May
3

Global Green Expo 2008 Review: Part 2

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?

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