CT Green Scene

Hysterical & Effective Video: John Oliver Tackles Food Waste

Thanks to Sustainable America for sending this video clip along to us!

 

Seed Swap and Garden Discussion

 

Join Slow Food Shoreline for an afternoon discussion to help plan your 2014 garden, Sunday May 4th from 1-4PM at the Luck & Levity Brewshop, 118 Court St in New Haven.

Come to learn some basics, discuss common issues, and receive tips on planning ahead for preservation. Seasoned experts, weekend garden warriors, and beginning gardeners are all welcome. Bring your extra seeds and seedlings, and swap for new favorites with other gardeners. The event is free to all. Click here to register.

Breaking the Law with Recycling

By Anne Staley

Recycling is a state law in Connecticut. Everyone – from individuals to institutions – is required by law to separate their recyclables from regular trash. But instead of looking on the state as the enforcer, we need to consider it our partner helping us achieve our recycling goals and stay on the right side of the law. 

We all must think of ourselves as model citizens of our country and our state. We pay our taxes, we follow rules, we help the community, we show up for jury duty, we never break the law…wait a minute….never break the law? Is that correct now? Before you say, “of course,” consider this: every time you fail to separate your recyclable trash from your solid municipal waste in Connecticut, you’re breaking the law! 

Connecticut may be one of the least extensive states in the country, but within its small borders rural areas and tiny towns co-exist in complete harmony with large industrial cities. It’s a state where architectural masterpieces steeped in history make a sharp contrast to modern-day urban skyscrapers. It’s a state where rolling hills, thick forests, horse farms, and white sandy beaches dot the landscape.

Recycling in Connecticut

The way solid trash is disposed in the state of Connecticut has gone an overhaul of sorts over the last couple of decades. A lot of it had to do with the closing of landfills in the late 1980s and early 1990s, many of which failed to meet the modern sanitary regulations and posed humongous health hazards.

In an effort to better manage its solid waste, the state adopted a solid waste management hierarchy that laid out first source reduction followed by recycling, composting, waste-to-energy, and finally land filling as the preferred methods to handle trash.

Changing the Rules of the Game - The Green Sports Alliance Summit

by Benjamin Hastings

 

On August 26-28 2013, sustainability leaders representing 50+ companies active in the sports industry gathered together in Brooklyn, New York, for the Green Sports Alliance Summit. Founded in February 2010, the Green Sports Alliance is a non-profit organization that brings together different levels of sports teams, venue representatives and sustainability experts. 

 

There were a wide range of attendees -- from governmental agencies and environmental organizations such as EPA and NRDC to product companies such as Liberty Bottleworks and Electronic Recyclers International. Not to mention the incredible lineup of featured speakers including, Andrew Ference of the Edmonton Oilers; Bob Nutting Chairman of the Board for the Pittsburgh Pirates; and Andrew Winston, founder of Winston Eco Strategies, just to name a few. 

 

As a recent graduate, attending a conference with hundreds of professionals who have been successful in the sustainability field - one that I myself are trying to break into - was pretty overwhelming at first. That quickly changed as I started to converse with a multitude of representatives from a lot of different companies. Everyone was eager to share their stories about how they came to be in the sustainability world, and how it relates to sports. 

 

I learned about a wide range of projects related to the sports world, including the revamping of arenas into LEED certified buildings, recycling programs at stadiums, and the inclusion of compostable utensils and containers to organization’s food programs. In fact, the competition between teams has moved from on the field, to off the field initiatives -- including who is recycling the most or who is saving the most energy. I would have to say that this kind of rivalry has the potential to benefit everyone!

 

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a couple days at The Green Sports Alliance Summit, and to learn a lot about some initiatives business and sports teams are doing to reduce their impact on the environment. Before attending this event, I had no idea how the sports world and the sustainability industry were intertwined, even as an avid sports fan. It was really amazing to see how the greening of sports is beginning to take over nationwide, and I hope to see more sports organizations tap the wisdom of the sustainable businesses I met at the conference into their practices in the future!

Let’s Get Composting!

By Christina Cioci

If you could take a few simple steps to improve the earth, would you? If your answer is “yes” then consider starting the process of composting. Composting is the breakdown of organic material such as food scraps, coffee grounds, leaves, worms, just to name a few. This cycle takes place naturally in the environment when leaves and grass breakdown in the outdoors over time.

People can also recreate the process at home by collecting organic materials in a metal bucket. After the small bucket is filled it can be emptied into a bigger container to allow optimum breakdown. While keeping food scraps and other things in your kitchen may not be your cup of tea, those who have composted before find it easy and sanitary.