Compact fluorescent light bulbs:

I was dismayed to find out that Menard’s did not take these bulbs back for proper disposal.  To my knowledge, they may be the only hardware store in town that does not accept them.   This includes competition such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Nena True Value.   I used Lowe’s this time around.

Batteries

For the last several years, I have been dropping off my batteries at the Batteries Plus on Pioneer Parkway.  However, they are now charging $1.00 per pound of batteries.  In a hurry, I forked over the $3.00 for them to take my small collection.  The clerk behind the counter also announced that they are “safe” to be put in landfills now.  As if some development had been made to make batteries (or landfills) safer.    Sigh.

Energy Bar Wrappers

I have been collecting my energy bar and protein bar wrappers and sending them to Terracycle to be used in new products.  All I have to do is count them, place them in a UPS bag, print out a label from the Terracycle web site, and drop off the package at UPS.  In turn, Terracycle makes a small donation to the registered charity of my choice.

Eyeglasses

This isn’t a regular occurrence, but I had collected several pairs of eyeglasses at home.  On our last trip to the eye doctor at Illinois Eye Center, we were told they collect used eyeglasses and donate them to the local Lion’s Club.  Works for me.

Books

My children had received some duplicate copies of books as gifts.  We didn’t receive a gift receipt, so we were stuck.  So, we took them to the Peoria Public Library knowing that the popular Warrior’s series would be a useful addition to the library’s collection.

Medications

In Peoria, the only real way of disposing leftover prescription medications is to drop them off at secure containers at the local police station or courthouse.  So, we took a trip downtown and used the county courthouse as a dropoff location.

Miscellaneous Electronics

Best Buy’s recycling bins are very handy for disposing CD/DVD covers, cords, remote controls, and discs that are no longer needed.

Cell Phones

I thought Best Buy had a bin for recycling cell phones, but I didn’t see it in the entrance.  So, we dropped them off at ATR Recycling on North University that takes all kinds of electronics and computer items such as monitors, laptops, and computers.

Tuesday, September 20th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at ICC North in Peoria

If you are in the Peoria area next Tuesday, I am teaching a”Low Carbon Diet” class at ICC North from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.  I enjoy teaching the class because it presents a nice overview of what areas to consider to reduce your impact on the environment.  It includes topics such as recycling, water conservation, elecricity usage, carpooling, and air sealing.

Here is the official course description:

Learn practical, accessible and effective ways to save money, save energy and save the planet. The “Low Carbon Diet” is based on a book by David Gershon that focuses on what an individual, a homeowner, a family, a school, a community can do to be a part of the global warming solution. The “Low Carbon Diet” is an easy to use, how-to plan for making changes in your energy consumption habits.

Seats are still available!  Go to www.icc.edu/acp to register today!

The Green Festivals are hosted yearly in select cities around the country including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles.  They are sponsored by Global Exchange and Green America and promote the key themes of sustainable economy, ecological balance, and social justice.  The event is a celebration of sustainability efforts in the communities as well as an educational experience for all who attend.  There are national speakers, authors, workshops, vendors, and community groups representing the inspired passion each city has to offer.

On May 14th and 15th, Chicago hosted its 5th annual Green Festival at McCormick Place in the downtown area.  I had been trying for the previous 4 years to attend the Green Festival in Chicago but had been prevented from making the trip due to work and financial commitments.  I nearly missed the festival again this year as I had an important meeting on Saturday that I decided to skip.  So, with much anticipation, my wife and I left the kids with the babysitter and headed to Chi-town for a weekend of “green” fun.

As you might expect from a “green” festival, there would be certain amenities at this event that you wouldn’t see in a typical gathering of thousands of people.  Most notably, there were “Resource Recovery Stations” throughout that separated compostable and recyclable items from the landfill contributions.  Meat lovers would have been frustrated with the food selection as the majority of the choices available were vegetarian or vegan.  The production of meat products has far ranging ecological impacts on global warming emissions, soil fertility, and water pollution.

I had the opportunity to speak with one of the promoters from the Global Exchange, and I questioned the decision to pick McCormick Place as the location for the event.  I was told there aren’t many locations that can support such a large event in Chicago, that Navy Pier had become very expensive with very commercialized surroundings, and that McCormick had been making a lot of progress in their own green efforts.  I don’t know the details of McCormick’s steps, but locating the “hall” that housed the festival was a surreal experience.  The center is a cavernous wasteland of enormous hallways with open ceilings some 8 stories high, gigantic meeting rooms, and miles and miles of carpet.  If cathedrals in Rome were built with high ceilings to represent the power and glory of God in the presence of man, then what does the scale of McCormick represent to the events it hosts?  Is this Chicago?

I do know that Chicago has a lot of great sustainability efforts going such as signing the Cool Cities Agreement from the Sierra Club, an accelerated growth of green roofs across the city, and many LEED projects. The Museum of Science and Industry Chicago had a booth promoting the Smart Home exhibit that is a fully functioning, eco-friendly home on the grounds of the museum.  Despite the hundreds of vendors in attendance, they seemed to be missing representation from government and community organizations that brought green roofs, neighborhood recycling, and public transportation solutions to the city.  At central Illinois events, we see Peoria County Recycling and the Tri-County Regional Planning promoting their green efforts, but I didn’t see much of that at this event.

The best part of the event for me was getting to explore all of the community organizations and the creative projects they are working on to make a difference.  The most innovative and exciting solutions to environmental problems often are nurtured from groups like these.  For example, the Working Bikes Cooperative takes donations of discarded bicycles in the U.S. and sends them overseas to developing countries.  The New Life for Old Bags project turns plastic grocery bags into comfortable mats for the homeless.  The Food and Water Watch faces the daunting task of working to change the Farm Bill and farm subsidies.  Groups like these are energized by passionate people who volunteer their time to make positive change happen.

I have listed below many (but not all) of the organizations and vendors what we collected information from.  It will take me some time for me to explore the flyers, brochures, and web sites, so I am listing them with links and brief descriptions here for your perusal.  They are listed in no particular order and do not represent any specific endorsement by me.

Organizations, Nonprofits & Community Groups

• Citizens Utility Board – offering the CUB Energy Saver program to track your home electricity use, create a personalized energy-saving plan with recommended actions, and receive email messages that show actual savings.  www.cubenergysaver.com
• Environmental Law & Policy Center – “the Midwest’s leading public interest environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization.”  www.ELPC.org
• Midwest Renewable Energy Association  – “Promotes renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through education and demonstration.  They are hosting the Energy Fair in Custer Wisconsin June 17-19.  www.the-mrea.org
• Food & Water Watch – empowering people to take action to protect the food we eat and the water we drink.  www.foodandwaterwatch.org
• Green America  – co-sponsor of the Green Festivals whose mission is “to harness economic power for a just and sustainable society.”  www.greenamerica.org
• Climate Cycle – hosts an annual Ride to Recharge to raise money to fund solar panels and environmental project in Chicagoland schools.  www.climatecycle.org
• Ricky Recycle – An educational program to promote recycling to kids, adults, teachers, etc.  www.rickyrecycle.com
• New Life for Old Bags (NLOB) – “A project that provides meaninful and purposeful engagement and opportunities for collaboration while up-cycling plastic bags.  Search “New Life for Old Bags” on facebook.
• Sierra Club – Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.  http://illinois.sierraclub.org/
• Lights for Learning – “an education-based outreach and fundraising program to develop children’s awareness of energy efficiency.”  www.lights4learning.org
• Midwest High Speed Rail Association – “positioning the Illinois economy for the 21st Centurey and beyond with fast trains.”  www.midwesthsr.org
• Working Bikes Cooperative – giving an old bike a new home in developing countries.  www.workingbikes.org
• Chicago Fair Trade – “celebrating Chicago as a fair trade city.”  www.chicagofairtrade.org
• We Add Up – help stop climate change. www.weaddup.com
• Green Living Project – Capturing sustainabillity.  One project at a time.  www.greenlivingproject.com

Vendors: 

• Go Green Cemetary – addresses the lack of burial space with natural cemetary.  http://gogreencemetery.com/
• Consolidated Printing Company – “Consolidated Printing Company has fused exceptional print quality with an insatiable commitment to environmental sustainability.”  www.consolidatedprinting.net
• Ultimate Energy Solutions – Home energy audits.  www.ultimateenergysol.com
• Green Energy Barrier – reflective insulation.  www.yourenergybarrier.com
• Chicago Textile Recycling – fundraising through clothing drives – www.chicagotextilerecycling.com
• RecyleBoxBin – providing recycling sorting containers.  www.recycleboxbin.com
• Green Planet Water – providing bottled water with plastic made from vegetables.  www.greenplanetbottling.com
• TSDesigns – printing t-shirts for good.  http://tsdesigns.com/
• SunHarvest – renewable energy, solar products.  www.sunharvestsolutions.com
• CUTEK – green wood protecting products – Wood and Bamboo, Preservative, Sealant, and Wood Treatment.  www.cutek-us.com
• Paragon Mechanical – energy saving hot water systems.  pmcomfort.com
• Solar Service – renewable energy specialists.  www.solarserviceinc.com
• Earth Wind & Solar Energy – renewable energy products.  www.earthwindandsolarenergy.com
• Penofin Verde – a sustainable penetrating oil finish.  www.penofin.com

Local Food

• FamilyFarmed.org and the Local Beet www.thelocalbeet.com provided a Chicagoland CSA Guide directory
• Door to Door Organics – “The freshest organic fruits, vegetables and groceries delivered to your door.”  www.chicago.doortodoororganics.com
• Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks – local and organic produce, dairy, meats and more delivered to you all year around.  www.FreshPicks.com
• Dill Pickle Coop – grocery store owned, financed, and operated by members of the community.  www.dillpickle.coop
• Seed Savers Exchange – “non-profit, member supported organization of gardeners and plant collectors who save and share heirloom seeds of our garden heritage.”  www.seedsavers.org

Electricity Suppliers

• BlueStar Energy Solutions – purchase 100% renewable electricity supply.  www.bluestarenergy.com
• Viridian www.livinggreennow.biz

Transportation

• I-Go Car Sharing – hourly car sharing company.  www.igocars.org
• Zipcar – car sharing service.  www.zipcar.com

Media

• Mindful Metropolis Magazine -  connecting Chicago’s conscious community.  www.mindfulmetropolis.com

Driving to work this morning
under a black, star filled sky,
in the brisk pre-dawn hours
I saw the sliver of the moon
suspended just over the horizon

and a sunrise that just began to illuminate
an orange hue in the eastern skyline

I came upon a wind farm under construction.
As the majestic turbines stood silhouetted in the sky
standing still and motionless,
like actors on stage waiting for their cue,
their narrow, twisting, blades ready to wisp through the air

they herald the dawning
of a new day,
of a new year,
of a new direction for our energy evolution

Despite the immense struggle that lies before us…
… there remains…
hope.

A Wake-Up Story, by Healthy Child Healthy World

After watching the video, check out their web site as it has a quick tips page that covers a wide range of topics like air quality in the car and home, cleaning products, organic foods,water quality, pregnancy, shopping for toys, home maintenance, lawn care, and personal care.

http://healthychild.org

While we knew that we were shelling out a lot of money for diapers, we just accepted the expense as part of the package.  With a new addition to the family comes a new addition to the grocery budget.  Reusable diapers were never presented as an option, and I don’t believe we knew any parents who were using them.  Once I started on this Green Transformation journey, it wasn’t long before I would learned that studies have shown that parents spend $1000 a year on disposable diapers!  Imagine how many bills that can pay or how much farther your 401(k) would be if you simply divert that money into savings.  The study that rocks my newly formed perspective on life is that disposable diapers don’t even begin to decompose in a landfill for 75 years!  That means that your “child” will be well into retirement and receiving social security while the diapers they used in their youth are still intact!  Holy cow.  For me, that just isn’t a legitimate option.

As we were moving along in the pregnancy, we were fortunate enough to have been given our initial set of reusable diapers from a friend who recently had a baby.  We are saving money and reducing the baby’s ecological impact. They are quite easy to use.  There is an outer lining that serves as a sealant and attaches together with either velcro or snaps.  The second part is an interior cloth lining that serves to absorb all fluids and other materials.  All parents are familiar with the term “blowout.”  I don’t think it needs much explanation, but I must say I am impressed that even with the largest amounts of… mass… that we have only seen the slightest leakage past the disposables.  Nice.  Very nice.

In practical terms, little has change in the process of diaper changing.  There is still a danger of running out of them, but instead of heading to the store to buy more you simply head to the laundry room to wash another batch.  You still have a supply in a diaper bag when you leave the house and carry an internal bag to store soiled bags until your return home.  You still store soiled diapers in a pail near the changing station at home.  We had heard that the use of disposables also can reduce the outbreak of diaper rash.  So far, that has been the case with this baby.  She is almost 3 months old now, and we have needed to apply a natural cream only a handful of occasions.

In terms of ecological impact, the only detriment would be water usage.  We have quite a supply of diaper liners.  When it comes time for a change, we simply get one damp with warm water at the sink and use it as a baby wipe.  It is the time it takes for my sink to pour out warm water that concerns me.  I suppose we could capture the cold water into a container and use it for watering plants, but I’m afraid that we would be storing more water than we would ever need.  If only we had an on-demand water heater.  The nearly instant access to hot water would quickly remove my concerns in that regard.

All in all, it is a smart decision for any parent to use disposables whether you are motivated by saving money or saving the planet.

Todd

[UPDATE - October 17th, 2010] Now that the baby has grown out of the initial set of reusables, we have found the next set at Pinstripes and Polkadots located in Bloomington, IL.  They have a great selection and were extremely helpful in talking through our needs.  Recommended.  http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/

Naturally, by the time I got to the living room it was a false alarm.  My attempt to go back to sleep was futile as my mind began racing with all of the thoughts of things we still need to do in preparation.  As I lay in bed with anxiety in my gut, I had to be reminded what we were looking for in the frequency of contractions.  Six to seven minutes apart right now was quite normal but doesn’t necessarily mean we need to put the bags in the car.  At three to four minutes, it’s another story.  With our first 2 children, we missed out on the part where you keep track of the timing of the contractions and head to the hospital when they between 3 and 4 minutes apart.  In both previous cases, a doctor made the call during a routine pregnancy visit to send my wife to the hospital to have them break her water.  Our “routine” visit isn’t until tomorrow.  Will we even make it on schedule?  The thought has occurred to me that there are breathing tips for mothers, but what about dads?  Bill Cosby was right.  The Polaroid camera people should develop an “instant” pregnancy.

Now that the moment has passed my nervousness shifts from contractions to preparations.  We have a nice collection of reusable diapers, but we don’t have the car seat and stroller we will need in order to bring the baby home from the hospital.  With a green pregnancy, the question of the safety from toxins in the car seat materials has only now occurred to me.  I doubt I would find organic materials in my local community, so is there a way to pre-wash the car seat liner to minimize how much volatile organic compounds they offgas?

Thanks to gifts from friends, we not only have the reusable diapers but a bassinet and crib as well!  I like benefiting from “freecycling”;  it is good for the environment and my wallet.

My wife has confirmed that she would like to go through this birth with no epidural.  Not that I have any say in the matter, but that is my preference.  But, I’m not the one with a human being trying to bust out of my gut!  This has been an active child as the sudden wincing on my wife’s face caused me to retort, “Mira!  Be nice to Mom!”

I am being cajoled into getting dressed so we can go buy the car seat.  Stay tuned, and I will update you on the rest of the green decisions we have been trying to make.

GreenPans are a hit at my house

It is hard to fathom that the cookware you use to fry hamburger, scramble eggs, and simmer chili can be detrimental to your health.  When it comes to the kitchen, my health concerns normally involve nutrient content or potential allergens in the food.  Am I eating enough fruits and vegetables to prevent sickness?  Am I getting enough protein to sustain my energy throughout the day?  Unfortunately, health concerns don’t stop at the food you intake.  You also need to be consider whether or not your pans are unwittingly adding toxins to your food.

PFOA and PFOS

According to the EPA’s web site, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a synthetic chemical used in manufacturing and industrial processes that has shown up as impurities in consumer products such as non-stick coating of pans.  PFOA and PFOS (perfluroctyl sulfonates) have been useful in many products because of their properties such as fire resistance and repellancy of oil, grease, and water.  Studies that the EPA investigated have shown that PFOA and PFOS have been found in blood samples in a wide sample of the population, stays in the body for a long time, and causes developmental problems in lab animals.

Despite the need for further study on the health impacts of these chemicals, the EPA has worked with manufacturers of pans to phase out PFOA by 2015.  Companies like 3M and Dupont are already ahead of that schedule.

PTFE

It has also been found that pans with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) can emit toxins if heated to high enough temperatures.  It would be unusual for a pan to reach 260 degrees F during cooking, but if would emit fumes at that point and could cause flu-like symptoms like coughing, nausea, and even tightness of the chest.

How can I ensure my pans are safe?

More scientific evidence is needed before we know the true danger of these chemicals, but I am not the kind of person who believes “innocent until proven guilty” should apply to chemicals that can detrimentally impact human health especially when it is relatively easy to avoid the product altogether and especially when that human is me.  In my research, I have seen such recommendations as using cast-iron, ceramic-coated aluminum, or stainless steel pans.

A few months ago, I found a solution at my local Target store:  GreenPan pans.  I love my GreenPans and have developed quite an affection for them.  They are the pride of my kitchen and I challenge anyone to see what would happen if they use metal utensils on them!  Call it geek-pan-love.  My family has used them in all of our stovetop cooking and found that they cook thoroughly and in less time while cleaning up easily.  Check out the GreenPan web site for more information at www.green-pan.com.  You will learn about their environmental stewardship and the safe manufacturing of their products.  Pans are free of PFOA and PTFE.  Their nonstick coating is the first in the industry to be made from minerals instead of plastics.  They even reduce the need for raw materials by upcycling steel and aluminum from used materials to make the handles and cookware bodies.

The bottom line:  I love my GreenPans (touch them if you dare!)

Despite our efforts with the dehumidifier over the next several days, the carpet just would not dry.  I pulled part of it up and could see mold beginning to form, so we decided the take it all out.  It was only a corner of the basement measuring approximately 10′ by 12′ so it wasn’t going to be a huge loss.  Once the carpet was gone, I had staples and tack strips to pull out of the floor.  Some popped right out and others cracked the floor tiles sending dust into the air.  As I was nearing the end of the project, a friend called on the phone who proceeded to hear me complain about the experience.  She asked me a question that I had not considered.  How old was the house and were those vinyl asbestos floor tiles I just broke?

The tiles cracked as the carpet tack strips were pulled.

It turns out they were.  I took samples of the floor tiles to the local PDC lab to have them tested and the report came back positive for chrysotile asbestos.  Great.  Not only did I inhale the stuff, but I have a wife and children in the house who were now exposed.  Now, what was I going to do?

The immediate decision was to make the basement off limits to all but necessary traffic.  It wasn’t a critical area of the home, so it wasn’t hard to stay clear of it.  Our biggest losses were extra play area for the children and general storage space.

It would take nearly 2 years for us to decide how to best handle the situation.  I did a lot of research in trying to find the best solution that solved all of our concerns.  First and foremost was safety.  Whether we removed the tiles or had them covered up, it would have to be safe for our family and future generations that live in the house.  Secondly, we wanted to be sure we were making the smartest decision that wouldn’t create another environmental risk somewhere else through disposal of the material.  Thirdly, there was a budget to contend with.  Specifically, no budget.  I called everyone I could think of for advice including the Illinois EPA, the US EPA, and local flooring contractors.  The one piece of advice that I received from multiple sources is this:  if the tiles are intact and unbroken then the asbestos can’t get released and there is no health danger.  That described about 90% of my basement, but I had missing and cracked tiles for the other 10%.  We had an estimate from a local mitigation firm on removing the asbestos tiles completely which would have run us between $3000-$5000 to do it with the proper equipment and disposal.  Of course, then we would have to install a completely new floor.  Doing that would have led to a tearing out the base boards, removing the wall paneling, and repainting.  Financially speaking, a near total remodel of a basement was low on our wish list of renovations for our home.

In another area of the basement, many of the tiles were already loose or missing and would need some major patching work done.

I dragged my feet on this seemingly impossible situation for nearly 2 years until my hand was forced by my wife for 2 very good reasons.  We have a new baby coming in April and need more living space for our other children to give them some separation time the newborn.  Also, my sister-in-law and her 10-month old child were temporarily moving in with us.  Well, something needed to be done.  And quickly.

After yet another round of research in January, I finally came up with a solution that would solve all of our criteria at the same time with a very low cost involved.  I would use a sealant on the tiles to encapsulate and re-secure the asbestos.  For less than $200 in materials, I was able to re-claim the basement living space for our rapidly expanding household.  I would be able to ensure the safety of the indoor air quality, limit the exposure of VOCs to my pregnant wife, reduce the material I would have to take to the hazardous waste landfill, and not break the bank.

Thanks to the step-by-step instructions from a friend of mine who has flooring experience, I was able to handle the project without any assistance.  Adorned with my dust mask, safety goggles, and old clothes, here are the steps I took:

1. After clearing all items from the basement, I took up an titles or pieces that were broken or loose.
2. Using a wet rayon mop, I used Simple Green degreaser to get as much of the grime and dirt as I could and let the floor dry.
3. I mopped the floor again with clean water.
4. Using a portland cement-based patch and a trowel, I filled in any areas where tiles had been removed to seal the mastic and attempt to bring the level to the same height as the existing tiles.  It is this step where we had to compromise asthetics for usability.  I am not an expert at troweling and it clearly showed in the finished product.  Also, the patch and tiles were not going to match in color.  Hey, it’s a basement.
5. The critical step – apply the sealant.  This is the step that would encapsulate that asbestos in the tiles.  I used 2 coats of RedMax floor acrylic sealant that would release a very limited about of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air – a necessary concern because of my pregnant wife.
6. I don’t know if this step was even necessary, but I applied a coat of finish on top of the floor thinking it would add a bit more stability to my work.  I had forgotten floor finish leaves quite a stench, and I found myself opening up the windows of the house in the middle of winter to dilute the air.
7. At the time of this writing, I haven’t yet taken the floor tiles I pulled from the floor to the local hazardous waste landfill.  So, they are bagged up in my garage at the moment.

At the end of the day, I think we made the best decision for the situation.  I could find little evidence in my online research of anyone who had an experience quite like this one, so I felt that we had to make it up as we went with the best information available.  If nothing else, there will be a bit more sanity in a chaotic household now that the situation is resolved.

Building a compost bin out of an old fence

Just in time for my fall cleanup of raking and mowing, I put together a second compost bin.  I used wood from a fence I had removed from my mother’s house, so it wasn’t necessary to any new materials except for the screws that held it in place.  I cut the bottom of the fence down to a height of 3 and 1/2 feet so that I could still use existing top as a bit of decorative edging.  I cut the bin to a square about 3 and 1/2 feet on each side.

Clearing the area of rock and debris

It has been about 1 and 3/4 years since installing my first compost bin, and I have been struggling to get the ingredients right.  It was full enough that it never would have accomodated the volume of leaves and grass from my final yard cleanup of the year.   The tedious part of the process was clearing the area next to the shed as it had a rock pile 2 inches thick;  I simply measured out the area I would need and added the rock to the rest of the pile.