Going Green Memphis 10-31-10

8/8/2019 Going Green Memphis 10-31-10

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2 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er ci a l a pp ea l.com

Whats in this issue ...

On the cover: Cover illustration by Kim Coleman/The Commercial Appeal/istockphoto

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Going Green is a special online publication ofThe Commercial Appeal. We welcome your comments and suggestions. FollowGoing Green on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis.

Ed i t o r : Kim Coleman, 529-5243, [email protected]

Community Editor: Emily Adams Keplinger, [email protected]

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12

17

22

A low impactHalloween

The next level

Ken and Frieda Lansingof Windermere Farmsmake committment torigorous process oforganic certification

Swipe and wipe:

Easy cleaning tips

Bike guru peddles

shift in culture

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32

Internationalflavor of coffee

Greenpeace: Oilstill on sea floor

What's really in that plasticHalloween costume? What'sreverse trick-or-treating?We've got these answers andmore in our Hallo(green) quiz.

Holiday isnt just about the sugarysweet stuff PAGE 7

Halloween decorations out of green,budget-friendly materials PAGE 9
http://www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphismailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis


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The Commercial Appeal Su n d ay , October 31, 2010 | GOING GREEN 3

The Green Page

Ev e n t s4th Annual Summit for Neighborhood Leaders

Livability is a Family Thing: Saturday, Nov. 6, 8:30 am.mto 1 p.m. at Bridges, 477 North Fifth Street, Memphis

The events focus will be on building cities for children,the elderly and everyone in between. Breakout sessionsinclude green parenting, walkability & increasedproperty values, safe routes to school, preservationbeyond old buildings, engaging youth, navigating bikeson the road and more. For more information, contactSarah Newstok at 901.725.8370 ors a r a h @ l i v a b l e m e m p h i s .o r g .

Sierra Club Environmental Justice Conference:An Interconnected Environmental Web: November13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Churchof the River, 292 Virginia Ave. W., Memphis

This conference is geared to the interests of theaverage person next door with a wide selection ofworkshop topics and speakers. Sierra Club extends aspecial invitation to high-school and college students,

neighborhood watch leaders, community activists,community groups and church leaders. Its free to thepublic with lunch included but registration is required toreserve the meal. A conference schedule and list ofspeakers can be found at: sierraclub.org/ej/down l o ad s / 2010 - co nf- br o c h u r e. pd fFor more information and to register, contact Rita Harrisat [email protected] or (901) 324-7757.

GroupsCheck these websites formore information aboutgreen events in theMemphis area.

Citizens to PreserveOverton Park (CPOP):o v e r t o n p a r k fo r ev e r .o r g

Clean Memphis:c l ea n m em phi s .or g

Coalition of LivableCom muni ti es:l i v a b l e m e m p h i s .o r g /

Friends for Our Riverfront:

f r i e n d s fo r o u r r i v e r f r o n t .o r g /Greater Memphis

Greenline: greatermemphisg r e e n l i n e.o r g /

Lichterman NatureCenter: memphism u s e u m s .o r g / l i c h t e r m a n -o v e r v i ew /

Memphis Botanic Garden:m e m p h i s b o t a n i c ga r d e n .co m /

Shelby Farms Park

Con se r vancy :s h e l by fa r m s p a r k .o r g

Strawberry PlainsAudubon Center: strawberryp l a i n s . a u d u b o n .o r g /

Tennessee Clean WaterNetwork: tcwn.org

Tennessee Parks andGreenways Foundation:

t e n n g r e e n .o r g /Tennessee Trails

Association, MemphisChapter: tennesseetrails.org/m e m p h i s . p h p

V&E Greenline:v e g r e e n l i n e.o r g / i n d ex . h t m l

Wolf River Conservancy:w o l f r i v e r .o r g

Safe routesto schools is

just one of

the topics ontap forneighborhood

summit.

A.J. WolfeThe Commercial

Appeal files


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4 GOING GREEN | S u nd ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

From Planetgreen.com

nce a Celtic celebration of theharvest, Halloween is now a littleless spiritual and a lot more

commercial; total up candy sales,

costume shopping and decorations, andits an industry worth almost $6 billiona year. With that kind of consumptioncomes a hefty environmental impactthat lasts long after youve seen the lastof those fun-size Snickers bars.

Luckily, the basics of Halloween spooky tales, playing dress-up, thingsthat go bump in the night dont requiremass quantities of cash or a wastefulamount of resources as long as yourewilling to let your imagination run wild.

Making your own costume will put adent in the consumerism and chancesare youll find the materials right infront of you, if you just look around.

Simple makeup and hairstyles createdwith natural products can give your lookimpact, and your home gets a makeover

of its own with biodegradable decorationsfrom the local farmers market.As for the sweeter side of Halloween,

indulge your sugar habit with fair-tradeand organic chocolate, lollipops,

jellybeans and candy bars.An at-home Halloween gathering will

save energy where trick-or-treatingmight require a car: Dim the lights, setout some soy candles and get the

younger set bobbing for apples, makingcrafts from recycled paper and tellingtheir favorite ghost stories. Whichevergreen options you and your family takeadvantage of, youll feel better on Nov. 1knowing you helped combat theh o l i d ay s terrifying eco-damage justin time for Christmas.

Move over,

black andoran g e.T here s a

new color forHa l lowe en :

G R E E N.

O


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The Commercial Appeal S u n d ay , October 31, 2010 | GOING GREEN 5

1. What toxic material is found inplastic Halloween costumes?

A. Formaldehyde.

B. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).C. Polyurethane.

D. None of the above.

2. When decorating your home forHalloween, why should you avoidtraditional wax candles?

A. Paraffin releases toluene.

B. Paraffin releases benzene.

C. Soy candles last longer.D. All of the above.

3. How many pounds of candy cornwere shipped to stores last year?

A. 2 billion.

B. 5 billion.

C. 7 billion.

D. 9 billion.

4. Whats reverse trick-or-treating?

A. Kids hand out samples of fair-tradechocolates to adults when they go doorto door.

B. Kids dont accept non-fair-tradechocolates when they got r i c k- o r - t r ea t i n g .

C. Kids donate their candy to a localfood bank so that needy children canhave candy.

D. All of the above.

5. Why is Halloween makeup so scary?

A. Its not regulated by the FDA.

B. It can contain phthalates.

C. It can contain parabens.

D. All of the above.

Quiz: How green is your Halloween?

Inspiration for decorating comes fromthe harvest bounty think pumpkins,gourds, straw bales, and corn husks(all from your local farms, of course).

Half the fun of Halloween is thesugar high. By stocking your bowlwith organic, natural treats, you canescape many of the chemicals andpreservatives .


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6 GOING GREEN | Su n d ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

A N SW E RS

1. B: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is oftenfound in the soft vinyl material that agood majority of plastic Halloweencostumes are made from. PVC canrelease toxic chemicals and is a knowncarcinogen. It's not something that youwant to be putting on your body oryour face. Additionally, it cannot bere cyc l e d .

2. D: These are all true. If you want todecorate your house with the spookylights of Halloween try to avoid waxcandles. The paraffin in wax candlesreleases toxic chemicals like toluene

and benzene in the form of soot andsmoke. Not to mention the fact thatwax candles burn down way faster thansoy candles. Also, make sure you carveyour jack-o-lantern from a localpumpkin.

3. D: That's right, 9 billion pounds ofcandy corn were sent out to stores lastyear. Traditional candies like these are

loaded with high-fructose corn syrup,chemicals and preservatives w ayscarier than even the most ghoulishcostume. Instead, choose organic candyco m p an i es .

4. A: Reverse trick-or-treating is ameans to get the word out aboutfair-trade chocolate. Though majorchocolate manufacturers havepromised for six years now to begin

buying from fair-trade cocoa farmers,little has actually been done. Throughthe program, fair-trade chocolatecompanies donate samples along withcards outlining the fair-trade program.When kids walk around to gotrick-or-treating they hand the cardsand samples out to the houses where

they go.

5. D: As you draw on those cat

whiskers and clown circles, take amoment to check the ingredients onthe makeup that you're using. Makeup(including Halloween makeup) is notregulated by the FDA and additionallytraditional makeup can include somepretty frightful ingredients likeparabens, which are known to causebreast cancer, and phthalates, which

are known to cause sperm damage andreproductive issues. You don't need towaste money on fake blood becauseyou can make it yourself. Pomegranatejuice mixed with a broken-off stick ofyour concealer makes a great, fa keblood.

Bobbing for apples and telling ghoststories are fun and eco-friendlyactivities for the kids.


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Halloween: By theNumbers

36 million: Number ofchildren in the U.S., ages5-13, who were expected to

go trick-or-treating lasty ea r .$117 million: Value of 1.1billion pounds of pumpkinsgrown by California, NewYork, Illinois and Ohio in20 07.24.5 pounds: Weight ofcandy eaten, per person,

by Americans in 2007.2,07 7: Number of shops, in2006, wheretrick-or-treaters could rentor buy costumes.93 : Percentage of childrenwho are expected to got r i c k- o r - t r ea t i n g .9 billion: Number of pieces

of candy corn shipped tostores in October; totalweight of the sugarykernels is 35 millionpounds.163 : Percentage thatorganic candy offeringsincreased from 2005 to2006; the industry went upanother 4 percent in 2007.$5.77 billion: M o n eyAmericans are expected toshell out for Oct. 31 thisyear; the total breaks downto $66.54 per person.

Sources: U.S. Census, CandyUSA, Austin Business

Journal .

Tips for tricks, treats:Holiday isnt just about

the sugary sweet stuffBy John Evans

Special to My Life

Its finally starting to feel like fall and so beginsthe two-month-long marathon of holiday festivities.First up is Halloween a holiday seemingly

defined by costumes and candy. While sugary treatsare fine in moderation, dont forget to takeadvantage of the other seasonal items available.

To celebrate the season to the fullest, here are sometips for enjoying the holidays (without a sugar crash):

Visit the local pumpkin patch with your family topick out a few pumpkins. Walking around is greatexercise, and carrying a pumpkin will help burn extracalories. Enjoy carving and decorating the pumpkins

together, and dont forget to save the seeds for a healthysnack rinse them, add seasoning and bake at 325degrees Fahrenheit until theyre toasted (about 20m i n u t es ) .

Take a tour of a nearby orchard. Fall is the perfecttime to visit an orchard, especially if youre interested inenjoying the fresh fruits of the season. Plan ahead andschedule time for the family to pick apples or pearst o ge t h e r .

Do yard work, assigning age-appropriate tasks.Everyone can help clean up leaves, pick up sticks and

decorate for the season. Dont forget to jump in the leafpile when youre done.Host a healthier tailgate. Attending football games is

a definitive part of the season, so ensure you have healthyfood available. Black bean chili, grilled kabobs and freshvegetables with Greek yogurt for dipping are all greatoptions. Enjoy your beverage of choice, but have waterbetween every full-calorie drink to stay properly hydrated.Do n t forget to bring a flying disc or football along to tossaround with friends and family.


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8 GOING GREEN | S u n day, October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

East Memphians Todd and Jenny McCormick enjoy the harvest season withtheir sons Tray, 2, and Drew, 1. The McCormicks are members at the DACFitness location in Laurelwood.

Take your workouts outdoors. Coole rtemperatures will allow you to push throughand complete a more intense exercise routineoutside. Fall is also a great time to join arunning group or sign up for a 5K race.

Obviously, you cant overlook the fact thatcandy will be available, whether it is aroundthe office or at home. Here are a few tips tohelp you (and your kids) enjoy without

overindulging:Save money (and your waistline) and buytreats a day or two before you need it. Steerclear of purchasing your favorite candy, whichwill help you avoid eating it altogether.

Eat before the event. Make sure everyoneeats a healthy meal before collecting candy.This will reduce the urge to eat the treats asyou roam the neighborhood and may reducethe crankiness that accompanies a sugar rush

and subsequent crash.Limit candy collection time. Instead of

making candy the focus of the holiday, involveyour children in other activities. Participate in aneighborhood costume contest or attend aharvest festival with friends. The children willstill get to dress up and enjoy the costumes,without focusing on getting the most candy.

Enjoy a treat or two. Denying yourself aspecial treat now and then will only set you upto binge later. During Halloween, candy isperfectly sized for an individual treat, so pickyour favorite and have a piece. Stash yourchildrens candy and allow them to enjoy apiece or two every few days. Donate or take therest to your office to share with coworkers.

For more information about DAC, visitdaclife.com or call 767-8437

John Evans is a fitness director at DAC.


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DIY decor saves all around

By Kellie Bramlet

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Jeanette Contees yard is a littlespooky this season. Its full of ghosts,black cats, monsters, aliens and evensome of the cast members of Sponge-Bob SquarePants.

All these spooky creations were madeby Contee herself, with a little help fromgranddaughters SpongeBob and

friends were their ideas. And all thesecreations are green.

No, not the color. Some are orange.

Some are white. SpongeBob, of course,is yellow. But all were made from re-cycled materials: cardboard boxes, milk

jugs, jars and paper mache.Contee wasnt necessarily trying to

use green materials. She just used whatwas available so she could save money.She borrowed boxes from neighbors.

Zach Long/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Jeanette Contee has made several Halloween decorations out of greenmaterials, including this cat based off a soda bottle.


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10 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

She used old containers. She made herown paste out of flour and water.

Anything they had, I used, she said.The result is a whimsical take on the

typical Halloween decorations lining thegarden beside the front porch of Con-tees Central Lubbock home.

Contee has always done art projectswith her seven granddaughters, whorange in age from 8 to 1. But this is thefirst time shes done a project on thisscale. She hopes to make a cardboard

train for the yard to celebrate theChristmas season.

She said the total project took about

15 days. A single sculpture of a blackcat, for example, took one day, she said.

And when it came to inspiration, shedidnt need to look any further than hergranddaughters. Each one had a dif-ferent opinion, she said.

My granddaughters love it, Conteesaid. And thats what I love.

Zach Long/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Jeanette Contee has made several Halloween decorations out of greenmaterials such as boxes and soda bottles.

Anything they had, I used

JEANETTE CONTEE,on decorating for Halloween


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The Commercial Appeal Su n d ay , October 31, 2010 | GOING GREEN 11

Bats: Halloween

icon beneficial

for insect controlBy Matt Hickman

Mother Nature Network

Q: Last week, I was visiting the homeof a new friend that I met in Bikramyoga class. We were out on her back

porch having tea when I noticed a polewith a peculiar-looking birdhousemounted on top. I asked her about itand she explained it wasnt a birdhousebut a bat house. Not wanting to seem

unworldly to my new friend, I chokedback a gasp, shook my head in agree-

ment and proclaimed, Oh, of course!The truth is, I have no idea why shed

want to attract bats to her backyard.

Care to school me in backyard bat board-ing so that if she ever brings up the topic Ican at least seem somewhat non-horri-fied? Should I be investing in a bat house?

Rest assured, your non-knowledge ofbat houses and chiroptophobic reactionisnt unusual. Im all for bats since theyare extremely beneficial, gentle and mis-understood animals ... as long as they staya good distance away from me. Seriously,the things give me the heebie-jeebies.

Chances are your Bikram buddy isfostering bats as a means of naturalinsect control. A single little brown bat,which is probably the species thats tak-en up residence in your friends back-yard, can eat up to 1,000 of the realblood-suckers, mosquitoes (they also

dine on gnats, moths, beetles andwasps), in an hour. Not too shabby?

Its a much better not to mention,cheaper alternative to toxic sprays,energy-sucking zappers and other envi-ronmentally unfriendly pest-control

methods as long as you dont mind thefact that youve got a few bats loose in thebackyard. Plus, fruit-eating bats are ex-cellent pollinators and are crucial in help-ing ravaged rainforests sprout back to lifevia seed dispersion. A world without batswould be a rather difficult one: Agricul-ture would suffer, rainforests would failto regrow and mosquitoes would rule.

Setting up a bat house isnt as easy as

plopping a funky designer birdhousedown in your backyard. Theres a sci-ence to it that involves specific locations,heights, temperatures, etc. I recommendchecking out the New Hampshire Fishand Game Departments Homeownersand Bats page or Bat Conservation In-t e r n at i o n a l s extensive bat house instal-lation section for advice. If youre DIY-oriented you can build your own bathouse; otherwise, the Backyard Bird Co.and the Bird Shed offer a decent se-lection of BCI-approved bat houses. If itmakes you feel more at ease, invest in aBelfry Bat Detector so youll know whenbats are in the house, so to speak.

Submit a question to Mother Nature atmnn .com/askmothernature?destination .


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12 GOING GREEN | Sun d ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

BySuzanneThompson/ Special to Going Green

TUCKED AWAY like a priceless

pearl inside its shell, Windermere

Farms, the only certified organic farm

within at least 100 miles of Memphis,

is hidden in the Raleigh area near

Lake Windermere.

Just up an asphalt drive between

3040 and 3060 Woodhills Drive lies a

small valley where organic fruits and

vegetables are cultivated on five of

the 17 acres of land owned by Freida

and Ken Lansing.

HIDDEN

GEMCertified organic farmtucked away in ourown backyard

Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal

Windemere Farms is the only certified organic farm in the Memphis city limits.Owners Ken and Freida Lansing inspect Shiitake mushrooms growing on the logs.


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The land, originally a 65-acre tract,has been in Ken Lansings family sincethe 1940s.

Since the early years of their marriagethe Lansings have usually had some typeof garden, and have eaten natural foods.

Lansing, dressed in a button-downOxford shirt and khakis, looks more likea professional than a farmer. Perhapst h at s because he worked as a publicaccountant for years, and later became aCertified Public Accountant.

I decided if I was going to be in thisbusiness I might as well get certified,he said.

He adopted the same philosophy with

farming, and in 2007, the Lansingsdecided they wanted to take theirlifelong commitment to healthy eating toanother level, and have their farmcertified as organic.

People who are non-organic have noidea what it means, said Freida Lansing.

Organic certification began 20 yearsago, with the passage of the Organic FoodProduction Act of 1990, which requiredthe USDA to develop national standardsfor the organic production of food.

The Agricultural Marketing Service, adivision of the USDA, operates theNational Organic Program (NOP),which issues and revokes certifications.

The NOP accredits state agencies,private businesses and organizations tocertify farms and food producers.

Farmers who sell less than $5,000 inproducts per year may sell productsusing the organic name withoutcertification, but must still be truthfulabout that in labeling and marketing.

Farmers with larger operations whoclaim to be certified as organic withoutcertification are subject to fines of$10,000 or more.

Windermere Farms & Apiaries

Address: 3060 Woodhills Dr.Memphis 38128

Phone: 3 86 -2035

On l i n e : w i n fa r m s .co m

Ken Lansing looks over a honeycombfrom their honey barn. Honey andhoneycomb are available throughoutthe summer.

Freida Lansing said theres a

misconception that organicproducts should be less costly

because farmers dont have to

purchase chemicals, but

maintaining the soil and crops

is much more labor intensive.


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14 GOING GREEN | S und ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal files

Ken Lansing sets up his table for Farmers' Market at the Garden at MemphisBotanic Garden with some of his fresh picked organic strawberries.

Organic certification is a painstakingprocess requiring farmers to produce vastamounts of paperwork describing indetail soil conditions, the products usedfor fertilization and pest control, and theway the food is processed before it is sold.

For instance, the Lansings cannot usea pea shelling machine that has beenused by someone who raises non-organic

peas, even though the peas pass throughthe machine in a matter of seconds.T h at s how exact you have to be,

said Freida Lansing.The NOP website, a m s .u s d a . gov /n o p ,

provides information on accreditation,certification, compliance andenforcement, and lists operations withrevoked certification as well as those

whose certifications have been reinstated.The NOP organic certification also

includes standards for water, and eventhe proper use of manure.

Manure must be turned in the soil for90 days before harvest of a fruit orvegetable that does not touch theground, like corn.

The time frame for fruits and

vegetables grown on the soil, such asstrawberries, is even longer, 120 days.The Lansings are preparing to plant

8,000 strawberry plants, which wont beharvested until spring, so theres ampletime to enrich the soil with manure.Even though the rules are strict, they allhave a purpose.

The soil bacteria has to have time to


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eat up things in manure that may beharmful to human beings, Ke nLansing said.

He purchases manure becausecomposting it himself would simply betoo time consuming. Manure

composting piles, he said, pointing toone about the height of an upendedking-size mattress and the same width,must be turned three times within 15days. It must also be kept at a constanttemperature of between 130 and 160degrees to be in compliance with rulesfor organic certification.

To avoid using city water, Lansingdug a pond that is filtered through a

sand filter, like those used forswimming pools, on one of the hillssurrounding the farmed area.

This is done to keep algae fromclogging the drip lines delivering thewater. The pond captures rainwater,creating a natural source for irrigation.

The most green thing we do iscapture our water, Lansing said.

Freida Lansing said theres amisconception that organic productsshould be less costly because farmersdont have to purchase chemicals, butmaintaining the soil and crops ismuch more labor intensive.

Organic costs more because everyweed is pulled by hand, she said,because the use of pesticides is sostrictly limited. Some pesticides may

be used, but only those from naturalproducts, like soybeans, and have notbeen processed using chemicals.

Organic farmers also cannot usegenetically engineered seeds, many ofwhich contain a built-in pesticide, soif an insect bites the plant grownfrom it once or twice, the bug dies.

My strawberries are certified

Shoppers Guide to Pesticides

The lists below, taken from fo o d n ew s .o r g ,show fruits and vegetables with thehighest and lowest amount of chemicals.The Dirty Dozen contain the highestamounts of pesticides and should be

bought as organic products; the Clean 15contain the lowest amount of pesticides.

THE DIRTY DOZEN

Pea c h es

A p p l es

Bell peppers

Ce le r y

N e c t a r i nes

S t r aw b e r r i esC h e r r i es

Kal e

Le t t u ce

Grapes (imported)

Carrots

Pea r s

THE CLEAN 15

Oni on s

Av o ca d o s

Sweet corn

P in eappl es

M a n go es

As p ara g us

Sweet peas

Kiwi

C a b ba ges

Eg g p l a n t

Pa p ay a s

Wa t e r m e l o n

B r o ccol i

To m a t o es

Sweet potatoes


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16 GOING GREEN | Su n day , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

organic plants; I didnt just go down tothe co-op and buy seeds, he said.

In order to be certified organic, thesoil at the farm must be free ofchemicals for a minimum of three years.

Lansing said an inspector visits the

farm from time to time to inspect theoperation of his farm.They come out and check everything

we use. They look at labels, equipment,he said.

Organic farmers must notify thecertifying agency if they begin using adifferent product.

In 2010, for the first time, theLansings started a Community

Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.The Windermere Farm CSA requires

the members, the number of which islimited, to pay $200 or $300 before theplanting season begins, which goes intoan account for each member.

The fruits and vegetables are notprepackaged, so members may chosewhat they would like to have when theyare at the farmers market. A sumequaling the value of the items they haveselected is deducted from theiraccounts, less the 10 percent discountgiven to members only.

T h e re s no carryover for unusedmoney in the accounts at the end of theharvest season, so the Lansings sendnewsletters, and encourage members notto wait until the end of the season and

try to use up a big balance.Another new program the organicfarm has started is Farmer for a Day,which gives urbanites the opportunity tocome out and get their hands dirtyplanting, weeding and doing other thingsthe Lansings deal with on a daily basis.

Farmer for a Day requires acommitment of a four-hour stint.

The Lansings also offer tours of thefarm for a fee. They also allow people tocome to the farm to pick certain crops,such as strawberries and purple hullpeas.

In the fall, the Lansings offer somevegetables, like beans, okra, chard andkale, but the biggest seller isbittersweet, which bears stems coveredwith colorful berries about the size of anEnglish pea.

Bittersweet is used for decoration andif cared for properly, can last from two tofour years, Freida Lansing said.

At farmers markets, bunches ofbittersweet sell for $15 to $25,depending on size.

The couple has never regretted thedecision to go organic, despite therigorous work it requires.

Devout Christians, the Lansingsbelieve organic farming is the way thecreator meant for things to grow.

Its part of Gods design to get themaximum nutrition out of what youeat , Ken Lansing said.

Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal

In 2007, Ken and Freida Lansingdecided to take their love of healthyfood to the next level and take on therigorous process of having their farm

certified as organic.


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CLEANING GREEN can seem reallycomplicated and expensive, but its not.Going green, when done correctly,should simplify our lives and reduce ourex p e n d i t u re s .

And going greenc o r re c t l y can seem likea laundry list of specificbehaviors, but its not.Going green is a value,not a list. Each person

may have a differentexpression of that value.Its similar to valuing

e d u c at i o n . Thoughparents want to makesure their children areeducated, they go about

expressing that value differently. Somechoose public school, some chooseprivate school, some choose home

school or private tutors the choicesare as nuanced as the families choosingthem. Same for going green.

So in light of that flexibility, let me tellyou five ways to go green in your housec l e a n i n g.

1. Daily swipe and wipe. You canalmost eliminate your need for high-powered bathroom cleaners with a dailyswipe. When youre getting ready in themorning, swish the toilet with the brush.While youre in the shower, wipe downthe stall; while youre brushing yourteeth, wipe out the sink. After dinner,wipe the counters and table, and scoot adamp towel around the kitchen floor. Ifthis becomes a daily habit, spraycleaning will become a ceremonial

experience and not a necessity. Mosthigh-powered cleaners are for build-up.If it never builds up, youll never passthe point where a shot of vinegar cant

freshen up the whole room.2. Keep harsh cleaners to a

minimum. If you cant maintain thedaily swipe and wipe, do your weeklycleaning with a spray bottle of halfvinegar and half water. Scour withbaking soda. Reserve that high-poweredstuff for rare occasions, like when thekids have drawn on the counters withmarkers. It may cost a little more elbowgrease, but it will save you money andspare everyones lungs.

3. Go phosphate free. Making yourown detergents is fun and economical;however, if youre a forget the laundryin the washer overnight person like me,those preservatives in conventionallaundry products come in really handy. I

Five ways to green your clean

DEANNA

CASW E L L

Pra c t i ca l l yG reen

A daily wipe down of major surfaceseliminates buildup and the need forthose high-powered cleaners.


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18 GOING GREEN | S und ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

waste three times the water andhomemade detergent just trying toget rid of that musty smell on wet,neglected towels! But these days,plenty of detergents arephosphate-free. Their production

isnt as green as the make-your-own variety, but they are animprovement over conventionaldetergents and cleaners.

4. Paperless kitchen. R a gswork better, last longer, and donthave to be bought every week. Inmy home, one parent (me) ispaperless, while the other (hubby)isnt. When he cooks, he pulls out

the secret stash of paper towelsand at our dinner table hedistributes paper napkins. I dontnag him about it. Its his choice.But when its just me, theres nop a p e r.

5. Composting your paperproducts. If you choose to usepaper products in your kitchen,one way to go green is to compostthem when youre finished. Paperwith food grease on it isnonrecyclable, but its 100 percentcompostable. Theres no reason topack the landfill with trash thatcan reduce your fertilizer costs inthe spring.

Truly green living should besimple, economical and flexible.

Use rags, wipe down the kitchenand bathroom frequently, spraydiluted vinegar its all muchcheaper than high-poweredcleaners and an endless supply ofpaper towels, mop covers anddusters. But, most important, pickand choose what fits your familyand dont stress about the rest.

The world

in a mugBy Felicia Benamon

Special to Going Green

Have you had coffee from Burundi, Indiaor Yemen? How about Sumatra? McCarterCoffee Company in Millington will temptand lead you to the world of exotic coffees.

At 5995 U.S. 51 N. (near Fite Road),McCarter Coffee Company offers specialtycoffee blends from exotic lands.

We get most of our coffee beans fromAfrica then its the Middle East, theIndian Ocean region and finally, Central

America, said owner Jim McCarter.There are at least four countries from

which he buys organic coffee: Mexico,Nicaragua, Ethiopia and Sumatra.

No pesticides were used on the coffeebeans and there has to be a band of somany acres of organic land around thefarm of the beans to prevent runoff ofpesticides, said McCarter.

He mentioned that these farms tend tobe mom and pop owned and they pickthe beans by hand.

McCarter adds that for a foreign countryto be certified to produce organic coffee,they should be relatively stabilized andcertified organic by the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture.

McCarter Coffee Company has three

Coffee has its own languageat McCarter Coffee Co.


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The Commercial Appeal S u n day , October 31, 2010 | GOING GREEN 19

McCarter Coffee Co.

Where: 5995 U.S. 51 N. , Millington.On-premises McCarter Coffee storehours: Friday 2-6 p.m., Saturday 2-5p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.

Contact info: 6 2 6 - 4 924,mccartercoffeeco.com, e-mail:mccartercoffeeco @hotmail.com

Products also available: MemphisFarmers Market downtown(Saturday), Agricenter FarmersMarket (Saturday), Millington FarmersMarket (Saturday), Botanic GardenFarmers Market (Wednesday).

roasters at its location in Millingtonthat can produce 40 pounds of whole-bean coffee within an hour.

McCarter supplies more than a dozenrestaurants in the Memphis areaincluding Otherlands, Brother Juniper'sand Restaurant Iris.

McCarter said he does mostlywholesale, but he also sets up at avariety of farmers markets in the areaand sells from his store.

We will bring ground coffee to thefarmers markets because some peopledont want to do it themselves, he said.A couple of restaurants and cafes inMemphis serve McCarters Louisiana

Justin Shaw/The Commercial Appeal files

McCarter Coffee Company specializes in freshly roasted coffee beans. "All the

beans were roasted within the last week" says owner Debra McCarter.


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20 GOING GREEN | S u n day, October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

Style French Roast with Chicory blend.We sell about 20 different coffees from

20 different countries. The lightest roastwe sell is Mexican Chiapas from thatregion. The darkest roast we offer is from

the Republic of Congo, said McCarter.He continued to say that each bean isunusual in character, taste and flavor.

Coffee is one of the highest ratedcommodities in the world, McCarters aid.

Unique blends of coffee are truly aninternational language at McCartersCoffee Company.

Chris Desmond/The Commercial Appeal filesFresh from the roaster, beans empty into a tray where the beans cool and are slowlystirred. Jim McCarter operates a coffee micro-roasting business in Millington.

Justin Shaw/The Commercial Appeal files

McCarter Coffee Company specializesin freshly roasted coffee beans.


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Coffee-Rubbed Pork Chops with Pan Sauce

For the rub:

2 tbsp. medium-dark roastcoffee beans, finely ground

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. black pepper1 tbsp. dark brown sugar

tsp. smoked paprika*

tsp. onion powder

tsp. garlic powder

tsp. unsweetened cocoa

powder tsp. ground cumin

Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Chops:

4 thick-cut pork chops

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, combine therub ingredients, blending with a fork todistribute the spices evenly.

Smear each pork chop with the rub onall sides. Place the chops in a largecontainer, seal and refrigerate for 2 to 4hours.

Allow the pork chops to rest at roomtemperature for 30 minutes beforecon t in u i ng .

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproofskillet over medium-high heat. Add thepork chops to the skillet and cook for 2minutes on each side.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and

cook the pork chops for an additional 6to 10 minutes, depending on the

thickness of the pork chops. If you havea meat thermometer, the pork chopsshould cook to 155 degrees.

Transfer the pork chops to a coveredplate, and allow them to rest for 5minutes before serving. Return the skilletto the burner over medium-high heat.

To prepare the pan sauce, add 2 cupsof water to the skillet, stirring to releaseany stuck bits. Add 2 tablespoons ofdark brown sugar and stir to dissolve.Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.Taste for seasoning and sweetness.Drizzle over the pork chops beforeserving.

*Smoked paprika adds a great depth

of flavor to the rub, but regular paprika,preferably hot, will work as well.

Coffee sounds likea strangeingredient for adry rub, but itactually givesfoods a rich,

earthy flavor andit doesn't tasteanything likecoffee grounds.


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22 GOING GREEN | Su n day , October 31, 2010 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

Dream peddlerCitys new

bike gurupushes forrich

bicycle andpedestrian

culture

By Jonathan Devin / Special to Going Green

KYLE WAGENSCHUTZ found out long ago that

bicycling in Memphis is the road less traveled, but that

could be about to change.

Now, as the citys first bikeway/pedestrian

coordinator, he is charged with putting the training

wheels on Memphis cycling dreams.

Photos by Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Kyle Wagenschutz, Memphis first bikeway/pedestrian coordinator, leads a 40-mile bike ride earlier this month during the Bluff City Blues 100 race. Wagenschutzwas hired as part of Mayor A C Whartons emphasis on sustainable living.


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I think the dream is that when peoplethink about Memphis, they think,T h at s a great place to go on vacationbecause I can take my bicycle and ridewherever I want to, s aidWagenschutz, 27. We want Memphis to

be a premier Southern city that has areally rich bicycle and pedestrian cultureinside it.

T h at s a reflection of renewed andreinvigorated economic and social andcultural activities that are all going to beintertwined in the growing ofMemphis.

Mayor A C Wharton announced

Wa ge n s c h u t z s hiring in mid-September.The new position, which reports to thecity engineers office, is part of acampaign promise Wharton made tocreate bike lanes in Memphis during histenure and to emphasize sustainableliving in general.

In the few weeks since he was hired,Wagenschutz has been meeting withorganizations involved in projects

associated with anexplosion ofcycling interestgenerated by theopening of theShelby FarmsGre e n l i n e .

Groups like theGreater Memphis

Greenline andLivable Memphis,theyre all workingtogether on aconnection with the end of the ShelbyFarms Greenline, which ends at TillmanStreet, going down Broad Avenue andinto Overton Park, said Wagenschutz.

Hes also reviewing plans for the

redesign of Cooper Street in Midtown.One plan favored by businesses on the

street has bike lanes running alongsidetraffic, and another favored by areacyclists has lanes shielded from traffic byon-street parking spaces.

T h e re s a big movement toward morebicycle and pedestrian infrastructure inthe city, and in the last several yearst h e re s been an upswell in communitysupport from different groups with a realintensification of that support in the last12 to 15 months, he said.

Wa ge n s c h u t z s personal interest inbikes developed slowly over time.

He was born in Peoria, Ill., but hisfamily moved often because of hisf at h e r s career in the Navy. Theyeventually settled in Millington, whereWagenschutz went to high school.

Growing up on Navy bases, there areoften schools on the base, but no buses,so you had to ride a bike to school, s aidWa ge n s c h u t z .

As an undergrad at the University ofMemphis, he livedclose enough tocampus that hecould ride toclasses whileworking on hisb a c h el o r s ofbusinessadministration in

m a n a ge m e n ti n fo r m at i o ns ys t e m s .

When I reallygot into biking, though, I was lookingfor a new bicycle, and I went toRevo l u t i o n s , said Wagenschutz,referring to Revolutions CommunityBicycle Shop, a ministry of First

We want Memphis to be a

premier Southern city that has

a really rich bicycle and

pedestrian culture inside it.

KYLE WAGENSCHUTZ

Bikeway/pedestrian coordinator


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24 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay, October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

Wa g e n s c h u t zsays privatebu s i n es ses

need to dotheir part inpromotingcycling inMemphis,such as byprovidingshowers andlocker

rooms fore mp l o yeeswhocommute onb i c y c l e.

Congregational Church, whichteaches people to build theirown bicycles from recycled

parts.I worked through the

program there and really gotinvolved they asked me tostay and volunteer, and I did,said Wagenschutz. The lastyear and a half Ive beenrunning the place.

He plans to remain director

of Revolutions unless workconflicts develop.Fielding questions about

cycling issues led Wagenschutzback to the University ofMemphis to complete hismasters degree in city andregional planning.

People were often asking us

to help them with projects,said Wagenschutz. Theywanted to talk to a City

Council person or the cityengineers. Well, none of uswere experts on anything likethat. It dawned on me that Ineeded to get some additionale d u c at i o n .

He was asked to apply forthe city position when itopened earlier this year.

That sparked controversyimmediately, since Whartonhad just asked citydepartments to cut theirbudgets by 25 percent. But them ayo r s office insisted thatWa ge n s c h u t z s salary would bea combination of an unfilledc l e rk s salary and federal grant


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money from the Metropolitan PlanningO rga n i z at i o n .

Its a complete turnaround from theprevious administration, s aidWagenschutz. They were largely silenton (cycling) issues, which we took to

mean that they didnt have a position.Mayor Wharton has a campaign ofbuilding 500 miles of bicycle facilitiesduring his tenure.

Down the road, Wagenschutz hopes towork on larger projects like shower andlocker facilities for commuters. The lackof facilities is something he deals withevery day.

At City Hall, were fortunate: We

have a locker room and showers, s aidWagenschutz. When I worked for acommodities brokerage, there were nofacilities in White Station Tower.

These days, Wagenschutz arrives atmeetings 20 minutes early with a changeof clothes in hand.

A good point is that privatebusinesses need to get on board andprovide shower facilities and lockers fortheir employees before we can askpeople to make a commitment tocommuting on a bike.

Outside of his new job, Wagenschutzis married to his wife, Carrie, an ERnurse at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, and enjoys hiking, campingand playing bass guitar.

Just before taking office, he and

several friends cycled north to FortPillow for a weekend of about 210 milesof cycling.

The ride up was just beautiful, s aidWagenschutz. It was 85 degrees, andblue skies as far as the eye could see.Our transportation modes are allconnected to how we live and ourquality of life.

Film directorChris Paine:

The electric cargets its revengeBy Jim Motavalli


Filmmaker Chris Paine, whoseWho Killed the Electric Car? wa sa huge success in 2006 andarguably created a market fortheatrically released documentaries,will be back with Revenge of theElectric Car, which celebrates theelectric vehicles triumphant rise.Who would have thought that theindustry would soon arise from the

nadir that saw the last GeneralMotors EV1s ignominiouslycrushed?

Paine sat down with us for a fewquestions and answers about theoutlook for electric vehicles somuch brighter today than fouryears ago and Icelands role as avanguard country in the plug-in

revolution. As we spoke, Paine hadjust come from filming at theDetroit-Hamtramck plant inMichigan, where he watched someof the first Chevrolet Volts rolldown the assembly line.

Q: Are we on the verge of arevolution in transportation?

A: Yes, this is it for the


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26 GOING GREEN | S u n day, October 31, 2010 co mm erci a l a pp ea l.com

automobile. This is the culmination of alot of work; the torch is being passedback to the consumer. Finally, these carswill be available everywhere. Its too

bad theres a recession going on,because people dont have a lot ofmoney to buy a new car, but theycertainly will have the option thiscoming year. And not all of them will bevery expensive there will be somereally terrific cars anyone can afford.

Q: You were in Detroit filming at the

Detroit-Hamtramck Chevrolet Voltplant.

A: Yes, we saw some of the firstChevrolet Volts come down the

assembly line.Q: In a way, its like coming full

circle, because Who Killed theElectric Car? is about GM short-circuiting its last EV program.

A: Its really funny, but when wemade that film, we were locked out ofGM. We filmed outside the Hamtramck

Photo courtesy of Chris Paine

VOLT AGE: Chris Paine with GM's reborn EV hope, the Chevrolet Volt.

We filmed outside the Hamtramck plant, unable to even

get in and do an interview. And now here we are, six or

seven years later, inside the plant and on the line as

electric cars are being made. A lot has changed.


27/35


plant, unable to even get in and do aninterview. And now here we are, six orseven years later, inside the plant andon the line as electric cars are beingmade. A lot has changed.

Q: You have people in your first film

like Chelsea Sexton, who started outas a GM employee outraged at thecrushing of the EV1. And shes nowone of the key players in the unfoldingEV revolution, as a consultant to manyof the prominent companies. The autocompanies have embraced theenvironmental movement they werentpreviously willing to do.

A: And they all went bankrupt, or at

least the American companies did (withthe exception of Ford), and they beganto see when gas prices reached $4 agallon the public was going to demandsome options with gasoline. There wasa perfect storm with gas prices. Andthere was growing environmentalconsciousness, as well as technologicaladvances with batteries and other

components.Q: Do you have a sense of the sizeof the early adopter market? Somesay 200,000 early adopters and only40,000 to 50,000 cars available.

A: I think thats an excellent,reasonable estimate. Nissans CarlosGhosn, one of the characters werefollowing in the film, says publicly thatEVs could become 10 percent of the

auto market by 2020, and that theadoption rate could be very steep.

Q: Do you think that there could bea big market in converting cars toEVs, as companies like Amp ElectricVehicles (which converts theChevrolet Equinox, Pontiac Solsticeand Saturn Sky) are doing?

A: I do. Converting cars is terrificfrom an environmental perspectivebecause youre not creating a whole newcar every time.

Q: Do you concur that Iceland couldbe the first country to go electric? In

a lot of ways, its easier there thanalmost anywhere else because of verycheap zero-emission geothermal andhydroelectric electricity, plus a veryconcentrated population of just300,000. Im optimistic that, despiteits financial problems and delays ingetting cars delivered, Iceland can bein the vanguard. There is a

memorandum of understanding withMitsubishi to sell the electric i-MiEVcar in Iceland, but so far only a fewhave been delivered.

A: We really agree on that, Jim. Wewere actually going to open our entirefilm in Iceland. I was at the DrivingSustainability conference two years ago,and I stayed there an extra week andfilmed around Iceland. We talked to thepresident and the geothermal people,and as you say the main problem isgetting the cars. Its proving reallychallenging for them.

We shot a story about one of thedesigners of the i-MiEV, who was theson of the man who designed some ofthe motors for the big geothermalplants in Iceland. Geothermal is such an

environmental success story there.Iceland, of course, also had a very bigexperiment with fuel cells, of course,and theres still a Shell hydrogen stationt h e re .

Visit the Mother Nature Network at

mnn .com .


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28 GOING GREEN | S und ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

R EV I EW

Fiesta a fuel-efficient,

stellar subcompact

Air shutter helps morphChevrolet Cruze Ecointo 40-mpg leader

DETROIT Squeezing outevery last drop of fuel efficiency isone of the key tasks for Greg

Fadler, aerodynamics engineeringgroup manager at Chevrolet.

Fadler and his team worked onmaking the 2011 Chevrolet CruzeEco one of the most fuel-efficientsmall cars on the market,achieving up to an estimated 40miles per gallon on the highway hybrid-like efficiency without thehybrid cost.

Engineers used some of theproven approaches to making theCruze Eco a gas sipper, trimmingits overall weight and lowering theride height. But the realinnovation is behind the front grillwhere an automatic air shuttersystem allows the car to changeshape and cut through the airmore smoothly.

The air shutter system uses

sensors to detect wind andtemperature conditions. Thesensors are married to electricmotors that open and close theshutters automatically. With theshutters closed at high speeds,wind drag is reduced. At lowerspeeds, the shutters open tomaximize engine-cooling air flow.The air shutter systemcontributes nearly half a mile per

gallon in combined city andhighway driving.

The real fun of the job is whenwe discover something new orinnovative that allows us to dosomething better than we or ourcompetition has done before,Fadler said.

General Motors

By Mark Phelan

Detroit Free Press

DETROIT This has been a good year formythical creatures.

After years of unconfirmed sightings thatwere widely dismissed as fictitious, the

Department of Natural Resources just took aphoto of an honest-to-goodness cougarprowling northern Michigans woods.

If cougars walk among us, who knows whatelse is possible?

An American automaker might even build asubcompact car that looks great and whips thecompetitions fuel economy.

Check that last one off the list. With the2011 Fiesta subcompact sedan and hatchback,

Ford offers the most fuel-efficient andsophisticated subcompact car on the market.

Prices for the 2011 Fiesta start at $13,320for a base S sedan with a 120-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speedtransmission. The 1.6-liter engine is standardin all models. The best-equipped sedan, anSEL, starts at $16,320. The stylish andpractical Fiesta hatchback my favoriteFiesta by far stickers at $15,120 for an SEand $17,120 for an SES.

Swapping the manual transmission for avery good six-speed dual clutch adds $1,070 toany Fiesta model.

The Fiesta competes with subcompacts likethe Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Nissan Versaand Toyota Yaris.

The Fiestas base price is in the upper middle


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The Commercial Appeal S u n day , October 31, 2010 | GOING GREEN 29

of that group. When fully equipped, theFiesta comes in on the high end,although it offers features to justify that.

Foremost among those is its fueleconomy. A $695 SFE option packagethat includes the dual-clutch gearbox,

low rolling resistance tires and someaerodynamic tweaks gives the Fiesta astellar 29 mpg city/40 mpg highwayrating in EPA tests. Thats several milesper gallon better than the next best five-passenger subcompact.

Fiestas without the SFE option gotEPA ratings of 29 mpg city/38 mpghighway with the dual-clutch gearboxand 28/37 with the manual.

The Fiesta could use more interiorstorage cubbies for gear like iPods andphones, and weak low-rpm torque meansyou have to rev the engine freely for goodacceleration, but the cars looks, value andother features offset those weaknesses.

The Fiesta offers a roomyand appealing interior.Headroom is particularlyi m p re s s i ve .C a rgo

space is about average for the sedan andh at c h b a c k .

The interior offers a wide range offeatures, including turn-by-turndirections, a new feature Ford hasincorporated into the Sync voice

command system for phones and iPods.The Fiestas handling is very good.The steering is responsive and providesgood feedback. The brakes areconfident. The suspension mufflesbumps and keeps the Fiesta secure andstable in quick drives on twisting roads.

The engines lack of low-end torquemakes Fiestas with the dual-clutchtransmission more enjoyable to drive.

A dual-clutch transmission essentiallycombines the mechanical pieces of amanual with computer controls, so thedriver does not have to work a clutchpedal or shift gears. A good dual-clutchcombines the responsiveness andefficiency of a manual with the comfortof an automatic transmission.

The dual-clutch transmission is theway to go. It more than pays for

itself in fuel economy andp e r fo r m a n c e .


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30 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

A WHIFF

OF CHANGE

By Amelia Rayno

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Many locals view Minnesota as anexceptionally green community andwhy not? The recycling rate there con-sistently ranks among the nations topf i ve .

But Minnesota Green Corps a newstatewide program thats training afresh crop of environmentalists

wants to dissect a different statistic:why the rate has not improved in nearlya decade. To learn more about its res-

idents recycling habits, and work toreignite the green campaign, the corpslaunched a 12-month project aimed atproviding answers.

The work began in mid-October, withworkers sorting and analyzing trashfrom 100 houses in Minneapolis S e-ward neighborhood. Its a dirty job

Sifting through trash tostudy recycling efforts

David Joles/Star Tribune

Green Corps member Emily Bowers, left, braced herself for a new load ofgarbage to sort through as part of the Minneapolis Enhanced Recycling Project.


31/35


part of that days fun included maggotraces but its a project that Min-nesota Green Corps, a division ofAmeriCorps, believes will make a dif-f e re n c e .

How can you really tell people what

to do if you dont know whats int h e re ? said Pam McCurdy, a strategicmarketing specialist for the MinnesotaPollution Control Agency, which runsthe Green Corps program. You have toget in there, she said, looking over anassembly line of navy blue trash carts.

And get in there they did. Workingout of an unused Public Works Depart-ment garage, the four Green Corps

members and a few volunteers siftedthrough coffee grounds and crunched

TV dinner sleeves. They picked outsheets of newspaper and crumpled pa-per towels. They pulled away bananapeels and broccoli stems. Each smellyarticle was meticulously separated intoblue bins by cat-egory, and thenthe bins wereweighed andre c o rd e d .

The HennepinCounty recyclingproject is one of26 programs forthe fledgling Min-nesota GreenCorps, which sent

members to 25 lo-cal governments,nonprofit agenciesand educational institutions statewidethis year, its second year of operation.

The effort has four prongs: energyconservation and air quality, waste pre-vention and recycling, green infrastruc-ture and a living green o u t re a c h .

While working to help communities inneed, the program also places high pri-ority on training and educating itsmembers, many of whom are transi-tioning into new, environmentally ori-ented careers. They work for next to

nothing: $11,400 for 1,700 servicehours. But they are driven by the con-viction that their efforts will somedayrepresent meaningful change.

I like the idea that everyone reallycan do something, said Nancy Lo, afull-time Green Corps member who willbe seeing the project through from be-ginning to completion. Its easy to say,Gee, I throw away a lot of stuff, but

when you actually put numbers on it, itmakes you stand back and go, Wow.

With this project, the Green Corpswill be able to deduce which kinds ofmaterials are being consistently recy-cled. We ve hardly found any aluminumor glass (in the regular trash), s aid

Paul Kroenig, a su-pervising environ-mentalist for thecountys Depart-ment of Environ-mental Services.And theyll learnw h at s not makingit into the recyclingbin and base theirnew messaging ef-forts on those tar-

gets. For example,McCurdy said,about 12 percent of

generated trash is recyclable paper.You kind of have to make it easy for

people, said Green Corps member RoseBuss, who called the project both in-teresting and gross, noting that recy-cling is not always easy or convenient.

Its easy to say, Gee, I throwaway a lot of stuff, but when

you actually put numbers on

it, it makes you stand back

and go, Wo w .

NANCY LO,

Ffull-time Green Corps member


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32 GOING GREEN | Sun d ay , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

By Cain Burdeau

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS Greenpeace saidlast week it disagreed with official state-ments that most of the oil from the BPspill is gone from the Gulf of Mexicoand added that it has a laboratory testto confirm crude from the disaster sitson the sea floor.

We re still seeing a lot of oil out

t h e re , John Hocevar, a marine biologistwith Greenpeace, said during a newsconference on Oct. 25 to mark the endof a three-month expedition by theg ro u p s Arctic Sunrise vessel. Its onthe surface, its in the sediment, its inthe water column and its hundreds ofmiles away from the spill site.

Federal agencies have said that most

Greenpeace: Oil is still in the Gulf

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Sandra Brooke, director of coral conservation for the Marine ConservationBiology Institute, and Research Professor Steve Ross of the University of NorthCarolina-Wilmington, look over terrain maps of the sea floor of the Gulf ofMexico , on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise.


33/35


of the oil spilled into the gulf has evap-orated, dissipated, been dispersed orbeen burned and skimmed. As early asAug. 4, U.S. officials said only 52.7million gallons of oil were left in thegulf, about 31 percent of the 172 million

gallons that spewed into the water fromthe broken BP well. Government sci-entists also say they have not found anyvisible oil on the sea floor so far.

They have often made it appear thateverything is fine when it wasnt , Ho-cevar said.

He said the White House should havewaited before lifting the moratorium ondrilling in the gulf because t h e re s an

awful lot that we need to understand(about the spill) still.

NOAA remains concerned about theimpact of the Deepwater Horizon BP oilspill, said Debbie Payton, a NOAAoceanographer. Together with our aca-demic partners we are monitoring thefate of the oil, from the beaches to theopen ocean, from the surface to thesediments.

Hocevar said Greenpeace recently re-ceived test results from a single oiledsediment sample taken in late Septem-ber from 1 mile deep and about 41/2miles from the spill site. He said thetests confirmed that the oil in the sed-iment was from the BP spill.

Hocevar said Greenpeace wanted totake one sample and prove that the oil

was from the BP spill. University sci-entists have said they have found oil onthe sea floor, but it has taken far longerfor them to get results for their largebatches of samples, he said.

Samantha Joye, a marine scientistwith the University of Georgia, said bye-mail that she has been waiting for fiveweeks to get lab results f i n ge r p r i n t i n g

oil she found on the sea floor in earlySeptember. Only a few labs are able todo the detailed analysis to determine ifoil found in the gulf is the same oil thatcame out of BPs busted well.

NOAA said it had not visually iden-

tified any areas with vast quantities ofoil at depth. The agency said somesediment samples have revealed sheenconcentrations ... These findings are notsurprising, and are to be expected for arelease at this magnitude at 5,000 feet.

Over 850 days at sea, NOAA said ithad collected more than 30,000 samplesfrom nearly 100 sampling research mis-

sions. The agency said it was awaitingtest results to fingerprint the oil. In thegulf, there are many natural oil seeps, sofingerprinting is particularly important.

The Arctic Sunrise spent threemonths looking for oil and marine lifein trouble after it arrived in the gulffollowing the April 20 explosion of theDeepwater Horizon drilling rig. Overthat period, the Greenpeace vessel alsohelped about 20 scientists conduct avariety of oil spill research, Hocevars aid.

One of those scientists, Caz Taylor, apopulation biologist and blue crab re-searcher at Tulane University, said thatshe was concerned about blue crab pop-ulations. On journeys aboard the ArcticSunrise, she pulled in blue crab larvae

across the gulf from Galveston,Texas, to the Florida Panhandle andfound mysterious orange droplets onthem, she said at the news conference.

Extensive lab testing would help de-termine if the orange blobs on the lar-vae were caused by the oil spill, shes aid.


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34 GOING GREEN | Su n day , October 31, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

P.O. gets stamps ofapproval

Postage stamps from theU.S. Postal Service havepassed an eco-benchmark.

According to the service,

they are now certified asCradle to Cradle products.Ditto for stamped products.

To get the certification, theingredients had to be testedand shown as eitherbiodegradable or recyclableand their toxicity as 100 partsper million or less. The PostalService also had to show thatits operations were powered

by renewable energy andconsidered people ande cos y s te ms.

OK, so that last one is alittle vague, but you get thegist.

Our Cradle to Cradleproducts are designed to besafe and environmentallyres p o n si b l e, said SamPulcrano, vice president or

sustainability in a preparedstatement. In 2009, thePostal Service provided onebillion eco-friendly mailing andshipping supplies to ourcustomers. Now, 27 billionstamps and stamped productsjoin them.

The service lays claim tobeing the only mailing and

shipping company worldwideto provide packaging suppliesthat are certified as Cradle toCradle, a designation of theglobal marketing andcertification firm, MBDC, whichstands for McDonoughBraungart Design Chemistry.

Sandy Bauers, ThePhiladelphia Inquirer

Put your garden tobed for the winterBy Robin Shreeves


I spent some time recently pulling the tomatoplants that werent producing any more. Thereare still four plants giving it their all, so I leftthem in the ground and pruned them so that alltheir energy will go to the branches that are stillproducing. One of my Roma plants still haspotential. Its sad-looking, but its not giving up so neither will I.

Eventually, though, Ill have to put the entiregarden to bed for the winter.

There are lots of things you can do to put yourgarden to bed for the winter, and avid gardenerswill take lots of time and many steps to ac-complish that. However, if you have a smallkitchen garden and not a lot of time, you might

want an easier solution. Still, you dont want tojust leave everything dying in the garden allwinter long it will make next years gardeningthat much more difficult.

Here are five basic steps you can take to putyour vegetable garden to bed for the winter.

1. Clean out all the annuals. Any plant thatisnt going to come back next year needs to bepulled out by the roots and disposed of. Oncetheyve stopped producing altogether, get them

out of there.2. Cut back perennials. Many herbs (and

some vegetables) will come back year after year.Cut them to about 2 inches above soil level oncetheyve completely gone to seed and are nolonger producing usable leaves.

3. Compost all disease-free materials. Use allof the plant materials from this years garden to


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help nourish next years garden. Addraked leaves to the compost pile, too.

4. Turn your soil.Turning the soilwill help eliminate some pest problemsnext spring. Any grubs or eggs fromundesirable insects will be broken up,

brought to the surface and feed thebirds this fall.

5. Plant a cover crop. Oats and buck-wheat or winter rye get scattered overthe garden, covered with a light layer ofsoil and watered if needed. The covercrop will die during the first hard frost

from weeds until you turn it under inthe spring. Check out this video abouthow to plant a cover crop for morespecific information: m n n . c o m /fo o d /o r -ga n i c - f a r m i n g / b l o gs / p re p a r i n g - yo u r- ga r -d e n - b e d - fo r- w i n t e r.

Taking a few hours to do this now inthe fall will give you better soil nextspring and help keep undesirable bugsand weeds from popping up in nextye a r s garden.

Robin Shreeves blogs about finding eco-friendly food options at mnn .com/featured-

iStockphoto

If you take the time to do a few simple steps, you'll be on your way to a fertilegarden next spring.

Documents

Going Green Memphis 10-31-10