What to do with the Nasty Stuff?

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During spring cleaning time, we’ve all come across stuff with the toxic CAUTION label looming. It’s tempting to just throw it away. Problem is, dangerous reactions can happen when hazardous chemicals are combined—not to mention the effects of pollution on our land and sea creatures and, in turn, us humans. Just one quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water. And here in Charlottesville, 70 percent of our rivers, lakes, streams do not meet federal and state water quality standards! Everything we flush, put down the sink or drain, on our lawns, ends up being treated and put back into our waterways.

According to Robbi Savage, Executive Director of the Rivanna Conservation Society, one of the most important ways to help is to properly dispose of prescriptions and household hazardous waste.

The city and county will continue Household Hazardous Waste disposal service this spring: for residents, Saturday, April 14 (I've heard they are STRICT with their hours: 9am-2pm). Amnesty collection days for Bulky Waste will follow on the Saturdays of April 21 (furniture/mattresses), May 5 (appliances), and May 12 (tires), which contain flame retardant, freon, and other chemicals unfit for regular trash cans. See rswa.avenue.org/household.htm for the list of items accepted.

CFL bulbs? HHW Day, Lowe’s, and Vanderlinde Recycling accept them.
Partially empty or full paint cans? Vanderlinde Recycling or the Ivy MUC (materials utilization center) location.

Nail Polish: EPA considers this a household hazardous waste. Bring it out to HHW Day.

Never mix used motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, paint, paint thinner, pesticides, solvents or other potentially hazardous liquids together. Of course, never pour them into the ground or storm sewer.

As for prescription drugs: Most grocery store pharmacies now sell an 8 x 11 envelope ($2.99) to place leftover or out-of-date prescriptions. Or you can wait until National Take Back Prescription Day on April 28. Call ahead to see if your favorite pharmacy is participating. (Details at Environmental Return System: www.sharpsinc.com) To find Cville locations for 2012 take back day check the National Take Back Initiative on this WEBSITE

Hope that helps!
Betty

I saw many familiar and friendly faces at the Paramount tonight listening to an acclaimed author talk about getting kids and everyone, really, more connected to Nature. A large group of folks (I’d say around 300) came out to hear Richard Louv talk about his book the Nature Principle, Last Child in theWoods, and the New Nature Movement. Many for whom I am so grateful for their work in this community: Kate Knott of Living Earth School, Piedmont Environmental folks like my friend Melissa Wiley, Linda Winecoff of the Buford Schoolyard Garden, Todd Barnett of the Field School, Wendy Fisher of Mountaintop Montessori and countless others!

The exclamation mark on his talk came on the ride home when I drove by a plastic grocery bag full of someone’s to-go trash in the middle of the road. I’ve always been perplexed at why people would litter?

To me it’s like peeing in the middle of your living room or spray painting graffiti on your bedroom wall. Who does that?

Louv and I have a similar conclusion: the person who dropped that out their car window was truly disconnected from Nature and the planet and truly doesn’t understand the effect of his/her actions. Our charge as people who are connected and do care is to compassionately reach out and help others see the connection and to choose something healthier for everyone.

Louv wrote Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Nature Principle, Human Restoration and the end of Nature Deficit Disorder. He is the recipient of the 2008 Audobon Medal and chairman of the Children and Nature Network www.cnaturenet.org.

Some take aways for me was that he urged us to think beyond environmentalism and conservation and join what he calls the New Nature movement. He challenged the audience, Do we really JUST want to be sustainable? Adequate. He quoted William McDonough: “Do you want just a sustainable marriage?” Why not shoot for something a lot better than “just good enough.” It’s not just about energy efficiency, he said, it’s about reconnecting on a deep level to Nature – as lawyers, police officers, teachers, entrepeneurs, artists, homeowners, and the list goes on. We all have a role. And (I like this part) let’s not just get kids into nature, let’s get adults in Nature, work in Nature (I’m thinking year two of the Better Business Challenge needs to include board meetings on rivers or in parks!).

And the way we can get more connected to Nature is to simply get out and play in it! He talked about a Family Nature Club in Roanoke that started with a few families and now has over 700 families on its listserv.

I wanted to ask him a question and unfortunately we ran out of time (with my heart pounding and the microphone in hand and everything). So I’ll share it here.

He made a couple of metaphorical references to Nature. Wanting doctors to “prescribe” nature more and needing to heal the bronchial tubes of our rivers. Which got me thinking about Karen Firehock, Director of the Green Infrastructure Center at UVA, who recently told me about her project where kids played in the streams as “doctors” and monitored the stream. And earlier this week I talked to Robbi Savage of the RCS about solutions around cleaning our waterways and she told me that Moore’s Creek is on a “pollution diet.” As a former middle school educator, I used metaphorical thinking a lot and believe that metaphors are a great way to “embody” a concept on a deep level.

So I wanted to ask Mr. Louv what he thought was the most useful and compelling metaphor when it comes to helping connect kids to Nature. I think it’s this idea of the Earth as a body and we are all doctors or healers or personal trainers. We have created “disease” on the planet and we have some serious “healing” to do on this Earth.

And the solution is not going in for a triple bypass surgery, still getting no exercise, eating supersized bad foods, taking more meds, and watching TV. It’s taking a long, hard look at our lifestyle and what we are putting into our Earth body.

Can we look at the whole organism and making healthier, happier, joyful, holistic choices for the betterment of this organism we live on called Earth? I think we can.

I’m looking forward to reading both books, but in the meantime let’s create a Better Backyard for all of us and play in it. The Backyard with Betty Club. Nature play time for kids, teens, dogs, adults, nanas, and pops. Who’s in?

BWB

Apps to help conserve our most precious resource: WATER!

Enjoy this article appearing in Abode magazine this month in newsstands or at www.c-ville/abode.com

Water is vital to everyone, every day. In honor of World Water Day on March 22, this month Betty has found top-rated iPhone applications to help you do your part to conserve our most precious resource.

Drip Detective: I love this clever app that calculates your water waste and cost from leaky faucets. Simply tap the screen each time a drip fall from your faucet and voila—see the reason why you should fix it ASAP!

How Blue Are You? This application launched by American Standards details their highest efficiency products, but also offers a water savings calculator, quiz, and efficiency tips.

How much water do you eat? The Virtual Water Project would like to tell you. This application shows the large amount of water it takes to produce everyday things such as food, paper, and cotton clothes. ($1.99)

My Water Diary: Track your weekly water consumption with this application. Just click on their cute shower, toilet flush or mop graphic to see your use. Only caveat: because it hails from the U.K., it calculates in liters.

Meter Readings will help you easily monitor all of your household utility meters—in addition to water, energy and gas. Once you start entering readings, your usage, costs and savings are calculated and displayed in easy-to-visualize graphs.

Finally Facebook, Friend2Friend, and Siemens have teamed up to offer a Personal Water Footprint Calculator to help you conserve. Take a test and you’ll learn where you use water and get savings tips. Plus, you can share with your friends.

I'll drink a glass of tap water to that!
Best,
BWB

Spring sports start and so does the increase of my carbon footprint!

My eight-year-old son Ian starts soccer this week - the first time he will officially play a sport. We are very excited. If you know me, I have a lot of energy. Now imagine me on five cups of coffee and that's Ian.

I was stressing about buying new gear for his first practice tonight. Ever since my year of no-buying pledge (2008), it's still hard to shop for all new Gear with a capital "G". The shin-guards, the jerseys, the bag, the soccer ball, the cup (OK plastic does have its important uses!), on and on. I remember when I was teaching middle school in Utah over 12 years ago "Channel One" TV had a story on the abusive child labor practices that went into the manufacturing of soccer balls. (For the latest check out this Dept of Labor site

Luckily, someone's a Betty over at SOCA...I found out about the SOCA gear exchange. Phew! So I left work early and zoomed in and out of there with everything gently used. All for under 20 dollars. Cost-effective AND Betty-approved.

Of course, when I drive up I notice the pristine soccer field. Acres of green lawn.

Ugh. That must take a lot of fertilizer and LOADS of water. (Water is on my mind now that it's March. World Water Week is coming - Betty and the Challenge team will be hosting a Lunch n' Learn on the topic for businesses: Stop Throwing Your Money Down the Drain.)

OK. I'll be taking the "less judgement, more curiosity" approach and be asking lots of questions when the time is right. :-) (not when 15 parents are in line behind me!)

Oh yes... then I'll be driving more with practices and weekend games. Luckily at this first stage, all the games will be held at his school, Stone Robinson Elementary. But with two boys in sports (Garrett in baseball), I wonder if I'll be that mom taxi that I vowed not to become.

Carpools will be essential.

Heading down the stairs with a more can-do spirit, I hear one mother say, "Oh, I always bring plenty of extra water bottles!" I wish she meant the reusable kind.

Mental note: REMEMBER our Coleman water jug to every practice and game!

Here I sit thinking of ways to offset our sports footprint and we're not even on the field yet!

harmph...
Betty

Lower Your Cookprint with These Tips...

Cool kitchen: Tools of the trade

My mother is right, again! She’s always telling me, “Use the Crock Pot.” She knows Betty is too busy saving the planet and doesn't have the energy to cook after work. Turns out, she’s the Betty. Crock pot cooking is eco-smart cooking!

This month’s recipe is for energy-efficient cooking.

Woks, electric frypans, slow cookers, and pressure cookers are all more energy-efficient than stovetop burners. Actually, modern pressure cookers use one-third of the energy!

Put a lid on it!

Lids on pots and pans reduce energy use and time for boiling/cooking by 50 percent. (EPA)

Also, pots and pans should be about 1” larger in diameter than the range burner, so you’re not heating the air around it. A 6” pot or pan on an 8” element can waste nearly 40 percent of its heat.

Did you know that using glass and ceramic pans will retain heat more fully than metals, allowing you to turn the oven temperature down by 25 degrees? (Food Service Technology Center and APS)

Respect the convection

Convection ovens, which use fans to circulate air, are about 23 percent more energy efficient than conventional ovens. (DOE) Using a combo microwave/convection is even more efficient. Do you use the self-cleaning feature? It may be convenient but it’s really energy-intensive. Could you opt for a little elbow grease instead?

Hope that helps lower your cookprint!
BWB

The next generation Betty: Welcome these tips from local teenager!

Teresa approached me several months ago wanting to help serve the community Betty-style so I suggested some guest blogs. Here's the first installment. Enjoy and thanks for making a difference, Teresa!

Hi! My name is Teresa and I am a 9th grader at Albemarle High School. I am interested in environmental issues because I am very concerned about the impact that global warming will have on our future. I’m volunteering with Better World Betty because I would love to help make people more aware that global warming is a problem and that we need to reduce our carbon footprint.



I recently read an article (http://news.cnet.com/Earths-temperature-at-400-year-high/2100-11395_3-6087108.html) that stated that the temperature on the Earth is higher than it has been for the past 400 years! In the past century, the Earth’s temperature has risen 1 degree Fahrenheit. However, the rate of temperature increase will accelerate due to retreating glaciers. Ice reflects the sun, so as more glaciers melt, the Earth will absorb more heat.

Most people do not think a 1 degree rise in temperature is much at all (I definitely did not), but it turns out that even small changes in temperature can have a huge impact on Earth. A predicted 5 to 8 degree temperature rise in the next 100 years could cause sea levels to rise half a meter, put some island nations underwater, and wreak havoc in many areas of the world.

But I think the most surprising fact in the article is that 6 to 10 degrees is the difference between today and the deepest ice age!

Most of the recent increase in temperature is caused by human activity, so we definitely need to make it a priority to take action now to slow down global warming.

Here are a few small things my family does to reduce our carbon footprint:

1. We unplug electronics when not in use. Leaving items like laptops, cable boxes, and game units plugged in all the time can waste a lot of energy.
2. We take short showers.
3. We bring our own reusable bags when we grocery shop and our own reusable containers for restaurant leftovers.
4. With the holidays approaching, we will avoid excessive use of wrapping paper by using reusable gift bags, recycled wrapping paper or even the comics from the newspaper.
5. We go to the Better World Betty website for more recipes for green living!

Hopes this helps!
T

Time for a Pantry Raid

Pantry raid
(Find this article here or in newsstands at www.c-ville.com/Abode

Take a moment and consider how much coffee, chocolate, and flour you go through every week. Unfortunately, from farm to cup and bean to bar, chocolate and coffee (along with other staples) both involve an intense process to reach our mouths. This new year, green-raid your pantry and replace accordingly!

Coffee
Fair-trade, shade-grown, organic. It’s hard to keep track, and it’s about to get harder with the recent split between certifying organizations Fair Trade USA and Fairtrade International. For now, these labels are the best way to protect against land loss, help smaller producers have access to resources, promote sustainable practices, and ensure a fair wage. Significant acreage of rainforest is lost every year due to cheap, monoculturally-grown coffee. Bird- and forest-lovers (isn’t that all of us?), look for the Smithsonian Bird-Friendly and Rainforest Alliance labels. The good news: Locally roasted coffee is readily available.

Chocolate
Again, fair-trade organic chocolate is best. Divine Chocolate is 45 percent owned by the Ghanaian farmers who supply its cocoa beans.

Sugar
I recommend agave nectar, honey, stevia, or organic varieties like Florida Crystals.

Flour
Virginia has its own mill: Wade’s Mill, sold at local markets!
Tea and spice
The same designations are important here. What better time to make the switch? The new Spice Diva at Main Street Market is offering a 30 percent discount to folks who bring in their spices to exchange.

Want to know more about specific brands or other food producers? I love these two websites: www.localharvest.org and www.greenamerica.org. Find local sources of sustainably grown food in your area along with green brands and companies.