Daily Loaf

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Fixing sprawl and redesigning suburbia- Grant Rimbey CNU explores a possible strategy towards improving existing sprawl. Fixing the sprawl that we have, along with sprawl demolition and recycling, are strategies that could be employed in the future as a new green industry.

Nation’s largest solar facility to be in DeSoto County by next year- Florida Power and Light is currently building the nation’s largest photovoltaic plant in DeSoto County, a $173.5 million, 25 megawatt solar generating facility.

Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating screening – What’s wrong with the mega-industrial food industry- Struggling small farms, problems with food safety rules and the mega-industrial food industry, and a film about all of the above.
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The Issue:

-During the school year, each student will create 240 pounds of waste.

-The average family with school age children will spend $594.24 on back-to-school purchases this year!

-During the school year, the average school throws away 38 tons of paper, the equivalent of 644 trees!

-Each year, six billion pens are thrown away in the U.S.!

-During the school year, each elementary school cafeteria creates 18,760 pounds of waste.

-Schools use more than $6 billion in energy every year and about $1.5 billion (or enough to hire about 30,000 new teachers) is wasted due to inefficiency! Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

St. Petersburg College’s new Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building is certified LEED® Gold- St. Petersburg College recently announced that for the second time in as many months, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded LEED Gold certification for one of its new campus buildings.

Best of the Bay of the Day: Best organic smoothie- Believe it or not, algae and bee pollen add up to a delicious drink called the Spirulina Power Buzz. Read this to find out where to get one.

Tips to improve gas mileage (and save some green)- Do you have a lead foot or drive an inefficient automobile?  Here are a few simple tips to improve gas mileage and save a bunch of green!

Living Sustainably in Tampa Bay: Darren Brinkley, owner of REAL Building- Brinkley is the owner of REAL Building and home that he built for his family in St. Petersburg is the first home in Florida to achieve the LEED for Homes Gold Rating.
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Do you have a lead foot or drive an inefficient automobile?  Here are a few simple tips to improve gas mileage and save a bunch of green!

The Issue: Poor gas mileage!

The Larger Issue:
-Oil is a non-renewable resource, and while there is debate as to how long it will last, we will eventually have to find new ways to fuel vehicles.

-Poor fuel economy increases our dependence on foreign oil.

-Burning gasoline and diesel contributes to air pollution and global warming.

-You will pay an extra $200 to $1500 each year by driving inefficient vehicles. This can cost many thousands of dollars over a vehicle’s lifetime.

-Oil spills from oil refining and oil transporting destroy ecosystems and pollute water.
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The greening of our community starts with you. Here is a brief outline of 12 things you can do immediately to live smarter:

1. Turn your food scraps and yard waste into compost to replenish your starving soil.

2. Start a worm bin, worms eat food waste (garbage) and turn it into nutrient rich, organic soil.

3. Collecting and use rainwater, graywater and air conditioning runoff to water your plants.  Also, conserve the water you use by being conscious when you have the water running. Read the rest of this entry »