Everybody's Going Green
Get on Board at HB Green Expo!
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
Just as little things mean a lot in
a relationship, they "green a lot" in our relationship with the
environment. SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel saw a sign
recently that said: "Go Green. There is no Planet B."
How true that is. The choices we
make, though seemingly small at times, can make a big difference in the quality
of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the world around us.
Rio
de Janeiro, the host site of the next
summer Olympics, is getting attention for something other than
the athletics – its polluted Guanabara Bay and famed Copa Cabana
Beach. Untreated sewage is seeping into both waterways.
If an Olympics site in the global
spotlight needs to clean up its act, you can imagine how
other sites measure up.
Fortunately, there's something –
many things actually – that we can do to Go Green. It’s possible by using
biodegradable products, conserving water and reducing our energy consumption.
It's all about making choices. Even the food we eat makes a difference.
SurfWriter Girls found that many
companies are Going Green and trying to make it easier for you, too.
Levis, the 162-year-old blue jean company, has come a long way
since it started making denim jeans for the miners in California's Gold
Rush days. Now its jeans are made with 20% recycled materials. Part of that
stretchiness you feel that gives that little extra bit of comfort comes
from recycled plastic bottles. Who would have guessed?
The Hobie Surf Shop in Laguna Beach is incorporating Green into its
entire store and the way it operates. The city's first Green-Certified
business, it is conserving energy in everything from the light fixtures and
HVAC system to its trash-handling and cleaning methods.
Champion surfer Kelly Slater is on board for Green, too. Working with the Pottery Barn's PBteen division, Slater
has developed his own line of eco-friendly, beach-themed bedding,
furniture and accessories designed for teens (and older). Everything is made
with biodegradable and sustainable fabrics and materials.
Whole
Foods is making its contribution to the
Green movement, as well, by sourcing its foods and other products from
providers that practice environmentally-friendly methods. It's also
encouraging families and kids to eat nutritious foods.
This is something that SoCal
restaurant sensation Slapfish
strongly believes in. In addition to using eco-friendly food preparation and
serving methods, the fish on its menu are all
"sustainably-fished" so as not to deplete the ocean's sea life.
Patagonia, the outdoor wear company that's outfitted expeditions to
the farthest reaches of the planet, is such a strong proponent of Going
Green it has even gone so far as to tell customers not to buy its clothes. Why?
Because it doesn't believe in conspicuous consumption. Sometimes enough is
enough.
So, what can you do? Start by
checking out the Huntington Beach Green Expo on Saturday, September 26, from 10:30 am – 3 pm., on
the North parking lot of HB City Hall. It’s located at 2000 Main Street.
Over 50 vendors, organizations
and non-profit groups will be at HB City Hall to showcase products
and services that are good for the environment. They will feature everything
from Green landscaping and water systems to cleaning products, furniture,
clothing and food.
Along with exhibits,
demonstrations and samples, you can find out about the latest ideas and
technology to manage your water and energy use, learn about healthy
foods, and get tips on the "Three Rs" – reduce, reuse,
recycle.
There will be food trucks, a family
fun-zone and other activities.
When you're there look for the Surfrider Foundation
booth. Surfrider's Huntington/Seal Beach Chapter will be on hand to tell how
it's protecting the world's oceans, waves and beaches...and what you can
do to help.
Tony Soriano and the Surfrider team
will be happy to tell you about Surfrider's beach cleanups, Blue Water Task
Force water testing, and the Ocean Friendly Gardens and Ocean
Friendly Restaurant programs.
Little things do green a lot.
If we all do just a little, the
next time we think about Copa Cabana Beach the image in our
minds will be of The Girl from
Ipanema...and not the pollution in the water.
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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights
to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact
them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and
non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as
credit is given.
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