Clean your plates, please

Add comment November 30th, 2008

Today’s BusinessRockford.com section in the newspaper had an interesting article about the fact that 30 percent of food in the United States goes to waste.

Wow, we take a lot for granted. Some efforts are under way to reduce that waste.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday?

Add comment November 28th, 2008

I didn’t believe it when I Googled it, but there it is: a set of deals so you can “vote with your wallet,” or go green with your green online.

Courtesy of the Huff Post… which got it here.

P.S. Find other green gift ideas on our site.

Old MacDonald has to follow the rules

Add comment November 26th, 2008

Farmers are invited to attend a “food rules” workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the University of Illinois Extension-Winnebago County office, 1925 S. Meridian Road, Rockford.

Consumers are demanding fresh, local produce at an increasing rate and regional farmers are stepping up production, including shelf-stable products processed directly at local farms to meet that demand. Farmers are sometimes unaware of the many rules and regulations that apply to producing, transporting, and selling meats, eggs, cheese, jam, pickles, or baked goods, and this workshop will provide important information.

Cost is $10; register at www.thelandconnection.org/farmers or 847-570-0701.

P.S. Yeah, I know that NOT all farmers look like this guy…

This cemetery has energy — electric energy

Add comment November 25th, 2008

You never know what kind of headlines you’ll find when you sign into your e-mail.

I found this story about a Spanish town that erected solar panels in a cemetery because space and energy are both scarce.

The power the 462 panels produces — equivalent to the yearly use by 60 homes — flows into the local energy grid for normal consumption and is one community’s odd nod to the fight against global warming.

“The best tribute we can pay to our ancestors, whatever your religion may be, is to generate clean energy for new generations,” said Esteve Serret, director Conste-Live Energy, a Spanish company that runs the cemetery in Santa Coloma and also works in renewable energy.

More than Christmas spirit in the air

1 comment November 24th, 2008

I wrote last month about a grass-roots effort under way to make Rockford a “No Idle Zone.” It will formally launch in February. The goal: To minimize the amount of unnecessary “idling” by cars and buses, making our air cleaner.

In the meantime, students at two schools are working on science experiments to learn about pollution up, close and personal.

On Nov. 10, nine Washington Academy students across third, fourth and fifth grades conducted a first experiment with a year-old bus. They put a clean white sock on a tailpipe of the running bus for five minutes, and it turned noticably gray. They also put Vaseline-coated note cards inside the bus, which collected little black particles.

Kim Woodin, the teacher in charge, called the results “pretty drastic.” At a No Idle meeting last week, she shared the kids’ reactions. “You realize it’s made an impression when you hear them say, ‘Eww, look at that!’ I knew there were going to be bad results, but this just blew my mind.”

Today, Spectrum School students are testing exhaust from a SUV and a Prius, since the private school doesn’t have buses but it does have parents who pick up and drop off their precious cargo.

Washington plans to run another experiment next week with an older bus, and the Register Star plans to come back around with a story.

The two schools are running these experiments with the hopes that other schools will follow their lead after they share the lesson plan.

The Green House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.?

Add comment November 21st, 2008

Did you see this? Or this?

Rod and Arnie, sitting in a tree

Add comment November 20th, 2008

You might not have noticed that our governor, who made headlines this week seeking extraordinary budget powers, was in California this week convening a Governors’ Global Climate Summit, co-hosted by Green Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Above, seen together in 2007.)

On Wednesday, Rod Blagojevich and 11 other state leaders pledged to work together to seek global warming solutions.

According to a press release I got (which is not yet on Blago’s site), the governors joined world leaders agreeing to, among other things:

* Achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions.

* Scale up investments in climate friendly technologies and strategies.

* Focus research, development and deployment activities on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, zero- and low-carbon electricity generation and fuels, improved mobility through better planning and transportation infrastructure, biological carbon sequestration, climate change impacts and adaptation.

Find the Memo of Understanding here. Let’s hope for the best.

Worn down by going green? Go to the cobbler

1 comment November 19th, 2008

These days when you hear the word “cobbler,” you’re more likely to think of dessert than Dr. Scholl’s.

Apparently, the economic downturn has led to a boom for the shoe repair shops across the country.

As one newspaper put it, people are fixin’ to save.

I’ve taken my pumps to Heel Sew Quick and Palace, mostly because I love the shoes (I fixed a pair very similar to those below). But paying five or 15 bucks beats buying a new pair for much more.

A green matchmaker, continued…

Add comment November 18th, 2008

On Monday I told you about the Waste-to-Profit Network briefly. Here’s more.

The network is mostly recruiting right now.

There are two levels:

1. The community network, which is free and meets infrequently for the purpose connecting folks with waste “wants” and “haves.”

2. The innovation network, which charges $500 to $5,000 per year on a sliding scale basis. Members attend quarterly meetings, connect on projects that benefit their businesses, share best practices and receive technical assistance.

Mary Hallock, who directs this effort, said the community network meeting attracted about 50 companies last month, leading about half of them to sign up. Naturally, the struggle is more on the innovation end, getting companies to commit to projects; a meeting is still in the works.

A little on Hallock, by the way:

She has worked for IMEC for 2 ½ years, based in the Rockford area. “I tell my kids the reason I’m doing this is so that we don’t have to create WALL-Es.”

Before this position, the chemical engineer with an MBA worked in the chemical and food businesses as a chemical engineer for more than two decades.

She got interested in the field because she was good at math and science and lived near Georgia Tech.

So what’s next? There are similar efforts across Illinios, with a meeting in Peoria this week and another downstate in January.
For more information, contact Hallock at 815-721-4474 or mhallock@imec.org.

How could you miss it? Green Week

Add comment November 17th, 2008

Have you noticed little green “Bravo”or “peacock” bugs on your TV screen? Did you see Ann Curry from “Today” at Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania?

What’s going on? Well, it’s Green Week at NBC and its various channels. Here’s the history:

In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week. Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content across multiple platforms. Then, in April of 2008, NBC Universal celebrated Earth Day with over 100 hours of green-themed content over multiple platforms during what was coined Earth Week 2008.

Now, NBC Universal is proud to present Green Week 2008. With a new theme and message of “Green Your Routine,” NBC Universal has set out to provide actionable content and entertainment for its viewers and users across multiple platforms.

According to this article, while NBC is promoting a good message, it doesn’t rake in the ratings for it. And it ups its carbon output tremendously by flying its stars around for the “Ends of the Earth” series.

In case you miss all the PSAs, you can see them online, like this one. Thanks, Bo, for telling me to turn off the faucet. That’s the most “Days of our Lives” I’ve seen since high school.

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