Figmentations

As a continuation from Part 1, here are more notes from the presentations given at the recent Global Green Expo 2008 in Jersey City, NJ.

Emme

• no need for “green guilt”; just become aware of ‘unnecessary consumption’
• small change is lasting change
• make your dent, e.g., use ceramic mug instead of styrofoam cups at work
• share what you’ve learned with others
• doesn’t have to be all or nothing: think differently and make one small change, see how it makes you feel
• ‘walk the talk’ and be the example/teach children how
• engage kids and make change fun, don’t scold them for, say, not turning off the lights
• realize the savings of making changes
• if you can’t pronounce it, don’t buy it
• you don’t want to invite unnecessary cancer into your life, especially if it’s environmentally caused.

Ed Begley, Jr.

• don’t tell people what you’re going to do, but tell them what you did
• do ‘cheap and easy’ stuff first (‘pick the low hanging fruit’), such as: bike riding, public transportation, home gardening, weatherstripping, etc.
• when businesses say they can’t afford to make the changes, he found that “business people like to breathe clean air, too”
• businesses can make money selling green products –> “green collar jobs”
• The Hudson RiverKeeper has made the river much cleaner, but there’s still work to be done; there are so many success stories out there, don’t forget the good news
• everything Ed has done that’s good for the environment has been good for his bottom line and has saved him money, too…some things took longer to do than others
• recycle and buy recycled, too…complete the loop (plastic that never breaks down can be good for a fence)
• we need to simplify our lives….he’s not a Luddite, but he’s taken it as far as he can
• “live simply so others can simply live” – it will mean different things to different people
• he would rather see a wind turbine than an oil derrick or smog
• for ‘green’ changes that you can’t afford yet, get the information now, so that you have it when you can afford it
• on purchasing ‘carbon offsets’ via Terrapass: this doesn’t do anything for emissions, but it does mitigate when you can’t take another alternative.
• his priority on transportation choices (in order, first to last): walk; bike; public transportation; electric car; his wife’s Prius; and lastly air travel. When he must use air travel, he will purchase Terrapass.
• he concluded by sincerely thanking PSEG for doing a good thing, and asking them to do more.

Jeff Corwin of ‘Animal Planet’

• there are some animals that we no longer need to worry about being endangered, because now they are extinct
• there are still animals around today that we can save
• we lose about 20,000 species a year
• dangers are: apathy; ignorance; and powerlessness
• be accountable for yourself and allow that to resonate outward
• we each produce 5 lbs of non-biodegradable waste each day
• look at the impact of what you do and reduce that by 10%
• take the ‘baby step’ approach; sustainable, like a diet; by changing your habits
• change your lives in a sustainable way: use burlap bags for supermarket shopping; turn out the lights; reclamate a river in your community; get your food locally and in season
• we don’t need to be perfect, but make the attempt
• hold politicians accountable
• what can we do? Know that you can. Be a spark for a grassroots effort. Find it, rally, and do it.

So, overall, a very consistent message of hope. A lot of concern from the audience for not knowing what difference they can truly make. It was reiterated that just coming to this event is a great first step, to get educated. Then to take small steps that are sustainable and that will lead to larger steps. Make changes locally. And, notice what the environmentally-friendly changes will do to enhance your bottom-line.

So what will you change today that is sustainable?