July 3rd, 2009 08:04am
Jennie Pollock
Tricked you into reading about the climate bill, which passed the House and faces an uphill battle in the Senate, though Barack Obama is “confident” it will pass.
Here’s the quote, from AP:
“Now, I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because seven percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses,” Obama said.
Here’s what the bill is all about, from the Wall Street Journal:
The 1,200 page bill — formally known as the “American Clean Energy and Security Act” — will reach into almost every corner of the U.S. economy. By putting a price on emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, the bill would affect the way electricity is generated, how homes and offices are designed, how foreign trade is conducted and how much Americans pay to drive cars or to heat their homes.
The House climate bill, approved by a 219-212 vote Friday evening, would mandate that 15% of the nation’s electricity come from renewable sources such as wind and solar power by 2020, potentially expanding the market and profit potential for companies in those sectors. Towards that goal, it seeks to boost nascent industries such as wind-generated electricity and solar power. …
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the bill would have a modest impact on family budgets. The CBO projected an annual economy-wide cost in 2020 of $22 billion, or about $175 per household.
July 2nd, 2009 08:41am
Jennie Pollock
You may either find these products useful or goofy. I was interested enough to click on the links, so I’m sharing, but I’m not interested enough to get overly excited.
– I’ve written before about reusing drink pouches to make bags. But what about Kona coffee sacks? One by The Organik (aloha to the “beach lifestyle brand” that uses organic, sustainable and recyclable materials!) can be yours for 40 bucks. Buy online or go to Misun Fashion House in Chicago.
– Women have to be at least slightly intrigued by this new product called Whiz Freedom, which claims to be the world’s first eco-friendly, anti-bacterial “urine director.” I guess it allows freedom to “go anywhere,” but seems like its most practical use is for people with disabilities or fear of public restrooms. I suppose if you’re in the great outdoors or stuck at an all-day concert, it could come in handy. Cost is $25; carrying case is extra. Still not sure how it’s green (because it’s machine-washable?).
July 1st, 2009 07:53pm
Meghan Bowe
The local foods movement…There are varied reasons why people are getting involved in locavorism. There are probably many people out there who have no idea what I’m talking about and an equal number who do. Buying and eating local foods — including vegetables, fruits, meats, and dairy — and the reasons for doing so are oftentimes personal. If you search “local foods,” information, markets, reasons why to be a locavore are all over the Internet, airwaves, and in print.
This effort extends well beyond a local topic. I’ve taken a cue from the calls and questions that bombard the U of I Extension office where I work — there is a lot of local interest in this topic and at its most basic level I’m seeing a resurgence in the interest in vegetable gardening. People out there want to know how to get started, when to get started, and where to get started. U of I Extension Master Gardeners are happy to help you get started. You can reach them Mondays through Fridays at (815) 986.4357.
I myself, a lifelong tomato grower, am expanding my gardening repertoire to include a broad variety of savories. As a person of science, I’m approaching this year’s garden season as an experiment. I’m using containers and a traditional garden plot with a twist: this year I’m incorporating permaculture techniques. In educating myself about local foods, I’ve become inspired to approach gardening in a more sustainable manner — a manner that is in line with and in the spirit of the local foods movement. I’m minimizing my footprint, so to speak.
If you’re curious, find trustworthy sources and read about, research and ask questions about local foods. Embrace local foods concepts and embrace the varied reasons for being a locavore, celebrate the return of the small farm, and embrace sustainability. In doing so you will support efforts to build a more responsible community. You can learn more about permaculture at an upcoming class to be held at theWinnebago County Uof I Extension on July 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more information or to register, go to www.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago.
July 1st, 2009 07:17am
Jennie Pollock
I ran into Mary Cacioppi of Walter Wayne Real Estate at the women’s expo last month and she handed me the card you see above.
Not only is it a business card: It’s seeded paper full of wildflowers. She picked up the idea from someone else and realized how powerful it could be.
She chose the card to show her company’s commitment to the environment: Walter Wayne is building a seven-acre office park called Cherrywood Business Campus near Interstate 90 and Newburg Road, with attracting green and young people in mind.
Features include WiFi, a walking path, a pond fed by rainwater aqueduct, reflective roofing/pavement and windows that open but block heat in the summer and absorb it in the winter.
One engineering firm is interested so far. Phase 1 is expected to be ready in spring 2010; phase 2, fall 2010/spring 2011.
For more information, call Cacioppi at 815-871-8327.
June 30th, 2009 06:46am
Jennie Pollock
At this month’s Women In Business Expo, I briefly met Kristan McNames, funeral director at Grace Funeral and Cremation Services.
It’s a new business at 1340 S. Alpine Road in Rockford (815-395-0559) that carries Ecoffins, caskets made with environmentally sustainable plants like bamboo and willow. This is from the company’s press release:
A popular choice for woodland burials, Ecoffins will biodegrade naturally along with the body, leaving nothing behind but human remains within six months to one year from the time of burial. Also appropriate for cremation, an added benefit is the lack of toxins released into the environment during the cremation process.
McNames also said she’s exploring the possibility of using environmentally friendly embalming products, since traditional ones employ formaldehyde, a carcinogen. In fact, she’s placing the order any minute.
And to stay with the green theme, she and her husband chose existing construction (at Heartland Church; it feels “more like a coffee shop,” to be more comfortable).
In addition to these green aspects, Grace offers traditional funeral services/products and technological enhancements, including Webcasting of services (live or recorded for later; password-protected, of course) and video tributes.
The business opened within the last month; its grand opening is July 30.
June 29th, 2009 06:27am
Jennie Pollock
I’ve been meaning to write this since October, when someone passed along a PDF about a “green” line sold by Granite Transformations. I’ve since lost the article.
So here’s the deal: If you want to put in a new countertop or tile, instead of ripping apart your house and dumping things into the landfill, you can top existing materials with a tough, thin product line. Some of the products use recycled or cast-off materials, too. And because they are lighter, they need less gas to transport (for example, 1 square foot weighs 2 pounds versus slab granite, which can weigh 18 to 20).
Our local franchise of Granite Transformations has been at 9934 N. Alpine Road in Machesney Park since February 2008. Owned by Linda Young and her brother, Mike Hayes, it employs five people and caters mostly to residential customers (they have a showroom you can visit; call 815-633-6200).
Granite Transformations carries and installs Trend Stone (95 percent granite mixed with a polymer), Trend Glass (clear glass mixed with a colored resin) and Trend Q (recycled glass) product lines.
They are all 1/4-inch thick, resistant to heat/scratches/stains, seal-free, covered by a lifetime warranty and green because they can be installed over existing surfaces like laminate countertops, ceramic tile and brick. There also is a Trend Mosaics line, which has all the same qualities except the resistance (they are glass tiles mostly for backsplashes).
“We hear quite a bit that (customers) like that they don’t have to tear out their kitchens,” Young said, adding that they also enjoy not worrying about maintenance or the right kind of cleaning products.
Trend Stone is additionally green because it uses pieces of granite that fall off to the side when a slab is being pulled out of the ground.
Each project varies, but an average kitchen job costs $2,000 to $5,000. Installation is a one-day process. In case you were wondering, the products can be used in new construction, too.
Coming soon: Cabinet resurfacing. And possibly more mosaic tile offerings.
June 26th, 2009 03:08pm
Jennie Pollock
I wrote about this a while back (geez, I’m doing a lot of updates this week), but you have a few more weeks to buy a raffle ticket to win a Smart Car. I was reminded by this when I saw Tuesday’s GO section.
A winner will be drawn July 4 for Blackhawk Learning Connection’s first raffle.
Blackhawk is a nonprofit licensed child-care facility that provides subsidized care for children 6 weeks to 10 years old. Since founding in Rockford in 1969, it has provided care for more than 2,500 children.
The Smart Fortwo features fuel economy of 33 mpg city/41 mpg highway, a five-speed automatic transmission, a panoramic roof, front and side airbags (among other safety features) and a flat-folding passenger seat. See photos at blackhawklearning.com and smartusa.com.
Raffle tickets at blackhawklearning.com or 815-962-8853 are $20 each, four for $60 or eight for $100. They are $20 each at Alpine Bank locations, Logli, Meg’s Daily Grind, Fox 39 and WZOK. Most ticket sales end July 3.
The winner will be drawn July 4 at the Rockford Speedway. Racing that night starts at 7:07 p.m. (gates open at 5), a 10,000-watt fireworks show is planned, and you can buy raffle tickets from 5 to 8 p.m., when the drawing takes place. Entry to the speedway is $10 to $12 for adults, $5 to $6 for ages 6 to 11, free for 5 and younger.
You also can see the car and buy tickets at the speedway Saturday and July 3.
Call 815-962-8853.
June 26th, 2009 09:28am
Andrea (Andy) Hazzard
If you missed the Openfields Dinner at the Celtic Thistle on Sunday night, you missed a lovely evening. It was filled with the most mouthwatering steaks I’ve seen in years, thanks to Tom Eickman of Eickman’s Processing in Seward. And the dessert was to die for, with strawberries picked lovingly from Harrison Market Garden by Jill and Bill Beyer. Succulent jewels ladled over a puff of meringue.
If you weren’t in attendance, don’t fret, as there will be more opportunities. The next Openfields dinner featuring local foods will be on July 18 at Pine Row Farm in Roscoe, with catering by Kiki B’s and A Movable Feast. Other local foods dinners will be held on July 23 at Octane and August 6 at Brio, plus more opportunities to finish out the summer and head into fall. All of these dinners are being planned to take advantage of the bounty of what is in season.
An Openfields dinner is as much about enjoying the company of kindred spirits as it is about the mouthwatering local food. It is an opportunity to meet new people, and exchange ideas and philosophies, as well as recipes. It is an ancient ritual repeated in a modern world. Bread and wine shared amongst a diverse and growing clan.
Now that we’ve considered the wine, on to the weather! Rain, rain, rain, and more rain. There are springs seeping upward through the earth in my fields. More springs than anyone can remember, and it is a good thing that hope springs eternal, as well. We keep planting, while some things grow and thrive and others rot in the rich dark soil that had been so productive in previous years. Ah, the life of a farmer!
The beauty of local food is that it is the tie that binds. It binds the farmer to the community, and it binds the community back to the earth. Those ties have been severed for decades and we have the ability to respond…responsibility… to recreate those frayed threads. To create anew a system that will sustain and nourish not just our bodies, but, our minds and our souls.
Raise your glass to a new paradigm, and join us as we celebrate a new understanding. To make reservations to join us at future Openfields dinners, visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago or phone the University of Illinois Extension Winnebago County office at (815) 986-4357. Andrea Hazzard is the Farmer at Hazzard Free Farm, partner in First Hand Harvest CSA and the Local Food Systems Coordinator for Winnebago County
June 25th, 2009 06:43am
Jennie Pollock
American TV & Appliance, which has a Rockford location at 6651 E. State St., has started an electronics recycling initiative.
You can drop off:
– Smaller electronic items such as cameras, camcorders, mobile or cordless phones and MP3 players in an “e-cycle” drop box inside the front entrance.
– Other electronics can also be dropped off for free, including TVs smaller than 27 inches, desktop computers, printers, stereo receivers, tape players/recorders, VCRs and DVD players.
– Larger TVs, laptop computers and computer monitors can be recycled for $10, but customers will receive a $10 rewards card toward a future purchase.
– Customers who have a TV delivered can have their old one hauled away and recycled as well.
If you need inspiration, watch this “Frontline” piece about the toxics results of e-waste “markets” in Ghana and China.
June 24th, 2009 09:12am
Jennie Pollock
– The 1,000 dead fish in the Rock River could be related to the ethanol spilled in Friday’s train derailment.
– Madison County in Illinois, near St. Louis, is one place at greater risk for cancer because of what’s in the air, according to the EPA. And this is only based on 2002 tests. Could it be worse or better now?
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