After Action Report of the FHA/GREEN SCENE October 16, 2021 Annual Fall 3-in-1 Recycling Event

Greetings,

First, a big THANK  YOU to Pam, Maggie, Gene, Beryl, Leigh, Jon, Mark, Maarten, Marilyn, and Bill for your time and energy this past Saturday morning, as well as for some of the pre-event preparations.  Needless to say, we couldn't have made it happen without your support.
Thanks, too, to Susie Eckblad for posting the publicity posters in all the community mail kiosks.  And, of course, to Amy Ghiloni, on behalf of ReMax United Realty, for her generous financial sponsorship.

Your pooled effort resulted in the removal of 5,400 pounds ( two and three quarters TONS ) of unwanted, shredded, paper from our file cabinets, garages, and attics.  That paper is on it's way to a facility in Georgia that will convert it into "toilet tissue"   -    some of which just might find it's way back into our community in that much-valued form.

The Chatham County Sheriff's people collected more than 45 pounds of "unwanted medications."  That may not sound like a lot    -    until you do some math ( as I did ) and figure out that that is more than 22,000 pills.  Pills that won't be flushed down the toilet to contaminate Jordan Lake, or put in the garbage to contaminate a land fill.

And, by checking   -    and re-charging when necessary    -    dozens of community fire extinguishers, the folks from the United Fire and Safety Equipment Company have helped to make Fearrington a safer place to live.

So now you can all relax and enjoy the upcoming Holidays    -    and get ready for our next "3-in-1" Event on the third Saturday in May, 2022 (May 21st).

THANK  YOU, again, for your help !

Jason Welsch
Moderator, Fearrington Green Scene
914-806-4852 ( Cell Phone )

An Invitation from Francis DiGiano

It’s gratifying to see membership grow to almost 100! Our goal is to inform neighbors of the shoreline about the mission of Clean Jordan Lake (cleanjordanlake.org), a small nonprofit with no paid staff. We want to restore beauty to protect wildlife and improve recreational value.

In 12 years, 8,400 volunteers have participated in over 600 trash cleanup events, resulting in removal of18,400 bags of trash and a startling 4,800 tires (see https://www.cleanjordanlake.org/cleanuptotals). No agency of local or state government can do this for us. Should you have interest in a leadership role, we currently seek a few Board members willing to devote on average about 4 hours per month. Small nonprofits depend on Board members not only for advice but for project management. Our needs include:1) fund raising to buy a pontoon boat for surveillance of trash and ferrying of volunteers during cleanup evets; 2) management of existing Google Sheets, Google Data Studio and GIS to keep track of the where and when of rash cleanups (see RESULTS page at cleanjordanlake.org); 3) management of social media; and 4) outreach to elected officials and staff in the 8 counties of the lake’s watershed to foster trash prevention programs.

Please Reply to vanmurray@cleanjordanlake.org, President of Clean Jordan Lake, if interested.

Rocky River Heritage Foundation Volunteers Clean-Up

CH@T: Rocky River Heritage Foundation's volunteers conduct clean-up effort

Environmental and volunteer organizations routinely devote hundreds of hours every month to keep lakes and rivers in North Carolina as pristine as possible. This week, we speak with Pamela Hawe, a member of the Rocky River Heritage Foundation; foundation members and other river organizations recently completed Chatham's first "Creek Week" program, working to clean a portion of the Rocky River.

Advancing Work on Reducing the Environmental Damages of a World Full of Forever Plastics

 

For a sustainable future, scientists rethink plastics and devices

Modern society is now starting to feel the real-world effects of climate change, after more than a century of unrestrained carbon emissions, overuse of natural resources, and irresponsible production of material waste.

No Water, No Microchips: What Is Happening in Taiwan?

No Water No Microchips: What Is Happening In Taiwan?

Water wars are no longer from apocalyptic imagery. Something as dramatic is already happening in Taiwan, where a drought is causing chip manufacturers to compete with locals for water use. Starting on June 1, in fact, the country will cut water supply for the major chip making hub Taichung.

Earth is now trapping an 'unprecedented' amount of heat, NASA says

 

Earth is now trapping an 'unprecedented' amount of heat, NASA says

The amount of heat Earth traps has roughly doubled since 2005, contributing to more rapidly warming oceans, air and land, according to new research from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "The magnitude of the increase is unprecedented," said Norman Loeb, a NASA scientist and lead author of the study, which was published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

A Decade After Deepwater Horizon, We're Still Cleaning Up Oil Spills The Same Way

A decade after Deepwater Horizon, we're still cleaning up oil spills the same way

Off the coastline of Sri Lanka, where a burning cargo ship has been spilling toxic chemicals and plastic pellets over the past two weeks, the government is preparing for the next possible stage of the disaster: As the ship sinks, it may also spill some of the hundreds of tons of oil in its fuel tanks.

Photo: The MV X-Press Pearl on June 2nd, 2021. [Photo: Sri Lankan Air Force/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock]

After-Action Report on the FHA/GREEN SCENE May 15, 2021 Annual Spring 3-in-1 Community Recycling Event

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

194 vehicles brought 4,560 pounds (2.28 tons) of paper for shredding (which the Shimar Recycling shredding company bailed and shipped to a Georgia Pacific toilet paper manufacturing plant in southern Georgia).

EMBEDDED ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS FROM THIS COLLECTION
Recycling 4,500 pounds of paper had the additional estimated associated (embedded) effects of saving 41 trees, 912 gallons of oil, 7.2 cubic yards of landfill space, 9,600 kilowatts of energy and 27,840 gallons of water, and represents 240 pounds less of air pollution!

ORGANIZING CREDITS:
The FHA and the Fearrington GREEN SCENE partnered again this year to organize and conduct this event. We express special appreciation to:

• Fearrington residents Amy and Phil Ghiloni and her company ReMax/United of Southern Village
  
  
  
• The FHA Board of Directors
• Maggie Tunstall, Chairperson of the event for the FHA
• Jason Welsch, Chairperson of the event for the GREEN SCENE

EVENT PARTICIPATION CREDITS:
Most importantly, the almost 200 residents who brought their recyclables to the event; and the following VOLUNTEERS who worked at the event -- Maggie Tunstall, Amy & Phil Ghiloni, Gene Rogers, Bil Rosenfeld, Stewart Priddy, Pam Bailey, Jon Darling, and Jason Welsch.

PARTICIPATING SERVICE PROVIDERS:
We also appreciate the good work performed by the crew from Shimar Recycling, Inc. of Durham, the Chatham County Sheriff's Department in collecting 36.2 pounds* of no longer wanted or expired medicines for proper disposal (compared to 13.2 pounds last year), and Leon Hooker and his crew from United Fire & Safety Equipment Co. in Goldsboro for inspecting, refilling and servicing expired fire extinguishers, or selling 40 new extinguishers, and answering questions about extinguishers.

Lt. Jessica Norton reported that the total weight of medicines collected by the Sheriff's Department for proper disposal throughout the County at this event was their second highest one-day collection since January first.

This was a great community event for which we all offer thanks to everyone listed above.

The NEXT 3-in-1 Recycling Event will be the Annual Fall event on 

Saturday, October 16, 2021.

CDAC Discovery Challenge Awardees Train Data Science on Medicine, Clean Water, and Education

CDAC Discovery Challenge Awardees Train Data Science on Medicine, Clean Water, and Education | CDAC

As data science matures as a field, its power to tackle major challenges across all disciplines and industries rises. However, unlocking novel, powerful innovations and solutions for interdisciplinary challenges that benefit, and don't inadvertently harm stakeholders, is a non-trivial task that often requires matchmaking, stakeholder engagement, and a plan for coordination.

Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Overview

Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Overview

The U.S. has sustained 291 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2021). The total cost of these 291 events exceeds $1.900 trillion. 2020 sets the new annual record of 22 events - shattering the previous annual record of 16 events that occurred in 2011 and 2017.

How To Help Clean Jordan Lake & Shoreline

 

How to Help - Clean Jordan Lake

COVID-19 challenges Clean Jordan Lake to find ways to engage our valuable volunteers in trash cleanup. Individuals or groups up to five who are visiting the shoreline anywhere for recreation are encouraged to bring a trash bag and gloves along. More information...

Clearing Up Confusion About Recycling in Fearrington Village

Originally posted on NEXTDOOR (March 03, 2021) by Shannon Culpepper, Chatham County (NC) Environmental Quality Department's Recycling and Education Specialist. 

"I have received a lot of calls and emails in the past month about recycling in Fearrington Village specifically. There seems to be a lot of confusion, so I thought this would be a good way to help clear it up!" Here are her comments:

Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling operates the 12 Collection Centers around the county, including the Cole Park center. Curbside service in Fearrington is provided mostly by First Choice Disposal. The Collection Centers and First Choice accept all of the same items in our recycling programs:

• Aluminum cans
• Steel cans
• Cardboard boxes: please empty and flatten
• Paper: junk mail, magazines, paperboard boxes (cereal, pasta, crackers, etc.), newspaper, office paper, paperback books, paper rolls (toilet paper and paper towels), and paper cartons
• Plastic bottle, jugs, and jars: any plastic container that has a neck smaller than the base. For example: soda bottles, water bottles, detergent bottles, mayonnaise jar, etc.
• Plastic tubs: tubs have a plastic lid that can be put back on. For example, a multi-serve yogurt container is a tub, but an individual yogurt container is not a tub since it has that aluminum peel top.
• Plastic clamshell containers (like for berries, cherry tomatoes, etc.) cannot be recycled. Plastic clamshells are made differently than bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs, so when they go through the recycling process they do not behave the same, making them harder to recycle.
• Clamshells are accepted in some recycling programs, but Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling wants our residents to know that the items you place in the recycling have a really great chance of being recycled (more than 90%). There are strong markets for the items we do accept.
• Cat food cans cannot be recycled if they are loose. However, if you put the lid back inside the empty can and squeeze the can a little bit, that will trap the lid inside.

Both recycling programs also accept glass bottles and jars. In your curbside recycling bin, you can include glass bottles and jars in with all the other items listed above. At the Collection Centers you must keep glass bottles and jars separate and place them in the glass recycling bin. I am also aware that First Choice asks people not to include caps and lids. After speaking with them about it recently, they are concerned that the containers will be full of food and liquid if a cap or lid is on. Ensure that your cans, bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs are empty and relatively clean, and then put the caps and lids back on. Corks and caps should not be put back on glass bottles and jars though. If you have loose lids, those should go in the trash. Anything smaller than a standard size post-it is too small to be properly recycled.

Items that should not go into a recycling bin are called contamination.

If there is too much contamination in a load of recycling, then it may get disposed of in the landfill. That is why it is really important for everyone to make sure they are recycling right. If you are not 100% sure the item can go in the recycling bin, then you should hold onto it until you find the answer or throw it in the trash if it cannot wait.

If you have any additional questions about any recycling programs, household hazardous waste, please contact:

Shannon Culpepper 

Office Phone (919) 545-7874
shannon.culpepper@chathamcountync.gov

A Conversation About Chicago’s Stewardship of One of the Future’s Most Precious Resources: Water.

February 17, 2021

Click on the Poster to Launch Video.

Join Chicago Studies and guest lecturer Sabina Shaikh, Director of the Program on the Global Environment, for her presentation on The Blue City. This lecture will create a conversation about Chicago’s stewardship of one of the future’s most precious resources: water. This presentation was a part of our Chicago Futures series, a lecture series focused on imagining the future of Chicago through turbulent times.

“The Blue City” explored the latest thinking about water innovation, technology, architecture, and urban design to imagine how our region’s connection to fresh water can attract residents and businesses through water, and retain them through an equitable quality of life.

Panelists:

• Sabina Shaikh, University of Chicago
• Tony Briscoe, ProPublica
• Seth Darling, Argonne National Laboratory
• Martin Felsen, UrbanLab, IIT, University of Chicago
• Alaina Harkness, Current

Recommended Resources: 

• Build Back Bluer: Water innovation can drive inclusive recovery
• New Resources to Propel our Blue Economy
• Meet the entrepreneurs solving our most pressing water challenges