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Articles About Keep Kingwood Green

Our Green Column

The Kingwood Observer features a monthly column written by our volunteers. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not reflect an official position of Keep Kingwood Green. If you would like to join the writing committee or just write an article for the newspaper, please contact us.

Susan PollardRecycling - Did you know...?
By Susan Pollard (August 2010)

Recycling impacts our daily lives and our future resources.  Despite the fact that Houston was ranked fairly low in recycling with a rate of recycling at about 5%, many are working to increase that rate. The more we make recycling available the more participation we will get.  We know there are many people in the Lake Houston area that are interested in recycling. What follows is information about recycling, why it is worth making the effort and how to go about recycling in your home more easily.
Did you know…. about landfills and recycling:

Did you know….about what we can recycle

Did you know….about green waste

Did you know….how to recycle in your area.

Did you know….what you can do.

Did you know… the average Texan generates 7.5 pounds of trash every day.
I live in one of the neighborhoods with Single Stream Recycling. In Riverchase and Greentree we had about 33 tons of recyclables picked up in our neighborhoods in one month!  That is a terrific start to what we can do with improved curbside recycling.  In my family of 5 we only fill 1 trash can per week and sometimes we don’t even fill the can to the top.  Recycling has reduced our trash that much. 
We can all do something to make a difference and cut down on the 7.5 pounds of trash we send to the landfill. 
If you would like to help increase and improve curbside recycling be sure to call your Community Association Board and let them know.   To find more information on recycling check the Keep Kingwood Green website at www.keepkingwoodgreen.org. If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at Susan@keepkingwoodgreen.org.


Hal OppermanMid-Year Report Card on Recycling in the Lake Houston Area.
By Hal Opperman (July 2010)

The headline above promises to tell you how we are doing in recycling.  Well, the short answer is “a bit better” but “still lots of room for improvement”.  In a national newspaper earlier this year Houston was ranked as the worst recycling city of the 20 largest cities in the nation.  That is pretty poor and frankly, outright embarrassing!  Estimates are that we recycle only about 5% of our trash stream.  The best city recycles about 75%.  I know that in Kingwood we do a lot better than 5% but in some areas around Lake Houston and Humble the percentage is probably even less than 5%.  Much of the difference is the availability of places to recycle.  You can be a “squeaky wheel” and tell your elected officials you want to be able to recycle.

Curbside:  Obviously there is no more convenient way to recycle than having your trash company pick up your recyclable items at the back door or on the street.  Several Community associations have recently opted for trash services with mandatory curbside recycling.  Good job, Greentree, Riverchase, and Eagle Springs. Others offer curbside as an added service at an added cost.  Some offer no recycling service at all.  Let your village directors know that you want recycling as a regular part of the trash service and when they renew a contract there are options that include recycling at little or no added cost to you.  (Lot’s of room for improvement)

At the City of Houston drop off bins, which operate each weekend from Friday noon until dusk on Sunday at the Kingwood Metro Park and Ride lot,  the May drop off total was a record amount.  In addition the City ran a four hour event in May where they picked up 16 tons of electronic waste and 12 tons of hazardous materials (paint, batteries, motor oil, and anti freeze).  And, the City now picks up “green waste” in the four villages where they provide trash service in the area.  Our only question is:  why not curbside in those villages for other recyclable materials since it is offered in other areas in the City of Houston?  (We are thankful for any City services we get, but still room for improvement)

Paper Retrievers:  The paper bins that you find in the parking lots of most churches and schools are a convenient way for residents to recycle their newspapers and magazines. Abitibi provides these bins for non profits and paid $3.8 million dollars to these organizations last year.  This is a great service by Abitibi and a real benefit to those non profits that share the donations.  Still, lots of paper goes into trash cans, wasting this valuable resource.  And, regrettably, some people are still placing trash or non-flattened cardboard boxes in the bins.   This contaminates the recycle materials or fills the bin with air instead of paper.  (Some room for improvement by users)  

Commercial Business Recycling: The large food stores in the area all have compactors in their back rooms to recycle cardboard.  Wal-Mart has taken a zero waste pledge and is well on its way to achieving that goal. Some other businesses do a good job of recycling, too.  Unfortunately many, since they are in leased space, have no good option other than to fill their dumpsters with everything; however, if there is a will there is a way.  Some businesses in the area have taken the green business pledge to be more environmentally friendly.  Please be sure to support them. If you own a business take the “challenge”.  http://www.keepkingwoodgreen.org    (We feel lots of area businesses could do better) 

Humble ISD Schools: Our schools do a great job overall in most areas but unfortunately practicing and encouraging recycling is not one of them.  All campuses have the paper retriever program, but on most campuses it is a fixture and not an actively promoted program.  The District tells us they have not been able to find a company to pick up and recycle drink bottles and cans at individual schools.  Tons of those items go to the landfill each month along with all the cardboard that is sent to the schools and their cafeterias each day.  Like last school year, our group stands ready to give a recycling presentation to any teacher or classroom where it is requested, but the District needs to lead by example. (Good first step with the paper, but come on Humble ISD, let’s really go green!)

Lone Star College Kingwood:  Our local college is a shining example of what can be done when there is the “will”.  Dr. Persson has implemented campus wide recycling of all products.(along with many other “green” projects)   She has not only declared that is should happen she has ensured that it does happen by appointing a sustainability coordinator and staff who are responsible for making it happen. http://www.lonestar.edu/9583.htm  (They get an “A” from me) 

Green Waste (grass clippings, leaves and yard waste):  Residents are doing a better job of eliminating green waste by composting and mulching grass clippings.  The City is picking up green waste in four villages but in all other villages it goes to the landfill.  As much as 40% of trash in our area is green waste. Residents have the power to reduce this element of their trash significantly.  (Improving but still lots of bags of green waste out for the trash)

Harris County and City of Humble:  Probably the best that can be said is that each resident and business is on their own.  Little encouragement or help is given by either of these governmental units.  Residents can make their voices heard by contacting their elected officials. (A huge need to set priorities to support recycling)
 
So, as you can see we are making progress!  Our report card is improving but collectively we can do better.  Participation in recycling is largely based on understanding the significance of how important it is to our environment and conservation of natural resources.  Knowing how to do it correctly and as a way of life is of key importance. Please join us in working to improve our performance and to reach our recycling potential.  If you are doing all you can, thanks.  If not, take another or your first step. Change a habit.  Recycling is easy and it is one thing you can do each day that makes you feel good.  It is the right thing to do!  Give it a try! 

If you would like to help us spread the recycling message or comment on any “green” issue in the Lake Houston Area, please log onto our web site at: http://www.keepkingwoodgreen.org/ContactUs.html.  We would love to hear from you. 

Candy BowmanZero Waste: What Can One Person Do ?(Part four of a four parts serie)
By Candy Bowman (May 2010)

                      What is zero waste?  Zero waste is considered to be the recycling or reuse of 90% or more of the waste that would otherwise be sent to a landfill or incinerator.  Some cities have reached a 30% recycling rate in recent years, and San Francisco is now recycling 72% of its waste.
      In U.S.A. Today, Houston was recently ranked last among major cities for its recycling efforts.  We are only recycling about 5% of our waste at present, and as we have seen in past articles, we can do a lot better than this by taking a few simple steps. 
      What can one person do to help achieve the goal of zero waste?  A lot! Here are ten things we can begin to do today.

  1. Work to bring full single-stream recycling to your neighborhood.  Where this type of recycling is in place, much more of the waste is recycled.  Go to your community association meetings and let them know you want this service.  A recycling and trash pick-up is now available through the Best Trash Company that is comparable in price to the trash pick-up alone for many community associations in our area.  It includes paper, cardboard, plastics #1-7, aluminum and steel cans, and glass.  Any size recycling container may be used, and all recyclables can be mixed together. Trash is picked up twice a week and recycling once a week.  Some community associations offer limited curbside recycling pick-up for an extra fee.  You may also take these items to the Kingwood Metro Park and Ride on Friday afternoon through Sunday for recycling by the City of Houston.  Recycling has increased at the Park and Ride from a fall monthly pickup of 60 tons to a total of 91 tons in March.  This represents a 50% increase, thanks to you!  You may also take your paper recycling to the bins at local schools to help them earn funds. 
  2. Start a compost pile in your yard and place all leaves, some grass clippings, and fruit and vegetable kitchen waste in it.  This single step will divert 30% of the waste that now goes into the landfill and creates methane gas.  These resources will be returned to the soil in your yard to fertilize and protect your plants.  You will also save the money that would be spent on bags for green waste.  See the keepkingwoodgreen.org website for photos and directions to build a compost pile.
  3. Try grasscycling.  Set your mower to cut a little long, and leave clippings on the lawn.  There will be no bags to empty when you mow, and it will reduce the water needed on your lawn.  It will also reduce the need to fertilize.  Alternately, compost grass clippings in the compost pile.
  4. Buy products made with recycled items and those that are recyclable.  Look for products that use less wrapping material and consider whether the wrappings of products are recyclable when making a purchase.
  5. Repair and reuse items as much as possible.
  6. Donate items no longer needed to local charities.  Clothes and shoes are always needed.  If you have an item you think no one else will take, try offering it on www.freecycle.org, or the free section of www.kingwoodyardsales.com.   The library welcomes used books and magazines for resale.
  7. Bring cloth bags to the grocery store for shopping.  Plastic bags are not a good option, because they will last a thousand years in a landfill.  Paper bags are not a good choice, either, because one tree will provide 700 paper bags, which could be gone in an hour in a busy store.  If you have extra plastic bags, they now can be recycled at the entrance to all of our local grocery stores.
  8. If you have a business, work toward recycling all waste, including packing materials.  Waste Management will provide recycling bins and pick-up for paper, cans, and plastic at less cost than trash pickup.  Tell your landlord you are interested in this service.  Work toward selling products that are recyclable or biodegradable and non-toxic.  Take the Green Business Pledge offered by the Lake Houston Chamber of Commerce and Keep Kingwood Green.  This will identify your company as a green business and let your customers know that you do your part to help take care of our environment.
  9. Try to eliminate the use of polystyrene foam containers, cups, trays, and packing materials.  It is currently not economical to recycle Styrofoam, and most of it finds its way to the landfill.  Extra packing peanuts can be recycled at local mailing centers.
  10. Take used batteries, oil, paint, and electronic waste to be recycled at a BOPA event sponsored by the City of Houston.  At a recent pick-up held at the Metro Park and Ride, 60,000 pounds of e-waste were brought in by local residents, saving 4 large trucks full of e-waste from going to the landfill. At this same event, over 25,000 pounds of paint, oil, anti freeze and batteries were collected.  These pickups are held several times a year, and dates may be found on the www.keepkingwoodgreen.org  website.  Electronics may also be recycled at Kingwood Computer and Best Buy.  Rechargeable batteries may be taken to most department stores, hardware, and electronic stores, including Alspaugh’s, Best Buy, and Sears.  Used motor oil can be recycled at O’Reilly Auto Parts.  If you missed the recent BOPA event, you can take these items to the North Environmental Service Center every second Thursday from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. at 5614 Neches, Building C, in Houston.

      With the recent increases in the amount of recycling taking place in the Lake Houston area, it is clear that our community is working hard to find the best ways to recycle.  If we each take these ten steps, we will be well on our way to achieving zero waste.  By setting this as a goal, we will save our natural resources, save energy, and make the environment cleaner and healthier for the future of our children!  


Hal OppermanRandom Thoughts About Recycling
By Hal Opperman (April 2010)

Earth Day was officially held on April 22 and International Composting Awareness Week begins on May 2nd.  Both of these days will pass with not too much notice by most of us here in the Lake Houston area. Trash is a by-product of our daily living and over time we have come to expect that it will just disappear without much bother or expense by us.  Recently an article in the April 17th addition of USA today pointed out how automatic this has become in the Houston area. Their survey says we are the most wasteful of the 25 largest cities in the country.  We hate it when the Astros, the Rockets, or the Texans are last, shouldn’t we hate being at the bottom of this list, too?

Biodegradable Trash Bags---There have been complaints from residents about the City’s new policy of requiring these expensive bags where the City of Houston picks up trash.  The intent is good even if the implementation may be somewhat clumsy.  Most of us can compost or mulch our grass and leaves without sending much of it to the landfill.  We just need to learn how to do it.  The City will save millions of dollars by doing this and more importantly they will slow down the “fill up” of the landfill on Atascocita road.  None of us want the next landfill in our back yard.  The private trash services have not taken this step yet, but they should!  Green waste like this amounts to as much as 40% of total trash.

Noise and mess at the Park and Ride lot---In an article in the April 21st Observer a local doctor complained about the loud noise caused by all the recycling activity.  The City says it is collecting 60 tons of recyclables there per month. That is a lot of coke cans and milk jugs.  Many of us have looked for a better spot to move this operation but convenience is the key.  It can’t be ten miles from where people live or it will not be used.  Yes, there are other spots that would work, but they are not convenient or they have the same “not in my backyard” issues. The City does a good job of maintaining this operation and it is monitored closely by City leaders and community volunteers.  Sure, occasionally some uncaring user makes a mess.

There is a better way to recycle---Recycling in Houston is well behind that of most cities across the country.  Austin, Dallas, San Antonio all have curbside recycling programs.  Houston has test programs for it in some neighborhoods but not in the Lake Houston area.  Most residents of Harris and nearby counties do not even have a drop off point for “weekend recycling” let alone a curbside option.  Perhaps that is changing.  The Greentree and Riverchase Community associations recently “hired” a new trash service.  This company is offering weekly curbside single stream recycling to all of its customers at no additional cost.  Single stream means the resident does not have to sort the items and this company takes all plastics, glass, and cardboard.  The company that services my CA does offer curbside but charges an extra $5 a month to recycle and will not take all plastics, no glass, and everything has to fit in a small bin so lots of cardboard is excluded. They pick up every two weeks.  Not a very good incentive to recycle.  

What can we do?  Demand more from the city, county, and schools in our area.  If your Community Association contracts for your trash pick up, ask them to include recycling as part of the service.  It might not cost any more.  Use the reusable grocery bags at the super market.  We use enough plastic shopping bags in a year to shrink wrap the whole state of Texas.  If your trash service is still picking up 10 bags of green waste from your house, give composting and mulching a try.  You might find your lawn and grass are happier.  Ask area businesses if they recycle and encourage them to do so.  Check out our web site for ways that you can recycle other items and join the mailing list at www.keepkingwoodgreen.org.  We send periodic e-mails letting you know about recycling activities and events in the community. 

We can do a better job of saving our resources and we certainly can work our way out of last place as the most wasteful city in America. 

Candy BowmanZero Waste: Single Stream Recycling Has Arrived ! (Part three of a four parts serie)
By Candy Bowman (March 2010)

                 One of the key elements in achieving zero waste in the Lake Houston area will be the establishment of single stream recycling for all residents.  With events that have occurred in the last few weeks, it appears that this may be possible soon!
      Single stream recycling is much easier for families to accomplish, because all paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, most plastics, and glass can be combined into one large bin.  Where it has been instituted, it has increased recycling rates tremendously, and saved many of our natural resources from going to the landfill. 
      In the first two parts of this series, we looked at the importance of composting of green and kitchen waste, and the impact of recycling efforts by businesses to eliminate as much waste as possible.  The final article will describe some strategies that individuals and families can use to recycle waste generated at home.
In this article, we will discover how the adoption of single stream recycling in our area will bring the opportunity for homes and businesses to greatly increase the amount of resources that can be recycled, while saving money in the process.
      The recycling opportunities vary in our neighborhoods from limited curbside recycling to none at all.  Those that have curbside recycling have a small bin that takes aluminum, paper, limited cardboard, some plastics, and no glass.  A few have this service as a part of their regular collection, but some must pay extra.
      Currently the City of Houston provides recycling through pick-up from bins at the Metro Park and Ride in Kingwood every weekend, Friday afternoon through Sunday evening.  Paper, cardboard, plastics #1-5 and 7, aluminum and steel cans, and glass can be recycled there. Some residents in the Atascocita, Summerwood, and Humble areas drive to Kingwood to recycle if they have no recycling pick-up available.  Residents have shown great support for this effort, and amounts recycled have been as high as 50 to 60 tons per month.
      This has been a great step forward, but we will be able to achieve an even higher rate of recycling with single stream recycling for all households.  First of all, it is easier for families because you don’t have to sort the recyclables.  You just throw them into one large bin.  Secondly, you save energy by not having to drive anywhere to deliver them to another location.  They are picked up at your home just as your trash is picked up.
      San Antonio, Austin, and the Dallas/Fort Worth areas have all found that recycling increased when they adopted single stream recycling.  San Antonio has experienced a 40% increase since the program began, and Austin has achieved a 47% rise in the amount of materials recycled.
      The City of Houston has also begun a very successful program of single stream recycling.  The program began with 10,000 homes in early 2009, and was expanded to 20,000 in October.  It will soon be increased to 70,000 homes receiving single stream recycling, with these families receiving large 96 gallon bins.  These containers will replace the small 18-gallon bins which the city now uses.  The new pick-up will also include glass.  Partnering with RecycleBank, the city has a rewards program which awards points for recycling weight for each residence served, redeemable for coupons, discounts, groceries, and products.
      Houston has also begun a green waste pick-up from residences which is recycled into compost by the Living Earth Company.  The savings from landfill fees and a small amount earned from the compost will save the city 1.5 million dollars a year, according to Marina Joseph of Solid Waste Management.  This pick-up serves several Kingwood communities that have contracted with Houston for trash pick- up.
     Could we obtain the type of single stream recycling now being provided by the City of Houston here in the Lake Houston area?  Best Trash, owned by Matthew and Rick May, offers single stream recycling collecting all plastics, #1-#7, glass,  aluminum and steel cans, paper, and cardboard.  This includes a weekly pick-up of recyclables, and 2 weekly back door pick-ups of trash.  The cost is comparable to what many community associations are now paying for trash pick-up alone.  This company is already providing pickup in Eagle Springs and several other communities in the Houston Area, and recently made a 3 year contract with the community association that serves Greentree, Greentree Manor, and Riverchase in Kingwood. The recycling is taken to a Greenstar processing plant here in Houston.  Eighteen gallon bins are provided at no additional charge, but customers may use their own larger bin if they prefer.
      Waste Management, which currently handles much of the waste collection in the Lake Houston area, is also moving toward single stream recycling, according to Alan Bachrach.  They recently acquired several facilities which will be refitted to handle single stream recycling.  He feels that full single stream recycling will be available within a short time, including the recycling of glass.
      For businesses, Waste Management has a plan in which it is more economical to recycle than to throw materials away.  Leanne Woods explains that area businesses can save between $10 and $25 per month by choosing single stream recycling over trash services.  This seems like a great opportunity for businesses to recycle and save money at the same time!
      At present, most community associations in our area have contracts which expire at different times.  If a coordinated agreement could be reached by a group of associations to put together a contract for recycling and trash pick-up, this might be achieved at a better rate with better service for homeowners.
      Keep Kingwood Green recently met with the Kingwood Service Association to see if the community associations would consider working together to formulate a plan to achieve better service.  There are several recycling waste companies that provide service in our area.  By working together, the community associations can determine which of these companies will provide the best recycling services for their residents at the most reasonable price.  As contracts expire, new contracts can be made for a comparable fee that will include single stream recycling. Talk to your local CA representative.
            Keep Kingwood Green is happy to meet with any other community or civic associations in the Lake Houston area to work toward the goal of achieving single stream recycling for all.  This will be a great step toward reaching the goal of zero waste!  Contact:  www.keepkingwoodgreen.org

Candy BowmanZero Waste: What Can Businesses Do ? (Part two of a four parts serie)
By Candy Bowman (February 2010)

           The Lake Houston area can be a leader in moving toward the goal of zero waste.  In Part 1 of this series on zero waste, composting of food items and green waste was presented as an important step forward in eliminating waste that might otherwise be sent to our landfills.  Future articles will discuss the importance of single-stream recycling and what individuals can do to work toward this goal.  At this time, we ask the question, “What Can Businesses Do?”
      For businesses to take this step, they will first have to consider ways to recycle as much as possible of the waste they produce.  What can be recycled, reused, or repaired?  Can the waste that goes to the landfill be reduced or eliminated?  Another important consideration is that the materials used in production will be safe for the environment, both during the life of the product and afterwards.  If these concerns are met, the business will be well on the way to zero waste. 
      In the Lake Houston area, some businesses have set zero waste as a goal.  According to Sandra Hibbits, Store Manager for the Northpark Neighborhood Wal-Mart, their goal in Houston is to be 100% waste free.  Packing waste is handled with on-site cardboard bailers, and even the plastic outer wrappers and shrink-wrap are recycled.  The pharmacy recycles plastic bottles.  All cooking oil and shredded office paper is recycled.  Containers for recycling aluminum and plastic are at the entrance to the store, as well as in the staff lounge.  The staff has traded Styrofoam cups which are not recyclable for individual coffee mugs in the lounge.  Beginning in March, food that is still edible, such as day-old bread, will go to a food bank and to other uses, such as feed for animals, further eliminating waste.
      Other grocery stores in the area also recycle cardboard and collect plastic bags at the entrance to be recycled.  All are now offering cloth shopping bags for a small fee.  These bags will eliminate the need for plastic bags, which can last a thousand years in our landfills.   To encourage patrons to use cloth bags, H.E.B. has a program for all customers using cloth bags to fill out a slip at the check-out counter for a monthly drawing for a $50 gift certificate.  This provides an incentive for customers to remember to bring in cloth bags on shopping day!
       Many other stores in our area have worked to recycle the by-products of their businesses.  Quick Copy Printing sends its extra paper to local daycare centers for use.  Rapid Refill Ink recycles both inkjet and laser toner cartridges, and gives discounts on new cartridges for recycling.  They also recycle all waste paper and cardboard packaging.
      Vision Source collects used pairs of glasses to deliver free of charge to those in need.  The glasses are cleaned, organized, and prescriptions are read on them.  Dr. Glenn Ellisor has taken them to Africa, Indonesia, and Mexico on “Sight Ministries” missions.  Alspaugh’s Ace Hardware, Kingwood Computer, Wal-Mart in Humble, and the Lion’s Club also help to put used glasses to good use instead of sending them to the landfill.
      Schools in the area are all recycling paper, and some churches now have recycling bins, as well.  Lone Star College – Kingwood has placed indoor and outdoor combination bins for plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and trash, in addition to the paper recycling system which has been in place for many years.
      The Lake Houston Family YMCA has a system in place for recycling paper and has begun collecting plastic bottles for recycling, too.
       Restaurants are taking measures to eliminate waste, as well. The Chez Nous  Restaurant in Humble is recycling all cans, bottles, paper, and glass, in addition they compost food waste.  Ruggles Green restaurant, one of only two in the Houston area certified by the Green Restaurant Association, recycles all glass, cardboard, paper, aluminum, and metal waste.  They also recycle fryer oil for use in the local BioFuel program.
      Many businesses in the area offer opportunities to recycle items which are related to their business.  Electronics may be recycled at Kingwood Computer, and also at Best Buy.  Nursery pots and trays are accepted for recycling at Kingwood Garden Center, and packaging peanuts and bubble wrap will be reused at Mail & More and most mailing stores in the area. 
      Rechargeable batteries may be brought to most hardware, electronic and department stores, including Alspaugh’s, Sears, and Best Buy.  Used motor oil can be recycled at O’Reilly Auto Parts. Alspaugh’s also accepts used cell phones and printer cartridges to be recycled.
      In the future, zero waste will involve not only planning for the recovery of discards, but careful design to produce non-toxic and recyclable or compostable products.  Nike is a leader in zero waste product design.  They use recyclable polymers, water-based solvents, and fabric woven from used soda bottles.
      As business owners have discovered, going green is profitable for them in many ways.  Xerox Corporation in Rochester, New York, has had a waste-free environmental goal since the early 1990’s, including reductions in solid and hazardous waste emissions, energy consumption, and increased recycling.  Savings have been $45 million.  Interface, Inc. in Atlanta, GA, has saved over $90 million through waste elimination.
      In the auto industry, manufacturers are working toward the elimination of trash dumpsters by recycling everything possible and reusing other items.  At eight of its North American plants, Honda’s planning for recycling has allowed them to get rid of trash dumpsters altogether.
      General Motors has confirmed their plans to make approximately half of its 181 plants worldwide “landfill free” by the end of 2010.  The goal of General Motors is finding ways to recycle or reuse more than 90% of materials by selling scrap materials, adopting reusable parts boxes to replace cardboard, and even recycling used work gloves.  Subaru and Toyota are producing landfill-free plants, too.
      With the help of the business community, zero waste is an achievable goal.  It will take some thought to find ways to recycle or reuse the items that are left over in all businesses, but it is being done today in our community by many resourceful people. Those who have tried it have found that it not only saves resources, but is profitable, too.  In a forward-thinking community like ours, people will appreciate the effort to slow the building of new landfills and to preserve our natural resources. 
      We have mentioned several local businesses that are using “green initiatives.”    Please tell us what your business is doing so we can share the knowledge of the steps you have taken, which may possibly be of help to others.  You can contact me at Candy@keepkingwoodgreen.org.  By working together to problem-solve ideas to address this issue, the Lake Houston area can be a leader in the zero waste movement!         

Candy BowmanNew Year's Resolution: Zero Waste ! (Part one of a four parts serie)
By Candy Bowman (January 2010)

      Have you heard of “zero waste”?  It’s an expression that is new to many of us, but a concept that is catching on from coast to coast.  “Zero-waste” is a strategy that aims at eliminating garbage from filling up our landfills, and it is rapidly taking hold in restaurants, school cafeterias, stadiums, national parks, corporations, and homes across the country.  Making “zero waste” a goal this year would be a great New Year’s Resolution!
      Many of us have begun to recycle items that used to go to the landfill.  We take our cans, glass, plastics #1-5 and 7, paper, and cardboard to the Metro lot containers on weekends, and also take paper to the recycling bins at our schools. The concept of “zero waste” goes a step further—to look for ways to eliminate almost all trash that would otherwise end up in our landfills.  The movement is simple in concept: produce less waste; shun polystyrene foam containers and any other packaging that is not biodegradable; recycle or compost whatever you can.
      The success of zero waste requires that we redefine the concept of “waste” in our society.  In the past, waste was considered a natural byproduct of our culture.  Now, it is time to recognize that proper “resource management,” not “waste management,” is at the heart of reducing waste sent to the landfills.
      Could we accomplish “zero waste” in the Lake Houston area?  Absolutely!  Here are some ideas on how we can work toward this goal.  With a move toward composting of all food items and green waste, single-stream recycling, and efforts by businesses and individuals to recycle or reuse everything possible, we will be well on our way to zero waste.
       In this first of four articles, we will look first at recycling food waste and green waste into compost.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food waste accounts for about 13% of the total trash nationally. In our community, which has plenty of green waste, we could add our fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and egg shells to leaves and grass clippings to make compost that enriches the soil and makes wonderful mulch.
      When leftovers, apple cores, and stale bread go to landfills, they do not return the nutrients they pulled from the soil when growing.  Sealed in landfills without oxygen, the organic materials release methane, a heat-trapping gas, as they decompose.  However, if they are composted, the food can be broken down and returned to earth to restore the soil with no methane produced as a by-product.
      Is it possible to do this and include all the food waste from our homes, school cafeterias, grocery stores, and restaurants?  Some of our local restaurants and schools are beginning to do this now.  In Humble, the Chez Nous restaurant has begun to recycle all fruit and vegetable waste into compost for the garden beds in back of the restaurant.  Stacy Simonson noted that they raise herbs, organic field greens, concord grapes, and have fig and lemon trees which make use of their compost. 
      The Ruggles Green restaurant in Houston collects fryer oil and coffee grounds for recycling each week, and uses no Styrofoam products.  Starbucks recycles coffee grounds by making them available to local gardeners.
     The newest school under construction in Humble I.S.D., Elementary #26, will provide a model for other Texas districts to follow in eliminating waste.  Plans for this campus include a decomposer and pulper, machines that will convert food waste and other kitchen recyclables into mulch.  This mulch will be used on the school grounds, enriching the soil and saving garbage collection fees.  This is a giant step toward zero waste, while saving tax dollars and reducing the cost of transporting waste. 
      In San Francisco, the city has recently begun a special process to compost all food scraps, including meat and dairy items and food-soiled waste.  With many homes and businesses participating, they are able to recycle 72% of their waste, and their goal is zero waste by 2020.  Seattle, Boulder, Longmont, Atlanta, and many other cities are also recycling food waste for composting. 
      Zero waste is the goal of the campus at the University of North Carolina, which now composts all food waste from the main dining hall.  Middlebury College and the University of Vermont have also begun to compost food waste from their cafeterias.
      Another new development in food service recycling is the replacement of plastic utensils with biodegradable ones.  At Yellowstone National Park, the clear soda cups and white utensils are not typical café-counter garbage.  They are made of plant-based plastics, and will dissolve when heated for a few minutes. 
      The U.S. Capitol has switched from styrofoam and disposable plastics to compostable cups, plates, and utensils, which are processed along with food scraps.  Then the locally-produced compost comes back full circle for use in landscaping at the National Mall.
      Beginning this month, several villages in Kingwood served by the City of Houston Solid Waste Department will have waste pick-up that includes green waste, which will be composted.  The trash bags, too, will be a special type that will compost.
      All of these recent developments in food and green waste composting are tools that may be of help to us in the future in eliminating waste that currently fills our landfills and wastes our natural resources.  In future articles, we will take a closer look at obtaining single-stream recycling for all of the Lake Houston area, and at the steps that may be taken by businesses and individuals to move toward a waste-free community.
      The current rate of waste recycling in the Houston area has been estimated at about 5%, and the Mayor has set a goal of 30% for next year.  Here in the Lake Houston area, let’s aim for the Texas-sized goal of “zero waste” in the New Year, with 100% of our recyclables being kept out of our landfills. 
      Larry Chalfan, of the Zero Waste Alliance, noted the greatest motivation for moving toward zero waste in our society is our children and grandchildren: “We do so much to prepare our children for the future, but are we doing enough to prepare the future for our children?”  Let’s do it!

(Candy is a retired teacher, contact her at:  Candy@keepkingwoodgreen.org )

Susan PollardFor the Holidays: Enjoy, but reuse and recycle
By Susan Pollard (November 2009)

It’s that time of year; time to begin planning for the holiday season. You are looking forward to finding those special gifts to share with those you care about.  As you start holiday preparations, consider that during the holiday season household waste increases by about 25% and close to half the paper consumed is used to decorate and wrap consumer gifts (this information is from the Recycler’s Handbook).  In making the holidays special, let’s consider how to share it with our environment by making it easier on the earth too.
There are some simple ways to make the holidays more sustainable with just a little planning and flexibility. As you shop for food and gifts, bring your own shopping bags to cut down on the amount of plastic bags you use.  When you buy gifts, choose those that are made from recycled materials.  If you are buying batteries to go with a gift, pick rechargeable batteries.  Buy good quality, durable items that are more likely to last longer and reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill.  If you normally bring flowers as you go visiting take a plant instead.
Give the gift of time and yourself instead of material goods.  You can give special food items –brownies from an old family recipe or homemade hot chocolate mix. Give a gift certificate (printed on recycled paper of course) for something unique such as an hour of babysitting time, washing the car or cooking dinner. 
When it comes to wrapping gifts, get creative!  Use colorful comics, old maps or magazines.  If you are giving food, use a decorative tin or jar that can be used again.  According to RecycleWorks if every family reused just 2 feet of holiday ribbon the amount of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet (about 38,000 miles of ribbon).  Quite a present for the earth! Save ribbon and bows that are in good shape to reuse next year.  Gift bags can be used several times.
Everyone loves to receive holiday cards (though we don’t all love writing them).  Consider sending e-cards to save on paper or choose cards made from recycled paper.  Keep your old cards and use them to make holiday decorations.  Another way to reuse holiday cards is to turn them in to new cards.  Cut the front, decorative part off and paste it onto construction paper.  You can make these new cards as a holiday craft project and give them to those in hospitals.  This is a great project for kids to do. 
If you have a Christmas tree, recycle it.  The City of Houston hosts a tree drop off site in Kingwood until about mid-January.   If you want to keep that holiday spirit going buy a live tree in a pot and plant it in your yard or buy a (reusable) artificial tree.
After the holidays, reuse items that you don’t need.  If you have toys and clothes that have been outgrown donate them to a local charity.  If you receive gifts from far away save the plastic peanuts and bubble wrap and recycle them at the local private postal stores in Kingwood. You can drop off a bag or box of the loose fill peanuts anytime the stores are open. 
When considering your New Year’s Resolution add reducing, reusing and recycling to your list!  Happy Holidays.

David BurkeCollege Sustainability
By David Burke -Program Manager, College Sustainability at Lone Star College-Kingwood (October 2009)

The dictionary defines sustained as “maintain at length without interruption, weakening or losing in power or quality”.  The definition we use at LSC-Kingwood is, “Sustainability is the responsible and beneficial use of resources so as to maximize the availability and quality of the resources for future generations”.
Recycling is certainly a responsible use of resources.  LSC-Kingwood has been recycling paper in the Abitibi Paper Retriever dumpsters for a long time.  Last year the 32 tons of paper recycled represented 550 trees that were not cut for pulp and saved over 117 cubic yards of landfill space, not to mention the cost savings for trash removal.
We have recently begun to recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans.  We purchased 29 remanufactured plastic recycling containers made from 5,500 recycled gallon milk jugs.  They are placed around campus along with temporary cardboard collection boxes.  The collection of segregated bags of trash, bottles and cans has been a logistic problem for the college custodial staff that forced the hiring of a full time recycle custodian.  Even though the three compartment slots and boxes are clearly labeled, “plastic, cans and trash”, we still have a problem keeping trash out of the recycle compartments, further adding to the custodial work-load.
To help the campus “Recycle Right”, the campus television produced a humorous, instructional video entitled “Keeping Kingwood Green” which is posted on You Tube on the internet.  The You Tube address is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME9d9gVWCyY and a link is on the www.lonestar.edu/kingwood home page.  Take a look; I think you will enjoy it.
Not “Recycling Right” by separating trash and recyclables, along with a weak market for plastics are two reasons the recycling containers were removed from the HEB parking lot in Kingwood and we were forced to change our recycle vendor in order to continue recycling plastics.
Gardening is the ultimate sustainable practice and one of the most beneficial uses of resources.  It meets our most basic need yet conserves resources for the future.  Homegrown produce is more nutritional, flavorful and less expensive than store bought produce that is transported from distant farms.  Commercial produce is grown more for ease of shipping, shelf life and appearance than for nutrition and taste by genetic selection and engineering.   Energy is consumed by transportation, fertilizers, pesticides and packaging, and the drive to the grocery for more carryout bags.  Home gardeners can choose plants for their food value and heirloom varieties to preserve the biodiversity of the past.  They can practice organic gardening to recycle spent organic matter, crop rotation to prevent depleting soil nutrients and companion planting to naturally increase yield and discourage pests.   
A Learning Garden has been established at LSC-Kingwood in partnership with Humble ISD Project Connection students as a venue to demonstrate sustainable practices.  Vegetables and butterfly plants have been planted and tended by an all volunteer gardening effort.  The habitat garden attracts butterflies, birds and bees which consume undesirable insects and pollinate the vegetables.  While the vegetables are the practical part of the garden, the flowers add color, activity, and interest.   The garden feeds the body and provides enjoyment for the soul while creating a balanced and sustainable environment.   
Because of a late start, the first season’s vegetable harvest was limited and some crops were lost due to heat and lack of moisture.  The butterfly flowers, however, flourished and only one of the plants was lost.  Lessons have been taught by nature in the Learning Garden and a grassy field became a productive resource. 
LSC-Kingwood is practicing the responsible and beneficial use of resources as an example of  College Sustainability through commitment and investment. 

Gudrun OppermanWhat's in Your Food
By Gudrun Opperman (September 2009)

As a family we are big into recycling, but are particularly keen on composting our green wastes, and those of many neighbors who throw lawn clippings, leaves and yard wastes out with the trash.  We regularly collect neighborhood green trash and compost it or use it as mulch.  The resulting compost is our gold mine!  The compost feeds the plants and the soil in our garden and yard.  Used as mulch, the “wastes” reduce our water usage and eventually enrich the soil.  We don’t need to use chemical pesticides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers.  This saves a tremendous amount of money, but has an even greater benefit to us.  These practices produce a healthy environment for us and the creatures that share our place on earth.  Our half acre lot in Kingwood, also a certified wildlife habitat, produces much of the green produce, herbs, and some of the citrus that we eat.  We eat what is in season in our garden, preserve the excess, and forgo many of the things that are not in season.  This has become the rhythm in our lives.

As an employee of Alspaugh’s Garden Center, I have noticed a trend in more families wanting to grow some of their own food.  This may be a national trend, similar to the old Victory Gardens of the past, or it may just be that people are catching on to something that is good for them in many ways.  Growing some of one’s own food is a satisfying pastime that is good exercise, it can be healthy for the land, and the results can be very healthy for the gardener.  However, how this food is grown is the crux of this article.

The number one vegetable that is grown nationwide is the tomato.  Why is this?  Well, when is the last time you waxed poetic about a tomato purchased in the local grocery store?  Typically the flavor can be compared to eating red colored cardboard.  Most of us older folks can remember a time when we had delicious tomatoes grown locally.  Have you had a juicy, dripping with sweet juice, strawberry lately?  Typically, the taste of a store-purchased strawberry lives up to its name - straw.  Why, you say, do fruits and vegetables have so little flavor?  Ah, let me tell you how these things are grown commercially.

Our winter produced tomatoes and many other vegetables and berries are grown in soil that has been fumigated with a powerful insecticide, methyl bromide, to kill off all soil organisms.  It also is extremely toxic to humans, and is a major factor in ozone depletion of the atmosphere. The federal government has mandated that methyl bromide be replaced by methyl iodide due to pressures from the Montreal Protocol.  But guess what?  This chemical is a potent carcinogen!  Its use has been met by serious outcry from many scientists and doctors.  The politics behind this move is unbelievable! 

After the soil is sterilized, the crops are then grown with massive doses of chemical fertilizers.  The use of chemical fertilizers exploded after WWII. Since then, a sharp rise in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and Type 2 diabetes has been noted.  It’s now generally accepted that higher nitrogen levels in our food supply can result in nitrogen compounds in our intestines. This may be the cause of the increases of the illnesses listed above.

Chemical fertilizers also have a detrimental effect on natural soil microbes. The following insights from British scientist, Sir Albert Howard, gleaned from his book The Soil and Health are still very relevant.  He stated that an artificial fertilizer could replace key elements, but it could not replenish the vibrant, healthy topsoil, or humus, required to grow health-giving food. Humus isn't an inert substance composed of separable elements, but rather a complex ecosystem teeming with diverse microorganisms. Only by carefully composting animal and plant waste and returning it to the land, he argued, could topsoil be replaced. For Howard, agriculture wasn't a process sustained by isolated inputs and outputs; rather, it functions as a cycle governed by the "Law of Return": what comes from the soil must be returned to the soil. Farmers who violate the "Law of Return," Howard claimed, are "bandits" stealing soil fertility from future generations.  The type of soil that Howard describes is rich in microbes and trace elements.  The link between healthy soil and good-for-you fruits and vegetables is generally accepted.  Plants grown organically have more taste and disease fighting properties.  Healthy soil equals healthy food and healthier people.

How long this food takes to get to your local grocery store and how it is treated along the way is also of importance in its nutrient quality.  Fresh picked ripe produce has the optimum nutritional quality. 

Organically produced food takes a bit more effort on the farmer’s part; consequently it costs more at the store.  Cheap food is considered almost a birthright in this country.  Most commercial food production uses the Henry Ford or the Wal-mart principle.  We can grow quality food for an honest profit for the farmer, or we can grow poor quality food for a cheap price.  Organic farmers’ markets are a way of getting locally grown organic food to consumers.  The Houston area now boasts nine such markets.  On October 7, we will see the first such market in the Humble area.  It will be open every Wednesday from 4 – 8 p.m. at Main Street and Avenue G.  We hope our area will support this effort so it can survive. 

Have I made my point for using organically grown produce yet?  As you can see, produce grown by you in your own garden, fed by compost that you have made from plants that lived on your land, results in the best possible food for you.  Going out to your garden to pick the produce for your evening meal is not only a satisfying pastime, but is so good for you.  The antioxidants, antiviral, antibacterial, heart and cancer disease fighting properties of the fresh produce from your own garden, not to mention a healthy complement of minerals and vitamins, is a tremendous asset.  Of course, this presumes that you have developed healthy soil.  Everyone with a sunny spot can grow some of their own produce.  Reducing the load on the landfills by composting your kitchen and garden scraps (or those of your neighbors) can boost your growing power.  Anyone can compost, even in an apartment. (See our website, www.keepkingwoodgreen.org. for composting help.)  Creating healthy soil will cut your dependence on chemicals needed to control plant diseases and insect pests.  So, grow healthy and be healthy.  Start with seeds or transplants.  Involve the whole family in the endeavor.  You’ll be glad you did!

Want to learn more about this topic, look up The Soil and Health by Albert Howard, Empty Harvest by Jensen and Anderson, The Fatal Harvest with essays from 30 authors, the Organic Center’s transcript of the 2009 AAAS Symposium on “Living Soil, Food Quality, and the Future of Foods”, and Michael Pollan’s  In Defense of Food.  Many other sources exist as well.


Hal OppermanWhere Can We Recycle
By Hal Opperman (August 2009)

“Where can environmentally conscious people take their recyclable items in Kingwood at any time they want, 24/7? Nowhere, at the moment.”  Those were the first lines in an article in the Observer on September 24th, 2007.  The article goes on to discuss the lack of recycling opportunities in the Kingwood and the Lake Houston area.
While some things have changed in the almost two years since that article, it is a case of one step forward and sometimes two steps back when it comes to recycling. Keep Kingwood Green is a non profit group that was founded several years ago to work to improve recycling opportunities and to help educate and inform people in the Lake Houston area about recycling.  The group maintains a web site at www.keepkingwoodgreen.org with dozens of ways you can recycle rather than landfill most of the things that would otherwise go out to the curb.
Currently, their education committee, headed up by Candy Bowman, is preparing to take the recycling story to schools and other groups in the area.  Candy has a program called “Ten Things Kids Can Do to Help the Earth.”  Candy says that if we can encourage kids in the 4th or 5th grade to begin recycling, we can often influence them for life as well as their families.
The group also puts out a free recycling brochure that you can pick up at Rapid Refill Ink on Lake Houston Parkway and other retailers in the area. The guide gives lots of information on how and where you can recycle. 
The progress: The City of Houston and Councilman Michael Sullivan have expanded the services at the Park & Ride lot to include bins being placed there every weekend for paper, cardboard, plastic, cans, and glass.  The City, too, has done a good job of managing the bins and changing them out during the weekends when they are full. A project that would have made them available 24/7 was opposed by some nearby residents who feared there would be too much noise and traffic.  
Two Steps Back: 1) HEB recently removed the recycling bins at their Atascocita and Kingwood stores.  These bins were emptied every day by the recycling company, Abitibi; however there were some in the community who felt they were unsightly and had complained to HEB.  More importantly, according to HEB, some of the material deposited inside the bins was trash that could not be recycled. The combination of extra trips to pick up the full bins and the time it took to sort out the trash made the service uneconomical. Unfortunately a few “careless/thoughtless” people have caused much disruption basically ruining the program for the rest of us by mixing and dumping trash including tires and glass which contaminated the rest of the items.  For almost two years these bins have been available 24/7.  This move alone will cause tons of additional recyclable materials to go to the landfill each day.
2) Humble ISD has lost their vendor who began picking up recyclable materials at schools last year.  Unless they are able to find another service to do this, many more tons of water bottles and soda cans will go to the landfill this year. The paper retrievers are still available at most schools.  Please make sure you flatten your cardboard, though, or it will cost more to transport air to the recycling facility than the material is worth. Let HISD know that you feel it is important that they continue to recycle.

            What else can you do?  Call your trash service and see if they offer curbside recycling.  If not, why not?  Waste Management tells us that it is an option in most neighborhoods.  Or, set up a system in your garage to sort and store your materials.  Step on the plastic containers to conserve space. When you have filled your bags or boxes, make a trip to the Park and Ride.  It is easy!  Typically I only have to go once a month.  Call your local elected officials and ask them to find us a permanent place to recycle.  Call HEB and ask them to return the bins. And finally, realize that almost all resources are limited.  Think twice before you throw any item in the trash.  Reduce, Reuse or Recycle.  It is the right thing to do for you, your children, and your grandchildren!

Candy BowmanHumble ISD - The Cleanest Greenest School in Houston
By Candy Bowman (July 2009)

           Several weeks ago I noticed that my six-year-old granddaughter was wearing a blue paper tiara home from school.  The tiara was not a “princess” crown, but proudly proclaimed, “I’m a Water Watcher.”  On the back, it encouraged us to “Fix leaky faucets.”  She was excited about the knowledge learned in her first grade class at Deerwood Elementary that she could save water and help the Earth.  She also told us about many ways we could recycle at home and offered to help us out.
      A lot of good things like this are happening around Kingwood and Humble.  Students are learning about recycling in their classrooms and bringing this enthusiasm home to parents and brothers and sisters.  Here are just a few of the good things that have happened recently.  I’m sure that you could add many more to this list.
      Kingwood Park High School has been recycling paper from all classrooms and workrooms for two years. With the help of the Student Council and P.T.S.A., they have purchased large “bottle” shaped containers to begin the recycling of plastic and aluminum next fall.  Kingwood Park also has an “Adopt a Green Space” program in which school groups and teams can choose an area of the campus for beautification and care during the year.  Many groups participate in Kingwood Kleenwood Day each year, and batteries and ink cartridges are recycled at the school, as well.
      Oak Forest Elementary has an ongoing organic gardening program for fifth grade students in which they learn about and participate in composting food waste from the school cafeteria with green waste from the school yard. They grow vegetables in this rich compost and harvest them, learning much about good gardening practices in this way.  All plastic, paper, and cans are also recycled at this school. Over 1000 bags of leaves and pine needles were used as mulch on the grounds this past year around new trees that were planted.
      Maplebrook Elementary and Humble Elementary have had “Go Green” programs for all fourth grade students this year, with students helping to collect and recycle paper and other items.  Enthusiastic teachers have inspired students to be good energy savers and recyclers.
      Kingwood High School’s Environmental Club is active in encouraging recycling within the school and also sends a large group of students to participate in Kingwood Kleenwood Day each year.  Many other high schools participate in this project, as well.
      Twelve schools in our District are returning used ink cartridges to Rapid Refill Ink, which provides compensation to school groups and special coupons for recycling these reusable items.
      Many schools are also recycling “Capri-Sun” types of containers with a company called Terracycle.  These containers are saved and sent to the company with no cost to the school, and they are remade into purses and bags.  The school receives money for each item sent.
      Quest High School has established a recycling program and many students are actively learning about new alternative energy sources.
      The Village Learning and Achievement Center has begun teaching students how to recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum, and has recently established a compost pile and a large organic garden which has produced many vegetables this spring. 
      Atascocita High School students have produced a terrific magazine with information on many green ideas, from alternative energy sources to hybrid cars to building your own compost bins.
      Local Scout Troops are working on special awards based on recycling and energy saving projects.  Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and even “Daisy” Troops were seen picking up litter on Kingwood Kleenwood Day. Girl Scout Troop #9169 earned their bronze award for studying about recycling and teaching the public about it by setting up a booth with fun recycling activities at two school fairs this spring.
      Humble High School had many students who were active leaders on the “Go Green” committee last year, providing ideas for environmental projects within the schools.  They also began many environmental activities within the school.
       As an outgrowth of the Humble I.S.D.’s “Go Green” committee, the goal will be for the entire district to work toward recycling paper, plastic, and aluminum next year.  Hopefully, this opportunity to recycle at the schools will be extended to the communities nearby soon, with the funds generated going to the individual schools. 
      These are just some of the exciting things happening in our schools.  If you would like to be a part of helping your local school to recycle, there are many ways to help.  You can offer to help your child’s teacher set up a recycling area in the classroom or work with the P.T.A. and Administration to encourage recycling on a schoolwide level.  If you have special knowledge of recycling, composting, water quality, or other environmental topics, you can offer to present programs to students in the schools. 
      The Keep Kingwood Green organization offers programs on recycling to schools and can use your help.  Please check the www.keepkingwoodgreen.org website for programs available or to volunteer to help with these programs in your local school.  Current recycling information for our community may also be found at this website.
      We are fortunate to have a school district which has set environmental education and recycling in our schools as a top priority.  With a little help from all of us, we can have the cleanest, greenest schools in the Houston area soon!  

Hal OppermanAre you Living in the Disappearing Forest ?
By Hal Opperman (June 2009)

Many of us moved to the Lake Houston Area because of the trees and the lush green appearance of the communities. However, it seems that many residents of the area are on a mission to rid the area of its trees.  Sometimes it is the City, a Community or Trail Association, or a developer that are the guilty parties, but often it is the individual homeowner who is to blame for the excessive felling of trees.
Consider the benefits of trees around your home.  It is well known statistic that trees around a home can boost its value by as much as fifteen percent.  Shade trees planted on the east and west sides of a house can reduce cooling bills by 15 to 35 percent.  Heating bills can be lowered in a home by planting a windbreak on the side of the prevailing winds.  Trees remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from our air.  Their roots absorb rain and reduce the incidence of flooding. Masses of trees reduce noise pollution.  And if this were not enough, being able to view trees in your surroundings reduces stress. 
Last fall Hurricane Ike cleared more trees in a day than all of the above in a year.  Other guilty parties are the hordes of tree service companies that frequently knock on our doors telling us we have “dangerous trees” that should be trimmed or cut down.  Just say “no”.  You are responsible for your half or quarter acre, don’t let some guy with a chain saw undo what it took nature years to grow. Instead, plant a tree to replace the one Ike knocked down.  Most Community Associations require you to obtain approval to cut a mature tree.
After Ike, tons of trees and brush were removed along our major roads.  Did we really need to haul it all away to some distant composting operation?  Thankfully the City of Houston did insist on mulching or composting this biomass.  Unfortunately the bulldozers and trucks that drove across the medians and forested areas to pick up all the debris did more damage to our ecosystems than if the logs and brush had been left in place to decay. That would have been more aesthetically pleasing than the gouges that were left after all this organic material was removed and many young trees and bushes were crushed.  Yes, maybe FEMA paid the bill, but all of us are taxpayers who have to pay for FEMA. What a waste of taxpayer dollars and natural resources!
The Harris County Flood Control District routinely cuts all the drainage ditches in our areas. Obviously the streambeds do need to be free flowing and some management of the vegetation is necessary to attain that. However, large swaths of land are mowed adjacent to the drainage ditches.  Couldn’t we allow some of this land to return to forest? Couldn’t the streambed be managed by cutting it once a year instead of three times a year? Is this the best use of our tax dollars and natural resources?
Finally, as you head out on the interstate highways this summer, notice all the areas that the highway department mows right down to the bare soil.  For safety purposes, it makes sense to mow a strip adjacent to the roadway, but do we need to have the vast roadsides cut all the way to the right of way fence?  How much money could the State save by only cutting what is necessary?  Why not leave trees and underbrush?  That would be visually pleasing and better for the environment than dead grass and roadside litter. 
            At Keep Kingwood Green we typically focus on recycling and saving our natural resources.  Our green spaces are precious natural resources.  Please join us in protecting the beauty and health of our green spaces, neighborhoods and backyards.  Check out our web site at www.keepkingwoodgreen.org

Ellen DelapGreen Organizing for our Community
By Ellen Delap (April 2009)

Our world is a small place and we all want to contribute to our global wellness. “Green organizing” is an environmentally focused organizing strategy emphasizing principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Reduce
We have a choice for conscious consumption by thinking through the purchases we make. We can choose to reduce the volume of items coming into our home by having an awareness of the effects of our purchases. These purchases can become clutter and create a log jam in the flow of items in our home. With large quantity comes the need to find storage so that these do not become clutter. In the Depression the saying “use it up, wear it out, make do or do without” was how each home was run. Currently, we choose to focus on relationships and experiences rather than “stuff”. With our economy, reducing means frugality as well. Think through your purchases on many levels to reduce the volume entering your home.

Re-use
With all we have in our homes, re-use can be an important focus. See what you have already that can create order in your home as well as be of value in new spaces. Be creative and use conventional items in unconventional ways. Empty shoes boxes are great general sorters, ice cube trays can sort jewelry and shallow plastic ware can hold categorized office supplies in a desk drawer. When purchasing, use recycled and/or biodegradable products where possible and feasible. More of these products are easily available. Choose green organizing textile bags with sturdy handles for your shopping. Keep them handy in your car or at your landing strip.

Recycle
As we are deciding and decluttering, let’s limit the amount of unwanted items going to landfills by donating, free-cycling, selling and recycling as much as possible. We can follow green disposal practices with recycling centers, finding individuals or organizations needing unusual items and safely and legally disposing of toxic items. There are many local resources for this.

Hazardous Waste Disposal www.cleanwaterways.org
Recycling database www.earth911.org
Houston Recycling www.greenhoustontx.gov
Craig's List www.craigslist.com
Free items to share of take www.freecycle.org
Habitat for Humanity ReStore (713) 671-9993
Recycling Phone Line 311
Keep Kingwood Green and Recycling www.keepkingwoodgreen.org

Set up an effective and efficient recycling center in your home as a start. Choose an easy access spot with a bin for small amounts of recycling of paper where you sort the mail and have a larger area designated in the garage or by the back door. Many of us have backdoor recycling so this is as easy as putting out the trash. If not, create a routine that brings the recycling once a week to a recycling center. Examples of acceptable paper and cardboard are grocery bags, corrugated boxes, cereal boxes, cracker boxes, and Kleenex. Pizza boxes or other boxes with grease or food residue are not accepted. Plastic with 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 are generally accepted. Glass is accepted when sorted by color. Have your family be a part of the process too with different responsibilities in the process. The easiest recycling is at our local school bins (paper) and at the Kingwood Metro Park and Ride on the weekend  !

Green organizing is what we do for our family and our community. Together we can make a difference for ourselves and the next generation.

Gudrun OppermanGreen Growing
By Gudrun Opperman (March 2009)

Going green doesn’t just mean taking your cans, paper and plastics to a recycling center.  It starts in your own backyard, so to speak.  Even if you recycle everything that you possibly can, you may still be lacking when it comes to your gardening practices.  Do you grind your kitchen green scraps in your disposal?  Do you reach for the chemical lawn fertilizers?  Is more than half of your yard in grass?  Do you use plants that come from other parts of the world and need special care to thrive here?  Do you use the same 24 plants that everyone else has planted in their yards? Is your water bill astronomical in the summer?  Do your plants have all sorts of insect and disease problems?  And, do you reach for the chemicals to treat those problems?  If you answered “yes” to any of the above, you have room for improvement. 
So, start by composting those kitchen scraps.  There are many sites you can access that make composting a snap. Check out www.keepkingwoodgreen.org , to see an attractive composting operation right here in Kingwood.  Composting, if done correctly, is easy, does not have an unpleasant odor, and does not need to offend anyone.  Make it your business to develop a small composting area behind your garage, and then use the resulting compost to fertilize your yard plants and lawn.
Homeowners with yards are some of the worst polluters in the nation.  Chemical fertilizers are “junk food” for your plants.  Yes, they satisfy an immediate need, but do nothing for the long-term health of the soil.  Fertile soil is the mainstay of healthy plants.  Soil that is healthy has billions of microorganisms in it.  These actually feed the plants.  Chemical fertilizers are very detrimental to these organisms.  So, reach for organic fertilizers or make your own compost.   There are many choices out there, so there is no excuse not to use these organic products. As with most products, cheapest is probably not the best.
Using the appropriate plant material can reduce much of your stress in keeping plants good looking without using fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides.  Go native!  Using native plants in your landscape reduces water and chemical usage tremendously.  Learning what plants grow here naturally and then incorporating them into your landscape can save you lots of money and effort down the road.  Plants that have evolved in this climate and in relation to the insects and diseases found here are superior in surviving here.  They don’t need much interference from the homeowner.  They also benefit the local fauna.  Imagine beautiful butterflies and birds gracing your garden because you offer them the plants with which they have evolved.  The handful of landscape plants that are used by most landscapers, are boring and overused.  They typically are native to other parts of the world.  Overuse of any plant material leaves it open to attacks by disease or insects, especially those whose defenses are not matched with the local diseases and insects.
            Native plants also thrive with the amount of rain that this region typically receives.  So, your water bills can be reduced.  Speaking of water, you can catch rainwater in a number of different ways to supplement during dry periods.  Rainwater lacks the chemicals found in treated water.  When you think about this, it is a no-brainer.  Our tap water contains chlorine and fluoride, both meant to kill microorganisms.  That same treated water kills the beneficial microorganisms that plants depend upon for their well being.
Cut down on the size of your lawn.  Add a natural area. Lawns consume tremendous amounts of energy.  First there is the manufacturing of chemical fertilizers, and then the gas and oil to cut the lawn.  Finally we bag up the grass and weeds and send them many miles on a truck to a landfill.  Lawns are a monoculture.  Nature abhors a monoculture.  Landscapes need diversity to be healthy.  Homeowners want deep green lawns when the prevailing grass, St. Augustine, is really a yellow green color.  So high nitrogen fertilizers are over used and the result is a grass that has been pushed to a point of being very weak.  Weak grass blades invite insect and disease.  When these occur, the homeowner reaches for another chemical to kill the disease, which in turn also kills the beneficial microbes that the plants so desperately need.  And the vicious cycle is set into motion, with the winners are the companies that manufacture all these synthetic chemicals.
Do your part to become a savvy gardener this spring.  Be a green gardener and save yourself lots of work and money in the process. 

Candy BowmanFood Recycling: What Do You Think?
By Candy Bowman (February 2009)

      Recently the City of Houston held a contest to find new ideas to make use of the green waste generated by Hurricane Ike.  The statistics are staggering:  the tree and ground debris produced by Hurricane Ike would fill the Astrodome up to the ceiling three times over.  Keep Kingwood Green entered the contest with an idea that involves combining green waste with kitchen waste to make a rich compost that could then be sold to homes and businesses in the Houston area.
      In our proposal, we suggested that the City of Houston set up six composting centers, which would be called “Houston’s Green Machines.” We proposed that one of these would be in the Humble-Kingwood area. It would provide a drop-off site for trucks, which would pick up green waste and kitchen waste from all homes and businesses in our area.  These pick-ups would be scheduled on a regular basis, with special containers or biodegradable bags provided.   At these centers, the green waste would be mixed with fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, and coffee grounds from our kitchens to produce a compost rich in nutrients.
      Currently many of us send our leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen waste to the landfill in plastic bags.  These bags will not decompose for many years, possibly even hundreds of years.   When the yard and kitchen waste inside them does begin to decompose, greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere. 
      If we were to turn this kitchen and yard waste into compost, it would not only help to save our natural resources and recycle them, but it would also save space in the landfill by greatly reducing the amount of trash that we produce from our homes and businesses.
      It has been estimated that Houston recycles only about 3% of its trash at present.  Mayor White has announced that he would like to have that number increase to 30% by next year.  This would be a good way to begin!
      Looking into the future, there may be other options available in kitchen waste recycling.  A new process is being used in some parts of the country in which not only fruit and vegetable scraps, but also meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, bones, rice, beans, pasta, bread, and cheese may be included in the refuse pick-up for composting. 
      In addition to these food items, a new category known as “food-soiled paper” could be added to the kitchen and green waste pick-up.  “Food-soiled paper” may include used napkins, paper towels, paper plates, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, used pizza boxes, wooden crates, and sawdust.  In San Francisco, these items are ground up and added to the compost mixture, further boosting the nutrient content.  The resulting mixture has been called “Four-Course Compost” and is in great demand by the local vineyards.  In Texas, we could call this compost “Houston’s Green Gold.”
      The process by which this new compost is created involves the production of heat and methane gas.  The Jepson Company in San Francisco has tented the composting area in order to harvest the methane gas, which is then used to power the composting facilities.  In the future, they hope to make the extra gas available for sale to utility companies. 
      An added bonus for those participating in the “Clean Plate, Clean Environment Plan” has been a reduction in waste collection fees for both homes and businesses.  Jonathan Cook, supervisor of operations at the Metreon, an entertainment complex  with eight restaurants supplying compost fodder, says “We love the program --- People feel they’re not throwing things out, they’re doing something good for the environment.”  Along with helping the environment, the Metreon restaurants save about $1,600 in garbage pick-up fees every month because of reduced volume.  At present, more than 2,200 restaurant or food businesses and 75,000 households are involved in this program, and San Francisco now recycles 70% of its trash.
      Houston’s Brown Convention Center already is composting much of its “food soiled paper” and cutlery.  They claim that within 45 to 90 days it can be used as soil or compost.  Hopefully their next step will be food waste. 
      While we didn’t win the “Recycle Ike” contest, (first prize went to a group of scientists and students from Rice University!), we feel that the idea of composting centers may be one that would work well for our area, where so much green waste is produced each year.  Many families in Kingwood are already composting their yard and kitchen waste, but for those who cannot and for the restaurants, super markets, and other businesses that produce food waste, this might be a good idea to think about.  It certainly provides some “food for thought”!

Allen RindWhat does it mean to be “green”?
By Allen Rind (January 2009)

To me, it is the way in which we live which is more benefit to the environment than harm.  By looking into every action, the good and bad, minimizing the negative consequence of our actions in our daily life, making truly moral decisions that have a positive impact on the world around us, we can live green.
This is not to say that we need to give up every thing in our lives that impacts the environment in negative ways but to minimize them. I recommend questioning every thing, then taking action to change the world around you. Know that every moment matters.

I’ll begin by looking at what we need to survive.

Water- it is the lifeblood of our world. The ways in which water is brought to you is of huge importance. You may think that water from a bottle is better for you and that it may have little consequence to the world. But if you think about it more broadly you may realize that the bottle may have to travel around the world, using a massive amount of energy to get to your lips. Enormous amounts of energy are used in the production and distribution of water that may be no better for you than simple tap water, perhaps even more harmful than local water.

Food is also essential to our survival, however the food that we consume these days can be very harmful to us. Processed and genetically altered foods not only harm the environment but can be the cause of much of the health problems we face today. Our bodies are designed to process natural foods, but when we introduce foods that are altered we then alter our bodies in unseen and perhaps harmful ways. I tend to live by a few simple rules, which I have picked up while educating myself on the finer points of REAL good food.  Essentially, we need to SLOW Down i.e.: Seasonal foods, Local foods, Organic foods, and very importantly Whole foods.  S.L.O.W. Avoid at all cost, the processed foods!  Not to cause a panic at the disco but this seems like common sense.

The Air we breathe in our home is more toxic than most of us realize. The chemicals we use to “clean” our homes are very toxic and long lasting. I believe in filtered air cleaners for the home. HEPA filters work wonders. We also need to do more outdoor activities where the air is at least circulated. Getting outside leads to my next need.

Exercise is vital to our health; we all know this. By getting the body in motion we can not only get the much-needed blood flowing, but also keep circulation going to help clean out the body in other ways.

Rest is probably the most overlooked need. The only time that the body really recovers is in time of true rest. The body is an amazing tool, which has the capability to function and repair itself to great ends if given the proper tools to do its job. A good sleep system and rest is vital to a healthy lifestyle.

Keep a journal of what you eat. Where you purchase it. What are you throwing out? What is recyclable? Ask the tough questions that matter. Get the answers that work best for the world and you will find out that it may work better for you in return.

Alberto AntenangeliSo… What exactly is “Carbon Exchange?”
By Alberto Antenangeli (October 2008)

I was talking to a friend on our bus ride back home and I was surprised to find out that he didn’t quite understand how Carbon Exchanges work. After explaining it to him, I thought it would be an interesting theme for an article, so here we go…

The idea behind a carbon exchange is to create a marketplace where polluters can “buy” carbon credits to offset their emissions. Bottom line, polluters are buying the right to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide. The buyers on this equation can be large entities, such as governments or corporations, or individuals like you and me.

Why would you do something like that? Basically for two reasons – either because you are forced to, or because you want to.

A corporation or a government may need to buy carbon credits if it pollutes more than an agreed upon emission cap. The flip side of this story is that if that company or government does a good job limiting emissions, those can be sold in the exchange.

An individual may decide to do so to offset his or her own carbon footprint. For example, a few rock bands buy credits to offset their emissions when they go on a tour. And companies like Continental let you buy credits to offset your emissions when you fly with them. You can do that when you buy your ticket online, and they are not expensive at all – a round trip between Houston and New York can become “carbon-free” for a little over $5. Think about it next time you book your flight…

The interesting part of the carbon exchange market is when the money is used to finance projects to reduce carbon emissions and, at the same time, improve the lives of people living in poor countries. One example is more efficient stoves. In poor countries, most of the cooking is done using wood on an open fire. Not only this is inefficient, but the smoke also causes health problems, particularly for children. Through a carbon exchange program, you may help a family get an efficient ecostove, cheap, and locally made, that reduces wood consumption by 50%. Think about it – it’s a double win-win. Other examples include financing of renewable energy projects, such as collection of methane from animal farms, landfills or other industrial waste. Methane has a global warming potential 23 times that of carbon dioxide – instead of letting it go to the atmosphere, why not collect it and use it to produce electricity? Sounds good to me.

How big is the carbon trading market? In 2007, it was $64 billion, $50 billion of which from European countries. Just to give you an idea of its importance, this year carbon trading will likely exceed cotton trading. Unfortunately, as you probably know, the US is not a leader when it comes to emission cap regulations. In my personal opinion, a cap program here would create the incentives to develop new technologies that we could sell to the rest of the world, not to mention the creation of a completely new market place for us.

What can you do? If you feel strongly about capping emissions, there are several climate change bills being discussed in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Write to your representative, and tell him or her what you think.
You can also look for ways to reduce your carbon footprint. If you Google “carbon footprint calculator,” you will find several sites that let you estimate how much you or your household emit, and suggest what you can do to reduce it. I guarantee you will be surprised.

To end on a positive note, many of the things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint will also help you save money.

Candy BowmanGood News About Plastics!
By Candy Bowman (september 2008)

      When Dustin Hoffman’s character in the movie “The Graduate” was unsure of what road to take in life, he was given the advice that the future was in “Plastics.”  That future is here now, and the question may be, “What do we do with them now that we have them?”
The good news is that new ways to recycle plastic are being discovered all the time, and here in Kingwood, we now have the opportunity to recycle not only #1 and #2 plastics, but also  (since July 1st) #3, #4,  #5, and #7.  These items will have a raised or stamped number on the bottom of containers called the resin identification code, which is usually surrounded by a triangular recycling symbol.  If you have as much trouble locating the number as I do, ask you kids or grandchildren.  They seem to spot them much more quickly. 
The next step is to rinse and smash the bigger containers, remove the hard caps, and take them to the Metro Park and Ride lot on the second and fourth weekends of each month to be recycled.  Councilman Mike Sullivan is working hard to obtain recycling every weekend for Kingwood at the Metro lot, which will be a great help to all of us in cleaning out our recycling collection bins at home when they fill up.
Another step forward is the plan by the Humble I.S.D. to place recycling bins for plastic as a test at three schools in the district. With school and community support for plastic recycling, this opportunity can hopefully be extended to other schools in the area so that all children can participate in this effort.  Many children are aware that plastic items may take hundreds of years to biodegrade in our landfills, and are eager to help in the recycling effort.
What do the recycling numbers mean for most of us?  In addition to the plastic milk, water, juice, and soft drink containers that we have been recycling, we can now add plastic bottles, jars, jugs, tubs and flexible lids.  Containers for salad dressing, condiments, cooking oil, sauces, and squeezable bottles and jars may be recycled, too.
Also, we can bring in plastic laundry and dishwashing detergent containers, medicine and mouthwash bottles, and cosmetic and shampoo bottles.  Other acceptable items are cat litter jugs, yogurt containers, butter and margarine tubs, ice cream tubs and lids, and coffee can lids.
Some things that can not be included in this pick-up are:  all #6 plastics, including Styrofoam, packing peanuts, disposable cups, plates, trays, and cutlery, meat and other food trays, and egg cartons.  Any item without a number cannot be recycled. 
Plastic bags are not accepted, but they may be recycled in containers located at the front of many local grocery stores.  Unneeded packaging materials such as packing peanuts may be taken  to most local express mail stores for reuse.
Plastic toys and furniture are not accepted, but can be donated to charitable organizations or advertised on Freecycle. 
What uses have been found for plastics after they are recycled? Plastic lumber has proven to be a sturdy and weather-resistant material for building houses, decks, benches, and tables. Used plastic is also made into garbage cans, playground equipment, and truck cargo liners.  Other uses for recycled plastic are jacket material, buckets, flower pots, highway paving material and even railroad ties.  Bottles can be made into carpeting, and milk jugs may become car bumpers.
Currently only 31 per cent of drink bottles are recycled in this country.  If we can begin to recycle these and the other items now available for recycling, we will not only keep these materials from going to the landfill, but will save the energy and resources that are required to produce them.  There may be a second life in the future for “Plastics” after all!

Brennan CurtisSave the World
By Brennan Curtis - High School Freshman- (August 2008)

      Recycling can help every aspect of your life.  For instance, “if all of our newspapers were recycled, we could save 250,000,000 trees per year!” (Recycling Fun Facts).  Saving trees will help our environment and economy with reusing instead of cutting more trees down.  The popularity of recycling is growing because it saves our natural resources, reduces the landfills, and helps the environment.
The world’s natural resources have a limited supply, and recycling helps extend their supply.  There are numerous ways to conserve our resources.  Used copper pipes and wires can be collected, melted, and remolded into new copper for proper use again.  This process helps save energy by avoiding making copper from scratch in a foundry.  Also, restaurants provide leftover cooking grease for recycling.  The grease is blended into biodiesel fuel for cars and trucks.  This helps expand the amount of diesel fuel in the market.  In fact, cities like Portland, Oregon, have passed laws mandating the use of biodiesel fuel.  Because of the very high cost of copper and diesel fuel, recycling these products is also very cost effective and profitable.  We need to conserve our natural resources before they run out.
Our landfills are massive and filling quickly.  These engineered depressions in the ground are where we hold our trash and have it remain until it decays.  But “just one plastic bottle takes 700 years before it even begins to decompose.” (Recycling Fun Facts).  Soon our cities will be sitting on a dump with leaks taking place that could destroy our homes.  Our air will reek from the rotting garbage and paper.  Recycling is part of the solution.  “75% of every American’s trash is recyclable,” (Recycling Fun Facts).  Recycling is not as widespread or convenient as it should be.  For example, in Kingwood, curbside recycling is only offered for certain products and only one day a week.  Otherwise, residents must transport their recycling materials to a central collection center that is available only two weekends a month.  The government should help make recycling easier for citizens, thereby increasing participation in curbside recycling.  This could make a huge impact on reducing our landfills.
The trash that is filling our landfills is also polluting our land and water.  Litter is killing our environment.  Every year, plastic bags and bottles are “thrown into the ocean and kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures,” (Recycling Fun Facts).  The Pacific Ocean has “a giant field of plastic trash that is twice the size of the continental United States.  This man-made mess is severely affecting the Pacific’s ecosystem.” (Is Plastic Destroying Our Oceans”).  Plastic can be easily recycled and processed into a new element that can be used again.  Some cities have implemented a 5-cent deposit on plastic water bottles to encourage recycling.  The Whole Foods grocery store chain has pledged to stop using plastic shopping bags this year.  Also, parts of cars, electrical components and batteries all contain hazardous materials, which are a major source of pollution when not disposed of properly or recycled.  Recycling may be inconvenient, but it will save our environment for the future.
Recycling can help conserve natural resources, reduce land fill trash, and prevent global pollution.  We all have a crucial role to play.  We must proactively collect our recyclable materials and participate in recycling programs.  The government should increase curbside recycling and encourage other voluntary recycling programs.  Let’s all take part in saving our world by recycling.

Candy BowmanIs Bottled Water Better?
By Candy Bowman (June 2008)

      Bottled or tap water?  Which do you prefer?  Does the current trend toward bottled water result from taste, convenience, or health issues?  Looking into this question, we find that there is much information available that can help us to decide the best alternative for ourselves and our families.
Bottled water producers promote their product as a healthy alternative to soda.  No doubt it is better for people to drink water than soda, and that the trend toward drinking water has been a positive movement in our country.
However, the average American now consumes 166 bottles of water each year, and 8 out of 10 plastic water bottles end up in landfills or incinerators.  It takes approximately 1,000 years for a plastic water bottle to decompose, so those bottles will be there for a long time.
Trucks transport millions of gallons of bottled water a year, which consumes fuel and contributes to air pollution.  Imported brands of water sometimes travel thousands of miles and even across country borders.
To make the water bottles used each year, about 1.5 million barrels of oil, enough to run 100,000 cars for a year are used, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Two gallons of water are wasted in the purification process for each gallon bottled, and millions of gallons are used in the plastic manufacturing process.
If you consider expense to the consumer, most people feel that gasoline is high-priced at $3.00 a gallon.  If you purchase a 20-ounce bottle of water from a vending machine that costs a dollar, you are paying the equivalent of $7.69 a gallon for bottled water. That’s more than the price of gasoline or milk.
Is bottled water better for you to drink than tap water?  It would seem that this is not necessarily true, since the Environmental Protective Agency’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines for bottled water. 
According to Daniel Yeh,  assistant professor of environmental and civil engineering at the University of South Florida, “Tap water is pretty clean as opposed to bottled water.  The quality of bottled water can really vary.  Certain brands could treat it more, some brands less.  And there are some cases where bottled water is really just tap water repackaged.”
In June of 2007, San Francisco joined a growing group of municipalities including Los Angeles and Salt Lake City that have made it illegal to spend city money on bottled water.  Many restaurants have recently switched from bottled water to the local water served in a carafe.
Without question, the trend toward drinking more water has been a boon to the health of Americans in recent times.  Perhaps we can have the best of both worlds by holding on to one of those plastic bottles for a little longer.  We can still take it to work, shopping, workouts, and games, refilling it at home or at water fountains along the way. 
There are worse things than a lonely landfill!

Alberto AntenangeliOne man’s garbage…
By Alberto Antenangeli (May 2008)

It’s time for Spring cleaning, and like many people, you are probably finding things you completely forgot you had – that dusty computer, rags, broken radios… Our first inclination is to simply put all that in the garbage can, and get done and over with it. Ah, that clean garage for sure feels good!
Let’s think about the big picture for a minute – most of us are concerned with our blue planet, how we are using our resources, and what we are giving back in return; however, our industrialized society is based on using energy to transform raw materials in goods that, after some time, are simply thrown away. And we are bombarded every day with messages telling us to buy the latest and greatest car, TV, cell phone, etc. Last year’s computer is never good enough, and the cell phone I just bought has become obsolete: having the new model is a must, not an option.
Before you call me socialist or communist, let me set the record clear by saying that buying new goods certainly helps our economy; however, what you do with the old stuff is what may hurt our planet. If what you don’t need anymore ends up in a landfill, it will likely take a long time to decompose. Recycling certainly represents a step in the right direction, but what to do with things like furniture, computers, TVs, DVD players, and gadgets like that, particularly if they are still in perfectly working condition? Throwing them away represents a waste of not only the raw materials, but also the energy that went into the production of those items. Even if you don’t believe mankind has a hand on global warming, you should think in terms of supply and demand, and reducing demand should help reduce the – very high – energy costs we have been paying lately.
So… Before you simply put stuff in the garbage can, maybe you should remember the old saying – one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.
Most charities accept a variety of items, even rags in case you didn’t know (they sell them for 25 cents a pound). Clothes, electronics, small appliances, furniture – call your charity of choice and ask them. If they don’t accept what you need to get rid of, there is always Freecycle (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humble-KingwoodTXFreecycle/). It is a very simple concept – if you need something, or want to get rid of something, you just announce it on the site. You are not selling or buying anything, just giving it away or getting it for free. You will be surprised with items that people will take from you – old doors, fences, electronics that no longer work, broken fans…
Since I work with software development, I’d like to dedicate the final paragraph of this article to computers. There are several things you can do with your old computer, but simply throwing it away is not a good option. In case you didn’t know, computers are a major source of toxins and carcinogens. On the other hand, many materials used in the production of computers can be successfully recycled. Some computer manufactures will take your old computer back. The Environment Protection Agency web site has abundant information about places where you can take your old computer (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/donate.htm). Finally, you can donate your old but still working computer to a variety of charities, which will give them to poor families or children in a third world country. Just google “computer charity donation” for a list of places that will take it, or check with your computer manufacturer, as a few already have programs in place.

Andy BergmanEmerging Trend:  The Future Value of Buildings will be Dependent on Its Energy Efficiency
By:  Andy Bergman, LEED AP, CSI CDT, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Air Zone International (April 2008)


Public, private, government and nonprofit building owners take notice:  The value of your investment is likely to be significantly impacted in the near future because of increasing energy costs, mounting environmental pressures and a chain of events occurring at our local, state and national government.  With Congress exploring methods to reduce carbon emissions through either a cap and trade system or a carbon tax, energy providers will be faced with the challenge of upgrading to cleaner burning technologies, instituting demand reduction programs and utilizing open-market carbon financial instrument contracts.  Although a carbon cap and trade system is not yet established in the United States, the Chicago Climate Exchange was formed in anticipation of the demand to trade carbon and is based on the system already in place in the European Union.
In any event, energy providers will need to act and a demand reduction program will be aimed at all types of buildings, which consume almost 35 percent of the nation’s electricity; second only behind residential homes at 36 percent. Indeed many recent programs have been aimed at reducing electricity demand including Earth Hour – which occurred on March 29th in cities throughout the world where buildings and homes went “dark” for one hour.
Of all building types commercial office buildings consume the most energy at 22% and these owners will quickly become the primary target for demand reduction.  Under this scenario, power companies could offer financial rebates for energy efficient buildings and impose an “energy tax” for those properties exceeding a predetermined energy per square foot commitment.  By any account, the future of business energy contracts is destined to be entirely different than it is today.
This change will create certain winners, including green buildings and purchasers of renewable energy sources.  New green buildings are commonplace in Houston now where over 75% of the new office space under construction is committed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.  These green buildings typically use 25%-35% less energy than buildings constructed just 10 years ago.  Still, it is existing buildings that represent almost  98% of the building stock (only 2% is new construction) as these buildings consume the most energy and it is this area where we need to focus our energy reduction efforts.
Critics’ site that building owners will never spend money to upgrade their buildings unless it is immediately prior to a major tenant lease renewal.  However, when the following tipping points are considered, those who do nothing and ignore critical factors may come to regret this decision.
Increasing energy costs will cause tenants and building owners to pay more consideration to operating costs than ever before.  Newer green buildings certified to LEED requirements have lower operating costs.  Buildings constructed during the 1980’s era are the most energy inefficient of any era in the last 40 years.
Mounting corporate sentiment towards environmental stewardship appears in every annual report.  Firms of all types want their employees to work in healthy, productive environments and in green buildings – this includes children in our schools!
Initiating carbon taxes is a real possibility for high-energy consuming buildings.  Energy usage taxes and other penalties are a consideration as pressure mounts on coal-fired energy providers.
Unsettled Wall Street REITs will begin to see the energy and global warming question as a major uncertainty.  Managers will look to unload inefficient buildings in their portfolio before the building’s value declines relative to the market.
Intensifying public attitude towards reducing global climate change will be a significant factor in the upcoming political elections.
Commercial brokers and real estate portfolio managers that fail to see this emerging trend will risk their clients asking them five years from now why they didn’t see this coming.
How can building owners prepare?  The good news is that new technologies exist for retro-fitting buildings of all types to reduce energy consumption.  Reflective and green roofs, photo-voltaic (solar) panels, lighting controls, under-floor HVAC systems, window film, chiller efficiencies and better control systems are all technologies with attractive returns on investment.  The bottom line is that this emerging trend will create opportunities and introduce new risks for the real estate market now and well into the future.

Alberto AntenangeliWater conservation – why should you bother?
By Alberto Antenangeli (March 2008)

It was a dark and rainy evening, and I was driving back home from the Park & Ride lot when something caught my attention: despite the fact that it had been raining pretty hard all day long, there were quite a few homes with sprinklers running full throttle, watering a completely saturated soil. I found it interesting that people miss the opportunity to save a few bucks on their water bill, but I also started to think if there were other reasons to turn off your sprinklers when it is raining. I did some research, and if saving money is not a good enough reason for you, maybe the rest of this article will convince you.
Although roughly 2/3 of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, very little of it is actually fit for human use: only 1%. In fact, as Fortune magazine says: "Water promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century: The precious commodity that determines the wealth of nations." In America we take for granted that all we need to do is to turn the faucet, and water flows. However, we need to keep two things in mind – first, the supply of fresh water is decreasing, and our population is increasing. Second, much of our water-related infrastructure has been in place since the Second World War, and many systems across the US are in disrepair. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that over the next two decades, it will take $1 trillion to repair or replace these worn out pipes.
So, as responsible citizens, what can we do? The answer is simple – water conservation is the most effective way to help. As a side effect of reducing our water consumption, we also reduce our energy demands, since it takes energy to treat and pump water. And reducing energy consumption, in turn, helps reduce our water consumption, as electricity production from fossil fuels and nuclear energy is responsible for 39% of all freshwater withdrawals in the nation. You see, it is a win-win situation.
Water conservation simply requires common sense, and here are some tips for you:
If it is raining, or if there is rain in the forecast, you may want to turn your sprinkler off. If you step on your lawn and the grass springs back when you lift your foot, it doesn’t need water. Use that to gauge how often you need to water your lawn. Also, make sure the heads of your sprinkler system are watering the lawn, not the street… You may be able to save 750 to 1,500 gallons a month.
Fix leaks on your faucets and plumbing. That’s about 20 gallons a month for each leak you fix.
Don’t run the hose while washing your car, use it only when you need it. That’s 150 gallons every time.
Install water-saving shower heads and save up to 800 gallons every month.
Make sure your washing machine and your dishwasher have a full load, and save up to another 800 gallons a month.
Your toilette is not a wastebasket… Also consider replacing it with an ultra-low flush one. You do your own math on this one…
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving. 3 gallons each time.
Keep a bottle of cold water in the refrigerator, so you don’t have to run the tap water to cool it off. On a side note, stop buying bottled water – you can achieve the same results with a good water filter, while helping reduce plastic consumption.
One quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water, eliminating that much from our water supply. Dispose of your hazardous waste properly!
You may be amazed by this, but not wasting food is also a way to help save water. For example, to produce 1 lb of steak requires 2,500 gallons of water; 1lb of bread, 500 gallons; 1 lb of chicken, 660 gallons; 1 egg, 100 gallons. A typical Thanksgiving dinner for 6 people requires 30,000 gallons of water. A quick statistic for you – America throws away enough food to feed the entire population of Canada. But this may be a theme for another article…

Candy BowmanWhat Can One Person Do?
By Candy Bowman (Feb 2008)

When we consider the constant stream of bad news concerning the environment, it can be a little overwhelming.  Huge landfills, recurring drought, rising energy costs, toxic chemicals, and threats of flooding all seem too large to solve by ourselves.  However, the truth is that one person can make a big difference by taking a few simple steps.  Here are some ideas to try in the New Year that will not only help the environment but may also save time and money.

  1. Replace the incandescent bulbs in your home with fluorescent bulbs.  Compact fluorescent bulbs use only one quarter of the electricity and last several years longer than incandescent bulbs.  Each bulb you replace will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere each year.
  2. Make it a goal this year to use the Recycling Center at the Metro lot in Kingwood on the second and fourth weekends of each month, where you can recycle paper, plastic, metal cans, and glass.  H.E.B. has placed recycling containers in Kingwood near their store, making it easy to take your items in to recycle when you shop.  Most of our local schools have paper recycling bins which are accessible around the clock.  Why bring these items in?  For every ton of paper that is recycled, 7000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil, and enough electricity to power an average house for six months is saved. Last year, Americans recycled 42 million tons of paper, 50% of what they used. Since 900 million trees are used for pulp and paper each year, many more trees could be saved by dropping those papers off.   By recycling one aluminum can, you can run a TV for 6 hours on the amount of electricity saved.  Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours. Every time you recycle an item, you are making a difference!
  3. Turning off lights and appliances not in use is a good way to save energy, too.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a computer which is used four hours a day and turned off the rest of the time would save you about $70.00 a year compared to one that is left on 24 hours a day.  The carbon impact would be reduced by 83% to just 63 kilograms per year.  Apparently a screen saver is not an energy saver.
  4. On the same line of thought, if you are in need of new appliances, look for the Energy Star label.  Energy Star is a rating system sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Placing these energy-saving appliances in your home can cut your utility bill by as much as 30%, according to Time magazine.
  5. Bring your own bags to the grocery store.  I confess to not having made this switch yet, but I am going to try it this week.  Why would this help?  Paper bags use up trees, and plastic bags cost the stores more money, which translates into higher costs for all of us.  Also, 500 billion plastic bags are distributed every year with less than 3% being recycled.  These bags are usually made of polyethylene, and can last up to 1000 years in our landfills.  The Sierra Club notes that in New York City alone, one less grocery bag per person per year would reduce waste by five million pounds and save $250,000 in disposal costs.  If you do use the plastic bags at the grocery store, try to reuse them again at home or take them back to the store’s recycling area.
  6. Start a compost pile this year.  Special compost containers are now available at many local hardware stores, along with the material that is sprinkled on top to help break it down into soil.  Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and egg shells make excellent compost, and will greatly reduce your kitchen garbage.  When the time comes to plant new pots of flowers in the spring, you’ll have all the soil you need.
  7. Are you cleaning out the unused items in your house this time of year? Consider donating them to a charity that will give them another life.  Many organizations will pick up items at your door, or you can drop them off at Good Will, Society of St. Stephens, Purple Heart, HAAM, Family Time, Animal Care, and others locally.  Another possibility is to list your items on Freecycle, where people connect with others who are in need of the items that would otherwise be thrown away.  Go to www.freecycle.org to find out about the Humble-Kingwood Freecycle group.
  8. Do your books seem to multiply all by themselves like ours?  I love books, but I sometimes wonder where this many books could possibly have come from.  Our wonderful Kingwood Library comes to the rescue with a used book sale organized by the F.O.L.K. group four times a year.  Your books can help out the library while you clean out your house. 
  9. Have you noticed the proliferation of bikes in Kingwood recently?  We have some of the best trails in the country, all of which connect up with our shopping areas.  Biking or walking to the store or to visit friends is a great way to save money on gas and fight pollution, too.  For every mile you don’t drive, there will be one pound less of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
  10. If possible, it’s a great idea to ride the Metro bus downtown.  They are clean and quiet, providing a nice time for a nap or the newspaper.  If you drive your car to work, carpooling saves a lot of energy.  According to Time, transportation is responsible for 30% of U.S. carbon emissions.  Public transit  saves an estimated 1.4 billion gallons of gas each year, which accounts for a savings of 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide.

      A Native American proverb says that “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”  If we each do our part, the earth will be a better place for the generations to come.  Small changes in our lifestyles can make a big difference, and one person can help tremendously to change things for the better.  Now, let me find those cloth shopping bags for the grocery store.

Hal OppermanWhy Should I Recycle My Green Waste?
By Hal Opperman (January 2008)

It is the beginning of winter in Houston.  If we are lucky we will have a month or two that we do not have to cut our grass.  Unfortunately, if we want to keep our properties looking sharp, we do need to continue to clean up the leaves and pine needles that seem to fall all winter long.  Here is a novel idea!  This winter, instead of raking, consider picking them up with your mulching mower.  The action of the mower will chop them into much smaller pieces which you can then use as a mulch or cover under trees, shrubs, or in your flower beds.  If you don’t like that look and insist on covering every square inch of your property with pine bark mulch, consider saving these mulched up leaves and needles in plastic bags behind your garage until you are ready to mulch. Then spread the needles and leaves prior to covering with the pine bark mulch.  You will be saving all the nutrients that you paid dearly for just a few months ago. With the action of millions of microorganisms, by this time next year, your green waste will have become part of your soil.  

At Keep Kingwood Green, we are all about helping you to find ways to reuse and recycle.  I know that your trash service probably charges the same if you put out one bag of trash per week or twenty.  But, please remember that some day the landfill on Atascocita Road will be full.  When that happens, none of us will want a new landfill close by.  As the distance increases to a new site, we all will have to pay more and it will require more precious fuels to make those longer trips.  Eventually it will cost you more. 

Another advantage to reusing and recycling your green waste on your own property is that you will, over time, find that the health of your plants and trees improves.  As you build rich organic soil in your beds and around your trees, you will see many common plant diseases disappear. Organic gardeners will tell you that after nature has a chance to take back control of a piece of property many of the urban plant problems that require one chemical application after another disappear.  Remember, once ecosystems have been destroyed they will not return overnight.  It does take patience, but it is worth starting now! 

All of us who live in Kingwood pay more for our water than we would like. Consider that a heavy layer of mulch and rich soils will allow you to use less irrigation water and still have an attractive landscape.  While we are talking about water, consider putting a rain barrel or stock tank somewhere in your yard to catch water from your roof.   With a small watering can, you will be able to use fresh rainwater on all your potted plants and on smaller flowerbeds.  Not only is the non-chlorinated water better for plants, but my wife, Gudrun, even says she finds relaxation in the act of tending her plants in this way. And, with the addition of a biological control called Mosquito Dunk, available at places like Alspaugh’s Ace Hardware, you will not have to worry about breeding pesky mosquitoes in your rainwater. 

A compost bin is a must for every organic gardener.  You can build one out of a few fence posts and some screening for less than $25 or you can buy a really fancy one that rotates and promises to make compost in just 14 days.  Other pre-made plastic bins are available starting at about $75. There is a real science to making good compost and while everything organic becomes compost eventually, you may want to do a little research before you start, so that you don’t make too many mistakes.  Check out the composting tab at www.keepkingwoodgreen.org. for tips and techniques. While there, check out the attractive bin that a Kings Point family built in their back yard.  If you want to look at a working compost heap, stop by the Oak Forest Elementary school in Kingwood Glen (across from Walmart on 1960).  The bins are by the vegetable gardens on the south side of the building.  There the school recycles all green waste by using mulching mowers and collecting fruit and vegetable scraps from the cafeteria.

Finally, after your holiday celebrations this month, do flatten your cardboard boxes and recycle them at the Park & Ride bins or at one of the convenient Abitibi bins placed all over the community.  Please do flatten the boxes though as making Abitibi haul bins full of air back to their facility is a real waste of fuel. This is a form of Green recycling, too.  It takes lots of trees to make all those boxes you see sitting along the curb waiting for the trash truck pick up and bury in the landfill. 

Please remember to Keep Kingwood Green this holiday season and all through 2008.

Brian SmaefskyGet Involved: Do Not be an Invisible Citizen
By Dr. Brian Smaefsky (November 2007)

More and more municipalities across the United State are trying to solicit from its citizens any serious public concerns about environmental quality for their regions. However, this interest is not always apparent when cities and counties in Texas host public forums. Usually, only a handful of people show up. It is usually the same people who come to every environmental quality meeting.

This lack of attendance unfortunately sends a variety of signals to the policy makers: people are not too concerned about environmental quality: people are happy with the environmental quality in their region; people are somewhat concerned, but, it is low on their list of priorities; people are moderately concerned, but, do not care to follow up on their convictions.  For the most part in Texas politics, this apathy is interpreted as “environmental quality is not the greatest concern for Texans.”

Politicians and public officials truly value the input of local citizens when discussing policies concerning environmental quality. But, there is a major limitation to how the public “should” be heard. Many legislators have grown somewhat “hard of hearing” to the large environmental organizations who regularly lobby and petition politicians and public officials. They usually view these groups as representing the fringe of the population.

People are best heard when their concerns are aired at public information meetings and made known by directly commenting through individual letters and e-mail.  On September 7, the Harris County Public Heath & Environmental Services agency (HCPHES) held an important stakeholders meeting at the East Harris County Community Center in Pasadena. The meeting was held to bring together people who wanted to improve the environmental quality of Harris County.  As expected, few people attended and many of those at the meeting knew each other from their involvement in other related meetings.

This group of people, however, did a good job representing the concerns of Harris County residents. They helped the HCPHES prioritize the concerns residents have about air quality, hazardous wastes, water quality, and other concerns.  Several people brought up serious environment issues that were unknown to others. The discussions at this meeting are not intended to end up in a filing cabinet for “later consideration”. These concerns are hopefully going to be turned into an action plan funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA grant program is called Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE).  CARE grants are designed to help communities assess local environmental concerns and risks. It also funds a major plan the take action in reducing the risk through a variety of methods ranging from educational programs to remediation projects. Many communities across the United States already developed success plans. These plans were guided by concerned citizens who refused to be invisible; they were willing to learn the issues and take appropriate actions.

Hopefully, the HCPHES will get enough continued citizen involvement to prepare a program for potential funding.  Harris County residents need to be part of the planning. Other stakeholders such as industry representatives and environmental organizations are taking on energetic roles in directing the nature of the grant. Individual citizen voices are needed to balance the representation.  They are also needed to show Texas and the EPA that people are truly concerned and want to make improvements in environmental quality.

There are many resources available for learning about the environmental issues in our area.  In addition, public meetings that solicit community involvement regularly take place throughout the Houston metropolitan area. Find some time to “surf” the websites provided below; they provide many opportunities to citizen invisibility on environmental quality.

The following organizations represent some of the groups that provide direct access to policymakers in the Houston metropolitan region. Plus, they sponsor forums for gathering community input and educating the public about environmental issues. Some good websites include:

Citizens Environmental Coalition: CEC is an information clearinghouse and communications network for environmental issues in the Houston / Galveston, Texas, area. http://www.cechouston.org/
Galveston Bay Foundation: GBF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserve, protect and enhance Galveston Bay. http://www.galvbay.org/
Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services. HCPHES is an organization that promotes a healthy and safe Community and is involved in preventing illness and injury due to a variety of factors. http://www.hcphes.org/
Houston Advanced Research Center: HARC, based in The Woodlands, is dedicated to improving human and ecosystem well-being through the application of sustainability science and principles of sustainable development.  http://www.harc.edu/
Houston-Galveston Area Council: HGAC is a region-wide voluntary association of local governments and local elected officials in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning region of Texas. http://www.h-gac.com/

Of course, also visit the Keep Kingwood Green website to learn about local happenings.

Alberto AntenangeliWind energy anyone?
By Alberto Antenangeli (October 2007)

When we moved to Kingwood a few years ago, we were nicely surprised by the fact that we could actually choose from whom to buy our electricity. Like most people, we started to compare based on cost; however, once we came across Green Mountain Energy, the choice was very easy – forget the price, 100% wind-based energy is what we picked.
Before you ask, no, I don’t work for Green Mountain, nor do I get any kind of incentive to promote their product.
Back to wind – as a general rule, any place where average wind speed is 10 miles per hour or higher is a potential site for a wind farm. The power in the wind can be extracted by allowing it to blow past moving wings that exert torque on a rotor. The power generated is proportional to the density of the air, the speed of the wind, and the area covered by the wings. From a practical perspective, other factors need to be taken in account, such as how constant the wind flow is throughout the year, turbulence, and, of course, proximity to local demand or transmission capacity. Good sites can be spotted by looking at the local vegetation – whenever you see trees or plants that are permanently deformed by winds, this may be a good place for a wind farm.
2006 studies put the cost of producing electricity from wind very close to coal and natural gas - $55.80, $53.10 and $52.50 per MWh, respectively. Thanks to improvements in technology, wind energy production costs one fifth of what it did 25 years ago, and the expectation is that it should continue to go down as more large turbines are mass produced.
Wind power is still in its infancy, representing only 1% of the total world electricity production. Germany, Spain, United States, India and Denmark are the leaders, with Germany being the top producer, with 32% of the total world capacity. Although only 5th in total installed wind power capacity, Denmark generates 20% of its electricity from wind, with a commitment of eventually producing half of its power by wind.
The United States ranks 3rd in wind power production, with close to 12,000 MW of installed capacity, but unfortunately this is but a speck on our total electricity production. However, the potential is huge – the US Department of Energy studies concluded that wind harvested in only 3 of our 50 states could provide enough electricity to power our entire nation.
Practically speaking, we cannot expect to produce all our electricity from wind – there are several aspects that need to be taken in account, such as intermittency – the wind blows when it blows, not when we want it to blow… Again, technology may provide an answer, with research being conducted on ways to store energy to provide a more constant flow.
Is it worth it? The answer is yes, from two different reasons.
First of all, wind power is clean – it produces no pollutants and no carbon dioxide. And there is no dangerous waste to be disposed as a byproduct, like nuclear plants have.
Second, once a wind turbine is installed, the marginal cost of producing electricity is close to zero, since no fuel is required. Most of the cost associated with wind power is, in fact, the cost of the capital necessary to build the wind farms.
Some people are against wind farms because of noise, safety, or aesthetic reasons. Well, improvements in blade and gear design have reached a point where a normal conversation can be carried underneath a turbine. As for safety, the British Wind and Energy Association has said that in over 20 years of operation and more than 50,000 machines installed all around the world, not a single accident has been recorded. Finally, if your concern is aesthetic – have you ever been close to a coal plant?
If you ask me, the slightly higher price I pay for my electricity is well worth it – I know I’m leaving a cleaner planet for my kids and grandkids, and boy, it feels good…

Alberto AntenangeliEthanol – viable or not?
By Alberto Antenangeli (September 2007)

The energy necessary to grow, harvest, produce and distribute corn-ethanol is greater than the energy yielded by the ethanol itself; therefore, ethanol is not a viable source of energy, and it shouldn’t be considered as a replacement for gas.
True or false?
False.
Vocal critics of ethanol as an alternative source of energy (like David Pimentel from Cornell University) assure that it takes more energy to grow corn and produce ethanol from it than what goes into the ethanol. However, the data used on those claims is fairly old, and it takes in account neither the latest advancements in efficiency, nor the energy value of the animal feed co-products. According to the US Department of Energy, latest studies show that the energy balance is, in fact, 60% positive. In other words, you get 60% more energy from corn-ethanol than you spend producing it.
Is that good or bad? Compared to gasoline, it doesn’t look good – with gasoline, you get 6 times the amount of energy. However, let’s have a look at a very successful implementation of renewable energy – Brazil.
In the late 70s, the Brazilian government decided to invest heavily on a replacement for gasoline, and that’s how the “Pro-Alcohol” program came to existence. The program today is a complete success – all new cars in Brazil are “flex fuel”, i.e., they accept gas, ethanol, or any mixture of both. Bear in mind that Ford and GM are producing those cars in Brazil, so there is nothing new behind this technology. People there fill up with whatever is cheaper at the time – gas or ethanol. Thanks to ethanol, Brazil is energy independent.
How about the energy balance? Brazil uses sugar cane, with a very positive energy balance – 8 to 10 times. This didn’t come for free, though: Brazil had to climb a steep learning curve to get there, and be creative in the process. For example, distilleries there burn the bagasse to produce energy, and use other by-products to fertilize the next crop. Interestingly enough, Brazil in the late 70s was pretty much where we are today with corn-ethanol – they started with a very narrow energy balance.
Of course, we cannot grow sugar cane in large proportions in the continental US. However, there is much research going on around the use of cellulose to produce ethanol. Initial studies show an energy balance for cellulosic ethanol of around 2 to 3 times, and that will probably improve as result of additional research. Think about it – we will be able to produce fuel out of leaves, grass, stalks, yard waste…
So, where is this additional energy coming from? Well, from the sun: that’s what plants do for a living – they convert solar energy into other forms of energy. Even better, they use carbon dioxide in the process, cleaning the byproducts of burning the fuel they will produce. Not to mention that ethanol burns with a much nicer smell when compared to gas.
Raymond Kurzweil has postulated the “Law of Accelerating Returns” – it basically states that whenever a technology approaches some kind of a barrier, a new technology will be invented to allow us to cross that barrier. He predicts that such paradigm shifts will become more and more common as time goes on. Computers are a very good example of this law, packing in a handheld device today the same power of a mainframe of a few years ago.
Ethanol may be just at this crossing point, just waiting for a new technology – be it cellulose, genetically modified plants, or something completely new and creative.
Wouldn’t it be nice to declare energy independence, and simply harvest our own fuel? Just think about it.
Alberto Antenangeli is a Kingwood Green member. For more information, visit www.kingwoodgreeninfo.org

Alberto AntenangeliRenewable Energy – hype and reality
By Alberto Antenangeli (August 2007)

Much discussion has been going on lately around whether renewable energy is a viable option. The hottest topic by far seems to be the use of ethanol as a replacement for gas, but solar and wind are also getting some attention.
There is definitely some hype around the subject, and definitely some exaggeration around the current technology we have available in the US. However, much progress has been made lately, and we may be nearing the tipping point that will make them viable in a not so distant future. So, if you are ready, let’s take a tour and learn more about them.
Since there is more to be said (or written) about the different alternatives than we can cover in our limited space, let’s take a high-level view of what’s available today, leaving the details for upcoming articles.
To make sure we are on the same page, perhaps we should define what renewable energy is – according to the US Department of Energy, it is “energy derived from resources that are regenerative or for all practical purposes cannot be depleted.” From this perspective, they are fundamentally different from fossil fuels.
Water, wind and solar are the most commonly used forms of renewable energy in the US, as they are economically viable. If you haven’t noticed yet, some of the newer traffic signs have a solar panel to power them. You can also use the sun to heat the water at your home. Hydroelectric plants have been around for quite some time, and wind-generated electricity is available in Kingwood through Green Mountain Energy.
However, this is only part of the story. Biofuels – any type of fuel derived from living organisms – are getting much attention lately, with Brazil having the lead on the use of ethanol as an energy-efficient direct replacement for gasoline. All new cars in Brazil are “flex fuel”, i.e., they accept gas, ethanol, or a combination of both, and people fill up with whichever is cheapest. Brazil is also keen on researching a bio-replacement for diesel.
Biogas is also another interesting source of renewable energy, particularly because of its source – sewage, paper byproducts, animal waste, etc.: all those products ferment naturally producing methane. Regular household garbage can be processed as well to produce methane. Regardless of its source, the methane can be upgraded to a quality similar to regular natural gas, and distributed in the same grids.
Waves are another renewable source of energy – ocean surface waves generate enough energy to do useful work, such as generating electricity, pumping water to reservoirs, or desalinizing water. Portugal has the first commercial wave park, operational since 2006. Note that wave power is different than tidal power – the latter captures water in a basin during high tides, discharging it through turbines during low tides to generate electricity.
Although not strictly renewable, geothermal energy is another source of clean energy, basically tapping energy from the core of the earth, which is warmer than its surface. It is not renewable since, after a few decades, the ground naturally cools down. It is also restricted to some areas where the geothermal energy from the core of the Earth is closer to the surface – places like Yellowstone, for example. Doesn’t sound feasible? In Iceland 86% of the houses were heated in the year 2000 through geothermal energy. The hot steam from the ground can also be used to power turbines that generate electricity.
The largest criticism around some of those sources of energy is their intermittency – for example, wind turbines only generate about 1/3 of their capacity due to variations of wind speeds and, of course, if there is no wind, there is no energy. However, this problem can be minimized through the use of a variety of different sources and through storage of energy. Another criticism, particularly around ethanol, is whether they have a positive balance of energy. As we will see, positive balance is achievable with all of them. In addition, the prospect of achieving total energy independence in a not so distant future is very enticing, and we cannot ignore it.
We only skimmed the surface of this fascinating subject. As mentioned, we will cover each one of them in detail in upcoming columns, so stay tuned!

Gudrun OppermanDo you Have Dirt or Soil?
By Gudrun Opperman (July 2007)

You’ve done the spring chores in the yard like fertilizing the grass, treated the yard for weeds, a variety of fungus problems and vicious attacks by a myriad of insects.  Now you can sit back and relax knowing that you have done what is best for your little corner of he world.   But for only one problem, you’ll have to go through the whole drill again, next season.  You are stuck in a vicious cycle!  Let me introduce you to a relatively new concept, now espoused by the USDA, which will get you out of this non-ending cycle of disease and insect problems.  This concept relates to the biological profile of soils, called the soil food web.  What does all this have to do with recycling?  Well, I’ll get to that.

Building a healthy soil is the key to healthy plants.  Plants will resist diseases and attacks by insects if grown in healthy soil.  Remember to feed your soil, and it will feed your plants.
If you consider the biological profile of soils, healthy soil would have over 6 trillion organisms per pound in it, versus most of our urban soils, which typically have only a few million microbes, if any, in it.  The lack of these organisms in our landscapes can be due to various reasons, from mismanagement, over use of toxic chemicals, chlorinated irrigation water, artificial fertilizers, and so on.

Over the last 50 years disturbing trends in agriculture and horticulture have been documented worldwide.  It has been documented that plants growing in natural soils (ones not disturbed by urbanization) do not have the disease and insect problems that plants grown in urban soils suffer.  As more chemicals were applied, the worse the problems became.  These problems increased dramatically after WW II when the factories that made ammonium nitrate for explosives turned to making artificial nitrogen fertilizer.  These large companies mount huge advertising campaigns to get consumers to purchase the artificial fertilizers they produce.  Artificial fertilizers are quick-fix, junk food for plants, but they kill microbes that prevent soil diseases.  Since these fertilizers are also water soluble, they pollute our groundwater, lakes and streams.  Other troubling trends have emerged as well that are even more ominous.

As a result the USDA started looking at why this was occurring.  In 2001 they released a new model of soil fertility and management.  This model is called the “Soil Food Web”.  It is based on the biological makeup of the soil, rather than its chemical and physical properties.  It is focused on our understanding why problems occur, and preventing these problems rather than treating them with dangerous chemicals.  The model explains why good compost works so well, and why compost-teas work better than most fungicides and at a lower cost.  Also, it explains why some mulch types increase problems while other types prevent them.

There are seven major benefits to having a healthy functioning soil food web.  These include disease suppression in plants, improved nutrient retention in the soil, mineralization of nutrients to make them available to plants, improvement of soil structure, decomposition of toxic materials, production of plant growth promoting compounds, and improvement of plant quality, including flavor, nutrients and yield of crops.  You can go to www.soilfoodweb.com or http://soils.usda.gov for further reading.

Now for the link to recycling.  Quit bagging your grass.  Mulch it!  If you bag it, use it in your compost pile.  You do have a compost pile, don’t you?  Hopefully you are not one of these people who have ten bags of leaves and grass out for the trash pick-up every week.  Compost is the best thing that you can do for your garden and for reducing waste going into our over-burdened landfills.  Also, the best mulch you can use is the shredded tree trimmings, pine needles, or shredded leaves from your own neck of the woods.  If you throw these in the landfill, you are losing all the rich nutrients these plants have taken from the soil around you.  Any tree trimmer will gladly leave these for you if asked.

OK, no more excuses.  Turn your dirt into soil!  You can make a difference by recycling your green waste and in the process enrich your soil. See “how to” information on www.keepkingwoodgreen.org and click on composting.  Your plants will need to be watered less, they will be sturdier and will resist diseases and attacks by insect pests.  And, the biggest incentive is that it will cost you less money to garden.

Alberto AntenangeliTired of traffic on 59? Read on…
By Alberto Antenangeli (June 2007)

It was one of those dark, cold and rainy December mornings, and I was exercising my patience driving to work. Like everybody around me, I was sitting in my car, listening to the radio, and wondering whether there was an accident on 59, since we were barely moving. My fate was sealed by the message “Drive time to 610 – 29 min at 7:16AM” on the display by beltway 8.
Since the traffic was bumper-to-bumper, the guy behind me decided to write what seemed to be Christmas cards to save some time. Needless to say, he nearly hit me at one point, but since persistence is a virtue, that didn’t stop him. Oh, dear… Better switch lanes…
At that point, bus 255 passed by me on the HOV lane, sailing smoothly downtown. It was an epiphany to me – and the first thing I did after arriving at the office was to obtain additional information about the bus service between Kingwood and downtown. That very same day, I stopped at the supermarket and bought a metro pass. I have been riding the bus for a few years now.
I live in Fosters Mill, and my commute time is about the same, whether I drive or ride. However, time is not the only important factor – there are several others.
For example, my commute time is now consistent, rain or shine. Unless there is an accident on Kingwood Drive, I know exactly when I’m getting to the office or back home. Having someone doing the driving for me also helped reduce my stress level. While on the bus, I read, listen to the news, catch up on email, or simply take a nice nap when I’m tired. Also, I feel much safer on the bus, and I’m not concerned about people writing cards, shaving, or touching up make up while driving.
Want more? I work in the heart of downtown, and the closest bus stop is only a couple of blocks from the office. However, after some time, I started to get off the bus a few blocks earlier and walk. I kept adding to that walk, and today, I get off by the Minute Maid Park, and take a brisk walk of about a mile or so every day. It doesn’t sound much, but it is an exercise routine I can stick to, and – trust me – it made a huge difference for me.
It doesn’t stop there. Like most people in Kingwood, my commute was a little shy of 30 miles each way, which roughly translated to 3 gallons of gas - $6 during the good times, $9 during the bad ones. On top of that, add $5 a day for parking. If you include the normal wearing of the car, tires, oil changes, etc., I can conservatively say I was spending around $13 a day. The bus is $3.50 each way, but if you buy a stored pass, you get a discount, so each trip costs about $2.75. My company (and most others) offer some sort of incentive to ride the bus. In my case, 10%, which brings the cost down to around $2.50. But it doesn’t stop there – since I pay for the pass pre-tax, my total cost ends up being $2.00 each way. Bottom line, I save $2,000 a year by riding the bus.
Still not convinced? You probably heard the expression “Carbon Footprint” already. It basically measures the amount of CO2 a household emits resulting from combustion of fossil fuels. Regardless of whether you believe in global warming or not, at the end of the day, the CO2 you emit needs to be cleaned up to keep things in balance. I suggest you search for “Carbon Footprint Calculator” using your preferred search engine, and compare how taking the bus can positively affect your footprint. In my case, since we use wind-generated electricity by Green Mountain Energy, the improvement was astonishing – my footprint dropped 90%.
Shall we recap? Since I started riding the bus, I’ve been saving $2,000 a year, my stress level went down, I feel safer, my commute time is consistent, I have an exercise routine I can stick to, and I’m contributing to a cleaner air. I don’t know what you think, but it is a no-brainer to me. To take the first step like I did, simply visit www.ridemetro.org.

Hal OppermanGreen Waste
By Hal Opperman (May 2007)

Almost daily from the news media, we hear about global warming, pollution, increasing commodity prices due to shortages, and environmental problems.  You say to yourself that someone ought to do something about these situations. Here are two small ways you can do your part to be that someone. 

Many of us moved to Kingwood and the Lake Houston Area for the large well-manicured lawns, landscapes, and the forest.  We all know that the forest is disappearing quickly but did you know that according to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, each year Texans send four million tons of yard trimmings including grass, leaves, weeds, limbs, and other organic materials to landfills.  The estimated cost to Texans, $250,000,000 yearly.  As landfills fill up and new ones such as the one in east Montgomery County are opposed by nearby residents, there is a better way. 

How many times have you cut your grass and hauled bags of mown grass out to the curb or left them with your trash for pick up?  Maybe your lawn service does it for you. How many times have you raked up your leaves or cut your plants down and bagged them for trash pick up? Again, maybe your lawn service does it for you. 

We live in an affluent community in an affluent country.  We can afford expensive lawn and landscaping services or if we are “do it yourselfers”, we can afford expensive lawn mowing equipment.  Unfortunately we do not always make wise decisions how we use these resources.

The Texas Agricultural Extension Service urges that you consider using “The Don’t Bag It Program”.  The first step you can take is to insist that your lawn service mulches your grass and leaves to the extent they can (or do it yourself).  Today, almost all lawn equipment is built with mulching capabilities.  By mulching your grass and leaves back into the yard you save on water, fertilizer, landfill space, and the energy it takes to transport these items to the landfill.  A mulched lawn is healthier in the long run and requires fewer chemical alternatives to fight diseases and weeds. So, you also save money and pollute the ground water and rivers less with fewer chemicals. Obviously there are times when you can’t mulch everything, so that leads to the next step.

Start a composting area in your yard.  Behind or beside the garage seems to be a favorite place for this operation, although I have seen attractive compost piles hidden away in other places.   With a large back yard, you may want to build an enclosed area where you can segregate this activity and store some of your lawn supplies and equipment.  And, a real composter will tell you that you really need two or three compost heaps to do it right. 

Everything organic composts eventually.  The function of the compost pile is to speed up that process so your organic waste can be quickly returned to your flower or vegetable beds or placed around shrubs and trees as a valuable soil nutrient or mulch.

The compost heap can be as simple as a small wire enclosure held up by a few steel posts or it can be an expensive or moderately priced store or catalog bought tumbler that promises to turn out compost in 14 days.  Mercer Arboretum has a display of various types of composting contraptions for your inspection. Typically, the more you pay the neater the device and the faster the results.

A little chemistry is needed to make the best compost.  If you really want to get into it, there are classes to take, books to be bought or borrowed, and lots of information is available on the Internet.  The Keep Kingwood Green web site has lots of valuable information about making compost under the local recycling guide and green waste tabs as well as pictures of one at a Kings Point Home.  Generally, you want to mix by weight two parts of brown (leaves, dead plants, coffee grounds, etc.) with one part green (cut grass, green plants, kitchen vegetable waste, etc).   Then occasionally add a bit of water if rain does not keep it damp and an occasional shovel or two of garden soil to add soil organisms to the mix.   Give it some time and soon you have compost.  To speed it up and add oxygen, you can turn the compost from one pile to another.  (But, that is hard work, especially in summer, so buy a simple aerating tool.)

Businesses, too, can make a big difference.  Alspaugh’s Garden Center composts all green waste.  Dirt Cheap in Porter accepts all green waste from homeowners or landscapers for composting for a fee.  Executive and Lake Houston lawn care services also compost green waste picked up at their customers. If you hire a lawn service, make sure they compost items picked up from your property. If your business is “green”, stop by our web site to tell us how.  We will let the public know what you are doing.

So, there you have it.  One small step for you or your business, one large step for the environment.  In any case, you won’t be one of those folks that line their driveway with dozens of bags to be hauled off to the dump.  You will be contributing to the solution instead of the problem.  

Brian SmaefskyWe Need A Recycling Ethic in Texas
By Dr. Brian Smaefsky, (April 2007)

            My career as a college professor affords me the privilege to travel across America and throughout the world attending conferences and giving talks at conventions. Each trip provides me with valuable insights about the individual attitudes and practices of people living in the places I visit.

            Many of my colleagues who make the same trips that I do use what little free time they have to sightsee. I use my leisurely moments are for more “nerdy” pursuits. I like to explore how different states and countries deal with their natural resources.  This is not done for mere amusement. Rather, I use the information to help with my work on natural resource conservation in Texas.

            I find it disturbing that the Unites States lags behind many other countries on sustainable resource conservation and recycling initiatives. Unlike many countries in Asia, Europe, and South America, the United States does not mandate recycling or landfill reduction.  Currently, the United States recycles about 28% of its wastes. Most recycling and waste reduction projects are voluntarily carried out by some states or are performed as grass roots efforts by commercial or non-profit entities. Our northern neighbor, Canada, works hard on ensuring the closing of landfills due to lack of use.  

            Many European nations are worse than the Unites States on recycling; however, they are enforcing efforts that are rapidly reducing waste disposal. The United States took almost fifteen years to double the amount of waste being recycled. Much of Europe hopes to double or quadruple its efforts in less than five years.

            Texas takes a somewhat passive approach to recycling. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality runs the Texas Recycled Program. This program “promotes and encourages the public to buy recycled-content products from Texas manufacturers.” However, there is no state legislation that requests municipalities to set up recycling programs or set limits on landfill use. Texas does not really provide any incentives to recycle or reduce resources.  

            I was embarrassed to learn in my travels that recycling is systemic in many cultures outside of Texas. The California Department of Conservation’s Division of Recycling administers the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act which was enacted in 1986. This regulation gets businesses and households into a mindset of recycling.  In effect, California has promoted a recycling ethic for its citizens.

            The European Union has a variety of regulations that reduce the flow of wastes into landfills. It may not be easy to find recycling bins in many households or on city streets. But, much of the waste collected by commercial and governmental services ends up being recycled. Plus, many people reuse bottles and jars before disposing of them.

            Recycling and reuse is part of the daily life of people in developing nations such as the China, India, and Senegal. Their inadequate supply of natural resources necessitates clever ways of waste reduction.  I noticed comprehensive recycling efforts on a recent trip to Philippines. There were recycling bins outside of various shops and on city streets. These bins collected almost any waste that can be produced. I recently witnessed a machine in China that rapidly separates garbage so that all of it can be recycled or reused. It is already being marketed for much of Asia and is being evaluated by African nations.

            When I was a child forty years ago in New York I recall growing up with a recycling ethic. Thanks to insightful state regulations, I remember eagerly collecting bottles and cans to cash in for spending money. I benefited from several New England states that had similar incentive programs for recycling valuable resources. I wish Texas would be more proactive at passing legislations that build a recycling attitude amongst the public. It would be nice if children growing up in Texas today could rejoice in recycling or at least could assume that recycling was “the thing to do”.

Brian DusablonFive things you can do at work to help the environment.
By Brian Dusablon (March 2007)


There are plenty of lists about things to do in general, and at home, but I haven’t seen much on the little things you can do in the corporate world to help out. I know many companies, especially in Houston, don’t have a recycling program, nor are they very environmentally efficient. But here are a few easy things you can do to make a difference. They may be simple and small, but if even just a few of us did some of these things, we’d be in much better shape. What are some things you do in your business environment to help out?

1. Turn your office light off EVERY time you leave your office.
I know when I’m at home, I am always telling my kids to turn off the lights because they are wasting electricity. Well, it’s the same thing at the office. Don’t just turn your light off when you leave for the day, turn it off when you run to the bathroom, meeting, lunch, etc. I also turn off the light in the bathroom and break room when I leave…it’s not hard to turn it back on, and it saves energy…think about it! If you’re concerned people will think you’re out of the office, establish some new rules. Maybe if the light is off but the door is open, I’m just away from my desk. If the door is closed, I’m out of the office. Be flexible!

2. Recycle/Shred your paper.
We don’t recycle at my office, yet I have tons of paper product every week that would normally just go in the trash. Instead, I keep a small cardboard box under my desk, and at the end of the week I dump it in the shred box, which is taken by a professional company who ends up recycling it in the end.

3. Recycle Cans and/or Drink Water
If your company doesn’t currently recycle cans, you should really push for it. It’s pretty darn easy to put a trash can in the break room with a lid with a hole in it for cans only. If your company won’t allow a recycle bin in your area, bring a bag or box from home to toss your cans in. Better yet, drink water instead! It’s better for you anyways.

4. Shutdown your computer every day.
I know a lot of people like to leave their system running and just turn off the monitor. That used to be a big time-saver because computers used to take a long time to boot up. Nowadays, you’re looking at 30-60 seconds max. So shut it down every night! If you can’t shut it down, at least try to put it on hibernate or standby to save power.

5. Raise Awareness
This post came about because many companies don’t currently offer anything in the way of recycling or any other environmental support. I’m doing something about it by raising awareness, talking to my coworkers about these tips, and trying to get a recycling program started. You can do the same thing at your workplace! The more people you tell, the more people will take part in helping our environment.
All these things are so simple to do! If we all do a little, we can help a LOT!

Alberto AntenangeliWhat’s in a can of soda?
By Alberto Antenangeli (February 2007)

When people think of recycling, they usually think the savings are on the material being recycled only. What few people know is that recycling also helps save energy – sometimes a lot of energy.
Take for example a can of soda. To produce it from bauxite (aluminum ore), you need the energy equivalent of half of that can in gasoline. Just to give you an idea, that’s enough energy to power an average TV for 3 hours. The numbers become even more astonishing if you take in account the number of soda cans produced every year - 100 billion cans in 2004 in the United States alone. Although about two thirds of them were recycled, 30 billion cans ended up in a landfill. And that is a real problem.
First of all, centuries from now, a can of soda will still be a can of soda. It simply won’t go away. We throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial aircraft fleet every three months. But let’s talk about energy savings – producing that same can of soda from recycled aluminum requires significantly less energy – only 5%, to be more precise.
Think about this next time you throw a can of soda in the trash – 15 billion cans of gasoline.
But aluminum is only part of the recycling story. Steel cans also require some attention. In 1986, the United States alone had 2.5 million tons of steel sitting in our landfills. That’s a lot of steel. Also, most steel cans have an outer coating of tin, which is very expensive and imported into the U.S. This tin can also be recovered through recycling.
How about energy savings? You can run a 60-watt light bulb for a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling one pound of steel. By recycling steel alone, the United States saves enough energy to heat and light 18 million homes.
How much steel do we recycle? Our rate is about 75%, most of it coming from cars, appliances, and beams used in construction. However, there are always two sides to a coin, so let’s flip it– we waste 25%, which requires additional energy that could power 6 million homes. That’s enough for all homes in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
How about plastics? They take 32% of the volume of our landfills, and take centuries to decompose. Like aluminum, it takes significantly less energy to recycle than produce plastic from petroleum or natural gas. How much? Only about 10 to 15% compared to producing it from raw material. And how much do we recycle? Only 20% of our plastic bottles…
Do you subscribe to a newspaper and throw it in the garbage can when you are done reading? Well, if you recycled it for a year, you would be saving four trees, 2,200 gallons of water, and fifteen pounds of air pollutants. Extend that to the entire country, we are talking about 250 million trees per year. Are you sure you want to throw this newspaper away when you are done reading it?
Finally, glass… Unfortunately we are not doing so well here either. Only around 22% of glass containers were recycled in 2005, down from 27% in 1995. Like aluminum, glass will not decompose, and stick around for a very long time. Recycling it saves 40% energy compared to producing it from raw material.
The beauty of recycling is that it doesn’t take much effort. You basically need 4 containers in your garage – for paper, plastic, glass and cans, some good will, and a trip to the Park & Ride lot close to the library on the second and fourth weekends every month, where you can find dumpsters to put what you collected.
During times when energy independence is becoming a very hot topic, keep in mind the little things you can do to help.