Comments on: Teaching Sustainability http://greencouple.com/2008/08/20/teaching-sustainability/ Learning to live green and live together Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:09:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Linnea http://greencouple.com/2008/08/20/teaching-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-1995 Linnea Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:06:27 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=335#comment-1995 Maggie, check out ReadyMade.com, they have a lot of really great repurposing projects (making blankets out of grocery bags, CD storage out of mailer tubes, etc.) You might check that out for some inspiration. Maggie, check out ReadyMade.com, they have a lot of really great repurposing projects (making blankets out of grocery bags, CD storage out of mailer tubes, etc.) You might check that out for some inspiration.

]]> By: Maggie http://greencouple.com/2008/08/20/teaching-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-1992 Maggie Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:25:58 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=335#comment-1992 Thanks for all the ideas! Andy - I'd love to take a class in driving more efficiently but certainly don't feel qualified to teach one. :) Dana - I have heard good things about soap nuts but haven't tried them yet. (We currently have a ton of laundry detergent from the etsy seller and the local health food store that we're slogging our way through.) Emily - The City of Bloomington Commission on Sustainability has sponsored several classes on how to save energy and money by making home improvements. It's definitely a popular topic so I'm not sure what I could add that would be new and different but I'll think about it. Saving money is an excellent hook. I probably wouldn't use the word "sustainability" in the class title but might mention it in the description both to appeal to the choir and also to help educate everyone that pretty much everything relates to sustainability somehow! Karen - Creative reuse is a great idea. I can't think of any super-cool projects, though. I know how to make lint firestarters but that's about a fifteen-minute project so I'd probably need something else as well. :) Thanks for all the ideas!

Andy - I’d love to take a class in driving more efficiently but certainly don’t feel qualified to teach one. :)

Dana - I have heard good things about soap nuts but haven’t tried them yet. (We currently have a ton of laundry detergent from the etsy seller and the local health food store that we’re slogging our way through.)

Emily - The City of Bloomington Commission on Sustainability has sponsored several classes on how to save energy and money by making home improvements. It’s definitely a popular topic so I’m not sure what I could add that would be new and different but I’ll think about it. Saving money is an excellent hook. I probably wouldn’t use the word “sustainability” in the class title but might mention it in the description both to appeal to the choir and also to help educate everyone that pretty much everything relates to sustainability somehow!

Karen - Creative reuse is a great idea. I can’t think of any super-cool projects, though. I know how to make lint firestarters but that’s about a fifteen-minute project so I’d probably need something else as well. :)

]]> By: Karen http://greencouple.com/2008/08/20/teaching-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-1991 Karen Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:45:20 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=335#comment-1991 I'd sign up for learning how to recycle by turning all sorts of things (plastics, baskets, glass jars) into different things with different purposes. I’d sign up for learning how to recycle by turning all sorts of things (plastics, baskets, glass jars) into different things with different purposes.

]]> By: Emily http://greencouple.com/2008/08/20/teaching-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-1990 Emily Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:09:10 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=335#comment-1990 If you can relate it to saving money, I bet it would be popular. "How to save gas" "Save on your electric bill" (Could you find a good deal on CFLs and give them out in class?) "Five home improvements to save money and energy" - that sort of thing. I'm not sure if you'd get more or fewer people if you use the word "sustainability." My guess is, you'd appeal to the choir, but you'd need to step it up a notch. If folks know they are interested in a sustainable lifestyle, they've probably already done the "Top 10 easy things to save the earth." If you can relate it to saving money, I bet it would be popular. “How to save gas” “Save on your electric bill” (Could you find a good deal on CFLs and give them out in class?) “Five home improvements to save money and energy” - that sort of thing.

I’m not sure if you’d get more or fewer people if you use the word “sustainability.” My guess is, you’d appeal to the choir, but you’d need to step it up a notch. If folks know they are interested in a sustainable lifestyle, they’ve probably already done the “Top 10 easy things to save the earth.”

]]> By: Dana http://greencouple.com/2008/08/20/teaching-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-1985 Dana Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:37:12 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=335#comment-1985 Ooh! Just 15 minutes ago I came across something interesting that I was going to email you/Will about anyway, so I'll put it here. I was reading a forum thread about natural shampoos, and two of the participants ended up delving into a long exploration of soapnuts/aritha. Apparently their shells can be used as laundry detergents (up to 3 uses per little bag of shells, dried between each use), dish detergent, and to make shampoo. The shampoo part seemed a bit difficult to get right for individual hair needs, but the laundry use seemed to work easily, and I remembered that you'd had some frustrations with getting suitably green detergent via Etsy. (Not sure how well it would work in an HE washer, though. I wonder if it matters.) Ooh! Just 15 minutes ago I came across something interesting that I was going to email you/Will about anyway, so I’ll put it here. I was reading a forum thread about natural shampoos, and two of the participants ended up delving into a long exploration of soapnuts/aritha. Apparently their shells can be used as laundry detergents (up to 3 uses per little bag of shells, dried between each use), dish detergent, and to make shampoo. The shampoo part seemed a bit difficult to get right for individual hair needs, but the laundry use seemed to work easily, and I remembered that you’d had some frustrations with getting suitably green detergent via Etsy. (Not sure how well it would work in an HE washer, though. I wonder if it matters.)

]]> By: Andy http://greencouple.com/2008/08/20/teaching-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-1983 Andy Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:37:46 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=335#comment-1983 Funny I just read this, I was just compiling a list of places to offer a lessons on driving more efficiently. I had offered lessons once before, with no takers, but this is a much more open city that I am in now. There is a group around here that teaches energy efficiency by meeting at someone's home each time and showing all the ways they could make it better or save energy here or there. Can't be too hard for those who live that way to teach it. Funny I just read this, I was just compiling a list of places to offer a lessons on driving more efficiently. I had offered lessons once before, with no takers, but this is a much more open city that I am in now.

There is a group around here that teaches energy efficiency by meeting at someone’s home each time and showing all the ways they could make it better or save energy here or there. Can’t be too hard for those who live that way to teach it.

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