VOLUNTEERS INVITED TO COASTAL CLEANUP

Have you ever wondered how much trash accumulates on Volusia County's
beaches? Find out by participating in this year's International
Coastal Cleanup from 8:30 - 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20. Once again,
Volusia County is gearing up for the annual cleanup at 10 sites along
Volusia County's beaches. The event is in conjunction with the Ocean
Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup.

Known as the largest and most successful volunteer event of its kind,
each year thousands of volunteers from around the globe participate in
the cleanup, clearing tons of trash from ocean coastlines, rivers and
lakes and recording every piece of trash collected, according to
Stacey Bell, project coordinator for Volusia County's effort In 2007,
in 76 countries more than 378,000 volunteers picked up more than six
million pounds of debris from 33,000 miles of shoreline. That
averages out to an estimated 187 pounds of trash per mile.

"This cleanup is a great opportunity for families and organizations
in our community to get together and make a difference for wildlife,"
said Bell. "It's important to remember that if we leave trash on the
beach or in a waterway, or even miles inland, it does not just
disappear. We all have a responsibility to dispose of our trash
properly for a healthy environment and to work together to keep it
clean for future generations."

As trash is picked up during the Coastal Cleanup, its type is
recorded on a tally card. This data allows event organizers to track
the type and amount of trash found on beaches worldwide.

Volunteers are invited to participate in the Coastal Cleanup at:

Bicentennial Park, 1800 N. Oceanshore Blvd., Ormond-by-the-Sea

Tom Renick Park, 1575 Oceanshore Blvd., Ormond-by-the-Sea

Sunsplash Park, 611 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach

Frank Rendon Park, 2705 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores

Toronita Off-beach parking area, 4200 S. Atlantic Ave.,
Wilbur-by-the-Sea

Winter Haven Park, 4589 S. Atlantic Ave., Ponce Inlet

North Beach Neighborhood Park, 1100 N. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna
Beach

Flagler Avenue beach approach, Flagler Ave., New Smyrna Beach

27th Avenue Park, 3701 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach

Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach

Participants need to check-in between 8:30 - 9 a.m. the morning of
the cleanup. Participants are encouraged to bring water and wear
sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen and comfortable clothing. Participants
also should bring used plastic shopping bags to reuse at sites for
collection of trash and recyclables. Volunteers who return their data
tally card, trash and recyclables will receive a reusable shopping
tote (while supplies last).

For more information about the cleanup, please visit
www.volusia.org/cleanup.
To pre-register, contact:

- For locations in New Smyrna Beach, Chad Truxall at (386) 428-3310
or chad@marinediscoverycenter.org
- For all other locations, Stacey Bell at (386) 239-6414, ext. 33, or
sbell@co.volusia.fl.

JFTP - Week 3 - Getting A Charge out of Saving Electricity

A Bright Idea - Turning out lights when you leave the room is an easy way to save electricity. If you have a problem area like a hallway or closet consider switching out your light fixture for one with a built in motion sensor.

Chill Out in Your Room - Check windows, doors and switch plates to make sure they aren't leaking cool air. Weather striping and plate insulators are available at Home Depot. For windows that let in just a bit too much heat add heavy drapery to block the sun. If you still want the light but not the radiant heat then consider installing a radiant film on your windows. They can block as much as 70% of the sun's radiant heat in the summer time. This is also available at Home Depot.

Look into carbon free ways to generate and save electricity in your home. Consider installing a solar hot water heater or solar panel, use you bike to get to the store, car pool when possible, combine errands to save on gas, etc.

JFTP - Week 2 - Wasting Water is All Wet

Am I Clean Yet? - Focus on taking a 5 minute shower. Set a timer for 4 minutes; when it goes off you know it is time to wrap it up! You can save 9125 gallons of water a year.

Go with the Flow - Is it necessary to flush the toilet every time it is used??? Remember the phrase, "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down."

Tanks a Lot - If you have an older toilet (high flow) then you can save 4.5 gallons of water every time you flush by replacing it with a newer (low flow) toilet. If you aren't prepared to replace your toilet then you can place a half gallon jug in the tank of the toilet to take up space.

Aquacop - A slow leak can waste 4 to 5 gallons of water a day. Check for leaks from teh toilet tank to the toilet bowl by adding a couple of drops of food coloring to the tank. Come back in 15 minutes later and check the bowl. If the bowl has colored water in it then you have a leak.

Consider adding a rain barrel to your downspout and use the rain water to water your garden and plants. You can also set up a collection system in the kitchen for unused water.

When landscaping, consider using xeriscape and native plants to reduce the amount water and chemical fertilizers they require.

JFTP - Week 3 Journal Question

Research the various methods used for producing energy (coal, solar, wind, hydroelectric, human power, etc.), and talk about which you think is the best.

How can you incorporate alternate forms of energy production into your home?

Mercury and CF bulbs

Dear EarthTalk: I've heard that compact fluorescent light bulbs, known for their long life and low energy consumption, contain toxic mercury. Is this true and, if so, what precautions should I take when disposing of them?

—Greg Newswanger, Freedland, MD

Compact fluorescent light bulbs do contain small amounts of mercury vapor, which, when catalyzed by voltage, give off ultraviolet energy, the key building block for generating light. When these bulbs burn out or break, they need to be discarded responsibly so as to avoid unleashing mercury into the environment and food chain.

Mercury—a toxic metal known to cause brain, spinal cord, kidney and liver damage in humans—does not break down easily and, once airborne, often finds its way into groundwater, rivers and the sea, where it can cause a host of contamination issues for wildlife and people alike.

The first thing to do when a compact fluorescent bulb breaks is to open all the windows to disperse any mercury vapor that may have escaped. Then put on gloves, sweep up the fragments, and wipe the area with a disposable paper towel. Using a vacuum is a bad idea, as it will only stir up any lingering airborne mercury. Lastly, the fragments should be sealed into a plastic bag and recycled or disposed of.

The best way to dispose of burned-out or broken compact fluorescent bulbs is to take or mail them (in the sealed plastic bag) to a mercury recycling facility. The website of the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers provides contact information for locating such facilities state by state. If mercury recycling is not an option in your area, the bulb or fragments should be placed in sealed plastic bags and disposed of at your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection site.

Ironically, compact fluorescent bulbs are responsible for less mercury contamination than the incandescent bulbs they replaced, even though incandescents don't contain any mercury. The highest source of mercury in America’s air and water results from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, at utilities that supply electricity. Since a compact fluorescent bulb uses 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb, and lasts at least six times longer, it is responsible for far less mercury pollution in the long run. A coal-burning power plant will emit four times more mercury to produce the electricity for an incandescent bulb than for a compact fluorescent.

CONTACTS: Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, www.almr.org; Earth911.org; EPA Household Hazardous Waste Page, www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/hhw.htm; EPA Fact Sheet: Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps, www.nema.org/lamprecycle/epafactsheet-cfl.pdf

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EARTHTALK, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit your question at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk.html; or e-mail us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

Solar Cooking

CooKit Instructions

Pizza Box Solar Oven

Solar Cooking.org

Solar Cooker Plans

Recipes for your Solar Cooker

Parvati Solar Cooker

Solar Stoves

Solar Funnel Cooker
this one looks super easy

JFTP - Week 2 Wasting Water is All Wet Journal Questions

How would your life change if you did not have running water in your home?

If we didn't have running water, do you think people would waste as much water? Why?

JFTP - Week 1 - Dumping on Garbage

This week is all about how to reduce the amount of garbage for which we are each responsible. Twelve points are needed to earn a certificate for this unit.
No Garbage Lunches
How are individually wrapped "lunch box" chips, cookies and crackers hard on the environment? What solutions can you come up with to reduce that impact?

Look around your house and find things that you can use when making lunch in order to pack a "zero waste" or "no garbage" lunch. Remember, your goal is to pack a lunch so you will have nothing to throw away (or recycle) when you are finished.

Bag Bags
What are some of the ways plastic bags are hard on the environment? What solutions are there? Look around your house and find other options to replace plastic bags.

San Francisco Bans Traditional Plastic Bags

Whole Foods Discontinuing the Use of Plastic Bags in all Stores

Develop a system to using reusable bags. Develop a habit of putting bags back in the car after things are taken out of them. You can't use the bag if you don't have it with you.

Practice saying "We don't need a bag; we've brought our own!". Help the cashier by holding the bags open for him or her. This makes their job a little easier. Be sure to thank the cashier if they are nice or enthusiastic about your reusable bags. Let them know you appreciate their understanding. Consider finding the store manager and let them know how nice it was to have a cashier with a good attitude toward reusable bags.

Remember that not every purchase needs a bag. If you are buying one or two things they can be carried out of the store without a bag!
Wipe Swipe and Gesundheit

The secret to using cloth napkins is having enough on hand. You will never be able to develop a workable system if you don't have enough to work with. This is one of those situations where QUANTITY is better than quality. It is good to have one nice set of cloth napkins for when company is over but for everyday use think "cheap" and "absorbent". Check clearance racks (especially after holidays) for cheap bar towels, dish towels, washcloths and napkins. Simple napkins can be sewn using any absorbent fabric. (This is a great way to learn how to sew. It is nothing but straight lines and if they aren't perfect it doesn't matter.) Flannel also makes great napkins. If you cut it with pinking shears it will not ravel (I do have an occasional thread every 4 or 5 washes.) so there isn't even sewing involved. (Flannel will need to be washed a few times before it is really absorbent.)

Paper towels are equally as easy to part with. An ample supply of washcloths or bar towels (which can often be found on clearance after holidays) will serve nearly every paper towel purpose. "Ample" is the key word here. In our home we have a "clean hand" towel. This towel's only purpose is to dry clean hands. It does not wipe off counters. It does not dry dishes. It ONLY dries hands. This answers those "germy" concerns of paper towel supporters!

One question that is common... "Doesn't all that extra cloth increase the amount of water and energy used? Doesn't it defeat the purpose?" My answer is NO. We use no paper napkins, no paper towels, no disposable cleaning clothes and approximately 1/4 of the toilet paper we previously used. Our laundry has increased by 1/2 a load. All those napkins, towels and rags are very small. Most of the time they are disbursed throughout our regular load of towels. There is a bit more folding involved but since they are very little it is a great way to get little hands (the kids!!!) folding laundry.

Let It Rot

The average family throws away 1.28 pounds of food waste each day. That adds up to 470 pounds per year.

The average American family throws away 14% of all food that comes into the home. Most waste is in the form of produce and is a direct result of poor planning.

When planning your meals for the week try to plan the meals that use fresh produce for the first few days after you go grocery shopping.

Look into composting the rest of your food waste.

Composting 101
This is not for Florida but it has some good basic information.

How to Compost
Another site with basic information for backyard composting.

Our Vital Earth
The worm farm in Sorrento that sells the Can-O-Worms. This is a commercial site but still has some great info about worms and worm composting.

City Farmer
Great info on setting up a worm bin.

Back By Popular Demand

The new year has brought new recycling guidelines for many counties. Here is a list of things that can be recycled by county. Volusia County residents are now able to recycle MUCH more than last year. Orange County was surprisingly limited on the things that could be recycled. Seminole County has restrictions on the types of plastic containers. (They have a great Kids page on their website!) So read up on what can and can't be recycle in your community.

Recycled Art Show

This is an extra activity that is worth 3 points. We will be participating in the Youth Celebration of the Arts on March 8, 2008 at Gemini Springs in Debary. Our theme is Found and Recycled Art. All entries should be made out of all recycled or found objects. With the exception of glue, none of the items used in your project can be purchased. Check with family and friends to find things you might need and get creative. Your project can be anything; a sculpture, a picture, something useful, something to wear...anything you can think of and create with found and recycled objects. One last consideration! I need to be able to move these projects so they must be of a reasonable weight and size and be sure things are attached well!! All entries need to be to me no later than February 28th! (You can bring them to co-op that day if you wish.)

JFTP - What can be recycled?

Seminole County

Volusia County

Orange County

How to journal for JFTP weekly activities...

Each week will consist of several activities that will be done between meetings. You may choose any method you wish to journal and keep track of each activity. Here is one method that you can use.

Weekly Topic
Activity

How am I part of the problem?

What changes can I make to be part of the solution?

What steps am I going to take to implement those changes?

Progress Report

There are many other methods to track your progress. Younger children or children that do not wish to journal can draw pictures, dictate to a parent, take photographs, build a diorama, etc. Be as creative as you like. The point is to have a record of your journey!

Journey for the Planet Week 1 Journal Questions

What does being environmentally friendly mean to you?

Why do you think it is important for people to be environmentally friendly?

Are you and your family environmentally friendly? Give examples of how you are and are not.