A Day in the Life of the Columbus Green Team.....

Club Registrations

2008-09-08T20:28:00.005-04:00

Hello Explorers! For all those members of the Columbus Green Team, we are going to be the first club to take a paperless registration process to keep a record of our members. We are required to keep an accurate database of all of our memebers for general bookeeping purposes so please fill out the form at the bottom of this page so that we can get things rolling as soon as we can!

Thanks

Adelante!

Recycling Will Resume Tomorrow!

2008-09-08T20:23:00.003-04:00

For those of you that didnt notice the recycling bins missing from the cafeteria and gym areas, recycling had been suspended on Friday Sept. 5 with the threat of Hurricane Ike, now that the threat has passed recycling will resume operation tomorrow Sept. 9!

We continue to pray for those in Cuba and the Carribean and those affected by hurricanes this year!

Adelante

Welcome Back Explorers

2008-09-07T18:00:00.001-04:00

Hello Explorers! I hope that the first two weeks of the 2008-2009 school year has been a great transition for the upcomming challenges ahead! For those of you who have missed it, the first Columbus Green Team has already had two meetings! Thanks to all of those who have been attending and we hope that more people will think about joining us!

Currently we have no new photos but more are to come as the year progresses! We're off to a great start and hope that you jump on board with us!

Adelante

2008-05-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

As the year comes to an end we finally have the end results to the year round Fairchild Challenge. This year the school competed in 10 of 11 of the Challenge Options! Congratulations to all the guys that participated. Friday night Fr. Julian, Ms. Meadows, Alejandro Gonzalez, and Gabriel Gonzalez all attended the award ceremony and Columbus cleaned house!

Time after time Columbus was recognized and here is what we earned:

Alejandro Gonzalez (11) received the Environmental Role Model Award (Ermie) only awarded to the top 14 students!
Nicholas Delgado(10), Joe Ciancio(10), Matthew Abad(10) received honorable mention for their "Water in Words" performance
Alejandro Gonzalez (11) received honorable mention for his "Op ion Paper Based on Research" "Would you recommend the movie: 'Who Killed the Electric Car?'"
Joseph Peretta(10) received the Senator's Choice Award and honorable mention at the Environmental debate
Alejandro Gonzalez (11) received honorable mention at the Environmental Debate
Columbus received a participation award for Environmental Immersion day, spending the day aboard the Carnival Fascination
Andre Perez (11) received honorable mention for his seed germination project
Miguel San Pedro(12), Ricardo Solorzano (12), Samuel Salazar(12) all received honorable mentions for their solar inventions
Adrian Sanchez(11) received honorable mentions for his "green cuisine dish
Alejandro Gonzalez (11) received honorable mention for his dream in green project
Alejandro Gonzalez (11) received Honorable mention for his "Newsletter in Two Languages"

Overall Columbus received 13 Awards. Of the 43 high schools that participated this year, Columbus ranked #10 and received a $250 grant! Look for news next year on ways that you can compete!

Batteries, Old Cell Phones, and Ink Cartridges

2008-05-03T08:40:00.000-04:00

Explorers, I hope that you haven't forgotten about the extended recycling program already! For those of you who have not heard, Columbus has been recycling batteries, ink cartridges, and old cell phones. The batteries, and ink cartridges are properly disposed of, and the cell phones are donated to a center for battered women! We hope that you are actively participating!
Remember that all electronics have to be taken to special facilities to keep their dangerous toxins out of the air, water, and our landfills!

Eco Product Review: Organic Jeans

2008-04-24T11:04:00.000-04:00

Levi's became the first major label to launch an all organic line of jeans last fall! The jeans are made of 100% organically grown cotton, and this new line comes in a variety of colors, fades, and cuts. The all organic line is admittingly a little bit on the expensive side, but Levi's had differnet benchmark goals for incorporating all organic cotton in its lower priced lines.

I was able to find one pair of the all organics on sale, and I have to say that they are the most comfortable pair of jeans that I own, and they fit great!

Eco Product Review: FREE high efficiency water heads

2008-04-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

With water restrictions in full effect it's critical that all of us do our part wherever and whenever we can. Most of the water used in our homes is used in the bathroom; mostly in the shower, and is followed by the toilet, and landscape wattering. Miami-Dade County Department of Water and Sewer is making it easier than ever to help save water in Miami-Dade county by providing FREE retrofit kits for your shower, and conservation kits for your home. The water regulators use a maximum of 1.5gallons of water per minute, 30% less than most conventional heads! For more information click here or watch the video below. (Window Media Player Required)

These heads are great! They are easy to install and awsome to use. Once your new shower head is installed you'd be suprised to know that it feels like more water is comming out! The best part about these small gizmos is that they pay for themseves from the very first using since they're FREE!

Check out this video from DWS:

Recycling PSA

2008-04-07T19:37:00.003-04:00

I know that I am going on 7 days late regarding the pictures and I am VERY SORRY. I'm working on it. But to compensate I know that we have only had youtube PSA's airing at school but finally we have our own. Below is one that I put together today and it will air tomorrow; so i thought that all of the readers deserved the first scoop. ;-) enjoy!

Need Service Hours?

2008-04-01T22:22:00.004-04:00

Don't forget Explorers that you need 25 hours each year to meet the minimum requirements! Falling a little bit short? No problem! We need a few people to help collect recycling! For helping out for only 2omin after school you get 1 hour!

Help the environment and get hours! Whats better?!

We'll be posting pictures tomorrow and an update on how the first few days of recycling is going!

Update: Im sorry that I dont have any photos, its hard to take pictures when you bring a camera without a memory stick. :-) I will post them tomorrow afternoon.

Interested in the service hours? email me at : alexsatdavita@aol.com

Enviro News: Earth calls for help!

2008-03-31T09:00:00.007-04:00

We often times ignore many of the warnings that the Earth gives us that there is something happening and that the global warming, or climate change is here and is a dangerous thing. These photos are recent proof of the need to act now by the global community.

The article below is quoted from Cnet.

Massive ice shelf collapsing off Antarctica

Scientists are citing "rapid climate change in a fast-warming region of Antarctica" as the cause of an initial collapse of the Wilkins Ice Shelf. The damage got started at the end of February when an iceberg dropped off and triggered the "runaway disintegration" of a 160-square-mile portion of the 5,282-square-mile shelf.
The ice shelf, which scientists speculate has floated in the Antarctic region for hundreds of years, is succumbing to recent rises in temperature in the area--an average of 0.9 degree Fahrenheit every 10 years for the last 50 years.
This series of pictures that show the beginning of the breakup were taken by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer sensor, which flies on its Earth Observing System Aqua and Terra satellites.

Green Tip: Mass Transit

2008-03-31T09:00:00.006-04:00

For all of us trying to do a little bit better for ourselves and for the environment, why not eliminate tons of carbon dioxide from the air when we go out, enjoy the nice day, and maybe meet some new people? Great Idea! You should consider using Miami's mass transit system! Miami Dade Transit is one of the largest transit companies in the country, with the Metrorail, PeopleMover, and 110 bus routes there are plenty of opportunities for you to take public transport. Bus route 87 passes directly in front of school and links to Palmetto Metrorail Station and Dadeland South Metrorail station/Downtown Dadeland all only for $.75 for students!
Live downtown or near a Metrorail station? No problem! Check the location of the nearest train from your mobile phone here. Taking the bus is a very viable alternative to paying the high prices for parking at school, and a more environmentally friendly option.
Click here to see all of the schedules and routes for public buses and find the one that suites your needs!

Keep up with transit and other local news at: TransitMiami

Recycling Begins!

2008-03-31T09:00:00.004-04:00

Welcome back Explorers from our long needed Easter Break! ;-) We hope that everyone had a blessed Easter . As you all pass by Cafe Columbus sometime throughout the day you will notice a BIG but very discreet difference, "What is it?" good question! Look around, and you will see recycling bins!!! Yes, recycling bins! For the first time ever Columbus is recycling aluminum cans! So don't throw your cans away! When your done drinking from the cans, empty them out if you haven't finished the drink, crush it, and recycle it, thats all! By doing those simple steps that require no effort, you've saved enough energy to run a TV for over four hours!!!!!! And with no extra effort!

Please remember to recycle Explorers!

Welcome!

2008-03-31T09:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Christopher Columbus High School's Going Green Blog! We hope that through the medium of the internet we can bring the student's efforts of promoting environmentally friendliness in school home! This year Columbus has gone through some big changes! Check back in frequently to receive updates about what our school is doing to go green and other environmental news, Green Tips, and more!
This being the first week, we're going to have extra updates! Check in to see what's going on!

As you can see we have comments enabled, please feel free to express yourself and help open up dialogue between students and parents on any and all environemental issues!

Green Tip: Save Energy

2008-03-24T21:01:00.006-04:00

Electric Bill high? Your not alone! It seems like most people pay a very pretty penny for their electric services. But how can you save some money on your electric bill without breaking the bank? Good question!
By practicing basic little or no effort habits you watch the savings rack up!

turn off lights when not in use
unplug when possible appliances that are not in use
turn your air conditioner thermostat up a few degrees
when replacing appliances make sure that they have the Energy Star logo

For more information visit http://www.energyhog.com
There you can find a variety of resources for conducting a home energy audit, guides for purchasing new energy efficient appliances, and much more!

Enviro News: Emergency Water Restrictions Take Effect TODAY!

2008-03-24T11:28:00.008-04:00

As of TODAY we are in Emergency Phase 2 Sever Water restrictions

buisnesses are asked to reduce water consumption by a minimum of 20%

In Miami-Dade County, residents with odd-numbered addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 a.m. to 9 a.m. and/or 5 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

In Miami-Dade County, residents with even-numbered addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes on Thursdays and Sundays from 12 a.m. to 9 a.m. and/or 5 p.m. to 11:59 p.m..

Hand watering with one hose and an automatic shut-off nozzle is allowed for 10 minutes per day for landscape stress relief and to prevent plant die-off.

so far we have nor restrictions on boat and car washing but help the cause and only do it when necessary!

Click here for more info!

Check our our Eco Product review for more on how to conserve water for FREE!