Looking for an educational and sustainable vacation for your family this summer? Maybe pick up a foreign language while you’re at it? Moorhead, Minnesota’s, Concordia College-sponsored Concordia Language Villages have offered children and families language immersion programs since 1961, and, in 2006, opened Waldsee BioHaus Environmental Learning Center, a camp that combines principles of environmental education, sustainability, and sustainable building with German culture and language.

Waldsee BioHaus is modeled on Germany’s Passivhaus standard, which is similar to, but more extensive than, the LEED standard used here in the US. The BioHaus incorporates cutting-edge green tech, including a green roof, solar panels, vacuum insulation passive solar design, and is the most airtight building in the United States. The building also has transparent siding, allowing visitors to see the building materials. In addition, BioHaus won the Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award for air quality and climate protection, based on their 24-hour air/heat exchange system and 85% efficient heat recovery unit.

Concordia has taken pains to ensure that Waldsee BioHaus is not just German language in a green building. Along with instruction in German language and culture, BioHaus also features an extensive sustainability curriculum focusing on sustainable living practices in Germany and including green roof gardening, energy conservation, fresh-water ecology, and sustainable forestry practices.

For more information on Waldsee BioHaus’s programs, visit their extensive blog or Concordia Language Village’s website.

Eaten in a school cafeteria lately? Chances are you'll be dining on processed, reheated food that helps tiny school lunch budgets stretch their pennies. In an attempt to make lunches healthier and more sustainable, the state of Oregon is taking significant steps towards increasing the amount of local food that goes into public school lunches.

One legislative bill, awaiting Gov. Ted Kulongoski's signature, that will limit caloric, sugar, and fat content of foods sold in vending machines and school stores. Three more bills currently being debated that would promote, among other things, utilizing food from Oregon farmers, bakeries, and other processors. HB 3476 allocates seven cents per meal served in Oregon public schools to incorporate Oregon agricultural products. HB 3307 creates a Farm to School program within the Oregon Deparment of Agriculture, and HB 3185 awards mini-grants to schools creating gardens and other agriculture/food-based learning. The three bills would cost the state approximately $10 million.

Because public school cafeteria budgets are often strained (at best), many cafeterias rely on fatty, salty, and sugary products that students will pay a premium for to boost their budgets. This is particularly true in Oregon, which is one of a handful of states that does not supplement the National School Lunch and Breakfast program with state dollars. Incorporating local food puts less-processed foods on the table for students, promoting a healthier diet than chicken nuggets and pizza.

Utilizing local producers also cuts down on fuel use/costs, provides fresher, better tasting produce, and boosts local economies by forging steady partnerships between school districts and local agriculture. For example, in the Bend-La Pine School District, students eat blueberries, strawberries and cantaloupe from the local 25-acre Happy Harvest Farms. In Gresham, blueberries, broccoli and milk come from Portland-area farms.

There are downsides. Using local produce can cost more, and that cost will likely be passed onto the students despite the state's possible additional funding. And the amount of local food being used in only a fraction of the food being fed to schoolchildren. But it's a step in the right direction for healthier kids and creating a more sustainable food system.

The Oregonian

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.

Renowned University of Alberta ecologist David Schindler said in a speech Friday that children are our best hope for slowing climate change.

Speaking at the Trails To Sustainability conference on environmental education near Calgary, Schindler said,

"By the time people who are six to 12 years old now are grown up, we're going to see a different political landscape and a different environmental one."

A world-renowned expert on climate change and fresh-water ecology, Schindler was the 2001 winner of the NSERC Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, Canada's highest scientific honor. Schindler also noted,

"We're all pretty set in our ways and I think looking at people who really don't get it - who leave their cars idling while they're in the grocery store for an hour in the winter and things like that - we're not going to reach those folks. We can reach their kids."

Schindler, who also teaches environmental decision making at the University of Alberta, also said that while today's generation and their elected leaders have refused to deal with looming water shortages and global warming issues, unavoidable change is coming.

Last week I wrote about how pet owners can make more sustainable choices when it comes to their pets. A few days later, Green Options received an e-mail from James, a pet owner whose Dalmation, Hamish, suffered grand mal seizures from what James believed were toxic flea/tick medications.

Upon further investigation, it turns out that the EPA didn't even regulate over-the-counter pet products such as these until 1996, and was still phasing out pet products containing certain chemicals as late as last year.

In fact, the Humane Society issued a warning about flea/tick medications, and the Natural Resources Defense Council released a report in 2000 titled Poisons on Pets: Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products which linked these chemicals found in flea/tick medications to serious health problems in both pets and humans. The main offenders are organophosphate insecticides and carbamates, which interfere with nerve signals in the body. Though meant to work on insects, they can have similar effects on the nervous systems of pets and humans, particularly children because of their developing nervous system. There is also ample evidence to suggest that long-term exposure to products containing such chemicals can produce serious health problems, such as later-in-life cancer and Parkinson's, in children who were exposed at an early age. Kittens and cats are also particularly vulnerable when exposed to OTC products for dogs.

This doesn't mean that all flea/tick medications are dangerous: this mainly applies to older brands of OTC medications. Avoid products that list chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, tetrachlorvinphos, diazinon, malathion, carbaryl, or propoxur in their active ingredients. Take the safe route and always get your pet's medication from your vet–it's not worth the few bucks you'd save by buying products over the counter. There are also safe non-pesticide methods to flea/tick control, including using flea combs, regular shampooing, increased vaccuming/sweeping, and keeping pets inside, but again, talk to your vet about what is best for your pet.

A frequently overlooked area when it comes to greening your life is greening your pet's life. This can be a tricky subject, since what works best to keep your pet healthy and happy may not always be an ecofriendly decision. Luckily, there's easy ways to make sure that Fido leaves a lighter pawprint.

Where you get your pet can have the biggest overall impact. Rescuing a pet from a shelter or the Humane Society gives an already existing pet a good home and the possibility of a happy life. Why pay a breeder to create another animal? Accordingly, heed Bob Barker's sage wisdom: remember to help control the pet population; have your pet spayed or neutered.

Just like human food choices, your pet's diet has an impact on our environment. However, pet owners know that diet is crucial to your pet's health, and can be very particular to a pet. Always check with your vet when changing pet foods. That being said, there are organic, humane, and sustainably-produced pet foods on a market–in fact, it's a fast-growing niche. Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Trader Joe's have their own lines of pet foods, and there are plenty of other sources online.

All that food has to go somewhere, as pet owners know. Pick up your dog's poop with biodegradable doggy bags. Better yet, compost it. Yeah, yeah, I know you aren't supposed to compost pet waste. However, that rule generally goes for compost that is going to be used on edible plants, like a veggie garden–using that compost on landscaping or flowerbeds is fine. If the thought of adding poo to your pile still makes you cringe, create a whole separate compost just for pet waste. Bury a metal garbage can for a securely-contained poo pile. For your feline friends, avoid clay-based litters–the clay is strip-mined, and the dust from the clay can irritate your cat's lungs. A much more sustainable choice is Swheat Scoop, a wheat-based scoopable litter. Should your precious pal leave a not-so precious present for you on the carpet, there are plenty of eco-friendly pet-odor eliminators, from such companies as Mrs. Meyer's.

Finally, choose greener pet items when shopping for your pet. Scratching posts, toys, and leashes all come in more sustainable varieties. GreenPeople.org is a good resource for finding various vendors.

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.

Kenny Luna may have some help in his quest to get CFLs into the hands of students across the country: nine schools in Southern California. The schools are part of the Alliance to Save Energy's Green Schools program; elementary and high schools in the Alta Loma, Hesperia, and San Bernardino Unified School Districts are all participating

The schools provide students and their families a means to exchange incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly CFLs. Students sign pledges vowing to replace their old bulbs with CFLs, supplied by Southern California Edison, and document the wattage of the bulbs they replaced. Bulbs were exchanged at school, during PTO events, parent events, and other school-community activities.

The program set a goal for the 2006-2007 school year: to replace 4,000 bulbs in the homes of district families, but that goal was too conservative. The program replaced over 8,000 bulbs in the fall semester alone. In fact, the program has been so successful that twenty more schools were added for the second semester, and the program expects to easily make their three-year goal of replacing 12,000 bulbs in less than a year.

Think of it this way: in just these nine schools, students have already saved their families a collective $40,000 in energy costs, and about three million kWh over the life of the bulbs. The program anticipates a one-year savings of over $700,000 for student families.

What will happen to humanity if global warming and pollution take their toll on the Earth? Bestselling children's author Patrick Carman's Elyon latest set of books explore that very idea. Atherton: The House of Power, aimed at middle-grade readers, is the latest sci-fi series set after humanity has all but destroyed itself. Like Lois Lowry's The Giver and its companion book, Scott Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy, and Jeanne DuPrau's Ember series, Carman's world of Atherton is a near-future society carefully manufactured to prevent humanity from repeating its past mistakes, and the series explores what happens when the utopia is exposed as a dystopia.

In Carman's universe, Earth, here known as "The Dark Planet", can no longer support life. Atherton is a man-made satellite planet, shaped like a child's top, consisting of three levels: the seemingly uninhabited Flatlands, the agricultural Tabletops, and the lush, wealthy Highlands. Edgar is a boy who works and lives in the fig grove in Tabletops, whose crops go to support the Highlands, where the powerful live in relative luxury while they control the water supply. Edgar, however, is an excellent climber, and uses his talent to span the three levels of Atherton. Soon, he and the other citizens of Atherton realize their worlds are about to collide when the Highlands start to sink into Tabletops.

Carman uses Atherton to explore the ideas of class struggle, limited natural resources, and the value of our environment. Edgar, and his female companion Isabel, are empowering characters that are brave and cunning, and readers will cheer their efforts to find the truth and save their people. Even as an adult, I was drawn into Carman's world, and children will be able to find multiple parallels to our own world (although adults won't have to work very hard.) The mysterious nature of Atherton's past and future will keep readers' interest until the last pages.

Also appealing about the Atherton series is the potentially-vast interactive supplemental material online. Web-savvy kids will have diagrams, video, audio, additional text, and the like to tide them over until the next Atherton book is released. The hardcover release of Atherton: The House of Power will include a free DVD with bonus materials.

For parents looking for engaging, action-packed books that explore environmental themes in an approachable manner, Atherton: The House of Power is well worth a trip to your local bookstore when it is released on April 3rd.

From the people at WGBH in Boston, the same people who produce The World, Antiques Roadshow, American Experience, Nova and popular children's programming such as Postcards from Buster and Zoom come the latest in children's entertainment: Meet the Greens an online interactive experience that introduces kids to green living. Each month, the website will introduce a new episode and new content for kids to explore.

In addition to the monthly episode/cartoon, the site features a blog, music, downloadable wallpaper and avatars, tips and quizzes on eco-living, and mini-stories about different topics in ecology, sustainability, social equity, and environmentalism. The site is easy to navigate and visually appealing to kids, and most of the content has links where viewers can get more information.

The Greens themselves are a hodge-podge of colorful characters, including kids, adults, and animals, designed to provide a green alternative to the typical portrayal of cartoon families. I particularly liked the dreadlocked, Rasta-hat-wearing Hector, described as "a kid who doesn't say much, but usually knows what he's talking about," and has a feature about saving water at home… in just ten words.

Overall, kids and tweens will find The Greens to be likable and entertaining. Much like those other popular kids films, the characters drop pop-culture references that both kids and adults will find amusing. More importantly, The Greens give kids a pop-culture reflection of what environmentally-conscious families can look like. The Greens are interesting, funny characters who happen to care about sustainability. The kid characters are empowering and passionate without being preachy. I'd personally like to see more content in the second "episode," with more character storylines to supplement the diverse informational articles, nd if there's something you'd like to see, The Greens want feedback on the site, which you can give here.