Have you ever considered doing “summer camp” in your own backyard? I used to be the Nature Director at a summer camp and can promise you, the magic that can be discovered on a summer afternoon can last a lifetime!
Not only do I write for Eco Child’s Play, I write a series of novels called Gaia Girls Book Sereis. In Gaia Girls, the heroines are granted cool powers and sent on “Gaia Missions” to help the earth. They are able to do this because they are so connected and aware of the Earth (Gaia). I suspect that the majority of us reading and writing here at Green Options spent a portion of our childhood outside getting connected and I want to do my part to make sure the next generation loves Earth enough to care for it. So this summer, I’m combining my nature director experience, with the fantastical fiction. I’m inviting one and all to participate in “The Summer of Gaia!”
Each week, I set you on a Mission that will open up all the magic Gaia has to offer.
Can a summer vacation help create a sutainable future? YES! Sustainability begins with a concern for the wild places in the world and summer vacation is an excellent place to instill love of the outdoors. A few months ago, I was privledge to attend the Student Conservation Association’s Earth Vision Summit. I know the young folks walked away inspried and ready for action; but I learned a few things too.
There are 391 National Park areas comprising over 84 MILLION acres in the U.S. A meaningful summer vacation is closer than you think! Our National Parks are your tax dollars at work. If you want your kids to experience the wilderness, explore it, be amazed by it, develop a sense of stewardship and a passion to protect it, you might be surprised by all the ways our National Parks can help make that happen!
Our common perception of a graffiti artist is a vandalistic rebel who works through a free venue to spread his message. Although there are many incredible artists who sprinkle our streets and alleyways with colorful, astonishing work, they don’t expect much respect from the common passerby for the work they do- until recently. The public environment, as it always has been, is a venue for artists and people to speak out.
So I wouldn’t say we were incredibly green this weekend, but we were relatively green.
The dude who lives on the other side of Mr. Obsessively Mowing hadn’t mowed in a long time–longer than it had been for us. So on the weekend, he mowed his yard. . .with a riding mower. . .then used a weedwhacker. . .then used a leafblower. . .then mowed again. . .while smoking. Way to cancel out your lack of pollution, dude.
As a species, we must look pretty silly in a number of ways. Here are fifteen weird things we do from a squirrel’s point of view, along with some daily ways that we can be a little more like the other animals.
15. We spend as much effort packaging our food as finding and eating it. So much of our food these days comes pre-packaged that we don’t think twice about it. In order
The environmental movement has been rolling along fast this year, and rocking to boot. A green rhythm is beating in the heart of today’s music scene and music lovers young and old have their fingers on its pulse.
This summer, the SOS Live Earth Concert brought together musicians to stages around the world for one glorious day of music and festivities. The message: take personal action
When I talk to people about thinking sustainably, they inevitably ask for books to read, and although there are several books I love about sustainability, they’re all very specific to one area of sustainability. Want to read about food? Try Michael Pollan, Peter Singer, or the new Barbara Kingsolver book. Climate Change? How about The Weather Makers
GO and ENN news articles have reported on Ecuador’s high-minded decision to leave its largest oil reserve untapped. The unexploited oil fields lie in Yasuni National Park, home to at least two indigenous tribes. Drilling them would add a pretty penny to the country’s purse. However, under the YasunÌ-ITT Initiative, President Rafael Correa has vowed to leave the oil in the ground. The initiative also sets the lofty goals of developing greater
When I was in elementary school, we walked to and from school almost every day when the weather allowed. The bane of my existence was the (in my eyes) Everest-like hill on Hull Avenue on the east side of Des Moines. Hull Avenue is home to a notoriously-thrilling sledding hill that was enjoyable on snow days, but I dreaded trudging up that hill at the end of school days. I was
A few weeks ago I wrote an article alerting you to an international activity that took place on September 21 called Park(ing) Day. As predicted, the event, in its third year, was an overall hit. From a little over a dozen parks last year, this year’s international event tallied up 180 parks in 47 cities worldwide. San Francisco, Park(ing) Day’s hometown, accomplished 53 parks and 5 sidewalk
Photo courtesy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program office.
I’m a Minnesota Public Radio member, and so I choose to receive a magazine called Minnesota Monthly as my thank you gift (I know I could save them $15 more a year but it’s a really good magazine). This month, I was at first pleased to find an article on global warming, then disturbed to learn about the rapid
Our common perception of a graffiti artist is a vandalistic rebel who works through a free venue to spread his message. Although there are many incredible artists who sprinkle our streets and alleyways with colorful, astonishing work, they don’t expect much respect from the common passerby for the work they do- until recently. The public environment, as it always has been, is a venue for artists and people to speak out. 
As a species, we must look pretty silly in a number of ways. Here are fifteen weird things we do from a squirrel’s point of view, along with some daily ways that we can be a little more like the other animals.
When I talk to people about thinking sustainably, they inevitably ask for books to read, and although there are several books I love about sustainability, they’re all very specific to one area of sustainability. Want to read about food? Try Michael Pollan, Peter Singer, or 
. Climate Change? How about 
When I was in elementary school, we walked to and from school almost every day when the weather allowed. The bane of my existence was the (in my eyes) Everest-like hill on Hull Avenue on the east side of Des Moines. Hull Avenue is home to a notoriously-thrilling sledding hill that was enjoyable on snow days, but I dreaded trudging up that hill at the end of school days. I was 
A few weeks ago 
