May 2012


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A billion ways

By Jo-Anne S. Ferreira

Gaylord Nelson, founder of the first Earth Day in 1970, put it this way: The wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats and biodiversity… that’s all there is. That’s the whole economy. That’s where all the economic activity and jobs come from. These biological systems are the sustaining wealth of the world” (Earthday.org).

The theme of Earth Day and Earth Month 2012 was Mobilize the Earth™. We can contribute to A Billion Acts of Green® at the institutional and individual level, through communities, kindergartens, schools, businesses, with Reading for the Earth, Arts for the Earth, Athletes for the Earth, Religious Outreaches, MobilizeU (Earth Day University). Any one of us can do a number of the following Acts of Green:

Living, Eating, Drinking and Shopping Green

• plant a tree,
• plant a garden at school or home,
• eat local and eat more often at home,
• eat more local fruits and vegetables,
• save water,
• eliminate the use of pesticides and toxic cleaning products,
• use natural, local soaps,
• use recyclable shopping bags,
• check energy ratings, get a home and work energy audit, and follow the audit’s recommendations,
• use a footprint calculator,
• invest in tax-exempt solar products,
• donate clothes and other used goods,
• use recyclable water bottles and coffee mugs instead of single-use ones,
• recycle plastic and glass (strategically placed all over the main and other campuses),

Working and Studying Green

• don’t let your car idle where possible,
• car pool,
• walk or ride a bike to campus,
• edit on screen, not on paper,
• custom set and narrow the margins on documents that have to be printed,
• reduce photocopying and printing, or print double-sided,
• use UWI's reusable lined A4 envelopes,
• turn off printers when not printing,
• choose online bank statements and telephone bills,
• buy used books and borrow books from a friend or a library,
• green buildings (potted plants on office floors, etc.),

Thinking, Acting and Reading Green

• create a Facebook page or event for a campus society’s commitment to Earth Day and Acts of Green,
• become environmentally literate and helping in environmental literacy campaigns,
• join a movement and becoming an activist,
• sign petitions to defend the Amazon,
• and, of course, share this article and visit a number of green sites.

As Tom McMillan said, “For 200 years we’ve been conquering nature. Now we’re beating it to death.”

Jo-Anne S. Ferreira (Dr.) is a Lecturer in Linguistics at the Department of Liberal Arts, Faculty of Humanities & Education, The UWI, St. Augustine. She is also a member of the Environmental Committee.