Gang Green Events:

UPCOMING EVENTS
June 19, 2009
Waste Management Tour

PAST EVENTS
May 31, 2009
Edible Plant Walk and Lecture

Comments from attendees:
"Great program- fun, educational and entertaining"

"As a result of attending the edible weeds program I plan to teach my children about how to forage for edible weeds. Thank you!"

"My husband and attended the edible urban plant walk and enjoyed it very much. I especially loved coming home to realize I have a plantain farm in my own backyard! Thank you for what you do to help raise awareness and "green" our beloved planet."

March 21, 2009
Aeroponics with Mike Marconi

November 18, 2008
Reduce Your Carbon Footrprint

October 23rd, 2008
Creating A Non-Toxic Home
Mary Zaller

September 24, 2008
How Are You Perceiving Your Carbon Footprint?

August 24, 2008
Wild Edible Meals     
In Conjunction with Midwest Native Skills Insititute

July 6, 2008
Foraging Nutritional & Medicinal Plants
In conjunction with:
Midwest Native Skills Institute

June 29, 2008
Strawbale & Cobb Experiential
Shaker Lakes Nature Center
Presented by:
Clellen Construction

May 31, 2008
Greening Your Home Series Continues
Rain Gardens: A Beautiful Pollution Solution
Cuyahoga County Water & Soil Conservancy

Lighten Your Footprint on the Earth

Stephanie Richards, R.D.,M.P.A.
Founder & Executive Director: Off the Grid In Suburbia

The importance of make “earth friendly” choices have come to the forefront of the public eye.  Hybrid cars, solar heating, and harnessing the wind are just a few of the many ways that Americans are incorporating green living into their lifestyles.  If you are interested in lightening the load you leave on the earth, here are a few suggestions to get you started.  Whenever people make lifestyle changes, it is always best to go slow and easy. If you are overenthusiastic you may be full force for a short time, only to peter out as your interest wanes.  So make one change at a time, make sure it is fully integrated into your lifestyle and then move on to incorporate something else.  Remember that every little bit of change that you make, contributes to the greater good.

• Switch your cleaning products to a safer, environmentally friendly brand. From germicides to scouring powder for the sink, there are a multitude of choices in the stores and also on the internet.  Check out, www.drbronner.com; a concentrated cleaner that can be used for many different types of household cleaning. Since the cleaner is concentrated, you are eliminating all the empty cleaning containers that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill.
• Consider a reverse osmosis system in your home to provide clean drinking water. Over time, this will be the least expensive way to obtain clean water, it also prevents all those empty water bottles from ending up in the landfill. When you do buy bottled water (or purchase any other type of plastic container) check the numbers listed on the side of the bottle. If the container says 1 or 2, it is more likely to be able to be recycled.  Numbers 3-7 will most likely end up in the landfill.
• Eat lower on the food chain, consuming less animal foods, and more plant foods.  This is healthier for you and for the planet. The methane that is caused by animal waste contributes to global warming. Gidon Eshel, a geophysicist at the Bard Center, and Pamela A. Martin, an assistant professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago calculated that if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan to the ultra-efficient Prius. Similarly, a study last year by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Japan estimated that 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days.

Watch www.thestoryofstuff.com It is an informative and entertaining look at what we buy, and the true cost of our consumption.

 

• Bring your own mug to the coffee store and prevent all those Styrofoam containers from ending up in the landfill.
• Most communities have recycling programs for paper, plastic and glass. Take the extra few seconds to separate your trash.
• To recycle old computers, VCR's, etc. www.ret3.org. You get a tax deduction too!
• When you shop, if you just have an item or two, forgo the bag. Plan ahead and bring a reusable cloth shopping sack (s) whenever you shop.
• Remove shoes at door to leave chemicals and pesticides outside.
• Air out dry cleaned clothing outside to reduce fumes in your home; even better find a drycleaner that uses safe chemicals.
• As you replace light bulbs, choose compact fluorescent bulbs, often lasting five times the life of ordinary bulbs. Although the initial cost is more expensive, in the long run you save money. Check with your local community service center to determine the safe way to throw out those bulbs when they have burned out.
• Web sites for further information: www.earth911.org, www.treehugger.com, www.eartheasy.com.
• Bring local food to your workplace. FarmShare is an innovative farm-to-workplace program offering convenient, weekly deliveries of farm-fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to employees of Cleveland area businesses. For information about launching a FarmShare delivery program at your workplack, please contact 216.225.6311 or www.FarmShareOhio.com.

For information about safe, non-toxic household products, please visit http://www.shaklee.net/themarys/getclean.

For donations and further information about Off the Grid In Suburbia contact,
Stephanie Richards, R.D.,M.P.A., planetorganics@aol.com, 216-324-2073