District 9 Green Triangle eNews
July 25, 2012
You are receiving this email because you have contacted the 9th District Office about green initiatives. If you would like to be removed from this communication please email Katie Holmes with “REMOVE” in the subject. This is a bi-weekly eNews. Please feel free to copy any of this information for use at your meetings or in your newsletters.
Green Institute
The Center for Neighborhoods is offering a new leadership-education program, the Green Institute, in the fall of 2012. The 12-week course “equips neighborhood leaders with the skills and resources needed to improve the environmental, social, and economic resilience of their communities.” View the Green Institute Brochure.
The Green Institute is modeled on the Center for Neighborhood’s successful Neighborhood Institute. The Green Institute empowers individuals to make informed decisions about the interdependent areas of energy, the economy, and the environment by creatively exploring a wide range of issues in depth on global, regional, community, and personal scales. Topics will include:
· Water conservation and management
· Smart city planning & policy
· Waste reduction, recycling, & creative reuse
· Preservation, restoration, and remediation
· Transition initiatives & low-impact living
· Renewable energy
· Transportation
· Green architecture, design, & building
· Sustainable local agriculture & food
· Community strengthening & resilience
· Sustainable economic development
· Ecology & conservation
The course will be held at United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 S. State Street, on 12 Monday evenings from August 20 to November 12, 2012. The course will conclude with presentations on self-directed neighborhood sustainability projects that each participant will undertake.
Space in the program is limited. Download the Registration Form for Green Institute, fill out, and send to the Center for Neighborhoods to indicate your interest in the program. The Green Triangle is excited to help sponsor the program.
Notice of Public Hearing for Cane Run Natural Gas Plant
The Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District proposes issuing construction permits to Louisville Gas & Electric for its Cane Run Generating Station, 5252 Cane Run Road, in accordance with Regulation 2.03, for installation of a natural gas combine cycle electricity generating facility. The 30-day public comment period began on July 12, 2012, and ends on August 13, 2012. You may submit a comment online with this form.
The Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control Board is scheduling a public hearing on these proposed permits on August 15, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. in the Ballroom, Memorial Auditorium, 970 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY 40203, in accordance with Regulations 1.08 and 2.07. Oral comments will be accepted at the public hearing.
Drafts of the permit are available at the District office, 850 Barret Ave., Louisville between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling Paul Aud at (502) 574-6000 or emailing . Copies of the application are available upon request. More information is available on the APCD website.
Metro Parks One Question Poll
Metro Parks wants you to answer one question: What would you like to see more of in Metro Parks? Take the poll here. While you are on the Metro Parks website, learn more about our great parks system. Use the Park Finder to find the closest park to you and to find parks with features like basketball courts, tennis courts, and more. You can even get the Park Finder app for your smart phone.
Share Your Green Steps
Working to be more sustainable in your actions can strengthen your community. Green steps lead to a healthier environment, and many of them build community. Show your neighborhood pride and share your green steps by creating a Green Triangle profile today.
Let’s see which 9th District neighborhood is host to the most rain gardens, vegetable gardens, disconnected downspouts, and more green features that you can see on the Community Map of Green Resources. View it here to see what your neighbors are doing for a greener future. Add your information to the community map through making a profile and connecting with neighbors who are involved in green projects.
The Green Triangle is working to measure the impact of the 9th District’s green steps. We want to know exactly what difference we are making. How much does each of our individual and collective efforts improve our community’s sustainability?
So far, we have heard from 42 9th District residents, and here is some of what we have learned:
· Respondents have more than 19 rain barrels. If each rain barrel collects 55 gallons of water, this creates the opportunity to save 1045 gallons of water from entering the storm water sewer in a rain event.
· 78 gallons of waste are composted per week, keeping 4056 gallons of waste out of the landfill per year.
Recycle Your Old Handheld Electronics!
Do have old unused cell phones and other handheld electronics stored in a drawer at home? If so, take advantage of handheld electronics recycling through Eco-Cell. Find a list of drop off locations in the 9th District where you may take handheld electronics to be recycled. Items will be refurbished and resold or recycled, benefiting the Green Triangle and sustainability projects in the 9th District, while keeping hazardous materials like arsenic and lead out of the landfill.
Acceptable items include: cell phones, cell phone accessories, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players, handheld game systems, GPS handheld units, laptops, e-readers and portable hard drives. All cords and related items can also be recycled. Learn more.
So far we have collected over 130 handheld electronic items. Help us increase this number by dropping off your old handheld electronics today!
Green Triangle Booth at National Night Out
The Louisville Metro Police Department 5th Division is hosting the 29th Annual National Night Out… America’s Night Out Against Crime on August 7 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm at the Peterson-Dumesnil House, 301 S Peterson. The Green Triangle will have a booth at the event. Stop by to learn more about how to be involved in creating a sustainable community! Bring your old handheld electronics to recycle through Eco-Cell and the Green Triangle and get a Green Triangle water bottle.
The 5th Division invites neighborhood groups, community groups and businesses within the 5th Division to participate in National Night Out by setting up a booth or table at the event. Volunteers are needed for this event. To volunteer please call 574-7636.
Ribbon Cutting
Waste Management is holding a ribbon cutting for Louisville’s first public access, 24-hour compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station at its 7501 Grade Lane facility on August 1 at 4:00pm. The development of the new fueling station will make CNG available to commercial fleets as well as private individuals with CNG-equipped vehicles. Contact George Parker Jr. with Parker Lane LLC for more information or to RSVP at 299-0950 or .
Sustainability Tip - Be Green and Healthy
Oftentimes steps we take to be greener also impact our health positively. Steps you take to reduce your energy usage will lessen air pollution, leading to easier breathing for all. Learn more about air pollution and health from KAIRE. Other choices you make can help both the environment and your health as well. Here are some ideas:
· If possible, take the stairs instead of an elevator. You will save electricity and burn calories.
· Drink water instead of soft drinks. You’ll be better hydrated, consume less calories, and save resources used to manufacture soft drinks. Carry a reusable water bottle to cut down on packaging waste.
· Take public transit, walk, or bike when possible. Use TARC’s website to find a bus route and Ride the City to find a bike route. You’ll get exercise, save on fuel, and reduce carbon emissions.
· Buy healthy, local food that is in season. Your food will travel less distance from farm to table, reducing carbon emissions, and you’ll have seasonal, healthy choices. Find a local farmers’ market.
· Use natural cleaning supplies, without harmful chemicals, that are better for the environment and better for your health. Options like vinegar and baking soda create cleaning supplies that do not have volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are better for indoor air quality and your health. Learn more. Find recipes for making your own natural cleaning supplies from kyGreenTV.
LINKS
My Green Triangle
Green Triangle Facebook
Green Triangle Blog
9th District Blog
9th District Website
The Green Triangle is a community-led sustainability initiative in the 9th District, working to realize the following vision: Imagine Individuals, Businesses and Government working together to create a 9th District of:
· Green spaces for people to connect with nature and each other;
· Green options for transportation; and
· Green thinking that promotes the conservation of resources and our small neighborhood feel.
Contact the Green Triangle:
Katie Holmes, Special Projects Coordinator
Phone: 502.574-1109
http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroCouncil/Members/09/contact_kh.htm
Tina Ward-Pugh
9th District Councilwoman
http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroCouncil/Members/09/default.htm
The Green Triangle thanks the following sponsors:
· 9th District Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh
· DD Williamson
· MSD
· Mellwood Art Center
· River Metals Recycling
· eyedia
· First Capital Bank
· Heine Brothers' Coffee
· Louisville Biodiesel Cooperative
· Louisville Water Company
· LG&E
· McDonald's - Lower Brownsboro
Thanks as well to the Frankfort Avenue Business Association for serving as our fiscal agent.