GREENING GUILFORD

From Cool Cities to Green Guilford: People push for county-level change

The city of Greensboro had its day in the spotlight last year when former mayor Keith Holliday signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, a first step toward it becoming a "Cool City."

Now, local residents are working to expand sustainability efforts at the county level. The group, called Green Guilford, is working with Rob Bencini, the county's director of economic and community development. They aim to educate the public about environmental issues, support governmental purchases of environmentally-friendly products, create a neighborhood sustainability advisory board (Ahem... homeowners associations), and tap into existing soil and water conservation groups.

Now, the group must win over the public and county commissioners. I anticipate this plan could get a lot of resistance from businesses that stand to lose money if the county switches products and services. But many "green businesses" are willing and eager to take their place.

What do you think about this group?

Group pushes for "No Child Left Inside"

President Bush and many educators have worked over the past several years to close the academic achievement gap between groups of students. Should his educational legacy also include closing the nature gap as well?

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is gathering support for the No Child Left Inside Act, a federal bill that would offer states incentives to develop Environmental Literacy Plans and integrate environmental education across K-12 curricula. The No Child Left Inside Act aims to ensure that schools have the resources and training necessary to help the next generation understand and address the challenges of protecting the environment.

Connecting children with nature is a goal that is beginning to gain steam here in Greensboro. Last Saturday, about 30 people viewed a documentary at The HIVE in Glenwood about the disconnect between today's generation of children and nature and unstructured play.

Given that No Child Left Behind has been underfunded since its inception and criticized for faulty implementation, I'm not sure another federal law is the best approach toward this issue. However, a healthy dialogue about the children's lack of exposure to the outdoors is needed.

Bagging plastic bags

One local legislator wants to require retail stores to recycle their ubiquitous plastic bags.

One way to discourage plastic bag use: charge for them. By the way, I like this idea, which is used at Deep Roots Market in Greensboro: give customers a small discount for bringing their own bags.

Besse volunteers to canvass in Greensboro

Steve McCollum, co-founder of Environment Stewardship Group of Greensboro, is organizing a canvassing for Dan Besse, a Democrat who is running for North Carolina lieutenant governor. McCollum is endorsing Besse because of his experience working on environmental issues.

McCollum will also host a meeting with Besse at his home from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Says McCollum:

"If you haven't met Dan yet, please plan to drop by and bring another committed Democratic primary voter with you!! Oh, yes, I was sure you'd ask: There is no required or even suggested donation for the April 16 event; however, you can bet that if Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still raising money after reaching the $100 million plus stratosphere each, the you'd better believe Dan Besse needs whatever financial support we can give him as he takes on two of the most well-heeled Dems--Walter Dalton and Hampton Dellinger, each with several times in their campaign coffers as Besse. If you want the GREENEST possible North Carolina, then consider a little green investment in the best environmental steward on the ballot."

Contact McCollum at 286-8665 or [email protected]  if you are interested. 

Al Gore: We need another hero generation to tackle climate change

Check out this video on TED.com, an updated talk on climate change by Al Gore. He argues for a global mobilization toward a low-carbon future and says, "We now have a culture of distraction. But we have a planetary emergency."

Also, a global campaign to stop global warming, founded by Gore.