theGreenTips

Backyard composting is an attractive, simple method of managing organic wastes at home. It has the advantage of being readily adaptable to fit individual lifestyles, income, yard size, and overall ambition. Backyard composting can be performed by a variety of methods. Typically, these include placing materials in open piles, burying materials in pits or trenches and enclosing materials in drums or bins (e.g., holding bins, turning bins, and worm bins. In order to heat up properly, compost piles should be at least one cubic yard in size. This provides the minimal insulation required to sustain the high temperatures in the center of the pile. Composting units or bins can either be commercial units, or can be simply constructed from inexpensive materials with little carpentry or masonry skills.

The compost produced by backyard composting is an excellent soil conditioner. It enhances the structure of soil by binding soil particles together. This improves aeration and helps soil to retain water and nutrients. Compost also improves drainage in clay soils and water retention in sandy soils. Compost improves the buffering capacity of the soil and minimizes adverse effects to plants due to extreme shifts in soil pH. Adding compost to soil also attracts earthworms, which aerate the soil and add additional nutrients to the soil. Compost can store nutrients and release them slowly for use by surrounding plants. Although highly beneficial for soil, most composts are not considered fertilizers because they lack the amount of nitrogen necessary to be classed a fertilizer.

Start the composting process with 50% green materials and 50% brown materials cut into pieces no larger than 1″ in size. Mix the materials and add water every 7-10 days. Your compost is ready to use when it’s dark brown, crumbly and smells like fresh turned earth.

Green materials:

• Grass clippings
• Garden trimmings
• Green leaves
• Livestock manure
• Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea leaves and bags

Brown matereials:

• Wood chips and sawdust
• Shredded yard wastes
• Pine and fir needles
• Straw and hay
• Dry grass and leaves
• Nut shells
• Stale bread
• Shredded paper

Location is key
Find a space for your garden that receives plenty of sun. Prep the soil by tilling it with a borrowed or rented tiller. Mixing grass in with soil adds organic material. You will need to determine what soil type you have so you know what soil amendments (topsoil, gypsum, lime, fertilizer, organic material) to add. Bring a sample of your soil to your local agricultural extension office to receive a pH and soil analysis. If you only have a small area, consider container gardening. Many varieties of different vegetables grow well in large pots.

Planting time
Once your soil is tilled and in good shape, it is time to plant. There are many types of seeds that you can start growing indoors in small containers approximately eight weeks before replanting into the outdoor garden. You can also buy transplants of many of the popular vegetables and fruits. These little plants work beautifully, are inexpensive, and are good for the beginning gardener who may only want one plant for each type of vegetable. Good starter crops include tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini, summer squash and cucumbers. Make sure you plant after the last expected frost. You can find out about frost information by doing Google search online.

VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

So you want to have a green garden, kitchen or office, but you don’t know what plants/flowers best fit your specific environment? Don’t worry! We live in a hi-tech era. The EasyBloom Plant Sensor can help you:

• Determine which plants will thrive in a specific spot in your yard or home.
• Diagnose an ailing plant so you can bring it back to health.
• Access detailed plant information on over 5000+ plants; create a custom plant library of your favorite plants.

Gadget geeks can go green too! Check out the soil-powered clock designed by Marieke Staps.

According to USA Open official site, The USTA has put into place a series of “green” initiatives in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of the USOpen and help educate tennis fans to the benefits of being more eco-friendly. Here are just some of the environmental initiatives at the 2008 USOpen:

• Following the US Open, approximately 20,000 Wilson tennis ball cans used at the tournament will be recycled. The 60,000 used Wilson tennis balls will be reused for NTC programming and then donated to other community/youth programs.
• Various US Open information pieces, from the tournament guide to the grounds map to the Daily Drawsheet, will be printed on paper containing 30% post-consumer waste — more than 103,000 printed pieces and 330,000 Drawsheets are distributed during the event.
• The 2.4 million napkins used during the event are made up of 90% post-consumer waste.
• Eco-Tips — featuring a newly-designed US Open green logo reminding fans to reduce, reuse and recycle — will be promoted in the US Open program, the Daily Drawsheet, USOpen.org/USTA.com and video board messaging.
• Lexus, the “Official Vehicle of the US Open,” will provide player transportation services during the event with hybrid vehicles comprising 20% of the overall fleet.

It would be great if everyone can particiate in Going Green.
Please do your part. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

The Green Party of Canada was founded at a conference held at Carleton University in Ottawa in 1983. The Green Party of Canada is independent of other green parties around the world but remains philosophically aligned with them. The Green Party begins with the basic premise that all life on the planet is interconnected and that humans have a responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world. There are now over 100 green parties worldwide, and green members of parliament have been elected in many countries including Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Italy, France, Germany, and Finland.

Green Values
Green Parties around the world share common values as expressed in the Charter of the Global Greens.

The policies of the Green Party of Canada are based on six fundamental principles:

Ecological Wisdom
We acknowledge that human beings are part of the natural world and we respect the specific values of all forms of life, including non-human species.
 
Social Justice
We assert that the key to social justice is the equitable distribution of resources to ensure that all have full opportunities for personal and social development.

Participatory Democracy
We strive for a democracy in which all citizens have the right to express their views, and are able to directly participate in decisions which affect their lives.

Non-Violence
We declare our commitment to non-violence and strive for a culture of peace and cooperation between states.

Sustainability
We recognize the scope for the material expansion of society within the biosphere, and the need to maintain biodiversity through use of renewable resources.
 
Respect for Diversity
We honour and value equally the Earth’s biological and ecological diversity together with the cultural, linguistic, ethnic, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity.

The green market has a great potential – We just came across 5 Green Trends for Small Business from Entrepreneur.com and would like to share with you

• Green Car Dealership
• Low-Carbon Groceries
• Green Shopping Bags
• Environmental Microfinance
• Green Building Certification

If you are interested in learning more info about greeen trends for small business, please click the link above.

It’s really nice to have some lights in your backyard – well, don’t use electricity, consider a solar-powered outdoor lights instead. Here we recommend Corona , a solar-powered outdoor lighting system. It can be staked to the ground, attached to a wall, or simply placed on a table top.

The Corona solar light’s photovoltaic cell transforms sunlight into energy during the day, and its LEDs automatically start to glow when the sun sets. It uses no glues or fasteners, making it simple to disassemble for recycling.

Put some in your garden, you will enjoy seeing beautiful solar-powered green sunflowers in your outdoor spaces

The Environmental Symbol of Beijing Olympics, which was created using a calligraphic art form, is composed of human and tree-like shapes. The logo consists of the crown of a tree and the shape of a human being, which are used to create the form of a large tree reaching the sky. The image represents harmony and unity between human beings and nature. Just like swinging coloured strips that encircle and cross each other, the green lines form a luxuriant crown of a tree and recall flowers in full bloom, embodying the sustainable development of nature.