So, the summer’s heat is bending to the fall leaves and that means it’s time to take advantage while we still can.

Here’s a quick list of great eco-friendly summer ideas to end out the season:

1.  Host a yard sale.  Get rid of that stuff in the attic you’ve forgotten about and take the proceeds to a local shelter or green up your house.

2.  Turn off the TV and get outside!  Take that hard bike ride you’ve been putting off.  You know you’ll regret it if you don’t tackle that high hill this summer.

3.  BBQ time!  Get your friends over for an end-of-summer celebration, just be sure to use all post-recyclable goods for the fare.   Check out compostablegoods.com.

Original post by greenlifestyle.com.

There’s more to camping food than hot dogs and s’mores. Here are some green camping tips for your next outdoor experience:

• Learn to leave no trace.
• Buy bulk organic foods and cook them on the greenest stove that meets your needs.
• Choose your camp stove wisely: for backpacking, Sustainable Travel International recommends the Sierrastove, a lightweight, super-efficient model that can burn pine cones, wood chips, tree bark, charcoal or any other solid fuel.
• Consider a pollution-free solar oven if you’ll be car camping.
• Pack biodegradable soap (or none at all) for cleaning up.
• Up your culinary game with Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors by Robin Donovan

Original Post by Sierra Club.

Babies’ and children’s developing brains and bodies (especially their reproductive systems) are extraordinarily vulnerable to toxic chemicals. And children’s bodies may not metabolize and excrete toxic chemicals as readily as adults. So it’s important for our children’s long-term health that we focus on the toxic chemicals they’re exposed to, and do our best to keep them away when it matters most.

Read on to learn three important ways to raise eco-healthy kids:

1. Reduce Mom’s chemical exposures while pregnant
2. Feed your baby safely
3. Create an eco-healthy home
4. Clean greener at home

Original Post by Environmental Working Group

Tomoko (WV Sustainable Communities representative) spoke about the “Riverside Sustainability Awareness Training,” an outreach and education program targeting specific communities in WV.  We would need to find at least seven people to attend one of two trainings (May 19 in Mullins or June 3 in Charleston) in order to gain consideration for resources and funding related to sustainability.

EARTH DAY:  We discussed the success of this year’s Celebration and brainstormed issues which need to be addressed by next year’s Earth Day Committee:

Event’s time frame (vendors tended to start packing up well before the 6pm end-time), Raffles/Donations, increased time for musicians to set up/break down, sign up sheets for attendees (way to tally attendance) and sign up new members, placement of banner (in front of Tutor’s Biscuit World?)

GREAT would like to encourage all citizens to complete the Create Fayetteville Citizen Survey (www.createfayetteville.com)

Our newest member, Jessica Smith, spoke about the New River Climber’s Rendezvous, May 13 -16 at Burnwood Campground.  She stated that they are looking for volunteers to coordinate recycling for the event.  Gabe Pena agreed to act as this year’s recycling coordinator for the event.  We also discussed the possibility of GREAT hosting a booth at the event.

Agenda for next meeting (May 31, 2010 5:30pm at Fayetteville CVB):

Membership drive

Officer/Board Member recruitment

Bridge Day

ICLEI:  The Task Force held their second meeting in which they nominated liasons and scheduled their regular monthly meeting for the last Monday of each month.

The Task Force plans to develop a survey for businesses and residents regarding energy use (energy, water, waste and transportation)

EARTH DAY:  We reviewed the list of events, activities and sponsors.  The Earth Day committee plans to meet Monday April 12th at 5:30 pm.

—–Bill Lanham spoke about a “Solid Green, Keep Fayetteville Clean” even occuring the morning of the ED Celebration (April 24th) from 9am to 12pm.  He is looking for volunteers to pick up trash around Fayetteville.

Next GREAT meeting:  Monday April 26, 2010 5:30pm at the Fayetteville CVB.

Take Green Action!  Protect your Earth! 

Join us at the 5th Annual New River Earth Day event on Saturday, April 24th, 12:00noon – 6:00pm- Downtown Fayetteville, WV.

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day Network is galvanizing millions who make personal commitments to sustainability. Earth Day 2010 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.

Original post by Earthday.net.

Present: Aimee Rist, Gabe Pena, Doug Arbogast, Carl Thompson, Ginger Danz, Holly Clark, Scott Fanello, (Quorum)

Topics of Discussion:

ICLEI: The first meeting of the ICLEI Task Force was held last week. The town government now needs to sign a resolution in order for the task force to move forward into action planning.

Earth Day: Scheduled for Saturday April 24^th. Earth Day sub-committee is meeting regularly. Next Subcommittee meeting: Wednesday March 10^th at 5:30, White Horse B&B. We discussed fund-raising: Carl reported that Diogi’s is hosting a fund raiser donating all profits from the purchase of a $7.95 soup/tacos dinner. Cathedral Cafe is hosting a similar event on March 10 from 8am to 3pm.

Rain Garden: We discussed the use of the RG grant money and it was agreed that Scott Fanello would contact PAN to discuss possible sites for public rain gardens.

Education: Gabe and Ginger reported on their trip to Nutall Middle School. Teachers there were receptive to our mission and requested help with a school garden. They stated that paper and plastic waste were their biggest problems, but that they have looked into recycling and found it to be cost-prohibitive. A Nutall 4^th period teacher is looking for volunteers to come in and do projects with her class and we are currently seeking volunteers to provide this.

Next meeting: Monday March 29, 2010 at 5:30pm (Fayetteville CVB)

ACTIVITY LEVEL:
Anyone can participate but adults are required to use power tools.

ITEMS NEEDED:

• Two dark-colored 8-10 gallon plastic storage containers
• A drill and 1/4” and 1/16” drill bits
• Newsprint
• Window screening, cut in 1” x 1” squares (or you can get a window screen patch kit from your local hardware store)
• One pound of red wiggler worms (1lb = about 1,000 worms. We buy ours from unclejimswormfarm.com)

A pound of worms will eat about a half pound of food each day. This is a GREAT way to minimize the amount of food that ends up in our landfills, causing harmful methane emissions.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drill about twenty 1/4” evenly-spaced holes in the bottom of one storage bin. These holes will be used to drain excess fluid or “worm tea” into the second bin. We don’t want worms to escape, so use a tiny bit of glue to attach the window screen squares over these holes.
2. Drill ventilation holes about 1 inch apart around the top of the same storage bin using the 1/16” drill bit. Also drill some evenly spaced holes in the top of one of the lids.
3. Worms need bedding that is moist (not soaked!) Tear newsprint into 1” strips. Run some water over it, squeeze out the excess and then fluff it up. You want to cover the bottom of the bin with about 4” of moist newsprint. Throw in a handful of soil to help the worms digest their food.
4. Add a few bricks in the second, undrilled bin. Set the first, drilled bin on top of this one. The second bin will catch any excess water or “worm tea” from the drilled bin.
5. Add the worms the top bin and cover them (and the newsprint scraps) with a small piece of damp cardboard and fasten the lid. Otherwise, worms will escape!
6. If you have your worms shipped to you, they will take a few days to get adjusted to their new surroundings. After that, you may feed them your kitchen scraps and watch them create that wonderful “black gold!”

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• Worms multiply FAST. Within three months, a healthy colony will double in size!
• Doesn’t look like your worms are eating the food you give them? Make sure it’s on the food list, and remember they can eat the food only after it has started decomposing. So you only need to feed them every few days (in order to give the food a chance to decompose in the bin).
• Remember to keep the worms in a slightly moist environment. If they start to crawl to the top of the bin, add some dry newsprint. Eventually the worms will eat the paper, so make sure to keep a good 4” in the bin.
• Do not feed your worms ANY animal products other than egg shells. They will NOT eat meat. The best things to feed your worms are: breads & grains, cereal, coffee grounds & filter, fruits, tea bags, and vegetables. Cutting everything into tiny pieces will help speed up the process.
• To harvest the vermicompost, shine a flashlight into the bin and the worms will dig deeper. By the handful, you can scoop out the “black gold.”
• If you notice fruit flies in your bin, you need to bury your food deeper.
• If your bin starts to smell (it shouldn’t smell foul at all), make sure it is well ventilated by drilling more holes in the top bin.

http://littlegreenfamily.com/

Earth Hour Movement

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010.
Read more ›

The next Earth Day Action Meeting is Wednesday, March 10th at 5:30pm a The White Horse Bed and Breakfast in Fayetteville.