Naturalist Art

Catch the The Naturalist's World, an exhibition of paintings, photographs, and ceramics of natural beauty by artists from eight states. Showing at the Elder Gallery in Charlotte through August 30, it includes pieces from Ceramist Warner Hyde, of North Carolina, presenting a body of work that originated from Carolina elements.

Elder Gallery, located at 1427 South Boulevard, will donate twenty percent of the proceeds to the Catawba Lands Conservancy, the nonprofit land trust that works to permanently protects land, water and wildlife habitat.

SEE Expo August 22

Make plans to check out the Southern Energy and Environment Expo on August 22-24th at the Western NC Agricultural Center even if you need to travel to it. The annual event of renewable energy technologies also provides responsible environmental stewardship. They have so much to offer this year, it's worth a carpool and effort to go. The event offers exhibits and presentations on a range of interesting topics like these.

• Backyard Sustainability
• Biofuels, Ethanol Fuel, Farm Bill Bio-energy
• Caring for Creation
• Clean Transportation Open Forum
• Commercial Applications of Renewable Energy
• Green Building, Healthy Built Homes
• N.C. Solar Tax Credits
• Natural Building Methods, Advanced Building Techniques
• Opportunities in a Clean Energy Economy
• Practical Photovoltaics
• Radiant Floor Heating
• Rain Water
• Solar Green Gardening, Solar Water Pumping
• Solar Electric Systems
• Solar Hot Water and Space-Heating Systems
• Sustainable Forestry
• Wind Powered Energy

Our friends Mike and Paula Moore of Ampmobile Conversions will be also presenting electric car conversions, and putting the 'EV' smile on people who realize the gas savings. Other sessions offer information on water in energy use, like Independent Conservation Utilities, presented by Hope Taylor of Clean Water for NC.

"Our current energy systems require over 9 billion gallons of water each day. Six states have shown an independent state energy efficiency program is cost-effective, speeds up renewable development and savings stay in the pockets of customers!"

A summer weekend in the mountains is always great and the SEE Expo brings us an invitation to enjoy one, with more ways we can sustain our beautiful Carolinas.

Happy Birthday, R. Dees

Image found at Art Renewal Center. Hope your day is filled with beauty!

Sustainable Events

The Charlotte Convention Center was the first one in North Carolina to “go green.” For about 2 years, the Center has gone the extra mile, according to Mariel Littrell, the green representative for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. For some time, recycling receptacles have been provided, along with highly visible arrows, to encourage the recycling of bottles and cans. All cardboard is bound and recycled. Now the facility has added environmentally-friendly cleaning products, an expanded recycling program, and energy-saving initiatives.

A group deciding to hold an expo or meeting is connected to an events manager, who coordinates the group's needs with the Center's procedures, including the green initiatives. The Charlotte Green Team won an award in April from the Charlotte Business Journal for their green building meetings. Attendees at meetings may ride to the meeting on the LYNX Blue Line, the only light rail system in the United States that runs through a Convention Center, as shown in the photo at right from LYNX Facts.

The Center's Green Team is especially active behind the scenes. Their Food Service buys local food and bundles purchases to decrease travel time. All cooking oil is recycled. Extra food is donated to the United House of Prayer or local food banks, and the waste food is sent to composting. Paper boxes are used for box lunches; napkins are made from recycled paper or cloth. For large meetings, bulk water and teas are provided; beverage cups and coffee cups are made of biodegradable materials.

Many energy-efficient features of the Center, including the meeting rooms and buildings, can be found at Charlotte Convention Center - Green Initiatives. Congratulations to the Center, for its efforts to ensure sustainability in their events!

Green Roof Design 101

What can you do with a green roof? The photo at right is an example shown at Live Roof where the city of Grand Haven, Michigan, planted their garbage container covers. These roofing systems provide storm water management, cooling effects and insulation that decrease energy costs, wildlife habitat for insects and birds, and they improve air quality by absorbing pollutants.

There are already a number of lovely installations in the Carolinas, and it will be growing, as more people learn about the benefits of green roofs, walls, and other forms of living architecture. A not-for-profit industry association offers a Green Roof Design 101 Introductory Course on Thursday, September 18, in the Hampton Inn at Charlotte, NC. This is part of an accredited program that works with diverse professions. You can get a discount on the course if you become a member of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

If you prefer to hire a professional rather than become one, you might find a company like Living Roofs, Inc., the first in North Carolina specializing in green roof services. They work with landscape architects, architects, artists, and structural engineers. Their site shows existing projects, including many local buildings. They also have interesting before-and-after views of our cities to give us more ideas.

Sea Turtle Walk

There is still time to see a turtle make a nest this week. Through this last week of July, a special guided walk at Edisto Beach State Park offers an informative program and hike down the beach, in search of nesting loggerhead sea turtles. The South Carolina location is a high-density nesting site with 60-90 nests laid annually within a small area. The park rangers protect the nests and educate people about turtle conservation efforts.

The nesting loggerhead sea turtle program is designed for ages 11 and older, and requires walking several miles. Advanced registration is required for a maximum of thirty people. Call (843) 869-4430 to make reservations. The remaining walks are Monday, July 28, from 9:30-11:50 p.m., and on Tuesday, July 29, and Thursday, July 31, from 9:00-11:45 p.m.

These marine reptiles are migratory, and can travel long distances before they return to their birthplace to lay their eggs. The loggerhead image above is from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration site. Turtle Time provides a nice video presentation about marine turtles, too.

Happy Thyme

With more hot, dry weather still ahead, we are replacing some of our flowers or part of our lawns with less thirsty plants. Here's some advice for our area.

Water-wise suggestions from Southern Gardens include this tip: for a dry garden, look for foliage that has gray or silvery leaves. Tiny hairs on the leaves and stems reduce the need for added water. Succulent plants like yuccas, sedum, and agaves are examples. Ornamental grasses are also recommended.

Another reference I looked at was Best Garden Plants for North Carolina. There weren't special listings for "drought-resistant" plants. In browsing, however, I found an herb collection. Herbs, they said, all like well-drained soil. "Well-drained" was in bold. In case you might have too much water, they advise grading the bed so that rainfall will run off.

I can do well-drained. In fact, one of the herbs I found described was a great friend of mine -- thyme. It's a bright green mass, about 3 to 4 inches tall. It tolerates being ignored, winters over, and looks great in the heat. It fills in to make a thick mat and does not travel too fast. At left is a view from the top, this photo from VeggieHarvest.com. I have received so many compliments about how lush it looks, while the flowers beside it droop, that I decided to find out more about it.

There are over 400 varieties of thyme. They don't need much watering or care, and don't do well in soil that is too rich. Creeping thyme plants, like mine, are low growing and don't require mowing, so they are very suitable for ground covers. This plant is often placed between the stones or bricks in garden paths. Ed Hume Seeds gives us many reasons why creeping thyme, Thymus serpyllum, is one of their favorite plants. First, it is low maintenance and can take a lot of abuse. It can even be walked on. I don't think I would want to walk on their pretty example, in the photo at right. But I can see it as a lovely edging in my garden.