Green Goodness: a Grounded Look at Being Green

Welcome to The Carbon-Free Home, where you can recycle your water and end your home’s dependence on oil, all while composting your own poo!

On May 31st, this Saturday, at Common Ground Green Building Center and Kitchen Design (326 W Geer St), the Durham authors will be signing their newly published book, The Carbon-Free Home.  The book is their lessons learned from their own purchase and renovation of their 1930s Durham residence. 

If you can’t make this Saturday’s signing, check them out again at The Regulator Bookstore on Durham’s 9th Street on June 6th at 7 pm.

Here’s a bit about the authors, Stephen and Rebekah Hren, according to Chelsea-Green publishing:

Stephen and Rebekah Hren live in Durham, North Carolina, where they are both actively involved with renewable energy, natural building, and edible urban gardening. Rebekah works with Honey Electric Solar, Inc., as a professional designer/installer of photovoltaic systems and domestic solar hot-water systems. Stephen is a professional restoration carpenter, focusing on antebellum houses. He teaches natural-building classes and workshops at the local community college, and in any spare time works with Bountiful Backyards, an edible-landscaping cooperative.

I generally steer clear of global warming arguments… so why am I promoting this?

Obviously, besides the cool factor of a Durham couple being so environmentally passionate that they sought out to accomplish the house and the book, I love Common Ground. Forget Home Crappot and go here, the BEST home improvement store in the Triangle ~ seriously! Plus, using recycled products and energy efficient products, not to mention sustainable flooring and cabinet options, all equal a healthier home. A home free of toxic fumes and residual poisons. THAT is really important to me no matter what your stance on greenhouse gases.

So check out this local couple and absorb the awesome mission they took on.  Get to your locally-owned bookstore, buy The Carbon-Free Home, and get to the book signing!  Then get your booty cooking on oil-independence!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Lowes Motor Speedway partnered with the local Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corporation (yes, Anheuser-Busch has a recycling corp) to put out well over 200 recycling containers in the speedway for last night’s big Kasey Kahne victory (and for good).

While I’m in Hickory with my Papa and Marc, I got stuck watching the 600 mile race last night (I successful ignored most of the race by chatting it up with my visiting Grandma).  The last 20 laps were outstanding however… who would think a 600 mile race can create drama, but with an ending filled with the lead cars one-by-one having to pit for gas (what a heartbreaking way to end the game… uh… race) and Tony Stewart blowing a tire with only three laps left, Kasey Kahne took it away after a twist after twist last 20 laps.

We called our friends in Chesapeake who love Kasey Kahne to congratulate them, and then I got to see a piece on the local news that the speedway has “gone green”.

Now you know how I hate that cheap phrase, but I have to say I am happy to see advances made in all different industries.  It’s a start, and I have to be happy that LMS and A-BRC didn’t resort to the ever-catchy green color for their recycling hubs (that screams gimmick to me).

So crack open a cold one and celebrate the Earth along with Kasey Kahne’s victory.  Cheers!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Marc and I went to Falls Lake in Raleigh this past Sunday for, what Marc thought, was fishing.  I went just to relax on a rock.  Little did we realize that Falls Lake is simply a disaster zone of plastic, broken glass, cigarette butts and nuclear waste.

OK, the nuclear waste is a step too far, perhaps, but I did take this odd picture of some sort of oily rainbowish substance floating around the edge:

Then, I realized why Marc and I had actually ended up at the lake (as if the fates reigned us in).  Enjoy the next few minutes and see how I turned something sad into something fun. I turned trash into a disco!

Yes, I had fun with Marc, picking up and logging each piece with a picture.  And no, every single pic in the video is a different piece ~ no duplicate shots of litter.  And this all took place in 30 minutes in about a half a square block of land (fishermen were on both sides of us, so I opted not to disturb their “area”).

What’s sad is, I could do this every day for a year at Falls Lake and still not get it cleaned up.  Not Marc and me by ourselves, at least.  I have to feel that other people out there are doing the same thing as us, though. 

C’est la vie.  We each do what we can, right?

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

“The hideousness of that foot will haunt my dreams forever.” ~John Turturro as Emilio Lopez in Mr. Deeds (2002)

That is the line Marc gave me upon looking at my foot, one week after being viciously ravaged by fire ants.  Rest in peace, little buddies.  You got me pretty good, and trust me, your suffering was much shorter lived.

And closer up:

A scene near my car seemed intriguing, so I (accidentally) stepped through a Den of Human Devastation and Fire Ant Fury… all to take this picture:

A week later, I can say the picture was so not worth it.  I could have checked that intrigue at the door because I think I’m the only one finding this lonely jug of Simply Green thought-provoking.

I hope my gross foot doesn’t haunt your dreams forever too, though I have no doubts that the fierocity of itching and pain will haunt me… for at least a few more nights.

Painfully yours,  Ashley Sue

I figure my money talks, so when I had to have a recent meeting at Starbucks, I chose to let them know I will only use my money for their fair trade and organic coffees. 

I walked up to the counter where two pleasant young women greet me and ask what I would like.

“A regular coffee please, but make it your fair trade or organic option,” I say.

One looks a little stumped and says, “We have so-and-so medium roast, so-and-so french roast and so-and-so decaf brewed today.”

I repeat, “Are any of your coffees today fair trade or organic, please?”

They both look a smidge stumped before one speaks up.  “No, the coffees we brewed today are not, but we can make you a french press of one.  Here are your options…” she rambles off.  I choose the one of the three fair trade, organic options that she says is her favorite.

I do apologize to them for seeming complicated and explain that my money needs to go to coffee I can feel good about since Starbucks carries so few.

The two ladies are very nice and gracious, agreeing that when you pay money, you should get what you want.

My $3.40 got me a carafe of two large cups of somethinanother tasty brew that I can feel OK about.  Not great.  I was still at Starbucks afterall. 

But I can feel at least OK because I voiced where my money would go.  And my money will go to appropriately paying farmers for the work they do… to making sure coffee farmers and families are not living in pesticide-laden lands… to making sure I help someone else live in a humane way.  At least, that is where I try to put my money.

Despite playing somre really great tunes while I was there, I will not go to Starbucks (I call them Starcruds) by choice.  And the fact that I had to make them brew a special pot for me is exactly why. 

Starbucks… you change your policies, and I’ll change mine.  And you’ll make even more money.

I visited Twig this week, a unique store here in the Triangle (Chapel Hill) that sells sustainability, community and eco-awareness at sustainable prices, and this weekend (May 17) they are partnering with local non-profits, but more on that later.

I loved talking with the staff. The owner shared that everything in the store has a story, and the staff will enthusiastically share the stories with you.

Some items are practical, like the smart strips that reduce phantom power usage in your home, the LED lightbulbs that will one day replace CFLs, the Envirosax for fun and stylish shopping, stainless steel water bottles and Dynamo rechargeable radio and flashlights.

Some items are beautiful, such as the garden tools, the Bambu kitchenware, the Reinbarnation pieces by Roger Dinger, a Chatham County Artist, and the salt rock lamps from the Himalayans that help reduce allergies.

Some items are child friendly, like the cooperative games (lets play together, not against each other), organic and locally-made baby clothing and USA-made wooden toys.

Some of the toys (like the cars in the slideshow below) are for the kid in ALL of us… or the jewelry, which is fun, sustainably made and sophisticated.

Mainly, I walked away KNOWING that Shawn Slome (the owner) and his staff know that sustainability is not a catch phrase du jour. It isn’t about carrying all “organic”, or all “local” goods. It isn’t about novelty. And it certainly isn’t about being a crunchy granola or extravagantly priced. Sustainability is about supporting your local community through a harmony of ideals. That’s pretty amazing.

Check out the invitation to you all from the owner:

Dear Friends and Associates:

I would like to invite you to a Fundraising Festival “Twig” is launching on Saturday, May 17 to benefit local non-profits. For those of you who don’t already know, Twig is the Triangle’s new eco-friendly shop focusing entirely on sustainable, organic and fair trade products.

The Festival is a celebration of our community and particularly of the many organizations that work to protect our environment, nurture our children and make our community a safe place for everyone to thrive.

The event will take place at Twig from 8am to 8pm:
Village Plaza (next to Whole Foods)
99 S. Elliott Rd. • Chapel Hill 27514
(919) 929-8944

Most of our non-profits will be on hand with information tables so you can stop by and say howdy. Twig will donate to our partners 20% of the revenue generated from the event.

We will have live music for most of the day, several door prizes and some tasty snacks provided by Whole Foods.The list of participating non–profits:

Eno River Association NC
Museum of Life and Science
Haw River Assembly
NC Audubon Society
Piedmont Wildlife Center
Triangle Land Conservancy
Toxic Free NC
NC Community Shares
Rainbow Soccer
Bonjour Africa
The Abundance Foundation
American Civil Liberties Union
Orange County Rape Crisis Center
PTA of Chapel Hill
Emerson Waldorf School

I hope you can join us in the fun and make some connections with those that contribute so much to our quality of lives. I would appreciate it if you can help spread the word about this special day.

My advice… check out Twig this weekend. You will LOVE it. Trust me.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Get biking!! Especially Wednesday and Friday of this week!!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue!

A couple listservs and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) of Durham are publicizing this coming week is National Bike to Work Week. 

Monday, 12 May through Friday, 16 May, get your fanny on a bike to get where you have to go.  More info is at www.bikewalkdurham.org.  Also know that you can stop at Mad Hatter’s on Friday the 16th from 7 am - 9 am and get free food, coffee and prizes for cyclists!  REI will be there too handing out water bottles and 15% off coupons as well as giving free bike inspections! 

Do any of you bike to work?  My Grandma just brought me my AutoBike last week (I have a chronic phobia of changing gears), which I have never ridden despite having it for nine years.  I guess Marc and I will put some brakes and new tires on it and see how that goes.  But I will not be biking from Raleigh to Durham, I can say that now.

If only I had the ability to bike to work!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

I do not know about your week, but betweeen life, work and elections, the first three days of this week were pretty high-impact, so I am taking a long deep breathe today to relax with clips from my last trip to the park.

Marc and I went up to Shelley Lake Park recently and I took a few minutes to catch some clips of people relaxing outdoors.  this is kind of like the last two minutes of my favorite show, CBS Sunday Morning, but without the talented photography work…

Enjoy, breathe with purpose and let this minute and a half calm you so you can get on with your work.

If watching this reminded you that you need to get back in touch with breathing and focus, try yoga.  Even puttering around with a few poses can be a tremendous relief if you take the time and do the poses with focus (in other words, clear your mind).  If you need a yoga mat, consider buying a Harmony Mat by Jade and this is why.  Yes, consumerism is bad, but on Allie’s post, you’ll see reason to find another use for your plastic, toxic yoga mat you already have.  It’s such a great post.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

A press release today told me a giant shopping cart with a Chevy engine on it is back, racing around the Triangle this month.  It’s the “Got to Be NC Big Cart”, which I remember seeing at the 2007 N.C. State Fair.

This cart is showing off for the NC Dept of Ag “Got to Be NC” campaign, which is the first official marketing campaign of “Goodness Grows in North Carolina” (like the pretty sign at the Fairgrounds animates).

Apparently, this giant Chevy-powered cart is “an effort to support NC farmers and food producers by increasing consumer awareness about the availability and benefits of buying locally grown or produced foods”.

Is anyone else as confused by the sponsorship as I am?

What in the world does Chevy have to do with locally grown foods?  I mean, I know they have all their commercials about having the first hybrid SUV and longer running electric cars, but is this all about the money of sponsorship, or am I missing a link somewhere (which is possible)?

Just humored, and honestly, slightly annoyed.  But aren’t most of us “treehuggin’ liberals” considered cranky pants cynics anyhow? 

Well, in case you’re in need of seeing a gigundo shopping cart with a big honkin’ car engine, check it here and then.  If you want to question the sponsorship tie-in, email the NC Dept of Ag.

May 9 - Wal-Mart in Zebulon @ 11:00 am
May 12 - Durham Bulls @ 10:00 am
May 16 - Kroger in Apex @ 11:00 am
May 23 - Whole Foods in Raleigh @ 11:00 am
May 24 - Carolina Railhawks @ 4:00 pm
May 30 - Food Lion in Garner @ 11:00 am

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue