May 19, 2009

After dealing with ticks for the last few weeks, it's nice to see that
Jason is having a chicken coop built. Our hope is that we not only have
a natural way to get rid of bugs, weeds, and even create fertizlier but
that we also have a source of eggs and meat when the time comes. Katie
suggested we call it the Egg McMansion. 

(Frankie continues work on a coop that will hold around 50 chickens)

May 18, 2009

After weeks of tilling, planting, and constant weeding we finally had
some sprouts! Though there certainly has been no shortage of rain as
late, our number one concern still remains water capture. Slowly we
began to collect water barrels and totes and now have approximately
1000 gallons of storage capacity. 

Thanks to Frankie we also now have a platform to raise the barrels
off the ground so we can gravity feed the water onto the fields. Water
will flow from the roof of our shed and trickle into the barrels from a
gutter system we are currently designing. 

Apparently i have a problem with sitting still. Because starting a one of a kind catering company, that includes a farm and biodiesel conversion facility, isn't enough work...i've bought and am greening a new home near downtown Raleigh. I expect it's going to be mostly about hard work and not about actual training since i don't know squat about renovation...much more than the everyday basics. I'm hoping to learn a great deal and i'm almost positive i'll learn the hard way.

After a particularly chatty workout the other night i found myself in a conversation about one of my favorite topics...the future of alternative energy plans. My friend Carolyn told me how proud she was of Berkley, CA for the recent passing of a rather unique plan to involve more residents in solar power systems for their houses. It sort of sounds like a sales pitch, "Hey city resident. Do you wish you could involve yourself in the greening of our community but worry it costs too much money? What if you could do it for no money?". But actually, that's exactly what it is. Here it is officially:

Berkeley going solar - city pays up front, recoups over 20 years
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

The summer of 08' will forever be referred to by me as the "Summer of Green". Right as my partners and I launched a sustainably focused business it seemed nobody could get enough of "going green", "triple bottom line businesses, "sustainable ventures", etc. etc. What's the name of this website we're currently on again?

My dear friend Ashley Sue has left the RTP area for bigger and better things - or for a more sustainable lifestyle!  She is heading out to Asheville to explore a career in sustainablility - while I will miss her, she truly has taught me so much.  Everything she has taught me has led me to ask for more - more information, more ways to better my lifestyle, etc.

A few of the statistics really hit home for me and I hope to incorporate these in my ongoing education that Ashley Sue helped ignite not too long ago!

Statistics:

Eighty-four percent of a typical household's waste--including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles--can be recycled.

Alright, so I know that Lefty wrote a post about this awhile ago, but I am a die hard football fan (NY Giants to be precise), and during halftime of today's game against the Steelers they showed the parking lot.  Obviously I was watching the drunken fans stumbling around, but I also noticed the trash cans and the tailgate scenes packed with garbage.  How can we start marking sporting events more eco-friendly/less wasteful??? Just a thought.

First of all, I apologize for my brief hiatus, but I did want to take a chance to thank Lefty, Green Planet Catering, and the rest of gang who put together the I'm Turning Green party that took place last week!  It really was a great time, and it was wonderful to hear about all of the business's who are making strides to become greener!Speaking of which, this morning I was listening to the radio and heard a commercial that basically said something along the lines of "Go green by saving green - come out to this X car dealership today and get a brand new car."  What I find annoying about this is that after hearing about all of the business's