Broome County Seminar

Growing a Sustainable Community April 17 – 18 at Broome Community College

Many practices we engage in today endanger the prospects of a strong, healthy tomorrow. This two day conference will explore various elements of what it means to plan and act as if the future mattered. A keynote address will begin the event on Friday evening, followed by workshops and plenary sessions on Saturday which will include panels of elected officials and specialists in the fields of energy, green architecture, transportation, resource utilization, waste reduction, sustainable agriculture, green jobs, economic justice, and community engagement.

Chris Burger cwburger @ frontiernet.net 692-3442, Doug Garnar garnar_d @ sunybroome.edu 778-5093

Friday April 17, 2009

Keynote Friday 7:30 to 9:00
Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo
Gay Nicholson –Sustainable Tompkins

Saturday April 18, 2009

Plenary on Sustainable Energy Systems (Experts and Policy Makers) Saturday 9:00 to 10:30

Workshops: 10:45 to 12:00

Green Buildings
Transportation
Resource Utilization / Zero Waste

LUNCH 12 to 1:00 (to be served through local food sources)

Plenary on Sustainable Food Systems (Experts and Policy Makers). Saturday 1:00 to 2:30

Workshops: 2:45 to 4:00

Green Jobs
Economic Justice
Community Engagement

Binghamton University Greener

Many steps of progress have occurred over the last year at BU. Hopefully, the trend will continue.

The university joined the AASHE - Association for the Advancement of Sustainability In Higher Education. Big name, big organization, big dreams. All good things.

The membership allows anyone associated with the university to access the information, go to its seminars, classes, meetings and gives access to many green collar jobs. It also allows for networking with fellow campuses who are striving for the same goals, which fosters a more rapid learning curve and evolution toward full sustainability and 0-carbon footprint campuses. That is very cool!

The dorms have initiated a self-regulated "Green Games" that provides ways for all residents and staff members of the halls to participate with some very nice awards given! An article in the University's Paper - The Pipe Dream

Monday's Binghamton Press had an article written by Rich Herb, who is the food service manager of Dickinson Hall regarding a campus-wide initiative to compost and recycle as much as possible. In the 12 months they've been actively practicing recycling and composting, they've diverted over 254,000 pounds from the landfill, using the compost on-site for the landscaping and growing of fruits and vegetables for use on campus. These efforts have increased their efficiency throughout the food service sector, saving them overtime expenses, increasing their safety scores and saving huge amount of money in landfill tipping fees.

If you feel you could contribute something meaningful to the Green Games, please contact Dickinson Hall. They are eager to bring in outside sources of information to help with their efforts.

Lent Is Coming

A new idea for A Discipline for Lent

Sent to me by Joan G. from the VUMC for use by the church!

In 2007 The Bishop of Liverpool, England started a Carbon Fast. He encouraged members of the church parishes to cut back on their uses of energy during Lent, because it would reduce the production of carbon dioxide into the air. There is evidence that
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is related to global warming. Anything produced by fossil fuels releases CO2.

You are invited to try these suggestions during Lent if you would like to decrease the amount of CO2 produced in your daily living. For more detailed suggestions please go to www.carbonfast.blogspot.com

Feb. 25: Share a ride. Give a neighbor or friend a ride to church on Sundays or to the Lenten worship services and meal.

Feb. 26: Make right turns only. UPS saved 3.1 million gallons of fuel in 1 year doing this.

Feb. 27 Combine errands so you leave the house once instead of 3-4 times.

Feb. 28 Share rides to the grocery store with a neighbor so only 1 car makes the trip.

March 2: If you have 2 cars, use the one with the better mileage for longer trips.

March 3: Use only full loads with your washing machine, dryer and dishwasher. Skip the heated-dry option on dishwasher unless someone is sick.

March 4: Let your hair air dry 15-20 minutes, then use the hair dryer.

March 5: Take shorter showers.

March 6: Use cold water for your laundry. Most detergents are formulated to be effective in cold water.

March 7 Use a clothes rack to dry some clothes. It also adds humidity to your house.

March 9: Can you turn off your computer or TV for one full day a week?

March 10: Cover everything you cook.

March 11: Use the lowest possible heat setting on the stove burner. Less heat escapes from the pan using a lower setting.

March 12: Use your microwave to start cooking vegetables or meat for the grill.

March 13: Ignore the preheat cycle of your oven. Most items except cookies, can go in before the oven is up to heat.

March 14: Use Compact Fluorescent light bulbs. They’re cooler & use less electricity.

March 16: Be informed: Read a book or article on saving energy, carbon emissions, environmental justice or global warming.

March 17: Make coffee or tea just once and pour the extra in a small thermos for later on.

March 18: Unplug chargers and small appliances not in use.

March 19: Try lightly rinsing or not rinsing dishes at all for the dishwasher and see what happens. New dishwashers often don’t need dishes to be pre-rinsed.

March 20: Recycle. www.gobroomecounty.com/solidwaste/recycling has a list of all items you can recycle at the curb or at the landfill.

March 21: Reuse plastic bags or use a cloth shopping bag.

March 23: Don’t throw plastic bags away. Take them to recycle bins at supermarkets.

March 24: Use cloth napkins instead of paper, rags instead of paper towels.

March 25: Compost food garbage & yard waste if you can. Go to CompostInfo.com for ideas.

March 26: Use the stairs whenever you can instead of the elevator.

March 27: Use 2 sides of a paper when printing from the computer. Ask yourself if you really need to print it out.

March 28: Encourage your kids to use both sides of a paper for drawing, schoolwork, etc.

March 30: Share magazines with friends and family or get them at the library.

March 31: Too many catalogs? CatalogChoice.org lets you cancel the ones you don’t want.

April 1: Buy printer paper, napkins and paper towels that have recycled paper in them.

April 2: Write a letter to the editor or a representative about an energy issue or climate change.

April 3: Talk with friends and neighbors about energy and the environment.

April 4: Fill your teakettle with only the amount of water you need.

April 6: Try to cut transportation miles, choose food at farmer’s markets & local stores.

April 7: Draw curtains to keep heat in in the winter and heat out in the summer.

April 8: “Love does no harm to its neighbor” Romans 13:10. Our lifestyles may be using more and more energy while our poorer neighbors are suffering. Reflect on ways to love our neighbors.

April 9: Is there a way to reduce the number of miles you drive this week?

April 10: Ask your energy suppliers if part of your supply can be from wind or water power.

April 11: How have you felt about the efforts you have made? Your stewardship In energy conservation and greener practices do make a difference! Please share with the Green Team any more ideas or related concerns that you have.

Suggestions were gathered from the book Low Carbon Diet, www.carbonfast.blogspot.com and The Tearfund

Carbon Diet Calculator

WOW! This thing is GREAT!
Yes, it could have more menu options. Yes, it could have drinks. But it doesn't. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But it gives a very clear indication of how much carbon and climate changing gases your eating emits. And not just from your body. From the production, preparation, shipping, packaging, heating, freezing, and whatever else is done to it for you to have some 'convenience' in your day.

On average - you save a whole 12 minutes using highly processed foods, rather than cooking from 'scratch'. I'll use those 12 minutes to make a meal that is far more enjoyable, less toxic to my body and half as toxic to the earth.

Eat Low Carbon

It has 2 different categories - make your own meals - which you choose the items you would typically cook for a meal for you, or ready made meals - which you normally reheat. Use both and see what happens. Each 4500 points (I guess similar to Weight Watcher's method for losing weight) is equal to 3 tons of carbon emissions.

I calculated for us both ways. Each would be around 2300 points with all ready made, or around 1100 the way we cook now.

You tell me which is better for you.

Photosynthetic Hydrogen Gas

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine.

MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

"This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," said MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science.

Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night.

The key is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity - whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source - runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced.

Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.

The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and it's easy to set up, Nocera said. "That's why I know this is going to work. It's so easy to implement," he said.

Lists of At Least 10 Uses For Everything

2 liter Bottles
Bubble Wrap
Campaign Waste
Cardboard Tubes
Cereal Boxes
Dryer Lint
Egg Cartons
Eggshells
Garden Hose
Milk Jugs
Newspaper
More Newspaper
Old Clothes
Old Jeans
Pantyhose
Paper Grocery Bags
Pill Bottles
Plastic Grocery Bags
Sawdust
Styrofoam
Tennis Balls
Wood Ashes

BioDiesel Advances

From Farm Show magazine - volume 33 no. 1

New Method Cuts Cost Of Making Biodiesel

Making biodiesel from used cooking oil for himself and four other farmers is more than a hobby for Dave Hubbard. He and his friends have come to depend on it, especially as diesel prices have climbed over the past several years. Best of all, he modified the standard production process to make the job easier and cheaper.

Hubbard recognized that if he could pull the methanol out of the glycerin that's washed from the biodiesel, he could recycle it and cuts his costs. To do so, he runs the glycerin through a modified still where it's heated under vacuum to 170 degrees F to release the methanol as vapors.

"I run the vacuum hose carrying the vapors through a pail of water, which condenses them back to a liquid that I can collect and reuse with the next batch of oil." he explains.

Hubbard uses a tank large enough to handle a 5-gallon pail. The tank is an old compressed air tank with the weld joint cut away. The top has a rim that slips into the bottom half of the tank for a tight fit. A pail of glycerin is set in the bottom half of the tank along with a heating element. Hubbard slips the top in, runs a strip of tape around the joint to make it airtight, and attaches the vacuum line to the air valve.

"It usually takes about 3 hours, but the time will vary depending on how much methanol was used in processing," he says. "When no more methanol is condensing, I know it's done,"

Not only does the process allow him to reclaim methanol and lower his processing costs, his cattle love the pure glycerin. He also found a way to simplify one of the steps in making the biodiesel itself. Knowing when all the glycerin and impurities have settled out of washed BD is vital. He notes that the oil can look clear near the top of the tank, even though all the soaps having settled out farther down.

"I adpated a flashlight so I can get light all the way down through the oil. I removed the light bulb and soldered 2 3-foot wires between the socet and bulb."

The bulb extension allows Hubbard to lower the light all the way to the bottom of the barrel of oil to check for impurities. "If it still glows down 3-4', I know it's clear."

For many BD producers, obtaining used oil is getting more difficult. To find an adequate and secure supply, Hubbard and his friends approached a nearby college. Because the oil would benefit local farmers, the college agreed to give them their oil instead of selling it to commercial operators.

For more information - BMWBiodiesel @ verizon.net

"Cold Process" Biodiesel

Steve Veenstra says his cold evaporation process for making BD is the lowest cost and easiest way there is to make BD at home. He has made and burned some 4,000 gallons in fuel oil furnaces and in his F 250 diesel pickup.

"I did nothing to modify the engine, and it works great. I think it runs eve quieter due to the extra lubrication in the BD."

Veenstra developed the process to reduce the amount of time he had to put into making the BD. The process also eliminates the need for water to "wash" the BD, so there are no waste water issues. Another savings comes from reduced heating during the process. The only use of power for heating is to preheat the vegetable oil to 125 degrees F in an old water heater before it's moved to the reactor. The elimination of heat during the reactor stage also allows Veenstra to use poly tanks, which let him visually check progress as fuel is made.

Veenstra says he currently makes 40 gallons in about 42 hours, with only 2.5 hours of actual physical labor. The rest of the time he doesn't even need to be in the area.

His process eliminates many of the steps required to remove impurities in a standard process. With cold evaporation, Veenstra says, simply removing the methanol with his cold evaporation process causes impurities to drop out of suspension.

"Residual heat in the oil after pumping it out of the reactor tank pulls some of the methanol out of the raw BD as it settles," he explains. "Additional steps of my process pull out about 2 liters of the methanol right away, and the rest evaporates gradually, thanks to a combination of spraying the surface and agitation and bubbling air through the liquid."

He says spraying the surface keeps surface tention down, encouraging evaporation. The bubbler and fan run in the evaporation tank for 24 hours, followed by a minimum of 4 hours resting while the final suspensions drop out.

"My evaporation tank is designed to let the suspensions out before pumping the BD out. The BD passes through a 10 micron filter and then a 1 micron bag filter to ensure quality."

He has also developed a simple system for making the methoxide for use in the reactor. He uses nitrogen gas to force methanol into a closed mixing tank with the lye to produce the methoxide, thereby avoiding mixing it by hand.

Veenstra has developed plans and tutorials for his no-wash finishing cold evaporation system and also for his BD production system with it's closed methoxide mixing system.

www.SVMade.com
svp @ iserv.net

Shock Absorbers Harvesting Energy

Paul sent me this article. My brother and I have been discussing the huge potential of micro-harvesting energy, rather than the large-scale production of energy that our country has relied upon for so long. By diversifying the system, the ability to cripple the country is greatly diminished. This research will have far reaching implications, which is wonderful!

ScienceDaily (Feb. 13, 2009) — A team of MIT undergraduate students has invented a shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road, generating electricity while it smoothes the ride more effectively than conventional shocks. The students hope to initially find customers among companies that operate large fleets of heavy vehicles. They have already drawn interest from the U.S. military and several truck manufacturers.

Senior Shakeel Avadhany and his teammates say they can produce up to a 10 percent improvement in overall vehicle fuel efficiency by using the regenerative shock absorbers. The company that produces Humvees for the army, and is currently working on development of the next-generation version of the all-purpose vehicle, is interested enough to have loaned them a vehicle for testing purposes.

The project came about because "we wanted to figure out where energy is being wasted in a vehicle," senior Zack Anderson explains. Some hybrid cars already do a good job of recovering the energy from braking, so the team looked elsewhere, and quickly homed in on the suspension

They began by renting a variety of different car models, outfitting the suspension with sensors to determine the energy potential, and driving around with a laptop computer recording the sensor data. Their tests showed "a significant amount of energy" was being wasted in conventional suspension systems, Anderson says, "especially for heavy vehicles."

Once they realized the possibilities, the students set about building a prototype system to harness the wasted power. Their prototype shock absorbers use a hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. The system is controlled by an active electronic system that optimizes the damping, providing a smoother ride than conventional shocks while generating electricity to recharge the batteries or operate electrical equipment.

In their testing so far, the students found that in a 6-shock heavy truck, each shock absorber could generate up to an average of 1 kW on a standard road -- enough power to completely displace the large alternator load in heavy trucks and military vehicles, and in some cases even run accessory devices such as hybrid trailer refrigeration units.

They filed for a patent last year and formed a company, called Levant Power Corp., to develop and commercialize the product. They are currently doing a series of tests with their converted Humvee to optimize the system's efficiency. They hope their technology will help give an edge to the military vehicle company in securing the expected $40 billion contract for the new army vehicle called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV.

"They see it as something that's going to be a differentiator" in the quest for that lucrative contract, says Avadhany. He adds, "it is a completely new paradigm of damping."

"This is a disruptive technology," Anderson says. "It's a game-changer."

"Simply put -- we want this technology on every heavy-truck, military vehicle and consumer hybrid on the road," Avadhany says.

The team has received help from MIT's Venture Mentoring Service, and has been advised by Yet-Ming Chiang, the Kyocera Professor of Ceramics in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and founder of A123 Systems, a supplier of high-power lithium-ion batteries.

Not only would improved fuel efficiency be a big plus for the army by requiring less stockpiling and transportation of fuel into the war zone, but the better ride produced by the actively controlled shock absorbers make for safer handling, the students say. "If it's a smoother ride, you can go over the terrain faster," says Anderson.

The new shocks also have a fail-safe feature: If the electronics fail for any reason, the system simply acts like a regular shock absorber.

The group, which also includes senior Zachary Jackowski and alumni Paul Abel '08, Ryan Bavetta '07 and Vladimir Tarasov '08, plans to have a final, fine-tuned version of the device ready this summer. Then they will start talking to potential big customers. For example, they have calculated that a company such as Wal-Mart could save $13 million a year in fuel costs by converting its fleet of trucks.

Great Backyard Bird Count

Give the Great Backyard Bird Count an eBird Bump!

It's a natural fit: eBirders and the Great Backyard Bird Count. We know you're committed to watching birds and recording your sightings in eBird, so we'd like to invite you to share your sightings in the 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, February 13-16.

Enter your counts in eBird as usual--your personal long-term records are valuable to scientists. But if you'd like your sightings to appear in the online maps and tallies for town, state, and national sightings in this year's Great Backyard Bird Count, make sure to enter your counts at www.birdcount.org as well. (Record the highest number of each species you see at any one time during your count period.)

Participants tallied 635 species in the 2008 Great Backyard Bird Count and you can help boost reports from your area by entering your checklists on the GBBC site. You can keep watch on reports coming in via the website's interactive maps, take the GBBC survey, and upload images for the photo contest. Just by participating in the GBBC you値l be entered into a drawing for great prizes donated by the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Droll Yankees.

Be a part of our four-day continentwide effort to gather as many observations as possible for this late-winter snapshot of our continent's birds!

Give the GBBC an eBird bump!

At Least 10 Uses For Panty Hose

From GoMestic.com
Cut the legs off and use to keep all those odd bits of soap that tend to get left in the bathroom. Tie the end and keep it beside the sink for hand washing.

Put mothballs into a leg and tie it to the rail in your closet

Fill a leg with lavender and use to scent your closet

Cut the waist off and use to tie up papers, or keep hoses and rolls of wire tidy

Gardeners can use strips of fabric to tie up plants in the garden

Strips cut from the waist make good hair scrunchies

Scrunched up pantyhose make excellent, soft polishing cloths

Put cat litter in a pantyhose leg and tie the top. This is good for absorbing damp.

Cut into small pieces and use to stuff toys and pillows

When paint goes lumpy you can strain it through a stretched out piece of pantyhose

If you drop something small on the floor and can't find it (such as an earring, button, etc), cut the leg off some old pantyhose and put it over the nozel on the vacuum cleaner. The suction will lift up the lost object and leave it stuck to the pantyhose.

Clean your fish tank. If you have one of those wet and dry vacuum cleaners (don't try it with an ordinary one!), use the method above to vacuum the gravel in the tank. You will be able to clean it without emptying, or disturbing the fish.

Rubbing polished shoes with nylon pantyhose gives them an extra gleaming shine

Keep spare, or used rolls of wallpaper in the legs of old panyhose. It stops them from tearing and helps keep them clean.

If you cut them into strips you can save money on cotton balls for removing nail varnish. These do the job very well if you dip them into your favourite remover.
Use old pantyhose to hang dry sweaters. You don't get peg, or line marks on them this way. Just thread them through the arms and tie them to the line.

Store onions in the legs of your pantyhose. You can simply hang them up and they will keep well with the good air circulation.

In the garden you can store flower bulbs in the same way as above. They will get a good circulation of air and will be protected from mice and other creatures looking for a tasty snack.

When repotting your houseplants put a circle of pantyhose in the bottom of the pot before filling it. This stops soil being washed out of the bottom each time you water.

If you are lucky enough to have a pool, stretch a piece of pantyhose over the skimmer and you will catch all those tiny particles that you usually miss

From The FrugalLife.com

I cut the elastic waistband off old pantyhose. My favorite use for it is to put on around a kitchen trash can to keep the trash bag from falling down inside. It can also be used as a giant rubber band for many things like stacks of newspapers or magazines.

I use pantyhose tied to the end of the water hose that runs from the washing machine to the sink to collect lint etc. that would otherwise end up in the sink drain. I tie it to the end of the hose using garbage ties.

We put a portion of a ruined pantyhose over the back of our hard drive to help keep dust out.-- Susan R

From GreenPlanet.com

To save space in your luggage, tightly roll up your clothes, then stretch the tube sections of your pantyhose over them.

From ThriftyFun.com
My husband uses old pantyhose scraps to wrap his fishing bait in when he uses chicken livers. It keeps the bait from falling apart and off the hook and also keeps the fish from just nibbling it off the hook and swimming off.

I cut the waist off the top and put a roll of gift wrap in each leg. This protects the gift wrap from wrinkles and other damage when stored in your closet.

When taking a photography class, I learned a really neat effect.
If you take pictures use the pantyhose as a lense filter.
Cut a circle out of the pantyhose. Next get two small pieces of cardboard and cut a circle out of the middle of them. put the pantyhose inbetween the two pieces of cardboard and stapple the edges. The cardboard just makes it easier to hold. Next place the pantyhose in front of the lense of a camera. Being sure that the cardboard is not blocking the lense. And take the picture. The pantyhose, will create a picture that is softer looking. This technique is good to use when photographing older people, or people with skin that has scars, they dissappear and make the skin look really soft.

My dad is bald & he gets really cold even when the house is warm due to the fact that we loose body heat thru the top of our heads - so he asked me to crochet him a cap of old pantyhose. I cut off the toe & top & spiral cut the legs into one very long piece then crocheted the cap. Mom laughs at him "he looks funny" but "ya do what ya have to do"!

Make a punching bag by putting a soccer ball into the waist section of a pair of pantyhose. Knot the waist. Using the legs, tie it to a hook or a beam.
Now start punching.

I use old panty hose to make a breathable bag to hold Zeolite. I fill the bags with zeolite, and place them all around the house to control odors and moisture. One pound of Zeolite in the refrigerator in a panty hose bag works better than baking soda and by laying out in the sun for several hours once a month, you can use them over and over.

At Least 10 uses for Tennis Balls

From http://www.thisoldhouse.com/

1. Erase scuff marks. With a utility knife, cut an X in a tennis ball and slip it over the end of an old broom handle. Rub the ball over scuff marks on your wood floors; they’ll come right off.

2. Protect a padlock. Cut a slit in a tennis ball with a utility knife and slip it over an outdoor padlock to prevent water from getting into it and freezing.

3. Remove a broken lightbulb. The bulb broke off in the socket? No problem. Carefully clear away any shards of broken glass, then gently push a tennis ball against the light socket and twist it to remove the bulb’s embedded stem.

4. Cushion the blow. Cut an X in a tennis ball and slip it over the head of a hammer so you don’t ding up walls, wood, or other fragile materials while you’re pounding away.

5. Install a parking guide. Hang a tennis ball from a string from the ceiling of your garage so that the ball touches the top left corner of the windshield when your car is properly parked. Now you’ll know how far to pull in each time you come home.

6. Open a jar. Cut a tennis ball in half. Use the open end to grip and unscrew tight lids.

7. Make a hitch cover. Make a long slit in a tennis ball with a utility knife. Slide the ball over the hitch of your trailer to keep it from scratching other cars (and protect it from getting damaged).

8. Collect change for tolls. Cut a slit in a tennis ball and stash spare change inside. Keep the ball in your car so you don’t have to grope for your wallet when you’re at the tollbooth.

9. Keep a door open. Who needs a doorstop? Wedge a tennis ball between the door and the doorjamb in­stead.

10. Get a better grip. Hold a tennis ball in each hand. Squeeze and release repeatedly to strengthen your hands and arms for using tools.

From http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/
If they are split or worn out cut in half and create slug collectors - leave in strategic locations in the garden and then collect the slugs etc - you can decide how you want to dispose of them -my local birds find them a treat!

I often use old tennis balls in my dryer cycles. The balls help fluff around your clothes in the dryer, which gets them more air. Essentially, this helps lessen your dryer running time. I usually use around five balls, and they last forever…so this may notbe that efficient either.

They slit them then use them to put on the bottoms of the metal chair legs in the classrooms at the elementary school here - cuts way down on the noise as the chairs are moved around on the tile floors.

I’ve seen the elderly &/or hadicap use them on the bottom of their walkers, canes & crutches

From http://planetgreen.discovery.com/
Child-proof spiky points around the house

From www.LifeHackery.com
Put a tennis ball into your washing machine along with your shower curtain and 1/2 cup of vinegar, then wash with hot water. The vinegar will kill the mildew and the tennis ball will help to scrub the mildew off.

When you are seated, put a tennis ball (or two or three) under each foot and roll your feet around on them. They make wonderful massagers.

Seed sales up

Burpee, which sells directly to gardeners and via retailers such as Home Depot, told the Financial Times that sales of vegetable seeds had grown 20-30 per cent this year.

Burpee has responded to the frugal mood by marketing a $10 multi-pack of vegetable seeds dubbed the "Money Garden", which includes seeds for tomatoes, peas, carrots, basil, peppers and sugar-snap peas.

Harris Seeds, which supplies both commercial growers and gardeners, estimated that sales of seeds to gardeners were up by 50 per cent this year, with the company seeing a surge in first-time customers on its website.

Park Seeds, another leading seed company, is this year again selling a "Victory Garden" multi-seed pack, that also includes squash and beans, with its marketing recalling the victory gardens planted in the US and the UK during the second world war.

Bell's says sales of its preserving jars and lids increased 40 per cent last year.

Lowe's, the home improvement retailer, also suggested last year that strong sales of freezers partly reflected increased freezing of garden produce.

Hospitals Need More Plants

People have giving hospital patients gifts of living plants and flowers for generations. Research has confirmed that people have known intuitively for years. Plants and flowers from natures can reducestress, create a more positive environment and provide distraction from the pain associated with recovery from surgery.

A recent study a confirmed that plants and flowers were beneficial for patients recovering from abdominal surgery. The findings from the study suggest that giving hospital patients plants may make them more comfortable during their hospitalization and may even shorten the duration of their stay.

Researchers from the Department of Horticulture, Recreation and Forestry at Kansas State University , Seong-Hyun Park and Richard H. Mattson; found strong evidence that contact with plants benefits the health of hospital patients. The researchers used various medical and psychological measurements to evaluate if plants in hospital rooms have therapeutic influences.

According to the press release on the American Society for Horticultural Science .website, previous studies have shown that when patients have a great deal of stress associated with surgery they may have more pain and a longer recovery time. Pain problems are usually treated with anesthetics and analgesics. If the patients stress level can be reduced by plants in the room it is possible that they could recover faster and with less pain.

The study, published in the October 2008 issue of HortTechnology, was conducted on 90 patients recovering from an appendectomy. During the recovery period, some patients had rooms with plants and some did not. Researchers collected information about the length of hospitalization, postoperative pain control with drugs, vital signs, distress, ratings of pain intensity, anxiety and, fatigue.

Researcher found that the patients who had plants in their rooms used less pain medication, had less pain and anxiety, lower blood pressure and heart rate and a higher overall satisfaction with their experience than patients who were not given plants.

A Green Valentine is a Red Valentine

So does that make green the new red? Whatever.

This is such a simple concept that has been taken completely out of context that it is shameful to participate. Diamonds, Gold, Flowers, Dinner out, Cards, Champagne and Strawberries, Chocolate. What are you to do?

Let's go simple again.

Don't Buy Jewelry.
Like a friend of mine says, it doesn't keep your stomach full and doesn't keep you warm (although some would say it can make you hot). Besides, new studies are showing women are more likely to want high tech gadgets (not that it's a green choice), than jewelry. Diamonds may be forever, but they aren't rare. They have had the most well-executed marketing plan ever to make you believe they are rare and are to be coveted. They aren't.

If you must, consider buying an heirloom piece from a jeweler. Since the energy has already been used to create the piece, you're effectively recycling it. So many of the settings from years past are far more elegant than anything you can find now that it only makes sense to purchase an heirloom.

Don't Buy Flowers
The floral industry has a horrid record of using pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers to maintain their industry. They also grow in false, forced conditions that are anything but energy saving. When was the last time a rose smelled like a rose?

If you must, buy a living plant - which will help filter the air in the home/office. You can also ask your florist about organically grown flowers. This part of the industry is growing rapidly and like Christmas tree growers, ends up being a sustainable market which improves the environment rather than degrading it.

Don't Eat Out
The service is almost as bad as New Year's Eve because so many other couples are eating out. Why do that to what should be a relaxed evening? Besides, restaurants are right up there for energy consumption - along with steel and aluminum production factories. If looking at it per square foot, they may actually pass these two industries. The energy wasted is appalling.

If you must, seek out a location that uses locally grown food stuffs. The chain restaurants use highly processed foods that are shipped in from hundreds of miles away. This only contributes to damaging your body and the environment. The best answer to this is to cook your own meal for your heart's desire.

Don't Buy Cards
World-wide, over 1 billion Valentine cards are given each year. And you thought Christmas was bad! What more is there to say?

If you must, seek out cards printed on recycled card stock, that use biodegradable inks, and is made by a local artist. You support the environment and your local economy. Sending an e-card is even better!

Don't Buy Champagne and Strawberries
Yes, it's supposed to be the ultimate in luxurious combinations. But strawberries aren't in season, which means they must be forced to grow in less than ideal conditions (proven by the latest freeze in FL) - and must be shipped from far away (like, say, FL to NY).
True champagne is only from France, so shipping is a concern. Sparkling wines made in the champagnoi method are often shipped from CA and many growers use a large number of chemicals to keep their vines 'healthy'.

If you must, buy only champagne. You can buy a local sparkling wine variety - particularly here in NY. Look for an organic wine, of which there are a growing number. Don't throw the rest of that magnum away! Use it in your cooking - it's superb when added to any sauce. And don't buy the strawberries - save that luxury for when they are in season. The wait is more than worth it.

Don't Buy Chocolate
Chocolate isn't native to North America. Face it - it's a luxury we've made into a staple. So giving it for Valentine's Day just isn't as special as it should be anymore. And because of over farming, pesticide, herbicide and fertlizer use, cocoa plant varieties are becoming rare or extinct. How sad for the Earth!

Make a white cake with an orange glaze. Make a cinnamon coffee cake. Yes - MAKE it. I know it's a stretch, but making something is far more loving than running into your local drug store and buying the first box of chocolates you come to.

If you must buy chocolate, there are many food clubs in the area that sell fair trade chocolate. Find one and buy from them. While you're at it, buy a pound of coffee to go with that chocolate and support organice fair-trade organizations.

What Else Can You Do?
There are many things you can do for your sweetheart that would probably be more appreciated than any amount of chocolate or cards.

Do something for each other - clean the house, do the laundry, take the kids out for awhile, give a foot rub, give a back rub, make a cake, make brownies, make dinner, take a walk with each other, vacuum the car out, wash the car windows.

Write "I Love You" in unexpected places - like half way through a roll of toilet paper or paper towels.

Little things done because you care mean far more than anything big or preplanned. So think small!

Buy A Houseplant

Regardless of how drafty or well-sealed your house is, the air inside is less than pristine. Everything within your house’s walls, and quite possibly the walls themselves, are contributing to your air quality problems.

What Is In Your House
Synthetic carpets are made from recycled soda bottles, which out-gas chemicals into the air. Furniture, carpeting and draperies are all treated with fire retardant chemicals that outgas and slough off as air particles. Formaldehyde and benzene outgas from anything synthetic. Carbon monoxide and the many forms nitrogen oxides occur with use of gas stoves, furnaces, wood burners and (sorry to say it) poor cooking.

These problems can occur at home or work and have lead to a recognized illness – Sick Building Syndrome. The materials used to make the building and then to furnish it cause the people working/living within its walls to become ill or feel ill while inside.

Fortunately, there is a low-tech solution to this problem – Houseplants. NASA did extensive research, which has been duplicated around the world, on houseplants improving indoor air quality.

The Solution
By having 1 or 2 plants per room you can remove the majority of toxins from the air. This is an average since not all rooms can support plants and air circulates quite freely within a building. The best part is, plants don’t take time off. Even after the sun goes down and the lights are turned off, the plants continue to filter the air, supported by the microbes in the soil assisting in breaking down noxious chemicals.

An important plant for our area is the Peace Lily. It is very effective at removing Benzene and TCE.
Aloe Vera plants remove Formaldehyde very well.
Spider Plants are perfect for removing Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxides
Pothos Ivy removes both Formaldehyde and Benzene.

A great supporting cast to these leading plant filters includes:
Chinese Evergreen, Corn Plant, Philodendrons, English Ivy, Arrowhead Ivy, and Snake Plant.

Caring for the plants is simple. Don’t over water them - they hate having wet feet (root ends). Some like low light and some like sun. When you buy one, ask what the plant likes best. Feed them occasionally – once a month is more than adequate. Keep their faces clean (dust their leaves). Leave them alone! Loving them too much tends to kill them, so don’t pay too much attention to them.

Sources for the information:
http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_indoor_plants.html
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/indr_landscape/indr_landscape.pdf

Bat Death Spreads

Bat-killing syndrome spreads in Northeast
By MICHAEL HILL – 1 day ago

ROSENDALE, N.Y. (AP) — A mysterious and deadly bat disorder discovered just two winters ago in a few New York caves has now spread to at least six northeastern states, and scientists are scrambling to find solutions before it spreads across the country.

White-nose syndrome poses no health threat to people, but some scientists say that if bat populations diminish too much, the insects and crop pests they eat could flourish. Researchers recently identified the fungus that creates the syndrome's distinctive white smudges on the noses and wings of hibernating bats, but they don't yet know how to stop the disorder from killing off caves full of the ecologically important animals.

"The cause for concern is that this is going to race across the country faster than we can come up with a solution," said Alan Hicks, a wildlife biologist with New York state's Department of Environmental Conservation.

"Now that is entirely possible."

Bats with white-nose burn through their fat stores before spring, driving some to rouse early from hibernation in a futile search for food. Many die as they hunt fruitlessly for insects.

White-nose syndrome spread fast last winter to dozens of caves in New York and southern New England, within a roughly 150-mile radius of the caves west of Albany, N.Y., where it was first found. Early observations show it has reached farther still this winter, even before cave inspections and bat counts begin in earnest this month.

Bats with white-nose syndrome were found recently in northern New Jersey's Morris County and in an old iron mine in Shindle, Pa., more than 200 miles away from the outbreak's epicenter. In addition, the Pennsylvania Game Commission on Tuesday said that hundreds of little brown bats, a species devastated by white-nose syndrome, were found dead from the disorder outside two mines in the northeastern part of the state.

The syndrome may have spread as far as 450 miles from the epicenter, to the John Guilday Caves Nature Preserve in West Virginia. The National Speleological Society has temporarily shut down the preserve as a possible white-nose sighting is investigated.

So far, there are 40 confirmed white-nose sites in the Northeast, said Jeremy Coleman, who is tracking the disorder for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Cortland, N.Y.

Death tolls for the tiny creatures are hard to pinpoint, but some estimates run into the hundreds of thousands.

The news was grim on a recent day when more than a dozen researchers lowered themselves by rope into a sprawling old limestone mine in New York's Hudson Valley, about 80 miles north of New York City.

Bat counter Ryan von Linden's headlamp swept across isolated clusters of the mammals hanging off the rock ceiling. A chorus of squeaks echoed in the blackness.

"There are not as many as there are supposed to be," von Linden whispered. "Not even close."

With a precise total pending, Hicks estimated the cave's count of Indiana bats, an endangered species, was down 15 to 35 percent from last year's roughly 19,000. Researchers said the number of little brown bats also appeared to be down, although they didn't have enough specifics from prior years to measure the drop exactly.

Hoping to glean more information on the syndrome, the researchers plucked 14 groggy little brown bats from the rock, weighed them, measured them, snipped a bit of their hair and stuck tiny radio transmitters to them to track their activity levels.

Bats' nocturnal habits and some species' ability to carry rabies can give the flying mammals a fearsome image. But they can pollinate plants and play an important role in checking the populations of mosquitoes and insects that can damage wheat, apples and dozens of other crops.

Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey's Wildlife Health Center this fall established that the sugary smudges on infected bats are a previously undescribed fungus that thrives in the refrigerator-like cold of winter caves. The center is still working to determine whether the fungus causes the disorder, but biologists are already focusing on potential ways to combat the fungus.

Since the fungus grows in the cold and damp, they could try to lower humidity levels in at least some crucial caves, though that could create other problems for those ecosystems.

Researchers also are looking at the possibility of a fungicide or even fungus-killing bacteria that could spread from bat to bat. Ward Stone, New York state's wildlife pathologist, said he has been able to culture bacteria that live on big brown bats and kill the white-nose fungus in a lab.

Tests need to be performed to see whether any of the options are realistic. And time is "our biggest enemy," said David Blehert, head of microbiology at the USGS center in Madison, Wis.

For more information
Fish and Wildlife Service

Build or Buy a Bat House

Many Free Plans To Build Yourself

Another Mercury Source

I'd have to say people shouldn't worry nearly as much about the shots their babies are getting - they need to worry about Corn Syrup. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

This report sent to me by Kevin M.

The following is merely excerpts of the entire article, as it is incredibly dry reading. However, it's an area that has never been looked at by the US.

Mercury - in various forms, is used to make HFCS last longer - longer shelf life, lower spoilage rate. There are 8 plants in the US that use mercury to produce the chemicals that are used to make HFCS - it's not just a matter of squeezing sweet corn and letting it dry. It's a very complex process.

The US does try to keep track of the mercury itself, but when shortages - of TONS - are reported, nothing is done to track where it may have gone. Anything that has a corn product, food grade or otherwise, most likely has the mercury in it. This just happens to be what an arm of the FDA tested thus far - and have been banned from doing anymore.

The paper was written and submitted June of '08. Was published Jan of '09.
For the whole thing:
http://www.ehjournal.net/content/pdf/1476-069x-8-2.pdf

In 2004, several member states of the European Union reported finding mercury concentrations in beverages, cereals and bakery ware, and sweeteners [14] – all of which may contain HFCS. FDA does not currently have a mercury surveillance program for food ingredients such as added sugars or preservatives manufactured with mercury grade chlor-alkali products.

With the reported average daily consumption of 49.8 g HFCS per person, however, and our finding of mercury in the range of 0.00 to 0.570 μg mercury/g HFCS, we can estimate that the potential average daily total mercury exposure from HFCS could range from zero to 28.4 μg mercury. This range can be compared to the range of total mercury exposure from dental amalgam in children reported by Health Canada [20]. In the report issued by Canada, daily estimates of total mercury exposure from dental amalgam in children ages 3-19 ranged on average from 0.79 to 1.91 μg mercury.

Current international food processing standards allow 1.0 μg mercury/g caustic soda [21, 22] and there is no standard for mercury in food grade hydrochloric acid. Both of these chemicals may be used to make HFCS. The FDA has approved HFCS for use as an added sugar in food products but a review of food product labels reveals that it is often added to a product in addition to sugar presumably to enhance product shelf life.

Regardless of its intended use, it is imperative that public health officials evaluate this potential source of mercury exposure, as HFCS is presently ubiquitous in processed foods and therefore significantly consumed by people all over the world.

Mercury in any form – either as water-soluble inorganic salt, a lipid-soluble organic mercury compound, or as metallic mercury- is an extremely potent neurological toxin [23]. Mercury contamination of food products as a result of the use of mercury contaminated HFCS seems like a very real possibility.

With daily per capita consumption of HFCS in the US averaging about 50 grams and daily mercury intakes from HFCS ranging up to 28 μg, this potential source of mercury may exceed other major sources of mercury especially in high-end consumers of beverages sweetened with HFCS.

Food products that contain a significant amount of HFCS should be tested for mercury contamination in the end product and the public should be informed of any detections. Clearly, more research is needed to determine the extent of mercury exposure in children from mercury contaminated HFCS in food products.

Testing Yourself

The first two can be used with body fluids or clear liquids (can have color to it, just not cloudy in nature)
http://www.vivagen.net/tests_distillers.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220349844606&category=67589&refid=store

The third is to check surfaces
http://www.leadcheck.com/MercuryCheckSwab.shtml

This final is to send in a sample of your hair
http://www.sierraclub.org/mercury/get_tested/

(From my herbal studies)

Getting the Mercury Out

If you are concerned that you might have a high level of mercury in your body, there are things you can do at home to assist in getting the mercury out. All 3 herbs are completely safe, have no side effects, even in massive doses, and 2 are probably in your cupboard right now.

If you can't find the mullein, use the other 2 anyway.

2 oz mullein leaves
2 oz fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (per tea pot)

Mix first 2 herbs together. Keep in glass container. Take 1 heaping teaspoon of mixture, put in tea pot (If only fennel, half a teaspoon). Pour 1 cup of boiling water over mixture - steep for 15 minutes. Add the 1/4 teaspoon cayenne to the liquid. Strain before drinking. Drink 1/3 of this 3 times a day, between meals. Reduce by half for children (It's a volume thing for kids, they aren't going to want to drink it and don't need the entire volume to work, so why make them?)

Use 3X daily for 1 week, 1X daily for 1 week, retest - if you feel the need. For maintenance - once a week should be good. But won't hurt you at all if you choose to do it more often.