As many of you know, our father died when we were little, too young to really remember him. But, thanks to my mother, he was present in our lives all the same and the stories of our parent’s adventures together are the inspiration behind all that we do today. If it weren’t for my mother, who embodies the living memories that guide our sense of purpose, we would certainly not be where we are today.

Too often, my mother is overlooked as the real reason we have been able to accomplish so much. All the focus is on our father and our grandfather, because they are so well known to the general public. Although their accomplishments are extraordinary and rightly celebrated by millions of people around the world, I know they would want us to honor my mother by recognizing the strength of her love for my father and her courage in overcoming the devastating loss of his death by keeping the legacy of his life present in ours. Her stories, which she shared yesterday in a speech at the Sea and Space Symposium in Dominica, are the bedtime stories that Philippe and I grew up with. They are an extraordinary glimpse into adventures that were unique to their time and will never be again. They are the stories of a group of intrepid explorers that brought the water planet into focus for the whole world to see. Their travels around the world were infused with excitement, humor, tragedy and discovery. And my mother was an integral part of those expeditions.

You might not believe this but I had never been to a Wal-Mart until… last week. Yikes! As I walked around the vast expanse dedicated to the convenient consumption of goods, my head was turning. Row after row of clothing, car batteries, beauty products, organic produce, bicycles, cameras, cookware. And there was more. People were getting their taxes done and indulging in manicures. Others were lunching at a McDonald’s. It was enormous, a real shopping behemoth. A one-stop shop.

To be completely honest, I felt a bit overwhelmed. I have just spent the last couple of years living in Central America where the farmer’s market I went to on Fridays was larger than the local supermarkets. I also tend to favor smaller “mom and pop” stores or local markets where I can get to know the shopkeepers, so the Wal-Mart shopping experience was completely new to me.

Of course I have heard about Wal-Mart, especially since it decided to go green last year. But being inside the store and browsing through all the products was impressive and I finally understand, if there are 5200 stores today with new ones being built all the time, how Wal-Mart could have such an influence on markets in general and on the environmental movement in particular with their decision to go green. While there will inevitably be things to criticize about the business practices of a giant enterprise like Wal-Mart, I have to say that I have been pretty impressed with some of their green initiatives.

One of their programs works with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and seeks to offset every acre they develop for their stores with an acre of priority wildlife habitat in one of the largest public-private partnerships of its kind. Another program seeks to raise the bar for electronics suppliers by having them analyze the sustainability of the products they sell at Wal-Mart. Certainly, if Wal-Mart can use their size and influence to encourage more sustainable practices in the electronics industry, more power to them.

As you can imagine, as I was strolling through the store one of my big concerns was the seafood counter. There seemed to be enough fish to feed a small army to say nothing of the Jacuzzi-sized lobster tank filled with those unfortunate creatures. Fortunately, as the largest seller of fish in the US, Wal-Mart has considered their impact on fisheries that reached capacity a long time ago. Over the next 3-5 years, Wal-Mart will switch their purchase of wild-caught seafood to that which is certified sustainable by the independent and non-profit Marine Stewardship Council as well as define guidelines for the purchase of farm raised fish with industry experts. This is truly cause for celebration because there is a desperate need for us to change the way we manage the ocean’s fisheries and Wal-Mart is poised to make a very important contribution towards achieving a more sustainable approach to providing for a seafood hungry society.

There are a lot of ways to have a positive impact on our world at the individual and corporate level. When Wal-Mart announced they would carry organic foods, they became - in the blink of an eye - the largest organic food retailer. Now they are poised to become the largest retailer of sustainable seafood, which could potentially help to protect small fishermen and drive down the cost of environmentally-responsible aquaculture technology. The implications of a decision by Wal-Mart to go green is enormous and reaches into everyone’s lives- even those of us who don’t shop there. Economies of scale, so often the bain of the environmentalists when it comes to companies like Wal-Mart, could suddenly become part of the solution.

If you’re like many (including myself at first), composting seems quite complicated and best left to the “experts.” Luckily, it turns out it’s pretty simple to do, though easier and faster if you have a yard or outdoor space.

Composting defined
Composting is the process of turning organic materials, such as vegetable scraps, leaves, and grass, to rich soil that can then be used as fertilizer. The process can take from as little as two weeks to as long as a year, depending on the ingredients and level of human and environmental interaction. Composting is a great way of keeping food residuals and yard trimmings out of the waste stream while making rich soil.

What to compost
You can compost most things in the yard, including leaves, grass, vines, and a majority of food, such as vegetable and fruit scraps, manure, eggshells, nutshells, and coffee grinds. Even hair clippings, feathers, straw, livestock manure, and bone meal can be thrown in, though I don’t know of anyone who has tried the hair clippings.

Some materials, such as wood ash, sawdust from untreated wood, and black and white newsprint should only be composted in limited amounts. Wood ash is a source of lime, which enhances decomposition but can also cause nitrogen loss if in large quantities, while sawdust requires extra nitrogen, and newsprint composts more slowly. Each municipality is different in terms of the items that can be composted, so check with yours.

Items that should not be included are: diseased leaves or plants or those susceptible to disease (ex: roses or peonies), human or pet poop (yes, I said “poop”), plants treated with herbicides or pesticides, kitchen veggies cooked with animal fat, as well as meat and dairy products, persistent weeds, and plants that have gone to seed. Some suggest including branches and vines, while others prefer not to include them. If you include them, make sure they are cut into little pieces, or else the process will take much longer.

Where to locate the compost pile
Composting is easier if you have a backyard or can borrow one. You can buy or put together a bin or container for the compost, though compost piles don’t necessarily need to be enclosed. Pick a place on grass or soil that is out of direct sunlight and sheltered from the wind, and that stays relatively warm. If you enclose it, make sure it’s large enough that you can easily turn the pile. Ideally it should be at least 4’x4’x4’ (minimum is 3’x3’x3’) and no taller than 6’ (too small a pile does not decompose properly, and too tall causes compaction and loss of oxygen). You can get started whenever you want, though fall is usually a good time because of the many fallen leaves (and, you don’t have to rake all of them).

For those who do not have a backyard but would like to compost their scraps, it is possible to compost in a 10-gallon box or other container either indoors or on your balcony.

Creating the pile
Start collecting organic materials, then add water so they feel like a moist, wrung-out sponge. Grab a handful and squeeze—if water drips out, add some more dry material; if it is too dry, add some wet material or water. The pile should feel warm to the touch except in the cold winter months. The ratio of ‘browns’ to ‘greens’ (i.e. dead leaves = high in carbon, vs. fresh grass = high in nitrogen) should be about three to one.

To speed up the process, you can shred or chop organic materials before putting them in the pile. The contents of the pile should be thoroughly and periodically mixed. More frequent turning (ex: every 3 days vs. once a month) results in faster composting. If the pile smells, it is either too damp or lacks oxygen, so turn it more frequently to dry and air it out.

Ready to use!
When the compost looks dark brown and crumbly, smells earthy and you don’t recognize any of the initial ingredients, it’s ready to use. You can test it by taking a little and putting it in a plastic bag for a day or two to see if it smells. If there are no strong odors when you open the bag, it’s good to go. It can then be used as mulch, a liquid “fertilizer,” or incorporated into the soil.

There are many different types of composting (ex: cold vs. hot, worm); and ways to layer the pile to speed up the process, but I will leave that portion, indeed, to the “experts.” Plus, I’m too squirmy (no pun intended) to play with worms.

Don’t be shy–let us know if you have any composting tips to share!

It’s finally beginning to feel like spring here in the Washington, DC, area, where I live and work. So I’m looking forward to being outside this Sunday to celebrate Earth Day! My team and I are headed to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, where we will be talking with visitors about what they’re doing in their everyday lives to make a positive difference in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

As you’ve heard me say before, we’re all upstream from one another, so now matter where you live—in a city, on the water, or in the middle of the desert!—your actions have an impact on our oceans. Here are a few tips we’ll be sharing with visitors on Sunday—but these tips can be implemented ANYWHERE in the country in ANY type of home (rowhouse, apartment, or home with a lawn):

• Pick up trash, throw it in trashcans, or recycle to prevent it from getting into the waters.

• Plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers. They require less watering, fertilizers, and pesticides.

• Reduce the use of fertilizers around your home and encourage your city to do the same around parks, playgrounds, and schools. This prevents runoff into the local waterway.

• Share your earthecho—encourage people you know to join you in making a positive difference for the watershed by telling them about the changes you’ve made.

I encourage you to go outside on Sunday and do something good for the planet. It can be as simple as picking up trash in your neighborhood while you take a walk. If you want something a bit more structured, check out the EPA’s list of events or EarthDay Network. And if you happen to be in Baltimore, stop by the Aquarium plaza and say hi!

About six months ago, I wrote a blog entry about how carbon emissions to the air aren’t just causing global warming — enough of them wash out into the oceans as carbonic acid that they’re destroying our beloved coral reefs, too.

I am still on the case to find out how we can stop this double devastation from happening.

Guess where my detective work has led me now—to those big ugly black bricks (OK some of them are white) that power up all our lovely laptops and iPods and cell phones.

And not just chargers, but the rest of the “always-on” gadgets in our houses—microwave oven clocks, computer fans and displays (yes, even pretty screensavers), and all those TVs and DVD players always waiting for our remote control commands.

What do our chargers and blinking gadgets have to do with coral reef destruction? A lot—since I found out that together these “vampire” energy-users are sucking up to 10% of the power used in a typical home. And more power use in America means more carbon. Over half of our electricity still comes from burning coal in big polluting power plants that have never had to fully live up to the Clean Air Act.

OK, so what now? While unfortunately the reefs are struggling to survive, we do know there’s plenty we can do about it just by making simple changes in our habits that wind up being cheaper and better for us as well as the planet.

Almost everything we do takes energy, including studying on our computers, turning on the lights, and heating our lunch in the microwave. One-fifth of the total energy consumed in the United States each year comes from household energy use.

But did you know that 80% of the energy used by your microwave is used just keeping the clock on?

Getting rid of the vampire power that’s consumed when appliances are turned off or are not being used is a great place to start. Wear a watch, and put your microwave on a power strip so you can turn it off when it’s not being used! In fact, by unplugging items such as your phone chargers, computers, televisions, radios, DVD players, and hair dryers when you are not using them, you can help save energy and protect oceans from those nasty carbon emissions that are damaging our ecosystem.

Go on your own exploration to find out how much energy is wasted in your own home and schools by visiting the home page of Environmental Education Week (EE Week), which is a program of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation held the week before Earth Day each year. Get more tips and links from the EE Week website on how to conduct an “energy audit” of your home and learn more about where your energy comes from and where it’s going.

I am honored to be this year’s EE Week National Spokesperson. In this role, I’m headed to New York today, where I will visit the New York High School of Environmental Studies—an amazing place where 1,500 students from all five boroughs of New York get to learn everything they need for their diploma through the lens of environmental studies. I’m going to help them discover more about their energy. I’ll write more about that soon.

As I was reviewing some of my favorite websites and blogs today, I came across a description of “stuff” on www.WorldChanging.com that I wanted to share with you. Being an environmentalist and a consumer is sometimes hard to reconcile but I found this to be a very eloquent account of the importance of being informed and thoughtful about what we buy.

“Our things define us.

What we buy, what we use, what we keep and throw away, what we waste, and what we save: the stuff that surrounds us and flows through our lives is a key indicator of the kinds of lives we’re living. To be an affluent twenty-first-century person is to float on a sea of material objects - each with its own history and future.

They may be hidden from our eyes, but in practical global terms, those histories and futures tend to be the most important aspects of the stuff we own.”

Do you want to know more about “Strategic Consumption” and how you can send major market signals that will help to shift the production practices of the industries that supply us with our “stuff”? Check out this excellent blog entry by Alex Steffen.

Climate change is a hot topic nowadays and we often hear that rich countries are the culprits behind the bulk of the warming that is starting to change our planet. Sometimes It takes an image to really drive the message home. This one at Turbulet Issues threw me for a loop - check out a couple maps that underscore the responsibility wealthy countries have in this climate crisis.

If “renewable energy” makes you think of installing a wind turbine in your backyard, think again! There are ways of purchasing renewable energy without necessarily installing it directly on-site. And for those of you who think wind turbines are a blight on our landscape, I have to ask—would you rather have a power plant in your backyard? But I digress…

Did you know you may be able to buy renewable energy directly from your utility company? Also known as “clean” or “green” energy, renewable energy is electricity supplied entirely or in part from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower. Buying renewable energy helps put non-polluting forms of energy in the energy stream. To learn more about the benefits, go to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s web site provides or if you’d like to see the environmental impact of different energy products, check out the Power Scorecard.

There are basically three types of green power: renewable electricity, renewable energy certificates (RECs), and on- site renewable generation. Renewable electricity is generated using renewable energy resources and delivered through the utility grid. REC’s (also known as tradable renewable certificates, green tags, or green energy certificates) represent the environmental, social, and other positive attributes of power generated by renewable resources (such as carbon off-setting). On-site renewable generation is electricity generated using renewable energy resources at the end-user’s facility (solar panels or a wind turbine). The first two, and really, the first, is the one most easily available to most of us (though of course, you can install the wind turbine too!). Here’s how to do it:

• If retail electricity competition is allowed in your state, you may be able to purchase green power from an alternative supplier. Even if that’s not the case, you may still be able to purchase it through your utility company. Many utilities have “green pricing” programs, where you can pay a premium on your utility bill to support the generation of renewable energy sources. Go to SmartPower, select your state and see what forms of “clean energy” are available in your area. Also, check out the Database of State incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) for potential incentives related to green energy in your state .

• Cost will vary based on factors such as availability of subsidies in your state, market price of conventional electricity, and availability and quality of the renewable energy sources. The DOE’s web site can also offer more guidance on buying clean energy.

• If in doubt about the “green” power supplier, ask the company if they are “Green-e” certified. Green-e is a non-profit that reviews suppliers and certifies clean energy products; certification is voluntary, but they have certified over 100 companies across the country, so there should be one in your area. RECs are certified by the Environmental Resources Trust through its EcoPower certification program.

And don’t forget: the more you can reduce your energy consumption, the less energy you will need to buy overall, so first and foremost, improve your energy efficiency and find ways to conserve energy!

A few months ago, I was in Paris for a conference and there was a quite a commotion made over a proposal to turn off the lights of the city for 5 minutes as a symbolic gesture recognizing climate change as a major issue in our society today. Some applauded the idea and eagerly awaited the opportunity to participate while others criticized the proposal as a harebrained scheme dreamt up by the environmental wackos who might cause the energy supply systems of the entire city to short circuit! In the end, the lights went out and came back on without any mishap. And in the final analysis, I think the Parisians became more aware of the importance of individual action as a result of it.

But this past Saturday, the Aussies turned off the lights of Sydney for an entire hour! Sydney’s Mayor had all the non-essential lights on city owned buildings shut off, saying “We all have to act to reduce our ecological footprint.” I agree! And I’m not alone. More than 2,000 companies and 60,000 households signed up to participate in what they called Earth Hour. Personally, I love these kind of symbolic events because they are a way to call people to action and invite them to join communities of people who feel a real sense of stewardship for this planet. Officials in Sydney have proposed cutting the city’s greenhouse gas emmissions by 5% in the next 12 months. Bravo! I hope they succeed and that others, like the Parisians, follow their example.

So are the folks living in Sydney more environmentally minded than the rest of us? I don’t think so. But I do think that we need to start implementing Earth Hour more often in our daily lives without waiting for city officials to make these decisions for us. Even by unplugging household appliances when they aren’t in use could reduce your energy consumption by up to 10%. Go for it and feel good about it. It really does make a positive difference.