By Melinda Toussaint
Looking ahead to warmer weather many of us are anticipating summer, concerts, and fun; i.e. Summer Fest, Country Thunder, etc. But some of us don’t have to wait until summer to enjoy the music and fun. Some of us can even give back to the Earth while enjoying those pleasures. It’s called Operation: Adaptation and it will be held on April 24th and 25th of 2009 in Sullivan, WI (40 minutes from Milwaukee or Madison).
Operation: Adaptation is a common ground for vendors and visitors to promote, network, and learn new eco-friendly ideas. It is a two day music festival unlike any other. With green activities and alternatives you can car-pool away with a new perspective on your contribution to the world.
For every ticket purchased ($45) Trees For The Future will plant one tree in the grounds of rural areas spanning Asia, Africa, and Central America. This will help eliminate CO2 emissions from the air.
For that ticket you will experience approximately 25 bands on three different stages; one of which is powered entirely by the people there. The Human Powered Bike Stage is powered by eight people riding bikes (you may also contribute by riding) to keep lights, instruments, and PA systems working. But that’s not all that has gone green; the utensils for food have as well.
The food will be provided by Totally Baked Pizza and will be served with corn-based dishes and utensils. Corn-based products decompose much faster than regular plastic, thus better for the environment.
Lastly, camping grounds are helping out too. To camp on the grounds for those two days it will only cost $5 and the best part is that 100% of the proceeds go directly to the Jammin’ For Jamaica fund, an organization dedicated to raising money for supplies and music education for Porus, Jamaica.
As you can see, every aspect of this festival is green and you can be part of the green team too! If you or your business wants to volunteer, sign up at www.operationadaptation.com because they need help in all areas, especially set up and clean up. Or if you just want a chance to witness the future in the making, go online and purchase your ticket now!
However, for those of you not near Wisconsin, take note from Operation: Adaptation and take your music to a green level. This upcoming concert season try to:
- print your tickets off online on recycled paper
- download directions to the venue directly to your mobile phone
- try out corn-based or compostable dishes and utensils on your next camping trip (check out www.letsgogreen.biz to order yours in bulk)
- carpool or ride your bike to the venue (Operation: Adaptation even rewards their visitors for doing so)
- volunteer for a music festival in your area to help them recycle materials and stay green (it will help your resume as well)
Visit www.operationadaptation.com for more information and make sure to enjoy your upcoming concert season in the greenest way possible. Who knows it might make the music sound even sweeter!
Operation: Adaptation
Wax On, Wax Off
By Melinda Toussaint
When making decisions about vehicle maintenance, gas is not the only thing to consider cutting back on; car washes are a huge concern as well.
The problem: on average a full service car wash uses 37 gallons of water per wash and washing at home consumes even more. A driveway wash can consume between 80 and 140 gallons of water while sending oil, detergents, and other pollutants down your storm drain. Yet washing your car is important in many areas of the country during the winter to keep road salt from corroding the vehicle.
Did you know that your average garden hose sprays 10 gallons of water a minute? And how much of that is just when you leave it running? Well it doesn’t have to be that way. One solution: waterless car washes such as Fast Wax, by RGS Labs, Inc. It is a waterless wash and wax in a normal aerosol can, and provides 5-10 car washes, depending on how you apply it.
The average person washes their car every month, so using a waterless wash, you can save the environment up to 444 gallons of water per year. At that number, there’s no reason not to use it!
Keep your cars looking good at a fraction of the cost and feel good about it. You will be helping the environment tremendously! For more information, visit http://www.fastwax.com/.
Work Green
By Melinda Toussaint
It’s not always easy finding a green job but that doesn’t mean you can afford to wait to work green. Whatever job you have whether it is retail, office work, or manufacturing, there’s many ways you can green your job. Here are five ways:
1. Coffee: Use your own mug! According to True Green by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin, 1.9 million tons of paper and plastic cups/plates are thrown away in the U.S. each year. By using your own mug you can help eliminate that. Also, talk to your manager about switching your coffee to Fair Trade-labeled brands to support the farmers invested in your coffee.
2. Paper: I’m sure you’ve heard it before but use BOTH sides of the paper before you recycle it. Especially working in an office that creates a lot of unnecessary paperwork. Paper is 70 percent of the office’s waste; help cut that in half but putting old papers right back into your printer. You’ll be surprised how much paper you’ll go through.
3. Let your computer sleep: Electronics such as computers, TVs, and cell phones use the bulk of their energy when not in use but still on. Turn off your computer at close of the night and during the day. While you’re on break, in meetings, or generally not using it and you could reduce the power consumption by five percent.
4. Buy a plant: Buy a plant for your desk or office and it will benefit you in the long run. Plants act as natural air filters, absorbing airborne pollutants and computer radiation. Plants will help protect you from germs of your colleagues as well. They will help you not get sick but also help to reduce your stress level.
5. Green Machines: If your just starting out or in need of new machines at your work choose Energy-Star compliant machines for your printers, fax and copy machines. Machines that can power down when not in use can cut energy wasted in a huge way. By having the machines produce less heat you’ll help reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent, and your machines will work better too.
Many companies are already on the right green track, including:
1. General Electric- they have committed to innovative solutions for their environmental challenges through “Ecomagination” to help meet customers' demands for cleaner products.
2. Marriott- they run 2,800 hotels in 68 countries, 151,000 employees, and revenue of $10.4 billion. But in 2006, it was names a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency climate leader for their pledge to reduce greenhouse gases by 6 percent per guest room by 2010.
3. Google- the world’s largest search engine has committed to solar energy production, launching the largest solar panel installation to date on a corporate campus in the U.S. They are also hoping to boost plug-in hybrid car technology through RechargeIT- an initiative that aims to reduce carbon emissions and cut oil use, amongst many other green projects.
Take these companies examples and try little green steps at work on a daily basis. After a while you’ll be able to notice your impact and could branch out on a larger scale. Good luck greener your work, and remember the biggest part of it is to influence those around your to green their efforts too!
Travel Green
By Melinda Toussaint
The green movement is expanding at a large rate, so much so that it’s important for business owners to catch the green wave. Becoming an eco-friendly business is as important for your image as it is for the environment.
If you’re in Wisconsin, one great way for your business or the business you work for is to volunteer for the Travel Green Wisconsin program. Because of the Great Lakes tourism Wisconsin attracts it was important for us to come up with a program dedicated to preserving the land and sustaining natural resources.
Travel Green Wisconsin is a voluntary program that went state wide in 2007 to help review, recognize, and certify tourism businesses that were going green. It formed a green checklist that businesses are striving to achieve to be certified as a green business.
This checklist includes:
-communication and education
-waste reduction, reuse, and recycling
-energy efficiency, conservation and management
-water conservation and wastewater management
-air quality
-wildlife and landscape conservation and management
-transportation
-purchasing
-local community benefits
After a Baseline Environmental Assessment, completing enough sustainable practices from the checklist above, and submitting an application annual fee your business will be Travel Green Wisconsin certified.
Sporting the TGW certification logo benefits your business and customers in several ways. By becoming more energy efficient and conserving natural resources it will reduce your company’s costs and boost your image in the community. Boosting your image will help contribute to new customers that will feel good about supporting an eco-friendly cause.
Travel Green Wisconsin is open to all types of businesses whether it is restaurants, events/festivals, or accommodations. In the last two years TGW has dedicated itself to taking action towards environmental, social, and economic sustainability and for two years businesses that have volunteered have kept the cause going. Set green goals for your company to achieve and send your application in to TGW and in no time you could be an integral part of those efforts.
For more information visit http://www.travelgreenwisconsin.com/. You can also check to see if there are programs in your area (like the Travel Green Minnesota program) or set similar goals from the checklist for your business to achieve.
Travel has become the third largest source of revenue nationwide so take a note from Travel Green Wisconsin by starting your green business practices today!
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