We discussed global warming and our individual efforts to reduce our negative impacts on the world. Each participant had new ideas to share. We were inspired to take additional actions to reduce our carbon footprint.
Attendees agreed to participate in the local Low Carbon Diet effort to reduce our carbon footprint, either within their own households, or in an EcoTeam as part of our ongoing East Texas Environmental Concerns Organization activities (ETECO).
We discussed outreach for ETECO's scheduled showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" on Monday, Nov 5 at 6:30 PM at Lakeview Lodge in Athens.
We signed Project Hot Seat postcards asking our elected officials to champion strong solutions to global warming.

One of the things we did this morning was to tell each other what we have been doing already to reduce our Carbon Footprint. One thing that was mentioned was buying shade-grown, Fair Trade coffee. Many attendees had never heard of it. Here’s the scoop, with two different sources.

UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Coffee
http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/hunger/coffee.cfm

Presbyterian Coffee Project:
http://www.pcusa.org/coffee/

Plantation-grown coffee is grown in cleared-out rain forest areas on a massive scale.
Shade-grown coffee is grown under the forest canopy, by small-scale farming. Please Google it if you want to know more!

Here are some more action items we are doing:

• Use feed sacks or dog food sacks for trash instead of purchased trash bags.

• Don’t buy things that aren’t truly needed.

• Opt out of junk mail. Here are some sites: opt-out.cdt.org, www.optoutprescreen.com, and www.stopthejunkmail.com. I Googled “Opt out of junk mail”.
• Replace old appliances with Energy Star ones when old ones wear out. This makes a definite savings in energy costs, as well as reducing carbon dioxide generation. Check out www.energystar.gov.
• Turn off the television when not actually watching it. There is a circuit in it that draws power constantly for the “instant on” feature.
• Have the cell phone on the charger only until fully charged. Don’t leave it on continuously.
• Save items that can be used for crafts for people in nursing homes and day-care centers, such as bottle caps, used stamps, aluminum foil boxes with the cutter strip removed, used and cleaned Styrofoam containers, toilet paper/paper towel tubes, and small boxes. I will look more into this and let you know more bye and bye!
• Turn out lights in public restrooms when you leave if no one else is in there.
• Compost your vegetable (not meat/fat) tables scraps, or have a worm bin.
• Buy locally grown produce whenever possible. Ask store managers to stock what you want to buy.
• Join/help create a food cooperative.
• Reduce electricity usage whenever possible.
• Drive as little as possible, with no unnecessary trips.
• Reuse paper: when printing from the computer at home, print on the back of once-used paper.
• Get a programmable thermostat for the HVAC central unit.
• Get a timer and an insulating blanket for an electric hot water heater.
• Use point-of-use water heating.
• Drive a hybrid car.
• Insulate the attic with sprayed insulation between the rafters.
• Plant trees, and don’t cut trees down unless absolutely necessary. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They are our friends!

We’ll work on reducing our carbon footprints, getting together after our monthly meetings. This month we’re hosting a showing of An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award-winning documentary brought to us by Al Gore, our newest Nobel Peace Prize winner. It also is being sponsored by The Lakeview Lodge, 1801 Flat Creek Road, where it will be shown this Monday, 11/5, at 6:30 PM. We’ll resume regular first-Monday meetings on 12/3, at 6:00 PM at First Presbyterian Church in Athens. Please come, and bring a friend, both to the movie and to our next meeting!

Mark Carlson, Vice-President
East Texas Environmental Concerns Organization
PO Box 2193, Athens, Texas 75751

The East Texas Environmental Concerns Organization is a local grassroots, not for profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating and uniting the people, business, and government of East Texas in the effort to secure clean air, clean water, and a healthful environment for ourselves and future generations.