Waterless urinals and cork flooring don’t seem like the most desirable choices when building new construction, however these alternatives have become a recent trend. With the real estate market still finding its way out of a slump, green building has managed to rise from the ashes and flourish.

Green building centers on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system that awards points for sustainable and environmentally friendly construction choices. For example, replacing VOC polluted paints with non toxic alternatives would award contractors a point within the respected category. All aspects of construction are taken into account from energy and water efficiency to flooring and decorating choices. Eventually buildings will be certified silver, gold or platinum representing that the building is some level of “green.”

So what does this revolution stem from? Like most subject matters, it falls back to the economy. Companies and homeowners are looking to lower utility bills; the fact that they are helping the environment at the same time is an added bonus. With the continuing popularity of LEED advances in housing, many college campuses across the nation are jumping on board. Right here in D.C., American University has taken giant leaps creating a new School of International Service, which will become LEED certified in the near future.

The U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC) reported that in 2009, more than 3,000 homes received LEED approval, triple the amount from 2008. With change erupting in a market that is usually slow to transform, thing can only rise up from here.

For more information on the subject matter please visit:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129699450&ft=1&f=1006

After sharing these stories with members of Earth Day Network’s Education and Policy Departments, the students were eager to hear more about what they could do to make a difference in improving mining practices and to reducing their state and national dependence on coal power. Coordinating with Earth Day Network and other advocates, Ms. Noonan and her students were scheduled to meet with the Congressional Offices of Jim Moran and Bob Goodlatte later that day to advocate for HR1310 Clean Water Protection Act and S.696 Appalachia Restoration Act and were especially interested in tips on having these conversations with their legislators. We discussed with the students how important it is that they were going to make themselves heard, and how much their Representatives would be interested to hear what these young, informed constituents had to say. We also shared other actions they could take when they got back to school, including greening their campus, tips on making an impact, and other items from our Student Activist Toolkit. By the time we finished our meeting on Earth Day Network’s green roof, it had been a meaningful learning experience for all. We know this group had a lot to share with their legislators, and we hope they listened to what the students had to say. We at Earth Day Network were inspired by their initiative and courage in coming to Capitol Hill to speak their minds - youth voices are among the most important in the debate of what our future will look like!

To learn more about Mountaintop Removal, check out this Earth Day Network lesson plan on Mountaintop Removal and Environmental Justice in Appalachia and this Mountaintop Removal lesson plan and corresponding Earth Day TV video! (Watch Gorilla in the Greenhouse – Turn it Up! on the “In the Classroom” channel).

According to the National School Lunch Program, school lunches must meet federal nutrition requirements, which are based off the 1995 dietary guidelines for Americans. However, decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities. In effect, today’s children are turning up with numerous diet-based diseases including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, so what we serve at school really does matter.

Good nutrition is vital for adult health and in today’s society when children are contracting adult onset diseases, something must be done. In order to bring an infrequently discussed issue to the forefront of society, Earth Day Network board member Avis Richards created and produced “LUNCH”, a documentary short that aims to discover “what our kids are munching on” within the public school system, while also advocating for change.

What this film represents in essence is that “this is not just a weight issue, but a learning issue.” Already, some counties across the nation are starting to take steps in the right direction, whether through school garden projects, or changing the contents on the daily school menu.

To read more about this effort please visit: earthday.org/lunchthefilm

As Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers and the Rev. Jesse Jackson recently wrote on CNN.com, our economy doesn’t just need to recover, it needs to be revamped and we need to embrace jobs that can’t be exported overseas or outsourced, such as installation of wind turbines and solar panels, or weatherization of homes and commercial buildings. These jobs can not only save the planet by reducing energy consumption but they can provide steady stable income and represent the backbone of our economy. The possibilities are endless if we can only think of sustainability as an economic force rather than a lifestyle.

Yesterday’s added oil platform explosion demonstrates our economy’s unsustainable path just as much as news of factory after factory in the U.S. closing.

Although we are still without a comprehensive climate bill that can spur the growth of millions of green jobs, we can recognize that there has been progress this past year. The stimulus package included more than $30 billion for green construction projects for example and billions more for renewable energy research. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is fond of defining green jobs as good jobs: “A good job is sustainable and innovative — like green jobs — that export products not paychecks. And a good job is one that will help to rebuild the middle class.”

This fall, many states will begin weatherization programs – providing green jobs, and saving energy.  We need to press for a wider definition of green jobs, from teaching or working in green schools, to building wind turbines, to growing food in or near urban areas to save transportation energy. 

Economic growth, quality jobs, and energy independence are not mutually exclusive.  The old model of a carbon-based economy needs to be dismantled, and a new clean energy economy built up.  This labor day, imagine working in this new economy and how rewarding that would be.    

Despite the latest oil platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico and the recent catastrophic oil spill, there is a rising popularity in increasing onshore drilling. The oil spill showed flaws in the system of offshore drilling; however, a lot of these flaws can be seen for onshore drilling processes as well. Some argue that the recent oil spill from offshore drilling is an argument for opening the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and other preserves like it for oil and gas exploration.

Right now in the United States, there are about 640 land rigs drilling for oil and almost 1000 drilling for natural gas. Processes such as fracking, the opening of rock fissures to improve the flow of oil and gas, have received criticism from the possible contamination of well water for surrounding citizens. On top of such damages, air pollution, well blowouts and spills also occur, but are rarely brought to the media’s attention.

Every form of oil production has risks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) steps are being taken to change the priority of land use from oil and gas, which were emphasized in previous administrations, to solar power along the deserts of California, Nevada and Arizona. Although sparse desert areas have been set aside for such innovations, nothing has been accomplished yet.

The solution is to move away from a carbon based economy and toward more renewable energy, which can also help tackle climate change, creation of green jobs and economic security.

Increases in urbanization have led to an equal increase in urban poverty and food insecurity. Urban agriculture now provides a way to reduce such insecurities, enhance urban environment management and aid local economic development through means of education and outreach. By linking laborers with local resources, urban agriculture sustains and benefits urban consumers in many metropolitan areas, including, New York City, Detroit, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and even in our own backyard of Washington, D.C.

Located in Southeast Washington, Savoy Elementary and Thurgood Marshall Academy have joined forces to support Earth Day Network’s Green Schools Campaign, which seeks to green all K-12 schools within a generation. A garden that is like a small urban farm will allow students to understand sustainability and nature. In October, we will be unveiling the project to the public, while celebrating the fourth annual School Gardens Week.

With movements and projects such as this one, it seems our future is in good, green, sustainable hands

• Their lungs are still in the development phase.
• They breathe, on average, 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults.
• They are closer to the ground, where ozone and vehicle exhaust accumulate.
• The World Health Organization found that particle pollution and ground-level ozone aggravated asthma in children and contributed to an increased risk of respiratory tract infection as well.

D.C. is one of many urban areas known for unhealthy air quality and high ozone levels. One of the major contributors to this problem is vehicle exhaust. A great way to improve your child’s health and the air quality around your school is to institute a No Idling Campaign. Earth Day Network’s No Idling Campaign, in partnership with the Clean Air Campaign, Inc., aims to reduce harmful vehicle emissions around children and instill environmental values in the next generation through a targeted focus on reducing vehicle idling at K-12 schools across the country. Visit our website for information, No Idling News, lesson plans, and action plans for raising awareness and implementing a plan to reduce vehicle emissions at your school.

To learn more about air quality at schools, get other ideas on how to green your school’s transportation, and more, visit Earth Day Network’s Green Your School Guide.

Winning entries will be eligible for prizes and will be on display during School Garden Week 2010 and online.

Submission deadline is Monday, September 27. See last year’s winners here and click here for more information. Flyer and entry form may be found here. Best of luck!

Each of the million trees planted under the Avatar Home Tree Initiative will be added to Earth Day Network’s Billion Acts of Green™, a campaign to reward and inspire simple individual acts as well as larger corporate, governmental and organizational acts with the goal of measurably reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. Additionally, the trees planted in this initiative will be pledged towards the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign, a worldwide tree

Trees play a vital role for all life on Earth

planting initiative facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Not only that, but based on the successes of the initiative so far, we are planning to plant one million more trees in 2011! You can be involved too – join or donate to Earth Day Network to stay informed of our progress and get involved in tree-planting and other environmental initiatives.

This summer, Earth Day Network has been hard at work building a school garden to be shared by Savoy Elementary and Thurgood Marshall Academy in Anacostia, DC, and we are just reaching its final construction phase. To date we’ve ripped up sod, constructed a shed and greenhouse, built more than twenty raised beds and filled them with beautiful organic soil. We’ve nearly completed the installation of an accessible paved-gravel path that will also be used as a teaching area. All that’s left to do now is the planting! We’re slated for fruit trees, native grasses and bushes, a small wetland area and a butterfly garden. Oh, and of course vegetables. School is just about to be back in session, and we’re holding back the planting until the students can lend a hand. It’s the most exciting and educational part of garden building, and we couldn’t imagine doing it without them. Stay tuned for more updates on this great project!