Juicy details

Add comment March 19th, 2009

In case you missed it…

This month, the Rockford Coronado Concert Association announced its 2009-2010 lineup, and its opening performer is a greenie.

Soyeon Lee is a pianist famous for wearing a gown made of 6,000 juice pouches — and for performing in the first eco-awareness concert in February 2008 in Carnegie Hall. Sample her sound here before her Oct. 18 concert. I like the Sonata in F minor.

In the hot seat

Add comment March 18th, 2009

One consequence of turning off your car engine while waiting in line? No heat or air-conditioning. Depending on the season, either a major or minor inconvenience.

If you missed this BusinessRockford.com story, there’s a local company that benefits from its solution to this problem. Bergstrom Inc. makes No-Idle Thermal Environment units, which keep parked truck cabs heated or cooled without idling engines. From the story:

The number is accelerating for the 5-year-old product. In 2008, sales were up almost 20 percent. This January, sales were up an additional 5 percent despite the recession.

“The 10,000th unit is a huge milestone for us — it tells us our technology is being readily accepted in the marketplace,” said Bill Gordon, director of global marketing.

The NITE system runs on a rechargeable battery, which differentiates it from popular “auxiliary power units” that run on a small engine.

And it’s catching on with some big names. Maverick Transportation ordered 500 trucks outfitted with the unit this year. Wal-Mart plans to test a NITE unit in one of its trucks.

It now accounts for almost 20 percent of Bergstrom’s revenue, Gordon said.

The No Idle Zone site is up and running

Add comment March 17th, 2009

The No Idle Zone is now a Web zone. The site has launched.

What can you do there? Get the basic why’s. Check today’s air quality. Sign your NIZ pledge. Print out signs. Contact the organizers. Link to business, government and education partners.

P.S. Below is a photo from Thursday that NIZ organizer Linda Sandquist sent of Mayor Larry Morrissey showing the city’s commitment to NIZ by putting magnets on city vehicles. City workers have been asked to turn off their vehicles whenever possible. Expect more to come from government workers in the area.

WWHHE?

Add comment March 16th, 2009

Translation: What would Hammy the Hamster eat?

For a little humor in your day, watch this YouTube video of a hamster choosing between organic and conventional food.

Have you noticed a lot of green giveaways?

Add comment March 13th, 2009

I have, at least in two of the magazines on my kitchen table. I guess Earth Day has a cool ring to it now for April.

Every Day with Rachael Ray (home of the Greenie Award) is giving away eco-friendly home/garden packages and green cleaners.

And Shape is giving away a bunch: Envirosax, a necklace, the “Big Green Purse” book…

If you know of others, chime in.

Local Foods: Community, Vitality and Liberty!

Add comment March 12th, 2009

Since taking on the director’s position at the University of Illinois Extension-Winnebago County, I have had the good (or great) fortune to become involved with growers, consumers, and volunteers who have a passion for what many call the Local Foods Movement.

Extensions throughout the country have been offering information and training on this topic for 100 years, but it’s been called agriculture, gardening, 4-H projects, canning and freezing, food safety, or community development. Today, we are back to our roots and involved in offering support and information about our local food system to communities throughout Illinois.

Since early fall, a very active and enthused group of farmers, consumers and local foods supporters has been meeting at the Extension Office as the Winnebago County Local Foods Working Group.

Together, we have identified local opportunities to strengthen the food system in our area, by providing education, awareness, and support to the many facets of this system. It has been a pleasure to get to know this group well and hear their thoughts, opinions, and experiences in terms of what we can do in our area.

In October, we published the Local Foods Directory for Northern Illinois.  I guess we weren’t that amazed when the 500 copies disappeared from the shelf. We took on the project at the request of many who were searching for a guide to sourcing their food locally. We just went through a second printing of 100 in six days. Back to the printer!

The Local Foods Work Group is excited to have the opportunity to share our perspectives, viewpoints and experiences with readers throughout the area through this blog and column. Our members will be sharing information from their world of local food, focusing on topics such as eating seasonally,  food preservation, nutrition, grower’s concerns and triumphs, livestock production, local foods issues such as food security and access, the ins and outs of farmers markets, how to get to know your farmer…..the list goes on and on. We’ll also announce our related activities and events and highlight opportunities for you to learn more — right here, each week.

Don’t take fresh produce for granted

Add comment March 12th, 2009

If you were one of the more than 500 (mostly women) last week at the YWCA Leader Luncheon, you heard Malaak Compton-Rock talk about her life dedicated to philanthropy, especially helping women and children.

When I had the pleasure of talking briefly with Compton-Rock, otherwise known as the wife of Chris Rock, beforehand, she mentioned her work in South Africa (a project that took kids “from the projects of Brooklyn” to volunteer in shanty towns). What I didn’t know until her speech was that the grannies who have to raise children who’ve lost their parents to AIDS are helped in part by food gardens (she’s partnered with Food Gardens Foundation).

As I was listening, I thought, a green angle! She said it herself! “Sustainability.” Note to self. … The gardens sustain those in poverty with food, livelihood and environmental awareness. Sorry I didn’t get around to it sooner.

If you go, you could get a “green” bag

Add comment March 11th, 2009

Each Sunday this month, the Ethnic Heritage Museum is holding events celebrating Women’s History Month.

Shirley Fedeli, the former board president and a mile-a-minute gal, buzzed me this week to let me know that this Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m., in the Italian Gallery, the museum willl honor Maria D’Orazio Diemer. She founded the Plantaholics garden club and spearheaded the breast cancer awareness campaign “Plant It Pink at the Post,” in which 40,000 pink flowers were planted in Winnebago County along with the American Cancer Society to honor those who have died from breast cancer.
She also helped organize and plant landscapes at a handful of Habitat for Humanity homes and co-chaired the Rockford Free Garden Walk.

Diemer will hand out bright green fabric bags donated by Ruth Miller of the City of Gardens to the first 25 families. They bear the cone flower, Rockford’s very own.

Call 815-962-7402 for more information.

They know the Earth matters

Add comment March 11th, 2009

On the second Wednesday of every month, Womanspace holds ”EarthMatters,” an environmental discussion group founded two years ago by science educator Sue Hoople (whom we featured in the first Rockford Woman, I might add).

The group meets from noon to 1:15pm in the Womanspace Library, 3333 Maria Linden Drive in Rockford. Registration is not required. A freewill offering is split with the presenter. Beverages are provided, so bring a bag lunch. For information, call 815-877-0118, email info@womanspace-rockford.org or visit www.womanspace-rockford.org.  

Today’s topic, for example, is “Energy Conservation: Seeing the Light,” focusing on energy conservation and efficiency.

If you cannot or will not attend, you still can buy an American-made, reusable bag made from recycled water bottles for $10 at the Womanspace Gallery2Go gift shop. Three dollars from each sale will benefit EarthMatters and Womanspace.

If you’re new to town, FYI on Womanspace, it’s a nonprofit organization that offers not only classes and events but art studios, a gallery, gardens and a labyrinth. Founded in 1975, “it seeks to inspire individuals to discover new talents, interests and friendships, and is dedicated to helping people live their best lives through programs that enhance mind, body and spirit.”

Note: WREX did its Going Green segment this week on the group, so Justin’s item will be on the Sunday Go Green page.

In-flight entertainment

Add comment March 10th, 2009

I often borrow magazines and books, mostly because I’m too busy to buy my own.

But this “reuse” idea, called “Give to Get,” comes from the Chicago Rockford International Airport.

Those who bring used but readable magazines and DVDs to the passenger services counter in the main terminal can receive a $5 travel voucher. Please remove address labels and only submit works in good taste. Terminal hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

What are these for, you might ask?

The magazines, which have been collected for reuse for a while now, can be read in the terminal and taken on flights.

The DVDs are played in the children’s area. “You would be amazed how many people sit and watch “The Incredibles” or some other movies, and it really passes the time,” Amy Ott at the airport told me in an e-mail.