The Resource & Our Resources

The Harvard Community Resource is a university-wide newspaper, and for the month of April its focus is on green news around Harvard!  Check out all the articles here to find out more about GHG reduction efforts, bicycling resources, the Green Team, and green initiatives in offices and cleaning at Harvard.  


The Resource also put together this list of interesting Harvard environmental factoids:

Bottled Water Taste Test

Tuesday, 11:30-1:30, in the Hark

Come sample tap, purified, and bottled water and see if you can tell the difference!  


In the meantime, check out this funny take on the bottled water industry by Penn & Teller:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPAjUvvnIc

Image from this website.  

FLOW Screening

In 2 parts!

Part 1:  Wed. March 31, 12-1pm, Austin West

Part 2:  Thurs. April 1, 12-1pm, Austin West

Cupcakes (vegan!) from Kickass Cupcakes will be provided!  

FLOW is an award-winning documentary that investigates what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.  FLOW explores the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.  

Brought to you by Prof. Jon Hanson and The Situation, the Green Living Program, and the Environmental Law Society.  

Earth Hour

Power down for a full 60 minutes!

Earth Hour will take place this weekend, March 27th from 8:30 - 9:30 pm.  Turn off your lights and appliances and show your solidarity with others committed to fighting climate change!  Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, where 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour.  This year 2000 cities worldwide plan to participate in the event!  

The Cove Screening

What:  Movie showing of THE COVE!
When:  Thursday 3/25 at 7pm
Where:  Pound 107


Join us to see The Cove, an amazing movie and the 2010 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary.  It is produced by the same people that have been all over the news for their sting operation that led to the closing of the restaurant "The Hump" for selling endangered whale meat.  See article here.   

Snacks will be served!  More info can be found on the SALDF website. 


Brought to you by the Student Animal League Defense Fund.

From Blue to Green

Recycle Your Denim at Gap and Save 30%!


From now until March 14, turn in your old worn-out denim clothing at participating Gap locations and receive 30% off a new pair of jeans!  


Gap is partnering with Cotton Inc. to recycle denim donations into cotton fiber insulation ("UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation"), which is used to build housing in low-income communities.    


According to the company website, "UltraTouch™ is composed of 85% recycled cotton fibers and is an environmentally safe, non-itch insulation without carcinogenic warnings, formaldehyde or chemical irritants. It provides exceptional thermal performance and acoustically provides 30% better sound absorption than traditional fiberglass insulation. In addition, it is one of the only insulating products that contain an active mold/mildew inhibitor."  


More information on this project can be found here.

Image from http://jenniferstuartdesign.blogspot.com/

Harvard Green Video Competition

Like making videos? Care about the environment? Want to win $700?

*Submit to the Harvard Green Video Competition!*

Harvard’s Office for Sustainability is sponsoring a competition for short video clips highlighting how individual actions can help reduce environmental impacts at Harvard, and they want you to submit!! First prize wins $700 and second wins $300—plus both videos will be publicly screened at Harvard’s first-ever Green Carpet Awards ceremony taking place later this spring (exact date TBD) honoring environmental work on campus.

The goal of the project is to educate and inspire students to make changes on campus through humor, creativity and powerful messaging. Read below for more details and rules of the competition, and definitely check out of any following recommended videos for inspiration. Deadline to submit is Thursday, April 15. Please contact us at sustainability@harvard.edu with any questions about the competition.

More information is also available on our website at www.green.harvard.edu/greencarpet
*Movies—now not just in color, in GREEN!*

Need some inspiration?
Resource Efficiency Program’s GreenTube Competition
Phillips Academy Rap
Proper Education
Bottle Dance

Black Balloons

and for animation:
The Story of Stuff

350.org’s ‘Because the world needs to know’

Global Community Wombat Video

Judging

The panel of judges will consist of Harvard staff and faculty and will base its decisions on the following criteria:

• Creativity
• Inspiration
• Strength of environmental message
• Humor
• Quality of production
• Harvard focus 

Rules

• Videos should be no more than 3 minutes in length (and we encourage short and high quality over length)
• Videos must be available in digital format and submitters must allow the Office for Sustainability to post video on OFS website
• Submission will take place through a Harvard OFS YouTube account: http://www.youtube.com/group/HarvardOFS (instructions onwww.green.harvard.edu/greencarpet)
• Team and individual videos are allowed
• Videos must be the original work of the applicants
• Any factual claims or references to research must be credited
• If a submission involves two or more applicants, the award will be divided equally among them.
• Videos must not have received extensive funding from non-profits, government agencies, or private companies.