Green Goodness: a Grounded Look at Being Green

From my inbox (thanks to WakeUp Wake County) to you, a recap on last week’s Triangle Transit forum:

TRANSIT FORUM HUGE SUCCESS!

The June 26 forum Transit: Is Wake County Ready for it? attracted almost 300 attendees, and the enthusiasm in the room was palpable!   Transit is an issue clearly gaining public support, and this event hopefully ignited the spark needed to bring a bold transit plan to our county and region.

Keynote speaker Carol Coletta CEOs for Cities, commented that our region has many assets that make a great city, minus one important component - transit. We risk losing what is great about our home if we fail to plan for future growth.  Transit and coordinated land use planning must be a priority for our community.

Other speakers talked about Charlotte’s success story, and the new proposal for regional transit recommended by the Special Transit Advisory Commission. Elected officials from across Wake County attended the event, as did representatives of community organizations, business leaders and local government staff. Forum panelists were engaging and explained what opportunities transit can provide for economic development and a better quality of life. To view tv press coverage, go to www.wakeupwakecounty.com.  WakeUP plans to work with community leaders and organizations to build public education and support for transit in Wake County and the Triangle.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS of the Forum:
Capital Group Sierra Club, Raleigh Wake Citizens Assoc., NC Conservation Network, Downtown Housing Improvement Inc, Society of Women Environmental Professionals, WTS-NC Triangle Chapter. 

I wish I had been there to round out that 300…

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Please pardon me for cheering yet another business, but I’m going to toot Winston’s Grille’s horn for their efforts in water reuse and conservation. 

Lately, I feel like a cheerleader for businesses that have greened up their efforts a couple notches, and I apologize if you find it annoying.  I promise my roots are in skepticism and interrogation, but I find myself feeling the need to share truly interesting information shared with me.

My pal Raleigh Native (I know him as Doug) called me a couple days ago, blown away with a little something he stumbled upon while visiting Winston’s Grille in Sutton Station in Raleigh.  I like that he shares Raleigh efforts with me, as I don’t tend to stumble onto anything except neat Durham stuff.

Doug was so excited by Winston’s efforts to reuse and conserve water that he posted it on MyNC.com too.

More and more companies are “going green” (a phrase that frankly makes me ill deep in my gut) in the Triangle, and of course, not everyone is living up to their hype. 

Winston’s, on the otherhand, seems to be proceeding quietly when it comes to their cistern, which collects rainwater from their 8,000 sq. ft. rooftop.  After the cistern is complete, it will look like a giant cedar wine barrel, which is pretty neat.  I have to say, I’m genuinely thrilled about the step they’ve taken toward conserving in an area riddled with drought concerns.

While I have no intentions in making this the one-stop resource to hear or showcase how a local business is getting with the program, being grounded in the Green movement requires cheering on proactive solutions and initiatives in our community.  Cheering on those who take on more than the minimum requirements (ie, most of the local restaurants and chains) is an important step in letting businesses know that our dollars will support business practices we believe in. 

And with the way money flows in the Triangle, not to mention the muriad of competitors in the Triangle food scene, it’s more important than ever to bypass the Crapplebee’s and head for a place with a sense of spirit, vivaciousness and community. 

Locally-owned restaurants are important in supporting sustainability.  But locally-owned options are not necessarily the answer either.  We ate at one of a five-restaurant Raleigh chain, and there is *nothing* sustainable or vegetarian about it… and we won’t be going back.  Sheerly because it’s locally-owned and I’m not into bashing any small business owner, I won’t mention the name.

But next time we dine in Raleigh, I’ll be suggesting Winston’s (hoping I can cheer them for vegetarian options beyond “house salad” as well). 

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

A colleague of mine recently had me meet Pete Pagano of Green Planet Catering here in Raleigh, NC.

NBC 17 covered the company recently.  The catering company has only been catering for about half a year, but the concept has been growing much much longer.

I have to admit, the “greenie” in me is deeply suspicious anytime someone mentions to me a business claiming their “greenness”. I agreed to meet and told myself I would keep an open mind, but truthfully, I expected very little as we met at Tir Na Nog’s “The Cottage” room.

Pete quickly wowed us, however, with sharing that Green Planet Catering uses as much local and/or organic produce as possible. They use spudware and compostable materials. They create their own bio-diesel and work with a farm, headed by Ben and Charles Keefer here in Raleigh. “We work to be as sustainable as possible,” Pete says.

Green Planet Catering, a team comprised of six members with over a 100 cumulative years of restaurant experience (at least a decade under each of their belt’s), also collaborates with other area partners for composting events. Partnerships for composting and events they’ve covered include Burt’s Bees (headquartered in Durham), NCSU, UNC, Matchbox 20, the Cary Wine Experience, Southern Energy, weddings and private parties.

While the company is already taking impressive strides to show their dedication to a healthy environmental philosophy, Pete’s own education and passion is what sold me.

Referencing Native American philosophy, the Weston A. Price Foundation and movement toward traditional food and knowledge of pesticide and chemical use in mainstream American food industries, I found myself enthralled with Pete’s passion and mission. And I liked that he was not one to put down other companies and their efforts, or arrogantly praise all of their own implemented environmentalism. He is about encouraging the movement by spotlighting positive steps of each company.

Pete explained the importance of educating yourself and making your own decisions for your health and beliefs, saying that eating better and taking care of the environment can go together beautifully. “You’re not twisting your arm. It’s not a New Year Resolution. It’s a way of life.”

“Some people say ‘green’ is a fad. It’s not a fad. It’s a necessity,” Pete says. “We have to do something. We have X amount of resources, and we have a growing population.”

Pete furthers his point, explaining “Seventy-thousand new chemicals have been added to our daily lives in the last 50 years.” Put that together with dramatic increases in unexplained diseases such as autism, ADD and Alzheimer’s, and I myself am asking Read the rest of this entry »

Want to win a $10,000 US Savings Bond (I wouldn’t mind it myself)?  Three Durham students of the NC School of Science and Math each received a $10,000 bond (as well as the pleasure of meeting with Bill Nye the Science Guy) for their project-winning proposal for CHIRP, a new renewable and biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastics that would help usher in a new era of environmentally friendly bioplastic materials.

The students see practical applications from consumer goods to medical practice, including life-saving devices.

Check out the full story on MyNC.com to watch the video where they and Bill Nye explain the competition and how they won out of 4,500 project submissions!

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

I am going “there” to let you know how I feel about all this talk from Hillary Clinton and John McCain about a gas tax holiday.  I think it’s ridiculous.  Yep.  I went there.

We are within 24 hours of voting in the primary elections, and for the first time in ages, NC has an opinion that the entire nation actually cares to hear.  When’s the last time that happened, eh?

What I think much of the US fails to know about NC is that we are an incredibly complex little state.  A state that is much bigger than people give us credit for, with a tremendous population boom that has no end in sight.

On top of our tremendously growing population, we are a diverse people, mixed heavily of all different nationalities, backgrounds, religions and socio-economic standings. 

We have farmers fighting for their due credit, respect and compensation.  We have growing energy concerns and a couple major nuclear plants.  We have the hub of technology and education that is the Triangle and the hub of finance that is the Charlotte Metropolitan area.  We have a dying furniture and textile industry, leaving many babyboomers without job stability or adequate retirement. We have tremendous transportation issues, from whether and how to create efficient mass transit, to making roads safer for bicyclers, to severe droughts and infrastructure issues for such growth, to housing and building and bridge concerns, to reducing emissions and commute times for our residents. 

And those are just tidbits of all that NC is but has yet to be fully recognized for.

After hearing a variety of arguments in many directions, I do not see how having a gas tax holiday (if they could even get congress and the President to back it) is helping working-class Americans, as so many NC residents are.  Don’t bother thinking I am also “out of touch” or “elitist”.  I myself am from two working-class American families that have worked far too hard to have earned as little as they do.

I found this clip on 2sides2ron that really highlights why I think that supply and demand are all the evidence we need to see that a gas tax holiday is a short-term relief for a large-scale problem… and in reality, the bandage will only make the problem worse.

So get out there tomorrow and VOTE, no matter whether you agree with me or not… or don’t complain.  Don’t complain about immigration.  Don’t complain about our factories closing down and getting shipped overseas.  And don’t complain about how much you are paying at the pump.

Whoa~ I just saw a spot with Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson uniting together for climate and environmental responsibility.  I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I have to say I am happy to see an issue that UNITES so many people!

A new movement has begun to first go green and then to change it to blue so we’ve all gone (or are going) blue…

Huh?  Blue’s the new Green (which is the new Orange, which is the new Pink, which is the new Black ~ in case you hadn’t heard)?  Why on Earth are we changing our terminology of this revolution/ecolution/evolution now?  And what repercussions could follow changing the terminology?  The Green Life will give you a GREAT update on the upcoming (?) eco-lingo.

I can see why the push would be made ~ who isn’t sick of “green” “green” “green”, a word so abused and overused and has no concrete meaning anyhow?  Darn this catch-22!

This video totally has your answer for why you should love CFL bulbs.  Three minutes of “CFLs in Plain English”.  All lessons should be this cool.

Note, not all CFLs are created equal.  It pays to buy a $4 name-brand bulb instead of a cheapy version which will turn yellow-colored ~ In fact, Lighter Footstep explains it best. 

You get what you pay for. CFLs are not all created equal, and the no-name bargain units are cheap for a reason. The difference is usually in the quality of the ballast — the bulky part between the CFL’s light tube and the screw base. Junky ballasts can mean flicker, buzz, and a short service life.

Choose a quality brand: Sylvania, Phillips, and GE are among the most widely available.

That clippet is from the post, but check out the full article anyhow:  “How to Live With CFLs”.  If you don’t listen to Lighter Footstep, trust me, you’ll buy cheap bulbs and be unhappy with the result, and in an age where more countries are BANNING incandescents for CFLs and LEDs, you can jump in now to be ready then!

And if $4 seems like too much for one bulb, you obviously haven’t watched the above video yet.

WholeFoods on Wade Avenue in Raleigh is my favorite WholeFoods, and unfortunately, I’ll not be able to attend this, but for Earth Day, WholeFoods (Raleigh) is having a ROCKSTAR Fashion Show with Celebrity Judge (drumroll!) ~ our own (NBC 17) Tica Lema!!

Get there, get pictures, and you can guestblog it here if you want! 

From my inbox to you:

Tuesday, April 22 at 6:00 pm Whole Foods Market in Raleigh will hold a fashion Read the rest of this entry »