This month, supporters packed the hearing rooms in Nags Head and Wilmington in favor of having offshore wind turbines in NC. Environment North Carolina’s Dave Rogers testified and hand-delivered 2,000 comments from wind-energy supporters to federal officials with the Bureau of Land Energy Management (BOEM). Offshore wind power is a much needed alternative to burning more coal which dirties our air and water. It also creates a stronger economy and good jobs, some of which can end up right here in the Triad. Also, the technology has already been proven throughout Europe.
Our region had seven Code Orange days in the 2012 air pollution season. Those are considered "Alert" days or "Action" days and reach the AQI category of "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups." Most of us are in a sensitive group, one way or another. For a little bit of background on the AQI, visit this page.
If you look at the trend since we started forecasting air pollution in the late 1990s, yes, air quality seems to be improving. It's certainly improved a LOT if you look back to the 1970's when we first enacted the Clean Air Act. I'd certainly consider it an environmental success story.
January brings the new year and always lots of activity for Piedmont Environmental Alliance. We are working full out preparing for the Piedmont Earth Day Fair, Saturday, April 27. The story of the Fair is really remarkable. Started a mere 7 years ago by a small group of friends committed to taking planet- friendly actions, the Fair has grown to be the premier Earth Day celebration of the Triad. Last year, over 7,000 people braved chilly and windy weather to learn how to take individual actions to help preserve our planet. I am honored to be a part of it all.
The start of the new year is a time to reflect on the work and accomplishments of 2012, as well as a time to look forward and evaluate the potential of 2013. For Piedmont Environmental Alliance, 2012 was a year of tremendous change and growth. We welcomed new leadership in all areas of PEA.
Piedmont Environmental Alliance is proud to announce that Christine (Chris) Griffith has joined the staff as the organization's executive director. Chris brings decades of nonprofit leadership experience and she is a successful fundraiser and community organizer. Her dedication to the environment is matched only by her dedication to the growth and prosperity of the Piedmont community.
This is my kind of challenge, no fooling. Bike somewhere every day for 30 days—around the block, 20 miles to work, whatever suits you—then share your adventures online. Besides teaching and doing fieldwork, there is nothing I love more than biking. So when a friend mentioned that they were doing the “30 Days of Biking” pledge, I had to find out more. This led me to a worldwide movement based around the simple idea of biking every day for 30 days (http://30daysofbiking.com/). This year’s pledge starts today and I’m kicking my pledge off right by joining the Winston Salem Community Bike Ride.
How big is your junk mail pile? I am so glad that the Piedmont Environmental Alliance’s Green Guide addressed how to get rid of unwanted snail mail. No matter how hard my husband and I try to keep the kitchen table clear, mail seems to sneak in from every corner of the house. Saying that “I dislike mail” is an understatement.
Beans This week for Meatless Monday, I am sharing a new twist on a simple side dish. Who doesn’t love some green beans? We may be a couple months from getting these at the farmer’s market, but here is a recipe to keep for the spring.
Today we got our free home energy audit from Duke Energy. I didn’t exactly know what to expect, but I’m glad I took the time to do this for my home. I hope with a little work to make my home more energy efficient and save money while make steps for a healthier planet. The entire audit took about 45 mins, but that was mostly because Jonathan (the gentleman that came out to do the audit) and I started talking.
Here are two more great vegan recipe, worthy of serving on Valentine’s Day. I tried to pick ones that would work well with the red pepper soup in my last post. There are so many great recipes; it is hard to know where to start. I am currently obsessed with tempeh, since I recently came to terms with the fact that seitan and my GI tract should not mix. More on the goodness that is seitan later!
So I wanted to start a Monday tradition of sharing yummy meatless recipes and encouraging our readers and members to give up meat (at least) one day a week. Meatless Monday is a term I’ve heard more over the last 1-2 years and thought I would adopt it for the blog. I'm not telling you to give up meat completely, but why not go meatless once a week and think about how your dietary choices influence your environmental footprint.
What does eating vegetarian have to do with the environment?
This week I tried my best to collect all the plastic that my husband and I used during the week. One thing I noticed is that being sick, especially two people at the same time is very un-environmental. This included both plastic (medicine bottles) and paper waste (tissues). I’ve collected a full brown paper grocery bag of our plastics from last Monday until today, Sunday. I did have to repeatedly dig through the trash to fish out small bits because someone forgot my request to save it all.
To say that it has been awhile since we last updated the blog, is an understatement. I'm excited to be taking on this challenge and to bring our members and other visitors to this site a fresh look at environmental issues in the Triad. One thing I am really excited about is a new year-long initiative, The Piedmont Environmental Alliance Green Guide, that will roll out in the next few days (more info coming soon). Hopefully, you will join me here and learn some new things as well as enjoy the journey.
I decided it was time to take on the last three of the 11 ways to kick your plastic habit challenge (11 easy ways to kick the plastic habit). In my opinion these last few are a little easier to tackle than the last bunch I discussed. And here we go…
This month, supporters packed the hearing rooms in Nags Head and Wilmington in favor of having offshore wind turbines in NC. Environment North Carolina’s Dave Rogers testified and hand-delivered 2,000 comments from wind-energy supporters to federal officials with the Bureau of Land Energy Management (BOEM). Offshore wind power is a much needed alternative to burning more coal which dirties our air and water. It also creates a stronger economy and good jobs, some of which can end up right here in the Triad. Also, the technology has already been proven throughout Europe.
Our region had seven Code Orange days in the 2012 air pollution season. Those are considered "Alert" days or "Action" days and reach the AQI category of "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups." Most of us are in a sensitive group, one way or another. For a little bit of background on the AQI, 
January brings the new year and always lots of activity for Piedmont Environmental Alliance. We are working full out preparing for the Piedmont Earth Day Fair, Saturday, April 27. The story of the Fair is really remarkable. Started a mere 7 years ago by a small group of friends committed to taking planet- friendly actions, the Fair has grown to be the premier Earth Day celebration of the Triad. Last year, over 7,000 people braved chilly and windy weather to learn how to take individual actions to help preserve our planet. I am honored to be a part of it all. 
