CT Green Scene

What Is Smart Growth and Why Should You Care?

By now, you probably get the idea that our planet's resources are finite, but many people are beginning to catch on to the fact that our need to design, plan and build communities that are "smart" and conserve our limited natural resources, while creating a strong sense of community is imperative.  On the financial side of the coin, developers, architects, builders and real estate agents are seeing great investment potential in smart growth, even in a slowed up economy.

So what is Smart Growth?

Smart growth as defined by experts at CT Smart Growth:

Mixed land use: "Our post World War II land use decisions have separated and compartmentalized the various aspects our lives.  We live in one place, work in another, and venture to still another place for shopping and entertainment.  This separation has created a car-centric society and taken away from the vitality of the traditional town center or Main Street. Smart growth supports the integration of mixed land uses into communities as a critical component of achieving better places to live. By putting uses in close proximity to one another, alternatives to driving, such as walking or biking, once again become viable."

Compact Building Design: "Compact building design suggests that communities be designed in a way which permits more open space to preserved, and that buildings can be constructed which make more efficient use of land and resources. By encouraging buildings to grow vertically rather than horizontally, and by incorporating structured rather than surface parking, for example, communities can reduce the footprint of new construction, and preserve more greenspace."

Housing Opportunities: "Providing quality housing for people of all income levels is an integral component in any smart growth strategy. Housing is a critical part of the way communities grow, as it is constitutes a significant share of new construction and development. More importantly, however, is also a key factor in determining households' access to transportation, commuting patterns, access to services and education, and consumption of energy and other natural resources."

Walkable Communities: "As the personal and societal benefits of pedestrian friendly communities are realized - benefits which include lower transportation costs, greater social interaction, improved personal and environmental health, and expanded consumer choice -- many are calling upon the public and private sector to facilitate the development of walkable places."

Other elements include: Strong Sense of Place, Preserve Open Spaces, Infill Development, Wide array of Transportation Choices, Fair and Predictable Development Decisions, and Community Collaboration. To find out more about the other 6 elements of smart growth, as well as valuable resources, visit CT Smart Growth. Also, check out this incredible Smart Growth project slated for Georgetown.

 

 

No Emission Lawn Mower--Powered by the Sun

Right out of some high society sci-fi movie, this solar-powered lawn mower, made by Husqvarna, is a home owners' dream! No carbon emissions to feel guilty about, and it's powered by the sun and automatic--so you can sit back and relax as this gadget does the work for you.

That's a good thing, too, since this article from the Associated Press found that: "The air in hundreds (345 to be exact) of U.S. counties is simply too dirty to breathe, the government said Wednesday, ordering a multibillion-dollar expansion of efforts to clean up smog in cities and towns nationwide."

So where can you get one of these magic lawn buddies? Butler Power in CT can help!

Natural Pesticides that Work

EarthTalkTM
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What green-friendly lawn and garden pesticides are available today? I’m particularly interested in options that won’t harm my cats.     -- Nancy Blanchard, via e-mail

Pesticides have greatly boosted agricultural yields over the last half century, so it is no wonder, given the commercial availability of many of these synthetic chemicals, that American homeowners apply 100 million pounds of the stuff each year to make their own gardens grow bigger and faster, too.

But the downside of using such chemicals is that they can poison people and pets as well as backyard wildlife: “Common insecticide ingredients such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), atrazine and dicamba have been shown to harm mouse embryos at times equivalent to the first week after conception in humans,” says Erica Glasener of The Green Guide. Due to such revelations, home gardeners are fast discovering the benefits of avoiding chemicals in favor of natural, less toxic alternatives.

But before thinking about applying pesticides, gardeners can design (or re-design) their gardens to make the most of native plants that have evolved over eons to thrive in local conditions without synthetic aid or lots of water. Choosing native plants appropriate to your elevation, soil type, drainage and sun exposure will naturally repel many common pests and also reduce the propagation of invasive exotic species.

Similarly, embedding your plants in healthy soil replete with beneficial insects and worms can also help reduce the need for pesticides. Laura Moran of Mainstreet.com suggests that home gardeners compost their vegetable food waste—which is chock full of nutrients that plants love—and mix it into existing soil to give the garden a healthy boost. “Aside from stimulating healthy root development,” she writes, “the addition of rich compost also improves soil texture, aeration and water retention.” It also provides a nice home, she says, for the beneficial bugs that are destroyed along with the bad ones by chemical pesticides.

If pesticides are necessary, there are a handful of organic varieties available. Bacillus thuringiensis (“Bt”) is a naturally occurring bacterium that is lethal to most leaf-eating caterpillars on trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables. According to gardening writer Jeff Ball, it is harmless to all other insects, animals and humans. It comes in a powder form for use as a dust, or, when diluted with water, as a spray. Organic chemists have formulated varieties of Bt to kill mosquitoes or potato beetles as well.

Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags

On What to with A Handful of Dog Poo

by Elizabeth Howard

After we got finished discussing wine, films, Sex and the City, Myanmar and the general state of the weather at our cozy Southport luncheon, we finally got around to chatting about poo.

It started innocently enough, with a conversation about weaning ourselves off of plastic grocery bags. 

It evolved from the full-fledged bags to finding a replacement for the produce bags, which I had recently found a solution for.

"But then, you know," Carol asked, "what do you do about picking up the dog poop?" Carol is nothing if not practical. And she has a Black Lab.

Not to worry: when we aren't slathering butter on a cob, or pumping it into our gas tank, corn apparently has another brilliant use: biodegradable dog poop bags!

NOTE: The instructions on this product say you can toss the pet waste in the compost heap. DON'T!! Pet feces should not be mixed with normal garden compost that may come in contact with food. For a better alternative, check out Sharon Slack's Pet Waste Composter.

A Hybrid GRILL?

By Sherwood Martinelli

Everyone and their brother wants to be GREEN, and companies are willing to spend big bucks to Green Wash their environmental sins away. Question is, when is GREEN not green, and do we need a Green Police?

Attempting to cash in on the Green HYBRID craze sweeping the nation we have Kalamazo Gourmet trying to sell us...drum roll please...the Hybrid Grill! It will burn gas, wood, charcoal OR ALL THREE for the GREEN Gourmet cook in your household! Ignoring the pollution and sustainability issue in building this BEHEMOTH grill, you have to love their thinking. Seems relying on JUST WOOD and CHARCOAL could put a huge strain on our forests, thus the Hybrid Grill. Spread your pollution around by using a little bit from all three Fuel Groups!

Of course, that Green Thinking starts to smell like swamp gas when you read their sales pitch that you can use the gas for EVEN HEAT, while at the same time burning wood for the FLAVOR! Solar Grills, you have my attention, but trying to convince the American consumer that a grill that burns gas, charcoal and wood should be considered the new Green Hybrid Grill is bogus! This grill ranks right up there with Arnold's GREEN HUMMER!

Recycling is Too Much Fun!

by Patricia Gilbanks

OMG—these slay me. These are featured on a new crafting magazine and blog put out by Connecticut's own Taunton Press. They are made from bottle caps and felt. I used to save bottle caps for counting games for my son Noah when he was little but now he is counting girlfriends — but no worries! I have a new little obsession. Good for those times when I need to lighten up and have to wait at the doctor's office or some such. For the instructions go to http://www.craftstylish.com/item/945/how-to-make-pretty-pincushions. They were created by Jen Segrest; the photo is by Scott Phillips. I would use dryer lint for the fill. (Don't laugh: my sister Jacque uses it for pillow fill.)

Don't Use Your Dryer on National Hanging Out Day

By Alex and Jordan of Little People, Big Changes

Did you know that the electricity your dryer uses takes up about 6% of your electricity bill and that there are 88 million dryers in the world! 

In fact, the average American uses more energy running a clothes dryer than the average African uses all year round for their energy needs.  We can all save a lot of electricity by using the wind and the sun to dry our clothes instead of a machine.

April 19th is “National Hanging Out” Day! Show your support by hanging an item of clothing from a pole in front of your house or simply hang your laundry out to dry on a line to show that you are willing to change little things in order to help reduce carbon emissions.  Our planet needs you! If you absolutely must use your dryers, there are still things you can do to help.  Lower your temperature settings and for your washer, use warm water instead of hot when possible.  Make sure your washer or dryer is full before running it.  Clean your dryer filter after every use.

We hope to see you in your long johns on April 19th! Your friends, Alex and Jordan

Markets Galore

By Chris Gallagher

Spring is nearly here, and it's time to get the garden ready.  Composting is key and here is a great resource from our fine state government.  For the stuff you can't grow on your own we are lucky enough to have a plethora of local farmers here in Connecticut and some great farmer's markets to choose from.

Fiddleheads in New London has a market every Saturday now, with another every Wednesday starting on March 26.  CitySeed in New Haven has kept their market open monthly throughout the winter and come May it's back to a weekly event.  On May 22 Billings Forge Farmer's Market will start up in Hartford and you will be able to find amazing produce and other local vendors on both Mondays and Thursdays. Fairfield Market is held every Saturday rain or shine, and often draws a few hundred people. Another cool market is the Oak Street Market in New Britain. It's urban and fun and has some of the best greens around. To locate the organic farmers markets near you, click here.

Of course the best thing about a market is the food: amazing greens, organic eggs, still-dirty potatoes and seafood dripping with salt water, all of which I want to rush home and devour.  There's more to it, though.  I love that it is such a neighborhoody event.  It is a great place to have random, interesting conversations, make new friends, learn a few things about what I'm eating, stroll the streets of my town, breathe the fresh air and reconnect with the community.

The dinner we craft in the evening is just the bonus.  We already feel great after a market day.

Sleep Better with IKEA

Last year, Sweden-based IKEA launched an initiative called “Bag the Plastic  Bag.” 

The  goal was to reduce the more than 100 billion plastic  bags used annually in the United States. Beginning March 15, 2007,  they began charging customers 5 cents for every plastic bag; they  also reduced the price of their durable, reusable IKEA blue bag from  99 cents to 59 cents. 

And, to make it a win-win for everyone, all proceeds from the plastic bag sales are donated to American Forests, the  nation’s oldest non-profit citizens’ conservation organization.   IKEA North America has partnered with American Forests through the  Global ReLeaf Tree Planting program and over ten years, has planted 
more than 500,000 Global ReLeaf trees in environmental restoration  projects.

So how much  money has been raised by selling the plastic bags, by what percentage were they able to reduce the number of plastic bags used, and what are their plans for the next phase of the “Bag the Plastic Bag” program?  (The  goal was a 50% reduction in bag usage, but it’s projected that that they surpassed expectations.) Stay tuned or read on for reasons why banning plastic bags is vital.

Green Weddings on the Rise

From organic caterers to gowns purchased from consignment shops and email to replace wasteful rsvp cards, brides to be are choosing to make their magical day one that has conscious, meaning and a message.

Event planner Kia Martinson-Wenzel, owner of Connecticut-based ESTOccasions 
got her first request for a green wedding last summer. "The couple wanted to get married in a state park and when we started planning, one thing led to another. The bride asked if her flowers could be gathered from the park, if the invitations could be printed on recycled paper, and she asked for recommendations of consignment shops that had a nice selection of previously owned gowns," Martinson-Wenzel says. 

In fact, a good majority of gowns on the racks of consignment shops have never been worn. Wildflower seeds embedded in recycled paper, donations to environmental organizations and brides maids dresses that can be worn after the special day promise to be lasting trends as consumers become more conscious of the impact their purchase choices have on the planet.

With spring around the corner, you'll enjoy expert tips, advise and resources for greening your events and parties from Kia Martinson-Wenzel. Check our "Parties and Special Events" category for more useful information on greening your special occasion.