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Live Green in Plano Volunteer News
June 2009 |
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Dear Live Green in Plano Volunteers,
I am pleased to announce twenty-four enthusiastic volunteers attended the Live Green in Plano Volunteer training this month. The group was composed of Girl Scouts, high school and college graduate students, several families, professionals, some seeking new careers, and some who are retired and looking for ways to get involved in their community. Each of these volunteers are filled with great ideas and will be wonderful resources for our programs. 
Mary Strauss, Environmental Educator from the City of Bryan and Rick Wilder, Chair of Richardson's Environmental Advisory Commission came to see how they might implement a program like ours in their cities.
The Environmental Educators are busy with programs for the libraries, PISD summer programs, the Fourth of July parade, a litter survey index, and gardening work days. Take a look at the listings in the database to see how you can become involved.
 
Thank you to our research volunteers and guest writers for this edition: Wendy Lovas, Shari Childers, Carolina Teixeira, and Kristin Pelletier. Each of these volunteers did a lot of digging on these topics to summarize the key points for us. Each has provided a link to further resources. I encourage you to make the time to read the complete articles.
Deb Bliss
Sustainability volunteer Coordinator
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Visit Your Local Farmer's Market
by Wendy Lovas
| Summer. Nothing quite brings this season to life like strolling through all the fresh fruits and vegetables in the stalls of your local farmers market. Growing up, our summer trips to the beach were never complete without a stop by Elmer's for some wonderful, fresh corn and tomatoes. All your senses are fully engaged by the bountiful harvest you have to choose from. This is definitely not something that can be experienced in your grocery store that trucks in produce from around the world whether it's in season or not. Click here to read more. |
Local Farm Highlight: Rehobeth Ranch
Buying local is an important concept as we turn Plano green. Local agriculture offers many benefits for your health, the environment and your local economy. Each month we will highlight one of these local finds and let you know where you can find their products.
Who: Rehoboth Ranch in Greenville, TX
A family owned and operated business
What Rehoboth Offers: USDA processed beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkeys, eggs and Grade A Raw Goat Milk.
What Makes Rehoboth Special: The animals at Rehoboth Ranch eat only their natural diet in their natural environment their entire lives. Each animal is free range, cage free and raised organically. All 300 acres and every animal are untainted by pesticides, herbicides, artificial fertilizers, growth hormones, or any other chemical used by commercial farmers.
Where to Buy: To learn more and for a list of products and prices go to: www.rehobothranch.com
You can also find Rehoboth products at the Dallas, Coppell and McKinney Farmer's Markets. |
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Electric Cars: The New Spin(s) on an Old Idea
by Shari M. Childers 
In both 1899 and 1900, electric vehicles (EVs) outsold all other vehicle types in America, including the gasoline-powered cars that have dominated the market almost exclusively since the 1930's. They were praised then for the same reasons that they are now-less noise and less pollution. Unfortunately there have been some lingering problems in the campaign to get EVs back on top, and it should come as no surprise to anyone that these are the same issues that once allowed vehicles with combustion engines to edge ahead of those with electric motors in the first place. Interested, potential consumers should (of course) be aware of these concerns before jumping onto the electric bandwagon. I would like to offer an update on contemporary solutions to these long standing problems. Click here to read more.
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Electric Lawnmowers
by Carolina Teixeira
Gas powered lawn mowers use approximately 800 million gallons of gasoline every year and produce 1/10 of the total smog-forming pollutants from all mobile gas devices. Eco-friendly alternatives include completely removing turf from your landscape or purchasing an electric mower. This article presents some variables to consider when shopping for an electric mower and some pros and cons. Click here to read more. | |
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 Acknowledging and Reducing Phantom Loads
by Kristin N. Pelletier
In a typical U.S. home, appliances and home electronics represent about 20% of your energy bills. By limiting "phantom loads" you can significantly lower your energy bill. Simply put, a phantom load is the energy drained by your home appliances and electronics when they are not directly in use. It has also been referred to as leaking energy, idle current, and vampire energy. Because households often keep regularly-used items plugged in at all times, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that ¾ of the energy used to power appliances and electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. For example, a television uses energy even while turned off as it waits for a signal from your remote. Similarly AC adaptors and chargers (for cell phones, laptops, etc.) constantly use energy while waiting for something to be connected. Click here to read more. |
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Fieldtrip: Wilcox Center
 
Wilcox Center located at 3300 State Highway 190 and Independence is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building in Plano and has just qualified at the Gold Level. Compared to equivalent-sized buildings, it boasts a 50% water use reduction (4 million gallons annually) through use of: drought tolerant landscaping, "curb leave-outs" and spouts from the roof that direct rain water to the landscape to be absorbed on site, solar-powered bathroom faucets, low-flow toilets, and waterless urinals. Excellent indoor air quality is a result of the filtering system, ventilation monitoring, and conscious reduction of contaminants when planning construction materials. The US Green Building Council states that healthy indoor air quality can result in a 16% increase in employee productivity. Building materials were produced within a 500 mile radius. 37 parking spots are reserved to welcome low emitting, fuel efficient vehicles. The building is currently ready for tenants in need of 30,000 to 185,000 square feet who want an environmentally friendly work space. Contact GVA Cawleyfor more information. | |
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