How green is your hometown? (Full Version)

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DarlingSavage -> How green is your hometown? (3/3/2010 7:27:40 PM)

In 2008, the Denton Landfill installed a landfill gas collection system to collect and use landfill gas as a green energy source. The system covers the entire 63-acres of current waste in place. The collected gas is directed to an electric power generator on-site which is connected to the Denton Municipal Utilities electric grid. The current capacity of the electric generator is 1.6 megawatts, powering the equivalent to appoximately 1,200 homes per year. The electric power station was designed for expansion as methane gas production increases.


So, I'm working on a project for school on recycling. Apartment complexes in TX don't have recycle bins next to the dumpsters. So, I ran across this piece of information and wondered what other people's cities were doing to take advantage of this natural resource. Waste not, want not! I look forward to hearing what kinds of programs other people's cities have in place in the way of recycling and energy conservation.

Darn it, I just can't help myself, this little guy always makes me smile, he's so CUTE!
[sm=cute.gif]



camille65 -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/3/2010 8:20:33 PM)

Given how green Austin seems to present itself, I was really surprised when I moved here to find no recycling at apartment complexes! It is still hard for me to throw away my Diet Coke bottles, in Michigan they had an automatic .10 refund so I'd tote them back to the store every month.

~FrootLoop



DarlingSavage -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/3/2010 9:12:43 PM)

Yes, I know! We used to have the same thing here, back when I was a kid. I don't know what happened. New coke bottles came without the bottle deposit/ refund. That was a stupid idea! We have several recycling centers around Denton, just that I don't have a car, so it's not feasible for me to walk to one. None of them are within walking distance, especially if you're carrying a bunch of recyclables. That's how I got the idea for the project. Anyway, it looks as though there has been a study done for North Texas, but I haven't read the whole thing yet. Oh, shoot! I just remembered my take home midterm! Glad it's not due til Wed!

Actually, there are 2 recycling drop off centers in Austin. Gosh, I thought Denton was bad, but we still have 4 and this is a small town. Still too far to walk, though. Anyway, they're here. They also have a list on the sidebar for drop off sites for batteries, computers, and motor oil. However, they have set a Zero Waste Goal, so this could mean that you'll be able to look forward to recycle dumpsters next to your regular dumpsters at some point in the future.



DarlingSavage -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 6:17:03 AM)

I think the environment is a pretty important subject. I would like to think that people were aware of what their local communities are doing in regards to good environmental stewardship. There have been plenty of threads on global warming, well, isn't that a direct result of neglecting to learn about and care for the planet on which we live? I mean, global warming isn't the only problem we have with the environment, there's a plethora of problems which need to be addressed. There's the disruption of natural cycles (i.e. the nitrogen cycle) that support life on planet Earth, there's loss of natural habitat, species extinction, introduction of exotic species into foreign habitats, thermal pollution, acid rain, hazardous waste, plastic in the Pacific Gyre, the list goes on ad infinitum. A lot of these problems can be addressed at individual and community levels. I would be interested to know what people are doing in their local communities and individually in order to curb the onslaught of environmental destruction.

Ok, so, what do you do individually? I use products around my home which are environmentally sound. I recycle when I can and I strive to conserve energy. I also look for responsible packaging, buy products which are comprised of recycled material, that kind of thing. Surely people must care about these things, so what are you doing?

Thanks again, I look forward to reading your responses.



Meliai -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 9:21:49 AM)

Isn't recycling mandatory? It has been here in CT for a long time - about 20 yrs. Over the years the list of what can be recycled has grown tremendously, to the point where we have very little that goes into the trash can in my home. We do have the bottle deposit (initially created to encourage people to recycle their bottles, now used as a way to generate income for the state.) - this past year the bottle deposit extended to water bottles as well.

Things specific to my town, but not all of CT - we have a large recycling can provided to us and emptied bi-weekly. There is a large, free standing redemption center for returning bottles to avoid the hassle of doing so in a grocery store. The town has a mini-grant program to encourage youths to come up with new ideas for recycling. There are more, but this is all I can think of off the top of my head.

I wish my town did more - it is a bit disheartening to hear there are places doing so much less. What Denton is doing is neat.

I work for a university and the efforts that have been made here over the past few years are amazing. Not just the way the university itself uses energy, but the things that have been implemented so that students and staff will use less as well. Commuter benefits, bikes around campus that can be signed out instead of driving back and forth, contests for the dorms with the least weight in trash, etc - they have made a huge difference and raised awareness dramatically.

In my home, we recycle everything that we can, donate what we don't need anymore that is not yet 'trash', use cleaners that are environmentally friendly, purchase whatever is possible in biodegradable containers.



DarlingSavage -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 10:29:16 AM)

Sadly, no, recycling is not mandatory here, but I agree with CT, it should be mandatory everywhere. I applaud your part of the world for doing so much! That's fantastic!

I'll have to go check out the CT website and see what kinds of things their doing and feasibility of implementation down here. Or at least for a school project, anyway! Are there any specific internet resources you suggest?



Meliai -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 10:59:39 AM)

I will send you a message with links to some of the things the university is doing and my towns page when I get home tonight.

I'm not sure how helpful this will be: http://www.ct.gov/dep/site/default.asp

Have you taken the footprint quiz before? It was taking a quiz like this a few years ago that made me realize how many things I could be doing differently - I used public transportation for years after that.

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/



hlen5 -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:09:55 AM)

In Greenburg (or Greenberg) Kansas, the town was literally blown off the map some years ago by a tornado. They vowed to become the "Greenest city in America". I haven't visited the website lately.

Locally, I recycle at home and am the main recycler at work as well. I would love to build a very green home, complete with geothermal heating/cooling, passive and active solar capabilities, immediate use water heaters (no reservoir of constantly heated water) and all that stuff!! Unless I radically change my income, that isn't going to happen.

edited for spelling



DarlingSavage -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:20:50 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Meliai

I will send you a message with links to some of the things the university is doing and my towns page when I get home tonight.

I'm not sure how helpful this will be: http://www.ct.gov/dep/site/default.asp

Have you taken the footprint quiz before? It was taking a quiz like this a few years ago that made me realize how many things I could be doing differently - I used public transportation for years after that.

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/



I have to take off, now, I will definitely check them all out when I get home, though. Yes, I did take that footprint test some time ago when I was living further away and driving all the time. What a hassle! Now I don't drive and I get everywhere with public transportation and feet. So, I'm sure that my footprint is WAY smaller and then it was moderate.

quote:

In Greenburg (or Greenberg) Kansas, the town was literally blown off the map some years ago by a tornado. They vowed to become the "Greenest city in America". I haven't visited the website lately.

Locally, I recycle at home and am the main recycler at work as well. I would love to build a very green home, complete with geothermal heating/cooling, passive and active solar capabilities, immediate use water heaters (no resevior of constantly heated water) and all that stuff!! Unless I radically change my income, that isn't going to happen.


I'm going to check out that town, too. Thanks for the information.

As for greening your home technologically, it's my hope that sooner, rather than later, that those things will be mandatory parts of homes and the other alternatives won't even be around anymore. AND that as such, they will be mandatorily priced so that everyone can buy them. Yeah!



Phoenixpower -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:30:40 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: camille65

I was really surprised when I moved here to find no recycling at apartment complexes! It is still hard for me to throw away my Diet Coke bottles, in Michigan they had an automatic .10 refund so I'd tote them back to the store every month.



I totally agree to that, as that was also my difficulty when I moved to the UK from Germany as back home we also get a refund for bottles and some years ago (apprx. 2002) they started to give refund for cans of soda as well...with the unpleasant twist that we could not give the drink cans back at any shop and only could give it back in the shop where we bought it (whereas bottles we could return to almost any shop - at least the bigger ones).
So at some point cans became rare in our shops, probably as people got fedup of being bound to that particular shop to return them and at some point they tended not to buy them anymore in the first place, and so shops stocked less of them or did not buy them at all (not saying that this is nationwide in Germany, but that was the case in my area). Another hassle also was that you had to keep that particular receipt for those cans to ensure to get the refund in the first place from the shop where you bought it...so if you lost it...you lost your refund. So that system was annoying in practice but seems reduced the amount of drinking cans being used.

Then as mentioned for bottles you get a refund, and about 22 years ago the government started to introduce yellow bin bags (size of black bin bags) in which we recycle plastic and food cans and I think before that already the green bin got introduced to recycle paper and cardboard into that one...which leaves only the black bin for food, diapers, garden rubbish and whatever else people might have.

If we have glass jars for which we dont get a refund then we bring them into glass container which are spread in our village where are also guidelines at what time not to use (after 8pm or so) to avoid that it disturbes people who live near such a thing at night time).

Privately we compost what we can from our food in the garden and as along as granny was alive some of the food rests her chicken got to eat.

Apart from that my dad installed a solar plate on our roof to give us more warm water at home (now its not that necessary anymore but when my brother and I are visiting at times then usually we only had enough warm water for 2 - 3 showers, so if I dared to have a bath then the others had to shower cold...now we have more then enough warm water).

And at times my mother uses the water, from when someone had a bath to water her flowers...as after all, its certainly still good enough for that [:)]

Also in 2006 they brought on a british newsprogramm a town nearby where I lived and worked for two years (and still go to regular when I go back home) which is recognised for being quite green [:)]

http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/01/freiburg-germanys-eco-town-flagship/

http://showcase.hcaacademy.co.uk/case-study/ecotowns-freiburg-germany.html#the-impact

When you tell there to be knocked over....people assume much more that you might have been knocked over from a bike than from
a car [:)]

edited as I forgot, also since about 22 years or so we have to pay for plastic bags in the shop. When I used to say in a shop in the UK that I don't need a big I often got a puzzled look and the comment "are you sure?" Which regularly made my eyes roll...I am simply used from at home that you better have your bag with you unless you want to pay for a plastic bag and that habbit isn't a bad one...now they started to charge in some shops in the UK as well but there is still a long way to go to have it implemented everywhere...

Also the UK started in 2006 to implement a 2nd bin to the black one (the green one) to recycle papers and cardboards...so they needed sadly 20 years longer to discover that wheel...[8|]



came4U -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:35:31 AM)

My town is so green it is called the Forest City.



Jeffff -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:37:08 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: came4U

My town is so green it is called the Forest City.



My Town is green with envy



hlen5 -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:42:23 AM)

An aside -
The city located near me was nicknamed the Forest City  because in the 1800's there were many furntiure factories there.


I'm glad that in my town we don't have to separate our recycling. Everything goes in one box.

I think charging per plastic bag used is a great idea!!



came4U -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:43:21 AM)

quote:

The city located near me was nicknamed the Forest City because in the 1800's there were many furntiure factories there.


that is scary lol.



hlen5 -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:48:33 AM)

To be fair, there were also lots of surrounding forests at the time, too.



came4U -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 11:58:58 AM)

The only big noticable difference in our town is the new Cosmetic Pesticide Ban http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Growing_Naturally/default.htm




LadyEllen -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 2:08:42 PM)

The local Conservative council here pulled a blinder.

The national government required (c/o of the EU) that what could be recycled should be recycled. So, our rubbish collections were switched to fortnightly and we were all issued with plastic boxes for recyclables, which would be picked up weekly.

The stupidity started with these boxes - which were not only tiny, but also required a whole fleet of new trucks to handle them for pick up - if they'd issued wheelybins in different colours they could have used the same trucks for the whole job.

But we went along with it, even though the taxes were raised to cover the costs.

..........and then it was discovered that none of the recyclables we'd gathered and stored were being recycled after all.

It was being trucked down to a landfill in Kent, because that was cheaper than recycling and still satisfied the requirements of the government because our local landfill showed a huge reduction in takings.

E



hlen5 -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 3:20:25 PM)

Lady E, How annoying that must be!! Shortsightedness instead of long term effects wins again.



intenze -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 3:29:54 PM)

Try googling the Tuscon Garbage Project, long term sustainable garbage handing.



Phoenixpower -> RE: How green is your hometown? (3/4/2010 4:06:17 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyEllen


The stupidity started with these boxes - which were not only tiny


That is true...we got a little blue box for glas...and as much as I like and approve of recycling...I can't take that serious...so neither the guy one the first floor nor me ever put anything into that one...its a stool for my cats in front of our house, but nothing else [:)]



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