RALEIGH - The conservation group American Rivers says the city of Raleigh could cut water use up to 40 percent and save millions of dollars by improving water efficiency.
But a city environmental coordinator says Raleigh has already adopted many of the policies the organization recommends.
American Rivers issued a report Wednesday in which it analyzed how four cities in the Southeast could benefit from water efficiency, as opposed to building new dams and reservoirs. It concluded that Raleigh could save $30 million to $60 million by pursuing efficiency as compared with building dams and reservoirs.
“I don’t know how they developed the numbers,” said Ed Buchan, the city Utilities Department’s environmental coordinator. “We think that a lot of the things we’ve already done have saved us some money.”
Buchan noted, however, that cutting consumption also reduces the city’s revenue from water and sewer charges. And Buchan said that even with efficient use of water, growing communities such as Raleigh must still plan new reservoirs.
Read More:News & Observer
How to Keep Your Family Flu-free
(ARA) - “Sniffle, sniffle, wheeze, wheeze.” These are tell-tale sounds of cold and flu season, which is right around the corner. With a little knowledge and a few smart tips, you and your family may make it through the winter without a single “ah-choo!”
Lifestyle expert Hannah Keeley, author and founder of TotalMom.com, offers the following tips for keeping your family flu-free this winter:
Get your daily dose of healthy food.
Eating raw fruits and vegetables not only helps your digestive health, it also strengthens your immune system. But as any mom can tell you, it’s hard to get your family thrilled about noshing on raw carrots all day. Try fresh or frozen fruit smoothies or offer raw veggie slices served with a zesty dip. Be creative – look for opportunities to slide some sprouts in a sandwich or hide sliced peppers in a wrap. A healthy diet makes for a healthy family.
Wash your hands.
Mothers have been chanting the same mantra for ages, so why mess with a good thing? The simple act of washing hands with good old-fashioned soap and water is, hands down — no pun intended — the best way to prevent the spread of colds and viruses. Make soap easy for children to reach and try paper towels for drying instead of cloth towels, which can harbor germs.
Keep your body moving.
Daily exercise is a great way to strengthen your immune system; and we all know that a strong immune system is key to fighting off potential infections. Even though the cooler winter weather drives us indoors, make time during the day to get up and move. Turn on some music and dance around the house or bundle the kids up and go skating. Find ways to make exercise fun and get the whole family in on the action.
Take a daily multi-vitamin.
Many people suffer from diets that are low in the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to guard against disease. Protect the health of you and your family by taking a daily multi-vitamin. Remind the kids to take their vitamins by making it a part of your family’s morning breakfast routine.
Tell a good joke.
Stress can make the body more susceptible to catching colds and the flu. Fight off stress this season with a little laughter, fun and games. Host a weekly family game night, watch a hilarious family comedy together, or share funny stories around the dinner table. You’re not just strengthening bodies; you’re strengthening your family.
Clean the air.
During the winter, your family is exposed to viruses that circulate in the air they breathe both outside and indoors. While indoors, protect your family by installing a whole-home air filtration system like American Standard AccuClean. Not only does the American Standard AccuClean system remove a whopping 99.98 percent of particles and allergens from indoor air, but according to a recent Harvard University research study, it also removes more than 99 percent of the common flu, or influenza A virus, from your home’s filtered air. It’s an easy way to keep your family breathing clean, comfortable air all year long.
Forget stocking up on the tissues and expensive meds. In just a few simple steps, you can protect your family and look forward to a fun and healthy winter together.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Purr-fectly ’Green’ Cat Care Tips
(ARA) – She can jump from the floor to the top of the refrigerator, or bound across your desk without disturbing a single sheet of paper. Your cat personifies the graceful, enviable sure-footedness of her species. But what about her eco-footprint?
With 88 million domesticated cats in the country (according to the National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Association), the question isn’t just academic. Like their human companions, pets’ modern lifestyles consume natural resources and can contribute to environmental issues like greenhouse gases and the waste stream.
”As consumers and responsible pet owners, we are all looking for ways to care for our pets’ health and their environment,” says Jill Cordes, host of America’s first broadband pet channel www.Petstyle.com. “Many of us are already putting eco-friendly practices into action in our own lives, from buying organic food to shopping with reusable bags and switching to natural household cleaners. Adopting ‘green’ pet care habits is a natural extension of our environmental consciousness.”
You can become a “greener” cat owner with 10 simple steps, Cordes advises:
1. Give them shelter. Overcrowding at animal adoption centers strains resources. You can help ease the problem – and possibly save an animal’s life – by adopting from a shelter rather than buying a cat from a pet store or breeder. You may also save money if you adopt from a shelter where many animals are likely to already be vaccinated, spayed or neutered. Visit www.aspca.com for more information.
2. Use protection. Get your cat spayed or neutered. Unplanned, unwanted ”deliveries” often wind up in shelters, contributing to the overcrowding problem. Plus, spaying and neutering can help reduce your cat’s risk of developing uterine, ovarian, or testicular cancer.
3. Tag, you’re it. Be sure your cat always wears a name tag (or license, if your municipality requires cats to be licensed). If he gets lost, the tag will help any good Samaritan who finds him return him to you. Plus, you’ll conserve the gas you would waste driving around the neighborhood hunting for him, and the paper for those ”missing” posters.
4. Keep it clean – and gentle. Replace traditional pet care and cleaning products that may contain harsh chemicals with gentle, all-natural products.
5. Potty all the time. Choose environmentally friendly cat litter like ARM & HAMMER Essentials Clumping Cat Litter. It’s made with natural biodegradable corn fibers which are sensible for the environment, and absorbs twice the liquid compared to regular clumping clay litter. Plus, the addition of baking soda eliminates odor problems instantly. Visit www.armandhammeressentials.com/litter.aspx to learn more.
6. Food for thought. Just as added hormones or pesticides in your food aren’t good for you, they’re not good for your cat, either. Look for pet food that is natural, organic and FDA-certified.
7. Quench their thirst. Change your pet’s water and food bowl regularly to eliminate potential disease, insect or other pest infestations. Be sure to use filtered tap water rather than bottled water, which weighs on your wallet and the environment.
8. Play ball. Purchase toys made from sustainable fibers or recycled materials, or entertain your cat with homemade toys crafted from recycled materials, like a scratching pole made from old carpeting. And remember, you will always be her favorite – and most eco-friendly – toy.
9. Into the wild … or not. Try to keep your cat inside as much as possible to avoid exposure to injury, illness and predatory wildlife. If your cat craves the outdoors, however, try to keep his outside time supervised in an enclosed area.
10. Purr-tanical gardens. In an enclosed space, plant a small garden in your backyard for your cat and stock it with cat-safe herbs and flowers. Just be sure kitty is always supervised, and stays in her own yard – otherwise you may find yourself having to explain her embarassing visit to your neighbor’s tomato patch.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Chicken lovers push to lift town’s ban on backyard coops
CARY - Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because Cary told it to scram.
That’s a growing joke in urban poultry circles. Long stereotyped for its rule-happy sameness, Cary refuses to allow backyard chicken coops. Too noisy. Too smelly. Too … well, un-Cary.
But the town’s defiance has stirred a grass-roots chicken push; its supporters hope to bust Cary’s reputation as a snooty killjoy.
Check out the new Web site carychickens.com, or the poultry fans flocking on Facebook, the popular Internet social hub.
They point to Raleigh, where chicken coops are common enough that in some neighborhoods you can pass three on a single block, and where the annual Tour d’Coop draws a curious crowd.
Wake Forest just relaxed its poultry rules — letting homeowners keep up to 10 hens — and Durham is pondering the fresh-egg benefits of city chickens.
Cary, like the farmer in the dell’s cheese, stands alone.
“They don’t want to be seen as rednecks,” coop hopeful Michael Manfre said. “I don’t see how that association works, because cities like New York, they also allow chickens.”
In July, Manfre and his wife, Alissa, laid out their chicken plan for the council.
The rules: No roosters. No slaughtering. Permits required.
The perks: Tastier eggs. Locally grown food. Pets that eat bugs.
But the idea died when the council voted down a motion to study the possibility. Cary does allow poultry in its scarce agricultural zones, but council members backed firmly away from putting birds in neighborhood yards.
“Everywhere I went, I had people begging me not to let this happen,” council member Don Frantz said. “Noise, smell, disease, property values. It’s not an urban thing. It’s best left to the country.”
As to Cary’s image, and whether the chicken ban adds to its renown for regulation, Frantz shrugged.
“I guess that’s part of the reason we win so many national awards,” he said.
Chicken supporters in the Triangle and nationwide say most of the fears are misguided.
Having a few chickens in the backyard isn’t any noisier or messier than keeping a pet dog, fans say. Roosters are a different story, but they aren’t asking Cary for anything that crows.
“I’m not a morning person,” Manfre said. “I don’t want to hear them, either.”
Most towns require coops that keep hens from wandering, and any owner will tell you that a coop needs constant cleaning.
Cary leaders warned that for every law-abiding chicken keeper, you’d see two scofflaws. But in Raleigh, longtime chicken owners say they are vigilant.
“All of us are sensible, so they don’t crack down,” said Bev Norwood in the Five Points neighborhood. “We had our chickens for months, and the people whose bedroom window is 20 feet away didn’t even know we had chickens.”
Manfre said it is ironic that Cary would hold up its award-winning status when defending the no-chicken stance.
The town recently ranked 16th on Money magazine’s list of best small cities. Nearly every place that ranked higher — including Fort Collins, Colo., and Round Rock, Texas — permits poultry.
Cary’s council might not fret about how that looks to outsiders, but some residents do.
Read More:News & Observer
Passing the Buck . . . and the Doe and the Fawn
(ARA) - Sipping coffee on your back deck on a beautiful fall morning, you look up and gasp — there in your suburban oasis stands a small herd of deer. For a moment you pause, enchanted. An instant later, as the deer begin to munch on your landscape, you realize they’re just not as awestruck by the encounter as you are.
You don’t have to be a wildlife expert to know that after generations of dwelling in close proximity to humans, modern deer aren’t afraid of us anymore. What’s more, they no longer fear many of the traditional repellents some homeowners still use to protect shrubs, trees and landscaping. So when cool weather comes along and the natural landscape dies, deer have to start foraging for food sources. And they aren’t afraid to walk right into your yard and help themselves to your well-watered, well-established evergreens.
Even just a few deer can cause significant damage to your landscaping. “A single whitetail deer can consume, on average, 8 to 12 pounds of foliage a day,” says James Messina of Messina Wildlife Management. “In many areas of the country, deer overpopulation is a serious problem. With nowhere to go and not much left to eat in the dead of winter, deer can wreak havoc on shrubs, trees and gardens, and destroy new buds and leaves before they have a chance to grow, ruining your prospects for any spring growth.”
Hungry and bold, deer move into residential areas in the winter, and the damage they do in the cold weather will affect your landscape’s health next spring. Traditional animal repellents are also less effective than they were decades ago, Messina notes.
“That’s because those repellents rely on a bad smell — like the stench of a rotting carcass — to fool animals into thinking a predator’s kill is in the area and the predator may be returning for it,” he says. “But the number of predators has actually declined, and deer know it. They’re less afraid of predators, so relying on scare tactics has a greater tendency to fail over time.”
Some wildlife has also built up a resistance to chemical deterrents. Plus, increasingly eco-conscious homeowners prefer not to put potentially harmful chemicals into the environment. Other more lethal alternatives are not only inhumane but illegal in most parts of the country.
More homeowners are turning to organic alternatives, like Deer Stopper, a repellent formulated from plant extracts. This organic option works because it confronts deer by using their natural repulsion to certain plant smells and tastes rather than relying on fear.
“We know that deer will eat over 500 different types of plants,” Messina says. “Normally, they’re quite discriminating. But in fall and winter, when food is harder to find, they become less picky and much more of a threat to suburban landscapes. Still, like many wild animals, deer rely on taste and smell to judge if a food may be harmful to them. If your backyard foliage tastes or smells unpleasant to them, one bite and they’ll move on.”
An effective taste deterrent, Deer Stopper is 100 percent organic and completely safe for use on all types of plants — from vegetables to trees, flowers to shrubs. The Organic Materials Review Institute lists it as approved for use by organic growers. The smell- and taste-based technology also eliminates the need for a foul odor, so Deer Stopper actually smells good to humans. Lightly mist vegetation once a month, even during the cold and snowy winter to keep deer away all season long. To learn more, or to find retail locations, visit www.messinawildlife.com.
“In the early 1900s, there were probably only about half a million deer spread out over the country,” Messina says. “Today, there are more than 15 million. Deer, it turns out, adapt quite well to life in suburbia. Keeping them away from residential and commercial landscaping can help everyone — deer and homeowners — co-exist more happily together.”
Courtesy of ARAcontent
ARA) – Disappearing plant species, endangered wildlife and adverse health effects for humans – all grab headlines whenever talk turns to the impact pollution has on our world. But pollution also affects production of pearls, the gem American pop culture has made an icon of exemplary womanhood.
From June Cleaver to Marge Simpson, a perfect strand of pearls has come to represent the essence of feminine perfection in American culture. The bestowing of an heirloom strand from mother to daughter is a treasured rite of passage in many families. Yet pollution’s effect on the mollusks that produce pearls may mean fewer pearls – and higher prices – in the future.
Pearl production and a pristine environment are tightly linked. Pearl-bearing mollusks are filter-feeders. To get their microscopic food, they filter as much as 106 gallons of seawater a day. Filter-feeding makes the mollusks extremely sensitive to pollutants in the water.
Pearl-bearing mollusks are also very sensitive to water temperature. Mollusks that produce pearls evolved over millions of years to live in very specific environments. Although those that live in temperate latitudes are accustomed to seasonal fluctuations in water temperature, an unusual rise in summer can kill them. Pearl-bearing mollusks that live in tropical latitudes can survive only within a very narrow range of water temperature. A small rise at any time of year can kill them.
People Can and Do Help
The mollusks’ sensitivity to temperature increases and pollutants make people who are dependent on the mollusks’ productivity acutely aware of environmental factors. Pearl farmers — people who grow cultured pearls — have a stake in mollusk health and productivity. That stake makes pearl farmers good stewards of the environment. If water pollution or temperature increases kill their mollusks, pearl farmers lose their livelihood.
Jewelmer, a pearl-farming company in the Philippines, has been especially active in promoting environmental preservation. The company has strongly lobbied the Philippine government to outlaw cyanide and dynamite fishing in the islands. Those fishing techniques produce big, easy catches, but they’re environmentally destructive, and they adversely affect the mollusks on the pearl farms.
“Jewelmer produces some of the finest golden South Sea cultured pearls,” says Jeremy Shepherd of PearlParadise.com, Inc., a leading online pearl-seller, “and the company has been among the most aggressive in protecting the pearl-farming environment.”
Forum for Pearl Lovers
www.Pearl-Guide.com is a pearl forum that has more than 3,000 members, many of whom contribute posts about pearls every day. Since pearls are the members’ passion and reason for participating in the forum, they are naturally concerned with pollution’s and global warming’s effects on pearl culture. Without protecting the delicate environment mollusks need to produce pearls, Pearl-Guide.com members and other pearl lovers around the world would lose their favorite gems.
More American cities are passing green mandates - laws requiring builders to adhere to environmental standards.
(NewsUSA) - When Washington, D.C. passed its Green Building Act of 2006, a mandate stating that all new private real estate developments need to follow the LEED (Leader in Energy and Environmental Design) standards set by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), it broke new ground. Building green became the new industry norm.
When builders “go green,” they erect efficient buildings that use fewer resources, improve indoor air health and minimize environmental impact. Cities have embraced green building to save energy, water and waste-management costs. From 2003 to 2007, the American cities with green building mandates grew from 22 to 92, a 418 percent increase.
How do buildings go green? The LEED system certifies buildings as silver, gold or platinum. Platinum buildings most closely follow the USGBC’s environmental standards, which look at location, water conservation, energy consumption, atmosphere, materials, indoor health quality, innovation and design.
A truly green building relies on a marriage between eco-friendly consumer products, like low-flow faucets, and renewable energy sources. Architects know to begin with sustainable building blocks -; choosing strong, energy-efficient building material can help ventilation and heating and cooling systems use less energy while improving indoor air quality.
For example, one company, Alternative Construction Technologies, Inc. (ACTech), has developed insulated structural panels made from 75 percent recycled materials. In tests, the ACTech panel system proves up to 65 percent more energy-efficient than traditional building materials. Buildings constructed using the system will waste less energy, so renewable energies, like wind and solar power, can be incorporated to optimize their intended economies and efficiencies.
The panels improve indoor air quality and acoustics. They are also firesafe and able to withstand hurricane-force winds, making them a safe building material in natural disaster-prone areas.
As American cities look to improve their carbon footprint, they must combine green materials with eco-friendly energy sources. Fourteen percent of U.S. cities with populations over 50,000 already have green building mandates, while another 36 cities plan to enact them.
For more information about the ACTech Panel System, visit www.actechpanel.com or call 1-800-859-8813. ACTech trades on the OTC Bulletin under ACCY.
Companies must develop ways to use water - a renewable resource - without harming the planet.
(NewsUSA) - The saying, “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink” rings true. Although water covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, humans make little use of its potential.
Fresh water irrigates fields, washes dishes and prevents dehydration, but it only accounts for 1 percent of the water supply. Moving water provides energy, but only 19 percent of the world’s power comes from hydroelectricity.
Water’s a natural, renewable resource, but humans don’t always use it in eco-friendly ways. People must remove the salt from ocean water before they can drink it, but according to the National Research Council, ocean-desalination plants consume so much energy that they do Earth more harm than good.
Today’s hydroelectric technologies use dams to harness moving water’s energy. Large dams require energy and materials for construction, displace communities and destroy wildlife habitats. In the U.S., 80,000 dams divert and block moving water, changing river habitats into lakes and disrupting wildlife. In 2008, horrified fishermen saw the biggest Chinook salmon run in the Sacramento River collapse, partly due to a diversion dam.
But one Hungarian-based technology company, Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc., is working to improve the ways that humans use water. Its ocean desalination prototype, when completed, will use solar or wind power to produce drinkable water at low monetary and environmental costs.
Power of the Dreams Ventures, Inc. also built a model for a product called RiverPower, which can supply hydroelectric power without dams. RiverPower generators would be submerged at strategic points, using an entire river’s flow to generate electricity. RiverPower would supply energy 24 hours a day, making it more reliable than solar or wind energy.
For more information about RiverPower, visit www.powerofthedream.com. Power of the Dream trades under the symbol PWRV on the OTCBB exchange
(ARA) – If you’re torn between your concern for the environment and your need to make a living, good news is on the horizon. Rising demand for environmentally friendly alternatives for fossil fuels is opening up new career opportunities for professionals in a variety of fields.
Growing environmental concern and limited fossil fuel supplies are driving the growth of domestic and international markets for renewable energy systems, the U.S. Department of Energy reports. Rising demand for cleaner energy directly affects career opportunities in industries related to renewable resources.
“The 2008 economic forecast suggests that one of the newest, fastest growing markets for jobs will be alternative energy,” says Sheryl Decker, director of career services at Brown Mackie College – South Bend, Ind. Decker recently attended a business outlook panel presented by Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “Growth opportunities appear in companies that are exploring the use of wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower and bioenergy power technologies.”
Millions of professionals already work in alternative energy industries, yet more are needed, including:
* chemists
* engineers
* sales and marketing professionals
* administrators
* managers
* clerical workers
* human resources
* information technology
* business
* finance
* law
“Professionals who are already in the workforce, and students seeking to enter into a green career, can prepare with a number of degree programs and continuing education courses,” Decker says. “Many different types of skills can be applied to these upcoming industries.”
“Alternative energy companies are seeking professionals to fill a wide variety of positions, including mechanical engineer, project manager, programmer analyst, IT sourcing specialist, administrative assistant and marketing director,” she says.
”Business Week” magazine reports that a growing number of professionals are moving to jobs in renewable energy fields to promote their own personal environmental concerns. While some intend to transfer existing skills to a different industry, others are making a mid-life career change simply to become part of the solution for the many environmental issues we face today.
The rising cost of oil is proving to be a catalyst for the further development of alternative energy sources. While substantial growth is happening now, Decker points out that many people don’t yet realize the opportunities it affords.
“People tend to overlook many untapped markets and job opportunities in their local employment arenas,” she says. “Networking can be an effective way to gauge the hiring needs in your area. I encourage everyone to join industry-specific organizations, volunteer in community activities, and become involved with the Chamber of Commerce. By becoming involved in the community and networking, you will see new doors opening with different job opportunities.”
To learn more about career training opportunities in alternative energy, and how to prepare for working in this quickly growing business sector, visit www.brownmackie.edu.
Contact: Maggie O’Neill; Ed Johnson
919. 772.4688
Wood from Old Home Site will be Salvaged for New Garner Nature Center
On Friday, July 18, wood from a farmhouse in Garner’s White Deer Park will be salvaged for reuse in the new Nature Center to be built there. Slated for demolition when the park is built, the dilapidated 1930’s farmhouse will contribute first as part of the new building, and also as part of the interpretive program for the park. Staff from Garner’s Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments and volunteers from the park design team will carefully remove the boards with hand tools. The 3/4” tongue and groove heart pine boards will be used as flooring in the new Nature Center.
The Nature Center will be the Town of Garner’s first LEED Accredited building. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a measurement tool used internationally to evaluate performance in site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Removing the boards is just one of the many environmentally sustainable initiatives the project is undertaking to achieve a LEED rating from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
“The Nature Center will have many environmentally friendly systems and features,” said Tom Maynard, Director of Garner Parks and Recreation Department. “It will include exhibits about protecting the environment. We believe the building itself will be a tool for use in teaching about how to care for and sustain the environment. The reclaimed wood is one example of how we can show people what they can do at home.”
“Reclaiming the wood is also a nice way to remember the people who once lived in the area and the history of Garner as a farming community,” said architect Louis Cherry of Cherry Huffman Architects.
The Town will store the boards until they are refinished and installed in the new Nature Center. The wood that cannot be salvaged will be recycled. The building begins construction in Fall of 2008 with expected completion in June 2009.
About the Project
White Deer Park is a 96 acre nature park located on Buffaloe and Aversboro Roads in Garner that is slated for construction this Fall. In addition to the nature center, the Park will feature 2.5 miles of paved walking trails, five picnic shelters, two new playgrounds, wildflower meadows and an arboretum. The Nature Center will also permanently house the white deer that the park is named for. The 2500 square foot Nature Center will achieve a LEED Silver Rating from the US Green Building Council for its many environmentally sustainable features.
The design team for the park includes Garner Parks and Recreation Department, obs Landscape Architects, Cherry Huffman Architects, Design Dimension, Stewart Engineering and ConsiderDesign.
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TOWN OF GARNER
(919) 772?4688
www.garnernc.gov
moneill@garnernc.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY
July 17, 2008
Town of Garner to Salvage The Homestead
The best photo opportunities related to this project will be Friday, July 18 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 12:45 to 2:00 p.m.
The address of the facility is 2400 Aversboro Road. It is located approximately .5 miles from the Aversboro Road and Timber Drive intersection. Please contact CB McDonald at 919?772?4688 if you plan to visit the site so we can arrange an escort to get you from the parking lot to the site.
Town Of Garner NC website
Garner NC City Guide
City5NC.blog
