The latest Harris Poll on green behavior in America is a good news/bad news story.

The good news: Most people have done something that’s green, by recycling a computer or cell phone; switching to tap water from bottled; made their home more energy efficient in some way.

The bad news: Only a tiny fraction of US residents (2 percent) own hybrid cars and vast numbers of people have not  “engaged” in most of the green activities the survey asked about, like for example composting (only 17 percent do), walking or biking to work (15 percent), or even getting a low flow shower head (17 percent).

And now for the good news: We’ve got incredible potential for energy and water savings, because we’re doing so little!

Here were the most popular green changes that emerged when 3,110 adults were asked what environmental activities they have done in the last year:

• Installed more energy-efficient light bulbs (63%)
• Purchased energy-efficient appliances (36%)
• Started paying bills online (46%)
• Switched to paperless financial statements (40%)
• Donated an electronic device for recycling (41%)
• Switched from bottled to tap water (29%)
• Installed a low-flow showerhead (17%) or a low-flow toilet (16%)
• Made home improvements (e.g., windows, solar panels or insulation) that provided government tax credits (14%)
• Bought a more fuel efficient car (13%)

In other encouraging findings, people reported that they:

• Always or often turn lights off when leaving a room (83%)
• Recycle (68%)
• Reuse things they have instead of replacing them (65%)
• Make an effort to use less water (60%).

But Harris Polls also found that many people are doing little or nothing to protect the environment and reduce their carbon footprint.  Only small minorities of adults reported that they always or often:

• Walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving or using public transport (15%)
• Carpool or use public transport (16%)
• Make compost (17%)
• Purchase organic products (17%)
• Purchase all natural products (18%)
• Purchase used as opposed to new products (25%)
• Purchase locally manufactured products (26%)

In other findings, which could be viewed as positive or negative, depending on the standards, the poll found that less than half, but at least one-third of Americans queried:

• Buy food in bulk (33%)
• Purchase locally grown produce (39%)
• Unplug electrical appliances when they are not using them (40%).

The poll further found that most of these green actions were taken by people who identified themselves as somewhat green or most green. In other words, when those polled were broken into  groups of “least green,” “not very green,” “somewhat green” and “most green” (based on their statements about protecting the environment) – a pattern emerged that showed the green groups were the ones installing energy efficient appliances, switching to tap water and buying organic products at much higher rates.

This seems like a tautology, but actually reveals philosophical split among Americans on green issues and suggests that there are those who do and those who don’t — as opposed to say, a vast middle where a mix of people take various green actions.

The skew between the two groups was fairly large. For example, 44 percent of those in the “most green” group “always or often” buy organic products, but only a minuscule 3 percent of the “least green” do.

Similarly, 65 percent of the “most green” adults “always or often” buy local produce, whereas only 20 percent of the least green do.

And only 15 percent of the least green segment have switched away from plastic bottled water.

Furthermore, the poll takers caution that some of the numbers may overestimate green behaviors because “there is a tendency for people to give ‘socially desirable’ answers…”

The Harris Poll was conducted online within the US between July 7 and September 8, 2009, using responses from adults (18 and up) with weighting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income, when  necessary, to bring the sample into line with actual proportions in the population. See charts on the responses at the Harris website.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Plano, Texas, a sprawling suburb north of Dallas known for its fine homes, strong schools and high ambitions, is carving out a new facet of its reputation, that of the greenest city in North Texas.

Two years ago, the city of 260,000 introduced Live Green in Plano, a sustainability initiative that encourages its citizens to be good stewards of the environment. “We’re setting the standard in Texas, with our scope of programs and services offered,” says spokesperson Melinda Haggerty.

Under the program, the city has expanded its recycling to reach beyond where most Texas towns go: Plano picks up paper, glass, aluminum and organic scraps from residences and restaurants. It turns the food waste into compost and sells it back to residents at reasonable rates.

The organic waste collection closes a loop in the food chain that helps Plano tamp down landfill waste and return something of value to citizens.

But the city doesn’t stop there. It offers a rebate to residents who improve their home landscapes and reduce water consumption at the same time. Plano residents can earn up to $200 by following the requirements of the YardWise Landscape Beautification Rebate. After enrolling in the program, they must:

1. Attend all four YardWise education classes.
2. Submit the rebate application and photos of the property from before and after the improvement.
3. Show copies of receipts for materials used in the new landscape.

Plano’s sustainability experts recommend that residents planning to make their landscape more sustainable consult horticulture experts to find native, drought-tolerant plants. One web resource they recommend is the Texas Smartscape, a site developed by the North Central Texas Council of Governments to help gardeners find hardy, native plants.

The Live Green in Plano program is sponsored by the city’s Sustainability Department and offers a wide range of green tips as well as promoting a number of community earth-friendly events, says Haggerty. Some of these include: a recent sustainable home improvement seminar; a four-week series of energy efficient workshops co-sponsored by Elliott’s Hardware Store; a home energy efficiency seminar Feb. 21 and a lecture on “10 Steps to a Greener House” on March 5.

Some of the Live Green programs are open to non-Plano residents, says Haggerty. One of these is electronic recycling. “Anyone can participate in electronic recycling which takes place twice a month — on the 1st and third Saturday of every month,” she says. “We work with a recycling vendor who monitors the e-waste and allows us to track where it’s going.” The city’s extra effort helps assure that the electronics don’t end up in a developing country with lax regulations for toxic chemical disposal, a problem that’s arisen in recent years as cities heave off increasingly large mounds of obsolete electronics.

The city also has started a “Material Exchange,” where residents can list items they’re wanting to jettison, in hopes of finding someone who can use the used stuff.  The program lists only items for giveaway and involves non-profits. It claims that it has helped divert 14 tons of material from landfills.

And on April 18, it will again host the Live Green Expo, a gathering of green vendors and home improvement businesses, at the Plano Centre.

Living green means creating a community in which residents conserve resources, minimize waste and reduce toxic products and materials, Haggerty says. Then residents can reap the rewards of healthier ecosystems, smaller utility bills and more environmentally friendly spaces.

The city further defines “sustainability” as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Copyright © 2009 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

The smell of autumn permeates the air. The cool, crisp weather signals fall’s annual crimson-colored foliage. For many an avid lawn keeper, the harvest season often means returning to the never-ending chore of raking and bagging leaves, then setting them at curbside for the weekly garbage haul-off. But stop right there.

Leaves are packed full of nutrients! Under normal growing conditions — with varied values, based on the source and condition of each tree — leaves are jam-packed with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, chloride, boron, iron, sodium, copper, and zinc. To simply rake and bag them up, only to be hauled off to the garbage landfill is a total waste of nature’s vast supply of rich nutrients, perfect for replenishing the soil.

So how do you go green in the fall? Start the process by not throwing away your leaves. There are alternatives. Mowing leaves, then mulching, and composting are the most effective way to reuse and recycle leaf mixtures. In addition, leaves can be used for overall soil improvement, directly working them into garden and flowerbed soils by tilling them in.

Master Gardener Beth Finlay, of Berks County, Pa., educated through the Penn State University Master Gardener Program, is an avid-promoter of mulching and composting autumn’s treasures.

“Rake to get the leaves off of the perennial beds; rake them onto the lawn, then mow both the leaves and the lawn together, which results in a perfect compost mix. This is an ideal mix; ready to place into the compost bin,” Finlay says.

Recycling leaves may seem like additional work, but Finlay drives the point home about these techniques: “Look, (before going green) you’re already doing all the work; you’re raking, bagging and hauling the bags to curbside. All you’re really doing differently is placing the mulched mixtures into a compost pile or taking them to a facility, it’s just a different process, and it’s extremely simple. After a while, it becomes automatic. It just makes more sense.”

“For lighter leaf fall, fine leaves are a good source of nitrogen and great for placing back into the soil,” Finlay explains. “But in Pennsylvania, we suggest using only a finer mixture of leaf mulch, because heavy leaves are too much, and can smother the ground. If your leaf fall is heavy, the fall rains and then snow, will compact the leaves and kill the grass beneath it. So mulch in the fall.”

For those who do have really light leaf fall, recycling is much easier. “In fine form, a leaf and lawn mixture that’s just been mowed, can be left on the lawn,” Finlay says. “If it’s in fine form, it will get down in between the blades of grass and incorporate into the soil; feeding it and supplying it with nutrition.”

This type of fine mixture can additionally be applied in a 3 to 6 inch layer around the base of trees and shrubs, and a 2 to 3 inch mulch mixture can be placed in annual perennial flowerbeds, for a beneficial source of nutrients.

It’s back to the books for kids across America and going green in the classroom has never been so easy. With the help of a popular program called the Go Green Initiative, teachers have quick and simple access online to all the tools and resources needed to green a classroom, an entire school, or even a school-district.

Serving as the charter and flagship school for the Go Green Initiative, Walnut Grove Elementary School, in Pleasanton, Calif., first found out about the program in 2002 when Jill Buck, a mother of three, and PTA president, got creative and began asking “What else could we do to go green?”

“The school was doing some gardening, composting and recycling, but I wanted to do more, so I sat down at my kitchen table and started writing up the initiative,” said Ms. Buck (pictured left). “That was in 2002, and since then the program has just grown and grown: we’re now operating in all 50 states in the US, we’re in 13 countries, and on 4 continents; our website gets over 2 million hits a month; it’s an amazing program. Schools are finding us on the Internet and simply by word of mouth.”

Walnut Grove’s principal, Bill Radulovich, comments, “It all started here on my campus, as Jill (Buck) was my PTA president. As the charter school for this program, she first starting designing ideas to partner with waste management to help us with recycling waste, and that grew into networking and working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds that are distributed to different programs.

“Where once we had cardboard boxes to hold are recycling items, we now have huge 55-gallon gobblers, these huge barrels with slots that are really cool. She helped us gain more methods in the form of recycling and reusing and how to be more efficient overall.”

Those seemingly small first steps towards conservation have since grown to historic proportion: Walnut Grove partnered with Honeywell, with their alternative energy division, which installed, owns and maintains solar panels on seven district buildings in their school district, selling the electricity the panels produce to them at a price significantly below its current utility rate.

“Since we started using the solar energy, we have calculated that our district, which serves around 146,000 students, has saved over $150,000 annually. That’s just since starting in 2006, and that number was calculated in May of 2007. It’s truly fantastic what’s going on here in Pleasanton, and we have educators from around the world that are coming to see what it is we’re doing, to learn and see what is going on here. This is the first time a school has gone to this extent to save on energy,” Radulovich said.

The solar technology provided by Honeywell to the Pleasanton Unified School District, located just east of the Bay Area, is expected to supply 20 percent of the district’s electricity and save an estimated $2.5 million in energy costs over the course of their 20-year contract.

Buck, executive director of the initiative. urges school districts that aspire to similar feats to go to the Go Green Initiative website.

“We provide a template for anyone to use…We have everything: worksheet templates, press releases, guides to activities, and loads of information available to download and printout, pass out to parents, schools, whatever you need. And we’re available to assist you with any problems encountered on down the road, either by telephone or e-mail, we’re there to assist you with questions or anything along the way, we have many, many resources available to share,” she says.

GETTING STARTED, A CASE STUDY

On a smaller scale, Brentwood Elementary in Austin, Texas started their Go Green Initiative this year with special education teacher, Amy Cox (pictured), who teaches primarily 2nd and 3rd graders.

“In the beginning of 2007 I began asking why we weren’t doing more to be green at school, so I began searching on the Internet for ideas; that’s when I found out about the Go Green Initiative. I did it all online; I signed up for their newsletter and then found their resources and began doing the steps to incorporate the program at school. I printed out guidelines and every week they have a school of the week, which gives me great ideas continually on activities for the kids. Its been a good resource for me,” Cox explains.

Your first reaction might be YUCK. Composting is not for the squeamish among us.

The definition alone is enough to turn you off: the aeorobic decomposition of biodegradable organic matter, performed by aerobic bacteria, yeasts and fungi and in the later stages, assisted by ants, nematodes and worms.

Organic gardening expert Howard Garrett describes compost as “nature’s own living fertilizer.” It can be bought at the store or for the environmentally conscious among us, made at home.

Garrett says a compost pile can be started any time of the year, in the sun or shade. Anything that was once living is good for a compost pile, such as food scraps including banana peels, grass clippings, weeds, tree trimmings, animal manure, bark and sawdust.

Mix all of these together and place the mixture in the ground (known as static composting) or in a compost bin (usually a cage of wire with an open or closed top). He says the best combination is a compost made of 80 percent vegetative matter and 20 percent animal waste. It should be a mixture of coarse and fine-textured materials so that air can circulate through the pile because a key component in the process is oxygen.

The pile should be turned or stirred several times a week with a long-handled stick – a pitch fork works nicely — to help the decomposing process. Water also is key. Garrett says a compost pile should be watered, especially in hot climates, so that its texture is kept moist, similar to a squeezed-out sponge.

Once the ingredients are no longer recognizable, decomposition is complete and the compost is ready to be added to the soil. The compost should be a dark brown with a soft and crumbly texture. Besides adding it to the dirt in the garden, it can be used as mulch around outdoor plantings, or lightly applied as a top dressing for turf.

Marion Wadsworth, 48, of Grapevine, Texas, has been composting for the past decade because she was interested in the organic way of doing things. “ I really have a problem with putting anything in the dump heap,” she says.

Wadsworth throws everything into her compost bin: coffee grinds, peels of all fruits, broccoli stalks, rusty lettuce leaves, leaves, grass clippings, even leftovers from a restaurant visit.

“It’s important to include browning leaves to give the pile carbon – this offsets the greens,” she says. Her fifth grader, Michael, often helps, serving as “ my main compost taker-outer.”

Ideally, Wadsworth says, “I’d have two compost piles. One that is nearly decomposed and one that is still working. The best compost is always at the bottom of the pile.” She says that it takes about six months to a year for a compost pile to completely decompose.

One question that comes to mind to the squeamish among us, what about critters? Do compost piles attract rats, possums and other creatures? Wadsworth says she doesn’t worry about this too much since she has a good-sized yard and keeps the compost pile at a distance from the house. She also uses a covered bin which helps.

Wadsworth uses her compost in her flower beds as well as under the crape myrtle trees. “I would use it more in my vegetable garden, but that requires a finer compost. The more you stir it up, the finer it gets. My compost doesn’t get all the way decomposed.”

And what about the garbage disposal, you ask? Doesn’t that help by not adding to the trash heap? Yes and no. The problem with disposing of food scraps in the garbage disposal is that it contributes to the overall waste stream – something that the green side of us wants to resist.

The country’s interest in composting is growing. As many local towns start to limit the amount of trash that can be collected, composting is being seen as a smart and environmentally conscious solution. Some towns are selling compost bins to assist in this endeavor. The city of Phoenix, for instance, has a program where old garbage bins are recycled into composting units with the addition of a couple holes. The city sells these jerry-rigged composters for a nominal fee to residents.

Composting bins of many types are readily available online at sites such as cleanairgardening, green culture and even, Amazon.com. They can also be purchased at Target. Prices vary from about $30, for the simplest wire cage bin, to as high as $200 to $400 for enclosed drum-style bins in which you can spin the contents, which makes the turning of the compost much easier.

The nice part about the rotating drum-style bins is that they come with stands and cranks, making them easier to operate. These bins will produce compost in several months, compared to static in-the-ground piles that can take up to a year. The drums come in various sizes, starting at about 50 gallons.

And for the handy among us, Lowe’s will provide you with instructions on how to build a compost bin in about five hours.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | All Rights Reserved

• This Tumbleweed Compost Bin was Member Tested and Recommended by the National Home Gardening Club, according to Clean Air Gardening, an online store that sells a large array of composters. We figure, what do we know? But the National Home Gardening Club, now there’s a group that probably analyzes composters carefully. Apparently the Tumbleweed is engineered to still rotate easily when full and heavy. Tumbling action being essential to building compost quickly, this seems like a big plus. The unit also has an internal rod that facilitates the mixing action. The legs don’t look too bracing, but the store blurb promises they won’t rust. $189.99 at Clean Air Gardening.

• The Urban Composter is a similar tumbler, but it’s made from recycled plastic food barrels. Maybe it’s the hint of flannel plaid it the picture, but this composter just looks sturdy. It also costs a bit more than the gardener’s pick, but the recycled plastic piqued our green antenna. Green Culture, the online store selling the Urban Composter, describes it as “an aerobic bacteria’s dream” because it contains a “patented center aeration tub with a cross bar” that helps speed decomposition but also keeps the compost from “turning into a ball and just sliding back and forth.” So be warned novice composters, clumping is probably something to watch for. $229 at Green Culture

• Talk about style. This modular unit may be a smaller composter, but not by much (it produces about 7 cubic feet of compost compared with 7 to 8 cubic feet for the Tumbleweed) and it you can picture it blending in on the patio. Even better, it has a special trick: It makes and stores up to five gallons of compost tea whilst doing its work. The Envirocycle Composter sold by Greenfeet, rolls and mixers the compost, then lets the juices flow into the base below where they are kept air tight (and presumably less odorous). Gardeners love compost tea as a foliar treatment because it helps keep their plants strong and resistant to disease. A home composter also can save that $10-plus for a gallon of “tea” at the local nursery. Hey, this composting could pay for itself! This drum and base of the Envirocycle are made of #2 plastic, which is recyclable. We’d expect at least this much from Greenfeet, a purveyor of eco-sensitive products since 1997. $139.95 at Greenfeet

• Want to dip your toes into home organic waste recapture, but aren’t ready to make a big investment? This E-Z Compost Bin sold by Amazon.com is the base model and will do the job. But you see that pitch fork? This is more of a muscle builder. The advantages include its low cost and portability. You can make, turn and produce compost right on the ground, then move the bin elsewhere, spread the aged compost and start again. $29.99 at Amazon.com

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media