GreenAR by the Day

Come to this workshop to learn an innovative way to Save Energy & Money for Your Business & Employees. Learn how Addison Shoe Factory saved money following an energy audit. The savings were used to create a revolving loan fund for employees to implement energy efficiency measures at home. As an employee benefit, the company provides free home energy audits and employees can borrow no-interest loans from the company-created revolving loan fund to implement recommendations from the audit. Loans are repaid to the fund from the energy savings employees experience as a result of more energy-efficient homes. This program is being piloted at other businesses around the state of Arkansas. Could your business start its own program?

This workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14 from 12-1 p.m. at the Arkansas Studies Institute (401 President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock). The presenters will be Martha Jane Murray (Clinton Foundation and HEAL AR) and Ashley Davis.

Paid parking is available in the River Market parking deck, library parking lots, River Market parking lots, private lots, or street parking. Space is limited and reservations and pre-payment are required. The workshop costs $10 per person, and you can RSVP to info@sbnca.org. Don’t forget your lunch!

This workshop is co-sponsored by the Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas and the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Meet fellow outdoors people near you! Join the Ozark Society – Pulaski Chapter tonight at 7 p.m. at the Second Presbyterian Church (600 Pleasant Valley Drive) in Little Rock. Kevin Cherie, Superintendent of the Buffalo National River, will be the guest speaker. For more information, visit www.ozarksociety.net.

WHAT: Workshops will cover canning, freezing and proper techniques for cleaning and storing fresh veggies.

WHERE: Christ Episcopal Church (6th and Scott streets) in downtown Little Rock

WHEN: Tuesdays, July 6-September 14 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.

COST: $10 (At the door – cash or check only)

The ROOT will provide hands-on instruction, all of the equipment, food to preserve, informational resources, a take-home sample, and refreshments.

You must provide an apron, pen and paper for note-taking (if desired), a towel, and a basket for transporting hot jars or other goodies.

Workshops will be based around what is seasonally available. Each week’s class content will be distributed through weekly emails, so sign up for The ROOT Cafe email list by contacting therootcafe@yahoo.com.

This week, participants will learn how to preserve milk by making cheese.

Walk-ins are welcome!

For more information or to RSVP, contact therootcafe@yahoo.com.

Join Lady Beekeepers of Arkansas for its monthly meeting tonight at 5:30 p.m. at Central Church of Christ (6th and Izard) in downtown Little Rock. This month, one of the members will discuss benefits of honey. For more information, email  ladybeekeepersofarkansas@yahoo.com.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a car with a friend of mine when we began discussing home energy use. I mentioned to her that Eddy and I are obsessed with unplugging appliances. Did you know that electronic appliances that are left plugged consume electricity? Called vampire draw or phantom load, appliances that are left switched off or in a standby mode continue to draw electricity. The vampire draw of individual household electronic devices is typically very small, but the sum of all such devices within the household becomes significant. Appliances that may consume vampire draw include: TVs, VCRs, DVD players, microwave ovens, toaster ovens, blenders, coffeemakers, computers, printers, and home video game consoles.

In addition to drawing electricity, appliances that are left plugged tend to generate heat, adding to heating and cooling of a house. In warm months, additional energy may be used to remove the extra heat from vampire draw, contributing to increases in air conditioning costs. During cool periods, the heat generated by devices on standby may slightly reduce the need to heat a space by other methods.

Eddy and I call ourselves Energy Nazis. We detest vampire draw, and we despise having to use additional energy to cool our home during summer in Arkansas. So, we unplug our appliances when not in use.

My friend, upon hearing this, asked, “Isn’t it tedious to remember to unplug them?” Honestly, I don’t notice unplugging appliances. The other day, I toasted dried squid in our toaster oven. (I know. Don’t ask. It’s my favorite snack.) As I left the kitchen, I couldn’t remember if I had unplugged the oven. I went back to the kitchen only to find it unplugged. Relieved, I went back to the living room to enjoy my snack.

If you want to save money and reduce your environmental footprint, make it a habit to unplug unused appliances. If you find it difficult to unplug appliances, plug them into a surge protector and turn off the protector when appliances are not in use.

WHAT: Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks (BCO) WHEELS – Art & Music for Safe Routes to School

WHEN: Friday, Sept 3 – 7 p.m.

WHERE: OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology (3274 North Lee Avenue) in Fayetteville

Silent Auction 7-9 p.m. Bicycle Music by various artists from 8-9 p.m. Refreshments provided by the Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks. Silent Auction will benefit the BCO’s efforts to fund bicycle education in all Fayetteville Public Schools through the Safe Routes to School program.

Contributing artists for the Wheels Art Silent Auction include: Cindy Arsaga, Anita Hejtmanek, Kirk Lanier, Kelly Mulhollan, Donna Stjerna, Emily Kaitz, Ben Buonaiuto, Sage Billig, John Allendorpher, JoAnn Kaminsky, Dan Dean, Cindy Wiseman, and Effron White. Artists will transform used bicycle wheels into silent auction pieces.

For more information, visit www.bconwa.com.

As some of you may know, I was born and raised in Japan. I moved to the U.S. when I was nine. The first city that I lived in the States was New Orleans. I quickly became hooked on Cajun and Creole food, and to this day, I love ‘em!

My mother, who was born and raised in Japan and never even heard of New Orleans until she was thirty-two, learned how to cook gumbo. Boy, she makes good gumbo. Her gumbo is so good that it will put many gumbos that I’ve had to shame.

My partner, a South Carolinian, makes very good gumbo, too. He usually cooks gumbo in the winter because he is an energy Nazi and does not like to heat up the house during summer. In the winter, when he cooks gumbo, he uses okra that I put up.

Putting up okra is very easy. Here’s what you do:

1. Wash.
2. Cut off stems, being careful not to open the seed cells.
3. Blanch in boiling water – small pods 3 minutes, large pots 4 minutes.
4. Cool immediately; drain.
5. Leave whole or cut in crosswise slices.
6. Pack in a freezer bag, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom.
7. Seal; freeze.

Last year I froze two bags of okra. They turned into mighty yummy chicken and shrimp gumbo during the cold months.

So this weekend, grab some okra at Certified Arkansas Farmers’ Market and freeze them!

Concerned about the quality of your drinking water? We are too!

Safe, abundant and clean water – one of Arkansas’s greatest treasures – is at risk. Our lives, our economy and our natural heritage depend on us improving Arkansas’s water future.

Join us for dinner (free!) and discussion Friday, September 10, 5:30-8:00 p.m. at Camp Couchdale on Lake Catherine, 301 Catherine Park Rd., Hot Springs, AR.

Experts will be on hand to talk about threats to our unique water resources, listen to and answer your questions and concerns, and hear your ideas about how to protect your drinking water and favorite lakes, rivers and streams.

Find more information and RSVP at www.ARPanel.org or call (501) 376-7913, ext. 10

Hosted by the Arkansas Canoe Club and Arkansas’s Water Future, a coalition of Audubon Arkansas, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, and The Nature Conservancy, funded by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

Chris Yura, founder of the clothing company Sustain U, will discuss his company which creates apparel for colleges and universities using 100-percent recycled materials and local labor. A former Notre Dame football player, Yura spent five years as a successful fashion model in New York City, where he learned about the international clothing market and the sustainable fashion movement. Frustrated with what he saw as misleading marketing for “green” clothing, Yura founded SustainU in 2009 to promote social, environmental and economic sustainability in fashion.

WHEN: Thursday, September 2 – 6 p.m.

WHERE: University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service – Sturgis Hall

Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501)683-5239.

Join Bicycle Advocacy for Central Arkansas (BACA) for its monthly meeting at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 1 at the Oyster Bar in Little Rock. Jordan Johnson of the Clinton Foundation will be share their latest plans for the renovation of the former Rock Island Bridge, now known as the Clinton Park Bridge. Johnson’s program will be followed by a presentation on Little Rock Bike Polo LRBP founders, David O’Brien and Nathan Vandiver.

For more information, visit BACA’s website, www.bacar.org.

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) weighs in on whether to regulate coal ash as hazardous waste, a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice and the Sierra Club shows two Arkansas coal power plants as contaminating groundwater. The analysis finds that 39 sites in 21 states where coal-fired power plants dump their coal ash are contaminating water with toxic metals such as arsenic and other pollutants, and that the problem is more extensive than previously estimated.

The study examined groundwater contamination near two Arkansas coal power plants – Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry and Independence Steam Station in Newark. Groundwater flowing from the Flint Creek Power Plant is contaminated at least 360 feet beyond the facility boundary at concentrations that have exceeded Arkansas groundwater protection standards, EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), and EPA Secondary MCLs. The report found similar contamination of groundwater near the Independence Steam Station, with arsenic, cadmium, and lead exceeding federal Maximum Contaminant Levels.

Environmentalists are calling for more direct EPA involvement in regulating coal ash instead of leaving enforcement to the states.

EPA has scheduled seven nationwide public hearings on its proposal to regulate coal ash. The first hearing is scheduled for next week.  A public comment period ends November 19.

To read the full report by the environmental groups, visit: www.action.sierraclub.org/harmsway.

I borrowed Ben Hewitt’s The Town That Food Saved from the Central Arkansas Library System. Eddy and I think that the practice of buying books is obsolete unless you plan to use them over and over again. In recent years, we have only bought cookbooks and books that help us go green. Our bookshelf has a cheesemaking book next to a soapmaking book and a beer brewing book next to a tree identification book. (We forage, so we need to know our trees.) When people look at our bookshelf, they must think we’re a bit different!

Fortunately, we live very close to a library, so we walk there to borrow books all the time. Eddy and I rarely watch movies, but we’ve noticed that Central Arkansas Library System also has pretty good DVD collection that includes Who Killed the Electric Car and Blue Vinyl. And best of all, you can borrow them for free!

So, treat yourself to free entertainment and reduce consumption. Borrow books and movies from your local library!

Full disclosure. I only picked up this book because my friend invited me to her book club, and the club was reading it last month. I’m not sure if I would have picked up this book on my own.

I love food. I love good food. I’ve been a locavore since birth, but my local eating habits were disrupted for a brief period (well, actually more like several years) after I moved to the United States. In my home country, we buy fresh produce, meat, and fish at markets. We don’t buy food at Wal Mart, and we certainly don’t have bread and milk that last for a couple of weeks.

Since I love to eat locally, I’ve picked up my fair share of books on this subject. Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, Alisa Smith and J. B. MacKinnon, Joel Salatin. So, left on my own, I may have picked up Ben Hewitt’s The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food.

Then again, maybe not. I’m a doer. I don’t like to just read about things. I want to do them. That’s why I garden, keep chickens and duck, tend to bees, make cheese using local farm fresh milk, roast coffee, and preserve harvest. My partner Eddy bakes bread and brews beer. Doing things keeps us busy that we rarely have time to read about local food these days.

So, left on my own, I may or may not have picked up Hewitt’s book. I’m glad that I did because 1) I learned about the guy who sells me seeds every year, and 2) I learned a lot about the town of Hardwick, Vermont.

Located in northern Vermont, the town of Hardwick, population 3,200, used to prosper from the local granite industry but has since fallen on hard times. Enter a group of young, energetic agricultural entrepreneurs, or agripreneurs. A seed seller, an artisan cheese maker, organic farmers, a chef, livestock slaughterers. They breathe vitality back into Hardwick by creating a new economy centered around local food. Soon the town captures national media attention but garners local skepticism from those who have been engaged in local food movement much longer than agripreneurs.

Since I buy seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds, I enjoyed reading about Tom Stearns who started the company a few miles outside of Hardwick. Stearns became a de facto spokesperson for Hardwick’s local food movement after it began receiving national media attention. He touts the town’s new found vitality as an economic model that can and should be exported to other parts of the country.

But did Hardwick really find vitality in local food? Hewitt writes that the majority of Hardwick residents can’t and don’t access locally grown organic produce or $20-per-pound artisan cheese. None of the agripreneurs is turning profits.

Hewitt is honest about challenges faced by the town’s new economy. He doesn’t offer answers. Instead, he leaves readers wondering if Hardwick was really saved by food.

Despite the grandiose title that does not match the story, Hewitt’s book is a good read for anyone interested in local food movement.

Arkansas’ alligator gar experts learned recently that Conway Corporation, a utility services provider for the City of Conway, plans to build a sewage treatment plant on Tupelo Bayou by Arkansas River. Experts worry that the project could harm the largest gar population in the state.

Conway Corporation will be receiving public input on the Tupelo Bayou Wastewater Treatment Plant project until Monday, September 6, 2010. Mark Spitzer, a University of Central Arkansas professor and gar authority, is encouraging everyone with an interest in conserving this important natural resource to write to CEO Richard Arnold, Conway Corporation, P.O. Box 99, Conway, AR 72033.

Check out the Arkansas Times’ article for Dr. Spitzer’s letter encouraging people to submit a comment: http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/08/29/save-the-garfish.

Help save Arkansas’ alligator gar population! Submit your comment today!

WHAT: Workshops will cover canning, freezing and proper techniques for cleaning and storing fresh veggies.

WHERE: Christ Episcopal Church (6th and Scott streets) in downtown Little Rock

WHEN: Tuesdays, July 6-September 14 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.

COST: $10 (At the door – cash or check only)

The ROOT will provide hands-on instruction, all of the equipment, food to preserve, informational resources, a take-home sample, and refreshments.

You must provide an apron, pen and paper for note-taking (if desired), a towel, and a basket for transporting hot jars or other goodies.

Workshops will be based around what is seasonally available. Each week’s class content will be distributed through weekly emails, so sign up for The ROOT Cafe email list by contacting therootcafe@yahoo.com.

This week, participants will learn all about how to preserve fresh vegetables by freezing.

Walk-ins are welcome!

For more information or to RSVP, contact therootcafe@yahoo.com.

The Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service is pleased to announce a native plant workshop consisting of 3 sessions which will be held from 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. on September 28th, October 5th, and October 7th, in the Tommy Lewis Conference Room at the Natural Resource Center.

Cost is $30.00

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Purpose & Goals:

1. To explain some of the connections between what we do in our own gardens and what is “out there” in Arkansas’ natural environment.
2. To encourage protection and preservation of our native plants in their native habitat.
3. To learn how to successfully adapt native plants to our personal gardens.

September 28

Joyce Hardin–“Native”? What’s Native? Why Native?
Native plants and their cultivars are beautiful, low maintenance, and already acclimatized to our ever-changing Arkansas weather. But, what exactly is a “native” plant? (Hint: Not just any wildflower can be classified as “native”.) Who decides? Why is it important? And, what impact do our gardening choices make on the world around us—not just for now, but for the future? Our introductory speaker, Dr. Joyce Hardin, will address these questions and more, as we begin to consider using native plants in our gardens. Dr. Hardin will also discuss the Arkansas Flora Project, an initiative of professional botanists who are working to catalogue and describe all the plants found growing naturally in Arkansas.

Eric Sundell–Native Trees, Shrubs & Vines: A New Way of Seeing the “Ordinary”
Dr. Sundell shares some of the many adaptable Arkansas native trees, vines and shrubs which are beautiful, low maintenance, drought tolerant participants in our gardens. In addition to being already acclimatized to Arkansas, they are welcoming hosts to Arkansas native birds and butterflies as well.

October 5, 2010

Lucinda Reynolds–Observing Nature: Beauties and Beasts of the Garden
Do you know that many bird and animal species eat dogwood berries for the high fat content? Lucinda invites us to observe our gardens and natural areas in a new light as she shows how native plants provide not only beauty but also shelter and food for birds and insects. Aphid lions don’t roar, but these green lacewing larvae are ferocious predators of aphids in the garden. Learn about the mysteries and natural balances in your garden…the fascinating interdependence of insects, spiders, birds and native plants.

Jane Gulley–How to Tame a Wild Flower: Gardening With Native Annuals and Perennials
Jane Gulley, Pulaski County Master Gardener, noted rosarian, native plant enthusiast and general nature lover, shares her gardening discoveries and her passion for the native plants of Arkansas as she introduces us to the amazing variety of annual and perennial native flowering plants most adaptable to our central Arkansas gardens. Jane knows her wildflowers–from Alumroot to Zephyranthes–and can always be counted on to show us an aspect of gardening we’ve never noticed before as she combines learning with lots of laughter and good basic gardening common sense.

October 7, 2010

Larry Lowman–Native Success Stories By A Southern Nurseryman
Larry Lowman, a life-long Arkansas resident with a life-long fascination for native plants and native plant ecology, shares his vast store of knowledge and experience in the cultivation of Arkansas’ amazing variety of native plants. His years of experience and his close observation of these plants in their natural habitat has led to his very successful incorporation of these plants into home and commercial landscapes. His presentation will focus on matching appropriate native plants with ecologically proper sites and companions, and is illustrated with Lowman’s own color slides.”

Registration must be received by September 3, 2010.

For more information please contact: Kami Marsh, Faulkner County Extension Office, at kmarsh@uaex.edu or (501) 329-8344.

This is the story of The Most Important Fish in the Sea.

You have been relying on a fish you have never heard of.  When you eat chicken or turkey.  When you eat BBQ.  When you smell your cat’s fishy breath.

Over 1/3 of the fish caught off the Atlantic shore are Menhaden.  I used to catch them at the beach in nets.  They were known as “trash fish,” which we tossed back because they are so bony you can’t eat them.  But they are caught in huge quantities for industrial-scale animal feed, fertilizer, and pet food.

As H. Bruce Franklin details in his pithy, colorful book, these fish were once so plentiful that they filtered the water of the Cheasapeake and lesser bays by feeding on plankton.  They are the base of a massive food chain, which has been disrupted by factory ships seeking the cheapest protein to feed other industries.  But populations are so depleted that only one factory fleet remains, operating out of Virginia.

If you have access to a chicken that eats bugs instead of feed, or a turkey that foraged, or see a cat actually catch a mouse and eat it, then you catch a glimpse of the world as it was for eons, before we figured out how to catch menhaden by hundreds of thousands of tons per year.

Central Arkansas Water and Carollo Engineers are hosting a workshop titled Managing Drinking Water Resources for a Sustainable Future on September 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce in North Little Rock. The event is free and open to the public.

Tentative Agenda

MORNING SESSION – Sustainability and Water Conservation – A Utility Perspective

• 7:30 – 8:00 am: Registration and Social/Networking
• 8:00 – 8:30 am: Morning Workshop Focus Discussion: Set the Stage – Graham W. Rich, P.E., BCEE, CAW
• 8:30 – 10:30 am: Water Conservation Measures to Reduce Peak Day Demands
• 10:30 – 10:45 am: BREAK
• 10:45 – 11:30 am: Roundtable Discussion – National and Local Funding Mechanisms for Sustainability Initiatives
• 11:30 am – 1:00 pm: LUNCH BREAK

AFTERNOON SESSION – Reducing Peak Day Demands – A Community Perspective

• 1:00 – 1:30 pm: Welcome: CAW Past, Present, and Future – Graham W. Rich, P.E., BCEE, CAW
• 1:30 – 2:15 pm: Introduction, Low Impact Development – Dr. Marty Matlock, University of Arkansas
• 2:15 – 3:00 pm: Smart Lawn Watering Techniques / Outdoor Water Audits – Dr. Garry McDonald, University of Arkansas
• 3:00 – 3:15 pm: BREAK
• 3:15 – 4:00 pm: Local Landscaping Techniques for Water Conservation – Martin Smith, Ecological Design Group
• 4:00 – 4:45 pm: Designing a Water Neutral Commercial Building Site – TBD

RSVP to Lindsey Bergsven at LBergsven@carollo.com or (913) 663-1788, Ext. 223, no later than August 30, 2010. Please note whether attending morning
session, afternoon session, or both.

For more information, visit: www.carkw.com.

Organizers of the Conway EcoFest are seeking individuals and group volunteers for a work day on Saturday, August 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., to be held at Advent Lutheran Church (900 Farris Road) in Conway. Volunteers are welcome to stop in for any part of this work day.

The Conway EcoFest will be held at Laurel Park on Saturday, September 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. It is a highly interactive, balanced, educational, and fun view of environmental issues that impact all of us. There are exhibits and activities for all ages and interests. The event has many new features including, The Race for Planet X from the Museum of Discovery, a gravity-propelled Cardboard Car Derby, a drawing for an electric scooter and much more!

Some of the tasks where help is needed include the following:

• Painting directional and area signs;
• Building wood bases for sturdy signs;
• Cutting bamboo and making sign posts;
• Completing miscellaneous tasks for each section. This includes creative layout for sections and additional development of areas, creating fun displays, murals, etc.; and
• The public may come and learn about and sign up to help with a specific task for the day of the event.

Those having scrap wood are asked to call Debbie Plopper at (501) 327-2105 or notify coordinators through the website, www.ConwayEcoFest.com, prior to Saturday, if possible.

Those attending Saturday’s work day are encouraged to bring a hammer, or paint rollers and/or brushes of all sizes, if they have them. Refreshments will be served.

Many volunteer opportunities are still available prior to event, in addition to the day of the event. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up through the Web site as soon as possible to ensure a large enough volunteer pool.

For more information, please contact Debbie Plopper at (501) 327-2105 or (501) 472-0901, or visit the website.

I love to whip up eggplant casseroles during winter. They make me warm as well as the house. The problem is eggplants are summer vegetable. I solve this problem by freezing eggplants this time of the year. Freezing eggplants isn’t as easy as freezing tomatoes, but the reward is worth it. Here’s what you do:

1. Choose glossy, small fruits with tender seeds.
2. If to be fried, cut in 3/4-inch slices; for casseroles or in mixed vegetables, dice or cut in strips.
3. Steam-blanch 2 minutes for small dice/thin slices, up to 5 minutes for thick slices.
4. Chill in cold water to which 4 teaspoons of lemon juice have been added to each 1 gallon of water.
5. Drain; pat dry.
6. Pack, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom.
7. Seal; freeze.

Last year I froze several bags of Italian eggplants. We used them to make eggplant casseroles. I still have a couple of bags left, and I plan to make eggplant Parmesan with them. YUM!

So this weekend, grab some eggplants at the Certified Arkansas Farmers’ Market and freeze them!