Do Something: Slytherin Family Water Competition

Hey Hippogriffs!

I've been checking out this website called Do Something. It's all about helping young people do things to make the world a better place. Sound familiar? Only they also have actions you can do that can actually win you prizes like laptops and college scholarships, how cool is that??  So I signed us up as a Do Something team and I'll be inviting you all to join the team soon - so keep a lookout for an email asking you to join. It's not spam, it's from me, really!

Browsing through the many great ideas they have listed, I noticed this one that we can do right now as Slytherins in our own homes, at this link and listed below.  Anyone want to try it? Let us know how it goes!

Also, looks like great minds think alike - they have one on marking storm drains. Theirs is about creating your own signs to mark them - I guess some areas don't have the official stickers that ours does. Speaking of which.... anyone else find some storm drains in your neighborhood? Let me know how many and I can order our stickers!!!

Thanks!

~Lynne

Slytherin Family Water Competition:

A typical American will use over 100 gallons of water per day. Host a contest that challenges each member of your family to reduce his or her water consumption.

1. Have each person write down everything that he or she uses water for in daily life.
2. Look up and assign water amounts to each activity on each person's list. For instance:
   • showering—4 gallons per minute
   • bathing in a full tub—36 gallons
   • flushing the toilet—4 gallons per flush
   • washing hands—4 gallons per minute
   • brushing teeth—4 gallons per minute
   • doing laundry—43 gallons per load
3. Now challenge everyone to see who can use the least water in one day. Assign a special prize or recognition to people who keep it below 8 gallons.

• Allow people to have unlimited amounts of drinking water (you don't wanna send people to the hospital).

When people report back, discuss what everyone learned. Ask questions like

• What was the hardest part of life without water?
• How long you think you could live with just 8 gallons of water each day?
• Who did you tell about the challenges of going without water when you were doing it? Did they know that people abroad deal with this problem every day?

Source: Southwest Florida Water Management District

Important Message from Moaning Myrtle!

Hey Hippogriffs!

I wanted to let everyone know about a plan we made at our last meeting for something to try at the First UU Labor Day Retreat this weekend. But don't stop reading this even if you're not planning to go on the retreat, please help us come up with ideas!!

It's Moaning Myrtle's Haunted Hoses Tour!  Just like Harry, Ron, and Hermione hunted for horcruxes in the last book, we're going to have retreat-goers hunt for water conservation tips! 

Here's how it will work:

• Each of us Enlightened Hippogriffs will bring two small water-related objects to camp. These objects should not be anything expensive or sentimentally valuable as it's possible they could get lost or damaged in this process. They will probably also get wet. Also they should be small enough that they can be hidden but not so tiny that they can't be found! Suggestions: toy fish/dragons/mermaids, plastic water bottles (message in a bottle?), squirtguns, laminated pictures/words... other ideas???

• Each of us will also bring two water conservation tips to camp. We brainstormed some of these during our meeting and then tore the list into separate strips to assign to ourselves and I forgot to write down who has what! Can everyone who was there please share what tips you are planning to do? And everyone else, please help us think of more tips for those who weren't at the meeting but are coming to the retreat! Here's some ideas to think about:  http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/

• When we get there on Saturday, we'll hide our objects all around the camp in places related to our tips.  For example, say your tip is turning water off while you brush your teeth - you could hide one of your objects in a bathroom near a sink. If you have trouble thinking of where to hide it, we can maybe have a group huddle and help you figure it out!

• Throughout the weekend, all retreat-goers (adult or kid) will be invited to find the objects and bring them to the social hour each night. We'll tell them to announce what they found and where to the whole group, and that will be your cue to tell everyone what the tip is! If you want to write out a short paragraph of information about it ahead of time, that might help you remember what to say. Then everyone at camp can learn all about ways to save water and help the planet!

Also, since we didn't get to our rain barrel making at our last meeting, we're hoping to do it during the retreat. Marla, I think this was one of either Madie or Gabe's tips, correct? I can't remember - were you guys going to bring containers or were we going to ask everyone to bring their own? If so, please bring supplies everyone! Here's the details again: http://www.rd.com/home/how-to-make-a-mini-rain-barrel/

Can't wait to try this and see what everyone comes up with! 

~Lynne

Happy birthdays! ... and important updates!

Hey everyone, 

It's July 31st, and you know what that means - it's Harry Potter and JK Rowling's birthdays! Harry is 32 today and JK is 47. Happy birthday to two very inspiring people!!  I'm sorry we didn't get a movie marathon arranged in time to celebrate this momentous occasion, but hopefully we'll be able to do that sometime soon. I guess we'll all just have to go out and get some treacle tart and butterbeer on our own today. Virtual cheers!

Meanwhile, I have some important owls to deliver on behalf of Slytherin House:

Next meeting: August 12

• Tom Baillieul is confirmed to speak to us about fracking. This is an important issue related to water and other environmental concerns especially here in Ohio. Here's a nice summary written for kids: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/07/fracking-fuels-energy-debate-and-controversy. Please read and come with questions for Tom!
• I'm hoping we'll also have some time to make our own rain barrels - there's a simple project described here: http://www.rd.com/home/how-to-make-a-mini-rain-barrel. For this, can everyone please do two things: 1) measure the size of your home's rain gutters so you'll know how big to cut the hole on your barrel, and 2) bring a suitable container to the meeting? See the link for details. I'm hoping after we make these, we can teach the Justice Sunday kids how to do the same in September.
• I'm also hoping to view the water video Victoria suggested (thanks Victoria!) either at this or our next meeting. If you'd like to view it now, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM8KtN-bqXA

Other upcoming events:

• The Central Ohio Rain Garden Initiative has several upcoming workshops on planting rain gardens and making rain barrels: Gahanna Aug 8, Clintonville Aug 14, New Albany Sept 12. I've put these dates on the Hippogriffs calendar (check the website) but you can also get details here: http://www.centralohioraingardens.org
• COSI is as you know from previous owls having a special exhibit right now on water. As a reminder they have a Water Play Science Day coming up on Aug 11, but it sounds like the best time for us to visit as a group will be Aug 31 during the Family Friday Night. Let me know if you'd like to join us! And check out the details here: http://cosi.org/exhibits/water
• First UU's water ceremony is coming up on Sept 9 (correct me if I'm wrong on that) - I think most of us are familiar with this, but for those who aren't, here's a description (and a picture of our lovely Rachel I believe?):  http://www.firstuucolumbus.org/component/content/article/31-general/378-water-ceremony.  One of my favorite aspects of this is the descriptions read during the ceremony about all the many places where the water was gathered from and how water's presence was a part of the gatherer's experiences over the summer. I'm thinking about what I'm going to write for my water contribution this year especially in light of our focus on water right now as a group. It has lots of extra meaning for me this year! We'll also be having our September Hippogriffs meeting that day so maybe we can continue honoring water as part of this.
• I've been talking with Tiffany Taylor, the central Ohio coordinator for the Dept of Natural Resources stream quality monitoring program. As I've said in previous owls, they have a few workshops coming up where we can learn how to become official stream quality monitors (more info here: http://ohiodnr.com/ScenicRivers/SQM/tabid/2550/Default.aspx.) I'm thinking we might be able to arrange for Tiffany or another representative to come to speak with us at our September meeting as well. Stay tuned!  Meanwhile, she's out at the Ohio State Fair right now, where there's lots of things you can learn about Ohio wildlife and water... in addition to getting your deep fried Snickers bar and visiting the butter cow. ;) Let us know if you head out there and learn anything interesting!

Slyther on, magical friends!

~Lynne

Slytherin Owl: First "Green" Olympics

Hey young potion masters,

I know many of you will be watching the Summer Olympics, beginning tonight in London! We've actually been eating British food all week to get into the spirit (because I'm goofy like that) - finishing up with Hogwarts inspired food tonight for Opening Ceremonies snacks! We may even do a few Goblet of Fire snippets during commercial breaks. Pass the butterbeer!

But did you know that this is supposed to be the first truly "green" Olympics? Read all about it here:

http://www.london2012.com/about-us/sustainability/

And also here: http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Publications/Sustainability/01/25/66/62/One-planet-olympics-2005_Neutral.pdf

Of course, since we're in Slytherin House right now, of special interest for us is the water at the games - you'll be glad to know that they'll be recycling water, harvesting rainwater, putting in place long-term strategies to protect waterways and local habitats after the games, and more. Check out their Fair Trade efforts too!

I'm no expert but it looks like this is an event we can watch proudly from an environmental standpoint. So go London 2012! And of course.. go USA!

and another Slytherin Owl: the Scioto Mile Fountain

Speaking of fun water-related things to do in town...here is the August schedule for events at the Scioto Mile fountain downtown: http://www.sciotomile.com/events/fountainside. By the way I was curious about the environmental impact of the Scioto Mile and especially the fountain - I had trouble finding much on the internet about this other than the claim that it is part of the city-wide green initiative, which is great but what does that mean specifically? Where does the water in the fountains come from for example, and how does that affect species in the river?

There's a little bit here: http://www.sciotomile.com/explore/scioto-mile-fountain - including that the fountain holds 110,000 gallons of water in an underground reservoir. That's a lot of water!

And I found this here: http://www.experts123.com/q/how-is-the-scioto-mile-greening-downtown.html which says: "In addition to adding two acres of green space to downtown, the new riverfront between Town and Main Street will function as a natural stream bank, with native plants and bio-retention areas. In turn, the plants and bio-retention areas will contribute to the health of the Scioto River by doing what plants do: filtering toxins and naturally releasing water into the river. Solar panels on the roof of the Bicentennial Park Café are another green addition to the project. They help power the fountains and restaurant. Finally, Town Street, a green gateway to the Scioto Mile, has also been transformed with urban bio-retention areas to filter water before it reaches the Scioto River."

I believe the lights along the riverfront are also all LED lights which use less energy than regular ones.

Anyone know more about all this? Anyone want to contact Columbus Parks and Rec to find out and tell us at our next meeting? Please volunteer!

Slytherin Owl: Wasting water is weird

Don't be "weird," muggles!

Here's a funny educational piece on water waste:
http://www.wastingwaterisweird.com/

And here's another, including a video game testing your water knowledge:
http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/kids/

And check out the Clean Water Pledge!
https://secure.sierraclub.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=CleanWaterPledge&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr006=qmwytw6vt6.app26a

Haunted Earth House: Slytherin!

Hey again Hippogriffs,

I'm calling our year of focusing on the environment "Haunted Earth House" - and we're starting with Slytherin, which means water, snakes, lizards, fish, and of course potions!

So I've been chatting with Tom Ballieul, who heads up the Green Team at First UU. He's invited me to attend their next meeting which just happens to be right before OUR next meeting, August 12! So I'm going to talk with them about ideas for ways that the Enlightened Hippogriffs can partner with the Green Team in their effort that they just happen to already be planning for the coming year - to receive Green Sanctuary Certification from the UUA, which includes proposing a minimum of 12 projects in the categories of:

• Worship and Celebration
• Religious Education (youth and adult)
• Environmental Justice
• Sustainable Living

This is pretty awesome timing, right? Great minds think alike! And Tom says "having our young people involved is absolutely essential." That means YOU! Yeah, you!

So since our first focus is on water-related issues, I mentioned to him that we might start with fracking. He happens to be a geologist and has offered to come speak to us about this issue - possibly on the 12th as well but we are still working that out. It would help us plan if you all could let me know if you're planning to be at that meeting? I know everyone's got a lot going on in the summer so please rsvp so I can gage whether it would be worth Tom's time to plan to join us.

Meanwhile, I was thinking we could start thinking about water by participating in some of the creek-related activities that our local Metro Parks have scheduled this summer, including some that have direct impact on our environment - cleaning up and monitoring the health of our water. Here are three I'm especially interested in, the first being this Saturday. What say you?

Creek cleanup at Clear Creek park - this Saturday, 7/21:
http://reservations.metroparks.net/programs/22221/852371.10237/

Learn how to be a stream monitor at Battelle Darby Creek, Weds 8/15 (evening):
http://reservations.metroparks.net/programs/22179/852371.10237/

Creek exploration at Three Creeks park - Sunday, 8/12: (again the day of our meeting! lots going on that day!)
http://reservations.metroparks.net/programs/22365/852371.10237/

So please email me and let me know 1) can you come to our meeting 8/12 and 2) availability/interest in these park activities. Also any ideas you have that I can relay to the Green Team!

~Lynne