City of Durham
DURHAM, N.C. — The holidays are an exciting time of year for most households. This winter, the City of Durham encourages residents to “go green” this holiday season by purchasing gifts and implementing a few simple practices at home to conserve Durham’s water supplies and preserve your budget.
A recent study found that currently green consumers are most likely to take sustainability into account when buying cleaning and personal care products.
This organic wreath, featured at EcoStiletto, isn’t made of sticky pine needles that fall onto your welcome mat. And that means less pesticides ending up in the ecosystem.
Washington, D.C. – The EPA is seeking comments on its proposed guidelines to control the discharge of pollutants from construction sites. The proposal would require all construction sites to implement erosion and sediment control best management practices to reduce pollutants in stormwater discharges.
“This proposal builds a foundation for cleaner streams and greener neighborhoods through improved treatment technologies and prevention practices,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA’s assistant administrator for water.
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Mother Earth has worked up a holiday list this year. It includes recycling leftover wrapping paper, giving energy-efficient gadgets and finding a better way to grandmother’s house.
From getting there to getting rid of the extra trash, there are many ways Americans can celebrate both the holidays and the environment. In cooperation with Mother Earth, EPA is providing a few tips for this holiday shopping season:
See how others are being green this holiday season and let the EPA know what you’re doing.
Art supplies don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. For those willing to look, they abound in our trash cans, recycling bins, and in the flora and fauna of our natural environment. This lesson—that students must simply open their eyes to secure materials—is central to much of the art made in Cameroon and other African countries, where money for supplies runs scant, and where artists turn to found objects to create something unique. This lesson is also one that Duke School artist-in-residence Issa Nyaphaga hopes to teach seventh graders. “I want to show students that everything around them in nature can be used to create art,” Nyaphaga says. “They don’t have to go out and buy things.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C.— The “Three Rs” take on a more modern meaning as the U.S. Postal Service makes it easier for Post Office box customers across the country to recycle their mail. “Read, Respond, Recycle” is the banner under which the Postal Service will reach out to postal customers with a convenient, environmentally responsible alternative to bringing home or discarding their mail.
The PO Box Lobby Recycling program places secure recycling bins in Post Office lobbies. All bins are locked with a key and the opening is slim — about the width of a news magazine. PO Box customers are encouraged to remove and open their mail (read), take whatever action is necessary (respond) and simply place the rest of their mail into the bin (recycle).
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Per Press Release
DURHAM, N.C. — Community partners, Durham residents, and volunteers will come together on Saturday, November 22 to plant trees next to a stream in East Durham that feeds into Lick Creek and Falls Lake. The tree planting, sponsored by a grant from the Home Depot Foundation and organized by the Upper Neuse River Basin Association, will involve planting nearly one hundred trees on two properties that are threatened by severe erosion.
Per Press Release
The Triangle J Council of Governments’ Regional Appearance Committee works to help keep the Triangle region green. This year the committee has several hundred hardwood tree seedlings and young hardwoods available at no cost to community groups and local governments. These trees are available to plant on public lands throughout Region J.
For further information or to learn more about this opportunity, contact Renée Boyette, TJCOG member services director, at (919) 558-9403 or rboyette@tjcog.org. Seedling applications are available at ftp://ftp.tjcog.org/pub/tjcog/members/seedapp.pdf.
Triangle J is a voluntary membership organization that strives to promote harmony and cooperation among its members, seeking to anticipate and address regional issues in ways that respect the autonomy of all local governments within the region. Region J includes the seven counties of Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange and Wake and the municipalities within.
RALEIGH, N.C. — In conjunction with America Recycles Day 2008 on Saturday, Nov. 15, the N.C. Department of Transportation has released the latest results of its ongoing waste management efforts, including recycling and the reduction and reuse of materials.