It Is Easy Being Green In Northeast Ohio

"When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world." -John Muir



The people passionate about sustainability in Northeast Ohio never cease to amaze me. From the moment the realization of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability(E4S) existed, which claims 7,000 members, I have been in awe that our tiny area of the world has incredible thinkers, inventors, and
pioneers in sustainability.


Upon reviewing my weekly email from the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, I found an unusual amount of green building events. Oh maybe it is because spring has sprung but I don't think so.

Here are some of the events:

• NEO Green Building & Design Expo: http://www.neogreenexpo.com/, March 20, 2010
• Sustainability Breakfast Series: Finding Green in Existing Buildings: http://www.cleveland.uli.org/, March 24, 2010
• Majora Carter: Greening the Ghetto: How Much It Won't Cost Us, March 30, 2010
• Second Annual Green Gala featuring speaker Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: http://www.ecowatch.org/, April 9, 2010

If you live in NEO please take the time to attend one of these events.
Happy Spring!

GREEN Alternative to Air Purifiers

Who knew that an electric run air purifier is not as effective as a few everyday common houseplants to help improve our indoor air quality-and the electric version is not as GREEN?



The EPA states the air in your home or office is 5-100 times more polluted than air outside. What does that say about the products we use in our home and office?

What are the items that are creating toxic environments?

1) Traditional cleaning products

2) Paint, sealants, caulks, stains

3) Carpeting

4) Mold & Mildew

5) Wood products like countertops, cabinets, flooring

6) Dust

7) Tobacco smoke



As you can see some of these items are man-made and the others occur in nature naturally but all have a high VOC content(volatile organic compound). What can we do to improve the indoor air quality? The answer is so simple. Place live houseplants in your home. Well you need to care for them appropriately too. While researching ways to cleanse the air in space stations, NASA found certain houseplants cleanse the air of some of the VOCs such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene-all included in the EPA's list of potentially hazardous VOC's. In this study, NASA studied 19 different houseplants for 2 years including two flowering plants and the remainder being common everyday houseplants. The NASA study showed the recommendation of 15-18 houseplants for an average 1,800 square foot home could improve the indoor air quality. To read more about the study and learn the simple science go to: NASA.



Here is the list of plants with their common names included in the study:

• english ivy


• spider plant


• golden pothos


• peace lily


• Chinese evergreen


• bamboo or reed palm


• snake plant


• heartleaf philodendron


• selloum philodendron


• elephant ear philodendron


• red-edged dracaena


• corn stalk dracaena


• Janet Craig dracaena


• Warneck dracaena


• weeping fig

If you have pets, please check the list for potentially hazardous plants before using them in your home.

I encourage you to incorporate at least a few of the plants included in the study in an area you spend the most time whether it is your home or office or both. Greenery not only improves indoor air quality but it is a living being that will improve your mood(see http://www.plantsforoffices.com/ study).

References
NASA, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, September 1989, by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, Anne Johnson, Keith Bounds

http://www.plantsforoffices.com/a290279-office-plants-can-improve-employee-productivity-.cfm, Indoor Plants Improve Mood

GRATITUDE

Lazily sitting at my desk on this Sunday morning reflecting on the week past- I am grateful for it. Grateful that I have found understanding about my true passions in life: love, compassion, kindness and sustainability. These traits are intricately woven.

Have you considered what one act of kindness towards any being can do not only for the receiver but for you and even the world? In our crazy lives it is so easy to lose ourselves in everyday minutia-making breakfast, taking the kids to school, feeding the dogs, walking the dogs, packing lunches, getting ready for work, working, making dinner, exercise, getting ready for bed and sleeping. Stop for one moment and "be", breathe and be thankful for the gifts you have been given.

Land, Water, Sky Connection

My husband, Patrick, and I tightly packed our two dogs and luggage into the car and were off for a week's long adventure at the beaches of the Outer Banks. If you have never visited this area of the US, you may want to reconsider where to take your next vacation. Being from northeast Ohio and used to seeing green or white depending on the season we were in awe of the constantly shifting sandy dunes topped with sea oats against a backdrop of white-capped sea and blue sky.

The sandy landscape, crashing waves and big fluffy white drifting clouds sprinkled with magnificent soaring birds became a giant playground for all of us. The dogs enjoyed chasing seagulls and running from the big scary bath water that sometimes caught their toes. Xena bit at the foam that forms from strong waves coming to shore. She loved that foam! Reece just happy to be with his people, smiling wildly in the sun and wind. My husband most enjoyed renting a Jeep and taking it off road on the beach to a remote area where we saw the wild horses of the OBX. For me it is always the wildlife that brings me the most joy. Watching creatures able to live in their natural environments with little threat enables me to relax. Not to mention the phenomenal star activity at night. I saw two shooting stars the first night. The clear open sky without the added sky glow that we get in the city showered us with flickering stars at night.

It is easy to see why we flock to this landscape in order to relax, to unwind, to de-stress. This is a connection to the earth by land, water, and sky. Spirit has given us a giant playground for our very own. We need the connection of the earth to rejuvenate and ultimately to survive. Understanding this very needed two-way connection is the first step to understanding sustainability.