Last 2 days to nominate your green hero!

Just a reminder that we will be making our AusPen giveaway draw on Friday!

The Theme: This month’s entry theme is to tell us about someone you know who inspires others to think or go green.

The Twist: The winners of the draw for free AusPen products will be the nominee on your behalf (how sweet is that?)

The Hint: With spring break distracting so many of us during March, the entries are down, which means your chances are up!!

Drop us a line at info@ecosmartworld.com

We can all think of those who have inspired us. What pops in my mind is my grade 11 English teacher, Mrs. MacIntosh. This was ahead of the green curve, but she inspired me to love literature. Mrs. MacIntosh would:

• stutter when explaining literature – not because she had a speech impediment, but because she was so excited by it
• tell us a good piece of literature is like chocolate. If someone offered you chocolate, you would never say, “Oh no. I’ve had chocolate before.” Likewise you can always enjoy re-reading a good book
• invite the class to her home (a teacher!) to sit by the fire and talk about books.

I don’t think I ever really thanked Mrs. MacIntosh…

Unintended Earth Hour lessons at our house

It’s my field, it’s my passion…I’ve got Earth Hour covered. 

Sometimes the teachable moments are not what you expect or plan for. Using Earth Hour to teach the kids about energy conservation and responsible stewardship? Not so much. How not to be such a lame volunteer, how not to burn down the house and singe the cat…now those were this year’s Earth Hour lessons.

Things we learned in Earth Hour 2011:

1. Volunteering to distribute 50 Earth Day door hangers makes you look bad. While initially I thought that would be a nice contribution, when I realized that 50 houses takes no more than 15 minutes, it dawned on me that I wasn’t going to be nominated for any volunteering award any time soon. (Who knew 50 houses is really not that many?)
2. Leaving candles unattended really is a stupid idea. To prove it, and thanks to our young cat, we have hot wax flung across tables, rugs and walls. He also, ahem, singed a few whiskers, which I’m sure will grow back…
3. Playing Earthopoly during Earth Hour was a well laid plan, but flashlight cops and robbers could not be reigned in for a boardgame in the dark with 3 pages of instructions.

Thank you Earth Hour – we’ll try again next year. As for creating teachable moments, at least I have this to build on: ”Earth Hour is fun and awesome!”

Happy 75th David Suzuki!

March 24 will ring in David Suzuki’s 75th birthday!

Who hasn’t watched this environmental icon through the years? I remember growing up with The Nature of Things on tv – one of the only tv shows my parents would watch. His voice – always extolling the beauty of nature and calling us to action - is a familiar sound in my life. His accomplishments are many, having written over 40 books, received numerous awards and medals for his environmental work and 22 honorary doctorates from universities. For his support of Canada’s First Nations people, Dr. Suzuki has been honored with six names and formal adoption by two tribes. (on this last point, my father was adopted alongside David Suzuki into the Haida clan – a true honor!).

Take a look at this outstanding recap of what we’ve seen through the lens of The Nature of Things over the last 50 years: http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/50-years-of-the-nature-of-things.html

Know of another green hero in your life? Someone who has inspired you or those around you? Enter our “Nominate your Green Hero” giveaway contest for March. You can win free AusPen eco-friendly markers for this green hero!

Thoughts on World Water Day

World Water Day, 2011

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 The objective of World Water Day 2011 is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.

http://www.worldwaterday2011.org/

It’s early. The coffee is percolating, and the day – world water day no less – begins to flow. Like my coffee and day, some thoughts on this challenge of our times begin to percolate and flow:

• The issue of water quality and availability is the sign of our times and as such offers us an opportunity for growth. Unless and until we view the issue of water through a new lens, we will not find a sustainable solution.

 

• Access to clean water goes beyond practical, utilitarian considerations and has raised difficult questions about justice, equity, responsibility and obligation.

 

• Water is the ultimate analogy of our interconnectedness. It is forcing us to see ourselves as the inhabitants of one biosphere, as the players on one world stage. It is calling us to see ourselves as one world community in which:

 

• We can commit to a shared vision for long-term cooperative action
• We can work to end the oppression of extreme poverty
• We educate children and youth with new mindsets and habits, and the drive to address our dramatic and complex challenges
• We give more attention to the gender dimensions of resource scarcity  
• We see that the development of our communities is no longer done at the detriment of the whole

Drop us a line at EcoSmart to give us your thoughts or actions on World Water Day, 2011 (info@ecosmartworld.com)!

Going even greener on St Patrick’s Day

You’re already green at heart. So this St Patrick’s Day, whether you can claim Irish roots or not, give yourself the go-ahead to celebrate the greenest of the holidays. Here are five fun tips to go a little greener on St Patrick’s day:

1.  Use AusPen non-toxic, refillable dry-erase markers to decorate your mirrors or windows with shamrocks, pots of gold, rainbows and Irish kisses! Using AusPen eco-friendly markers in the classroom, boardroom or at home saves on piles of dried up plastic markers from hitting the landfill.Also, AusPen’s non-toxic ink protects you from the harmful chemicals used in regular disposable markers.

2.  Alter tradition a little and plan a meat-free Irish stew. Cutting back on meat  consumption is clearly an earth-friendly choice as the average cattle ranch can produce as much sewage runoff as a small city, and irrigation associated with livestock production accounts for around half of all the consumed water in the United States. Try this vegetarian irish stew  from Food.com

3.  Plant some irish moss or clover in your garden now that spring is on its way. This green ground cover will help keep the soil moist and reduce the need for chemically-treated lawn or wood chips.

4.  Rather than hitting the dollar store to purchase cheaply-made plasticized decorations, try simply making homemade cloverly decorations from sites like the Teacher’s Guide.

5.  Create some Irish channels on a streaming radio station (Pandora in the US and Slacker in Canada). Try artists’ names like: The Chieftans, The Corrs, The Irish Rovers, Van Morrison, The Cranberries, Enya, U2, Black 47, The Irish Tenors, Bob Geldof, and The Pogues.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from EcoSmart Products… and may the road rise up to meet you.

No more dried markers if they’re refillable

How many times have you tried to squeeze the life out of your half-dead dry-erase markers? With refillable markers, you can top them up so they stay fresh.

Check out this cute video called The Dry Erase Marker, by RagDollMovies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdeSdgyKxU0

 If only they had refillable AusPen dry-erase markers!

AusPen Eco-Friendly Markers at California Charter Schools Conference

AusPen Eco-Friendly Markers is proudly participating in the California Charter Schools Conference, where about 3000 representatives from the charter school community have gathered. Today is the second day of this busy and exciting conference in San Diego. If you’re at the conference, stop by to say hello!

March AusPen Giveaway Draw!

AusPen Giveaways

Where it pays to go green

 Welcome to EcoSmart’s giveaway program where your “Green” stories can get you great free eco-friendly products.  Each month we choose a theme, welcome your input, and have an AusPen draw, ranging each month from AusPen starter kits, to marker packs to accessories.

 

March Theme:  Nominate your green hero

For March’s giveaway, we’d love to give away AusPen eco-friendly products on your behalf to someone else. Tell us who works hard to go green, spread green, live the green life. Maybe a colleague, a teacher, a family member, or a leader in your circles has inspired you by his or her commitment to the environment.  Share your nomination of your green hero, with a brief description of his or her activities at info@ecosmartworld.com and you will be automatically entered into a draw for AusPen giveaways!

 

Please note some portion of your submission may be used by EcoSmart Products in promotional material.