Category: Sustainability

Thank the Ocean

4/24/2020

A healthy ocean means a healthy planet.

Take a virtual dive in Monterey Bay
- Immerse yourself in the undersea world of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Learn about the important role the ocean plays in indigenous communities
- Many indigenous communities have a cultural, spiritual and political connection to the ocean. Learn about the role the Shinnecock ["SHIN-uh-cock"] Indian Nation also known as "People of the Shore" play in political diplomacy around ocean use and conservation.
- For indigenous communities, fish mean much more than food. The ocean has always sustained livelihoods but it also plays a role in ceremonial traditions.
Learn about the effects water has on our health and well-being
- Blue Mind is a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peace, unity, and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment. Discover the soothing and healing qualities of your brain on water.
Get inspired
- Join the Earth Optimism Digital Summit or Earth Day Live virtual events to gain inspiration and information.

Your Earth Impact

4/23/2020

Explore how to live more sustainably at home.

What's your baseline?
- Calculate your carbon footprint
  - Use this interactive calculator to find out the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by your actions. Take action now.
Reduce your waste
- Learn about what goes where
  - Recycling in Monterey County is changing. Learn if a material is recyclable and how and where to recycle it in Monterey County. For fun, test your recycling knowledge with the Recycling Challenge Game! Get started here.
- Repurpose or rehome before landfilling it
  - Our landfill and recycling center operators are asking that we refrain from bringing unwanted items during shelter-in-place. Meanwhile, charity organizations are completely shut down for the safety of employees and the community. Instead consider ways in which you can upcycle or repurpose your items. If DIY-ing isn't your thing, post your items to your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook or Freecycle Network.
- Learn more about less
  - The Monterey Regional Waste Management District is encouraging everyone to produce less waste. Read their 2020 Guide to Recycling and Waste Reduction.
Fight food waste
- Learn about closed-loop cooking
  - A closed-loop food system is a circular feedback loop in which little to no waste is created from gathering, preparing, or cooking food. Learn how you can reduce your food waste and single-use items through recipes, how to's, interviews, and stories. Explore how to fight food waste here.
- Learn to compost
  - Did you know that keeping food waste out of landfills can help fight climate change? There's a solution to home food waste that doesn't involve landfills: composting! Here are five steps to help you get started. Is outdoor composting not your cup of tea? Check out the bodacious world of bokashi!
Shrink your carbon footprint
- Eat local
  - Produce is shipped approximately 1,500 miles before it's sold. Shrink the carbon foodprint of your meals by eating as local as possible. Whether it's supporting your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or planting a container garden, eating fresh-from-the-vine offers lots of cost and carbon saving benefits. Here's five reasons why you should start your own container garden. Can't contain your excitement to start a container garden? Check out these basics and beyond from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources UCCE Master Gardener Program.
- Find ways to conserve energy at home
  - Get no-cost and low-cost energy saving tips for reducing your home energy use and lowering your monthly bill from PG&E here.
  - Want to get rewarded for saving energy? Join OhmConnect to get notified about time of intense energy demands in your area. By reducing your energy usage during high peak hours, you'll be rewarded with a smaller electricity bill as well as cash payments or an entry into a bi-weekly prize draw.
Apply for a library card online
- During shelter-in-place you can still apply for a library card with Monterey County Free Libraries. Local library websites are teeming with online resources that could never be matched by a private company at no cost and no waste. Choose your next downloadable EBook or audiobook today!
Get inspired
- Join the Earth Optimism Digital Summitor Earth Day Live virtual events to gain inspiration and information.

Earth Day!

4/22/2020

Join a virtual Earth Day celebration.

Participate in the Earth Optimism Digital Summit
- The Earth Optimism digital event will showcase stories of both small and large-scale actions that frame the conservation conversation and demonstrate that success is possible. See the schedule of events here.
Participate in Earth Day Live
- From April 22 to April 24, activists, performers, thought leaders, and artists will come together for an empowering, inspiring, and communal three day livestream mobilization. RSVP to the livestream here.
Participate in the People for the Planet Summit
- Join this global discussion with some of the world's most beloved throught leaders who will be taking digital center stage to inspire, educate, and unite our global community towards making a positive impact on our planet. RSVP here.
Participate in KQED's DEEP LOOK Earth Day Film Festival
- This virtual film festival features four-minute videos about small animals and plants at very close up, ultra-high definition. Get a glimpse at the natural world that humans rarely get to see or experience. After the videos have been screened, you'll have a chance to ask scientists and video producers questions about the amazing animals you just saw. Prepare to discover the fascinating and beautiful interconnectedness between the lives and behaviors of the creatures onscreen and their complex ecosystems. Get your virtual tickets here.
Come together in support of our planet
- Share a selfie with your Earth Day sign by using the hashtag #EarthDay2020.

Connect with Nature

4/21/2020

Discover natures's wonders in your neighborhood.

Go on a nature scavenger hunt in your neighborhood.
- Use the Seek app by iNaturalist while you're outside to explore and learn about the nature all around you. Seek is kid-safe and fun for families who want to spend more time exploring nature together.
Learn about the hidden beauty of pollinators
- Pollination is vital to life on Earth, but largely unseen by the human eye. Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg shows us the intricate world of pollen and pollinators with gorgeous high-speed images from his film "Wings of Life," inspired by the vanishing of one of nature's primary pollinators, the honeybee.
Find out why fungi are fantastic
- Join a virtual gathering featuring live streamed conversations with researchers, educators and solutionaries about our planet's most pressing environmental and global challenges who will take you on a journey through time and scale to immerse us in the healing energy of Mother Earth during this time of isolation. See the Fungi Day schedule here.

Earth Day Kickoff

4/20/2020

Get inspired for the week ahead by participating in one or all of the following activities:

Earth Day quiz
- Complete this Earth Day quiz independently, with your house mates, or with your family.
- Reflection questions: What answer surprised me the most and why? What do I want to explore further this week?
- Choose to share your thoughts with others online or at the dinner table.
Hit the books
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is considered as the book that sparked the environmental movement however indigenous people across the globe have cared for and preserved this land for generations before the term "environmentalism" was coined.
  - Read the forward to Silent Spring as well as the chapter titled "People of Corn, People of Light" in Braiding Sweetgrass
  - Reflection questions: What was my perception of environmentalism before reading both excerpts? How has it changed after reading Carson and Kimmerer’s words? What role does media play in promoting environmentalism? Who tends to be the majority demographic represented? How does that make me feel?
  - Choose to share your thoughts online or at the dinner table.
Signup for the Earth Day EcoChallenge
- There are nine days left this month to let your actions speak for the Earth. Challenge yourself to commit to at least one behavior that can ensure a better shared future for us all. Explore the EcoChallenge here and encourage the members in your home to do the same.
- Reflection questions: Which challenge am I excited to start today? What challenge makes me the most curious to learn more about? Who can I reach out to if I have questions?
Make an Earth Day window sign using upcycled materials
- While at home, flex your advocacy muscle by making an Earth Day sign for your window. Make your sign using upcycled materials like cardboard and add some embellishments like images from magazines. Get started by exploring some catchy phrases here.
- On Wednesday, take an Earth Day selfie with your sign and post it using the hashtag #EarthDay2020
Signup for Earth Day Live
- From April 22 to April 24, activists, performers, thought leaders, and artists will come together for an empowering, inspiring, and communal three day livestream mobilization. RSVP to the livestream here.