Achieving Sustainability on Every Level

The earth means the world to me

[sunandsilicon]

Australia’s first carbon-positive prefab house produces more energy than it consumes

ArchiBlox unveiled Australia’s first carbon-positive prefab home that’s packed with eco-friendly features and gorgeous to boot.

[watershedplus]

Seaweed farm in the lagoon of Tabiteuea North, Kiribati.

Photo by George Steinmetz

[biodiverseed]

“Food, fuel and more will be produced in sea farms of future.”

[earthchickblog]

Intro

The point of this blog isn’t to make you cynical about our society and the problems it is indirectly perpetuating, or to make you feel bad about living with the luxuries you possess. It aims simply to educate you about problems you have the ability to fix. People often view environmental issues as larger than life problems that can never be solved by an average person such as themselves, when in reality it is the accumulation of thoughts like this that results in a type of bystander effect where nothing gets done. It only takes a select few to trigger a chain reaction, as cliche as it sounds. Studying topics like environmental justice can be frustrating because the subject is so immensely broad and packed with complex problems such as social inequality and economic disparity. If there is one thing to remember when diving into the subject of environmental justice it is this; you cannot allow yourself to fall into despair, hopeless of a better future. The ability to make a change lies in the hands of you and those you affect with your actions, thoughts and optimism. Brilliant people often lose themselves in their quest to repair every problem they feel strongly about because it’s easy to lose hope. Find one or two topics you really want to get involved in and think about quality over quantity. Start small and work your way up. With the internet and social media, it’s easy to educate ourselves about virtually anything, so it really doesn’t take much to get involved. This blog will also serve as a way for you to stay up to date on important issues, and remind you of your potential to make a change. 

[earthchickblog]

Greening the ghetto

In an emotionally charged talk, MacArthur-winning activist Majora Carter details her fight for environmental justice in the South Bronx -- and shows how minority neighborhoods suffer most from flawed urban policy.

If she can make an impact like this starting with so little, imagine what you can do with what you have 

[tiavision]

today my anthro professor said something kindof really beautiful:

“you all have a little bit of ‘I want to save the world’ in you, that’s why you’re here, in college. I want you to know that it’s okay if you only save one person, and it’s okay if that person is you”

[huffpost]

Devastating Photos Show How An Oil Spill Consumed Santa Barbara’s Coastline

Animals and marine life are washing up on Santa Barbara’s shores after a ruptured underground pipeline leaked anestimated total of 105,000 gallons of crude oil on Tuesday – 21,000 gallons of which ended up in the ocean.

(Photo Source: Getty Images & Associated Press)

[earthchickblog]

Yet another reason to support renewables. Cleaning up oil spills costs millions of dollars and destroys hundreds of marine ecosystems. How many spills will we have to clean before we recognize the problem isn’t the methods by which we use to transport these resources, but the resources themselves? 

[fairtradeusa]

[earthchickblog]

Try to buy fair trade certified goods while grocery shopping to do your part in improving the health of the Earth and the economy

[theadventureproject]

“Ending #poverty starts by empowering people.” - Our Mantra. Calligraphy by @anna_havens

[nrdc]

“The oncoming trouble is climate change: It is going to affect you all in the same way World War II consumed people of my parents’ generation. They rose to the challenge and so will you. They came to be called the “Greatest Generation.” I want you all to preserve our world in the face of climate change and carry on as the next Great Generation.” —Bill Nye challenged graduating seniors at Rutgers University to take on climate change.

GIF via gifnews

[earthchickblog]

Let’s rise to the challenge. 

[americanexpresstravel-deactivat]

Nick Woodman, founder of GoPro, discusses how past failures shaped his success. 

See the full video here

[earthchickblog]

Success comes in infinite forms. Find yours; educate yourself on important issues, be skeptical about mass media, push yourself to be more openminded and don’t quit, at anything. 

[earthchickblog]

The latest Tweets from ECO Club HSHS (@ECOHSHS): "Broaden your horizons (sustainably of course)"

Stay up to date with the latest in environmental news, sustainability reports and witty tips to live a more educated, sustainable lifestyle. Follow Eco Club HSHS on twitter! 

[earthchickblog]

Hindsight can be merciless. People of any given era often look back in time and wonder how their predecessors could have been so dimwitted."

James Balog

[earthchickblog]

The bottled water industry is easily the single most successful industry to exist in the developed world, and is steadily continuing to grow. Reaching new heights in 2013, the water bottle industry sold about ten billion gallons of water worldwide. Plastic water bottles are the preferred packaging of the developed world and are disposed of in huge numbers, averaging at about fifty billion each year. The cycle begins and ends with the consumer, who in essence pollutes his own water sources by simply living in excess. Recycle water bottles whenever you can and reduce the amount of plastics you consume. It makes a small difference, but if everyone does it results will be seen. This is your home. How will you protect it? 

[caretorecycle]

Take the first step in spring cleaning by clearing the clutter in your bathroom today. Toss cartons and plastic bottles with a 1 or 2 marking in your bathroom recycling bin!