Clean Coal!

Check this out!

http://action.thisisreality.org/page/s/coenbrothers

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May 14 — Great American Cleanup Event — Bicentennial Mall State Park — 10 am to 3 pm.

The Metro Beautification & Environment Commission would like to invite students to participate in the May 14:

Great American Cleanup Focus City Event at Bicentennial Mall. 

Learn more about how you can help Keep Nashville Beautiful by touring our education display area, which will be open between the hours of 10am – 3pm on May 14 at the Bicentennial Mall.

  

This is a national and state-wide event that will include education about litter prevention, recycling, and community beautification as well as volunteer cleanups at selected locations in the area.  Nashville is one of three U.S. cities selected by KAB to host national spotlight events this year, Mayor Karl Dean and KAB President Matt McKenna announced today. Held annually from March through May, the Great American Cleanup™ has become the nation’s largest volunteer  coordination effort.

 

Nashville will host the final national event on May 14 with a day of community projects, volunteer cleanups and educational exhibits in and around the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall State Park. Planned activities include a kickoff rally, “green” exhibits and education programs, and community cleanups in surrounding neighborhoods.   “My goal is to make Nashville the greenest city in the Southeast,” Mayor Dean said. “As a  national Spotlight City in this year’s Great American Cleanup, we have the opportunity to showcase to the rest of the country our commitment to clean streets and livable communities.”

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Final Economic Recovery Bill

How green is the final economic recovery bill?

Really, really green. Check it out:

$80 billion for clean energy, public transportation and green infrastructure, the largest such investment in our nation’s history.

1.6 million new green jobs, including 135,000 green jobs created by a $4.5 billion investment in greening federal buildings — an investment that your contributions to our online ads helped spare from John Boehner’s budget axe.

A 68 million ton reduction in our nation’s carbon footprint, a cut equivalent to a city the size of Chicago, IL going completely carbon-free.

We even managed to convince congressional leaders to drop a controversial $50 billion loan guarantee for the coal and nuclear industries, thanks in part to 20,000 online petition signatures urging our congressional leaders to keep President Obama’s recovery plan clean and green.

It’s big, it’s bold, it’s green, and while winning it wasn’t pretty or easy, it was well worth the effort.

Together, we helped President Obama make an enormous down payment on a new energy future for America. Today, our staff will join him in Denver, Colorado, when he signs it in to law.

Click here to view a photo book of our advocates and activists meeting with members of Congress and their staff last week.

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Curbside recycling comes to Wilson County

“Tennessee Curbside Recycling, Inc. (TCR) is a curbside recycling service located in Mt. Juliet, TN. They offer service to residential and commercial customers on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.”  Currently serving Mt. Juliet and Old Hickory.

Call: (615) 773-2746

E-mail: tcr_recycle@live.com

They accept:

• All Paper – Newspaper, computer paper, magazines, phone books, envelopes, junk mail, shredded paper, etc.
• Cardboard – All cardboard, examples are food boxes, paper towel/toilet paper tubes, soap boxes,etc. Please flatten all cardboard before recycling it.
• Aluminum – Cans, food containers, etc. Please rinse out food waste before recycling.
• Plastic – Check the recycling symbol on the plastic. If it has a #1-7 it can be recycled. Examples are plastic bottles, baby food containers, yogurt containers, milk cartons, detergent containers, etc.
• Glass – All glass can be recycled. Just remember to wash out any food waste. We ask that you do separate glass from your other recyclables because it is taken to a different location.

 Do not recycle:  Fabrics, windows, mirrors, used paper towels, black microwave trays or anything with a wax coating.

All containers must be completely rinsed out before recycling.

Check out their site for some easy tips to going green.

http://www.tncurbsiderecycling.com/EasyWaystoGoGreen.html

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Tennessee Greenways and Trails

Annual Forum April 2-4

Released on Wed, Feb 04, 2009 – 12:05 pm under

• Environment and Conservation

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Greenways and Trails program will hold its annual forum at East Tennessee State University April 2 – 4, 2009, which will be hosted by Johnson City and the Commissioner’s Council on Greenways and Trails.

The three-day networking and skill-building conference, titled “Connect with Tennessee,” will be held at ETSU’s D. P. Culp Center in Johnson City and will feature expert presenters from across the country in addition to a variety of diverse field trips and educational sessions. Educational sessions will include topics such as, improving community health through greenways and trails, the economic impact of greenways and trails on local communities, Off-Highway Vehicle park development, funding and technical resources, historic trails, and long-range planning utilizing the new Greenways and Trails statewide plan. 

Dan Burden, founder of Walkable Communities, Inc., will serve as the keynote speaker on April 3. Nationally recognized as the authority on the development and promotion of alternative transportation and sustainable communities, Burden has thirty years’ experience as a civic innovator and is recognized for his efforts to create better places to live, work and play. 

“This forum is a great opportunity to learn more about the benefits of Tennessee’s greenways and trails and the positive impact they have on communities across the state,” said Greenways and Trails Program Coordinator Robert Richards. “We are especially excited about Dan Burden’s keynote address and honored that he will be sharing his expertise with the group.” 

Advanced registration received prior to March 6 is $75. Registration received after March 7 is $100. Registration fees include full access to the event, including educational sessions, one of three exciting field trips, a Thursday evening reception at the Tipton Haynes Historic Site, and lunch on Friday and Saturday. For hotel accommodations, conference attendees will receive a special rate of $70 by calling the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City at (423) 979-6413 before March 3.

More information on the “Connect with Tennessee” forum, including a list of speakers, an official event brochure, event sponsors and registration forms is available at: www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/#gtforum.

The annual forum also kicks off Greenways and Trails statewide “Connect with Tennessee” marketing campaign, designed to promote the use of Tennessee’s outstanding greenways and trails. To access the Greenways and Trails Web site and the new statewide plan, please visit: www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/greentrails.shtml.

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Stimulus Package Clean and Green

Make the Call Today:
Help Keep the Stimulus Package Clean and Green

Dear Campus Partners, The Senate will be voting on the Economic Stimulus/Recovery Bill tomorrow and we need your help.This bill contains HUGE funding for clean green technology, environmental education, and wildlife and natural resources restoration. But the senate is still considering details – both what to add and what to cut – and it’s still unclear if the Bill can get the 60 votes needed to pass filibuster. We need you to call your senators TODAY and ask them to “pass the Stimulus Bill, and keep it green and wildlife friendly by supporting the current green provisions and passing the Bingaman Amendment, the Landrieu Amendment, and the Harkin Amendment”. Find Your Senators’ Phone Numbers! Here are the top points for what’s already included in the Senate Bill: Invests up to $5.1 billion for wildlife and habitat restoration.   Invests $73 billion for efficiency and renewable energy (a 335% increase from FY’09 spending on effeciency and renewables).   Invests up to $20 billion in modernizing schools, colleges, and universities with efficiency and renewable energy, and up to $400 million in green education and job training. Invests $250 million to help advance more sustainable, next generation biofuels and energy efficiency on farms. What the Good Amendments are: 1. Landrieu amendment: Would increase funding by $2 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to restore priority ecosystems such as the Everglades, Long Island Sound, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River. 2. Bingaman amendment: Would increase funding by $2.5 billion for habitat restoration on wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests, and other public lands and for State Wildlife Grants. 3. Harkin/Thune amendment: Would increase funding for several USDA programs that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.  The programs would help advance next generation biofuels and bioenergy that are friendlier to wildlife and more sustainable than corn ethanol If/when passed the Senate stimulus/recovery bill will be conferenced with the already passed House bill and become one of the largest environmental and conservation investment bills ever!  But the senate bill needs to pass and stay green.  So please call your Senators today and say: “Pass the Stimulus Bill, and keep it green and wildlife friendly by supporting the current green provisions and passing the Bingaman Amendment, the Landrieu Amendment, and the Harkin Amendment” Make the call to your Senators today, asking them to  keep the stimulus package clean and green. Thanks so much, Jim Lyon Senior VP, Conservation Programs alerts@nwf.org P.S. Don’t forget to share this message with your friends.

Make the Call Today to Keep Wildlife-friendly Amendments off the Chopping Block!

Inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

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Bottled Water

Drinking tap water is better for the planet than bottled water.  Check the Environmental Working Group’s web site to learn about your state’s water.  If your biggest concern is chlorine, try filling a pitcher and letting it sit, uncovered, on the counter overnight.  The chlorine will evaporate.  Then you can store it in the the fridge for a nice refreshingly clean class of water you can put in your reusable bottle to bring with you to school, instead of buying drinks from the vending machines.

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