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| Live Green in Plano Volunteer News
Winter 2007 | |
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Live Green in Plano Volunteer,
You've been spotted talking to residents at school fairs and homeowners meetings, getting your hands dirty at the Environmental Discovery Center and the Plano Community Garden, brainstorming program ideas with other volunteers, assisting customers at the Household Chemical Reuse Center, attending lectures on retrofitting your home for energy efficiency and climbing scaffolding while touring Allied Waste's recycling processing plant.
Look for more opportunities in the coming months! For those interested in working with Scouts, we can provide training for badgework. For those looking for an artistic outlet for the entire family, we will be building a float entry in the Plano Christmas Parade. For those interested in technology, we have a robotic Professor Waterwise who needs operators to get him out to meet the public. Check www.livegreeninplano.com for a current listing of opportunities.
The next Live Green in Plano Volunteer Training will be held in a new format: Thursday and Friday, Nov. 1 and 2 from 7 - 9 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Invite your friends and family to join the program by contacting Deb Bliss at debb@plano.gov or (972) 769-4313.
I am pleased to say many of these articles have been submitted by volunteers. If you have a brief essay on an issue of interest to the "green" community, please send it to me.
Deb Bliss
Sustainability Volunteer Coordinator |
| Living Green Through The Holidays |
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Do you dread the holidays? Get a fresh look on controlling consumption and make your holiday celebration an exercise in living green. Join us for tips from experts in the field on Monday, November 12, 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Parkway Service Center Training Room, 4120 W. Plano Pkwy. (at Commerce), Plano, TX 75093.
Come learn from:
- Kate McCauley, co-owner of Green Living, on thoughtful gift choices
- Michele Carey-Davé, an advocate for locally grown food, on ways to incorporate sustainable agriculture into your meal planning
- Kim Soto, Recycling Education Coordinator, on making the most of reducing, reusing and recycling to make your holidays green without missing out on the celebration and excitement.
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| Homeowners Energy Tax Credits to Expire Soon |
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 by Joanna Pylko
Do your research and make energy-efficient purchases for your home before the end of the year to save money in two ways: tax credits and future energy costs. Check out www.irs.gov/newsroom for more information. This is the last year these credits will be applicable for the homeowner.
Tax benefits purchased in 2006 and 2007 include:
- Insulation systems that reduce heat loss/gain
- Exterior windows
- Exterior doors
- Metal roofs meeting the Energy Star requirements (www.energystar.gov/index)
The law also provides credit for costs relating to a taxpayer's primary residence in the United States. The following items are eligible:
- $50 for each advanced main air circulating fan
- $150 for each qualified natural gas, propane, or oil furnance or hot water boiler
- $300 for each item of qualified energy efficient property
- $500 is the maximum credit for all taxable years, and no more than $200 is allowable for window expenses.
A tax credit can provide considerable savings. It reduces the tax dollar-for-dollar on the amount of income tax you pay. See the chart Energy Policy Act of 2005 -- Summary for Tax Credits for Homeowners at www.energystar.gov/index. |
Green Recycle Bargains |
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| by Joanna Pylko
Not in the mood for a garage sale but looking for ways to recycle a baby stroller, basketball hoop or size 10 bowling shoes? There are local Web sites that offer free recycling. Post what you want to give away or an item you are looking for. Your unwanted stuff won't end up in the landfill and no money changes hands. Two local sites are www.plano.gov/planomatex and www.freecycle.org
The Plano City Web site asks for residency qualification. The Freecycle Network will post what you want to give away or something you are looking for. This network, launched in 2003, has more than 4,000 giveaway sites and 3.8 million members. If there is no group in your area, the site will guide you to a nearby site or tell you how to set up one. |
| Finding the Seeds of Change |
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| by Susan Whitaker
I had the privilege of attending a public tour of the Seeds of Change Research Farm and Gardens based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Its mission is to maintain the diversity of the seed pool for various herbs, flowers, and vegetables by collecting and harvesting many traditional and heirloom varieties that would otherwise be lost due to the widespread use of hybrid varieties by corporate farms. The founding members wanted to preserve the biodiversity of the seed pool as well as provide a source for farmers and gardeners to obtain seed that had been organically grown and harvested.
Over 900 varieties of plants are cultivated, studied, refined, and tested in collaboration with their network of certified organic seed growers and plant breeders each year. Once a variety is finally selected for use in their catalog, it is distributed to their network of organic seed farmers for mass cultivation and production the following season.
In addition to plants, the Research Farm is a testing ground for the tools and other gardening products that are offered in the Seeds of Change catalog. The farm provides the opportunity to experiment with various ways to produce compost, water their crops, utilize cover crops, and practice crop rotation.
If you would like to learn more about the Seeds of Change mission, products, and Research Farm, visit their website at www.seedsofchange.com. | |
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Snappy Salads: Green Beyond the Salad Bowl
by Sandy Kreps
The Live Green in Plano Advisory Committee had its September meeting at Snappy Salads, a restaurant in North Dallas that specializes in fresh, healthy salads served up fast. Restaurateur Chris Dahlander went one step further and opened Snappy Salads as one of the first "green" restaurants in the Metroplex. The to-go containers and cups at Snappy Salads are made from a corn-based plastic called PLA, and the utensils are composed of potato starch. Both materials are renewable and compostable -- under the right conditions they will degrade in as little as 180 days. Dahlander used low-toxin paints on the walls and reclaimed wood from an Oklahoma barn for the family-style tables. The restroom faucets, paper-towel dispensers and lights all work on motion-sensor technology. Menus, bags and napkins are printed with soy-based inks on unbleached, recycled paper.
The salads themselves are as beautiful as they are tasty. Dahlander uses organic ingredients when possible, though not everything on the menu is organic or local. The menu ranges from a "build-your-own" salad to more than a dozen salad combos, such as the Asian salad, the Greek salad and the Mexican salad. They feature a homemade soup-of-the-day, stuffed baked potatoes, freshly baked bread and yummy lemon cookies.
Snappy Salads is located at the northwest corner of Preston Road and Forest Lane, or contact them at (972) 991-SNAP. Their Web site is www.snappysalads.com. ( A second location is available at North Park Mall.) |
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