Archive for October, 2008
October 31st, 2008
Below are a few items that have come into my in-box that deal with Mother Nature:
1. Plant acorns: Youth groups, families and individuals are needed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, to help the Natural Land Institute scatter 1,200 gallons of acorns at Kinnikinnick Creek Preserve that will grow into a plant community known as a bur oak grove.
According to the press release: Lucas Bradley, education coordinator for the Natural Land Institute, said bur oak groves once covered millions of acres in the Midwest. “These areas are now the rarest and most threatened on Earth,” he said. “This is why we want to expand the tiny remnant still found in one corner of the property, and why Scouts and school groups began collecting hundreds of bags and boxes of acorns when they started falling in early September.”
Kinnikinnick Creek Preserve is east of Roscoe between Belvidere Road and Burr Oak Road, north of the Stone Bridge Nature Trail. For information and directions to the planting site, call 815.964.6666 or e-mail lucaspbradley@aol.com. A map is available at www.naturalland.org.
2. Grow, grow, grow: The University of Illinois Extension-Winnebago County will host a telenet on the topic of High Tunnel Vegetable Production. Producers who are interested in learning more about High Tunnels (unheated greenhouses) as a means of extending their growing season and expanding their production capabilities have an opportunity to hear from a leading experts in the field, Dr. Lewis Jett from the University of West Virginia.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 13, at the U of I Extension-Winnebago County Office at 1925 S. Meridian Road, Rockford.
Registration is requested at 815-986-4357 or http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago. Cost is $5 per person, which includes the program, extensive materials and refreshments.
3. Be really good at growing: The Extension is accepting applications for the 2009 Master Gardener Certification Course. People with an interest in gardening and horticulture are encouraged to apply.
Certified Master Gardeners are an integral part of the education outreach initiatives of the Extension office. The Master Gardener mission is helping others learn to grow. Upon completion of the education training, Master Gardeners are expected to use their knowledge and experience to educate the community on best gardening and horticultural practices.
Classes will meet during the day Thursdays Jan.15 through April 9 at the Extension office. Horticulture training topics include vegetable gardening, trees and small fruits, pest management, turfgrass care, flower gardening, plant diseases and soils. Those who need more flexibility may choose online training.
Cost is $195. The deadline to apply is Friday, Nov. 28. Contact Meghan Bowe at 815-986-4357 or mbowe@illinois.edu.
October 30th, 2008
My 3-year-old, who is dressing up as a fairy, told her Nana’s friend the other day that she’s going to be a “recycled fairy” for Halloween, since her big sister already wore the costume. She nearly knocked the adults onto the floor with laughter.
But seriously, a reminder to reuse those decent Halloween costumes in your family or from your friends. No need to buy new ones if you don’t have to. They’re like Christmas dresses for little girls. They usually are only worn once!
P.S. Reminder how to be green Oct. 31 here.
October 29th, 2008
I Googled “green Halloween” for the heck of it, since the big day is Friday.
Sure enough, there’s a whole site devoted to Earth-friendly, kid-friendly and healthy ideas. For example, I remember when I used to get money while trick-or-treating, and I loved it. I think my kids would, too, until they get a little older, at least.
Lots of good ideas there.
October 28th, 2008
Last week, I told you about Klehm’s search for a holiday tree.
Today, you can sign up to learn how to “go green” with your own holiday decor.
UPDATE, TIME CHANGED: From 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden will present “Holiday Decorating with Natural Materials.” Jane Holting, owner of the Flowering Vine, will share her secrets.
Member price is $12, nonmember $15. To register, call 815-965-8146.
October 27th, 2008
… I’m gonna go eat worms.” Remember that song?
Well, you don’t have to eat ‘em, but you can put worms to work for you by composting at home. They break down organic materials and create tunnels in soil that allow water to percolate and air to circulate.
You can learn more and make your own worm composting bin next month. The University of Illinois Extension program, led by Meghan Bowe, will be from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 8, at Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden. It’s “fun for the whole family.”
Register online here or at 815-986-4357.
Parting thought, courtesy of the Extension:
Worms are nature’s recyclers. There are 500,000 worms living in an acre of soil at any given time. Those 500,000 worms are capable of leaving behind 50 tons of nutrient rich castings. They are part of a natural composting process, which is nature’s way of recycling its own waste.
Try not to think about all those worms too much. After all, it has been raining a lot lately.
October 24th, 2008
One of my co-workers forwarded me this joke. I’ve seen variations of it before.
Just for the record.
If you had purchased $1,000.00 of Delta Airline stock one year ago, you would have $49.00 left.
With Enron, you would have $16.50 left of the original $1,000.00.
With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left.
But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling for the refund, you would have $214.00.
Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.
It’s called the 401-Keg.
Or should it be called “green beer”?
October 23rd, 2008
One of my readers, John, pointed out two stories by the Chicago Tribune that might be of interest to you greenies.
The first is one about a Chipotle restaurant in Gurnee using wind power. The lead is funny.
The second is about God the tree-hugger (I’ve written about this before….).
While on the site, I noticed this bank ad, too. Charter One will pay you up to $120 a year for going paperless (10 cents for every electronic transaction).
October 22nd, 2008
I infrequently use a drive-thru, but today I had to go to the bank instead of go to its Web site. As soon as I pulled up, I turned off the engine.
Never done that before, but that’s the goal of the No Idle Zone coalition, a grass-roots effort to launch in February. We wrote about it here.
Kudos to the three people who have gotten this ball rolling: Steering committee members Linda Sandquist of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, Monica Krysztopa of The Morrissey Family Businesses and Scott Saporiti of Magnum Creative/Adams Letter Services.
While the voluntary effort to avoid idling more than 30 seconds will have its supporters, there will always be folks who don’t buy it or think it’s senseless, as evidenced by the comments on the story.
As someone told me last month, even one person or one story makes a difference. So I’ll leave you with that thought.
October 21st, 2008
Yes, I’m already thinking about Christmas shopping: I’ve gotten two gifts already. Though I’ll probably lapse until early December like usual for the rest.
Anyway, last year, I volunteered — VOLUNTEERED! — to cover Black Friday shoppers starting at 3 in the morning in line at Best Buy and later at Kohl’s. My photo package is still online. And someone the other day remembered seeing me on TV that morning at Target, which I did for WREX.
While I usually work the day after Thanksgiving, I don’t think I want to cover the madness again this year.
If I do get up that early, I’ll shop online for the super deals.
I thought about this green angle to shopping because I got a press release about making a Green Friday from a Chicago fair trade store.
The Greenheart shop offers holiday shoppers an alternative to the madness by allowing its guests the option of hand making their own gifts this season or offering eco-friendly or fairly traded gifts as an option this holiday season. Throughout the day, the Greenheart Shop will offer free workshops such as knitting, refashioning sweaters into mittens, re-styling old T-shirts, jewelry making, and more. Snacks and refreshments will be provided to add to the relaxed experience.
Rockford has a fair trade store, too, called Just Goods, 201 Seventh St., Rockford, 815-965-8903.
October 20th, 2008
Do your part in the greenest of ways: Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden would like someone to donate an unwanted or oversized tree for its lobby during the holiday season.
According to a press release:
“The ideal tree would be a fir or spruce tree that has grown too large for its space,” says John Moors, Director of Horticulture & Maintenance at Klehm. “We can easily accommodate a taller tree by just using the top portion. This is a great way to honor a tree that was scheduled for removal anyway.”
Deadline: Nov. 10. Klehm can provide transportation arrangement. Call 815-543-9563.
Overall, Klehm strives to be eco-friendly. This is what Executive Director Jane Snively told me in an e- mail:
“Klehm strives to model ‘green’ behaviors whenever possible. Using setback thermostats, recycled toner cartridges and glass, not paper plates are a good start, but we can always do more. We believe that if we can promote Earth-friendly habits even further, then it’s our responsibility to do so. To celebrate the holiday season in a way that reflects our commitment to preserving our natural resources, we decorate Klehm with as many natural materials as possible. Cones, dried flowers, vines and berries all make beautiful holiday decorations.”
In case you’re out of the loop, Klehm, 2715 S. Main St., Rockford, is an 155-acre living museum with an assortment of plant life unlike any other natural area in the United States. For more information visit here or call 815-965-8146.
Previous Posts
