Celebrate Earth Day with APB!

Every day is Earth Day for APB’s brilliant variety of environmental speakers. For the rest of us Earth Day serves as a reminder to keep up our efforts and look towards a greener future. To help celebrate we have created an Earth Day page highlighting a few of our eco-centric speakers including: eco-model Summer Rayne Oakes, presidential candidate Ralph Nader, World Renowned Environmental Leader Vandana Shiva and founder of treehugger.com, Graham Hill. Watch our Earth Day video and hear what some of our speakers have to say on today’s top environmental issues. Read our live twitter feed constantly updating with Earth Day related speaker quotes. It’s also a great way to get ideas for next year’s Earth Day Program or your next environmental event.

In addition to our Earth Day page, we interviewed APB employees to find out the changes they have made both at work and at home to go green and get their thoughts on the future:

What changes have you made to go green?
• "My coffee is poured into a mug – not a disposable cup. I hardly ever print anything – using electronic copies whenever possible and I recycle plastic whenever I use it." –Michele (@MicheleAPBspeak)

• "At home, we recycle everything and we are teaching our kids the importance of recycling vs. what becomes trash. We also have been using energy efficient light bulbs and making sure that lights are turned off when we leave a room. When brushing our teeth, we are teaching our children not to leave the water running-we have purchased energy efficient appliances as well. We live on wet lands and are careful what we use on our property so that the runoff doesn’t affect the wet lands." –Brenda (@BrendaKane)

• "Every individual has a responsibility to leave as small an imprint as possible on the earth. It starts with recycling but includes buying locally grown produce, driving fuel efficient vehicles, and modeling for children on how to be a good steward of the planet." –Nancy

• "Built the first LEED certified (silver) house in my town. It has geothermal heating/cooling. Also had a blog through the process to help others who wanted to try to go green without needing a lot of green! http://hollistonleedhouse.blogspot.com" –Flip

What changes have you seen APB make over the past few years to go green?
• "When I started working here 20 years ago every piece of marketing material was printed and sent by mail or fax. We copied video tapes and mailed them, we kept client files in our desk. The change since them has been transforming. Literature and video footage are sent by links; files and notes are stored electronically. My desk hardly has anything on it besides my computer and there is nothing in my desk drawers – not a single file." –Michele (@MicheleAPBspeak)

• "We are recycling bottles, cans, paper, and using eco cups and silverware." –Brenda (@BrendaKane)

• "Recycle ink/toner/old computer and technology." –Flip

What do you think we need to do as a community to create an eco-friendly world?
• "We need to start thinking about the long-term impacts of our actions and support eco-friendly products even when they cost more. Sustainable living should be the norm, not the exception and that means living, buying and supporting local businesses rather than the ones that offer the cheapest prices." –Michele (@MicheleAPBspeak)


• "Stop waiting for somebody else to do it and live responsibly. Every little bit helps. Buy an insulated coffee cup and use that instead of a paper one every day. Don’t print emails. Run the dishwasher when it’s full. Use a teabag rather than a K cup to make tea. Shut off the lights in your office when you leave for the night." –Nancy

• "Look at Japan. Realize that nature is not looking out for us. We need to look out for each other." –Flip


While everyone has been putting in a great effort to make change we still have a long way to go before we reach a completely green society. Making little changes like using reusable coffee cups, printing out only what you need, and turning off lights when you leave the room are just a few of the things you can do to make yourself greener. Get active and start a green initiative near you. APB’s speakers on sustainability are a great way to empower your group to go green!

Stay tuned with APB all month for green-related tweets and Facebook posts!