the McQuaid Green Knights

Leave 'Em On

2010-03-22T15:22:00.005-04:00

We were able to hear some great speakers at the Ignatian Solidarity Network's, Sustainability and Social Justice Teach-In down at Wheeling Jesuit. Dr. Ben Stout presented a talk and film by Yale Environment 360.

Some of the students mention this from the Colbert Report:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Coal Comfort - Margaret Palmer

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care reform

As funny as Colbert can make of this it is a serious problem. Greedy coal company officials and their political bedfellows are turning the mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky into wastelands, unsafe and uninhabitable by plants, animals and the humans that live there. The toxic waters which flow out of the valleys end up going into the Mississippi and other waterways and into the Gulf. Many others besides some poor residents of West Virginia are effected.
Mountain top removal, lets all help to end this practice. Go to iLoveMountains.org to find out more.

Read This Book, and This One, and This Movie

2010-03-20T10:34:00.012-04:00

Animal Factory, aptly called the scariest book of the year. How could someone not care where their food came from? Ignorance is ignorance not bliss. And intensionally remaining ignorant is selfish, apathetic stupidity.

Follow the link to NPR's Story and read the exerpt.
Then learn to take action:

http://truefoodnow.org/campaigns/factory-farming/

http://www.stopsmithfieldfoods.com/

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/campaigns/factory_farming/

Also read Eric Schlosser's, Fast Food Nation

and watch (buy) the amazingly eyeopening, Food Inc

Why No Bottled Water?

2010-03-09T12:56:00.006-05:00

Here is a nice poster describing why.

Presented by Online Education

Climate Change Not Slowing, WMO Report

2009-12-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

For the naysayers out there...
Global climate change is happening. Fact.
The World Meteorological Organization has released a preliminary report finding that 2008-2009 was one of the fifth warmest years on record.
There are no indications that the warming trend will stop.
There is no way to know what the outcome will be. It would be great if nothing bad happens from the dramatic changes occurring but what if those who believe otherwise are correct?
You don't have to believe we humans are responsible but you cannot, after reading the numerous findings from multiple and independent sources, refute the facts of global climate change. If you deny our hand in the rise of temperature on earth please ask yourself why the vast majority of scientists, some the most educated and knowledgeable people working in the field of climate study and meteorology (despite the fiasco concerning whether or not a few did something wrong or not), keep finding evidence supporting mankind's contribution to the situation we find ourselves in? Why to would businesses and governments even consider changing procedures, developing new technologies, and looking at programs such as Cap and Trade if nothing was happening? Still not interested in believing we have something to do with the shift? OK, but why not play it safe and cut back on carbon emissions or better yet alter our business as usual/"I got mine" way of thinking just to help in some small way future generations and the rest of life here on Earth. We as Americans and citizens of the world must work together to decrease our contribution to the crisis at hand. It is our moral and patriotic duty to ensure the continuation of our country; the stability and well being of our neighbors; and the life sustaining systems that ensure the continuation of all species.

Explaining Cap and Trade Cons

2009-12-10T13:50:00.000-05:00

Activist, Annie Leonard, who narrates the Story of Stuff film, explains clearly with the help of an excellent animation the hows and why-nots of the Cap and Trade "solution".

The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.

Grow Monroe

2009-10-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

We have so many great places to grow and purchase local produce and goods here in Monroe County. The Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute at MCC along with the county are sponsoring GROW Monroe programs through-out the area. They have compiled an interesting informational brochure and mapped out some farms and farmers markets in the county and have a list of events scheduled. Enjoy at eat well.

A Perfect System? Almo$t

2009-10-22T18:51:00.000-04:00

Mike Strizki has built a dream home... and car. His house and car run on water which is converted to hydrogen through electrolyzer which is run off the sun.

A house that runs on water and the only waste is clean water.

At a price of $500,000 it wont be in every house in the near future but with technological advances lets hope it or something like it will become an affordable reality in the near future.

Farming Redo

2009-10-21T07:29:00.000-04:00

Kansas Farmer/Scientist Wes Jackson

is trying to rethink how we farm. He and his team on his farm the Land Institute are propagating new varieties of traditional crop plants that have been bred with deep root

perennial native varieties in hopes of creating a more natural and sustainable agricultural system.

With big AG controlling so many farms and years of the "better living through chemistry" industrial food complex brainwashing, Jackson has his work cut out for him. Listen to the story on NPR.

Another interesting and natural system of farming is called No-Till.

You basically knock down and crush winter crops that are nitrogen fixing and leave them to become layers of mulch/compost through which you plant the next harvestable crop of which you also leave the remnants of instead of plowing under. This not only is beneficial to the soil it also builds up the soil instead of allowing the soil to blow or wash away.

Mr. Pollan

2009-10-11T22:22:00.000-04:00

Michael Pollan is an incredible writer. He is best known for his work concerning food systems - how and what we grow and eat. He is very informative but not preachy. He lectures and teaches at UC Berkeley. He also writes for the New York Times Magazine and numerous other publications. His books:
The Botany of Desire
The Omnivore's Dilemma
In Defense of Food
A Place of My Own
Second Nature
and
The Omnivore's Dilemma: The secrets behind what you eat - new for kids!

The Botany of Desire will air on PBS on October 28, 2009

The Story of Stuff

2009-09-14T11:13:00.000-04:00

A fantastic project which presents information in a clear and enjoyable way. The films are narrated by activist extraordinaire, Annie Leonard, who has traveled the world researching and fighting environmental threats. There is also a book and will be mp3 audios available.

Yes! Magazine, Heck Yea!

2009-09-05T09:10:00.000-04:00

YES! Magazine is an award-winning, ad-free, nonprofit publication that supports people’s active engagement in building a just and sustainable world. Published by the independent, nonprofit organization, The Positive Futures Network (PFN). This magazine is full of interesting and informative articles and ideas to follow. YES! is one of the only magazines printed on 100% recycled, 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. Doesn't seem to be any negatives with this publication. Enjoy.

Gardens

2009-09-03T11:08:00.000-04:00

Gardening can be fun and not as time consuming as some people make out. With patients and experience you can become an excellent agrarian. Learning to provide food for yourself is very rewarding and the fruit of that labor is delicious. The thing is that by gardening - especially organically - you aren't just benefiting yourself. The act of self-sufficiency cuts down on the use of pesticides and fertilizers; It lowers the amount of water wasted in irrigation; It limits carbon emission; you can grow for others, and on and on...

This is the Path to Freedom Urban Homestead were the amazing Dervaes Family has produced, organically and sustainably, 6,000lbs of food annually on 1/10 of an acre! These folks have proven with their achievement what can be done with imagination and effort.
Whether you tend a yard-wide micro-garden, a full farm with acreage or potted plants on a terrace the experience is rewarding. A person that tends a gardens tends to grow in spirit.

#5 Recycling and Making Money

2009-06-03T10:24:00.000-04:00

Usually you can't recycle #5 polypropylene plastic. In a ugly little catch-22 not enough of it is made to warrant re-using it through recycling. Even companies geared towards environmentally friendly practices claim it is better for the environment to use #5 containers because they use less materials to produce the packaging.

Preserve® is a company that takes the usually uncollected #5 polypropylene plastic packaging and turns it into useful products. Through their Gimme 5 program people are welcome to drop containers in drop boxes at select Whole Foods stores or if there are no Whole Foods located near you, folks are encouraged to send those #5 containers to the company. It is good to see another opportunity to diminish (by a little bit more) the amount of toxic waste in landfills, waterways and groundwater.

E.O. Wilson

2009-06-02T13:18:00.000-04:00

Scientist E.O. Wilson talks about healing the planet.

Join Now!

2009-06-01T10:57:00.000-04:00