Green

PHOTO/ASHLEY HENNEFER

Back on air

After a year hiatus, This Week in Energy (TWiE) podcast, cohosted by Renoite Bob Tregilus and Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield from the U.K., is back on April 9 at 9 a.m. TWiE is a weekly podcast about news in the energy sector, and according to TWiE’s Facebook page, the show has “lots to report on—rising gas prices, opposition to wind energy, the UK and US ramping up nuclear programs while Germany and Japan abandon nukes, and much more.”

“We brought the show back because there’s a lot of interest in energy and energy policy,” Tregilus says. “There are so many major topics to discuss right now, like the oil embargo with Iran and the Keystone XL pipeline.”

TWiE’s first guest will be Art Berman, petroleum geologist and managing editor of The Oil Drum.

“It will be interesting to have him on, since natural gas is so important for Nevada,” says Tregilus. “Seventy percent of our energy comes from natural gas.”

The show has an international audience, and its guests, too, are from energy efforts around the globe. Tregilus hopes to have specialists from China on the show to discuss foreign energy policies.

Listen to the podcast live on Monday morning at www.thisweekinenergy.tv. Listeners can also participate in a chat, and can download the episodes to watch later.

Bring out your recycling

Waste Management is offering two more residential dump days on April 7-8. Residential dump days help Waste Management combat illegal curbside dumping and residents can freely dispose of household appliances, and other items like furniture or other bulky waste can be tossed at a discounted price.

Items can be dropped off from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at 1390 E. Commercial Row and 13890 Mt. Anderson Road.

In addition to the quarterly residential dump days, the Lockwood Annual Spring Free Dump Event lasts through the month of April. Residents can bring items to 2401 Canyon Way in Sparks on April 12, 13, 14, 26, 27 and 28.

Hazardous waste and e-waste are not accepted. For more information on either dump event, call 329-8822.

—Ashley Hennefer

ashleyh@newsreview.com

ECO-EVENT

The Great Basin Group hosts a viewing of The Mono Lake Story. The film documents the activism of David Gaines, founder of the Mono Lake Committee, who fought for the survival of Mono Lake after its tributaries were diverted to Los Angeles, causing Mono Lake’s ecosystem to collapse. After the film, Sierra Club activist Rose Strickland will lead a discussion on Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plan to pump and transport groundwater from Eastern Nevada to Las Vegas. April 12, 7:30 p.m. Watch the trailer at www.vimeo.com/bristle cone/monolakestorytrailer.

Got an eco-event? Contact ashleyh@newsreview.com. Visit www.facebook.com/RNRGreen for more.

“When the plots are filled, it’s a really nice atmosphere,” says master gardener

Jennifer Fox (not pictured).

A piece of paradise

Teglia’s Paradise Park Community Garden

Teglia’s Paradise Park Community Garden is peaceful at midday. It’s still a bit too cold to be considered a paradise, but with a pond nearby and the sounds by Ashley of birds rustling in the trees, it’s relaxing, even with busy streets surrounding it on all sides.

Hennefer And while the garden is still in winter-mode and appears quite brown, master gardener Jennifer Fox anticipates its vibrancy once the springashleyh@ newsreview.com season settles in. “It will be really nice in late spring, once we plant some new vegetables and flowers,” she says. “When the plots are filled, it’s really a nice atmosphere.” Davene Kaplan, a Renoite for more than 30 years, helped found the garden 15 years ago. “It’s the longest community garden in the area,” she says. “We started it after we rehabbed Paradise Park. That was one section that got left out of the renovation, so we took it over.” Kaplan cites the nearby senior center, elementary school and apartment complexes as groups ideal for community gardens. While most of the food grown in the garden is consumed by the gardeners, many donate their cultivations to food banks. “It’s great for people who live in duplexes or condos, or who don’t have a lot of sun or don’t have as much space to plant anything,” says Fox. Attending an And it’s cheap, too—$10 per plot, or $15 for two. orientation session Fox says that the garden was full just three years ago, but participa-is mandatory for gardeners. Orientations will be tion has dropped since then—last year, only half of the plots were rented. She says many people are unsure about the time commitment. held on April 10 at 12 “Gardening can be hard, and it’s time consuming, and sometimes p.m., April 26 at 12 people get frustrated, especially with how unpredictable the weather is,”p.m., and May 12 at 10 a.m. at Teglia’s Paradise Park Activity says Fox. “But we just tell them, if your tomatoes get wiped out by a late frost, it’s OK. Just start over again.”

Center. 356-3176. Currently, the garden is open from late April to October. Fox hopes that with enough community interest, plots will be available year round for people who grow food seasonally. While there are no formal classes, experienced gardeners “are more than happy to help anyone out,” according to Fox. “If there are gardeners who are completely green, we do our best to get them the resources they need.” Kaplan acknowledges that the garden only thrives when the community is passionate about it. “It’s hard work,” says Kaplan, “I think at first people are really interested in it. It’s a big commitment. People are extremely busy. You have to be into it. It really is a labor of love to grow things in this area.” The garden provides 53 plots to plant produce, herbs or flowers, but pumpkins, corn and other vine plants are not allowed. Neither are chemical pesticides, but organic means of pest control can be used. Some of the plots have irrigation, but Fox notes that people are willing to water other’s gardens if gardeners are out of town. Four raised beds are wheelchair accessible, and three large group plots are available for organizations, classrooms or companies. Ω