ChgoGreen

Why Green Roofs aren't being planted

2007-11-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

Libby Rosenthal writes in the Business of Green blog on the NYT that green roofs aren't catching on because there aren't enough big corporations behind the project. Libby Rosenthal is of the opinion that the green roof fad won't take off because there isn't a big enough incentive for multinational companies to get into the market. She compares the market for green roofs to the solar panel and wind turbine industry that has seen growth because of the amount of money being made internationally while green roofs are produced and maintained locally.

Her theory is interesting but one reason that seems to be overlooked is the feasibility to implement green roofs. I personally would like to live in a home with a green roof because it could expand my gardening space but the pitched roof to the house I live in makes it more of a dream than a reality. A living roof on a building with a pitched roof is possible but would be harder to build and maintain than on a flat roof I think these design obstacles with homes would be more of a reason behind green roofs not taking off more so than multinational investing in the industry.

Is your website carbon neutral?

2007-11-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

In the post "How Green Is Your Website?" I linked to a blog widget that can be added to your blog to display how green your website is. The green website widget keeps track of the CO2 emissions created by your blog or website. If you're running a carbon neutral website there is a logo for carbon neutral websites created by Simon Hindley.

The stylish Carbon Neutral Logo is free to use under the condition that you meet the requirements of being a carbon neutral website and can be verified by an independent party or government agency. The logo is available with a clear, white or black background that is sure to fit the design of any website that can display it.

Visit the site and read the information before downloading and using the logo to make sure you qualify and then choose the logo style that fits your carbon neutral website. Carbon Neutral Websites logo.

How Green Is Your Website?

2007-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

How Green Is Your Website? Is the question being asked by www.maxtility.com. There is a widget that you can add to your website or blog that calculates the carbon footprint created by your website or blog.

How does it work?

It supposedly measures the electricity usage by your readers as they spend time on your website or blog. The popular sites and blogs on the internet have more visitors that spend more time on then and in turn create more CO2 emissions. You can combat the negative effects of your popular website by buying carbon offset credits.

The project was founded by Ph.D. Students at Harvard and Yale. Visit the CO2Stats to add the widget to your website or blog. At the time of this writing it is offered in a single click install for TypePad and Blogger.

Go Greeen by recycling your plastics

2007-11-10T08:20:00.001-08:00

If you're looking to recycle plastics in your area but don't know where to go PlasticResources.com has a database of plastic buyers and sellers. You can search the Recycled Plastics Market Database by zip code or by state and even parts of Canada.

You can narrow down your results further by selecting the types of plastics you're looking to sell or buy. The plastics in the the Recycled Plastics Market Database include:

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Polypropylene (PP)
Polystyrene (PS)
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Other Resins
Commingled Bottles
Polyurethane

Recycled Plastics Market Database.

Chicago Home Composting

2007-11-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

The Environmental Protection Agency states that yard trimmings and food residuals make up 24% of the U.S municipal solid waste stream. That's a lot of waste that is going into our landfills that people could be putting to use in their own home. Some restaurants in Chicago are participating in composting and if they can do it the average homeowner can do it too.

What is composting?

Composting is nature's way of recycling decomposed organic matter into a product called compost. Anything that was once living will be broken down through this process. Things around your home that you can add to your compost pile include, grass trimmings, table scraps, paper and trimmings from your garden.

Benefits of composting.

Compost is a great soil amendment that can be added to your yard even if you don't have a garden. Everything you compost you are keeping out of the landfills, compost can be used to slow down soil erosion, it lessens the need for water and chemicals to maintain your garden or lawn.

You can create your own compost bin from large plastic containers and trashcans or you can buy one of the commercially available bins like the compost tumbler that are designed to keep everything nice and tidy. For more information visit the Chicago Home Composting website or the EPA's website about composting.

Chicago Green Homes

2007-11-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

On October 23rd Mayor Daley kicked off "Green Building Month" and announced two new programs to encourage Chicago homeowners and developers to take on green practices that will help shape how homes are built or remodeled to be more green.

According to the city's website the Chicago Green Homes project will guide local homeowners and developers to green technologies and practices that will:

* Provide greater energy efficiency
* Provide healthier indoor air
* Reduce water usage
* Preserve natural resources
* Improve durability and reduce maintenance
* Reduce waste and pollution

This is the city's official green building certification program and to accompany Chicago Green Homes the city has created the Green Remodeling Series. The Green Remodeling Series guides homeowners through the process of remodeling a home to be green. The Green Remodeling Series covers topics on how to reduce water consumption, how to find and hire green contractors, architects, how to salvage and reuse existing components.

More information including; pdfs, applications and brochures and contact info can be found at the Chicago Green Homes and Green Remodeling Series web pages.

Top 12 Green Charities

2007-11-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

If your commitment to going green extends into the charitable giving realm you want to make sure your money goes to the charities that do the most work and have the greatest beneficial impact on the environment. Fundraiserinsight.org has complied a list of what they consider to be the top 12 environmental organizations based on how they use their donations. Some of the environmental organizations on the list are groups you'd expect to see on such a list but a few of them are new to me.

The top six are:

1. World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
2. Greenpeace International
3. National Geographic Society
4. Friends of the Earth
5. National Wildlife Federation
6. EcologyFund.com

What I like about this list is that it is more than just a listing of popular charitable organizations. Fundraiserinsight.org goes into detail for each of those listed explaining why they were chosen. On the website you can read detailed information pertaining to how these green charities have used their donations and see who else made it into the list.

Fundraiserinsight.org: Top 12 Environmental Organizations Who Use Their Donations Well.

Go Green When Dining Out

2007-11-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid my mother would tell us to clean our plates because children in other countries were going to bed hungry. But today's green mothers may be less inclined to guilt-trip their kids into eating everything on their plate. The reason is that table scraps that go uneaten can easily be turned into compost for the garden-even when dining out.

A few area restaurants are leading the way and trying to become "green" restaurants. Popular eateries like Chicago's Frontera Grill at 445 North Clark are taking table scraps and instead of dumping them in the trash are setting them aside to be composted. These table scraps are then collected by a composter who turns the leftovers into nutrient rich compost that is used in community gardens and empty lots around Chicago.

See if your favorite restaurant is participating in the composting program at GoingGreener.org

Daley Plans To Green Chicago In Future

2007-11-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Tribune today reported on Mayor Daley's plans to make Chicago Green. The Mayor's proposals seem very ambitious to me but I can't help but meet some of it with skepticism and even a little bit of head scratching. Chicago's recycling program was dealt a major setback today when it was announced that the blue cart recycling program would not be expanding across the city as hoped because of budget cuts.

Some of the plan makes sense and is welcomed news to residents of Chicago who care about the environment and want to reduce their energy consumption. For example, the Merchandise Mart and Sears Tower will likely receive the "green" roof treatment like City Hall. "Living roofs" on these two icons of Chicago will not only help lower their energy costs but they'll provide a model for the average resident. Chicago will be the pilot city for the "Clinton Climate Initiative" a program that, according to the Tribune, is "backed in funding by some of the world's largest banks."

Under the Mayor's plan the city will create programs to ease the out-of-pocket expenses of existing homeowners who make changes to their homes that reduce energy consumption. The story in the Tribune mentions that Mayor Daley wants to put wind turbines on top of the Sears Tower, this is either the most brilliant idea Mayor Daley has had or the worst.

The plans for Chicago are ambitious but when our home recycling program is stalled because of budget cuts it makes it difficult for me to take this serious. As a gardener living in Chicago I'm a very big fan of the way the mayor has beautified our city with planters and parks. What I'm not such a fan of is his promises to make Chicago green that have failed to materialize.

Chicago Tribune: Daley weighs ambitious plant to promote "green"

Setback To Recycling In Chicago

2007-11-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Today the Chicago Tribune reported that the expansion of Chicago's "blue cart" recycling program wouldn't get the expansion that many residents were hoping for. Right now the city is test piloting the program where residents place recyclable materials in a blue container that looks like the regular garbage cans. On specific days a special garbage truck picks up the items in the recycling cart and takes them to be processed.

I'm not sure why the city needed to test pilot this program instead of just rolling it out. I for one would welcome the availability of the blue cart recycling program in my Chicago neighborhood. I've watched with a healthy amount of envy coverage the program has been receiving on local media outlets like Chicago Tonight. I certain that next year I'd see it come to my area and recycling would get just a little bit easier. But the much needed program is falling victim to Daley's budget plan and promises to cut some taxes.

Now the Daley administration is proposing to save $2.4 million by delaying the program's expansion until July 1. Wendy Abrams, a spokeswoman for the city's Budget Department, could not say how many new homes will be included in the program next year but acknowledged that "fewer households and fewer wards will get expanded recycling."

Chicago Tribune: Recycling Setback

Go Green by Recycling Your Cell Phone

2007-11-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

According to the CollectiveGood website as of 2007, there are more than 750 million mobile phones waiting to be recycled in the US; either in drawers, or already in the waste system. Another 150+million or so will be added this year and even more the next year. I personally have two cell phones that are no longer in use that I want to dispose of.

Staples and the CollectiveGood organization have teamed up to make recycling electronic gadgets very easy.

CollectiveGood and Staples now offer a nationwide Mobile Devices Recycling program in all Staples stores that makes it easy for customers to recycle their used cell phones, PDAs, pagers and rechargeable batteries. Customers can recycle these devices by simply dropping dropping them off while they shop at their local Staples store. A large portion of the proceeds generated from recycling the mobile electronic devices will be donated to the Sierra Club, America's largest grassgroots enviornmental organization to fund environmental education and conservation programs.

Donating you used cell phone to the CollectiveGood so that it can be recycled benefits everyone. When you recycle your old cell phone you're keeping toxic chemicals out of the landfills where they can pollute the ground and water source. As stated above part of the proceeds from recycled electronic equipment helps benefit the Sierra Club but these phones are also put to use in developing countries where people can't afford to buy the latest models.

If you'd like to donate your phone it can be dropped off at any nationwide Staples store. To find the nearest Staple store visit this link. If for some reason you can't make it to a Staples store the CollectiveGood also provides a free USPS label that you can use to mail in your cell phone to be recycled. With such convenient drop off locations and access to a free shipping label there is no need for us to clutter the landfill with our used electronics that are often times in good working condition.

Alternatives:
recycleforbreastcancer.com This program benefits the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

About ChgoGreen.com

2007-11-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

ChgoGreen.com is a blog dedicated to news and tips to help you live a greener lifestyle. This blog was created by a Chicago area gardener and while dedicated to providing Chicagoans tips on going green the information here can be applied across the world. Going Green seems to be the latest trend and sometimes green initiatives aren't practical or available to people with modest incomes. Here's you'll find practical tips on going green that can be applied to a wide-range of incomes.

Going Green isn't reserved for the rich and celebrities, we can all live Eco-Friendly lives and do our part to help save the environment. Follow along as this blogger finds ways to live an Eco-Friendly life.