2012 London Olympics See Sustainability as More Than Going Green

We have all heard that the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was supposed to be the most "sustainable Olympics ever." But after the stories of flying in snow and other problems encountered throughout they did not quite reach the level of sustainability they hoped for. That doesn't mean they didn't make a positive step though. After all they did make huge progress in pushing sustainability as a central theme of the Olympics. And I believe London caught on.

The 2012 London Olympics are taking this advice from Vancouver and making their upcoming summer olympics sustainable beyond going green. They hope to incorparte the social, enviornmental and economic aspects that will improve London for years to come, long after the games are over. Here is a brief statement by the Olympic sustainable committee says the games will provide:

The remediation of the site will bring existing land back into public use and create significant improvements in the quantity and quality of green space in east London.

The creation of new infrastructure, sporting facilities and housing in an area currently experiencing high levels of deprivation will help to create neighbourhoods and vibrant places after the Games are over, where people will want to live, work and play. We are reconnecting communities by building more than 30 bridges across the waterways, railways and roads that currently divide the Olympic Park area.

I find it amazing how much change the Olympics will bring to the community in London as well as improve and recreate the parks and bridges that need to be improved. I believe that this is a huge step for London and with the steps they are taking to truly incorporate sustainability into an event that will be seen throughout the World. What better venue to promote this movement and let the rest of the world know that you can make a difference today that will affect those for years to come. Hopefully though, it won't have to take covering the Olympics for a city to change their ways.

ASUO Sustainability Fair Unites Campus Groups

I came across a very interesting video today as I was researching sustainability. The ASUO, a Student Government group at the University of Oregon held a sustainability fair last October. This fair brought over 15 campus groups that have ties to sustainability and let them display their ideas to not only each other but the student body as well.



Here is the link to the article and video:



I found this to be very interesting because I am a strong believer that in order for the sustainability movement to truly work we must come together and continue to learn from every aspect of sustainability. The groups involved in the fair ran from Architecture students to the U of O outdoor program. What really stands out for me is that those who attended the fair got to see the diverse implications of sustainability. Sustainability is not a singular idea like improving campus recycling. Instead, it is uniting diverse groups and ideas such as improved architecture design and sustainable law.

What this fair got me thinking about was how can we make this a bigger event? Maybe instead of having it be only one day it could be a week long event that would encourage more student involvement. I for one never knew this was going on and would have loved to visit the fair and been a part of the think tank. Another interesting point that actually came up during a presentation in class today was how the Greek life here at the U of O is starting to begin its journey into better sustainability practices. They could bring not only a fresh perspective but a lot of people as well since around 10% of the student body is in the Greek system here.

This fair is a great steo to promoting sustainability throughout the campus and would love to see it only get bigger as more people gain awareness about this cause.

GE - Healthymagination

Healthymagination, a website and social tool created by GE, is asking you to take one small step today to live a better, healthier life. Everyone who has ever considered living a healthier life has witnessed the vast and overwhelming amount of information on the web and in health magazines. With so many differant directions you can go and so many differant sites telling you what the best way to make this chanmge is, it often becomes too large a step for people to take. Healthymagination is a tool for people to use that asks you to take one small step today. They understand that making the change to a healthier life does not happen overnight, and that is what makes this site so appealing.

The website, which is linked here, also knows that this change is hard to make alone. The site is designed to make this change a collaborative effort. When you visit healthymagination.com, there is a list of projects that people are completing everyday. They are called morsels and include small steps like "Lie on your bed, flex your abs, raise one leg up, and release. Repeat, switching legs." It may not sound like much but it is a step nonetheless. A step that many people don't take because they are too overwhelmed in the idea that they must make a radical change to see any result. (Plus they made these morsels accessible for your cellphone.)

Along with the morsels is a tab that lets people share health stories and tips that they use themselves. This changes the website from a tool people can use to a social network connecting like minded people. By making the site a collaborative effort, I believe people will be more involved and ultimately interested in continuing with this healthy change they are trying to make.

What ties the whole experience of this site together is the tab that reads "stories." Here is listed various stories of people doing good in their communities and for themselves. This piece of the site is what I believe is the true essence of healthymagination.com. It is so much more than making healthy steps to a better you, but rather making healthy steps to a better community and society. GE wants to create a better world that promotes bettering oneself and those around them. That is the true sense of sustainability that we need today.

Green Job Explosion in Midwest - Rest of Country in Same Boat?

As I read up on the people I am following on Twitter I came across a tweet by Al Gore that boasts 100 million new jobs will be generated in the midwest in a few short years, along with a huge revenue boost to the economy of the most recession-effected part of our country. The report where Gore received this in sight is the "American Innovation: Manufacturing Low Carbon Technologies in the Midwest," which estimates that, "climate and energy policies could create up to 100,000 new jobs in the Midwest, and generate additional market revenues of up to $12 billion, boosting state and local tax revenues by over $800 million by 2015." As a student of green branding I am amazed and excited by this huge increase in jobs, especially during a time that looks quite bleak in the job market.

I began to wonder what this meant for the rest of the country. Will this explosion of green jobs be seen throughout the U.S. or is the Midwest going to be the mecca of green jobs? I understand that the reason the Midwest will see this increase in green jobs because it is a prime location for wind turbines and green-technology plants, but will this increase in green jobs in the Midwest spread out to more urban cities like Portland and New York? With graduation and job hunting on the my mind I am very interested in seeing this field become a boost to our recession and poor job market. I believe that as this sustainable movement grows and more people change their daily living habits companies will have to change how they reach them. This will create a vast amount of jobs that will be not only located in the Midwest, but in even the most urban and populated cities. If you are worried about what job the future holds for you, then I strongly recommend looking into green jobs. This explosion of jobs and revenue through green jobs will not be located solely in the Midwest, but in the rest of the U.S. as well.

Charging Your Cell Phone with the Sun and Your Backpack

Who needs outlets when you have the sun? That is what many people are asking look into solar-paneled bags that can recharge your phone. G24 Innovations, a company in Campbell California, is implementing this technology into various bags that will be sold to the public soon.

As quoted from the New York Times article, "Recharging Your Cell Phone, Mother Natures Way:"

The technology uses a photosensitive dye to start its energy production, much the way leaves use chlorophyll to begin photosynthesis.

This energy is then converted into a format that allows users to charge anything from an eBook to their cell phones. Although it will work best in full sunlight, the bag will not require a bright sunny day to work.

This innovative idea sparks some thought about the future of such technology. Will this soon be a norm for bags in the future? Will they incorporate this into cars maybe even hats? It appears that they are releasing an eBook cover that will have the technology in it as well. I think there is a lot more to go here with this technology than merely bags. Maybe our cell phones will have solar panels on their backs and won't need an external energy source at all to recharge. I am very excited to see where this is going.

Although the majority of products with this technology are yet to be released, there are some bags you can purchase today including Tonino Lamborghini, a brand licensed and distributed by Mascotte. If you are interested in the technology, I recommend looking into these bags.