Go Green
YOUR GUIDE FOR AN ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE
Green Insider Laura Turner Seydel
On Top of Their Environmental Game Local filmmaker & activist working on documentary film By Brandon Sutton Kids are changing the world, with or without the help of adults. That’s the underlying message behind a new documentary film in the works called Kids of the Gulf. Last summer and again this spring, I visited the Gulf coast to document the BP oil spill’s insidious, yet often hidden impacts on local communities along the coast. The work caught the attention of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF) and two of its young volunteers who are determined to have a positive impact on the oil spill, regardless of the waning national attention on the issue. Somerhalder, best known for his leading roles in The Vampire Diaries and in Lost, is an outspoken activist and advocate for clean energy, animal rights, and environmental protection, and started ISF to champion these causes. Devon, 7, and Devin, 13, are traveling to the Gulf this fall to learn about how the spill impacted kids and families along the coast. They want to see for themselves what it’s like for kids just like them to live in the disaster’s aftermath day after day. Ultimately, they want to help the communities that were impacted by raising awareness of the human side of the disaster in the hopes that we can change things that are keeping our citizens and environment in constant jeopardy of tragic events like the 2010 oil spill. We’re taking a professional film crew down to the Gulf to document the journey of these kids as they discover what’s really going on along the coast. Away from the slick advertisements that have lulled the country into complacency, the experiences in the bayous and on the beaches of the Gulf will provide Devon and Devin with a unique perspective to share with their global following. Already, kids from 47 countries on six continents are supporting the film, and Twitter has been ablaze with mentions of the initiative since the day the fundraising campaign was announced.
Eco-Briefs Empire Heating and Air Conditioning is looking for the oldest furnace in the Atlanta area and will give its owner a new furnace free as part of a effort to highlight the potential for energy savings from new, high efficiency heating equipment. “We felt this contest was a good way to draw attention to the potential to save a lot of money by upgrading an old heating system,” said Martin Hoover from Empire Heating and
40 INtown | November 2011
Our Atlanta-based team is committed to helping share these stories with the world through a beautifully produced documentary film that we intend to show on network TV, in major film festivals, and other public and private screenings. With the support and encouragement of ISF, the message these kids are sending to the world is being amplified significantly, and a whole new generation of change makers is being inspired to speak out and take action in their own communities. To learn more, or to support/sponsor Kids of the Gulf, visit kidsofthegulf.com.
Air Conditioning. “There are some very old furnaces around town and homeowners are wasting a lot of money and contributing a lot of greenhouse gases by continuing to operate them.” Homeowners who believe they might have the oldest furnace in the area are encouraged to complete Empire’s online entry form found on their website at empirehvac.com or to call (404) 2940900 for one to be mailed. There are 25 great prizes being offered to all entrants
Celebrities aren’t the only ones using their status for good. Athletes are also doing their part to help save the planet, and, in turn, making big changes within their sports and the lives of their many fans. Riding for clean air, both biker Lance Armstrong and Indy racecar driver Leilani Munter are champions for clean fuel alternatives on and off the track. After decades of biking along side gas guzzling cars, Armstrong realized that he was filling his lungs with dirty exhaust fumes, so in 2009 he purchased a 100 percent electric car. Through his endorsement of the Nissan Leaf, he helped sell out all 13,000 cars in production that year with the hope that one day he and other bikers could share the road without fear of breathing toxins. On another set of wheels, Munter is working to ensure that every racecar within her sport uses clean, renewable biofuels and that every racetrack has a comprehensive recycling program. Her website, carbonfreegirl.com, is dedicated to raising awareness about clean energy and environmental legislation and spreads the message to over a 100 million US race fans. Fans of snowboarding and ending global warming cheer for Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler (gretchenbleiler. com) and her quest to save the snow for her and other snowboarders. Off the slopes she works with the Climate Project and StopGlobalWarming.org and on the slopes sports a recycled polyester snowboarding suit. She writes about these environmental issues on ESPNW.com to educate and empower women to follow in her green footsteps. Making green strides in our own backyard, Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta Falcon’s fullback and Founder of the Ovie Mughelli Foundation (oviemughellifoundation.org), is working to spread environmental education and stewardship to the youth of our nation. In addition to hosting youth environmental fitness camps, introducing Eco Club to Atlanta area Boys & Girls Clubs, and creating the OMF Planeteer’s Club, which gives Falcons tickets to environmentally focused youth programs, Mughelli teamed up with eco-clothing children’s line Origany to launch a new toddler sportswear line. These athletes are not only champions of their sport, but also role models to their many fans. Their dedication to the betterment of their sport and the planet will hopefully inspire sports fans to think differently and act environmentally. For more eco-living tips and news, visit my blog at LauraSeydel.com.
by drawing so even if your furnace isn’t the oldest you still have a great chance to win. Entries will be checked for age and the winner will be selected by Jan. 20, 2012. Environmental artist John Grade comes to Atlanta as an Emory University artistin-residence Nov. 6-19 to design and build large-scale sculptural installations using biodegradable materials. His project, “Piedmont Divide” will visually and
conceptually link two Emory locations: the main “Quadrangle” and Lullwater Preserve. Using materials derived from indigenous plants and trees, Grade will relate the form and construction method of the two installations to Emory’s research on West Nile Virus and worldwide water sustainability. The Atlanta and Emory communities are invited to participate as volunteers on the construction of the project. visualarts.emory.edu. KeepitINtown.com