10000 People Blog

The Earth Policy Institute reports that replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) and LEDs (light-emitting diodes) is the easiest and and most cost-effective way for households to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase energy efficiency.*

On a larger scale, renewable energy comes from any natural sources that are constantly and sustainably replenished. Energy that comes from wind, sun, water and plants will create a cleaner environment including creating better air quality, curb global warming and reduce the use of fossil fuels.**

Wind energy is an affordable renewable energy that is completely pollution-free. American wind generates enough electricity to power 10 million homes and federal researchers estimate that wind energy could power 30 percent or more of the country’s electricity needs.***

Another renewable energy is solar energy, a resource that has made technological leaps in the last few decades, making it much more cost effective for the average consumer. Sunlight is free, available to everyone and produces no emissions including those that cause global warming.****

*http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/world-electricity-consumption/compact-fluorescent-lamps-zwfz11zwar.aspx
**http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/
***http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/wind.asp
****http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/solar.asp

Did you know that in New Orleans you are allowed to keep up to five pets in or around your home? This includes egg-laying chickens! Raising chickens for eggs is part of the locavore movement gaining momentum around the country. By raising backyard chickens, you can not only be a food consumer, but a food producer.*

Air quality and factory farm greenhouse gas emissions are a major concern for human quality of life and negative environmental impact. Studies done on industrial farms have shown that dairy, beef and poultry farms account for the majority of ammonia emissions with poultry farms at a whopping 664,238 tons per year.** By raising your own chickens and foregoing store-bought chickens raised in a factory farm you are committing to a more energy-efficient lifestyle.

Many people swear by the flavor difference in home-grown eggs and visually, this series of  photographs illustrates the differences:

http://thetastingbuds.com/2010/03/farm-fresh-eggs-vs-conventional-factory-farm-eggs-a-photographic-comparison/

There are a variety of resources available to people who want to start raising their own backyards chickens with backyardchickens.com being a good start to your project.  The New Orleans Food and Farm Network also has workshops for those interested in raising chickens.***  Making sure your chickens have a safe, comfortable coop is of the most important aspects of raising chickens, including protecting them from any neighborhood predators.

*http://urbanchickens.org/
**www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/ap42/…/nh3inventoryfactsheet_jan2004.pdf
***http://www.noffn.org/2011/10/backyard-chickens-nola-growers-guide-tipsheet/

Oil, coal and natural gas are fossil fuels and 85 percent of our energy comes from burning these fuels. Unfortunately, burning these fuels creates problems for the environment including the creation of damaging by-products such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. These harmful greenhouse gases also cause health issues for humans including respiratory and cardiac problems.*

Fossil fuel use in the United States has grown exponentially and agriculture now accounts for roughly 17 percent of all the energy used in our country.** A 2002 study done by the John Hopkins School of Public Health found that our current agricultural system uses three calories of energy to create one calorie of edible food. For grain-fed beef the number jumps to 35 calories of energy to create  one calorie of edible beef. Other factors associated with agriculture production increase the consumption of fossil fuels and the greenhouse gases that consumption causes including: pesticide chemicals, packaging, processing, storing food and food transportation.*

The local food movement is becoming popular all over the country and there are now more options for people who want to off-set the fossil fuel use of the industrial agriculture industry:

• Buy locally grown food
• Plant your own backyard vegetable garden
• Avoid purchasing processed foods
• Cut back on meat*

*http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/energy/
**http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/fossil-fuels.cfm

Human activity is responsible for releasing many greenhouse gases into the environment.  While some of these gases are good for the environment, many are not and are directly related to climate change. Climate change, while usually called “global warming,” is actually any kind of distinct climate change that lasts for a long period of time. This includes changes in wind patterns, rainfall and snowfall. “Global warming” refers to the average increase in temperatures in the Earth’s surface and can be considered part of climate change. Increases in global temperatures will change our planet’s climate and have long-term effects on people and the environment.*

Most of you know that Green Light New Orleans’ mission is to invest in lowering greenhouse gas emissions by assisting residents in person, one household at a time by installing energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. Replacing incandescent light bulbs is one of the easiest ways people can lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

If every American replaced one incandescent light bulb with a light bulb that has the Energy Star rating, we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes per year, save about $600 million in annual energy costs and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year which is equal to the amount produced by 800,000 cars.** To put this number of vehicles in perspective, the Los Angeles County freeway system handles 12 million vehicles per day.

The Environmental Protection Agency website offers a tool to calculate your individual greenhouse gas emissions as well as other tips on how to reduce those emissions and how much you can save in dollars and emissions by taking certain actions.***
*EPA; http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html
**Energy Star
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=LB
***http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

Green Light New Orleans is now offering up to three free air filter replacements for CFL applicants with central air and heating systems in their homes! Central air and heating systems are one of the worst energy-offenders especially during the summer and winter months when they are used more often. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to make your central air system more energy efficient, thus saving you money and lowering your carbon footprint!

While air conditioning equipment runs at peak efficiency when it runs for long periods, leaving the unit off and then cooling or heating to a comfortable temperature will use less electricity than cycling on and off for short periods to maintain a preferred temperature. If your unit takes too long to get back to a comfortable temperature, you can install a programmable thermostat to start heating or cooling an hour before you return. A properly programmed thermostat can reduce the energy used by your unit by 5-30 percent.*

Check your air filter every month, especially during summer and winter months. It is not unusual to change your air filter every month during those high-use months. If your filter looks dirty, change it! Central air filters should be changed at a minimum of every three months. Another good practice is to have a contractor tune up your system yearly by:

• Checking electrical connections: Faulty connections are unsafe and reduce the life of major components.
• Lubricate all moving parts: Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increase the amount of electricity you use.
• Inspect the condensate drain: A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.
• Check the evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils: Dirty coils reduce the system’s ability to cool your home and causes the system to run longer.**

* Information provided by U.S. Department of Energy: Environmental Energy Technologies Division

** Information provided by Energy Star

In case you haven’t heard: Green Light has a new campaign called Citizens For Light! The aim of the campaign is to have installed 343,829 light bulbs by May of 2012. This number represents one light bulb per resident of New Orleans. Achievement of this goal will reduce the city’s carbon footprint by 154 million pounds of CO2, save residents $15 million in utility costs, and establish a citywide movement of individuals in support of sustainable, energy efficient solutions.

As of yesterday we reached 303,303 light bulbs, and for MLK Day, we are planning an event in order to promote Citizens For Light and get to work installing the remaining 40,000 light bulbs! We’ll have volunteers from AmeriCorps*NCCC, Catholic Charities, Xavier University, Benjamin Franklin High School, and KIPP Renaissance High School helping us out installing light bulbs, and we expect to make quite a splash. Some of our volunteers will also install backyard vegetable gardens for previous light bulb recipients as part of our partnership with the New Orleans Food and Farm Network. We are looking forward to a great event in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you want to get involved in this year’s MLK Day extravaganza, please sign up on our websiteor call our volunteer coordinator directly at 504-324-2429.

GLNO has partnered with the Academy of the Sacred Heart to create a green Christmas tree display on Magazine St. this holiday season!  The display features artistic trees made of recycled light bulbs, and is designed by artist Mark Kirk and built by members of Sacred Heart’s Environmental Club.

The partnership between Sacred Heart and GLNO began when Sacred Heart committed to installing 3000 CFLs as part of GLNO’s Citizens for Light campaign.  Mark Kirk, an artist known for his artwork made o f repurposed materials, has worked with GLNO for some time now, using GLNO’s recycled light bulbs in his artwork.

The trees will be displayed along the 2000-2100 blocks of Magazine Street, or Green Light District, for the month of December.  The launch of the display will be this Thursday, December 8^th from 5-9 pm as part of the Green Light District’s Second Annual Holiday “Eco-celebration”. The launch celebration will include a lighting of the Christmas trees, live music from Ms. Mec &Belizaire, complimentary refreshments, sales and trunk shows from local shops, a live green Santa for children to take pictures with, and informational tables by other local non-profits and eco-minded service organizations.  Starting on Thursday the trees will also be auctioned off as artwork, with all proceeds going towards GLNO.

The purpose of the display, besides bringing joy to Magazine St. for the holidays, is to inform people about GLNO’s Citizens for Light campaign which aims to install 343,829 CFLs by the end of April 2012.  The goal of the campaign is to install one CFL for every resident of New Orleans, demonstrating the power of sustainable living.

For more information about…
Sacred Heart’s Environmental Club: www.greenlightsacredheart.org
Mark Kirk’s repurposed art: www.shopgreenneworleans.com

Young Judaea was founded in 1909 and is the oldest Zionist youth movemenbt in the United States.  This Winter, Young Judaea is partnering with Green Light from December 25th to the 30th as part of it’s Alternative Winter Break.  High school aged students from across the country will have the opportunity to help instal CFLs this holiday season with GLNO, as well as volunteer with several other New Orleans non-profits including All Souls Chruch and Community Center, St. Bernard Project, and the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement  and Development through the Alternative Winter Break program.  For thosse students interested in participating in the program or learning more about Young Judaea visit their website at: http://www.youngjudaea.org/site/c.nuIYKfMWIvF/b.7613149/k.B522/nbsp.htm

Thanks for your help this Winter Young Judaea!  We can’t wait to meet all of the volunteers!

Hey everyone!  Follow these 8 easy tips to stay environmentally friendly this week.

1. Try to buy local and organic food. Not only will buying local help our local farmers and industry, your fresh and delicious food will also be sure to impress your guests!  Some great local markets are the Crescent City Farmers Market, open from 9 am to 1 pm on Tuesday at 200 Broadway St. and the New Orleans Food Co-Op open from 9 to 9 seven days a week on 2372 St. Claude Ave

2. Try not to over stock on groceries. Running out of food for your guests would certainly be a disaster, but so would be overstocking on groceries and wasting extra food!  Plan ahead to purchase the right portions for each guest.  Use-Less-Stuff.com has a handy list of approximate per person food portions:

• Turkey- 1 pound
• Stuffing- ¼ pound
• Sweet potato casserole- ¼ pound
• Green beans- ¼ pound
• Cranberry relish- 3 tablespoons
• Pumpkin pie- 1/8 of a 9 inch pie

3. Compost your scraps. Table scraps are an inevitable part of any holiday feast.  For those leftover’s you can’t save – compost!  If you don’t already have a compost pile, now is a great time to start.  Check out this link for tips: http://earth911.com/news/2009/08/31/cheat-sheet-composting/

4.  Avoid using disposable dishes and silverware.  Impress your guests with your own cloth napkins and tablecloths and by using your own china and silverware.  Not only will it help the environment, it’s also more tasteful!  And remember, when it comes time to wash those dishes, fill the dishwasher to capacity to save water, an average dishwashing load uses 7-15 gallons of water.

5. Don’t forget to recycle! It’s easy to forget in the holiday hubbub but this is one easiest ways to make a difference!  If you haven’t already signed up for the New Orleans recycling program, check out their website http://recycle.nola.gov/.

6.  Instead of buying decorations, craft your own! You can make beautiful holiday decorations using materials from your house and backyard.  Organize a crafting day for the kids before Thanksgiving, not only will the decorations beautify your home, making them can become a new family tradition!  Use gourds, leaves, and flowers from your garden or farmers market to make your own beautiful centerpieces, or check out this and other craft ideas at:

• http://blissfullydomestic.com/fun-bliss/crafts-fun-bliss/cereal-box-cut-outs-part-3-thanksgiving-turkeys/15892/
• http://craftingagreenworld.com/2010/11/15/thanksgiving-crafts-that-you-can-make-out-of-recycled-materials/

7. If at all possible, try to travel less. Try to stay close to home this Thanksgiving.  If each family reduced holiday gasoline consumption by 1 gallon (about 20 miles) it would reduce green house emissions by 1 million tons!

8. Light up your home for the holidays with CFLs from Green Light New Orleans!

This week Green Light was lucky enough to receive the help of one truly dedicated volunteer, Russell Lyons.  Russell graduated from high school and is currently taking a gap year before he begins college to travel the country to volunteer in over 20 communities, including New Orleans.  Russell volunteered with GLNO for four days helping schedule installations in the office as well as complete installations throughout the city.  Through his work with GLNO, Russell installed 277 light bulbs, saving 109,138 kwh, $12,742 in energy bills, 123,819 lbs of CO2.

In addition to working with GLNO, Russell’s helped organizations in communities across the country ranging from animal shelters to literacy projects to helping the homeless, starting in his hometown of San Diego.

Thanks Russell for helping our city and our country!  Your dedication to helping others is truly inspiring!  Keep up the great work, we can’t thank you enough!

For more information on Russell’s journey, check out his website: dogoodadventure.com.