New Orleans Public Schools get Solar Energy Through Corp "Green" Partnership

Partners Entergy, Nike, Winrock International, the Louisiana Chapter of the U.S.  Green Building Council and the city of New Orleans are equipping New Orleans public schools with 28-kilowatt solar array that is expected to produce about 37,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. That is enough electricity to power three average residential homes.

"Entergy is committed to helping rebuild our community in a way that is environmentally sustainable," said Rod West, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, Inc. "We are proud to be the lead sponsor of the New Orleans Solar Schools Initiative, which supports the benefits of clean, alternative energy and energy conservation, and even more importantly teaches those benefits to our children - our future leaders."


The project includes an instructional component that will help educate both students and teachers about conservation and renewable energy. Students will use the solar equipment as a first-hand learning tool to research and report on how energy conservation can integrate with solar power.



The New Orleans Solar School Initiative originated with Entergy's purchase of carbon offsets - registered on Winrock International's American Carbon Registry - from Nike in 2006. The transaction was part of Entergy's long-range plan to stabilize CO2 emissions 20 percent year 2000 levels through 2010. Nike donated $150,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the carbon offsets, and Entergy committed up to $1.5 million - part of which is tied to an agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - to install solar systems at New Orleans public schools.

Read the full press release here. 

Eco Friendly Mower Does more than Cut the Grass

I have now mowed twice with my new push mower, Glimour. Gilmour is remarkably easy to use and mowing was almost fun, if mowing the yard can be fun. I also purchased a small weed trimmer and THAT was way fun to use. Some parts of the grass though are not so happy, I need more practice trimming.

The mower, fondly named Gilmour(that is the brand), was easy to put together and was almost as easy to use. One thing I did noticed, it is really loud! It is self sharpening so the metal blade rubs against a metal edge on the bottom, to sharpen the blade. This makes a huge amount of noise. I have never used a gas powered mower so I don't know how it compares noise wise but the noise is enough to where I was a little embarrassed using it thinking everyone in the neighborhood could hear it! Of course, that is silly so I got over that fairly quickly, but if you buy a self sharpening mower, expect it to be noisy.

Glimour mows great. The blade is 20 inches long and has 5 different heights. I keep it at 4 to keep the grass somewhat high, it helps keep the weeds from growing. My yard angles down slightly at the edge so I drop one side down to 1 or 2 on the edge side to cut that grass a bit shorter. Works great!

Glimour also came with a clippings basket that attaches to the back of the mower to catch all the grass clippings. This is great, I can add the clippings to my compost pile! The basket comes off fairly easily. The only bad thing might be the depth of the basket. Because of the way it goes on, there isn't much room so you have to unload it several times throughout the mowing.

The trimmer, which has no name yet, is perfect for me. I am short and my arm strength is not so great. This Black and Decker model is light weight and almost looks like a minature weed trimmer. It's really cute! I edged all the grass and trimmed up the jasmine. The yard almost looks like professional landscapers came! Only, if you look closely, the edges aren't exactly even, the trimmer ate the grass more in some places than others. But you, uneven edges add character!

So overall, very pleased. Yard looks decent, compost pile is happy and I got a bit of a workout. If you have a push mower, would love to hear how you like it! Please feel free to comment.

Austin, Texas Listed as Eco Friendly City

Eco friendly and weird, can Austin get any better? 

Go Green Travel listed Austin, Texas as the 10th eco friendly city in the US. Many Austinites have been "green" for a long time, it is part of Austins culture to be "weird". Drive through South Austin and you will see recycling and reusing materials at its finest. Recycled Yard art is very popular in Austin. To celebrate Austins "greenness" here are few Austin Green items you can get to support Austin and its "weird" green lifestyle.

See the full article here.

Austin is GREEN! 

Austin is Weird Keep Austin Green by Comfycrafter

Get this great shirt for $30.30

Austin is Weird Keep it Green by Comfycrafter
Get this great tee for $26.25

Green is the new BLACK by Comfycrafter
Get this great tee for $25.75

Go Green Texas Mousepad by ecogreenbags
Go Green for $16.00

Win $5K for Telling Your Eco Story

Eco Friendly Cat Lovers Can Win $5K and a Years Worth of Yesterday's News Cat Litter.

Do you own a cat? Are you eco friendly? Do you do specific things to help the environment that you can write about? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you can enter yourself in a contest to win $5K cash and $15K for your favorite eco project.

Yesterday's News(R) cat litter is giving away $5K cash and $15K to a eco organization through their "Do-Gooder" Award Contest. They are inviting owners of cats to share the ways they "do-good" by incorporating eco-friendly actions into their everyday lives. This could include eco friendly cat liter, reducing electricity, using reusable shopping bags or recycling mail and other paper products. If you recall in an earlier blog post, I save water in the shower, this would count too!

"Whether it's using an alternative cat litter, turning off the water when brushing their teeth or recycling the daily newspaper, Yesterday's News wants to recognize the good, green choices people are making in their everyday lives," said Renee Loux, author of Easy Green Living, host of "It's Easy Being Green" and spokesperson for the Yesterday's News contest. "We will be awarding three 'Do Gooders' with $5,000 for themselves and awarding $15,000 to a local eco-friendly project to benefit their community."

To enter and get more details, go to http://www.yesterdaysnews.com/dogooder. Contest runs through October 23, 2009.

Yesterday's News is a cat litter made from recycled materials including paper and sawdust. I was amazed to find out it was made by Nestle Purina PetCare Company.


Part if this information was gathered through PRNewswire.

Going Green...Getting Some Exercise...Resolved Small Car Issue

I recently canceled my landscape contract, not because they were doing a bad job, on the contrary, they were doing an excellent job...but the grass wasn't growing enough to need mowing and I'm trying to save valuable resources, namely "green backs."  As I said, the grass hasn't been growing anyway, I don't water really, it has rained here enough I haven't had to used the sprinkler system...and there is a leak in the pipe I need to fix. (By "I" I mean someone else...but that costs money so I am just not using the sprinkler system.)

So far the lawn looks ok. I noticed the other day there were a few weeds in the section between the sidewalk and the street that were growing a little to much to look acceptable. My first thought was I would just take my hand hedge clipper thingies and clip off the parts that were growing too tall. That sounded easy and not too time consuming and it hadn't rained and I haven't been watering so the rest of the yard really looked "ok".

Until today. Today it rained and I know that means the yard will think it received some illegal drug and it will go wild this week and shoot up out of the ground as an excited expression of joy. Just what I need, excited grass that decides to grow 2 inches this week...and me without a landscaper.

I had been toying around with getting a lawnmower but there are a few things that have prevented me from doing so; I am a little scared of gas powered lawn mowers as I have never owned one and gas in general scares me, I also have a small car so getting one home is a concern.

My car holds like two bags of groceries, it is a two seater with a trunk that seriously doesn't hold more than one carry-on piece of luggage, so getting a lawnmower it is seems like an annoying challenge. I did decide to look online at Lowes, I got a no interest deal in the mail from them. Sounded good until I thought of myself buying the mower, rolling it down the two miles to my house and walking back to get the car. (I sent this post in a scaled down format to my familyearlier and my mom wrote back that walking the lawn mower back seemed difficult as I would need to assemble it first. What I thought?! They don't come ASSEMBLED?!)

I checked amazon to see if the Lowes prices were good and found a nice push mower with a grass catcher, almost identical to the one at Lowes, for not too much and a small trimmer for what dinner might cost somewhere. The mower is just a simple push mower, no gas or electricity needed and it comes with a great grass catcher attachment so I can dump the clippings in the compost. The trimmer is electric, so no need for me to worry about blowing something up with the gas. I now only have to worry about shredding the electric cord when I an working in the yard.

And the good news? For just a little more than a months worth of landscaper contract, I have found myself a mower and a trimmer...and they are being mailed to me for free! (love Amazon Prime!) I probably have to assemble the mower still but at least I don't have to assemble, then roll it back to my house, all the while having people driving by wonder what the heck is wrong with me, rolling a lawn mower down the sidewalk....for two miles.

Here are the two items I purchased. I got these mostly based on the Amazon comments and price.

Push mower

Gilmour RM30 20-Inch Reel Mower with Grass Catcher

Electric trimmer

Black & Decker ST1000 9-Inch 1.8-AMP Electric Grass Trimmer

(BTW, my yard hasn't been mowed in several weeks and it looks practically the same as it did two weeks ago. the jasime is creeping out a bit, I was planning on just going around with the clippers I use to trim the bushes and snip the jasmine. Now I will wait for the trimmer. And my compost bin will be so happy with the clippings!)

Do you own one of these? Do you have another push mower or trimmer you like? Feel free to add your comments!

I'll post later about how I like these things after I've used them.

PA Growing 'Green' Economy While Creating Jobs, Helping Consumers Save Money, Gov. Rendell Says

Commonwealth Finance Authority Approves $18 Million in New Investments for 31 Projects
HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced new state investments that will help keep Pennsylvania at the forefront of the new green economy while creating jobs, spurring private economic development, and supporting local school districts that are struggling with energy costs.
The Governor said the Commonwealth Financing Authority approved nearly $18.4 million for 31 projects throughout the state. The investments were made possible through the $650 million Alternative Energy Investment Fund, which he signed in July 2008.
"These new resources are critically important from an economic development and job-creating perspective and also for families and small businesses struggling to cope with energy prices," said Governor Rendell. "These investments will support energy conservation and efficiency, help a number of school districts save precious tax dollars on their energy bills, and spur new private investment from alternative energy companies that create jobs in a rapidly growing economic sector."


Read the full story here.. PA Growing 'Green' Economy While Creating Jobs, Helping Consumers Save Money, Gov. Rendell Says

For more information on the Commonwealth Financing Authority or the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit www.newPA.com or call 1-866-466-3972.

CONTACT:
Steve Weitzman (DCED)
717-783-1132

Michael Smith
717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

E-Coupons Missed the Mark

E-coupons, good idea? Not sure. 
I like the concept of e-coupons but the practicality of them escapes me today. I think companies have shifted the burden from themselves to the consumers, I know have to remember what the coupon is for. Let me explain.

Ton Thumb, a subsidiary of Safeway send me what I thought was a pretty ridiculous mailer with babies all over it. It had three baby product coupons inside. As an aside, I found it ridiculous because I've never bought baby products there and I don't have a baby, very bad target marketing.

But, I do KNOW people with babies and I have a friend that just had a baby so I decided I would just give her the coupons. The inside of the mailer stated there was another $10 off coupon waiting for me online. Great I thought, I can give that to my friend as well. I went online, entered my frequent shopper card info and the code number on the mailer and found out there were other discount offers and indeed there was a $10 off deal... but... the "coupons" were loaded onto my frequent shopper card, not printable coupons. This means I can't give them to my friend! argh.

They do provide an option to get an email or to print the information but this to me just shifts the paper waste and expense to me instead of them. And I didn't choose any of those options and closed out the window so now even if I wanted to use the coupons, I have no idea what the deals were.

In the corner of the page there was also a deal for Lucerne eggs which I added myself to. But of course, it is loaded on the card too and who could possible remember if that was for Grade A Large, Medium or Extra Large eggs?

Good idea for paperless coupons but I think there needs to be a bit more consumer education or company troubleshooting.

Here is the email I received letting me know I can get free eggs.

What do you think? Have you received similar deals? Ever used any? 

How To Make a Cheap Compost Bin

Composting Helps Reuse Food Scraps and Yard Debris, Less in Landfills


I see a lot of questions out on the web about how to build a compost pile or what is the best compost bin. I had the same questions three years ago when I built mine so I'd like to share what I built and why I think it is well worth the price.

There are certainly a lot of compost bins you can spend hundreds of dollars but why do that when you can make one for almost nothing? Think you can't do it? It isn't as hard as you think. What I built is simple and doesn't require any major tools. I have seen really nice inexpensive wood structures but I didn't have a saw so I opted for a more simple design. This bin cost less than $40.

Tools Needed:

• Mallet
• Shovel
• Gloves
• Weed puller

Materials Needed: 

• Chicken wire, deer fencing or other small wire mesh stuff
• Four stakes that are typically used for chicken wire type fencing
• Zip Ties

Steps: 

1. Find a spot that gets sun most of the day and perferrably close to the door you would exit to dump scraps. (This helps motivate you to actually dump scraps!)
2. I layed the poles on the ground about where I wanted them, my bin is about 3 feet x 4 feet
3. Now you drive the poles into the ground at all four corners with the mallet. My ground was very dry and hard to get the pole into so I got some water and used the weed puller to poke a deep hole, then stuck the pole in and hammered it in with the mallet. You may need a small piece of wood to protect the mallet from the metal pole. 
4. Secure the wire mesh fencing to one post with the zip ties.
5. Wrap the fencing around the three other poles, securing it with the zip ties on each pole. 
6. Don't zip tie the whole thing together, leave the last piece loose, it will act like a door of sorts. 
7. I fashioned a ring from the left over zip ties and secured the fencing by looping the zip tie over the pole

Now you are ready to add brown and green materials and watch it compost! Make sure you always cover green materials like kitchen scraps with brown material so it doesn't smell. Keep the pile moist and just continue to layer brown and green materials, they will break down and give you dark, nutrient rich soil to use in your landscape. Don't be surprised if this takes some time, just turn the pile from time to time and you will have compost before you know it.

I love this bin, it was inexpensive, easy to put together and three years later, is in just about the same shape it was when I made it. I've used compost from it and am thrilled to not have to buy it from the store and all my leaves in the fall are put back to good use instead of being bagged and thrown away.

Here are some photos of what I bought and stages of the bin. If you have a bin, homemade or not or make one based on this post, please comment!

 

 

Pure Organic Beauty Products in One Easy Spot

I searched recently for all organic makeup and beauty products. While in Atlanta I found a company, Julirque, that has wonderful products,  I feel in love instantly. A few downsides, they aren't in my city so I have to order over the phone and some of their products contain small amounts of questionable ingredients. Are they better than the stuff you get at the grocery store? Absolutely! But if you want completely organic products, these can be a tiny bit misleading.

Then I read in a magazine about Saffron Rouge. They were touted as the Sephora of organic products and boy they were right. Not only do they sell Jurlique products that meet Saffron Rouge's strict criteria, they remove products based on product ingrediants. Started by Kristin Binder, it is simply the best place to go to find organic products. Kristin studied phytotherapy at the University of England and is passionate about testing and researching the product formulas and ingrediants.

It can be a bit pricey to buy organic so here are a few savings for Saffron Rouge:

• Free shipping on orders $95 or more.
• Free samples with every order.
• Lowest price guarantee.

On Sale Right Now: 15% off (use code CELEBPICK)

• Dr. Alkaitis Organic Eye Cream as worn by Gisele Bundchen
• Living Natural Radiant Oil as worn by Antonia Kidma
• Soleo Organics Sunscreen SPF 30 as worm by Christie Brinkley
• Dr. Hauschka Regenerating Serum as worn by Martha Stewart
• Balm Balm Rose Geranium Face Balm as worn my KT Tunstall
• NVEY ECO's Organic Moisturizing Liquid Foundation as worn by Olivia Wilde
• Suki's Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser used by Jennifer Garner
• Erbaviva's Baby Lotion as used by Debra Messing
• Jurlique's Body Oils as used by Kate Moss