———————– ** Fresh Green Beans ** ———————– Grown in Kansas. Eaten Worldwide.

The Santa Monica Civic Center parking garage is to become the first US Green Building Council LEED certified structure of its kind.

The green features are impressive. The structure features a water treatment system on site to capture runoff containing toxic liquids. Photovoltaic panels line the top of the structure providing shade and renewable energy. The structure uses recycled materials and low VOC paint. Public electrical outlets for electric automobiles are available in 14 of the 900 spots. Free bicycle parking is also available.

You may ask, if we’re going to build a parking garage, why not make it more sustainable? This is a valid question, but I hope you realize the contradiction of terms here; this is an earth saving structure dedicated to the machine that has arguably accelerated the destruction of the earth. At what point does the effect of the increased number of cars used due to this structure outweigh the sustainable value of a “green” parking garage? I’m going to guess that tipping point is less than 900 new cars.

Is this making a joke of LEED certification?

via: Inhabitat

Bobby Grace

I have a new hero. Granted, I’ve added him to my list of 18.5 other heroes, but he has inspired me nonetheless. Reader, meet Daniel Dermitzel.

Daniel Dermitzel – associate director of Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture

After a stint in broadcast journalism and a bit of world traveling, Dermitzel decided he was tired of reporting on how the world was changing. He decided to start doing his part to change the world. Dermitzel became a part of the David that is battling the Goliath that is giant multinational food corporations.

He started at Trailside Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Calhoun, Mo. Dermitzel had no previous experience in farming, but he stuck with it and taught himself. Years later, he co-founded Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture (KCCUA), where he is now the associate director.

Demitzel and his organization grow things. They grow a lot of things– especially considering it is all done on a 2-acre farm. They have grown about 40 different vegetables and numerous herbs. The KCCUA sells most of their produce through a community-supported agriculture program (CSA). CSA members pay a fee and in return they receive weekly bundles of vegetables and herbs for 21 weeks. The KCCUA also sells their produce at local farmers’ markets. But the KCCUA doesn’t just grow- they teach the gospel of sustainability, they spread the word of urban agriculture! KCCUA has multiple programs that reach out to the community and promote community farming and sustainability.

I got a chance to participate in the inner-workings of KCCUA. It was a particularly cold day and the farmers were getting ready for an evening freeze. I, a mere visitor on a field trip, was enlisted to help. I got dirty, I got sweaty, and I nearly ruined my kicks. But it was a grand old time. I got was able to bond with the soil and some of the people who grow the food. I saw, smelt and felt how absolutely natural of an environment that this food was growing in. I now have a new appreciation for organic food and the work that these farmers put into feeding their community.

Now, I realize that if I buy a Dole organic banana, I can go online and see the farm from whence it came. Whoopdeedoo. That doesn’t compare to actually seeing, smelling, and laboring on the land where your food was created.

So I have a proposal for you, reader.

Visit a local farm. You can log on to SustainableTable.org and find the farms nearest you. It’ll be a dandy experience and you’ll be surprised how much it’ll make you want to bite into nothing buy fresh, organic creations of the earth for the rest of your life

And if you aren’t or aren’t able to go to a farmers market. If you don’t care to see where your veggies come from, you should at least meet the people who grew your food.

-Travis Brown

The Baker University Wetlands, South 31^st Street and Haskell Avenue, is home to more than 250 birds, more than 400 plants and 20 frogs, reptiles and amphibians.

Photo by Kim Wallace

What if I told you that, at any given moment, you could spot a bald eagle soaring through the sky or a fallen branch packed with monarch butterflies fluttering around the ground? What if I showed you a sweet spot to take in a Lawrence sunrise or sundown, where you could sit undisturbed and take in the magnificence of what nature offers us here in town? Would you think that this place exists only in the forests of Clinton Lake State Park or somewhere else that is a drive away?

If I tell you this too late, then you could be right—this wonder of plants and animals would be a drive away—a 10-lane drive away. This beauty that exists in our own backyards is that of the Baker, or Wakarusa, Wetlands, at 31^st Street and Haskell Avenue.

Old-school Lawrencians know the argument front and back: Those for “growth” see this area of land as a perfect stretch to connect the South Lawrence Trafficway, which currently deadens at Iowa Street near Toyota and Hollywood Theaters, around to K-10—a straight shot through land that many Natives consider sacred and holy. Those who are “no-growth” oppose the “unnecessary” traffic that the highway would create—creating more problems in addition to the 23^rd Street traffic mess rather than alleviating it. For a city of Lawrence’s size—a projected 107,349, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA—“no-growth” Lawrencians feel that there is no need for additional traffic routes in a city of 28.7 square miles.

But, whether you are “growth” or “no growth,” Native American or not, you should feel connected to the land. It doesn’t have to be for religious or spiritual reasons. The simplicity of this land, which is home to 255 species of birds and 417 species of plants, offers a serene space for escape from bustling University life and the “go, go, go” mentality of today’s busy person. If you must consider how you can benefit from this area before you consider the sacredness of others, I offer you this:

Serenity. Enjoy a sunset or a sunrise by the marsh while you listen to chirping crickets and birds. Watch snakes glide through the water while butterflies fly through the sky. Breathe fresh air into your air-conditioned lungs.

Space. Take time to think alone or with a close friend. Absorb the silence that this space in the wetlands has to offer, and reflect upon your day and future days while you take in sights that are not part of your normal routine.

Sound. Trek through the lands and step on crunchy leaves, or wiggle your toes in newly grown grass. Listen as the wind sings and chimes make their beautiful, wind-blown music.

This is a place that offers a kind of harmony that is untouched, unparalleled, to any park, nature center or exhibit out there. You don’t need a tour guide to tell you how to take in the depth of beauty here—it’s to each his or her own, and every one will experience it differently.

For those who are not interested in taking in the sights and sounds of this wonder, consider the historical value of the wetlands: Native Americans performed “49s,” or war journey dances, on these very grounds during the early days when Haskell University was a boarding school for runaway Natives. This 49 tradition started in the heart of these wetlands, and 49s are still an integral aspect of Native American culture. Children who died more than 200 years ago are marked on the grounds of the Wetlands, but the whereabouts of these bodies—whether they are buried in the heart of the wetlands or closer to 23^rd Street—is still unknown and undocumented. Preserving the land for the sake of respect to those who passed is just another reason why these lands should be precious to all, directly connected or not.

Native American spiritual beliefs center around respect for all land and natural entities. This land symbolizes a sacred place for these people—much like a church, a cross, or any other mainstream religious symbol may mean something to you. This land is not something Natives visit once a week; it is something they tread on day in, day out, and it is where they reflect while offering others the same opportunity to reflect. Some Native American spiritual stories say that in the beginning, the earth was covered completely with water until an otter got mud in its paw and brought land to surface. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, this beautiful idea of interconnectedness that Native Americans hinge their earth’s creation upon showcase the highest respect for even the tiniest of creatures—and those tiniest of creatures can be found in the wetlands.

Those who are interested in environmental causes should know that besides the vast amount of plant and animal lives that call the wetlands home, there is also much to be said of this area for the Midwest region of the U.S. This area was identified as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1969 and a Natural and Scientific Area by the State of Kansas in 1987, according to Baker University. These wetlands have produced more bird biodiversity than any other area of comparable size in the entire Midwest. How’s that for bragging rights?

But, this could all be gone if the Kansas Department of Transportation continues on with a plan to build 10 lanes of traffic through the area. The proposed remedy would be to have a nature center or sound barricades to limit traffic noises, but the truth is that these barricades would never equal the peace of the sounds that exist there now. And to put nature in a glass box (or nature center, however you want to describe it) doesn’t foster the idea of enjoying nature in its purest, natural form. It reminds me of the song lyric, “Took all the trees, put ‘em in a tree museum/And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ‘em.” (Big Yellow Taxi/Joni Mitchell). We are to enjoy what we have here for free—land, sunsets, fresh air—and not package it up as a consumer product.

Visit the online home of the Baker/Wakarusa Wetlands to find out how you can act now to save this integral part of Native American, Lawrence, and ultimately YOUR history. Because Native American history is AMERICAN history.

“Dont it always seem to go that you dont know what you’ve got til it’s gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…”

-Kim

I recently returned from the Engineers Without Borders conference on “Sustainable Engineering and Global Health” in Seattle. The flight on Southwest was disappointing to say the least, from an environmental perspective, but the conference was a green dream come true, thanks to a “sustainability coordinator” in charge of making the conference itself as sustainable and carbon neutral as possible.

The first thing that I noticed was the in-room recycle bin at the hotel, shortly followed by the Project Planet door-hanging in the bathroom encouraging me to conserve water and use my towels more than once.

The next morning I discovered it was a mere 10-minute stroll from the hotel to the conference venue on the University of Washington campus. Cool, I thought, no need to waste money on a taxi.

Once at the conference hall, I lost myself in the fairyland of recycle and compost bins, zero paper handouts, and fully compostable beverage cups and napkins. It only got better as I picked up my t-shirt made from 100% fair-trade organic cotton and water-based ink. Lunch came and I found myself relishing the local, organic fare pre-boxed in compostable packaging. I had never been to a conference planned quite like this before - it was exciting!

To top it all off, EWB gave each of us a “Carbon Offset Care Package” complete with two hybrid Poplar tree cuttings to plant when we got home. After all, flying the 3,105 miles from Kansas City to Seattle I had emitted approximately 1,400 lbs. of CO2. I planted them as soon as I got home, because it was going to take the two of them together almost 20 years to offset my emissions from this single trip.

(My cute little Poplar trees are already growing after 1 week!)

The whole experience made me feel good. Sometimes, I feel as if I’m one of only a handful of people recycling or bringing my own cup to the coffee place, but at the conference, there were hundreds of us walking, recycling, composting, and maybe even planting all those trees. I felt like I was a part of something bigger than me and that that something was making a real difference in just one weekend. It was a real green dream come true!

Curious about how you might create a green dream for attendees at your next conference or meeting? See my next post: Wow your stakeholders (AND please eco-critics) with your next business conference.

~ Sarah H

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Last night, I returned home late from squeezing in hours at the farm I’m moving to with my partner in June. We spent all day helping her father move new goat kids and their mothers from pen to stall, stall to nursery, nursery to pen. They look like this when they are about five days old:

It’s hectic, exhausting, mucky, work. About a dozen kids were born yesterday, and another eight today. That means a lot of running around as we help coordinate the many births with the few stalls available for mothers and kids to bond together during their first 24 hours. We learn the new ways of this work via fresh straw, buckets of water, screamin’ baby goats (man they can wail!), and lots of bodily fluids.

We are juggling this farming life with our day jobs as best we can. We are remodeling and renting out our city house while remodeling and buying a farmhouse. It’s never-ending chores, and we’ve only just begun. So I asked myself last night as we drove home, why do this? Why work so hard, when it would be so much easier to get up, go to an office job, go home, watch tv, eat take-out, drink a beer, stay numb and go to bed?

We talked it over, and it comes down to living a conscious life, one where we are aware of the impact of the choices we make. It means having a passion for for that life. For me, that comes from a belief so strong in a human right to have food security, that I am willing to change my life to make it happen – even on the smallest scale, one that is now but a glimmer of a vision for a tiny organic, sustainable farm.

Providing accessible, healthy food for ourselves and others takes on greater significance with every article I read about food security. Right now, there are global food shortages and increasing prices worldwide for the foods many cultures hold dear, let alone need to survive. In Egypt, the cost of bread is up 35 percent and cooking oil 26 percent. The price of pasta in Haiti has doubled. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization expects prices to continue to increase for another 10 years, and the poorest of the world will suffer the most. Already, the U.N.’s World Food Program says it’s facing a $500 million shortfall in funding.

I’m not so naïve that I think I’m solving world hunger or anything like that. But I do think that working this hard for good, local food options is what helps me sleep at night. (Being wiped out from double-duty and all that conscious living helps, too!)

Sometimes I feel like I’m giving up a lot to change my life this much. Members of this blog have discussed several times that sacrifice won’t convince others to join you in going green. But I ask you — what would you be willing to change to reach for a greener goal close to your soul?

- Jen Humphrey

Until recently, I thought grain alcohol was just something you mixed with Kool-Aid and served at house parties – the inexpensive “social lubricant” we know as “Jungle Juice”. But it turns out this magic elixir has a far greater purpose. Also known as ethanol, grain alcohol has long been mixed with fuels as an additive to reduce emissions and has taken the national spotlight over the past few years as a possible solution to our oil addiction.

The opening of Zarco Earth Friendly Fuels at 9th & Iowa in Lawrence, KS, is one manifestation of this increased interest in ethanol. I had driven by this new station several times on my way to work, but had never stopped until this weekend. As soon as I pulled up to the pump, the station attendant walked out to explain which of their 13 fuels I could put in my car. One one side of the pump was a button for E-10, a blend of 10% corn-based ethanol and 90% gasoline. The other side had options for E-20, E-30 and E-85. Since I don’t have a flex-fuel vehicle I was only able to fill up with the 10% blend. It was more expensive than the others - the same price as regular gasoline at the traditional station next door - but the attendant who had welcomed me reminded me that E-10 is sold as “mid grade” fuel at some stations, so I was still saving money.

As I waited for my tank to fill, images flashed across the screen on the pump. “Ethanol reduced emissions by up to 50%”. “Produced from a local renewable product” (complete with an image of the American flag). On the other side of the island were pumps dispensing off-road and highway grade soy-based biodiesel, blended at B2 (2% biodiesel, 98% petro diesel), B5, B10, B20, and B99. And, there were recycling bins on the lot. This was certainly not your typical gas station.

In fact, this station is practically one-of-a-kind. In addition to selling fuels that aren’t available at most pumps, the station has a state-of-the art fueling system that blends the fuels on site, allowing for greater variability in what is offered without increasing transportation and storage. Zarco hopes to make additional improvements in the future to lessen their footprint. Solar, wind, and/or geothermal systems to power the station, a green roof, and additional tools to educate the public about alternative energy are among the possibilities. Eventually, this station could serve as a model for “green gas stations” in our region.

As discussed elsewhere on this blog, biofuels are not without their share of problems. The recent biofuels craze has raised concerns about environmental impacts and a realization that there may not be enough farmland to feed ourselves and our fuel consumption. There are also technical issues with the distribution of biofuels (ethanol readily takes on water so can’t be easily transported in existing pipelines) that must be overcome to avoid putting more carbon into the atmosphere through transport.

However, like with electrical power sources, transitioning to a carbon-free future may require a blend of solutions and a few crutches along the way. While corn-based ethanol probably isn’t the cure to our fossil-fuel addiction, other sources for biofuels are under development using less intensive crops and algae. Innovative fuel stations like Zarco Earth Friendly Fuels will help pave the way for these - and perhaps yet to be discovered solutions - by encouraging more efficient distribution systems, minimizing the footprint of fueling stations, and keeping the public educated about their options. In the meantime, the grain alcohol we once enjoyed at house parties may just help us slide by until a better alternative comes along.

-Jeff

Photo: fladrifscorzapelle, flickr

I know you are probably in Cancun drinking margaritas on the beach or doing whatever you do on Spring Break, but if you happen to be in Lawrence and like to garden, the city is giving away free compost today and tomorrow.

Every Monday, the City of Lawrence collects yard waste from homes around town. It sits in huge piles for months until it turns into soil and is ready to be given away. That time is now. Compost projects like this are doing double duty: they reduce the waste going to landfills and create great soil. Better act quickly though, supply is limited.

Dates and times:
Friday, March 21, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m
Saturday, March 22, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (unless supply is depleted sooner)

Location:
1420 E 11th St. (east of 11th and Haskell, then over the railroad tracks)

More info:
Lawrence Waste Reduction and Recycling

Bobby Grace

Since we have been discussing the use of imagery in environmental media, I thought I would let everyone know about an upcoming student workshop that the Center for Sustainability is co-sponsoring with the Spencer Museum of Art. Author and Artist Linda Weintrab, who is currently working on a series of eco-art textbooks, will lead a 2-hour workshop for KU students entitled “Strategies for a Sustainable Society”. From the description, it sounds like this goes right along with last week’s topic:

The workshop explores relationships that are personal and emotional, and contrasts them with relationships that are detached and objective. It examines the critical environmental implications of both forms of relationship. It examines the critical environmental implications of both forms of relationship.

This all goes down on Wednesday, March 26 from 2 to 4 PM. Details are available on the Center for Sustainability website, along with registration. It’s a FREE workshop but is limited to 30 students, so you do have to register online. Linda will also be giving a lecture at noon that day at The Commons - the beautiful new space in Spooner Hall.

Oh, and if you haven’t been to The Commons yet, I would certainly recommend visiting. There is a timely exhibit there now by Marguerite Perret that blends images of nature and consumer culture, including this very captivating installation.

Enjoy!

- Jeff

I’m trying to wrap my mind around this story, but I just can’t seem to do it.

Can someone help me decipher? What is this world coming to? Besides global warming, of course.

-Lauren Keith