When I was in elementary school, we walked to and from school almost every day when the weather allowed. The bane of my existence was the (in my eyes) Everest-like hill on Hull Avenue on the east side of Des Moines. Hull Avenue is home to a notoriously-thrilling sledding hill that was enjoyable on snow days, but I dreaded trudging up that hill at the end of school days. I was so glad when I moved on to middle school so I could enjoy a relatively flat walk home.

I’m still walking home after school: this time, from the high school where I teach in St. Louis. Hopefully, I’m not alone. October is International Walk To School Month, and schools around the world are joining in. In 1969, 42% of children walked or biked to school; in 2001, less than 16% did. Interestingly enough, more than 1/3 of children live within a mile of school, but less than half of those students walk or bike even one day per week. Among 9 to 13 year-old children, 61.5% do not engage in organized physical activity during non-school hours, and 22.6% do not participate in any free-time physical activity.

Ditching the car and walking to school (or work) is not just good for the environment; it increases your activity level, a huge benefit during a time when childhood obesity rates are skyrocketing. Walking also reduces congestion in traffic, creates social time for neighborhood kids, raises awareness and analysis of walkability of neighborhoods, and reduces crime by taking back neighborhoods for foot traffic.

Unfortunately, with sprawling communities, students are living further and further from their schools. Even if you live relatively far from your school, many communities are promoting the month by having kids walk around the track after they get off the bus. In Ayer, MA, students at Page Hilltop school walked between 1/2 mile and 1 1/2 miles, either once or twice per week, while the school pumped music out to walkers. About half of the school’s 500 students participated. 2006’s Walk To School Month had millions of participants worldwide, and over 50% of event organizers at schools reported that their Walk to School events resulted in policy or engineering changes that would improve safety for walkers and bicyclists in their school community, such as new sidewalks or bike paths. Other schools are creating a party along the way, with balloons and music provided by parents along heavily-traveled routes.

For more information, especially on how to organize a Walk to School event in your school community, check out their website.

When Amy wrote about green magazines, she mentioned GOOD as being one of her favorites. I, too, a self-described magazine junkie, am a big fan of GOOD since it’s inception last year. With all the depressing news out there on any given day, GOOD always reaffirms my faith in humanity. Its focus is, like its name implies, good stuff: those things that are making our world a little bit better, and when I’m feeling down about what’s going on around me, GOOD usually perks me up. It’s a rare magazine that doesn’t need an annual "green" issue: sustainability has been a priority since the magazine was founded.

The latest issue (Sept/Oct 07) is no exception. The issue, which commemorates their one-year anniversary, focuses on design solutions. A topic I covered a while back, green schools, gets a feature nod from Eva Steele-Saccio. Steele-Saccio highlights different schools’ efforts to reduce their footprint and become more energy efficient, and acknowledges that there are benefits beyond energy savings: "Green schools create a healthy atmosphere for learning that has measurable results. The combination of natural light, fresh air, open plans, and multi-use facilities that encourage community involvement has helped student test scores rise by 20% and reduced asthma rates by 39%."

There’s also a feature about a village in England that launched a community effort to reduce their carbon footprint, with the ultimate goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral village in the U.K. GOOD’s product reviews almost always include items produced with sustainability in mind, and in this issue, they create a proposal for better CFL packaging: create a package that can be used to ship burned-out bulbs back to the producer for proper disposal. There’s also a profile of Rogan Gregory, founder of clothing company Loomstate, who was virtually responsible for bringing organic cotton to the fashion industry though his work with Loomstate, and his other two companies, Rogan and Edun

Even subscribing to GOOD can make you feel good: 100% of your $20 subscription costs goes to your choice of twelve charities, including the World Wildlife Fund and Oceana. Good is printed on 30% recycled post-consumer paper that is EcoLogic certified, and 100% offset by projects Good is actually involved in.

The September/October issue of GOOD is on newsstands now.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education announced on Friday four Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards in four different categories. Two other schools were named honorable mention. The awards were given during the 7th biennial Greening of the Campus conference held at Ball State University.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Chandler, AZ) won in the community college and other two-year institutions category. Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT) won in the four-year and graduate institution (under 1,000 students) category. Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT) won in the four-year and graduate institution (1,000-7,500 students) category. Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) won in the four-year and graduate institution (over 7,500 students) category.

Chandler-Gilbert’s president, Maria Hesse, was one of the first presidents to sign the American College & University President’s Climate Committment. The College is part of a city-wide system that uses reclaimed water for irrigation. Two of Chandler-Gilbert’s campuses use energy management systems to ensure energy efficiency, and all new buildings will be built according to LEED standards.

For Green Mountain College, the environment and sustainability are unifying themes on campus. Environmental awareness is infused into every aspect of the curriculum, and all students must take courses in sustainability. Students installed a wind turbine to power the campus greenhouse and solar panels on the student center. The remaining energy needs are met partially by electricity generated from methane from local dairy cow manure.

Middlebury College has pledged to become climate-neutral by the year 2016. Bill McKibben is a scholar-in-residence there, and Step It Up 2007 was largely organized by Middlebury alumni. 25% of Middlebury’s dining budget goes towards locally grown and produced food, and the college recycles 60% of its waste. The campus uses solar and wind-generated power for portions of its energy needs, and has an Environmental Council, a committee of students, staff, and faculty, that advises the president of the college on sustainability policies.

Michigan State University has been a leader in large campus sustainability by committing to a 2% annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, along with meeting LEED standards for all new buildings on campus. MSU has an extensive recycling program, sustainability speakers, and funds student-designed sustainability projects. It even hosts a green roofs research program. One look around their extensive "Ecofoot" website tells you that this is a campus that takes its sustainability seriously.

Honorable mentions were awarded to Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) and University of California, Berkeley.

I took the plunge and did something unthinkable here in the midwest: I got rid of my car, "Treehugger" bumper sticker and all.

Some of you in urban areas might be thinking, "Well, so what?" I can assure you that this is a radical act where I am from. I grew up in suburban Des Moines, where driving around in cars is what we did for fun on weekends in high school. Even though I live in the city of St Louis proper, it’s still pretty unheard of for middle-class folks to be voluntarily car-free.

(Disclaimer: I am car-free, my husband is not — well, at least, not on purpose). So we do have a car, I just won’t be driving it to work or anywhere else I can walk or take public transportation.)

Why would I do this? Aside from the environmental piece, which is what put the idea in my head in the first place, the easiest answer is because I can. The bus comes right to my corner and goes right to the school where I teach in about ten minutes time. When the heat subsides, I can walk the work. That same bus will also take me to our local market, three farmers markets, a slew of bars and restaurants, a light-rail station (which will take me a plethora of places in and around the city, including the airport), downtown, Busch Stadium, my hairdresser, and several walkable neighborhoods with other businesses I patronize. Within a mile of my house, I can get books from the library, eat Mexican food or organic pasta, get a latte, buy yarn for my latest knitting project, pick up a pizza, drink beer, take my dog to the park, or pick up dry cleaning, and there’s always my bike for a longer jaunt.

In fact, anyone can easily see what goods and services are walkable from their home. Just go to GoogleMaps or Yahoo!Maps, and search for businesses, using your address as the "where" and "all" as the what. You can sort results by distance, and you might find some things you didn’t know were close to your home.

The other big (okay, HUGE) reason I sold my car is finances. I’m tired of a car payment, insurance, gas, maintenance, vehicle testing, personal property taxes, and the like. If I don’t need a car, why pay so much for one? A monthly bus pas costs $60, a fraction of my transportation costs with a car, and I can stow the extra money away for tuition, savings, or vacation (or maybe a sporty little scooter…) My mom would be proud of my financial foresight, and I’m not giving money away to the insurance company, the oil companies, and the State of Missouri.

I know it’s not going to be sunshine and rainbows. I’m used to picking up groceries right after school and being able to run errands on a whim. Now, those errands are going to take a little more planning. I’m sure my friends are thrilled that it’s now never my turn to drive anywhere, but they never liked being covered in dog hair from the backseat anyway.

Of course, I’m well aware that this plan isn’t for everyone: not everyone has access to public transportation, or lives in a pedestrian-friendly area. Heck, it might not be the plan for me in a year from now. But for right now, it was the right choice. If you think about it, it’s a little strange that, in order to get anywhere, many of us think we need a two-thousand pound hunk of metal surrounding us. Even so, it was hard to gather my courage and get rid of my trusty Focus and the convenience that comes with it. But I’m glad I did, and it’s been a strangely easy transition. Truth be told, I can’t believe I waited so long.

A few weeks ago, when I knew I was going to try to sell my car, I walked to school one morning to see how long it would take. I put a little Sleater-Kinney on my iPod, and set off. As I was walking across a bridge in my neighborhood, I looked down and saw this incredibly expansive, colorful graffiti lining the culvert below. The only way anyone could see this urban artwork would be by climbing down into the culvert or by walking over the bridge. I smiled to myself, knowing I would have never seen this in my car. I can only hope that I have more moments like this in my new car-free life.

My problem with The Lazy Environmentalist, green radio host Josh Dorfman's self-proclaimed "guide to easy, stylish, green living" isn't that it lacks information. It's actually a quite comprehensive guide to supporting green companies. I dog-eared multiple pages so I could visit websites of the companies in which I was interested. But it's not so much a guide to green living as it's a guide to green buying. I guess the tone set forth from the brief introduction rubbed me the wrong way:

These innovators make it easy for us to integrate environmental awareness into our lives. They understand that while so many of us are concerned about the environment, we don't always have the time, energy, or inclination to do something about it.

I only wish this was written in a less-than-serious voice. In my mind, if you don't have the "time, energy, or inclination" to do something about the environment, than you can hardly classify yourself as an environmentalist. You are looking to alleviate guilt for your conspicuous consumption, a culture of consumption that is devastating our planet. It's exactly the "culture of convenience" that's waging all-out war on our resources. Consider this passage from the chapter on cars:

There really is something for everyone–even those who drive Hummers, the most colossal of all urban assault vehicles…By offsetting the carbon dioxide emissions spewing from your car's tailpipe, TerraPass offers Hummer drivers eco-salvation.

Eco-salvation for Hummer drivers? A little too, oh, oxymoronic, for my tastes. Lazy is definitely geared towards a more high-end clientele, despite it's mention of Wal-Mart as an organic clothing retailer (Yeah, I know what you are thinking…I can't trust them quite yet, either).

Stepping off of my soapbox, for those of us who do have time, energy, and inclination to do something to lighten our footprint still have to buy goods and services, and Lazy provides a well-laid, well-written plan to finding greener versions of those goods and services. If you have to spend money, you might as well spend it on more sustainable products, right?

There are 22 chapters focusing on different products and services, from home furnishing to energy providers to media outlets (what, no shout out for Green Options?) Each chapter begins with a narrative insight into what practices these eco-companies are establishing to go green, then lists several companies, along with their websites and a brief description of what their business does or produces. Reading about different design innovations companies are using was fascinating (BraveSpace's hollow bamboo tables, anyone?), and I'll definitely check out many of the websites listed. If I'm going to save the planet, though, I've got better things to do.

Proving that sustainability is a priority for today's young people, two colleges are incorporating sustainability into their graduation ceremonies. Grads at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania took pledges of sustainability at their commencement, while Ohio's Oberlin College took the first step in a five-year plan to make Commencement/Reunion Weekend completely carbon neutral.

At Dickinson, grads signed sustainability pledges, vowing to recycle more and conserve resources. Those who signed pledges, about a fifth of the graduating class, wore green ribbons on their commencement gowns to signify their committment to sustainability. Dickinson itself has significantly increased the amount of sustainabilty measure the university is taking, and even boasts an alumni group specifically committed to sustainabilty on campus. The school has operated an environmentally-friendly apartment complex, dubbed the "Tree House", for fifteen years, and has a Campus Sustainability Specialist on staff.

Oberlin wants to green its actual commencement ceremony by implementing such changes as printing graduation programs on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, biodegradable tableware and local and organic food at dining events, available carbon offsets for travelers, and CFLs in outdoor lighting. Oberlin students will also have green ribbons on their gowns signifying their committment to sustainability. Future measure include widespread composting for all food and tableware waste over the course of the weekend, and university-fascilitated ride-shares for those travelling to and from Oberlin. Oberlin even has a "sustainability portfolio", documenting the campus's committment to sustainability.

For those that believe that young people today are focused only on themselves, measures like the ones at Dickinson and Oberlin are visible reminders of this generations committment to creating a sustainable future. With college and university presidents pledging to fight climate change, it's inevitable that other schools and students follow suit.

With all the buzz around green building, it's no surprise that K-12 schools around the country are starting to see the benefit of sustainable design. In fact, there are 32 K-12 buildings in the US and Canada that have already been LEED-certified.

Incorporating environmentally elements such as energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling, locally-sourced materials, renewable energy sources, non-toxic sealants, adhesives, and paints, green roofs, and greywater systems, schools are creating buildings that are working models of sustainability, providing excellent tools for lessons along with the obvious benefits to the environment.

Not only is the environment benefitting, but green school design serves other purposes, as well. The Elk River Area School District, located in Minnesota, has three LEED-certified schools, with a fourth, Twin Lakes Elementary, set to open in for 2007-2008 school year. District officials estimate that their green buildings will save the district $300,000 annually in operating costs, mostly due to decreased energy costs. Classrooms are designed to maximize natural light, using high, slanted windows to let in as much sunshine as possible. Light sensors automatically turn off lights in rooms when enough natural light is present. Light tubes line the hallways, funneling sunlight into the common areas.

Pine Jog Elementary School, which broke ground on Wednesday and will be Florida's first LEED-certified school, will use strategically-positioned "light shelves" to bounce sunlight around classrooms. Pine Jog officials note that although building costs will be 5-10% higher than a conventionally-built school, the district estimates that they will recoup that cost within five years due to energy and water savings. Greensboro, North Carolina's North Guilford Middle School even has three constructed wetlands that naturally filter sewage through a series of plants, grasses, and algae, with the cleansed wastewater used for athletic field irrigation.

Elk River officials cite research claiming that students who study in naturally-lit clasrooms performed 25% better on math and language arts tests. Their district, a previous winner of the EPA's Excellence Award in Indoor Air Quality, installs diffusers in all classrooms, which circulate clean air into classrooms, reducing airborne illnesses, which any teacher can tell you run rampant at elementary schools.

The buildings and their construction are environmentally-friendly, but thoughtful, user-friendly features will help promote sustainable-living habits among students, parents, and staff. Pine Jog will have ample bicycle parking, and preferential staff parking for those who drive hybrids. Great Seneca Creek Elementary School in Maryland has dual flush toilets, complete with (ahem) yellow and brown labels for the appropriate flush in the kindergarten rooms. All schools incorporate outdoor learning spaces and learning labs centered around the building design, seamlessly integrating sustainabilty across disciplines as a tool for learning traditional concepts.

Many of us remember turning 16, getting our driver's license, and feeling that freedom of being able to get to wherever we wanted. I was a lucky one: my parents bought me a car right off the bat. However, that car was not exactly, oh, a Prius. My '84 Cutlass Ciera (with sweet whitewall tires and a Grateful Dead sticker) guzzled gas, but at less than a buck a gallon in '96, even on my restaurant hostessing paycheck, it was a small price to pay for freedom.

Kids today aren't much different, even if the world is. Gas is at least twice that, cars that kids want are, by and large, much bigger (anyone see the six-door Hummer on MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen? Oh, me neither…), and global warming is looming much larger, but kids still want that freedom, and, if they are lucky, they'll still get to drive. So how do I get my kids to at least drive responsibly?

We start off by watching An Inconvenient Truth. This film kicks off our study of energy. Straightaway, the kids understand that transportation by fossil fuel has consequences for our communities and environment. Then, students list five cars, including their make, model, and year: either their own car, if they have one, or the car of a parent or friend; their dream car; a car they will realistically be driving in five years; an SUV; and a hybrid of their choice. Using FuelEconomy.gov, kids record both the city and highway estimated miles per gallon for their chosen cars. Then, using prices seen at the gas station across the street from our school, students calculate both weekly and yearly fuel costs for each vehicle, based on 300, 200, or 100 miles of driving per week. When students, particularly those who pay for their own gas, see the drastic differences between SUVs and smaller cars, particularly hybrids, they are shocked. The totals can vary by thousands of dollars.

Where do we go from there? First, I encourage kids to simply drive less. Our district is small–most kids can walk, bike, or take the school bus. Our community's recently-rejuvenated downtown area is just down the street from our school. There are city bus stops and a light-rail stop within two blocks, and we look at where public transportation can take us (they also get a kick out of seeing me on my bike in the morning or waiting for the bus.) Beyond that, we look at tips from 365 Ways to Save Gas by Ron Weiers, which outlines driving habits, maintenance tips, and good habits that help save gas (and is a great continuation if you loved Rebecca's auto-themed Tip o' the Days.) Hopefully, this allows students to think before and during driving, which will benefit their wallets and our world.