The Solstice Round Up

The longest day of the year is tomorrow. With summer officially upon us, many of us find ourselves with a bit more time for chillaxin (nope, not my word, but the friend I stole it from is reading this now and smiling). Here are few suggestions about how to spend some of those extra minutes of free time and light:

Mandatory To Do

First, answer these two questions....

1. Are you over 18?

2. Planning on voting in this year's ridiculously important election?

If you answered yes (and I'm sure most of you did), check out your voter registration status on votepoke. You can also encourage friends to do the same with an application that allows you to scroll through your address book and send your contacts a short message alerting them to the votepoke website.

This upcoming election is critical! Make sure you are registered to vote.

Suggested Reading for those Living in NYC and Beyond

Ben Jervey, author of The Big Green Apple, and one of the founders of Evolvist, has launched sustaiNYC, which is "a reblog covering NYC's sustainability scene." It is informative, entertaining reading, and if you are a New Yorker looking to get the round up of enviro-events, initiatives, and plans, Ben is your go-to man.

Optional Olympic Action

The summer Olympics in Beijing are fast approaching, and the corporate sponsors of the Olympics carry a lot of clout (i.e. cash). Today is Dream for Darfur's National Day of Action, and you can take action by sending this message to the major Olympic corporate sponsors asking them to urge China (the Sudanese government's partner in trade and diplomacy) to take tangible steps to stop the genocide in Darfur. Read more about the situation in Darfur at the Dream for Darfur website.

Earth Day Extravaganza

On this Earth Day Eve, "eco," "enviro," and "green" have become common parlance in almost everyone's vocabulary. Pick up almost any magazine this month - my personal favorites are the Discover Magazine issue and this week's New York Time's Magazine - and you can read about the latest environmental news and find easy ways to become more eco-active. One of my favorite new how-to resources is National Geographic's, Green Guide, which is a quarterly publication dedicated to "consuming wisely." You can even subscribe to the full magazine online - yup, that's definitely green.

Perhaps a bit too enthusiastic

Of course, Tuesday, April 22nd is Earth Day, and I admit that Earth Day festivities make me kind of giddy because of the many opportunities to raise awareness, take some action, and have a good time. Yes, I fall into the category of another new environmental buzzword - eco-geek.

However, you do not need to be "eco-anything" in order to join the Earth Day fun. Here are five easy ways to get involved:

1. Visit the Earth Day Website to locate events, get informed, and find ways to take action. Be sure to join the Earth Day Network campaign tomorrow in which thousands of people (you!) will call their representatives and senators and ask them to enact fair climate change legislation.
2. Plant a tree. If you live in the NYC area, visit Million Trees for more info about how to enjoy more greenery and clean air pronto!
3. Check out Earth911 for "Eight Ways to Green Your Earth Day," or the Green Guide's "Earth Day Tips 2008." For the record, these two articles offer a total of 15 tips. Challenge yourself to try out at least 5 suggestions for the rest of the year. Let us know how it goes...
4. Watch TV - Check out The Discovery Network's new Planet Green, or The Sundance Channel's The Green. Thanks to one of my readers, who turned me on to the Planet Green show, Wasted. The show's first stop? A fraternity house, but not for the reasons you might think. Definitely a must-see.
5. Talk to your friends tomorrow about what you, and by association they, can do about climate change.

8 Reasons to Love '08

Thanks to many of your efforts, a lot of the issues explored in Weekly Way '07 blogs have been addressed by increased awareness and action and/or new legislation. Here's to continuing to support positive change in environmental, humanitarian, and political issues in '08!

It's a new year and twelve months of growth, education, improvement, and adventure lie ahead. Here are 8 reasons to get excited about '08, and the best news is that this is just the start!

1. There will be a presidential election! Please remember to register and vote.

2. You can join the Free Hugs campaign. At the very least watch the video. Trust me.

3. Thanks to organizations like Cross Cultural Solutions and Globeaware, you can can spend a week or more volunteering in countries all over the world.

4. President Bush just signed the the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act (SADA) into law. There is still much more to be done to stop the genocide, but this is a very good start.

5. Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma, just published another book, In Defense of Food, with gems like, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

6. Almost every bill you can create (credit card, electricity, mortgage, phone etc.) can be payed online. What are you waiting for, paper hog? Go to their websites and switch to e-bills today, and while you are at it, don't forget to switch to electronic bank and investment statements too! You might even be able to save some money. Got a college loan to pay off? Sallie Mae offers interest rate reductions from .25-.375% on many loans if you change to electronic payments. That little bit pays off in big savings over time.

7. It is easier than ever to live in a cool city. Check out Sierra Club's list to see if your city made the grade. Either way, see how you can get involved and help keep your city cool.

8. The 2008 Smart Car ForTwo just became available in the United States.

Ten Ways in Ten Days

This business of changing the world is overwhelming. Every day, I receive a new magazine to read, updates from the charities I support, and my stack of books and newspapers is almost tall enough to use as a measuring stick for my sixth grade students. In short, (pun unintended), I’m a bit overwhelmed myself, and this is my job.

But the good news in this confluence of good intentions, fluctuating priorities and time shortage is that we have already taken the first step – we care. I wouldn’t have created this website, and you wouldn’t be reading my blog if that were not the case. You probably also wouldn’t be reading the weekly way, if you were not looking for some advice. So here it is -

Just start. Take an action or two every day. Once these actions become second nature, you will find yourself looking for more ways to change the world. Visit the website and the blog often for more ideas. I will try to be both creative and practical with my suggestions.

The practical side of me says that it is important to suggest ideas that offer at least some immediate results. In order to kick off the website and welcome you to this new community, I have put together a list called Ten Ways in Ten Days, with a way inspired by each chapter of the book. Try a few or all of them out – let me know how it goes!


1. Register to Vote – This is the first step to getting involved politically and having your voice heard. If you have already registered to vote, then make sure you vote in all of the elections; even the local ones make a difference.

2. Watch a Movie – Well, more specifically a documentary or feature film about an issue or cause you are interested in. This is a great way to get educated. Perhaps the movie will inspire you to take further action. The most famous film of late that has spurred millions to action is An Inconvenient Truth, but some other films worthy of viewing are Who Killed the Electric Car?, Hotel Rwanda, Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price, Bowling for Columbine, The Ground Truth, or Super Size Me. They each offer information about issues worth getting involved in, and each movie offers suggestions for fixing the problems addressed.

3. Sign the One Declaration – which is “an historic pact for compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world overcome AIDS and extreme poverty.” one.org

4. Unplug – Every appliance that we leave plugged in while it is not in use continues to draw electricity. Unplug any appliances in your apt./house that are not in use.

5. Find Something New to Recycle – We all know about recycling aluminum cans, plastic, and glass. But you can also recycle printer cartridges, cell phones (most or all of the components), batteries, and plastic bags. Many grocery stores including Whole Foods offer plastic bag recycling receptacles. If you are ready to stop using plastic bags once and for all, good for you – bring your own reusable bags. Check out reusablebags.com.

6. Give a Green Gift – With many occasions to celebrate in the spring, including Mother’s Day and graduations, you are sure to need a gift for someone. Give a gift from an environmentally responsible source; it is a great way to raise awareness and give a wonderful gift. Check out earthmamaangelbaby.com, organicbouquet.com, equalexchange.com, oraganic.com, or ecoexpress.com.

7. Buy Local, Sustainably Grown Food – check out localharvest.org to find farmers' markets, CSA's, grocery stores, co-ops, and restaurants that supply and use local and organic products.

8. Become Carbon Neutral – Check out terrapass.org or drivinggreen.com and use their emissions calculator to first determine your carbon footprint and then learn how to offset it.

9. Check Out the tenways.org Website – especially the Businesses Making a Difference and the Organizations Making a Difference pages. Try one of the products or join one of the organizations listed.

10. Throw a Party with a Purpose – When you have decided on an organization or cause you would like to support, invite your friends over for a party. Provide some information about the cause and ask them to bring a small donation rather than the usual host/hostess gift.