newsobserver.com blogs -- greenscene

2 beaches in Carolinas make Top 10 in nation's best survey

paigemaxwell — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:07:04 -0400

Professor Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University, better known as "Dr. Beach", has released his 2012 survey, and two beaches in the Carolinas made it into the top 10.

Beachwalker Park in Kiawah Island, S.C., was ranked No. 9, and Cape Hatteras was ranked No. 10.

Leatherman, who is the director of FIU's Laboratory for Coastal Research, ranks beaches on 50 criteria, including the look and feel of the sand, water quality, weather, facilities and crowds.

This year's No. 1 beach was Coronado Beach in California, which is the first time in two decades that "Dr. Beach" has given the top slot to California.

Rounding out the top 10 this year are No. 2, Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii; No. 3, Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.; No. 4, St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle; No. 5, Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii; No. 6, Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.; No. 7, Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii; and No. 8, Cape Florida State Park near Miami.

Gallery: Solar-powered plane embarks on 1st transcontinental flight

matthewfortner — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:01:50 -0400

At 207-foot the wingspan of the Solar Impulse is near that of a jumbo jet. Laden with 12,000 solar cells, the solar-powered plane left Switzerland Thursday to start a transcontinental flight to North Africa.

Fog on the runaway delayed its take off by two hours.

Checkout the gallery of the Solar Impluse.

We have a winner in the Earth Day giveaway

AmyDunn — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:26:23 -0400

Thanks to everyone who entered the Earth Day giveaway to win a set of five reusable grocery bags.

I asked for eco-friendly ideas and wanted to mention a few of the most clever ideas submitted before announcing the winner.

I absolutely loved the idea of repurposing the empty cereal bags from inside cereal boxes. One reader mentioned using them for everything from crushing crackers for a recipe to using them to wrap sandwiches to go.

(I just recently started reusing cereal bags along with empty bread bags. My goal is to drastically limit the number of zippered bags we purchase, though I have to say my family is not quite as enthusiastic.)

Here are a few more notable ideas:

Reuse plastic grocery bags as packing material instead of styrofoam peanuts.
Decline plastic grocery bags for items that have a handle (like jugs of milk) or items that already come in a bag, such as bags of apples or oranges. Who needs a bag to carry a bag, right?
Promote the use of resuable bags by using them as gift bags when giving presents to family and friends.
Use sturdy packaging as a raw material to make your own reusable tote bags. One reader said she has styled a bag from cat food packaging! Now that's clever.

And now for the winner.

It's bugweena.

If that's you, please look for an email from me so I can get your reusable bags mailed out to you asap.

Earth Day giveaway: Enter to win a set of reusable grocery bags

AmyDunn — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:33:48 -0400

In honor of Earth Day, I'm giving away a set of five reusable grocery bags from Harris Teeter.

Leave a comment or question below and you'll be entered to win.

I'd love to hear your eco-friendly tips, of course, especially those that save money and help you tread more lightly on the planet.

I'll pick one winner at random on Tuesday evening.

Good luck and happy Earth Day!

A round up of Earth Day freebies

AmyDunn — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:00:00 -0400

Do yourself and the planet a favor and take advantage of this year's Earth Day freebies.

There's everything from free compost to free reusable shopping totes. You can even visit a national park for free or tour a local green community observing Earth Day.

Here's the line up:

On Saturday:

*Check out Briar Chapel, a green community south of Chapel Hill, during its "Celebration of all Things Local."

Linda Watson, author of “Wildly Affordable Organic” and the Cook for Good blog, will offer tips on how to shop for affordable organic produce. Other activities include: container garden demonstrations, music from local groups and a food truck rodeo. Several local businesses will be set up at Briar Commons Park. Click here for a schedule of events.

*Get your hands dirty with some free compost for planting, courtesy of Whole Foods in Cary. Please bring a donation of a Whole Foods 365-brand item for the Interfaith Food Shuttle. The compost giveaway runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or while supplies last. Bring your own containers.

Also at the Cary Whole Foods: Pick up tips on cooking from your garden, sample foods and enter to win earth-friendly products. Activities for children are also planned.

Saturday and Sunday:

*Kids will receive a free packet of sunflower seeds from Pottery Barn Kids and National Geographic. Click here for all the details.

*Visit a National Park for free. More than 100 parks that normally charge admission will be free this weekend. (Free admission continues through April 29.)

In North Carolina, you'll save $4 per person on admission to the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

On Sunday:

Bring your own resuable coffee cup to Caribou Coffee and get up to 24 ounces of Caribou's coffee of the day absolutely free. One per customer. Print the coupon HERE.

Click HERE to find a list of Caribou locations. There are 24 in North Carolina, including several in the Triangle and Charlotte.

*Target will be giving away free reusable shopping bags. One per customer. Look for employees handing out the bags near customer service. And remember, you can use that bag to save a nickel at check-out.

*Trade in any empty cosmetic container for a free full-size moisturizer from Origins, the skin-care company known for its natural and organic products.

You'll need to print this form for the trade-in, which is good Sunday only at any Origins store or counter. In the Triangle, Origins is located at the Streets of Southpoint in Durham. Origins counters are located in select department stores. Click here to check for a location.

The Disney Store is giving away reusable shopping bags with the new Chimpanzee movie theme. Bring in five plastic shopping bags to recycle and the reusable bag is yours for free. Click here to find your closest Disney Store.

NC State to unveil four new electric vehicle charging stations

dbracken — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:56:34 -0400

N.C. State University and the N.C. Solar Center will open four new electric vehicle charging stations later this week.

The charging stations are located at the McKimmon Center and the E. Carroll Visitor Center. Ribbon cuttings for both locations will be held Thursday, at 10 a.m. at the McKimmon Center on Gorman St. and at 10:30 a.m. at the visitor center on Varsity Drive.

The two McKimmon Center charging stations and their installation were provided by Progress Energy as part of a grant the Raleigh utility received from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The visitor center stations were financed by a grant program, the N.C. Solar Center's Clean Fuels Advanced Technologies, which is funded by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Recyclebank helps you be green, save some green

AmyDunn — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:10:00 -0400

With Earth Day less than a week away, it's a great time to join Recyclebank, a website that rewards you with a little green for being green.

Through a points system, Recyclebank members earn coupons, gift cards and merchandise from companies like Kashi, Harris Teeter, Macy's and Home Depot -- all in the name of being more environmentally aware.

Recyclebank, which has more than three million members, is free to join, by the way.

Among the ways you earn points on Recyclebank:

Taking quizzes on such topics as water quality, recycling and energy efficiency.
Pledging to carry out everyday life in a more eco-friendly way, such as recycling cereal boxes and plastic bags, drinking from a reusable water bottle or printing on both sides of a piece of paper.
Looking for local recycling centers that will accept your old electronics.
Playing games that teach about environmental topics.
Referring friends to join Recyclebank.

Right now, in honor of Earth Day and Earth Month, Recyclebank is offering a monthlong "Passport for the Planet" promotion that rewards you with additional points for learning about earth-friendly practices across the globe.

Recyclebank rewards range from coupons to gift cards, depending on the number of points you rack up. A coupon will cost you anywhere from 40 to 100 points while gift cards to retailers such as Panera Bread and Home Depot are 2,500 points.

Some of my favorites rewards:

100 points buys you a $10 coupon off a $50 grocery order at Harris Teeter, which you receive by mail.

75 points gets you $2/1 coupon on any Kashi product, which you print from your computer.

Energy Star rebates set to expire Monday

johnmurawski — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:51:58 -0400

Financial rebates for buying energy-efficient home appliances will expire Monday under North Carolina's latest Energy Star rebate program. State officials are urging those who bought high-efficiency appliances on or after Jan. 1 to claim up to $300 in rebates by 5 p.m. Monday.

The program, launched in February, pays between $50 and $300 for purchases of air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters and other efficient appliances. The money comes from the federal stimulus package that is now wrapping up as the funds are depleted.

North Carolina has offered several Energy Star rebate programs in past years, distributing more than $11 million for nearly 80,000 appliance purchases. The current program will disburse an additional $1.2 million.

To claim a rebate residents are asked to go to www.ncappliancerebate.com/ or call 1-855-208-6242.

Target celebrating Earth Day with coupons and a FREE reusable bag

AmyDunn — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:30:47 -0400

In celebration of Earth Day, Target will be giving away free reusable shopping bags to customers on April 22.

But in the meantime, the big box store has issued a set of coupons on natural, organic and earth-friendly products. There are 38 coupons with a combined total of more than $50. The coupons are valid through May 5.

Among the items with coupon discounts:

Archer Farms organic flour
Seventh Generation cleaning product
Annie's organic snack
Brita product
Burt's Bees products

Don't forget, you can combine these Target coupons with any corresponding manufacturer coupons you have to multiply your savings.

(As April 22 gets closer, I'll send out a reminder to snag your free reusable shopping bag.)

Get rid of electronics safely at Garner recycling event

marycornatzer — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:06:39 -0400

If you've got old electronics that you want to get rid of properly take advantage of WingSwept's Technology Spring clean on April 21.

The Garner company will recycle computers, phones, fax machines, printers, wires and the like at the event which will be from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the North Parking Lot of Aversboro Road Baptist Church in Garner.

The annual event is particularly worth taking advantage of this year because it is now against state law to throw electronics into landfills.

Wingswept is an information technology company founded in 1995. Last year, 22,458 pounds of equipment was collected and recycled at the event.

N.C. Solar Center to offer a certification in renewables

johnmurawski — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:26:13 -0500

The N.C. Solar Center in Raleigh is offering a 40-hour renewable energy management training course that the organization bills as the only non-degree program of its kind in North America.

And at $1,798 per student, the course is a bargain, according to the organizers.

The Solar Center's Certificate in Renewable Energy Management will require a group project to complete the course and graduate. The course will include online and on-site instruction in the technology, financing and policy of renewable energy.

The course, spanning three months, is limited to 25 students. The dealine to enroll is the first day of class: March 15.

Instructors will come from Duke Energy, Southern Energy Management, N.C. Sustainable Energy Association, Self-Help Credit Union and law firms, among others.

Topics will cover such areas as net metering, interconnections, tax credits, grants and loans, risk assessment, contracts and marketing.

The purpose of the course is to give a thorough overview of the industry to those who may be working in a specific aspect of renewables.

The N.C. Solar Center was created in 1988 as part of the College of Engineering at N.C. State University.

Cherokee tests accelerator concept

davidranii — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:17:11 -0500

Raleigh private equity firm Cherokee Investment Partners is dipping its toe in the accelerator business.

This year's "Cherokee Challenge" will involve hosting up to three environmental business startups that Cherokee will nurture and take an equity stake in, said senior analyst J.T. Vaughn.

Cherokee will provide three months of free space, $20,000 in seed funding, basic back-office services such as accounting, and free counseling as needed.

Cherokee is looking for "business models that turn environmental liabilities into assets."

That's in keeping with Cherokee's early strategy on investing in contaminated property, although in recent years it has branched out into other real estate. Cherokee has invested nearly $2 billion in more than 525 properties.

Cherokee also has assembled an advisory committee that includes, among others: Jud Bowman, founder and CEO of Appia; David Jones, a partner at venture capital firm Southern Capitol Ventures, and Merrette Moore, founder and managing partner of investment firm Lookout Capital.

In exchange for its funding and help, Cherokee will receive an ownership stake of between 3 percent and 9 percent in the venture, depending on how far it already has progressed. Ventures also can choose to develop one of Cherokee's concepts, but in those instances Cherokee would expect to retain an ownership stake of at least 50 percent, Vaughn said.

Cherokee hopes that its accelerator will be enough of a success to merit conducting future Challenges, Vaughn said.

Applications and additional information can be found here. The deadline for applications is April 15.

Donate cell phones, help a soldier

marycornatzer — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:19:25 -0500

Here's a chance to recycle your old phones and do some good.

Martin Middle School and the non-profit Cell Phones for Soldiers are collecting gently-used cellphones.

The donated phones will be sent to Michigan-based ReCellular for recycling. For every donated phone valued at $5, Cell Phones for Soldiers provides 2 1/2 hours of talk time to deployed soldiers on pre-paid international calling cards.

The charity has donated more than 114 million minutes of free talk time since it was started 2004.

Phones can be dropped off through March 9 at the Martin Middle School front office, 1701 Ridge Road, Raleigh.

Solar water heaters use 1/3 energy, Progress Energy study finds

johnmurawski — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:43:51 -0500

Progress Energy customers saved an average of $235 a year by switching to solar thermal water heater, representing an average annual savings of 63 percent on the water heater portion of their power bill.

Those are the results Raleigh-based Progress reported this week to the N.C. Utilities Commission to wrap up a pilot project using 150 customers to test the efficiency of solar thermal water heaters. As part of the year-long pilot, Progress contributed $1,000 toward each customer's cost of buying as solar thermal water heater.

The company says that more than 15 percent of electricity used in a typical home is used for heating water. Solar water heaters use the sun as their primary source of energy, with electricity (or natural gas) as a backup.

Solar water heaters are known for their high efficiency performance as well as their high price tags, costing about 10 times to 20 times as much as a conventional water heater. Progress reported that buying and installing the solar water heaters averaged $7,271 per household, ranging from $4,000 to $12,375 per home.

Homeowners rarely pay the full price, however. In North Carolina, solar water heaters qualify for a 30 percent federal tax incentive and a 35 percent state tax credit (up to $1,400), which would cut the cost by about half.

Apple plans giant solar farm, fuel cell power for N.C. data center

matthewfortner — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:56:41 -0500

Apple revealed additional details Monday about its massive data center located in Maiden, North Carolina.

The 500,000 square foot facility, costing a reported $1 billion, hosts data for Apple's iCloud and Siri services.

Having already obtained LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, the report from Apple includes plans to go greener by building what it calls "the nation’s largest end user–owned, onsite solar array" and the "largest non-utility fuel cell installation."

Chapel Hill installs recycling bins along Franklin Street

paigemaxwell — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:28:17 -0500

The Town of Chapel Hill has installed 13 new recycling bins along Franklin Street to collect cans and bottles that were previously thrown in the trash, and another four bins will be placed in Southern Village's central business area.

A $13,000 grant from the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources enabled the town to purchase the recycling bins. The sidewalk recycling project was a result of a successful partnership with Orange County, according to Emily Cameron, a landscape architect with the Town of Chapel Hill.

Previously there had been no convenient locations for recycling in downtown Chapel Hill, with only one recycling bin in front of the old Post Office, and another on the south side of East Franklin Street. The closest pedestrian recycling containers were located on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Recovered bottles and cans from the new recycling bins will be taken with other recyclable materials collected by Orange County to the ReCommunity prove materials recovery facility in Greensboro. The facility sorts, bales and sells the material for remanufacture into new drink cans, car parts, carpets, fiberfill, strapping and new plastic bottles.

Mythbusters tour adds stop in Raleigh

paigemaxwell — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:57:49 -0500

If you missed seeing your favorite mythbusting duo in person at the NC Science Festival in 2010, you've got another chance to see them at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in March.

More dates were added today to the "Mythbusters: Behind the Myths Tour", including the stop in Raleigh. The live stage show stars Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, co-hosts of the Emmy-nominated Discovery series.

According the the tour website, the show "promises to be an unexpected evening of on-stage experiments, audience participation, rocking video and behind-the-scene stories. For the first time ever, fans will join Jamie and Adam on stage and assist in their mind-twisting and not always orthodox approach to science."

The showtimes are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 25.

Tickets are now on sale; click here for ticket information.

Biogen Idec opens 10 electric car recharging stations with federal stimulus boost

johnmurawski — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:26:45 -0500

Local drug maker Biogen Idec is dedicating 10 electric car rechargers this morning at its facility in Research Triangle Park as part of the federal government's subsidization push for electric cars.

The number of rechargers represents a new standard for corporate offices in the area, with a half-dozen other Triangle companies planning to install 10 rechargers in the coming months. The feds are paying more than a third of the cost of the rechargers and the electric cars in the Triangle phase of the program.

Biogen Idec, which develops drugs for multiple sclerosis, is based in Weston, Mass., and employs about 900 people at its manufacturing facility in RTP. Currently four of those employees drive plug-in electric cars to work, which means that more than half of the new rechargers will not be immediately used.

Nearly $50,000 of the cost of the rechargers at Biogen Idec was offset by federal stimulus funds distributed by the Triangle J Council of Governments, a regional planning organization. Outdoor chargers typically cost between $10,000 and $20,000.

The Council is also helping subsidize electric chargers at a half-dozen other corporations, said Kathy Boyer, the Council's program manager for energy and environment.

To date, federal stimulus funds have subsidized about 35-40 rechargers in the area. In all, several hundred rechargers will be installed in the state, most of them with federal subsidies distributed to the Council, Duke Energy, Progress Energy and other organizations.

The electric vehicles are also heavily subsidized. The four EV drivers at Biogen Idec got their cars through a special program that paid them $7,500 to participate in a study of electric vehicle driving and charging habits. That incentive is on top of the $7,500 federal rebate for buying an electric car, bringing the total incentive to $15,000 and covering nearly half the list price of the vehicle.

The study, administered by Raleigh nonprofit Advanced Energy, is closed to new participants. It has filled up with 40 participants who will drive discounted Nissan Leaf Plug-in electric cars.

Cree to host workshop to create international symbols for LED lighting and energy efficiency

johnmurawski — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:33:51 -0500

Certain symbols have become as universally recognizable in society, like the Christian fish that adorns many a bumper sticker, or the rainbow flag displayed in support gay rights.

Durham LED lighting maker Cree is hosting an event this month to create new icons to represent energy efficiency and LED lighting, which happen to be the company's line of business.

The best images created during the Feb. 25 brainstorming session on the Cree campus will be added to a visual library of icons available for general use.

The new icons will join the dozens of symbols that communicate ideas wordlessly in the form of corporate logos, road signs, political sentiments and declarations of self-identity.

The Iconathon event will be facilitated by The Noun Project, a Los Angeles group dedicated to the creation and archiving of icons. The organization had held similar events throughout the country to build up its online archive of icons.

There are no specific technical requirements to participate in the icon-generating workshop, although people with artistic talents are encouraged to attend.

The event is free but requires registration to get in.

Raleigh collects nearly 800 gallons of cooking grease and oil

paigemaxwell — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:03:34 -0500

The City of Raleigh collected 797 gallons of cooking oil and grease in its third annual holiday collection program.

The amount of cooking oil collected was down from 862 gallons collected during the 2010-2011 program, but a higher number of pickup trips show participation was up to 222 this year from 200 trips in 2010-2011.

The collected oil and grease was converted to biofuels by Triangle Biofuels, who reimbursed the city 25 cents per gallon for the oil.