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Live Green in Plano Volunteer News
December 2008 |
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Live Green in Plano Volunteers,
There are so many ways to get involved in the Live Green programs! Kudos to the contributing editors is this issue: Susan Whitaker, Maria Gant, and Shelby Bivins. The quality of our volunteer program is stronger because of the many hours given during the year by our Live Green in Plano Advisory Board: Jeanne Conrad, Jan Eppard, Melanie Faulkenbury, Alicia Gray, Jay Kodah, Angie Shapira, Greg Sidon, Brenda Steib, and Susan Whitaker. It is exciting to see the many contacts being made with local food growers and producers for the Live Green Expo this year because of the diligent research and perseverance by Junilla Collard and Alison Holland. The Plano Community Garden is harvesting a record amount of fresh, organic produce for local food pantries through the dedicated work of Jan Eppard, Susie Ernst, Fran Milito, Barri Montgomery, and Brenda Steib. One of our newest volunteers, Bob Ketzer, has taken the lead in organizing a local clean-up project and in designing a display for Municipal Center on the hazards of litter. Last month Ruby Jambalos, David Thompson, Fred Karr, Karen Mitchell, Susan Whitaker, and Angie Woods supported the training of our newest group of volunteers. Tyler Atnip, Shelby Bivins, Ramiro Ortiz, and Jinx Smith assisted with the full day of Yardwise Classes. Barbara Dubovsky, Ruby Jambalos, Mary Grace Tiongco, Jinx Smith, Otto Spieler, and Brenda Steib have given many hours through their regular commitment to staffing the Reuse Center. Karen Mitchell staffed an information table at a recent Homeowner's Association Boot Camp and has been riding her bike from one storm drain to another as she affixes labels about water quality in her neighborhood. I encourage you to find your niche in making Plano a greener place to live!
Please mark your 2009 calendars for the social event of the new year! We'll gather at the Plano Senior Center Lone Star Room C, 401 West 16th St., Plano, 75075 on Thursday, January 22 for a Volunteer Recognition Potluck from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. You will receive your electronic invitation on January 5. Join us in celebrating the impact you are having in Plano.
There is still room in the next Live Green in Plano volunteer training sessions. Six classes will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Monday evenings beginning January 5 through February 16. If you have colleagues, friends, or family who might be interested in this training, have them contact me at debb@plano.gov or (972) 769-4313.
It's not too early to make your reservation for the February 28 fieldtrip to Montgomery Farms to learn about building a green community. Carpools will leave the Parkway Service Center at 9:30 a.m. and return by noon. Send me a note or give me a call at the contact information above.
Deb
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| The Green Tip: Green Your Holiday |
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 by Susan Whitaker
Are you looking to add some "green" to your holiday season while saving some "green" at the same time? Here are some low cost, eco-friendly tips to help make your holiday special for you and your family: Wrap Reusably - Look for paper around the house such as old maps or brown paper bags that can reused and decorated as gift wrap. Consider using fabric to wrap gifts since this can be reused year after year. Using holiday gift bags that you purchase from the store is another good alternative that can be used over and over again. Consider shredding unusable paper to stuff bags or boxes. Recycle any unusable non-metallic wrapping with your other household recyclables in your curbside recycling bin. Read full article |
| Clean Coal: Reality or Myth? |
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| by Maria Gant
We're often unaware of it, but coal is a big part of our lives. Clean coal is being touted as the solution to our future energy needs and improving air quality. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that since 1990, in excess of 83% of carbon dioxide pollution has come from coal-fired power plants. The EPA reports that coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury pollution in our country, and that coal is the fossil fuel with the highest ratio of CO2 output per unit of electricity.
Efforts to produce "clean coal" include chemically washing minerals and impurities from the coal, converting coal to gas by mixing it with water and oxygen, treating flue gases with steam to take out sulfur dioxide, and carbon capture and storage technologies. When you gasify coal it isn't burned, but rather it is heated to about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a sealed chamber. When steam and oxygen are added, the coal breaks down into its chemical components. The resulting gas is primarily made up of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, sulfur, and nitrogen compounds, plus smaller amounts of elements including mercury. Hydrogen and other coal gases can also be used to fuel power-generating turbines or as the chemical "building blocks" for a wide range of commercial products.
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| Sustainable Home Improvement Seminar |
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 sponsored by Christ United Methodist Church and the City of Plano
What is Sustainable? - Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Would you like to find ways to reduce your energy bills each month?
- What kind of landscaping is best used in North Texas?
- How can I reduce the amount of trash I generate at my house?
- Can I be more environmentally conscious and save money?
These are questions many of us have today, and this open to the public seminar will answer these types of questions, and much more! Come and listen to local environmental leaders speak about sustainability and "being green." Hear how you can implement cost-effective sustainable actions around your home, yard, and your lifestyle. Ask questions and interact with these leaders and others within your community.
When: Tuesday February 17, 2009 from 7pm - 9pm
Where: Christ United Methodist Church Sanctuary, 3101 Coit Road, Plano
Format: Panel discussion from 7 - 7:45pm including a short Q&A session
Breakout sessions from 7:45 - 9pm including Q&A session
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| Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman |
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 reviewed by Shelby Bivins, HS Librarian
You may know Thomas Friedman from the many books he has had on the NY Times Bestsellers List. Up until this point, Friedman has written books about globalization. In Hot, Flat and Crowded, Friedman an Op-Ed columnist for the NY Times, makes the case that seizing environmentalism is by far the best way to make the US more secure, wealthier and the leader in GT (Green Technology). Friedman proposes that with immediate and smart innovation; the U.S. can be the leader in GT just as they were the leader during the evolution of IT.
Friedman gets our attention through his broad scope of the political landscape as well as his interviews with workers to executives from all over the world. His extensive travels throughout the Middle East as well as other areas of the world help him trace the price of oil and the pace of freedom as it tends to move in the opposite direction, and look at the changing effects of CO2 and the effects of global warming through the eyes and landscape of hunters, fishermen and farmers.
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| Fieldtrip Report: Learning to Live Green |
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Nearly twenty volunteers boarded the Senior Center bus on a sunny October Saturday for a tour of two inspiring green homes. The first stop was at Beth Mortenson's McKinney no-mow backyard, a shady, sloping, creek-side lot, lush with foliage. Beth has installed rain barrels, a fish pond, rain gardens and a green roof on her potting shed to hold rain on her property as long as possible. This reduces erosion, run-off and pollution to the creeks, while quenching the plants which shade her home and reduce her energy costs. Once the rain has done its job on her property, it filters through the soil and eventually flows into the water table. Beth showed the equipment she uses to chip twigs and shred dry leaves and plant material for the compost piles. The compost in turn feeds the plants in her gardens and helps hold the rainwater until it is needed by the plants. Several worm bins receive her food scraps producing nutrient-rich castings for the gardens. A small greenhouse allows for propagation of plants through the winter. An open-air gazebo of cedar poles will eventually be vine covered and even more inviting for sitting near the creek. Beth has received a Wildlife Habitat designation for her yard because it provides food, water and shelter for wildlife. It provided us with many tranquil spots to sit. We were reluctant to leave. Read full article
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