Tag Archives: environmental

This year, we bike FROM work!

Bike From Work 2012 RouteIt stands to reason that you’ll still have to bike TO work in order to participate in this year’s Bike from Work Day being organized by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) and the CommuteSmart initiative. It’s the ninth year that an event has been held though it’s the first time it’ll take place in the evening.

This year’s ride will once again start at the parking lot adjacent to the Young and Vann Building on 1st Ave. N. & 18th St. N. (home to both the RPCGB & CommuteSmart) but it will start at 5:30 p.m. If you want to take a closer look at this year’s route, click on the map to view the PDF or you can always download it from the page on CommuteSmart’s website that hosts additional information about the event.

It’s supposed to be a pretty comfortable day tomorrow (current forecast calls for a high of 77° and a low of 53° when we last checked – perfect cycling weather), so you may want to consider taking part if at all possible.

Green Tie Affair celebrates 16 years, highlights AEC initiatives

The Green Tie Affair celebrates sixteen years of serving as the Alabama Environmental Council‘s major fundraising event on Saturday evening. This time it will take place at the Good People Brewing Company tap room beginning at 6:30 p.m. We took a few moments to talk with the organization’s executive director, Michael Churchman, earlier in the week about the event and some of AEC’s current initiatives.

[youtube http://youtu.be/lxp6c_r9Fl0?hd=1]

While online ticket sales have closed, you may still want to go to the website and see the all of the things you’ll be able to bid on during the event. You’ll also be able to learn some more about Recycle Alabama as well as donate to support the renovation project underway  at the organization’s downtown recycling center.

Ruffner Mountain to close (but only temporarily)

You’ve got one more weekend before Ruffner Mountain Nature Center closes its facilities temporarily to complete construction of their new Tree Top Visitors Center. They made the announcement via a press release earlier today that it will be closed beginning next week Monday, May 4, through June 15 so that the existing structure can be demolished and so that the parking lot can be resurfaced. According to reports, the trails will be reopened after June 15, though the new building will open late summer/early fall, the first of the three Parknership projects to be completed. However, construction has been well underway for some time.

I actually serve as the vice president for the center’s board of directors and was photographed in front of the new building on the day that windows were being installed for Birmingham Magazine‘s March edition. You may want to head over there this weekend and see how much has already been completed – albeit from a distance…

Random Shots: The city’s new wheels

Larry Langford examines new Honda Civic - Alagasco

Photo: Bob Farley/f8Photo

Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford looks over the city’s new natural gas powered Honda Civic yesterday at a press coinference in front of City Hall. The City of Birmingham announced Monday it will purchase 70 natural gas-fueled refuse and brush trucks. These new trucks will be the largest fleet of natural gas-fueled refuse trucks in the Southeast. By using natural gas-fueled refuse trucks, the city will be able to eliminate 220,000 gallons of diesel fuel usage each year.

Cafeteria trays disappear at Samford, across the country

The new trend in the greening of America is the removal of trays from college cafeterias from Ohio to California). Birmingham’s own Samford University has joined in on the fun, leading to several degrees of reactions on the school’s campus. Here’s the story courtesy of the Samford Crimson. There’s also this piece (and the three pages of comments) over at Slashfood. Some food for thought (and hopefully for comments here too).

Regional cooperation for fuel savings

Birmingham’s current effort to go green, which currently includes initiatives like Mayor Langford’s 4-day work week and scrap metal recycling program, could be expanded soon to include a plan to implement a regional plan to use E85 fuel made from wood waste in the city’s 130 current fleet of flex fuel vehicles and other vehicles in the area’s three largest cities.

The mayor’s office let us know that he recently met with Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos and Mayor Ed May of Bessemer to discuss the possibility of developing just such a regional plan. According to the press release, Birmingham alone generates an estimated 16,000 tons of wood waste per year.

“One ton of wood waste generates an estimated 215 gallons of E85 fuel. Just based on that, this City could generate three times our annual fuel consumption,” said Mayor Langford.

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XO laptops delivered; what about the boxes?

The first major delivery of XO laptop computers were made to students at Glen Iris Elementary School earlier this week. Approximately 700 computers were distributed. We all know how environmentally friendly the laptops are but what about the packaging?

XO laptop boxes recycled

AEC Program Coordinator Jenny Dorgan gets assistance from a student at Glen Iris Elementary School while preparing the boxes that delivered approximately 700 laptops for recycling. Photo courtesy of the Alabama Environmental Council.

Well, the Alabama Environmental Council let us know that they recycled 100% of the packaging from the first disbursement of the laptops (including all of these boxes that you’re seeing).