Editor’s Note: This is first in a “Kids Did” feature series by Suneet Bhatt, co-founder of Dream Village and Social Symmetry. This series will explore what kids are doing around the country to help their local community environment.

Times are changing. I went to elementary school in the early 80’s, and I remember participating in the shift toward the disposable society. Instead of Tupperware sandwich containers, I started getting plastic wrap. Instead of a Thermos I started getting Capri Sun (my main squeeze) or some other juice box. Everything was wrapped in plastic. And everything ended up in my stomach or in the trash can; sometimes directly, and sometimes by way of a ricochet off of say, the face of a close friend. Kids will be kids.

Read more of this story »

The Roswell Recycling Center and Styrocyclers will hold a one-day polystyrene, or Styrofoam, recycling event on Saturday, May 2 from 8am to 2pm. They’re only accepting polystyrene packaging. Egg cartons, plates, takeout containers, and cups can’t be recycled.

While researching about the event, I came across this little gem on the Styrocyclers website (emphasis mine):

Read more of this story »

But wait!  With a little in-house preemptive dumpster diving, you can save some pretty good stuff from the scrap heap.  If you have an extra shelf or drawer, or a corner in your closet where you can stash the goodies away until they’re needed, here’s where you can save the big bucks:

Read more of this story »

Wal-Mart and W.R. Grace? Some will certainly raise hackles in disgust…

Regardless of past issues, this looks like a very promising project. Wal-Mart has already shown real innovation with not only recycling packaging waste, but even turning it into a revenue stream.  According to the Environmental Leader article (linked above), “Grace Canada and its parent company W. R. Grace & Co. have recycled over 77 million pounds of foam polystyrene.” And styrofoam does have one thing going for it: it has great insulating properties.

Read more of this story »

I found a contender: Ecovative Design has come up with a number of products for packaging, building insulation, foam core (think: surfboards) and ye olde beer cooler that do away with styrofoam, using agricultural waste. And, making this even better, the ingredients for the product will come from local sources, whichever is the most prevalent in the area that it’s made.

So rather than trucking the same ag waste 1000s of miles to other regional factories, they have come up with a product that can flex what it contains without compromising the quality or integrity. For example, cellulose pulp from areas with lots of paper mills, and rice hulls in Texas, where a lot of rice is processed.

And it’s compostable, biodegradable, and if sent back to Ecovative, recyclable. Take that, styrofoam!

Read more of this story »

The announcement comes after Los Angeles County supervisors caused disappointment in January when they abandoned a threat to ban the bags, choosing instead a voluntary program where stores were to “encourage” customers to bring reusable bags. In other words, the status quo.

The City Council also voted to ban Styrofoam at all city-owned facilities, including LAX, by 2009. Though Los Angeles collects Styrofoam for recycling, there isn’t really a market for it - by the time it is melted down, very little material is left. Last I heard, Styrofoam was being stored until another solution could be found…like a ban! Ta da!

Read more of this story »

In this one, we focus on the marketplace itself. This year, they ventured into that Green netherworld to make the conference greener. They even hired a Green conference consultant but we could track down this consultant so we had do go it alone.

We thing we see when we check in is a giant sign from Travel Alberta about how they have purchased carbon credits. It’s no secret of what we think of carbon credits (low on the green totem pole). We’re more about actually doing something to make a change instead of just buying something.

Read more of this story »

Why avoid disposables? Try getting an Italian to enjoy his espresso from the ridged lip of a Styrofoam cup and he’ll tell you all about the importance of real cups and dishes for enjoying the experience of food and drink. And then, of course, there’s the environmental impact. Take the plastic spoon: sure, no one adores washing dishes, but is it really harder to wash a spoon than it is to locate and drill oil reservoirs, refine crude oil, extract the chemical feedstock used to make plastic, and mould plastic into thousands of tiny, single-use utensils that are then shipped to a landfill where they must then be managed for hundreds of years while they sit without decomposing?

Now there’s trash (like biodegradable paper food trays) and then there’s Trash (with a capital T, like plastic or Styrofoam containers). Opting for the better of the two is a good start.

Ditching the Capital T

Try wrapping your veggie-dog in a napkin or getting your Chinese delivery from restaurants that offer those handy little paper boxes instead of polystyrene (or Styrofoam) containers. Where there’s a will there’s a way and finding alternative containers is a fun way to express your eco-creativity. But that’s just the start.

Do one better by using your own containers for take-out or leftovers from your favorite restaurant. It’s like the restaurant equivalent of cloth shopping bags to the grocery store. Our local Mexican restaurant has come to know and love us for getting burritos to go in bread-baking tin. They get a giggle and we get great food without the waste. It’s a win-win situation, and the bread tin also makes a great conversation piece at the restaurant. Make sure to be friendly when you ask to use your own container; activism with a smile is always the most effective.

Want to go all the way in eliminating that capital T? Here’s the good news: increasingly, a number of large cities are passing legislation that bans the use of Styrofoam containers in restaurants. Many other cities are considering similar action. Legislation like this is important because Styrofoam is not recyclable in most places and does not quickly decompose so sits in landfills. The more Styrofoam we prevent, the fewer open spaces will need to be converted to landfills to hold this Trash (with a capital T). And not all of trash ends up at the dump: quite a lot finds its way into ocean ecosystems as well. Here’s a visual. Chemicals in styrene products are also harmful to human health because they attack the central nervous system.

You can encourage your city to pass a similar ban on Styrofoam by contacting your city council. Also, talk to restaurants and stores that use plastic cutlery or bags about biodegradable plastics. If you already live in one of those forward-thinking cities with a ban on Styrofoam, you can help restaurants by letting them know how much you appreciate them following this eco-friendly policy. Supporting restaurants and companies that are doing things right flexes your power as a consumer to make a difference. You can also help the city by letting them know if you come across a restaurant using Styrofoam.

How is everyday activism effective?

Some of the most heroic deeds of activism come in the most commonplace shapes and sizes. Confronting the way we do things each day makes such a big difference because the changes we make are multiplied over time: just two fewer disposable items used each day turns into over 50,000 items during a lifetime. When we regularly make decisions that take into consideration the wellbeing of the environment and other people (such as walking or bicycling to the store or supporting local or Fair Trade farmers), our friends and family take notice. Leading by example is a sure way to inspire those around us to take action as well.

And congratulate yourself on the changes you make, no matter how small. When it comes to doing what’s right, there is no effort too small.

Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7527513@N04/545957211/

Behind every successful child is a loving, caring, and involved parent. I also had the opportunity to interview Margot’s mom, Nadine. She serves as an adviser to the Youth Activist Club, and she was kind enough to agree to this interview process with a complete stranger like me. (Thank you again, Nadine!)

Nadine, your daughter and her friends are an inspiration. Talk to us about the you play in Margot’s life as it relates to this cause?

As it turns out, I was asked to be co-facilitator of the YAC as there was an opening and I am a fairly well known for my environmental/peace & justice work, and I am at my core an educator. Since I said yes, it has been a pleasure to work with these young thinkers and doers; they intuitively understand ecological connections that escape our County administrators, and are very creative thinkers….and energetic!

I was a bit unsure how much Margot would get in to this club, since as the daughter of an activist she has been part of my activist work since in utero. As it turned out, she– and several of her best friends– all really loved being part of the club, not only because they were together, but also because they got to interact with older students, learn valuable skills and tools, and be exposed to advocating for themselves to better their world, all the while making waves in their school and community (becoming mini-celebrities in a way.)

Part of what we are trying to do here is share stories so others can be inspired and so other children can follow in Margot’s footsteps. I believe that actually starts with parents first. What advice do you have for grownups who want to help the children in their life get involved and make a difference?

Mostly, the advice is “just do it.” By that I mean, figure out the hook for your child/children: what are they interested in? What engages them? What do they love ( is it their pet hamster, their mommy, their new bike?) How is that related to their life, and what does it mean to them? (If it is their bike, where do they like to bike ride? Who takes care of the bike? Etc…) It is totally possible that the kids will tell you they love sea turtles ( like my daughter) and that they have heard they eat plastic and then they die. This is really upsetting to a 3rd grader. Work with that concern; make the connections to the world around them visible. Many adults need help with this too! Make sure you help them figure out what they can do to change the outcome they do not like, or are upset about (“If I can’t ride my bike in the park I would hate that, so I want to keep the park open.”)

The take away message is that we can’t push the kids to do what we want; but more often than not, we can help to frame the issue in order to help them make sense of what they can, or want, to do about any particular situation. Be very clear about the decisions you have made for yourself and why (Well, I really don’t like plastic water bottles myself, because they can leak poisons into what i am drinking. I will use them if I have to, but i prefer my metal bottle). Then they can figure out if that makes sense for themselves.

Margot and Nadine, thank you so much for what you’re doing. Nadine has offered to keep us updated on their progress by adding comments to this post. You can also reach out to Margot and the YAC directly via email at pbesyaclub@gmail.com. They’re open to any help they can get. They’ve done a great job of mobilizing interest, but now they have to work on the County.

Here’s to hoping Margot’s first taste of action turns into her first taste of victory.