November 10th, 2009 05:41am
Jennie Pollock
When I drove on the now-six-lane Interstate 90 last week, I saw some kind of green sign – with too much text for me to read while driving safely.
So I looked it up. According to the Illinois Tollway, it is going green by recycling roadway materials in construction.
By Building Green, the Illinois Tollway is demonstrating its commitment to being a good environmental steward as we complete rebuilding and widening projects systemwide by the end of 2009,” said Acting Executive Director Michael King. “Recycling roadway materials is a cost-effective way to maximize existing resources without compromising our commitment to the highest construction standards.”
According to the press release, since the 2005 launch of the $6.3 billion Congestion Relief Program:
– The tollway has recycled 100 percent of existing pavement into construction projects across 120 miles.
– More than 5 million tons of pavement has been recycled – 3.2 million tons of concrete and nearly 1.8 million tons of asphalt – enough to fill Soldier Field nearly three times. In addition, about 230,000 recycled scrap tires were used in materials for new shoulders and pavement.
– Up to 90 percent of each new roadway base consists of recycled concrete.
– Contractors are required to use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel on construction equipment over 50 horsepower.
November 9th, 2009 09:57am
Jennie Pollock
To celebrate 60 years of gardening and its focus on nature, the Seedlings gardening club is extending an invitation to its private party at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at Octane, 124 N. Main, Rockford. Cost is $25 for the meal, prizes and program, which features this blog’s own contributor, Andrea Hazzard.
To make a reservation by Friday, send your check to Kathy Crandall, 7775 Eddie Road, Winnebago, IL 61088. Questions? Call Sue Lacerra at 815-243-0093.
Seedlings is part of the Council of Rockford Gardeners.
This is the local-foods menu:
· Appetizer/Salad – Roasted Beet Salad: Roasted beets with the flavors of citrus, mint, shallots, and peppered goat cheese
· Soup – Harvest Bisque: A blend of butternut and acorn squash, pumpkin, fresh herbs and pumpkin seed pesto
· Entree – Beef and Bison Meat Loaf: Traditional meat loaf with a twist—baked then grilled–served with a duo of roasted mashed Yukon and sweet potatoes and a vegetable side
· Dessert – Fall Apple and Cranberry Crumble: Apple and cranberry crumble with a cranberry wine reduction and fresh whipped cream
November 3rd, 2009 06:53am
Jennie Pollock
Seven and a half tons of steel from the World Trade Center were recycled to build the Navy assault ship USS New York, which is being commissioned this week.
Its motto: “Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget.”
November 2nd, 2009 11:28pm
Jennie Pollock
I wrote briefly about this earlier, but a reminder: No Idle Zone and the Rockford IceHogs are planning a “Going Green Night” on Nov. 20, with a special game. One-of-a-kind green jerseys willl be raffled off for charity, and an expo will feature local businesses and Winnebago County initiatives (NIZ is moving from a citywide effort to countywide).
October 28th, 2009 03:21pm
Tom Eickman
Eickman’s Processing Company is a USDA Inspected plant that has an Illinois Department of Agriculture Inspector present whenever we are slaughtering. This individual is supplied to us because we have a grant of inspection from USDA. We are allowed forty hours of inspection per week, at no charge to us. This individual will monitor all slaughter activity, and will also inspect every other area of the plant, from the processing floor, smoke houses, to the retail store.
To get the grant of inspection, we had to first come up with a HACCP plan. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. This is basically the steps that we go through during processing and handling of our meat products. We look at each step, and determine if there is a potential for a problem to occur to the food that we handle. We also monitor to insure that critical control points are met. This could be making sure that the coolers never get higher than they should, or that all cooked products reach their required internal temperature. Our facility will also be checked over to insure the building is in good clean working order.
Once we have our grant of inspection, we then have an inspector assigned to our plant. One of the greatest advantages we have is that we have an inspector who will be in the plant to look over every animal we process. I consider it to be a benefit that we are a small plant, and during our slaughter process, we are not rushing animals past the inspector. I feel it is an added advantage that each animal gets looked over extensively before the inspector applies the federal seal of inspection to that animal. He will check over the animal before slaughter to insure it is moving properly, and not acting funny. He will then check over the animal after slaughter from the head to the tail, looking for anything that is out of the ordinary. He also monitors our cleanliness, to insure that each carcass is as clean as can be.
Our inspector will then also monitor any further processing or storage of that meat product. He is constantly checking our cooler temperatures, our record logs, and checking all equipment to make sure it is clean. This is all a benefit to us, as we maintain a clean plant, and to the end consumer, that can feel safe, that they are getting a safe product. We enjoy having inspection present at our plant, as it makes a better, safer product.
October 28th, 2009 06:36am
Jennie Pollock
… You can make a day trip to Champaign for Organic Gardening Day.
There will be five educational sessions, with special emphasis on herb growing, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Hawthorn Hotel and Suites.
In addition to the speakers, you can find gardening products for sale and dine on an organic lunch.
Registration of $59 must be received by Nov. 13. Contact Tracey Malkovich at 217-333-3420 or malkovic@illinois.edu.
October 27th, 2009 08:07am
Jennie Pollock
If you’re a fan of Mik Wright and want to poke fun at/with your green friends, try this retro-humor card (I got it from my godmother). Inside it says:
i’m doing my part to go green.
today for lunch i had three apple martinis.
happy birthday.
October 27th, 2009 05:37am
Jennie Pollock
That’s the title of the University of Illinois Extension presentation by Lenae Weichel and her husband, Kevin Holdmann from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Extension office, 1925 S. Meridian Road, Rockford.
Lenae and Kevin will share their locavore experience (eating locally for a year): the what, why and how, the successes and challenges. If you’re interested in making “small changes,” RSVP at 815-986-4357 or online at http://winnebago.extension.uiuc.edu.
We’ve written about this before, in case you want to dig around the old links.
October 26th, 2009 06:04am
Jennie Pollock
A few days late, I caught the “Top Chef” Restaurant Wars episode, which featured chef Rick Moonen, who is famous for sticking to sustainable seafood — meaning he won’t use anything that was overfished or caught in a way harmful to the environment.
What does that mean? According to his site:
…he takes chances by refusing to sell favorites like Chilean Sea Bass, Japanese Hamachi, Monkfish and Grouper because of their dwindling populations.
He links to the WWF (actually a bad link, so I found this), where you can find a wealth of resources. The organization says that more than 70 percent of the world’s commercial fish stock are overfished or exploited.
October 25th, 2009 11:04pm
Jennie Pollock
I’ve heard of charging customers for using plastic bags to discourage their use, but thanks to Holli Connell on Twitter, I’ve learned that Target will start paying me for using my reusables!
According to this USA TODAY story, starting Nov. 1, you can earn 5 cents per bag used. That’s not a huge incentive, but who needs one to go to the place where you stop for hair spray and leave with a cart’s worth of stuff.
Will it work?
A pilot test in 100 Target stores earlier this year resulted in a hefty 58% reduction in plastic bags used, says Shawn Gensch, vice president of marketing. “The best-case scenario is that we’ll have 100% success and every consumer will use a reusable bag.”
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