Be an AmeriCorps Volunteer & Help Make Houses More Energy Efficient!

Come join the William J. Clinton Foundation and the State of Arkansas by serving in their innovative residential energy efficiency retrofit program in Little Rock!!

In addition to creating unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions, families living in high-energy-use homes are forced to spend more on utility bills, often diverting resources from basic living expenses. HEAL AR is designed to decrease the cost of utilities for Low to Moderate Income (LMI) people by providing residential energy efficient audits. Once audits are performed, AmeriCorps members in service will retrofit the homes to be more energy efficient.

In addition to receiving AmeriCorps basic training, you will learn–(both on the job and in the classroom) basic building science; skills and theory of energy efficient retrofits and operation of specialized equipment (blower doors, duct blasters, etc.). Project specific training will satisfy all OSHA, EPA and HUD requirements for health (Lead, asbestos, mold and combustion), job site (personal protective equipment, stairways and ladders, scaffolds, fall protection, electrical and fire prevention), and tool safety. Additionally, Standard First Aid and CPR training will be provided, along with applicable “green” training/certifications throughout the project year. HEAL AR will promote a diverse work environment for all of its members.

For the HEAL AR project, your living allowance is $950 per month. In addition, HEAL AR AmeriCorps members may be eligible to receive health insurance, and members who complete a full-time term of service will receive an AmeriCorps Education Award currently valued at $4,725. The education award may be used to pay for schools you currently attend, as well as past loans or future enrollment. Additionally, if you currently have student loans, you may qualify for postponement, or forbearance, of the repayment of your student loans during your term of service.

To apply, go to www.americorps.gov, click on ‘Advanced Opportunity Search’ and search for HEAL AR under ‘Program Name’. If you have any questions, please contact Tammy Agard at tammy@healar.org or Johnnie LaCaze at johnnie@healar.org. Deadline for applications is December 18, 2009.

Saturday To-Do: Used Plant Sale

For great bargains on used plants, visit Plant Services in North Little Rock this Saturday, between 9 a.m. to noon. I have bought several gently used plants for amazing prices. Can’t make it this Saturday? Don’t worry. Plant Services has a used plant sale every second Saturday of the month.

For more information about Plant Services and its used plant sale, visit their website, http://www.plantservices.info.

Green Your Travel: Eat @ Green Restaurants!

If you know me or have been reading my blog for a long time, you know I love to eat. I try to eat at home as much as I can because I think frequent eating out contributes to a larger environmental footprint. When traveling, though, I kick my my rule out of the window. I love to eat at new restaurants and spend a considerable amount of time researching where to eat.

When researching, I use LocalHarvest.org to look for green restaurants. LocalHarvest is THE website to find organic and locally grown food. LocalHarvest maintains a nationwide online directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Its search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages users to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. LocalHarvest even has an online store that helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area. I love it!

I found Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville and Celebrations Restaurant in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, through LocalHarvest. Eddy and I had a great time at these restaurants, eating healthy and locally.

So, green your travel by eating at green restaurants! Find them through LocalHarvest.org!

Saturday To-Do: Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert

1Sky, Audubon Arkansas, Sierra Club, and Village Commons will host Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert, Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 2-5 pm at MacArthur Park in Little Rock. Rally will feature local musicians, speakers and educational booths.

State Representative Kathy Webb will be the keynote speaker. She will give us an update on the Governor’s Commission on Global Warming. Glen Hooks, Regional Director, Sierra Club, will talk about coal and climate change. Thompson Murray, Senior Pastor, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, will talk about creation care.

The following organizations will have a booth at the event: Audubon Arkansas, Green Faith Alliance, Greenway, Keep Little Rock Beautiful, The Root Cafe, Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas, and Village Commons.

Juggernaut Glitch will play, and there will be drumming by Thompson Murray.

Join millions of people across the world in celebrating International Day of Climate Action! Come to Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert!

For more information about 350 or the International Day of Climate Action, visit www.350.org. For more information about the event or to RSVP, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=316846080007&index=1.

Thursday To-Do: U.S. Green Building Council Residential Green Discussion Group

Interested in building or renovating your home using green design and materials? Then, join this new discussion group hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council – Arkansas Chapter, tomorrow between noon to 1 p.m. at the Arkansas Studies Institute in downtown Little Rock.

The USGBC Residential Green Discussion Group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month. No reservation necessary for this free event. Bring your own lunch. For more information, contact Anncha Briggs at anncha1@aol.com.

Saturday To-Do: CG Kidz Appearance @ The Green Corner Store

Riley Hoffer of CG Kidz.com

Riley Hoffer, teen founder of of the CG Kidz Foundation, will talk about how kids can get more involved in doing their part and caring for our world, tomorrow between 1-3 p.m. at The Green Corner Store (1423 D South Main Street) in Little Rock.

At age 12, Riley Hoffer of Cabot is no stranger to entrepreneurship. She manages the CGKidz.com website, writes a blog and works to share her message with other kids about the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Her parents, Joe and Danelle Hoffer, sell eco-friendly products through their company, CynerGreen. CG Kidz is CynerGreen’s children’s line, and it’s designed by Riley.

Riley and CG Kidz.com have been featured on CBS This Morning and in online magazines. Recently, Riley has been nominated for a U.S. Green Building Industry Council’s Youth Leadership Award.

Wanna meet Riley? Come to The Green Corner Store tomorrow!

For more information, call (501)374-1111.

Saturday To-Do: Eco Friendly Jewelry Show @ The Green Corner Store

Meet artist Tara Fletcher and see her eco-friendly jewelry line made from recycled felt, plastic caps and soda pop tabs!

WHAT: Eco Friendly Jewelry Show

WHEN: Saturday, October 10 – 1-3 p.m.

WHERE: The Green Corner Store (1423 D South Main, Little Rock 72202)

For more information, visit the website, www.thegreencornerstore.com.

Saturday To-Do: Used Plant Sale

For great bargains on used plants, visit Plant Services in North Little Rock this Saturday, between 9 a.m. to noon. I have bought several gently used plants for amazing prices. Can’t make it this Saturday? Don’t worry. Plant Services has a used plant sale every second Saturday of the month.

For more information about Plant Services and its used plant sale, visit their website, http://www.plantservices.info.

Sign Up for AR Earth Institute Discussion Courses!

Register for one or both of the  Arkansas Earth Institute’s Change the World Discussion Courses and start to change your world today!

1) Being Rooted: Knowing and Caring for the Place Where We Live
Mondays, October 5 – November 18,  Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Fee: $40. Includes Arkansas Earth Institute’s Discovering a Sense of Place study guide (a $25 value) and a Heifer Village wetlands tour.

2) Lead by Example: Sustainable Practices for Your Business
Tuesdays, October 27 – December (Skip November 24), 7-9 a.m.

Fee: $95 ($80 by Monday, Oct 12). Includes Arkansas Earth Institute’s new Sustainable Systems at Work study guide (a $40 value), continental breakfast at each session, and green building tour of Heifer International headquarters.

In order to reserve your space, please register in advance. To register, email: HeiferVillage-Registration@heifer.org or call: (501)907-COWS (2697). Payable by cash or check. Mail checks to Heifer Village, One World Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72202.

For more information, contact Shelley Green, Executive Director, Arkansas Earth Institute, at shelley@arkansasearth.org or (501)213-5388.

Weekend To-Do: Little Rock Sustainability Summit

The first annual Little Rock Sustainability Summit, a free and open to the public event on Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th, 2009, will take place at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Friday’s sessions are scheduled from 1-5 p.m, with the Exhibitor Hall open from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday’s sessions starts at 9 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m., with the Little Rock Green Drinks Happy Hour capping off the Summit from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

The purpose of the Summit is to encourage and educate city leaders and citizens from both big and small cities across Arkansas to take action to sustain our communities, our economy and our environment.

This Summit hopes to provide a variety of informative sessions about how to initiate and encourage sustainability actions. These include: recycling, land use/planning, green building, energy efficiency, water quality, green economy, transportation, faith, food, etc. These sessions will offer a variety of local and national speakers and provide concurrent sessions for any level of understanding, and some will be interactive, like a LEED certified building tour on Friday.

For more information, please contact John McClure at LRSustainabilitySummit@gmail.com or (501)993-7502.

Saturday To-Do: Organic Dog Grand Opening @ The Green Corner Store

Organic Dog is a new business that sells natural dog products. It will host a grand opening this Saturday, September 19, between 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., at the Green Corner Store (1423-D South Main) in downtown Little Rock. Register to win a gift basket and sample biscuits made from organic and locally grown ingredients. Free bandanas to the first 25 dogs to bring their human!

For more information, contact Juli Brandenberger at (501) 350-3064 or organicdog@hotmail.com.

Friday To-Do: Repower America Made in America Town Hall Event in Fayetteville

Come join the state’s political, corporate and institutional leaders to discuss their clean energy and sustainability intiatives! Repower America and the University of Arkansas Associated Student Government will host Made in America Town Hall Event, today between 3-8:30 pm at between U of A Law School Auditorium. The panelists include:

• Steve Walker – Director of Development, Phoenix Renewable Energy
• Kevin Igli – Senior Vice President and Chief Environmental, Health, and Safety Officer, Tyson Foods
• Nicholas Brown – Executive Assistant for Sustainability, University of Arkansas
• John Coleman – Sustainability Coordinator, City of Fayetteville
• Abel Tomlinson – 2008 Congressional Candidate and University of Arkansas graduate student
• Christopher Charlton – Wind Specialist, Greenway Renewable Energy

The Forum begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Law School Auditorium, but come out to the Union Mall at 3 p.m. and listen to some free music courtesy of Opal Fly! Local advocacy and community interest groups will have tables at the Union Mall from 3-6 p.m., so meet concerned students and citizens while you listen to Opal Fly.

For more information, contact Billy Fleming at (479)414-1367 or wflemin@uark.edu.