Mr. Jouan & Miss Boulden's 9 Green Tips that KICK BACK!!

Going green can not only be fantastic for the environment, but great for your pocket. Here are some Green Tips that can really kick back:

1. Recycle all old ink/toner cartridges to Staples. For each cartridge they give a $3.00 credit for a future purchase!

2. Recycle any old cellular telephones & chargers to battered women's shelters. They can program the phones to dial out in emergency situations. That payback is really worth it!

3. Clean out pantries/kitchen cabinets every 6 months and donate soon to be expiring food or food no one in your household eats to local food pantries that can use them immediately to help the less fortunate. Some places will give you a tax write off.

4. Use old and tapered clothing/towels as dust rags instead of spending money on expensive substitutes that end up in the trash after use.
BONUS- Get a few times use out of a rag by washing it.

5. Instead of throwing things away, have a yard sale to make some quick cash. One person's junk is another person's treasure! Set a S.M.A.R.T. goal and develop a game plan for the day.

6. Use scrap paper to print on-- save a tree & save a few dollars in paper each month!
BONUS- Print your weekly good habit sheet on a piece of scrap paper like the Cross family.

7. Set up E.F.T.(Electronic Fund Transfer) with your monthly expenses(i.e.- electric, water, health care, etc.). You will save money on stamps, checks, return address labels, and envelops as well as decreasing the amount of paper being used.

8. Giving someone a gift or receiving a gift? Recycle your giftbag! No need to spend money on new ones for every occasion.
BONUS- Wrap a gift in the Sunday comics before you recycle the newspaper.

9. Some places, like Trader Joes in Wilmington, DE, have free raffles for people who bring their own reusable bags to shop with. You can win giftcards weekly!

Go Green Ambassador #2- Christoph Grosse

Name: Christoph Grosse
Hometown: Downingtown, PA
Rank: Green Belt

1. Take batteries and old, unused cell phones to places where they can be disposed of safely

2. Carpool when going to school, work or Taekwondo class

3. Keep chargers for handheld electronics unplugged when not in use

4. Turn off water while brushing teeth

5. Go through your neighborhood and pick up trash

6. Turn off lights that are not being used

7. Replace all the standard light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent ones

8. Replace household cleaners with environmentally friendly cleaners

9. Recycle all paper, glass and plastic products

Go Green Ambassador #1- Max Ashby

Name: Max Ashby
Hometown: West Chester, PA
Rank: Green Belt

1. Recycle EVEN more in and out of home

2. Walk to Taekwondo class

3. Turn off fans when not in room

4. Keep stereo unplugged

5. Use a reusable waterbottle

6. Only take 2-5 minute showers

7. Hang clothes to dry outside instead of using dryer

8. Use manure for soil

9. Mow the lawn with a push lawn mower

1st Annual School Picnic

Yesterday was our first annual ATA West Chester school picnic at East Bradford Park. We had over 80 students and their families attend. We were fortunate enough to have the rain stop for us! We kicked off the picnic by introducting the jahng bong(long staff) to the students and having a seminar taught by Mr. Jouan. The students discovered that they really like the jahng bong as the newest leadership weapon for their training curriculum.
After the seminar everyone ate. We had so much food!!! The picnic was potluck, so that means that each family brought a dish to share. Some of the tasty foods were pulled pork, hamburgers, hotdogs, baked ziti, chicken fry, pasta salad, chili, cookies, brownies, and more. We ended up having so much food left over that we donated the extra food to Safe Harbor in West Chester. Safe Harbor provides hot meals and food for those less fortunate.
The picnic was a great chance to have the students and parents mingle outside of the school and off the mat. Many new friendships were made and many stomachs were filled!

Visit from Mr. Jason Morgan(A.G.R.E.E.)

On Wednesday, September 9, 2009(9-9-09) we celebrated the importance of the number 9 in the Korean culture by inviting special guest instructor and 4th degree black belt Mr. Jason Morgan to teach Leadership class to the Junior and Adult Leadership Team. Not only did Mr. Morgan give us all a great workout, but he challenged us to follow the ATA A.G.R.E.E. campaign and begin practicing more environmental self-defense outside of ATA. He asked each student to go home and write down 9 specific goals that they can do to help save the environment over the next 9 weeks and then hand it to Miss Boulden or Mr. Jouan. The first students to complete the task receive an ATA Go Green! badge as well as an individual post on the ATA Martial Arts of West Chester blog. Keep an eye out for these Go Green ambassadors!

For more about the ATA A.G.R.E.E. campaign visit http://atagreen.blogspot.com/.