Anyone interested in an MDC eco-team?

[madrone]

I was once a part of an eco-team that I really benefitted from. I've been thinking since the end of last year that I really need to work on lessening my footprint again. Eco-teams generally fall under a UN organization called the Global Action Plan for the Earth and exist all over the world. They want people forming groups either locally or on the internet to try to minimize our effects on the earth. And then they hope that a couple of people that have gone through the program will form a new group. I know that one person from my group many years ago formed a new group. So I guess I would finally start that second group now.

We need to have at least four others in order to do it. Each of the others would be in charge of a topic. The topics are: garbage, water, energy, transportation, and consumption. I've been in charge of recycling programs before and would like to be in charge of the garbage topic. I'm thinking that if 4 others would volunteer to be in charge of a topic, I could e-mail you some of the info I have from before. I'm hoping for my benefit that you will have advice, words of encouragement, and info of your own also though. I know that I need help in some areas and really need some advice on somethings that I don't know about.

I guess if 4 others are interested, we would decide together how much we want to stick to the eco-team program together. In the official program, you get points for certain actions and then you send in what you have done and get a Global Citizen pin (or buy a pin really). I was thinking that if others are interested, we would each start a thread on our topic and post a link for the topic thread on this thread. The IRL program has a meeting every two weeks to allow time to work on the previous topic. My group did short, individual updates at the beginning of the next meeting on how we did with the previous stuff. I guess we could decide together about what pace we would want for an on-line group. I would think we would keep going back to the topic thread for assistance and updates on progress. I'm really wanting energy, consumption, and water help and may be a little too impatient to want to wait for two weeks intervals. But I figure the 5 of us that would be doing the topics would need to decide.

Maybe I've written enough on it and just need to see if anyone else is interested.

[madrone]

Just a bump.

[Gemini]

Sounds interesting!

Not sure what I cold commit to, but I'm interested!

[madrone]

I'm glad someone is interested Gemini. Thank you! Would you be interested in presenting a topic or just in being a behind the scene participant? Do you have any particular feelings or knowledge on consumerism, water conservation, energy usage, or transportation?

[Gemini]

Hmm, I'm the recycling queen around here, but you have that covered. I compost lots too. I guess I try my best to conserve energy. I guess I know a little about all of it, lol. But not a lot about one subject.

[owensmom]

So do you discuss ways to save in those areas and then work on it personally? Or in your community? Could you give an example? I think it sounds AWESOME, I'd love to do it. I've been thinking about the environment a lot lately too, plastic is a big issue with me....


edited to add - when I saw the title I thought you wanted to start a team for the Eco-Challenge! (big endurance race)

[madrone]

You talk about and do things personally. The group I was in 6 years ago all lived near each other, so I made a compost bin and we all started using it, cutting down on all of our garbage. We all put aerators on our faucet individually and all put dams in our toilets. Couldn't do that together. The water couple did a lot of pretty expensive things on their house for water savings. The rest of us couldn't quite do that much, which was completely okay. We did cheap things that we could afford. With all of us being a couple of blocks from each other before, we could help each other out with some things, like everyone benefitting from my compost bin. Here, we will just have to encourage each other. I can help people who live in apartments figure out where they could have a worm bin and how to make it. But they won't be able to just come over and stick there food wastes in mine unfortunately. Maybe if some others are interested in the other topics, Gemini and I could cover garbage together because I know that lots of communities don't have recycling programs set up. The three that I set up really just were expansions since recycling did exist in other surrounding areas. I don't actually know how one would go about it if there are not recycling companies around within a reasonable distance. But it's not like someone who participates would be expected to do something like that. Participants just kind of brainstorm together to try to help each other do what they can. I'm hoping someone can help me in deciding whether an old washing machine keep being repaired or whether I should just buy a new one. Is the waste created by the old one worse than the difference in the energy costs and water usage of a new one? It's going through the topics and discussing them on a personal basis to develop plans to help the earth.

Edited to add that the eco-challenge isn't even close to my category Owen's Mom.

[Gemini]

You know, the more I think about it, I guess I do have knowledge and access to info for comsumerism. I have a subscription to "The Green Guide" and that has tons of wonderful info in it. The website is www.thegreenguide.com. You're able to access some free articles, but I can access the others with my subscription, so let me know what you're interested in. I'm happy to tell you about it. I also am into organic (wish I could buy it more : ) foods and what's the best choices for organic verses non organic.

[Astrid]

I'd be interested in being a behind the scenes participant.

I have been thinking a lot about what I can do to help preserve the Earth and would love some ideas and discussions on that topic.

Will write more later

Thanks for starting this Madrone

[owensmom]

Sounds really great, I'd totally be into it. I'm no expert in any one area, so asign me a topic and I'll research it! I could expound on the use of plastics and what our alternatives are (reusable cups and the like), or just give me one of your topics and I'll run with it.

[madrone]

So you would be willling to do consumption Gemini?!? That would be fantastic! The Green Guide sonds like a good resource. If you pm me your e-mail address, I'll scan in the info I have from the program I did before and we can start talking about how closely will follow the official program.

Astrid, thank you for wanting to participate. I'm sure that once we start getting into topics, you will offer a lot to all of us.

Now we need volunteers for water, energy, and transportation. Seems like someone here has a car that runs off of used vegetable oil. I wonder if they would be willing to take on transportation. Or if anyone has any other car that has been converted to an alternative energy. The transportation person in the group before said that converting a car to natural gas is easy, but he never provided any info.

Edited to add - You don't have to have converted a vehicle to an alternative fuel to do transportation. Just have an interest in reducing pollution from transportation some way. That could be public or biking too. I don't want to not have anyone volunteer just because I mentioned alternative forms of fuel.

[madrone]

We cross-posted Owen's Mom. Thank you for being interested! By the official UN program, plastics is covered both in garbage and consumption. You could help both Gemini and I out in those parts (if Gemini would want help - I know I would love it).

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I am interested. Of the topics left, I know a little about water and energy. For water, I want to have an engineered wetland in my backyard in place of septic, once we have our own house, and I want to start looking into the legality and logistics of that. Something like "solar aquatics".
For energy, we managed to drastically reduce our power bill this winter by not heating the house (except bedroom) at night, and when we build our house, we plan on doing cordwood, which is super incredibly efficient.

[madrone]

So, would you want to take on one of those topics, and, if so, which one? Which one are you more passionate about? If you do want one, pm me your e-mail address and I'll e-mail you the info I have. But DS is asleep in one arm right now, so it will be after he wakes up from his nap that I e-mail you the info I have.

[Cloverlove]

We had ( ) a veggie car!

Even though she died I still learned a lot and it is something I feel quite passionate about. I'd love to be part of an...

<boomingvoice>

ECO-TEAM!!!

I think sohj probably has a lot more experiece and expertise, though. Maybe she could take more of a leadership role (if she is interested) and I can help out?

LMK!

[MamaMonica]

I am not sure what's involved, but for transportation dh drives a Toyota Prius (hybrid car) to work every day and we walk to the park for recreation instead of driving somewhere several days a week.

[madrone]

So, Cloverlove and Monnie, would you two want to do transportation together? Maybe with help from SOHJ if she's interested also? Let me know and also PM me your e-mail addresses if you are so that I can e-mail you the info I have from before. That is, after DS wakes up from his nap since he's asleep in my arm and I cannot get to the scanner.

Is it okay with the topic persons if I do e-mails to all of you so that we can all decide together how much we want to stick to the official program? Or would it be better to talk about that here once I get the info to you? With you guys having reading time, that would probably be tomorrow for me.

[MamaMonica]

OK- I'll do it.

[Cloverlove]

I'd love to!

[madrone]

Okay - so our topics:

garbage - Madrone and Owen's Mom? (are you helping me or Gemini?)

water - ?

energy - ?

transportation - Monnie and Cloverlove

consumption - Gemini

With Pam_and_Abigail possibly taking water or energy. Will need at least one more person to cover the topic left. Having team coverage would really be good to help figure out solutions to problems that the person presenting the topic is unsure of.