Green TV

I've been hoping for a TV channel that would air all sorts of programs about green living.

Well, I've found a great source of 'green' info on the Discovery Home Channel. They have several shows that give useful information about reducing waste, organic gardening and cooking with fresh fruits and veggies.

One show in particular, called "Wasted", deals with our wastefulness. The host visits a family and shows them what they are wasting (ie. food, energy) and gives them practical ways of reducing that waste. One family was heating their home with their oven. Another family was trying to keep their home warm by having fires in their fireplace. In these cases, the host showed the family an energy-efficient space heater and an energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly wood pellet stove, respectively. One mom was wrapping her children's sandwiches every day with plastic wrap. The host encouraged her to put the sandwiches in an airtight container (like Gladware or Tupperware) instead of wasting all of that plastic.

Another show that I like to watch is the "Manic Organic." As Spring gets closer, I will no doubt be watching this show every week. I'd love to have a little garden this year . . . maybe our blueberry bushes will have fruit.

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For Parents - Tax Info - Some Good News?

It's that task that we put off and put off. Taxes.

But there can be something you can look forward to - tax credits. That is, if you made energy improvements to your home before December 31, 2007, or if you purchased a hybrid vehicle.

Unfortunately, Congress has let most of the consumer tax credits expire (as of December 31st). Hopefully, they will reinstate them as incentives for us to improve the energy efficiency of our homes.

So far, Virginia doesn't have any state income tax credits (none that I've found). But we do have 4 days in October when we can buy Energy Star products and be exempt from the sales tax. It's just like the tax-free days we have for school supplies, but for Energy Star items.

This Monday, February 4th, the Virginia Clean Energy Future Act (SB446) http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/pages/page.cfm?page_id=243
will be voted on by the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee. This bill will mandate that our state get 20% of our energy from clean sources like wind and solar, and that we reduce our electricity usage by 10%. Check out the link above for the latest news on this bill.

If you'd like to find out more about federal or state incentives to become more energy efficient, check out these web sites:

www.dsireusa.org

www.SEEA.us

www.energytaxincentives.org

www.ase.org/taxcredits

www.deq.virginia.gov

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Our January Meeting

At our only meeting in January, we created a mural and hung it in the cafeteria. The students brought in small items to embellish their artwork.

They decided to divide the paper into two equal sections. In the left section, the plants and animals are very happy:


There is no air or water pollution. Not a single piece of litter can be found.

But in the other section of the paper, plants and animals are in peril.

Smoke spews from a factory.



Litter covers the ground. The pond is dried up and animals have died.



Everyone did such a great job! It's a powerful piece of artwork.

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Is Your Child Telling You Not To Buy That?

At our last meeting, Juli Faiola gave a very informative presentation about household chemicals. Thank you, Juli! There are lots of cleaning products that are on the grocery shelves right now that are not good for you or for the environment. Some have carcinogens and others have chemicals that harm our respiratory system.

Some facts:

1. Chlorine bleach is the #1 household chemical involved in poisonings.

2. Common cleaners emit fumes that can increase the risk of kids developing asthma (1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma - that's increased more than 160% from 1980 to 1994).

3. Average cleaners contain hazardous chemicals like kerosene, lye, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, petroleum distillates, formaldehyde, and ammonia.

Did you know that you can clean with vegetables? More and more, it's easier to find cleaning products that are made from natural surfactants (like from coconut, palm or vegetable oils). These are safe for septic systems, are biodegradable, are non-toxic, don't harm your skin . . . and even clean just as well as the name brand products.

Some of the students asked where their parents can find these safer products. Whole Foods has a good selection as does Trader Joe's. There's also an organic market in Alexandria called MOMS. Brands like: Sun & Earth (www.sunandearth.com), Seventh Generation (www.seventhgeneration.com), and Ecover (www.ecover.com) are easy to find. Another great place to check out is www.shaklee.com. They have a Get Clean kit which has environmentally-friendly cleaning products for all areas of your home. You can also contact Juli at pjfaiola@aol.com for more information.

The goal of this meeting was not to frighten our kids, but instead, to make them aware that just because a product is on the store shelves, doesn't necessarily mean that it's good for us. We need to look at the packaging labels and be informed so that we can make smart decisions for ourselves and our planet.

It's definitely a challenge to change our everyday habits. We have to think about our buying decisions, not just be on autopilot. But we can do it . . . for ourselves and for our children.

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Going Organic

A big 'Thank You' to Mrs. Friedman for talking to our club about organics and organic farming. We all enjoyed looking at her photos of animals and crops from her family's farm. All of us are more aware of the foods we buy and how they may have been grown or processed.

I've found that organic fresh vegetables last longer too. And they taste better. We're looking forward to the Spring when the farmer's markets start up again. Local food is fresher and it's a great thing to support smaller farms.

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