Last Green Program for 2009 on December 12

At the end of October we had our first Do It Yourself (DIY) program with Gary Crouth teaching how to make our own laundry detergent and Yasmeen Arif-Sayid giving a presentation on herbal remedies. I have received a promise that they would write something up for the blog, so stay tuned. We will have our second in the DIY series on:

Saturday, December 12, 10-11:30

Need ways to save money and get through the recession? Things you can do yourself? Mary Beth Thakar and Rose Lord have some ideas for you: -Growing lettuce inside in the cold months -- and herbs as well-Make your own yogurt at half the cost -- and fresher-Healthy, vitamin-enriched sprouts are easy to grow from all kinds of seeds-Cooking three things at once in one pot, saving time and energy-Homemade food gift ideas-Up-to-date "Stone soup" -- making soup from a mix of ingredients -How to refill ink cartridges -Teas from unexpected sources

Be sure to keep watching the program calendar for new programs.

What I learned about ethanol

I have never been impressed with the reports about ethanol and it has never made much sense to me to use food for fuel. So what I learned from a friend of mine about ethanol usage and car mileage got me thinking: Who is really being served by ethanol?

My friend bought a Prius well over a year ago and in the beginning was very happy with her mileage. Now, however, she is experiencing a rather sizable decline in miles to the gallon; as much as 10 miles to the gallon less than in the first year. After asking around she found that car mechanics are aware of the problem and she learned that the mix of ethanol in gasoline is decreasing mileage.

I wonder why I have not heard much about this in the news. I see lots of blog entries when I google the issue. And I do not notice any major change in my mileage over the past year or so; Although I have always noticed slightly lower mileage during the winter months. Could it be the decrease is more noted in the Prius because the car provides a readout of your gas usage? Are hybrids more sensitive to the mix of ethanol in a blended gasoline?

In a simple google search I found older articles and blog posts (2006) concerning lower mileage blamed on ethanol/gasoline mixes. But a blog called American Fuels provided more recent and scientific data. In summary, this is what it says:
-ethanol has fewer btu's than unmixed gasoline
-gasoline varies in its percentages in btu's (as much as 3.4-4.5%)
-summer gasoline has higher btu's than winter gasoline
-ethanol btu is constant

I think the blog is interesting and I like the variety of links he has listed. For example, I read a posting a year ago about algae being used as a fuel source and this blogger has included it as one of his blog posts.

In The News

I have been aware of the problem with plastics causing cancer and acting as estrogen mimics for sometime. I try to warn my co-workers not to use plastic in the microwave oven, but it is hard to change habits. It is good to see articles such as this in the New York Times that I can use to educate folks. Don't use 3, 6, and 7 plastics. And don't microwave anything in plastic!

For James H. Kunstler Fans

For those of you who follow Kunstler, here is a great article in The Sun Magazine. You can also check out his podcasts from his cast site: The Kunstlercast: The Tragic Comedy of Suburban Sprawl.

Presentation materials in support of Library Conference Presentation

I will be giving a presentation about the Be Green program series at the Pennsylvania Library Association Annual Conference on October 19. In the spirit of distributing electronically and saving paper, I will be posting all relevant materials on the blog. I created a booklist for the Be Green series, which includes new and relevant books, web sites, dvds, and databases along with the program schedule. I update this booklist 6-10 times per year. Additionally, am posting the slide presentation of the program and it appears under the booklist.

Be Green Booklist and program list

How Green in Your Programming PowerPoint Presentation

Alert about SIGG bottles

For those of us who have been working to eliminate BPA from our water bottles and bought SIGG bottles it is dismaying to read that SIGG produced and sold bottles with trace amount of BPA in the liners. In today's Huffington Post there is an apology by the SIGG CEO. He gives details on how to return your bottle. Also on the SIGG site there is a link to returning the bottles.

Come to our program: How to create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat

How to create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat (part of our Be Green series)

September 19, 1-3pm
October 3, 1-3pm
November 7, 1-3pm

Join us for a workshop on creating your Backyard Wildlife Habitat. The Gardeners of Gardenalia are dedicated to building sustainable systems in our natural environment and community. They are trained gardeners and designers specializing in developing, restoring and renovating gardens and landscapes. September 19 is the first of three in our series on creating a wildlife habitat in your backyard. Topics included in the workshop are: soils and prepping the site; how to use plants that work in harmony with wildlife and the conditions of the space; how to create an ecosystem in the backyard that will be self-sustainable; sustainable practices and organic pest management.