Green Things I Did in 2011

Here are some daily and special event things I did last year to reduce my ecological footprint and become more aware of other species around. This may give you some ideas or you may have some ideas to share about how we can all be greener in 2012.

1. Switched to essential oils-based dish soap and detergent to reduce input of chemicals into the water stream when washing.

2. Switched to Honey Mango Moisturizing Shave Cream, again to reduce input of chemicals onto my body and into the water stream.

3. Switched to a vegetable oil-based body soap for the same reasons as above.

4. Switched to a green electricity supplier, from a wind farm in upstate New York. You can probably do this too, for about the same rates, if you call your energy company.

5. Ran in the 5K Race Against Extinction on April 17 in Artesani Park in Boston, organized by the polar bear himself, Jeff Neterval, to help raise awareness about the present extinction crisis. Proceeds went to Conservation International and the World Wildlife Fund .

6. Looked for the Asian Longhorn Beetle, an invasive species that is devastating North American forests. This was a chilly April day, but luckily we didn’t find any infestations on the grand trees of Commonwealth Avenue.

7. Chaired the organization of BU’s second annual Ecolympics (http://www.bu.edu/core/ecolympics/), which featured eco-film nights with vegan pizza, a talk on Fair Trade chocolate, a vegetarian cooking class and demo and almost 200 participants taking shorter showers, using re-usable cups, recycling and otherwise reducing their environmental footprints. The US Olympic Committee wrote to me demanding that I change the name under threat of lawsuit, so in 2012 we’ll be known as Eco-Fest.

7. Joined MassAudubon (http://www.massaudubon.org/) and visited four of their nearby wildlife sanctuaries.

8. Got a home energy assessment and found out my insulation was good.

9. Closed my Bank of America account because of their investment in coal mining.

10. Ate vegetarian or vegan more than once a week. This from a lifelong proud meat-eater is something. Check out the book, Comfortably Unaware (http://comfortablyunaware.com/) by Richard Oppenlander, if you want some hard-hitting statistics on how the 70 billion animals raised to feed 7 billion people is affecting our planet.

11. Unfortunately, I also took four trips that required flying more than four hours each way, which nullifies the gains that I made. Anyone know of a reliable carbon offset supplier? According to the New York Times maybe this will soon be added to our tickets?

12. Read or started reading some environmental classics like Henry Beston’s The Outermost House, Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire, and Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac. These are all fine books that will inspire you to be more aware of the impact we have on our surrounding environment.

13. Went on several walks at the Arnold Arboretum in the hopes of being able to understand trees better, even just learning their names.

14. Bought tree-free paper at CVS! 

So far, the shortlist for 2012 includes getting a bird feeder and composting at home and the office.

The Race Against Extinction

What can one person do to halt the alarming increase in biodiversity loss?

You can join the Ecolympics. You can act on the suggestions in our blog.

And you can put your boots to the ground and join the Race Against Extinction, a 5K race this Sunday starting at Artesani Park in Boston.

Jeff Neterval started the race in 2008 thanks to his daughter's passion for animal's and E.O. Wilson's The Future of Life, which he read in 2001. Jeff writes that "Professor Wilson's calculation and message then that for $30 billion humankind could preserve over 70% of the world's species by conserving a number of our planet's biodiversity 'hot spots' was the inspiration."

Their mission is to both "raise awareness for preserving our planet's precious biodiversity and raise funds for organizations such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund to help them with their conservation efforts".

"Oh yeah," Jeff adds, "we also want to do this while having a good time!"

Jeff and his group held the first Race Against Extinction 5K on Earth Day in 2008 as an informal experiment (no permit) along the Charles along the Esplanade. It was a cold rainy week night. They managed to muster 8 participants. Proceeds were delivered to The Nature Conservancy. The original 8 and friends made along the way organized the second annual Race Against Extinction on April 17, 2010. They registered over 150 participants and raised approximately $8000 combined with a matching program for the World Wildlife Fund's Year of the Tiger campaign.

Jeff isn't kidding when he talks about having fun while doing this. The Race Against Extinction

even has a guy crazy enough to have run marathons dressed as a polar bear to help promote the cause... Last year, the polar bear ran the full Chicago Marathon in 87 degree weather. Now that's being committed to your cause!

This year, Jeff has had no outside sponsors and has funded the race himself. He's up against two big scheduling events too: Palm Sunday and the Boston marathon's popular 5k event. But willing participants will be recognized with protecting an acre of rain forest on Conservation International's Protect an Acre of rain forest.

Habitat fragmentation and deforestation are two of the main causes of the present biodiversity crisis, so protecting an acre of rain forest is an excellent and tangible way to do something positive for endangered species. I personally love the idea of being able to peer down into the Amazon on Google Earth and know that I helped to protect an acre.

It's amazing what one person can do: one person can organize a race that gets dozens of other people out for the same cause. I'll be there on Sunday. What about you -- ready to lace up your shoes and join the Race Against Extinction?

Things to to, things to do, things to do

From convenient to challenging, have we got a list for you! Check out these fine lists for some eco-ideas and step up your involvement in preserving a sustainable environment. If you read a few of the lists, you'll see that one item is common: educate yourself.

Let's start with ten ways you can eat local from the (recently defunct) Boston Localvores.

Or how about ten sustainable actions (many of which are Ecolympics events) from Sustainability@BU?

If you just want to take simple steps to live green, check out the list from Conservation International.

If you're tuning into the biodiversity crisis, here are ten easy things you can do at home to protect endangered species, from the Endangered Species Coalition.

Strapped for cash? Here are ten things you can do for endangered species that don’t require money, from Squidoo.com.

Want to combine wildlife conservation and climate change activism? Here are ten things you can do to help imperiled wildlife survive climate change, from It’s Getting Hot Out There.

Or how about ten things you can do to save the ocean, from National Geographic.

Don't forget about the coral reefs. Here’s 25 things you can do to save them, from the NOAA.

Not enough for ya? Here are 100 ways to make a difference, from Marinebio.

Okay, you've had enough and you're ready to take action? Here are some action items from the World Wildlife Fund, the current action campaigns from the Center for Biological Diversity and the present advocacy campaigns from the Audubon Action Center .

What's inspiring you?