How my garden grows

It's beginning to look like summer in my backyard:  the garden is in full swing, and food is starting to roll in...

We had a bunch of volunteers in the garden this year:  tomatoes everywhere, one zucchini, a mess of sunflowers, and some other little flowers sprinkled around.  Mint and cilantro too.  Planted some Roma seedlings, along with sweet peppers, eggplant, okra (an experiment), brussel sprouts (another experiment - picked by a young friend, believe it or not), cucumber, and basil.  Got a black metal tower for the cukes to grow on, it adds nice architectural interest.

Strawberries were going well for awhile there, but now they seem to have tapered off... turns out they were May-bearing instead of June-bearing.  Also in May, we caught a bunch of slugs in the beer traps in the strawberry patch.  The grapevine I put in a few years ago seems to be blooming, and it's going crazy - not sure what to do with it, beyond trying to keep it on the trellis.  I put seeds for lettuce, kale, and chard in beside the fence, which is probably too shady because they aren't growing so fast.  Put in beans just the other day, and another zucchini for when the vine borers get the first one.

Despite all this backyard food, we did still buy a CSA share from One Straw Farm again this year.  Their strawberries came early too, got a shipment before Memorial Day.

Getting taken to the cleaners

Dry-cleaning is one of my pet peeves.  It's expensive, produces a pile of wire hangers (which can be returned) and plastic bags (which can't be returned), and the chemicals are nasty.  Now that I've been doing life cycle assessments and ROI studies at work, I detest dry-clean-only clothes even more:  considering that a $100 suit will cost you $10 per cleaning for the rest of its life, is that really such a good deal?

Diatribe over.  Awhile back I blogged about green dry-cleaners; since then I've discovered organic cleaning at Belvedere Dry Cleaners at 6306 York Road near Rodgers Forge.  They're fast, reliable, and they also do alterations.

But what got me thinking about dry-cleaning today was this NYTimes article about the Green Garmento:  a reusable dry-cleaning bag.  It will take a sea change in dry-cleaning protocol for this to succeed, but I really hope this type of thing becomes the norm.  Check it out, and ask your dry-cleaner to do the same!

Local farm-to-table dining spots

Here's an Urbanite article about where to eat local in Baltimore:
http://www.urbanitebaltimore.com/sub.cfm?issueID=84&sectionID=4&articleID=1515
as written by the author of this blog http://baltivore.blogspot.com/

A few of the restaurants mentioned...
Atwater's
Joe Squared
Chameleon Cafe
Donna's
Woodberry Kitchen
Dogwood Deli

I also read an article in the Sun supplement about several Baltimore restaurants that are growing produce on their rooftops:  can't get much more locavore than that!

Gardening goes corporate

Backyard gardens are getting so popular that they're even popping up at corporate offices, according to the NY Times.

This week we put in tomato and eggplant seedlings in my yard.  We're looking at a bumper crop of cilantro and mint already, and the strawberries are starting to blush.  Here's hoping for a better tomato summer than last year!

Earth Day cuteness

Now posted online:  winners of an Earth Day poster contest sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mid-Atlantic region and the Philadelphia Zoo.

The contest was for students in kindergarten through grade 12 in EPA’s mid-Atlantic region, which includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.  Students submitted hand-created drawings in three categories.  Winning entries and others were displayed at the Philadelphia Zoo for EPA’s 40^th anniversary Earth Day celebration.  Many posters continue to be displayed at the EPA’s Public Information Center in Philadelphia.  

Pretty cute!

Mid-Atlantic (region 3) EPA website:  http://www.epa.gov/region03/index.htm

Energy Star appliance shopping

This past month Consumer Reports published their reviews of home appliances like refrigerators, freezers, and washing machines, including a good amount of information about Energy Star along the way.  One of the articles points out that appliance energy guides and ratings often over-promise the product's efficiency (like in this Frigidaire ad from 1933?).  Currently there is no third party certification for Energy Star claims, but I've heard that this will soon change:  sorry, no more gas-powered alarm clocks!  In the meantime, take any appliance's energy guide numbers with a grain of salt.  Whether the Energy Star rating on my new Maytag fridge is accurate or not, I'll definitely use fewer kWh than the ~1000 per year my 20+ year old Whirlpool was burning.

If you're in the market for a new appliance, cash in on these rebates offered by BGE's Smart Energy Savers program:

Get $50 rebate for buying an Energy Star appliance
http://conservation.bgesmartenergy.com/sites/default/files/BGE_Appliance_Rebate_Finalv2_1%2B25%2B10.pdf

Get $50 for recycling your old refrigerator
http://conservation.bgesmartenergy.com/residential/lighting-appliances/refrigerator-freezer-recycling

The main Energy Star website is here: www.energystar.gov

Did you know that clothes dryers are not rated by Energy Star?  here's why

Calculate how much you could save by recycling your old refrigerator and getting a new Energy Star model here 

When it comes to modern refrigeration, we've come a long way, baby... here's an interesting article from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers about the history of refrigeration and cooling.

http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/may00/features/coolstory/coolstory.html

Thanks to Liza at Pine Street Art Works for the Frigidaire ad image and ASME article used in this post.  Check out her lovely blog here http://seesaw.typepad.com/blog/2008/05/frigidaire-ge-the-thirties.html

Spring green event roundup

Lots of green events every spring in Baltimore... watch for these and similar events next year too:

This Saturday is the Baltimore County compost bin and rain barrel sale:  take advantage of the great discounts!  http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/News/releases/0420barrellbinsale.html

Check the Baltimore Green Works event calendar http://baltimoregreenworks.com/events/calendar/

Herring Run Watershed Association http://baywatersheds.org/ native plant sales, rain barrel workshops, etc.

Our local chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) http://www.usgbcbalt.org/

Feeling the urge to bike around Baltimore?  Here's a map of bike lanes and trails from CityPaper... 

http://www.citypaper.com/news/bikes/map.asp

Happy Earth Day! Hope for the future...

This poem, entitled "Lost Generation," is a palindrome:  enjoy!

Building a castle, old school

This may not count as "green building" exactly, but it is cool:  a bunch of French expats are building a castle in Arkansas using medieval construction techniques.  It's scheduled for completion in 2030, but will be opening for public tours as early as May 2010.  They are accepting applications for interns, volunteers, and artisans to help with the project.

Despite the project's dedication to medieval techniques, their communications team is decidedly modern:  check out their website to read the blog, get to know the team, follow them on Twitter, etc... 

Car sharing with RelayRides

I just signed up for a program called RelayRides:  watch the short intro video at their website www.relayrides.com for a summary of how it works.

If you'd be so kind as to list me as a referral (which could earn me money!), send me a message in the comment field and I'll give you my info.  Much obliged!

Here's more back story from MotorWeek by way of YouTube...

Relay Rides is launching in your area soon! Have a car? Need a car? Either way, we can help! Have a car? Earn cash by renting it out when you're not using it. Our technology and insurance make the rental safe and convenient! Need a car? Get convenient, affordable access to one by the hour or the day. Gas and insurance are included!