environmental education
Earth Day 2011 Events and Ideas
Looking for something to do this Earth Day? Why not get out in the community and volunteer! Here are some great Earth Day ideas for those looking to make a difference:
Beach Cleanups
Beach cleanups are an excellent way to not only beautify our beaches, but help save wildlife too. Every year, millions of tons of trash make their way to the ocean and end up in our seas. Every step of the way, this trash leaves death, from streams, rivers and lakes to the ocean inhabitants. Even if you don’t live near a beach, picking up trash at your local park, river or lake will go a long way to keep trash out of our oceans too. There are scheduled events put on by the Ocean Conservancy and Surfrider, but take it upon yourself to grab a few family members and friends to do your own Beach Cleanup.
Picnic for the Planet
Organized by The Nature Conservancy, Picnic for the Planet is a food changing experience for this years Earth Day. Plan or join a picnic in your area and learn about where food comes from, how to eat for yourself and the planet, and why it matters. Local, sustainable and natural is the name of the game, so round up some friends and family and go eat outside!
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Jobs and the Green MBA
Does having a Green MBA help when it comes to finding a job? The answer is, it depends.
Different industries value a Sustainable or Green MBA over a traditional MBA, and it can even come down to those doing the hiring. More and more hiring managers and executives are recognizing the benefits of sustainability of business, and are looking to hire these cutting edge graduates. Jobs are opening up in the alternative energy industries (solar, wind and more) as well as the green building industry with LEED certified and EPA class buildings.
Green Jobs are competitive, but having a green MBA greatly increases your chances and distinguishes you from the crowd. With more and more companies looking to improve their environmental image, they need business experts with a knowledge in sustainability. Even the trends from top business schools such as Yale’s school of managment and Johnson School at Cornell University as well as online programs from Walden University and Alliant International University are moving towards sustainability.
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Earth Day 2010
Earth Day: April 22, 2010.
The Flaming Lips playing for Earth Day 2009
It’s April, and that means Earth Day is almost here. The Environmental Protection agency (EPA) is urging people everywhere to become involved in this years Earth Day celebrations, whether that be through volunteering or tak
ing part in an event in your area. The EPA has set up a decent listing of events by area, so check it out and see what’s happening near you for Earth Day. You can also take place in the “It’s My Environment” Video Project. You have until April 15th at midnight to submit a 10-15 second clip of you doing something for the environment and passing the “It’s My Environment” sign across the screen. Learn more here on the EPAs website.
Also for Earth Day, PBS will be airing their feature-length documentary Earth Days which tells the story of nine environmentally conscious individuals and the history of the environmental movement. It tells about the scientific developments of the 1950’s that led to the understanding of how human technology affected the Earth. It also shares the story of the very first Earth Day when 20 million Americans participated in celebrations and demonstrations. It airs on April 19th in preparation for Earth Day 2010.
Green MBA Programs
When looking into MBA programs, you may soon discover a new type of emphasis or concentration- the green MBA. Also dubbed the sustainable MBA, these MBA programs aren’t just for environmentalists. Colleges offering green MBA programs are changing business through their business degrees. There are even classes being offered through online colleges. The MBA or Master of Business Administration, has long been held as THE degree to obtain for a career in business. Whether looking to start your own business or becoming CEO of a corporation, an MBA is almost a pre-requisite to membership into this club.
So what does a Green MBA have to do with this? These programs offer to teach the tools of a sustainable business. Sustainability in this case refers to more than just the environment, but also to social and ethical behavior, something long ignored by the traditional MBA. It wasn’t long ago that less than a third of the top U.S. business schools addressed or associated any kind of social or environmental concerns to business, but this is rapidly changing. Being green and eco-friendly is becoming more important for a companies image and industry polluters are being marginalized. This is now a reality of doing business in a environmentally and socially conscious age.
Instilling Green Values in Our Children
Instilling green values in our children is more important now than ever before. We take the time to teach our children study habits, math, and reading, to prepare them for college. We also teach them to manage their money, and spend their allowances wisely. We do these things because we care about their future. But are we also caring for their environmental future? It is important that we not only go about our own environmental efforts, but that we teach our kids to care for the environment as well. We adults often do a good job of living up to the green ideals and values that we believe in, but all too often we fail to instill green values in our children.
Start by introducing fun activities at home that demonstrate green values or principles. There are a ton of good books out there for ideas if you need it. Below are links to four of my favorites.
- 365 Ways to Live Green For Kids: Saving the environment at Home, School, or at Play — Everyday!
- The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save The Earth
- Green Mama: The Guilt Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet
- Everything Kids’ Environment Book: Learn how you can help the environment-by getting involved at school, at home, or at play (Everything Kids Series)
There are also many websites for kids to learn more about the environment. My favorite resource for kid-friendly sites is from the National Resources Defense Council (Find it here!). They have the largest list I’ve found of fun sites for kids of all ages. I have to admit as an adult, that even I like to play around on a few of them in my spare time. There’s also a few sites listed where kids can get involved in enacting policy change by writing letters to local legislature or identify areas for change in their schools or at home.
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Pacific Plastic Trash Island
A very troubling recent find in our ocean was a huge ‘island’ of trash twice the size of Texas and more than 30 feet deep. Just imagine a 3 story Wal-Mart sprawling from the Mexico border up from California and Arizona, through Nevada, Idaho and the whole west coast (including Oregon and Washington) and you have and idea what I’m talking about. The overall area of this behemoth is twice that of the Continental United States given its depth. Now imagine that there are TWO of them: the Western Garbage Patch just north of Hawaii, and the Eastern Garbage Patch just east of Japan.
I can’t say it was that recent, as it was predicted by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) back in 1988 and has been tracked (and growing) ever since. So why has it taken so long to get out to the public and why are there still people who don’t believe in it’s existence?
EPA Dubs May as Sustainability Month
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are celebrating Sustainability Month this May as part of the Year of Science 2009. The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS), the creators of the Year of Science 2009, are attempting to promote science in peoples everyday lives and engage the public.
Highlighting the need to meet our needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, Sustainability Month addresses the EPA’s efforts in sharing ideas for a sustainable future. This includes connecting with the public through blogs, podcasts and demonstrations of the importance of sustainability in our communities, and encouraging our youth to be more involved in science.
May activities:
- Science of sustainability photo project on Flickr: http://www.epa.gov/yearofscience/sustain_photo.htm
- EPA scientists including Dr. Alan Hecht will blog on sustainability on
Greenversations under Science Wednesday http://blog.epa.gov/blog/category/sciencewednesday/ and http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_sustainability/celebrate/ - On May 8, EPA staff will give hands on science demonstrations for Math and Science Day at the Maryland Six Flags Amusement Park. Staff will also microblog at the event: http://twitter.com/greenversations
- Dr. Diane Bauer of EPA will be featured on “Meet the Scientist” on COPUS Year of Science Web site: http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_sustainability/meet-scientists
- On May 18, EPA will host a science of biofuels session at the American Institute of Biological Sciences
- EPA podcasts on science issues: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/multimedia.html
