24 posts tagged “green”
This looks like it will an interesting and well spent few hours. I hope I can make it (even though it is farther south of the loop than I would like, hmm). I found it on idealist.org
The Hyde Park Art Center presents How We Use Vacant Spaces: a screening of Not Anymore | Not Yet, a film by Daniel Kunle and Holger Lauinger, in conjunction with the exhibition Pedagogical Factory, on view through September 23. Not Anymore | Not Yet explores reactivation of abandoned city spaces through unconventional projects and visions. Free and open to the public.
Location: 5020 S. Cornell Ave, Chicago, Illinois, 60615, United States map to it
Start time: 6:00pm
End time: 8:00pm
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Organization: Hyde Park Art Center
Phone: 773-324-5520
Contact person: Colleen Coyne
Website: http://hydeparkart.org
Yes, I heard this on NPR's Day to Day show. I kid you not.
I have plenty of friends interested in pursuing greener and more natural lives, away from preservatives and chemicals. I only caught the end of the show, but I am glad they went over some of the risks of raw food for pets if the owners don't know what they are doing.
I listened to NPR's All Things Considered today and found my jaw dropping and a case of outrage slamming into me at this story:
Listen: Alternative Fuel Creates Tax Woes for Couple, March 8, 2007
An Illinois couple using vegetable oil to fuel their car may face felony charges, because government officials say they didn't pay fuel taxes on the vegetable oil. David and Eileen Wetzel talk with Madeleine Brand.
Decatur Herald & Review / Illlinois Senate Bill 267 / Tree Hugger news
I highly suggest signing up to The Green Guide email newsletter. Tons of good info.
This week's tips include a blurb about conserving energy through keeping the heat at a lower temp.
So, my townhome has vaulted ceilings and big big lightbulbs way up high. I don't own a step ladder that big. What did I do, in an effort to reduce energy use? Bought some lamps, and replaced every other light bulb I *could* reach with CFLs. Great idea, eh? Well sure. If my other half would quit turning on the vaulted ceiling lights. Unless I am home to lead the way by turning on the lamps that have the CFLs, it almost never fails (not always, but damn near) that every single set of vaulted ceiling lights are turned on. And sometimes he isn't even in the room.
....le sigh.
And another thing, the heat. I love heat, trust me I do. At least during the winter time. 70 feels great. But I bought slippers, and wear sweatshirts or sweaters over whatever else I'm wearing, in an attempt to keep the heat down to 66, if not lower. The only time I feel the need to punch it up to 70 is when I take my shower. (Sue me!) But the other half can't stand the sweater-idea. And loves to spend time in the computer room, which is the 'basement' and connects to the unheated garage and is just generally much cooler than upstairs. (except my closet, which apparantly did not get ANY insulation but that's another story.. detailing the need for those plushies to put at the bottom of doors to stop drafts)
Frustration is eternally mine, it seems.
Yay for California for starting the mandatory restrictions on green house gases (outlawing incandescent light bulbs).
Unfortunately, CFLs contain mercury. Newsflash: mercury is poisoning our bodies every day, thanks to mercury released by a million and one different companies. Within 'allowable tolerances' maybe, but trust me all that is adding up, and explains a lot of the cancer in the world, IMHO.
But don't take it from me. Read the full Mother Jones article, here is an excerpt:
But truth be told, CFLs are not all sunshine for the environment, especially in the hands of the wasteful. CFLs contain mercury, and, to date, there is no way to make them without using at least a small amount of the toxic substance. "If you are going to make a massive switch over to compact fluorescents, which would be good for energy conservation, it makes sense to accompany it with the appropriate take-back and recycling provisions," notes Elizabeth Grossman, author of High Tech Trash.
Chris has a post about recycling, and getting paid for it.
I have not been able to find these in Illinois. I'm gonna have to start writing letters to local and state persons to add my voice to the others trying to make it happen. Right now, finding reputable recycling is a major concern of mine. Waste Management runs the local landfill, and I'm supposed to put my recyclables into a massive green dumpster.. all of it together.. cardboard, plastic..
I am cycnical and do not trust WM, I guess. Or anyone, really. Must be from growing up in Chicago. Who is to say that they are actually recycling those materials.. Or are they using them in the 'new' "green" landfill designs.
I think I learned way too much in the Hazardous Materials week long class I took for the Army this past summer.. Be afraid at the weak standards out there. Very afraid, at what is legal, and what shouldn't be legal. Not for the army, but just in general.
I am having some serious trouble when it comes to recycling. I've got a cardboard box full of a month of newspapers, waiting to be taken to the recycle spot. I've got 2 grocery plastic bags filled with crushed aluminum cans. I've got a mountain of cardboard boxes broken down waiting to be hauled off. And a cardboard box full of empty/clean glass bottles waiting.. just waiting. I've also managed to collect a pretty hefty bag of used-up AA and AAA batteries.
I've tried using Earth911.org but it just doesn't give me the info I want/need. The link for Waterman, my 'local' municipal recycling 'center', doesn't work. *sigh*
My biggest trouble comes from trying to find the recycling places that offer money for the recyclable product. Why is there no easy-to-find info on this?! Do I want to recycle? Yes. Out of desperation to get rid of this stuff, I will turn it in wherever I can, regardless of making money, but I sure as hell would be a more dedicated recycler if I got money back for it.
I'm going to have to write a few letters to my state and federal congresspersons..
Oh, on Earth911, I discovered that November 15th is 'America Recycles Day'. If you pledge (no money!) to become a force for recycling, in some way, then you can enter a drawing to win a 7-day Alaskan cruise!
Mighty Goods had this awesome item on display a few months ago and I swore I would get one, as part of my determination to make recycling a major part of my life, especially in the limited ways available to me til I feel ready to create my own composting bin. But my state is not one of the select few to have passed Container Deposit laws, which would give me some spare change in exchange for every recycled plastic/aluminum/cardboard item. Grr. I know I saw a classified ad in the paper for aluminum, now I'm trying to find one near by for glass. This is such a pain. I'm going to write to the Green Party gubernatorial candidate to ask him if he plans on working on such a law for IL.
Greenprints for Condos
Condominium buyers and developers get wise to the benefits of going green
—By Suzanne Lindgren, Utne.com, September 28, 2006 Issue
Go there >> Green Inside the Box
Go there too >> Green Condos are Ready to Go Up on Bankers Hill
And there >> "Green" Condos Finding a Market
Related Links:
Related Links from the Utne Archive:
Utne.com had this great article about Green Condos. I badly badly want one. I would give up having a personal garden and a private forest (tee hee) for one of these babies... well maybe. If $$ isn't an option, and I can hire some architects, maybe I wouldn't do this trade..
But anyways, check it out. Here are some bits and pieces, and links...
Greenprints for Condos
Condominium buyers and developers get wise to the benefits of going green
September 28, 2006 Issue
The condominium craze is a phenomenon often associated with controversial issues like gentrification and the expansion of privilege, but with such growth comes the potential for positive impact, and some redeeming features are appearing in the blueprints. As developers realize the profitability of green building, they are beginning to market that angle. Craig Saunders of This Magazine reports that boasting LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -- a widely recognized standard for environmental building) is giving developers a major edge on the competition in an industry where there's little to set the products (i.e., the buildings) apart. It's a marketing scheme that consumers can feel good about buying into, since "[t]he environment is a consideration at their planning stage, and at every step along the way," writes Saunders.
Though a green condo may be more expensive than its conventional counterpart, buyers can walk away with a satisfaction that's more tangible than the warm and fuzzy feeling of shrinking their eco-footprint. This' Saunders points out that since much of the work goes toward making buildings more energy and water efficient, the savings from reduced bills will add an extra layer or two to owners' wallets in the future.
Go there >> Green Inside the Box
Go there too >> Green Condos are Ready to Go Up on Bankers Hill
And there >> "Green" Condos Finding a Market
Related Links:
Related Links from the Utne Archive:
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