My youngest of three children just turned ten today! I can’t help thinking about how much life has changed since she was born…gosh, I didn’t even have a cell phone then…archaic! Actually, in the past week, all three of my kids have had their birthdays. (I know, I know – great planning, huh?) I get sentimental around this time each year, because I remember bringing each little bundle of joy home, and how each trip to the delivery room made me a fiercer and fiercer protector of my brood of Buck babies. Each time a new life was placed in my arms for the first time, I became more certain that I would do anything, sacrifice everything, and stop at nothing to make sure my kids were safe from harm. And hence, I found my life’s work…the Go Green Initiative (GGI) (www.gogreeninitiative.org).
After sharing my bio when I ran for State Assembly in 2006, many of you already know the story of how the GGI came into being, and if you don’t, here is where you can find out: https://www.gogreeninitiative.org/content/About/History.html. In a nutshell, back in 2002, I started a program that has become the largest and fastest growing environmental education program in the world – operating in all 50 U.S. States, in 14 countries and on 4 continents. Our website gets well over 2 million hits a month, and our self-registered schools quantify their environmental impact using simple tools and resources that we offer for absolutely free. Now that didn’t happen due to legislation; we aren’t into mandating, regulating and legislating anyone’s behavior. And it wasn’t subsidized by taxpayer dollars; we operate on a shoestring budget of small donations. The Go Green Initiative has been successful for one simple reason: at its heart and soul, it’s a child advocacy organization, not an environmental program. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Educators, and Caregivers around the world have banded together to protect children’s health and well-being through environmental stewardship. We love our kids, and so we do our best to save natural resources for them, keep their air and soil clean, and make sure their environment is healthy…including their indoor environment. That’s where “green buildings” come into play.
On Go Green Radio this week, we’ll talk to architect Charles Linn,a leader in the launch of McGraw-Hill Construction’s new GreenSource magazine. He also works at its sister publication, Architectural Record magazine and is editor of its Schools of the 21st Centuryspecial issue, website, and symposium for those who are interested in building better K-12 school buildings. It’s one of my favorite resources to help me maintain my status as the “Dean of Green”. (: I’ll also talk with Anna Hackman, founder of Green-Talk.com, who is a former lawyer currently putting her advocacy skills to work to protect the environment on behalf of her three kids. We’ll talk about what makes a building or a school “green” by design, and how occupants of a “green building” benefit from a health and wellness perspective. We will discuss the costs associated with sustainable design, and what the future holds for the green building industry in this economy.
If you are a parent, this show will empower you to improve and protect the indoor environment in which your children live and learn. If you are interested in public policy, particularly as our nation prepares to undertake massive public works projects, this week’s Go Green Radio will equip you to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of green building proposals you may encounter. Tune into Go Green Radio live on Friday, Dec. 19, at 9 am Pacific, noon Eastern on www.VoiceAmerica.com. Or catch the podcast after the show at http://www.modavox.com/voiceamericacms/WebModules/HostModaview.aspx?HostId=519&ChannelId=1&Flag=1.