Renewable and Alternative Energy - The Sustainable Souls Project April 2017

Hello and Welcome to The Sustainable Souls Project April Post.

The Sustainable Souls Project is a monthly artist collaboration inspired by sustainability issues, concerns, ideas, and thoughts.  Each month, we will pick a sustainability topic and create awareness through art, using the monthly theme as inspiration.  Projects may include art-journaling, mixed media, assemblage and more.

The idea is to create awareness around Sustainability through art, one paint stroke at a time! 

We hope to educate, entertain, and share pretty things for both humans and the earth.

 April's theme is a theme that humans, society, and countries all working together in unison, can make make a big, life altering change: RENEWABLE AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY.  

 

Renewable and Alternative Energy sources include any of the following:  solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydrogen, hydro-power, and water.  Many countries currently rely on coal, oil, and natural gas for energy.  These fossil fuels are non-renewable, drawing on finite resources that will eventually be too expensive or damage the environment too much to last.  

You may hear the terms 'renewable' and 'alternative' energy interchangeably. The actual definition of each is below.

Renewable energy is energy that is generated from natural processes that are continuously replenished. This includes sunlight, geothermal heat, wind, tides, water, and various forms of biomass. This energy cannot be exhausted and is constantly renewed.

Alternative energy is a term used for an energy source that is an alternative to using fossil fuels. Generally, it indicates energies that are non-traditional and have low environmental impact. The term alternative is used to contrast with fossil fuels according to some sources. By most definitions alternative energy doesn't harm the environment, a distinction which separates it from renewable energy which may or may not have significant environmental impact.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) explains the types of renewable energy HERE.   Visually, here's how they explain each type.

Edison, godfather of electricity-intensive living, was an unlikely green pioneer whose ideas about renewable power still resonate today.

 “We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy--sun, wind and tide. I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” 

We asked the Sustainable Souls to create, using this theme as an inspiration point and as a point to share what renewable and alternative energy means to them.  I think you will be amazed at how each artist interpreted the theme and how they shared their message.

Let's see how 'Renewable and Alternative Energy' was transformed into art.

(Click names for links to the artist blog post) 

Camille McCoy

 Laura Roberts aka HastyPearl

Laura Mooney

Robyn Crowningshield

Tina Walker

Tracy Krueger

In addition this month, we have a very special Guest Artist who is a Sustainable Soul at heart and fully embraces Renewable and Alternative Energy.  ♥

Please welcome Nathalie Kalbach!  We are so happy and thrilled that she is joining us this month!

Let's see how she was inspired by the theme..... 

(I totally LOVE that quote - how perfect and poignant)

Nathalie Kalbach

What an incredible collection of art!  I personally love the unique characteristics of each piece and what Renewable and Alternative Energy means to each person. 

Thank you to each and every artist who took time to create with us this month.  

We leave you with two videos about Renewable and Alternative Energy.

The first one is a thought provoking video by Elan Musk, explaining his Tesla Powerwall.

And the second one is documentary about Renewable Energy.

Want to support The Sustainable Souls Project?  Grab our badge, located to the right. --- >

Share it, wear it, display it.  ♥

Earth Day 2017!

Happy Earth Day 2017!  In honor of this special day, The Sustainable Souls have created projects using our very own StencilGirl stencil, designed by our very own DeeDee Catron.  

Before we start, What is Earth Day?

(excerpt from www.earthday.org)

"Each year, Earth Day—April 22—marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.  

The idea for a national day to focus on the environment came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes from Harvard as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land. April 22, falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, was selected as the date.

On April 22,1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

By the end of that year, the first Earth Day had led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.”

Earth Day had reached into its current status as the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year, and a day of action that changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.

Today, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day. We invite you to be a part of Earth Day and help write many more chapters—struggles and victories—into the Earth Day book."

The focus for Earth Day 2017 is Enviromental and Climate Literacy.  What a beautiful marriage between The Sustainable Souls Project and Earth Day.

Here's more details on the 2017 campaign.

Education is the foundation for progress. We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet. We need to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection.

Environmental and climate literacy is the engine not only for creating green voters and advancing environmental and climate laws and policies but also for accelerating green technologies and jobs.

This Earth Day, gather with your community for an Environmental & Climate Literacy Teach-In or another project focused on education. We are launching Earth Day and Teach-In toolkits that will lay out the steps for holding a successful event. Register your event with us and we will support you with promotion and advice.

Are you ready for some art inspiration?

(Click names for links to the artist blog post) 

Christy Strickler

 Martha Richardson

Melissa Johnson

Robyn Crowningshield

Tina Walker

Tracy Krueger

DeeDee Catron

Wanna support and help protect our planet?

Want your very own The Sustainable Soul Project Stencil?

You can't find these stencils at the StencilGirl Stencils store, you can only find them here.  They are very limited, so if you are interested, please let us know.

(Stencils are 9x12 and are $10USD plus shipping)  

Want to help in other ways?

Earth Day (dot) Org lets you 'Create Your Own Act of Green'.  

What a great way to share your support and to help in ways you are inspired to.

Be sure to check back later next week for our April theme and for more amazing artwork from our souls!