How to Clean out Your Closet Responsibly

Very often, when we’re given tips about cleaning up our lifestyles, it involves buying new stuff to replace the old, bad stuff. Obviously, though, the most environmentally responsible thing to do is to acquire less, and make use of the things you already own. The EPA estimates that there is about 10 pounds of textile waste generated per person, per year in the United States—all of which ends up in a landfill. So in keeping with the spring-cleaning kick we’ve been on, we decided to turn our focus on cleaning out your closet in the most earth-friendly way possible.
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ECOS $1,000 Scholarship

ECOS Club,

 

The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. will be awarding a scholarship of $1,000 dollars to eligible high school seniors and Lone Star College – Montgomery college students that have “exemplified a commitment to preserving the environment.” You can apply for the scholarship by going to http://www.thewoodlandsgreen.org/ and opening the scholarship form. Fill this out ASAP because the deadline is fast approaching on April 30th.

  

Earth Day will also be celebrated on Thursday, April 22nd. We will send a new e-mail out giving specific information on the time we’ll have a booth up. Can anyone volunteer that day? Each year we try to give out trees, seeds and various plants, play informational games and spread the word about ECOS. If you have any ideas to make this year stand out even more, please e-mail them to me asap! It’s the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, so we want to make sure we’re making it really stand out.

 

Stay Green,

Crystal Lovelady

ECOS President

 

Spring Fling + May Event

Thanks so much to all of the club members that volunteered for Spring Fling! It was a blast to get to see everyone and a lot of fun to be the club painting faces and being more interactive with the families there. Pictures will be posted asap!

Furthermore, ECOS would like to also inform everyone that there is an event in the middle of May that we’ve been asked to assist with. Here is the e-mail we’ve received. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact the e-mail listed at the bottom directly to RSVP.
———–
I am still needing some volunteers to help with Exploring Houston’s Backyard, May 10-14 at the Jones State Forest. Whether you want to assist at a station or walk students and teachers from station to station as you interpret the natural surroundings, there is something for everyone.

1,000 inner-city Houston ISD, 4th graders are exposed to environmental education, most for the first time. They tour different stations for 55 minutes and rotate. Stations cover Water, Wildlife and Wood themes. There will be about 180 students per day, about 30 per station.

· Time: arrive at 8 a.m. and leave around 2:30 p.m.

· Dates: Monday, May 10 through Friday, May 14

· Location: Middle Lake area on Jones State Forest

· Lunch provided

· Volunteers to fill various positions based on skill and knowledge level. Work one, two or more days.

Please let me know if you are interested as soon as possible.

Thanks,
John

John R. Warner, CF | Urban District Forester
Texas Forest Service | 1328 FM 1488 | Conroe, Texas 77384
c:936.546.3169 | p:936.273.2261 | jwarner@tfs.tamu.edu

Poster and Information about our upcoming speaker!

Story of Stuff

ECOS Club,

Check out this great website: Story of Stuff.

The Film
The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod incineration.

Annie Leonard, an activist who has spent the past 10 years traveling the globe fighting environmental threats, narrates the Story of Stuff, delivering a rapid-fire, often humorous and always engaging story about “all our stuff—where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.”

Leonard examines the real costs of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal, and she isolates the moment in history where she says the trend of consumption mania began. The Story of Stuff examines how economic policies of the post-World War II era ushered in notions of “planned obsolescence” and “perceived obsolescence” —and how these notions are still driving much of the U.S. and global economies today. Leonard’s inspiration for the film began as a personal musing over the question, “Where does all the stuff we buy come from, and where does it go when we throw it out?” She traveled the world in pursuit of the answer to this seemingly innocent question, and what she found along the way were some very guilty participants and their unfortunate victims.

Written by Leonard, the film was produced by Free Range Studios, the makers of other highly popular web-based films such as “The Meatrix” and “Grocery Store Wars.” Funding for the project came from The Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption and Tides Foundation.

Spring Fling

ECOS CLUB,

Spring Fling is almost here!!! Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 27th, from 10AM – 2PM. There will be live music, a petting zoo, hands-on learning exhibits, inflatable games, arts and crafts, food, a tree giveaway, kettle corn, and more! The event will take place in Building A, in the Commons, as well as outside around the school. The ECOS table will be face painting, helping with arts and crafts, and telling stories in the teepee. ECOS will need volunteers, so PLEASE reply to Professor Devoley if you can make it. Flyers are available at Professor Devoley’s office, as well as downstairs at Student Activities.

The event is FREE and open to the community – this is a family fun event, so bring your friends, family members, neighbors, and cats (on second thought, leave your cats at home; the llamas in the petting zoo may not appreciate sharing the spotlight).

Remember to let your friends know about ECOS! Just guide them to the ECOS blog: http://ecosclub.wordpress.com

Stay Green,
Crystal Lovelady

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