Connecticut Green Living

One of the most disheartening sights of (near) winter is seeing homeless individuals treated like garbage. At Union Station, New Haven security is tasked with ensuring folks do not fall asleep on the benches. You heard that right. Sleep is critical to sustain life, and by forcing humans to stay awake the City is promoting an unhealthy, even deadly alternative to a humane solution. I proposed sleep pods recently, an idea long overdue. I now propose providing sections of Union Station for homeless persons to sit and sleep, and not fear being kicked out from 1 to 4 when the station closes. (And if they fall asleep lying down on benches, so be it.) I understand the objections. I heard that an infestation of bed bugs resulted in a sanitization of the waiting area. It is perfectly reasonable to want paying travellers to feel safe from such peril. That is why a section makes sense, a section that would be sanitized at multiple times during the day. Sadly, an overwhelming percentage of friend...

I participated in a symposium on the BP oil spill in 2011 that sought to bridge the divide between entities after a disaster, be they universities, corporations, small businesses or individuals. Now, similarly, I am learning about how academia is researching and trying to solve a problem, while admitting boots-on-the-ground experience is necessary. When I heard the alarm sound at a New Haven school where I was subbing in April, I froze. The principal then began talking on the PA very calmly: students and faculty could go into the halls but only en route to another class. We were then supposed to loc k our doors and stay put till further notice. It turned out to be a "partial lockdown" in that there was still some movement allowed, but this did not lessen the terror. Indeterminate gunfire had been detected in the area -- then a few hours later, we got the all clear. A teacher told me quietly, "That's if it is the truth." This particular school had had to have a p...

Couch surfing is the polite term for what I have experienced these past few months. But many on the streets of New Haven do not have the means to surf on a chair, let alone a couch. A man recently died on the streets, his unreported cause of death: sleep deprivation. Here is a solution: the Mayor could build sleep pods around the Green and other areas, to be determined. Each pod would be accessed only by tokens distributed by the City and specific shelters. The sleepy person would enter the pristine pod and sleep for up to six hours. At five hours, forty-five minutes an alarm would sound. After exiting the pod, City staff or volunteers would sanitize the pod. With Covid -19 cases rising, it is even more urgent to provide basic needs to unhoused persons. I am convinced that sleeplessness is an underreported scourge in the City. Losing sleep means a person risks heart attack, stroke, and other serious ills. The City could also build shower pods for use of 30 minutes. Anecdotally, two...

After Lawn Love came out with a list of the most popular states for a "green" burial , it gave me pause: just what is a green burial, do I want one, and why hadn't I (Miss Green) ever heard of one? I had always figured cremation to be the greenest - or arguably, GREENER - alternative. I had seen death as bifurcated - I will be burnt or I will be buried. Scratch that, my body. I will be somewhere else, I hope, sipping a Mai Tai with Elvis, my mom and Uncle John. Connecticut is 24th in the nation for green burials, but Massachusetts is an impressive fifth. (Analyses of these figures is on Lawn Love's site.) A green burial, turns out, can take several forms - from choosing a Redwood we like (while alive!) and buying the little plot of earth around it (then buying a plaque to mark our spot) to, more popularly I think, being buried in a green fashion by forgoing embalming fluids or a toxic burial containers in favor of one that is biodegradable. Connecticut has Better Plac...

I was substituting for a very responsible young teacher. She was one of the first, after my four months with New Haven Schools, to clearly write sub instructions both for full and partial lockdown. I had insisted weeks ago that the District should train subs on lockdown and other emergency protocol. I had been told by the outgoing superintendent Iline Tracey, via e-mail, to check with each school upon arrival. The Director of Emergency Operations Rick Fontana had sent me an emergency guide. I do appreciate all of this, but none of it is enough. When the principal came onto the P.A. yesterday, I was winding down with a group of fourth graders. They were lining up at the door for their teacher to pick them up. I tried not to have any reaction when I heard we were in partial lockdown, but perhaps my expression belied me. A little one looked up at me and said, "One time when we had one there was a coyote outside." The other teacher whispered back to me and answered my question...

Every Earth Day my in-box overflows with press releases - everything from sustainable city lists to eco-friendly underwear. But this year, my heart was urging me to do something different. My maternal grandmother, whom I called "Mama Sue", was born and raised on a farm in Garner, Texas. She had 10 brothers and a little sister named Jessie, who died at just 10. Because of her upbringing Mama Sue behaved in ways that sometimes embarrassed me or made me laugh. I regret that. She became a respected geometry teacher in Alice, Texas and made delicious apple pies. Her only daughter, my mom - who went by Kathie, then Kathy, then Kathleen - also became a teacher. she married a New Jersey Jew, and I grew up on Walt Disney and dreidels, not the morning milking. Mom had great style, but never lost her country girl ways. She once had to kill a Buick-sized cockroach in my room in Alice because her citified daughter was squealing. Mom was 77. Here are their 22 lessons: 1. Be frugal - Mama...

Bravo, Connecticut! We shine in the latest WalletHub rankings. Although, weirdly, Maryland ranks one above us overall, we are numero uno for climate change contributions! Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions are all lowest in our great state. The other two metrics used to judge greenness were environmental quality and eco-friendly behaviors. Senator Bernie Sanders' beloved Vermont ranked first for eco-friendly behaviors and Hawaii, not surprisingly, boasts the highest environmental quality. Connecticut came in 8th for environmental quality and 11th for eco-friendly behaviors. Blue states overall are far greener, the study shows. Democratic-led states rank 14.92 on average for greenness, while Republican states come in at an average of 36.08. The lower the number, the greener the category or state. Other sub-categories examined water, air, LEED-certified buildings, percentage of renewable energy consumption and energy consumption. One of ...