Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

The Woolridge Elementary School Green Club recently collected hair and nylons as part of their 1st Annual Recycling Bonanza.  Out timing for collecting these items is fortunate given the current crisis in the Gulf of Mexico.  The hair and nylons we collected will be sent to a great orgnization called Matter of Trust.

A huge nationwide response is currently taking place to help get hair boom to the gulf coast beaches in need. Matter of Trust has 12 locations spread out through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida that are receiving hair. There are hundreds of volunteers having Boom B Q parties where they're making the boom.

Thousands are signing up to their database program Excess Access (free and fast) to be assigned where to send hair, fur, waste wool clippings and used nylons (washed, runs ok) for making the booms. Please see their Youtube for information on Hair Mats and Hair Booms!

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"Cash for Appliances" is Official

Article from Earth-911

Consumers in the market to upgrade their old junkers, starting with cars and now including refrigerators and the like, are in luck this year as federal stimulus dollars are being appropriated to encourage the purchase of energy efficient staples around our homes.

“Cash for Appliances” will utilize nearly $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund a rebate program that encourages consumers to purchase ENERGY STAR-certified appliances. Unlike its “Clunkers” predecessor, turning in an old model is not required – although we highly recommend recycling as an option for your washed up washers and dryers.

Some ENERGY STAR-certified models of appliances can save you more than half on your annual electricity costs to run them.

“Appliances consume a huge amount of our electricity, so there’s enormous potential to both save energy and save families money every month,” said Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu earlier this year. “These rebates will help families make the transition to more efficient appliances, making purchases that will directly stimulate the economy and create jobs.”

Availability for these energy-efficient appliances is abundant. In 2008 alone, 55 percent of major household appliances manufactured were ENERGY STAR-certified. Cash for Appliances would also potentially help boost the sagging sales for these products, as the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers reports shipments are down 15 percent this year. This was after a 10 percent drop in 2008.

For the greatest potential energy savings, the DOE recommends programs focus on appliances, heating and cooling equipment and water heaters. The rebates’ worth and time lines for receiving them will be determined by individual states and territories, so every program will be a bit different.

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Chesterfield Observer Article About WES Green Club

The Chesterfield Observer has a nice article about local elementary schools' efforts to protect our environment. Many Chesterfield County schools are joining in the action. Here is what the article mentioned about Woolridge Elementary School. Click HERE to read the full article and learn about what's being done at other local elementary schools.

Woolridge Elementary
The “Go Green” initiative at Woolridge Elementary is beginning its third year. “Each classroom has recycling bins for paper and plastic, and we have a giant bin outside [the school] that is sponsored by the PTA,” said Raye McKissick, fourth-grade teacher and one of two teacher coordinators for the program.

Along with kindergarten teacher Debbie Pinkston and parents Kim Owens and Jay Yeman, McKissick keeps the various recycling efforts at Woolridge running smoothly. In addition to the paper and plastic recycling, they’ve overseen a catalog cancelling contest to see which class could get the most parents to give up their catalog subscriptions, and encouraged recycling at their fall festival pumpkin-lighting night. They’ve collected used-up glue sticks, which are sent to a recycling program sponsored by Walmart, and saved juice box pouches, which are sent to Terra Cycle, a recycler that pays the school for the pouches. They are selling reusable grocery bags that will benefit both the environment and the school.

Yeman developed a Web site, www.gogreenwoolridge.blogspot.com, that includes tips for recycling and other go-green ideas.

They also reward the kids for their recycling success. “We have a ‘Green Class of the Month,’ where we recognize the class that has the most [green] things going on, such as having green plants, turning off the lights, keeping their recycling bin full,” McKissick said. Art teacher Wendi Hobbie made a trophy that the winning class keeps for the month.

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CCPS Superintendent Issues Directive to Schools to Conserve Energy

Marcus J. Newsome, Ed.D., Superintendent of the Chesterfield County School District, issued a memo to all of the schools outlining measures he expects the schools to take in order to conserve energy.

• Turn off computers, monitors and lights at the end of the day.
• Turn off audiovisual equipment in training and conference rooms, as well as classrooms, when not in use.
• Set up computers to power down when not in use.
• Unplug mobile phone chargers anytime that you are not using them.
• Reduce the number of electrical devices at your desk or work station or in your classroom.
• Clear space in front of air duct supply and return grills to ensure that heating and air conditioning equipment isn't obstructed.

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

It is roughly the size of Texas, containing approximately 3.5 million tons of trash. Shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers, toothbrushes, and bottles too numerous to count are only part of what can be found in this accidental dump floating midway between Hawaii and San Francisco. It is estimated that 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships at sea. Ocean currents carry debris from the east coast of Asia to the center of the gyre in about five years, and debris from the west coast of North America in a year or less

As the plastic garbage degrades into smaller and smaller pieces and disintegrates, the plastic ultimately becomes small enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms which reside near the ocean's surface. Plastic waste then enters the food chain and may eventually be consumed by humans.

So please recycle, reduce the amount of plastics you use, and make sure you dispose of your trash properly.

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Tesla Unvails First Mass-Produced, Highway Capable Electric Car

March 26, 2009

HAWTHORNE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) —Tesla Motors is now taking orders for the Model S, an all electric family sedan that carries seven people and travels 300 miles per charge.

The Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes. By recharging their car while they stop for a meal, drivers can go from LA to New York in approximately the same time as a gasoline car. Moreover, the floor-mounted battery pack is designed to be changed out in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank, allowing for the possibility of battery-pack swap stations.

The floor-mounted powertrain also results in unparalleled cargo room and versatility, as the volume under the front hood becomes a second trunk. Combining that with a four-bar linkage hatchback rear trunk and flat folding rear seats, the Model S can accommodate a 50-inch television, mountain bike *and* surfboard simultaneously. This packaging efficiency gives the Model S more trunk space than any other sedan on the market and more than most SUVs.

“Model S doesn’t compromise on performance, efficiency or utility -- it’s truly the only car you need,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Tesla is relentlessly driving down the cost of electric vehicle technology, and this is just the first of many mainstream cars we’re developing.”

Tesla expects to start Model S production in late 2011. The company believes it is close to receiving $350 million in federal loans to build the Model S assembly plant in California from the Dept of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program.

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October Battery Recycling Results

Great job Woolridge! We recycled 45 pounds of batteries! That's over 750 batteries that will not go into the landfill and create pollution. Keep them coming in.

Please remember to not bring batteries in if they are leaking or damaged. Leaking batteries can burn your skin. Also, please remove batteries from any electronics device before putting them in the recycling bin.

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President Signs into Law Financial Rescue Package with Long-Awaited Extensions of Vital Energy Tax Incentives

President Bush signed into law a $700 billion financial rescue bill that also includes $17 billion in energy tax incentives, including extensions of several provisions that have already expired or were set to expire at year's end. Among other energy provisions, the new law contains several tax incentives that promise to advance greener, more energy-efficient buildings, including:

• A 1-year extension of the tax credit for the production of energy from wind, and a two-year extension of the credit for energy production from other renewable sources, such as geothermal.
• An 8-year extension of the tax credits for investment in commercial and residential solar projects, including the removal of the $2,000 cap on investments in residential solar electric installations, and the addition of small wind energy and geothermal heat pump projects as qualifying installations for tax credits.
• A 5-year extension of the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings;
• A 1-year extension of the tax credit for the construction of new energy-efficient homes
• A 1-year extension of the tax credit for qualified energy-efficiency upgrades to existing homes.
• An extension through 2010 of the tax credit for the manufacture of energy-efficient appliances.
• A 3-year extension of the authority for state and localities to issue tax-exempt bonds for green building and sustainable design projects.

For a summary of the tax provisions in the new law, click here.

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