Welcome back to the Green Gazette, I’ll get back on track today with some shorter stories that may capture your thoughts as I’ve been running a bit long winded during my last few posts.

Cynthia Onorevole

Here’s a feel good story that makes you realise that good habits learned early can raise the awareness of a child to such a point that they excel in helping out others. In this circumstance Cynthia Onorevole of Rockaway Township, New Jersey has earned the highest accolade afforded within the Girl Scouts – The Gold Award, the pinnacle award for any Scout. Cynthia’s achievements had a very distinct eco-flavour attached which is encouraging (and I think reflects the changing overall awareness amongst those younger than myself about the environment). Cynthia earned the award by conducting a two-week long eco camp for students from 4th to 8th grade. Her curriculum included hands-on activities, such as making bird feeders, recyled materials being transformed into art, painting flower pots, and planting flowers. She also conducted daily  included informational and Q/A sessions to provide the students with facts and strategies for protecting the environment in their daily lives. Her personal interest was sparked when she became a scout at the age of 5 and her dedication to all things environmental ever since led to her creating the eco-camp. She is currently at Junior College and hopes to join the EPA when schooling is complete. I hope she makes it as that sort of passion should be matched by a profession that suits it perfectly. Cynthia had this to say:

“My main goal was to raise awareness and provide information about environmental issues for students in grades four through eight,” said Onorevole. “I love working with children and making a positive impact on the environment. This was an excellent opportunity to utilize my knowledge in an effective and valuable way.”

Onto a very different topic, can a relationship flourish when one partner is very eco focused work if the other is more of a bystander? (for want of a better word). Of course it can and this article in the San Francisco Chronicle spotlights a couple who face that question every day, better still they’ve been doing it for 18 years and look set to continue. My sentiment? Better that half a couple are active and concerned with the environment than neither. A green lifestyle doesn’t need to be force fed to someone, hopefully awareness and education will create the same results with time and dedication.

One trashcan of waste for the entire year!

Finally a story that is really humbling, however I don’t know that matching the achievements of this family is a goal so much as evaluating some of the practices you have in your household. From the Daily Mail in England comes a story about a family who completed 2009 with an eco-plan that reduced their waste to one trash can for the entire year!! The full article makes for a great read but they were inspired to cease using plastic bags under any circumstances but also implemented the following which caused the amazing results of almost zero waste for an entire year:

• Growing as much of their own food as possible
• Using only reusable bags when they shop
• Composting whenever possible
• Ensuring 99% of all that they purchased could be recycled

They have created their own website which highlights their methods - myzerowaste.com – and this year they plan to reduce their waste to even less. I’m not sure if my predominant feeling is inspiration or guilt!