Category: Green Alley

Short plants and deep roots

As the Green Alley project continues to move toward city approval, plans are ongoing for the purchase of native plants to be placed in the alley. Many of us have purchased plants from local nurseries or home improvement stores. So often we purchase plants that are tall and beautiful with roots in tight, small containers. However, plants may take root better if they have long roots, but may not be as tall as otherwise. While this may take longer for the plants to grow to their full beauty, it may be the best way to ensure long-term sustainability. As we endeavor to create a plan for the native plants, Peggy and others are working to identify not only the right native plants, but also the right place to buy them.

As I have learned more about native plants, it is striking the analogies to so much we are doing in the Green Alley project. Developing deep roots in our communities is the best way to create sustainable communities. As we develop the Green Alley project, it may take some time to do it the way it needs to be done, and it may not be pre-packaged and easy, but in the end it will create a sustainable community resource.

Category: Volunteer / donate

Odwalla extends its branches!

Ever want to plant a tree but you're just too lazy? Now you can do it from your desk with the click of your mouse!

Odwalla, maker of those yummy fruit-, veggie- and soy-based superdrinks, is donating $100,000 to 11 states to plant trees in their state parks. By participating in the Odwalla 2009 Plant a Tree program, you can help to replace some of the many trees that have succumbed to Emerald Ash and Dutch Elm diseases.

You can "click to plant" until December 31. Trees, native to the region and chosen based on climate, will then be planted in late 2009 and early 2010 by volunteers. Odwalla will donate $1.00 for each click of the mouse. It is estimated that each tree costs between $0.25 and $1.20, based on the type selected for planting. The 2008 Plant a Tree program donated more than 60,000 trees to state parks around the country.

In addition to having a super-cool Web site worthy of surfing, Odwalla offers a wealth of tree factoids, certain to elevate your green trivia knowlegde! Roll over the trees on the site for your tree-fact fix!

After you plant your seed for Michigan, peek at how the states are faring - you will be pleasantly surprised. Just a hint: There's an approximate 23,000-click gap between the first and second place states. California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Virgina are also participating. Can you guess who is coming out the greenest?

Category: Green Alley

Community garden contagion

During a recent meeting, Tom Brennan and I took the opportunity to visit the Midtown Community Garden. Just over a block away, I was surprised I could actually see it from the Green Alley. The community garden is an amazing local resource for the Midtown community. With designated above-ground plots, a beautiful shade tree, and available water, many in the community have already planted and grown flowers, vegetables and plants.

What was more amazing to me was how the community between the garden and the alley have begun to green as well. Maybe it's just perspective or taking notice, but it seems that as the community has developed their garden, they also have begun to green their homes, their businesses, their sidewalks and more.

It was a truly amazing trip. Tom often reminds me that pebbles in a pond is all we need sometimes. The ripples extending from the community garden are amazing. It is exciting to think of how the Green Alley will continue this ripple into the community. Further, as the UCCA continues to pursue the green of alleys and other areas, it is easy to envision how the Midtown community will become an amazing place.

Category: Reduce, reuse, recycle

Cityfest again takes green steps

The 21st annual Comerica Cityfest, formerly Tastefest, will renew its vow this year to reduce its carbon footprint and provide festival-goers with inspiration to do the same.

Initiatives include banning styrofoam, encouraging vendors to use Earth-friendly products, such as Green Safe, and selling 100 percent organic cotton festival T-shirts. They also promise to drastically reduce water usage through better distribution practices.

In addition to those efforts, I'll be making some adjustments of my own while attending this year's food-coma-thon. In my handy Trader Joe's cotton bag, I will bring my own reusable utensils, a small plastic plate and a cloth napkin from home. Not a horrible sacrifice - knowing full well that I go through at least five plates, umteen sets of plastic forks, knives and spoons and enough napkins to paper a small car.

I also will be bringing my own reusable water bottle from home. It's usually steamy in those streets, and I go through water liberally. Spare yourself a few more tickets for delicious treats and reduce the amount of waste produced from plastic bottles - give it a try.

Begin your Fourth of July celebrations early at Cityfest. The festival begins July 1 and runs through July 5.

Category: Energy

Pushing for cleaner energy: A new strategy

National Public Radio recently aired a great segment about a group of people in Oakland, Calif., who are trying to change the way environmental groups go about pressing for change. (The segment can be read or listened to here.)

Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, founders of the Breakthrough Institute, are pressing for the same kind of change most environmentalists are seeking: cleaner energy. What makes their strategy different is that they don't believe that things like charging a "carbon tax" will encourage change. They believe that what motivates people is economical: If an alternative energy source is going to become widely accepted, it must be cheaper. Period.

"When was the last time human beings modernized our energy sources by making older power sources more expensive? And, of course, by now you probably know that the answer is never," Shellenberger said during the segment. He draws a few parallels -- personal computers didn't become popular because typewriters were taxed; the Internet didn't spring up because telegraphs were too pricey. And it's a darn good point. Unless an alternative is flat-out cheaper, it is not completely realistic to think that it will become widely accepted, whether or not it's better for everyone in the long run.

They are pushing for increased funding into the radical technological advances that will make cleaner energy economically viable. Their research shows that relatively few people are motivated by the impending consequences of global warming, and a much larger percentage of people are turned off by that type of motivation. People are much more receptive to this change when it's presented to them as an opportunity, a chance be a part of something new and revolutionary.

Hopefully their eight minutes on NPR will get their movement rolling and, eventually, the proper funding for projects that WILL revolutionize the way we harvest and use energy.

Category: Events

'Backyardigans' unite!

Ever unroll a sleeping bag on your deck and cozy in for a night under the stars? Or pitched a tent in your yard and roasted hotdogs on a stick. I HAVE!!! And this Saturday, people across the country will be doing the same thing. Raise the national Kumbaya level and join in! 

The National Wildlife Federation, in conjunction with their "Be Out There" campaign, is sponsoring the Great American Backyard Campout, to encourage families and friends to get outdoors and enjoy each other and the company Mother Nature has to offer.

Jump on the Web site and register your backyard. Registrants will get a homepage that allows you to invite others to your campout, a spot on the online map and free newsletters with tips and planning materials. You can also see who in your area (and across the country!) is taking part in the Campout. And it's all free, free, free!

The Web site offers fun camping tips, mp3s of campfire songs and pdfs with their lyrics, games, crafts and activities for the family. They even have a packing checklist, directions on how to pitch your tent, and fun recipes. Share your favorite camping recipes with others at their flickr message board.

When it's all said and done, share your photos and experiences with others and encourage them to enjoy a night under the stars with their loved ones!

Category: Reduce, reuse, recycle

Ozone Action (reaction!) Day

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) declared June 24 an Ozone Action Day. Ahhhhhh, Ozone Action Days, flush with tons of don'ts and can'ts. But I like to think of Ozone Action Days as days of discovery. Take a few minutes to read over these helpful tips compiled by SEMCOG. Look at them as opportunities and not as barriers to enjoying your summer. Here a few of note:

1. Try not to refuel on Ozone Action Days. If you need to refuel on an Ozone Action Day, fill up in the evening when the weather is cooler and don't "top off" the tank. Fumes released at the gas pump contribute to ozone formation.

2. Reduce automobile use on Ozone Action Days. Plan to carpool, use public transit, walk, rollerblade, bike or work at home. You'll reduce traffic congestion and air pollution as well as save money.

3. Save electricity and adjust your air conditioner temperature a few degrees higher. Turn off appliances and lights when not in use. Replace old light bulbs with longer-lasting Energy Star bulbs. When replacing appliances or heating-and-cooling systems, choose models with high energy-efficiency ratings.

4. If you plan to barbeque, avoid using lighter fluid. Emissions from the fluid contribute to ozone formation.

5. Choose a brown bag lunch instead of driving to your favorite restaurant.

One of the more annoying Ozone Action Days "opportunities" is the "don't mow your lawn today" tip. Emissions from your lawn mower help form ozone. Here are work-arounds if you just can't abide by this kind of adjustment to your schedule.

1. Opt for a reel (Sunlawn) or electric (Neuton) mower instead of gas-powered. You'll be able to smell the grass, and NOT the gas. Your pocket will be happy too. Americans use approximately 800 million gallons of gas each year, just to mow their lawn. And with gas prices rising daily ... well, you get where I'm going. So make a good long-term investment in eco-friendly lawn care.

2. Like me? Would rather gnaw on glass than mow? Ready for a huuuuuuuge undertaking? Check out Prairie Nursery 'No Mow' Lawn Mix. If you've got the time, money and help needed to tear up and reseed your lawn, this is an interesting solution for the mower-haters!

3. Mow tomorrow! Or the next day! Just not today.

So take a few minutes and jot down ways to practice clean air habits. Hopefully, they will just become part of the daily routine. And share them!

Category: Nature

Keep it green

"Summertiiiiiiiiiime, the livin's easy ...," but let's challenge ourselves a bit.

Now happy campers, armed with these eco-tips, pack up and head out to your favorite state park, and impart some of this knowlegde on to the family with the diesel-operated grill and aresol bug spray!

Category: Eat

Join the Meat Free Monday movement today!

Meat Free Monday is a quest by Sir Paul McCartney and his daughters Stella and Mary to get us all dropping meat out of our diets for just one day a week. Sounds simple as long as meat eaters don't feel like they're being told to stop the steak and brats for every day of the week.

McCartney said going vegetarian, even for just one day a week, is good for the environment: Research suggests it cuts greenhouse gas emissions from the world's livestock population.

"I thought this was a great idea. To just reduce your meat intake maybe by one day a week and this would seriously benefit the planet," McCartney told reporters, alongside Yoko One and a bevy of other stars, including Kelly Osbourne and Moby, who support the mission and helped kick off the campaign Monday in London.

"No one likes to be told what to do," said McCartney’s daughter Mary. "You don't want to be told what to do or what to eat, but it's about not depressing people. It doesn't need to have a huge impact on your day."

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, meat is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than transport's 13 percent. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has suggested one vegetarian day a week.

The Web site Meat Free Monday has ways to help the planet, how to get involved as well as recipes and CO2 calculators! Check out the Meat Free Youtube page as well for meat free recipes from the late Linda McCartney, who supported the idea more than 20 years ago.

Here are some meat facts to chew on today as you eat your veggies!

*Meat is a "major stressor" on the world's ecosystems, according to a UN report

*Meat makes 1.4 per cent of global GDP but 18 per cent of greenhouse gases

*Forty calories of fossil fuel energy go into producing a calorie of beef, but 2.2 calories for one calorie of plant protein

*Livestock production uses 8 per cent of the world's fresh water

*One billion people are overweight, mostly in the West, where meat consumption is higher. Vegetarians tend to be slimmer

*The World Cancer Research Fund recommends eating 500g red meat a week

Source: United Nations, Meat Free Monday

Category: North Cass Community Garden

Video: The birth of my garden

Join Detroit News multimedia producer Ankur Dholakia via video blog on his adventure in organic gardening.