This has been quite a month ... we had the wonderful opportunity to hear from three fabulous guests who taught us and inspired us ... we've talked about the rainforest, roadblocks to living green, earth day, Eco-friendly printing fonts and vegan recipes ... and we took a field trip. We also heard from many of our Reduce Footprints "family" ... in fact, choosing ten comments for this monthly post was difficult.
I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment this month. Here are our Comments of Note:
From: Vegan Recipe - Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
gbenton789 said...
From: This Idea is Full of Holes
Every Photo Tells A Story said...
Voted! What a Great and Innovative idea. This is one of those inventions that comes around too frequently.
P.S. If I may vent. There is another issue that drives me crazy and wastes paper like crazy. Many people don't realize that there is a way to manually select the page they need to print out. Sometimes we search for an article, and many only need page 2 of 25 for our research, etc. So, what most people do is just automatically print "all". When they can simply print page 2 of 25. Doing so can reduce so much waste. You may have already touched on this issue. If so, thank you for letting me vent:)
Argentum Vulgaris said...
SF, as usual you touch the wick. I look forward to the rest of the series. It is, without doubt, the most important of all the issues we face at the moment.
I your list of rainforest products, don't forget rubber which came originally from the Amazon until stolen by the British and propagated in Kew gardens from where it was exported to Malaya. For some great info read a book called One River(can't think of the auhtor's name offhand). He was an ethno-biolgist who spent 50 years in the Amazon and surrounding areas.
AV
Ysabet said...
Recently I posted on a related topic, how forests (especially rainforests) generate wind and rain:
http://gaiatribe.geekuniversalis.com/2009/04/08/how-forests-generate-wind-and-rain/
So destroying the forests can disrupt weather patterns to the point of drying out an entire continent. It is hypothesized that this may explain Australia's condition.
Project Savior said...
You touched on it in post but maybe the most important reason (for humans) to save the rainforests is the scientific research into the properties of various exotic plants hold the keys to all sorts of new medicines.
If the rainforests are destroyed those cures are destroyed as well.
Lesley said...
Excellent post Sf. I hate to see those photos of vast areas of the rainforest that's been cut down...... miles of barren land with the remains of tree stumps.... and then compare it to the lush growth and the infinite number of species that once lived there. It's heartbreaking.
The thing is though that local people make their living from the palm oil plantations, etc. They're poor people and want to enjoy the pleasures that people from other countries enjoy, so they're going to take what work is on offer. I think one of the most important aspects is to try to develop alternative means of income for those people, so they can enjoy a good standard of living without harming the environment.
I look forward to reading your future posts on this subject. :)
harri pao said...
I'm agree with choosing wood products that don't contribute to destruction of the rain forest is not easy...one of opportunities, in Indonesia, especially in Java where is huge population and scarcity of forest wood...we've been used village-wood from trees planted surrounded the village. But restoring the rain forest have to take action...Your articles, part one and two, are comprehensive enough, keep working!
Pseudonymous High School Teacher said...
Thanks for the heads up on these events. FOr Earth Day, a friend of mine is having a clothes swapping party. We bring all the clothes we clean out of our closets and have a potluck. We leave with clothes that feel "new" to each of us without buying anything.
From: Guest Blogger - Kimberly B. Keilbach
Afternoon Tea Break said...
Well said! Thank you for posting this article about the need to be green and the need for companies to actually live up to their "corporate social responsibilities" rather than just having it as a meaningless catchphrase spicing up the annual reports. Is that Barack Obama letter at the bottom real by the way?
Recently in the UK I try to support the local community by buying as much food as possible from local farmers' markets rather than big supermarket stores, and I'd advocate everyone to do the same: not only is it better on the wallet, it tastes far better and lasts a few days longer than supermarket-bought food too. I'm glad your blog encourages others to do the same.
Feel free to follow me on http://creditcrunchcareerchange.blogspot.com
- Ron said...
Before commiting myself to the corporation I currently shoot for, I never knew such companies cared so much about the world outside of their boardrooms. It's truly amazing. I think what these companies should do is all come together and work together to solve some of the worlds most daunting problems--only then can we see MORE change. Just my opinion...
Great tips from Kimberly! Thank you!
Again, I'd like to thank everyone who commented this month.
"See" you on Monday.
What a great salad. In addition to delicious, you Quinoa and White Corn are native to North America and have tremendous benefits to the environment as well as being delicious and great for us. Add heirloom bell peppers, jalepenos and tomatoes and you've got a salad that is especially healthy and great for the planet and sustainability! Five Stars*****