you'll water your lawn at the same time.

Drop your tissue in the trash instead of flushing it and save water every time.

• #76
  Direct water from rain gutters and HVAC systems toward water-loving plants in the landscape for automatic water savings.
• #77
  Make suggestions to your employer about ways to save water and money at work.
• #78
  Support projects that use reclaimed wastewater for irrigation and industrial uses.
• #79
  Use a hose nozzle or turn off the water while you wash your car. You'll save up to 100 gallons every time.
• #80
  Share water conservation tips with friends and neighbors.
• #81
  If your toilet was installed before 1992, reduce the amount of water used for each flush by inserting a displacement device in the tank.
• #82
  Setting cooling systems and water softeners for a minimum number of refills saves both water and chemicals, plus more on utility bills.
• #83
  Washing dark clothes in cold water saves both on water and energy while it helps your clothes to keep their colors.
• #84
  Leave lower branches on trees and shrubs and allow leaf litter to accumulate on the soil. This keeps the soil cooler and reduces evaporation.
• #85
  Report broken pipes, open hydrants and errant sprinklers to the property owner or your water provider.
• #86
  Let your lawn go dormant during the summer. Dormant grass only needs to be watered every three weeks or less if it rains.
• #87
  Plant with finished compost to add water-holding and nutrient-rich organic matter to the soil.
• #88
  Use sprinklers that deliver big drops of water close to the ground. Smaller water drops and mist often evaporate before they hit the ground.
• #89
  Listen for dripping faucets and running toilets. Fixing a leak can save 300 gallons a month or more.
• #90
  Water only when necessary. More plants die from over-watering than from under-watering.
• #91
  One more way to get eight glasses of water a day is to re-use the water left over from cooked or steamed foods to start a scrumptious and nutritious soup.

Adjust your watering schedule each month to match seasonal weather conditions and landscape requirements.

• #93
  Turn off the water while you wash your hair to save up to 150 gallons a month.
• #94
  Wash your pets outdoors in an area of your lawn that needs water.
• #95
  When shopping for a new clothes washer, compare resource savings among Energy Star models. Some of these can save up to 20 gallons per load, and energy too.
• #96
  Apply water only as fast as the soil can absorb it.
• #97
  Aerate your lawn at least once a year so water can reach the roots rather than run off the surface.
• #98
  When washing dishes by hand, fill the sink basin or a large container and rinse when all of the dishes have been soaped and scrubbed.
• #99
  Catch water in an empty tuna can to measure sprinkler output. One inch of water on one square foot of grass equals two-thirds of a gallon of water.
• #100
  Turn off the water while you shave and save up to 300 gallons a month.
• #101
  When you give your pet fresh water, don't throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs.
• #102
  If you accidentally drop ice cubes when filling your glass from the freezer, don't throw them in the sink. Drop them in a house plant instead.
• #103
  To save water and time, consider washing your face or brushing your teeth while in the shower.
• #104
  While staying in a hotel or even at home, consider reusing your towels.
• #105
  When backflushing your pool, consider using the water on your landscaping.
• #106
  For hanging baskets, planters and pots, place ice cubes under the moss or dirt to give your plants a cool drink of water and help eliminate water overflow.
• #107
  Throw trimmings and peelings from fruits and vegetables into your yard compost to prevent using the garbage disposal.
• #108
  When you have ice left in your cup from a take-out restaurant, don't throw it in the trash, dump it on a plant.
• #109
  Have your plumber re-route your gray water to trees and gardens rather than letting it run into the sewer line. Check with your city codes, and if it isn't allowed in your area, start a movement to get that changed.
• #110
  Keep a bucket in the shower to catch water as it warms up or runs. Use this water to flush toilets or water plants.
• #111
  When you are washing your hands, don't let the water run while you lather.

♥ Ecobots: Bringing Recycling to New Heights

♥ Ecobots Drilling Process

In order to drill holes in the various plastic materials that was collected, we used the gerudi tangan and gerudi lantai. After which, we cut them using mesin gergaji jig in the ♥ Ecobots Cutting Process here. Below is the pictures of the drilling process (:

Drilling process : 2 hours overall

Items used: Gerudi tangan, gerudi lantai

Carried out in: SMK (P) Sri Aman's 'Bengkel Kemahiran Hidup'.

Gerudi lantai

Drilling a hole into the computer casing

Yasmin making a hole in the computer casing with a gerudi tangan

Closer view!

Amirah, cutting the dustbin cover with the gerudi tangan 

Navina and Aini drilling the other computer casing

Student Immersion Programme in Singapore

The vision of our school is to be a world-class high performance school. In line with achieving this ambitious vision of ours, our school organised many student immersion programmes for students from our school to visit schools in other countries and learn more about their learning styles and take a look at their learning environment. One such student immersion programme included a student immersion programme in Singapore, which was to enable our students to learn more about how our national language-Malay, is taught, learnt, and used in Singapore. The programme was held from the 15th to 18th of September, 2010.

One of our members, Nur Syafiqah Adam Malik, was involved in the student immersion programme, and she took full advantage of the opportunity to learn about the various eco-projects carried out by schools in Singapore.

The students' visited the Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, one of the premier girl schools in Singapore, on the 17^th of September. Syafiqah was paired up with a Secondary One pupil from the school, Violent Ng, who was friendly and had a warm personality. Syafiqah interviewed her on the various eco-projects held in Cedar, and was informed that Cedar is working hard towards being a green school.

Various efforts were made in order to achieve their goal, which includes a recycling project. There are no dustbins in the school's classes, and the only way students are able dispose of their trash is by throwing them into the recycling bins placed in their 'green corners' and school canteen. There are three 'green corners' located around the school. To ensure that this recycling project is carried out efficiently, the school prefects and teachers were assigned to punish those who throw rubbish inappropriately. According to Violet, this project has been successful to date. The students and teachers of the Cedar Girls’ Secondary School really hope to make Cedar internationally renown for its green projects.

Though she was merely a visitor to their beautiful school, Syafiqah was able to see that the students and teachers of Cedar really are determined and passionate about saving the environment. She sincerely hopes that the students of Sri Aman would take a leaf out of Cedar's book, and be equally passionate and determined about making our planet, our home, a better place to live. She sincerely thanks Cedar for teaching her so much about going green.

Ways to Prevent Food Wastage

How to Cut Down and Lower Living Costs

Jul 10, 2008 Stephen Richardson

The UK government recently unveiled that people are wasting approximately £8 in food per week, which equates to £416 per year (Telegraph, July 2008).

Global food prices have significantly risen in recent years due to a combination of factors. These include poor harvests in a number of exporting countries; higher costs for energy, transport and fuel; and the demand to feed more people in a growing as well as aging population (The Independent, July 2008).
Globally, people contribute to the 4.1 tonnes of food wastage a year, which causes unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year (The Birmingham Post, July 2008). This wastage adds to the already mounting number of reasons why food prices continue to rise, and the environment continues to suffer.
With a number of national and global issues affecting everyone, people need to take action not only to combat food wastage, but also to protect the environment, and their finances. With living costs continually rising, cutting back on food wastage is one of a number of measures that can be individually addressed, with the ultimate aim of bringing costs down.

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The following points address potential ways that you can cut down on food wastage, which will not only save you money, but will also enable you to take steps towards protecting an endangered environment.

Weekly Shopping

By making a shopping list and sticking to it, you will be less likely be tempted to buy unnecessary and luxury items. The amount of food people waste because they forget they have purchased it contributes to the issue of food waste and rising costs. This is due to the fact that if it is essential, you will more than likely use it. Alternatively, if it is something that you fancied purchasing through impulsive buying, you may well forget you have it stored in the cupboard, until its ‘best-before’ date has passed.
A further way to cut down on waste during your routine shop is to cut back on ‘multi-buys’ and ‘buy-one-get-one free’ options. The fact of the matter is that although you will ideally be gaining extra quantity, it is extra quantity that you don’t need. Not only will taking a more proactive approach to shopping help cause less food wastage, it will also help to save you money, bring rising living costs down, and help the environment.

Serving and Cooking Suggestions

Once a proactive approach to shopping has been taken, the next step is to use/cook less food within the home. The way you shop will in turn assist with this, as the less food you buy, the less food you will prepare/cook. So many people prepare/cook food only to leave excess that is thrown away. Why not consider cooking, and refrigerating the left remainders to eat at a later time. Not only will this assist with wasting less food, it will also save you money, and protect an environment that produces unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions as a result.
With supermarkets and other shopping outlets offering bulk purchasing, it’s easy to succumb to the idea of gaining a deal from stocking up. However in reality, although you may be gaining extra quantity, you are still paying more than you would be if you purchased single or essential items.
The key to minimising food waste is that if you buy less, or only buy what you actually need, you will in turn use less food within your household, and waste less amounts of food. In a society that struggles with keeping its costs down, people find that by taking small steps such as these will slow down such a rapid paced increase, with the ultimate aim of decreasing living costs.

♥ The Actroid Female Robot at the Akiba Robot Festival

Amazing, isn't it! 

She looks just like a breathing, living human--as real as you and me. I wonder how technological advances in the future can change the world and make it a better place for all of us. Perhaps a work-free life with robots to do necessities for humans isn't so far from our grasp, as seen from the video above!

♥ Teenagers' Guide to Go Green!

Today's teens are more wired up, plugged in, worldly and savvy than ever. Many care deeply about the threats facing our environment, and are committed to making difference. But it's not always easy to know exactly what to do. Here are 15 easy ways to go green!


1. Once you're done with the computer, turn it off. If you shut your machine off before bedtime, you'll save an average of $90 worth of electricity a year — tell your parents that, and ask for a raise in your allowance! If you must leave your computer on, tell it to go into "sleep" or "hibernate" mode, which saves power. Save even more juice by unplugging your computer (or flip the switch on a surge protector) to stop the "phantom load" problem.


2. Put Together a Cool Vintage Outfit. Impress your friends with your fab style sense when you show up to a party in a vintage Betsey Johnson number (you can find gently used clothing for a steal at thrift stores and garage sales). Go glam by raiding your parents' closet for 1970s and '80s pants, vests and jackets.


3. Instead of Insisting on Driving, Catch the School Bus. No, it may not be as cool as driving yourself, but it is a lot safer, according to the National Academies of Science and Engineering. Buses are also much more fuel efficient than cars, saving gas and lowering emissions that cause global warming.


4. Get Involved! Most schools have environment or Earth Day clubs, so give them a chance! It's a great way to meet nice people, and you can learn so much from your peers. Many clubs convince their schools to recycle, start a garden or hold an Earth Day fair.


5. Turn Off the Lights Behind You. Remember that riddle about the tree falling in the forest when no one is around? Well, why leave a light on when no one is around? It's just plain waste. Your parents may even bug you about it because they have to pay the energy bills, and they know lighting accounts for an average of 11% of that total.


6. Earn Great Grades (Mother Nature Needs Smart People to Help Protect Her). Sure, you've heard it a million times before: it pays to stay in school. Here's one more reason: human population, and consumption rates, continue to swell, while habitat for wildlife shrinks. Global warming, ozone damage and acid rain are scary stuff. Humankind can right a lot of our wrongs and invent new technology to live lighter on the Earth, but it will take a lot of smarts.


7. Help Lose the Litter. Littering is a blight on our landscape that chokes wildlife and releases toxic chemicals when it breaks down. Plus it's just plain ugly! Many neighborhoods hold regular cleanups, so volunteer! It's an easy way to get some exercise while making a difference and meeting new people.


8. Go Veggie Once Per Week. The commercial meat industry takes a huge toll on our environment. It takes 4.8 pounds of grain (fed to cattle) to produce one pound of beef, as opposed to serving those grains directly to hungry people. One pound of wheat can be grown with 60 pounds of water, but a pound of red meat requires 2,500 to 6,000 pounds of water. In a world where water, land and energy are premiums, making a small cutback in the meat you eat is healthy for the planet, as well as your body.


9. Instead of Buying Bottled Water, Get a Refill. Ever see an empty water bottle tossed by the side of the road? Less than 20% of those single-use containers make it to the recycling bin. They also waste fuel for shipping — water is heavy! Get a cool metal bottle instead and fill it up when you're thirsty, and cut down on the expense and waste.


10. Get a New Shampoo — and Make It Natural! Typical drugstore shampoos can have some pretty scary-sounding chemicals in them (just look at the labels!), but why take the risk of putting all those lab compounds on your sensitive scalp? Lots of companies make more natural shampoos from plant extracts and even organically certified ingredients. They smell great, and are less toxic to make.


11. Download (Legally!) the Latest Album from an Eco-friendly Star. John Mayer. KT Tunstall. Dave Matthews Band. Kanye West. A number of today's hottest musicians are also going green in big ways, by running tour buses on clean-burning biodiesel and recycling all their show waste. Do your part by buying music online, which cuts out waste from shipping and all those CDs and cases.


12. Ask Potential Colleges About Their Eco-Practices and/or Check Out a "Green Collar Career." College can be the best time of your life, but you don't want to be dragged down by a school that doesn't get your green values. Fortunately, many colleges are leading the way with exciting recycling and reuse programs and even eco-friendly dorms! Whether you seek higher ed or not, think about a career that makes a positive difference: not just park rangers, but also teachers, government workers, organizers and media.


13. Buy a Comfy Organic Cotton T-Shirt. Cotton is one of the most pesticide-intensive crops, and millions of gallons of toxic residue runs off cotton fields into rivers and lakes, poisoning wildlife. Plus, why put something that had been treated in harsh chemicals so near your skin? Organic cotton is now widely available (from H&M to Wal-Mart to boutiques), in the cutest styles and graphics.


14. Take Friends and/or Family to See The 11th Hour. Leonardo DiCaprio's recent doc is a heavy hitter, but it's also inspiring and gorgeous. It just may be the push to get your dad to start recycling his papers, or your friend to stop littering. And it's pretty entertaining.


15. Make Your Next Cup of Coffee Organic and Fair Trade. Coffee may pep you up, but it may have been grown under chemical-intensive conditions that destroy rainforest and poison poor workers. Organic means no industrial chemicals are used, and fair trade means growers are given incentives to protect local forest and tend plots sustainably. They are paid a decent living wage, so you can feel proud about what you're buying.


Read more here and remember to go green! ♥

Half of US food goes to waste

As the US celebrates Thanksgiving, a new study reveals that almost half the food in the country goes to waste - a statistic that should alarm an industry that is struggling to achieve greater efficiency in order to salvage profits.

The new study, from the University of Arizona (UA) in Tucson, indicates that a shocking forty to fifty per cent of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten.

Timothy Jones, an anthropologist at the UA Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, has spent the last 10 years measuring food loss, including the last eight under a grant from the US department of agriculture (USDA). Jones started examining practices in farms and orchards, before going onto food production, retail, consumption and waste disposal.

What he found was that not only is edible food discarded that could feed people who need it, but the rate of loss, even partially corrected, could save US consumers and manufacturers tens of billions of dollars each year. Jones says these losses also can be framed in terms of environmental degradation and national security.

Jones' research evolved from and builds on earlier work done at the University of Arizona. Archaeologists there began measuring garbage in the 1970s to see what was being thrown away and discovered that people were not fully aware of what they were using and discarding.

Those earlier studies evolved into more sophisticated research using contemporary archaeology and ethnography to understand not only the path food travels from farms and orchards to landfills, but also the culture and psychology behind the process.

The fact that the US is a wasteful nation is not necessarily news, of course. The country has long has been chastised for its wilful consumption of the world's resources, and many aspects of the country's culture encapsulate what environmentalists disparagingly refer to as today's "throw-away society."

Similarly, researchers have known for years about the volumes of food Americans toss into the trash. But only recently, though, has that been quantified as a percentage of what is produced, and the UA statistics are the first tangible proof that Us food production is frighteningly wasteful.

A certain amount of waste in the food stream cannot be helped of course. Little can be done, for instance, about weather and crop deterioration. The apple industry, for instance, loses on average about 12 per cent of its crop on the way to market.

Apples in the US are harvested over a two-month period and then stored and sold year-round. People in the apple business use aggressive methods to maintain their crop, with fresh apples hitting the supermarkets on a regular basis and marginal ones sent to be made into applesauce and other products.

The goal of apple growers is to provide a nutritious product, all year long, at fairly constant prices. Jones says they've adopted a conservative business plan that forgoes the boom-and-bust cycles that other fruit and vegetable growers aim for and opts instead for a steady income stream.

But Jones argues that fresh fruit and vegetable growers, in contrast, often behave like riverboat gamblers. They will take a risk on the commodity markets if they think it will help them make a financial killing. A bad bet often means an entire crop is left in the field to be ploughed under.

Jones' research also shows that by measuring how much food is actually being brought into households, a clearer picture of that end of the food stream is beginning to emerge.

On average, households waste 14 per cent of their food purchases. Fifteen per cent of that includes products still within their expiration date but never opened. Jones estimates an average family of four currently tosses out $590 per year, just in meat, fruits, vegetables and grain products.

Jones says that consumers better need to understand that many kinds of food can be refrigerated or frozen and eaten later. Nationwide, he says, household food waste alone adds up to $43 billion, making it a serious economic problem.

Cutting food waste would also go a long way toward reducing serious environmental problems. Jones estimates that reducing food waste by half could reduce adverse environmental impacts by 25 per cent through reduced landfill use, soil depletion and applications of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.

Consumers and retailers are also of course responsible for minimising food waste, but it is manufacturers, who are being squeezed by high raw material prices and low retail costs, that stand to gain most by establishing greater operational efficiencies to cut out unnecessary waste.

By demonstrating how wasteful food production in the US currently is, the UA study suggests not only where savings could be made, but also how far many companies are from making them.

How to reuse paper

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

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   Save paper that has print on only one side. This paper can be reused in a variety of ways: for writing lists or notes, as drawing or coloring paper for children, for home printing that doesn't need to be professional, or shred it and use it as garden mulch or packing material.
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   Save toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls. These can be used for school or home art projects. They can also be used for starting seeds.
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   Save tissue wrapping paper. It can be reused for wrapping another gift, as packing material, or for protecting Christmas ornaments for storage.
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   Save junk mail. It can be used to make lists, as scratch paper, for a child's drawing, or shredded for packing material or garden mulch.
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   If you have some paper left that hasn't been reused through some method above, don't throw it away! Recycle it by taking it to your local recycle drop-off, or use it for home recycling. Home paper recycling is the art of making new paper from old paper. For instructions see, "How to Recycle Paper at Home," from the links below.

Tips & Warnings

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  It's easy being green! The earth will love you for it.
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  When shredding paper for garden mulch, it's best to use paper made from water-based ink. Water-based ink is non-toxic.