Green for beginners

The New York post offers “Five Beginners’ Steps to a Greener Home“

Look for Vampires … put a soda bottle in the toilet … add a programmable thermostat.  Check it out.

READ MORE >>>

Tree Revenge

Volunteers needed to Watch the Wild

Nature Abounds™ Seeks Volunteers to Watch the Wild™

Watch the Wild, the newest program of Nature Abounds, seeks volunteers from across the United States to monitor the “wild” in their community.

In as little as 10 minutes, volunteers can gather and report information that will help to analyze how our climate is changing in different regions of the United States, and how our ecosystems are reacting to the change.

Volunteers contribute information about wildlife, plants, trees, and weather. Watching the Wild can be done in a specific area such as a backyard or a local park, or volunteers can choose to observe and report on the route they commute to work or a trail that they hike regularly.

Toys from recycled milk jugs – cool

Hold on to your boots.  Green Toys are here and they are made in the USA from recycled milk jugs!

From their website:

Start Simple: Recycled Plastic Milk Jugs
We use recycled milk containers as the main ingredient in creating our toys. Yes, the exact plastic milk jugs that you and your family drink from every day. When you finish your milk and toss the container in the recycling bin, these milk containers are collected at your curb by a local recycling company, who then sorts them from all the other types of plastic. Next, the milk containers are reprocessed into super clean fresh plastic. For you plastic geeks, the plastic material we use is called high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). This material is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around.

Environmental Packaging
Green Toys environmental mission even extends to our packaging. We strive to minimize packaging, and all of our boxes use as little material as possible. All Green Toys products are packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. So, not only are they earth-friendly and ready for your recycling bin, they are really easy to open for those little fingers just itching to get at the toys!!

CHECK IT OUT >>>

Thanks for the heads-up from Eco-Scraps.

Power lines can be disorienting

From NPRs All Things Considered, comes this:

High voltage power lines can interfere with the ability of cows and deer to respond normally to the Earth’s magnetic field, according to a team of European researchers that has been studying these animals with the help of Google Earth.

“Under these power lines, the orientation of the animals is random, in all directions,” says Hynek Burda of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. [MORE]

Image from the NPR website: www.npr.org

This is no surprise really.  In my TOTALLY UNSCIENTIFIC view of this, our brains work on millions of electrical charges snapping constantly right?  Now what’s to say that a huge electro-magnetic charge would not have the same effect as waving a magnet over a computer’s hard disk?

C’mon – you have to think that the magnetic field around those huge power lines has some effect on human health. In spite of what the power line companies say.

Local honey may help with allergies

Does locally produced honey help fight allergies?  The idea is that when bees ingest the nectar from flowers, they’re also ingesting some of the plants’ pollen, which later is stored in their honeycombs.

Quoting a recent post at Eat. Drink. Better:

While the local honey method has yet to be tested scientifically, the idea behind it seems to make sense: The sweet stuff contains small amounts of pollen from local flowers, and like a vaccine that protects against a virus or disease by providing you with a tiny dose of it, eating local honey is believed to build up the body’s immune system against those allergy-causing pollens.  For the best chance of building up your body’s defenses, take 2-3 spoonfuls of locally-produced honey each day for a couple of months prior to allergy season.  You could eat the honey straight up, but I would take advantage and swirl it into oatmeal, stir it into tea, or drizzle it over a slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter, bananas, and cinnamon.

In addition to being delicious and possibly banishing allergy symptoms, honey is the perfect natural remedy for a whole host of ailments.  Eating a spoonful will soothe a scratchy throat, and mixing it with some baking soda makes for a quick face mask that will draw out the skin’s impurities.  Ayurvedic practice even says that 2 tsp honey combined with 1 tsp garlic juice taken twice daily will get high blood pressure under control.

Where do I find local Loudoun County honey? 0

You can find it at farmer’s markets and country stores like Hill High Country Store in Round Hill or Great Country Farms near Bluemont.

Here’s some links to help you find local honey sources:

http://www.lccss.org/FarmFood.html

http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vagrown-directory/loudoun.shtml

Ever consider raising your own bees?

Try the Loudoun Beekeepers Association

Virginia urging precautions to protect bats

The Virginia Cave Board and Natural Heritage Karst Program are asking for a moratorium (a voluntary ban) on all underground caving activity in Virginia until April 15, 2009, because of the potential spread of White Nose Syndrome in bats.

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a condition that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds-of-thousands of bats in the northeastern United States since 2006.  According to VDGIF, cases of White Nose Syndrome (WNS) were confirmed in Pendleton County, West Virginia this winter.

Image: Bat Conservation Trust

In February, surveys of significant bat and recreational caves in adjacent Highland and Bath counties in Virginia discovered what appears to be WNS in Breathing Cave in Bath County, located near the Highland County border.

There is mounting evidence that humans may play a significant role in transmitting biological agent(s) responsible for WNS in bats.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is investigating a potential occurrence of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats in Virginia. We have found bats exhibiting symptoms similar to WNS cases in other states. We are sending bats to be tested. As soon as we have results back, which could take as much as two to three weeks, we will provide more information. At this time, we are working with other state and federal agencies.

• Read the March 9, 2009 VDGIF Press Release
• Frequently Asked Questions about White-Nose Syndrome (USFWS)
• Bat Facts
• Report Suspicious Bat Activity

To learn more about white-nose syndrome, visit the following resources:

• USGS: White-Nose Syndrome (WNS)
• FWS: The White-Nose Syndrome Mystery – Something is Killing Our Bats
• BatCon.org: White-Nose Syndrome – Science Strategy Meeting (PDF)

Sign of the Times

Oil dependency 3rd biggest national threat says FedEx CEO

Increased dependence on foreign oil represents the biggest threat to the U.S. economy and national security after terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. So says FedEx chief executive officer Fred Smith, co-chairman of the Energy Security Leadership Council.

image source: Good To Be Green at http://g2bgreen.com

According to a post at environmental leader:

The U.S. consumes 20 million barrels of petroleum a day, and in 2008, that oil cost the nation nearly three quarters of a trillion dollars, said Smith, founder of the Memphis-based transportation and services company, “There can be little doubt that a major part of the financial crisis that led to the current recession was the 2007 and 2008 run-up in oil prices,” he remarked at The National Press Club.

To reverse the trend, Smith, together with several military and business leaders, promote a transportation system that no longer relies on oil. They back the council’s plan released in September for “the electrification of short-haul transportation.” Electrical power can be generated from solar, hydroelectric, wind, nuclear, coal or natural gas, reducing the nation’s dependence on one fuel source or producer, he said.

MORE >>>

County moves to adopt much-needed protection in the Limestone area

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to amend Chapter 6 of the Zoning Ordinance to incorporate standards for the new Limestone Overlay District.  The plan to revise the Zoning Ordinance will be the subject of a Public Hearing before the County’s Planning Commission March 19.

The ordinance will add restrictions on certain activities in an area underlain by limestone conglomerate geology, an area that generally lies North of Leesburg and east of the Bull Run fault.

Location of the Limestone Area that will be regulated under proposed ordinance

So why is this needed?

In this part of the county, limestone is the bedrock under what is often a very thin layer of soil.  When slightly acidic water flows over or around limestone is can melt the rock.  This opens up fissures in the ground and can eventually result in sinkholes.  Drive Route 15 north from Leesburg and you can see depressions in the landscape.  These are sinkholes that have collapsed when the underlying limestone melted away.

Sinkholes can be dangerous on their own.  But another serious problem that develops in limestone geology is the threat of contaminating drinking water.  The fairly rapid wearing away of the bedrock creates a direct path for rainwater runoff to contaminate the groundwater.  These fissures and underground caves can be an opening for runoff to carry chemicals, bacteria, and other contaminants directly to the groundwater that supply local wells.

This is an important step in protecting the county’s water resources and safeguarding the drinking water for residents in the area.  You can learn more about the Planning Commission Public Hearing on March 19 HERE.

Learn more about Limestone Geology in Loudoun County HERE.

Download a pdf brochure on Karst Limestone Geology and its issues HERE

Tiny house movement – will it replace McMansions?

Some in the blogosphere and elsewhere have expressed outrage and indignation over the proliferation of McMansions across the suburban landscape.  There is a recent trend toward slightly smaller homes and there have even been moves to “outlaw” McMansions in Maryland or at least limit the size of new homes.

One of Mr Kittel’s current projects is a custom-built Victorian-style farmhouse with a green exterior. Most of the house is to be made of salvaged materials. It will have a full kitchen and bathroom, a loft big enough to sleep in, and a roomy living area with a vaulted ceiling. At 350 square feet (33 square metres), this is a fairly capacious model.

Now here is a really cool development – “Tiny Houses”.  Not only are they small but in one sense very green too.  These diminutive dwellings put the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra into action!

Several years ago Brad Kittel was living in the small town of Gonzales, Texas, running an architectural-antiques shop.  even though he had the largest collection of antique door hardware in the country, and a warehouse full of salvaged material nothing was selling.  So in 2006 he decides to try an innovative way of merchandising his stock.  He began build little houses out of salvage materials and Tiny Texas Houses was born.

According to an article at Economist.com,

The Small House Movement has been around for years, encouraging people to think about how much house they really need. But lately it has attracted more attention. “It seems like a perfect convergence of a bad housing market meeting a bad economy and more awareness about global warming,” claims Jay Shafer, an enthusiastic advocate. His Tumbleweed Tiny House company sells small ready-made houses as well as plans for slightly larger ones. Its teensiest model, the XS-House, measures 65 square feet; ready-made, it costs $37,000. For several years, the company survived on a sale here and there. Lately, says Mr Shafer, interest has risen.

Tiny Texas Houses and began building small-sized homes out of salvaged materials.  And the idea caught on.  To this day, his houses are about 99% pure salvage — each home is a one-of-a-kind, custom production from existing doors, floors, windows, lumber, porch posts, etc.

Also check out the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company HERE

Is hope dangerous?

A recent post at ScienceDaily offers the challenge, “Do you ‘hope’ that everyone will see the light and start living more sustainably to save the environment? If so, you may be doing more harm than good.”

The article titled “Simply Hoping That Humanity Will Save The Environment May Do More Harm Than Good, Experts Argue” goes on to say an environmental scientist and an environmental ethicist challenge the widespread belief that hope can motivate people to solve overwhelming social and environmental problems.

“Is hope a placebo, a distraction, merely sowing the seeds of disillusionment?” they ask, in an opinion piece titled “Abandon Hope.” Hope’s alternative is not hopelessness or despair, but rather the inherent virtue of “doing the right thing.”

The experts suggest: “I have little reason to live sustainably if the only reason to do so is to hope for a sustainable future, because every other message I receive suggests that disaster is guaranteed.” People are hearing radically contradictory messages:

• Scientists present evidence that profound environmental disaster is imminent.
• It is urgent to live up to an extremely high standard of sustainable living.
• The reason to live sustainably is that doing so gives hope for averting disaster.
• Yet disaster is inevitable.

If hope for averting environmental disaster is not the right reason to live sustainably, what is?

The scholars say we must provide people with reasons to live sustainably that are rational and effective, based on virtues rather than consequences. It’s the right thing to do. This can motivate even people who do not believe that we are on the brink of environmental disaster and helps clarify the connection between environmental and social problems, a connection many people fail to grasp.

“Instead of hope, we need to provide young people with reasons to live sustainably that are rational and effective,” the scholars say. “We need to lift up examples of sustainable living motivated by virtue more than by a dubious belief that such actions will avert environmental disaster.”

Journal Reference: John Vucetich and Michael Nelson. Abandon Hope. The Ecologist, March 2009

Companion planting beats using herbicides and pesticides hands down

If you want an organic garden, and don’t want to have any type of herbicides or pesticides in your garden, you may think about using companion planting. Companion planting involves putting some plants together with other plants that will help to protect them from insects, while helping them grow.

When you plant a variety of different plants together, it creates a variety of smells that confuse the insects and prevent them from laying eggs in the area. There are also a variety of insects repelling plants that will help the garden keep away the pests.

Learn more about Companion Planting  HERE

Natural compound replaces DEET

Image via Wikipedia

Isolongifolenone, a natural compound found in the Tauroniro tree (Humiria balsamifera) of South America, has been identified as an effective deterrent of mosquitoes and ticks, report researchers writing in the latest issue of Journal of Medical Entomology.

Since “isolongifolenone is easily synthesized from inexpensive turpentine oil feedstock,” the authors write, “we are therefore confident that the compound has significant potential as an inexpensive and safe repellent for protection of large human populations against blood-feeding arthropods.”

Derivatives of the compound have long been used as fragrances in cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants, and paper products, but new processing methods may make it as inexpensive to produce as DEET, … CONTINUED at MONGABAY.COM >>>

PS3 game takes you on flight of fancy through nature’s beauty

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

A new game for the Playstation 3 has players fly through meadows as a gust of wind in a flower’s dream. The goal is to carry petals to other flowers in order to progress to the next level. But the higher goal is to appreciate the gorgeousness of the plant world, according to a post at Towleroad.

If you can’t pull you, or your loved one away from the gaming console, then at least this gives you a glimpse of the peace and beauty of nature.  I notice in the trailer that there’s also a pitch for wind energy (which makes sense since you are playing the part of a gust of wind).

How about a Stinging Nettle sofa?

Anyone who has hiked a Virginia floodplain and wandered off the well-worn path has probably had a memorable encounter with Stinging Nettle.  This herb grows to be a few feet tall and delivers a nasty sting to bare skin.  Even pushing through a patch of Stinging Nettle wearing jeans can be a painful experience.

Now imagine Stinging Nettle upholstery on your favorite chair.  Some new kind of torture?  No.

Image: wikipedia. Urtica dioica, commonly called stinging nettle, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America, and is the best known member of the nettle genus Urtica.

This plant apparently being used in Europe to produce the “most sustainable fabric ever.” According to a post at treehugger, nettle fibers are stronger than cotton and finer than hemp and has natural fire retardant properties.  There’s more

“Projects for converting stinging nettles into fine fabrics have popped up across Europe, in Germany, Italy, and now in the UK. Four years of research led by a team at De Montfort University in Leicester have enabled Camira Fabrics to develop an award winning upholstery, which the company is calling their “most sustainable fabric ever.” Coming from a company with a track record of commitment to sustainability, that says a lot.

The judges at the London 100% Design exhibition, where STINGplus was launched, agreed. They awarded Camira Fabrics the 2008 Award for Sustainable Product Design.” CONTINUED

Survey shows concern for economy up and environment down

Financial woes top American’s priority issues for 2009 according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center.

Not surprisingly, strengthening the nation’s economy and improving the job situation stand at the top of the public’s list of domestic priorities for 2009. Meanwhile, the priority placed on issues such as the environment, crime, illegal immigration and even reducing health care costs has fallen off from a year ago.

Protecting the environment fell the most precipitously – just 41% rate this as a top priority today, down from 56% a year ago.  Concern among the age group 50-64 shifted the most, likely because this is the demographic that saw 30-50% of their retirement vaporize after October 2008!

• About the Survey
• Complete Report
  Topline Questionnaire

ANS Kid’s Summer Camps – sign up online starting Feb 2

The Audubon Naturalist Society is taking Summer Camp sign-ups for this Spring and Summer.

Day Camps are for ages 4 to 11.

Camps are at Rust Nature Sanctuary near Leesburg [MAP]

View or Download the Camp Catalog (pdf)

You can register for all camps online [link] beginning Monday, February 2 at 9 AM.

Virginia needs to keep land conservation incentives

Via Piedmont Environmental Council’s website …

Act Now to Support Continued Land Conservation in Virginia

“The Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit is the most successful private land conservation incentive program in America today. In just eight years since its creation, the Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit has tripled the rate of land conservation and achieved the permanent protection of more than 400,000 acres of land critical to preserving Virginia’s economy, cultural heritage and natural resources. Unfortunately, this tax credit program is under threat as the state budget shortfall grows.  Send a letter to your Delegate and Senator letting him/her know you value this successful program”

E-mail your Virginia representative by going HERE

TAX BENEFITS OF LAND CONSERVATION IN VIRGINIA (pdf)

Conservation Easements in Virginia (pdf)

Jan 7 – Learn more about transmission towers proposed for Loudoun countryside

Via Piedmont Environmental Council’s Website …

Learn more about a 765-kV transmission line proposal from Allegheny Power and American Electric Power. If approved, this new line would tie in next to the Amos coal plant in West Virginia, and transport cheap, coal-fired electricity to markets in the Northeast. As proposed the line would cross through parts of West Virginia, Maryland, and Frederick and Loudoun County Virginia.

flickr photo: electric power line towers by St_A_Sh

Wednesday, January 7th, 7:00 PM

Mt Olivet United Methodist Church
11783 Mountain Road (Rt 690)
Lovettsville VA

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