Thursday To-Do: Sierra Club Ozark Headwaters Group Monthly Meeting

Catch up with local green folks at the Sierra Club Ozark Headwaters Group monthly meeting, tonight at 7 p.m. at Nightbird Books (205 W. Dickson) in Fayetteville. For more information or directions, visit http://arkansas.sierraclub.org/.

5 Easy Ways to Support Federal Climate Change Bill

Today, October 15, is the Blog Action Day, an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. By doing so, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.

Blog Action Day was founded by Collis & Cyan Ta’eed in the summer of 2007. With the support of their team at Envato in Australia as well as numerous volunteers, they recruited over 20,000 bloggers to write about the issue of Environment on October 15, 2007 – making the first Blog Action Day an immediate and quite unexpected success.

This year’s theme is climate change. Climate change threatens all of us. Small increases in average global temperatures can have devastating consequences such as rising sea levels, loss of Arctic habitat, extinctions, increasingly intense hurricanes, and drought and famine.

Fortunately, we can make a difference.

On September 30, 2009, Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry introduced the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, which requires that the United States reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020. Our senators, Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, are sitting on the fence about the bill. Several Arkansas conservation groups have been working hard to change that.

Do you support the federal climate change bill? If so, here is a list of 5 easy things you can do to support Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act:

1. Join Arkansans for Clean Energy Jobs Facebook page! Visit: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Arkansans-For-Clean-Energy-Jobs/129866993202?ref=ts
2. Sign a postcard urging Senators Lincoln and Pryor to support the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Postcards are available at the offices of Audubon Arkansas (4500 Springer Blvd., Little Rock 72206), Sierra Club – Arkansas (1308 W. 2nd, Little Rock 72205), and Repower America (1401 W 6th. St. Little Rock, 72201 )
3. Write to your local newspaper saying that you support Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act.
4. Call or email Senators Lincoln and Pryor. You can reach Senator Lincoln by calling 1-800-352-9364 or clicking http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm. You can reach Senator Pryor by calling 1-877-259-9602 or clicking http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/.
5. Attend a 350 event on Saturday, October 24, 2009. October 24 is the International Day of Climate Action. Millions of people across the world will host 350 events in support of climate action. In Arkansas, Little Rock, Fayetteville, and Conway will host a 350 event. For more information about the Arkansas events, click on the city. For more information about 350, visit www.350.org.

Our opponents, funded by Murphy & Lion oils, are submitting letters to the editor everyday. They have a Facebook page called Arkansans Against Cap & Trade with over 3,000 members!

Let’s tell our senators that Arkansans care about the environment. Support Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act today!

I Heart Little Bread Company!

Located in Fayetteville, Little Bread Company is my favorite bakery in Arkansas.

Little Bread Company serves great cappuccino...

... and delicious slices of cake.

Little Bread Company recycles...

... and promotes local businesses.

Little Bread Company is my favorite bakery in Arkansas. Started in Eureka Springs and now in Fayetteville, Little Bread Company serves all kinds of bread, sandwiches, and coffee drinks. What I love about Little Bread Company is that its baristas know how to make good cappuccino. As some of you know, I’m a big coffee geek, and I have no patience for cappuccino with flat foam. Foam for cappuccino should be thick enough that you have to use a spoon that comes (or should come) on side. Unfortunately, most coffee shops in Arkansas can’t tell cappuccino from latte. Little Bread Company is one of only two places in Arkansas that I would recommend for coffee drinks. (The other is Vicki’s Coffee Corner in Hot Springs.)

Another thing I love about Little Bread Company is its food. The restaurant uses fresh ingredients for its quiches and cakes. During our recent trip to Fayetteville, I had a slice of blackberry chocolate mousse cheesecake. Initially, I thought it may turn out to be too sweet. Well, it was just right. The tartness of blackberries balanced the sweetness of chocolate mousse. It went very well with LBC’s cappuccino.

Little Bread Company is a member of the Fayetteville Independent Business Alliance (FIBA), a group with a mission to promote local economy. The restaurant proudly displays the FIBA logo and doesn’t shy away from telling you why it’s important to support local businesses. Little Bread Company also recycles, which is another reason why I love the place!

Next time you are in Fayetteville, stop by Little Bread Company. Get yourself a great cup of cappuccino and support local economy!

Saturday To-Do: Fayetteville Permaculture Study Group Meeting

WHAT: Fayetteville Permaculture Study Group Inaugural Meeting

WHEN: Saturday, July 25 at 4 p.m.

WHERE: Front part of the Fayetteville Public Library

A free study group is forming to collectively educate each other about grassroots sustainability from a Permaculture perspective. The group will use Bill Mollison’s Introduction to Permaculture as the text and hopefully organize a variety of hands-on workshops. The class will encourage community building, social justice, and ecological activism.

For more information, contact athom01@gmail.com.

Wednesday To-Do: Trees for Mena! Benefit Show

On April 9, 2009, a tornado devastated Mena, Arkansas, wiping out about 600 homes and businesses, and thousands of trees. Diamond Bank, a Hot Springs-based financial institution, has started a program called ReGreen Mena to remove the debris left behind, replant hardwood trees, remove the stumps in the city’s cemetery, and help elderly citizens whose yards were destroyed by the storm landscape around their homes. To support the efforts, Mena natives in Fayetteville will host a benefit show, tonight at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.

WHAT: Trees for Mena! Benefit Show

WHERE: George’s Majestic Lounge (519 West Dickson Street, Fayetteville 72701)

WHEN: Wednesday, June 17th – 7 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Benjamin Del Shreve, 3 Penny Acre, Randall Shreve, The Sarah Hughes Band, Smithstonians, Cletus Got Shot, Tanya and Dave, Keith Nicholson, and Apartment 5 will play. $5 minimum at the door.

Come out, listen to good music, and help ReGreen Mena! For more information, contact Maggie Bailey at (479)225-8596 or mtucker22@yahoo.com.

Green Travel: Visit Botanical Garden of the Ozarks!

During our recent trip to Fayetteville, Eddy and I visited the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. Boy, it was beautiful! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I love to visit botanical gardens because I get so many ideas for my own garden. Unlike other gardens that I have visited, the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks has a shade garden. Those of you who have been to our house know that I’ve been trying to turn our front yard into an edible shade garden. We killed the grass using cardboard and mulch, and we planted buckwheat to fix nitrogen and use them as green manure once they are grown. I can’t wait to incorporate some of the techniques that I saw at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

Next time you are in Fayetteville, stop by the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks! You’ll be amazed by its beauty!

For more information about the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, visit the website at www.bgozarks.org.

Spot on Green: Good Things Boutique

Good Things Boutique offers a unique assortment of organic clothing, fair trade accessories, and natural home decor.

 

Very cute purses!

 

Good Things Boutique sells locally made jewelry...

 

... as well as natural home decor such as organic palm wax candles.

 

Next time you are in Fayetteville, stop by Good Things Boutique and check out its selection of stylish green clothing!

During our recent trip to Fayetteville, Eddy and I stopped at a new green store called Good Things Boutique. Opened in October 2008, Good Things Boutique specializes in products made from organic, recycled and natural materials. Some of the items that the store carries include organic clothing, fair trade accessories, locally-made jewelry, and environmentally friendly home décor.

Jessy Lang, who owns Good Things Boutique, knows a thing or two about good products. She used to work in product development for a large corporation. She left the corporate world and opened Good Things Boutique because (1) she always wanted to have a store of her own, and (2) her parents care deeply about the environment and so does she. Unfortunately, conventional garment industry does not care much about the environment. It uses TONS of chemicals during the production, and it is notorious for unfair treatment of workers. Good Things Boutique offers an alternative: chemical-free, fair-trade clothing and accessories that incorporates recycled materials whenever possible.

Wanna be green but don’t want to cramp your style? Good Things Boutique is the store for you. Jessy believes that style and green can go hand in hand, and her store is the proof. Just look at the above pictures! It was a good thing that my birthday was in April, or I would have inflicted a serious damage to my wallet!

Good Things Boutique also carries natural home décor items. Have you ever wondered what’s in your candle? Traditional candles are made using paraffin wax, and paraffin candles produce a number of byproducts when they are combusted, including greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Paraffin is also a petroleum product, making it a nonrenewable resource and adding to pollution through oil spills and other issues associated with the oil extraction process.

Candles sold at Good Things Boutique, on the other hand, are made using organic palm wax. Palm wax is a 100% vegetable renewable resource. Soy wax is also renewable, but it has several problems. First, it derives from GMO vegetable oil. Second, it requires the use of chemical solvents such as hexane during its production. Finally, since soy wax is naturally a “soft” wax, it is extremely difficult to make good pillar candles and votives out of 100% pure soy wax. Many candlemakers use additives such as paraffin to solve the problem. Personally, I’d rather not support soybean industry as much as I can, and Good Things Boutique helps me do just that.

Next time you are in Fayetteville, check out Good Things Boutique! For more information, visit the website at www.goodthingsboutique.com.

Buy Used @ Dickson Street Bookshop

During my recent trip to Fayetteville, Eddy and I stopped at one of our favorite bookstores – Dickson Street Bookshop. Located on the corner of School Avenue and Dickson Street, Dickson Street Bookshop carries TONS of used and out-of-print books. What I love about Dickson Street Bookshop is that it carries books on topics such as mycology, limnology, and survival. Take that, Barnes & Noble! As someone who forages and collects books about wild edibles, I appreciate the selection offered by this little gem in Fayetteville.

The Dickson Street Bookshop has been in business since 1978, which tells something about its quality. Approximately 100,000 books line the shop’s walls, so you are bound to find a book that interests you. Don’t spend too long at the store, or you might come out of it broke, which has happened to me more than once.

The Dickson Street Book Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays. Next time you’re in Fayetteville, drop by and buy used from Dickson Street Bookshop!

Meet Local Green Peeps!

Chances are, if you are reading this blog, you support green causes. You go to meetings, you visit local farmers’ markets, and soon you start running into familiar faces. You know their names, but have you ever wondered what they do to be GreenAR? Well, Meet Local Green Peeps! hopes to satisfy your curiosity about area green people and what they do to be GreenAR in the Natural State. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Vital Statistics (Name & Location):

• Matthew Petty, Fayetteville
• Age: 24

What Do You Do?: I am a full-time advocate for the public interest. In addition to serving on Fayetteville’s City Council, I run a group that helps people launch progressive initiatives and develop in-the-field responses to changes to technology and the political climate. We’re called the Social Sustenance Organization.

Steps Taken to be GreenAR:

• You mean personally? I helped the Fayetteville School District launch a Green Team program in all 16 schools in the district. I just took two high school students and a teacher to Power Shift ’09 in Washington, D.C., to train them as leaders. I’ve done a lot more, but right now I’m working on establishing the Social Sustenance Homestead.
• If you want behavioral stuff, I don’t own a car on purpose. I haven’t bought clothes in years. I spent extra money on an automatic duplexer for my home office (printing on both sides of the sheet, every time).

Hard-to-Take Steps: The hardest thing for me is to take shorter showers! It’s so luxurious to stand naked under streaming jets of hot water in the winter. Too bad it uses so much energy… I try to shower often with my partner to save water 🙂

Future Steps to be GreenAR: I’m constantly swinging back and forth from being a vegetarian to being a “flexitarian.” Maybe one of these days, I’ll figure it out.

Favorite AR Groups & Businesses: Besides my own, I really like Terra Tots in Fayetteville (natural and safe baby supplies), the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market (for environmental AND social health), and Heifer International in Little Rock. The Green Valley Network is helping bring a lot of the technology innovation to Arkansas that we need to develop for 21st century sustainability.

If You Can Do One Thing to Make the Natural State Even More Natural, What Would You Do? Help Little Rock citizens organize a group to bird dog our Governor and insist that conflicts of interest on our state commissions be resolved. “When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” Arkansas has a deficit when it comes to activists influencing politics.

Know a green Arkie? Leave a comment and let me know how I can get in touch with him or her.