Compost, Compost Everywhere

Ever since Monie approached me about writing a green blog, and of course I was all gung-ho for the idea, I have been thinking about my efforts to cut my carbon footprints and driving my friends and family (especially my family) crazy about recycling.

Well I’ve decided to dig in deeper and start a compost pile in order to fertilize my plants and soon to be growing garden. I know what you’re thinking – compost piles STINK and attract bugs. Or, “how in the world can I compost when I live in an apartment?” Or “I live in an apartment, what would I need compost for?”

Ok – so I haven’t figured out composting in an apartment thing yet, but I have figured out how to cut the smell and, because this is a learning process for me, get rid of the fruit flies. And the benefits of compost are the same wherever you live (house, farm or apartment) – it’s an eco-friendly way to discard of food waste and it’s beneficial to houseplant, herb gardens, potted tomatoes, larger gardens, larger flower beds, etc.

So follow me as I journey into the pile of compost.

The Smell Thing

I started my pile in a regular yard-size (10gal or larger) trash can (with a lid) with holes drilled all around including the bottom for aeration. If you have a larger drill bit, you can drill larger holes in the can and cover with mesh so you can roll it around to mix the fixins. I don’t roll my can, I just use a handy shovel to stir.

I first added 2 large bags full of oak leaves and twigs and fruit/veggies past their prime.

There 2 key tricks (I think) to keeping the stink out of compost

1. Don’t add any human/animal by-products (including manure) and no dairy.
2. Keep the pile moist (but not overly wet) – this is where I got in trouble – my pile is too wet.

The Flies

To combat the flies, you have to have a good mix of greens (veggies) and browns (leaves, paper, coffee grounds, etc) – or nitrogen and carbon (I’m still working to understand which is what).

So tonight, I am heading home to add newspaper and shredded junk mail to the pile.

I will keep ya’ll abreast of my muck…

Sat, 3/28 Kid's Day at Urban Harvest Market

Kid's Market Day At Urban Harvest's Bayou City Farmers Market

Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009
Time: 8:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Bayou City Farmers Market
Street: 3000 Richmond Just West Of Kirby At Eastside
City/Town: Houston, TX
www.urbanharvest.org

Greener Living in Houston WORKSHOPS

Learn how you can save money on your electric, gas and water bills while you help clean up the Houston environment and reduce CO2 emissions: workshop series by Greener Living in Houston in collaboration with the City of Houston.

Princeton professors Socolow and Pacala say {in their famous 2006 article on climate changes in Science Magazine}, “the technology needed to protect the climate already exists, we just have to use it.”


When you have finished this 4 session series you will:
• Have saved at least $30 and learned how to save much more;
• Have learned many energy saving techniques;
• Planned to make additional changes in order to save energy;
• Know where to look for additional information on how to save energy;
• Know where to buy energy saving products;
• Have seen and touched energy saving products
• Have seen a demonstration(s) of energy saving product installation
• Know how to calculate a carbon footprint
••And if you finish the optional fifth workshop you will know how to organize an energy saving group in your neighborhood.

Three workshops series will be offered (the same series in three different locations):

Tuesday evening, March 31 at Zion Lutheran Church, 3630 Beauchamp Street in the Heights from 6:30 to 8:45 pm. Your facilitator will be Betina Wolfowicz who teaches Environmental Science at HSPVA.

Monday evening, March 30 and April 6th at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, 1900 Bering Drive in the Memorial area from 6:30-8:45 pm. Your facilitator will be Caleb Crow, Program Manager with the Clinton Climate Initiative. Mr. Crow is an energy efficiency engineer and solar electric installer. Childcare will be provided at no cost courtesy of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church to participants in the Energy Saving workshops; however, preregistration is required no later than the Wednesday prior to each class. Please contact Karen Van Horn at 713-782-8250 or Karen@emersonhouston.org for childcare reservations.

Saturday mornings: March 28 and April 4 and 11 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer near River Oaks from 9:30 to 12 noon. Your facilitator will be Debbie Antoon who teaches Sustainable Gardening for Urban Harvest.

Workshop size is limited. To sign up, email Nancy Edwards <needwards@comcast.net> or phone 713-661-9737

Raw Meals

This Sunday, I went to the Green Market at Discovery Green. I hadn’t been to this market yet. Of course, I purchased some beautiful, fresh, organic produce, but I also bought a raw organic meal and dessert from the folks of Pat Greer’s Kitchen(http://www.patriciagreerskitchen.com/). The sales lady let me sample anything I wanted to. Everything I tried (which was almost everything on the table) tasted so amazingly good. This was only the second time I’ve eaten a raw meal. Of course, I eat raw fruits and veggies all the time (and occasionally sushi), but rarely have I eaten an entire meal made of fresh, organic, and vegan ingredients.

I ended up purchasing the Garden burger entrée and lemon pie for dessert. Delicious!

I highly recommend that you check out Pat Greer’s Kitchen! She has a small shop off Clay Street (check out the website for location and other information).

NATURAL OR NOT??!!!!.....

Burt’s Bees is fed up with other beauty companies calling their lines “natural” when they’re not. “Since the FDA doesn’t regulate what’s deemed natural and what isn’t, any brand can slap the word ‘natural’ on their shampoo or soap,” says Mike Indursky, chief marketing and strategic officer at Burt’s Bees, half of whose products are 100 percent natural. The company has teamed up with the Natural Products Association to create the Natural Standard, a set of guidelines outlining which ingredients and processes qualify and which ones don’t. Products that meet the standard will be marked with a seal, which will begin to appear this year.

Article from
February 2008, W MAGAZINE (http://www.wmagazine.com/beauty/2008/02/buzz_i2)

New Bikeway to School

City of Houston Bikeway Program and TSU Host
Columbia Tap Rails to Trails Ribbon Cutting
and Tree Planting/Family Bike Ride

This Saturday, March 7, 2009, join the City of Houston Bikeway Program on the campus of Texas Southern University (TSU), at Ennis and Wheeler, for the Grand Opening of the much anticipated Columbia Tap Rails to Trails Bikeway.

Starting at 9:00 a.m. ride your bike with Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis and TSU President John Rudley from Discovery Green to the campus of Texas Southern University. We will be stopping along the way to plant trees with The Park People and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD).

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the event continues as we bike further along the trail and help The Park People volunteers and HPARD beautify our newest bikeway.

This project adds 4 more miles of trails to the City of Houston Bikeway network and runs from Dixie to Walker Street with connections to the Medical Center, TSU, Downtown and existing bike routes and lanes.

The event schedule includes:

• 8:00 a.m. - On the Trail of Trash and Trees - Tree planting and trash pickup at the following locations.
1. Bennett Mills Park - (3000 Ennis at N. MacGregor)
2. Trail Tree Planting between Cleburne and Alabama (3100 block)
3. 3rd Ward Bike Shop, 3615 Sauer

• 9:00 a.m. - Bike ride from Discovery Green to TSU Campus. (meet by 8:30am)
• 10:00 a.m. - Ribbon Cutting ceremony (Ennis at Wheeler along the trail)
• 10:30 a.m. - Ride the Trail and plant trees.

Everyone is encouraged to ride your bicycle to the event. Parking is limited. For more information e-mail Rita Balchus at rita.balchus@cityofhouston.net or call the City of Houston Bikeway Program at 713-837-0003 or visit the Houston Bikeway website at:
http://documents.publicworks.houstontx.gov/documents/divisions/planning/bikeway/columbiatap_ribboncutting.pdf

Refreshments for the ribbon cutting provided by Shipley Donuts and The Quality of Life Coalition.

City of Houston helping to lower your energy bills

I received this e-mail and thought I would pass it along. There is a minimal fee for the workshops and there are several dates still left.

Sign-up and learn how to cut your energy bills before the summer heat rolls in.

***************

Learn how you can save money on your electric, gas and water bills while you help clean up the Houston environment and reduce CO2 emissions. This workshop series by Greener Living in Houston in collaboration with the City of Houston is being offered in three locations in March. You will learn what changes to make to your home and habits to reduce your energy bills. We'll talk about how to save electricity, natural gas, gasoline, water and to recycle. I thought I knew all about that, but learned a lot more.

Energy efficiency could be a big part of the climate solution say Princeton professors Socolow and Pacala in their famous 2006 article on climate wedges in Science Magazine. They say the technology needed to protect the climate already exists, we just have to use it. For example, the common incandescent light bulb wastes 95% of the electricity it uses in producing heat. Replacing one bulb with a compact florescent bulb can save you $50 over the life of the bulb.

We can cut our energy use by 10% to 30% using no cost techniques says Houston environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn. For example, turning down your hot water heater to 120 degrees might save you $50 per year. By investing in caulk or insulation, you can save more.

When you have finished this 4 session series you will:
• Have saved at least $30 and learned how to save much more;
• Have learned many energy saving techniques;
• Planned to make additional changes in order to save energy;
• Know where to look for additional information on how to save energy;
• Know where to buy energy saving products;
• Have seen and touched energy saving products
• Have seen a demonstration(s) of energy saving product installation
• Know how to calculate a carbon footprint
••And if you finish the optional fifth workshop you will know how to organize an energy saving group in your neighborhood.

Three workshops series will be offered (the same series in three different locations):

Tuesday evenings March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 at Zion Lutheran Church, 3630 Beauchamp Street in the Heights from 6:30 to 8:45 pm. Your facilitator will be Betina Wolfowicz who teaches Environmental Science at HSPVA.

Monday evenings: March 9, 16, 23, 30 and April 6th at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, 1900 Bering Drive in the Memorial area from 6:30-8:45 pm. Your facilitator will be Caleb Crow, Program Manager with the Clinton Climate Initiative. Mr. Crow is an energy efficiency engineer and solar electric installer. Childcare will be provided at no cost courtesy of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church to participants in the Energy Saving workshops; however, preregistration is required no later than the Wednesday prior to each class. Please contact Karen Van Horn at 713-782-8250 or Karen@emersonhouston.org for childcare reservations.

Saturday mornings: March 14, 21, 28 and April 4 and 11 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer near River Oaks from 9:30 to 12 noon. Your facilitator will be Debbie Antoon who teaches Sustainable Gardening for Urban Harvest.

Workshop size is limited. To sign up, email Nancy Edwards needwards@comcast.net or phone 713-661-9737