Recycle for Charity

Saturday, October 17, 2009

9 am to 3 pm

Denver Coliseum

Clean out your garage and basement and help save the planet and help ARC at the same time.  Items that will be accepted include tools, scrap metal, cell phones and obsolete car parts.  No computers will be accepted. 

For a more complete list of objects that will be accepted, please visit:

Clean up Colorado for Charity

www.debpallai.com

Denver Water

                  

Denver Recycles Water for Parks

 In her July 2009 newsletter, Denver District 5 Councilwoman Marcia Johnson announced that several parks in the district will be using recycled water for irrigation.

Denver will be installing new pipes for the system, and some traffic may be diverted while this work occurs.  Impacted District 5 parks include McNichols Park, Crescent Park, Verbena Park and Denison Park.

The four parks will join 13 Denver parks that are already using recycled water.

Other parks are undergoing irrigation improvement programs.  It is estimated that the improvments will save 450 million gallons of Denver drinking water.

To link to Marcia Johnson’s article, click here.

debpallai@comcast.net

www.debpallai.com

Radon: what is it? why should you care?

You can’t smell it.  You can’t taste it.  You can’t see it.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that causes cancer.  It is the  leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the United States.

Radon can be easily detected and mitigated.

When you are purchasing a home, have your home inspector do a radon test.  If the readings come in higher than 4.0, have a radon mitagation company fix the problem.  It is relatively inexpensive both to test for radon and bring the levels within EPA standards.

You can test your home yourself.  Home testing kits are available in many home improvement stores.

Click here to learn more about radon.

debpallai@comast.net

www.debpallai.com

Affordable Area Activities

Denver PrideFest 2009

Saturday, June 27,  2009, 11am to 8 pm

Sunday, June 28, 2009, 10 am to 6 pm

Civic Center Park

Colfax and Broadway

Parade, rally, music, vendors, dance, food vendors.

Click here for more information.

Playground Theater Presents: 

          The Green Scene

Saturday, June 27, 2009, 2pm to 3 pm

Denver Central Library B2 Conference Room

Super Hero Super Natural is a green superhero, here to save the planet.

Free!

Cherry Blossom Festival

Saturday and Sunday

June 27 and 28, 2009, 11 am

Between Larimer and Lawrence Streets, 19th and 20th Streets

Drums, dance, food vendors, music.

Free!

Green housekeeping

Are you interested in using less toxic materials for your everyday household chores?  Many commercial cleaners pollute the air and water and irritate the eyes and skin.  Greening your cleaning practices will not only help the environment, but may also cost you less money.

• BAKING SODA:  use to clean countertops and the inside of the refrigerator.  An open box of baking soda (or some sitting in a bowl) in the frig will help eliminate odors.
• WHITE VINEGAR:  use to deodorize the toilet bowl and for washing windows.
• CASTILE SOAP:  an interesting product.  Castile soap is traditionally soap made with olive oil, but you can also find castile soap made from other vegetable oils.  It is available in liquid and cake form.  Use it to wash your skin, hair, pets and laundry.  Dilute it and put it in a spray bottle for general cleaning.
• CREAM OF TARTAR:  most of us have used this in baking to help stiffen egg whites, but, it also has cleaning properties.  Use a thick paste of cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide to remove bathtub stains. 
• HYDROGEN PEROXIDE:  anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-mold and anti-mildew.  Use to clean mirrors, shower stalls and toilets.  Leaving the peroxide on the surface for a while will improve its effectiveness.

For more information and other green cleaning tips go to:

www.greenerchoices.org and www.thegreenguide.com

Potted? Recycle Them!

Recycle plant containers at Local Garden Shops–or at The Botanic Gardens or South High School

 

• April 25, 9 am to 3 pm at South High School
• June 27, 9 am to 3 pm at Denver Botanic Gardens
• Participating garden centers through the planting season

Details available here

Exchange Land for Produce

Or produce for land.

Landshare Colorado connects gardeners with folks with available land.  Are you unable to garden, but have a backyard you’d like to see produce some food?  Are you someone who’d like to garden, but lives in an apartment?

Visit Landshare Colorado and get hooked up!

More Money to Green Colorado

An additional 42 million dollars is on its way to Colorado to help fund clean energy programs here.  Denver will get $6 million.

Local governments will determine how to use the funds, but will be closely monitored by the feds to be sure the money is being used appropriately.

For further information go to:  The Denver Post

Affordable Area Activities

World Drum Celebration with Vicki Pezzi

Saturday, March 28, 2-3 pm

Denver Central Libarary Children’s Pavilion

Free!

Anne and Eric: Radio Days Music

Saturday, March 28, 2-3pm

Denver Central Library

Free!

The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design

Thru May 3, 2009

Tuesday-Friday, 9  am- 4 pm                                                                                    

Saturday and Sunday, 11 am-4 pm

 

Aurora History Museum                                                                                           15051 East Alameda Parkway

Free!

Medium-Cost Ways to Green Your Home

Save Money and Help the Planet by:

 

• Conducting an energy audit
• Insulating your attic and walls
• Installing a tankless water heater
• Landscaping with drought-resistant plants
• Installing cork or bamboo floors
• Installing no-VOC carpet