Cape Fear's Going Green • Fall 2011

Cape Fear’s

Going Green

your guide to local eco-friendly resources

NEW FOOD DELIVERY SYSTEMS: Where Does Your Food Come From?

Farm Stewardship Conference

Sparks Local Innovation

Slow Money Arrives in Wilmington

The State of Our Oceans

Wild Bird & Garden

Nature Photo Contest

Audubon’s “Be a Good Egg”

Program Helps Shorebirds

Letter from the Editor

You have a different relationship with your food once you’ve grown it yourself. Raising my own lettuce means instead of wolfing down a salad I sometimes pause to savor the individual leaves. Instead of downing a handful of pecans, I consider that someone had to bend down and pick up each nut and then shell it. Knowing the work that goes into the harvest makes the pecans seem more special. My neighborhood used to be a pecan grove, so I am fortunate to get nuts from my own tree, just a step from the back door.

As I examine the proliferation of food-buying choices becoming available in the Cape Fear region, I am struck by the change in the conversation. Before, the discussion seemed to be about whether buying organic produce was “worth it”—presumably to the consumer. Now I am as likely to hear about pesticide use, sustainable farming, and calculating food miles. And our food vendors are responding: new farmers’ markets are opening, Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) is on the rise, and everyone seems to be talking about eating locally. When I walk into my local Harris Teeter and see, atop a mountain of sweet potatoes, a hand-lettered sign announcing they came from 81 miles away, I know things are changing.

We like to think that our actions can have an effect— for good—in the world, but often the choices we make seem far removed from our desired result. Driving fewer miles and switching to more efficient light bulbs makes sense, but by doing these are we really challenging the status quo?

Enter the food discussion. Choosing where and what to buy (or grow,) prepare, and eat is one of the most powerful actions left to us as individuals. It can have an immediate effect on our health, our community’s viability, and the nation’s policies and culture. I’m seeing these changes in my community, and realize that with choices I make every day—even eating a handful of pecans from my own yard—I’m part of this change.

Valerie L. Robertson Editor

Contents

3 Down East Connect: New Food Delivery System

6 Local Pickle Vendors Create Frozen Dessert Line

7 Margaret Shelton Earns YWCA Environmental Award

8 Your Ecological House

Can Biochar Save the Planet?

Two Turkeys and a Blessing

10 Slow Money Comes to Wilmington

11 UNCW Makes Moves to Keep Green

12 Annual Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Conference

13 Wrapping Up a Green Halloween at N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher

14 Scientists Call for Concerted International Action to Save World’s Oceans

17 Report Finds Significant Adverse Health Effects from Titan’s Proposed Cement Plant Emissions

19 Portrait of an Artist: Marie Sheppard

20 Kings of Junk

23 Wild Bird & Garden Holds Second Annual Nature Photo Contest

24 Audubon North Carolina Kicks Off Be a Good Egg/Share the Beach Initiative

Front Cover: Fall harvest—an armful of produce picked in just a few minutes from the back yard. Photo by Mary Robertson.

Cape Fear’s Going Green is a quarterly publication promoting eco-friendly resources and lifestyles in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin.

Publisher & Editor in Chief: Valerie Robertson

Sister City: Eugene, Oregon (Voted “Greenest City” 2006 by The Green Guide)

Eugene Contributing Editor: Mary Robertson

Advisors & Editorial Contributors: Audubon North Carolina, Jessica Berinson, Courtney Bowman, Jennifer Butler, Nicole Carpenter, Joy Davis, Liz Durkin, Kat Fowler, Walker Golder, Carol Peppe Hewitt, Gracie Hutchens, Mitzy Jonkheer, the Kuuskoski family, Christie Perry, Ida Phillips, Adeline Robertson, George Scheibner, Philip S. Wenz.

Cape Fear’s Going Green

Going Green Publications

P. O. Box 3164

Wilmington, NC 28406 (910) 547-4390

www.goinggreenpublications.com

Cape Fear’s Going Green is available by subscription or on our Web site. Print copies are available at more than 100 area eco-friendly businesses and locations, including:

Angela’s Pepper-Pickled Foods, Cape Fear Rainwater Harvesting, Old Growth Riverwood, Lovey’s, Mott Landscaping, Pomegranate Books, Port City Java, Progressive Gardens, Sambuca, Sapona Green Building Center, Tidal Creek Co-op, UNCW, WHQR, Wild Bird & Garden, and the Shelton Herb Farm booth at area farmers’ markets.

Editorial: If you have story ideas or calendar items to suggest, email us at editor@goinggreenpublications.com, or call (910) 547-4390.

Advertising information: Email ads@goinggreenpublications.com.

Cape Fear’s Going Green is distributed free of charge throughout Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties. If you have a business and would like to receive multiple copies for the public to pick up, please contact us.

photo by George Scheibner Valerie Robertson demonstrates her dire need for food-growing classes, by showing off her entire carrot harvest for 2011.

Down East Connect: New Food Delivery System Brings Rural Produce to Urban Settings

Creative Use of Internet Expands Local Food Buying Options

There’s an exciting new way for Wilmington residents to buy fresh food directly from local farmers. Formerly, area residents either visited a local farmers’ market or specialty grocery store, signed up for a CSA share (see sidebar), or drove to a farmer’s roadside stand for their vegetables.

Buying Local: Some Direct Marketing Avenues

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Community Supported Agriculture is a way for the food-buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become “members” (or “shareholders,” or “subscribers”) of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season.

A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall, but there are winter CSAs, particularly in mild climates.

Farmers’ Market

In a farmers’ market, a group of farmers sell their products once or twice a week at a designated public place like a park or parking lot. Some farmers’ markets have live entertainment. Shopping at a farmers’ market is a great way to meet local farmers and get fresh, flavorful produce!

Farm Stand

A farm stand is a place where a single farm sells its produce, either from the back of a truck parked on Main Street, or from a roadside stand near or on their farm. Generally only open during warm weather, farm stands may be “self serve.”

Food Cooperative (or Co-op)

Food cooperatives are worker- or customer-owned entities that provide grocery items of the highest quality and best value to their members. Co-ops can take the shape of retail stores or buying clubs. All food co-ops are committed to consumer education, product quality, and member control, and usually support their local communities by selling produce grown locally by family farms. Source: www.LocalHarvest.org/descriptions.jsp

Now, thanks to a computer model imported from Rutherford County, individuals, chefs, and institutional buyers can go online to sign up for weekly delivery of produce, meat, eggs and other products. This new online ordering system matches small North Carolina farmers—primarily in Columbus County—with consumers in Wilmington. Called “Down East Connect,” the program allows people to order and pay for food right from home.

Here’s how it works: an area shopper sets up an account at the group’s website and selects from a list of delivery points (called “Metropolitan Buying Clubs”). Once active, they can go online any time to see what food is currently available, and to read about the participating farmers. There’s no fee to sign up, and the minimum order at one time is $10 for individuals. Chefs and institutions such as hospitals and schools get free delivery for orders of $200 or more; otherwise they can pay a $25 delivery charge for a smaller order.

Cutoff time for each week’s order is noon on Tuesday: that’s when the participating farmers can log in to see what has been ordered. They have until 11 a.m. Wednesday morning to harvest, package and label, and deliver all orders to a Columbus County location in either Whiteville or Tabor City. Farmers use barcoding equipment to help track the orders. Down East Connect Project Manager Martha Campagna then picks up the food and delivers it to the various delivery locations. Once delivered, buyers can pick up their orders during set pick-up hours. The variety of offerings has expanded quickly to include not only produce but beef, pork, free-range poultry and eggs, juice and cider, grits and corn, and bread baked using freshmilled flour.

Organizer Josh Heinberg’s motivation for bringing this model to the Columbus County/Wilmington area was job creation. The state Department of Commerce ranks counties based on their economic well-being—Columbus County is designated a

“Tier 1,” or the most economically distressed category, and small farmers there are struggling to survive. Yet right next door is New Hanover County, with the means and interest to buy local, fresh produce. And computer technology can help solve both problems. “We are connecting these small farms with a hungry public that they would not be able to reach if not for the internet,” says Heinberg.

And farmers get more than just an Internet-based market for their goods. Campagna helps them develop online descriptions of their produce and of their farming methods, which helps build relationships with the local buyers. Buyers can even arrange to pay a visit to the farm from which they buy their food. Consumers like to know where their food comes from as well as knowing they’re supporting local farmers.

Many consumers are getting uncomfortable with what passes for “food” today. Safety recalls, use of hormones and antibiotics, genetic engineering and increased knowledge of the way farm animals have

(continued on page 4)

John Russ of B+L Farms dishes up some of his own greens for an attendee of a “Farmer Meet & Greet” event at Progressive Gardens. John and his wife Linda Russ were two of the farmers showcasing foods available through Down East Connect.

local food

New Food Delivery System – continued

“Eating Local,” Year-Round

Finding local produce through the winter can be a challenge as farmers’ markets close for the winter months; you may have to seek additional sources. First, learn what produce is available each season. In fall and winter, look for root vegetables (sweet potatoes, potatoes, beets), winter squashes, peanuts, pecans, leeks, cabbages, greens (kale, collards), and microgreens.* Apples are available from western North Carolina. We’re used to waiting until spring for strawberries, and summer for Silver Queen corn; tomatoes grown outdoors don’t mature until July.

Vendors you meet at farmers’ markets often have additional ways to distribute their produce. Several online sources are available to help you find farms, CSAs, online buying clubs, farmers’ markets, and farm stands near you all year long.

North Carolina:

Feast Down East serves eleven counties in Southeastern North Carolina

http://www.FeastDownEast.org/

North Carolina Farm Fresh

http://www.ncfarmfresh.com/

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association http://carolinafarmstewards.org/

Nationwide: Local Harvest http://www.localharvest.org/

Tidal Creek Co-op sponsors an “Eat Local” Challenge every summer. Participants sign up online and commit to getting a percentage of their food from local sources. Even an increase of 5% can make a difference. www.tidalcreek.coop.

The Cape Fear Chapter of EarthSave, a national nonprofit that educates people about healthful food choices, hosts monthly meetings with a speaker and a vegetarian/ vegan/raw food potluck emphasizing local produce. See http://senc.earthsave.org or call (910)200-6884.

Join the “NC 10% Campaign” and help The Center for Environmental Farming Systems support local food producers, businesses and communities. Register at www. nc10percent.com and pledge to spend 10 percent of your food dollars on foods produced or grown locally; or grow your own! The group monitors progress statewide so participants can see what effect the campaign is having.

* Microgreens are tiny edible greens grown from seeds of vegetables, herbs, or other plants. Only an inch or two long, including stem and leaves, they are tasty and nutritious.

routinely been treated—often confined and subjected to cruel living conditions—have not helped consumer confidence in the quality nor the ethics of what they eat. And using the “organic” label to choose when shopping doesn’t necessarily guarantee more healthful food. Federal guidelines, labeling inconsistencies and the fact that many smaller farmers just don’t have the resources to be “certified organic” means shoppers want and need to know more in order to make their buying decisions. The increased transparency of programs like Down East Connect lets the consumer have a much better idea of exactly what they are getting, and whether the way it is produced aligns with their food goals.

“The produce is extremely fresh, reasonably priced, and very convenient for pick-up and as a mid-week produce option.” says Elaine Jack, owner of Sapona Green Building Center and a regular Down East Connect customer. “I also like supporting farmers who can’t make the Wilmington Riverfront Farmers’ Market or other storebased markets that focus on local food.”

Heinberg points out another bonus: flexibility for the consumer. The program offers “all the freshness they would expect from a CSA share, but with the ability to order as much or as little as they like—or even none at all—in any week. Some love the challenge of the ‘pot luck’ nature of a CSA; this system works well for those who may not be interested in learning how to prepare kohlrabi.”

In the six months since the program started, the number of participating farmers has grown from 14 to 33, and new farmers are encouraged to sign up. Farmers don’t have to be in Columbus County but must be able to deliver their orders to a central Columbus County location each week by the deadline. And they are free to offer any product they make, including jams and jellies and soaps. Down East Connect staff visit every farm before signing them up, to verify their farming and product details. Howard Wallace, Agricultural Extension Agent for the Columbus County Center of the NC Cooperative Extension Service, also visits each farm to assess their farming practices.

Farmers are free to set their own prices; without the middleman markup nor the cost of traveling to and from staffing a stall at market, more of the food dollar goes directly to them. Normally when a consumer spends one dollar on food, the farm receives 16 cents of that dollar.* Down East Connect farmers receive 80 cents of the food purchase dollar.

Any individual can sign up to buy food if they’re willing to pick up the food from an existing Metropolitan Buyer’s Club location. If there’s not one convenient, Down East Connect encourages you to find enough individuals—usually about 20 families—to warrant a new Club close to your home, office or school.

The program is modeled after one introduced in Rutherford County in 2007 by Tim Will, then Executive Director of Foothills Connect Business & Technology Center. Once high-speed Internet became available in this rural part of the state, it became possible for small farmers to not only reach their buyers but to coordinate planting schedules to provide exactly what their local consumers wanted without waste. Ensuring a consistent supply of fresh produce helps larger customers like restaurants and schools to make use of local produce.

According to industry studies, a piece of fruit usually travels hundreds of miles to reach the average U.S. consumer. Food items ordered through Down East Connect

(continued on page 5)

Photos this article by Valerie Robertson.

* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. See http://www.ers.usda. gov/Data/FoodDollar/app/

This pre-Thanksgiving order included kohlrabi from B & L Farms, China Rose radishes from Country Corners Farm, and organic collards from Greenlands Farm & Store, as well as a personal note with a hand-drawn turkey, wishing the customer a Happy Thanksgiving.

local food

New Food Delivery System – continued

will travel an average of 42 miles. “People want to feel more food secure,” says Tony Kleese, Associate of Earthwise Company and former Executive Director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. “If our ideal in North Carolina is to grow our own food, have our own food come from less than 500 miles, this is possible because we have microclimates,” he explains. Because the state contains so many different microclimates, foods such

as broccoli, cabbage, kale—all the greens and mustards—can be grown somewhere within the state almost any month of the year. When weather is too cold for lettuce in the mountains, the crop grows well at the coast. “We have the opportunity to be a relatively food-secure state.”

Down East Connect currently delivers to four locations in Wilmington, but has plans to expand elsewhere in New Hanover County and eventually to Myrtle Beach,

New Website Puts Access to Local Food on Silver Platter for Southeastern N.C.

The local food movement continues to grow with the launch of www. FeastDownEast.org, a community website resource to help build the food economy of Southeastern North Carolina. Developed by the local non-profit group Feast Down East, the site makes it easier for consumers, restaurants, schools, universities, hospitals and other food service operations to put local foods on their plates or in their facilities. Site visitors can:

• Connect with local farmers and foodies via live video interviews

• Find restaurants serving local food sourced from Southeastern N.C. farmers

• Join the 10% Campaign statewide local food initiative

• Get to “Know Your Farmer” through insightful personal profiles

• Learn how to start a community garden

Farmers can access many marketing, business and farming resources to help build and sustain their farm businesses. Chefs can market their local food cuisine while learning more about buying from local farmers through the SENC FOODS cooperative distribution center in Burgaw, NC.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is the “lead agent” for Feast Down East, meaning that the program is grant-funded through UNCW. Feast Down East works to unite public and private agencies to create a local and regional food system that supports local farmers, increases the sales of local farm products, educates the public about the importance of “buying local” and sustains and expands farm employment, profit and ownership. Learn more about Feast Down East projects, including their February 3, 2012 conference, at www.FeastDownEast.org.

South Carolina. The program’s sales goal for the first year of operation was $10,000, a goal they have achieved in only six months. Heinberg hopes the program will ultimately help create more jobs in such supporting areas as custom slaughterhouses, feed and seed stores, organic suppliers, small farm machinery, and seed savers.

For more information on Down East Connect or to visit its online Farmers Fresh Market site, go to www.DownEastConnect.com.

7 Reasons to Keep It Local When You Buy Locally-Produced Foods, You…

Buy Fresher, More Nutritious Foods

Locally grown fruits and vegetables are usually purchased by the consumer within 24 hours of harvest. Produce picked at the height of freshness tastes better and retains more nutritional value.

Reduce Energy Consumption

Locally produced and distributed foods take less effort to store and ship, both of which can be energy-intensive, which in turn pollutes air and water.

Increase Regional Economic Health

Buying locally grown foods keeps money within the community. This contributes to the health of all sectors of the local economy, from farmer to vendor to consumer, helping make a more sustainable local economy.

Encourage a Self-Sufficient Community

A community that produces its own food has more control over how its food is grown. In addition, it reduces reliance on far-off food producers, thus stabilizing its own food supply.

Help Preserve Biodiversity

Farmers selling locally are not limited to the few varieties that are bred specifically for long distance shipping, high yields, and long shelf life. Often they raise and sell delicous heirloom varieties that may be hard to find in supermarkets.

Preserve the Rural Character of the Land

Encouraging one-on-one interactions between farmers, fishermen and chefs was the purpose of the Brunswick County Farmer-Chef Partnership Meeting held in June at Fishy Fishy Restaurant in Southport. Feast Down East hosts such meetings to foster business relationships that will cater to growing diner demand for locally sourced food, or food that is obtained from local sources. Here, Kea Meachum talks with Jon Haag of Brunswick Catch.

Supporting local farmers means maintaining local farmland. Direct-to-consumer distribution of farm products allows smaller farmers to thrive and encourages long-term husbandry of farmland.

Avoid Post-harvest Contamination

Foods that require extensive storage or transportation are routinely waxed, sprayed and irradiated. Locally-distributed food requires little or none of these measures.

Adapted from www.carolinafarmstewards.org.

local food

New River to Sea Bikeway

Local Pickle Vendors Create Frozen Dessert Line

Wilmington Celebrates New River

area on Pine Grove Drive Avenue, before joining Avenue again. Between Avenue and 52nd Street, the utilizes an off-road path, with a University of North Carolina (WMPO Bicycle Route Wooddale Drive. Between 52nd Hinton Avenue, the bikeway on-road bicycle lanes on Park

by Courtney Bowman

How many places in Wilmington can you buy a healthful, nutrient-packed frozen pop? Wouldn’t you be excited to find out?

Beyond Greenville Avenue, the more uncomfortable for cyclists. Oleander Drive and Avenue are busy arterial few bicycle facilities and traffic, and there are sevcross. This section is not for recreational cyclists.

Parking

The makers of Angela’s Pepper-Pickled Foods are venturing into a new market this summer. On August 6, 2011, founders Angela Cannon and Bill Brown launched a new line of frozen desserts at the Riverfront Farmers’ Market in Wilmington. Alph’s Banana-Ful Real Food Freezes, based on whole foods with no added sugars, wheat, soy, or preservatives, were a hit despite the fact that the market was slower due to many customers taking advantage of North Carolina’s sales taxfree weekend. One customer who tried the pumpkin seed ginger flavor was greatly impressed. “It’s great! Has a lot of flavor, but not overpowering. Delicious!” she commented.

the downtown Wilmington follow U.S. Highway 74 toWilmington; take the Wilmington exit. Proceed south on Street. Take a right onto Market follow west to Riverfront Park. available on-street or in the Wilmington parking deck located Street and North 2nd Street. begins at the foot of Market Street. Follow the bicycle

the Empie Park parking area, Highway 76 to Independence northbound. Take a right onto and an immediate left into driveway. The bikeway is on Park Follow the bicycle Route 1 signs.

To reach the Wrightsville Beach trailhead, follow U.S. Highway 74 toward Wrightsville Beach. At the intersection of Salisbury Street and North Lumina Avenue, continue straight on Salisbury Street to the on-street parking area. The bikeway begins on Salisbury Street west of North Lumina Avenue. Follow the bicycle Route 1 signs. There is also additional parking at the Wrightsville Beach municipal complex at the intersection of Salisbury Street and Seawater Lane.

organic bananas and other whole foods.

The River to the Sea Bikeway (WMPO Bicycle Route 1) is an 11-mile, on- and off-road bicycle route that follows the Historic Beach Car Line, which carried vacationers from downtown Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach by trolley. The bikeway comprises neighborhood residential streets, off busy arterial roadways.

For more information, contact the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO), which is the regional transportation planning agency for the lower Cape Fear region of southeastern North Carolina. Write WMPO at P.O.Box 1810, Wilmington, N.C. 28402, call (910)341-3258 or visit www.wmpo.org.

Information above provided courtesy of www.rivertoseabikeway.com.

With nontraditional flavors such as chipotle, Aztec coffee, avocado, and rosehips, Alph’s gives consumers a unique as well as nutritional experience. When Brown first started out making Alph’s he had over 200 recipes. He hopes to bring out various flavors and use feedback to create a line of products that are customer approved. By combining unusual flavors and whole foods, Cannon and Brown hope to change the way people think about frozen desserts.

It begins at the foot of Market Street at the Riverwalk, within sight of the Battleship USS North Carolina. The bikeway then traverses the Old Wilmington, Bottom and Forest Hills neighborhoods before crossing Independence Boulevard and passing by Empie Park. From Empie Park to South Kerr Avenue, the bikeway follows Park Avenue, a quiet local street that passes by Audubon Station.

After merging with South Kerr Avenue and crossing South College Road, the bikeway passes through the

“Don’t think ice cream,” says Brown. “Alph’s is way beyond that.”

Winter Park area on Pine Grove and McMillan Avenue, before up with Park Avenue again. Wallace Avenue and 52nd Street, bikeway utilizes an off-road spur to the University of North at Wilmington (WMPO Bicycle 1A) via Wooddale Drive. Between Street and Hinton Avenue, the follows on-road bicycle lanes Avenue. Beyond Greenville Avenue, ride is much more uncomfortable recreational cyclists. Oleander Wrightsville Avenue are busy roadways with few bicycle facilities c, and there eral bridges to cross. This section recommended for recreational Access

and Parking

Save the date!

Two Events Celebrating the Bikeway

June 10

This is not your ordinary frozen pop on a stick. Traditionally selling only pickled foods, Angela’s decided to bring out Alph’s when co-founder Bill Brown became tired of looking for frozen desserts that contained no dairy products or processed foods. He set out to create a treat that is both tasty and vegetarian friendly. There are no animal products to be found in these desserts, so they are safe for vegetarians and vegans. Instead of added sugars to sweeten this treat, Alph’s is sweetened with the extract from the stevia plant. Cannon and Brown worked hard to create something that everyone can enjoy, using

is the deadline for our Summer 2010 issue

Editor@goinggreenpublications.com or call (910)547-4390

Alph’s Banana-Ful Real Food Freezes can be found at their store at 2105 Carolina Beach Road and at various farmers’ markets around Wilmington: Riverfront Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, Wrightsville Beach Farmers’ Market on Mondays, Poplar Grove Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays, and Leland Farmers’ Market, open alternate Sundays. Soon, Cannon and Brown hope to expand the availability of these treats to local supermarkets and grocers. Courtney Bowman recently received an MA in English from UNCW and works in her family’s new photography business.

Feast Down East

Ann Street Bicycle Boulevard Grand Opening Celebration

2nd Annual Regional Conference

Celebrate the opening of the fi rst bicycle boulevard in North Carolina with Mayor Bill Saffo on April 17, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center on So. 8th Street.

February 3, 2012

Workshops and resources for farmers, fishermen, and food buyers

To reach the downtown trailhead, follow U.S. Highway ward Wilmington; take the Wilmington DOWNTOWN exit. Proceed south North 3rd Street. Take a right Street and follow west to Riverfront Parking is available on-street city of Wilmington parking deck at Market Street and North 2nd The bikeway begins at the foot Street at Water Street. Follow Route 1 signs.

River to the Sea Ride

Take part of a free group bicycle ride from downtown Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach and back on May 1 at 8:30 a.m., starting at the foot of Market Street in downtown Wilmington.

Bridging the Gap – Bringing Local Farmers to Market

UNCW Burney Center visit www.feastdowneast.org for details or call (910)383-1916

To reach the Empie Park follow U.S. Highway 76 to Independence Boulevard northbound. Take Park Avenue and an immediate the park driveway. The bikeway Avenue. Follow the bicycle Route

photo by Courtney Bowman

Visitors to Angela’s Pepper-Pickled Foods, no strangers to exotic flavors, can now buy dessert flavors from Carob Hemp to Peanut Cacao to the Pumpkin Seed Ginger shown here.

Margaret Shelton Earns YWCA Environmental Award

by Mary Robertson

Leland farmer Margaret Shelton was recognized as a “Woman of Achievement” by the YWCA May 20 for her work promoting sustainable agriculture and protecting the environment. Panelists cited Shelton’s decades of environmental activism in the area in honoring her at this year’s banquet, noting she was a leader in working against BECO, a high-sulfur crude refinery proposed on the Cape Fear River, and in the campaign to stop the Hugo Neu Landfill in Brunswick County.

bring fresh local produce to area residents. She helped create the Riverfront Farmers’ Market in downtown Wilmington, and works with “Feast Down East” (formerly Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Program), which helps link small farmers with local markets in an effort to create a sustainable local food supply. “Farmers’ markets provide a location for farmers to sell directly to the public. Locally grown is fresher, has better flavors, and better nutrition goes along with this. Chefs at some of our best restaurants are aware of the flavor difference and are seeking out local farms and featuring them on their menus.” says Shelton. “Purchasing from the local farmer

In addition to her environmental work, she has been involved in helping boosts our area’s economy. The money that goes to the farmer is in turn spent locally. Networking among farmers, chefs, and distributors is growing, to the benefit of all.”

She opened Shelton Herb Farm in 1986 on land her family had been working for two centuries. Surrounded by natural savannah and hardwood forest, her farm now serves as a teaching place for organic, pesticide-free farming practices.

With hundreds of varieties of herbs, vegetables, native plants and edible flowers, there is always something to plant or harvest. Shelton is busy yearround supporting local community gardens and providing fresh organic herbs and microgreens to local restaurants. Retaining the wilder

segments of the farm, with meandering darkwater branches and thick underbrush, means a thriving population of birds, butterflies, and carnivorous plants call the farm home as well.

Shelton helps educate farmers of all types through her Facebook page, newsletter and workshops at local farmers markets. She notes the mild Southern winters allow for gardening year-round. “You can jump in at any time.”

Shelton hopes encouraging residents to eat local, organic produce will not only help sustain local farmers but will help residents realize the health benefits of eating more mindfully. “I started growing vegetables because I wanted to know what my family ate. Food grown without pesticides and heavy chemicals: that’s what I want to eat. I want it to be natural and organic to feed my family.”

The Women of Achievement Awards ceremony is held annually by the YWCA of the Lower Cape Fear, celebrating a select group of women and young leaders nominated by their peers. The YWCA was founded as a nonprofit membership organization committed to self-determined social change for women of all racial, ethnic and economic groups.

Shelton Herb Farm is open Monday through Saturday from 8–5, at 340 Goodman Road in Leland. Bring the kids, and you can buy for your home garden transplants of vegetables, herbs and flowers year-round—from a more extensive selection than can be transported to area markets. In addition to Riverfront, you can find Shelton’s products every week (in season) at farmers’ markets at Poplar Grove, Southport, Shallotte, Wrightsville Beach, and Leland. See Shelton’s new website, www.sheltonherbfarmnc.com, or call (910)253-5964 to see dates each is open.

Wilmington’s Riverfront Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays 8–1 on N. Water Street through December 17, and reopens April 2012. Fresh fruits, berries, vegetables, plants, herbs, flowers, eggs, cheese, meat, seafood, honey, baked goods, legumes, pickled items, jams and jellies, wine, art and craft.

photo by Valerie Robertson

Margaret Shelton welcomes visitors to her 200-year-old farm Monday through Friday between 8 and 5. Call ahead to make sure she is home, as she participates in many farmers’ markets. Kids are welcome, and can meet Holly (the dog) and Nutmeg (the pig), and numerous turkeys and guinea fowl who help prepare the land for planting. Well-mannered pets welcome, but please keep on a leash so as not to disturb the free-ranging poultry.

your ecological house™

Can Biochar Save the Planet?

by Skip Wenz

How do you like the idea of fighting global warming by pumping millions of tons of artificial volcanic ash into the atmosphere to cool the planet? Alternatively, would you support a plan to suspend giant “mirrors” made of fine wire mesh or shiny aluminum nanoparticles in the lower stratosphere to reflect sunlight away from the earth?

If you think these sound like expensive, harebrained schemes rife with the potential for serious unintended consequences, you’re probably right. Yet these and other planet-scaled “geoengineering” notions not only are being proposed, but some are actually being financed and implemented in England and elsewhere. (See www.guardian. co.uk/environment/geoengineering.)

Meanwhile, energy companies are continuing to extract fossil fuels from every last crevice of the earth, and conspiring economic and political forces make it unlikely that there will be any serious attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for another generation—by which time it could be too late to prevent the catastrophic overheating of the earth. It increasingly looks like our technocracy will destroy itself, and us in the process.

Or will it?

What if there were introduced a simple, inexpensive and earth-friendly agricultural practice that could significantly reduce atmospheric carbon and slow the emissions of the more potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide? What if that practice produced enough energy to fuel itself, and as an added bonus produced a significant amount of carbon-negative energy in the form of biofuels?

What if it also increased soil fertility by retaining nutrients (while decreasing nutrient runoff, which pollutes natural waterways), built habitat for helpful soil microorganisms, and improved soil stability and tilth—even in some of the world’s poorest soils?

Finally, what if this practice were readily scalable and could be implemented by home gardeners and commercial farmers everywhere—spreading quickly to much of the earth’s arable land to form a giant intake system that could safely remove much of the excess carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere?

In fact, this agricultural practice was introduced over 2,500 years ago by Amazonian peoples who created charcoal from vegetation by “burning” it in an oxygen-restricted environment (pyrolysis)— probably in pits covered with a thin layer of dirt that caused the vegetation to smolder rather than burn outright. (See www. motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/ Make-Biochar-To-Improve-Your-Soil.)

The prehistoric Amazonians then worked that charcoal into the famously poor local soil and added plant nutrients to it, creating arable plots of land called terra preta (black earth). (Charcoal, which is close to pure carbon, is essentially inert, and won’t nourish plants, but it helps retain nutrients and supports microbial life.)

Some terra preta fields that were abandoned at least 500 years ago (with the coming of the Europeans) remain fertile to this day, proving that buried carbon persists in the soil. (Just as CO2 persists in the atmosphere, which must be “scrubbed” of excess CO2 if we are to slow or reverse global warming.)

Research into the properties of terra preta and the benefits of using vegetation-based charcoal, now dubbed “biochar,” along with the pressing need to find solutions to the greenhouse gas problem, have spawned an international movement to promote the use of biochar in agriculture. The excellent web site of the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) (www.biocharinternational.org) serves as a primer in biochar applications and reports on home and industrial-scale biochar production facilities, agricultural research projects, and conferences and happenings worldwide.

The carbon-negative potential of biochar agricultural practice is the main reason for all the excitement. It works like this: Best practice requires biochar to be made from agricultural and forest waste only, not from plants grown for biochar production. Once that waste biomass is converted to biochar it’s buried, sequestering its carbon for hundreds or thousands of years. As new plants are grown in the biochar-amended fields, they absorb more CO2, some of which is in turn converted to biochar and buried.

Conservative predictions on the IBI web site establish that biochar agricultural practices can sequester or offset a minimum of one billion tons of carbon per year by 2050, making it a major tool for controlling climate change. Perhaps some of that carbon can be sequestered at your ecological house.

© Philip S. Wenz, 2011 Philip S. (Skip) Wenz is a freelance writer specializing in ecological design issues. He was a general contractor, residential designer, teacher and writer in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the early 1990s he founded, and for ten years directed, the Ecological Design Program at the San Francisco Institute of Architecture. He also teaches “Creating Your Ecological House,” at Berkeley’s Building Education Center and wrote the book, Adding to a House (Taunton Press, 1995). Skip now lives with his wife, Pam, in Corvallis, Oregon and divides his time between various writing projects and retrofitting his older home to be more environmentally friendly. He may be reached by email through his Web site at www.your-ecological-house.com.

your ecological house™

Two Turkeys and a Blessing

by Skip Wenz

I was so excited I could hardly sit in my chair at the dining room table at my grandparents’ house. Every thirty seconds I asked, “Is it ready yet?”

“Not yet,” my mother and grandmother answered from the kitchen. “We’re still preparing the Thanksgiving turkey.”

After what seemed like an eternity to my child’s mind, they triumphantly produced the large, magnificent bird, roasted to golden perfection. I looked at it, paused long enough to comprehend what I was seeing, and burst into tears.

The turkey, you see, was dead!

We had been learning about Thanksgiving at my pre-school, studying pictures of Pilgrims in funny hats and coloring mimeographed pictures of corn, squash and wonderful brown-and-white-feathered turkeys with balloons that said “gobble, gobble.” You can imagine my excitement when my mom told me there would be a real turkey at Thanksgiving dinner!

I never forgot that dead turkey. During the ensuing decades I frequently debated with myself about the value of a bird’s life, whether it was OK for an environmentalist to eat meat, and whether the rapacious consumption that accompanies our sacred traditions—a leftover from the millennia of scarcity that preceded the industrial revolution—is appropriate for today’s society.

I eventually concluded that eating a limited amount of meat was acceptable. We cannot live without killing; as the Buddhist monk and famous writer Thich Nhat Hanh pointed out, we kill millions of microorganisms every time we boil water to make tea.

Turkeys have consciousness, so their death is perhaps more meaningful than that of bacteria. We should therefore be all the more thankful for the gift of their flesh, but accept it nonetheless because death and returning one’s body to the environment is part of the great cycle of life: someday we will all be part of the food chain.

But we also have to respect limits, both moral and physical. You don’t kill for plea-

sure; you don’t take more than you need; and you don’t waste what you’ve taken. Your intention tempers your actions.

So my second horror story involving turkeys occurred in my middle age, when I was invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the palatial San Francisco home of the wealthy relatives of my then-significant other.

The affair was splendid, with far too much excellent food and wine served at a 25-foot-long dining table appointed with crystal, gold-rimmed plates and the best silver.

After dinner, I volunteered to help in the kitchen where, to my utter dismay, the host began to dismantle a whole, uneaten turkey and cram it down the garbage disposal. It was more than his family would want to eat in the coming days, he explained, and it was too much trouble to freeze. Besides, who wanted to eat frozen food?

He was likewise horrified when I grabbed the turkey from him, stuffed it into a large plastic bag, and left with it. My déclassé action embarrassed my wealthy hosts, but when I gave the still-warm turkey to some homeless people in a park that night, my descent from social grace was vindicated—for me at least.

When I slow down enough to really see the homeless and the less fortunate among us, it is easy to find much to be thankful for in my own life. My family and friends, my relatively comfortable lifestyle and wide range of choices are blessings aplenty.

But beneath that lies the mystery of our very existence, and its manifestation in the sun, air and earth that sustain all of us. Indeed, how can one be thankful enough for the gift of life?

Perhaps not through mere thoughts or words of gratitude, but through deeds, through giving back. Perhaps by taking the little actions that show we care for the earth and our fellow humans.

As Thanksgiving approaches, change your furnace filter, plan to carpool to your Thanksgiving dinner, invite a stranger to sit at your table, teach a child to make

Thanksgiving decorations with recycled materials, buy smaller (and therefore less expensive) quantities of wholesome, organic food, eat only free-range turkey and do not waste a bite.

Say grace if you choose, but, more importantly, act graciously at your ecological house.

© Philip S. Wenz, 2011

Philip S. (Skip) Wenz is a freelance writer specializing in ecological design issues. He was a general contractor, residential designer, teacher and writer in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the early 1990s he founded, and for ten years directed, the Ecological Design Program at the San Francisco Institute of Architecture. He also teaches “Creating Your Ecological House,” at Berkeley’s Building Education Center and wrote the book, Adding to a House (Taunton Press, 1995). Skip now lives with his wife, Pam, in Corvallis, Oregon and divides his time between various writing projects and retrofitting his older home to be more environmentally friendly. He may be reached by email through his Web site at www.your-ecological-house.com.

local food

Slow Money Comes to Wilmington

by Mary Robertson

It all started in 1989, the year delegates from fifteen countries gathered in Paris and signed a manifesto creating the “Slow Food Association.” Organizers were distressed by what they saw as an increasing disjoint between how and where our food is produced and how we eat, epitomized by the centralized anonymity of the fast-food meal. Slow Food founder and President Carlo Petrini hoped to encourage a return to more traditional ways of eating. By fostering intentional eating, local traditions and sustainable farming, he hoped to reconnect people to the pleasure of eating.

A global, grassroots organization, Slow Food today claims over 100,000 members and over 1,300 chapters worldwide. Those ideals of sustainability, local involvement and long-term gain rather than short-term profit have begun showing up in all sorts of places, from home design to air travel, restaurants to fashion. There’s even a “Slow City” accreditation program that evaluates small cities based on categories like regional flavor, local food, and manageable transportation.

What if we applied the same concepts to investing? Instead of an individual’s seeking the quickest gain, what if instead we invested with an eye toward keeping our communities as healthy as possible over the long term?

That’s where the members of “Slow Money” come in. Inspired by Woody Tasch’s 2009 book Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing As If Food, Farms and Fertility Mattered, groups around the country are matching mission-related investors with local food entrepreneurs. “Farmers who need a cash infusion to grow not only their crops, but also their businesses, are finding caring, enthusiastic lenders to help make that happen,” says Carol Peppe Hewitt of the Triangle-area-based Slow Money NC.

Hewitt drove down in July to speak with local community members about the possibility of bringing the model to Wilmington. Excitement in the meeting room at Tidal Creek Co-op was high, and

the attendees decided on the spot to create a Wilmington-based chapter. “We have a lot of farmers in this area who could use the help,” says Alexandra Evans, one of Tidal Creek’s more than 3,000 owners.

“Whether you are a recipient or investor, getting involved ultimately improves the lives of all of us,” agrees Casey McCreery, co-owner of a local company that produces soil amendments. She and partner Jane Pedrick hope to apply for the first round of loans in the area.

Slow Money NC, active since mid 2010, has already matched donors with almost a dozen small businesses, from bakers to small restauranteurs to poultry and cheese producers.

Socially-responsible investing is nothing new. Thanks to consumer demand, since the mid-1990s investors have had no lack of “socially responsible” investment opportunities through traditional avenues. But this is something different: matching local investors directly with local entrepreneurs. The lenders are willing to take a smaller return in exchange for knowing exactly where there money is going. The “middleman’s cut” is gone; and, the recipients of the loans get a low-interest boost to help them succeed.

The investments can be considered risky—there’s no guaranteed return, and lenders are counseled to use only discretionary money for these ventures. But Slow Money investors are not looking for certain profit: they are more interested in creating sustainable local economies, and are urged to include “meaning” as an investment metric. “Loaning money to local sustainable farmers and the businesses that support them has powerful results,” says Hewitt. “Great food to enjoy, a resurgence of sustainable farms and a stronger, more resilient local food economy.”

Tasch’s book suggests investing within 50 miles of your home. That may seem daunting at first, but that’s where the national Slow Money group comes in. Their website offers investment vehicles for those with no nearby group. But local groups are springing up all over, and more than a dozen states now offer Slow Money chapters.

The first gathering of Slow Money NC Wilmington, held September 14 at Cape Fear Community College, attracted two dozen attendees—most of them apparently interested in applying for loans. But Hewitt says that often prospective lenders keep a low profile at first, only approaching those seeking money after some investigation.

Attendees snacked on home-grown treats and cider, while two groups of entrepreneurs offered their projects for consideration. The first team, of McCreery and Pedrick, presented data on a soil additive for organic farmers they have developed and would like help bringing to market. The second team, of Heather and Henry Burkert—landscape architects whose business took a downturn in the sour economy—wants to expand the offerings from their family dairy goat farm.

Meghan Barron is studying sustainable agriculture and plans to take over her grandparents’ Columbus County farm. She decided to help organize future meetings in the Wilmington area, and is quick to point out that the Slow Money concept isn’t untested, but has been around for generations, only recently giving way to more impersonal investing. “It simply makes sense economically to invest money where you live, work and play,” she says. “Maybe our families and neighbors would be more apt to invest in an idea they support if there is a network and system in place as with Slow Food to ease the process of lending.”

Organizers plan to meet again in January. Prospective investors, local food enthusiasts and entrepreneurs are encouraged to contact info@slowmoneync.org or can reach Meghan Barron directly at grassyridgefarm@gmail.com.

UNCW Makes Moves to Keep Green

by Jessica Berinson,

class of 2012 and Joy Davis, class of 2007

Going green and supporting local food are two things that the University of North Carolina Wilmington is passionate about.

After several years of green initiatives including campus recycling campaigns, energy-saving facility upgrades, the introduction of an eco-friendly campus store and more, UNCW has become a key player in the local food movement.

In 2010, UNCW students were introduced to the waste-free lifestyle of author Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man. By incorporating his inspiring story into the freshman curriculum, students were challenged to consider the impact of their carbon footprint and encouraged to adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

One of the many campus events inspired by Beavan’s book was UNCW’s No Impact Lunch, which struck a chord with local farmers and students alike. The lawn of the school’s main dining hall was transformed into a farmer’s market where students experienced locally grown food. The event’s focus on sustainability and local eating provided a tangible way for students to understand their role in supporting their community’s farms and businesses.

There was a clear tie-in between the event and the No Impact Man book, last

Life in Trolldom

year’s “Synergy” common reading selection for UNCW freshmen, reinforcing the university’s strategic goal of sustainability. Beavan guest lectured during the same week as the No Impact Lunch, marking the first time a Synergy author has lectured on campus.

The success of the event led to a weekly “Locally-Inspired Chef’s Table” in the dining hall. Local foods are highlighted on the campus menu, and area farmers

are on-site to talk to students about their farms and products. The Chef’s Tables and campus farmers markets have become ongoing campus traditions.

In the community, UNCW serves as the lead agent for local food group Feast Down East (also known as Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Program, or SENCFS). The organization works to support local farmers, increase the sales of local farm products and educate the public about the importance of “buying local.”

As a supporter of the statewide 10% Campaign, Feast Down East urges consumers to spend 10 percent, or a little over a dollar a day, of their existing budget on foods produced locally. Since its inception in March 2011, UNCW Campus Dining has remained committed to the campaign by daily cooking with herbs, meats, vegetables and other products produced by local farmers and vendors.

Campus Dining Services at UNCW received an Honorable Mention award from the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) for its “No Impact Lunch” event in September, 2010.

by UNCW Photo Service

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Annual Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Conference

by Nicole Carpenter

On the morning of December 3, 2010, Margaret Shelton, Sybil Mitchell-Simmons and Nicole Carpenter met for their carpool to Winston-Salem, eagerly anticipating their weekend at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) Annual Conference. This was Mitchell-Simmons’ and Carpenter’s first year experiencing the event, while Shelton was returning for the fourth time. Mitchell-Simmons was granted one of 40 scholarships for new farmers offered by CFSA to cover meals and registration costs. At the conference, they met familiar faces: Herbie Cottle from Cottle Organics, Christin Deener and David Higgins from Federal Point Farm, Emily Wisco from Black River Farm, Tidal Creek Co-op Produce Manager Carl Stephens,

and several others from their area. In total, there were over 850 farmers, extension agents, food activists, business owners and researchers in attendance.

Over the course of the weekend, participants had the opportunity to attend workshops and seminars on topics such as business issues for farmers, holistic land use practices, value-added products, and cooking with local ingredients, as well as introductory classes in subjects like beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, backyard fruit trees, and vermiculture. In one class, participants built an inexpensive greenhouse in a vacant lot downtown with Winston-Salem Urban League. In another, presenters taught attendees how to use social media such as facebook and twitter. Many issues were discussed and debated during these sessions and after each one members of the audience were encouraged to ask questions. Some items that came up were issues involving ethanol fuel, Senate Bill 510 (the new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act), agritourism, lobbying for small- to medium-sized farms and other political issues, and a discussion about the group’s goals for 2011.

Conference attendees also had the option of touring nearby farms and gardens. One such tour visited Carolina Heritage Vineyard and Winery, a certified organic operation owned by Pat and Clyde Colwell, who have degrees in Viticulture and Enology. Pat, upon being asked about her decision to open an organic winery, stated: “We wanted to be responsible but knew nothing about organic methods. CFSA was our primary educator. We [attend] the annual conferences religiously.” According to conference participants, CFSA is a reliable resource for farmers, gardeners, chefs, restaurants, researchers, students, activists, or anybody wanting to join the food revolution, a movement emphasizing local and sustainable food production. Marie Wallace of Grassy Ridge Farm in Riegelwood, NC stated “My husband and I have been coming every year for the past five years. We enjoy the networking opportunities, and the workshops are invaluable.”

The conference also hosted an exhibition hall where attendees could purchase tools, books, seeds and more. There they had access to non-profit resources and a bustling seed exchange table where people could leave their seeds for others and take home new varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowering plants that other people had brought to the table. Doug Jones of Piedmont Biofarm was a large contributor to the seed bank.

The keynote speaker was Michael Shuman, author of The Smallmart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition.

What have these three women brought home from the conference? Mitchell-Simmons has begun a worm composting operation in her CSA garden, Veggies by the Sea; Carpenter has begun a plant breeding/seed saving project and a mushroom composting experiment in her Wilmington backyard; and Shelton has constructed a new high-tunnel greenhouse for winter greens on her herb farm in Leland.

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s mission is to promote local and organic agriculture in the Carolinas by inspiring, educating and organizing farmers and consumers. The 27th Annual CFSA Conference will be held in Greenville, SC October 26–28, 2012. Their 2011 Conference was held in Durham, NC November 2011. Learn more at www. carolinafarmstewards.org or (919)542-2402.

Sibyl Mitchell-Simmons, Nicole Carpenter and Meg Shelton built this high-tunnel greenhouse during a workshop at last year’s Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Annual Conference, held in Winston-Salem in December, 2010.

education & environment

Wrapping up a Green Halloween at N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher

Costumes and candy make for a sweet Halloween. Afterward, however, the clutter and litter haunt closets and landfills for years.

Wrap up this spooky season with the help of the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Pass along the fun of a special outfit, remove unwanted items from your home and recycle. Donate gently-used costumes and empty candy wrappers to the Aquarium as part of our Green Halloween initiative.

The Aquarium will collect those ninja suits, princess dresses and all other spooky get-ups Nov. 1–30. Next fall, families can select new costumes from the donated items as part of a free costume exchange.

This initiative continues the Aquarium’s work with Green Halloween, a community initiative focused on creating child- and Earth-friendly holiday traditions.

Another Halloween tradition, candy consumption, produces a scary amount of waste, with the potential to litter our waterways and oceans. Instead of trashing the empty wrappers, save them and drop them off at the Aquarium.

UNCW Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

OLLI courses and events present a wealth of learning opportunity to the 50-and-older crowd. Pay for the series, and attend as many of the lectures as you like.

Science and Environmental Academy

Thursdays, January 26 – May 10

15 Sessions • 10 a.m. – Noon

$50/semester for OLLI members;

$80 non-members • Registration deadline Jan. 26 Science and Environmental Academy (SEA and Coffee) meets weekly to present relevant topics from the fields of science and the environment. UNCW professors and knowledgeable community presenters share their expertise and offer opportunities for enjoyable interaction in a friendly, relaxed setting.

Visit www.uncw.edu/olli to see the Pathways Catalog, for class details or to register, or call (910)962-3195.

The Aquarium collects empty wrappers throughout the year and sends them to a recycling partner, TerraCycle, as part of its focus on conservation. TerraCycle creates recycling systems for hard-to-recycle waste, turning trash to treasure in the form of new products like park benches and backpacks. This partnership raises money for conservation efforts at the Aquarium.

NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher is located just south of Kure Beach, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, on US 421, less than

a mile from the Fort Fisher ferry terminal. Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day). General information: www.ncaquariums.com

The Aquarium at Fort Fisher is one of three state-owned aquariums operated by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. All three facilities are dedicated to promoting appreciation and conservation of the state’s aquatic natural resources.

NAAEE 40th Annual Conference Looks to the Future

“Rooted in Time: Branching to the Future” was the theme for the Fortieth Annual Conference of the North American Association of Environmental Educators held at the LEED Silver Raleigh Convention Center October 12–15. The international event drew more than 800 attendees from 16 countries. There were more than 400 sessions, lectures, field experiences, and workshops, including the keynote address by Pender County’s own Jean Beasley: “Capacity Building

SEA and Coffee Topics— Spring 2012

January 26 Biography of Charles Darwin with William McCarthy, Ph.D., History

February 2 SPIDERS! (And a Few Other Friends without Backbones) with Andy Wood, Education Director – Audubon North Carolina

February 9 Using Marine Mammals to Address Global Scale Ocean Issues with Peggy Sloan, Director – NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher

February 16 Ability Garden with Phyllis Meole, Extension Agent, Agriculture – Horticulture, New Hanover Cooperative Extension Arboretum

February 23 Water, Resources and Issues (Global to Local) with Roger Shew, M.Sci.Ed., Geography and Geology

March 1 Window to the Dark Side of the Universe with Russell Herman, Ph.D., Department Chair – Physics and Physical Oceanography

March 8 Science in the School System with Kimberly Bierstedt, K–12 Science Lead Teacher, NHC Public Schools

March 15 Maintaining Navigable Waters with Jennifer Owens, Environmental Scientist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

for Conservation: Sea Turtle Politics, Economics and Education.”

“Environmental Educators of North Carolina were proud to host the first NAAEE annual conference ever held in North Carolina,” said Certified Environmental Educator Nancy Keith, who traveled from Pender County for the conference. “They did a wonderful job bringing advocates and educators to enlighten and energize its membership and community.”

March 22 All Things Weather with Stephen Keebler, Meteorologist, National Weather Service

March 29 Invasive Species in North Carolina with Charlotte Glen, Agricultural Agent – Horticulture, N.C. Cooperative Extension – Pender County

April 12 Aspects of Science and Technology with William Holt, Ph.D., retired high school science teacher and researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (and OLLI classmate)

April 19 N.C. Coastal Federation Water Quality Strategies and Initiatives for the Lockwood Folly Watershed with Mike Giles, Coastal Advocate, North Carolina Coastal Federation

April 26 The Lower Cape Fear River Program with Michael Mallin, Ph.D., Center for Marine Science

May 3 Parallel Computing, Multi-core Computing, Grid Computing, and Cloud Computing: Where Are We Headed? with Clayton Ferner, Ph.D., Computer Science

May 10 Sunlight and Shadow Interactions with Petroglyphs with Brian Davis, Ph.D., Physics and Physical Oceanography

Scientists Call for Concerted International Action to

Note Damage to Marine Ecosystems Happening More Quickly than Previously

A high-level international workshop convened by the IPSO met at the University of Oxford earlier this year. It was the first inter-disciplinary international meeting of marine scientists of its kind, and was designed to consider the cumulative impact of multiple stressors on the ocean, including warming, acidification, and overfishing.

by Mary Robertson

An expert panel of scientists is warning that unless we change our actions dramatically, we may be on the verge of creating large-scale extinction in our oceans. The report, from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO), stems from a workshop that drew scientists from six countries and multiple disciplines to examine the combined impact of many stressors, including overfishing, acidification, warming, pollution, and hypoxia.

“The findings are shocking,” Dr. Alan Rogers, IPSO’s scientific director, said in a statement released with the report. “We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact our lifetime, and worse, our children’s, and generations beyond that.”

The scientists also noted the degradation of the oceans is happening much

The three-day IPSO workshop, co-sponsored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), yielded the following report:

Rogers, A.D. & Laffoley, D.d’A. 2011. International Earth system expert workshop on ocean stresses and impacts. Summary report. IPSO Oxford, 18 pp. The report summary (released 21 June 2011) outlines the main findings and recommendations, and is available online at http://stateoftheocean.org. The full report will be released at a later date. A full list of participants appears in the table at the end of the long version.

more quickly than previously thought, as the various effects can combine with deadly results. For instance, a coral reef bleaches more easily when both increased temperature and acidification are present than from either one alone.

The panel observed that the warming and acidification of the oceans, with a resulting increase in hypoxia (a state of lowered oxygen) are the three factors that have been present in every mass extinction in Earth’s history. Scientists generally agree that over the past 540 million years there have been five such extinction events, when at least 50% of the species on earth have disappeared, the most recent occurring 65 million years ago to usher out the “age of the great reptiles.”

This report came on the heels of several others that point to troubling trends. A World Resources Institute study released last spring suggested the world’s coral reefs could be gone by 2050 if no significant steps are taken. Arctic ice is melting twice as fast as previously thought. Most recently, federal and university scientists predicted the annual Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” of low-oxygen water will be the largest in history—about the size of Lake Erie—due to increased agricultural runoff from the flooded Mississippi River valley. The April and May 2011 flood levels in seven Midwestern states were among the most damaging recorded in the last century. When the nutrient-rich water hits the Gulf, it creates a massive algae bloom, forcing fish, shrimp and many other species to flee or face dying.

Local researchers agreed the report’s findings are troubling and have noted similar signs of the effects. “Our oceans, especially the coastal waters we use most heavily, are suffering substantial, diverse, and compounding impacts,” said Lawrence Cahoon, Professor of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina’s Wilmington campus. “Most people don’t know this, but we have a seasonal hypoxia zone showing up every summer off Myrtle Beach. That’s not normal.”

Cahoon added that the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere not only contributes to global warming but acidifies ocean water as well. “And the pace of these changes is alarming. In each case where we have data and projections dating back a decade or more, the observed changes are on the high end of the forecast ranges. This is true for warming, for ice retreat, for sea level rise, and so on. The take home message is that the ability of the oceans to support the uses we humans currently enjoy is being impaired substantially. We have two choices: make changes or adapt as best we can.”

Marine researcher Bonnie Monteleone crossed several oceans as part of her graduate work at UNCW. She notes overfishing, combined with the everpresence of plastic waste in the oceans, seem to be compounding both problems. She points to a recent paper published the Marine Pollution Bulletin as evidence: of the 670 fish necropsies done, one third had plastic in their digestive tract ranging from one to 83 pieces. Plastics not only contain toxins, they adsorb—or accumulate—pollutants from ocean water, thereby concentrating them. “Fish mistake plastic for food because for millennia, anything that floats typically meant food. This causes an uptake of chemicals such as DDT and PCBs,” said Monteleone. Although now banned from many applications worldwide, these compounds remain circulating in the marine environment and serve as potent neurotoxins and endocrine disrupters.

“When an ecosystem as large as our oceans shows symptoms, the thresholds have been already exceeded, and to reverse that trend it will take an enormous effort,” said Carmelo Tomas, also professor of Biology and Marine Biology at UNCW. “Fortunately, ecosystems are intricate enough to be able to recover from many abuses provided the offending conditions do not continue.”

The IPSO report concluded by calling for immediate and coordinated global (continued on page 15)

marine science

Save World’s Oceans— Thought

action to prevent large-scale extinction of species. But what actions to take?

“We need to shift from fossil fuels to clean energy,” said Zak Keith, local representative of Oceana, the world’s largest ocean conservation and advocacy organization. ”This means breaking the oil habit and building clean energy to take its place. We should be focusing on renewable energy like offshore wind and solar.” Burning fossil fuels is a significant contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, which topped the IPSO list.

Steve Ross of UNCW’s Center for Marine Science, agreed the current situation is untenable. “The world’s population is too large for the way we manage things. We either need to change our management or reduce the population, or both would be better. It may already be too late to reverse some amount of the damage that is going to persist over the next 50-100 years. But we need to keep it from becoming worse.”

The IPSO report outlined specific steps it says will need to be taken to avert collapse of the world’s oceans. All of them—reducing carbon emissions,

managing fisheries, and creating marine eco-preserves—require a major change in the policy and practice of how humans use ocean resources. The failure of recent attempts to reach global consensus such as the Kyoto agreement leave scientists and policymakers alike skeptical about the prospect of implementing such changes. The report’s call for a global governance of the oceans seems particularly unlikely. “Most nations recognize the 200 mile economic zone within their shores. What happens to the other 80% of the ocean is up for grabs,” said Tomas. “There needs to be a global political will, and an economic incentive to maintain it, to help the oceans reverse their downward spiral. The outlook is not very encouraging.”

“One thing the IPSO report demonstrates [is] that we need to get started, and stop getting our scientific analysis from politicians and industries that benefit from the status quo,” said Keith. To learn more, visit: http://stateoftheocean.org

http://www.uncw.edu/cms/ http://na.oceana.org/

The Planet Ocean Seminar Series

The University of North Carolina–Wilmington Center for Marine Science (CMS) offers four distinguished lectures each academic year, featuring prominent speakers from UNCW faculty and other leading research institutions, from well-known environmental organizations, and from government agencies. The Planet Ocean Seminar Series is free and open to the public, and is held in the auditorium at CMS, 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane. Due to limited seating, reservations are required. To make reservations or for further information, please call the CMS at 910-962-2301.

2011 Coastal America’s Ocean Art Contest

Submission deadline December 20, 2011

As part of a continent-wide call for student art, twenty Central Ecosystem Learning Centers across North America (CELCs) are accepting entries for this year’s “Coastal America Student Art Contest.” The contest encourages young artists to convey the importance of the ocean, coasts and Great Lakes by interpreting one the Seven Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences created by the Ocean Literacy Network. The purpose is to enhance public awareness of the importance of the ocean in our lives and to convey how personal actions affect the ocean.

The contest is open to all students in the United States, Mexico and Canada enrolled in grades K–12 as well as full-time university and college students. Entries will be judged by grade-level categories: K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 and university and college. Each submission must reflect one of the following principles, and include a short narrative explaining which principle the work reflects:

1. Earth has one big ocean with many features.

2. The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth.

3. The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.

4. The ocean makes Earth habitable.

5. The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

6. The ocean and humans are inextricably linked.

2011-12 Series

(remainder of the series)

February 7, 2012:

UNCW Shellfish Research Hatchery

Ami E. Wilbur, Ph.D., Director, UNCW Shellfish Research Hatchery, Associate Professor, Biology and Marine Biology, UNCW

April 17, 2012:

The World of Deep-Sea Corals: The Hidden Reefs

Steve W. Ross, Ph.D., Research Professor, Center of Marine Science, UNCW

[See photographs from one of Dr. Ross’ expeditions in Cape Fear’s Going Green, Vol. 2, Issue 2: “Deep Sea Coral Reefs.”]

7. The ocean is largely unexplored. Contestants must submit their artwork to the CELC nearest them; winning artwork

Coastal America’s

Ocean Art Contest

2011-2012

Participating Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers:

at each Center will advance to the next level. Two CELCs in North Carolina are participating: NC Aquarium locations at Ft. Fisher and Roanoke Island. See www.coastalamerica.gov for the CELC nearest you, or call Megan Ennes at (910)458-8257 ext. 234 at the Aquarium.

Jim Toomey

Cape Fear River Watch 2012 StriperFest

Friday Jan. 13, 2012 • 6pm Banquet and Auction

Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 • 9am Striper Tournament & all-day educational activities!

Join Cape Fear River Watch for a two-day river restoration and education event along the beautiful Cape Fear River!

Friday night: our exciting Banquet and Auction. Be there Saturday morning to watch the electrifying start of our Tag and Release Striper Tournament or take a river tour to see the excitement firsthand! All day Saturday enjoy fun, free and informative activities for children and adults, including talks by fishery experts and hands-on educational activities. Come learn about our fish restoration projects to benefit the Cape Fear Fishery and our economic future.

Call today for tickets! (910)762-5606 jen@cfrw.us • cfrw.us

nature & gardening news

NC Sierra Club Meetings

The Cape Fear Chapter of the NC Sierra Club meets the third Monday of each month at 6:30p.m., typically at Halyburton Park in Wilmington. The Chapter is actively involved in promoting offshore wind for North Carolina and helping the efforts of the Stop Titan Action Network. December’s meeting will be a social at Surf House on Racine Drive, open to the public. For more information contact NC Sierra Club Chapter Chair Mac Montgomery at (910)264-7862.

New Managers for Castle Street Community Garden

Maria Ortado and Chris Currituck are the new managers of Castle Street Community Garden, located at 4th and Castle Street in Wilmington. Both have been involved with the garden previously and manage other gardens in downtown Wilmington. They are taking over from Kathryn Sisler, original organizer of the garden. To learn about participating, email growwilmington@gmail.com.

Vegan Group Forming

Be one of the first to join Wilmington Vegan, a new group to support people interested in vegan food choices. The group was created as a way for Wilmington area vegans to share info and plan meetups, including supporting local restaurants offering vegan dishes on the menu. The group is open to anyone; join on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/ wilmingtonvegan/, or email Sue at wilmingtonvegan@gmail.com to learn about gatherings. (Or phone this publication at (910)547-4390.)

Sue encourages vegetarians and vegans world-wide to visit also the Happy Cow website to record what you know about vegetarian- and vegan-friendly restaurants and stores in your area of the world: the URL is www.happycow.net.

Aquaponics Webinars

The Aquaponics Garden offers free webinars and online gardening chats at www. theaquaponicsgarden.com. Aquaponics describes a sustainable food production system combining aquaculture (raising fish in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic system,

where the by-products from the fish are used as nutrients for the plants. Systems can range from a small home aquarium to a large commercial set-up, and use much less water than conventional gardens. Call (910)232-7704 for a $5 tour (free for children).

Progressive Gardens Opens Online Store

Progressive Gardens has renovated its website to add an online store at www. progressivegardens.com. The physical store at 6005 Oleander Drive continues to offer affordable one-session classes in organic gardening. Topics include composting, healing the soil, designing a fall garden, growing food indoors, and vermiculture (worms). As always, anyone who visits the store and brings an empty gallon container make take home a gallon of compost tea for the garden.

Library Bodega

Library Bodega has celebrated its oneyear anniversary at 610 Red Cross Street in Wilmington. Started by Allister Snyder as a way to bring fresh, local produce to the neighborhood, the produce mart also serves coffee, lattes, cappuccinos and ice cream. There’s a lending library: bring a book, take a different one home; or sign up for a DVD borrowing membership. (910)772-6400 or follow Library Bodega on Facebook.

CitruSolution

CitruSolution also celebrated its one-year anniversary: this Wilmington company produces CitruSpotter and other cleaning solutions, from all natural ingredients. Get acquainted with them at www. NCOrangeGuy.com or call (910)685-5530.

Annual TreeFest

TreeFest, an annual distribution of tree seedlings, will be held on Friday and Saturday, January 20 and 21, 10a.m. to 5p.m. (or until trees run out) inside Independence Mall, at the JC Penney end.

Local residents are invited to pick up five tree seedlings to take home and plant on their property. There is a suggested donation of $3 per household. Details: (910)798-7564 or jeokeefe@nhcgov.com.

Report Finds Significant Adverse Health Effects from Titan’s

Proposed

Cement Plant Emissions

Emissions from Titan America’s proposed cement plant will pose a significant health threat to residents of the southeast coast, according to a new study. The study evaluated the health effects in New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick counties of ozone and fine particle pollution caused by the proposed facility using available air quality information and Titan’s proposed emissions. The study was conducted by ICF International, a leading provider of consulting services and technology solutions to government and commercial clients.

In its analysis, ICF estimated the potential health effects associated with Titan’s proposed emissions that included acute respiratory harm, missed school, decreased worker productivity, asthma attacks and premature death. Increases in emissions of the pollutants that create ozone could trigger about 530 cases of acute respiratory symptoms that will account for 320 lost work days each May through September, the study estimates. The increase in ozone could also result in an estimated 160 lost school or camp days

Where to Learn More

Carolinas Cement Company, a subsidiary of Titan Cement, plans to build a cement plant in Castle Hayne, North Carolina. www.carolinascementproject.com.

The Stop Titan Action Network (STAN) is a coalition of seven organizations that oppose the proposed Titan Cement project: the N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Fear River Watch, Citizens Against Titan, PenderWatch & Conservancy, the N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Duke University’s Environmental Law & Policy Clinic. http://stoptitan.com.

Documents pertaining to the permitting process can be read at the website of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Air Quality. http://ncair.org/permits/psd/titan.shtml.

The non-profit North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF) protects the North Carolina coast through education, advocacy and habitat restoration and preservation. For more information call (252)393-8185 or visit NCCF’s website at www.nccoast.org.

Learn more about ICF International at www.icfi.com.

among children ages 5-17. In addition, the study estimates that Titan’s pollution could cause approximately 320 cases of acute respiratory symptoms and result in 54 lost work days due to fine particle pollution during that five-month period each year.

“As soon as Titan announced its project, residents in this area demanded to know how it would affect their health,” said Tracy Skrabal, a scientist with North Carolina Coastal Federation. “This report confirms what we’ve suspected, that adding Titan’s pollution to our area will harm the health of our citizens, and add a financial burden to those whose health is compromised.”

The study estimates the health effects of Titan’s proposed project by using the company’s emissions data and models frequently used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments to estimate air quality impacts. Titan America, also known as Carolinas Cement Co., is proposing to build one of the nation’s largest cement plants in Castle Hayne, near Wilmington.

“Titan can significantly reduce its proposed emissions beyond what they have proposed,” said Geoff Gisler, a staff attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “This study demonstrates the danger of failing to do so.”

Thousands of people, including more than 200 physicians from the Cape Fear Region, have repeatedly asked Gov. Beverly Perdue and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources to delay issuing the Titan air permit until more information is known about the health, environmental and economic effects of the project. The N.C. Division of Air Quality recently issued a draft air permit for the cement plant.

The study was paid for by grant funding from Education Foundation of America and by individual donations and residents’ fundraising efforts and commissioned by the Stop Titan Action Network.

The full study can be found on the Stop Titan Action Network website (www. stoptitan.org).

Actuary Alan Jameson uncovers a plot that threatens to blow the life insurance industry sky-high! Follow his adventures in this elegantly-plotted murder mystery.

17th Annual Nature Writing Contest Underway

The Southern Environmental Law Center is now accepting submissions for the annual Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment. The award seeks to enhance public awareness of the value and vulnerability of the region’s natural heritage by giving special recognition to writers who most effectively tell the stories about the South’s environment.

SELC welcomes three outstanding conservationists to the judges panel this year. Bruz Clark is president and treasurer of the Chattanooga-based Lyndhurst Foundation and has been a leading environmental philanthropist in the South for many years. Silas House is an award-winning author of such books as The Coal Tattoo and coauthor of Something’s Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal, and is associate professor of Appalachian Studies at Berea College. Paul Sloan is

former Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and a founding board member of Cumberland Region Tomorrow.

SELC’s annual Reed Environmental Writing Award has two categories: Book, for non-fiction books (not self-published), and Journalism, for newspaper, magazine, and online writing that is published by a recognized institution (e.g., newspaper, university or non-profit organization) and is journalistic in nature. Prizes of $1,000 are awarded to the winner in each category; winners will be publicly announced at SELC’s special event during the Virginia Festival of the Book on March 24, 2012.

Submissions must relate to the natural environment in at least one of the following states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia.

All submissions must have been published during calendar year 2011, and must be received by January 13, 2012. Nominations can be made by anyone, including the author or publisher. For more information, contact Cat McCue, SELC Senior Communications Manager, at (434)977-4090 or cmccue@selcva.org.

eco-friendly art

Portrait of an Artist: Marie Sheppard

by Mitzy Jonkheer

What do you want to be when you grow up?

From a very early age, Marie Sheppard’s answer to that question was always, “An artist.” The adults around her tried to talk her out of this dubious career choice. She remembers one asking her, “Really, are you sure about that?”

Marie is a Wilmington native, one of the last to be born at James Walker Memorial Hospital. When she was eight years old, she began taking painting classes from a neighbor. Her love of art continued through high school and into college, and she eventually graduated from UNCW with a BFA in visual art.

Marie and I first met in 1996 when the gallery I co-owned (Bauhaus) hosted her work. I fell in love with her paintings—their playfulness; her amazing use of layers upon layers of rich, glossy texture; acrylic paint so thick that at a

distance, it resembles a piece of stained glass. Set against a natural backdrop—the night sky, flowers, the ocean—her early paintings explore classic themes of good and evil, featuring fairies, fairytale figures and other mythological folk.

The paintings intrigued me, but at the time they were out of my financial reach. Instead I put Marie on my “Someday” list, reserved for those talented artists whose work I hope to purchase when the time is right. (I keep two other art lists as well: the “Check” list, for artists whose work I’ve acquired, and the “Ones that Got Away,” for artists who moved out of town before I had a chance to add one of their pieces to my growing collection.)

“The painting is an experience that happens through a search through the back of my mind, using colors and patterns from the natural world,” Marie says. Her newest work features seahorses, sea turtles and brightly colored saltwater

fish. She calls these her quick studies, in contrast with her more complex, layered pieces. For the past year and a half, she’s been hard at work on a painting of a mermaid, combining her growing interest in marine life with her long-standing fascination with mythology.

AAI Pharma Learning Center Launches Recycled Art Center

The AAI Pharma Learning Center is developing a recycled art project, and invites community members to contribute used items that can be used by the children to make artwork.

Some suggested items: Buttons, paper towel rolls, fabric, keys, cotton balls, sequins, cardboard, shoe boxes, paper, wrapping paper, screws, bolts, colored electrical wire, small containers, rocks, shells, golf balls, golf tees, old typewriters, carpet

squares, wallpaper books, old radios, small appliances (broken), poster board, tiles, or anything that can be sorted or counted.

The Learning Center Directors hope to get everyone thinking about recycling and going green. With ongoing donations they can keep their art closet stocked and let the children give your items new life. If you have donations to offer, contact Denise Ward at denise.ward@aaipharma.com or (910)254-7384.

If you are lucky, you just may find some of her richly-textured masterpieces, set in vintage frames, hiding among the antiques at the Ivy Cottage where she works. A month ago, I became the proud owner of “The Three Graces,” featuring three redheads whose spread wings are mosaics of indigo, violet, purple and blue. I always knew I’d bring one of Marie’s pieces home...someday. It only took 15 years.

Marie Sheppard participates in the “green” movement by walking to work at the Ivy Cottage, a consignment shop specializing in high quality pre-owned furniture and furnishings. You can find Sheppard and her artwork at the Ivy Cottage, 3020 Market Street, Wilmington. (910)815-0907

Mitzy Jonkheer is a local artist and metalsmith. Born in Wilmington, raised on the Cape Fear, her studio is located between the two at 4410 Wrightsville Avenue.

“Elvin Dance,” acrylic on canvas.

“Tess the World Traveler,” acrylic on canvas.

photos this page by Mitzy Jonkheer

Kings of Junk

by Liz Durkin

One person’s junk is another person’s “green” castle.

At least that’s the case for Junk King of the Carolinas, a new junk removal and hauling company based in Charlotte. After many years in the IT industry, Terendius David and Anthony Love decided to join in a socially conscious business venture that serves the community and is also sustainable. Recycling as much as 100 percent of what is picked up from homes and businesses, Junk King is making green living simpler.

“People don’t have the time or energy to dispose of their junk properly, so we do all of the muscle work and remove the items quickly and professionally to be recycled,” said Terendius David. “Owning a business in a growing industry is exciting and allows us to work with organizations that are making a difference in so many communities.”

Junk King does its best to give every item a home, partnering with local vendors and charities within the same regions where clients are served to redistribute into their local community. Providing furniture and household items to various women’s shelters and transition home programs sponsored by local churches in the greater Charlotte

area is one means of redistribution.

A partnership with A Child’s Place, a Charlotte children’s shelter, to donate toys, clothes and other items, is also in the works. Teaming up with various recycling partners for metal, cardboard, electronic waste and plastics is an important component, so junk is allocated properly and avoids landfills.

“It is very rewarding to see the items we pick up recycled in so many different ways, whether it be through a metal vendor or a charity,” said Love. “We are preserving the environment as we look into different opportunities and

groups to partner with, and as we expand throughout North and South Carolina.”

Junk King is primarily focused in metro Charlotte but accepts loads from the Cape Fear region when the job is sufficiently large, particularly construction sites or large business clean-outs.

David and Love also find this business venture a powerful learning tool for the community and their own children. Love teaches his cub scouts and his son to “leave no trace” in the environment. “What better way to continue to show the cub scouts that we are committed to keeping a clean environment than to own a green business that is doing just that,” explained David.

David and Love say the nature of the work may not be glamorous, but preserving the environment is wholly rewarding.

To learn more, call 1-800-995-JUNK or visit www.junk-king.com.

Junk King of the Carolinas works with home owners, realtors, property managers and business owners, removing anything that does not constitute hazardous waste.

continued from page 12

ty to learn beekeeping and to stay up-to-date on successful beekeeping. email: methods.gldeagle@bellsouth.net

Dogwood Alliance

green building & business news

green building

Cape Fear Citizens for a Safe Environment

Cape Fear River Watch

Solar Architect Opens Second Office

Organized to fight the building of Hugo Neu landfill, now encouraging legislation to strengthen landfill regulations in North Carolina.

CFGBA Offers Building Performance Workshops

Environmental education, advocacy and action for the Lower Cape Fear River basin. www.cfrw.us

Green Social Returns

Appalachian State Wins People’s Choice Award in Solar Decathlon

www.stopthedump.com

Cape Fear Climate Action Network

Wilmington architect Michael J. Connor, LEED AP, has expanded his architectural design services firm by opening a second office in Savannah, Georgia.

A local citizen network providing support, advocacy, and recognition for climate action initiatives in the Cape Fear region. www.capefearcan.com

Cape Fear Cyclists

The information hub for Southeastern cyclists! www.capefearcyclists.org

Alternative Architecture specializes in passive and active solar systems, and other cutting-edge energy-efficient systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings.

Cape Fear Community College (CFCC)

Architectural technology curriculum. www.cfcc.edu/programs/at

Connor continues to maintain his headquarters in Wilmington, NC. For more information, email alterarch@ec.rr.com or call (910)397-0491.

Cape Fear Economic Development Council (CFEDC)

B + O Design Studio Relocates

Presented by the Cape Fear Green Buillding Alliance (CFGBA), The Building Performance Workshop Series is scheduled to begin on May 12. Made possible in part by a grant award from the NC Green Business Fund and ARRA, the series of professional trainings combines classroom instruction with on-site, hands-on demonstrations. The principles and techniques taught during the trainings apply to both new and existing construction, but special focus will be placed on their application to existing homes. The curriculum is tailored to prepare trainees for certifications and jobs in the emerging home retrofit industry.

CFEDC is an all-volunteer endeavor promoting innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship as essential to successful local economic growth, regional competitiveness, and jobs and income generation.

B+O: design studio, PLLC has achieved a new and smaller footprint. Landscape Architect Lara Berkley and Architect Scott Ogden have moved their B + O Design Studio office from downtown Wilmington to a new home office.

www.capefearedc.org

Cape Fear Green Building Alliance (CFGBA)

Their new mailing address is:

Promotes the construction of environmentally responsible, profitable, healthy places to live and work.

www.cfgba.org

During the on-site training sessions, trainees will be able to apply the techniques they learn in the classroom to existing homes. These green retrofits are being performed through a collaboration with Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministries (WARM), a non-profit organization that performs repairs on the homes of economically disadvantaged individuals.

B+O: design studio, PLLC 1319-CC Military Cutoff Road #221 Wilmington, NC 28405

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science

Their website address remains www. b-and-o.net, and their new business telephone number is (910)821-0084.

Oldest museum in North Carolina tells stories of the region’s history, science and cultures through exhibition and educational programs. www.capefearmuseum.com

Cape Fear Regional Beekeepers Association

Additional grant partners are Building Performance Specialists (BPS) and Sapona Green Building Center. BPS will provide instruction, energy audits and project management for the retrofits. Sapona will act as purchasing agent and materials supplier.

Newly-formed chapter of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association. Receive personal advice from beekeepers in the local communi-

General registration is now open. The complete list of workshop topics and dates is posted below:

May 12 – Building Science/ House Characterization

May 19 – Sealing/Insulating the Envelope

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

Nonprofit works to educate people about the importance of forests and the negative environmental impacts of business-as-usual paper production. Having achieved systemic change throughout the paper industry through public campaigns against office super stores--the largest retail paper sellers in the U.S.--they are now addressing protection for Southern forests and forests all over the world.

May 26 – Targeted Weatherization

June 9, 10 Sealed/Closed Crawl

June 23 – Sealed Attics

One of the strongest advocates of Appalachian State University’s Solar Homestead project, N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue, made a stop in Boone on October 28 to recognize students and faculty for their participation in the U.S. Department of Energy’s international 2011 Solar Decathlon competition.

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s mission is to promote local and organic agriculture in the Carolinas by inspiring, educating and organizing farmers and consumers. Produces Carolina Guide to Local & Organic Food. www.carolinafarmstewards.org

July 7 – Targeted Weatherization

Center for Environmental Farming Systems

July 21 – High Performance HVAC

Aug 4 –Indoor Air Quality

Aug 18 – Building Science/ House Characterization

Perdue signed a proclamation declaring Oct. 28–Nov. 4 as Appalachian State University Solar Homestead Week. “Solar Homestead” was the name of Appalachian State’s entry in the Decathlon.

Aug 25 – Sealing/Insulating the Envelope

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) develops and promotes food and farming systems that protect the environment, strengthen local communities, and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. CEFS is one of the nation’s largest centers for the study of environmentally sustainable farming practices. www.cefs.ncsu.edu

Sept 8 – Targeted Weatherization

City of Wilmington Stormwater Services

“These students have shown America that we can do things in North Carolina,” Perdue said. “We all know that in North Carolina green is gold and that we must as a people focus on building a green enterprise for our state.”

Sept 22 –Water Heating Options

For more information or to register, visit www.cfgba.org or contact Joy Allen, Cape Fear Green Building Alliance, at (910)470-5697 or joy.a@cfgba.org.

The biannual solar decathlon competition challenges student teams to design and construct an energy-efficient dwelling that is powered entirely by solar energy. Appalachian’s entry won the competition’s

Maintains and improves the City’s stormwater drainage system for the protection of the community and the environment. Provides comprehensive stormwater management that takes into account both the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. Stormwater education, outreach, and public involvement are important components of this mission. www.wilmingtonnc.gov

Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)–Cape Fear Chapter

See our 2011 Holiday Giving Guide for gift-giving ideas that are eco-friendly and mindful.

Online from Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) through December 2011.

The purpose of Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina is to advise and educate the public on conservation of marine resources. The objective of CCA is to conserve, promote and enhance the present and future availability of these coastal resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public.

The Cape Fear Green Building Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation with the mission of promoting sustainable building practices. Formed in 2005, the CFGBA accomplishes its mission primarily through educational programs for both industry professionals and the general public. Monthly general meetings held the second Wednesday of each month feature informational presentations and are free and open to all.

www.goinggreenpublications.com

www.capefearcca.com

www.dogwoodalliance.org

Earth Day Alliance

People’s Choice Award and also ranked first in the hot water competition, second in communications, third in architecture, and sixth in market appeal and energy balance.

Organizers of the Lower Cape Fear Celebration of Earth Day.

Starting April 29, 2010, Cape Fear Green Building Alliance is resuming its monthly “Green Social,” held the last Thursday of the month. Come enjoy the rooftop and meet with people who share an interest in things green. Location: Reel Cafe rooftop, 100 So. Front Street, Wilmington.

www.wilmingtonearthday.com

Green Drinks at Kefi

Electric Vehicle Automobile Association (EVAA) – Coastal Carolinas / Wilmington

Local chapter provides e-mail of current developments and legislation

Appalachian State has been invited by the governor to display the Solar Homestead in Raleigh next spring in conjunction with the opening of the 80,000-square foot N.C. Nature Research Center, slated to be one of the most energy efficient buildings in the state. Look in a future issue of Going Green for a student perspective on the Decathlon.

Cape Fear Green Drinks, is held the second Thursday of each month, at Kefi, 2012 Eastwood Road, Wilmington. The event offers a casual place to network and a monthly speaker. Coming May 13: rain barrels and rain gardens. For details email Paul Pascarosa at cppascarosa@gba-inc.com.

www.eaaev.org or e-mail: pagepaterson@mac. com

(continued on page 14)

Harvesting Rain Water can help you:

• Save money and energy

• Preserve precious resources

LocalMetalsmith

• Meet your sustainability goals

Call or visit us today to find out what Rain Water Harvesting can do for you: www.CFGreenSolutions.com 910.763.1630

Residential • Commercial • Industrial

928 No. 4th Street, Wilmington, NC

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Canines for Clean Water Promote Pet Waste Disposal

Our pets are beloved members of our families, but their waste is a serious water quality and public health threat. When it rains, uncollected pet waste is washed directly into local waterways with no treatment.

Bacteria, viruses and parasites in pet waste can make surface waters unsafe for activities such as swimming, fishing, shellfishing and drinking. Pathogens in pet waste can make humans sick with diseases and infections such as salmonella, e.coli, giardia and roundworms.

Nutrients in pet waste harm our waterways because they produce algae and aquatic weeds which use up the oxygen that fish and aquatic life need to survive.

A new program called Canines for Clean Water encourages dog owners to sign a pledge promising to clean up and properly dispose of pet waste. Pet owners receive a Canines for Clean Water bandana, dog treats and other program materials. Once a pledge is signed, pet owners can then submit a photo of their pet to the online Canines Photo Gallery. Canines for Clean Water participates in several pet-related events during the year, giving pets and their owners the opportunity to make a difference for clean water.

For more information about Canines for Clean Water and upcoming events, please visit: www. wilmingtonnc.gov/canines

TreeFest Poetry Contest

Enter the TreeFest Poetry Contest for a chance to win a tree planted in your honor at your school. The contest is open to all grade levels in New Hanover County. Poems must be 100 words or less and follow the rules of the type of poem chosen by the student. Trees should be the focus of the poem, and entries must be typed or legibly handwritten. Entries are due January 13.

For details, contact Jennifer O’Keefe at (910)798-7564 or jeokeefe@nhcgov.com.

Sporting his “Canines for Clean Water” bandana, Brady shows how his human always bags pet waste.

Wild Bird & Garden Holds Second Annual Nature Photo Contest

Wild Bird & Garden invites photographers of all ages to participate in its second annual nature photo contest. There will be separate categories for work submitted by adults (17 years old and over) and by kids (0-16 years old).

Photo subject matter must be related in some way to wildlife or nature, and must be submitted as an 8" x 10" photo on an 11" x 14" mat. No digital tweaking is allowed except for cropping and sharpening. Entrants must be able to submit a JPEG digital image of their entry.

Entries may be submited October through December 5, 2011. As they arrive, entries are displayed in the store so the public can vote for their favorites in each category. Every visitor to the store is allowed to cast one vote per day for work in the adult category and one vote per day in the kid category.

Photos submitted by adults will also be judged by a team of local professional photographers. Entries are due by December 5, 2011, but the sooner you

Be

significant contributors to the health of the species.

Audubon manages Mason Inlet Waterbird Management Area on the north end of Wrightsville Beach through a cooperative agreement with New Hanover County and the Town of Wrightsville Beach. Audubon staff offers free field trips to this site on the N.C. Birding Trail every Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. April through September (or by appointment, by calling (910)686-7527). Audubon North Carolina also monitors bird-nesting activity at the south end of the island through a partnership with the Town of Wrightsville Beach.

Audubon North Carolina’s coastal sanctuaries link 19 islands that provide refuge for more than a third of the state’s nesting waterbirds, some 23,000 pairs of breeding birds.

The Share the Beach/Be a Good Egg project is funded by Audubon/Toyota’s TogetherGreen Innovation Grants

enter, the greater your chances in the popular vote.

There will be prizes for the winners in each category, and the winning entry will be published in Cape Fear’s Going Green. Winners of the judged competition and the popular vote will be announced on December 15, 2011. Entrants must, of course, hold all rights to their entries, which must not contain any time stamp or text.

Wild Bird & Garden is located in Hanover Center at 3501 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. For more contest details, call (910)343-6001 or visit www.wildbirdgardeninc.com, or stop by in person to see entries already on display. Winners will be published in our next issue. Wild Bird & Garden hosts a variety of workshops about birds and how to support them in your own backyard. They also hold bird walks at Airlie Gardens the second Wednesday of each month. Regular admission is $5 (free, for Airlie members). Stop by Wild Bird & Garden for a free admission pass for this month’s bird walk.

program. It is supported by the coastal education efforts of International Paper Foundation, as well as the Town of Wrightsville Beach and New Hanover County.

Audubon North Carolina is the state office of the National Audubon Society representing 14,000 grassroots members and ten local chapters across the state. With a century of conservation history in North Carolina, Audubon strives to conserve and restore the habitats we share with all wildlife, focusing on the needs of birds.

Audubon North Carolina achieves its mission through a blend of science-based research and conservation, education and outreach, and advocacy. Learn more at www.ncaudubon.org and at www.ncaudubonblog.org.

Cape Fear’s Going Green is proud to be a sponsor of Wild Bird & Garden’s Nature Photo Contest!

Audubon North Carolina kicks off Be A Good Egg/Share the Beach initiative

Over the last weekend in June, 174 beachgoers at Wrightsville Beach signed a pledge to “Be a Good Egg” and share the beach with coastal birds like Least Terns and Black Skimmers that nest at North Carolina’s coast during the peak

From April through August, thousands of waterbirds travel to North Carolina’s beaches to lay their eggs (nest) on the bare sand at popular vacation spots such as Wrightsville Beach and Lea-Hutaff Island in southeastern North Carolina.

mal conversations with beachgoers made us realize that many people are simply unaware that some bird species nest on the beach. As well, people do not realize that if they walk into a nesting area or allow a dog into the area it can have a devastating impact on eggs and baby birds. Our hope is that the Good Egg campaign will raise awareness of these incredible bird species that travel long distances to raise their young on our beaches. We can all give them a fighting chance by respecting their nesting areas and enjoying the birds from a distance.”

In November 2009, Audubon North Carolina hired a marketing firm to conduct a random survey of 600 residents of Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick counties to assess their awareness and attitudes about beach-nesting birds and conservation. Only 44% of those surveyed knew that some birds nest in the sand on the beach while 46% of respondents said that birds nest in trees or away from the beach.

tourist season. On Sunday, June 26, 2011, Audubon North Carolina kicked off the Good Egg/Share the Beach initiative, which is aimed at raising awareness about the migratory waterbirds that travel to North Carolina’s beaches every spring and summer to nest and raise their young.

More than a dozen Audubon staff and volunteers talked to beachgoers at Wrightsville Beach on Sunday, giving them close-up looks at newly hatched birds through spotting scopes, asking them to sign a pledge form, and giving them “Good Egg” magnets and bags in exchange. The team also talked to beachgoers at the south end of Wrightsville Beach on Saturday and Sunday, July 2nd and 3rd.

Anyone can take the pledge online at www.goodeggnc.org, a new website featuring images and information about beach-nesting birds.

 www.goinggreenpublications.com

These scrappy survivors must battle the elements to protect their eggs and chicks. The birds face many threats, including severe weather, predators, and human disturbance. When a person or dog enters a nesting area adult birds become alarmed and fly off their nests, exposing their chicks and eggs to predators and extreme temperatures. During bird-nesting season, Audubon biologists mark off nesting areas at the north and south ends of Wrightsville Beach and other Audubon-managed sites with ropes and signs to discourage people from entering the areas. The roped-off sites are temporary and are typically located in dune areas away from the beachfront.

“We believe that people who walk into bird-nesting areas at the beach do not intend to harm the birds,” said Ida Phillips, Communications Director at Audubon North Carolina. “Over the years, our infor-

Wrightsville Beach is a hotspot for beach-nesting birds, including Black Skimmers, Least Terns, and American Oystercatchers. Approximately 350 pairs of Least Terns, 120 pairs of Black Skimmers, and several American Oystercatchers nested at the beach during the 2011 nesting season. These Least Terns account for approximately 10% of the North Carolina breeding population of Least Terns and are

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photo courtesy of Walker Golder American oystercatcher chick rests at home on the beach. Shorebird nests are easily disrupted by loose dogs and pedestrians.

photo courtesy of Audubon

“Don’t say a word, Just save the Bird!” cautions a new sign on the beach, drawn by Gracie Hutchens. Area children drew signs to alert the public to the need to share the beach with nesting birds.