Cope Environmental Center – Centerville, Indiana

Skip to primary content
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • WHO WE ARE
    • STAFF & BOARD
    • MEDIA
      • SOCIAL MEDIA
      • VIDEOS
      • PICTURES
      • NEWSLETTER
      • BLOG
    • TOUR
      • PLAN YOUR VISIT
      • SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION CENTER
      • SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS & POLICIES
      • CHILDREN OF INDIANA NATURE PARK
    • EVENTS CALENDAR
    • RENTALS
  • JOIN
    • BECOME A MEMBER
    • VOLUNTEER
    • SPONSORS
    • WAYS TO GIVE
    • EMAIL UPDATES
  • ANNUAL EVENTS
    • BIRD-A-THON
    • FAMILY EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
    • FALL FOLIAGE 5k/10k
    • FAMILY MAPLE SYRUP DAY
    • THE GALA
    • GET OUTSIDE CHALLENGE
    • GREENERY WORKSHOP
  • PROGRAMS
    • UPCOMING PROGRAMS
    • VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
      • #100DaysofCope at CEC!
    • SCHOOL PROGRAMS
    • SUMMER ADVENTURE PROGRAMS
    • TODDLER TIME
    • INDIANA MASTER NATURALIST
    • INITIATIVES
      • BICENTENNIAL INITIATIVES
      • COMMUNITY EVENTS
        • WAYNE COUNTY CHALLENGE RACES
        • ALTERNATIVE GIFT FAIR
        • ENVIRONMENTALLY SPEAKING TV
        • GET OUTSIDE-GROW!
  • RESOURCES
    • ANIMAL RESCUE & OTHER ?’s
    • RECYCLING INFORMATION
    • COMMUNITY SUSTAINIBILITY
    • PERSONAL SUSTAINIBILTY
    • KID’S CORNER
      • NATURE CHILDREN
      • NATURE PLAYSCAPE
February 17, 2011
  •  
  • 0
  • Adventures in sustainability, Blog
  •    
  •    

Adventures in Sustainability: The What

Hello Everyone,
Another Cope Environmental Center blog from guest blogger Shannon Herbert! She is getting started in being more environmentally responsible. What tips do you have to share with her and others? Starting with low-hanging fruit and working up to more challenging choices, actions, and decisions is a great way to dive in!
Stephanie

Adventures in Sustainability: The What
Now that I have made the commitment to go green, I have to face one really important fact: I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve made enough New Year’s resolutions to know that it’s very easy to decide to do something and quite difficult to actually do it. I remember one year I decided to take a vow of silence, but that was swiftly abandoned at 12:13 AM with the phrase, “Get me a coke.” Noting my poor track record with sticking to things, I have decided to take a more tactical approach to sustainability.

My first step is taking stock of all I know about environmentalism:
1. Reduce, reuse, and recycle (aka the bare minimum after an elementary school education)
2. Global warming (courtesy of Al Gore)
3. Umm…That’s about it…

After coming to terms with my complete and utter ignorance in regards to environmentalism, I have decided that the first step is educating myself. And, of course, I went to the first place every teenager goes in order to find information: Google.

While perusing Google with various environment-related search terms, I happened upon many sites giving advice on the “First Steps to Going Green.” Here are five of the most common suggestions and what I immediately thought of them.
1. Turn the lights off when not in the room, and unplug unused appliances.
As your average poor person, I have spent my entire childhood hearing about saving money on the electric bill. If saving money coincides with being eco-friendly, I’m all for it.
2. Use reusable shopping bags.
I know for a fact that everyone in my family—including me—has dozens of those plastic shopping bags around the house. Sure, they’re occasionally used as miniature trash bags or to transport leftovers to hungry relatives, but mostly they just take up space. If using my free “You’re a library champion” tote bag saves me clutter and helps the environment, I have no complaints.
3. For shorter trips, walk or bike instead of driving.
Again, as your average poor person, I have no money for a car, so I have no problem doing this one. Also, seeing as I’m fairly pitiful as all sports other than checkers (it’s a sport, I swear), walking is about the only exercise I get all day. So if I can go green while simultaneously maintaining the same pant size, I’m up for it.
4. Drink from the tap and not single-use water bottles.
Personally, I’ve always thought that bottled water tastes like old carrots, so I’ve been filling up a reusable water bottle since the 9th grade. Also, despite my dismal knowledge of the environment, I’m aware that the overwhelming majority of those bottles don’t get recycled. So this is another thing I can check on my eco-friendly/convenient list.
5. Shop at the local farmer’s market to save on fuel used to transport and store food.
I don’t shop very much, but when I do I usually go with my grandma who lives in a small rural town not too far from Richmond. She always goes to local farms and gets delicious things such as fresh berries, honey, and better looking vegetables than you could ever hope to see in a chain store. Seeing as I’m a lover of good food and my grandma’s cooking, I can support this tip 100%.

So, as it turns out, I have unintentionally been doing some green things for a long time now. I used to think that going green was synonymous with abandoning convenience, but I’m surprised to find that a lot the green alternatives are suited to my way of living. Of course, these are just some of the preliminary steps for sustainability, but I know that I’m making progress.

February 17, 2011
  •  
  • 0
  • Adventures in sustainability, Blog
  •    
  •    

    Thanks to our Corporate Sustainers

    • Reid Health
    • First Bank Richmond
    • Brady Ware and Company
    • Wayne County Foundation
    • Stamm Koechlein Family Foundation
    • Perfect Melodies
    • Belden Wire and Cable Co.
    • West End Bank
    • Quigg Fund
    • Earlham College
    • Barnhizer & Associates, Inc.
    • Meijer
    • Hill’s Pet Nutrition
    • Radford’s Meat Market & Deli
    • Stults Family Dentistry
    • Natco Credit Union
    • Thor Construction Company
    • Johns Manville
    • Boston Bever Klinge Cross & Chidester
    • Wesler Orchards
    • Logue’s TLC Pet Hospital
  • donate
    donate_buttonYour gifts support efforts to improve the local environment, enhance local environmental education opportunities, and promote responsible resource use throughout our region!

    u_stream you_tube facebook twitter

    Home | About Us | Events | Programs | | Resources | Contact |

    Cope Environmental Center ~ 1730 Airport Road, Centerville, IN 47330 ~ 765-855-3188

© 2015 Cope Environmental Center | Website created by Web Canopy Studio Inbound Marketing Team