See some why to "be green!"

The Latest from FLCC: From East Hill Campus to the Appalachain Trail: "The sun shines through the evergreens near the East Hill Campus easement to the Bristol Hills branch of the Finger Lakes Trail. The FLCC..."

Re-blog: New Chicago Brewing Company confronts a brave new world of crafting beer

"The first time brothers Jesse Edwin Evans and Samuel Evans show me the empty, echoing rooms that will house their in-the-works brewery, New Chicago Brewing Company, they keep getting lost. Wandering through an underground concrete labyrinth, Jesse says, "Let's see if this goes through to the other section." It doesn't. "I took a wrong turn," he admits. "Now we're below the—we're above the—OK, we'll just go back. Somehow we just missed the tilapia farm.""

Read the rest of the story here.

Although it seems there are still many kinks to get worked out, it is a spectacular idea! Hope the beer created is as good as the idea!

-Joe

Backwards justice...

Not that I want to condone illegal drug use, but the guy smoking pot actually helped the environment because the growing of his weed contributed to CO2 reduction...

The growing of hemp has many benefits to the environment. Although the variety of hemp more commonly known as marijuana is not the same one used for production, its growth contributions are similar.

This, in part, relates to my previous post about growing things. I am not telling to go and grow some pot, but it still shows that no matter what you grow, you are contributing to the health of the environment.

-Joe

Green thumb?

Plant stuff! It does not matter what you plant, it can be something that produces edibles, something with pretty flowers, something big or smll or something to serve a specific purpose (orhter than being green). All flora (growing plants of all varieties) helps reduce CO2 and produce O2.

Even if you only have access to a window sill for growing space, that is enough. There are tips all over the internet about growing things in small places. If you are lucky enough to have a lot of space you can do great things. Even on rented properties, you can grow things that will not cost you a dime and can just be left there when you move. Many times people who already have large gardens are more than willing to give out a few clippings to others so a new garden can be started. Vegetables can be grown in pots, a huge tilled portion of the yard is not required.

I can help you decide what what is best suited for your space, big or smll and help you find what will grow best in that space. Then I can help you find those things at little or no cost to you. All that will be required on your part is a little manual labor to get it started. Green things growing in your home will also help improve your air quality so you can breathe easier!

Thanks,
-Joe

Cheater post today - reblog

(Click to enlarge) [Via: Carrington College's Renewable Energy Degree Program]

Beam me up Scotty!

If only it were that easy! So, here is another transportation post. Eating up the gasoline costs you money and hurts the environment and driving your car slowly kills it. This can be partially remedied in a couple different ways. Car pooling is one of them; while not always convenient, it does save in more ways than one.

Another option available in most larger cities and even a few smaller ones is a "Park & Ride" program. The way this usually works is that there are parking lots available in centrally located areas scattered around a city, often in the 'burbs. People drive from their homes the short distance to this lot, park their cars and take the bus the greater part of the trip to work.

In addition to saving money on fuel costs, you can save money on parking costs when you work "downtown" where there is no free parking. You are also being green by driving less distance with just one person in the vehicle and transferring to the bus. I noted in another post about "the scary people" on the bus; in this case, you will often only find other working class persons. I do not mean to offend anyone who uses the bus for shelter occassionally, but it can be offensive to some when you have not showered in days.

Anyway, save a couple bucks on gasoline, save a couple bucks on parking and read the paper while you ride. Do some good for the environment at the same time!

Thanks,
-Joe

All free!

I have mentioned in a couple of my other posts about getting free stuff to reuse, repurpose and/or recycle. I am an avid Craigslist user and I pay close attention to the free section; even devoting hours at a time (while doing other things at the computer) to clicking refresh. Most items of any real value are snatched up so quickly that they are gone before the 15 minute CL refresh of the lists; so, if you are not diligent, you will miss "it."

I just have to say thank you, thank you to all the generous people out there who put stuff up in the free section. I know that some are just looking to get their items removed or disassembled or whatnot at no cost to them, but that's how it works most of the time. Free is not usually really free, the cost in most cases is the labor you invest to get the item. So, thank you to those who put up their items for me to come and get so they don't end up in a landfill and I get the chance to repurpose them.

Today's find was awesome for me. I have been trying to find something to make raised flower beds areound the two trees in the front yard. Since I rent, I am not spending money on the project. Today, I got my hands on almost 1000 bricks at no charge to me other than fuel and labor. I was lucky on this one too, they were not damaged from being torn out of a demolition. These brick were never used and neatly stacked up against a shed in the guys backyard. His house was made of the same brick, so I am guessing he ever got to a desired addition or something. Not only are all the bricks in good shape, they are tan bricks, not red and the house is painted tan with brown trim. I feel super lucky!

So, if you have the time at the computer already, keep Craigslist open in the background and click back to refresh a few times an hour. There are plenty of awesome items to be had for only the effort it takes to retrieve them.

Thanks,

-Joe

Where in the world?

Today's post is not about a green tip at all; rather, where you go to look for your tips. I acknowledge that this is a technological age where the Internet mostly rules, but there is still a pen and paper (brick & mortar) world as well.

Where do you find the information that you deem most useful to you? Human contacts (networking), informational displays (Chamber of Commerce, businesses, etc.), the Internet, newspaper, television? There are so many sources of information that is can be difficult to discern where to best reach the people who can benefit the most. In a perfect world, presenting oneself in all possible locations would be ideal; that option is usually financially difficult.

I am very interested in some responses on this one as it will help me help you (and your neighbors. :)

Thanks,
-Joe

Compost stinks?

I took a few days off, and I kinda took those days off from just about everything, including compost pail maintenance.

Often compost doesn't stink, but sometimes in the heat of summer, it can get just a bit "cooked" and draw flies. Those flies can be quite bothersome. Usually they are just fruit flies, but a few hundred fruit flies can be kinda disgusting. Putting fresh waste on top of your pail a couple times a day will often keep the flies down, but if you get a layer that is starting to rot, those flies are sure to start appearing.

There is a very easy "cure" though. Well, not a cure, but a very easy way to get rid of the flies. All you need is a jar or bottle, a piece of paper and some wine or juice. I did not invent this idea, but I can not recall where I first saw it.

Step 1 - Roll the paper into a cone shape with a very small hole on one end so its like a funnel. Tape it to make it hold shape.
Step 2 - Pour a little wine or juice into the bottom of the bottle or jar (clear glass or plastic works best). Only 1/2 to 1" of liquid is needed.
Step 3 - Drop the cone into the top of the bottle or jar so the big end is up and out and the small end does not dip into the liquid.
Step 4 - Set the contraption where the fruit flies are.

They are smart enough to know there is something good and that jar and go get it, but not smart enough to find the little tiny hole in the funnel to get back out. Some will drown in the liquid, but others will fly around inside the there. All you gotta do is carefully take it outside remove the cone and they will all fly away. Then just replace thecone and set it back inside near the flies. Repeat until they are gone, usually does not take more than a day.

Thanks for reading,
-Joe

Welcome to our "ool"...

Notice there's no "P" in it, lets keep it that way. :) I have no idea where I first saw that sign, but it was long before I ever had a pool to worry about. Pool maintenance is a bigger deal than most people care to think about, so it has to be worth the effort for you to want a pool (or you have enough moolah to pay someone else to maintan your pool.)

This is essentially another post about water. Water is not an infinite resource. Contantly draining and refilling your pool not only costs you money, but it uses that finite resource somewhat needlessly. Large pools usually come equipped with filter systems and chemical additive instructions; smaller "kiddie pools" do not and worse yet, there are no instructions on the commercial pool chemicals for such a small volume of water.

It is still important to maintain it. You can save yourself the work of draining and refilling, maintain a healthier pool for the kids and be "green" at the same time. You can use common chemicals to keep your kiddie pool cleaner. Here is a link to a calculator so you can figure out how much stuff to add for how much water you have.

Having even a small pool in the yard is great for cooling off. If your pool is only big enough to get your feet into, that will still help. The human body has this awesom automatic feature of trying to maintain equal temperature for your whole body. That means the body wants your feet to be the same temperature as your chest. So even though the chest and the head have the "most important parts," your body will send some of the heat from there to your feet if they get cold. So, if you put your feet in cool water, it will cool you whole body a little bit. :)

Have a great summer!
Thanks,
-Joe

Worms 'n dirt...

Well, worms and soil (dirt and soil is for a different post)... Do you already have a garden? Did you know that worms are one the best things to have in your garden? They eat organic material and process it fairly quickly into nutrients useable by plants. Why bother with the worms when you can just use compost right in the garden? Well, the compost must break down, the plants can not use your kitchen scraps in their scrap form. They must degrade into a form that the plants can utilize. Worms degrade the compost much more quickly.

This brings me to Vermicomposting. That link will take you an informative article on Treehugger.com that is all about how to best use worms in your garden. Essentially, you provide the worms easy access to your compost and they do all the work for you and not only do they love it, they do it for free!

The dreaded bus!

Why? Why must I bring up the bus? Well, because your destination is too far for you to use your bicycle, for example. Too many people who have always (or almost always) had access to a private vehicle practically fear the bus. However, it is not all that scary, in fact I would classify the "scary" times as minimal at best. It is also a great way to save gas and thereby, money.

I use the bus to get to school; I am kinda lucky in that the bus actually drops me right at the front door. A monthly bus pass costs me $30. At the current gasoline prices, I can only get half a tank for $30 and half a tank does not often last me a whole week, much less a month.

When I mentioned bicycle above, it was for a good reason. The bike is the best option for being environmentally friendly. A car burns fuel and makes you fat, a bike burns fat and helps save the environment! I do know that a bike is not always a feasible option though; it might be too far or take too much time out of your already busy schedule. Some bus companies have actually added bike racks to their bumpers so you can bike the short distance to the stop and to the office or school door and get the best of both worlds.

The bus may cause you some delays too, but the savings both cash and "green," can really make a difference if you can fit it into your schedule.

Thanks,
-Joe