1.3 Course Outline

This is what the Green Living Course offers :-

Chapter 1 - Introduction. We're just providing a brief introductory message here, which we hope will ignite your interest and keep you reading further.

Chapter 2 - Environmental Primer. What are the issues? If you know that there are legitimate environmental concerns, but you're not sure exactly what they are, here's where you'll get the information you need.

Chapter 3 - A day in the life. Here's a day in the life of a person who is living a greener life. From this person's day, you might find ideas for things you can do in your life and you might read things that you know you absolutely will not do.

Chapter 4 - Simple changes. This is a starter guide. From carrying fabric bags for groceries to driving less, this is a starter manual for those just getting their environmental feet wet.

Chapter 5 - Do more. Ready to take your Green efforts a step further? Then step right up and read more in this chapter, which will give you more advanced ideas for being green.

Chapter 6 - Global. What can you do on a global level to make a difference? We'll look at some options in this chapter.

Chapter 7 - Checklists. These lists will help keep you on task, reminding you of the various green pledges you have made to yourself. Clip them out and keep them with you so you can refer to them and get new or reinvigorated ideas.

Chapter 8 - Glossary. Not sure what fossil fuels are? Check here for a definition of various and essential environmental terms.

Chapter 9 - Resources. Here we'll list essential books and websites to help you get more information. There's a wealth of information available these days to help you help the planet. Our job here is to help you find it.

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. ~Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Finally, we will ask one more thing of you. We ask that you make a pledge, to yourself, to us. We won't ask that you pledge anything specific, other than you make a pledge to make changes.

That is, changes in your life, in the many choices you make in the course of your day. We can't tell you which changes to make. As you read through the course, think about the choices you make each day. Some people might not be comfortable making any changes, other than perhaps driving less and asking for paper instead of plastic at the grocery store. Others might be willing to make more dramatic changes.

It's sometimes hard to think that your small changes can make a big difference, that your global footprint is anything more than a miniscule blip on the proverbial radar. But your footprint is larger and deeper than you think. If even only thousands of people take the initiative and make changes right for the planet, the resulting benefit could be substantial.

As we said earlier, much of the damage we've done to Mother Earth is reversible, but the time is now. The changes must be made quickly and dramatically. Take the first step now by reading this course, passing the quiz and taking this pledge. As the Dalai Lama once said:

"If we looked down at the world from space, we would not see any demarcations of national boundaries. We would simply see one small planet, just one."