Ark & Dove - Green Blog

Shred-a-rama IV Saturday May 8, 2010

2010-04-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

SHRED – A – RAMA IV
Prevent Identity Theft
Bring your personal documents and watch them be shredded in a commercial shredder.
Sponsored by Anne Arundel County Police-Community Relations Council

****FREE****

Any resident of Anne Arundel County may bring up to four hand-held file boxes of personal documents and watch them be shredded. Ideal disposal for old tax and medical records, financial documents and anything else that you consider personal and private.

Saturday, May 8,2010 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Rain or shine
Four Locations

Brooklyn Park Middle School
200 Hammonds Lane
(West of Ritchie Highway)

Cancun Cantina
7501 Old Telegraph Road
Hanover
(South of Dorsey Road)

Anne Arundel County Police Headquarters
8495 Veterans Highway
Millersville

South River High School
200 Central Ave East
(Rt 214, East of Solomons Island Rd)

Take documents out of binders and remove any metal clips.

**Donations will be accepted and greatly appreciated***

October Green Happenings!

2009-09-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

In just a few more weeks GreenFest is coming back to DC! October 10th and 11th. See more at http://www.greenfestivals.org/
Also happening around the same time is the Solar Decathlon. See college students battle it out for the title of most efficient home. Students engineer and design a house, tear it down and then ship it and build it at the National Mall. Oct. 9-13 and 15-18, 2009.
More info at http://www.solardecathlon.org/

Meat Labels. What do they mean?

2009-06-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Read this interesting article on the 4-Hour Work Week blog site about different meat labels and what they all mean. Interesting. It really helps if you get to really know where the meat (and food) you eat comes from.

Health is skin deep....

2009-06-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

So, now you're eating right, exercising, and have gotten rid of all the cleaning chemicals around the house. What else can you do? Well, how about thinking about yourself for a few minutes? What kind of toxins are you applying to your body? You say "I don't roll around in toxic dumps!" Well, what about the shampoo and bath wash you use on a regular basis? Well, what about it? The site Cosmetic Database a.k.a Skin Deep has a large listing of ingredients to shampoos and cosmetics. Each ingredient has a toxicity meter to show you the dangers of your shampoo. Ok, so now you know the information, what do you do about it? There are safe alternatives such as Dr. Bonner's Castile soap (which is 98% vegetable oil) and can be used as a soap, shampoo and many other cleaning uses! Or you can go VERY basic, like I have, and go "No-Poo" which is NO shamPOO! Use baking soda and water to remove the oils in your hair and then rinse out with apple cider vinegar diluted with water. Your hair will be oily for a couple weeks as it adjusts to not having to be overly dried out with "ultra-cleaning" shampoos. Then your hair will end up being soft and more natural, and also less TOXIC!

The Story of Stuff

2009-04-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

We ran across the Story of Stuff a while ago, but never had the chance to post it due to an overly scheduled schedule (can we say too much stuff?). But for Earth day at Ark & Dove, the Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard was shared with all of the congregation. It's very well put together and it's easy enough for children to understand, but also informative enough for people of all ages to learn how much we are hurting our environment with our excessive lifestyles.

Welcome return!

2009-04-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hello again, fellow blog readers! It's been way too long since we've last written. Now that things for us have slowed down, we might be able to get back into posting a little more frequently, as long as these beautiful days don't drag us away from the computer too often (wouldn't that be a shame!). Although we haven't been posting very often, we have still be keeping up with becoming more environmentally minded and have still been trying to obtain the always elusive "better eating habits." There have been other things that we've done that we'll be sure to post about in the up-coming weeks. So stay tuned, but DO NOT miss a chance to enjoy these great outdoors! We'll always be available for you!

With great power....

2008-10-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

The internet search king is using it's power for good. With a motto "Don't be evil." they at least have the right idea. They have decided to expand from the computer domain into the more political influential arena. Now they are wanting to use their finances to help the world. First there is Clean Energy 2030. Their analysts have proposed a plan to greatly reduce fossil fuel use in the US by 2030. Let's hope they can inspire us to act and the Government to listen!
Another great project that Google is coming up with is a unique way of celebrating their 10th anniversary. 10 to the 100th (which is the number "Googol" where Google derives it's name) is a project that encourages people to submit their ideas to change the world. They want ideas, you don't even have to be capable of creating it yourself and the ideas can be in any of their 8 categories. The top 5 ideas that are chosen will have Google commit $10million to implement these ideas. Time to put your thinking caps on!!!

Maybe we need to look into the past to see into the future...

2008-10-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to notice a small possible trend. Maybe it's just me and my desire to get back to the "simple" life of days past. Now I'm noticing that there are researchers that are looking to the past to solve problems with the current environmental issues. One of them being the Einstein Fridge.
Yes, THAT Einstein. Apparently along with figuring out the secrets of the universe, he like to tinker around with solving daily issues. Back in the 30's he and a colleague designed and patented a refrigerator that does NOT use electricity and can now greatly reduce greenhouse gasses. Unfortunately, when Freon came into wide use, the Einstein Fridge concept couldn't keep up with the efficiency of the new refrigerators. An Oxford University researcher is now reexamining the concept to see if the efficiency can be increased.
Another concept that seems to be looking to the past is eco-city design. I was telling my wife about this concept but could not remember the website. Doing some research we discovered that the concept was seemingly based on the Garden Cities of To-Morrow by Ebenezer Howard. The basic idea is planning a moderate sized city in a circle format, at the same time utilizing the space to it's fullest and still being able to have a large percentage of parks, nature and natural beauty incorporated into the "city." Everything is within walking distance or can easily be reached at metros centered within each of the circles. Unfortunately, we can't just tear down a city and start over from scratch, but city architects like the one who designed the Cloverleaf city can and should incorporate concepts for minimizing the need for vehicles and maximizing the amount of nature that even city dwellers require, whether they know it or not.

Even Greener Solar Power

2008-10-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

With all the recent push for clean energy, websites and businesses focusing on wind and solar power are cropping up all over the place. It's hard to keep track of them all. Only time will tell which ones will make it past the "bubble burst". I think it's great for competition and it also brings prices down for the consumers. So along with the planet benefiting, we do also by saving money. Out of all the articles I've been reading, I thought the company BioSolar has the right idea. They're a company that states on their website that they have "...developed a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that will reduce the cost per watt of solar cells. Most of the solar industry is focused on photovoltaic efficiency to reduce cost. BioSolar is the first company to introduce a new dimension of cost reduction by replacing petroleum-based plastic solar cell components with durable bio-based components." In the race for clean energy, I hope that BioSolar wins out or at least inspires others to follow their eco-friendly example!

Got water?

2008-10-17T19:50:00.001-07:00

We just received our own Berkey water filtration system a few days ago. We've been doing a little research into different brands and what they are capable of, and ended up choosing the Berkey. The Berkey Filter is a gravity fed filtering system based off of a time tested British design which uses ceramic "candles" to filter the water. Pour the cleanest water you can find (this can include river water, if that is all you can find) and after about an hour or two you'll have some great drinkable filtered water. These filters are so good that they can even filter out food coloring from your water! The system we got is called the BIG BERKEY. We ordered 4 of the "candles" in the set but we are only using two, so we'll have extra on reserve. The system comes with plugs to allow you to block off two of the holes to the lower filtered chamber. The extra filters allow you to filter water at a faster rate and can filter around 3000 gallons (all depending on how bad the water is). The construction is all stainless steel with a plastic water tap, base and filter plugs. The only down side I've noticed so far is that I'm afraid that if I happen to knock it over, it will be severely dented and won't piece together properly. Overall, we think that it's a great buy and it's also a reassurance having a non-electrical alternative to getting pure drinking water.

Voluntourism- It is a real word.

2008-10-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

I came across this interesting concept today. "Voluntourism" is normal people with everyday jobs taking a vacation with an environmental purpose in mind and working directly with peer reviewed scientists and researchers. There are many different adventures available. You could dig up Roman history in England, swim with sharks, study active volcanoes, explore the economic and environmental benefits of shade grown coffee, and so much more. Excursions last anywhere from 5-15 days and are organized according to level of physical activity. This could be a great way to see the world and make a positive impact at the same time. So are you all packed and ready to go off on an adventure?

EDIT (10/18): A friendly commenter gave us another great site to check out here.

Green Festival in DC!

2008-09-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

The Green Festival is coming to Washington DC on November 8th and 9th. See the
most recent developments in renewable energy and green technology; sample Fair Trade chocolate and coffee (yes, they really do taste better); and learn how to invest in your community, green your home and avoid products made in sweatshops. You'll enjoy more than 125
renowned speakers and 350 green businesses, great how-to workshops, green films, a Fair Trade pavilion, yoga classes and delicious organic cuisine and live music. Recharge your batteries with all the hope, inspiration and practical ideas you'll find at the Green Festival. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the green movement and just have fun. Sponsored by Global Exchange and CoopAmerica.

Early start on Christmas

2008-09-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

We are trying to get an early start on Christmas shopping this year. A family member suggested donating money to a charity in the recipient's name, because it was too difficult to find gifts that were made in the USA and because Christmas in general has gotten too commercialized and materialistic. A great idea for the adults, but what about the children who still like to receive toys? Well, we came across web sites that not only had toys Made in USA, but also Fair Trade toys, so you can support local and global craftsmen, while peacefully protesting against slave labor and job outsourcing at the same time. Bonus: You get to shop at home in your PJs and bunny slippers. But if you feel the need to gussy-up and go shopping you can visit the Annual Craft Fair at Ark and Dove Church on 15 Nov starting at 9am where you can visit the fair trade booth! Happy (Early) Shopping!

Green Museum

2008-09-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

Short article and video on the latest and greatest green museum in San Francisco developed by the California Academy of Sciences. Designed and built to be green all the way from the basement to the roof. Inside are wildlife and aquarium areas. Interesting to note how they utilized "aerofoils" (a.k.a hills) as a way to direct wind into the building for A/C. Makes us realize that God has even made mounds of dirt have a special purpose. Also has hi-tech interactive learning tools integrated into the "green-ness" of the building. Shows that it is possible to seamlessly integrate hi-technology with considerations toward the environment.

Oil leaks into our daily lives...

2008-09-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Interesting to see how invasive "Big Oil" and petroleum based items are in our everyday lives. It's simple things like these that we can easily find more sustainable alternatives for and not even notice the petroleum has been replaced or is even missing. Open your mind to discover that oil isn't just used for transportation and spills.

From the Ground Up!

2008-09-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the all-new Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church Green Blog! The name might change as we are still "just sprouting," but the concept will remain the same. In this blog, we are hoping to present a central location to share ideas, thoughts, opinions and even recipes for cleaner, healthier, simpler, more frugal and more fun living! Join us, add a comment with a link or two, or even a product plug for your favorite "green purchase." We'd love to hear from you! We are interested in gathering ideas in the following areas:
Gardening
Biofuels/Electric Cars
Sewing
Cooking
Alternative Energy/Reduced Energy
Chemical-free Living
Raising Animals
Natural Building Methods

We will be compiling links to favorite sites, books, recipes and news articles on the main Ark and Dove Environmental Stewardship Page. The links should also be listed on the side of this page.