Once Upon a Time, recycling was seen as boring. You had to do it because it was the right thing to do, you believed in it, it made a difference…you hoped. It was an article of faith among “greenies”, a means of survival for some homeless, a nuisance for many, a civic duty for most. But the questions always were there. Does this really make a difference?

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A few good words from the archives for the planet!

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As always, there is a story.

An American businessman was
at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one
fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The
American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long
it took to catch them.

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There are so many people here and so many connections-people that have been doing environmental work together for 20+ years, and many connections that reach far beyond the room. At lunch yesterday I sat with 3 other people and between us had friendships or collegial relationships with about 20 other people that weren’t present. “Oh you know her!

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CERES, the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies is holding their 20th anniversary conference here at the historic Fairmount Hotel in San Francisco, and Greenopolis is on the scene as a sponsor and exhibitor.

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The buckets hold little but bugs and a little water. The
last of the generous maples has stopped giving. Time to pull the taps, wash the
buckets, and store it away for next season.

We made 50 gallons of sweet amber colored maple syrup. That’s
about 2000 gallons of sap gathered, carried, carted and boiled; now resting in
five gallon containers. The last thing to do is reheat it to the perfect
temperature, bottle it up, and enjoy the sweet taste over the next year.

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So on some days the sap flows almost like water from a hose-
about 100 a gallons a day for 3 days straight last week. On other days it shuts
down to almost nothing. 100 gallons one day, 10 the next. Depends on the
weather- you need those cold nights below freezing and the warm days above to
get the juices flowing in the maple woods. If it stays below freezing, nothing
flows- same if it stays above freezing. One tree will give like gangbusters for
a week, and then slow to a crawl while its neighbor takes off.

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It’s that time of year again. Freezing at night here in New
England and thawing during the day. Buckets sprouting on the sides of the maple
trees to catch the slightly sweet sap that begins to flow in these conditions.
Leafless trees under harsh conditions yeilding up a nourishing food. A miracle. One bucket for a tree 10” in diameter, two buckets for a 20 incher, and up to
three for a 24 inch tree or larger. But never more than 3 per tree. Take just enough
to make a little syrup, one gallon for every 40 gallons of sap collected. A
sustainable yield, year after year.

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With the abundant sunshine in southern California, we have a real opportunity to turn Orange green! Our governor is ahead of the political curve on these issues, and the nation has long looked to California as a innovator in renewable energy and environmental stewardship. Here are the top 10 things you can do right here in Orange to help conserve energy and increase renewables!

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Write what you like here- other members of your group can read and respond to it, or add a blog of their own!

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Counties a key leverage point in the sustainability efrot- you might say a "glocal"  one where local effort has potential for global impact.

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From today's Boston Globe:

Greenbuild International Conference opens in Hub

The trade show, which ends tomorrow, is sponsored by the nonprofit US Green
Building Council and highlights environmentally friendly businesses and
services.

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What do fused glass, shredded jeans, paint, and plants have in common? They’re all featured here at GreenBuild as innovative solutions for greener buildings. Fused glass countertops made from recycled bottles (in your favorite cola color). Home insulation made from old denim jeans. Safe paint formulations with no toxic off gassing. And living roofs made from plants – a roof that filters rainwater, creates oxygen, sequesters carbon and provides habitat! In a way this is “back to the future” as our houses of old were made from all natural materials derived form nature.

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