so right so smart; the power of one and the power of many influencing corporate environmental sustainability

This evening…

I left my comfort zone to attend a monthly meeting of the U.S. Green Building Council’s California Central Coast Chapter

and found myself in a room full of industry experts, some who have been in the business of sustainability since long before I could likely pronounce the word,

unknowing of the rather unique opportunity that awaited me.

So Right So Smart.

An amazing documentary available to few (unfortunately) about Ray Anderson of Interface Inc., a man who transformed his business, his industry, his life to be more sustainable and as a result, more profitable in exponential ways,

enriching, motivating, changing the world around him.

The film is a true testament that the transformative acts of

one

plus one

plus one

plus one

can literally change the way the world works.

A reminder that corporations have the resources and the capability to lesson our cumulative impact on the environment.

And that, through the power of OUR almighty dollar, through our purchasing decisions, we determine the directions in which big business head:

toward conservation

or

devastation.

The message is less, not more.

Demanding responsible products and practices from companies we choose to support.

Raise your brow, raise your voice.

Educate yourself and become more aware.

The waste we produce doesn’t simply disappear. Just because it’s out of sight and out of mind doesn’t mean it’s out of landfills and ground water and oceans and air.

For the future of our planet and our generations, we must be mindful of what lives our products and packaging will have when we’re through with them. If the purchase is necessary but can’t be recycled or reused, get creative by finding another brand or an alternative solution. No alternatives? Take a moment to contact the company CEO, demanding eco-conscious changes. Holler enough and they’ll listen because they need you and your dollars to survive. Ray listened. And took action, recruiting experts in the field and those in his circle of influence to help him create a powerful movement, one that continues to be recognized and emulated by businesses in every industry.   

In the end, we must never forget that this is a shared journey within a shared world that we will one day be leaving to Tomorrow’s Child.     

breaking the bad paper-coffee-cup-on-the-go habit

Why put myself through the perceived difficulties of bringing my own tumbler everywhere I go?

(If you want to skip my rambling, check out this quick video for a few compelling reasons…)

Discovered via Sustainability is Sexy

The answer’s plain and simple: a majority of paper cups can’t be recycled.

The ones from most coffee shops, that is.

I’ll use Starbucks as an example, only because it’s the mammoth leader, the monstrous giant, the one company known the whole world round for coffee.

Currently, Starbucks paper cups are made from 10% post-consumer recycled fiber. That, however, does NOT mean the cup can be recycled. Yet. There apparently are plans to introduce a cup by 2015 that will be 100% reusable. But until then, off to the landfill they go.    

True, there are some chains, like Tully’s, that offer 100% compostable paper cups. Trouble is, they should actually be composted to be broken down most effectively. Otherwise, these cups are off to the landfill as well.

Here’s a really great resource on all things related to (in the blogger’s words) ‘eco-friendly coffee drinking’: Sustainability is Sexy. This linked article delves way deeper than I ever could into the current state of the paper coffee cup. Check it out… I mean, how could you not? Just the blog title’s enticing.

So when it comes to paper cups, since recycling’s not an option and reusing just isn’t practical, reducing (eliminating actually) will be the way to go.

Bought a tumbler and am pretty darn excited to use it. Feature to come on the next blog post. And don’t you worry. I’ve stayed true to my promise and haven’t purchased coffee-to-go since announcing this commitment...

Home-brewing instead.

eco-conscious habits: identifying, implementing and increasing daily acts of sustainability

here's to steps, big and small

It's possible you all are wondering how this is going to work out.

In all honesty, I'm wondering too.

But I’ve come to a simple resolution that I’m pretty confident will help make these challenges a reality: start small. 

The goal here is not necessarily to uproot my entire life and disrupt the daily routine by making a million behavioral changes in the name of going green.

Rather, the primary focus is to choose one eco-conscious habit I would like to adopt and take adopting it one step at a time.

I’ll identify a challenge on the blog and try to best explain why the issues surrounding it are so important – to me, to you and to our future existence. I’ll candidly explore what about my mindset or actions or previously held beliefs have prevented me from embracing the desired behavior thus far.  

Then, I’ll strategize ways to remove or work around the mental and physical obstacles which have plagued me in the past. 

Next, I’ll implement them; the strategies. Do one thing, each day toward making the ideal habit a more full-fledged part of me.

Once I feel I have an alright handle on things, once I’ve had a taste of success and have repeated those success-inducing-actions repeatedly… I’ll identify the next challenge, incorporating it in with the others.    

Manageability is the key. I want to avoid become so overwhelmed I give up before I even begin; there’s A LOT to be done.

So here’s to taking those first small steps… toward all goals. Whatever they may be!

new year, new direction!

Conserving Amy was born of a challenge to conserve mind, body, spirit, sanity and a few natural California resources, all while training for my first marathon.
It provided a personal platform to document the uniting of canyon trail and beach boardwalk runs with a growing knowledge of the need to protect these same places (and others like them) many of us love and enjoy.

In a single month, my crew and I raised a few hundred dollars for a non-profit environmental conservation organization and I ran my first consecutive 26.2 miles. While training, I had a ton of time to think of ways I might continue challenging myself in the future; of ways to continue Conserving Amy.

But all I could think about was the way I felt incredibly bothered by my driving to trails – and everywhere else for that matter.

Buying coffee after runs, to-go, in disposable cups.

Re-fueling with take-out from joints that sent food home in plastic bags.

The journey and careful reflection helped me realize that making an impact – or less of one - doesn’t have to come in the form of a check or donation, of saving a forest or adopting a coral reef.

Making an impact can be as simple as taking one small step, once-a-day, in my daily routine, toward a more sustainable, eco-conscious way of living. Only by changing my world first might I be able to one day help change the world.

Conserving Amy will call out and bring to light all of the non-environmentally-friendly habits I want to personally shake, but haven’t yet because ignoring them has been easy... And I know committing to thoughtful change will be hard.

I'll explore solutions in an effort to modify behavior, implement them in the best ways I know how and monitor progress day in and day out. It’s an experiment. An experience. And here on Conserving Amy, you’ll read and see it all.

prop 21

Recall seeing this Yes on 21 outreach campaign prior to the November elections?

The campaign endorsing the proposition that would have helped provide California state parks with stable and adequate funding to continue operating successfully?

You may have… 

Unlike traditional campaigns, the Yes on Proposition 21 grassroots and netroots campaign used a number of innovative online tools to engage real Californians from all walks of life in building support for the measure and spreading the message about the need for additional funding for state parks.

More than 760,000 Californians helped place Proposition 21 on the ballot while over 700 organizations (The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, California State Parks Foundation and more) worked to show their support.

Unfortunately, Prop 21 did not pass.

BUT! That’s not to say we cannot still ensure our state parks and open spaces are preserved long into the future.

‘The Conservancy plays a huge role in creating and supporting California State Parks,’ Mike Sweeney, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in California is quoted as saying on the organization’s website.

On December 4, I’ll be running my first marathon in the Marin Headlands just north of San Francisco and until then will be raising funds for the Conservancy of California, an organization that works to preserve many of the lands and waters we all use and enjoy across the state!

If you value our natural spaces as much as I do… Join me in this cause by making a small donation here.

To view specific projects in California your funds may support, click here.  

A bit about the Marin Headlands:

The entire area (thousands of acres) is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Headlands' status as a park protects the habitat and populations of numerous animal species within just a few miles of San Francisco and its suburbs.

Recreational activities include hiking, biking, birding and sunbathing on surrounding beaches.