tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33339805188562755982008-10-08T10:19:56.427-04:00Green Around The Edges - CharlotteGoing green is in the news every day. But what does it mean to us, here in Charlotte, NC?
Join our conversation as we talk about the things we're doing - big and small - to become a little greener around the edges!Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-56793409774336652102008-10-08T10:13:00.003-04:002008-10-08T10:19:56.441-04:00August IssueIn this issue:
· Saving Gas - with Hypermiling
· Growing Your Own Food – Harder than it sounds
· Giving Back – Bumper crops? Here’s one way to share the bounty
· Resources and Digging Deeper
· Revisiting Past issues
Hyper-What?
By Kimberly Paulk
The green topics crowding into my mind this summer are the ones that I’m sure everyone else can’t escape Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-22706459496815737192008-04-06T07:53:00.002-04:002008-04-06T07:56:22.947-04:00Getting Better With AgeBuying furniture the green way
Several years ago when we were new to the area we visited an antique show. That was, and is, very out of character for us but it’s there that I fell in love with old wood. Not antiques, necessarily, but the weathered, old timber that had spent a hard working lifetime as a barn door or a plank on a floor. We went home that day empty handed. But the thought of Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-15375628486812118172008-01-27T06:33:00.001-05:002008-01-27T06:33:50.150-05:00Trading UpThe green way to get rid of your old computer
Sooner or later, you are going to need a new computer. While the prospect fills me with dread (I’m not the most technically proficient person you’ll ever meet), I’m also worried about what to do with the old one. According to Earth911.org, almost 2 million tons of e-waste went to landfills in 2005. It’s not just the landfill space that should give Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-19960802815071069172008-01-13T09:15:00.000-05:002008-01-13T09:18:28.548-05:00A Trip on the Light RailWe had a chance to try out the Lynx Blue Line this weekend. We parked at the South Blvd station and road all the way to 7th Street in Center City, by Imaginon. There were bumps and glitches, with long lines, ticketing machines that didn’t work and a couple of unexplained (and very sudden) stops between stations. I never did figure out why the train doors closed, and opened, and closed again at Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-48339004574927058152007-12-25T18:40:00.001-05:002007-12-25T18:58:55.547-05:00January 2008 IssueBeyond “Skin Deep”
A closer look at what we’re putting on our skin
Let’s start with this – the FDA does not require companies that manufacture cosmetics and skin care products to test for safety. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the federal government cannot “mandate safety studies of cosmetics products or their ingredients, and only 13 percent of the 10,500 ingredients in Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-47557692009954302892007-12-01T10:41:00.001-05:002007-12-01T10:46:33.021-05:00Greening ChristmasThere seem to be quite a few folks coming out this year with “green gift” ideas. Some of them are pretty interesting, and some are hard to follow through on when your kid has her heart set on the latest made-in-China item. That said, I thought I would share just some of the more interesting web sites and sources that have arrived in my in-box over the past few weeks.
A quick disclaimer – I Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-44431009003195514542007-11-04T19:20:00.000-05:002007-11-04T19:34:24.702-05:00Green Around The Edges - Charlotte
Issue 5
November 2007
Volume 1, Issue 5
Green Cleaning
Not too long ago, I walked into a store where one of the employees was cleaning a window. I don’t know what glass cleaner she was using – it had the usual glass cleaner type of smell. Immediately, my chest felt a little tighter. Nothing too dramatic, but a definite reaction to the cleaner.
I’ve also Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-47256112240850219442007-10-31T09:13:00.001-04:002007-10-31T09:17:43.810-04:00One More TimeThere have been several reasons why my number of posts this month has been low - just three. But looking at them now, they all have water as their theme. Today's post, on the last day of October, is no exception.
If you aren't following the series in the Charlotte Observer, "A Cry for the Catawba", please do. Follow this link and start reading, watch the videos, listen to the audio. Each reportKimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-53361228436469896792007-10-26T16:32:00.000-04:002007-10-26T16:50:05.792-04:00Water, water everywhereIn spite of the wonderful sight of rain outside the window, it's still a good idea to keep water conservation in mind. The issue of water shortages isn't going to go away.
An article in last week's New York Times Magazine (October 21, 2007) discussed some of the measures that Aurora, Colorado is considering to try to meet the conflicting demands of a growing population and diminishing water Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-25610104262256769782007-10-04T05:09:00.000-04:002007-10-04T05:15:41.733-04:00Water the Focus on IPO CharlotteIPO Charlotte on WFAE will focus on the future of our water here in Charlotte. It should be interesting. Check out the excerpt below from the WFAE web site. If you miss today's show, visit the show's archives for the audio.
"We enter the final month of this series by turning our attention toward the environment. Charlotte gets its water from the nearby Catawba River system. The watershed Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-60608632882165428452007-09-24T11:28:00.000-04:002007-09-24T11:49:10.128-04:00Green Around the Edges- Charlotte Issue 4October 2007
Volume 1, Number 4
Energy Answers
What NC GreenPower is Doing About Our Energy Challenges
The energy problems we face sometimes seem overwhelming. They are so monumental and complex, in fact, that it’s hard to believe our individual choices could make a difference.
I don’t know if they will. Greater minds than mine (and there are many) will have to decide. But when I hear Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-41159013818700122802007-09-18T20:18:00.000-04:002007-09-18T20:33:27.664-04:00New Meetup Group for Green ProfessionalsIf you are a professional in an eco-friendly business, there's a new Meetup group that's just been formed just for you!
According to organizer Don Rosenberg, the Natural Living Circle of Charlotte is "a networking group for professionals in healthy living/eco-friendly businesses. We meet to learn about each other and then exchange business cards. When we're talking with our clients we learn Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-85732943727318471202007-09-18T09:11:00.000-04:002007-09-18T09:25:09.870-04:00Consumer ConsequencesWhat if everyone lived like you do? How many planets would we need to keep up with the pace of our consumption if everyone on Earth had your lifestyle?
American Public Media can give you the answer with Consumer Consequences. This online game is easy to play and gives you an immediate idea of how your lifestyle affects the planet by multiplying your affect times the globe's entire population. Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-59658465075094489662007-09-12T04:59:00.000-04:002007-09-12T05:03:40.402-04:00Plastic Bags Edge Out Paper (Sort of)EarthTalk on www.emagazine.com has some surprising facts about the “paper versus plastic” issue. Based on a study done in 1990 by Franklin Associates, plastic bags edge out paper bags in the “not quite as bad” category: “The Franklin report concluded that two plastic bags consume 13 percent less total energy than one paper bag. Additionally, the report found that two plastic bags produce a Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-35326349661735866682007-09-11T17:36:00.000-04:002007-09-11T17:52:57.171-04:00Supercapitalism on NPRThere was an interesting interview on NPR’s Fresh Air today. Robert Reich, former secretary of labor in the Clinton administration (he now teaches public policy at the University of California at Berkeley) talked about his new book, Supercapitalism and the “divided mind of the consumer and citizen”. We want the best deals at the store, the best returns in the stock market – yet also we want Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-62223482236014777262007-09-05T08:58:00.000-04:002007-09-05T09:10:05.653-04:00Can't Sleep On It, Can't Donate itA friend of mine recently needed to get rid of one of her mattresses. Her first thought - donate it. She called a number of local organizations to try to give this almost-new mattress to a worthy cause, but with no success.
My next thought was to recycle it. No success there either. However, I did learn a couple of things in the process.
First, in our time-starved world it can be really hardKimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-65632480895297678752007-08-30T10:22:00.001-04:002007-08-30T10:39:00.263-04:00Before You Toss That Magazine...If you're one of those folks that has a stack of "already read" magazines somewhere in the house, or if you toss them in the trash when you're done (although hopefully you're recycling them), consider donating them to the Adult Basic Literacy (ABL) program at CPCC.
The program teaches adults basic literacy skills, and will provide the magazines for their students to take home and read so they Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-25494315429654760232007-08-25T22:10:00.001-04:002007-08-25T22:16:07.360-04:00Recycling CalculatorFor a very easy, very quick way to see what impact your recycling may have, check out the "Recycling Calculator" from the National Recycling Coalition at http://www.nrc-recycle.org/#.
It should take roughly five minutes to finish. Just plug in how many Sunday papers you recycle in a month, for instance, and you'll find out how many trees you save in a year.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-19411671878757261662007-08-24T04:29:00.001-04:002007-08-24T04:37:06.510-04:00Water and Energy"Charlotte Talks" on NPR had an interesting conversation about "Drought and Water Supply" on August 14th. Something I learned from the conversation between Mike Collins and his guests included the fact that it takes water to make energy. Energy consumption spikes during periods of high temperatures, like the one we're in right now. Duke Energy then must use more water to generate the electricity Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-82325725396616058532007-08-21T15:06:00.000-04:002007-08-21T15:13:22.538-04:00Give it AwayThe average American tosses about 68 lbs of clothing and textiles each year. That statistic just amazes me, but I’ve heard it more than once. I can’t imagine throwing a usable item of clothing in the trash, but in my case I have a nephew that receives most of my son’s hand-me-downs. It occurred to me that maybe folks just don’t know what to do with clothes when they’re done with them because theyKimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-58373198880154808002007-08-21T04:43:00.000-04:002007-08-21T04:49:09.884-04:00Green and Going NowhereIf you have tomatoes in your garden, like I do, you might be panicking right now. To a casual passer-by, they look great. Green and fairly plentiful. But the problem is that they've looked exactly like that for a long, long time now.
"Frozen in time" is how I described it to Don Rosenberg of Instant Organic Gardens. His response to me was to tell me - again - that this is the work of the heat Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-29013909672880604542007-08-19T05:47:00.001-04:002007-08-19T05:53:00.187-04:00Green Confessions - Paper or PlasticSince the September issue of Green Around The Edges – Charlotte focuses on paper and plastic bags, it’s only fair that I start my "confessions" on that topic!
I typically shop at Lowes Foods. I use their "pick up" service most of the time ($17.95 per month for 30 days of pickups), and I told them I preferred paper because I figured at the time that it was better than using plastic. Of course, Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-69450619357645911792007-08-18T03:12:00.000-04:002007-08-18T03:38:02.168-04:00Water WoesWe will very likely be hearing more about the possible increase in watering restrictions in Union County over the next few days. As the drought situation continues and worsens locally, these links might provide a little background.
Local
Mecklenburg and surrounding counties are now in a "severe drought" according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's because since May 1st the area has Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-35062217262096316802007-08-14T18:09:00.000-04:002007-08-14T18:36:18.342-04:00Plastic vs. Paper, Continued...The topic of the September issue of Green Around The Edges-Charlotte is the "paper or plastic" debate, so I thought these links might be interesting as well.
Jon Coifman, national media director for the NRDC, was a guest on The Diane Rehm Show (the NPR program produced in Washington DC by WAMU) today, along with representatives from the plastic bag and grocery industries. His blog (see link Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3333980518856275598.post-68335888876874648542007-08-09T18:51:00.000-04:002007-08-09T19:08:05.668-04:00In The GardenJust Getting Started
A backyard garden sounds romantic, doesn’t it? In an earthy, lush, back-to-the-land kind of way. It was under this spell, and the prodding of my good friend, that I took the plunge and decided to try cultivating a few things in the back yard this summer in hopes that some of it might end up on our dinner table. Although I was skeptical at first, our garden (primarily an Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954863207016808152noreply@blogger.com