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Enrollment is open for two separate summer programs at the Center for Energy Research and Technology at N.C. A&T.

The Energy Engineer Starters Program is a June camp that will teach students in middle school and high school about the use of energy and efficiency and conservation. This program is ideal for students interested in pursuing a career in engineering or environmental sciences. The cost is $200 and the camp runs from June 17-30. Details here.

An energy educators workshop will take place June 22-26 for educators who teach grades six through 12. Details here.

The Greensboro Community Sustainability Council will hold its monthly meeting on Monday at 3 p.m. On the agenda: the role of the committee in federal stimulus spending and the next steps on finalizing a report of action steps for the city.

Subcommittees have brainstormed numerous action step ideas, including proposing a downtown trolley service (is our downtown large enough to need a trolley service?); setting up an urban demonstration garden downtown; establishing a micro-loan or low-interest revolving loan account for urban sustainability projects; adopting a permit fee rebating program for certified green buildings; and implementing a demonstration water conservation program in at least two neighborhoods.

The city's greenhouse gas inventory also has been updated.

The Greensboro Chamber of Commerce will host an hour-long presentation called "Go Green & Save Money" at its Piedmont Triad Business Showcase on May 14. Details here.

Check out this video of an art project that students at the Canterbury School in Greensboro worked on for Earth Day with artist in residence, Bryant Holsenbeck. The video was done by former student and now UNCG graduate student Jessica Fuller.

Recycled Rainforest from Jessica Fuller on Vimeo.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church will hold a conversation on Sunday about relieving hunger, sustaining local farms and gaining fair treatment for farmers. The event takes place at 2105 W. Market St., Greensboro, from 7-8:30 p.m.

The conversation will cover the following areas:
• Why people of faith are called to work for fairness for farmers and access to fresh, healthy food for everyone;
• The problems of the current agricultural system - the injustices in contract farming, threats to family farms, and food insecurity in our communities; and
• How congregations can take practical action to support and honor family farmers and to get fresh, local food to those who need it most.

The event is open to the public and will be led by RAFI-USA (Rural Advancement Foundation International), Come to the Table, and The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Call St. Andrew's at 275-1651 for more information.

Background on what's happening locally around local foods can be found here and the March podcast below:

Bike riders of all ages and persuasions are encouraged to pedal in downtown Greensboro on May 1 from 6-9 p.m. in support of Shop by Bike, an initiative by Bicycling in Greensboro (BIG) and Ped Power geared to promote camaraderie and healthy living through cycling.

The organizers have partnered with Downtown Greensboro Inc.’s First Friday showcases of the art community for this event. First Friday attendees who travel by bike and show their helmet can receive discounts on purchases, according to a press release. Posters will be displayed on storefront windows or inside stores to denote participating merchants.

This event could be a good way to fulfill your Triad Commute Challenge pledge.

Bike riders are also encouraged to artistically decorate their bikes and helmets in celebration of First Friday. First Friday attendees traveling by car are encouraged to be mindful of bike traffic as there may be an influx of evening bike riders; cyclists should also remember to adhere to the same traffic laws as motor vehicles. Find a map of bike racks here.

For more information about Shop by Bike call 215-1890.

Winston-Salem State University's first annual Generation Green Festival takes place April 20-22. The event is free and open to the public and will feature workshops, an art contest, film festival, fashion show, "Communiversity Day" and tree planting ceremony. Details here.

High Point University will also hold an event with booths and food on April 22 from 1-3 p.m. at its campus amphitheatre.

UNCG and Greensboro College info here.

The downtown artist collaborative will start its second season gardening in a South Elm Street alley this weekend. Check out an interactive piece Margaret Baxter did on the garden last year.

From a newsletter:

"URBAN GREEN VOLUNTEERS: Join us in making a vertical community garden! We garden on (sic) saturdays from 1pm - 5pm and on other specified weekdays. this (sic) saturday is the first volunteer meet up! Email us at urbangreen@elsewhereelsewhere.org to sign up to get on the volunteer list, or just stop into the museum. We need gardeners, and carpenters, and designers, and painters, and sculptors, and people who have access to lots of plants, and green thumbs ad infinitum....

Ron and Anita Shaver of Browns Summit will offer tours of their passive solar home next weekend to raise funds for their church, Unity in Greensboro. The event will feature classes on passive solar gain for students, members of the church selling jewelry and other items, and displays of electric-powered vehicles.

The house includes:
- Pre-cast Superior Walls Concrete walls (10 7/8'' upon completion of drywall)
- 6-inch acid-stained concrete floors which contains radiant floor heat
- Cream-colored metal roof with radiant barrier underneath
- Five solar tubes, five clerestory windows
- Fiberglass-framed double-paned windows

Find out more about the event here.

Anita Shaver says her family has lived in the $165,000 house for four years and built it while living in a 700-square-foot mobile home. Shaver said her average electricity bill in the mobile home was $160 a month, compared to a first month's bill of $60 in the new passive solar 1,674-square-foot home.

"Our mission is to show people you don't have to be rich to live a green lifestyle," said Anita Shaver, who is a stay-at-home mother.

(photo of family by Nancy Sidelinger)

Leon's Beauty School will hold a RecycleRama fashion show competition with its eight Greensboro salons on April 19 - three days before Earth Day - as the school seeks ways to reduce its landfill waste. Participants must design costumes and hair pieces out of reused or recyclable materials, such as plastic bottles and newspaper.

Between the nine presentations will be announcements about how salons can cut back on waste, said owner Parker Washburn. The school's teachers are trying to find companies that manufacture recyclable shampoo and hair coloring bottles, she said.

"We deal with a lot of plastics," she said. "The beauty industry has been very slow to react to the greening of America."

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Earth Fare will offer a $100 gift card and other prizes to winners of a recycled arts contest that is taking place now through March 31. Details here.

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Following is another breakdown of the energy-related programs funded by the federal economic stimulus package, courtesy of the Congressional Research Service.

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I previously wrote about the development of international biofuels standards now underway. Here are the notes
from the January stakeholder meeting held in Durham.

Greensboro, like other cities, is going for every federal dollar it can to pay for projects that help cut the city's fossil fuels use.

For one, Pepco should begin work within the month on its $6.1 million energy performance contract on various city buildings, said Steve Randall, Greensboro's sustainability manager. This work is funded through a loan.

But city applied this year for a Sustainable Skylines grant in partnership with N.C. A&T; I wrote about this previously.

Randall also plans to meet with other city employees next week to determine what projects to include in an application for federal energy efficiency and conservation block grants. These funds help pay for projects that reduce fossil fuel emissions; decrease total energy consumption; improve energy efficiency in the transportation, building, and other energy consuming sectors; spur economic growth; and create and/or retain jobs.

Randall said possible Greensboro projects would be a solar photovoltaic array at City Hall (to complement the solar hot water system it's getting) and training or funding for local groups to perform energy audits and weatherize homes in the city.

Randall said the city is analyzing the costs and payback period for a solar PV system.

"We don't want to spend our money improperly but we also don't want to spend federal money improperly," he said.

Then we got into a conversation about how to structure the energy audit process (I'm wondering who will not be doing these audits by the time the money's rolling in). It makes sense to tighten up antiquated housing stock in the city, but it could get complicated. What if the contractors run into lead-based paint and asbestos? Who pays to abate the lead around the new windows? Randall suggested that the city could screen out homes that don't meet certain characteristics or work with other programs to get those problems addressed.

Then we talked about Randall's development of some green guidelines for new city buildings. It looks like he will model them off what other cities in the state are doing in requiring major city construction to meet LEED certification. Check out Durham's policy and comparisons between different cities.

Is adding a recycling incentive program to city operations a good idea when recycling markets are down and government budgets are tight? Sheldon Smith, the city's solid waste division manager, recognizes his challenges but he still hopes to get support for his RecycleBank proposal.

I wrote last year about Smith trying to present his idea during a City Council work session, but he was bumped off the agenda and never rescheduled. So Smith decided to change his approach and instead explain the proposal with a RecycleBank representative to members of the Greensboro Community Sustainability Council.

His idea is basically this: Pilot for six months at 10,000 single-family households a program that would reward people for increasing the amount of recyclable materials picked up by city haulers. RecycleBank helps sign up participating businesses that would offer coupons (up to $240 value per year per household) to participants based on how much they recycle.

According to Smith, it's a win-win for everyone: RecycleBank potentially gets a long term contract with the city to get fees based on the amount of additional recyclable materials collected. The city saves landfill disposal fees while potentially earning more money selling its recyclables. And the resident saves money at participating businesses.

Smith said he is thinking about getting regional grocery stores, such as Food Lion and Harris Teeter, on board, as well as locally-owned restaurants. (Any of you readers have suggestions for participating businesses?) He said the pilot should not cost the city anything if he goes with a community-based weight approach because no new technology would be needed. That means a whole route would be rewarded based on the total weight they achieve in recyclables. His dilemma is figuring out which households to select for the pilot.

"Do I go with the low participating areas to get them to recycle or do I say thank you to the ones who have been hanging in there with us?" Sheldon said. "I kind of want to do both."

I asked Smith if the program is worth it since the recession has lowered market demand for recyclables. He responded that the city still makes money off the materials it sells. The city has earned less than $10,000 a month for the past three months as opposed to an average of $30,000 a month before, he said.

But Smith added that it costs the city less to recycle (about $22 per ton) versus to send waste to the landfill ($41 per ton), and its current recycling contract doesn't expire until 2012. Plus, Smith believes recycling is just the right thing to do.

But will the city want to pay for a city-wide program once the pilot is over? Smith didn't have figures but the city would have to purchase the computer chips that measure the weight in each recycle bin as it is emptied by the city.

"I like the concept," Smith said. "I just don't know if the timing is the greatest."

You can hear the formal presentation for this next week. Check out the sustainability council's full agenda.

Greensboro minister Buck Cochran is one of the many people in the Triad who are trying to apply the lofty and sometimes vague "sustainability" label to a real world project. Cochran serves as the executive director of Peacehaven Farm, a burgeoning residential community for adults with disabilities that will feature a community gardening project on an 89-acre farm in Whitsett.

The project is still in its infancy. Cochran plans to hire as farm managers two students graduating from N.C. State in May. Cochran said he expects the farm will need to be up and operating for a while before the 30-35 residents are selected.

Cochran said the project will incorporate sustainable design and practices throughout, from building construction (i.e. solar photovoltaics and hot water systems and rainwater harvesting) to the preference of organic gardening practices over chemicals and large machinery, as the farm is located in a watershed area.

"We want to bring this ethic of sustainability to all areas of the farm...." said Cochran, a former associate pastor at Westminster Presbyterian. "We also think that being sustainable and investing in things like renewable technology will make us financially sustainable over the long term."

However, what Cochran really envisions is a place for people with physical and intellectual challenges to interact with the wider community and reach their full potential. Local food production is a way for them to do that, he said.

I'll check in on Peacehaven Farm once construction and farming begin.

Brian Higgins of Sustainable Greensboro has picked his board members. From a press release:

Sustainable Greensboro, a newly forming non-profit focused on incorporating principles of sustainability into business, government, institutional, and household decision-making processes by providing leadership and developing innovative programs, collaborative projects, and proactive solutions, is excited to present its initial Board of Directors. Lori Jarrett, Dianne Ziegler, Meggan Reagan, Jim Brooks, Rendell Richards, and Tim Knowles have accepted positions on the Board of Directors. Representing a broad cross-section of experience from business, marketing, financial management, landscape architecture, advocacy, non-profits, the board will be meeting frequently over the next two months to develop its initial strategic plan and secure funding....

[Lori Jarrett] is an entrepreneur who comes to the board with expertise in commercial software, strategic planning, growth and change issues, project management and music. Lori, who went through grade school in Greensboro, has been active in community issues since returning to the area in 1995. Dianne Ziegler, employed by Pfizer, Inc., is in the process of renovating a downtown building into a "green" home and retail space with the goal of of obtaining Platinum LEED certification. Meggan Reagan, a graduate of UNC Greensboro, works for Earth Fare, The Healthy Supermarket as their Community Coordinator engaging with non-profits across the community to help support their fund-raising and outreach efforts. Jim Brooks, a native of Greensboro, is president of Brooks Marketing and is active on the boards of the Natural Science Center and Greensboro Beautiful where he serves as curator of the Bog Garden. Rendell (Rendy) Richards has over twenty years of experience in finance and accounting, contracts and procurement, strategic planning, business development and project management with major companies and currently operates his own consulting company, CFO Options, LLC. Tim Knowles, a resident of Greensboro since 1986, is a licensed Landscape Architect working with Borum, Wade and Associates, P.A. whom has won numerous environmental improvement awards and been featured in several magazines for his work.

Higgins aims to have an action plan ready by June.

Guilford County announced today the lay off of Rob Bencini, the county's director of community and economic development. Bencini had been working to implement green initiatives in the county. No word yet on what will happen to his draft "Green Guilford" proposal.

The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) hopes to get 2,500 people to ditch the car at least once over a three month period. PART and partner Triad Air Awareness will kick off its third annual Triad Commute Challenge in High Point next month. Details here.

I plan to sign up. Anyone participate last year?

A group of Greensboro residents interested in cohousing communities is meeting monthly to learn what it takes to start a development in the city.

Mitch Mitcham, a 62-year-old land surveyor and civil engineer, said he has been interested in the concept for the past two years and would like to help build energy-efficient "intentional communities" in the city or county, particularly for retiring Baby Boomers.

"I would like this year to be the year we do a community in Greensboro," said Mitcham, who also serves on the board of the Greensboro Housing Coalition.

Intentional communities can take different forms, but they basically provide housing for a group of people, with shared facilities and gardening space. The whole idea is to reduce living expenses and energy use and enable closer relationships and interdependencies among residents than typically exist in conventional American neighborhoods. North Carolina has several developments, especially in the Asheville area, including Earthhaven EcoVillage, Union Acres, Eno Commons, Arcadia Cohousing and Blue Heron Farm.

More general information can be found here and here

The Triad Intentional Communities Network (TICN) in Greensboro has been meeting since last summer and typically features a different speaker on the second Thursday of the month.

The March 12 speaker is Jonathan Peterson from Democracy NC. He will speak on helping the group organize to change attitudes and policies to make the city more friendly to the formation of intentional communities and green lifestyles. On April 9, UNCG professor Charlie Headington will speak about sustainability and permaculture.

Both meetings begin at 5:30 p.m. for newcomers with the program from 6-7:30 at the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, 501 S. Mendenhall St.

For more information, contact coordinator Carolyn Biggerstaff at 292-2770 or euphie@bellsouth.net.

I just got word that another Greensboro couple is "greening" their home, this time in downtown. Brent and Dianne Ziegler, recent Columbus, Ohio, transplants, have purchased the two-story building at 526 South Elm St., with the intention of obtaining Platinum LEED certification for the 5,000 sq. ft. site, according to a press release by Downtown Greensboro Inc.

The couple plans on living in the 2,500 sq. ft. upstairs loft and leasing the street-level space for a commercial user.

A second couple pursuing LEED certification are the owners of the Greenspiration home in northwest Greensboro. The Habitat for Humanity has also built green homes for lower income residents, although I don't know if they pursued LEED certification. But these examples prove that green building is becoming more accessible to residents with different housing situations. I haven't heard, however, of a case where a local landlord has done this with rental homes or an apartment complex. Let me know if you know of anyone.

Anyway, back to the Zieglers. The couple is filing the project as a Core and Shell Project in order to qualify for the certification. This covers base building elements such as structure, envelope and the HVAC system and is designed to allow future tenants to capitalize on strategies implemented by the designer.

Plans include:

· No VOC materials

· Energy efficient heating and cooling to include radiant heating system

· All energy star appliances

· Solar hot water heating with energy efficient back-up water heating

· Low-flow plumbing fixtures and rain water collection

· Maximizing insulation

· LED lighting

· Upfitting for future photovoltarics and green roof

· Recycled materials, including glass cement for countertops

· Restored wood flooring

Demolition is currently underway on the project with a team comprised of several professionals: architect, Thomas Moreau, AIA, President of tma architect; local construction company, Lomax Construction; MEP: Rehab ENGINEERING, P.C.; and green Consultancy of ihGREEN. Highpoint has a commercial recycling center for construction materials that was also used during the demolition as well.

Early on in the demolition process they reached out to a friend and local remodeling contractor, Todd Rotruck, who specializes in historic home renovation in the downtown area. He was able to reuse many of the items upstairs, including the cabinets, railings, and moldings. The historic building built in 1925 offers many other outstanding features like the exposed brick walls, original wood floors, loft-like high ceilings upstairs, large windows and the great location. The building even has a vintage mural advertising 5¢ cigars on an interior wall that once served as an exterior wall.

The couple found that the most surprising part of the process was the pricing of materials:

Dianne Ziegler said: “The materials have been reasonably priced thus far which was a pleasant surprise. However, what surprised me the most was the variation in all industry-related individual’s prices involved in the project. We received quotes that were on different ends of the spectrum. Due to the LEED and sustainable building practices being new to Greensboro, individuals/companies are still figuring out how to price projects.”

The couple is the process of forming a website at greener-alternatives.com which will display the phases of the project and products being used along with other information useful to those who may be looking to start their own green project.

Robert Powell, one of the panelists speaking at tonight's National Teach-in on Global Warming, will discuss the greenhouse gas inventory being completed as part of the city's Cool Cities initiative.

It turns out the Greensboro community emitted more than 6 million tons of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2007, according to a draft report I received. The largest emitters: The commercial and residential sectors, followed by transportation, industrial and waste, in that order. This amount does not yet include emissions by city government operations; that part of the report should be complete next week.

I have yet to talk with Mr. Powell in detail about what he sent me; that will happen either before or at the teach-in.

Update: I spoke with Mr. Powell this afternoon and he explained that the report does actually include city operations emissions, but does not break them out (expect that the city government percentage to be small, less than 5 percent). Powell, co-chairman of the city's Community Sustainability Council, works with N.C. A&T's Center for Energy Research and Technology and a research associate there conducted the inventory for the whole city. The city of Greensboro is conducting its own inventory and should have the data ready soon.

"I'm comfortable that we've got some basic numbers but I would still say the numbers are preliminary," Powell said.

Powell said the Community Sustainability Council will next research the details of Greensboro's energy usage to determine what sectors to target and how. The advisory group will meet on Monday at 1 p.m. in the conference room on the Plaza Level of Melvin Municipal Office Building. There, members will start the process of creating a local action plan to be presented to City Council this summer.

N.C. A&T is wrapping up a $300,000 grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would pay for sustainable agriculture projects at the university farm, professor Michael Roberto announced at a community gardening meeting today.

The project idea is an outgrowth of Roberto's work with an IMPACT Greensboro economic subcommittee and it would involve research and demonstration of organic gardening practices on 15 to 20 acres that could be used by community and professional gardeners. The project would also involve public outreach and education components, he said.

"It's very important in proposing this grant to the USDA that the research project that begins at A&T is strongly connected to the community," Roberto said, explaining his attendance at the meeting.

Roberto said grant applications are due sometime this spring with grant recipients announced by July. If the university gets the grant it would begin work this summer, he said.

Roberto said local food production is important for the weathering of the current economic storm
and after. University and federal policies prohibit the university from selling food grown on its farm, he said, "but we can certainly give it away. We plan to expand that production and distribution significantly."

A&T was just one of many groups represented at the second city community gardening meeting, organized by Parks and Recreation employees and the Guilford County Cooperative Extension. More than 30 people attended, representing places like Peeler and Nathanael Greene elementary schools, Greensboro Neighborhood Congress, St. James Presbyterian, Starmount Presbyterian, St. Francis Episcopal, and a landscaper helping the Sheriff's Office and Cooperative Extension expand food production at the prison farm.

The group will next meet at the Agricultural Center on Burlington Road at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4.

By the way, I heard that UNCG will have a free workshop called "Growing to Community: Community Gardens" "Growing in Community: Gardening to Nourish Self and Neighbor" on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Speakers include Dr. Charlie Headington of UNCG and Michael Schut of Seattle Tilth. The workshop will have break-out sessions on edible school yards, neighborhood gardens, faith-based or university gardens and so on. I'll post it on the GoTriad.com calendar once I verify some information.

Update: The workshop tentative schedule.

Proximity Hotel and other local businesses signed up for this sweepstakes package. Entry deadline is Feb. 28.

At least that many people showed up tonight at Studio B to hear what Brian Higgins had to say about his Sustainable Greensboro idea. Find background here.

I saw a lot of the movers and shakers of the city's environmental movement there as well as many people I've never met. Time will tell if the energy and interest displayed at the meeting will translate into a board of directors and $100,000 seed money for the new organization.

Early in the meeting, Higgins asked the crowd to name cities they consider "green" or "sustainable." They shouted Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago in response.

Higgins said: "I've lived in Portland. I've lived in Seattle and California. I've lived in places where people sort of take this thing for granted.... There's no reason why Greensboro, given some time, can't be mentioned in the same breath."

Higgins is not wasting any time. He said he hopes to have three to five board members by mid-February and an organizational identity by early summer. He intends for the organization to be membership-based as well as possibly drawing upon grants, donations, and service fees.

I got this press release late so I don't know the particular reason it was released today. It basically summarizes the energy performance contract the city of Greensboro has entered into to improve energy efficiency in municipal buildings. It says:

The City of Greensboro has reached a contract agreement with Pepco Energy Services of Arlington, Virginia, on a $6.1 million energy efficiency project. Under terms of the contract energy usage will be reduced by 28 percent with energy conservation measures to be installed in 46 City-owned buildings. Potential energy savings is estimated to be more than $6.5 million over the next 13 years. Money saved on energy costs will actually pay for the new equipment and installation.

The multi-year contract calls for Pepco to install energy efficient lighting, replace old chillers, update building automation systems, commission and rebalance heating and air-conditioning systems, and install water saving fixtures in many City-owned facilities.

“A lot of this equipment has needed to be replaced for years, but we haven’t had the money to do it,” states Mitchell Johnson, City Manager. “Now, through our contract with Pepco Energy Services, the City will have over $6 million in new equipment and infrastructure and will reduce the City’s energy usage by 28 percent.”

The contract provides solar energy for space heating and hot water systems at the Melvin Municipal Office Building and at five City Fire stations. And the project includes an energy awareness program to train building occupants on efficient practices.

The City of Greensboro’s carbon footprint will be reduced each year by eliminating 11 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of planning more than 1,700 acres of trees.

The project will be managed by Pepco Energy Services, but much of the work will be performed by local companies, including a commitment of 10 percent minority contract representation. Construction is due to begin in February 2009 with an estimated completion date of February 2010.

More public-private partnerships could be the key to community gardening expanding in Greensboro. A group of city residents and representatives of public agencies met last week to discuss the topic and a follow up meeting is being scheduled for early February.

I spoke briefly with interested citizen Julie Lapham who is discussing the idea with Mayor Yvonne Johnson. Lapham said faith organizations could play a vital role in opening up land to gardeners and helping to feed the city's poor and homeless.

"I just think there is a movement afoot," Lapham told me today.

The recession is obviously one reason for the interest. Lapham grew up in post-World War 2 England and remembers eating reconstituted milk and eggs during her childhood. She said, "We're going to be faced with what I think are three to four years of really rotten times."

I will be talking more with Lapham and other folks in the coming days, but following are some highlights from the Jan. 12 meeting notes:

Current or Planned Community Gardens in Greensboro:
• Steelman Park in Glenwood neighborhood; 20 raised beds;
• NC Cooperative Extension garden with 70 beds; waiting list for garden space;
• Keeley Park, 30 plots planned as well as a greenhouse for educational instruction and seed cultivation, a picnic shelter for garden use and educational instruction, individual tool sheds for participants, and a restroom facility;
• Brandywine Neighborhood & Pennyburn Retirement Community gardens starting this year;
• Interest/potential plans at N.C. A&T and UNCG;
• Other agencies/organizations with community gardens or edible landscapes: The Children’s Museum, Greensboro Montessori, Guilford County Prison Farm and Servant Garden;
• Other interested meighborhoods: Lindley Park, Westerwood and the future Dunleith Development, Southside;
• Known private efforts in establishing community gardens: an additional garden in the Glenwood Neighborhood and a space made available to gardeners out South Eugene Street

Potential barriers:
• Lack of land in neighborhoods. Potential policy change to require developers to set aside an area of land for a community garden was discussed.
• Public schools were identified as potential garden sites, but school system has liability concerns. Working with individual principals, PTAs and teachers was mentioned as a potential avenue toward success
• Lack of public funding, particularly for the more expensive elements such as water lines and fencing

Available resources:
• Public land may be suitable for gardens;
• Housing & Community Development may be able to help in identifying opportunities through “neighborhood plans;”
• Faith communities and churches may be a source of land, volunteers and interested parties;
• Statewide Extension offers a template for community gardens;
• Parks & Recreation can offer site preparation for gardens on publicly owned lands;
• N.C. Cooperative Extension can provide educational components. They already provide an on-line clearinghouse listing all community gardens in Greensboro and have produced an informational brochure;
• Master Gardeners have offered to match garden advisors with community gardens;
• Opportunities for getting young people involved in community gardens include: the Greensboro Youth Council, the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts; and
• Funding and In-kind donations opportunities may include: Lowes Hardware, Harris Teeter, Building Stronger Neighborhoods, the Community Foundation, garden centers such as New Garden Nursery, Greensboro Beautiful.

Greensboro city staff will meet today to explore expanding community gardens for the public. Brooks Mullane, program support supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department, said members of that department along with planning, the Guilford County Department of Public Health and the Cooperative Extension Service will attend the meeting to begin dialogue.

"We feel there's a lot of interest and a lot of need," Mullane said.

Mullane said the department doesn't know yet where gardens would be placed, but expects they could be placed at local parks or other city-owned land. For example, the Glenwood neighborhood has two gardens, one of them at Steelman Park. Greensboro would likely rely on grants to help pay for the gardens as no designated city funds currently exist, she said.

Community gardens have been popping up throughout the city over the past two years. The Brandywine neighborhood will start its first garden this year; gardens also exist or are planned for Beloved Community Center, the Newcomers School (a public school), Elsewhere artist collective on Elm Street, Peeler Open Elementary School and the Greensboro Children’s Museum. I recently learned that an interfaith community garden is also in the works in Winston-Salem.

Who am I missing?

I expect community and home gardening will increase this year as people seek to save money and have more control over the sources of their food. Intriguing models include the San Diego Sustainable Food Project and Pikes Peak Urban Gardens in Colorado Springs.

The N.C. Center for Environmental Farming Systems is also researching ways to promote and support local food production in the state.

Interior architecture students at UNCG unveiled today a prototype bus shelter they created this past semester. The project, called "seeds for change," is intended to raise awareness about the city's lack of adequate bus shelters for its bus system. Students talked with Greensboro Transit Authority employees and bus riders and found that the city has only 64 shelters among 1,100 bus stops.

I was told the shelter, made mostly of pine wood, will stay on display for a couple weeks. Learn more about the project here.

The UNCG Sapphires sing after the ribbon cutting of the bus shelter.

Students Ben Adams, Meg McMillan and Megan Schwarz sit on a smaller prototype on Tate Street.

More about the 250 acre tract here.

The Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association are encouraging residents to shop at locally-owned businesses this holiday season.

The two groups have partnered on a "Buy Local" campaign, something businesses throughout the country are doing as concerns about energy, climate change, the recession and globalization increase.

According to a Tuesday press release:

“It’s so important to encourage people to spend money locally rather than on internet purchases during the holiday season,” commented Greensboro Chamber President, Rob Clapper. “Even if people decide to shop at national chain stores, the sales tax generated is invested back into Guilford County and shoppers are helping to employ local people.”

Steve Branch, Vice President of the Greensboro Merchants Association also commented,” as everyone feels the global financial crisis, its imperative that we focus in on our own community and local economy. We are all a part of a whole and if we divert our holiday spending from other cities and from the internet back to a downtown retailer, to Battleground Avenue, or to Friendly Center, we are helping our friends stay in business and we are preserving our own neighborhoods.”

Of course, "local" can mean different things. The most local businesses are those that are owned by people who live in the same city, county or immediate region as most of the customers, and grow or manufacture the product locally, such as the craft vendors at farmers markets. From there you have the owners who live in the community but sell products made elsewhere.

Businesses furthest removed from a local community are those owned and operated by people outside of the region or state. After that are your national businesses that market online and/or source materials from different countries.

Some Greensboro businesses have been working this past year to promote shopping at locally-owned businesses. For example, Deep Roots, a natural foods cooperative, has partnered with several businesses to offer discounts to Deep Roots owners.

Some businesses also offer discounts to members of the Winston-Salem-based Piedmont Environmental Alliance.

A national organization that has worked to strengthen local businesses on a comprehensive level is the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. (It also defines "local".)The organization's vision:

BALLE believes in the power of local businesses to transform communities for the better by working cooperatively toward a shared vision. We imagine cities and towns of every size and political stripe engaged in shared learning to build community assets like sustainable agriculture, green building, renewable energy, community capital, zero-waste manufacturing and independent retail - what we call the building blocks of Living Economies. We envision a time when local economies not only generate community wealth, but also are catalysts for civic action, social diversity and ecological health -- for sustainable communities.

BALLE defines "living economies" as defined by the following principals:

* Living economy communities produce and exchange locally as many products needed by their citizens as they reasonably can, while reaching out to other communities to trade fairly in those products they cannot reasonably produce at home. These communities value their unique character and encourage cultural exchange and cooperation.

* Living economy public policies support decentralized ownership of businesses and farms, fair wages, taxes, and budget allocations, trade policies benefiting local economies, and stewardship of the natural environment.

* Living economy citizens appreciate the benefits of buying from living economy businesses and, if necessary, are willing to pay a price premium to secure those personal and community benefits.

* Living economy investors value businesses that are community stewards and as such accept a "living return" on their financial investments rather than a maximum return, recognizing the value derived from enjoying a healthy and vibrant community and sustainable global economy.

* Living economy media provide sources of news independent of corporate control, so that citizens can make informed decisions in the best interests of their communities and natural environment.

* Living economy businesses are independent and primarily locally owned, and value the needs and interests of all stakeholders while building long-term profitability.

The group lists a North Carolina chapter in Asheville.

One trend that I am tracking closely is embracing of "local economies," particularly as it relates to sustainability. For example, I just learned that TS Designs in Burlington is working on a T-shirt making project that will result in shirts made from cotton that is "grown, ginned, spun, knit, finished, sewn, printed, and dyed all within a 150 mile footprint."

I also know of a Triad man who has a biodiesel plant in south Virginia that uses canola grown on local farms and is used to fuel vehicles at an adjacent truck stop. Let me know of any other "local businesses" in the area.

Mark Raines and Trish Holder, owners of the "Greenspiration Home" in Northwest Greensboro, will host a free lunch on Friday with local homebuilders to demonstrate energy efficient and enviromentally-friendly features of the house they are building. The meeting will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

According to the press release:

Several vendors will be present to discuss the products used in this LEED® registered home, including the manufacturer of the geothermal system, the solar tube lighting, and the whole house ventilation system. Energy efficient lighting, insulation, and a unique hot water system selected to minimize water waste are also on the agenda....

"Lots of people say they are interested in green building. This is a chance for builders to come face to face with suppliers in a unique home setting and talk about things like cost, comfort, and practicality. And they can talk to us – the owners! Our goal throughout this project was to be candid about what worked and what did not. We want builders to learn from our mistakes!” said Trish Holder.

Contact Trish Holder at mail@trishholder.com or 668-9264 for details.

Update: I just learned that the city of Winston-Salem is also applying for the grant. The city has already completed its greenhouse gas inventory and the City Council also approved an action plan earlier this year (Greensboro has yet to complete its municipal and community inventories). A community sustainability program committee, similar to Greensboro's, is in the works.

* * * * * *

The city of Greensboro and N.C. A&T have teamed up to apply for a Sustainable Skylines grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The city's Community Sustainability Council will help put the proposal together and will talk about this on Monday during its regular monthly meeting.

The council plans to incorporate recommendations from a November community gathering of local environmental organizations. Check out the full list of suggestions, but council Co-chairman Robert Powell noted that projects relevant to the grant would be:

* A green bike program;
* A home audit/upgrade program;
* Greening the Greenway;
* Water use reduction/lawn reduction
* Intergenerational collaboration for sustainable Greensboro;
* A bus idling program;
* A commercial building educational program; and
* An educational/community based project

More than 100 people representing about 50 groups attended the city's Community Sustainability Council gathering on Thursday night. The advisory group wanted to tap into the existing environment and energy-related projects happening in the city and incorporate those ideas into its recommendations to City Council next year.

Participants divided into about a dozen different groups to brainstorm next steps for the CSC with topics including waste management, maintaining nature in the city, renewable energy, land use policies, water resources, transportation and local food production.

Some of the ideas: Neighbors pooling funds to purchase and install insulation in homes; church competitions to reduce energy consumption; wildlife education; improving public transit; incentivizing reduced water use and developing distribution networks for locally produced foods (i.e. processing plants and food preservation classes).

The CSC's report is due to council in March next year. I'll be following the group's work over the coming months to see how it influences the promotion and adoption of related initiatives.

Plus, a couple announcements:

* Green Drinks Greensboro meets on Wednesday at the Proximity Hotel's Print Works Bistro.

* UNCG students will present on Tuesday, Dec. 9, a community-oriented performance examining topics related to the "Going Green" movement. The inter-disciplinary performance will feature research relating to many different topics including: food production, wildlife conservation, economics and public policy, as well as sustainable design and a look at the practice of corporate "Greenwashing."

The performance will be staged in the auditorium of the Ferguson Building, located on Spring Garden St. on the UNCG campus. The approximately half-hour long show begins at 7:30pm and will be followed by a short question and answer session with the students as well as a small reception. The event is free and open to the public.

* Also, the Really Really Free Market returns to The HIVE on Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving):

What: Really Really Free Market
When: November 28, 10 am - 3 pm
Where: The HIVE, 1214 Grove Street, Greensboro, NC
How Much: FREE!
Contact: Kathy Clark at 336.409.9195 or Chelsea Simpson at 617.913.5964

"Here's how it works: Bring stuff you don't want or need. Leave it for others to take. Then look through all the stuff that other people have brought. It's like a yard sale, only FREE! Books, clothing, kitchenware, electronics, art supplies: you will find these and many more for FREE!

As well as loads of free stuff, there will be gift-making demonstrations, free musical performances and free food. Avoid the crowds and credit card debt. Consider buying nothing at the Really Really Free Market!"

The Green Revolution of the the 20th century is indeed a "green" trend that is financially, socially,and environmentally out of touch. This is a 21st century reality that many people across America and the world are waking up to.

People are rediscovering the joys of eating locally and simply, disillusioned with the technological advancements that brought us petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers, soil compacting machinery, consolidated farms and processing plants and now, genetically-modified organisms and hybrid seeds with "terminator" genes. Heritage tomatoes brought directly from the farmer is now in vogue, not the tasteless variety plucked off the supermarket shelf.

One such woman working to promote sustainable agriculture in North Carolina is Jennifer Curtis, who spoke about the topic at a Piedmont Environmental Alliance meeting in Winston-Salem on Thursday. She framed the transition from conventional, fossil-fuel dependent agriculture to local, organic production as a means of restoring economic, social and physical health to North Carolinians while also protecting us against foreign terrorist threats.

She defined a sustainable food system as one that satisfies human food and fiber needs, is economically viable, environmentally sound and socially just.

What more incentive do Greensboro residents need to recycle other than the satisfaction of knowing they can help the city save money and keep reusable items out of the landfill? Um, could it possibly be more money in the residents' pockets too?

It turns out the city's solid waste division is considering an incentive program with RecycleBank that would provide coupons for discounts at local businesses to residents based on the amount they recycle. Division manager Sheldon Smith said today at a Triad Mobile CARE meeting that he hopes to propose a 10,000 home pilot at the next City Council briefing on Oct. 28.

The division has managed to increase the amount of recyclables it processes since Smith took over in 2006. The division renegotiated its contract to bring the tip fees for recycling below the tips fees for the landfill transfer station (from about $62 per ton to $21 per ton for recycling, in comparison to $41 per ton for the transfer station), Smith said.

The division also reworked the recycling truck routes, from once a week pick up for residences to every other week starting in late January. Smith said the recycling volumes did not justify weekly pick up and the new routes and other initiatives saved almost 4,500 miles between Jan. 28 and June, and $1.4 million in the budget. Still, set out rates increased from 35 percent to 55 percent recycling was up 1 percent for the year.

No specific efforts exist yet to promote composting but Smith said he has spoken with county officials to explore grants for such promotion. Smith said he ultimately hopes to increase the amount of recyclables the city collects from about 17,000 tons per year for residential to 24,000 tons while reducing the amount going to the landfill.

What do you think about the RecycleBank idea? Would you recycle more if you could get coupons to your favorite restaurant? What do you think about the city's recycling services in general?

Green jobs supporters in Greensboro will be participating in a national fundraising and grassroots organizing event for presidential candidate Barack Obama from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 20 at Sticks and Stones restaurant on Walker Avenue.

Clean Tech and Green Business for Obama (CT4-O) and other environmental leaders from around the country are organizing, with the support of the Obama Campaign, an “Evening to Re-energize America.” The event will bring together thousands of people at over 300 house parties/fundraisers across the country, including San Francisco and Colorado Springs.

Attendees are responsible for their own food and drinks. To RSVP, e-mail pjmdesign AT gmail.com.

By the way, find here the environmental positions of Obama and John McCain along with a comparison by the League of Conservation Voters. Let me know of any related events going on in support of McCain.

The Greensboro Community Sustainability Council invites members of environmental/energy-related organizations to attend a community gathering from 4-7 p.m., Nov. 13, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on North Greene Street. The networking meeting will help determine the advisory group's focus going forward.

One group that recently joined local green efforts is Action Greensboro with its "Naturally Green, Cool by Design" campaign. April Harris of Action Greensboro told members of the sustainability council at a Monday meeting that committees are trying to determine how to best support current initiatives. Harris said the organization's goal is to promote green building programs and connect neighborhoods to the outdoor environment.

Action Greensboro is also pushing for passage of a $134 million transportation bond that would provide funds for a 4.8-mile downtown greenway.

Piedmont Green Gala? Check. Emerging Issues forum? Check. Nov. 13 Greensboro community sustainability gathering? Check. My calendar is filled with local energy and environment-related forums and workshops taking place this fall. But I'm still waiting for a comprehensive conference on how Triad governments, businesses, community groups and individuals can best prepare for the end of the fossil fuels era. One that draws more than the "experts" and activists.

I'm sure some of these conversations are going on behind closed doors and around the water cooler but the public needs to hear it and talk about it. Many questions are lingering in my mind:

1. How can local foundations and grant-making organizations help fund community-based initiatives to create local energy production or resilience? What obstacles do they face to diverting funds to these projects?

2. What can Triad communities afford to do under a worst-case scenario of limited/declining investment dollars?

3. What strengths or opportunities do Triad governments have that can be applied to the tackling of future energy challenges? For example, one county might have a stellar economic development team that could turn on a dime to draw alternative energy businesses; a city might have public strong support for public transit.

4. What is the public educational system doing and not doing to prepare students for 21st century energy challenges and new lifestyles?

5. What level of agreement do communities have about climate change and peak oil and their potential consequences? In what ways are shared and separate approaches needed?

6. In what areas do cities and homeowners associations need to relax, modify or add codes to help residents and businesses adapt to more expensive energy? What other reasons -- be it health, quality of life, etc. -- exist for making changes?

7. What conflicts do we see arising in necessary changes and business models that have to be addressed (i.e. city revenue vs. decreased water usage; discouraging plastic bags use vs. needed them for recycling business)?

8. What roles do the formal, informal and household economies play in community adaptation? Should residents expect to reduce their energy use and environmental impact through the purchase of goods or services, barter/gifts or do-it-yourself?

9. What social mores, expectations and taboos need to be shifted (i.e. quick and convenient travel, readily-available ice cold drinks, etc.)

10. What grand projects must communities sacrifice because of a shift in priorities?

What questions do you have that you would like to see addressed in a public forum?

Update: Also coming up: Campout! Carolina and Choctoberfest at Ten Thousand Villages.

On Thursday, Oct. 9, Andy Wood will present "Global Warming: Its Impacts on Birds, Biodiversity and People" at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library at 7 p.m. Wood is the state Audubon's director of education and a weekly contributor to Wilmington's public radio station WHQR.

Consultant and Greensboro resident Michiel VanderSommen will give a free talk about residential passive solar use at the Kathleen Clay Edwards library branch on Oct. 22. VanderSommen recently compiled information on green living and sustainability energy on a Web site, free to the public.

On Saturday, Nov. 15, Clean Water for North Carolina will hold “Managing North Carolina’s Water for Health and Justice,” a statewide conference on fair water resource management, public health and environmental justice. UNCG's Department of Public Health Education co-sponsors the event on campus in the Bryan Building. Registration: $20, including lunch.

Topics:

* A New Paradigm for Water Infrastructure
* Water and Energy: the Need and Opportunities for Freeing and Protecting Our Water Resources
* Privatizing a Human Right? Economic, Health and Environmental Impacts
* Protecting Safe, Affordable Water for 2.7 Million Rural NC
Well-Users

A national movement to reconnect today's youth with nature has picked up steam with multi-state "Take A Child Outside" initiatives and the recent U.S. House passage of the No Child Left Inside Act.

Question is, will local children get to play outside on a regular basis after the class field trips and organized nature events are over?

Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods," told a crowd of about 300 people at Greensboro Montessori School on Thursday that he longs for cultural and political change that keeps this back to nature movement from becoming another fad. His presentation and book signing was part of a week of events that sought to get children and their families outdoors.

"Our children have a fundamental right to that place in their hearts," Louv said. "When we cut that away from them we cut away a part of their humanity."

Louv then described his three-ring theory of cultural change, starting with program, then volunteers and last family or neighborhood-initiated activities. He said programs can fall victim to budget cuts and competition and volunteers can suffer from a lack of organization.

"What if an idea like that could catch on like neighborhood watches and block parties did in past decades?" Louv said.

He referred to examples of citizens taking it into their own hands to reconnect with nature, including Geeks in the Woods and a youth nature club called -- what else? -- "Girls Gone Wild."

It will be interesting to see what springs up in Greensboro and beyond. Perhaps I'll drive through neighborhoods and see more children climbing trees or playing in ravines. Or maybe I will overhear parents say they pulled their children out of formal extracurriculars to give them time for unstructured play. Any maybe I'll learn the joys of nature play myself so that I may establish a foundation for my infant daughter.

N&R reporter Taft Wireback published an excellent package today (not online for some reason) on his experience riding the mass transit systems that operate in Greensboro. His unsurprising conclusion: They have a long way to go toward making the proposition palatable for time-strapped motorists considering the switch from private automobile.

We all know that times are changing and that no longer will buses be filled mostly with people who cannot afford or are unable to drive a car. High gas prices and concerns about climate change/pollution/health are motivating more middle class people to ride the bus.

But let's be honest: The structures of the bus systems here reinforce the stereotype that public transportation is for the poor and marginalized who should just be happy they have an option for getting to work. Do you think middle and upper middle class people in business suits are going to stand in the rain without cover at a bus stop? I've frequently driven by old black women doing just that.

On the other hand, private cars have their downsides and you suck up a lot of time waiting in traffic jams, buying gasoline, updating registration, taxes and insurance, and performing regular maintenance. You can't get work done in your car while driving, although unfortunately I catch drivers reading magazines from time to time. And not everyone can afford to drive a lush SUV with a navigation system and DVD player in the back for the kids. I bet just as many if not more people are cursing under their breath for car-related reasons than bus-related reasons.

I rode GTA once in my two years living in Greensboro and that is because my car battery died and I wasn't able to catch a ride with a coworker. I found the bus convenient (and nearly empty at the time), but I caught it in Lindley Park, just a couple miles from my job downtown. I now live in Glenwood and plan to take the bus in the future. But I cannot rely on the system the way it is currently set up.

The question came up in Taft's article of whether Greensboro Transit Authority employees actually ride the bus. I wonder this myself. Since it's the weekend, I can't call to find out but I want to know what the policy is for employees taking the bus to work. Many newspapers, including this one, require reporters to live in the cities or counties they cover. Shouldn't public transportation employees be required to take the bus at least occasionally? What about government employees in general or elected officials? That alone might motivate quicker changes.

Taft brought up a good point at the end of his main article. Other options exist for saving fuel costs other than taking the bus, such as riding a bike. Carpooling and telecommuting also get the job done.

The Aycock neighborhood in Greensboro will sponsor a "Good Green Fun Fair" on Saturday at Aycock Middle School to show families how to incorporate green and healthy practices into their lives. The fair will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. and will be paid for with part of a $3,000 Building Stronger Neighborhoods Grant the neighborhood received.

Booths will include: Recycled Art, Make Your Own Pottery (North Carolina clay), Green Cleaning, and organic Vegetables and Fruit seedlings booth where fairgoers can take home their own organic seedling.

Prizes will be awarded for the Litter Pick-Up Contest, where Guilford County Schools students can collect litter from their neighborhoods, parks, etc. and bring their litter-bags to the fair for green-inspired team prizes.

Children will also perform “An Earthy Story”, an original play with music performed by students ages 5 to 13, about the cleaning of the world. For more information, or how to participate, contact Zora Medor, event producer at 273-8724 or zoramed@yahoo.com.

Friendly Center and The Shops at Friendly Center have increased the number of bicycle racks at the shopping complex in response to this summer’s record-high gas prices.

And to raise bicycling awareness, Friendly is partnering with the Greensboro Department of Transportation to hold a free bike safety event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 in the Pembroke Road parking lot (behind Signature Place, just off the Pembroke Road intersection with Northline Avenue).

GDOT will place special emphasis on the laws, rules and responsibilities associated with using pedal power. Activities will include a bike rodeo, helmet fitting, helmet giveaway for children under age 16, bike-on-bus demonstration, and a “Road 1” bicycle course overview.

The location of the 18 bike racks:
Ann Taylor Loft, 629 Friendly Center Road, Friendly Center

Custom Creations, 3352 W. Friendly Ave., Suite 142, The Shops at Friendly Center

Eddie Bauer, 801-A Friendly Center Road, Friendly Center

The Grande Cinemas, 3205 Northline Ave., Friendly Center

Great Outdoor Provision Co., 3104 Northline Ave., Friendly Center

Harris Teeter, 3330 W.t Friendly Ave., The Shops at Friendly Center

J. Crew, 3334 W. Friendly Ave., Suite 105, The Shops at Friendly Center

Jason's Deli, 3326 W. Friendly Ave., Suite 140, The Shops at Friendly Center

REI, 3334 W. Friendly Ave., Suite 140, The Shops at Friendly Center

United States Postal Service, 610 Pembroke Road, Friendly Center

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.

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.

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."

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?

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 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?

I had to get away during the Fourth of July holiday. I had just completed my peak oil series for the N&R and its publication provided another opportunity for the weight of the potential crisis to set in and disrupt my peace of mind. I was also consumed at the time with some analysis paralysis about whether to move from my current apartment or not, and if so, where and when. On Thursday, July 3, my husband and I decided, in a moment of last-minute frivolity, to go to Asheville for the weekend. We did not regret it and I even picked up some ideas from the plethora of green businesses and alternative media in the city.

I didn't leave with all of my questions answered, but I did get enough breathing room to contemplate the next stages of my sustainability journey.  Being in Asheville did underscore Greensboro's relative lack of eco-consciousness, but I also saw this city's strengths and weaknesses as fertile soil for change. My thoughts were confirmed this past Saturday while attending a Green Dialogue session at Elsewhere collective.

Justin Leonard, active in Greensboro's urban gardening efforts, spoke on the topic of "how to grow a community" and ended his presentation with the comment that a lot of his friends set their sights on Asheville or Seattle because of how far along they are in facilitating environmentally-friendly lifestyles. But Leonard said Greensboro is ripe for change.

"We need people who are willing to stay in a place that is not really nice and do the hard work," said Leonard, who helped create a garden at Greensboro Montessori.

Leonard is right, as frustrating as that hard work might be. I'm often tempted to just pack up and move to a place that better supports the lifestyle I want to have. (Having grown up in the military, I also get bored). Trouble is, if you can't make peace with your surroundings, you are likely to carry that dissatisfaction elsewhere. You will find something else to complain about and your self-righteousness will be unjustified. After all, many people are adopting green lifestyles as a fad, not because they understand or support the underlying tenets or worldview. Plus, Seattle is expensive.

I was talking with my father one day about the prospects of my committing to live in Greensboro and he remarked that one of city's features that makes it economically viable over the long term is the plethora of colleges and universities. Higher education establishments here should keep state and private monies flowing in, my dad said, and attract businesses because of the city's age- and skill-diverse workforce.

Of course, I regularly hear local and state leaders talk about how vital our colleges and universities are for preparing young people to "compete in a global economy." But some in the educational system worry that the glue that holds globalization together is an achilles heel for higher education: cheap oil. Like other institutions in America, the higher ed system's business plans, physical infrastructure and study areas rely largely on fossil fuels.

I touched on this concern in a peak oil project I completed for the News & Record in June. Gerald Cecil, a physics professor at UNC Chapel Hill, one of the top liberal arts universities in the state, said the school's long term success depends on how it prepares for a decline in oil supplies. He is currently working on an freshman introductory course on the subject.

His concerns are more than reasonable. Higher energy and tuition costs are already creating stress for families and the colleges themselves and driving changes in the educational system, such as an increase in online learning; the late Peter Drucker, a renown management consultant who coined the term "knowledge worker," predicted in 1997 the demise of residential colleges within 30 years (yet public universities in North Carolina, including UNCG, are in the midst of a building boom). The Chronicle of Higher Education featured an article this month encouraging colleges to prepare for peak oil.

Expensive and isolated schools may be at a disadvantage. I attended Campbell University in Buies Creek (a town that had one traffic light when I was there) and students drove 30 minutes or more to Fayetteville and Raleigh for entertainment. Will students do that at $7 a gallon gasoline? Will families spend $20,000 plus a year on tuition and fees in an era of lower job availability?

Public and technical schools such as N.C. A&T (as well as community colleges) may be at an advantage because of their low tuitions and program areas. UNCG, Elon and Guilford College have sustainability programs, but my understanding is that staff are motivated more for environmental reasons than peak oil. My question is, how long will it take before high oil prices contribute to a gradual decline in enrollments rather than an increase? Should colleges continue to rely on government and private loans to fill their seats? Time will tell.  

In the meantime, alternative educational systems are trying to fill in the peak oil educational gaps: I've seen plans for bioregional colleges and "communiversities." Given all of the educational resources in Guilford County, it would make sense for leaders here to retool and adapt early rather than start from scratch when it is too late.

President Bush and many educators have worked over the past several years to close the academic achievement gap between groups of students. Should his educational legacy also include closing the nature gap as well?

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is gathering support for the No Child Left Inside Act, a federal bill that would offer states incentives to develop Environmental Literacy Plans and integrate environmental education across K-12 curricula. The No Child Left Inside Act aims to ensure that schools have the resources and training necessary to help the next generation understand and address the challenges of protecting the environment.

Connecting children with nature is a goal that is beginning to gain steam here in Greensboro. Last Saturday, about 30 people viewed a documentary at The HIVE in Glenwood about the disconnect between today's generation of children and nature and unstructured play.

Given that No Child Left Behind has been underfunded since its inception and criticized for faulty implementation, I'm not sure another federal law is the best approach toward this issue. However, a healthy dialogue about the children's lack of exposure to the outdoors is needed.

Starting this Sunday, the News & Record will feature a three-part series I worked on this year about peak oil. I'm encouraging you all to take a look because you will likely hear more about it in the news from now on.

If you want a head start, take a look at this article.

In addition, Peter Kauber of Guilford Solar Communities will do a two-hour presentation on peak oil on July 12. Details:

What:    Guilford Solar July Program: "Peak Oil -- Theory
           and Evidence"
Where:  Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library,
           1420 Price Park Road
           Greensboro
When:   Saturday, July 12, 10 AM -- 12 Noon
Cost:     Free
Description:  Transportation is the lifeline of our current global and US economies.  Over 95% of our transportation is dependent upon the refined products of oil -- gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and bunker fuel.  As the price of oil sets new records weekly, the question naturally arises: Why is this happening?  One increasingly common explanation is that the rate of production worldwide of cheap, high-quality oil has peaked or will do so in the near future.  This is the "peak oil" hypothesis.  Guilford Solar's July program will explain the meaning of peak oil and will examine the evidence that supports it.  The presenter is Peter Kauber, who has researched the topic over the past four years.  Kauber was employed by Marathon Oil Company during the 1979-1981 "oil crisis" and thus brings a historical and industry perspective to the discussion.

About 40 people showed up for Greensboro's first Green Drinks socializing event at Natty Greene's on Wednesday, a pretty strong turnout for the first meeting. Participants included folks from the building industry, the city of Greensboro, Elsewhere Artist Collective and local colleges and neighborhoods (I even met a recent Guilford College graduate who was looking for a job). Very cool indeed.

Brian Higgins, who just moved to Greensboro with his wife from Seattle in February, is responsible for getting Green Drinks going.

He said he was going to the one in Winston-Salem but realized it would be better to get one going here than commute. Now it's established that there is a legitimate interest in green living here; now it's up to Green Drinks to be a tool for positive and progressive change in the city. Can you drink to that?

The Piedmont Environmental Center will host a free talk on sustaining your business on July 17 at the Piedmont Environmental Center in High Point. Refreshments will be served. Questions answered include "who represents the new green audience" and "what going green means to your future."

The Fund for Democratic Communities and the Greensboro Montessori School will co-sponsor a screening of the new PBS documentary "Where Do the Children Play?" at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 28 at the HIVE, 1214 Grove Street. 

    The film examines an issue of growing concern among pediatricians, mental health experts, educators, and environmentalists that today's children have little or no opportunity for unstructured play, especially outdoors:

“When you think about it, for tens of thousands of years children spent much of their childhood playing or working in natural settings,” says Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods," and one of the experts who appears in the film.  “Within the space of two or three decades in Western society, particularly in the United States, that's in danger of ending. This is a radical change in a very short period of time. It's got to have important, perhaps profound implications for mental health, physical health, and spiritual health -- for who we are.”

    The film screening is the initial event in a year-long community discussion about the state of childhood and play in Greensboro.  Louv will be at the Greensboro Montessori School on Sept. 25 for a talk and book signing.

    WHAT: Screening of the PBS documentary "Where Do the Children Play?"
    WHEN:  Saturday, June 28, 6 p.m.
    WHERE:  The HIVE, 1214 Grove Street
   
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Muktha Jost, 549-0733, mjost@ncat.edu

Yay! I've been waiting for this to happen. Green Drinks, a social networking opportunity for those interested in green living and sustainability, is finally coming to this city. Winston-Salem has had one for a while but I could never justify driving 30 minutes out of my way in rush hour just to chit chat.

But then I got this message, and my toes curled because I realized I could easily swing by after work:

When:   June 18th, 5:30pm
Where:  Natty Greene's Brewing Company, 2nd Floor
Why:      See below...

What is Green Drinks Greensboro? It's a social hour.  It's a networking event.  It's unwinding with friends.  It's a time and place where it's okay to be green and to find out what others in your city are doing to be green, work green, play green, or live green.  And it happens all over the country and the world in over 300 cities.  Proving that it's never too late to join the green movement, Green Drinks Greensboro will begin meeting every third Wednesday of the month on the 2nd floor of Natty Greene's Brewing Company (345 S. Elm St.) starting on June 18th from 5:30 until 7:30(ish).

Green Drinks Greensboro invites all those who care about the environment, teach about and learn about the environment, work in an environment-related field, have interest in the environment, environmental products, sustainable building, environmental protection, eating local, ecological design, alternative energy…you get the idea.  There will be no agenda and there are no dues. From time-to-time we will allow a few minutes for short presentations. To get on our e-mail list, simply send an email to greendrinksgso@gmail.com and we will keep you posted on our events.  See you there!

And, to truly make this a fun event for all, please forward this message on to others who would enjoy this event.  You can search www.greendrinks.org to see what other groups around the world are doing.

The "Simple Living" television show will feature Guilford County on UNC-TV at 6:30 tonight. 

The segment, called "Connecting with Nature," will include a visit to The Center for Education, Imagination and the Natural World, and interviews with Thomas Berry, cultural historian; Richard Louv, nationally-known author of "Last Child in the Woods"; and Joseph Cornell, head of the Sharing Nature Foundation. 

I've been mulling for the past week whether to participate in any of the various local food challenges going on in North Carolina and across the country. Not because I don't think it would be possible. In fact, I believe North Carolina is one of the best states to do it in. I just don't know if I want to add more rules or guidelines to my life.

I actually thought about participating in the 100 Mile Diet last year and blogging about it for the News & Record, but I scrapped the idea once I became pregnant. Now that my daughter is six months old, I feel comfortable trying it. Plus, eating locally is becoming more popular and I've got to be in the in-crowd, now don't I? (Yeah, right.)

I've been gardening in a small plot and shopping at the farmers markets in Greensboro and Colfax since last spring. Resources such as Slow Food Piedmont Triad and Local Harvest have helped me find sites for all kinds of goods, such as locally milled flour, chicken and herbs. I just need to decide how strict I want to be and how long I want to go. Do I cut out rice and pasta, salt and pepper? Do I go for a week, a month or the rest of the year? What restaurants in Greensboro would be off limits?  

Whatever I decide, I have made the commitment to increase the amount of locally-grown and produced foods I eat. I like feeling connected to farmers and artisans in Guilford County and North Carolina and being able to ask them face to face about their products. But I want my purchases and food preparations to be both a joy and learning experience, not a guilt-ridden chore. 

The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation reports that this spring's Triad Commute Challenge was a success. More than 1,500 people pledged to use an alternative form of transportation in March, April and May. Let's hope the participants followed through on their promises.

The Elsewhere Artist Collaborative in downtown Greensboro hosts "Green Dialogues," an eight-part series of North Carolina-based eco-thinkers presenting DIY environmental projects for urban living. They take place every other Saturday through September.

The group has started a hanging garden system in the back alley of the collective. Charlie Headington of UNCG will speak Saturday at 2 p.m. of living vertically in the city. Sounds interesting. 

The organization outlines the impacts of a proposed $400,000 cut from the city of Greensboro. You can speak out at a public hearing on June 3.

Another update (May 26): Joel Landau is featured in the News & Record's 10plus column.

Update: I forgot to mention that Landau told me last week that EPA folks met with local government officials at N.C. A&T State University about the possibility of Greensboro applying for a Sustainable Skylines grant. The application deadline has passed, so I am assuming folks here would apply next year. Sounds interesting. FYI, initiatives in Dallas and Kansas City.

A new environmental advisory group hopes to start meeting by June after the Greensboro City Council appointed it last week. Members are still crafting the mission but preliminarily it would "present City Council with specific proposals for reducing local carbon emissions, reducing energy usage, and conserving resources.  Proposals will include projected costs and funding options."

Following is the most recent message sent out to some in the community by Joel Landau, one of the co-chairs of the group:

"Last Wednesday Mayor Johnson appointed, and City Council approved, the members of a newly formed Advisory Group on the Environment! The Group's mission has not been specified, but it will be in the areas of bringing forth initiatives for reducing pollution, conserving resources, improving energy efficiency, and moving towards a more sustainable local economy.

"The group's co-chairs are Bob Powell and Joel Landau. Its members are primarily people who have been active in local sustainability efforts. Our thanks go to Mayor Johnson for initiating the idea and moving forward with it. Steve McCollum [of Environmental Stewardship of Greensboro] was also instrumental in bringing the idea to fruition. One of the hopes for this group is that it will be a focal point for coordinating and publicizing the various sustainability efforts now underway around the City."

In a previous message, Landau mentioned the following folks would be serving on the committee: Art Davis, Maurice Allen, Dr. Debbie Leiner, Derrick Giles, the Rev. Joe Venable, Carolyn Allen, Eric Hoekstra, Bob Powell, Tom Duckwall, Tom Clary, Valerie Vickers, Kim Yarbray, Joel Landau, Marlene Sanford of TREBIC, plus an unspecified representative from both the Chamber of Commerce and one from the Greensboro Merchant Association. They represent each district and include educators, business people, retired city planners, a medical doctor, a reverend, a former mayor and experience in sustainabililty activities.

This grassroots-initiated group will create its own charge instead of relying on a preoccupied council to set the path. It will be interesting to see if these members will have the necessary focus, camaraderie and singular vision to bring the council some innovative proposals and get them funded and accomplished (rather than be overtaken by infighting or self interest). Committees often have the tendency of simmering on the political backburner but I hope that is not this group's fate.   

I've got a few announcements for you about events going on in the area.

This, by way of Piedmont Environmental Alliance:

April 30: Another Green Drinks Gathering will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Foothills Brewery on 4th Street in downtown Winston-Salem. This is a networking opportunity for those interested in green living/working and environmental issues. To see well-developed and bustling groups in action, check out LA Green Drinks or Asheville Green Drinks.

May 10: Ten Thousand Villages in Greensboro will celebrate its first annual World Fair Trade Day Children's Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is designed to educate children about fair trade and ecology, and to celebrate global culture and the diversity of the Triad. There will be live music, and dance performances, storytelling, costumes, games, and other activities.

Guilford Solar Communities has an announcement on its blog about a May 10 session on installing solar hot water at your home.

Also, T.S. Designs in Burlington is hosting the Sustainable North Carolina Café on May 8 from 5:30-8 p.m. The company is showcasing its new sustainable initiatives along with food and wine from local vendors. RSVP with Eric Henry at eric@tsdesigns.com if you are interested.

Don't forget to register for the faith and environment forum at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College in Salisbury on May 29-31. Registration fees go up on May 7. I'll actually be giving a workshop on that Friday. Hope to see you there!

Steve McCollum, co-founder of Environment Stewardship Group of Greensboro, is organizing a canvassing for Dan Besse, a Democrat who is running for North Carolina lieutenant governor. McCollum is endorsing Besse because of his experience working on environmental issues.

McCollum will also host a meeting with Besse at his home from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Says McCollum:

"If you haven't met Dan yet, please plan to drop by and bring another committed Democratic primary voter with you!! Oh, yes, I was sure you'd ask: There is no required or even suggested donation for the April 16 event; however, you can bet that if Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still raising money after reaching the $100 million plus stratosphere each, the you'd better believe Dan Besse needs whatever financial support we can give him as he takes on two of the most well-heeled Dems--Walter Dalton and Hampton Dellinger, each with several times in their campaign coffers as Besse. If you want the GREENEST possible North Carolina, then consider a little green investment in the best environmental steward on the ballot."

Contact McCollum at 286-8665 or smccollum@triad.rr.com  if you are interested. 

NC Mobile CARE will hold a symposium on May 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro to recognize efforts of North Carolinians to reduce mobile emissions and promote fuel diversity. The symposium will also feature a tour of the green hotel and keynote speaker David Morris, co-founder and vice president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. He will talk about "Driving our way toward energy independence." Tickets for symposium and luncheon are $20.

I don't have a spaceship, sorry. But I do know of a couple who have created a "universe story walk" on their five-acre property in western Greensboro. There, visitors can take a 1/2-mile gentle walk that has markers of key moments in universal history. Each 100 feet represent 1 billion years and by the time you get to Lucy, the first human, you're literally a foot from the end of the walk. From there you step into the Ecozoic Era and are left to reflect.

According to the Stovers' flyer:

"Ther permanent Universe Story Walk at Stovers' Sejour itself manifests the dynamics of our emergent reality.... Voyagers travel at their own risk; Elaine and Nelson Stover, or any other guides for the walk, are not responsible in any way for any physical harm or shaken ideological foundations which may occur on the journey."

Point noted. I'm thinking about getting a group from my church to attend. This sounds interesting.

The walk narrative draws upon the work of Greensboro native Thomas Berry and his co-author Brian Swimme in the book "The Universe Story." Nelson Stover also developed the curriculum for the Thomas Berry "The Great Work" studies going on at local churches now. You may be able to find out more about both the walk and the study at an honoring of Thomas Berry at the central library on April 12 (tie-in with the Bicentennial).

Or, you can e-mail Nelson Stover at StoverN "AT" Bellsouth.net.   

Deep Roots Market, a food cooperative on Spring Garden Road, has started a new community discount partners program that provides owners discounts at other local businesses, such as The Green Bean and Empire Books. The program, begun in January, is an attempt to encourage the patronage of locally-owned businesses and general manager Joel Landau said this small effort is just the beginning. He wasn't familiar with the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) but immediately I thought that was a direction this could go in if it becomes successful.

Deep Roots, which has actually outgrown its current location, has also begun a community volunteer prorgram where coop owners get credit for volunteering at one of seven organizations, including Greensboro Urban Ministry and Food Not Bombs.

In case you don't know, Landau ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat on Greensboro City Council last year. But he has been very busy, helping the city sign on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. He told me Thursday that efforts to create an environmental advisory committee with city council are bearing some fruit and Mayor Yvonne Johnson might bring this up at Tuesday's regular meeting. Stay tuned....

Are any of you participating in this?

Following is an announcement I received from Benjamin Briggs, executive director of Preservation Greensboro Inc., about an upcoming local event:

"The National Preservation Institute is holding a workshop on Green Strategies for Historic Buildings here at the Blandwood Carriage House on April 10th. The session will be led by Boston architect Jean Carroon, AIA, LEED, principal of preservation at Goody Clancy, and will qualify for 6 learning units in the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System.

This is the first such workshop of its kind held by the Institute in North Carolina and the Southeast!

The seminar will review practical applications of using green building strategies for historic structures. The environmental goal of "reduce, reuse, recycle" can enhance the cost competitiveness of preservation projects. Participants will review the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards used to assess building performance. They will also focus on preservation challenges relating to energy efficiency, windows, lighting, indoor air quality, HVAC, and local and national codes and regulations.

I hope that local architects will be aware of this unusual opportunity here in Greensboro! For additional information you can visit my blog or you can visit the NPI website or contact the National Preservation Institute directly by telephone: 703.765.0100 or email to info@npi.org . They are organizing the workshop, and we have donated use of our Carriage House."

If any of you go, give me a shout out and tell me what you learned.

Megan Quinn Bachman, outreach director for The Community Solution in Yellow Springs, Ohio, spoke to members of Presbyterian Church of the Covenant tonight in advance of a film showing at UNCG on Thursday about Cuba's loss of access to oil in the 1990s.

She talked to a crowd of about 40 about the need for American towns and cities to radically curtail their energy use and rebuild community connections as preparation for the approaching era of dwindling fossil fuels. That means retrofitting existing homes to save energy, growing more food at home, decreasing the amount of grain-fed meat and processed foods in our diets, using public transportation and creating car-sharing plans in cities where public transportation is not feasible, she said.

"We got into this one bad decision at a time and we will get out of this one good decision at a time," Bachman said about the nation's oil dependency. "We need to recognize that if we don't choose a different path, then the choices will be made for us."

The country will need practical models of low-energy living and community building and the changes will have to come from within the community rather than top down from the government, she said.

"I really think Greensboro is on its way to becoming one of those models," she said.

Greensboro has a long way to go, but the fact that Bachman found her way to the city this week gives me some confidence that the paradigm shift that is coming may soon be at the forefront of people's minds and actions. 

Is it possible? One Greensboro man is helping residents find out. Kyle Smythe has started a business called Green H.O.P.E., which enables customers to reduce and offset their carbon footprint by purchasing renewable energy certificates or carbon offsets.

The RECs help finance the generation of electricity through renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. Carbon offsets essentially help companies lower their own carbon emissions through steps such as capturing carbon and storing it underground.

Smythe said as RECs gain demand, customers may actually get to decide where their power comes from, such as the sun instead of coal.

"The more RECs we can buy as consumers, the more they will realize there is a demand," he said.

Smythe, whose primary job is in the commercial insurance business, said he started researching global warming about a year ago and launched his site in November. Smythe attends Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and is a member of the city's Environmental Stewardship Group.

"Growing up in the mountains I think I have a different appreciation for nature than most people do," he said.

By the way, for you eco-preneurs, be sure to check out a new $1 million North Carolina fund that will provide grants to those who come up with innovative green business ideas. Find out more information about this at the N.C. Board of Science and Technology.

City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small has expressed an interest in holding a green fair in her district during Earth Day in April. I spoke to her briefly about it this afternoon. Bellamy-Small has only had preliminary conversations with folks, but thought the fair could be held as a pilot before becoming a city-wide event. I don't have details, but Bellamy-Small said she was looking for someone who could coordinate it. So if you are interested, give her a shout-out.

By the way, find out about the city's green initiatives here.

Something is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth about Greensboro and it's not just the water. It's the persistent undercurrent of racial tension in this city that makes me wonder how it will socially accommodate any challenging times brought on by climate change, resource depletion (water) and more expensive oil.

A lot about the city I like: it's big enough to not be parochial, but not too large a city to get lost in. A good arts and alternative medicine community exists as well. But it seems like every time I turn around, there is this real or perceived conflict between whites and blacks that makes me question my prospects of living here over the long term.

In addition reading about it as an issue in city government/police department, I hear about it constantly on the public school level as I cover it for the News & Record. I recently interviewed a black man who said he was so tired of the racism that he was willing to move back to Washington, D.C.  Now I have family in D.C. and can tell you it is not the greatest place to live if you are on the lower side of the economic continuum (think children dodging bullets behind trash cans). True gangstas reside in the District of Columbia, not in Greensboro, this man told me.

I've also heard minorities constantly complain about the amount of school construction bids going to white versus black contractors, something that the Guilford County Board of Education is trying to address. 

Now, how do we go about incubating creative and innovative ideas and following through on their implementation on a community-wide level if black people can't trust white people to fairly distribute the jobs or if white people can't trust blacks to tow the line? How do we motivate young talent to stay in Greensboro instead of fleeing to more progressive cities elsewhere? If we can ill afford to lose them in this economic environment (post outsourcing of thousands of manufacturing jobs), we certainly can't afford to lose them as the next economic shift occurs.

This is the 21st century, and honestly, I and others I know here would like to move on. Do you see this as possible? And do the residents of Greensboro face any other challenges to building community?

Anyone interested local energy policies and initiatives, effects of climate change on minority communities or careers in the industry might want to sign up for a conference to be held here by The American Association of Blacks in Energy. The event takes place all day on Feb. 21 at the Marriott Hotel on North Green Street.

I started reading this weekend "The Great Turning", by Michael Korten, a challenge to global citizens fed up with Empire's 5,000 year run to help usher in modern societies' conversion to earth community. Korten, who has worked for many years trying to rebuild third world communities, is co-founder of the Positive Futures Network and People-Centered Development Forum.

I didn't wait to stop reading the book before I started wondering to those Web sites and discovered WiserEarth, a Web portal that connects activists all over the world. I poked around some more and found a Google map that displays the locations of local groups such as Food Not Bombs Greensboro, Triad Sustainability Cafe and Earth Culture. Amazing.

Have any of you read "The Great Turning"? What do you think of it?

Following is an opportunity to start a dialogue with Mayor Yvonne Johnson about how she plans to lead the city of Greensboro into a more sustainable future. The Greensboro Neighborhood Congress (GNC) will sponsor the first town hall for her on Monday, Feb. 11 from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. The event is open to the public and will take place in the fellowship hall at the corner of Friendly Avenue and Commerce Place in the West Market Street United Methodist Church building.

According to an e-mail I received,

Mayor Johnson wants to hear from the residents of Greensboro and answer as many questions as she can during this meeting. Therefore, she will keep her prepared comments to a minimum and take written questions that are presented prior to the meeting and during the meeting. Marsh Prause, the Chair of the GNC Bylaws and Issues Committee will categorize and present the questions to Mayor Johnson.

Residents can e-mail questions to bdnewt@yahoo.com. Please enter Town Hall Questions in the subject
line.

Some questions I have for the mayor:

1. Are you aware of global peak oil production and if so, how do you propose residents and city leaders prepare for it? 

2. What do you believe are Greensboro's strengths and weaknesses in adjusting to the changing social, economic and physical environments brought on by climate change and peak oil production?

3. What are the appropriate responsibilities of city government in creating a more sustainable city and what are the responsibilities of community groups/individuals?

What would you ask?

You can't beat a free movie and engaging chat. UNCG's sustainability committee has been hosting viewings and discussion of films on environmental issues since last summer. Following is a list of the remaining films. Hope to see you there!

I have seen The Power of Community and would highly recommend it; I am excited about the opportunity to see Manufactured Landscapes because I was debating whether to scrap together some dollars for the DVD.

UNCG Sustainability Committee Film Series: Wild Caught
UNCG professor Matt Barr's documentary about the challenges of a North Carolina fishing community. Weatherspoon Art Gallery 6:30pm.

Unfortunately I may have to miss one of these to cover a school board meeting. But if you attend, drop me a line and let me know how it went:

On Jan. 31, The Piedmont Environmental Alliance is hosting "Paint the Town Green - Moving Towards Sustainable Communities" from 7 to 9 p.m. at Green Street United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem. The discussion will focus on how to encourage local governments to invest in sustainability. Free to the public.

Panel Members:

Vivian Fulk, The Climate Project

Elyse Jung, Sierra Club

Cathy Poole, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League & N.C. Alliance for Transportation Reform

Greg Savage, US Green Building Council, Piedmont Triad Chapter

Anne-Marie Scott, Triad Slow Food Convivium

Robert Vorsteg, Winston-Salem Neighborhood Alliance

David Wright, American Institute of Architects

Moderator: Terri LeGrand, Executive Director of Piedmont Environmental Alliance

On Feb. 12, the Rev. Mac Legerton, program director of the new Institute on Sustainable Development, Social Justice and Transformative Learning in Robeson County, will speak  at UNCG from 4 to 6 p.m. in the MacDonald Center of the Curry Building. This is part of the university's Scholarly Colloquium Series. Legerton is a statewide leader in school and community partnerships, rural development, policy advocacy, family support and literacy, youth and leadership development, environmental justice, cultural and place-based education and service learning. Check out an essay he wrote on sustainable development. On Feb. 12, he will speak on the role of education in promoting social justice and sustainability in a multicultural context, according to Kathe Latham at UNCG.

On March 28, UNCG will sponsor "The State of Our State: Wild Things in North Carolina," as part of its 2008 environmental symposium, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the New Science Building auditorium, Rm. 101. Prominent biologists from around the state will be speaking about the state of our state with regards to the flora and fauna of North Carolina. The event is free. 

Speakers:

Richard B. Hamilton has recently retired as Executive Director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) and is now working with the N.C. Wildlife Federation.

Curtis Smalling is the mountain region biologist for Audubon North Carolina. Curtis conducts extensive breeding bird surveys in the mountains to identify important birding areas. In 2005, Smalling and others investigated the impacts of wind turbines on birds at Beech Mountain.

John Alderman is an endangered species specialist and aquatic biologist who monitors and helps to conserve freshwater crayfish, mussels, snails, and fish.

Alan Weakley is the author of "Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Surrounding Areas" and is curator of the University of North Carolina Herbarium, which houses the largest collection of plant specimens from the Southeastern United States. For several decades, he has spent his time documenting and helping to preserve plant biodiversity in the Southeast.

For more information, contact Ann Berry Somers at 334-4978.

I wasn't so sure a year ago. I thought that despite the county seat's name, Greensboro and the surrounding areas lacked progressiveness regarding sustainability in comparison to other cities, such as Portland and Seattle.

Admittedly, when I first moved here in April 2006 to work for the News & Record, I was more concerned about finding a cheap place to live while I sold my house, learned my beat, met friends and found out what kind of entertainment the city had. But months went by and I started making changes in my lifestyle (partly motivated by tight finances), such as resuming a childhood joy of bike-riding, walking to stores for exercise and gardening. I asked myself, where are all the bike lanes? And man, these neighborhoods are so spread out, I don't know if I have the time and energy to walk two hours round trip lugging bags of groceries (I lived in northwest Greensboro for about eight months). I stared at people standing in the cold rain at city bus stops from the comfort of my five-passenger sedan. When I moved to an apartment in Lindley Park, I had to drive to another neighborhood to start a garden (thanks to a resident's beneficence). And you know the saying, out of sight, out of mind. And when I tried to cut back on my carbon emissions by hanging my laundry to dry, I was told no clotheslines outside. So I bought a rack and hung them in an already crowded bedroom.

Then I learned about climate change and peak oil and shortly realized that what were now inconveniences in a car-dominated society could turn out to be liabilities. Were these issues on the radar of city and county governments and community organizations? Fortunately, I now know that some groups in the county and state are trying to address these challenges and help residents prepare for what is to come over the next few decades: skyrocketing oil and natural gas prices, unpredictable weather patterns and possibly a global economy that must reverse itself and become increasingly local. Peak oil is only beginning to hit the mainstream consciousness and I agree with some who say the subject will likely overtake climate change in public debate this year.

So what are the residents of Guilford County going to do about this? Will we continue to look for the same solutions to our economic and social problems? How innovative can we be in transitioning to a lifestyle that is more local, energy efficient and less dependent on fossil-fuels (i.e. gas-powered automobiles, industrial agriculture). Do we have the political will, resources and persistence to make this area an attractive and viable place to live 20 years from now?