Passive Heating and Cooling

Passive energy houses are attractive to those of us who enjoy things that work automatically. We have been reading an issue of E- The Environmental Magazine about passive energy homes.

The issue discusses passive homes that make heating and cooling almost unnecessary. Is that possible? I love the idea that homes and buildings can be designed so that they utilize heat recovery systems to deliver fresh air. A passive house is simply so airtight that it takes little more than the inhabitants' body heat to warm them up in cold climates. In warm climates, the design functions to keep the outside air from coming in.

They offer, "A passive house offers a different approach. Instead of reducing emissions by generating alternative power, these buildings simply don't require as much energy."

The article links to more information at Passive House US, and Prospect Architecture. We want to explore more about this.

Our Earth Hour Is Tonight!

In spring, our thoughts turn to our planet. We can't help it! with the new green, the flowering trees, the birds going crazy. So celebrate tonight and honor Earth Hour.

Show your appreciation and turn off your lights for an hour starting at 8:30 p.m. your time. Thanks!

Build a Kit to Recycle Fishing Line

Our clean up days inspired us to build and install a monofilament fishing line recycling station. We found so much tangled line around the lake!

So where do you recycle fishing line? It's tough and strong, and won't disintegrate. Instead, it will tangle us and any wildlife that might get near it. It can cause injuries and starvation to animals; it's a nuisance to boaters, and a danger to swimmers.

Blaik Pulley of South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources provided the answer. The South Carolina DNR has a program to recycle it through Berkley Conservation Institute, part of the fishing line manufacturer's commitment to our environment. They will send a prepaid box to fill, then ship to them at this address:

Berkley Recycling
1900 18th Street
Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360

She also sent us a couple of kits for for ongoing monofilament recycling to get us started. Here are the main pieces of a collection station.

A recycling kit includes four pieces and identifying stickers

It's very easy to assemble, as it only requires gluing the pieces together with PVC glue.

Applying the PVC glue to the pieces

The kit is the same as one shown on the NC BigSweep. Below is the bottom closure, although it is shown upside down.

Attaching the base, which
opens to collect the fishing line

Now we know how to make it, we can reproduce it to collect more line in other fishing spots. A local Girl Scout troop is helping us to install and maintain the recycling stations. We plan to record the data and send it to the SCDNR recycling program in Charleston.

We will post the locations and photos of our installed recycling stations soon. If you'd like to participate in the the program, check their website or call (843)953-6686 for more information.

Thanks, Y'all

We cleaned up in the NC Big Sweep! Tons of trash were collected and properly disposed. The Lake Wylie Covekeepers said there was a bit less than last year, and there were more volunteers. They hope that is because less refuse is being dumped in our wonderful waterways.

A cove in Lake Wylie on our cleaning day

Looking over the totals of stuff collected, I'm prompted to say thank you to Carolina folks for your efforts. It's awesome.

We want to give an extra-special thanks to those who collected in places where they did not have a team of helpers. Some of the places listed from the 2009 cleanup are staffed by lone volunteers.

How about in Bladen County, in the Cape Fear River basin, where one volunteer picked up 5 bags of trash and one tire, totaling 100 pounds.  Or in Burke County in the Catawba river basin, where a single volunteer picked up one bag of trash, weighing twenty pounds. Here are more places where one volunteer, or a handful of volunteers worked to clean up the joint: Halifax County; Yadkin County; Caswell and Camden Counties. It's difficult to do it all by yourself, and takes a certain fortitude to do alone.

To all of you who worked, with and without recognition, we raise a toast. Hurray! We do appreciate what you've done. Thanks, Y'all!!

Sweeping This Weekend

When we walk the roadways, we usually need a bag. We can't pass by litter without picking it up and disposing of it properly.

So we love events like this, bringing our communities together in concert to clean up our land and water.

On Saturday, October 2, volunteers from all over North Carolina will pick up litter from land and waterways. The NC Big Sweep stewardship project is part of an international coastal cleanup plan, but has expanded to include removing trash on the land.

The organizers say since they started the event twenty years ago, they have collected 9.8 million pounds of trash.

I'm sorry that we missed South Carolina's Big Sweep effort last week, on September 25th. Thank you for your part in taking care of the environment!

This weekend, the Big Sweep needs you in North Carolina. There is something going on in every county. We will play a part this weekend: can you join us?

To help, visit the web site and Volunteer Sign Up page. You can offer donations, or become a member as well. For more information, contact North Carolina Big Sweep, P.O. Box 126, Zebulon, NC 27597; Phone (919) 269-9380, or ncbigsweep@bellsouth.net.

Citizens Meet the EPA

Charlotte, NC hosted one of the hearings by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week. The hearing allowed citizens to comment on the EPA plans to regulate coal ash disposal.

An overflowing conference room at the Holiday Inn Airport spilled out into the hall (in photo at right), through the lobby, and into another room full of people listening to the speakers remotely over an audio system.

The EPA Press Release of May 4, 2010 states that the purpose of the regulation is to ensure the structural integrity of coal ash impoundments, to prevent accidents like the one that occurred in Kingston, TN. There, a dike failure spilled 5.4 million cubic yards of fly ash into adjacent sloughs and into the main Emory River channel, covering about 300 acres.

The Proposal is also intended to prevent groundwater contamination and threats to drinking water. You can get a copy of the Proposed Rule on the EPA Website.

Registration was high for speakers, so time was limited. Bonnie Crihfield of Roxboro, NC flashes a smile after she spoke at the Charlotte hearing (in photo at left). She is a machine operator at Separations Technology, and concerned about the EPA's regulations regarding coal ash.

Some coal ash is safely recycled into building products like cement blocks and wallboard. Crihfield wants to continue recycling the coal ash and keep producing in her job.

The proposed regulations state that the Environmental Protection Agency strongly supports these recycling efforts. The hearing issue is really about what citizens want them to do about the residual part of the coal ash, after the recyclable contents have been removed.

The Proposal offers two plans of action, with Key Differences Between Subtitle C and Subtitle D Options of Coal Combustion Residuals.

Coal ash impoundments are numerous across the Eastern United States. A map collated by the Sierra Club shows 17 in North Carolina and 11 in South Carolina.

Upcoming hearings will be September 21 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and September 28 in Louisville, Kentucky. Due to high response, they have announced an additional public hearing in Knoxville, Tennessee during the week of October 25, 2010.

Public comment is invited by the EPA online and through the mail. Written commentary on the proposal will be accepted until November 19, 2010.

Tour the Farms This Weekend

A Piedmont-area group is offering a special event this weekend: the Second Annual Charlotte Area Farm Tour, on September 18-19, 2010. On those afternoons, from 1:30-6:30 p.m., twenty-seven local farms will open their barn doors for touring.

Presented by Know Your Farms, a community-supported agriculture program, and the Carolina Farm Stewards Association, the tour will show us how local farms grow their produce. We can learn more about these local resources, participate in farm activities, and pick up some fresh food right where it is grown.

At right is Martha Robinson, with some of her family's produce. Tega Hills Farm has extensive greenhouses utilizing hydroponic techniques. They grow lettuces, microgreens, and herbs year-round; and grow other vegetables seasonally.

The Charlotte Area Farm Tour event includes participation by restaurants and culinary school students, nutritionists, and master gardeners. There are a wide range of farms to visit and things to do, even camping out at the Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch.

We hope to get inspired at a nearby farm that we'd like to know more about. It's also a great way to participate in the Farm-to-Fork 10% Campaign, supporting efforts for healthy food sustainability in North Carolina.

You can even volunteer for the event one day, and get a free pass. For more information, call 980-225-1020, or check out more at Know Your Farms.