by Will Harlan on December 27, 2011

Blue Ridge Outdoors

He’s not a tree hugger; in fact, he cuts them down regularly. Nor is he a vegetarian. He doesn’t belong to the Sierra Club or any environmental group. He’s never seen An Inconvenient Truth or read any books by Michael Pollan, though he knows a lot about climate and where his food comes from.

I’ve met a lot of inspiring environmental activists protecting the planet and its people. I have spent time with the Occupy crowd, tree-sitters, and activists who have chained themselves to bulldozers to prevent coal companies from blowing up mountains. The courage of these activists is as impressive as that of gonzo paddlers plunging off waterfalls. But in their everyday lives—where most of our environmental impact takes place—none have as much integrity as my neighbor, Bill Banks.

My family and I live a half-mile up the gravel road from Bill. We live on an off-grid organic farm, with solar panels on the roof of our green-built house. Yet even our solar-powered sustainability doesn’t measure up to Bill’s closeness to the land.

Bill Banks is an Appalachian farmer. He has spent almost 50 years in the same small house that he and his family built. He grows most of his own food—corn, beans, squash, peppers, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, brussels sprouts—using heirloom seeds that his family and friends have passed down for generations. Most of his food is grown organically, although he doesn’t call it that.

Read the full story here.

April is nearing, which means the end of the competition. It looks like Carrollton Elementary is working hard to catch up to Windsor! It may become a tight race to the finish! Remember…a grand prize of $600 is at stake!

Windsor Elementary continues to hold the lead with 5.40 pounds collected per enrolled student. Carrollton continues to hold onto the second place position reporting 3.17 pounds collected per enrolled student. Hardy isn’t too far  behind with 1.19 pounds collected per enrolled student.

Keep up the collection!

Competition Details:

For the third year the elementary schools in Isle of Wight County will compete against one another for the title of biggest plastic bag recycler of the school year! The grand prize winner not only gets bragging rights, but $600 cash towards a “green” project for their school. They can choose to buy recycle bins, build a butterfly garden, build a vegetable garden, purchase recycling related educational materials, or any number of things.

 The second place school will receive a Trex bench! All schools will receive a Trex birdhouse!

So, start collecting now through April 22, 2012 (Earth Day)! The winning school will be the one who collects the most bags/pounds per child!

From No Nonsense site:

Yes, we know people have found some inventive purposes for used pantyhose. Gardeners use them to tie tomato plants to stakes. And of course, they make really scary Halloween masks. But now used pantyhose can be turned into such things as (and we’re not kidding here) park benches, playground equipment, carpets, ropes and even toys. Who knew that pantyhose could be such a miracle product? As if transforming a pair of legs weren’t enough!

How do you take this step with us?

It’s simple. First download a mailing label. Now go round up your pantyhose, nylon knee highs and tights and box them up. (Yes, we’ll accept all brands.) Take your box to the nearest shipping location and send it on its way. We’ll collect all the pantyhose in one of our North Carolina plants and send it all to a recycling facility. Then you can start looking for that new bench in your favorite park.
You never know, right?

We’re working on programs involving retailers and large organizations. Stay tuned for news on how you can be an even bigger part of our recycling program. We hope all pantyhose will soon find a life beyond legs.

For more information on how you can help save the planet visit http://www.nononsense.com/PantyhoseRecycling.aspx

Isle Be Green was set up in the Garden and Field Tent at the 2011 Isle of Wight County Fair demonstrating how to turn trash to treasure and showcasing the Animal Artz children’s art projects. The Animal Artz children’s art was a partnership with artist Donna Iona Drozda, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and Isle of Wight County Schools.

We gave away 500 reusable shopping bags, had 3 children’s activities related to recycling, and talked to lots of recyclers and potential recyclers! It was a great weekend! Here are some photos of the demonstration area.

Start collecting now!!

For the third year the elementary schools in Isle of Wight County will compete against one another for the title of biggest plastic bag recycler of the school year! The grand prize winner not only gets bragging rights, but $600 cash towards a “green” project for their school. They can choose to buy recycle bins, build a butterfly garden, build a vegetable garden, purchase recycling related educational materials, or any number of things.

The second place school will receive a Trex bench! All schools will receive a Trex birdhouse!

So, start collecting now through April 22, 2012 (Earth Day)! The winning school will be the one who collects the most bags/pounds per child!

Updates will be posted to the School Competition page! So, be sure to follow the progress of your favorite Isle of Wight County elementary school!

Please be advised that Isle of Wight County Convenience Centers will be closed on the following holidays:

Labor Day (new closure)

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

New Years Day

Easter Sunday (new closure)

Memorial Day (new closure)

Independence Day/July 4^th (new closure)

Please plan accordingly. Thank you.

The Town of Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, and the Western Tidewater Master Gardeners invite you to attend one of two upcoming rain barrel workshops!

Come and learn about water conservation while making your own rain barrel!

Choose either July 26, 6 – 8 p.m. at Nike Park, or August 16, 6 – 8 p.m. at the Isle of Wight Ruritan Building! Pre-registration is required! Space is limited to 15 participants per workshop!

COST is $47 – checks made payable to Isle of Wight County

Contact Meredith Marchant, Town of Smithfield, at 757-365-3325, or Gloria Spratley, Isle of Wight County, at 757-356-1962, to sign up!

First-come, first-serve!

“Plastic Bag Forgiveness Day,” June 25, Offers Hampton Roads Residents Second Chance to Recycle Bag a cool, reusable shopping tote when you turn in five plastic bags (Hampton Roads, Va., June 2, 2011)

Guilty of throwing your plastic shopping bags out with the trash? Relax. HR Green is offering residents a second chance to do right by the environment when it hosts “Plastic Bag Forgiveness Day,” Saturday, June 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Peninsula Town Center in Hampton and Walmart at 7350 Tidewater Drive in Norfolk. Residents who stop by either location and drop off five plastic bags for recycling will receive a cool, reusable Chico shopping tote (one per person, while supplies last), along with other freebies and information on ways plastic bags can be repurposed.

The special events are supported by Keep Virginia Beautiful and A Bag’s Life, a national recycling awareness campaign. “Don’t treat your plastic bags like trash,” said John Deuel, executive director of Keep Norfolk Beautiful and HR Green executive committee member. “Most retail stores now feature plastic bag recycling bins. When you bring your bags back to the store, they can be repurposed into other products such as outdoor decking, park benches and even new bags. It’s easy to do—and it yields great results.”

In addition to generating interest in plastic bag recycling, event organizers want the public to know why plastic bags can’t be dropped in municipal curbside containers for recycling. “Plastic bags require a different type of recycling than plastic bottles and containers. They cannot easily be separated from other recyclables such as bottles and cans in the early stages of processing,” explained Deuel. “Major grocery store chains and other stores that accept bags ask that clean, dry used plastic bags and wraps be recycled in bins at the store.”

About the Event Partners Launched in Virginia last year, “A Bag’s Life” is a plastic bag recycling awareness campaign, which features an interactive and educational website and mobile app with nearly 800 drop-off sites by zip code. Through quirky messaging such as “Don’t treat me like trash,” and “Gimme a second chance,” the campaign encourages Virginians to reduce, reuse and recycle their free plastic bags. With a focus on simple steps residents can take to find their “inner green,” HR Green is a region-wide public awareness campaign to be launched this summer by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and the 16 cities and counties it serves.

An interim resource, www.HRgreenblog.com, presently features regional news, tips and views written by a team of local experts who work in the region’s municipal utility and environmental divisions. Encouraging residents to reduce, reuse and recycle are among many topics covered on the blog. Both “Plastic Bag Forgiveness Day” events will feature music, giveaways and other demonstrations. For information, visit www.hrgreenblog.com and http://www.abagslife.com/va. 

Did you know? • Recycled plastic bags can be repurposed into other products such as outdoor decking, park benches and new bags.

• Dry cleaning, newspaper and bread bags, as well as wraps used on products like paper towels and bottled water, can also be dropped off at many retailers for recycling.

• You can log on to www.abagslife.com/va to find a plastic bag recycling drop-off location near you.

• Plastic bags require a different type of recycling than plastic bottles and containers. That’s why it’s important to bring them back to the store for recycling, instead of placing these in your community curbside container.

• Reusing your plastic bags is good too! More than 90 percent of consumers reuse their plastic bags at home for an infinite number of purposes.

• It’s perfectly acceptable to use plastic bag alternatives. Bring your own reusable tote wherever you shop!