Colin Beavan, a.k.a. No Impact Man, visited the Molloy College campus this week as part of the Earth Week celebration. He spoke to about 100 attendees about the need for people to recognize the connectivity among us all, and the need to not polarize issues. We all need to do the best we can to protect the earth as well deal with many other issues, and though we may have different ideas about how to do that, we are all in the same boat. We can’t remain selfish and “fighting over deck chairs on the Titanic.” His own epiphany came when he walked into his air conditioned apartment one day and realized that our country was at war over the fuel needed to run that air conditioner. He wanted to live a life that did not require fighting over, and thus came the idea for the No Impact project. He still rides his bike, remains vegetarian, and doesn’t use air conditioning. See http://noimpactproject.org/.
Honored by LI Progressive Coalition
Thank you to the LI Progressive Coalition for honoring me and many other worthy folks, including Huntington Councilwoman Glenda Jackson, Congressman Tim Bishop, and immigrant activist Dr. Luis Valenzuela, at their annual luncheon yesterday! I got a beautiful plaque in the category of “Environmental Vision in Sustainable Development” and a lovely introduction by Jonathan Grindell, fellow vegetarian and prius-driver. : ) Thanks to all my colleagues and family who came out to support me, at the beautiful Timber Point Country Club in Great River, NY.
I wore my beautiful black organic cotton, “Jacquie O” dress by Fin, which many people commented on. 🙂
Town of Oyster Bay Women of Distinction
Tonight I was honored by the Town of Oyster Bay, NY as a Woman of Distinction! Eight women are selected each year for this honor for their efforts in various areas such as volunteerism, health care, business, and the arts. My category was government, for my work through the Sustainability Institute on our Clean Energy Leadership Task Force and various energy policies. It was a great ceremony and each winner was very worthy of the title. We each got an introduction by a Town Council member and proclamation. Our names will be engraved on a plaque that will hang in Oyster Bay Town Hall forever-more!
Organic Lawn Care Piece for News 12
Today I filmed an interview on organic lawn care with Elizabeth Hashagen of News 12! Thank you to Elizabeth for her terrific “Go Green with 12” segments each week that help keep Long Islanders informed of what they can do to protect the environment. It will air the week of April 11th, so when it does, I’ll add the link!
Cruise Ship Goes Green
I just had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Solstice. It was great to be pampered for a week, enjoy delicious food, and get some sun in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Maarten! The best part was meeting the ship’s environmental officer, James Mitchell. He attended the Maritime Academy in Boston and is attending Harvard for graduate school, but takes a few months off at a time to serve as the coordinator of the Solstice’s environmental programs. He ensures compliance with environmental regulations regarding waste disposal, and educates guests about the green features of the ship, including 280 solar films over the solarium pool, which produce enough electricity to power the constantly running elevator up and down 14 decks. The ship was designed with a special hull coated with silicone paint to reduce drag, and the ship is outfitted with LED lights throughout. These efforts have resulted in a 2-4% savings, which adds up to thousands of dollars considering the large amount of fuel used to propel the ship (63,000 gallons of diesel per day!). The ship even featured a permanent environmental exhibit. It was great to learn that each ship in the Royal Caribbean line (which owns Celebrity) now is staffed by an environmental officer.
New LEED Home on Long Island
I had the privilege of meeting Stephanie March through my consulting business, Green Inside and Out, after she and her husband, Bobby Flay, built a new green home in Amagansett. I visited their lovely, traditional-style home when construction was nearly complete, and helped advise the landscaper on how to establish and maintain an organic lawn. Low VOC paints and low-flow water fixtures were used in the home, and cisterns will capture rainwater for irrigation. The house is very energy efficient and utilizes solar power and a geothermal heat pump. They hope to achieve a LEED Gold status from the US Green Building Council.
In addition to the environmental features of the home, we met in NYC this week, at Bar Americain, to discuss the health benefits of using greener materials in the home. E.g. the importance of using green cleaners, minimizing use of carpets where possible, and asking for safer, natural pest control products at the local nursery.
This is an exciting project, one of very few like it on Long Island. I hope Ms. March and Mr. Flay will “live happily ever after” in their new green home, …and that maybe Mr. Flay will invite me over for a vegetarian meal some day! : ) A girl can dream, right?