Cool Green Jobs: Environmental Attorney

Communities seek ways to override state control of oil and gas drilling boom - Local News Reading this article gave me a sense of hope in the ability of the everyday average citizen to retain some control over their environment, especially as my state has become the darling of the drilling and fracking industry. The legal profession is often derided for it's excesses and greed, but the attorneys that are fighting for a safe, clean and balanced future for all species should be exempt from this comtempt. Most are very bright and have many options in the legal field that pay significantly more in pure dollars, but find their reward in pursuing loftier outcomes. Now this is a cool green job. I haven't made any final decisions on natural gas drilling and fracking as I don't feel as informed on the issue as I should, but I do feel that drilling and fracking should be off limits in parks and minimized in neighborhoods, especially given concerns around earthquakes and water quality. Leave it to a group of mothers to say enough is enough and take a stand for their beliefs! I love it!

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.

Lisa P. Jackson, Head of EPA Announces Top Seven Priorities

Now that Mrs. Jackson, Head of the Environmental Protection Association, has had a few months on the job to review and assess the current state of the environment in the U.S., she has announced seven key priorities for the EPA's future. Here they are:

1. Taking action on climate change (she has already taken aggressive steps in this direction)
2. Improving Air Quality
3. Assuring the safety of chemicals (can you say BPA?)
4. Cleaning up our communities (all communities)
5. Protecting America's waters (you know, toxins from manufacturing outputs and medicines that we flush)
6. Expanding the conversation on environmentalism and working for environmental justice (this mission of this blog)
7. Building strong state and tribal partnerships (collaboration is key)

Click here if you want additional details.

Sounds like a great top seven. I'm in!

Gloria's 2010 Green Goals

Well, it's that time of the year again. Time to reflect, assess and re-evaluate.Last year, I purchased more local and organic food, incorporated more vegan and raw foods into my diet, ventured back into thrift stores for fashion purchases,bought less stuff, introduced a few business groups to the green economy, invested in socially responsible stock funds and spent less time at the gym, more on the pavement. Wow! That's a lot of green stuff! So here are my top ten 10 green goals for 2010.

• Take the bus to work one day a week
• 20% of clothing purchases from thrift, consignment shops, 20% organic or fair trade
• Obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design) accreditation
• Green renovation of my bathroom and invest in low flow household water fixtures
• Take advantage of tax credits for green appliance purchase
• Apply permaculture principles in my garden and plant more edibles (this will be a challenge, as my garden is shady)
• Host green events including a women's trade show, an Earth Day party and a garden party
• Promote Power of Placed Based Educational Principles in my Green Schools Action Circle
• Act as a Green Coach to an African American business
• Make five green business presentations

So what are your top three green goals for 2010?

Water Filter Water Bottle (Perfect Eco- Stocking Stuffer!)

Another contribution from my very green writer friend Chandra. Ever have to resort to drinking unfiltered tap water with your current water bottle? This happens to me frequently at work or the gym. I just pray and drink it. The water from the work kitchen and the gym fountain is not bad tasting actually, compared to the water fountain water at work. Horrific! I digress. Clear2Go offers products from water bottles to water pitchers that will keep you in filtered water all day! It is even endorsed by champion cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, I'm definitely getting one. A great gift for yourself and your family! Click here to read more and get a discount on your purchase, or you can purchase through the Amazon link on this blog.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Setting The Stage For A Greener Community

Last week, I attended the Ohio Planning Annual Conference, which had a theme around sustainability.Most in attendance were urban planners, engineers, architects and consultants. I was the only banker. Planners are professionals that develop long and short term plans for the use of land in a region. They factor the vision for the city, demographic trends, social, enviromental and economic goals into development a document called a comprehensive plan. I attended four workshops, 1) Visioning with Sustainability In Mind 2) City of Cleveland Vacant Land Reuse Plan 3) Historic Building Preservation is the New Green and 4) Engaging Citizens in the Comprehensive Planning Process. This is what I learned:

1) The principles of city planning and sustainability share many values

2) It is important to engage the community or stakeholders in setting the vision for the future

3) There are many approaches to implementing sustainability into your city's plan - the Marin County, CA comprehensive plan is the cadillac of these plans

4) Foreclosures and population declines allow cities an opportunity to re-green space, improve water resources and neighborhoods through land banking

5) Some cities offer residents an opportunity to acquire property for $1 after a period of demonstrated improvements on the land

6) Residents have opportunities to apply for grants to recreate and re-develop their neighborhoods on a micro level

7) Preserving an historic building can be a greener approach to new construction, lots of value stored in the building in the form of solid construction and energy already expended in its' construction

8) You have an opportunity to shape the future of your city, region and/or state through participation on community planning boards and open houses

9) Elected officials, zoning officials and private companies need to be educated on the benefits of sustainability, economic and social rewards

10) There are lots of loan programs, tax credits and grant programs available for small businesses in the area of sustainability and historic building preservation, but no simple way to access this information (I can assist you with this-email me at bn2g00@gmail.com)

11) Bio-waste is the new oil, companies and cities are looking for ways to sell their organic waste

So there you have it, as Gandhi stated "Be the change you want to see in the world". Start visualizing and brainstorming some great ways to productively use land and space in your community, call your council person or county executive and make it happen baby!

Please Don't Squeeze The Charmin, No Really Don't

I guess we just saw too many Mr. Whiffle commercials in our youth. Americans can't seem to give up their fluffy bear bottom friendly toilet paper, though our rainforests and water supplies are at risk due to this need for softness down under. Recycled toilet paper constitutes only 2% of our toilet paper purhases compared to 20% in Europe. The economy may wipe out this disparity however, as fluffy toilet papers sales were down 7% in 2008. One problem I have with recycled toilet paper, though I use it 75% of the time, is that you seem to need more, which kind of defeats the purpose of buying recycled. After reading this article, I will continue to rough it out for the rainforest.

Green Networking and Another Very Green Week

Hello friends! Last week was an incredibly green week from a community involvement and networking perspective. In these trying economic times you must network, network, network!

Thursday

I attended a local food forum hosted by Bon Appetit and Entrepreneurs for Sustainability and attended by over 400 participants (I was the only suit in the audience). I met many interesting and diverse folks - a couple of African American urban farmers, an Amish farmer, a budding organic baker/entrepreneur, an amazing producer of cheese made from grass-fed cows (once you go grass-fed, you never go back), a government agency that trains developmentally disabled people to work on farms, a green energy consultant and a green insurance agent to name a few. Whew! Amazing what you can accomplish in two hours. We all made a commitment to eat at least 10% of our food from local sources and to work with schools and our cities to promote urban gardening and access to good food for our children. My favorite quote from the evening "Imagine young people walking home from school and picking fresh sweet tomatoes and juicy berries from a front yard, peaches off of a tree on the tree lawn (as opposed to cellophane wrapped sugar and corn syrup laden garbage food from the corner store)." Visuals are powerful motivators. Check out my tweets for a play by play of the evening.

Friday

Munched on the yummy organic locally sourced goodies from the baker I met on Thursday. Met with a municipality that was really into recycling and met another public entity that was seriously thinking about buying a windmill to supply their energy needs.

Saturday Morning

Attended an event for high schoolers and their parents/teachers which promoted entrepreneurship through application of science. Lecture 1) Polymer research and applications to address the world's energy and fresh drinking water problems (top 2 threats to humanity in next 50 years). Also discussion of using fossil fuel alternatives like coconuts, switch grass and soy to create polymers (rubber, styrofoam, plastics, etc) Lecture 2) Alternative energy research and NASA, facilitated by NASA Glenn Director, Dr. Woodrow Whitlow (a very gracious, accomplished and distinguished black man). The aerospace arm of our government has dozens of alternative energy research projects in place around the nation, including some options I never heard of - wave currents, biomass from algae, underwater power and hydrogen fuel cells. My overall impression of this lecture-NASA knows something we don't and is serious about finding energy alternatives for a reason. My tweets.

Saturday Evening

Partied at the Emerge event held by the Green City Blue Lake Institute (GCBL), an organization seeking to promote a more sustainable future for Greater Cleveland. I was going to wear my new H&M white organic cotton shirt, but opted for zebra print instead - that choice caught the attention of a photographer with the local paper (I will post image next week). This green event was attended by a diverse group of over 200 professionals - environmentalists, scientists, professors, attorneys, gardeners, publishers, artists and green bankers (me). I was pressing the flesh and networking like crazy! I was especially pleased to find a greater number of African Americans in attendance this year. One of the 2009 goals of GCBL is to "achieve greater social and economic diversity of people in the sustainability movement". Hey GCBL! We need to talk.

Well that is a recap of my very green week. I encourage you to get out at green events in your community (check out the event calendar on this blog) and represent. They are looking for you.

Kwanzaa Day Four Principle: Ujamaa

Habari gani?! Ujamaa! To build and maintain our stores and other businesses and to profit from them together. The idea of the black entrepreneur has always intrigued me, from the very first time I picked up a discarded copy of Black Enterprise magazine at my campus student union to the vast array of green business opportunities presenting themselves to our community at this moment. At Ohio State University, while working for the Office of Black Student Programming, I put together a seminar titled "Black and in the Green" (sound familiar?), which served the purpose of introducing the student and surrounding community to the idea of entrepreneurship. Two businesses were birthed as a result! As I think about it, I may just recycle that concept with a green twist, "Go Green, Black Businesses, Go Green." I have written on this topic in the past and profiled black and green businesses. I would love to profile more in 2009. A few projects that I want to highlight today:

• Ananda Leeke, founder of Go Green Sangha Radio and BAP Living, has authored a new book, Love's Troubadours. The novel chronicles the life adventures of a Bohemian, Black African Princess. It is part one of an exciting and intriguing series. Copies are selling fast! Get one today!

• blackEnergy, a triple bottom line business, owned by Dr. Sonja Ebron, offers a wide variety of energy saving products and services in addition to utility services. Lighting, power generation, fans, weatherization - you name it you can find it at blackEnergy.

• Van Jones, well known black and green, environmental justice/economy guru has also written a book, The Green Collar Economy, which highlights the opportunities that the green economy can provide for the black community, especially the economically disavantaged.

• Black and Into Green has an amazing eco-friendly portal for purchasing green products of all kinds (including those of the featured authors), via the Amazon Shop Green widget found on the site. Click here for some end of the year deals!

So in the spirit of Ujamaa, recycle your hard earned dollars with these entrepreneurs and buy black, green and local.

Peace.

Drugs In Tap Water: What are Doctors Saying?

Doctors have organized and expressed their concern over the safety of our drinking water. Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) was formed in 1961 as a means for doctors to organize, research and advocate on issues surrounding environmental health. The organization has many accomplishments, including winning a Nobel Peace Prize. PSR has a comprehensive site covering many topics, including drinking water issues and the impact on your health. In addition to providing statistics and information, suggestions are provided to empower you to protect yourself and your family from toxic water. For more information on water filtration systems and advocacy, see Black and Into Green's post on assessing your water and filtering systems.

Personally, I am pleased to know that the knowledge gap between the practice of medicine and environmental health knowledge is not as wide as I have assumed. I was especially encouraged to have this conversation with my doctor's office, who shared some research with me in the area of pollutants, chemicals and cancer. Does your physician practice socially conscious medicine? If not, perhaps you can encourage her to learn more about the mind, body, planet connection.

Be safe, healthy and aware.

Reports of Drugs in the Tap Water

By now you have read about the reports of all of the drugs and various substances found in our drinking water and tap water. I have included a link to a previous post that highlights the following:

• How to determine what is in your local drinking water
• Selecting a water filtration system that meets your specific needs
• Understanding water treatment facilities
• What you can do to advocate for the highest level of water processing

Don't think that bottled water is any better than tap water because it is not treated to screen out these additional pharmecutals and toxins.

About the Water for that Tea...Is it Safe to Drink?

Water - essential for life, the source of 70% of our cell structure, a key ingredient for a good cup of tea or coffee - is it safe to use? I am not a big fan of bottled water for many reasons, so that leaves me and many others, to get water straight from the faucet or tap. There are many questions about the safety of that tap water - about contamination from farm and factory originated chemicals and toxins, contamination from drugs being disposed of via dumping or human waste into the water systems or intentional bio-terrorist inspired poisoning. There are many water filtering systems on the market and lots of information available about the effectiveness of one over the other. It can be overwhelming to research and decipher the information about each of these systems. I have provided an outline below as a possible approach to take in making your drinking water safer and cleaner:

• Determine the health of your community's drinking water by evaluating public reports
  
• Test the water of your home (Plumbing materials can impact water content)
• Using this information, refer to the National Sanitation Foundation's website to select a system that works best for your water profile
• Refer to your national consumer reporting publication for product reviews on the type of system you will be using
• Advocate for the most thorough treatment processes to be used by your local water treatment facility.