I must say that I was stoked to learn that Thrive, a magazine dedicated to healthy, sustainable living, had arrived earlier this year. Gina, the publisher, is a fantastic person and I wished her nothing but success in her journey to bring a greenie rag to Hampton Roads' more than 1.6 million residents. In true green form, Gina will be converting Thrive to online reading and paid print/mailed issues at the beginning of 2010 which I think is an excellent option. Let's face it, web reading is the way to go. In a moment's notice, a new hot story could be posted a kick-butt product reviewed and so on.
Anyway, the reason for the rambling is to encourage all of the local greenies (and beyond) to sign up for Thrive's e-subscription. Don't worry, it's totally free!
ODU is going green! I met with the Associate Director of Environmental Health & Safety, Doug Alexander, earlier today and learned a lot about what the university is doing to green things up around campus.
This blog post is an appendix to the article posted on 24 Seven Cities.
Many of the cleaning products are Green Seal certified.
Much of the lighting has retrofitted to maximize efficiency.
ODU was the first state school to build a LEED certified structure.
Recycling has more than doubled in the past two years from 500 thousand pounds to more than 1 million pounds.
The school started Donate It, Don't Dump It which is kind of like a huge swapping party for students.
All new structures on campus meet LEED Silver status.
50% of all construction waste is diverted from the landfills and recycled.
Two electric trucks were acquired for the grounds department.
Rain water is harvested in two cisterns and used for lawn projects.
A new bike rental program is available for students and for those with bikes, a maintenance crew is available to help fix busted rides.
The university has developed an Environmental Advisory Committee to stay abreast of new greenie movements.
ODU has two Adopt-A-Streams on the Elizabeth & Lafayette Rivers.
A graduate student on campus is working on a Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the school.
A central chiller plant was installed which reduces energy consumption.
B10 biodiesel is used for all diesel vehicles on campus.
ODU Dining Services eliminated the use of trays in the cafeteria which reduced the amount of waste.
There are two rain gardens on campus.
A nutrient management plan is in place which eliminates the need for fertilizer on many of the school's grounds.
There's a green roof on part of the BAL building.
Tree clippings are taken to the Norfolk Zoo to feed some of the animals.
The Education Dept developed an Environmental Curriculum which rolled out in the Norfolk Elementary School System.
ODU is a Model Level (highest rank) for the River Stars Program.
I received more tid-bits on the greening of ODU and the list could go on and on. You're awesome ODU!
My husband and I finally got a chance to go see Food Inc at the lovely Naro theater last night. I had heard a few rave reviews about the film and to be completely honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go see it. I knew that I would see and learn things that I wouldn't be able to forget and I was absolutely right.
Watching the film broke my heart! I was torn to bits seeing what has happened to our food system. I know and practice eating local and love buying from my local farmer's market but I need to take it to another level.
The movie takes you into a world that few know anything about. Though our country was built on farming, most of America is so far removed from the actual farm that I think we feel like it's still old farm houses, overalls, tractors, and good old-fashioned farming. That's not really how it works these days.
I actually started tearing up during the movie because it was just so sad to see what's happened to our food system and how our animals are treated. It's touching, brutally honest, and I hope to goodness that politicians everywhere see this movie and actually do something about it.
Come to think of it, the Creigh Deeds for Governor campaign group just set up shop right next door to the store. I might just pop over and chat with the volunteers about the movie. I've never been into political battles, but I may just have to start dabbling in legislature a bit because it NEEDS to be changed.
I've said many times to the customers in the store that you should vote with your dollars. This film proves that it works! It works so well that your "voting" has encouraged Wal-Mart to offer organic options.
There's so much more that I could share about the movie, but it would really hit home if you just went to see it. Please go. It's an educational experience that everyone should have.
I must say that I was stoked to learn that Thrive, a magazine dedicated to healthy, sustainable living, had arrived earlier this year. Gina, the publisher, is a fantastic person and I wished her nothing but success in her journey to bring a greenie rag to Hampton Roads' more than 1.6 million residents. In true green form, Gina will be converting Thrive to online reading and paid print/mailed issues at the beginning of 2010 which I think is an excellent option. Let's face it, web reading is the way to go. In a moment's notice, a new hot story could be posted a kick-butt product reviewed and so on. 
Posts
