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The Green Zone
KFMG 99.1 FM
Des Moines, Iowa
June 2-6, 2008
MONDAY, June 2
Today's Small Step: Find a Farmer's Market
It’s almost strawberry pickin’ time, and you can get yours fresh from the berry patch at your local farmer’s market. Come June farmers markets are in full swing across the country offering the best fresh, seasonal produce available, usually sold directly from the farmers who harvest it.
Buying fresh, local food ensures the most flavorful, nutritious produce possible, supports area farmers, and eliminates the environmental damage caused by shipping food from faraway places.
At many markets you’ll find a bounty of locally made goods, too--from home-baked bread to fudge and pastries, specialty cheeses, eggs, meats, wine, and ethnic foods. As if all that weren’t enough, these markets have a great community vide, a celebration of the earth’s bounty and community trading.
If you don’t know where the farmers market closest to you is located, check the web at
www.localharvest.org.
We’re lucky here in Iowa. Our rich black earth rewards us with riches all summer long. So buy local this summer.
TUESDAY, June 3
Today's Small Step: Visit Your Local Library
Rather than buying books, visit your local library. Looking for opportunities to borrow rather than buy helps reduce your environmental footprint. And that’s what libraries are for. Checking out books and videos rather than purchasing them saves paper, ink, money, and valuable natural resources.
Remember this next time you head out to buy a book. Visit the library, instead.
WEDNESDAY, June 4
Today's Small Step: Plant Native Species
This summer, consider replacing a portion of your lawn with plant species indigenous to central Iowa and its climate—plants like prairie grasses, Eichnecea, and TKTK. Not only will these native plants infuse your landscape with stunning color, they’re low-maintenance, and they don’t need as much water as grass does.
Because established native plants have deep roots, they allow soil to store more water, cutting back on watering time. Growing native plants can save more than half the water normally used to care for outdoor plants, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
They don’t need to be mowed, either. Instead of polluting outdoor air with combustion byproducts--as gas-powered lawn mowers do--native plants actually remove harmful carbon from the air.
Visit your local nursery for advice on which native species would do best in your yard.
THURSDAY, June 5
Today's Tip: Install solar lights outdoors
Want a great green solution to lighting your outdoor patio, pathway, or interesting landscape features? Look no further than solar-powered outdoor lights.
These low-maintenance fixtures absorb the sun’s energy and convert it into power that’s stored in a rechargeable battery. When the sun sets, the fixtures emit a gentle glow.
They’re easy to install. No digging is involved. Proper placement, though, is essential.
Solar fixtures can provide illumination for as long as 15 hours when they receive full sun exposure, but cloudy or rainy weather impacts performance, as does foliage and shadows. They cost about $20 and up apiece and are available at most large hardware stores.
FRIDAY, June 6
Today’s Small Step: Use your ceiling fan
Did you know your ceiling fan can help reduce energy bills year around? When it moves counterclockwise, the fan pushes cool air down from the ceiling to help cool the house on sizzling summer days. In fact, a ceiling fan can save as much as 40 percent on summer cooling costs. Reverse direction to clockwise in winter to pull warm air through the house on cold winter days.
They’re marvelous inventions, ceiling fans. And tremendously energy efficient. Ceiling fans use a tenth of the energy consumed by air conditioning and can make a room feel up to eight degrees cooler.
You won’t need to use high-tech energy-guzzling equipment—like air conditioners and furnaces—near as much. Let your ceiling fan help do the work, instead. Just remember to turn off the fan when you leave the room.
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 PROJECT:
Calculate Your Ecological Footprint |
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How much space does your lifestyle require? Find out.
Calculate your own ecological footprint by taking the quiz
at
www.myfootprint.org.
Then, you can compare your Ecological Footprint to what the
planet can sustain.
Adjusting your entries or playing with the “Reduce Your
Footprint” calculator will show how lifestyle changes affect
the Footprint size. Enter simple goals for your life on the
Action Calculator (such as a pledge to eat less meat) and
find out how many acres of land you could save just by
implementing that goal. Post your goals in a place where you
can see and review them every day. |
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ON THE AIR |
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• Dec. 29-Jan. 2, 2009
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Oct. 6-10, 2008
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Sept. 28-Oct. 3, 2008
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April 6-13, 2008 |
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