I’m a big fan of the annual Cape Fear Environmental Film Festival, hosted by the UNC–Wilmington film department. So I was pleased when organizers asked me to be a panelist for an after-film discussion. Imagine how happy I was when I learned we’d be discussing a film examining industrial hemp, a movie created by two North Carolina women, no less!
I continue to be surprised and disappointed that there is so much opposition to cultivating hemp in the U.S. Our reluctance to differentiate between woody hemp (a useful, non-toxic, renewable, eco-friendly crop used for building materials, food, textiles, bio-plastics) and marijuana (grown for its pain-relieving or psychoactive properties) has landed us in this unenviable situation. Last year we imported over $400 million dollars of hemp from other countries, most of it from Canada, China and the United Kingdom.
That’s a lot of money for a crop that could easily be grown and processed here. In fact, hemp’s unique properties make it an ideal replacement for cotton, and tobacco, among the many water-, fertilizer-, and pesticidehungry crops we grow now. The need for hemp to be processed close to where it’s grown provides built-in local business opportunities. Imagine how a local hemp industry could revitalize rural North Carolina!
It’s time for us to examine hemp rationally. The makers of “Bringing It Home” have done just that: interviews with entrepreneurs, farmers, and builders in the U.K. and Spain, where hemp farming enjoys complete government support, left me scratching my head over why we are not yet part of this movement.
Mom and I went to the yarn shop recently. She pointed out some luscious, soft yarn made mostly of bamboo. But we looked in vain for any made of hemp. I just ordered some online; if it comes in time, I’ll be knitting at the film festival. See you there!
Valerie L. Robertson Editor
3 UNC–W to Host Environmental Film Festival
3 “Bringing It Home” to North Carolina
5 Clean Water Starts Here—
Earth Day Alliance Prepares for Earth Day 2014 Celebration
6 Nature Photo Contest Winners
10 Nominate Your Favorite Conifer
10 Southern Magnolia Tree Wins Heritage Tree Award
11 Your Ecological House—
Seeds of the Future
12 Environmental Book Club Announces Reading List for 2014
14 See the World from a Satellite’s Perspective
15 2014 Ocean Art Awareness Student Contest
17 Growing Seed Lending Movement Comes to Port City
18 Business News
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: Stacey Burrell, Jennifer Butler, Charlotte Frazier, David Hoffman, Andy Myers, Jeanne Oxenfeld, Lee Parsons, Jill Peleuses, Adeline Robertson, André Silva, Frannie Sweeney, Hope Sylvain, John Tolleston, Philip S. Wenz, and Jim Woodson.
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: Kitchen Ahimsa, Arboretum/New Hanover County Extension Service, Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop, Azalea Coin Laundry, Lovey’s Market, Old Books on Front Street, Pomegranate Books, Progressive Gardens, Re-eco Design, Tidal Creek Co-op, UNCW, WHQR, Shelton Herb Farm, Uprising, U.S. Trolls, and the YWCA.
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 through Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties. If you have a business and would like to receive multiple copies for the public, please contact us.
The views and opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication.
The Cape Fear Environmental Film Forum will host a weekendlong film festival next week. The program consists of four event blocks, each focusing on one film and followed by audience and panel discussion, facilitated by Cape Fear-area activists, advocates and entrepreneurs. The festival takes place Friday, February 21, from 7:00pm – 10pm and Saturday, February 22 from 11am – 8pm. All programs will be held in King Hall Auditorium on the UNC-W campus.
Through a mix of films and panel/audience dialogue addressing environmental issues and solutions, the Forum’s intent is to inspire and motivate participants to make a difference for the environment and in their communities. The festival is in its third year. Specific topics this year include the evolution of the environmental movement, farmer-veteran programs, and the multi-faceted value of industrial hemp.
The event is sponsored by the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Film Studies Department and Friends of the Cape Fear Environmental Film Forum. All events are free and open to the public.
See schedule details on page 4.
What if you knew about a revolutionary, organic building material—one that is clean, carbon-neutral, lightweight, allergen-free, and pulls heavy metals from the soil? One that is easy to work with using hand tools? What if you were unable to obtain this material domestically due to government restrictions, and to use it you had to import it from another country? And what if you then had to contend with misperceptions about the material itself—it’s at best the butt of talk-show monologues, at worst, a malevolent force?
That’s exactly the situation described by North Carolina Filmmakers Linda
Booker and Blaire Johnson in their 52minute documentary, “Bringing It Home,” a simple, compelling look at what industrial hemp is and how is it being used around the world. (See the Asheville hemp house that inspired the filmmakers, featured on this issue’s cover.)
Booker and Johnson fit a lot of information into this short film. Through animation, archival footage, and interviews with builders and entrepreneurs around the world, they take us on a seamless ride from a brief history of hemp’s uses worldwide (rope, fabric, construction) to an overview of the bumpy ride hemp has experienced in the United States. Depending on
political and corporate expediency, hemp growing has been mandated, encouraged, and prohibited in the U.S., often all at the same time. They explain the difference between woody hemp for cultivation and cannabis bred for its psychoactive or medical benefit, and describe programs developed in several other countries to promote the growing and use of woody hemp. From fiber to oil to plastic to seed, hemp increasingly appears in our lives. But it all comes from somewhere else.
Over 30 other industrialized nations now officially grow industrial hemp. The filmmakers point out the U.S. remains the only industrialized nation that refuses to distinguish it from its sibling, marijuana. This means a DEA permit—virtually impossible to obtain—is required to grow hemp in the U.S. Meanwhile, Canada, the United Kingdom and China all enjoy full government support and are happily exporting hemp. Watching the rise in imports—we bought $400 million worth of hemp last year alone—some American farmers are eager to join the business. In the absence of movement at the Federal level, states are beginning to create their own programs. But times are changing. In January of 2014, the U.S. Congress passed legislation which will allow cultivation of industrial hemp.
Proponents point to hemp’s advantages as a crop, especially in states like
(continued on page 4)
Friday, February 21, 7pm –
A FIERCE GREEN FIRE: The Battle for a Living Planet is the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement – grassroots and global activism spanning fifty years from conservation to climate change. Directed and written by Mark Kitchell, the Academy Awardnominated director of Berkeley in the Sixties, and narrated by Robert Redford, Ashley Judd, Van Jones, Isabel Allende and Meryl Streep, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2012, has won acclaim at festivals around the world, and in 2013 begins theatrical release as well as educational distribution and use by environmental groups and grassroots activists.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director, Mark Kitchell, Anthony Snider (Associate Professor: UNCW Environmental Studies) Zachary Keith (Chapter Organizer: Wilmington, NC-North Carolina Sierra Club) Kayne Darrell (Founder: Citizens Against Titan) Andy Myers (Campaign Coordinator: Working Films)
Saturday, February 22, 11am –
Students at the middle school level at the Friends School of Wilmington will premiere their short environmental documentary. The event also includes other short films made by young people from across the country.
An assortment of young panelists from Friends School will speak after the screening. Adult panelists TBD.
Saturday, February 22, 2pm –
Follow our ensemble of combat men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as they share their stories: why they joined the military, how the war experience changed them, their daunting return to civilian life, how they struggled to find a positive pathway forward and ultimately, how they found organic farming and pasture-raising livestock to be an answer to a dream. Their stories are as inspiring as they are pragmatic, as they explore their next mission--food security for America.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion: Panelists TBD
North Carolina with high unemployment rates and available arable land. Hemp is easy to grow, requiring little irrigation and no pesticides. Its bulky nature means it must be processed within about 300 miles, making it an ideal platform on which to revive and create local industry.
This film is a fun watch: packed with facts, I had to see it twice in order to absorb it all. Its wide-ranging explanations and the peek we get into other countries’ attitudes toward using industrial hemp
Saturday, February 22, 5 p.m. –
A father’s search to find the most healthful building materials leads him to the completion of the nation’s first hemp house. Hemp fibers mixed with lime is a non-toxic, energy efficient, mildew- fire- and pest-resistant building material. The drawback? Industrial hemp is
currently illegal to farm in the U.S.A. Industrial hemp is a non-psychoactive plant, grown in 31 other countries. It is the basis for thousands of sustainable products and offers solutions for global warming, nutrition, poverty and deforestation. Here in the U.S., hemp could be a moneymaking crop for farmers and create jobs. But why can’t we grow it here? BRINGING IT HOME tells the story of hemp: past, present and future and a global industry that includes textiles, building materials, food products, bio-plastics, auto parts, and more.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s co-director/producer, Blaire Johnson, Valerie Robertson (Publisher and Editor: Cape Fear’s Going Green), Pat Delair (Hippocrates Health Educator and Founder of Conscious Integration), Guy Carpenter (Cape Fear Apparel), John Wojciechowski (Lead Instructor: Sustainability Technologies, Cape Fear Community College), and Amy Sawyer (Founder and Owner: Island Wellness Center)
For most current film schedule, updates on additional panelists, and to join the discussion, follow the Forum on Facebook at: https:// www.facebook.com/pages/Cape-Fear-Environmental-Film-Forum/ 308636825820445?fref=ts.
For more information and media inquiries contact Andre Silva at (910) 962-2229, capefearenviroforum@gmail.com.
were thought-provoking. In the U.S.,“new” technology is often driven by the small consumer—I can easily imagine small homes of hempcrete springing up around the country. But seeing the large commercial building projects made of hemp— from corporate headquarters to entire housing developments—go up in the United Kingdom and Spain was stunning. When will we see a major corporation building out of hempcrete here? I don’t know. But meanwhile, watch “Bringing It
Home” for a down-to-earth look at one of the world’s oldest, yet newest, crops, and you’ll be ready for the revolution.
“Bringing It Home “will air Saturday, February 22 at 5:00 pm, followed by postmovie discussion.
See companion article for list of panelists, which will include Bringing It Home’s co-producer Blaire Johnson, as well as Valerie Robertson, publisher of Cape Fear’s Going Green.
“Bringing It Home” – continued
Spring is on its way, and the Earth Day Alliance is already busy preparing for our favorite springtime activity: The Wilmington Earth Day Festival!
This year’s celebration will once again be held at Hugh MacRae Park in Wilmington, on Saturday, April 26, 2014, from noon to 6 p.m. The festival will feature more than 60 information environmental exhibits, a fun and educational Kid’s Eco Zone, live local music, and food and beverages.
This year’s theme: “Clean Water Starts Here.” Sustainability, or ensuring our resources are here for future generations, is important for protecting our Earth, water, and other natural resources. The Earth Day Alliance chose this theme to highlight how important it is that each individual take measures to help protect our water and environment. This can take many forms, such as disposing properly of waste and recycling, cleaning up after our pets, reducing water waste, and being responsible with pesticides and fertilizers to help protect local watersheds. Earth Day is a great way to learn—or be reminded— what steps all of us can be taking to make a difference.
Now is the time to think about how to participate. More than 5000 people
attended this event in 2013, so if you represent an environmental organization, this is an efficient way to reach likeminded people. The price for being an exhibitor in the Exhibitor Tent ranges from $0 (for non-profits and government agencies) up to $250, depending on the type of organization you represent. (Contributions are, of course, welcome.)
This year, along with the usual Exhibitor Tent, there will be a Green Tent Market—a place for local businesses, organizations and area crafts people to offer their renewable, sustainable, or environmentally friendly products for sale. If you are a for-profit business, but do not wish to sell any products, the fee for having a table in the Exhibitor Tent is $100. If you represent a for-profit business and
Plastics in Our Oceans
Saturday, March 8, 2p.m.
Speaker: Bonnie Monteleone, UNCW
Ms. Monteleone will share details about this exciting project, housed at UNCW. See images and footage takenfrom the North Pacific Garbage Patch, and plastic marine debris from the North Atlantic. Learn how this impacts the ocean and the marine life within it.
Children’s program on oceans and environment: Nature’s Filters–Using Oysters to Remove Plastic Pollution in Our Creeks and Sounds
Saturday, March 15, 2p.m.
Speaker: Ted Wilgis, Coastal Education Coordinator, NC Coastal Federation
Fun interactive program for kids aged 8 and up, who will create an artificial oyster filter showing how oysters can remove plastics and other pollutants from our coastal waters. Participatns will also learn how they can reduce this pollution. Registration required. Call (910) 798-6370, or see www.nhcgov.com/library. Space limited to 30 participants. Both programs take place at NE Branch Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington
would like to sell products as a part of the Green Market Tent, the fee is $250.
There would be no festival without sponsorships, which range from $250 (for a Shared Tent Sponsor) to $5000 (for a Gateway Sponsor). A Kid’s Zone Sponsorship costs $1000. You can even support the event by donating a prize for the raffle, which the Alliance uses as a fundraiser.
Whether you’re an exhibitor, a sponsor, or an attendee, the Earth Day Alliance looks forward to seeing you at the festival! Deadline for registration forms is 5 p.m. Friday, March 23, 2014. For more information, visit www.wilmingtonearthday.com, or contact Elissa Riley at wilmingtonearthday@ gmail.com.
Earth Day is always officially April 22. However, Earth Day celebrations are often moved to another day in April, such as a nearby weekend, so that more people can participate.
Links to information on Earth Day’s history and photos from previous Wilmington Earth Day celebrations can be found at www.wilmingtonearthday.com, along with links to helpful local and national sustainability resources.
Every year Wild Bird & Garden invites photographers of all ages to participate in its annual nature photo contest. There are separate categories for work submitted by adults (17 years old and over) and by kids (0-16 years old), to encourage youngsters to get out in nature and record what they see.
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 in addition to their print.
Entries may be submitted October through early December of any given year. 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 kids category.
2nd place popular vote
Wild Bird & Garden 2012 Nature Photo Contest
Photos submitted by adults are also judged by a team of local professional photographers. Entries are due early in December, but the sooner you enter, the greater your chances in the popular vote.
1. Adults (17+ years old)
a. Judges vote–place determined by judge’s vote
b. Popular vote–place determined by popular vote
2. Kids (0–16 years old)
a. Popular vote–place determined by popular vote
Cape Fear’s Going Green is proud to be a sponsor of Wild Bird & Garden’s Nature Photo Contest!
Nature Photo Contest Rules:
• Maximum of 2 entries per person
• Entries’ subject matter must be wildlife or nature themed or somehow related to these subjects.
• Entries must be an 8’’ x 10’’ photo on 11’’ x 14’’ mat
• Entrant must be able to submit a JPEG file format of each entry
• No text on entries allowed
• No time stamp on entries allowed
• Entrant must be willing to post entries to Wild Bird & Garden’s website, “Going Green” magazine, and advertisements related to this contest
Wild Bird & Garden 2012 Nature Photo Contest
Voting takes place at Wild Bird & Garden in the Hanover Center shopping area. Each individual is allowed one vote per day for the popular vote categories. The judges’ vote and popular vote results are announced in December.
• Manipulation of images should be limited to conventional darkroom techniques and basic sharpening and cropping. Images should contain only subject matter as originally seen through the viewfinder. Images containing manipulated or added content should not be entered and will not be considered. The only exceptions are multiple exposures, montages, and panoramas.
• Entrant must hold all rights to their entry or entries
Wild Bird & Garden hosts a variety of workshops about birds and how to support them in your own backyard. Many of these are free Saturday morning workshops just down the street from their shop. Wild Bird & Garden is located in Hanover Center at 3501 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. For more contest details or to learn the dates of next winter’s contest, visit www.wildbirdgardeninc.com or call (910)343-6001.
Join us the second Wednesday of each month for a Bird Walk at Airlie Gardens. Airlie Gardens has wonderful bird habitat including marsh, fresh water ponds, wooded habitat and open lawns. Stop by Wild Bird & Garden to pick up FREE admission passes for this month’s Bird Walk. Regular admission is $5 or free for Airlie members. For more information call (910)343-6001.
Recognizing the need to protect and promote our urban forest, in 1996 the City Council of Wilmington established the Wilmington Tree Commission. The Commission is tasked with promoting programs to support the urban forest, increasing public education, and establishing awards and recognition programs as incentives to encourage a healthy and attractive natural environment.
One such program is the Heritage Trees program, which identifies and records trees important to the City’s history or natural landscape. A tree may be designated a heritage tree because of its size, age, rarity, historical significance or overall beauty. Registration of individual
heritage trees or groves of trees promotes appreciation of these significant members of our community. The Commission named 2013 the Year of the Magnolia, and several beautiful specimens and groupings of magnolia trees were honored in a presentation to the Wilmington City Council on November 19, 2013. Every one of these trees has a story, and the story of one of this year’s honorees appears below.
In 2014 the Commission will honor Conifers of the Coast. If you would like to nominate a conifer (or group of trees) for an award, contact the Wilmington Tree Commission at wtc.wilmingtonnc.gov or call (910)341-7852. Nominations will be accepted through the summer.
In 2013 the Heritage Trees program honored twelve present-day specimens and groupings of Southern Magnolias: Historic
Burgwin-Wright House, 224 Market St. Bellamy Mansion, Market St. and 5th Ave.
Captain John Harper House, 311 S. Front St. Wilmington National Cemetery, Market St. Oakdale Cemetery, 520 North 15th St. Bellevue Cemetery, Princess Pl. Dr & 17th St. Airlie Gardens Allée
Trask Coliseum, UNC–Wilmington Specimen
Betty H. Cameron Women’s and Children’s Hospital College Acres–Cross-City Trail, Mallard Dr. Long Leaf Hills, Ridgeway Dr. Long Leaf Hills Dr.
When Helen and Haywood Younger were picking out a lot in the new Long Leaf Hills development, they picked the one with the most trees. They sited their house so that building it would require removal of a minimum number of trees, just enough for the footprint required by
their house and driveway. Mrs. Younger explains this is why their house is set back deeper on the lot than its neighbors—it was to preserve as many trees as possible. She remembers that Long Leaf Hills was being developed just before the Coastline Railroad left in 1960.
Helen Younger was a teacher at New Hanover High School. In 1958 her friend and fellow teacher, Miss Leiza Symmes, was ready to retire from NHHS, but wanted to give Helen something to remember her by. She pulled two little magnolia saplings out of her yard, brushed off all the dirt, and gave them to Helen, who was just getting started landscaping her yard. Helen gave one of the trees to another friend, but planted hers in the middle of her own front yard. She nurtured it and trimmed it when needed, and it has now grown to a size that elicits comments daily from people travelling down her street.
There are many stories associated with the tree over the years. Neighborhood children loved to climb in it, and when one climbing episode resulted in the loss of several limbs, Mr. Younger put them back in place with masking tape, and they grew back in place.
The Younger house was burglarized years ago, and when the police arrived the burglars were nowhere to be found. They’d climbed up into the tree, which shielded them completely from the manhunt happening below them.
This tree has never been “limbed up,” and now fills nearly the entire front yard. Mrs. Younger says, “We figure this is our gift to the neighborhood.”
The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success.
Paramahansa YoganandaI’d never heard of Vandana Shiva before a friend suggested I attend a lecture she gave in California about 15 years ago. I didn’t know she was an international star in the sustainable agriculture movement, and I was unfamiliar with the ideas in her numerous books on the subject.
But I had done quite a bit of reading about the role of biodiversity in the resilience of ecosystems on all scales: local, regional and global. Biodiversity is critical to ecosystem stability because it allows species to be somewhat interchangeable in fulfilling basic ecosystem functions such as food production and controlling each other’s populations through predation.
To the extent that diversity is reduced, so are an ecosystem’s options for adjusting to disturbances. The evolution of the “strategy” of supporting diversity is one of the keys to the sustainability of ecosystems, which in a variety of forms have survived on earth for 3.6 billion years.
What I learned from the Shiva lecture is that, for thousands of years, farmers in India have mimicked nature’s diversity strategy by planting a variety of grains. That way, if one or more grain crops failed due to drought, blight or another un-foreseen affliction, the remaining grains—less susceptible to a particular condition— could sustain the farmer’s family or community.
This practice, discovered through the evolutionary process of trial and error and adapting to local conditions, is literally enshrined in India’s farmlands: Shiva described reliefs of nine traditional “sacred grains” carved over the entrance to the temples of the country’s agricultural gods.
But Shiva’s lecture wasn’t just happy talk about sustainable agricultural practices. She said the very concept of crop and seed diversity has been under attack by a variety of institutions—corporations,
governments and NGOs—for decades. Some of these institutions are well meaning, marching under a “we’re feeding the world” banner. Others, not so much. The net effect of their activities is that the availability of a diverse seed supply has shrunk—and is shrinking at an alarming rate.
Until about a century ago, seeds were part of the “commons”—they were considered to be the shared heritage of humankind, available to be sold or distributed for free by anyone who had them. In America, farmers bred plants and saved seeds that were adapted to thousands of locales. They often sold successful strains to neighbors or through local general stores or farm coops.
Following suit, the federal government established the land-grant university system, which, among other services, collected, bred and distributed seeds. The USDA devoted about one third of its budget to collecting and distributing seeds and by the 1890s over a billion packets of these seeds were supplied annually to America’s farmers.
But then commercial interests began to lobby the government for proprietary rights to this publicly sponsored seed reservoir, and during the course of the ensuing century a series of laws and court decisions dramatically changed the situation. Today, proprietary seeds account for 82 percent of the world’s commercial seed market. About 50 percent of those proprietary seeds are owned by three corporations (Monsanto, Dupont and Syndenta), and a full 66 percent are owned by the top ten seed corporations.
Predictably, this centralization has reduced the diversity of the world’s food supply, increasing reliance on fewer and fewer crops with high yield/profitability ratios. For example, about 96 percent of the vegetable varieties grown in the U.S. in 1903 are no longer available on the commercial market.
One need not pass judgment on any of the players to see that this inordinate centralization is dangerous to the food
supply of a planet with a burgeoning population. Agriculture worldwide is threatened by climate change, soil and aquifer exhaustion and a variety of unsustainable agricultural practices, including the spread of monocultures. A reduction in available seed variety reduces our chances to respond resiliently to these threats.
What can you do to help restore balance in agronomy? Fortunately, there is a widespread seed-saving and sharing movement you can freely join. It’s easy to save, share and even breed a wide variety of locally adapted seeds. And we just might find that saving seeds is a key to saving ourselves at our ecological house. [Ed: See page 17 for a story on the new Wilmington seed library launching this spring.]
© Philip S. Wenz, 2013 This article is one in a series on global warming solutions. Read more of the series at http://www.ecotecture. com/global-warming-solutions/ 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. He may be reached by email through his Web site at www.your-ecological-house. com.
The environmental book discussion group devoted their December meeting to selecting the titles the group will discuss throughout 2014. See the listing on page 17 for the titles of books they look forward to reading and discussing.
The list is also available on the calendar page of Cape Fear’s Going Green’s website (go to the calendar page of www.
goinggreenpublications.com and click on any book club meeting in 2014 for a full list of titles) and it also apears in the “Notes” section of the Going Green Facebook page.
Something new for 2014: the group had more books they wanted to read than than months to read them, so members decided that each month in addition to the monthly selection, they would read
• Free evaluation of your yard through the “Bird-Friendly Habitat Award Program,” which supports migratory birds through native planting and thoughtful landscaping.
• Monthly meetings, plus field trips and guided birdwalks, open to members and non-members.
• Speakers available for your group www.capefearaudubon.org info@capefearaudubon.org
“It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to “make a difference”... to the future of biodiversity, to the
a section or two from The Post Carbon Reader, an anthology that looked too good to postpone until 2015.
The group also decided to move its annual book selection meeting to the fall, and will schedule an additional meeting session in October, to pick titles for 2015.
In December the gathering will be held at a member’s home, and each person will tell us about a book they’ve read on their own.
The Environmental Book Club is organized by Cape Fear’s Going Green and hosted by Old Books on Front Street. They meet the first Tuesday evening of the month inside the bookstore. Social time is at 5:30, discussion begins at 6:00 and runs approximately 90 minutes.
There’s no long-term commitment: you can come when the book being discussed is a title that interests you! “We do hope you’ll read the book before you come, as it enriches the conversation,” says club leader Valerie Robertson. “Our group welcomes new members and one-time visitors.”
Snacks, beer and wine are available for sale inside the bookstore, for you to enjoy during the gathering. Old Books On Front Street offers a discount on new copies of the club selections. Please call them for details, or ask at the register. 910-762-6657.
The anthology-type book, The Post Carbon Reader, we’ll read throughout the year--a chapter or two per month.
Bird lovers’ tip: North American Bluebird Society is a great reference for all things bluebird.
www.nabluebirdsociety.org
submitted by Jill Peleusesnative plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”
—Douglas Tallamy Bringing Nature Homephoto by Valerie Robertson Old Books on Front Street has a table of “green” books on display in the middle of the shop. Come see what’s on tap for future discussions.
The Citizen Science Association (CSA) has just announced free, inaugural membership: CitizenScienceAssociation.org/ membership.
The CSA supports practitioners in the broad and growing field of public participation in scientific research, and aims to advance a global and cross-disciplinary field of practice. As a new organization, the CSA is inviting inaugural members to help shape key decisions about direction, priorities, and leadership. Members who join before 15 March 2014 can vote on draft vision and mission statements.
Interested individuals are invited to respond, anonymously, to a membership questionnaire. Responses will help the CSA understand community needs, interests, and capacities to help shape and build support for member services. The questionnaire will provide a link to a separate member registration form. Access the questionnaire here: https://www.surveymonkey. com/s/CSAMemberQuestionnaire.
For more information about the Citizen Science Association, including CSA goals, visit CitizenScienceAssociation.org.
The annual Fire in the Lakes Festival traditionally held in Boiling Spring Lakes has changed the venue of the festival to Halyburton Park in Wilmington. The time of year is also being changed, to fall: the 5th annual Fire Festival will be held on October 22, 2014. To participate in the Festival, contact Sara Babin at The Nature Conservancy’s Southeast Coastal Plain Office. Telephone (910) 395-5000 Ext. 102 or email sbabin@tnc.org.
Should we continue paying to have fluoride added to our local drinking water? Cape Fear Citizens for Safe Drinking Water, comprising New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick County citizens working together, doesn’t think so. Visit www.stopfluoride.com to sign up for information; the group plans to be active this spring.
In addition to the titles below, each month we’ll read a chapter from The Post Carbon Reader, Richard Heinberg, Ed.
January 7:
Green Illusions—The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism, by Ozzie Zehner
February 4:
The Natural Navigator: the rediscovered art of letting nature be your guide, by Tristan Gooley + Section 1 in Heinberg’s Post Carbon Reader
March 4:
Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness, by Lisa M. Hamilton
April 1:
A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
May 6:
Down the Wild Cape Fear, by Philip Gerard. Dr. Gerard will join our discussion of his book.
June 3:
Fateful Harvest: The true story of a small town, a global industry, and a toxic secret, by Duff Wilson
July 1:
Forty Chances: finding hope in a hungry world, by Howard G. Buffett
August 1:
Oil and Honey: the education of an unlikely activist, by Bill McKibben
September 2:
The Walk (all 3 stories: “The Walk,” “Geranium,” and “Paradiso”), by William deBuys
October 7:
Earth Masters: Playing God with the Climate, by Clive Hamilton
October X (date to be determined): meeting to select books for 2015
November 11: (Second Tuesday, this month only)
Abundance: The future is better than you think, by Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler
December 2:
Holiday social at a member’s home. No assigned book: Read and report on any environmental book of your choice.
Let us share your environmental news!! Editor@goinggreenpublications.com or call (910)547-4390
Since the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite Sputnik in 1957, satellites have dramatically changed the way we study our planet. “A View from Space,” a new, bilingual (Spanish and English), highly interactive, hands-on science exhibit, will allow visitors to see the world from a satellite’s perspective. They can track a hurricane from space, send a satellite spinning into orbit around a model Earth, study incredible images of our planet captured by NASA’s Earth Observing System and more.
activity table with space-themed toys, and a reading area. Other hands on areas include “Satellite Orbit,” where with a turn of crank visitors send a satellite spinning around a rotating model Earth while an ultraviolet light from the satellite leaves a phosphorescent trail, painting a clear picture of the satellite’s path.
Deliveries to:
A View from Space is designed to introduce visitors to Earth observing satellites and give them an appreciation for the value of studying Earth from space,” said Exhibit Manager Adrienne Garwood. “Visitors will be challenged to become the scientist, study satellite images and try to important questions about the workings of our dynamic planet.” exhibit includes numerous handsactivity sections such as the Satellite Area. This area encourages families about space and satellites togeththrough creative, open-ended play and exploration. The area features a drawing with satellite stencils, a free-play
A View from Space was created and is toured by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, Oregon. The exhibit was made possible with funds provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Local support is provided by Landfall Foundation, International Paper and Corning, Inc. Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, 814 Market St., is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday, 1 – 5 p.m. Sunday; Labor Day through Memorial Day. General admission $7 for adults; $6 for students and senior citizens; $6 special military rate with valid military ID; $4 for children 3-17; and free for children under 3 and for museum members. New Hanover County residents’ free day is the first Sunday of each month. More information: www.capefearmuseum.com.
In a vibrant learning community known for its vigorous academics, exceptional teaching, and time-honored Quaker values, students are provided a world of independent thinkers, our graduates are fully prepared to step up to the most ambitious high school setting – and to conquer the world ahead.
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An Independent Quaker School 910.791.8221 | www.fsow.org
The issue of plastic pollution in the ocean has been making waves in the US lately. Hawaii recently became the first state to ban plastic bags, which are often ingested by marine turtles and other animals. In february, New York introduced legislation that could make it the first state to ban microbeads, the small plastic orbs used in face wash, soap, and, toothpaste that get washed down drains and end up in the ocean.
From the Bow Seat’s 2014 Ocean Awareness Student Contest encourages high school students to learn about plastics and how they affect the marine environment and living organisms. The contest allows students to share their newfound knowledge through writing, artwork, or an advocacy video.
Three sets of prizes will be awarded, i.e., one for each category of ESSAY, ART, and ADVOCACY. Students can win $1,500 for First Prize, $1,000 for Second Place, $500 for Third Place, plus $250 for 10 Honorable Mentions. In addition, the First-place winners’ high schools will receive $1,500, and three teachers will be presented with Teachers Recognition Awards of $750 each.
Entries will be accepted through 15 June 2014. See www. fromthebowseat.org/contest for contest rules and submission requirements.
Thank
May 19 – Sealing/Insulating the Envelope
Green Starting Building
With more than 2000 members statewide and beyond, the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association (NCSBA) is the largest and one of the most active state beekeeping organizations in the U.S.
The NCSBA holds two statewide conventions each year, one in Spring and one in Summer. In odd-numbered years, the Spring Meeting is held jointly with the South Carolina Beekeepers Association, alternating locale between states.
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.
The NCSBA Spring 2014 Meeting will be held March 6-8 at the Wilmington NC Convention Center.
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.
Speakers, workshops and activities for the experienced beekeeper to the novice cover the range of keeping healthy bees. Workshops include queen rearing, swarm prevention, getting started, beekeeping ordinance and beekeeping with neighbors, honey board certification, and corporations and beekeepers working together.
A short course in beginning and intermediate beekeeping is available for those who wish to prepare for the Certified or Journeyman levels of the Master Beekeeper Program.
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.
General registration is now open. The complete list of workshop topics and dates is posted below:
May 12 – Building Science/ House Characterization
A Bee Buddies Program for Children will be held the mornings of Thursday & Friday, March 6 & 7, for 4th and 5th graders. This program is a snapshot of a yearlong beekeeping program for youth. It is designed to engage youth in the life of a honeybee. Youth learn what it is like to be
May 26 – Targeted Weatherization
June 9, 10 Sealed/Closed Crawl
June 23 – Sealed Attics
July 7 – Targeted Weatherization
July 21 – High Performance HVAC
Aug 4 –Indoor Air Quality
Aug 18 – Building Science/ House Characterization
a beekeeper and why anyone would want to be an overseer of these interesting insects. A bee’s life will be examined through hands-on activities. Youth will experience the honeybee as they never have before, and will go away with a greater understanding and appreciation of honeybees. Aspects of bee life that youth experience in this brief introduction include bee biology, communication, behavior, and work ethic.
Aug 25 – Sealing/Insulating the Envelope
Sept 8 – Targeted Weatherization
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.
NCSBA members can register for the convention for $25 (individual) or $35 (for the family). Registration at the door costs $35 and $45, respectively. Non-members pay an additional $15, which buys them a 2014 NCSBA membership for one person. Learn more about the convention or find a beekeeping group in your North Carolina county, by visiting www.ncbeekeepers.org.
“Green month. with people green. Front Green Cape Thursday Eastwood offers monthly rels and Pascarosa
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.
The North Carolina State Apiculture Program now has a new newsletter, called the “Wolfpack’s Waggle.” This quarterly newsletter will be a great resource for beekeepers and others to keep up with the research, teaching, and Extension activities of North Carolina State University’s Apiculture Program.
ARCHITECTURE
See the newsletter on the NCSU Entomology website: entomology.ces. ncsu.edu/apiculture/wolfpacks-wagglenewsletter/
sustainable
Local organizers and librarians are coming together to empower the community and lend seeds. On February 22, the New Hanover County Public Library (NHCPL) will launch The Seed Lending Project at its Downtown Wilmington location, 201 Chestnut Street. The launch will kick off a new section of the library where the public can check out seeds the same way they check out books. The event, which will include hands-on workshops on seed saving and gardening, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2014.
As of the launch, New Hanover County residents will be able to check out packets of seeds (5 total) using their library card, harvest them and return the seeds from their best plants to the NHC Arboretum for preparation for others to check out! Seed types will include two native flowering plants (Wild Bergamot and Sunspot Sunflowers) and two crop vegetables (Atkinson Tomatoes and Homemade Pickling Cucumbers).
There will be three speakers at Saturday’s kickoff event. Melanie Doyle, educator from Fort Fisher Aquarium, will discuss North Carolina native plants at 11:00 a.m.; Matt Collogan from Airle Gardens will discuss the basics of seed saving at 11:30 a.m.; and Al Hight from the NHC Arboretum will talk about square foot and container gardening at noon. Meet local native plant experts, see an example of a square foot garden and check out all of the great resources the library has to offer. There will also be a free raffle. Registration is not required, however the library has a limited amount of seeds available, so come and get them while you can!
Seed lending libraries have been spreading across the country at a rapid rate. As community members check out seeds and then return them from their best crops, the plants gradually adapt and become more suited for the regional climate. Working together, the community becomes more reliant both on local food
and each other. The Seed Lending Project at NHCPL will grow our community, preserve our cultural heritage, and provide New Hanover County residents with access to seeds.
When local community organizer Andy Myers began reading about seed lending libraries across the country, he knew Wilmington would be the perfect home for one. “I contacted the library and within days they were on board, in addition to The Arboretum and the Parks Conservancy,” said Myers. “The team behind The Seed Lending Project at NHCPL is pulling off something great for our community and is ensuring that seeds will be available to anyone who wishes to plant them.”
The Seed Library Project’s mission at NHCPL is to facilitate the growth of open-pollinated seeds among residents of New Hanover County. Organizers hope to preserve genetic diversity, increase food security in the region, and empower all members by creating a culture of sharing, abundance, and community involvement.
If you would like to donate seeds to the project, please deliver them to the Arboretum at 6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. Seed donations of native plants and crop vegetables are welcome.
For more information, and to learn what kinds of seeds the project is seeking, please contact either Andy Myers, (910) 599-744 or Portcityswappers@gmail. com, or Justine Roach, (910) 798-6301 or JRoach@nhcgov.com. Or visit http://nhcpl. libguides.com/seedlendinglibrary.
March 14 is the deadline for our Spring/Earth Day 2014 issue Editor@goinggreenpublications.com or call (910)547-4390
While Sapona Green Building Center closed its showroom, the business is still operating. Elaine Jack, owner, maintained her business licenses and good rapport with her dealers. Sapona recently completed several projects with clients. If you are interested in sustainable flooring, countertops, tiles and Safecoat products, contact saponagreen@gmail.com.
Sapona Green still has some former displays and inventory available. If interested, please contact Elaine Logothetis Jack, Sapona Green Building Center, LLC, by email: SaponaGreen@ gmail.com.
The North Carolina Aquarium at Ft. Fisher has announced plans to build a butterfly house that will feature butterflies from around the globe. This will complement the butterfly house already in place at Airlie Gardens, which focuses on butterflies that are native to our region, along with the native plants that support them.
Cape Fear River Watch upgraded its website last year, making it even easier than before to learn about their upcoming events and activities, restoring our local fish populations and keeping local waters safe. Voted “Best Environmental Group” three years
in a row in encore magazine’s “Readers’ Choice Award contest, Cape Fear River Watch organizes multiple events each month to encourage people to get out on the water, from free information seminars, to creek and river clean-ups and paddling trips.
Jim Tinker has upgraded the website for his company, The Aquaponics Garden. He designs eco-friendly drought-resistant gardening systems, using aquaponics and wicking beds. Visit www.theaquaponicsgarden.com to learn about growing food aquaponically year-round.
Wilmington Vegan, a local support group for vegans in the Cape Fear area to share information about food and plan local get-togethers, has several new projects in the works, such as a mentor program, and a directory of vegan-friendly restaurants. To learn more about plans and activities, sign up for their newsletter at www.wilmingtonvegan.com.
Shelton Herb Farm has a new website: http://sheltonherbfarmnc.com. The “Farm News” section contains newsletter archives with helpful information on growing herbs and other edibles in our area.
The City of Wilmington, Department of Public Services, will hold a Green Spring Carnival on March 22. Games, art projects and a scavenger hunt are just some of the kid-friendly activities designed to teach recycling concepts. For more information, or to inquire about being an exhibitor, call Suzanne Gooding at (910)341-1602, or email recycleoutreach@wilmingtonnc.gov.
Evan Folds is introducing two new ventures: Progressive Farms and Progressive Landscapes. He is developing an urban farm and education center on the property across the street from his 6005 Oleander Drive retail location. Progressive Farms will help people develop “food lawns” and urban homesteads. Write profarms@progressivegardens.com for information.
Progressive Landscapes is a 100% organic lawn care company focused on “growing soil” in your landscape. To learn more, email prolandscapes@progressivegardens.com.
Join the N.C. Coastal Federation on Saturday, March 1 for an oyster roast to celebrate a healthy coast. From 4 to 7 p.m., a party will be held at Tidal Creek Co-op. The event will feature steamed oysters, vegetarian chili, beer, live bluegrass music, door prizes and outdoor games. Tickets ($35 federation members; $45 nonmembers) are available online at www.nccoast.org or in person at Tidal Creek’s Customer Service desk. All Shellebration proceeds will benefit the federation’s environmental education programs. Email nccf@nccoast.org or call (910) 509-2838.
Saturday, March 29 9:00 until 4:00
Sunday, March 30 10:00 until 4:00
Plan now to visit as Poplar Grove Plantation hosts the area’s largest and longest running garden event. The plantation grounds will be full of vendors selling annuals, perennials, shrubs, native plants, vegetable starts, herbs, container gardens, and other types of plant material.
Have gardening questions or just want to expand your knowledge? Take advantage of free and extensive classes and activities, all offered by local experts
throughout the two days. You can go on a Bird & Nature Hike; learn about butterfly gardens and nesting birds; discover the benefits of compost and making all natural household cleaners; growing microgreens; gardening in containers, and more. Pender County Master Gardeners will staff an “Ask a Master Gardener” booth.
The Herb & Garden Fair is open to the public free of charge. You may shop with the many vendors, take classes and participate in all the activities, space permitting. They do ask for donations and appreci-
ate any support you can give to benefit Poplar Grove and its continuing mission of conservation, education and preservation.
Check the website for a complete listing of classes: www.poplargrove.org. Under the “Related Links” section you’ll find links to information on the benefits of going native in the garden, as well as downloadable information on how to attract wildlife using native plants. For more information, contact Felicia Greene at Felicia@poplargrove.org, or call (910) 686-9518, extension 103.
Wild Bird & Garden 2012 Nature Photo Contest