TH Forums Highlights: Going Green at School, Green Flooring in the Basement + More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 09. 5.07
Flowing fast and furious through a series of tubes, right to your desktop, here are some highlights from TreeHugger Forums...
1) Now that forums user atheos13 is back at school, it's time to get the 'Student for a Better Earth' club rolling. So far, the list of objectives includes school-wide recycling, biodiesel in the buses, a garden for the cafeteria, increased energy efficiency (like with energy-saving lightbulbs and computer equipment) and much more. " I would love some feedback from the TH community on what I, and others, can do to green their schools." Lots of good ideas here; anyone else?
2) User citizenkahn wonders, "What are the good environmentally friendly options for basement floors that I can use in a slightly musty basement?" Recycled rubber, cork, salvaged lumber and palm wood are in as a possibility, and bamboo is out -- dampness and moisture are a necessary consideration here. So far, it looks like recycled rubber and no additional flooring at all -- with maybe a few coats of sealant -- are leading the way.
3) Forums user ed is looking for an affordable solar trailer to be designed, so we can get away from grid power and the seemingly endless cycle of replacing batteries that provide portable power. The thread notes that this has implications far beyond just hand-held portable power, as they could potentially replace portable generators that are thrust in to action when the grid gets overloaded and goes down. Solar power on the go is a great idea; anyone know how to help make it work?
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I run my `86 Jetta on a 2 tank veg oil system and am always checking out veg oil site and found this. I don't know if this is "affordable" but here, can be used as a trailer application (sold as a kit):
http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com/products_solar.php
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fT8KDb73EH4
I would say in response to the first highlight that there are two important and essential tips which could make a world of difference in school sustainability.
The first is to use cork flooring for new classrooms, or when remodeling old ones, especially for elementary schools. It is an easy and forgiving surface for children, comfortable, long-lasting, and green. As you guys know the cork trees do not have to be felled for their cork, and much cork flooring is comprised of 15% recycled corks.
I know if I were currently a student or a faculty member at a school, I would recommend this particularly for pre-K, K, and elementary schools.
The second thing which is also key here is the food served in the cafeteria. If more and more food in school cafeterias was local and organic this would help immensely at reducing carbon footprints. For instance, just by switching to local milk, instead of say hood brand milk, which travels all across the country before it gets to you, that could do as much as any of the things you have listed above.
For the average American puts out 60 tons of CO2 per year due to food consumption, while for transportation it is only 4.4 tons.
See how important food choice is in our battle to live in a thoughtful balance with our planet?
For more info on cork flooring go here:
http://www.hardwoodbrokers.com/catalog/cork/
For more info on eating green here's a good blog post I found the other day:
http://selfevolving.blogspot.com/2008/04/easy-ways-to-eat-eco-friendly.html
Cheers!
I would say in response to the first highlight that there are two important and essential tips which could make a world of difference in school sustainability.
The first is to use cork flooring for new classrooms, or when remodeling old ones, especially for elementary schools. It is an easy and forgiving surface for children, comfortable, long-lasting, and green. As you guys know the cork trees do not have to be felled for their cork, and much cork flooring is comprised of 15% recycled corks.
I know if I were currently a student or a faculty member at a school, I would recommend this particularly for pre-K, K, and elementary schools.
The second thing which is also key here is the food served in the cafeteria. If more and more food in school cafeterias was local and organic this would help immensely at reducing carbon footprints. For instance, just by switching to local milk, instead of say hood brand milk, which travels all across the country before it gets to you, that could do as much as any of the things you have listed above.
For the average American puts out 60 tons of CO2 per year due to food consumption, while for transportation it is only 4.4 tons.
See how important food choice is in our battle to live in a thoughtful balance with our planet?
For more info on cork flooring go here:
http://www.hardwoodbrokers.com/catalog/cork/
Cheers!