How are You Saving the World?

Recently, we made a global change at the Davis household and began composting.  We went online to a company called CleanAirGardening.com, which is owned by a friend. With his advice and his online tutorial, we selected a compost bin as well as a counter-top canister for all of our table scraps.

The boys are elated.  They cannot believe all the fun it is to take things from their plate that are on the approved list and place them into the silver canister.  The other day my five-year-old asked me to put the canister lower so that they could reach it without my help. My answer?  Not on your life! Supervision is definitely required with a 5 and 3 year old!
 
We have many rabbits (and possibly other varmints) in our area in Frisco, so we’re taking care that we don’t save the food scraps that would attract varmints to our bin. The bin we purchased does have rodent screens which are a big plus.
 
How are you saving the world?

Here in Frisco we have a great system through Community Waste Disposal with large blue recycling trash cans. When I first moved to Frisco, we had small, green buckets that were kept in the garage and then set out on trash day, but they’ve been replaced with these large blue recycling bins. They can take almost everything.  Anything they don’t take you save in your garage and take down to the City of Frisco on ‘Chunk Your Junk’ days. There is an approved list of items that they will accept; those things that are unacceptable can be taken to the dump.
 
We have been recycling so well that we asked for a second blue canister. I would encourage you to look at the top of your recycling container if you live here in Frisco.  Familiarize yourself with all the different items to make it easier on our life.  We are teaching the children in our house to put any items that are recyclable in a ‘recycling spot’ on the bar. They will then be put outside in the container. We keep a plastic bin in the garage for easy collection of recyclables so that we don’t always have to be walking outside to the larger container.

I hope you’re doing things in your world that are helping to reuse, recycle, I guess that’s like the song goes in the Curious George movie.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.  Thanks for reading.

Frisco Sunrise Rotary

We meet at the Randy’s Steakhouse at 7:30am each Tuesday morning and our speaker will be Rob Griffin.  He is a member of Whitetails Unlimited, an organization that promotes conservation of hunting habitats

Earth Day was GREAT! Did you get out and pick up?

Two of the clubs I am a member of adopt and clean streets here in the City of Frisco.  Frisco Cycling Club has John Hickman Parkway and Frisco Sunrise Rotary has Coit Road.  When Earth Day came around and both clubs were set to clean, some organization was needed.  So that the bike riders could make the 9am Richardson Bike Mart rides, we started that cleaning at 7:45am.  Then, to stay on target for the official Earth Day times, Rotary cleaned at 9:30am.  My boys came and joined me as we did both streets (Seth not in photo- on my back in backpack). We still made it to Luke’s 10am soccer game- just a hair late.  Here is my challenge to all of you in power- shut down the other events on this day!  This is a great opportunity of us to come together and change the way the City looks.  If all City and club-run sporting events were canceled or at least postponed to start later in the day, think of the overwhelming turnout of families we would have.  Make a difference next year! Plan your events around your City’s Earth Day!  And if your City does not do an Earth Day event, come to Frisco! As our Earth Day event is like none you have ever participated inand I always give credit back to Pippa Couvillion and her amazing group!

Clean It & Green It and Chunk Your Junk

April 25th.  Too much to list- read more here and come join in the fun!

Clean It & Green It and Chunk Your Junk

April 25th.  Too much to list- read more here and come join in the fun!

Chunk Your Junk

Chunk your junk on November 15 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. 6616 Walnut St.
Bring the following items for safe disposal:
*appliances
*carpet
*cell phones
*clothing
*computers/printers/fax machines
*electronics
*exercise equipment
*fencing
*furniture
*household chemicals (paint, pesticides, solvents and batteries)
*lawn brush/tree limbs

Chunk Your Junk

Chunk Your Junk

November 15 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. 6616 Walnut St.
Bring the following items for safe disposal:
*appliances (tagged Freon free)
*carpet
*cell phones
*clothing
*computers/printers/fax machines
*electronics
*exercise equipment
*fencing
*furniture
*household chemicals (paint, pesticides, solvents and batteries)
*lawn brush/tree limbs

Our Hoops Tournament Was Recycling Conscious

Trek Launches “Go By Bike Challenge”

Article found at- Bicycle Retailer

WATERLOO, WI, (BRAIN)-Trek Bicycle has launched the “Go By Bike Challenge,” a national pledge campaign sponsored by 1 World 2 Wheels-Trek’s cycling advocacy initiative-that challenges people to put down the car keys and instead go by bike.

“The momentum for going by bike is undeniable,” said Rebecca Anderson, director of advocacy of Trek. “Growing traffic congestion; skyrocketing gas prices; alarming obesity rates; concerns about global climate change as the result of greenhouse gas emissions; there is interest all over the country for transportation alternatives. The bicycle, as arguably the most efficient mode of transportation on the planet, represents a simple solution to some of the toughest problems; and tons of communities are recognizing this fact by taking steps to become bike-friendly. There has never been a better time to go by bike.”

From July 17 through August 31, 1world2wheels.org will accept “Go By Bike” mileage pledges online, displaying a homepage ticker that tracks total miles pledged, money saved, calories burned and pounds of carbon offset accumulated.

Visitors to trekbikes.com will also be presented with the “Go By Bike” ticker and invited to visit 1world2wheels to take the “Go By Bike Challenge.”

To promote the challenge nationally, Trek will take out two full-page print ads in USA Today, and Trek’s network of independent bicycle dealers will ask customers to make in-store pledges. Each day of the campaign, one lucky pledger will also be selected at random to receive a brand new Trek 7.2 FX fitness hybrid bike, valued at $519.99.

According to a National Personal Transportation Survey, nearly 40 percent of all trips taken by car are two miles or less. Whether it’s to work, to school, to the park, store, or gym, the “Go By Bike Challenge” asks individuals to think about all the short trips they take by car and instead pledge to go by bike.

Who Is The Greenest?

Last week I wrote about the Davis household installing some fluorescent light bulbs.  We are on a quest to lower our foot print so to speak.  Some great suggestions were sent to me that day but non better than those from Liz Marx.  Her and her husband are amazing- and since she writes much better than I do-

 

“Yay, fluorescent bulbs!  Just be sure to dispose of them properly – lamprecycle.org is a great resource for handling and disposal questions.
 
I’m getting greener too.  I bought a reel mower, and I love it!  In addition to being clean and quiet, it gives a great cut and starts lots of conversations.   We also just installed one of these thingies (dunno how much of an impact it will have yet), and we bought a kill-a-watt thingie so my husband can (and will) tell you exactly how much each piece of electrical equipment costs to run.  Are we fun or what???  So in addition to being greener, we’re doing our part to stimulate the economy.  “

 

Today’s Business section of the Dallas Morning News had an article about the disposal and clean up of fluorescent bulbs- they list IKEA as a great place to dispose of them.

 

I have a friend who owns a Clean site- even calls it CleanAirGardening.com  He wrote a great article a bit ago about his experience installing solar panels on a building in the hood, Dallas. 

 

Would love to hear your stories- how are you going Greener?