By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton President
I’m making my shoulders strong for the young to stand upon,
Stepping lightly on the backs of those who hold me up.
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By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton President ![]() From our early days as individuals uniting to change our world by acting locally in our community, Sustainable Newton has defined sustainability along two dimensions:
By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton President ![]() It's taken longer than I hoped -- weeks in fact -- to get to where I could organize my thoughts to share a few words about how we persevere with sustainability efforts in these troubling times. But, I suspect you all understand. It's a striking reminder how much life changed so quickly to reread my last post about Arbor Day written 43 days ago, on February 20. It was easy then to imagine young seedlings and saplings growing into mighty shade trees to shelter generations to come. But, thinking about that future is a more difficult task today. I find myself spending spare moments on days not occupied by the present to reflect on my past. Or, more accurately, the past of those who gifted life to me long ago. By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton President Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.
By the Sustainable Newton Board of Directors ![]() We added a new word to our vocabulary in 2019 -- more accurately, an acronym. That acronym was "EtO," short for ethylene oxide. This was an unfamiliar term for nearly everyone in Newton County, but news coverage of releases of this known carcinogen from the Becton Dickinson (BD) facility in Covington soon had everyone talking and local governments pressed to act. In October, we commended the Covington Mayor and City Council for their response to the situation. Much has happened since, with BD eventually resuming operations at their Industrial Boulevard facility with new air quality testing in place. However, in late December, BD was again cited by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) for not reporting the existence and release of EtO at a warehouse in Covington's Lochridge Business Park. By Julius J. ("JJ") Hayden, Sustainable Newton Treasurer
By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton President ![]() With January safely in the rear-view mirror, perhaps it's not too risky to mention how those New Year's resolutions are going. I'm referring to the sustainability actions I committed to at the end of last year, along with my fellow Sustainable Newton board members. For me, the focus was reducing my carbon footprint by driving more fuel-efficiently and adopting a plant-based diet one day a week. Overall, I'm happy with results so far, but neither resolution has been without challenges. (As it should be for any changes worth making.) Today is my fifth "Meatless Monday." I was traveling in early January, so I elected to start my new regimen on Monday, January 13. But, since then, I've opened every week with a vegetarian (but not always vegan) diet. I'm allowing myself eggs and dairy products, but no beef, poultry, seafood, or other meats. On New Years Day, we bring you another installment of our series focusing on personal resolutions Sustainable Newton Board members are making for 2020 to increase our efforts to live more sustainable lives with less negative impact on our planet and those who will inhabit it when we are gone. By Julius J. Hayden, Sustainable Newton Treasurer & Lois Upham, Sustainable Newton Board Member ![]() As some of my friends know, I have been on a crusade to raise awareness of the problems caused by plastic bags used to collect and transport our purchases. I am an old man and don’t mind playing the “ole’ geezer” card to make a point and perhaps change a mind -- if not, then raise awareness -- of the dangers of plastic endemic in our environment. Almost without exception, I ask every clerk and bagger if they can tell me the source material for plastic bags. (It's petroleum or natural gas.) I go on to tell them, especially the young ones, that they will someday tell their grandchildren “we used to give away plastic bags by the handful, and that if they just had some of those bags now, how lucky they would be.” (Shades of back-to-the-future.) Phrases like "climate crisis" and "tipping point" are scientifically sound descriptions of our current moment. But, such talk can also overwhelm us and lead to despair. It's tough to muster an appropriate sense of urgency and yet still maintain hope. We founded Sustainable Newton determined to reject helplessness and convinced individual actions matter immensely, as we've stated elsewhere on this website. As board members, we've been sharing personal resolutions for 2020 this week. We're not asking you to emulate us, but we do hope we've encouraged you to find your own ways to make a difference. Happy New Year! By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton President ![]() My resolutions for the new year focus on two areas: food and transportation. The first is a common theme for nearly everyone come January 1. The latter carries over something I started this year. Let's tackle that one first... Transportation: More Miles and Smiles per Gallon In mid-December, circumstances put me in the market for a new car for the first time in 22 years. I was keenly interested in an all-electric vehicle (EV) to cut my carbon emissions to zero, so I talked with friends who'd made the transition with great results. But, I wasn't sure I could live within the mileage range most EVs provide between charges. With more time to investigate, I'm confident we could have made it work. But, needing a new car quickly, I compromised by choosing a hybrid. Today's New Year's resolution inspiration comes from Sustainable Newton Vice President Theodosia Wade. Our board members are sharing personal commitments in hopes of giving our followers ideas for meaningful, but realistic actions you might take in your own life. By Theodosia Wade, Sustainable Newton Vice President ![]() I have never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions -- I just never wanted to set myself up for failure! However, I often think about ways I want to change for the better as the yew year arrives, and others around me are making their own resolutions. So, maybe those “thoughts” are my New Year’s resolutions. Lately I have been thinking it is time to offset my carbon footprint in a tangible way. My husband Billy and I had a wonderful trip to Italy this fall, but I have been concerned about the carbon footprint created by our flight. Jets have a huge environmental impact. So, do we just stop flying like Greta Thunberg? I am not so sure I'm ready to make that commitment. |
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