Ground Green Team

I really had a great time participating in this challenge. I learned a lot about the how small things can have a great impact on the environment. I can't wait to share the things I learned with my family and friends.

I joined the Eco-Challenge this year to document and become inspired, to perform small tasks that might make a difference in our environment (natural or manmade). Taking small steps in the right direction might lead to larger leaps of growth and change, that in turn hopefully inspires others. Since I was hosting Ground Green this year for FedEx...

Planting a tree at ANY age is a rewarding experience. However, the younger you are, the more change you will see in the tree planted. The pride one can take looking up at a 100' tree, knowing you planted it as a young adult creates a sense of awe, wonderment, and pride. You cannot buy that kind of experience.

On Earth Day I planted at least 5 trees. However, on Arbor Day, I was able to secure 6 native tree species from a local vendor and in turn, gave these out to folks that would plant them on their property. We obtained Vine Maple and Western Red Cedar. Western Red Cedar trees are dying off in Oregon, Washington, and California. Because these...

For us in the Pacific NW of the U.S, the biggest concern is the ongoing drought. Forest fires have ravaged the remaining Wilderness areas and critical watersheds. Over the last 6 years over 11% of the timber in the Cascades within Oregon have burnt! We are also seeing a massive die-off of our Western Red Cedars due to hotter summers and less...

For our Ground Green display this year, we featured a planted garden. The purpose was multi-fold; to demonstrate how a simple planted garden bed could replace a weekly trip-to-the-store for plastic bagged salad, how to be self-reliant and sustainable, and how to conserve water at home by using drip irrigation for plantings. We installed a drip...

We put on a display of quite a few items during our Ground Green Week here at FedEx that showcased a number sustainable, recyclable, compostable, or reusable items. More sustainable alternates to plastic, wood, and cotton products (items made from sustainable bamboo or plant derivatives for example). Although I haven't completed the exact...

Created a LIVE garden within the FedEx Hub center area. The Garden Bed is being given away in a drawing as part of our Ground Green week celebration. The purpose of the "Salad" Garden was to demonstrate how much food could be grown in a small area using the Square Foot Method of planting. Additionally, how to conserve water by using...

We have been recycling plastic bottles and other items here at the Hub for over a decade. In the last 6 years alone we have recycled: 246,571 plastic bottles, and 296,978 cans at this FedEx Hub. We have donated ALL funds ($54,575.66) from these to local charities,

I am pretty frugal and tend not to purchase wants - for example, I fill a shopping cart with wants and then leave without the cart/items. 'Shopping' is more in the act of filling a cart. Who needs so much stuff, anyway?