Thursday, October 25, 2012

Fall Tree Giveway with New York Restoration Project!



EAA is hosting a tree giveaway event in collaboration with New York Restoration Project.
This event is scheduled for November 3, 2012 from 12 to 2 pm at 150-51 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354 (Han Yang Mart). We will be giving out a total of 100 trees to community members. Trees will be given away to NYC residents only; one tree can be adopted per address. 
Please note that trees cannot be planted on rooftops, terraces, or in city parks. Simple tree planting and care instructions come with your tree. All you need is a place to plant, a shovel and access to water. You will be required to fill out a tree adoption agreement to adopt your tree.
Online registration is available at http://www.treegiveaways.com/eaa.php. (Priorities will be given to those who register online.)
For more information about this event, please contact us at 212-695-8840 or info@environmentaa.org.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Help EAA raise $250,000 by casting a vote at Chase Community Giving



Calling on all EAA’s friends around the world! The Environment Action Association has been nominated for a share of up to $250,000 from a $5million annual charity giveaway by Chase Bank USA.
The public voting period on Facebook will be September 6-19. The top 196 charities will share in $5 million in grants. The top charity with most votes will receive $250K. This will make a huge difference in our efforts to help save the environment. Let’s make a difference!

How to Vote for a Charity The Chase Community Giving’s national program voting period begins on September 6, 2012 at 12:00:01 a.m. ET and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on September 19, 2012. Chase customers with an online Chase account and Facebook users can vote for their favorite charity (“Eligible Voters”).

There are two ways to vote:
1) www.chasegiving.com:
During the Voting Period, Chase customers will automatically receive two (2) votes to cast during the Voting Period by visiting www.ChaseGiving.com and following the directions. Chase customers may also cast votes on Facebook as defined below. Voters on ChaseGiving.com can only cast one (1) Standard ChaseGiving.com vote per charity.

2) Facebook: http://bit.ly/NOsbz7
1. Search for Chase Community Giving at the top of your profile page.
2. Like the Chase Community Giving Page.
3. Vote for Environment Action Association.
4. Invite your friends to Vote for Environment Action Association.

For more information about the Chase Giving Program, please visit http://www.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

10 tips for staying waste-free at work






1. Pack your own lunch

Bringing your own lunch and snacks to the office in reusable containers not only reduces packaging waste, but can also put thousands of dollars back into your pocket annually.
A survey of 1,000 workers conducted by finance recruiting firm Accounting Principals revealed that the average American worker spends $37 per week on bought lunch, adding up to $2,000 a year (there’s that pay increase you’ve been looking for).
The same survey found that 50 percent of the American workforce spends $1,000 per year on coffee. So, bring your morning cup to work in a reusable mug, and utilize office coffee machines to save on cash and reduce hard-to-recycle coffee cup waste.
To get you started on your low-waste, low-budget revolution, check out these sustainable lunch and snackrecipes that are perfect for the office, and banish those vending machine trips for good.
2. Make supplies last longer 
Reaching for a dried-out pen during a stressful workday can make you want to pull your hair out. But it can also lead to prematurely tossing your supplies. Are there really ways to make office supplies last longer? Absolutely.
The ink in your pens, highlighters and markers tends to dry up faster if they aren’t being used regularly. So, try using your writing implements one-at-a-time to ensure they won’t end up forgotten in the back of your desk.
And try to keep your pen tips clean. Inks naturally coagulate at the tip of your pen, making them trickier to write with over time. To avoid plastic waste (and frustration), wipe the tip of your pen with a cloth after each use, and store pens with tips pointing upward to prevent clogging.
Also, keep all pens, markers and glue sticks in a cool, dry place – like inside a desk drawer or closet. Heat and exposure to direct sunlight can cause inks and glues to dry up and harden.
3. "Precycle" your office supplies 
“Precycling” refers to the simple act of reducing non-recyclable waste before it starts. The term typically applies to choosing products packaged in materials that are easily recyclable, but it can also apply to your office supplies.
Opt for supplies that are easy to reuse or recycle to stop waste in its tracks. When faced with a decision as to which supplies to use, try asking yourself: Can I recycle or reuse this? A simple change in mindset could mean lighter waste bins all year long.
Not sure where to start? Try using paper clips instead of staples for easy reuse, and opt for crumpled newspaper instead of bubble wrap to protect items during shipping. At your desk, invest in a reusable tape dispenser to halt plastic dispenser waste, and reuse items like folders and media boxes for as long as possible before throwing them out.
4. Green your commute 
Commuting to work can be stressful – not only for you, but also for the environment. The average American family’s weekday commute produces around 7,000 pounds of carbon emissions every year, according to astudy conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The good news is that reducing your driving, even slightly, can carry huge environmental benefits. Driving a mere 10 percent less, by walking, cycling, carpooling, or taking public transit, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 440 to 1,763 pounds per year depending on the vehicle, according to the nonprofit ecology groupBiosphere Institute of the Bow Valley.
If you’re lucky enough to live close to your workplace, try walking or biking to shrink your carbon footprint, or opt for public transportation for a low-waste, low-stress commute.
If your office is on the other side of town, try carpooling with coworkers a few times a week to reduce environmental impact. Carpooling with two other passengers creates a mere 0.05 pounds of carbon emissions per person, per mile – even in an average car getting about 23 miles-per-gallon, according to Sightline Institute. A “vanpool,” with six occupants in total, comes in at less than 0.04 pounds of CO2 per mile, the research group found.
As an added bonus, carpoolings is also a great way to bond with your coworkers and form relationships you may not have had otherwise. So, round up the gang and hop in the car for a commute that’s low-waste and fun.
5. Reduce paper use 
The average office worker in the U.S. uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year. That’s 4 million tons of copy paper used annually – leaving plenty of room to reduce paper use and shrink your office footprint.
Avoid using paper by emailing important documents to coworkers and clients, and using presentations rather than handouts at weekly staff meetings. To further reduce paper consumption, only print documents when you absolutely have to, and try to use both sides of the paper whenever possible.
For paper you do use, always remember to recycle. The EPA estimates that if an office building of 7,000 workers recycled all of its paper for a year, it would amount to taking 400 cars off the road.
6. Be ready with resuable 
From impromptu lunch outings and office birthday parties to lunch-break errands and shopping trips, there are loads of opportunities to get stuck with single-use products during your workday.
Reduce the disposable plates, cups, silverware and shopping bags you contribute to our waste stream by being prepared with reusable alternatives ahead of time.
Keep a disposable-free survival kit, including reusable coffee mugs, water bottles, dishware and shopping bags, at your desk to help you reduce waste before it starts.
7. Shrink your energy footprint 
Computers, printers and other office necessities can use up loads of energy, racking up enormous bills and expanding the footprint of your workplace. While office energy use may seem nearly impossible to avoid, you can dramatically cut down on your kilowatt-hours with a few easy steps.
If you work from home, put all of your electronics on a power strip, and flip the switch off when items are not in use to avoid vampire power. And take a moment to adjust your computer’s settings to optimize battery usage and hibernate after a period of inactivity.
If you work in an office, talk to your supervisors and IT department about adjusting the settings on all of your office computers and installing power strips. Your bosses will likely be receptive when you tell them how much money it could save.
8. Take paperless notes 
Taking notes is a natural way to get the creative juices flowing. But why take notes on paper when waste-free alternatives abound?
Most word processing software includes an easy highlighter tool to mark important sections of your notes. But if you’re going to take e-notes, you might as well opt for a program that can multi-task. Try an online note-taking program (like Evernote or UberNote) that allows you to bookmark sites of interest, jot down ideas and collaborate with multiple users.
And ditch the endless stream of adhesive paper notes by downloading a free app like Sticky Notes for your computer or the official Post-It app for your smartphone.
If you’re still craving the pen and paper, invest in a whiteboard or chalkboard for your desk, so you can jot down notes and erase them at your leisure without the waste.
9. Cut back on packing waste 
Packing and shipping can create loads of office waste, but you can still do your part to keep those trash cans empty. When shipping, try to pack boxes as densely as possible to avoid cardboard waste, and reuse the same boxes when you can.
For boxes that can’t be reused: compost them! If you work in an office building or don’t have a compost pile for your home office waste, many farmers accept compostables for use in fertilizing their crops. Talk to a local composter about starting a partnership with your office and sending all of your boxes there.
When transporting office supplies from one office to another, ditch the cardboard boxes in favor of a reusable solution like Rent-a-Green Box. Featured on Earth911 in 2010, this “zero-waste pack and move solution” rents out reusable, recycled-content containers for a fraction of the cost (and waste) assosciated with cardboard moving boxes.
10. Help give coworkers the green bug 
Sharing eco-minded ideas with coworkers is a great way to make sure your whole office gets in on the waste-reducing action.
Try giving out reusable water bottles, coffee mugs and shopping bags at the office on holidays to encourage fellow employees to reduce waste. Or send out a mass email about useful file-sharing tools provided by your workplace to remind coworkers of alternatives to printing.
When discussing your values with coworkers, remember to frame the conversation as providing information, not dissing their habits. For example, if you notice a coworker tossing a plastic bottle in the trash, politely telling him about a recycling bin in the next room will yield far better results than berating him about his disposal habits. With the right approach, you can get everyone in your office excited about going green.

(Source from:earth911.com)






Friday, August 3, 2012

Buy a Life Savers candy, Donate $1 to EAA!




Would you like to donate for a good cause while enjoying the yummy candies? To celebrate its 100th Anniversary, Life Savers has set up a Share Ring for 100 worthy charities. When you enter a code and choose a charity, you automatically join its Share Ring. Then your charity gets a $1 donation from Life Savers (up to $250,000 for all 100 charities), and the Share Ring of your charity grows by one. The three largest Share Rings at the end of the promotion will share an additional $25,000 from Life Savers.

A SHARE RING IS HOW LIFE SAVERS 
IS EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO GATHER AROUND 
CHARITIES THEY CARE ABOUT.


Here is how you can participate:
1.       Buy a Life Savers pack with 100th Anniversary logo.
2.       Visit the website http://bit.ly/T6cVMy
3.       Enter code from Life Savers 100th Anniversary packaging.
4.       Life Savers will donate $1 to Environment Action Association.
5.       Invite friends to join your charity’s share ring and watch it grow.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

EAA announces partnership with 1% for the Planet


New York, NY, 7/26/12-The Environment Action Association (EAA) is a new nonprofit partner of 1% for the Planet, an alliance of over 1,380 member companies in 43 countries that give one percent of revenues to environmental causes.

The EAA is now eligible to receive donations from 1% member companies, placing them among a diverse, global network of environmental organizations.  1% member businesses fuel this non-profit network through their annual contributions, which totaled over $22 million in 2010.  Partnership with 1% greatly expands the potential pool of funding to which EAA can look to for support.

Newly approved Environment Action Association contributes to a healthier planet by carrying out its mission to empower, unite people in communities to protect and preserve the environment.

Over 2,300 non-profits worldwide are included in the 1% network, and over $70 million has been funneled to its nonprofit partners to date.  "The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful force in solving the world’s problems," explains Yvon Chouinard, founder of 1% for the Planet.

"We are thrilled to be a part of 1% for the Planet. Here at EAA, we really give it our all working to help bring about a more sustainable future for our children and our communities. We strongly believe that 1% of support from like-minded businesses will really complete our efforts," says Soo Greenstein, Manager of Environment Action Association.

See our Partner page for more details at www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

About 1% for the Planet
Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet is a growing global movement of over 1,350 member companies in 43 countries that donate one percent of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide. Each day, more than one new business joins the 1% for the Planet movement. As a network, the 1% community has become a frontrunner in funding the work of environmental groups around the world. To learn more about 1% go to:www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

About EAA
Started with only a few founding members in Korea in 2001, EAA has grown drastically in the past 10 years with a network of more than 230 branches in 26 countries. EAA’s NY office was launched in February of 2011 with an independent 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. With a motto of “Clean Water, Clean Air, and Clean Environment”, all of our activities are designed to inform and educate the public so they will act to secure a healthy future for themselves and their children. Thus, we envision a future when every person on this earth becomes an active caretaker of environment. To learn more about the EAA, please visit www.environmentaa.org

Interview! Meet one of our friends!

Meet Haiyao (Hazel) Zheng, a Curtis High School student, who has always been interested in environmental issues. She volunteered with the EAA for various projects including plating trees in NYC.


We took some time to sit down with Hazel and asked about her experience with volunteering for EAA. And here is what she has to say!

Q. Were you interested in environmental issues and volunteering before? 
A.  Yes. The environmental issue that concerns me the most is tree quality in the city. I’ve had volunteer experience with EAA by helping them plant trees.

Q. Which topic is the most interesting to you and why?
A. Recycling is the most interesting topic to me because it saves resources and has a significant impact on our lives.

Q. For that, what do you do in your daily life? (Please share your example.)
A. I organize unused papers and water bottles for recycling.

Q. Volunteering is one way to help save the environment. After volunteering, do you feel that your life is different than before.
A. Yes. After volunteering, I found my life to be different than before, because I learned a lot of interesting information that I can apply to my everyday activities.

Q. Any comments to encourage others to volunteer with EAA?
A. Volunteering with EAA is a great way to learn about how to save the environment, while at the same time giving back to the community. They gave me the opportunity to enrich myself and my community. The feeling of satisfaction that I get from volunteering with EAA is by far one of the best I’ve felt in a long time.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

EAA’ s Second Save the Earth in Your Hands event !!
































































































































This past Saturday, July 21st, EAA hosted its second annual hand-painting activity in Central Park. At the event, park visitors had the opportunity to use their hands to paint a banner with the words, “Save the Earth in Your Hands!” Children and adults from all over the world participated in the activity ? even a newborn baby and a dog as well! In addition, participants could also take part in an environmental trivia game, teaching them various environmental conservation tips and facts. Overall, it was a blast!

Also, we truly appreciate all the volunteers that helped make this event possible- they helped us fetch water for cleaning, helped us encourage people to participate.
We believe that activities like this are a great way to spread environmental awareness in a fun, creative way. So that’s why we hope you’ll join us again in the future!