Shades of Green Benefit Concert

Shades of Green {Benefit Concert}

The BAG Fund is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit whose mission is to help support the creative process by providing artists with studio space and technical support at critical points in their life cycle.

This Friday November 7th The BAG Fund hosts its inaugural fundraiser Shades of Green from 8pm to 12am. This will be a green benefit concert held at the LEED certified Center for the Urban Environment and represents the growing intersection between the green movement and the artist community. Proceeds from this fundraiser will make it possible to award high school and single parent artists with studio space to create a new body of work. The title Shades of Green refers to TBF’s role as a supportive agent of the creative ecosystem – promoting sustainability for art and artists.

Shades of Green

Date: Friday November 7

Place: Center for the Urban Environment | 168 Seventh Street BK, NYC 11215

Time: 8pm to 12am; VIP reception 6pm – 8pm

Sounds by :: DJ MISS MOCHA

Performances by :: MIKE GAMBLE, Chen Lo, BABA ISRAEL with YAKO 440

General Admission is $45 in advance and $50 at the door.

VIP tickets include a catered reception from 6pm to 8pm. VIP tickets are $125 each or $200 for two. VIP ticket holders also receive a Shades of Green bag and t-shirt, both made from 100% recycled material.

For tickets: http://www.nycharities.org/event/event.asp?CE_ID=3198

For information visit: http://thebagfund.org <http://thebagfund.org/&gt;

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About the Artists

Trained at New England Conservatory, Mike Gamble performs regularly with his own groups including hip-hop/rock unit A.D.M., indie rockers Scrambler/Seequill, and his jazz trio The Inbetweens. He also tours throughout the States and Europe with Pete Robbins Centric, Gato Loco, the Brooklyn Qawwali Party, and Todd Sickafoose’s Blood Orange.

Chen Lo uses his skill as an emcee in the spirit of West African oral traditions adding a contemporary relevance. He has shared the stage with the likes of The Roots, Dead Prez, Common, Erykah Badu, KRS-ONE, Brand Nubian, Amanda Diva, A Tribe Called Quest, Xzibit and has done work with Abiodun Oyewole of the legendary Last Poets.

Dynamic duo Baba Israel and Yako 440 brings together two artists with a range of skills that combine to produce quality music and an exciting and high energy show. Baba Israel is known for his freestyle ability, powerful lyrics, and booming Beatbox beats. He has joined forces with Yako 440, a multi-instrumentalist/graffiti artist who plays the bass, triggers beats, cuts, and Beatboxes with the best of them.

Insulation Project: Comprehensive Energy Audit

Jimmy and John from ASK Construction came over to do a Home Performance Energy Audit (a comprehensive energy and safety inspection) of my home.

First they did a fairly quick survey inside and out to determine the overall volume of the house, including the size of all the windows and doors.

The Audit was divided into 2 parts: Energy Efficiency and Health|Safety.

The items they looked for in the Health|Safety category are fairly obvious but are often overlooked including:

• Adequate Carbon Monoxide (CO) coverage: in addition to having a sufficient number of detectors, each needs to be located such that if one of them is activated, all the occupants will hear the alarm, no matter where they are in the house.  Suggested locations are: at the top of the Basement stairs in case there is a problem with the mechanical equipment and just outside the kitchen because when you turn on your oven, carbon monoxide levels of 700-2000 parts per million can accumulate until they are vented away by your hood exhaust.

• They checked all the mechanical equipment in the house to see if there was any carbon monoxide (CO) leakage (there wasn’t any), and that there is adequate fresh air intake and exhaust (there’s plenty).

• They checked to make sure all mechanical gas-fired equipment was enclosed in a fire-rated room (this item needs a little work).

• They checked that the bathroom exhaust fans were working properly.  An adequate bathroom exhaust fan should run for 20 minutes after a shower to remove the moisture from the room. (Ours are pretty good – loud but powerful).

• At the Basement, where we have a de-humidifier running all year round, they tried to determine where the moisture was entering from (I think it’s from along the side garden wall – more difficult to fix than if it was just the rear wall at the backyard) and we had a long discussion about what kind of exhaust fan to install.

Now for Energy Efficiency (!)

Heating/Cooling system: First they had me turn the thermostats for the furnace way up so they could check if there was any leakage in the air ducts.  Turns out that there was a 50% drop in pressure when they added up the measured supply of air in each room.  Unfortunately, these ducts are concealed in the ceiling – this wastes a lot of energy in both the heating and cooling seasons because a lot of conditioned air is wasted heating and cooling the duct enclosure so expect to see big holes in the ceiling sometime soon so we can get in there and repair the ducts.

Air Infiltration: Jimmy and John tested all the windows to make sure they were operational and then closed up all the doors and windows for the blower door test – that’s what is going on in the picture above.  The idea is to close up the house and then measure the volume of air that leaks in from openings in the building envelope and locate the source of those air leaks so that they can be corrected.  The red fabric shown in the picture is stretched over a temporary frame in the door (you can sort of see the digital gauge attached to the edge of the door that measures the air flow).  Jimmy said the air leakage in the house didn’t seem so bad but he wanted to do the calculations back in his office to confirm.

We have an opening in the ceiling in one of the bedroom closets in order to access some valves and it was totally screwing up the test so they taped the door closed to get the proper seal.  Apparently, it’s openings like this that can suck out your heat in the winter and conditioned air in the summer.  Closing up this opening will be a high priority.

Windows: John mentioned that our aluminum windows with double-pane glass, circa 1990′s could be improved.  I know that vinyl or wood windows are more efficient (vinyl and wood are better insulators than aluminum) and new double-pane glass comes with Low-E coatings and can be filled with argon glass for added efficiency but these types of new windows are VERY expensive and I don’t think they will fit in our budget for a while.  In the meantime, we will invest in high-efficiency double-honeycomb shades to better insulate at the windows.

Insulation: John made a small hole in the wall adjacent to the garden and found that it was PACKED with fiberglass insulation.  This is very good news.

Costs:

As for costs, the audit cost $350 which I believe will be refundable by the Home Performance with Energy Star Program if we do more than $2,000 worth of weatherization work (which seems likely).  Having completed the audit, we will now be eligible to take advantage of the incentives offered by the program which can be up to 20 per cent cash back on the total amount of eligible measures, plus federal and state tax credits.  The whole point of this exercise is to improve the efficiency of our home so we should also expect to see a large cost savings in our heating and cooling costs.

I expect the full report in about 10 days, after which we will start the corrective work to repair all deficient conditions.

Is zero waste possible in this consumer culture?

I’m reading Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte.

It’s an amazing book although it’s now a bit outdated (it was written during the period of time in the early 2000′s when the Bloomberg Administration stopped the recycling programs for a while.) I can’t put it down.   The author (measured/weighed) her kitchen trash and tracked its route “away” from her house. A major theme throughout the book is that there is no “away”.  Another major theme is how secretive landfill managers are (I haven’t finished the book yet, I hope she gets to see a landfill close up).

When we throw things out, there is an incredible amount of energy, labor and thought put into how to make these things inert so as to not cause damage as they become a part of our environment.  Unfortunately, when it comes to fixing the world, most people just don’t want to talk about garbage.

One of my favorite chapters is the one about the solid waste treatment plant and the bio-solids created from New York sludge which is then shipped all over the country.  In graduate school I helped a friend photograph the West Side Sewage Treatment Plant just after it opened and Ms. Royte actually managed to capture the smell in written form.

This book is transformative. What I previously just thought of as “crap”, I am now clearly thinking of in terms of their component pieces and will do my best to avoid creating more crap to be thrown out.  If you liked Cradle to Cradle, read Garbage Land.

This post from Reactions discusses about the false sense of biodegradability you get with compostable garbage bags.  I bought these bio bags for our countertop compost pail because it gets slimy, smelly and a bit hard to clean after a few days.  However, when I pulled the bag out of the pail to drop it into the compost bin, it almost fell apart.  I guess it started to biodegrade before it even left the pail.  I’ll have to check the compost bin in a few days to see how the plastic is doing.

Garbage Land taught me how truly evil plastic is because it is practically impossible to upcycle it.  However, thanks to our friends at Brooklyn Green Team, we now learn about a company called Recycline who makes new products of out old #5 plastics.  You will recall how much I couldn’t stand having old yogurt containers on the countertop awaiting recycling so we started making our own yogurt.  Now I’ll just stack them in a box until I have 5 pounds.

I’ll re-print the requirements for sending the plastic to Recycline because the BGT’s blog seems to cut off some of the information.

• Many common food containers – yogurt cups, sour cream containers, hummus tubs, ketchup bottles – are #5 plastics.
• We accept any CLEAN plastic item with a #5 stamp on the bottom. Please check to make sure that there are no other materials (paper, screws, other number plastics) on the items that you send to us.
• Make sure that the #5 plastics are clean – the cleaner the plastic, the cleaner the recycling process.
• To help make this program a win for the environment, it is important that you send your plastics back to us via ground shipping (as opposed to air). Reuse a box if you can!
• Shipments should weigh at least 5 pounds and no more than 50 pounds. Any package greater than 50 pounds must be pre-approved by Recycline.
• Make sure to include your return address on the box and add your name and email address inside the box so we can thank you for your good work.

Send Gimme 5 shipments to:
Preserve Gimme 5
823 NYS Rte 13
Cortland NY 13045

If you have any questions about the Gimme 5 program or need to get a shipment approved, call us at 888-354-7296.

yay garbage.

Wind Power – how much did it cost?

We received this certificate from Con Ed the other day certifying that we purchased wind power for the year January – December 2007 (I can’t imagine why we are receiving this in October but I digress).

The first thing I did was log into Con Ed’s website to download our usage for the past 2 years so I could see how much the premium was but only Con Ed’s delivery charges were shown, not the actual cost of power so there is no real analysis possible.

However, I recall that I agreed to a premium of $.09/kWh for wind power so the premium for 450 kWh is $40.50. Not a bad price to pay to ensure clean emission-free power for the future.

If you want to sign up for green power, there are 2 options, hydro (65%) /wind (35%) and 100% wind which is what we signed up for. Both are eligible to avoid NYS sales tax, which offsets some of the premium. Be advised, though that the prices quoted do NOT include Con Ed’s delivery charges and other taxes and surcharges.  This is from Con Ed Solutions:

ConEdison Solutions is leading the way in promoting pollution-free electricity by offering WIND and GREEN Power – clean, 100% renewable power. Instead of drawing on traditional power sources, such as nuclear power and fossil fuel sources, GREEN Power is generated from regional wind and low-impact hydropower sources. GREEN Power is composed of 65% run-of-the-river hydro and 35% wind power. See content label WIND Power is composed of electricity exclusively generated from 100% wind power. The benefit of clean energy is that it produces none of the detrimental environmental effects associated with electricity production that results in air emissions..

If you are a NYS customer of Con Ed, go to Con Ed Solutions and sign up.

Remote Energy Monitors

I have posted about remote energy monitors before (click here and here).  Several studies have shown that average energy users can reduce their consumption by at least 15% if they can be made aware of their usage in real time.

In addition to the Power Cost  Monitor, I have recently come across 2 additional models with various features.  Please note that I haven’t test driven these yet.  I’m comparing based on available information.

The Energy Detective (TED)

and the

Power Cost Monitor

both cost approx. $140 and can interface with a computer to allow you chart your usage over time.

A new model by Black and Decker costs less than $100 but does not allow interface with a computer so the information is available but a little harder to analyze.

None of these models require an electrician to install them, you just install them at the glass cover of your meter (if it’s the kind that has the spinning disks) or you can plug them into newer electrical meters which have a port for this kind of device.

While initially I was really excited that this kind of device could be used for anyone who pays their own electric bill, it seems that folks who live in big apartment buildings may have a harder time with these because of the long distance between the apartment and the meter.  I plan to install a few of these on projects in the next few months.  I’ll keep you posted.

If you have used one and have comments, please let us know!

Ellen

Teen Green: Fun and Functional Craft Projects

Looking around my house, I can see uncountable discarded craft projects: painted wood insects, tie-dyed pieces of cloth, and half-finished mobiles to name a few.  I absolutely loved craft projects when I was little, but they were quite useless.  If you want to give your kids something fun AND productive, then check out replayground.com for tons of ideas.  Just a few of their suggestions are: turning old CDs into beautiful suncatchers (something I would have adored when I was younger, and quite possibly still would), turning old milk cartons into a fun game of catch, and turning old broken umbrellas (something everyone has tons of) into a useful waterproof pouch or skirt.

After I looked over their website, I decided to test out one of their ideas on my little sister (age 12).  Together, we cut the front and back off of an empty cereal box and cut them into strips.  We then weaved them together into a funky new placemat.  It was not only easy to do, but it didn’t take long and was actually a really fun project (and now she has her own cool placemat)!

RePlayGround will also come to your child’s birthday party (or any other event, for that matter) and provide supplies and hands-on instructions for any of their really great ideas.

These projects are great ways to get your kids into the habit of recycling and reusing, while having tons of fun creating functional and fun things!

Brooklyn Compost Project is on!

This from Susan Fox of Park Slope Parents:

Brooklyn Compost Project

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
compost helpline: (718) 623-7290
workshop registration: (718) 623-7220
website & directions to the Garden: http://www.bbg.org
email: compost@bbg.org

compost workshops in brooklyn neighborhoods .

The Brooklyn Compost Project will come to your Brooklyn community to present
compost classes. Please contact us if you would like us to offer a workshop
for your community garden, neighborhood association, or civic group in
Brooklyn.

teacher workshop: worm composting in the classroom . Looking for a way to
introduce your class to ecology and recycling? Try composting with worms!
Kids love it. This class may be held at any Brooklyn school for a group of
ten or more NYC teachers. A $10 materials fee is optional. Call us for more
information.

home composting exhibit . Come see how to compost at BBG’s home composting
exhibit near the Cranford Rose Garden. The display includes a variety of
compost bins, different stages of decomposition, and new signs in both
English and Spanish to explain the process.

note: Except where indicated, the following workshops are provided at no
charge, or for a nominal fee, thanks to the funding provided by the DSNY
Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling.

Tuesday, October 7, 6 to 8 pm
mulch, leaves and cover crops: how to improve your soil
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Learn the basics of soil structure, organic fertilizers, soil amendment
secrets, the underworld critters that abound, and the importance of organic
matter and composting for healthy soil.

Tuesday, October 21, 6 to 8 pm
composting in the city
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Learn how to compost in small city yards, how to use finished compost, and
how to avoid problems. Receive a free copy of Easy Compost: The Secret to
Great Soil and Spectacular Plants.

Sunday, October 26, 12 noon to 4 pm
ghouls and gourds event: creepy crawly compost critters
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Compost Project staff and Master Composters will be showing the
creepy (and cool!) critters you can find in the worm bin.

Wednesday, November 5, 6 to 8 pm
composting alternatives and gathering materials
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
This advanced course covers trench composting, “lasagna” composting, and
where to find resources in your neighborhood to balance your compost pile.

Tuesday, November 18, 6 to 8 pm
worm bin basics: indoor composting workshop
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Learn how to compost with worms, get a free copy of Worms Eat My Garbage,
and an optional $10 voucher for a pounds of worms and a worm bin to start
composting!

Tuesday, December 2, 6 to 8 pm
compost tea: brew your own
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Learn how to brew compost tea, which contains microorganisms and nutrients
that help plants grow greener and healthier, and live longer.

Tuesday, December 16, 6 to 8 pm
composting in the city
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Learn how to compost in small city yards, how to use finished compost, and
how to avoid problems. Receive a free copy of Easy Compost: The Secret to
Great Soil and Spectacular Plants.