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Live Green in Plano Volunteer News
October 2008 |
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Live Green in Plano Volunteers,
This newsletter boasts issues and actions taken by some of our volunteers. Kathryn Anderle takes the lead in organizing a discussion group about critical global food issues, Nancy Pennington investigates a source for local food, Susan Whitaker writes green tips for her employee newsletter, Shelby Bivins reviews a new green living guide and Jan Eppard hosts a Backyard Talk for her neighbors.
You will also find information about a Home Energy Seminar being offered by the City of Plano and a summary of the valuable information from the first Learn Green to Live Green library program on Making the Most of Your Miles. If you are involved in a green activity or have read a thought-provoking book about an environmental issue, submit your article for the next issue. The next Learn Green to Live Green program is a viewing of "Kilowatt Ours", a film by Jeff Barrie on 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18 at the Maribelle M. Davis Library, 7501B Independence Parkway, Plano 75025. Bring your friends and neighbors. You'll learn what you'd find if you traced the wires from your light switch to their energy source and how to dramatically reduce your energy bill. Volunteers receive continuing education credit for attending this series. This film is also available for a neighborhood get-together in your living room. Volunteers who have reached their milestones will be recognized at this meeting. The next series of Live Green in Plano Volunteer Training will be held Nov. 6, 7 and 8. This is a great opportunity to learn the basic best practices for living green and join more than 100 volunteers who are helping to make Plano a greener place to live. Register by contacting me at debb@plano.gov.
Deb Bliss
Sustainability Volunteer Coordinator
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| Home Energy Seminar
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The City of Plano is proud to present a seminar at the Plano Municipal Center: Home Energy Efficiency: Be Green to Save Some Green! Learn about a variety of energy efficient improvements you can make to your home, from simple adjustments to major energy overhauls. A presentation and tutorial will be followed by a Q & A session where you can ask your own specific questions and find the answers you need. The lecture is free to the public. To RSVP or find out more information, contact Melissa Baird at (972) 769-4132.
Location: Plano Municipal Center Building, 1520 K Avenue, in the Council Chambers Theater
Date:Saturday, October 11, 2008
Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
 Menu for the Future
Discussions Lead to Life Changes
by Kathryn Anderle |
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These buzz words have been making the news: permaculture, organic food, loca-vores, Farmers Market, community gardens, CSAs, industrial agriculture, vegetarian, piscatarian, vegan, high fructose corn syrup, low fat, nonfat, rBGH, GMOs, irradiated foods, obesity, and type II diabetes.
If you are confused about any of these concepts, you are not alone. Six of my new friends and I were among the first in the nation to participate in a six-week discussion course about food.
Menu for the Future, is a compilation of articles put together by the Northwest Earth Institute. The six sessions are titled:
· What's Eating America
· Anonymous Food
· Farming for the Future
· You are What You Eat
· Towards a Just Food System
· Choices for Change
Within each session, the group of articles focuses the readers on a particular aspect of food.
Our first meeting was a "get-to-know-you" session. We found, despite our differences in food consumption habits, we all were somewhat confused by the thousands of messages we hear. We all wanted to understand how to make safe food choices.
We talked about sustainable food, organic versus local, deep organics, food distribution and food justice.
Perhaps the one topic which touched me more than any other was food justice. For more than 10 years I have eaten a vegetarian diet. During that time, I would be asked, "Why are you a vegetarian?" My answer always seemed complicated, "environmental reasons, eating lower on the food chain saves energy, animal cruelty and Buddhism." But after reading the articles on food justice, I realized the true reason for my choice.
I was reminded by the ecologist Frances Lappe (Diet for a Small Planet and Hopes Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet) that we already grow enough food to feed every person on the planet close to 3,000 calories a day. This issue gets obscured by industrialized agriculture and companies like Monsanto, Conagra, and Cargil. They alter seeds to grow more food, grow it faster, for longer seasons, without thought to restoring the life of the soil. Starving nations are rejecting these "Frankenfoods" in favor of a safe food supply free of genetically-altered plant sources.
No other group participant was a vegetarian, nor became a vegetarian during the weeks of discussion. However, each of us came out with a new perspective on food and a reaffirmed motivation for making appropriate food choices and curing our ignorance. You can join a new group or form a group of your own. Sierra Club organizes book discussion groups. For a list of topics go to www.nwei.org or contact Chris Unruh at trulyunruhly@earthlink.net . |
Locavores Rejoice! |
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| by Nancy Pennington
Always on the lookout for fresh locally-produced food, I was thrilled to happen upon a dairy right here in our own suburban backyard. Lucky Layla Farms (aka Lavon Farms), a family-owned dairy, has been in business, right here in east Plano, since the 1930's. At the farm, just north of Parker Road at 3721 N. Jupiter Road, you'll find a brand new cozy retail shop offering butter, artisan cheeses, a huge variety of drinkable yogurts, and an awesome caramel sauce all hand-crafted from fresh whole milk produced right there on the farm. And on Saturdays, that fresh whole milk will be available for purchase as well.
I've never seen more contented cows than these ladies. Their milk is rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone)-free, they pasture-graze all day out in the fresh air and sunshine, and with each one having her own name, they're all considered to be part of the family.
Help support our very own local dairy. Stop by the farm, bring the kids to pet some cows and taste samples of the wonderfully fresh dairy products for sale in the shop. Once you're hooked, be sure to tell all your friends. This is one secret that's way too good to keep!
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Savings in a Bottle |
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by Susan Whitaker, Web Designer/Developer
Susan Whitaker, has taken her "green message" to work by contributing articles to her employee newsletter. Read her latest contribution:
Did you know that Americans spend an average of $1,400 per year on bottled water? If the same amount of water was consumed from the tap, it would only cost 49 cents for the entire year. (NY Times) And, if you think you are paying the extra money for better water, think again. At least 40 percent of all bottled water comes from municipal water sources which are no different in terms of quality than what comes out of your tap at home. (NRDC) So, give your wallet and the planet a break by opting to fill a reusable bottle with water from the tap instead. If you don't like the taste of the tap water at your home or office, invest in a faucet mount or pitcher style water filtration system. Even though the initial cost of some of these systems may seem high, the cost per gallon of filtered water from the tap is still significantly less than bottled water. And, be sure to carry it in a reusable bottle that does not contain BPA or other substances that will leach into the water over time. Stainless steel or aluminum bottles are the best alternatives, are easy to clean, and will not alter the taste of the water at all. If you must use a plastic bottle, choose a bottle made out of plastics #2, #4, or #5 since these are less likely to leach than other types. To learn more about the quality of the water in your area and the various water bottle and filter options, visit www.newdream.org/water. |
| Eco-friendly Lifestyle by the Book |
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by Shelby Bivins, high school librarian
Have you just started going green? Are you are well on your way, or you have totally embraced an eco-friendly way of life? Whatever category you fall into, you will want to pick up a copy of the recently released book "Green, Greener, Greenest" by author Lori Bongiorno. This book covers it all by incorporating eco-friendly choices into all kinds of everyday products, services and practices. Everything from food and beverages, personal care products, apparel and furnishings, home and garden as well as energy, transportation, water and even tips for protecting babies and children from toxic chemicals.
You may say to yourself, what other tips can I pick up that I haven't read elsewhere? Well did you know that the overall cost of a gallon of water is much more expensive then a gallon of gas? So when you go to grab that next bottled water, remember that Plano among other urban communities has a superior water system. Just turn on the tap. Bongiorno also provides valuable information about toxins and other contaminants, many of which we may not realize are contained in many products we use in our homes, cars and at work.
To give you an example of the green, greener, greenest concept, when it comes to personal care items, to live green, buy your products in bulk to save on packaging and transport. To go greener, look for personal care products that are made with natural ingredients. To go greenest, search the web with keywords: "healthy and beautiful spa party." Make your own personal care products for the whole family.
Whether you're just beginning or are already a veteran environmentalist, Green, Greener, Greenest includes bite-size solutions and practical advice that will grow with you as your needs and interests grow over time. Keep it handy and share the valuable tips with others. | |
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Backyard Talk Still Has Neighbors Talking  |
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| Food, Fun and Useful Information
Jan Eppard hosted the monthly neighborhood get-together at her house this summer and provided more that the usual fun and food. She recruited Plano Environmental Educators to answer questions about gardening and demonstrate how many of our daily habits pollute our creeks. Jan toured the group through her zero-lot line yard which efficiently grows vegetables, holds a compost pile and harvests rainwater. She reports that her friends and neighbors have made some changes as a result of their experience that evening
and they are still talking about it! You can host one too - inside or out. Contact Deb Bliss to work out the details. |
| Making the Most of Your Miles |
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Learn Green to Live Green Series 
Two local experts shared valuable information about making the most of your gas mileage at the first Learn Green to Live Green library program at W.O. Haggard Library on a fall Monday evening.
No matter what model vehicle you drive, many more variables impact your mileage than you might think. Tire engineer, Jerry Jorgenson, provided many practical tips.
There will always be some things you have no control over: necessary short trips, hills, road quality and weather conditions. Whenever and wherever you drive, driving smoothly is the secret for achieving higher miles for each gallon of gas that you purchase:
· Keep your distance from the car in front of you
· Drive the speed limit
· Slow down as soon as you see a red light
· Stay in the right lane for a steady flow
· Take advantage of right turns whenever possible
· Avoid high traffic areas and times
· Choose routes with smooth pavement and fewer lights.
Install the smallest tire recommended for your vehicle to improve your miles per gallon and make the first rotation between 1600 and 3000 miles. Raise your cold tire pressure to the psi printed on the tire to improve handling and reduce:
· Rolling resistance
· Stopping distance
· Damage from potholes
· Hydroplaning
· Uneven wear
· Tire temperature.
Lower pressure is desirable for gravel roads and off-road driving to reduce vehicle and tread damage and improve traction. Check your tire pressure every other time you fill up your tank.
Hybrid expert, Tony Han, dispelled myths of hybrids:
- The battery does not need to be plugged in
- It is recharged as the car is running
- The sticker price is within the range of other models of the same size
- It requires little maintenance
- Battery cells can be replaced as needed but generally last more than five years.
Han explained hybrids have more power by combining the benefits of gas and electric motors. He provided an update on cars to look for in the near future including the General Motors electric Volt. The Volt is expected in 2010 and will be able to travel 40 miles on a charge before igniting the gas engine which would recharge the battery and make longer trips possible.
According to Jorgenson and Han, car manufacturers have been reluctant to produce cars that do not require regular maintenance. They believe the general public will not support this technology with their purchasing power. If you want to send a message to automakers that a market exists for hybrids and electric vehicles, sign the petition at http://www.pluginpartners.com/whatYouCanDo/onlinePetition.cfm Learn more about this national campaign at www.pluginpartners.com  | |
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