NATIONAL KIDS TO PARKS DAY Gwinnett

 

NATIONAL KIDS TO PARKS DAY – MAY 21, 2011

The City of Duluth Parks and Recreation Department is celebrating “National Kids to Parks Day” on May 21, 2011. The Duluth Parks and Recreation Department is committed to providing recreational activities for kids and adults to participate in and actively enjoy the park facilities to establish a healthy community. In an effort to bring National recognition to Duluth, the City Recreation Department is asking all families to pledge online at www.BuddyBison.org their participation in this national movement. All kids, families and adults that complete the online pledge will receive a free “Duluth” Frisbee. Participants may claim their Frisbees by bringing their pledge confirmation to the Bunten Road Activity Building, or by visiting the Health Fair on May 21 in downtown Duluth. “National Kids to Parks Day” is sponsored by the National Park Trust, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of our parklands and reconnecting youth to the great outdoors. National Kids to Play is endorsed by the National Education Association (NEA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP, DC), and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

For more information on Gwinnett County sustainable, park, or environmental news please visit: Green In Gwinnett Area

Home | Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation

Open Heart = Gwinnett

Check out the link below for their OFFICIAL BLACK EYED PEAS VIDEO the Open Heart Campaign created!

Thanks to an incredible outpouring of support, GMC has secured approval to launch its open heart program in Gwinnett County. Now the real work has begun!

A dedicated 40,000 square foot facility is in development. This $33 million investment will ensure that the people of our community have access to a complete range of cardiac services. When it opens in early 2012, the Heart and Vascular Center at Gwinnett Medical Center–Lawrenceville will be state-of-the-art. While the advanced technologies are impressive, they won’t be what make the Center truly special. It will be the devoted professionals and their world-class capabilities that make the difference.

You, too, can help make a difference. We are approaching our goal of $8 million in charitable giving to directly support the development of the program, but there is still a ways to go. With your help, we’ll reach that goal.

via Home | Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation.

This post was created to help spread the message and gain support for our Gwinnett Open Heart campaign.  Green In Gwinnett Area is pleased to be able to contribute to this worthy cause.

– James Chronicle

Gwinnett Business Growth and Sustainability BuGS Series

BuGS Series

Event Date:

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 – 11:30am – 2:00pm

Location:

Gwinnett Chamber

Cost (members):

$20.00

Cost (non-members):

$35.00

Business Growth and Sustainability (BuGS) 2010
Presented by:

Energy Efficiency in your Business
Energy efficiency is typically one of the first places business look for savings.

Reducing your energy consumption saves money and reduces your carbon footprint, but what is the cost and how do you pay for it?  Is it worth the investment?

Teresa Newman – Energy and Environmental Solutions – Siemens

Wayne Robertson, PE, Leed AP – President – Energy Ace

Gail Edwards – Program Director – Gwinnett Technical College

Moderator:

Ben Taube – Executive Director – Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance

Date: February 9, 2010

Time: 11:30 – 2:00

Location: Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce

6500 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, Georgia  30097

(For Directions Click HERE)

Register Here

Green In Gwinnett Area: Working to keep Gwinnett Green and Sustainable!

Gas or Charcoal BBQ and The Carbon Footprint…

Does that thing have a Hemi? (yes actually) (Please leave a comment)

Have you ever thought about which is better for the environment when having a cookout? Gas or Charcoal?

The next time you are getting ready for the backyard football cookout, or any BBQ, take into consideration your carbon footprint and personal health. Here are a few tips:

Go for Gas. Lump charcoal is becoming increasingly available, but often comes from thousands of miles (or even multiple continents) away, which negates some of its carbon benefits(due to the output from transportation); until it’s readily available from local sources, the efficiency of gas wins out.

If you must use Charcoal:

-Avoid charcoal imported from distant places such as Indonesia that is likely to have come from endangered forests. —

-Look for locally sourced charcoal from a supplier that uses wood from sustainably managed forests.

-Don’t use lighter fluids made from gasoline derivatives which can leave harmful deposits on your food, instead try crumpled newspaper or kindling.

So next time your lil North Gwinnett Bulldog wants to grill out before a game, be sure to Think Green In Gwinnett Area GIGA

– James Chronicle

Thank You For Visiting.  Please take a moment to visit our Official Fundraiser for The American Cancer Society and Relay For Life:

Help Support The American Cancer Society’s Gwinnett Relay For Life. Visit HOPEinks
Create your account and choose our team “toners for life” and 10% of the purchase gets donated to Gwinnett Relay For Life.

Relay For Life and Print Green USA /HOPEinks.org Official Partners

Reuse! Give Those Old Blankets, Rugs, etc to Gwinnett County Animal Shelter

Today’s Green Tip of The Day:
Instead of sending old rugs to the landfill, check with local animal shelters to see if they can use them.  Old towels, blankets and sheets are also appreciated.

You can find information here for the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter.

Gwinnett County Animal Shelter
If you’d like to adopt a new family member or if your pet is lost, the Animal Shelter is a great place to begin your search. The Gwinnett Police Department operates the Animal Shelter to enforce animal control laws and to shelter animals that have strayed, gotten lost, or been turned over for adoption. With pet overpopulation on the rise, we’re proud to report a decrease in incoming animals and an increase in animals placed to individuals and rescue groups through our shelter. Location
The Animal Welfare and Enforcement Center is located at 884 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville.

Office Hours:
Sunday and Monday	Closed
Tuesday and Thursday	10:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesday and Friday	10:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday	10:00am – 4:00pm
Kennel Hours:
Sunday and Monday	Closed
Tuesday and Thursday	10:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesday and Friday	10:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday	10:00am – 4:00pm
Adoption/Reclaim Hours:
Sunday and Monday	Closed
Tuesday and Thursday	10:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesday and Friday	10:00am – 3:30pm
Saturday	10:00am – 3:30pm

* Closed for lunch weekdays from 12:30pm to 1:00pm

Additional Contacts

General Administrative Contact E-mail
Acuadmin@gwinnettcounty.com

Jason Cannon, Supervisor
Jason.Cannon@gwinnettcounty.com

Charles Johnson, Supervisor
Charles.Johnson@gwinnettcounty.com

Thomas Stephens, Supervisor
Thomas.Stephens@gwinnettcounty.com

Monica Peete, Office Supervisor
Monica.Peete@gwinnettcounty.com
Thank you and remember to be thinking Green in your daily activities. 

Sincerely
James Chronicle

Green In Gwinnett Area

 

Harvest Farms and Suwanee Community Garden Volunteer Day “A Success!”

We here at Green In Gwinnett Area posted an event on our Facebook events page that asked for volunteers to assist in the beginning stages at the Suwanee Community Garden.  What a great day it turned out to be.  We would like to thank Jessica Roth from the City of Suwanee for putting together such a successful and community oriented event.  Nearly 60 people showed up to help out!  There were members of Green In Gwinnett Area, Harvest Farms, Georgia Piedmont Land Trust, and other folks from Suwanee and neighboring communities.  Food and refreshments were provided for the volunteers from companies such as Honeybaked Ham and Subway.  There were prizes given away from local companies such as Print Green USA which donated (9) $30 gift certificates for laser toners, ink cartridges, or printer drums.

It is great to have a city like Suwanee Georgia who takes such good care of their residents.  Be sure to checkout the new Suwanee Downtown Website!

Think Green In Gwinnett!

Special Thanks to all of the Sponsors:

• Atlanta Bread Company, Suwanee
• Starbucks, Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
• Krispy Kreme, Buford
• Subway, 3370 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd.
• Honey Baked Ham, Peachtree Parkway
• Wal-Mart, Suwanee
• Kroger, Suwanee
• Publix, Suwanee
• Chick-fil-A, Suwanee
• Print Green USA, Suwanee

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk – Suwanee

Green In Gwinnett Area GIGA

Please join us and relax for a good cause! Orange Skye Day Spa is partnering with Ken’s Krusaders team to host an open house this Sunday, September 13 from 2:00-5:00pm in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. The spa is located at 3890 Lawrenceville Suwanee Road, Suwanee, GA 30024. Come by to register for door prizes, make a donation, or purchase a gift certificate. 25% of every regular priced gift certificate purchased will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Ken’s Krusaders team has been raising funds for the Light the Night Walk for the past four years. They formed the team in memory of Ken Bray, a Suwanee resident, who battled leukemia in the early 2000’s. Ken died from complications arising from a bone marrow transplant in 2004. Throughout his battle, his family, friends, neighbors, the Gwinnett community, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society were there to support him. Now his family seeks to raise funds to find ways to treat and cure this disease and to ease the load on patients and their family members.

Green In Gwinnett Area – Tesla Roadster 0-60mph in 3.9, 100% Electric! Available Now.

Green In Gwinnett Area GIGA

Ok, so I am a bit of a car freak. That is tough to be and be “green” at the same time. Tesla Motors however has released a car that is 100% electric and can go from 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds. That is about as fast or faster than a Dodge Viper or the quickest of Porsches… I have yet to see one of these electric sustainable supercars in Suwanee, Lawrenceville, Norcross, or anywhere in Gwinnett for that matter. If someone has or knows of someone who has one of these cars, please please let me know… below is a brief overview and press release from Tesla Motors…

James Chronicle – Green In Gwinnett Area GIGA

Tesla to Open Midwest Regional Sales & Service Center in Chicago
Tesla Motors Inc. is opening a Midwest regional sales and service center in Chicago, the first of seven retail facilities the electric vehicle manufacturer plans to launch this year.

The Chicago store — which will open this spring — is at 1053 W. Grand Ave., near the Kennedy Expressway in the River West neighborhood. The site is visible from the Ohio Street off-ramp and offers convenient access from the suburbs and further afield. The location gives prospective customers the opportunity to experience Tesla’s best-in-class performance under a range of driving conditions, including highways and urban streets.

Tesla’s first showrooms opened last summer in Los Angeles and Menlo Park, Calif. After Chicago, Tesla plans to open a store in London, U.K. It is finalizing site selection in Manhattan, Miami and Seattle and is scouting sites in Washington, D.C. and Munich, Germany.

“People in Chicago will soon see how the Tesla retail experience is vastly different from that of a traditional dealership,” said Michael van der Sande, Tesla’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing and Service. “Tesla’s cars are unique, and the look and feel of our stores reinforce the close connection we have with our customers.”

Tesla is the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in the United States. The Tesla Roadster beats nearly every other car for acceleration yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius. With an EPA-estimated range of 244 miles per charge, it costs roughly $4 to refuel and can be completely recharged in as little as 3.5 hours.

The Tesla Roadster has far fewer moving (and breakable) parts and requires less maintenance than an internal combustion engine vehicle. Tesla requests that owners bring in the car – which never needs oil changes or exhaust system tune-ups, among other costly repairs — every 12,000 miles or once a year for a diagnostic check and software upgrade.

Tesla will unveil a prototype sedan March 26. The Model S will be an all-electric, zero-emission four-door with an anticipated base price of $57,400. After a federal tax credit of $7,500, the effective price should be less than $50,000. Because of tax incentives and relatively inexpensive maintenance and refueling, the lifetime ownership cost will be much lower than luxury cars with similar sticker prices.

“Tesla has no intention of being a niche automaker,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “The Chicago store will introduce the company to even more people in the United States and position us to launch a more affordable sedan for mainstream drivers.”

About Tesla Motors

San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors Inc. designs and manufactures electric vehicles with exceptional design, performance and efficiency, while conforming to all North American and European safety, environmental and durability standards. The Roadster, which has a 0-to-60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds and a base price of $109,000, is the only highway-capable production EV for sale in North America and Europe. Tesla expects to begin producing the all-electric, zero-emission Model S sedan in late 2011. Please visit http://www.teslamotors.com.

Getting Started Going Green in Gwinnett

You’ve decided you want to live a more eco-friendly life? Great! Are you feeling a little overwhelmed? Maybe you see all of the things you can change to be more green, and you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you’re on a tight budget and you simply don’t have the money to completely revamp your life. That’s okay! There are some simple, inexpensive things you can do to live a little more green. The first step is to decide why you want to go green. What is your main concern? For many people, they are worried about carbon dioxide and climate change, and they want to reduce their carbon footprint. Others are concerned about waste filling up landfills and want to start recycling. Still others are worried about chemicals in their home environment and want to start using green cleaning products or buying organic food. You might be concerned about all of these issues and more, but there is probably one thing in particular that has really convinced you it’s time to go green. Start with that one and you’ll be able to stick with your lifestyle changes easily, because they will be important to you.  Let’s look at some of these green goals and see how to get started.

So you want to reduce your carbon footprint…

With carbon, climate change, greenhouse gas, and “carbon neutral” being such popular buzzwords these days, you can’t help but think about how your lifestyle is affecting the planet. A great place to start is with a Carbon Footprint Calculator. This will estimate how much carbon you personally put into the air each year. There are tons of calculators on the Internet, I like the one at http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/.

Now, that you know your carbon footprint, how do you make it smaller?

• Adjust your thermostat. Is your AC set so low that your family wears sweaters around the house in August? Using less energy to heat and cool your home can definitely change your carbon output, AND save you some money. You can also open blinds in the winter to let the sun heat your home naturally, and close them in the summer to help keep it cool. When it’s nice outside, open windows and screen doors can let in fresh air and nice temperatures. A programmable thermostat is an investment in your home that will pay for itself in energy savings. They are very simple to install yourself.
• Drive less. This one can save you money as well! Remember this summer, when gas was scarce here in Georgia, and we all tried to drive as little as possible? You don’t have to go to those extremes, but being mindful of how much you drive is important. Could you walk to any of your destinations? Can you carpool with anyone? My husband drives from Duluth to Athens for school, carpooling has saved us a ton of money! When you go out to run errands, take a minute to plan the most efficient route. It will save you both time and gas. If you’re lucky, you could even talk to your employer about working from home once or twice a week, and see the gas savings really add up!
• Turn it off. How many lights are on in your house right now, in rooms that no one is occupying? I will admit, I am terrible about leaving lights on! Turning them off can save your electric bill and the planet. Also, you’ve probably heard that some of your electronics use “vampire power”. This means they continue to draw electricity even when they’re switched off. TV’s are notorious for this one. Unplugging these power hogs can save a lot of money. You can also plug them into a surge protector with a switch so you can turn several items off at once (for instance, if you turn off your TV, you can also turn off your DVD player and video game console).
• Recommended reading for footprint reduction: An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore.

What if trash is your main concern…

Landfills take up huge amounts of space, and a lot of perfectly good stuff ends up in them. How can you cut down on the amount of garbage you send to them? The three R’s, of course!

• Reduce. This is really the most important thing you can do to cut down on waste. Think about ways you can create less garbage in the first place. Are you using disposable plates and cups just for the sake of convenience? Using paper towel for household jobs that could be done with a washable, reusable rag? If you don’t make any other green changes, then at least start bringing tote bags to the grocery store instead of getting plastic bags. Trust me, you’ll be glad when you don’t have a giant pile of plastic bags sitting in the garage! Some stores, like Whole Foods, give you a credit for bringing your own bags ($0.10) while other stores like IKEA charge for using plastic bags. Reusable totes are $1.00 at many stores, but I bet you’ve got tote bags sitting around in a closet that would work just fine.
• Reuse. It’s easy to find ways to reuse things around the house. Pasta sauce jars can be washed and used to store rice and pasta. Yogurt tubs and even toilet paper rolls can be used to start seeds. Every time you throw something away, try thinking of a way to reuse it. Remember that if you don’t have a use for something, someone else might. For instance, UPS Stores (in Dacula, Snellville, Lawrenceville and many other places in Gwinnett) will take foam packing peanuts for reuse.
• Recycle. Recycling has never been so easy! Most, if not all, garbage haulers in Gwinnett offer some sort of curbside recycling for items like cans, bottles, and newspaper. The Recycling Bank of Gwinnett should reopen soon, and they accept many items that curbside recycling doesn’t pick up. There are a lot of other places in town that accept various things for recycling. The post office in Duluth, for instance, has dumpsters to recycle phonebooks and magazines. Many groceries stores accept things like plastic grocery bags and egg cartons. Visit http:arth911.com to find out where to recycle near you. You’d be amazed at all the recycling going on in Gwinnett! I found ways to recycle ink cartirdges in Buford, car batteries in Lawrenceville, and newspapers in Grayson.
• Recommended reading for recycling fans: Living Like Ed by Ed Begley Jr.

Are you worried about chemicals all around you…

This seems to be an especially big concern among parents. Folks who never thought about what was in their cleaning products or food realize, when they have children, that they don’t know what most of these chemicals are or how safe they are.

• Switch to green cleaning products. There are so many eco-friendly options out there, and they work just as well as traditional cleaning products. These days there are also plenty of green options that aren’t too expensive either. Detoxing your home can get overwhelming, the trick is not to replace everything at once. Use up the cleaning supplies you have, and gradually replace them with greener options as you restock.
• Organic foods. Organic foods can be pricey, but you can prioritize your purchases. You can find out which foods tend to have the most pesticide residues, and which ones have the least. That way you know which foods it’s more important to buy organic and which ones you can probably stick to conventionally grown. Try this guide for starters http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php .
• Beauty products.  Natural beauty products have gone mainstream, with both Target and Wal-mart selling many brands of bath and beauty items with natural and organic ingredients. Trust me, this stuff will work just as well, if not better than their chemical counterparts, plus you’ll be able to pronounce all the ingredients! I visited the Wal-Mart in Suwanee just this week and I was really impressed by the natural and organic beauty brands they carry.
• Recommended reading for a non-toxic home: Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck.

I hope this guide will give you some good suggestions of easy ways to go green. Do you have anymore easy green tips? Post them in the comments!

A Resolution to WalkGreen…

Today is a great day to commit to learning how to WalkGreen. My personal goal is to teach how to WalkGreen via the internet, in my local Gwinnett community, the metropolitan Atlanta area, state of Georgia and Southeastern part of the United States as God provides the means. I want to share easy ways each of us can make small lifestyle changes to help protect, preserve and live in harmony with the earth as God intended!

Some people believe Green living requires the loss of style, fashion and money. The truth is when you decide to WalkGreen you’ll save money and make a better place to live for yourself, others and generations to come. So my prayer today is any and everyone reading this today will make a commitment to changing at least one thing at a time. If we all change a little it can help a lot. I don’t know if you’ve made your resolution list yet but I encourage you to add learning to WalkGreen a priority in 2009. It can’t hurt in this economy we can all afford to learn a few things that will save us money. Why not do something to help the earth and Gwinnett in the process?

Add this resolution to your 2009 list …Walk Green In Gwinnett and save!

Here are two tips the easy green tip from December and the new tip for January.

December: Drink filtered water instead of bottled water. Filling and reusing a stainless steel container created for long term use with water is more beneficial to the environment and your pockets than purchasing bottled water. With all of the talk about chemicals used in bottling plastics it may also prove to be even more beneficial to your health.

January: Recyle! In Gwinnett county (Snellville, Suwanee, Duluth, Centerville, Lawrenceville, Norcross etc) all of the garbage disposal companies (including whoever eventually ends up with the final contract) pick up the little blue bins that take away plastics, aluminum cans and glass. Call your waste disposal provider today. The more you recycle the less you throw away. This cuts down on how often you purchase garbage bags, that saves you money. WalkGreen…and Save!

Join Green In Gwinnett Area on Facebook and LinkedIn!  GIGA!  Spread the word!