The City made great strides in its first year of working toward sustainability, including the following:

° Creation of a volunteer employee committee “Green CDA Team”
° Completion of an energy audit and a performance based contract for energy savings programs with Johnson Controls
° Completion of a city facilities pilot recycle program and implementation of general recycling practices
° Identification of existing green practices
° Installation of motion sensor light switches
° Creation of sustainable section to the web-site
° Creation of a quarterly E-Newsletter with education and reminders to staff
° City Council approval for single stream recycling (community-wide)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Kaia Magazine

Green Magazine Kaia Magazine  In this issue you will find great articles from some of the top healthy and sustainable living experts that the web has to offer. From eco-conscious travels to delicious recipes that make the most of bountiful harvests... Click the link below for more information:

http://issuu.com/kaiamagazine/docs/june_2012/1

Giant, 10-day-long UN conference on sustainable development gets underway in Rio de Janeiro

(Silvia Izquierdo/ Associated Press ) - Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, right, and Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira arrive for the inauguration of Casa Brasil or Brazil’s Pavilion, one of the events taking place on the first day of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. The Rio+20 gathering, that runs from June 13-20, marks the 20th anniversary of the so-called “Earth Summit”, which some say put climate change on the world agenda.
















RIO DE JANEIRO — The United Nations’ largest-ever conference has kicked off in Rio de Janeiro.
The Rio+20 conference on sustainable development is expected to draw some 50,000 participants including delegates, environmental activists, business leaders and indigenous groups.  For more of this story go to:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/giant-10-day-long-un-conference-on-sustainable-development-gets-underway-in-rio-de-janeiro/2012/06/13/gJQAbPGVaV_story.html

Friday, June 8, 2012

Five Green Trends This Week

From hitching more rides to finally reusing all of those plastic Coca-Cola bottles, more Americans are proving that the environment is on their minds. At a time when global warming is a hotbed political issue, an increasing number of people see the need to do their part to reduce their ecological footprints in support of the planet. Here are five green trends this week that show exactly how more Americans are combating climate change.

1. Gas Guzzling Is a Huge No-No. With gas prices continuing to rise, many people – even those who could care less about being “green” – are looking for less gas-guzzling options. Sales of the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle actually have gone up during the first two months of this year — and trend that shows that the current economic realities of the United States are driving more Americans to think a little greener.

2. “Slugging” Is Cool. Yet another current green trend this week strongly relates to today’s soaring gas prices – the trend of people who are engaging in blind carpooling, also called “slugging.” In this act, people usually catch rides with strangers to save on high gas prices during rush hour, and the drivers gain the benefit of being able to use carpool lanes (and possibly even earn a little gas money in the process). These lanes are popular because they allow drivers to avoid stop-and-go traffic, but drivers must have a minimum of three people in their vehicles to use these special lanes. The trend of slugging definitely is green in that it translates to fewer cars on the road and thus reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.

3. Spring into Action. With spring already in the air, more people are returning to the garden this week, but along with that, a rising number of people are become environmentally conscious with regard to the use of pesticides. This trend is in line with March 18-24, which is National Poison Prevention Week. People are increasingly being encouraged by news media to become greener by choosing more pest-resistant plants and by keeping garden soil healthy. Pesticides negatively affect creatures such as frogs and birds and also contaminate drinking water.

4. Homes Are Becoming Greener by the Day. With spring promotions actively pushing homeowners to become more environmentally friendly – such as March’s Fix-a-Leak Week (March 12-18) – many homeowners are revisiting their sinks and toilets to see if they can boost their water-efficiency. This trend includes tightening pipe connections, checking for leaks in toilets and replacing fixtures with models such as WaterSense-labeled ones, as these devices use 20 percent less water than their counterparts. Recent National Association of Home Builders trend research shows that water-saving devices are becoming more commonplace and should become an even greater standard by 2015.

5. It’s About Time Those Plastics Got Reused. The recycling of plastics, in particular, is on the rise in the United States. A new trend report from the American Chemistry Council reveals that a 72 percent year-on-year boost in the recycling of rigid plastics is prevalent in America. The number of plastic bags being recycled also is increasing as more consumers strive to reduce their ecological footprints in a simple, inexpensive manner.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Reduce Your Plastic Waste

over 7 million tons of plastic
spanning an area twice the size of texas
destroying our oceans
and harming our food chains