Cotton Burlingame works for Green Fleets, a Tucson company that specializes in alternative fuel conversions, maintenance, and dispensing. Burlingame has a passion for greener living and hopes to see students become more active in the fight for a more environmentally friendly way of life.
Burlingame said that as college students, in our lifetime, we are going to dramatically see and feel the effects of global warming.
In his eyes, it is easy for students to become more aware of their natural environment in order to preserve it. “Just do a little something. Take something on, no matter how little or big. Pay attention,” Burlingame said.
Burlingame’s advice for beginners to start saving some money and some of the environments natural resources:
Turn lights off during the day
Open windows to utilize natural lighting
Be more involved with recycling
Get people on campus more involved
Urge local government and schools to start separating trash
Start Carpooling
Get a bike or an electric car
Be aware of what’s going on
Pass on your knowledge
Teach by example
Read more about conservation
Watch educational television on greener living
“Conservation doesn’t cost a dime, it actually saves you money. And that’s something that everyone can do,” Burlingame said.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Olympic Rings are turning Green
332 Days to go! The countdown has finally begun for the opening day of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. 16 days of passion filled competition …where every participant fights to make a name for themselves and their country. If waiting over three hundred days is too much anticipation for one person to handle, you can always get a head start by checking out http://beijing2008.com/ right now.
None of the much anticipated Games could take place if the development of The Olympic Movement had never occurred. The Olympic Movement is best known for its organization of the winter and summer Olympic Games. But the international organization strives to expand traditional Olympic values throughout the world.
Since the early 1990’s, The Olympic Movement has become more involved in taking care of mother Earth and trying to develop more “green games”. The fact that athletes and sports are the most pertinent concepts to the Olympic Games is never forgotten, but members of the Movement realize that greater acknowledgement of the environment is definitely runner up.
With the constant threat of global warming, there is more focus on different strategies that can take place during the Games that will minimize negative impacts that might occur through sport. Several institutions including; the Olympic Solidarity, Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games and National Olympic Committees organize events and activities to bring attention to issues affecting the environment. Activities and discussions usually take place on the UN World Environment Day that is held every year on June 5.
I could not get in contact with any representatives from the Olympic Movement, or the Sport and Environment Commission to ask about the negative impacts that they are trying to avoid, but I came up with a few ideas to suggest.
In my opinion, the two major concerns resulting from massive sporting events are: 1. Waste production and 2. Pollution production. I could minimize consumer and athletic waste by half with one perfect solution. Free water refills. When a die hard Olympic fan buys a bottle of water, they can have as many free refills as they would like, as long as they bring back their original water bottle. And the same goes for the athletes competing. There would be a slight decline in the overall profit, but it would hardly be noticed when compared to the cost of tickets, merchandise, and food.
My second idea is free parking for fans that carpool. It will reduce the amount of pollution, and make traveling easier for everyone since there would be noticeably less traffic. Public transportation might already be a must in a city like Beijing, but once the Olympics return to Los Angeles, carpooling is something that must be enforced.
My simplistic ideas are those of just one person, but it seems I’m behind the rest of the institutions that have been planning a healthier unity between sport and environmental friendliness for many years now. These Earth respecting institutions are committed to making a difference by providing new knowledge on environmental issues, “by sharing experiences and expertise from different sectors of society, encourage cooperation in, and further development of, environmental policies in relation to sport.” http://www.olympic.org/
None of the much anticipated Games could take place if the development of The Olympic Movement had never occurred. The Olympic Movement is best known for its organization of the winter and summer Olympic Games. But the international organization strives to expand traditional Olympic values throughout the world.
Since the early 1990’s, The Olympic Movement has become more involved in taking care of mother Earth and trying to develop more “green games”. The fact that athletes and sports are the most pertinent concepts to the Olympic Games is never forgotten, but members of the Movement realize that greater acknowledgement of the environment is definitely runner up.
With the constant threat of global warming, there is more focus on different strategies that can take place during the Games that will minimize negative impacts that might occur through sport. Several institutions including; the Olympic Solidarity, Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games and National Olympic Committees organize events and activities to bring attention to issues affecting the environment. Activities and discussions usually take place on the UN World Environment Day that is held every year on June 5.
I could not get in contact with any representatives from the Olympic Movement, or the Sport and Environment Commission to ask about the negative impacts that they are trying to avoid, but I came up with a few ideas to suggest.
In my opinion, the two major concerns resulting from massive sporting events are: 1. Waste production and 2. Pollution production. I could minimize consumer and athletic waste by half with one perfect solution. Free water refills. When a die hard Olympic fan buys a bottle of water, they can have as many free refills as they would like, as long as they bring back their original water bottle. And the same goes for the athletes competing. There would be a slight decline in the overall profit, but it would hardly be noticed when compared to the cost of tickets, merchandise, and food.
My second idea is free parking for fans that carpool. It will reduce the amount of pollution, and make traveling easier for everyone since there would be noticeably less traffic. Public transportation might already be a must in a city like Beijing, but once the Olympics return to Los Angeles, carpooling is something that must be enforced.
My simplistic ideas are those of just one person, but it seems I’m behind the rest of the institutions that have been planning a healthier unity between sport and environmental friendliness for many years now. These Earth respecting institutions are committed to making a difference by providing new knowledge on environmental issues, “by sharing experiences and expertise from different sectors of society, encourage cooperation in, and further development of, environmental policies in relation to sport.” http://www.olympic.org/
For addition information on the relationship between living green and sports, check out the Manual on Sport and Environment written by the International Olympic Committee.
Manual on Sport and the Environment
Monday, September 3, 2007
NBA players fast break into local communitites
A fight broke out on the Detroit Pistons basketball court with under a minute left in the game on November 19, 2004. Players from the Pistons, and the Pacers were involved in a fight requiring officials to intervene. At this time, a fan in the stands threw a cup filled with liquid at Ron Artest hitting him. Within seconds, the event turned into one of the worst brawls ever seen in NBA history. Fans and players alike were fighting like beasts on the court while the media televised every minute of it. This was the new image of athletes in the National Basketball Association. NBA commissioner David Stern had to do something to save the reputation of the all-American athlete. In October of 2005 Mr. Stern introduced NBA Cares program to the public.
NBA Cares is a charitable organization that reaches out to local communities, making a difference in the lives of children and adults world wide. The new organization committed to raise $100 million dollars, volunteer one million hours and build one hundred youth sites within the first five years of its existence.So my question is this: What is NBA Cares doing for greener living? Can professional athletes teach the youth of America the importance of taking care of their planet? Why is it that out of 34 sponsored organizations teaming up with the NBA, not one of them is related to environmentally sound living? NBA Cares works with internationally-recognized youth-serving programs that support education, health-related causes, and family development, but no programs that encourage a greener lifestyle. I think what the players of the NBA are doing is wonderful. It is changing lives daily, and setting an encouraging example for the youth who look up to them. However, where are the future ball players going to play ball? Or read and live healthy lives if it is no longer healthy to live on Earth? This is what I want to explore through my blog as an ongoing project for the semester
I researched all 30 NBA teams, and the charities to which they donate their time. From Shaq teaming up with the American Red Cross in a community swim safety campaign, to Elton Brand reading to local LA elementary schools, to Amare Stoudemire visiting a Phoenix children’s hospital, no player is encouraging eating organic foods or using energy conscious light bulbs. The only shred of environmental awareness I could find involved an event that occurred about five years ago when Steve Nash still played for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2002, Community centers in South Dallas competed to collect the greatest amount of recyclable goods during a set amount of time. The winner received a grant from Nike, and was publicly recognized during halftime at a home game. 
What happened to this great idea? Why hasn’t this ever been repeated? The Dallas Mavericks planned to have a Recycling Theme Night five years ago and it never happened. The event was planned by a Tara O’Keefe, an Environment and Development Planner for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. I wrote Mrs. O’Keefe an email asking her what happened to the themed night, and questioning whether more recycling events were planned in the future with the Mavs. I have not received a response yet, but I am going to be persistent with my request. Having competitions between schools, and fans for the most recyclable goods is a step in the right direction and an idea that needs to be moved forward.
During this last week, I have tried to contact organizers for NBA Cares to find out what it would take to get a greener lifestyle organization on the list of partners to team up with NBA teams nation-wide. I have not received answers yet. I think the NBA is headed in the right direction so far, and may need suggestions on how to incorporate the green movement into their list of social responsibilities.
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