2010 Sustainability Report Card

The 2010 Sustainability Report Card was released Oct. 7, 2009 by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

Check it out at: http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2010/

Looking for a Green Job? Listen Up

Green jobs, specifically those in the renewable energy field, are in demand. Millions more are expected to be created in the near future.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, the U.S. wind power industry installed 5,244 megawatts in 2007, expanding the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 45% in one year and injecting an investment of more than $9 billion into the economy.

There are multiple resources available on the Internet for you to find further information and listings for environmentally friendly careers in the areas of natural resources and conservation, environmental science and engineering, outdoor and environmental education, and many more.

Check out our new podcasts:

Explaining Green Jobs
Interview with Jennifer Watson, MidAmerican Energy
Green Economic Recovery Program
Interview with Del Shepard, Career Services

Simpson Students Make Their Own Biofuel

Simpson students are taking Pfeiffer Dining Hall grease and converting it to biodiesel. They’ve successfully implemented the biodiesel in one Campus Services’ lawn mowers and are looking to take the project campuswide. 

WordPress is being uncooperative and refusing to embed our slideshow. Instead of seeing it on our site, view here.

Web Gem

What we’re into this week:

The Story of Stuff

Did you know that in the past three decades alone, one-third of the planet’s natural resources have been consumed? The United States alone has 5 percent of the world’s population, but uses 30 percent of the world’s resources. If everyone consumed at U.S. rates, we’d need three to five planets!

Have you ever wondered where all the stuff you buy comes from and where it goes when you throw it out?

Annie Leonard has the answer. In fact, Leonard spent 10 years traveling the world and studying how everything we buy gets from extraction to production to distribution to consumption to disposal. Whoa!  She gives the whole story in The Story of Stuff!

Simpson College Aims to Eliminate Carbon Footprint

Simpson College has taken steps toward reducing its carbon footprint and creating sustainability awareness. In addition to building on the Environmental Awareness Club’s recycling program, President Byrd joined administrators from 400 schools in signing the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, as described in The Simpsonian.

Byrd also hired Indianola mayor Jerry Kelley in an effort to bring both the campus and the community together in protecting the environment. A sustainability committee, composed of faculty and students and led by Byrd and Kelley, meets twice per month to discuss ways to improve the program, and to make certain everyone’s committed to the environment.

Web Gem

Greenopolis: Build your own city and be your own mayor. Remember the days of SimCity? That’s the concept behind Waste Management’s game, ElectroCity. Can you create industry, increase your population, and maintain your popularity all while building an environmentally friendly city? It’s tough and addictive!

Try to beat our personal best, Simp City: Population 989,000 with a Ski Resort, Amusement Park and Major Port, all while maintaining energy independence and a green lifestyle.

Tunes for Trees

Looking for an excuse to buy that latest song you love? Well look no further:

Photo Courtesy of Live It Green LLC

 

 Live It Green LLC has hooked up with iTunes to present Tunes for Trees. For every 10 songs you purchase from iTunes a tree will be planted in your honor. How cool is that? Now you can download away, knowing that your ever-growing music collection is helping offset carbon emissions.

The Singing Climatologist

Penn State’s Richard B. Alley joined his love of the earth and his natural music abilities to create a set of “rock” videos to accompany his geology courses.