Fundraiser Update

After a very successful Earth Week, H.E.A.T. would like to report on how much we raised. On Wednesday, April 25th, H.E.A.T. sold 31 Nalgene bottles at either $3 for a 12 oz bottle or $10 for a 32 oz bottle.  We raised $233, and made $133 in profit.  This money went directly to purchasing the Thundercloud Flowering Plumb Tree that has been planted on the driveway going up to the MHS main building.


The garlic, red cabbage, and beets have been living under a layer of hay and have been tucked into bed each day this weekend to avoid this frost that has kept reappearing recently!


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Haiku Poetry Contest

After a very successful Earth Week, we would like to take the time to congratulate our winners of the advisor meeting Haiku contest!

Mr. Miller's awesome advisor group composed of

Jañelle, San-Yung, Raphaela, Tori, Devin, and Sutton wrote this Haiku for which they will each receive a Guido's Fresh Marketplace Smoothies.

The Earth is warming

Though Daigle's room is still cold.

What is going on?

Water Wednesday!

Water! Water! Water! Water!  We have so many uses for it: we drink it, we cook with it, we feed our plants with it, we wash with it, but what HEAT really wants you to do today is think about it!  We use water excessively while others in the world can only use it sparingly after they have walked miles in search of it.  Please take the time today (and every other day of the years ahead of you) to make sure that you are not using water excessively and be conscious about your decision next time you buy a plastic water bottle when you could have just as easily filled your new HEAT water bottle with tap water.

Check out this video from the New York Times on turning Waste water into Drinking Water.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/04/21/opinion/sunday/100000001501722/taking-the-waste-out-of-wastewater.html

Waste Day

Check out our display in the hallway by Centennial for more updates throughout the week!

Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, 

and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. ^{Clean Air Council}

Recycling one aluminum can saves an amount of energy 

equivalent to half that can filled with gasoline. ^{Green Net World}

North Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. ^{Green Net World}

Every Sunday, more than 500,000 trees are used to produce 

the 88% of newspapers that are never recycled. ^{Green Net World}

The average American discards 4.34 pounds of garbage every day. ^{Environmentalist Everyday}

The total volume of solid waste produced in the U.S. each year is equal to the weight of more than 247,000 space shuttles or 2.3 million Boeing 747 jumbo jets. ^{Environmentalist Everyday}

If we put all of the solid waste collected in the U.S. in a line of average garbage trucks, that line of trucks could cross the country, extending from New York City to Los Angeles, more than 100 times. ^{Environmentalist Everyday}

About 50 millions cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, 

and only 10% are recycled. ^{Dosomething.org}

Electronic items that are considered to be hazardous include, but are not limited to: 

• Televisions and computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes 
• LCD desktop monitors 
• Laptop computers with LCD displays 
• LCD televisions 
• Plasma televisions 
• Portable DVD players with LCD screens. ^{Dosomething.org}

Composed by Joy '13 and Olivia '12

Listen Up!

My sister, Tegan, and I created this video four years ago for a local video contest on the impact of plastic bags.  I thought it was appropriate to share for Waste Day! -Zia
P.s. Make sure to join HEAT in the dining hall for some decorating recycling bins at 2:20-4:00!

Happy Energy Day!

What can you do to save energy?

Laundry 

-Pre soak especially dirty clothes before putting 

them in the wash to avoid the need for a hot 

wash with large amounts of detergent.  

-Wash fewer loads. Wait until you've got a full 

load to avoid wasting energy.  

Wash at lower temperatures. Uses up to 40% - 

less energy and keeps clothes fresh longer.  

-Dry cloths wisely. Dry back to back loads while 

the drum is still warm and keep the lint 

collector clear for maximum efficiency.   

Lights 

-Switch off lights when not in use for 

obvious reasons.  

-Maximize use of natural light. Open 

windows and/or make sure they're clean. 

-Replace iridescent light bulbs with CFL's. 

   

Cell Phones 

-Unplug your charger when it's not in use. 

Even if your phone isn't connected it is still 

using energy.  

-Turn your phone off when you aren't using 

it to avoid having to charge it often. 

  

Showers and Hygiene  

-Showers waste less water and energy than baths, but be 

careful, you don't want to take one that's too long. A 

shower that is 5 to 10 minuets can help conserve.  

-Turn off the water when you brush your teeth.  

-Try not to blow dry your hair as much, let it air dry. 

Facts collected by Ana '13 and Joy '13

   

  

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!
What bothers me (Zia) about this holiday is that people become aware of their impact on the environment for the day, and then resume their normal activities for the remainder of the year until Earth Day comes onto the calendar again!
This has lead HEAT to change a few things.  Instead of focusing all of the celebrations and awareness announcements into this single day, we have decided to create Earth Week.
Ten dedicated members of HEAT and our faculty advisor have created a theme for each day that will consist of presentations, activities, and facts.  Thanks to an awesome Pauline for presenting at Morning Meeting what each day will bring, but for some clarification:

Monday- Energy Day, presented by Ana and Kelsey.  Some quick facts at morning meeting
Tuesday- Waste Day, presented by Olivia and Joy.  Come decorate recycle bins for your dorm, location TBD
Wednesday- Water Day, presented by Yoon and Hannah.  Buy an awesome reusable water bottle at lunch or at one of the home games!
Thursday- Animal Day, presented by Ivy and Zia.  Activity TBD at advisor meetings
Friday- Arbor Day, presented by Harnoor and Ryn.  Planting a tree at Morning Meeting!

Hope you are all as excited as we are!

Quick Earth Day history:
Established in 1970, Earth Day aimed to raise awareness and transfer the energy of the anti-war movement to focus on environmental concerns.  Forty-two years later, Earth Day is full of events, rallies, meetings, and PSA's to raise global awareness about taking care of our planet! (Earth Day Network)
For more information visit:
http://www.earthday.org/
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/earth_day/index.html

Look for our posters outside Centennial Hall as we add information as each day comes!

Happy Earth Day!
Zia

HEAT Heads Outside!

We've decided to play a little game, 
whoever figures out the hidden message in this post will receive a cool prize!
A freshly-tilled plot, an abundance of seedlings, and sunny weather meant HEAT was heading outside for the first time this year! After loading more beets seedlings than we could count into the car, a few members wandered over to check the progress of our garlic and flowers!

Olivia staked out a spot for our cabbage patch while Zia barely made a dent in the beet supply because there were so many!

Cute little Beets!

Broccoli 

Garlic beginning to sprout!

A few girls spread buckwheat on the expanded plot to add nutrients to the soil.

Ryn got a head start on the cabbage!

Red Cabbage!

Then we all watered the seedlings and hoped for a great season!

Olivia watering her toes! (and the beets)

Enjoy the wonderful weather this weekend outside and take a trip out to the garden!
Directions are found at:
http://heat-growinggreen.blogspot.com/2011/09/directions-on-how-to-get-to-garden.html

P.s. HEAT is looking for a few watering cans in decent condition. If anyone is willing to send on their can for reuse, it would be much appreciated!

P.p.s. Be on the lookout for our beet seedlings for sale soon!

Spring has sprung!

Although this winter was warmer than usual, it has still been a sleepy few months for the garden. Spring was a welcome event in the greenhouse, though, as we initiated our first club-sanctioned planting! Adding to a recent batch of broccoli and beets, in the hopes of a spring harvest, dutifully planted by the freshman class during Horizons, we've added basil, oregano, onions and spinach to the garden mix.
We also received our order of seeds for this year, which includes plenty of common carrots, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, eggplant, peas, beans, and flowers as well as a few fun and (hopefully!) delicious varieties that you will just have to come see for yourself.
Next Thursday, April 5, we hope to see as many students and faculty alike out in the greenhouse to get hands in the dirt and spirits back in the sun!