Going Green Memphis 8-08-10

8/8/2019 Going Green Memphis 8-08-10

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2 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , August 8, 2010 co mm er ci a l a pp ea l.com

Staying green

Major hotel chains are waking upto the savings economically andecologically in water, energy use

A farm for good

Small organic farmerputs land under a

conservation easement

A day at the farm

Local market organizesfarm tours to promote

local growers

Trying to beat the heat

How to keep cool and green as well as helpyour yard survive the high temperatures

Green roofstake seed

Alternatives topetro-based goods

On the cover: Photo illustration by Kim Coleman/The Commercial Appeal

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Going Green is a special online publication ofThe Commercial Appeal. We welcome your commentsand suggestions. Follow Going Green on Twitter at

w w w .t w i t t e r .co m /G o G r e e n M e m p h i s.Ed i t o r : Kim Coleman, 529-5243,go i ng g re en @ com m er c i al a p pea l.co m

Community Editor: Emily Adams Keplinger,ke p l i n ge r @ com m er c i al ap pea l.co m

Whats in this issue ...

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http://www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphismailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis


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The Commercial Appeal S u n day , August 8, 2010 | GOING GREEN 3

The Green Page

B r i efs

Master Gardenercl a s s es

Fayette CountyExtension will hostMaster Gardener classesAug . 17 through Nov. 1 6.Classes will meet onTuesday nights from 6 to9 p.m., and will featureguest speakers coveringa variety of homegardening topics.

Cost of the classes is$90, and includes a copyof the Master Gardenerhandbook. A ppl i ca tionfor enrollment isavailable at the FayetteCounty Extension office.Class size is limited. Call the Extension office at 465-5233 for more information.

H u m -z i n g e r s

Get ready cause here they hum. The 11th annualHummingbird Migration Celebration will take place Sept.10-12, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (last program begins at 4 p.m.) atthe Strawberry Plains Audubon Center.

Volunteers are needed to assist with the event. Areyou interested in getting an inside look at theHummingbird Migration Celebration and helping out withone of the biggest nature festivals in the country? Logonto strawberryplains.audubon.org for more details.

Run for the green

Rotary Run for Parks and Greenways, a 5K racesponsored by the Germantown Rotary Club to benefitParks and Greenways, will take place on Sept. 25. The 5Kwill begin at 9 a.m., while a 1-mile Fun Run starts at 8:30a.m. Depending on construction, this may be the first 5Kon the Shelby Farms Greenline.

Pre-registration is $13 for Memphis Runners Clubmembers, $15 for nonmembers. Registration at theevent is $20. Sign up at racesonline.com.

Ev e n tSmokestack Effect &E PA s National School

Air Toxics MonitoringPr o g r a m

Thursday, Aug. 26, 6:30p.m.; Benjamin L. HooksCentral Library, 3030Poplar Avenue

Rita Harris is the SierraClubs EnvironmentalJustice Program organizerfor the Memphis area. She

will talk about the 2008-09 USA Today articles thatprompted theEnvironmental ProtectionAgency to initiate anational air toxics studythat identified 60 schoolsdeemed to be in the worstpolluted areas in thecou nt r y .

She will discuss the

Toxic Release Inventory(TRI) pollution report forShelby County, and theTerrible Ten report , plusshare a 12-minute videoon air pollution awarenessfor neighborhood groups.Find out if yourneighborhood isconsidered to be a hotspot and how you can

work to reduce airpollution.

For more informationor to suggest a futurepresentation, contactSierra Club, ChickasawChapter, tennessee.s i e r r a c l u b.o r g /c h i c ka s awor (901) 324-7757.

Tennessee MasterGardener Lana Owensdemonstrates how to geta good start on growthfrom seeds.
http://strawberryplains.audubon.org/http://strawberryplains.audubon.org/http://racesonline.com/http://racesonline.com/http://sierraclub.org/chickasawhttp://sierraclub.org/chickasawhttp://strawberryplains.audubon.org/http://racesonline.com/


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4 GOING GREEN | S u nd ay , August 8, 2010 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

Hotel giants go greenHilton, IHG, Wyndham wake up to savings in energy, water useBy Suzanne Thompson

Special to Going Green

Most hotels have them. A card in theroom, or the bathroom, asking guests to

consider reusing towels or wait an extraday to have the linen changed.The goal is much greater than just sav-

ing costs on detergent and maid service.Millions of gallons of water are saved

when guests reuse towels and hold offon having their linen changed, and re-duced use of the hotels industrial laun-dry equipment saves energy as well.

The worlds three major hotel groups,Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Ho-tel Group (IHG) and Wyndham World-wide all have made changes to the waythey operate in order to be better cor-

porate citizens.Hilton Worldwide is doing its part atthe 10 brands it controls, which includeHilton, Doubletree, Hampton Inns,Homewood Suites and the Waldorf As-toria.

Hilton has implemented LightStay, asophisticated tracking system that helpsits hotels save energy, by calculating

InterContinental Hotel Groups vision for more sustainable hotels includesgreen facades, modular architecture and a ground source heat pump.


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The Commercial Appeal S und ay, August 8, 2010 | GOING GREEN 5

and analyzing the envi-ronmental impact of allits brands.

Of the 3,600 hotels runby Hilton Worldwide,1,500 of them, which rep-

resent 95 percent of itsfull-service hotels, are us-ing the LightStay system.By 2011 all propertieswill be required to havethe system in place.

We re the first multi-branded company in ourindustry to make sustain-ability a global brand

standard, so by the endof next year, all of ourproperties will be re-quired to report sustain-ability performance, s aidChristopher Corpuel, vicepresident for sustainabil-ity at Hilton Worldwide.

Some of the things thehotel group measures in-clude energy, waste, wa-ter, carbon and opera-tions. Operations cover12 core performance ar-eas, such as housekeepingand transportation.

We look at sustainabil-

ity as a discipline of thebusiness, just like any oth-er discipline m a rke t i n g ,IT, legal, Corpuel said.We really need to treatsustainability as a mea-sure of performance, just

like quality, service andprofit and loss are all mea-sures of performance.

This cant be a pro-gram or an initiative. Wefelt strongly that it had tobe integrated into the

measure of our business.IHG, which boasts

more guest rooms thanany other hotel group inthe world, with 650,000rooms in 4,400 hotels in100 countries, owns s ev -en brands including Hol-iday Inn, Holiday Inn Ex-press, Crowne Plaza,InterContinental andCandlewood Suites.

This hotel conglomer-ate initiated its Green En-gage program in March2009. Within a few

months, 900 of its h o t el swere using the system,which is a comprehensiveonline sustainability sys-tem that reports on en-ergy, detergent, water andother elements, and overwhat period of time thesavings have occurred.

The Hilton hotel in Vancouver was the first LEED

(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)certified and Green Seal certified hotel in the world.

The Hilton at

939 Ridgelakein Memphis.

Nikki BoertmanThe Commercial

Appeal files


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6 GOING GREEN | Su n d ay , August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

Green Engage offersour hotels a roadmap onhow to make an impact,and the hotel can decidehow fast it wants to ex-ecute, said DavidJerome, senior vice pres-ident for corporate re-sponsibility at IHG.

Green Engage pro-vides recommendationsin site planning, water,

products and materials,waste, building envelope,mechanical, electrical andoperations and manage-ment , he said.

The program is de-signed to help hotelslearn more about how todo business with a view

toward sustainability.Its helping hotels

have a point of view onwhat being a g re e n h o t elmeans by giving them aclear statement of thethings they can do to bemore cost efficient andenvironmentally responsi-ble, Jerome said.

Wyndham Worldwide,operator of brands such

as The Wyndham,Howard Johnson, DaysInn, Ramada Inn and Su-per 8, implemented theWyndham Green programthree years ago, and over-sees the sustainability ef-forts of the hotel group.

An Ozone Laundry Sys-

tem has resulted in savinghundreds of thousands ofgallons of water since2006, but is up to the in-dividual hotel franchise toimplement. Only a smallpercentage of the hotelsuse such systems, accord-ing to Faith Taylor, vicepresident for innovationand sustainability forWyndham Worldwide.

Some of the companyssustainable efforts thatare being implementedthroughout more than7,000 locations includethe installation of energy-efficient lights, the use ofeco-friendly products androlling out an Energy

The Hilton Bariloche in Argentina is being developed as an eco-hotel for theHilton brand. The layout will blend with the mountain its located on to reducevisual impact, and many energy- and water-saving processes will be usedduring its construction and after it opens in 2013.


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The Commercial Appeal S u n d ay , August 8, 2010 | GOING GREEN 7

In some IHG hotels, the bedroom furnishings including mattresses and carpetsmade of natural fibers and all furniture is made of recyclable materials.Features of the bathroom include water-efficient shower heads, dual-flushtoilets and towels made of natural fibers.

Most hotels have cardsin the room or bathroomasking guests toconsider reusing towelsor wait an extra day tohave the linen changed.

Star portfolio managerprogram which will trackenergy consumptionthroughout the groupsNorth America hotelb ra n d s .

As a worldwide com-pany, Wyndham World-wide is building an eco-learning culture thatstrives to continuouslyimprove and sustain ourpositive results overtime, Taylor said.

Other efforts include apaper reduction challenge

program that has reducedconsumption by 36 per-cent and providing frontdesk uniforms, eachmade from 25 recycledtwo-liter plastic bottles.

The Days Inn brandhas started a guest linenreuse program, in whichguests decide when theywant their towels andsheets washed.

As of Jan. 1, all DaysInns were required to

have a linen and towelreuse program running,which allows the proper-ties to reduce the fre-quency of bed linen andtowel replacement fromevery day to every thirdday in stay-over rooms.

Cards will be placed onevery bed asking gu e s t sto conserve by not havingtheir sheets changed ev-ery day.

What to look for in

a sustainable hotel

Hotels can be majorconsumers of water,energy and materials.

Some questions for

guests to ask the hotelDoes the hotel havean environmental policy?

What is the hotelsrecycling policy?

Does the hotel useenergy-efficient lightb u lbs ?

Does the hotelrestaurant use locallysourced food?

How do you get to thehotel by public transport?Do they provide communaltransport?

Some things for gueststo do during their stay

Take part in linen andtowel reuse programmes

Ask for a newspaper ifyou really want it

Switch off lights andequipment (if these aren'toperated by a key card)

Give the hotel yourfe e d ba c k


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8 GOING GREEN | S u n day, August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

Marriott Internationals goal is to have 300 LEED

hotels by 2015.

BETHESDA, Md.

The CourtyardCharleston/S ummervillein South Carolina will bethe first hotel built usingMarriott Internationalsgreen hotel prototype, inpartnership with the U.S.Green Building Council.

This will accelerate thecompanys goal to have300 LEED (Leadership inEnergy andEnvironmental Design)hotels by 2015.

Marriott is the first inthe hospitality industry tolaunch a green hotelprototype that has beenpre-approved by USGBC

as part of its LEED Volumeprogram, meaning that anyMarriott hotel that followsthese plans will earn basicLEED certification, orpossibly higher, upon finala p p rova l .

The new Courtyardhotel will open in early

2012.This new program

packages all the basicrequirements for LEEDcertification in ap ro t o t y p e , said KarimKhalifa, senior vicepresident of architectureand construction forMarriott International. Itsaves our owners valuabletime and money in theplanning process andallows us to provide agreener portfolio of hotelsfor our guests.

Last fall, Marriott

announced plans todevelop a green hotelprototype for itsCourtyard brand that willsave roughly $100,000,six months in designtime, and up to 25percent energy and watersavings for its owners.

Based on the results ofthe Courtyard brand,Marriott has plans tocreate similar green hotelprototypes for ResidenceInn, TownePlace Suites,SpringHill Suites andFairfield Inn.

Currently, Marriott hasnearly 50 hotels across allbrands that are LEED-certified or registered bythe USGBC.

Additionally, MarriottInternational Inc.headquarters, achieved

LEED for ExistingBuildings Goldcertification earlier thisye a r.

For more information onMarriott Internationalsenvironmental strategy andinitiatives, visitmarriott .com/environment.

Marr iottmoves ahead

with greenp ro to t y p eSouth Carolina innwill be chains first
http://marriott%20.com/environmenthttp://marriott%20.com/environment


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Down on the farm

Tour organizers of Whole Foods Markets first farm tour were Kenny Suggs(left), Liza Burke and Stacy Early.

Whole Foods customers seewhere their food comes fromBy Liza Burke

Special to Going Green

Whole Foods Market hosted its first farm tour onJuly 25, inviting its customers to visit Tims FamilyFarm in Ripley, Tenn., to see how a farm operatesand where their food comes from.

Supporting local growers is an integral part ofwhat the Whole Foods Market staff believes in.

They thought the tour would be an exciting way toput a face with the food shoppers eat .

Tims Family Farm inRipley, Tenn., is knownfor its flavorfult o ma t o es .


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10 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , August 8, 2010 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

On a visit to TimsFamily Farm earlier in theyear, representatives ofWhole Foods Marketwere inspired andfascinated by the amount

of work, care and passionthat goes into the farmand every tomato itproduces. The farm touroffered customers of thenatural and organic foodsmarket a chance toexperience that fort h e m s el ve s .

JaNear Allen, who won

farm tour tickets for herself

and her three daughters bysharing on the Meet YourFa r m e r blog, posted thatshe was excited for herchildren to have their firstfarm experience. I would

love for my family and I tobe further educated onlocal organic foods, and formy children to realize theimportance of being andeating healthy. An actual,visual experience wouldreally help.

The Tims weregenerous and enthusiastic

about hosting the first

farm tour even duringtheir busy season. Thetour included charteredtransportation to andfrom the farm; a guidedtractor tour with the

Tims; a Q&A sessionwith the farmers; a freshon-site lunch from WholeFoods chefs (featuringfreshly picked tomatoes,of course); and a walkingtour in which participantsgot to pick their ownpeaches and tomatoes totake home and savor.

Whole Foods hopes to

Robert Tims sharedplenty of goodgrowing tips withhis guests during

the July 25 tour ofhis farm.

It certainly gives one a new appreciation for the small farmer. ...

Its so important that we all pay more attention to where our food

comes from and whats been done to it in the process!

CAROL FUNDERBURK,a customer who attended the tour

Guests were invited to pick a few fresh tomatoes fromthe 20-acre farm in Ripley.


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continue to supportlocal farmers, and willcontinue to encourageits shoppers to supportlocal, for the good ofthe environment, the

economy and thecommunity. Farm toursare a fun and inspiringway to share thatmessage, and the marketplans to offer themre gu l a rl y.

It certainly gives onea new appreciation forthe small farmer, how

hard they work, and howmuch they love whatthey do, said CarolFunderburk, a customerwho attended the tour.Its so important thatwe all pay moreattention to where ourfood comes from andw h at s been done to it inthe process!

For up-to-date farmtour information, checkout the Meet YourFa r m e r page atw h o l e fo o d s . c o m / p o p l a r.Shoppers may also checkthe Local board postedat the store at 5022

Poplar Ave., or followstore news on Facebookand Twitter (Facebook:Whole Foods MarketPOPLAR; Twitter:Whole Foods POP).

Liza Burke is marketingteam leader for WholeFoods Market.

Farming for goodin North Carolina

By Jim Wise

McClatchy Newspapers

In the rolling-hill country between NorthC a ro l i n a s Pittsboro and Siler City, BillD ow s farm has fresh crops of cucumbers,peppers, basil, parsley and blueberries just

coming in.Just up the rocky road leading into his

place, theres another farm where a freshcrop is coming in: houses. Yes, thedevelopment pressure is on.

Not at Bill Dows place, though. His wasNorth Carolinas first farm to be certifiedorganic. He was Chatham Countys firstfarmer to make a business of selling

directly to restaurants. Now hes the areasfirst small organic farmer to put land undera conservation easement in perpetuity.

T h at s going to have a real big impactin keeping agriculture alive in the county,said extension agent Debbie Roos.

I dont know, it just seemed like theright thing to do, Dow said.

Dow, a retired physician, owns 30 acres,with woods enclosing the 3 acres he

cultivates spring, summer and fall.Its all I can do, with good help, he

said. The amount of help varies dependingon what needs doing, he said. One recentafternoon Dow had five pairs of helpinghands at work one hoeing weeds, twotying squash vines and two setting postsfor cucumber trellises.

Conservation easement protects land
http://wholefoods.com/poplarhttp://wholefoods.com/poplarhttp://wholefoods.com/poplar


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12 GOING GREEN | Sun d ay , August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

Bill Dow saysthat, withenough rain, hewill have goodcrops this yearat AyrshireFarm in NorthCarolina. Dowworked withTriangle Land

Conservancy toput 22 acres ina conservationeasement.

Harry Lynch

Attached to the land

Twenty-two of his acresare under theconservation easement,he said. Besidespreserving the propertyundivided andundeveloped, theeasement creates apermanent buffer along ac re ek .

I didnt wantsomebody coming in hereand cutting it up, D owsaid. You get attached toa place and you just dontdo that. I dont do it.

Dow grew up on a

cattle and soybean farm inMississippi. Dad was abeliever in the chemicals,he said, but young Bill unlike his farmer brothers developed a distastefor the herbicides andfertilizers that go onconventional fields. AtVanderbilt medical

school, he organized astudents healthorganization that spun offagricultural marketingprojects in five Southernst ates.

He ended up in NorthCarolina via a long,c i rc u i t o u s route It

would make a goodn ovel , he said andbought a country placewhere he could take upgardening. Organically.

This was in 1981, andDow didnt get a lot oflocal encouragement forgoing green; but he stuckwith the notion because

of his cussedness andc o nv i c t i o n .Part of it was the

challenge and part, Ithought it was important.From a medicalstandpoint, you are whatyou eat, as they say, hesaid. Part of it was, just

Its not something you plan. You just wake up one day and

realize, Its got me. ... Were not just playing games here.

BILL DOW,organic farmer and conservation advocate


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The Commercial Appeal Sun d ay, August 8, 2010 | GOING GREEN 13

HOW IT WORKS

A conservationeasement is a voluntarylegal agreement by whicha landowner permanentlyrestricts how property

may be used whileretaining ownership.Agriculture and

conservation boosterspromote easements as atool to reimburselandowners, with cash andtax breaks, for signingaway their developmentrights. The easements

protect rural land for itsbenefits to air and waterquality, and keep itavailable for farming.

According to the TriangleLand Conservancy, BillDow got $96,000 forputting his land under aconservation easement.

The money came from theN.C. AgriculturalDevelopment & FarmlandPreservation Trust Fund.

Chatham, Durham,Franklin and Orangecounties have adoptedAgricultural Developmentand Farmland Protectionplans, and Wake County

has one under way. Withthe plans, countiesbecome eligible for grantsto pay for easements andacknowledge an interest inmaintaining or enhancingagriculture as a localindustry.

the boys at home: Illshow you. T h e re s acertain amount ofcompetition.

Its got me

It was about 10 yearsago that Dowmetamorphosed fromgardener to farmer.

Its not somethingyou plan or anythingel s e , he said.

You just wake up oneday and realize, Its got

me. ... Were not justplaying games here.Broccoli was his first

cash crop, but althoughit grew well in his soil,one crop wasnt going toearn a living for a smallfarmer. That takes anappreciation foreconomics.

What youve got tolook at on this size farmis, not how many acreshave I got but how mucham I making per acre? Ican grow broccoli likethis and sell it for a goodprice, but in that sameamount of space theres

other crops I can growand make a lot more.Now, he raises a

variety of vegetables,fruit, herbs and flowersand sells most of hisproduce to restaurantsthat appreciate theappeal local food has for

customers. The rest, hesells Saturdays at afarmers market which he helpedestablish, along with theCarolina Farm

Stewardship Associationand a sustainableagriculture program atCentral CarolinaCommunity CollegesPittsboro, N.C., campus.

Conservationpioneer

Hes a dynamicconservation pioneer,said Triangle LandConservancy presidentKevin Brice.

Bill has figured out away to make a livingoffering local organicfood to the community,

Brice said. Hesdemonstrated that it canbe done, and thatinspires other farmersand people who thinktheyd like to get intothe business to keep uswell fed and healthy.

He has totally been a

real pioneer in thisa re a , Roos said. Hehas a really big role inmentoring. ... (and) hewas doing it beforeChatham County hadsuch a reputation forbeing an organichotbed.


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By Sandy Bauers

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Checked out your latestelectric bill? If its anythinglike mine, it took a giantleap upward, thanks to thehot weather this summer.Yep, the household airconditioning was crankedd ow n .

But there are ways toblunt the wallet-gutting,and Mother JonesEconundrums re p o r t e rKiera Butler passes along

a few in her latest column.She, in turn, passed themalong from Stan Cox,author of Losing OurCool: UncomfortableTruths About Our AirConditioned World (AndFinding New Ways To GetThrough the Summer).

He notes that air

conditioning is actuallymaking our world hotter.Literally. Feel the aircoming out of your airconditioners outsideunit. Its hot. Also,e n e rg y - p ro d u c t i o ncontributes to greenhouse

gases, which contributeto global warming.

But you can take steps.One Cox mentions is toswitch from incandescentlight bulbs, which give offheat, to CFLs. I wouldamend that to urgeswitching to LEDs, which

also produce little heatand save even moreenergy. My kitchen sinkarea has four track-lightbulbs overhead, and Imgradually making theswitch. What a difference!

Second on Coxs list is tovent appliances l i ke

Beat the air-conditioning bluesTips help you

keep cool, saveon utility bills


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clothes dryers outside. Or,in the case of the dryer, dontuse one at all. My clotheslineworks great, but on days whenIm not going to be home torescue the clothes from an

afternoon thunderstorm, Ihang them in the basement.Also, when it comes to thedishwasher, no need to vent.Just pay attention and shut thething off for the heated drycycle (and on some models,you can turn it offcompletely). Instead, open thedoor and let the dishes air-dry.

Other tips d ow n s i z i n gyour air conditioner andplanting a rooftop garden orpainting your roof fall intothe realm of major projects,so Im going ignore them fornow. We need tips for laterthis week, not next year!

Finally: Cox says to simplyput up with being hot, andafter a while it wont seem sohot. You get used to it.

Butler writes that a recentstudy of office workers inThailand compared one groupof workers in air-conditionedoffices to another group whoworked without cooling. Theworkers who were used to the

cooler temps needed to be inplaces between 72 and 82degrees to be comfortable.Those who worked inuncooled offices didntcomplain until the mercuryrose higher than 89.

Visit Sandy Bauers blog ath tt p : / /go . p hi l l y. co m /g re e n s p a c e.

By Katy Rank Lev

Mother Nature Network

For many reasons,suburban living hasbeen identified as aless green choice thancity life, but heres anew one: A recent

article in the AtlantaBusiness Chroniclesuggests thesesuburban communitiesare feeling the effectsof climate change moresharply than theirmetropolit ann e i g h b o rs .

According to the

article, a studyconducted at GeorgiaTech found that thesuburbs experience ahigher number of ve r yhot days per yearwhen compared tocompact cities nearby,regardless of c l i m at ezone, population size,or rate of growth.

The average numberof very hot daysincreased by about 15days per year in themost sprawling areasand by about six daysper year in the suburbs

in which houses andbusinesses are closertogether. The articlequotes the studys leadauthor, Brian Stone,saying that thet e m p e rat u redifferences could posea significant health

t h re at to humanssince severe heat killsmore people onaverage per year thanother type ofdangerous weather.

Stone says areassuch as Atlanta,Tampa, Fla., or GrandRapids, Mich., would

be most at risk,because of rapiddeforestation toaccommodate newdwellings or adramatic, rapid loss ofvegetative cover.

Others havesuggested that plannedgreen communitiesmight be a solution tothe sprawling suburbsbecause these livingarrangements putplaces of business andrecreation withinwalking distance ofpeoples homes.

Climate change hitsharder in the suburbs
http://go.%20philly.%20com/greenspacehttp://go.%20philly.%20com/greenspacehttp://go.%20philly.%20com/greenspace


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16 GOING GREEN | Su n day , August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

State of theClimate report

says warmingu n m i s ta k a b l e By Pat Brennan

The Orange County Register

The past decade is the

warmest ever recorded,and the powerful signalsof global warming from sea ice to glaciers,temperatures to sea level are unmist akable,according to a new reportfrom the nations climatea ge n c y.

The 2009 State of theClimate report, released bythe National Oceanic andAt m o s p h e r i cAdministration, saysmeasurements of 10different indicators showthe planet has been heatingup for the past 50 years.

And the warming

appears to be accelerating.Since the 70s, globallyspeaking, we have warmedat an unprecedented ratein the historical record,the last 100 or 150 years orso, said Deke Arndt, there p o r t s co-editor and thechief of NOAAs National

Climatic Data CenterClimate MonitoringB ra n c h .

To get a full picture of

the Earths changingclimate, the reportbrought togethermeasurements of seveni n d i c at o rs that are onthe rise: air temperaturesover land and oceans, sea-surface temperature, sealevel, ocean heat,humidity and thetemperature in the layerof the atmosphere closestto the surface whereweather is most active.

It also examines threeindicators on their waydown: Arctic sea ice,glaciers and spring snow inthe northern hemisphere.

All 10 point to an intenseglobal warming episode.It was striking to see

all of these differentclimate indicators side byside, standing theret o ge t h e r, Arndt said. Tosee them all on the samepage, singing the same

song I wont say thatssurprising or shocking,(but) it was emphatic.

The decade-to-decade

changes are the key tounderstanding the shift inclimate, he said. Andthose trends are stark:The 1980s were thewarmest decade measuredto that point, every year ofthe 90s was warmer thanthe previous decades

average, and the 2000shave been even warmer.

While the report did notaddress the issue of humaninfluence on climate which has been establishedby other scientific work,Arndt said it also showsthat greenhouse gas levelsare rising as well, based on

measurements in severalplaces around the globe.

On the Web

Read the full report:w w w . n cd c. no a a. gov / ba ms -s t a t e - o f- t h e -c l i m a t e / 20 0 9.php

Glaciers andArctic seaice areamongs ev e r a lindicatorsthat point tointensewarming.


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By Al Heavens

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Q: At a recent home show, we gathered informationon solar versus electric roof fans.

The solar seller said electric fans were dangerousand were the cause of several house fires. The electricseller said that solar worked only during the daylighthours and the attic remained hot well into the night.

Cost is also a factor. Electric fans run about $100,while the solar fans run about $550. Because the house

is long and narrow, we would probably need two fans.No matter what approach we take, it will be expensiveand we did not get prices for installation as yet.

A: It is common forcompetitors to dump oneach others products. Imsure the electric fans havecaused a few house fires,but the experts tell me

that the likely cause waspoor installation (usuallyhomeowners attemptingto save money doing itthemselves) rather thanan inherent flaw in the fan.

From what Ive seen onthe Internet, the electricfan vendor might not be too

far off the mark on his list ofthe cons of solar fans.The fans, many of the

experts say, work betteron sunny days, and they dotend to stop spinning asthe sun sets, leaving theattic still hot after dark.

You would need morethan one solar fan to movethousands of cubic feet ofair per minute to removethe heat from the atticspace.

Ive seen calculationsthat 1,800 square feet

requires the movement of8,000 cubic feet of air perminute, although I cannotguarantee those figures.

You would need morethan one fan in eithercase, and probably morethan just two solar fans.

One website, house -

energy.com, makes thepoint that while solar fanscost nothing to operate,electric fans cost relativelyl i tt l e .

In a typical sunny-hotday, an electric attic fanmay use 300 to 400 wattsof energy, which

corresponds to a monthlyoperational cost of lessthan $40 (in a typicalsummer month).

Cooling the attic spacemeans lower airconditioning costs on thelower floors of the house,and that needs to be part

of the cost equation.Perhaps we can hearfrom both sides of theargument. I invite yourcomments.

Questions? E-mailAlan J. Heavens ataheavens@philly news.com.

Solar attic fans have their drawbacks

The debate between

solar versus electric

continues - even with

attic fans.
http://energy.com/http://energy.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://energy.com/


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18 GOING GREEN | S und ay , August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

It can be tough to keep your lawngreen and your garden blooming in thiskind of heat.

Summer is barely at the midway point

and the heat has been stifling. Manygardens and lawns have wilted andshriveled. But even for those unfortunategardeners, there is still time to havebeautiful summer landscapes with theright plants and techniques.

Drought-tolerant plants make summergardening easier, even in your lawn.Most lawns are a mixture of grasses,including Kentucky bluegrass. Thats acool-season grass that requires one totwo inches of water a week and regularfertilization to keep a green lush look. Allthat watering and fertilizing means youllbe doing a lot of mowing to maintain aneat turf. But there are a couple ofalternatives for the laid-back gardener.

The first is to let your lawn godormant. Rather than fight against

nature, let cool-season grasses do whatthey naturally do and fade away in thesummer heat. The lawn will look brownand dead, but it will only be brown andresting. As soon as cooler temps andrainfall return in September the lawnwill green up again.

The second option is to plant a lawn ofbuffalo grass. Buffalo grass is a native

Help your lawn andgarden through a

summer heat wave

Lawns and gardens need about two

inches of water per week during theheight of summer.

warm-season grass that is naturally greenand growing in the hot summer months.It can thrive on a third of the water andfertilizer of Kentucky bluegrass. In fact,many people do not water their buffalograss lawns at all. Its great for

communities with summer waterrestrictions that still want green lawns.The downside of a warm-season grass

lawn is that during the cooler months itgoes dormant. Having dormant lawns inthe summer or winter is simply not anoption for many people. So most of usgrow cool-season lawns that requireextra watering, fertilizing and mowing

Plant selection is key to success


19/29


Remove weeds as soon as you have a

chance. Weeds take water andnutrients away from your plants.

when it gets hot. Thats just the burdenof a year-round green turf.

The landscape is a little easier thanthe lawn to keep beautiful through theheat. Plant selection is the key. Thereare plenty of drought-tolerant shrubs,

perennials and annuals on the market.Native prairie plants are accustomed tosummer heat. Mediterranean herbs, likethyme and marjoram, also thrive in hot,dry conditions.

The veggie garden is a little different.All crops will require regular watering toproduce well. If your veggie garden hasalready been toasted by the heat, all hope

is not lost. You still have time to plantbeans this year and get a crop. For hot,dry weather select cowpeas, black-eyedpeas, yard-long beans and tepary beans.These tough plants will fruit with moreheat and less water than most other crops.

But unless you have well-established,drought-tolerant plants you are going tohave to water regularly; and during aheat wave proper irrigation of your lawnand garden is crucial. Here are some tips:

Lawns and gardens need about twoinches per week during the height ofs u m m e r.

Water early (near dawn) to reduce

water loss through evaporation.Water thoroughly and deeply. Soakthe ground to a depth of six inches.

Dont water lawns and landscapesevery day. If you water deeply andthoroughly, you wont have to. Allow thetop few inches of soil to dry out betweenwat e r i n gs .

Containers (especially hanging basketsand window boxes) are the exception and

may require daily soakings.There are also a few horticultural tips

and techniques that can help landscapesand containers beat the heat.

Apply a 2-inch layer of mulcharound plants to help the soil stay moist.Compost makes excellent mulch andalso improves the soil.

Remove weeds as soon as you have

a chance. Weeds take water andnutrients away from your plants.Reduce fertilizer use during a heat

wave. Fertilized plants require morewater than normal.

Remember that heat waves aretemporary. Keep your gardens healthythrough the heat and theyll reward youwith colorful flowers and bountiful crops.


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20 GOING GREEN | S u n day, August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

The GreatS un f lowerProje c t

Track bee activityin your garden

By Amanda Knowles

M c C la t ch y -Tr i b un e

If youre looking for a fun andeasy project that helps theenvironment, try The GreatSunflower Project(greatsunf lower.org).

The project requires participantsto sign up on the website. Thenusers go online to describe theirgarden and give their specificl o c at i o n .

Participants watch their garden for15 minutes a day, twice a month andenter specific data on a data sheet

provided by the website.The project is looking to see howmany bees come in contact in agiven amount of time.

Bees are very important to theproduction of food, especially fruitsand vegetables. However, they are

currently in a threatening situation.

Little is known about bee activityin home and community gardens,according to the site. So, the goal ofthe project is to learn about the stateof bee activity by collecting data

from citizen scientists.Bees, the projects leader argues,

should be protected and peopleshould try to understand them.

The creators are looking forcertain types of bees so there is aBee Guide on the site to helppeople identify the different kinds ofbees. And, admittedly, the toughest

part about the project is quicklyidentifying each bee that landsduring the watch time.

Of course, the benefits of theproject include raising awareness forbees and their vital part in the food-making process.
http://greatsunf%20lower.org/http://greatsunf%20lower.org/


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The Commercial Appeal Sun d ay, August 8, 2010 | GOING GREEN 21

Ohio to test Chia Pet-like

sound barrier on highwayCLEVELAND, Ohio Ohio plansto test a sound barrier made out ofsoil and plants in an attempt todevelop eco-friendly ways to mufflehighway noise.

The Ohio Department ofTransportation says the Green NoiseWall, to be built this fall, will span

400 feet along a westbound stretchof Interstate 70 near Columbus.

It is like a Chia(Pet) wall basically filling bagswith dirt and seed,watering it andwatching it grow upand out, s aidODOT spokesmanScott Varner. Andmuch like thenovelty plant on thewindowsill, it willtake some care in thebeginning and ongoing maintenance.

Over two years, ODOT willdetermine how much water andmaintenance the wall of vegetation

will need. The department plans tolook at whether the wall of plantsand grass can survive Ohiosweather, and whether it can cutdown on as much noise as a concretewall, Varner said.

The green barrier also will testdifferent types of grass, plants andsoil, as well as different approaches

to attach the bags of soil.Researchers who submit the best

proposal for the green wall will workwith Deltalok USA, LLC, aWashington-based company that hasused its patented bag system tocontrol erosion, repair slopes andprotect stream banks.

The appearance and effectivenessof noise walls have been controversial

since ODOT beganinstalling themalong interstates in1993. Someresidents recentlycomplained toODOT ascontractors beganto clear trees fornoise walls alongInterstate 71.

Those who liveadjacent to the

freeway want the wall and those whodont want it are making the mostnoise, said Jocelynn Clemings,spokeswoman for the ODOT district

that includes Cleveland.Wisconsin built a sound wall madeout of plastic forms filled with soiland plants in 1994, but removed it in1996 after a portion of the barriercollapsed and weeds spread. Theonly similarity between Ohios walland the one that failed in Wisconsinis its triangular shape.

Much like the novelty

plant on the windowsill,

it will take some care

in the beginning and

ongoing maintenance

SCOTT VARNER

ODOT spokesman


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22 GOING GREEN | Su n day , August 8, 2010 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

By Kyle PotterThe Minnesota Daily

MINNEAPOLIS Walking past theblank concrete walls of Williamson Hall,its hard to imagine its roof was once amaze of diverse plant life.

After more than two years living atopa most unusual home, the array ofgrasses, bulbs and perennials has beenremoved as a long research project ongreen roofs is coming to a close.

The roof is empty and drab at leastfor now. The question remains whetherthe University of Minnesota willeventually take the results of thatresearch and turn the campus into anetwork of living roofs.

Mark Vancleave

Facilities management worker William Crosby removes plant material on arooftop terrace at the Humphrey Center at the University of Minnesota.

Green roofsmay bring

l o n g - te r ms av i n g sExperiment uses plants to

reduce energy costs


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By selecting plants thatserve specific purposes,green roofs can reduceenergy costs. Plants thatreflect light or absorbheat well help to cool the

building during warmermonths. In the winter,plants can insulate betterthan a traditional roof.

University graduatestudent and horticulturistJonathon Hensley set outin May 2008 to establishguidelines for a green roofthat could thrive in

Minnesot a.Hensley has spent the

past two yearsexperimenting on the roofwith various plants, eachseparated in differentcontainers to be monitoredwithout interference.

While green roofs ingeneral are nothing new,most guidelines for themare based on milderclimates. Such systemscould not survive the coldand often dry Minnesotaweather, he said.

The goal was to createa low-maintenance greenroof that could be used

more as a technology thana recreational space, hes aid.

Throughout the year,the roof absorbsprecipitation to reducefees the university mustpay for storm water runoff.

The savings are hard to

quantify, Hensley said,especially consideringthat a green roof can costtwo to three times asmuch as a normal roof.But a properly installedgreen roof will last two or

three times as long, sothere is a trade-off.Even though there is

an initial upfront cost thatis higher, as energy costsrise, green roofs becomemore and more cost-e f f e c t i ve , said JohnErwin, a professor of

horticulture who workedwith Hensley.

When the roof ofWilliamson Hall was stillgreen, Erwin went insidewith an infraredthermometer to measure

temperature. It wasapparent that the greenroof was doing its job, astemperatures under thegreen roof were coolerthan those spaces thatwere not under it.

Even if the universitychooses not to utilize

What is a green roof?An aerial view of most urban areas shows swathes

of asphalt, black tar and gravel-ballasted rooftops.Heat radiates off of the dark roofs, and water rushesover the hard, hopefully impermeable surfaces. Yet,there is a new trend that breaks up the monotony of

common roofs: green rooftops. Long popular inEurope, green rooftops have begun to appeal tohomeowners, businesses and even cities as anattractive way to promote environmentalism whilesolving the problems of conventional roofs. Greenroofs supplement traditional vegetation withoutdisrupting urban infrastructure they take aneglected space and make it useful.

Green roofs last longer than conventional roofs,reduce energy costs with natural insulation, createpeaceful retreats for people and animals, andabsorb storm water, potentially lessening the needfor complex and expensive drainage systems. On awider scale, green roofs improve air quality andhelp reduce the urban heat island effect, acondition in which city and suburban developmentsabsorb and trap heat. Anyone who has walkedacross a scalding parking lot on a hot summer dayhas felt one effect of an urban heat island.


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24 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay, August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

NEW YORK The Princeton Review known for its education services helping studentschoose and get in to colleges has reported itsthird annual Green Ratings of colleges: a measureof how environmentally friendly the institutionsare on a scale of 60 to 99. The company talliedthe rating for 703 institutions based on itsinstitutional surveys of colleges in 2009-10concerning their environmentally relatedpractices, policies and academic offerings.

The Green Rating scores appear in the profilesof the 703 schools that The Princeton Reviewposted on PrincetonReview.com. They are also inthe profiles of the schools in the new 2011editions of Princeton Review guidebooks: TheBest 373 Colleges ($22.99) and Complete Bookof Colleges ($26.99).

Robert Franek, Princeton Reviews senior vicepresident and publisher, noted the rising interestamong students in attending green colleges.

Among 12,000 college applicants and parents ofapplicants The Princeton Review surveyed this yearfor its annual College Hopes & Worries Survey, 64percent of respondents said they would valuehaving information about a colleges commitmentto the environment.

Criteria for Princeton Reviews Green Ratingcover three areas:

Whether the schools students have a campusquality of life that is healthy and sustainable.

How well the school is preparing its studentsfor employment and citizenship in a worlddefined by environmental challenges.

The schools overall commitment toenvironmental issues.

The institutional survey for the rating includedquestions on energy use, recycling, food,buildings and transportation.

Hensleys and Erwinsresearch, Erwin who isalso a commissioner of theMinneapolis Parks andRecreation Board is surethe city as a whole will. He

passed along a list ofapproved plants to the city tocreate a city-recommendedgreen-roof guide.

Its going to beimplemented prettyq u i c k l y, he said.

Erwin pointed to theTarget Center as evidencethat green roofs can become

a reality.The 21/2-acre green roof

atop the Target Center wasfinished in September at aprice of $5.3 million. Theroof will capture 1 milliongallons of storm water eachyear, according to astatement .

Staff have not yet gatheredinformation about energy orstorm water fee savings.

There are dozens of greenspaces atop other universitybuildings, but nothing quitelike the extensive green thatonce sat on Williamson Hall.

The apparent success ofHensleys and Erwins

research will be a part offacilities managementconversations about thepracticality of green roofs.

But as the universitystruggles with funding andfinances, the key toinstalling other green roofsis cost-effectiveness.

The Princeton Review gives703 colleges Green Ratings
http://princetonreview.com/http://princetonreview.com/


25/29


By Lauren DiPerna

The Orange County Register

When an offshore oilplatform reaches the endof its production life, it istypically pulled from the

depths and hauled off aprocess that can cost tensof millions of dollars.

A less costly choice forthe environment and theoil industry, saysoceanographer legendSylvia Earle, is to cut thetop off the rig and let thelegs remain a haven forthe bustling marinee c o s ys t e m .

Earle, who set the solodiving record at 3,300feet and has spent morethan 6,000 hoursunderwater, along withscientists, activists andregulators are discussing

how to balance a healthymarine environment withdecommissioned offshoreoil and gas platforms.

Earle does not condoneestablishing oil rigs, butonce they are there shebelieves partial removal isthe best option for the

environment .

Q: When it is possible,why is partial removal ofan oil rig better for the

marine environment?A: There are some whowould like to see the oilrigs removed right downto the ground once their

job is done, and there areothers, and I count myselfamong them, who thinkthat once they are in place

they begin to be adoptedby life in the ocean as ahabitat. Some creaturesgrow on the structures or

find shelter among thepilings and under theplatform itself. Tosubsequently remove themcan be really traumatic forthe organisms who haveset up housekeeping there.Like a shipwreck or a jetty,almost anything that forms

Oil rigs can become wildlife havens

Oceanographer Sylvia Earle says various types ofmarine life adopt oil rig structures as a habitat.

Partial removal

may be best optionfor environment


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26 GOING GREEN | S u n day, August 8, 2010 co mm erci a l a pp ea l.com

a structure in the ocean, whether it isnatural or artificial over time, collectslife.

Now, would I put the structuresthere in the first place? Thats adifferent issue altogether.

When you put something in theocean, whether again its piling or anoil rig, you are displacing things. Thereis no such thing as a harmless event.

Its not my ideal kind of fish haven.Id much rather have a natural piece ofocean set aside deliberately where fishare safe. The rigs are an incidental,unintentional haven, but it is the onereason why its hard to condone the

extraction of them once they havebecome established.

Q: If the rigs were removed, whatwould happen to the marine lifeusing it as a habitat?

A: It would just be killed. There isnothing you can do with it. The thingsthat are encrusting either would diebecause they are growing on the rigs

themselves, or you would take away thehabitat that has sheltered the creaturesthat adopted these places as homes.

Q: What do the rigs look likeunderwater?

A: The rigs are just covered with life.They look like a natural reef in someareas if theyve been around for a longtime.

Q: Why not leave the entire oil rig

in place?A: The reason for getting rid of the

top is mostly aesthetic, but also it is notserving as a habitat for creatures, exceptfor birds that might want to perch there.But eventually the upper part woulddeteriorate and fall in to the sea, sobetter to take it away but leave the legs.

By Julia Black

SimpleS teps.org

The Gulf of Mexico disaster hasbrought into cruel relief our reliance onpetroleum-based products and made it

all too clear how much that reliance iscosting us and our environment.Reducing our dependence on oil meansburning less gas by car pooling, takingpublic transportation, bicycling andwalking. But we consume oil in manyeveryday products without evenknowing it and excess plastic packagingonly adds to the problem. H e re s a lookat how oil is used in products and howto stretch our resources further bychoosing petroleum-free products,recycling plastic waste and buyingitems with recycled content.

Plastic food storagecontainers, packaging and cups

The petroleum problem: Almost allof the plastics found in a typical

American kitchen are made frompetroleum-based polymers. Severalvariations of these synthetic plasticsmake up almost everything from milkjugs to insulation products to packaging.

The gulf-friendly alternative: Buy inbulk, bring your own containers andcups, or otherwise reduce your use of

When shopping,just say no

to petroleum
http://simplesteps.org/http://simplesteps.org/


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of plastic bags building up at your house,reuse them wherever possible (for foodstorage, trash can liners, pet waste, etc.),and also check with your local grocerystore or waste management authority tosee if they take back bags for recycling.

Laundry detergentThe petroleum problem: The majority

of laundry detergents are derived frompetroleum, and also contain otherharmful chemicals.

The gulf-friendly alternative: Look forplant-based, biodegradable products. TheNatural Products Association, whichrequires that 95 percent of ingredients

must be derived from natural sources,now certifies cleaners and detergents.According to Seventh Generation, if the107 million U.S. households each replaceda single bottle of conventional detergent

with one usingp l a n t - ba s e dingredients, thetotal oil savings

could provide ayea r s heating andcooling for 8,500ho m es .

GumThe petroleum problem: Gum was

originally made from natural chicle, butnow its long-lasting rubbery consistencycomes from petroleum-based polymers.

Goodyear, the tire and rubber company,actually supplies Wrigleys gum with alarge portion of its main ingredients.

The gulf-friendly alternative: Thereare still a few brands of gum that can befound in health food stores or online thatuse natural chicle and no petroleumproducts. However, if youre looking for

packaging wherever feasible. Reuseplastic food containers like yogurt cupswhere you can, and look for productspackaged in recycled content andrecyclable materials. B io p las t i cs , orcompostable plastics made from

renewable resources may be preferableto synthetic polymers (especially if theyare made from agricultural wastes suchas bagasse orstraw), but betterstill are stainlesssteel products orglass containers,which are long-livedand more readily

recyclable thanmost plastics.

As for beveragecontainers, when onthe go, consider bringing a reusablewater bottle to avoid the need topurchase single-use beverage containers.If you do need to buy single-usebeverages, you may be able to choosealuminum cans or glass bottles instead ofplastic bottles. Recycle used beveragecontainers, too.

Plastic bagsThe petroleum problem: The

production of plastic bags is a petroleum-intensive process, and thesenonbiodegradable items end up litteringour landscapes and landfills.

The gulf-friendly alternative: TheUnited Nations is calling for a global banof plastic bags, but in the meantime itseasy to limit our consumption of plasticbags anywhere we shop. Bring reusablebags on your next shopping trip. Just besure to wash your reusable bagintermittently. If you already have a stack


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28 GOING GREEN | S und ay , August 8, 2010 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

di a r r h ea.

The gulf-friendlyalternative: Beeswax- andShea butter-based lipbalms have no knownnegative health effects.

C an dl esThe petroleum

problem: Candles areanother product that usesa paraffin-wax base, abyproduct of petroleumrefining. Contaminants inparaffin, such as toluene,benzene, methyl ethyl

ketone and naphthalene(substances found in paint,lacquer and varnishremovers), make it aparticularly problematicchoice for candles, sincethey may enter the air webreathe at home.

The gulf-friendly

alternative: Candles madefrom soy wax, beeswax,and essential oils are fairlyeasy to come across anddo not include thecontaminants found inparaffin. The candlessmoke poses less of ahealth threat.

problem: Food additives including sodium benzoate,FD&C red 40 and yellow 5 put in canned goods toextend their shelf life andgive them an unnaturally

appealing color are yetmore petrochemicals. Thehuman body is notdesigned to consumepetrochemicals, so thereare many possible risksbehind over-processedfoods. New studies arelinking food dyeconsumption to ADHD.

Bisphenol-A (or BPA), achemical commonly foundin can linings, is widelyknown to interfere withhormone production and istherefore associated withvarious diseases.

The gulf-friendlyalternative: W h e r ev e r

possible, buy fresh, organicproduce and limitpurchases of canned food.Frozen food in recyclablecardboard, as well as foodspackaged in glass, alsomake a suitable alternativeto cans.

Lip balm

The petroleumproblem: Most lip balmbrands use a petroleumjelly base, which mayprovide short-termcomfort but is easy toingest, which can causestomach upset and

something a little moreaccessible, try satisfyingyour minty cravings withnatural herbal mints.

C r ay o n sThe petroleum

problem: Crayons aremost commonly made withparaffin wax, a petroleum-derived product. Morethan 12 million crayons areproduced every day by onefactory alone in the U.S.This amounts to 60 tons of

petroleum-derived crayonsdaily.

The gulf-friendlyalternative: Look forpetroleum-free craftsupplies like naturalbeeswax and soy waxcrayons. Options includeStubby Pencil Studiocrayons, which are madefrom a combination ofplant and vegetable waxesand pure beeswax, andPrang crayons, which usea soybean-based wax.

Canned food

The petroleum


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By Morieka Johnson

Mother Nature Network

Q: Now that my baby is crawling, Iwould like to cut back on the amount ofchemicals used around the house. Arethere any natural ways to treat my dog

for fleas and ticks so I dont expose mytoddler or my dog to those chemicals?

A: Squeezing a topical so lution on yourdog each month may be the easiest andmost effective way to fight fleas. Most of

the products contain a syntheticinsecticide that attacks a fleas nervoussystem. But this popular method has comeunder fire recently due to reports ofadverse reactions among dogs and cats.

The Environmental Protection Agencyhas called for more stringent testing andevaluation requirements as well asstronger warning labels.

Here are a few greener options for youto consider.

Find a flea comb. Regular fleamaintenance will require a cache of flea-fighting tools, starting with a good fleacomb. These fine-toothed wire toolscome in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Read the label carefully. Look forproducts such as Bio-Groom Flea and Tickconcentrate, which contains pyrethrin, a

biodegradable insecticide thats madefrom chrysanthemums. While you stillneed to exercise caution when applyingthe chemical, its a better option to topicalsolutions that contain permethrin.

Try neem oil.This all-natural insectrepellent comes from the neem tree inIndia. Add a few drops to your favorite

liquid for a do-it-yourself flea spray orsimply apply the oil directly to yourdogs coat. The primary ingredient ingrooming products by Ark Naturals,neem oil also repels mosquitoes.

Consider an oral treatment. O ra ltablets provide another alternative totopical solutions. Products like Capstar

and Comfortis go to work quickly, killingany adult fleas a few minutes after beingconsumed.

Enjoy Christmas in July. A relativelynew company on the scene, Vets Best,uses the power of peppermint and cloveoils to fight fleas and ticks. I haventtried it yet, but the idea of a sweet-

lli d l

Natural products can help control fleas

Neem oil, an all-natural insectrepellent, and flea combs can helpkeep your dog flea-free.

Going Green Memphis 8-08-10

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