Image by KaCey97007 via Flickr

Well, Earth Day 2010 has come and gone. If you’re like many people you made some kind of change that day to show your support for Mother Earth. But, what did you take away from Earth Day? Did you take away a new viewpoint on “going green”? Are you planning on making any green changes today, tomorrow or the next day?

If you look at it, Earth Day and the Earth Day Climate Rally were set up to educate, enlighten and join people together to make our world a better, more sustainable place to live. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone needs to immediately start living a 100% “green” life. It also doesn’t necessarily mean that if you do live a 100% green life, everything is going to be coming up roses.

But, in my opinion, green signifies life. Look around…when trees and flowers bloom in the Spring, what is one common color you see? Green.

Grass growing in a field is green. Green vegetables are recommended for good health.

And even though the Earth is often referred to as a “Blue Marble” or the “Pale Blue Dot“, if you look at pictures of the Earth or even some globes, the land we live on is shown as green. What would our lives be without the green?

(Flower image by Robert S. Donovan and field image by Richard0 via Flickr)

Well, that’s a matter of opinion. How do you want your future to look? It’s common knowledge that this planet we live on is pretty much guaranteed to last a lot longer than you or I will. Take a look at this photo, for example…even though the building is abandoned, the green life of nature continues to grow.

Image by Jorge Franganillo via Flickr

Of course there are things we can do that help Mother Nature do her thing while making our lives here more enjoyable and sustainable. That’s where all the “green” activities people talk about come into play.

If you want to have trees, flowers, gardens, parks, national landscapes, rivers, streams for you, your family and the rest of the world to admire and enjoy, then you need to do something to help preserve them. If you think less pollution, lower emissions and clean air are important, then doing something about it is important as well.

In the name of advancement, over the past 40 years I have seen a lot more housing complexes, shopping centers, buildings, cars, highways, pollution, etc. come into existence than I have seen areas being preserved. Even solar farms and wind farms have sometimes encroached on nature to bring us green, alternative energy sources.

So are we actually making strides towards a cleaner, greener future? Take a look at what Walter Cronkite had to say after the first Earth Day forty years ago and decide for yourself how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.

Please remember though….going green has nothing to do with what’s popular, what’s in style or what’s the latest green gadget to buy, it has to do with how you are going to live your life.

So whether you do something for personal benefits (saving money, having your own fresh vegetables, living healthier, etc) or for everyone’s benefit (less pollution, less waste, more natural resources, cleaner environment, etc.), do something constructive. I mean, what is life without the green, right?

Image from superbowlflorida.blogspot.com

Last year an estimated 98.7 million Americans tuned in to the watch the big game on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s not including the 70,000+ people who actually attended the game. But do you have any idea of the costs, both monetary and environmental, of the Super Bowl? Well, let’s review some of those facts and figures as well as go over some environmental tips for your own personal game day activities.

If you attended Super Bowl I, you would have paid about $6 per ticket. Advertisers paid an estimated $42,000 for a 30-second ad spot. Today if you wanted to see Super Bowl XLIV, you’d pay anywhere between $1275 and $5650 per ticket.  Advertisers are paying an average $2.65 million for a 30-second ad spot…and that’s down from the last two years.

Some past advertisers including General Motors, FedEx and Pepsi, have opted out of this year’s advertising slots. However, despite complaints received by the Treasury Secretary, Chrysler plans on being the only U.S. auto-maker to run an ad during this year’s Super Bowl.

Take a look at this 1969 Super Bowl commercial from Chrysler:

Even though Pepsi is not having an ad during the Super Bowl, they are the official drink of the NFL and are debuting their new energy-efficient, HFC-free coolers at the Super Bowl, so I’m sure they will get plenty of promotion.

As far as the stadium and those in attendance for the big day….there are 20,000 parking spaces available e.g. a potential for 20,000 vehicles. The EPA estimates there is about 19.4 pounds of CO2 emitted for every gallon of gasoline burned. Even if each car only drove 20 miles to get there, that would still be over 7 million pounds or over 3500 tons of CO2 emissions. (NOTE: That doesn’t factor in trucks used to bring in food, supplies or any other CO2 emissions generated during game day preparations.)

When you factor in the trash generated on game day from left-over food containers, promotional flyers, etc you are talking even further environmental impact. Did you know at the 2004 Super Bowl, over 428 tons of trash was collected during the four-day event?

Luckily the the NFL has the “Super Bowl XLIV Environmental Program“ in place this year. Their program is designed to help lower the environmental impact of Super Bowl XLIV.

Solid Waste Management/Recycling: They intend to have recycling containers at all major event facilities where Super Bowl related activities will take place.

Prepared Food Recovery: Excess prepared food will be collected up and donated in coordination with Daily Bread Food Bank. Last year over 65,000 pounds of food was donated, due in part to activities like this and the annual “Taste of the NFL” event.

Materials Donation: After the Super Bowl, the NFL plans to donate as many supplies and materials as possible, so as not to waste them. This includes building materials, non-perishable foods and drinks, decorations, live plants, etc.

Sports Equipment/Book donation project: The “Super Kids-Super Sharing” project will be working to collect used sports equipment and books from local schools and school children for donation to other under-equipped schools and school children in South Florida.

Climate Change Initiative: Last but definitely not least, this initiative has a variety of facets, including using renewable-sourced energy to “power” the stadium and other facilities. Basically, the NFL has teamed up with NextEra Energy Resources who will supply Green e-certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to match electricity consumption during the Super Bowl and related events. They will also be decreasing transportation emissions from the Super Bowl fleet by using hybrid vehicles or alternative fuels. Providing sources for alternative fuels to all vendors and partners, including the broadcast media, for use in powering their on-site generators. Planting trees in coordination with the US Forest Service and local community groups to help offset carbon output, etc.

So, with the NFL doing their part to help lessen their environmental impact on Super Bowl Sunday, here are a few tips for you:

1) If you are driving to another location to watch the big game, car-pool with friends. If you are unable to do so, a proven fuel additive could help lower your emissions.

2) Use recyclable or bio-degradable plates, cups, etc. Try to recycle as much as you can.

3) Make your own game day treats, don’t have food delivered. Delivery means someone has to drive food to your home (emissions) and your food will probably come in non-recyclable containers inside a plastic bag. Be prepared and get your food ahead of time.

4) Don’t waste food. Most Super Bowl parties will have more food than people will eat, so package up what you don’t eat and save it for later.

If you really want to offset your Super Bowl Sunday and help the environment, you can always purchase a “Super Bowl Party Offset” from EarthEra. For $10, they say they will offset 1200 pounds of carbon dioxide. And 100% of their revenues from EarthEra product purchases apparently go to build more solar and wind energy project in the U.S.

What are your plans for Super Bowl Sunday? Do you have any tips you use to help lower your environmental impact on game day? Hope you have a great weekend…and don’t forget to get outside a little bit (before or after the game).

Image by Wonderlane (via Flickr)

I don’t know about you, but I’m currently trying to wrap up the majority of my work so that I can do some last minute Christmas shopping, finish (or should I say start) wrapping presents and work on some hand-made gifts the kids and I are making.  But before I head out for the holiday weekend, I wanted to share some last minute tips to help you have a green holiday.

1) Watch your thermostat.  If you are planning on having guests for the holidays, please remember not to turn your thermostat too high.  The guests you have over will help generate heat on their own, so there is no need to roast them out of the house.

2) Try and spend some time outside over the holidays.  No matter where you live, this time of the year is beautiful. If you can get outdoors, do so. I don’t mean try and weather through a snow storm or anything, but try and enjoy nature a little.  Especially if you have kids, you’ll want to ensure they enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer this time of year.  Besides, you may find it will brighten your holiday mood!

3) As most people know, opening presents can generate a lot of trash.  One way to cut down is to “wrap” presents in re-usable bags.  My mother-in-law is a pro at this.  She has gift bags for all occasions and after we’ve opened our Christmas presents, she collects all the bags and stores them away to re-use next time.  Even when she wraps gifts with wrapping paper, she re-uses the bows and keeps any boxes that were used.  Very smart.

4) If you are hosting a party try not to let your left-overs go to waste.  Many times people make more food than their guests could ever eat.  Whether it’s because they aren’t sure what people will want to eat or they want to have a good variety, either way you probably don’t need to make quite as much as you think.  But if you do make extra, please save it for later or give it to your guests when they go home.

5) If you are doing any traveling over the holidays, first and foremost be safe.  If you are driving (or flying even) allow extra time for bad weather or traffic.  If you drive, ensure you have water, blankets, food in the car in case of emergency.  Another key is to ensure your tires are properly inflated/rotated, your oil is changed and you are filled up with the proper gasoline (a good fuel additive can help too).  These steps will help ensure your car is running properly and contributing less to harmful emissions.

6) The holidays are traditionally full of a variety of scents and smells.  Don’t get overwhelmed with the need to make the holidays “smell like the holidays”.  Too many scents can pollute the air and make people uncomfortable.  Be moderate in your use of holidays scents and candles.  You want a pleasant, fresh smell that everyone can enjoy.  Sometimes a fresh Christmas tree, some warm cookies or some fresh air are all that it takes.

7) If you haven’t made any donations yet, but want to make a green donation to help others in need….here are a few last minute gifts truly worth giving.

Last but not least…have a safe, happy and green holiday!  No matter where you are celebrating, remember to enjoy your time with family and friends.  All my best wishes to you and yours during this holiday season!