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| Live Green in Plano Volunteer News
Spring 2008 | |
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Live Green in Plano Volunteer, 
Come to the 2008 Live Green Expo on April 12 between 9:00am and 5:00pm at Plano Centre and be amazed at all of the up-to-the-minute "green-living" ideas you'll see and hear!
This year's Expo will feature a working wind turbine, a chance to ride and drive a hybrid vehicle, an eco-fashion show, kites on the front lawn and electricity generated by cyclists to reduce our carbon footprint.
We'll be reaching more of North Texas with the help of the cities of Allen, Dallas, Frisco and Irving. We expect 125 exhibitors with eco-friendly products and 25 speakers with workshops and demonstrations and important information on how to live more lightly on the earth.
Round up your neighbors, friends and family to join you for an exciting and inspiring day. Better still, get them to join you in volunteering and be part of the change we want to see in North Texas.
The fourth Live Green in Plano (LGIP) Volunteer Training session has brought us 30 fascinating, passionate and energetic volunteers. Some of them are pictured here on the fieldtrip to a local earth-bermed home.
The next LGIP Volunteer Training will be held on six consecutive Monday evenings from June 2 through July 7, 7 - 9 p.m. Extend a personal invitation to someone you know who might be interested in learning about living green and getting involved. To register, have them contact Deb Bliss at debb@plano.gov or (972) 769-4313.
Deb Bliss
Sustainability Volunteer Coordinator |
Bees: What's the Buzz?
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Bees have been in the news a lot lately and local beekeepers, Susan and Brandon Pollard will explain why. You are invited to the next program in the Learn Green to Live Green speaker series on Tuesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at 4120 Plano Parkway, Parkway Service Center, Plano, TX 75093. You'll get a peek at their profession, learn the significance of colony collapse disorder and find out all about their "Adopt-a-Bee" program. An added benefit: you will most certainly leave knowing the many virtues of honey.
Founders of the Texas Honeybee Guild, the Pollards are passionate about their subject and are becoming well-known in the Metroplex for their entertaining presentation. They are involved in their community through responding to wildlife hotline referrals or bee removal and swarm collection; representing Texas Beekeepers Association at the State Fair of Texas, presenting public programs and mentoring of new beekeepers.
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| Rain Water Harvesting |
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| by Kathy Stanford
Would you like to harvest some of the rain that comes pouring off your roof? Getting started is easy! I used sturdy plastic 32 gallon trash cans. I drilled holes near the bottom and the top, to attach spigots and a hose for overflow. Try ¾" rubber gaskets (tank fittings) to ensure a seal. While browsing a local feed and seed store, I found sturdy, empty 50 gallon Marsala wine barrels. It helps to have an electric drill and small saw to set them up. Now I collect about 160 gallons of rainwater at a time and plan to increase my storage capacity.
Most hardware stores have the flexible gutter pipes that you can use to help dump the water into your barrels. I have three barrels connected to each other so that they all fill up together. (see photo) It also gives me a little more water pressure when I want to water my garden. Better water pressure is something I'm still working on but having the barrels raised also helps. Cleaning them out from time to time is important, and I use BT pellets, bacillus thuringiensis, to successfully kill mosquito larvae. 
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| Recycling with Red Wigglers |
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| by Joanna Pylko
There's more to recycling than diverting your bottles, cans and paper from the trash. If you enlist the help of worms, you can also recycle your food waste.
Setting up a worm compost bin is quick and simple. The vermi-culture tub is kept indoors and filled with shredded, damp newspaper and fruit, vegetable, grain, coffee grounds and eggshell food scraps. In a short time, the red wigglers digest the waste and excrete nutrient-rich castings. A half gallon of vermi-compost, one of the richest soil amendments around, can be produced in just a few months. Vermi-composting is fast, fun, inexpensive, little work and if done properly, has no offensive odors. Indoor vermi-composting even works well in apartments and condominiums.
Are you looking for a well behaved pet that will help recycle food waste? Redworms are the solution! Vermi-composting is an earth-friendly hobby benefiting flowers, plants, trees, garden vegetables, children with science projects and ...anglers who will enjoy having a steady supply of worms on hand.
Mark your calendar for May 15, 7 to 9 p.m. for Worm Composting 101 or May 17, 1 to 3 p.m. for Family Worm Composting Classes offered through the Spring Plano Leisure Catalog.
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Producer Take Back: Let Them Hear from You!
by Dawn Hildreth-Davis
Did you watch Super Bowl 42? Approximately 158 million Americans did, on 3.9 million new TVs bought just for the occasion. Where did all of the old TVs go? Only 12 percent of electronic waste is recycled because there are too few options for convenient recycling. Some discarded equipment is handled by firms that operate under strict environmental controls with worker safety protections. Many other firms do not act responsibly, but remove the valuable metals from the equipment and send the remaining scrap to landfills or incinerators. Dangerous chemicals like lead and mercury go up in smoke and seep out of dumpsites, contaminating the local air, food and water supplies.
Clearly, "e-waste" poses serious risks to the environment and to communities around the world. The Texas Com-mission for Environmental Quality is working on imple-mentation of the producer take-back recycling law passed by the Texas Legislature in 2007. Producer Sony USA is already offering to safely recycle any of its used products for free. Many manufacturers making millions of dollars on our purchases are not.
The Electronics Take-Back Coalition is sponsoring a drive to encourage major manufacturers to act responsibly here in the U.S. Add your voice, by contacting other manufacturers urging them to take back their products. How? Start with an e-fax to Samsung, the official HDTV provider of the NFL. Go to: takebackmytv . For a quick list of company take-back programs, some of which are free to consumers, go to: computertakeback The Electronics Take-Back Coalition has created a voluntary agreement (the Recyclers Pledge) that responsible recyclers sign, agreeing to follow the highest standards in the industry.
You can use a responsible recycler. The City of Plano sponsors an electronics collection through a local responsible recycler on the third Saturday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. at Elliott's Hardware, 2049 Coit Rd., Plano, 75075. | |
| Hot Water: What's Your R Value? |
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| by Maria Gant
Hot water heaters work non-stop. Insulating your hot water heater could save you 4 - 9 percent in water heating costs. Unless your water heater has an insulation value of at least R-24, adding jacket insulation can reduce standby heat losses by 25 -45 percent. Check the manufacturer's guidelines and warranty criteria before adding more insulation.
If you don't know your water heater tank's R-value, (carefully!) touch it. A tank that is warm to the touch needs additional insulation.
Insulating your storage water heater tank is fairly simple and inexpensive, and it will pay for itself in about a year. You can find pre-cut jackets or blankets available from around $10-$20. Choose one with an insulating value of at least R-8.
The US Department of Energy's website notes that the installation of insulating blankets or jackets on gas and oil-fired water heater tanks is more difficult than those for electric water heater tanks. It's best to have a qualified plumbing and heating contractor add the insulation. If you have an electric hot water heater, click here to view their webpage: "Installing an Insulation Blanket on an Electric Storage Water Heater."
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 Green Interiors: The Inside ScoopLEED Accredited Professional and Interior Designer, Denise Bates, spoke at the January Learn Green to Live Green speaker series about the benefits and thought process in considering environmental issues when redecorating and remodeling one's home. Studies have shown measureable positive effects on patients in green hospitals, students in green schools and even sales in green stores. Since 90 percent of our time is spent indoors, considering air quality in relation to the products selected, the amount of energy consumed by the appliances we purchase and the use of natural lighting can have a huge impact on our health and attitude.
Consider these "green" guidelines in choosing materials for your next remodeling project:
* Look for paint, adhesive, and fabric products with low volative organic compound emissions.
* Choose products for content made from recycled material.
* Consider products that are durable (for a long life) and maintenance-free.
* Look for regional materials to avoid transportation costs.
* Consider the manufacturing process in your decision to purchase: pollution generated during mining and production, fair trade issues and the management of resources.
Flooring covers a large area of your home so keep it carbon neutral. Greenguard-certified carpet squares using doublestick adhesive are a safe, creative and easy alternative to standard wall to wall carpet. Sealing your concrete slab is another "out-of-the-box" option for flooring.
Look into low-flow or dual flush toilets when remodeling your bathroom. Kits are available for adapting your toilet to flush with the gray water from your sink or bathtub.
For more information, Bates recommends these websites: Energy Star , Eco-Wares and Tree Hugger . |
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