And the sun doth shine

Can you feel it? I can, spring is in the air. The daffodils are blooming and the geese are noisily making their way north.

Another sign that spring is on its way? All the great Green goodness being planned.

The last winter date of the Coppell Farmer’s Market is March 20^th. I’ve really enjoyed going to the market this winter. There was just a little bit of produce, but the meat and egg sellers were there along with some value-added venders.

Also in March is Earth Hour! March 27^th 8:30pm local time to be exact. This will be our third year to turn off the lights for Earth Hour. We have a wedding that night so I’m not sure how we’ll celebrate. Maybe we’ll do it the next night? Obviously the lights will be off while we’re gone, but I want to do something with the Man to talk about what we want for the environment.

April is the beginning of some great potential in Denton. April 10^th is the first Denton Community Market. The website is new and there’s not too much there, but they do have a large presence on Facebook

Denton actually has a farmer’s market, but it’s not very robust. We’ve gone a couple of times and were disappointed with both the number and quality of vendors. By quality I don’t mean the produce was subpar, just not the organic we prefer. We do try to stop when we see what seems like random vendors to support the cause. Obviously this hasn’t happened often enough, because during the season we drive all the way to Coppell to shop their farmer’s market. The Denton Community Market is hoping to change that and make the market more of a destination, a place where local growers and vendors can sell locally grown produce and arts and crafts.

The Coppell Farmer’s Market opens April 10^th as well, but we’ll be supporting the local folks in Denton!

And don’t forget Earth Day on April 22! What are your plans for Earth Day? Will you be joining people in 100 other countries and turning off the lights for Earth Hour?

smells like patchouli...pay no mind

I smell like patchouli. No offense intended for anyone who also smells like it and enjoys that smell, but I do not. My first memory of this smell is from Fry St Fair my freshman year at UNT. I was walking by that old house next to Lucky Lou's, only when it was just a beer store before it was a bar. They had random shit strewn around the yard and the smell of patchouli was coming out of the house in unending waves. It was gross, and it is still gross.

So why then do I smell like patchouli? I've been on a quest to reduce the trash we generate. I buy what I can in bulk and TRY to remember to bring my own bulk bags. I'm not ready to go the 'no-poo' route so I figured I would try the bulk shampoo and conditioner on offer at The Cupboard. I noticed before that it was Nature's Gate, which I was using anyways, so I didn't look at the label any further to see what version it was and made plans to use it the next time I needed said shampoo and conditioner. Let me say one thing about Nature's Gate - it does have many unpronounceable ingredients, but none that I recognize as nasties(parabens and such) and it's much cheaper than the Shikai that I LOVE!

Off to the Cupboard I went for food and bulk shampoo and conditioner...I got it home and put the conditioner in the bottle I ALREADY had - making progress already. Then I smell it...the PATCHOULI...blech. I thought maybe it wasn't so bad, maybe it'll wear off as soon as it's rinsed out, maybe...but no, I smelled like it all day and actually got a headache from the smell (psychological I'm sure). I asked Shinerman about it and he said it smelled fine, what does he know?

So, now I'm stuck with half a bottle of patchouli smellin' conditioner. I can't bear to throw it away so I'll be smelling like this for a while, if I happen to see you, please...pay no mind.

Local Climate Change Forum

The Denton County Dems are hosting a climate change discussion Saturday March 28 from 9-12. Dr. La Point, Biology Professor from UNT, will be leading the discussion of issues and an overview legislation.

Earth Hour 2009

This upcoming Saturday is Earth Hour. Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007, last year it had spread across the globe, and this year looks even bigger. All it takes is turning off your lights at 8:30pm local time for an hour. And don't forget to let the folks at Earth Hour know you're on board! Turning off your lights will not just save energy, but will let our leaders know that we care about our planet and they need to act to protect it.

There is a whole section of the site for kids and schools. I think I'll print out some pages for the littlest man to color.

Last year, Shinerman went a step (or two) further and turned the electricity off at the panel. The house was so quiet! We were babysitting a little girl and we all had a candlelight dinner and even did some crafts by candlelight. We left everything off for more than the hour, so after crafts we read several books by candlelight and the kids fell asleep on the couch. All in all it was a very fun and relaxing night. I'm excited about this year's Earth Hour. I think we'll play a board game this time as well as the crafts and coloring.

What will you be doing this Saturday at 8:30pm? I hope you join us in turning off the lights and giving the Earth your Vote!

Rebates, Get your red hot Rebates!

The Denton Municiple Electric has begun GreenSense program and is giving rebates to residents who make energy-saving improvements to their homes. So, now's the time to install those solar panals you've been eyeing. But if that still isn't in your budget even after up to a $15,000 rebate, you can also get rebates on programmable thermostats, solar screens, and even insulation. 

The energy rebates only apply to work done after the 1st and the money is given on a first come, first served basis. Once it runs out, it's gone - until the program gets more funds in October. 

Hurry up and get your red hot rebates!! Program information and forms can be found at the Denton Municple Electric website.

Electronic Recycling

A few weeks ago when the Green H went to the Denton landfill to recycle our glass, we noticed the HUGE container for the electronic recyclables was missing. In its place was a sign informing us that the City of Denton would soon be charging for taking in TVs and monitors, $15 to be exact. Shinerman said he was surprised it took so long, that it was overflowing the last time he was there. They started charging the 1st of January.

The apparent reasoning behind the move was the immanent change over to digital TV - February 19th, that is unless the Obama transition folks get it delayed. I understand the reasoning, but really if people won't/can't pay the 15 bucks, they'll just put it on the curb for trash pick-up. In my view that's not taking care of the problem, it's just shuffling it to another area. Plus, the city won't be able to make money from the (shrinking) commodities market off all those TVs that end up in the landfill. Granted it's not the kind of money they would have made last year, but it's better than nothing.

Don't despair fair Denton recyclers, they will still be accepting most electronics for free for city residents. 

OT - I love that esurance commercial with the peppy song "Lucky Today"  - it just played so thought I would mention it.

Green Cement Update

Thought I'd give a (late) update on my post about the green cement. Last week the Denton City Council voted to buy cement from companies that use the more eco-friendly dry-kiln techniques. Yea! 

Those of you who contacted the City of Denton's council, feel free to pat yourself on the back...

Denton Green Cement?

This week the Denton City Council postponed a vote on new "green" cement requirements for city contracts. They did this because Ash Grove Cement is suing Dallas, Ft Worth, and Plano, among others for similar requirements.

Ash Grove "alleges that the green cement resolutions violate Texas law, which it says require municipal bodies to evaluate only the competence of the bidder and the quality and price of its products or services." I say requiring bidders to comply with certain requests for the makeup of the product is well within the rights of anyone, including municipal bodies. And what of the quality of other things, like the environment and other costs, such as higher health care costs due to poor air quality

They are the last hold out in the area with wet kilns – the dirtiest way to make cement. This kiln has been around since 1965. 1965!? In between then and now you couldn't invest in some new freaking technology?

Now, they have reduced Iron Oxide emissions by about half in the last few years, but I wonder how much more they could reduce emissions with newer technology and processes?

So, if you want your elected officials to stand up and require city contracts to use more eco-friendly cement manufacturing practices, contact them this week! And then come back and let me know what you said!

Sources: http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/919552.html; http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_cement_1204.289ec206.html