Billionaires Plan to Fund Anti-Global Warming Curriculum for Elementary Schools

Koch-Funded Heritage Institute Developing Anti-Global Warming Curriculum for Elementary Schools Everyone recognizes the importance of cultivating values and opinions early in a child's formative years, especially billionaires. We know that our efforts as parents, mentors and aunts and uncles are the best weapons in instilling the values that WE deem to be true and important. So be sure to start at an early age, teaching your children to value this beautiful earth and its many gifts over "stuff" and processes which damage and pollute this gift that God has put under our care. You should also know that the Sierra Club offers a number of educational programs and curriculum guides for parents, communities and teachers that want to expose their children to science based concepts around climate change that even large corporations, municipalities and institutions are using in their business planning and practices.

For Valentine's Day, 80 Jewelry Retailers Commit to Sustainable Supply Chain

For Valentine's Day, 80 Jewelry Retailers Commit to Sustainable Supply Chain every gift begins with care! happy valentines day world!

90% of Home Building Will Have Green Features by 2016

90% of Home Building Will Have Green Features by 2016 green will be the new normal as boomers and gen y'ers demand greener, sustainable and socially conscious features and products.

Green Investing: Socially Conscious Brands Experience Fast Growth

Last week, I reposted a Sustainable Green Job listing for a research analyst opportunity with the socially responsible investment firm, Domini, and shared my experience  as an investor in this space. Check out this article, which highlights the rapid growth of "brands with a higher purpose", which includes Chipotle, Method and Stonyfield brands. Confirms that socially responsible investing can offer higher returns on a number of measures!

EPA Green Jobs Alert: 2012 College Internship Opportunity

Okay, I'm on a roll folks! I posted yesterday about internships with the National Park Service, but here is one more paid green job internship for diverse students (African American, Latino, Native American). Did I say, paid? The EPA Student Diversity Internship Program (EPASIP) encourages highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students to pursue internships involving scientific research or a focus on business, policy and government relations. Internships are ten weeks and available in the summer or during the school year. The information on the website infers that one must attend a designated historically black, latino or native american university, but there is flexibility around that qualification. I found this internship on the UNCF Special Programs Corporation website. You can tool around the site to checkout other opportunities and register to receive updated information. Happy Green Job Hunting!

Green Jobs: Green Internships for Diverse Students

I am happy to say that I am the proud mama of a future National Park Service intern! Yay! Funny how things work out. I have been the unofficial recruiter of highly qualified and diverse college students for the lovely, lush and green, park system in our area for several years. Obviously my son has been listening (imagine that) to me spreading the gospel of these great green job opportunities and told me while still in his first quarter at DePaul, that he really wanted to interview for the next round of summer internships at the National Park Service. I was pleasantly surprised! So I put him in contact with the hiring department, he sent his resume, interviewed, completed an application and even did some volunteer work this winter break for the park. After further discussions with the hiring ranger, he was recently informed that he will be hired this summer as an intern. This is so exciting! (Apparently, contacting your local park ranger or hiring office is the recommended way to explore internship opportunities). So of course being the curious mother that I am about all things relating to my beloved child, I did some research on 2012 summer internships at the National Park Service and discovered the Cultural Resources Diversity Internship. It is a program which provides paid opportunities for talented and highly qualified students from diverse backgrounds that are between the ages of 18-25, to explore cultural resources and historic preservation work. The park service recognizes that as our country's diverse population grows, there is a need to nurture in these populations, a love and appreciation for our natural and cultural resources. There will need to be an ample supply of talent and donor dollars to maintain our countries green jewels. Interns will be assigned to a park system in their region, work for 10 weeks and be flown to Washington, D.C. for a three day career workshop during the last week of the internship. Sounds great! Where do I sign up? Oh, I'm slightly over 25 years old. Click here if you want more details on the green internship, deadline to apply is March 2, 2012.

California's Green Jobs Were Most Resilient During Recession, Fastest Growing Sector

California's Green Jobs Were Most Resilient During Recession, Fastest Growing Sector

Research Analyst, North America, Domini Social Investments

Research Analyst, North America, Domini Social Investments This is one of the first woman owned and founded socially responsible investment funds. It was founded by Amy Domini in 1990, when as a stockbroker in the 80's, she noticed that there were socially conscious clients like ourselves, that wanted to exclude specific types of companies from their investment portfolios. It took her ten years, but the first indexed stock funds of socially responsible companies was born! For more information on socially responsible investing, check out the Domini website, the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment and Ron Robins at Investing for the Soul. Personally, I have funds invested in a number of socially responsible funds and with the exception of the alternative energy fund, they did much better than the stock market in general last year. I used the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment as a resource.

Oil-Funded Bill Introduced to Force Through Tar Sands Pipeline

Oil-Funded Bill Introduced to Force Through Tar Sands Pipeline

Associate, Climate Policy Practice, Climate Advisers

Associate, Climate Policy Practice, Climate Advisers

Meatless Monday Sandwich

Compliments of K.blog.lunchboxlunch.com via Pinterest

I have been sidelined this Monday evening due to a defective windshield wiper bladehield - if you have ever driven with a broken windshield wiper in the rain or snow, you know why I'm at home. The ole Prius is spending the night at the dealership. So what to do? Experiment with Meatless Monday in the kitchen of course! I'm going to make this delicious looking vegan sandwich recipe that I found on Pinterest, compliments of the website, Lunch Box Lunch. I love the juxtaposition of BBQ and vegan along with sauerkraut and arugula, especially on MLK Day! Sounds fun right? I did have to pay a little more for the organic sauerkraut, because the cheaper brands had some strange preservatives. I'm not trying to eat anything that has sulfites. I'm replacing the white sourdough bread with toasted whole wheat ciabatta. Bon Appetit mes amies!

MLK Day/Life of Service Ideas

Hello Friends! Happy Marting Luther King, Jr. Birthday! I hope that you have amazing plans to celebrate Dr. King's birthday and achievements in some manner today or this week - though I know that Black and Into Green readers are celebrating his legacy everyday through your actions. I was evaluating today's activities on the basis of what I thought would be Dr. King approved. While there are many offerings scheduled for today, most were just not that deep - in my humble opinion. The opportunities seemed to be more family centered entertainment activities with some educational offerings in the mix - which is great if you have young children, but my young child is a freshman in college and many of you don't even have kids!! So now what? Fortunately, I found some MLK Day of service activities through the All For Good and MLK Day websites, which provides information on a variety of service projects itemized by, your local area, statewide, virtual, micro and my favorite category - self-directed. I found a local area project cleaning, organizing and sorting items for the Kids In Need Resource Center. Serving meals, coat donation and a poverty simulation were some of the other options, but what really caught my eye were the self-directed projects. These projects are attractive for a number of reasons, 1) Variety 2) Action plan templates 3) Flexible 4) Environment and Community Garden Options and 5) Control. Some projects  (planting a community garden) require more planning than others (letter writing), but there is enough variety and flexibility for you to create something that fits your resource availability and constraints. I love the idea of the self-directed projects because it gives an individual or an organization an opportunity to extend the spirit of  MLK Day beyond a day or week  and I think Dr. King would approve. In fact, I love this idea so much that I am thinking about making a small contribution towards a project that I like in the form of a contest. Get back to you later this week on that one!

Green Your Diet with this Raw Sweet Treat: Pistachio Balls

Three simple, raw ingredients for Pistachio Balls

It's that time of year again, when we start to seriously think about our diets and health. If you are an aspiring raw foodist, you may have fallen off of the wagon ane are trying to get back on. I have a sweet, nutty and green way for you to kick-off your efforts. Pistachio Balls. This wonderful and simple recipe was discovered on a website I learned about today on NPR's "Travel with Rick Steves" show. Sasha Martin created the blog, Global Table Adventure with a wonderful goal, travel the world to appreciate other cultures, without leaving your own dinner table. How is this possible? Follow the blog to learn more. Now, back to the Pistachio Balls. This wonderful, green nut (red back in the day) has always been my favorite nut treat. I used to derive such pleasure in picking open the pryable shells and popping its contents into my mouth - red fingers and all. I recently discovered the amazing taste and aroma of pistachio oil, which tastes as great on salads as it does on organic Yukon Gold potatoes. Ground pistachios, pistachio oil, lime juice, salt and chopped parsley, makes an amazing and super healthy and green raw treat. Now through this wonderful blog, I have discovered a raw treat which uses only three ingredients, pistachios, dates and coconut (optional). Now for the piece de resistance - pistachios are really good and healthy for you aaaannnd they actually block the absorption of bad fats in other foods you may consume...you know like those leftover treats. Pistachios contain phytonutrients, which are substances which help to fight cancer. So here is the recipe for your enjoyment...love the pics. I'm going to make these this weekend. Can't wait to pop some of these green goodies in my mouth!

Silver Lining to Bad Economy: Move Toward Local, Employee-Owned, Green Businesses Again

Silver Lining to Bad Economy: Move Toward Local, Employee-Owned, Green Businesses Again Cleeeevelaaand!

Sierra Club's Outdoor Adventure for Urban Youth

Groups - Inner City Outings - Sierra Club I was doing some research on environmental groups outreach and diversity programs and came across the Inner City Outings or ICO programs run by the Sierra Club. To my surprise, I discovered that there are some 50 volunteer run groups around the country that develop outdoor programming for inner city or urban youth. This program has been up and running since 1971. Someone needs to call the Sierra Club and have them give a contract to my girl, Rue at Outdoor Afro, because I have never heard of any of the programs. Apparently, the challenge has been that it requires a tremendous amount of time, energy and volunteer resources to run a successful program. Kudos to those programs that are up and running. I do think that there is room for the Sierra club, through strategic partnerships with church groups, Girls and Boys Scouts troops, community centers, urban farmers and school districts to raise awareness and increase participation in these programs. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of gardening per day does more to relieve stress than most activities that our youth engage in to chill, this probably extends to any form of connecting with nature. Anyone got any ideas? To learn more, click on the link here.

I planted this weeping redbud about 4 years ago. Neighborhood kids adore it!

Oh and Happy New Year!

A New Twist on a New Year's Favorite: Black Eyed Pea Cabbage Rolls

I dutifully purchased some black eyed peas the other day. In most African American households, these are a must eat food for New Years. I haven't been that excited about preparing them, as I was getting pretty bored with some of the traditional recipes. Though I have successfully experimented with black eyed pea salad and fritters, I think I will try out this new recipe I found on one of my favorite vegan blogs, A Profound Hatred of Meant. Check out the blog post here. A Profound Hatred of Meat: Black Eyed Pea Cabbage Rolls: Black Eyed Peas are traditional to eat at the end of the year/beginning of the new year and they happen to be one of my favorite beans so I ...


As a follow-up to this post, read another post on what to do with all of those leftover black eyed peas, here.

Summer-like Pop Up Park

Are you missing the greenery and warmth of the great outdoors already? Didn't get a chance to enjoy some of those wonderful concerts in the park your neighborhood offers? Well, if you live in NYC, you have a second chance! Openhouse Gallery is featuring an interactive exhibit called Park Here, which brings the summer indoors. Lighting, sustainability and entertainment values were given strong consideration in the pop-up park's design. There are food tastings, yoga workouts and concerts for the public to enjoy. Learn more here. Wouldn't this be a great idea in your city? We could bring the outdoors inside in areas where there are no safe green spaces. The "parks" programming could be supplemented by organized tours to actual parks, community gardens, botanical gardens and the like and employees from those venues could come to the pop-up park and give lectures, bring animals and do live demonstrations. It would be a great place for community artists and entertainers to showcase their talents. Funding could be a challenge, but not if you start small - perhaps a cozy eco-friendly room with plants, great lighting and comfy seating where one could just chill with a few friends - it's very doable. Libraries, churches and community centers would be great candidates to house something like this. Anyone tempted to give it a try in their communities?

Finally, A Raw Food Holiday Recipe Book!

I love this website, "Raw Food on $10 a Day" for so many reasons, great pics of delicious and easy to prepare raw food, budget friendly and fun to read. One more reason....I discovered that there is a cookbook for raw food holiday recipes. Check it out.

Green Gift Giving for the Holidays

Toxics Avenger | NRDC Green Gifts It's that time of the year. Every year, I become Scroogier as I listen to reports of people mauling each other over stuff at big box retailers and dred buying more stuff for people just because it is expected. I feel a little better this year, as I started volunteering at a national fair trade retailer, Ten Thousand Villages, so at least in addition to being thoughtful about what I'm giving, I'm also being thoughtful about the benefactors of my hard earned dollars - artisans from over 38 countries who really need the money and are putting it to work in their communities. Many of these gifts are also eco-friendly, women friendly and kid friendly. Apparently many of you and your parents feel the same and cited in this article about increasing demand for greener gifts and quality over quantiy. We are not alone! Yay! There are so many more options these days as retailers are getting the message, even discount retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls have dozens or organic and eco-friendly options for those of us shopping on a budget. I purchase some great soy and essential oil based candles from CVS and thrift stores/flea markets are awesome places to find authentic, unique, awesome and made in America gifts - especially this time of the year. If you are inclined to shop online checkout the great offerings made available by the Natural Resources Defense Council - the law firm for the earth.

These soy candles are wonderful! At $7.99 - a great gift!

This is one of NRDC's gift options - love the diversity.

Gift option from the NRDC for animal lovers. Gorgeous wolf!

Educating children - the NRDC let's you give knowledge. Nice.

Toxic Avenger - NRDC let's you give the gift of eco-justice!

US reluctantly sets deadline for final decision on bisphenol A safety

US reluctantly sets deadline for final decision on bisphenol A safety The people have spoken. France has already banned this questionable chemical, often used in canned foods, receipts, glass lid liners and plastics. Industry claims that this synthetic hormone is present in safe levels for human consumption, but more consumers are starting to say, "no thanks". So now the US has an opportunity to give the people what they want, let's see what happens.

Take Action | Disclose Products Using Child Labor

Take Action International Labor Rights Forum Hey! Here is a great way to give this holiday season. The US Department of Labor is taking public comments on a ruling which may require the US government to disclose information about goods it purchases that were made with slave and child labor. Takes no longer than three minutes to complete or you can edit the letter with your own passionate comments!

Take care!

Two women's entrepreneurship spirit show how combining business and science might lead to a global brand | Rutgers Business School

Two women's entrepreneurship spirit show how combining business and science might lead to a global brand Rutgers Business School

The Environmental Side of Occupy Wall Street

The Environmental Side of Occupy Wall Street Green is good.

African Cleantech Association Launches

African Cleantech Association LaunchesAfrica reppin' in the green sector. Let me know if you have any projects which may be a fit.

Taking a Bite out of a Green Apple

Apple continues to eliminate toxics with the iPad. But how green is the cloud? Greenpeace Apple is on the right track with its eco-friendlier products, but an energy hogging threat looms behind the trend towards cloud computing and huge servers needed to store data. Hopefully, a little bit of American ingenuity can be applied to develop strategie for reducing energy use of these servers. Ready to take on the challenge? There is also a link to eco ratings for consumer electronic goods.

Marketing and Communications Director, The Outdoor Foundation

Marketing and Communications Director, The Outdoor Foundation