Green Thoughts for the Holidays

 

 

Here’s a collect of green thoughts from a website that no long exists – Green is Sexy and a few of my own:

 

lighten up.

Friends have been telling us about the new LED lights they have purchased for their holiday decorating this year. The biggest question we had? “Do they look like LED lights?” You know, a little more “bright white” than “chestnuts-by-the-fire romantic.” Like cars with the somewhat-blinding purple LED headlamps or the penlight on your keychain. Good news, ladies and gents, they don’t! And what better word to spread, because LED lights use 90 percent less energy than conventional holiday lights and last up to 200,000 hours. And if you like to really light up during the season, you’ll be happy to know you can even save up to $50 on your energy bills during the holiday season. LED lights seem to be available everywhere, including drug stores and major retailers.  (LED lights have come a long way since this was written in 2010)

avoid anaphylaxis.

If you find yourself sending gifts to loved ones in the mail, you’ve inevitably found yourself staring into the cold, dead eyes of the poly-styrene packing peanut. If you’re allergic to peanuts like we are, why not try making your own packing material? Remove the paper from your recycling bin and throw it through a shredder (one of uses the shredder at her office, ahem!). The shredded paper can be stored in a bag and saved for stuffing packages for extra cushion. This free alternative to plastic packing products covers two of the three’s (reduce and reuse). Aren’t you sexy?

trip out.

This holiday, if you’re hosting guests or cooking a big meal, plan your shopping trips ahead of time. Try making a list, checking it twice, and figuring out where to go with the least impacting route in your car (think less miles/kilometers!) before you even leave the house. Want to double your fun? Bring another hosting friend along and split the gas cost! You might even be able to swap some recipe tips. If you forget an item, ask an arriving guest to do a quick stop to pick it up on the way.

shop with reusable bags.

Remember to carry reusable bags everywhere you shop.  I've gotten good about carrying them to the grocery store but often forget when I go to other places.  Many stores have started giving credit when you use a reusable bag. 

seasons greenings.

Has your first holiday card arrived in the mail? It’s great that friends and family are thinking of you, but it’s not so great that they aren’t thinking of those poor trees! Turn your loved ones into unknowing environmentalists by reusing the season’s greetings. Most people write on the inner right of a card, so cut at the fold and voila! You have a seasonal postcard.

burn beeswax candles.

Burning candles during the holidays is a beautiful way to celebrate.  Instead of traditional petroleum-based candles, purchase candles made of biodegradable and renewable materials such as soy or beeswax. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volusia County Schools in Deland, Fla. Awarded $225,000 in EPA Rebates to Fund Cleaner School Buses

 
Dec. 11, 2015

Volusia County Schools in Deland, Fla. Awarded $225,000 in EPA Rebates to Fund Cleaner School Buses
Contact Information: Dawn Harris Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

ATLANTA --- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Volusia County Schools in Deland, Fla. is one of 85 school bus fleets in 35 states to receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding.  Nationally, EPA announced the award of more than $7 million in rebates to replace or retrofit 400 older diesel school buses. The new and retrofitted buses will reduce pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that are linked to numerous health problems, including asthma and lung damage. 
 
"Schools and other organizations that install clean diesel technology are doing more than just saving money --- they're creating cleaner, healthier air for children and all community residents," said Christopher Grundler, director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality. "This program continues to help thousands of children breathe easier and lead safer lives year after year."
 
This was EPA's third round of the rebate program aimed at replacing older diesel school buses.  Applicants replacing buses with engine model years of 2006 and older will receive rebates between $15,000 and $25,000, depending on the size of the bus. This year, applicants also had the option of retrofitting school buses with engine model years between 1994 to 2006 with a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst plus Closed Crankcase Ventilation system (DOC plus CCV) to reduce toxic emissions. EPA will fully fund the cost of these devices up to $3,000. 
 
EPA has implemented standards to make newer diesel engines more than 90 percent cleaner, but many older diesel school buses remain in operation and pre-date these standards. Older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which are linked to instances of aggravated asthma, lung damage, and other serious health problems. Nearly 17,000 of our country's schools are located within steps of a heavily-traveled road, potentially exposing more than six million children to traffic-related pollution at a time when their developing lungs are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution. 
 
Since 2008, the DERA program has funded more than 650 clean diesel projects across the country, reducing emissions in more than 60,000 engines.
 
For more information about this rebate program, visit www2.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-rebates#2015sb
 
Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast

 

 

 

 

An Eco-White Holiday

An Eco-White Holiday

posted by Ronnie Citron-Fink Dec 7, 2008

Has global warming put the kibosh on the predictability of a blanket of white fluff where you live? It’s easy to bring home that snowy feeling this holiday. Start a new tradition and design an enchanted winter white eco-holiday theme this year.
I get nostalgic each year when I unpack the boxes of holiday decorations and linens. It’s kind of like flipping through scrapbooks of my family. There’s the old ornaments from my husband’s Christmases past that have been passed down from generation to generation. There are all the new traditions we created together as a family, like the homemade candles my children made and decorated when they were young. Even pets long gone are represented in photos and ornaments. Each year we add to these rich traditions.
This year I’m pulling out of the boxes everything white. Why white? Beyond the snowy obvious, white decorating is an eco-alternative color to all that red and green. Buying or creating white decorations are cheaper because of the generic qualities of being able to use and reuse the decorations throughout the winter. Organic undyed table linens tend to be less toxic and less processed because the organic fibers are free of chemical dyes and pesticides, making them a much healthier alternative.
In my home, I tend to keep the overload of holiday decorating to a minimum, but I love a festive table that uses sustainable products without sacrificing style. I approach interior design projects like home fashion. You “dress up” for holiday parties and you “dress up” your home to in a similar festive manner.
Consider giving red and green a rest this year. Here’s some ideas to play “dress up” with and create a rustic, eco-chic white holiday table:
1. Try a white organic hemp tablecloth, napkins, placemats or table runner.
2. With a table full of kids (or children at heart), you might want to ditch the fancy white linen and cover your table with white recyclable craft paper. Let your artists decorate a winter white theme with beeswax crayons.
3. I like to use real silverware, but bamboo flatware is renewable, reusable and it has a nice natural look.
4. White LED tealights in white glass candle holders, flameless candles and solar lights illuminate a holiday table nicely, as do white beeswax candles.
5. Organic white flowers are beautiful. The even greener alternative would be to get paperwhite narcissus bulbs and plant them if the ground isn’t frozen.
6. The greenest of all decorations, and the perfect holiday table accents can come from nature. Embellish fallen branches by decorating them with glistening glass droplets rescued from old chandeliers found in second-hand stores. This adds elegance to a rustic look table.
7. Recycled glass icicle ornaments hung from your dining room light bring winter to your table.
8. Try natural balsam garlands draped with tiny LED white lights or solar Christmas tree lights.
9. Shopping for a new table and recycling the old one? Going all out eco-white? Here’s a white contemporary dining table constructed of renewable and sustainable grass and wheat boards made with non-toxic adhesives and wood finishes.
10. The holidays are about peace on Earth. Pure white origami peace doves make beautiful table decorations and are easy to create. You can find Peace dove ornaments from fair trade sources.
The holidays! They’re here! I’m dreaming of a white …
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/an-eco-white-holiday.html

 

 

 

 
 

 

‘No Christmas Tree in the White House’

Theodore Roosevelt didn't want to deplete forests for the holiday. His children had other ideas.

 

A Teddy Roosevelt Christmas-tree ornament at the White House in 2008. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

 

By Thomas V. DiBacco

Dec. 9, 2015

 

Theodore Roosevelt's commitment to conservation is well known. Less well known was the 26th president's ill-fated attempt to ban Christmas trees at the White House. Why? So many trees were cut down for the holidays, he believed, that it was contributing to deforestation—and he wanted to set an example for the country.

 

Franklin Pierce decorated the first Christmas tree on the White House lawn in 1853; Benjamin Harrison brought a tree inside the White House in 1889, lighted by candles, to the marvel of his grandchildren. Six years later Grover Cleveland, who had two young daughters, decorated the tree with electric lights.

 

TR's Grinch-like practice began in 1902. As the Sun newspaper in New York City reported, the president and family would celebrate the holiday by exchanging gifts, "but there will be no Christmas tree in the White House."

Yet the two youngest of the Roosevelts' six children, Archibald, age 8, and Quentin, age 5, were not to be denied. With the covert help of White House staff, they cut a small fir tree from the grounds, hid it away and wired it with lights.

 

Roosevelt recounted what happened on Christmas morning in a letter to a friend the next day. There "was a surprise for me, also for their good mother, for Archie had a little Christmas tree of his own which he had rigged up with the help of one of the carpenters in a big closet; and we all had to look at the tree and each of us got a present off of it. There was also one present each for Jack the dog, Tom Quartz the kitten, and Algonquin the pony, whom Archie would no more think of neglecting than I would neglect his brothers and sisters. Then all the children came into our bed and there they opened their stockings."

 

The president was in for another surprise. He asked noted conservationist Gifford Pinchot, who would later serve as his first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, to lecture the children on the necessity of banning Christmas trees. But Pinchot admitted it was good to cut down trees periodically to get more sunlight for other trees to grow.

 

Well, you know how this story had to end. While there was still no White House Christmas tree in 1905, the Sun noted that the president's younger children would be permitted, as in the previous few years, to visit the tree-bedecked home of their cousin, Sheffield Cowles, on N Street on Christmas afternoon.

 

And by 1906, the ban was gone. "The children made the White House ring with merriment last night," the Washington Herald recounted on Christmas Day. "There is to be a large tree."

 

Mr. DiBacco is professor emeritus at American University in Washington, D.C.

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/no-christmas-tree-in-the-white-house-1449705242

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saving butterflies: Caterpillars are lowly no longer

In between laying eggs, the black swallowtail goes for the nectar-rich pentas blossoms. Handout TNS

 

By Norman Winter

Tribune News Service

 

At almost every seminar I give, I ask the audience by a show of hands if they are caterpillar friendly. I am delighted to say I sense a real change within the gardening public. The caterpillar, once perhaps considered the enemy of the garden, has now become the recognized reward, and woe to the lizard or bird that picks one off.

Last year I started to realize how important caterpillars had become to the public. I received a phone call from a lady who was in tears. She had Monarch caterpillars, but all of her milkweed had been devoured. She asked almost hysterically if she could bring the caterpillars to us since we had so many milkweeds. At least I thought we had many.

The Giant Swallowtail emerges from the chrysalis. Handout TNS

She showed up with a box containing 100 caterpillars. I slowly walked through the garden. A little milkweed plant got one caterpillar while larger plants were gifted with two or three. It took no time before I had few leaves as well.

This year we had our own similar episode. Despite having several large fennel and a few parsley plants, it seems the “Fertile Myrtle” of Black Swallowtails produced enough eggs and caterpillars to create panic among the staff. The stress led to them to buy more plants in an effort to try to feed all of the hungry mouths.

Our own real test of being caterpillar friendly caught us all by surprise. It involved Improved Meyer Lemon trees in glazed containers outside our new Andrews Visitor and Education Center.

Black swallowtail caterpillars devour fennel. Handout TNS

A couple of things make this caterpillar-friendly test a little more of a challenge.

We got our start as a USDA Plant Introduction Station in 1919. All over the garden are trees, shrubs and bamboo that Frank Meyer, the hero of plant exploration, found and brought back to the country. He is the one who discovered the aforementioned lemon named in his honor. That was just one issue in our true test of being caterpillar friendly.

The second test: These two containers are right at the entrance where every visitor enters the garden. What would they think to see missing leaves or caterpillars, which would no doubt just be worms to many of them?

Our test began beautifully as a giant swallowtail made her visit to the lemons. She would lay an egg or two then drop down to get nectar from some red pentas. Then she would return for a little more egg laying. We saw the eggs, the resulting caterpillars and, in what seemed like such a short amount of time, chrysalis. Every day we would look.

Then the call came over the radio: Norman, you better get over here. As you might have-guessed, a beautiful swallowtail had emerged, a process called enclosure in the lepidoptera world.

All the staff and a few visitors stood in awe as we experienced nature at one of its finest moments. While we were watching, I couldn’t help but think we too had just passed the caterpillar test.

Are you caterpillar friendly? You will have many more butterflies if you are.

Norman Winter is director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/home-garden/article45282549.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

 

 

 

Landscaping to Attract Birds in South Florida

While we have a large population of native birds that always need food, fall and spring are critical times to provide food for migrating birds.  Adding a few native shrubs and trees to your landscape can be very beneficial to our wildlife population.  -- Gene

 

FLORIDA HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT OF ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE FACT SHEET

Florida Cooperative Extension Service Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida, Gainesville John T. Woeste, Dean for Extension

 

Landscaping to Attract Birds in South Florida

By Timothy K. Broschat and Stephen D. Verkade

Associate Professor - Tropical Ornamentals, and Associate Professor - Ornamental Horticulture, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

 

One benefit of Florida living is the enjoyment of plants and wildlife in the landscape through most of the year. By proper plant selection, you can enhance your landscape to attract, feed, and shelter birds for year-round enjoyment. When selecting plants to incorporate into the landscape, keep in mind the need for birds to obtain shelter from inclement weather and from predators. A number of plant species can also attract birds by providing fruits as a source of food. Flowers of some species attract insects, which are in turn eaten by other types of birds. Migratory birds are particularly abundant along the coastal ridges in southern Florida. These birds can be attracted to landscapes by use of plants that provide seeds, fruits or insects during the fall and spring migrations. These food sources can be complemented by one or more bird feeders which must provide high quality seed with regularity. A good bird feeder should be conveniently located for viewing and large enough to hold food for at least 2-3 days, protect the seed from rain, and minimize seed spillage. Many bird guidebooks provide information on the bird species attracted by various seed types. Keep in mind that many of south Florida’s songbirds are migrants or winter residents, and will thus require food or cover during the fall, winter, and spring months only.

 

Landscape Principles to Attract Birds

 

Solid design concepts are important in any landscape project, and references on design principles are listed in this fact sheet under the heading of ‘Recommended References’. The following are additional considerations to remember when landscaping to attract birds.

 

· Provide shelter to entice birds into your yard and to protect them from the elements or predators.

 

· Select a variety of plants which offer a consistent supply of food over an extended period of time.

 

· Select plants that flower or fruit during the spring migrations and attract insects. Insects, in turn, attract insectivorous birds. In some areas in southern Florida, the flowering gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba) attracts  large numbers of warblers in their spring breeding plumage as they migrate northward.

 

· Design plantings which offer enough food to meet the needs of the birds.

 

· Provide a source of water for drinking and bathing. Moving water in a gently sloping basin or trough is particularly attractive to birds.

 

These criteria can be met by careful planning during the design phase of the landscape project. Select a variety of plants to extend the fruiting period for a year-round supply of food. Group plants together to create habitats attractive to birds. Be sure to include enough plants of each species to provide food in a volume great enough for the dietary needs of the birds attracted to your yard. The following listing is designed to assist you in selecting plants which have attributes particularly attractive to birds.

 

Table 1. Listing of plants for south Florida which attract birds; noting origin, plant type, plant part of value, season, and birds attracted.

 

Scientific Name	Common Name	Origin	Plant Type	Value	Season	Birds Attracted
Ardisia escallonioides	Marlberry	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Fruit-eating birds
Asclepias curassavica	Scarlet Milkweed	exotic	shrubby perennial	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds
Bauhinia blakeana	Hong Kong Orchid	exotic	tree	flowers	winter; spring	Hummingbirds, Orioles, Warblers
Bursera simaruba	Gumbo Limbo	native	tree	fruit	summer	Mockingbirds, Vireos
Calliandra haematacephala	Powderpuff	exotic	shrub	flowers	winter	Hummingbirds
Callicarpa americana	Beautyberry	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Catbirds, Thrashers
Calyptranthes pallens	Spicewood	native	shrub	fruit	fall	Fruit-eating birds
Cestrum spp.	Day and night-flowering jasmine	exotic	shrub	fruit	spring; fall	Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Woodpeckers
Chrysobalanus icaco	Cocoplum	native	shrub	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds
Coccoloba diversifolia	Pigeon Plum	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Mockingbirds, Catbirds, Robins, Woodpeckers
Coccoloba uvifera	Seagrape	native	shrub; tree	fruit	year-round	Fruit-eating birds
Coccothrinax spp.	Silver palms	native	tree	fruit	summer	Mockingbirds, Blue Jays
Colubrina arborescens	Coffee colubrina	native	tree	flowers	spring	Warblers, Gnatcatchers, Vireos, Flycatchers
Dipholis salicifolia	Willow bustic	native	tree	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds
Eriobotrya japonica	Loquat	exotic	tree	fruit	winter	Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Woodpeckers
Eugenia uniflora	Surinam Cherry	exotic	shrub	fruit	spring	Mockingbirds, Waxwings, Orioles
Ficus spp.	Figs	native; exotic	tree	fruit; cover	year-round	Mockingbirds, Catbirds, BlueJays, Waxwings, Woodpeckers, Parrots
Forestiera segregata	Florida Privet	native	shrub	flowers	spring	Warblers, Vireos
Guapira discolor	Blolly	native	shrub; tree	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds
Hamelia patens	Firebush	native	shrub	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds
Ilex cassine	Dahoon Holly	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Waxwings
Juniperus silicicola	Southern Red Cedar	native	shrub; tree	fruit; cover	fall; winter	Tree Swallows, Waxwings, Mockingbirds, Flickers, Sapsuckers
Justicia brandegeana	Shrimp Plant	exotic	shrub	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds, Orioles, Buntings
Lysiloma spp.	Wild Tamarind	native	tree	flowers	spring; summer	Warblers, Flycatchers, Gnatcatchers
Malpighia glabra	Barbados Cherry	exotic	shrub	fruit	year-round	Fruit-eating birds
Malaviscus arboreus	Turk's Cap	exotic	shrub	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds, Painted Buntings
Morus rubra	Red Mulberry	native	tree	fruit	spring	Woodpeckers, Kingbirds, Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, and other Fruit-eating birds
Murraya paniculata	Orange-jasmine	exotic	shrub	fruit	summer; fall	Mockingbirds, Cardinals
Myrica cerifera	Wax myrtle	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Warblers, Vireos, Tree Swallows, Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Catbirds
Myrsine guianensis	Florida Myrsine	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Fruit-eating birds
Parthenocissus cinquefolia	Virginia Creeper	native	vine	fruit	summer; fall	Mockingbirds, Robins, Thrashers, Woodpeckers, Greta-crested Flycatchers
Persea americana	Avocado	exotic	tree	fruit	summer; fall	Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Orioles
Psychotria nervosa	Wild Coffee	native	shrub	fruit	summer; fall	Cardinals, BlueJays
Ptychosperma elegans	Solitaire Palm	exotic	tree	fruit	year-round	Mockingbirds, Blue Jays
Pyracantha coccinea	Firethorn	exotic	shrub	fruit	winter	Mockingbirds, Catbirds, Blue Jays, Waxwings, Woodpeckers
Quercus laurifolia	Laurel Oak	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Warblers, Vireos
Quercus virginiana	Live Oak	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Warblers, Vireos
Roystonea regia	Royal Palm	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Mockingbirds, Robins, Blue Jays
Sabal palmetto	Cabbage Palm	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Blackbirds, Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, Robins
Sambucus canadensis	Elderberry	native	shrub	fruit	summer; fall	Fruit-eating birds
Simarouba glauca	Paradise Tree	native	tree	fruit	spring	Fruit-eating birds
Sophora tomentosa	Necklace Pod	native	shrub	flowers	winter; spring	Hummingbirds, Warblers, Vireos
Tecomaria capensis	Cape Honeysuckle	exotic	vine	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds, Catbirds, Orioles
Tetrazygia bicolor	Florida Tetrazygia	native	shrub	fruit	spring	Mockingbirds and other Fruit-eating birds
Thrinax spp.	Thatch Palms	native	tree	fruit	fall	Mockingbirds, Jays, and other Fruit-eating birds
Trema micrantha	Florida Trema	native	shrub	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds

 

http://www.floridaplants.com/landscape/birds.htm