5th Annual Earth Day Festival at Forest Park Nature Center

5th Annual Earth Day Festival at Forest Park Nature Center

2009 Earth Day Festival at Forest Park Nature Center

This is my second consecutive year of taking and “Earth Day” vacation from work.  I purposely scheduled the week to coincide with events like the Earth Day Festival at Forest Park Nature Center.  This particular event now holds a bit of sentimental value for me as it was the first real step I took in entering the environmental community.  It was at this event last year when I met David and Kiersten who essentially recruited me in helping with their Global Warming Solutions Group of Central Illinois which is a group that was spun off of the local Sierra Club chapter to focus solely on presenting solutions to climate change to Central Illinois.

A year ago, I was a casual visitor to the event.  This year, I was a participant at the the booth shared by the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club and the Global

Sierra Club and Global Warming Solutions Group Booth

Warming Solutions Group.  I felt like event was a success as we talked with visitors about energy efficiency, the Cool Cities program of the Sierra Club, and even rain barrels.  In fact, it was a last minute decision by Kassy to bring the rain barrel that she has purchased but had not installed yet that brought the most attention to the booth.  By the end of the day, I felt very comfortable talking about how to install them despite the fact that I have not yet at the opportunity to do so.  In retrospect, I wish we were selling the barrels as it could have been a great way to raise funds for the Solutions Group.

Sydney enjoyed the face painting.

We decided recently to build an e-mail list so we can contact local residents with a monthly newsletter or special announcements.  In order to motivate people to sign up, we offered a prize drawing for e-mail subscribers that consisted of one of 3 copies of the book Cut Your Energy Bills Now by Bruce Harley and a package of CFL light bulbs.  I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to take a look at the energy usage in their home.  It is presented in a very user-friendly style with steps that even I can accomplish with my amateur handyman skills.

All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable event.  The weather flirted with us throughout the day delivering wind gusts early on, but the cloud cover never resulted in any rain.  It wasn’t until the last hour of the event when the clouds cleared up and the sun heated things up.

Live entertainment throughout the event.

The bulk of my time was spent working at the event, but I did escape long enough to visit with some of the other booths including Peoria Wilds, the South Side Mission, Goodwill, and Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste.  All of them had great information, and I found myself trying not to dive in to all of their causes and helping them out.  I have to carefully pick and choose how many commitments I make.  It’s a case of quality over quantity.

Kids decorate an Earth Day 2009 banner.

Bob Lindsay Honda provided some hybrid cars for viewing.

2009 Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo

The Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo

With my busy schedule in the past few weeks, I wasn’t able to make a full day of this event with the family.  It was held again this year at Illinois Wesleyan on April 17th and 18th.  In fact, I had just an hour to blitz through the show.  I am starting to run into people I know working at these events as our paths are beginning to cross with our common interests.  It is nice to see familiar, friendly faces.  There were a lot of exhibitors that I had seen last year and several new ones, so it was easier for me to make a quick run through the exhibits.

The exhibit that caught my attention the most was the Central Illinois Buy Fresh Buy Local table that is sponsored by the Illinois Stewardship Allliance.  They focus on “connecting you with fresh, locally grown food.”  They have a BFBL directory to find locally produced food, BFBL member restaurants, and event labels in grocery stores.  Sounds like a fantastic idea to me!  I loved shopping at the farmers market’s last year.  I find the food to be fresher, tastier, and more nutritious.  I am taking the following text directly from one of their brochures:

Why Buy Local?

Taste – Fresh from the field to your plate, local foods are bursting with flavor and a taste that can’t be beat.

Freshness – Local foods are harvested at their peak ripeness and are available right after harvest, not after a long haul.

Economy – Buying local supports family farmers and keeps money in the local community.

Buy Fresh Buy Local

I would add one more section:

Ecological Footprint – In the United States, food travels an average of 1500 miles to get to your plate.  Buying local reduces the carbon footprint of your food and helps in the fight against global warming and climate change.

For next year:  I would like to be able to plan a day of the event in order to attend some of the workshops they offer each year.  Some of the events that would have been interesting to me had topics covering organic and sustainable gardening, rain gardens, energy efficiency in the home, and affluenza.

The event was sponsored by the Ecology Action Center of McLean County and the Illinois Wesleyan Wellness program.

Participating Exhibitors:

• Adam Hoeper Licensed Massage Therapist
• Advanced Energy Solutions
• AdvoCare
• AHHH Hypnotherapy
• Alexander Technique
• AlignLife of Bloomington
• Aqua Ranch
• Arthritis Foundation
• Bliss
• Bloomington Parks and Recreation
• Brenda Bernt, Licensed Master Esthetician
• BroMenn
• Brown Chiropractic Center
• Center for Sustainable Community
• Citizenre Bringing Solar Power to Your Home
• Citizens Utility Board
• Common Ground Grocery
• Communication Sciences and Disorders Dept. Illinois State University
• Community Cancer Center
• Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic / Sole Savers Shoe Store
• Crossroads Global Handcrafts
• Don Smith Paint
• Donate Life Illinois
• Eco-Lawn Organics
• Ecology Action Center
• Eden Energy Medicine
• Energistics
• Environmental Education Association of Illinois
• Environmental Maintenance Systems
• Friends of Kickapoo Creek
• Frog Cottage Jewelry
• Healing Arts Network Association
• Heartland Local Food Network & Buy Fresh Buy Local
• Heartland Community College
• Illinois Environmental Council
• Illinois Stewardship Alliance
• ISU Horticulture Center
• IWU School of Nursing Eating In – Healthy Options
• IWU – This is Public Health
• Juice Plus+
• Laser Resolutions & Ascent Counseling & Coaching Services
• Little Miss Save the Earth
• Luther Oaks
• Mended Hearts/Am Heart
• Natural Health Solutions
• Natural Pathways Reiki Center
• Northern Sun Merchandising
• Nudura
• OBGYN Care Associates
• Old House Society
• OSF St. Joseph Medical Center – Center for Healthy Lifestyles
• Paw to Paw
• PinStripes and PolkaDots LLC
• Progressive Asset Management
• Recycled Office Furniture
• Robert Hermann DC
• Ropp Jersey Cheese
• Shaklee
• Sneeze, Wheeze and Itch Associates
• Successful Aging Center
• Sugar Grove Nature Center
• Sustainable Community Development
• Sweet ‘N Clean Goat Milk Soap
• The Green Gourmutt
• Tobacco Prevention / Cessation
• Tri-Sharks
• Upper Limits
• Young Living Essential OIls
• YWCA McLean County

Planting Vegetable Seeds with my Daughter’s First Grade Class

Planting Seeds in First Grade

While my “Earth Day” vacation doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, I visited my daughter’s first grade class today and helped them plant vegetable seeds.  I brought in the supplies and each child planted a seed in a cup or glass jar.  To start, each child scooped vermiculite plant mix into their container.  We then passed out the garden bean seeds which were a nice size for first graders to handle.  They each planted the bean under a thin layer of soil and added water.  It looks like they are going to keep the containers in the class for a week to see which ones sprouts first before taking them home.

The class asked some very intelligent questions such as how long it would take to grow and how often they should water the plants.  I was a little nervous taking on the project because I am only in my second year of gardening – certainly not an expert.  But, we kept the project simple and I think everyone had fun with it.

2009 Gardening Season Has Started!

Starting vegetables and flowers from seed

Last year, I started a vegetable garden for many reasons but maintained that it was an experiment throughout the year.  However, this year I am planning on taking it to the next level with a major expansion and a lot more TLC.  On Thursday, I took my first steps by buying Seeds of Change (USDA organic) seeds from Naturally Yours grocery store and a kit to start some of the plants indoors before the frost-free date passes.  I also did some work in the yard by tilling the soil in the raised bed and blending some purchased mushroom compost to it.  I still have to finished dismantling a large portion of the overgrown flower garden so that I can expand the vegetable garden area.

As you can see in the picture, I recruited help in starting some of the plants from seed inside the house.  We now have cherry tomatos and brocolli started.  At the store, I allowed the girls to pick out some flower seed packs, so we have dahlias, marigolds, and echinacea to add to the yard.  I may have to have my wife select a good location for them as my passion is currently in the growing of food.

Reduce Drying Time by Securing the Dryer Vent

Trim your dryer vent hose to properly fit the space between the dryer and the exhaust chute.

You can reduce the drying time of your laundry and save money through efficiency by securing your dryer vent hose properly.  Generally, it is better to have a rigid aluminum dryer vent to exhaust the air efficiently.  In the interest of cost at the moment, I compromised by simply triming my expandable dryer vent hose to properly fit between the dryer and the exhaust chute.  The hose I had was far too long and snaked along the floor behind the dryer.  This morning, I trimmed the hose for a tighter fit and a direct flow of air to the chute.

Clean out the dryer vent hose periodically to improve efficiency and prevent a fire hazard.

While I was at it, I vaccuumed the inside of the chute and the inside of the dryer opening as far as I could reach with the vaccuum hose.  It is recommended to do this periodically in order to maximize efficiency and prevent a fire hazard from a clogged hose.  I wouldn’t describe my hose as clogged, but there was a thick coating of lint in the tube.  You can also purchase a kit at a hardware store that will properly clean the length of your dryer hose.