Chicago wants to become a leader among global cities in its environmental stewardship and vision.  As an integral part of that leadership, Chicago recognized an opportunity to dramatically reduce the city’s carbon footprint.  Mayor Daley and the city have made climate change a top priority and have formed the Chicago Climate Action Plan to help the city, its businesses and its residents lower greenhouse gas emissions and live in a healthier, more environmentally-friendly way.

The plan includes five main strategies and 35 sub-strategies for businesses and individuals to take action, but the city has devised a way to take those strategies to citizens in a creative and informative way to help residents understand that they play a valuable role in helping to reduce the city’s environmental footprint.  The CCAP is sponsoring the Earth Day 2010 Video Contest to enable students in Chicago’s middle schools, high schools and colleges to engage their creativity and talent to help teach the principles of the plan to all Chicagoans and have a chance to win some cash prizes for themselves and their schools to help out with education costs.

When:  Videos may be submitted now until April 12

Who:  All Chicago-area middle and high school and college students are encouraged to participate – individually or in teams

What:  Submit a 90 second video via the contest website detailing how you are making an impact by participating in one or more of the CCAP’s 35 strategies

Why:  The “why” is easy.  Chicago is on the right path with its dedication to global leadership in reducing carbon emissions.  It is not an easy task, though, to create a plan, generate interest and help people understand what they can do to help.  The video contest is a great use of Chicago’s outstanding student population, allowing them to demonstrate not only their environmental passion but also their creative talents.  Probably more entertaining than announcements from the city, these videos are an engaging way to share personal actions and information about taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Plus, it benefits students’ education with prizes sponsored by the Abbott Fund.

Mayor Daley will announce winners on Earth Day (April 22^nd).  Chicago students – enter your videos now and make sure you are the generation to lead Chicago into its green future!

To begin, what is a carbon offset?  A carbon offset is a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.   For instance, a carbon offset is used to balance out the emissions one cannot reduce by funding an emissions reducing project elsewhere.

It is not uncommon to consider carbon offsetting as a tool to live green, yet continue with unfavorable environmental habits.  Quite the contrary.

Offsetting is not a substitute for reducing or eliminating emissions or other environmental impacts. Nor should it be a mechanism that allows people to continue to indulge in destructive lifestyles.

Living green means applying sustainability concepts such as Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  Carbon offsetting addresses the end of this series; whereas, the initial focus should be placed on reduction and new habits.  Ultimately, it’s best to first reduce emissions.  Developing new environmentally focused habits through a personal sustainability plan yields reductions in emissions.

There is a time and a place for carbon offsetting.

• - Offsetting can be a partial solution that complements other approaches
• - Offsetting can be seen as part of maintaining the balance of life
• - Carbon offsets offers a path to eco action and raises eco awareness
• - Offsetting schemes can be used as an interim measure until other solutions are developed – efficient emission-free fuels and renewable energy sources.

Offsetting has its role and a favorable one at that.  One to be considered as a responsible approach if other sustainability concepts are being addressed.   Singlehandedly, it may not be the best approach in a sustainable lifestyle.

Living green often means different things to different people.  For those well versed in sustainability concepts, a green lifestyle may be very different compared to someone just beginning to make sustainable life changes.

First, why are people attracted to a green lifestyle?

• Families go green for their children
• It saves money
• Living with eco awareness protects the planet for future generations
• Participation in neighborhood or community eco awareness
• It feels good
• It is healthier-investing in your body means less toxins and less illness
• It’s easy to go green now: more options and alternatives available

Some seek to live a sustainable lifestyle but are discouraged by thoughts that it’s an all or nothing approach.  Not so! The very principals of sustainability or green living rest on the fact that it’s a continuous improvement mindset.  So, wherever you are on the green living continuum is just fine.  In fact, it’s okay to focus eco action in particular areas of interest or inspiration first and later address less interesting areas of eco awareness.  If you like fashion, go for eco friendly clothing.  If you think recycling is fun and energy efficiency is boring, then start recycling.

It’s important to remember that living an eco friendly lifestyle is not a single cookie cutter solution that applies uniformly to everyone.  Each individual has to find the value in it for themselves.  The magic is in how each person integrates environmentally friendly choices in their day to day activities.  Simple habits add up to powerful eco actions.

Curious how to get started?

• Start by rethinking consumption patterns for energy and water needs and identify ways to curb unnecessary consumption.
• Eliminate food waste.  Pre plan your meals, buy in bulk, and prepare what you need.  Compost and turn your old food into healthy soil.
• Purchase items with the eco awareness in mind.  Purchase products with minimal packaging or sustainable packaging.  Products that can be reused before recycling offer more environmental value.
• Use SocialYell to find, support and promote socially responsible businesses.  Your discussion and participation provide the transparency for others to live green, too.

Being conscious of sustainability concepts when you shop, work and play, raises the level of eco awareness in your day and contributes to living a sustainable lifestyle.

One, PBS’s film about America’s national parks, was an inspirational tale of vision and understanding of the value of nature – particularly the value of predatory animals like bears and wolves. At one time in our history, there was an explicit goal to eliminate all wolves from our lands – and it almost succeeded.  It makes sense.  Wolves hunt for the same things we eat, so the initial reaction was to eliminate them.  But, as the PBS film portrays, our outlook gradually changed, thanks to some of our country’s animal and nature conservation pioneers.  Of course a film about the American national parks covers much more than just our interaction with and understanding of animals.  It is well worth a viewing!

The other was a Discovery Channel show: Lion Feeding Frenzy.  In this video, a lion expert and the show’s host study lions and their hunting abilities by baiting them into some tests while observing from a protective box.  They bait the lions with meat hung on a rope from a tree and observe as the lions leap to take the bait.  When more lions notice, one of the observers declares:  ”Any second, this group of aggressive males could attack us from all angles!”

I understand that portraying a terrifying killer probably sells better than educating on the ways of nature and importance of these (and other) creatures.  After all, the first has an audience of everybody and the latter has an audience only of people who care.  Discovery has done a great job over the years of growing the number of people who care, but they also sell media and have to attract viewers.  Terrifying and/or sensational videos such as “Lion Feeding Frenzy”, “Bear Feeding Frenzy”, “Crocodile Feeding Frenzy” and much of the programming during Shark Week (“Missing Limbs”, “Bloody Aftermath”, “Jaws in the Creek”) may attract more viewers, but they aren’t among Discovery’s most sustainable, conservation education pieces.

Ah, fall is upon us and you know what that means: dry brown leaves falling from trees; pumpkin spiced lattes; and FOOTBALL! Yep, football is back in full swing and along with football comes the best activity of all: tailgating! While it can be easy to get wrapped up in the festivities of tailgating, it’s important to be conscious of the impact our football-crazed selves have on the areas where we tailgate. Here are several tips on how to not only show team pride, but green pride as well!

Walk or bike to the game

If you are as lucky as some of my fellow Wildcats and I were (Beardown Arizona!), you live no more than several blocks from the stadium, and can easily walk or bike to your destination. For every mile you drive, your car emits 1.22 lbs of carbon dioxide, while walking or biking to the game releases none. To calculate your impact check out Rolling Carbon. Many stadiums have bike racks so that you can keep your bike safe while you revel in the football festivities. Another advantage of walking or biking is that you avoid waiting in line and/or paying for parking.

Carpool

Unfortunately, not all games are close enough to walk or bike to, and at other times you just have too much stuff to carry with you. Not a problem: get a group of your friends together and head to the game in one car.

Drinks

Look into getting a keg. A typical beer can holds 12 oz of liquid; a standard US 1/2 barrel is 15.5 gallons, or 1,984 ounces. By opting for a keg you will be saving about 165 cans of beer and there is no waste involved, as the keg shell can be reused.

If you’re not willing to go all out on a keg, some great organic beers to try are:

Wolaver’s certified organic ales

Eel River Brewing Company (USDA Certified Organic)

Cups/Plates/Silverware/Napkin

It is always tricky bringing glass cups, ceramic plates, and/or metal silverware in areas where lots of people are running around, so to be safe, I recommend using compostable plates. Bare by Solo has a bunch of eco-friendly products  as does Gaiam, a lifestyle company.

Ask everyone attending the tailgate to bring a reusable canteen and/or cup. For those who are forgetful (perhaps they had one too many beers at the pre-tailgating party), plastic cups are usually recyclable and would work just fine. Just make sure to check with your recycling center as to what number recyclables they accept.

Although cloth napkins would be ideal, it is O.K. to use paper napkins or paper towels, as they are both compostable – just make sure that everyone throws them into a “compost” bag, not the trash.

Grilling

Like so many, I used to be a huge fan of red meat – there was nothing like a large, juicy, medium-rare hamburger, to go hand-in-hand with my iced cold Keystone Light. However, I have since given up red meat, and for the sake of the atmosphere as well as my body I am so glad I did.

Most grills use charcoal that is made with “conventional additives” (e.g. coal dust, sodium nitrate, limestone, starch, sawdust or petroleum products). When the charcoal burns, it produces hydrocarbons and small soot particles, which pollute the atmosphere. Look for “natural” charcoal brands that do not contain these conventional additives and are certified by the  Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program.

In addition, when the fat/juices from the fish/chicken/meat, etc. drip on to the charcoals, it causes smoke to rise covering the meat with carcinogenic compounds called mutagens. Yuck!

Although propane is a better alternative to charcoal (it burns “cleaner” than charcoal and leaves behind less waste), an even better alternative would be to prepare foods that do not require any sort of grilling. Some ideas that are sure to score a touchdown with guests:

Relive your glory days with a good ol’ PB&J sandwich. To squeeze in a bit more protein, switch out the peanut butter for some creamy almond butter.

Stick to a classic such as a turkey sandwich: multigrain bread, organic tomatoes, lettuce and alfalfa sprouts as well as some organic hummus – what’s not to love?

Some other ideas:

A big ol’ mixed green salad works well as a side dish, or add pre-cooked chicken for an entrée salad; guacamole and/or mango salsa with tortilla chips; pita bread and hummus; and veggies and dip.

More:

Instead of lugging a T.V. with you so that you can watch the game from the comfort of your tailgating spot, bring a solar-powered, crank radio with you. Even better yet, splurge and buy tickets to the game and watch all of the action live!

Bring three different “trash” bags with you: one for compost – all of the leftover veggies/fruits/paper towels, etc. in this one; one for recycling; and a trash bag for the very few pieces that cannot be recycled or composted (this bag should be the least full by the end of the game).

Don’t have any clothing that represents your team? Show team (green) spirit by borrowing team affiliated clothing from friends and/or family and wear with pride.

So, now that we have all of that covered, lets get out there, drink up, chow down and watch some football!

Goooo Green – whoops, I mean team!

2.  Think before trashing your old electronics. “Call2Recycle provides a free and convenient way to recycle old cell phones and used rechargeable batteries found in cordless electronic products such as laptops, camcorders, digital cameras, cordless power tools, mp3 players, PDAs and more,” Briana Papa of Call2Recycle, said.

“There are more than 30,000 retail, community and business collection sites enrolled in the program throughout the U.S. and Canada. Consumers can simply drop their used rechargeable batteries and old cell phones in branded Call2Recycle collection boxes at participating retailers such as Best Buy, Target, RadioShack, The Home Depot and Lowe’s. Call2Recycle is operated by the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a nonprofit, public service agency dedicated to recycling used rechargeable batteries.  For more information on the program and to find a comprehensive list of collection sites, please visit www.call2recycle.org.”

3.  Rather than spending your Sunday mornings clipping coupons, only to leave them at home when you go to the store, why not keep them close in a convenient way?  Try TheSavingsPost.com, “a local coupon site that allows consumers to text message local coupons to their cell phones.”

“Consumers always have their cell phones with them so they always have their coupons with them,” Dan Sexton, president of TheSavingsPost.com, said.  “Consumers are not only saving on paper, ink, etc….but they are also saving money while they shop locally.”

4.  Want to wish your friends and family “happy birthday” and stay green?  There’s an option for that now with BirthdayDialer.com.  This “new website allows the user to select from a menu of fun musical birthday greetings and send one directly to their friends’ phones for free,” Heidi Glauser of www.birthdaydialer.com, said.  Fun, free and green.  That’s hard to beat.

5.   Are you drowning in foil, plastic wrap and paper towels?  Make your household a little greener and “look for glass containers that are sturdy, sealable and reusable and use cloth napkins,” Shelby Zadow, marketing director for BioAg.com, said.

6.  Want to make your razor last longer? “Corrosion causes most razor heads to go bad not dullness,” Raddenbach said. “My wife and I use manual razors with disposable heads. After each shave we use a spray bottle to clean the heads out thoroughly and blot it dry with a towel, and we don’t leave the razor in the shower.”

7.  We plan our hectic schedules around our work, so why not our errands as well?  Group your trips for less stress, both on you and the environment! “Whether it’s by car or public transit, planning your trips to the store or to run errands can be most efficiently accomplished with the least environmental impact if you make sure you’re not backtracking or running one errand a day,” A.J. Dax, green lifestyle expert, said.  “Best of all, of course, is planning you errands so you can do them by walking or bicycle whenever possible.”

8.  Similarly, Dax recommends planning your cooking.  “Because I have an electric stove, I time my cooking with how long the burner will remain hot so I’m not letting the heat from the burner go to waste.  I also recommend Staub and Le Creuset cooking pots (or similar enameled cast iron).  Once these pots get warm, they retain their heat and cook similarly to a slow cooker.  So you don’t have to have the burner turned up on a higher setting until the cooking is done.  That said, people should also remember to use lids properly when cooking.  So many people forget that if they’re boiling water or other items, they will heat faster and use less energy if you put a lid on the pot to hold the heat in.  Those old fashioned tips really do work a lot.  Grandma knew her stuff!”

9.  Start thinking “functional chic” when you shop for your home rather than “fashionable chic,” Zadow said.  “I think the biggest change has been in my mind set.  Areas I would typically want to redecorate (remove out dated tile etc), I’ve decided instead to find ways to decorate around instead of creating more waste.”

10.  Clothing and shoes, however, can be another deal entirely.  You can still be fashionable and green.  Dax created and continues to follow his own shopping rules. “If I see a great new pair of shoes and those shoes aren’t replacing a pair that has worn out, I buy them.  But when I go home, I have to pick a pair of shoes that will be donated to charity.  The same goes for clothing.”  This is a great way to recycle your clothes and shoes for a greater purpose while still buying what you want.

Thanks to all of these great ideas from the HARO contributors!

Have green tips for SocialYell?  Tell us today at SocialYell or tweet about it to SocialYellBlog on Twitter!

Ashley Strickland is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Georgia.  She loves reading the green tips people send out!

Clearly it makes sense to recycle clothing.  It reduces waste and provides clothing to others who want or need it at a much lower cost.  But, as anyone who has filled a garbage bag full of unused clothing before trying to pick it up and carry it down a staircase (it will break), can attest, it isn’t always easy to recycle clothes.

Well, here, in New York City, it is easy!  (Don’t worry, if you don’t live in NYC, there are clothing recycling solutions for you, too.)  I went downstairs in my apartment building recently and found this clothes recycling bin from Wearable Collections:

Wearable Collections makes it so easy to drop off clothing as you need, right in your building.  This summer, I heard the building management say the bin had been emptied twice.  Also, Wearable Collections has started putting bins in local green markets, so if you don’t have one in your building, request a clothing recycling bin or visit one at a greenmarket near you!

But what about in other places? Well, on a recent drive back from NC with my dog, Gus, I stopped in the middle of Pennsylvania (after getting 36 mpg) for gas.  Gus and I needed to stretch our legs and, on a walk around the gas station, I saw a curious red bin.

Yes, you can find a place to recycle clothes out here!

A Clothing Recycle Bin from U'SAGain

U’SAgain is a commercial (for-profit) clothing collection company that has locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Seattle and St. Louis.  See the U’SAgain sustainability discussion on SocialYell

So maybe I was wrong.  It is easier than ever to recycle clothing, so get out and do it now!

Here are a few more pics from the road:

Gus doesn't wear clothes, but if he did, he would recycle them. His carbon footprint is smaller than his actual footprint.

I made the road trip in my SocialYell T-Shirt. Want one?

Could the skills learned through growing marijuana be put to use growing sustainable food?  Treehugger kind of thinks so. “After all, growing illegal plants in illicit conditions requires a stealth and ingenuity that could prove useful as we try to figure out how to reintegrate food production into our everyday environments.”

The Acacia tree can be used to increase soil quality and decrease dependency on petroleum fertilizers in Africa, reported National Geographic.  The acacia tree drops its nitrogen rich leaves just when crop seeds need nitrogen. It also acts as a windbreak, provides wood for fuel and construction and prevents soil erosion.

Baby Snow Leopard! Via HuffPo Green

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. She needed an inspirational Tuesday after a Van Jones-less weekend.

Photos courtesy of HickoryHollow113/Flickr, Qfamily/Flickr and Neilsphotography/Flickr.

When leaving a footprint make sure it's a helpful one

Green travel can mean more than offsetting carbon emissions. Travelers should also think about where their money is going while on vacation. When the family takes a trip to Disney World where does the ticket price go? What communities are really impacted from the stops cruise ships make?

GoGreenTravel makes a distinction between eco-friendly travel and responsible travel. While eco-friendly adventures will have a smaller environmental footprint, responsible travel makes sure the footprint is beneficial in more ways than one. The triple bottom line approach they recommend focuses on the environment, culture and economics.

Instead of looking just at avoiding environmental impacts, try to make some positive impacts. Travel can benefit conservation efforts like with ecotourism trips. Through the International Ecotourism Society you can find a trip as adventurous as you’re comfortable with that funds efforts like wildlife conservation.

A highlighted trip on the blog YourTravelChoice is the Parque Natural de Madeira, Portugal. Visitors can explore, in a sustainable manner with a local guide, a unique island ecosystem of rare subtropical woodland communities and protected marine habitat. “The best way to be part of the local community’s conservation efforts is to visit Madeira, show your awareness of the issues and be a responsible traveler.” Money spent in the area will go back to the community and to local NGOs working to conserve the ecosystems.

Even a low key trip to a nearby national park will bring funds to much needed restoration efforts in your locale.

Many ecotourism companies also focus on the community of people, not just ecological issues.  A trip to Marmaris-Dtaca, Turkey is also highlighted in YourTravelChoice.  Villagers dependent on local resources and tourism have made an effort to preserve not only the natural environment but their traditional culture.Instead of inviting chain hotels and tour guides to run their tourism business, they do it themselves and the money made actually goes to benefit the communities people are visiting. Not only are traditions preserved but travelers will have an unquestionably unique experience.

Travel is one part of modern life that is difficult to replace with a smaller-footprint alternative. So when traveling make sure your footprint leaves behind something good for the communities you visited.

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. Her latest eco-travel experience was at Mono Lake, CA.

Photo courtesy of DavidSC78/Flickr

With the limited progress made on climate change thus far it’s hard to be optimistic for the outcome of Copenhagen. At the G8 meeting in July representatives agreed  that warming should not exceed 2 degrees Celsius, a statement applauded by the scientific community as a great step forward. They then failed to plan how this goal would be achieved.

President Obama, along with other G8 leaders, says he supports a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 80 percent by 2050. Unfortunately the group has not outlined short term targets or committed to binding reductions.

Sigh.

It’s easy to get disheartened. But a post over at Grist (yes I’m all about the Grist links today) reminded me of something important. If we assume politicians or anyone else for that matter will bring about change for us, we are going to be sorely disappointed. “The president, even an extraordinarily popular president, can only do so much,” David Roberts wrote in his post Barack Obama is not Bagger Vance.  This was a vital wake-up call.

Sitting at home, reading blog post after news article about nations refusing to compromise on pollution reduction because of economic impacts does nothing but deflate any passion and motivation one might have about an issue even as monumental as climate change. That’s if we are to rely solely on the efforts of others. Roberts quoted Mike Tomasky via the Guardian:

“This is what movements do—they do the hard, slow work of winning political battles and changing public opinion over time. It isn’t fun. It isn’t something Will.i.am is going to make a clever and moving video about, and it offers precious few moments for YouTube. It takes years, which is a bummer, in a political culture that measures success and failure by the hour. The end of euphoria should lead not to disillusionment, but to seriousness of purpose.”

If you’re at home, like me, waiting around for the travesty you’re sure Copenhagen will turn into, get up and do something! It’s on us. It’s on you. It’s on me to create change.

Here are some ways to get involved:

350.org : Organize an action event for October 24 to promote the number 350 as in 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest level we will be safe at.

TckTckTck: Is the sound of the clock ticking down to the Copenhagen climate conference.  Members from around the world are uniting to show politicians that their efforts on climate change are supported.

Seal the Deal: A UN-led campaign to “galvanize political will and public support for reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement in Copenhagen in December.”

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. She apologizes if this post got a little too ‘go get ‘em!’ but go get ‘em!

Photo is courtesy of Oxfam International/Flickr