What if, every time we used a non-renewable or threatened resource or contributed to climate change, a puff of red gas blasted out of our noses.

Continue reading Imagine This Scenario…...

With the high cost of gasoline, “thought balloons” are floating over many a head. “Does the Monona Express pass near my house?” “How can I lessen the emissions from my commute?” “Doh! Why did I choose this gas-guzzling SUV over a compact hybrid?” At this year’s Monona Community Festival, The Natural Step Monona (TNSM) hosts a booth devoted to transportation. Those thought balloons can be popped from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Continue reading With the High Cost of Gasoline (part 2)...

With the high cost of gasoline diminishing our bank accounts, wouldn’t it be great to reduce fuel use and save some money at the pump? There are lots of ways to do so.

Continue reading With the High Cost of Gasoline… (part 1)...

Saving has not always been a hip endeavor, and saving money certainly goes against mass media marketing efforts. Yet, with the current economic crisis, saving has a new seal of approval from formerly non-frugal fashionistas and famine-forecasting futurologists alike.

Continue reading Save Some Money / Save the Planet...

Looking out at Lake Monona’s 28 billion gallons of water, canoing through the Monona Wetlands Conservancy, and watching the 100-plus inches of snow pile up since December — Monona seems so water-rich it’s easy to take our water supply for granted. You wouldn’t think we need to worry about our life-sustaining water. But we do.

Continue reading Taking steps to save our water...

So much of what we discard starts as an upstream problem, but we’re trying to fix it with downstream solutions. Instead of trying to pull the trash out of the stream, we need to not put it in the stream in the first place.

Continue reading Reducing waste…upstream...

Suppose everyone uses ten plastic shopping bags per week, or roughly 500 bags per year. With about 8,000 people in Monona, plastic bag use for our city would be 4,000,000 bags. Four million bags in one year!

Continue reading Bagging the bag...

We do not inherit this land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. In the tiniest of nutshells, this Haida Nation saying is a definition of sustainability. What it doesn’t say, it implies: we should take great care of the earth so the generations that follow are able to meet their needs to [...]

Continue reading Sustainability starts with learning...

When you learn to read, you begin with ”A, B, C.” When you learn to lead a greener life, you begin with ”Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” the three ”R’s” of the School of Sustainability.
At last week’s Green Tuesday event at the Monona Public Library, people gathered to watch the film Escape from Affluenza, learning how to [...]

Continue reading Water, water (bottles) everywhere...

Our planet is a magical place. Leaves drop from trees to be transformed into fertile earth. Rainwater feeds the flora and then does a disappearing act into the soil, replenishing deep aquifers that provide fresh water. Vegetables, trees, grasses, fruits, and flowers sprout from tiny seeds like rabbits pulled from a hat. Without a wave [...]

Continue reading Keeping our community magical...