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The city of Greensboro had its day in the spotlight last year when former mayor Keith Holliday signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, a first step toward it becoming a "Cool City."

Now, local residents are working to expand sustainability efforts at the county level. The group, called Green Guilford, is working with Rob Bencini, the county's director of economic and community development. They aim to educate the public about environmental issues, support governmental purchases of environmentally-friendly products, create a neighborhood sustainability advisory board (Ahem... homeowners associations), and tap into existing soil and water conservation groups.

Now, the group must win over the public and county commissioners. I anticipate this plan could get a lot of resistance from businesses that stand to lose money if the county switches products and services. But many "green businesses" are willing and eager to take their place.

What do you think about this group?

Various dates: Greensboro Community Television, Cable Channel 8, will air a 90 minute presentation about peak oil given in July by Peter Kauber of Guilford Solar Communities at the following times: Sunday, Aug. 17 at 6:00 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 29 at noon; and Monday, Sept. 1 at midnight.

Aug. 20: Greensboro Green Drinks (5:30-7:30 p.m. at Natty Greene's)

Sept. 20: A "Growing a Just, Green Economy" conference will take place in Durham on the campus of North Carolina Central University. Early registration fee is $20.

Keynote speakers include environmental justice activist, Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, and minister, community activist and State President of the NAACP the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. The day-long event will also feature panels and workshops covering policy, business development, job assessment, education and training, and resource security.

Sept. 25: “No Child Left Inside” talk and book signing, starting at 5 p.m. at Greensboro Montessori School, 2856 Horse Pen Creek Road. Call 668-0119 for more information.

According to the school: Author Richard Louv, whose award-winning book "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder" has sparked an international movement to reunite children and nature, will bring his message to Greensboro at a public lecture and book signing at the school.  The free event, which will be held (appropriately) outside, will begin with an array of family-friendly activities; Louv will speak at 7. 

Louv’s visit to Greensboro will be the centerpiece of a community-wide celebration of national "Take a Child Outside Week," September 24-30 that will include everything from a night hike at the library’s Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch to a workshop on wilderness skills at Bur-Mil Park. 

Sept. 29: Starting on this day, UNCG will host a "Sustainability" book club. To register, call Barry Miller at 256-0112 or go here.    

Other events here and here.

The Bryan Family YMCA seeks support from members to implement a comprehensive environmental initiative, according to an August newsletter. The organization requests suggestions, fundraising ideas, professional advice and volunteers to green its building in downtown Greensboro on West Market Street. According to a statement by executive director Joe Hennigan:

"...We also believe our facility, with its already high profile, has the ability to be a catalyst for spurring environmentally responsible downtown development. We are convinced a public, concentrated, ongoing campaign to lesson our carbon footprint will engage our existing membership to be more involved with the YMCA and attract new, active members who are committed not only to environmental stewardship but the overarching mission of the YMCA."

I'll post more as I get more details. Know of any other organizations going green?

FYI: My blog will soon be hosted by the Greensboro News & Record. I will provide the new URL once the blog has been successfully exported.

A revised policy approved by the Greensboro City Council on Wednesday will allow residents on smaller lots to keep chickens and bees, a popular practice and growing trend among families trying to consume locally-produced foods.

Opposition to this practice tends to center around concerns about noise from roosters (whose possession is prohibited by this policy) and cleanliness. I glimpsed urban farming for the first time in June when I interviewed a Concord man for my peak oil series. He had about a dozen hens in his backyard; they were pretty quiet and I couldn't imagine them being any more annoying or dangerous than dogs.

I wonder how much pent up demand exists for urban farming in Greensboro. Do you see expect the council's amendment to motivate slow food newbies or aficionados to order a couple bantams and DIY coops?

Unrelated, but interesting: The Economist hosts an online debate on energy issues.

Check out the schedule for a "sustainable world" film series planned for showing at Weatherspoon Art Museum that runs from August to April. I attended a couple showings earlier this year, including Manufactured Landscapes and The Power of Community; healthy audiences each time.

The films:

Aug. 28: The 11th Hour
Sept. 25: King Corn
Oct. 23: Thirst
Nov. 13: Oil on Ice
Jan. 29: Waste=Food
Feb. 26: Black Diamonds
March 26: Invisible
April 23: Wal-Town

From organizer Brian Higgins:

"In just the third month of Green Drinks we've managed to grow from around 30 attendees to around 65 and the email list from around 30 to 150.... One of my goals in putting this together is to simply get people together to talk - share ideas, knowledge, make connections both social and professional, and to have a good time doing so."

Columnist Lorraine Ahearn ponders the politics of offshore drilling.

The city of Greensboro plans to green its buildings.

Columnist Jeri Rowe completes his series on nature and children.

Residents can now access green living tips through the Guilford County government Web site. The rationale:

"Worldwide, the headlines feature soaring energy costs, the effect of greenhouse gases and the depletion and pollution of our natural resources. These global issues parallel local concerns about water resources, gasoline prices and air quality. Use these weekly "Green Tips" to learn how we in Guilford County can impact these issues, and what we can do to become more sustainable and make a positive difference in our community."

Below, the county's new logo. Residents can also review and comment on the county's new "Green Guilford" draft plan.

Landscape architects, government officials and builders will gather at the downtown Marriott Sept. 9-11 to learn practical ways to plan and maintain sustainable green urban environments.

The conference -- "Trees for an Urban Future: Emerging Issues, Innovations and Current Trends" -- will be hosted by the N.C. Urban Forest Council, N.C. State University’s College of Natural Resources and the N.C. Division of Forest Resources.

Keynote speakers:
Dr. Kathleen L. Wolf, research social scientist at the College of Forest Resources, University of Washington;
Gary Moll, vice president of the Ecosystem Analysis Center at AMERICAN FORESTS.

I apologize for the sparse postings over the past few weeks; my daughter has been hospitalized since Aug. 1 so I have been in and out of the office.

However, I wanted to take this moment of quietude to reflect on my experience with the health care systems in Greensboro and Chapel Hill (both of which I have been pleased with so far). I've never had a reason to be in a hospital room for more than a week at a time, so visiting the same room for weeks has been quite disorienting. Occasionally I would ponder modern medicine's relationship to fossil fuels and the "one step forward, two steps backward" feeling that a disruption to one's life causes.

I would look at the hi-tech ICU machinery and think "Will these lifesaving devices be around and affordable 20 years from now?" Or, "I can't believe I'm in a 21st century hospital and the cafeteria is still serving hamburgers and pizza with no vegetarian options."

Then I would think about the garden I planted in early summer that is now in disarray, my frequent car trips between cities and the heavily transported and packaged foods I purchase for convenience instead of my weekly trips to the farmers market. Of course, energy efficiency is low on my list of concerns right now; my main priorities are my daughter and my sanity. But I was reminded of how vital convenient and effective health care, food and transportation are to us and how we must rethink their provision so that they continue to be available when we most need them.

.... And while I'm posting, Elon University will hold a conference on sustainability in September.

For many people, the use of compact flourescent light bulbs in their homes is a no-brainer: they consume a fraction of the electricity needed to operate traditional light bulbs. But some people worry that the tiny amount of mercury in CFLs could poison or pollute.

Well, a new state Web site tells you how to appropriately dispose of them. Find here where to dispose of bulbs in Greensboro.

(Note: Only 32 of 100 counties in North Carolina have hazardous waste centers that can collect these bulbs, according to this. The price alone discourages many people from switching; now they are supposed to go out of their way to get rid of them?)

According to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources:

"Tube or linear fluorescent lights are in widespread use in commercial, industrial and institutional settings in North Carolina, and CFL use is expanding rapidly in both the commercial and residential sectors. A study submitted to the state's General Assembly in March showed that from 2005-2007, CFLs jumped from 5 percent to 20 percent market share. The study estimated that 120 million fluorescents are in current use in North Carolina and 15 million lamps are ready to be discarded each year.

"However, since both tube lamps and CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, recycling fluorescent lights is the best way to minimize the release of mercury from the lamps to the environment. Despite their mercury content, energy-efficient fluorescent lights help achieve a greater net reduction in mercury by reducing the mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants."