Daily Loaf

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

The Temple Terrace Preservation Society’s next meeting to feature local author Dr. John Henry Fleming and his book Fearsome Creatures of Florida – Dr. Fleming will do a reading and signing of his latest book that’s mystical, magical and funny, with an environmental theme about preserving what’s left of Florida.

Tampa Bay Area farmers’/green markets guide - Here’s your guide to finding the freshest, locally produced foods and goods (and an all-around good time) at weekly fresh markets in the Bay Area.

Sustainability and spirituality – Eric Stewart’s speech on sustainability for a local Unitarian Universalist church in Odessa.
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I recently presented a speech on sustainability for a local Unitarian Universalist church in Odessa. The scenery was amazing: it was right near some old horse farms, the wind was blowing and when everyone was silent it was eerily peaceful. I had fun, though feeling a bit unprepared; sometimes I get anxious but my passion keeps me going. Every speech I do I learn something new about myself and about how others feel about sustainability and our future.

Shortly after the speech, I sat and had coffee to speak more personally with some of the dozens of attendees. Many came up to give condolences about how they felt their generation was leaving a world far worst off than it was given to them. Others had anger in their hearts about how the present administration is acting.

Video after the break:

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A local activist has scheduled a discussion on recycling and sustainability at the Seminole Community Library on Monday, November 9, from 10 am to 12 pm.

Mary DeGeorge, coordinator of the discussion, moved from New York to Florida two years ago.  While in New York, she established a paper recycling program at the 1,200 student school in which she taught.

Mary is a member of the Pinellas County Utilities Technical Management Committee (recycling subcommittee) which meets at the Solid Waste Management Plant in St. Petersburg.
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The following is an essay on sustainable development by Anubha Momin, a Canadian student studying abroad in London who will be attending the Youth Encounter on Sustainability program in Braunwald, Switzerland. This two-week program “aims to sensitize participants to the complex issues of sustainable development in a global context, through course work, field trips, workshops, group work, discussions and practical learning experiences, combined with social and cultural activities”.

I’ve been integrating climate conscious actions into my days for as long as I can remember: trying to view documents on screen instead of printing and printing double-sided if required to print, regarding plastic water bottles with disdain, and using cloth grocery bags even before I was being charged for plastic ones.

However, when my good friend Martina informed me that she was planning to traverse the 9306 km that make up Canada by bicycle in an effort to raise awareness about climate change, I began to reconsider my limited knowledge about the environmental issues my reducing, reusing, and recycling were to target. To that end, I decided to apply to the Youth Encounter on Sustainability program, a course run by ETH Zurich, which is being held this year in the car-free mountain village of Braunwald, Switzerland. I am seeking just the type of immersive, didactic environment YES offers in order to heighten my awareness of sustainable development, beyond the surface attention provided in blog posts, news programs, and school.
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I intend to describe an emerging tribe that is being formed, not only in the Tampa Bay area, but across the state as well. But while doing, so I want to showcase my own observations of the mindset of a large section of the population that is emerging. I believe and have witnessed the cohesive power of this tribe en mass. This cohesiveness is being brought about with courage from an unknowable source. The people standing up for the changes within our culture are ones that have jumped into a new dark abyss. They go forward with lamps showing the way for others to follow.

Last weekend, I attended the 4th Annual Campus and Community Sustainability Conference and Expo at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus. One of the first seminars I went to was about a group of young architect students from the USF Center for Community Design and Research designing a sustainable community.  These young ladies entered a contest to design a sustainable city, their design being at the heart of  Tampa between Ybor and downtown Tampa. They readily valued community supported agriculture as a method of enabling people to consume food, not measured in miles, but in feet. Light rail mixed with walkable communities enabled the commuters to enjoy a short stroll to anything needed in daily living. Driving a bicycle was just about the only vehicle allowed within most of the area. There was a centralized farmers market where hundreds of stands could be set up, bringing in the local community garden’s food, as well as that from local farmers.
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A great opportunity crossed my path when Jamie Trahan from the USF Clean Energy Research Center called. As a local green builder, she thought I could help her search for homes to feature on the 14th annual ASES National Solar Tour being held across the country on October 3rd.

Sadly, I informed her although I researched installing solar on our super energy efficient homes, I couldn’t find a way to make it work. Our mission is to build sustainable and affordable. We went with a gas fired tankless hot water system. Yes, it is natural gas, not a renewable, but still better than a traditional water heater sapping electricity around the clock. I know everyone can relate to waiting for water to come from the tank to your shower and up to a comfortable temp, wasting gallons upon gallons of water in our already deprived region. Tankless saves money and almost more importantly, water. Would I have preferred solar? Damn straight I would, future homeowners of our Ec0-Craftsman would have benefited from a zero energy home, but solar is caught in a conundrum of sorts. There’s not the demand to spur mass production, which leads to lower costs while at the same time, there isn’t the mass production leading to lower cost which would spur demand.
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Do you want to know more about renewable energy and local sustainable products? Then the Going Green Tampa 2009 Expo will be right up your alley.

Held Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th at the USF Marshall Center, the Expo will feature a number of exhibits and workshops that will focus on sustainability and reasons why the Tampa Bay area would be a great place for a businesses who would be interested in green growth.

According to the Going Green Tampa Bay website, below is what is expected to be a part of the expo:
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Hillsborough County receives $7.6 million federal energy efficiency grant- The county plans to use these funds to undertake energy efficiency and conservation projects on its facilities and vehicles.

The pursuit of sustainable happiness- Sustainability in relation to happiness here is used to denote something that is generative, something that will complete us and not deplete our energy levels, something that would inspire us to be better.
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“There can be no real happiness until the soul finds its peace.” -Dadi Janki; Administrative Head, Brahma Kumaris

Everyone in the world I know is either in the pursuit of peace or happiness or both.  Welcome to my post, dear readers, which is going to be all about the pursuit of sustainable happiness. 

I would like to give a brief synopsis of why and how I’m using the word sustainable in this context.  Just like green-related sustainability, it means a lifestyle that attempts to reduce our dependency on the Earth’s natural resources. Sustainability in relation to happiness here is used to denote something that is generative, something that will complete us and not deplete our energy levels, something that would inspire us to be better and, hence, more whole. 
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What is Fair Trade?  With the recent celebration of Labor Day (which, by the way, was started in 1894 by President Grover Cleveland as a way to distract attention from May Day) – the real anniversary of radical labor activism – I want to talk more about labor: fair labor.

The fair trade movement sets out to empower producers at the local level by paying them fair wages for their labor, strengthening their local living conditions, and giving them a stronger voice in the market.

While free trade advocates push for international trade devoid of as much regulation as possible, fair trade advocates insist that free trade isn’t enough. They argue that without regulation, a global trade system with power centralized at the international level will always hurt local-level workers.
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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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Since 2006, one book has held a prominent position in my library, as well as my nightstand because of its eloquence and forthrightness. That book is E. O. Wilson’s The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth.  Environmental books have become as ubiquitous as Florida strip malls, so its position at the top of my all time greatest list (not included in this article) shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s a small book, which can be easily finished in a day, but it’s packed with such insight that its hard not to refer back to it. It has been my inspiration when I have strayed on past ventures in sustainability and good stewardship of the planet. In fact, many of my dinner guests have been subjected to readings from its pages.  So, I begin my article/commentary/blog in the same vain with an excerpt from the book.

According to archeological evidence, we strayed from Nature with the beginning of civilization roughly ten thousand years ago.  That quantum leap beguiled us with an illusion of freedom from the world that had given us birth.  It nourished the belief that the human spirit can be molded into something new to fit changes in the environment and culture, and as a result the timetables of history desynchronized.  A wiser intelligence might now truthfully say of us at this point:  here is a chimera, a new and very odd species come shambling into our universe, a mix of Stone Age emotion, medieval self-image, and godlike technology.  The combination makes the species unresponsive to the forces that count most for its own long-term survival.  (Wilson, 2006)

That part about the Stone Age emotion, medieval self-image, and godlike technology can fuel a discussion for hours. Welcome to the age of Homo sapiens, especially our last hundred years.
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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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If you have not heard of the Gulfport Goes Green Festival, you will likely soon enough. This monthly street festival has truly gained momentum with their green efforts towards this small Pinellas community. Not only do they have local artist displays and great food, they have also gone a step further and introduced other green services such as computer recycling, dead/dying battery recycling, clothing and book swaps. It has even been noted that the Florida Blood Services has been there on more than one occassion.

This monthly festival, which occurs on the fourth Saturday of each month from 10am-5pm, focuses on green and healthy living, as well as eco-consciousness and sustainability. The best thing is, it is free to the public and all ages are encouraged to attend.
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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.

The Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building on the Clearwater campus received the certification. The other LEED Gold building is the Student Services building on the St Petersburg/Gibbs campus.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a nationally accepted certifier of high performance and environmentally sensitive buildings. Gold is its second highest designation. 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:

The Earth Charter: How ethics can change the world (video) – The Earth charter was created by thousands of people representing hundreds of countries aiming at a universal ethical code of conduct for human beings. How do we treat each other? How do we treat the world? These questions were raised and answered.

City of Tampa Green Business Designation Program- As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program.  Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.

Why buying recycled, repurposed products is so important- Preserving the Earth’s natural resources is vital to the future of the planet and all of its inhabitants. Buying recycled and repurposed products is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment by cutting back on waste and the resources needed to make new items.
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As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program.  Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.

What seems to be unique about the City of Tampa program, compared to other municipalities’ programs, is that the city will not be the adminstrator of the program.  Because of the expense related to hiring someone to administer the program, the City of Tampa decided to partner with a non-profit local sustainability group, The Sustany Foundation.
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Sustainability is the ability to meet present day needs without jeopardizing the future’s ability to provide for their needs as well. In order to have a sustainable system such as this it must be created equally in a democratic way. If sustainability is built only for the extremely rich the poor and middle class will be left out with ever rising costs of living. A green revolution is needed most from the bottom up, not the top down.

Social justice and peace are necessities for a sustainable society. The resources and manpower devoted to war are all we would need to combat global climate change and transition our economy from a fossil fuel dependent one to a cleaner/renewable energy/decentralized system. What would this story look like?

In 1992 a little girl named Severn Suzuki spoke at the Rio Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero:
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

TRA’shion Fashion and Art Show 2009 (photos) – The fabulous trashionistas were out in force for ARTpool’s annual TRA’shion Show, and photographer Chip Weiner caught all the recycled green glamour.

Letting go of addictions: Using alternative methods to release addictions of any type- Kelly Rothwell gives us alternative methods such as energetic healing, visualizations and affirmations, that can be used to not only cope with such addictions but to understand the reason behind the addiction and let it go for good.

Living sustainably in Tampa Bay: Dave Starman’s biodiesel fueled car and green lifestyle – The first in a series of profiles, by Jack B., of individuals who are living sustainably in Tampa Bay. This profiles Tampa Bay resident Dave Starman.
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This column is the first in a series of profiles of people who do their part to live more sustainably in Tampa Bay.

Dave Starman lives a simple life. He resides on a sailboat in the harbor off Davis Island. He is just finishing his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida, and drives to school everyday from South Tampa in his 1985 Mercedes Benz 300D diesel that he has converted to straight vegetable oil that he collects from restaurant waste fryers and filters.

The car is modified to heat the oil to a temperature which brings its viscocity similar to that of petroluem diesel fuel and the diesel engine just burns it.

On his sailboat, Dave limits his daily living power consumption to what can be collected from one 130 Watt solar panel.  He lives on a 12V DC system primarily with lights, stereo, water pump, and other marine navigational equipment.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Celebrating Independence Day or creating environmental disaster? – Kelly Rothwell looks at the littered aftermath of Fourth of July celebrations and wonder why, instead of giving back in celebration of their freedom, people decide to light off fireworks, leaving mass amounts of debris in the water and on the beach.

Local Food: Dinner in, and from, the garden at Gateway Organic Farm – Chef Gui Alinat gives information about Gateway Organic Farm’s next “Dinner in the Garden” event, an incredible local foods experience featuring nine Bay area chefs.

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Consider the thousands of events that take place in the Tampa Bay area, from the smallest to the largest, from the neighborhood Tupperware party to the Super Bowl. If there is a somewhat forgotten landscape for green, event management could be it.

Furthermore, the impact that could be gained locally would be enormous (of course depending upon how many people are engaged) and to take steps toward sustainable event management, whether it is your occupation or your hobby, is very easy if given the right direction.
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As was widely reported, my family and I lost our home to a fire last year. In an effort to turn a bad situation into something really positive, to be environmentally conscious and energy efficient, and to save money and lead by example, we built our new home to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Many friends, colleagues, and constituents have inquired about my family’s new home and the green features, and so my staff and I decided to grab the video camera and record a tour to share with those interested.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Steps to becoming greener: Reducing your waste, reusing and recycling: Joshua Poll gives some useful tips for ways to start reducing, reusing, and recycling things you thought you could just throw away.

Genetically engineering cows that will produce less methane, reducing greenhouse gases: Geneticists in Canada are trying to engineer a cow that produces less methane, resulting in less greenhouse gases, reports Brian Roberts.
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For the next century, my generation’s greatest challenge will be dealing with our energy sources. Energy is what drives everything in our society. The food we eat, the gas we put in our cars, as well as the electricity we use to turn on our lights - all originating from fossil fuels that were created from condensed sunlight millions of years ago. For millions of years, the Earth only had the available energy source of the sunlight to feed our societies’ advancement.

During the 18th century that situation changed when the Industrial Revolution began using coal to fire industry and machinery to do the work of thousands of men. Shortly after the Civil War in the 1860s, oil was first utilized in this new industrialized society. America became the current day Saudi Arabia of oil exports up until the 1970s. Unfortunately for us, becoming the biggest exporter also made us the biggest user of oil. We currently have 5% of the population of the planet but utilize 25% of all the oil that the world consumes – roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day (though less since the recession).
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The term “sprawl” was coined in 1956 and is defined as unplanned greenfield (undeveloped land) development on the periphery of urban areas that is generally single-use, single-story, low density, inexpensive to build, and requires little knowledge or expertise to create. Sprawl gobbles up our farmlands and woodlands while increasing dependency on fossil fuel, fosters obesity because you have to drive everywhere, diminishes the natural environment, decreases the feasibility of mass transit, all while failing to create a “sense of place” or build community.

There was once a time in America (before the second World War) when sprawl didn’t exist. The ascent of sprawl to the predominant development form in the United States is based on many criteria: Read the rest of this entry »

I just heard a talk by Joseph Malki at Tarpon Springs; lots of major players in that town attended and plans are afoot to do some good things with sustainability there. He’s putting on Green Cities in Orlando, May 20-21. It is “an innovative sustainability conference for business, government and community”. If you care about sustainability, this looks like a good thing to go to. I’ll be there. They’re offering free admission to government employees and officials. That’s a serious gesture toward achieving sustainability.

It takes a lot of coordination and cooperation to green a city, but more than anything perhaps, it takes conscious, intelligent design. That’s where permaculture comes in. Permaculture is the science of designing for sustainability. It follows principles of natural law and designs are based on how natural systems work. The result is abundance for everything in the system, with no waste. The cleverness and subtlety of some permaculture solutions must be seen to be appreciated. Though we may not achieve the full elegant and beautiful efficiency of nature with our design – the wings of a bee, the energy production of bamboo, the multiple-dynamic function of an old tree, we can get pretty darn close by working with nature instead of against her. Read the rest of this entry »

A year ago I was doing microfilm research on local history at the John German Library in Tampa. Anyone who’s done this research knows how tedious it is; there’s no index for microfilm so to find pertinent articles one must scan each newspaper page on each microfilm roll. While doing this I was flabbergasted to discover a Tampa Tribune article from November 25, 1924, that mentioned the work of the famous town planner John Nolen in connection with Tampa.

To my surprise, the City of Tampa commissioned Nolen to survey the city in 1924 in preparation for a master plan which he was to create for the city. I know a good deal about the planning and architectural history of the area but hadn’t heard that Nolen was working in our area. Tragically, Nolen created his survey but was never commissioned by the city to create his master plan for Tampa: 1924 was the height of delirium during the 1920s Florida real estate boom and the development industry of the time did not want to slow down the good times enough to allow the creation of a master plan and code to direct them. The great depression came early to Florida and by the end of 1926 the roaring 20s were over.

The discovery of John Nolen’s survey of Tampa is important as he’s arguably the finest town planner to have worked in Florida and is the namesake of the John Nolen Medal for Contributions to Urbanism in Florida, given by the progressive planning organization Congress for the New Urbanism, Florida Chapter. In Florida, Nolen was the genius behind the town plans of Venice, Sarasota, West Palm Beach, Clewiston, and Temple Terrace.

In 1924, the problems that Mr. Nolen identified in Tampa’s planning remain problems to this very day: Read the rest of this entry »

Nick Algee of 1Sky & CleanEnergy.org hit my inbox last night: Friday night May 15th is Pecha Kucha Night at the Roosevelt. WTF is that? I gotta say it is one of the more intriguing events to arrive amongst a tedious list of a gazillion emails I rather not read. Nick is a cool guy, with an important mission, so I read his emails first, and damn, I’m glad I did. This is tonight!

I also have to say Ken Cowart, Pecha Kucha organizer, is responsible for helping Tampa is move up on the way cool scale with this event, starting with the venue itself. The Roosevelt, owned by Joe Redner, is a 103 year old building in the throes of a massive green retrofit. A model of sustainability, it will serve as a showcase of 21st-century construction ideas. The Campus TV Project 3.0 at The Roosevelt is a place in which artists and other creative types can lease space and incubate new ideas.

So what is Pecha Kucha? Held in 195 cities around the world, I betcha I couldn’t find anyone except some architect geek types, sorry Adam, to tell me. Enter the Google Gods, a quick trip round the net to reveals that it was conceived by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. The first Pecha Kucha took place in Tokyo at Klein Dytham Architects offices at 8:20 p.m. on March 20, 2003, yes the time and date is very relevant, give me a minute, err 20 seconds to explain. Under the PKN rules, 20 presenters show 20 slides on a topic relative to urban design, with only 20 seconds to narrate each slide. As someone who has sat through many a dry, monotone speaker presenting such exciting topics as “Trends in Solid Waste” and “Measurement of Indoor Air Quality Toxins” , no joke it was at the same conference, not one of the middle aged men in the room was laughing. 20 slides in 20 seconds, is gift from heaven that lands Tampa on the map of a city on the upswing. Read the rest of this entry »

Chicago punk rockers Alkaline Trio (pictured, photo by Cindy Frey) came into their own right around the time that the emo-punk sound was overtaking the airwaves in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Alk3 (as called by their fans) have carved out quite the niche, with six studio albums (the latest 2008’s Agony and Irony) and much loving ink from publications like Rolling Stone and Spin. The band is supported by Saves the Day. 7 p.m., Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $21.

Stageworks presents a staged reading of Radio Ball, the most recent winner of the company’s coveted Longjohns Florida Playwright Award, an initiative that seeks out and recognizes emerging Florida playwrights. The story follows a college baseball pitcher on the edge of a professional breakthrough, a Japanese-American girl who pines to be a baseball sensation, and their unlikely adventures. 7 p.m., Shimberg Playhouse at TBPAC, Tampa, $5, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org. (Franki Weddington)

Environmental specialist Joseph Malki presents “Florida is Going Long for Green,” a discussion about Florida’s green achievements, and the global shift to sustainability in cities, businesses and more. 7 p.m., Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum Tarpon Springs, free.

“What has “Green” ever meant or been associated with for you?” Go ahead, try it. Don’t limit yourself to the media’s current interpretation. Put your green-tinted glasses on, go way back to your childhood and recall everything labeled green. I randomly went up to strangers and tried this question out as a non-threatening ice-breaker. It worked–sparking fun, interesting remembrances that gave us insights on each other’s life experiences.

Theses days anything that can support meaningful conversation, to find connection with another, is a great place to begin. No matter what our beliefs, we’re all roommates on Planet Earth. As we hurtle through space on this relatively small speck of mostly collaborating rocks, soil, water, air, and organisms–we might as well converse. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you green? Words can mean different things to different people. The word “green” seems to be based upon a genuine concern for health; your health, the health of those around you (both near and far) and the health of the planet. This simple concept is a great foundation for your own embellishments if you desire to be green. You might express that concern by recycling, or buying and consuming healthy food. Of course, merely focusing on health can be somewhat nebulous and open to a good deal of interpretation. If your taxes contribute to the deaths of innocent people half way around the world can you call yourself green? How much trash would you have to recycle to make up for the death of small child in Afghanistan? Maybe those questions aren’t in good taste. If you need a happy face on everything find another blogger.

From this architect’s point of view it seems more and more fashionable, marketable, and finally cost effective in terms of building life cycle to build green. I joined the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)a few years back and quit after I found out that they had recently approved some products made of plastic. Somehow that didn’t quite fit into my definition of green. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that we should be more concerned with our carbon footprint. Maybe my studies in homestead sustainability from 35 years ago got in the way. Maybe I was just wrong and uninformed. Anyway, my middle ground was joining the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC). It was more local; I like that about an organization in which I am a member. Read the rest of this entry »

The first time I visited Urban Oasis Hydroponic Farm was about a month ago, right at the tail end of a tiring and grueling semester at culinary school. The class load had been light, but the “real life” load hadn’t. The air was warm and already feeling like the first hints of summer. In Florida, it seems, we only have two seasons: summer or fall, maybe a week of winter occasionally. It was that unusual time of year when the nights are cold and the days are hot. Just a few more hours and it would be the weekend. My mind was thinking about other things, most certainly not a farm.

My classmates and I were going to the farm as part of a field trip for one of my culinary classes. The last one, technically. I am wrapping up my time at The Art Institute of Tampa and this was the final class in which I would be cooking in a lab setting. The instructor was Chef Paul Kennedy and the class was called “Art Culinare’,” which focused on the finer points of executing presentation and the study of great chefs. We also discussed the value of insisting on fresh, quality ingredients.  Each week, Chef Kennedy reminded us of these ideas as they were reflected in the theories of chefs such as Alice Waters, Charlie Trotter, and Thomas Keller, just to name a few. The theme was evident in each discussion, lecture, and suggestion the chef made to us. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, if you were asked which local governments were early proponents of all things green, you may think: Sarasota with its early adoption of green ordinances; St. Petersburg, Florida’s first certified Green City; or Tampa with its initiatives and recent Green City designation. Yes, all good choices, but I bet it would surprise you that Hillsborough County led the pack. With little fanfare, one of the county’s employees has been quietly implementing energy saving strategies. It all started way back in 2000 when the county made the bold move of hiring Energy Manager Randy Klindworth. Back then, all he set out to do was curb expenses. Nine years ago, who would have thought that carbon footprint, sustainability, green, or Energy Star would be part of the vernacular?

On April 29th, in conjunction with USGBC’s Gulf Coast Chapter, County Administrator Pat Bean and Commissioner Rose Ferlita will host a tour of the Mr. Klindworth’s crowning achievement- a district cooling plant that provides chilled water for air conditioning for five county buildings downtown. The plant contains a thermal energy storage system that makes ice at night when utility rates are lower and are more efficient to operate, greatly reducing the carbon footprint of the county’s operations. This plant also collects condensate water from all five county buildings it serves, saving over 3 Million gallons of water each year. As a result of this program, the county has received the Energy Star Award for 3 of their downtown buildings. Thanks to the implementation Mr. Klindworth’s progressive programs, county taxpayers have saved over $1.2 million a year.

Preceding the tour, an overview of the county’s sustainability program will be presented.

When: Wednesday, April 29th (click to register)
Registration: 5:00pm – 5:30pm 
Program: 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Where: Edgecomb Courthouse – 800 E. Twiggs Street
Cost: $10 for USGBC Gulf Coast Chapter members, $20 Non members

It’s that time of year again: Earth week. Here in Tampa we aren’t limiting ourselves to just one day of honoring Mother Earth. I guess as bandwagons go, this one is a good one to jump on. But come May, we’ll be experiencing one hell of a hangover after a weeks worth of Earth fests and expos.

For those of you who aren’t in touch with your sustainable side, here’s the short list:

Saturday, April 18- Sweetwater EarthFest: Building a Just & Sustainable Tampa Bay; Sweetwater Organic Farm, Tampa; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; free admission
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