Two Mt. Washington couples who participated in a "home energy challenge" aired on NBC's Today Show are on course to save $500 to $1,000 in energy costs in the coming year, the network reports.

Betsy Ringel and Kirk Kolodner and Joan and John Goldman did some fairly simple, relatively inexpensive things, such as installing compact fluorescent lightbulbs, adjusting their thermostats and caulking and weather-stripping leaky doors, windows and crawlspaces.

In the video below, both couples say feel more environmentally conscious as a result of their conservation steps and are ready to do more.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

A seahorse and squid made of rope and Styrofoam won the grand prize at the eighth annual "Rethink Recycling" sculputre contest held by the Maryland Department of the Environment today.

The contest aims to encourage high schoolers to recycle by using trash to make art. The event is part of America Recycles Day, an annual effort to raise awareness of the benefits --social, environmental, and economic -- of buying recycled products and recycling.

First Lady Katie O'Malley awarded the prizes to the squid and seahorse, as well as a trash truck, baskets, a tree, and a peacock. There were more than 50 entries from 19 high schools in Maryland. The students used such items as VCR tapes, bottle caps, lawnmower wheels, cans, paper and cigarette butts.

“These sculptures are a testament to the value of art in educating the public, and they are a visual reminder of the need to recycle and to protect our environment,” O'Malley said. “I congratulate all of the participants for their creativity and ingenuity.”

MDE Secretary Shari T. Wilson said, "Reducing waste helps to protect our waters and the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to preserving natural resources and reducing pollution, recycling saves energy and reduces the greenhouses gases that contribute to climate change.”

Philip Custer, from Broadneck High School in Anne Arundel County -- and seen above in a photo courtesy of the MDE -- made his squid and a seahorse from rope, bottles, a mattress, pine cones, Styrofoam, wire and plastic bottles. He won a television and a Blue Ray player.

Continue reading "America Recycles Day inspires art from trash " »

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

The Baltimore Running Festival people, like many other major race organizers, decided this was the year to really make an effort on the environmental front. And they just reported their final numbers from the race that drew 20,000 runners out for the day.

Here's the breakdown:

*75 percent of waste either recycled or composted;

*16,640 pounds of material recycled;

*2,200 pound of material composted;

*150 pounds of heatsheets recycled;

*162 pairs of shoes recycled through Soles 4 Souls;

*48.3 tons of carbon offset;

*3 hybrid and 1 electric vehicles used;

*210 gallons of biodiesel used;

*100 trees planted.

Runners also received new Under Armour shirts made from recycled materials.

So, anyone have any feedback? Did they do a good job? Anything more they could have done?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Susan Reimer over at Garden Variety is blogging about the installation of her rain garden. She has a low corner in her yard where heavy rain will wash dirt, mulch, nitrogen and roof pollutants into a nearby storm drain.

So if you're considering installing one, you can follow her progress and get some tips at Garden Variety.

Does anyone have a rain garden already? Tell us about it in the comments and share your photos here.

Photo by Susan Reimer

Posted by Kim Walker at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

USA Today writes today from Detroit, where a three-day conference is going on about the future of plug-in hybrid electric cars. The big question going around is: Who would buy one?

The concensus among industry people and observers is no one, unless they're fun.

Fun?

Wouldn't the answer be people who 1)care about the planet and 2)care about saving gas and 3)have a lot of extra money to spend and 4)don't have a super long commute.

But maybe the thrill is the No. 1 thing for drivers. That would explain sports cars capable of going 50 miles over the speed limit. And maybe even Nascar.

The car guys did acknowledge that the plug-ins would be expensive, at least until the cars are bought in large numbers. And that people wouldn't want them if they couldn't rely on them to make it from home to work.

So, what would make you buy one of these plug-ins?

AFP/Getty photo of a plug-in hybird car from this year's car show in Japan

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Going Green
        

San Francisco's law requiring everyone to compost takes effect today. Residents now have three trash bins: blue for recycling, green for compost and black for trash.

Comments on the San Francisco Chronicle's story range from words of support to worries about rats, big brother and scavengers. I wonder what the reaction would be if Baltimore passed a similar law?

What do you think? Should more cities and states follow San Francisco and require composting just like they require recycling?

(AP photo)

Posted by Kim Walker at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Going Green
        

The Associated Press has an interesting follow-up on Colin Beavan and his family, who spent a year trying to have zero impact on the environment. The story looks at what the family is doing now that the year is over.

They've mostly stuck to shopping at farmers' markets, they still don't have a TV, and they mostly use their bikes. But they use toilet paper again (sorry, but I see that as a good thing), buy some packaged items from the grocery store and take some flights for work and to visit family.

This week is the HuffPost's 'No Impact Week', where people pledge to reduce their eco-footprint.  Have you signed up? How low-impact would you go or have you gone? Share your examples with us.

(AP photo of Colin Beavan, Michelle Conlin, their 4-year-old daughter, Isabella) 

Posted by Kim Walker at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

The numbers from the Baltimore Running Festival are in from the folks at Corrigan Sports:

--They collected 3.7 tons, or 7,440 pounds, of single stream recycled items such as bottles.

--They collected 1.1 tons, or 2,020 pounds, of compostable items such as cups and banana peels.

That's a lot of trash diverted from the landfill. They say they are happy with the numbers, which will serve as a baseline for future festivals. 

The efforts to collect the refuse from some 20,000 runners were aided by event sponsors Aquafina, which offered bottles that uses 50 percent less plastic at the event, and Under Armour, which handed out race shirts to participants that were made from 100 percent recycled materials.

They were also aided by a big group of volunteers and everyone who participated in the day's events: a marathon, half marathon, 5K and relay. Pretty amazing that people can run that far and still manage to toss their cup in the right bin.

So, did you help the effort? Think they labelled the bins well enough? What should the organizers do next year?

Baltimore Sun photo from the marathon/Kim Hairston 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Community "greeners" get feted on Wednesday (Oct. 21) at Parks & People Foundation's 14th annual Greening Celebration at the Inner Harbor.

The event, to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 701 E. Pratt St., also marks the 25th anniversary of Parks & People.  The foundation has worked since 1984 to restore Baltimore's neighborhoods, expand and improve the city's parks and green spaces, notably the Gwynns Falls Trail, as well as engage youth in sports and the environment.

Admission is free, but RSVP’s are requested. For details, contact Simone Martell at (410) 448-5663 ext. 119 or simone.martell@parksandpeople.org 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events, Going Green
        

The AP is reporting that wood and wood pellet stoves are growing in popularity as secondary heating sources. The story's pretty timely given that Frank Roylance over at Maryland Weather is reporting predictions that Maryland is in for the coldest, snowiest winter since 2002-2003.

The story says that depending on the household, these stoves, which go for $3,000-$4,500, can help cut energy costs. And the federal government is offering a 30 percent tax rebate in 2009 and 2010 for purchases of wood or pellet stoves that meet a 75 percent efficiency requirement.

Is anyone considering getting one? For those who already own one, have you found that it helped with energy costs?

(Photo of Lennox T300P pellet-burning stove courtesy of Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association)

Posted by Kim Walker at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Going Green, Products
        

This from our friends at Consuming Interests:

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Giving up meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk and cheese sounds daunting -- not to mention tasteless and boring.

But the growing number of people who have gone vegan say this is not the case. And furthermore, it's downright hip to be a vegan now, according to a story in the Hartford Courant.

There are now Vegan cookbooks with glossy, gastro-glam pictures and sassy attitude, the story says. There are fancy vegan bakeries in Manhattan. And Ecorazzi.com, a "green" gossip website, just named Ellen DeGeneres, Ginnifer Goodwin, Alicia Silverstone, John Salley and Emily Deschanel the "top vegan celebrities" of 2009.

Here are some more celebs gone vegan.

About a million Americans identify themselves as vegan, according to a 2008 Harris Poll commissioned by "Vegetarian Times," the Courant story says. Apparantly, the environmental movement, including the push to buy local, has given a boost to the numbers.

So, you willing to drop the burger and the scrambled eggs in the name of health and the environment?

Photo courtesy of the Hartford Courant

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Going Green
        

If you see goats chomping their way around an overgrown stretch of unused Druid Hill Park today, don't worry, they're the hired help.

The Parks & People Foundation brought 40 of them to the Auchentoroly Terrace site at the park to help clear overgrown vegetation and invasive species.

The effort is part of a $10 million project to put the 9-acre parcel and an old mansion back into use. The foundation will eventually use the property as its headquarters, but much of the space will be used for community events. They will also create trails and connect the space to the rest of Druid Hill Park.

The goats have been feeding for two days to make way for construction crews to get near the mansion. They will come back to do the rest of the land at some point.

If you are wondering more about these creatures:

+a herd of 30 goats can eat up to a quarter acre of vegetation a day

+they eat all kinds of poisonous and invasive species of plants including poison ivy

+they can reach vegetation up to six feet off the ground

+the droppings provide natural fertilizer

+they eat brush and not grass

+they have four-chambered stomachs and special enzymes which allow them to digest plants

+these particular goats are a mix of Boer and Spanish species

Supplying the goats was Eco-Goats, a Davidsonville-based company specializing in “environmentally friendly vegetation control."

I have to say, they do nice work. And they're pretty cute, too.

Baltimore Sun photo/Meredith Cohn

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Going Green, Parks
        

It's the EMC3 Commuter, a ragtop two-seater that's a cross between a motorcycle and a car and claims to get a whopping 60-plus miles to the gallon.  If Michael Plumhoff has his way, Marylanders will be able to test-drive and buy these babies in a couple months.

Plumhoff, of Finksburg, is the Maryland, Delaware and DC rep for the ECO Motor Co., a Seattle family-run outfit that developed the little commuter vehicle and unveiled it there last year.  Now the company is aiming to expand to the East Coast, and Plumhoff is scouring the region looking to find dealers willing to sell them.

The teardrop-shaped EMC3 Commuter is big enough to seat two 6-footers, yet small enough to fit in tight parking spaces, according to the company's Web pitch.  With a 10-gallon fuel tank, it has a 600-mile range, and its cycle-like features mean it can be driven solo in carpool lanes that allow motorcycles, the company says.    Besides its gas-sipping 3-cylinder engine, the vehicle also sports a modest sticker price - $13,995 for a manual transmission, $14,995 for automatic.

Continue reading "Look! Out in the road! It's a motorcycle - no, it's a car! And it gets 60 mpg!" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

You may be wondering: What's this guy doing, cooking out on a grassy parking space downtown?  No, he's not tail-gating before a Ravens game.  It's a somewhat unusual come-on for a novel approach to car-sharing that's getting a tryout in Baltimore.

Relay Rides is the brainchild of Shelby Clark, pictured above.  With a small but dedicated team, the long-haired Harvard graduate business student is signing up people in Charm City who want ready access to wheels from time to time.  Nothing unusual about that, you say?  Like Zipcar, right?  Well, he's also rounding up car owners willing to rent out their vehicles when they're not using them.  He wants to help the two groups find each other.

Clark, a Denver native, says he got the idea for "peer-to-peer" car-sharing after finding once that he had to slog two miles through wintry streets in Beantown to pick up the nearest Zipcar available on short notice. "I was biking through the snow and hating life,'' he recalls, "And, passing cars sitting on the side of the road, I was thinking how inefficent this is.  'These cars haven't been driven in weeks,' he says he thought to himself. 'Why can't I take one of these?'"

Not that he dislikes Zipcar.  Clark says he's used the car-sharing service a lot since his car died in San Francisco a couple years ago.  But he says he's learned the hard way you can't count on getting a convenient vehicle if you don't plan at least a couple days ahead.

"This idea makes a lot more sense - it's for the people and by the people,'' says the 27-year-old MBA student.  The appeal for car owners?  "Everybody could use a couple thousand dollars right now."  And for someone wanting to start a business on limited capital, he says, it helps not to have to buy the vehicles you plan to rent out. "Since we don't have to pay for these cars, we can grow the system much much quicker," he notes.

Continue reading "Novel car-sharing biz sprouting here" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Air Pollution, Going Green, News, Products, Urban Issues
        

The University of Maryland improved its grade in yet another rating of sustainability among US colleges, though it fell short of true-green academic stardom because of the way in which it handles its endowment. 

The flagship of the state's university system scored a 'B' on this year's College Sustainability Report Card, the fourth annual evaluation not only of the green policies and practices on college campuses across America but also of how the schools handles their endowments.  The rating is prepared by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a nonprofit group dedicated to socially responsible investing of donors' gifts.

College Park moved up from a B-minus last year and landed on the rating's list of "campus sustainability leaders."  Indeed, UM matched or nudged out almost every other peer institution in Maryland and in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  In-state, only private Johns Hopkins did better.  And in the ACC, UM was bested only by Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  But on this score, UM President Dan Mote can brag about outgreening the University of Virginia (full disclosure, I'm a Wahoo alum, and parent of a Wahoo and a Terp).

Continue reading "Terps get greener?" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Going Green, News
        

This Sunday, Oct. 4, offers two great reasons to get up and out of the house early: taste locally produced foods prepared by top area chefs at the Baltimore farmers market, then tour solar-powered homes and businesses and get your questions answered about renewable energy and energy-efficient design.

At the downtown farmers market, from 8 a.m. 'til noon, you can see and taste foods prepared by a dozen local chefs paired up with market farmers. The event is sponsored by Toyota, which will be offering marketgoers rides in a 3rd Generation Prius or a 2009 Highlander Hybrid. Check it out, underneath the Jones Falls Expressway at Holliday and Saratoga streets.

If you're not too stuffed after that, you can take a free, self-guided B'more B'green Solar Tour of 10 area homes and businesses. Sponsored by solar energy businesses and trade groups, it's a chance to see and learn about ways to green your nest with everything from solar arrays to green roofs, strawbale walls, rain barrels and more. You've got to love the tour's name - though we have to point out it's in no way afffiliated w/ our B'more Green blog. The places are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. And at the end, there's a picnic at Black Ankle Vineyard, a green-certified winery in Mt. Airy.  To learn more and get a map of places to visit, go here.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Wow, we sure got a variety of responses to our call for eco sins. Glad to know I'm not the only one who struggles.

As promised, we are rewarding one of our commenters with an eco-friendly pampering kit. Bonnie, who tells us she does many things to reduce her carbon footprint, but can't resist cranking the air conditioner on a hot Baltimore summer day, was chosen from our random drawing of names. Congratulations!

Her comment got me thinking about getting ready for the cooler weather. Last winter, my heat was constantly running, but I was still covered in a wool sweater jacket, and occasionally a winter hat, to keep warm inside. I'm debating whether to replace my drafty windows or just cover them in plastic. Has anyone purchased energy efficient windows that qualify for the tax credit? Was it money well spent?

(AP photo of frosty windows)

Posted by Kim Walker at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Contests, Going Green
        

Fall is here, and Gov. Martin O'Malley wants you to plant a tree. He's throwing in some incentives.

Under the Marylanders Plant Trees program, the Department of Natural Resources will hold monthly drawings to give away prizes for those who register their trees online. The prizes include overnight stays at Rocky Gap Resort, state park passes and Christmas trees.

In announcing the prizes, O'Malley said,"Trees improve the quality of our water, our air and our daily lives. Planting a tree is a simplace act with a big impact. By planting a tree, every Marylander can do his or her part to create a smarter, greener Maryland."

The governor launched the tree-planting program last year and has a goal of planting 50,000 trees by 2010. So far, more than 18,000 new trees have been planted and registered.

The state is continuing to offer $25 coupons toward the purchse of native trees costing $50 or more. They are redeemable at nearly 70 nurseries.

Photo of Gov. O'Malley planting a tree courtesy of the state of Maryland

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

The Washington Post is reporting that a group of engineers at Nissan are trying to figure out how to add a little toot or whistle to the soon-to-come electric Leaf. The car is too quiet, they say. It could pose safety problems.

It's ironic considering that for years, engineers tried to make car less noisy. If you're on the street and an electric hybrid like the Toyota Prius comes by running on its battery, you can't hear a peep.

Tesla has already said it will not add noise to its electric Roadster. No word from the other car electric makers.

Congress is considering legislation to set some kind of safety standard since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the electric cars are 50 percent more likely to be involved in accident with a pedestrian. The Post says there's little actual evidence because there aren't that many electric cars on the road.

So, do we need the noise? Would you prefer the quiet?

Associated Press photo of the Leaf

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Going Green, News
        

it seems everyone is jumping on the green bandwagon these days. A new dentist's office is opening in the area that is claiming to be "eco-friendly." Dr. Judy Yu will open the Pasadena office called Cosmetic Dental FX today.

You may ask what does this mean?  

Changes include: becoming a mercury-free environment; installing a hydraulic-free, energy-efficient elevator; using recycled flooring and countertop materials; employing chemical-free steam-based sterilization; using computerized charting to reduce paper usage; and using recycled paper products only and eco-friendly cleaning products.

The office also has added energy star efficient lighting throughout office and in outdoor signage; is using digital imaging to reduce radiation; has used low VOC paint and flooring adhesive; added environmentally conscious computers and eco-friendly furniture and cabinetry.  

The office will also seeks to offer a more "spa-like" atmosphere with music and flat screen tvs, coffee, Wi-Fi and concierge service.

But do you still get your free toothbrush?
 

Baltimore Sun file photo/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green, News
        

The New York Times's Green Inc. blog has an item about an effort to compost dog waste in Ithaca, N.Y. It's kind of a pilot project where dog owners at a certain dog park are given special corn-based bags to pick up poop. They dump it in a special container that is picked up by a composting company.

The compost people haven't yet decided what to do with the waste. They'll mix it with top soil if it's not such good quality or use it in gardens if it's good quality.

But I've long thought about the amount of dog poop I throw away. All those plastic bags that sit in the landfill forever. But the alternative is to leave it on the ground. That's not really an alternative, though. People, including little kids, would step in it. And some of it would -- and lots does now -- end up in our waterways where bacteria already is a serious problem.

But would people actually participate in a composting operation here? There used to be a bin at work that was bright yellow and labelled for ink jet and electronic recycling only. Yet every day there was trash in it. I don't know if people didn't pay any attention or did it on purpose, but either way, I can imagine the other stuff that would go into the compost bin at the dog park.

So, what's the answer?

Associated Press photo of dogs in a park in Ithica, N.Y.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Going Green, Parks
        

Kim Walker here with another guest post:

 I wrote earlier today about being initially hesitant about switching to a low flow showerhead. Water (over)usage is my biggest eco sin. And every time I soak in a hot bath after a long day at work, I swear it'll be my last.

We all try to lessen our footprint, but everyone has a weakness or two. (Except for B'More Green blogger Meredith, who takes home her work junk mail so she can recycle it.) Are you a paper towel junkie? Do you love your SUV? Share your biggest eco sin in the comments by 5 p.m. Monday (Sept. 21) for a chance to win a prize. One commenter will receive an ecotools pampering kit with bamboo nail brush and lotion and cream that are 98 percent from nature. (I know, I know, a green blog shouldn't be rewarding bad behavior, but perhaps confessing your sins is the first step to reform.)

Baltimore Sun file photo of a bathtub that I wish was mine.

Posted by Kim Walker at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (70)
Categories: Going Green
        

Baltimore Sun green living editor Kim Walker guest posts on her energy check-up experience:

Recently I signed up for a BGE Quick Home Energy Check-up. I'll write more about the overall experience soon, but one issue that stood out was whether to install the low flow showerhead.

The technician was a wealth of information, giving the pros and cons for each proposed improvement. When we got to the showerheads, he told me that some people complain that they have to take longer showers to rinse off all of the shampoo and conditioner. A longer shower during my morning rush didn't appeal to me, so I passed. If the difference in water flow is similar to what I'm experiencing with the sink aerators he installed, he was probably right.

Now I'm having second thoughts. I spoke to B'More Green blogger Meredith Cohn and others who have low flow showerheads, and they say they don't have that problem. The Maryland Department of the Environment says installing a low flow showerhead can save 3 gallons of water a minute and the Maryland Energy Administration calculates savings of 250 kWh a year and reduce household electricity consumption by 1 percent.

Has anyone switched to a low flow showerhead and now take significantly longer showers? Are there any showerheads worth recommending?

Photo of Delta Faucet 75152 Water Amplifying Adjustable Showerhead sold at Amazon.com.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Going Green
        

There's a newly green dry cleaner in town: the Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners.  The shop uses GreenEarth Cleaning, a solicone-based solution, which is like sand, instead of perchloroethylene. Perc is used by most dry cleaners and is considered a health and environmental hazard by the Environmental Protection Agency.

A few options for greener cleaning have cropped up in recent years, and experts don't agree that they are all perfect alternatives.

Here's what the Union of Concerned Scientists says about the silicone method: "Silicone cleaning is a proprietary technology that employs a silicone-based solvent to clean clothes. The solvent itself is currently considered safe for the environment because it degrades to sand, water, and carbon dioxide, but it has caused cancer in lab animals in EPA studies. In addition, it is manufactured using chlorine, which can generate harmful dioxin emissions."

The group points to other methods, including wet cleaning, which uses water and special computer-controlled washers and dryers and mild detergent. The EPA considers this among the safest pro cleaning methods. There is also carbon dioxide cleaning that uses liquid CO2 captured as a by-product of industrial processes. It the same stuff used to carbonate soda.

You fashionistas could consider not dry cleaning at all. Some stuff can go in the gentle cycle or be hand washed. You could try that special stuff meant to be used in the dryer in a bag. Or you could try not buying stuff labelled "dry clean only."

For its part, Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners says it continues to research the best methods. In the meantime, operators also recycle hangers and containers, use earth-friendly soaps to clean most wet-cleaned clothes, drive high-mileage diesel vans and supply reusable bags to customers.

Anyone use Glyndon? Other dry cleaners. Or have you found alternative methods that are eco-conscious and actually clean?

Photo courtesy of außerirdische sind gesund via flickr

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Air Pollution, Fashion, Going Green, Products, Tips
        

Going green isn't just a personal decision. You're neighbors get a say, too.

After I wrote about a woman who unsuccessfully tried to install a wind turbine on her Baltimore rowhouse, partially because of her neighbors' complaints about the safety and looks of the thing, I got a lot of messages from people who said they, too, faced opposition from their neighbors for their environmental home projects.

They wanted everything from solar panels to clotheslines. One guy said his association wasn't the problem, but historic preservationists were. He wanted storm windows and environmental decking but it meant he was not elligible for tax breaks.

So, I wrote another story. I talked to a woman who wanted a rain barrel and some small solar lights on her walkway. But the homeowners association said no. The association is just trying to keep things looking nice. And the neighborhood did look nice.

But there's actually a Maryland law now that says HOAs must try and accommodate solar panels, and the sponsor Sue Hecht said she may introduce another bill next session to address other issues such as wind turbines if enough people seem to have trouble going green. A "right to dry" bill that would allow clotheslines has been shot down for the past two years, but Hecht said it is also likely to be reintroduced next session.

The Sun's editorial board has also chimed in on the matter -- in favor of clotheslines.

Do you think more laws are needed? More editorials? More something? Think we should just be able to reason with each other and strike some kind of balance?

Baltimore Sun photo of Katie Roberts showing the height and location of her proposed rain barrel/Amy Davis

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Going Green, News
        

The program is a little behind schedule, but Baltimore's new Charm City Circulator buses are definitely coming this fall, members of the Charm City Circulator Team say. The system will be made up of a fleet of 21 hybrid-electric buses that will pick up residents in close-in neighborhoods such as Federal Hill and Fells Point and take them to stops around downtown.

The idea is to get people out of their cars by making it really convenient and cheap -- FREE -- to get around downtown. The buses have been behind schedule because of the recession and problems in the automotive supply chain, the team says.

But in the next few weeks there will be visable progress, including info panels at stops, signs and street markings for the "buses and bikes only" lanes on Pratt and Lombard. (Hmm, how do we feel about buses and bikes sharing lanes? And if we're okay with that, wouldn't we like to see some north-south lanes as well? I believe the city is working on such lanes.)

Anyway, the buses are supposed to run seven days a week, every 10 minutes and along three routes. There's also a plan to allow people trying to get across the harbor to take the Water Taxi Harbor Connector for free. It will leave from Maritime Park at Living Classrooms Foundation in Fells Point and from the Tide Point dock in Locust Point every 10 minutes. Go to www.watertaxi.com for more info.

So, think you'd take the new bus?  

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Air Pollution, Going Green, News, Urban Issues
        

As the days grow cooler and leaves begin to turn, I can’t help but long for Halloween – it’s one of my favorite days of the year. If you’re anything like me, you are already considering how to decorate your doors and windows and what costume to wear. Fortunately, there is still plenty of time between now and Oct. 31 to prepare for trick-or-treaters and haunted houses in the greenest way possible.

Try your hand at making all-natural face paints with this easy-to-follow recipe (courtesy of Green Halloween):

•1 tsp cornstarch
•1/2 tsp water
•1/2 tsp all natural diaper rash cream
•1-2 drops natural/ organic food coloring

In a small bowl, mix water and cornstarch. Add baby cream and food color and mix a bit more.

Looking for some eco-friendly decor? Comb through your recycling bin for coffee cans, yogurt cups, or cardboard tubes. With a little paint and some pipe cleaners, these throwaways can be easily transformed into pumpkin faces, black cats, spiders, and skeletons.

Finally, there’s a great list of homemade Halloween costume ideas here. You can opt for an old standby like a white sheet with two holes. Or, you can be more elaborate. My personal favorite is the “Cereal Killer” costume, which requires a few cereal boxes, kitchen knives, and some red paint - how marvelously green!

Image courtesy of Crafting a Green World.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: DIY, Going Green
        

Over the next five years an ambitious group plans to plant one million trees across the United States. The American Bar Association, is partnering with the Alliance for Community Trees and Baltimore's Parks & People Foundation and will kick off the effort Sept. 23 at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School in West Baltimore.

Parks & People, the local ACT affiliate, will bring together volunteer ABA members, students, teachers and community members to plant 10-15 trees in the schoolyard and around the building. They will also weed and mulch and plant flower beds.  

Organizers say the event will also serve as a start point for NeighborWoods Month, which is a community service campaign to build awareness of trees that not only beautify the cities where they are planted but help fight climate change. The Home Depot Foundation has provided grant money for the program. 

More information about the effort is here. The public is welcome to come help with plantings. The local school event starts at 9 a.m.. But organizers are encouraging people in general to plant more trees and care for trees.

On that front, Parks & People have a tree sale going on now -- $30-$55 a tree -- and an adopt-a-tree program for those with out yard space. Coupons for $25 off are available from the Department of Natural Resources.

Baltimore Sun file photo of ginko biloba tree outside the Sun offices/Algerina Perna

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green, News
        

It's gardening time on the Chesapeake Bay - oyster gardening, that is.

With the bay's oysters depleted by disease and habitat loss, the state Department of Natural Resources and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation separately are trying to enlist waterfront residents in bringing the pollution-filtering bivalves back.  Oysters are one of the keys to the bay's restoration, since each large one can filter up to two gallons of water an hour.

After an initial tryout getting residents along the Tred Avon River to raise oysters, the state is expanding its "Marylanders Grow Oysters" campaign to 11 new rivers around the bay. Up to 5,000 cages with baby oyster "spat" bred in a state hatchery are to be distributed to pier owners willing to tend the shellfish over the next 10 to 12 months, so that they can be "planted" on the bay bottom next summer. For details on which rivers are being targeted and how to participate, go here.

The Annapolis-based bay foundation, meanwhile, is offering oyster gardening workshops in September and October for residents with water access.  Volunteers will be given several thousand "seed" oysters for cultivation, and taught how to build four wire-mesh cages in which to grow them. Once the oysters grow to one or two inches across, they're returned to the foundation, so its staff can plant them with volunteers' help in sanctuary waters off limits to commercial harvest. CBF has a brief video about its program that you can see here.  For details on the workshops and to sign up - there's a $75 fee - go here.

Growing oysters doesn't require special talent, just some dedication - mostly rinsing the cages every couple weeks to make sure they don't get fouled with marine organisms that keep water from flowing freely past the oysters inside.  You can get an idea what's involved in the photo above, of a cage hung off a pier a couple years back at the Captain Sam Avery House Museum in Annapolis.

Sadly, there probably aren't enough piers out there to put a big dent in the bay's oyster problems. But it's a great way to enlist waterfront residents in the effort to restore the Chesapeake, which needs all the help it can get.

(2007 Baltimore Sun Staff Photo by Amy Davis)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Going Green, News, Volunteer
        

Earlier today, a determined team of volunteers set forth to transform a vacant space in the neighborhood of Oliver into a blossoming community garden. Neighborhood residents and Fiskars employees tilled and planted flowering annuals, perennials, trees and vegetables to create a new gathering place for locals. The effort was part of Baltimore’s Cleaner Greener initiative, with support from Fiskars’ Project Orange Thumb grant program, which provides community garden groups with resources for beautification and horticulture projects.

Garden Variety's Susan Reimer was on the scene. Read her coverage here and see more photos from the event here.

Baltimore Sun photo by Susan Reimer

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Want to save water and energy? Want to reduce your impact on the environment around you? Don't know where to start? 

The Green Building Institute, a Jessup-based nonprofit that promotes sustainable building, is planning a 10-part series of classes for homeowners, beginning Sept. 15, on going green.

There will be all kinds of topics covered from saving on your utility bill and tax incentives to water management and landscaping. Officials at the institute hope to help cut through the red tape and confusion about steps people can take to save money and the planet at the same time.

The classes are offered around Maryland and Northern Virginia and run in the evenings from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. They are $55 for adults unless you're a member.

I'm going to try and go to one of the early classes, so I'll report back.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: DIY, Going Green, Tips
        

The New York Times' Green Inc. has a post today about a guy in Minnesota whose homeowner's association rejected his bid to install solar panels on his home. The post said homeowners associations across the country are rejecting panels.

This reminded me of the story about city of Baltimore rejecting a local woman's bid to install a wind turbine on her roof. Neighbors had complained in this case that that it would affect their property values because it was unsightly and unsafe.

A reader then wrote B'More Green that her neighbors didn't like her clothes line in the back yard.

So, how much say should neighbors have over your efforts to be green? Should neighborhoods get together and decide these things together? Rely on the existing covenents, if there are any? Do more associations have to get with the times? Or, is there just no way to do some things without impacting your neighbors?

You have a story of going green against the grain? We'd like to hear about it.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Going Green
        

Today we're starting a new feature on B'More Green. We pick an item and brainstorm ideas on how to repurpose it instead of tossing it into the recycling bin. Ideas can range from practical to creative and absurd. Leave your contact info when you comment if you wish to receive a B'More Green magnet.

Let's kick things off with phone books. Phone books are always stacked in the breezeways of my condo complex, and I have at least three in the bottom of my coat closet. The Green Cheapskate blog offers 17 creative things to do with phone books, including using pages for mulch and as window wipes. The blog also points out that you can opt out of the Yellow Pages' distribution list.

What do you think of these ideas? And what ways have you found to reuse phone books? Leave a comment below.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: DIY, Going Green, Reuse Me
        

In August of last year, the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future created the Baltimore Green Living Guide to assist students, faculty and staff in living more sustainably in Baltimore – more specifically, in “reducing personal and community reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable materials.” The guide is divided into seven sections that contain helpful tips on recycling, community supported agriculture, water trails, and composting (to name a few).

Though it’s really geared toward folks who live or work on campus, the guide includes a comprehensive stockpile of grocery stores, restaurants, farms, thrift shops, and other businesses in and around the area that cater to green living. To read the guide, visit the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health web site. And as the guide suggests, it is best viewed online – please consider the environment before printing!

Image courtesy of JHU.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

The Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge has a Web site where you can go to find out more about reducing energy use, saving money and helping the environment.

As reported this week in The Baltimore Sun, the city's Office of Sustainability, with support from foundations and Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., has launched a nine-month pilot program aiming to enlist residents of nine city neighborhoods in a campaign to cut their home energy usage and reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

The Web site is here. Not much on it yet, just a brief explanation of the challenge and links to seek more information.  But city officials say they plan to flesh it out with tips and lots more soon. The neighborhoods in the pilot are Park Heights Renaissance, Fulton Avenue in Sandtown, Reservoir Hill, Baybrook, Banner/Middle East, Greater Lauraville, Ten Hills, Mount Washington and Roland Park.  

Do you think this campaign will get results?  Would you join?  How many of you already have compact fluorescent bulbs in your homes?  Insulated your hot water heaters and pipes, as these two members of Civic Works are doing for one of the new campaign's voluntary captains?

(Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green, News
        

It's now possible to go green in bed.

A local mattress maker, Dormia, is among those using natural and sustainable materials such as bamboo and organic cotton in coverings on some of its mattresses. Inside many of them is chemical-free rubber and soy-based foam instead of petroleum-based foam.

It's not in all of the Dormia mattresses, maybe a quarter of them. (The memory foam mattresses are still the best sellers.) And those that have environmentally-friendly materials are more expensive, though the prices are starting to come down because the products are becoming more mainstream, according to Michael Zippelli, chief executive officer of the Jessup-based company.

A low-end Dormia mattress is around $799 and a higher end one is more like $2,400. That's a lot for many people to spend on a mattress, especially in this economy, Zippelli acknowledges. But, "You get what you pay for," he said.

In general, it's been a hard time for upscale mattress makers (along with makers of just about everything else). Dormia filed for bankruptcy protection last year and closed its retail stores. But the mattress maker never closed the plant. It employs about 60 people in Jessup and is selling more this year wholesale to big name mattress retailers than it did last year, Zippelli said. Revenues are around $30 million.

Zuppelli said the mattresses are appealing to the eco-conscious as well as those who put comfort first. The natural materials breathe and stay cooler than synthetics. Less sweating. Less tossing and turning in the night. The high end natural mattresses also can be flipped and last longer.

Plus, if you're going green in the bedrom, Dormia makes most of the mattresses in Maryland. So, when you go to a local Sleepy's or Mattress Discounters to buy one, you know it didn't travel too far so it has a lower carbon footprint than a mattress from China, for example.

So, are the benefits enough to make you want one, or will you limit your organic purchases to the grocery? Maybe just a pillow.

Baltimore Sun photo of Zippelli in 2006/Glenn Fawcett

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Going Green
        

New York seems ready to move ahead with the project to overhaul an aging pier on the Hudson River. Pier 57 would roof top park and open-air market sitting atop art studios made out of old shipping containers, according to this story on treehugger.com.

The old containers would keep the industrial feel going on the pier.

And Boston has a mixed-use project called Puma City that was made from shipping containers, which gave New York the confidence in this proposal. It was also cheaper than other proposals for the site because much of the building would be prefab. There are still concerns about the structures, however.

The company that came up with the plan is LOT-EK, which also did the Boston project. The New York project is projected to cost $191 million and take two years.

Baltimore has old piers. Baltimore has shipping containers. Where might we encourage such a development?

Photos courtesy of LOT-EK

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

Local artist and reader Diane Getty has shared a couple of pictures of her homemade green dolls and we've shared them on our new site for Local Treehuggers. I'm hoping they inspire others to share some more projects.

We aren't picky. Any backyard or rooftop thing that's a little bit green. A compost pile. Or an art project.

Above is Saint Alchema. Diane made her and surrounded her with trash she found in Riverside Park. She's spinning all  the thrash into gold. There are other recycled materials, too, such as an old wig and record. Diane has another doll on the site, as well, if you're interested.

Baltimore Sun photo of Saint Alchema/Meredith Cohn

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Forget those little bottles of shampoo and a fresh set of towels every day. Waste is out and green is in at the local hotel. I wrote a story for the Sunday Travel section about the trend in Baltimore and around the country. You can see a preview here.

They are going beyond asking you to reuse your towels. They are saving energy and water in more ways, using recycled carpet and building materials, added solar lights and green roofs and wearing uniforms made from old soda bottles.

The hotel owners see a chance to save money -- and to market themselves. Surveys show people care if their hotels are wasteful. Some hotels are certainly more green than others, but here are a few in Baltimore that have taken some steps.

The Green Hotels Association also has a list of members nationwide who have taken some steps.

If you have a favorite green hotel here or elsewhere, let us know.

Baltimore Sun photo of Fairfield Inn, the city's first LEED certified hotel/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

The National Aquarium in Baltimore has looked to all corners of the place in order to meet their conservation mission -- and that includes the bathrooms.

The aquarium has started installing sinks and toilets that need no electricity. No toilets or sinks need electricity, you may be saying to yourself right now. But those nice sanitary ones that flush and turn on and off themselves do. And with 1.4 million visitors a year, who wants to touch anything in those bathrooms!

These new toilets and sinks run on capacitors that recharge every time they are used. The charge lasts for the next 5-10 uses, according to Bill Kline, the aquarium's facilites project manager. He said it may not save that much energy, but it means they don't have to toss so many of the batteries they had been using.

The toilets are made by a company called Toto USA Inc. and cost about $500 a piece, so the aquarium will roll them out over time in the 11 public bathrooms.

The aquarium has a bunch of other projects that they believe will help them cut down on energy use. It has something called variable freqency drives that mean the pumps they use on the fish tanks don't have to be running all the time. It has censor lights on staff rooms so they turn off when no one is using them. And it has compact fluorescent light bulbs that take far less from the grid than regular bulbs.

The aquarium recycles tons of stuff, uses biodegradable bags in the gift shop and biodegradable plates and napkins in the cafeteria. The coffee served is grown in a sustainable way. The vehicle fleet is carbon neutral. The dolphin show bleachers and the bridge between piers are made from recycled materials. Officials also arrange for area cleanups.

So, next time you're at the aquarium, think about the planet while you're flushing.  

Baltimore Sun photo of Bill Kline using the sink/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Going Green
        

If you are, may you feel like showing off?

We'd like to share your pictures of your green projects -- no matter how big or small. You can go to our Local Treehugger site and drop them in, along with something about it.

We'd like pictures of gardens, compost piles, solar panels, tankless waterheaters, bird feeders,  you name it. The picture above is of chickens that live in a backyard in Hamilton.

Baltimore Sun file photo/Algerina Perna

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Going Green
        

If you are wishing there were more trees, but would like a little help with the cost of planting, the state has a couple of programs for you. Officials are offering coupons for individuals and grants to groups: 

A state group called The Maryland Urban and Community Forest Committee is now taking grant applications for public land plantings and educational projects. They're handing out awards up to $1,500 to towns, homeowner associations, parks, schools and other groups that plant trees.

The applications can be downloaded and are due by Sept. 15. Future grant deadlines are in February and June. They need to be signed by a local Forestry Board member. Call you local Forestry Office for help with that. Or contact Wanda MacLachlan at 410-531-5973 or at wtm@umd.edu. 

And for individuals, the state is offering $25 discount coupons for native trees costing $50 or more in an effort to get private citizens to plant 50,000 new tress by 2010. There is information about the tree program www.trees.maryland.gov. There's also tree planting advice there.

With an eye on the goal, the state also wants people to register their trees -- and calculate their benefits.

Baltimore Sun file photo of ginkgo biloba tree outside of the Sun's Calvert Street offices/Algerina Perna

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Going Green
        

A company called New Energy Technologies, Inc. said this month that it will begin testing a prototype for generating electricity from cars and light trucks driving through the parking lot of a Burger King in New Jersey.

The company said its engineers built something called MotionPower, and if it works, eventually the power generator could make electricity from cars driving through all kinds of busy intersections, toll booths and parking lots. (If you'd like to see how it works, check out the video after the jump.)

The technology captures kenetic energy in a similar way that hybrid cars do, according to the company. And with some 250 million cars on the road every day, that's a lot of opportunity to make energy -- enough to light a half million homes.

The Burger King in Hillside, N.J., with 150,000 cars visiting a year, will be the first guinea pig.

The company is also developing something called SolarWindow that is a coating on glass surfaces that act like the world's smallest solar panels.  

Of course, allowing people to generate energy while driving to the local fast food restaurant won't do much for the obesity epidemic.

Continue reading "Burger King tests energy generation from cars" »

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

This is a list that TreeHugger.com put together last month, but I thought it was kinda fun taking-a-break-from-work reading.

It's all about the celebrities with the greenest homes -- and not just the ones who drive a hybrid and think that offsets the five houses they own.

The greenies include Johnny Depp, who has an estate that runs on solar-hydrogen power and Julie Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall, who have a retractable roof that simulates airflow and negates the need for air conditioning.

Darryl Hannah, who has a solar-powered converted stagecoach house. There are others, too. Try and guess. Think Pirates of the Caribbean, Battlestar Galactica and Pretty Woman.

Has it become downright trendy to go green? Will fans follow suit, if possible on their non-celebrity budgets? Do compact flourescent lightbulbs count?

AP photo of Johnny Depp

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

Phosphate-free dishwasher detergents may help restore the Chesapeake Bay, but there could be a price to pay -- dirtier dishes.

Maryland is one of 14 states that are banning sales of dishwasher detergents containing phosphates next July, and Congress is considering extending the ban nationwide.  State lawmakers are yanking phosphate dishwasher detergents from store shelves to protect the environment -- the phosphorus in standard detergents spurs growths of algae, which can suck the oxygen out of water that fish need to survive.  And the bay is choking on an overdose of nutrients, including phosphorus.

But some consumers have complained that the new phosphate-free detergents don't get their dishes as clean as the old standbys.  In Spokane, Washington, where phosphate products were banned last year, some housewives becames so upset with their dirty dishes that they began driving across the state line to Idaho to buy the outlawed dirt-fighting blends.

Now comes Consumer Reports to say the greener dishwasher detergents generally don't work as well as the phosphate soaps.  "In our tough tests, five of seven phosphate-free dishwasher detergents left lots of baked-on food," the magazine reports in its August issue.  The rankings are available only to subscribers, but you can read the magazine's general comments on dishwasher detergents, with mentions of some individual products, here.

Continue reading "Green, but not so clean" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

When looking for culprits to blame for the Chesapeake Bay's foul shape, it's tempting to point fingers at smelly sewage treatment plants, or at farmers whose flocks or herds of animals produce highly visible, not to mention odoriferous, mounds of manure.

But before pointing fingers, maybe we should look a little closer to home. Household pets, particularly the legions of dogs taken for walks every day, collectively are a significant source of water pollution, experts say, and even a threat to human health.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued a report today highlighting the ways in which pollution and bacteria put humans at risk when they swim in the bay or its tributaries, when they eat locally caught fish or when they drink water from wells.  I wrote a story about it for The Baltimore Sun.

The report cites the usual suspects for much of the pollution that is linked to disease-causing bacteria, harmful algal blooms and toxic substances in the water.  It points to farm animal waste, for instance, as a likely source of nitrates getting into ground water and people's wells on the Eastern Shore and in southeastern Pennsylvania.

But it's another story in urban and suburban areas.  According to a state study, pet waste is the leading source of bacteria found in a stretch of the Severn River where a few years earlier a Crownsville man acquired a life-threatening bacterial infection after swimming with a mild scrape on his leg. 

The 2008 state study estimated that 69 percent of the bacteria found in the water came from pets, with wildlife contributing about 24 percent, livestock and humans just three percent each.  And the report noted that about 41 percent of the dog owners in the area admitted they do not pick up after their pets most of the time.

So, fellow dog owners, ask yourselves, how diligently do you clean up after your four-footed companions?  Do you scoop the poop?  Put it in the trash, bury it or even flush it down your own toilet?  That's what expert say you ought to be dong with it. 

Continue reading "Save the bay, clean up after Fido!" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

There was a great feature in The New York Times magazine Sunday on Will Allen and his Growing Power group trying to bring good food to the inner city through urban farming.  

An interesting example of the group's ingenuity -- raising tilapia and perch in tanks and recycling the wastewater through watercress beds.  Worm ranching, too, to help revitalize nutrient-poor urban soil.  You can read the piece here, and find out more about Growing Power here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green, News, Urban Issues
        

The Maryland Science Center plans to begin reinforcing its southside of the building Monday in anticipation of building a green roof that eventually will be open to for public viewing. 

Details aren't totally worked out, but the center is working with Tecta America Corp. on planning and construction. The roof will be adjacent to the museum's observatory and will take up more than 4,000 square feet of roof space.

When the roof is done, the Science Center will join a bunch of others in the area with green roofs, including the Baltimore Hilton Convention Center Hotel and Sinai Hospital, which opened a whole eco-friendly expansion yesterday. 

Green roofs, while a bit costly to install because of their weight, pay off in energy efficiency down the road, supporters say. They also help the roof last longer, provide a sound barrier and cut down on stormwater runoff.

And aren't they nice to look at?

Baltimore Sun file photo of the Maryland Science Center

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Going Green
        

If you missed it, I wrote a story today about some local guys at A+ Neighborhood Homebuyers LLC who have discovered the virtues of greening up their investment properties. They were put onto the idea by their lender, Bridge Private Lending LLC. Both target low and middle income homes.

It show how far this trend has come, that these real estate types have joined with homeowners, governments and nonprofits in weatherizing, buying Energy Star appliances and taking other steps to cut energy use.

Those who live in the homes know they are saving on utility bills and doing their part for the environment. But those selling them houses see that their properties are worth more and sell faster. Both sets can also qualify for various tax breaks. (There's a primer on those at dsireusa.org.)

So, anyone got some tips for fellow homeowners on easy -- and relatively inexpensive -- ways to green the house? Or know of other investors doing such things?

Baltimore Sun photo of Michael D. Jones of A+ Neighborhood Homebuyers/Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

It's nothing short of brilliant. 

Artist-entrepreneur Natan Lawson got shoppers at a local farmers market to fork over $5 for the privilege of making their own smoothie. He hooked up a blender to a bicycle -- a really fancy horsey one -- and got paid as people pedaled.

Baltimore Brew wrote about Lawson's foray into business at the 32nd Street Farmers Market. And yes, that is former Baltimore Sun reporter Scott Shane taking a ride! Read the full story here.

Lawson said he sold 200 drinks at his Wheely Good Smoothies stand. He couldn't say how much he made after expenses, but still. Not bad for an artist. I hope someone tells his mother.

Photo by Fern Shen, Baltimore Brew

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Going Green
        

A couple sharpies have come up with a scheme for turning the nation's spaghetti bowl of roads and highways into a renewable-energy grid. It's a novel idea to "green up" a transportation network dominated by cars and trucks, a major source of climate-warming carbon dioxide.

The "Green Roadway" project, as it's dubbed, aims to string solar panels, wind turbines and  geothermal devices along the endless ribbons of pavement, where they'll be linked to produce energy for businesses, homes and even roadside charging stations for electric-powered vehicles.  Pictured above is a model of how a stretch of asphalt might look with a series of such gadgets; the blue rectangles are photovoltaic arrays, and the little umbrella-like objects depict turbines.

The two men behind the project, Gene Fein and Ed Merritt, say they've patented techniques and technology to generate commercial quantities of power this way. They hope to capitalize on a flood of government economic-stimulus money and tax breaks for clean energy projects by auctioning off rights to use their inventions in each of the 50 states. In Maryland, proponents say, just one 10-mile necklace of roadside solar or wind devices could power upwards of 2,000 homes.

"For me it's a billboard of hope," said Kelly Meyer, a prominent Southern California environmental activist who's spokesperson for the project. Head of the Natural Resources Defense Council's leadership council there, Meyer calls the project a "transition from old America to new America."

I leave it to sharper minds to say how practical or profitable this may be.  The auction set for July 24 may be the test of that.  To be sure, there are millions of miles of asphalt along which to build this alternative-energy grid.  But I see potential bumps in the road for this plan to get over, if only from a scenic standpoint. 

Some people object to the sight of wind turbines adorning their favorite vistas - atop mountain ridges and off ocean shores, for instance.  State and local officials, ever wary of squeaky wheels, might be loath to grant widespread access to highway rights of way.

Meyer says these wind turbines won't be like the propellored behemoths that have stirred controversy in other settings. They'll be no more than 25 feet high, proponents say, and placed up to 500 feet back from the pavement.

But even if the roadside wind generators are less imposing, will motorists balk at having to peer between or over them to take in the scenery as they ride along?  Would you find them just a high-tech form of windshield clutter?  Or would you, like Meyer, see them as heartening signs that the country is finally coming to grips with its energy and environmental dilemma?

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Going Green
        

During summer months off from school, many students don't pick up a book. Worse, many sit inside and watch TV or play video games. But a new program called Park Reads that begins this month has the kids both reading and going outside.

The kids come from Belair-Edison and Lauraville will read outdoor-related books in Herring Run Park, a 375-acre expanse in northern Baltimore. They will also get in on some park activities related to the books.

The program is sponsored by the Parks & People Foundation, Baltimore City Recreation & Parks and Red Canoe Bookstore Cafe in Lauraville. Nicole Selhorst, the bookstore-cafe owner, says the goal is to get kids reading, learing and thinking about caring for nature.

They'll read books such as Hoot, an ecological mystery revolving around endangered miniature owls, Hatchet, about wilderness survival, and Bridge to Terabithia, about friendship in a shady forest.

For more information about the program, contact Nicole Selhorst at Red Canoe at 410-444-444-4440 or go to redcanoe.bz.

What other outdoor things are kids up to this summer?

Photo courtesy of Bridge to Terabithia

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green
        

The museum of past industry has gone all trendy: They've opened a farmers' market.  I went to the new market this weekend, and it looks like it's off to a nice start.

It was not nearly as big as the established markets in Baltimore under the JFX or in Waverly. But there were a handful of table with vegetables and strawberries, a table for meat and pastries, a table with potted flowers and herbs and a table with art. At least one vendor said he planned to bring  items, and some organic, next week.

There was parking available at the museum, off Key Highway, but the attraction for me was the market's proximity to my South Baltimore house. I walked. And while there was a steady stream of people, it was not so crowded -- the JFX market is PACKED. That's good for the market, but a little stressful on a Sunday morning.

The BMI market opens at 9 a.m. Saturdays under the pavillion.

Anyone else go to this market, or another smaller market in their own neighborhood? Do you prefer more options and a crowd or fewer options and a little space?

Baltimore Sun file photo, 1993

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Going Green
        

There’s nothing like Earth Day to make travelers reflect upon the burden of our footsteps across the planet. Flying from continent to continent or driving coast to coast, our vacations and business trips are not as much fun for Mother Earth as they are for us.

A single passenger traveling round trip from Baltimore to Los Angeles will be responsible for emitting about 1,400 pounds of carbon, on average, according to the carbon calculator at TerraPass, an outfit that sells carbon offsets. The offsets – about $180 for an individual -- support renewable energy, alternative fuels, and other environmentally friendly programs.

A traveler’s hotel carbon footprint is probably smaller but no less significant. In 2005, the Inn & Conference Center at the University of Maryland became the first hotel to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Every room uses recyclable materials, dual flush toilets, and energy-saving systems and an on-site organic restaurant serves locally grown foods.

Since then, other hotels nationwide have followed in their green footsteps. Here’s a look at a few new places to find eco-friendly lodging in the Baltimore region:

Continue reading "Hotels put out the green carpet" »

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

Turns out, we're not the first to B'More Green. There's another B'More Green and it has been recruiting unemployed and underemployed city people and preparing them for entry-level brownfields remediation careers since 2001.

The program has trained 165 people, some of them whom had a criminal record and may have had few options. The average hourly wage of those now working in environmental technology and hazard abatement is $12-$16 an hour.

B'More Green is a project of the non-profit Civic Works. The group has other programs, including one that offers compact flourescent lightbulbs, low-flow shower heads and other energy saving devices to low-income homes. Another installs white roofs and other energy savers to local residences.

Get involved. Or for a $12 donation or more, the group will send you a B'More Green T-shirt. Who wouldn't want that? 

Photo courtesy of Civic Works

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Going Green
        

It seems US Energy Secretary Steven Chu is urging everyone to put a white roof on their houses to help fight global warming. This from Al Tompkins at Poynter Online, who read it in the London Telegraph.

Hadn't thought about it before, but white or light-colored surfaces reflect sunlight, while dark ones absorb rays and heat up.  That's another reason why scientists are concerned about melting polar ice caps (besides the threat of sea level rise) - the white snow and ice help keep the earth cool by reflecting sunlight, while rays beating down on open ocean and land warm it up.

Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, was quoted in the Telegraph estimating that putting light-colored roofs on all the world's homes and replacing black asphalt with a lighter colored pavement would offset 11 years' worth of climate-warming emissions from all the world's cars.

A study co-authored by a scientist from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California (which Chu ran before joining the Obama administration) backs up his suggestion that converting a black roof to white would help offset the 10 tons of carbon dioxide emitted annually by the typical US house. 

And if fighting climate change isn't reason enough, it also ought to help reduce air conditioning bills in the summer.  By one estimate, white roofs everywhere in the US could save $1 billion in energy costs annually.  

There's no plan, apparently, to push this bit of geo-engineering on a national level - at least not yet.  But California, arguably the greenest of states in the US, already requires white materials on flat roofs, and in July will start requiring "cool-colored substances" on sloped roofs as well.

Anyone doing this in Maryland?

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Going Green