But what about Styrofoam?

What is Styrofoam exactly, and why can't you recycle it in Baltimore county?  Read on for an excerpt from the county recycling newsletter that answers this FAQ...

"...Savvy residents are already aware of the materials accepted, and not accepted, in Baltimore County’s single stream program. However, even the most avid recycler may not realize why certain types of materials are not accepted. In this issue of The REsource, we will address some questions concerning expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. This material is often generically referred to as “Styrofoam™.” However, the trademarked brand name actually references a different type of polystyrene that is extruded (pressed through a die to form a desired shape), not expanded. Neither form of polystyrene is accepted for recycling in Baltimore County.

EPS is a form of polystyrene plastic that can be used for numerous purposes, including packing material, food and beverage containers, and building insulation. Many manufacturers favor EPS as a material due to its low weight, rigid structure, and formability. However, these same properties also make EPS very difficult to recycle.

Because EPS is composed of 98 percent air, and thus extremely light for its volume, this material is not economical to collect and transport. In addition, EPS used to store and serve food is usually contaminated, and requires cleaning before it can be processed for recycling – a step that would incur additional costs. There are some jurisdictions in the United States with EPS recycling programs; however, these programs typically are limited to collection at drop-off centers (not curbside) and have strict limitations on the types of EPS accepted. For example, a program that accepts EPS food containers for recycling may not accept EPS packing “peanuts.”

Though Baltimore County does not accept EPS for recycling, there are still some ways to reduce the amount of this material that ends up in our landfill. Many packaging service stores, such as The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc., will accept EPS packing “peanuts” for reuse. In addition, EPS Industry Alliance in Crofton, Maryland will accept clean, white EPS packaging materials for reuse or recycling – visit epsindustry.org for details."

STEM + Spanish Inquisition = fun

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition... unless they made it to the Grand Awards round of judging at the DC STEM Fair this past Saturday!

Sponsored by corporations including Battelle, Northrop Grumman, and Bentley Systems, and organized by The Three Birds Foundation, this whirlwind event brought together a few hundred students, educators, and volunteers all in the name of STEM.  The day featured guest appearances by DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray, keynote speaker Stephen Ritz of Green Bronx Machine, a Tesla electric car, and LEED green building tours of the H.D. Woodson STEM High School by cox graae + spack architects. 

Thanks to the student award winners, I learned about planaria, zebrafish, arduino-powered cars,  western blot tests, and many other marvels of science and technology during my time on the Grand Awards judging panel.  Congratulations to the students, parents, and teachers for all the hard work they put into this event!

Earthquakes and ungreen housing trends in Japan

Why do the Japanese bulldoze houses after only 30 years?  Contrast this approach to the built environment to the European mindset of maintaining and renovating buildings for hundreds of years.  What gives?

In this Freakonomics podcast, the economist Steves dissect this phenomenon, citing local experts and (of course) statistics.  For example...

Japan has 3.8 times more architects per capita than the USA, and 2.1 times as many construction jobs.

Half of houses are demolished within 38 years, compared to 100 years in the USA.

Why?

Theories range from spirituality to post-WWII history to earthquake building code revisions.

As a structural engineer, that last part caught my attention.  Did you know that 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude greater than or equal to 6 have occurred in Japan?  In the years since WWII, this has resulted in Japanese building codes' earthquake provisions being updated at a greater frequency than in most countries.  Homebuilders there use this as a marketing device to encourage consumers to rebuild rather than renovate... and this has contributed to a culture of Do-It-For-Me more than DIY.

In addition to being environmentally unfriendly, more than one economist has suggested that this custom may be contributing to the economic slump in Japan.

Listen to the full podcast here:
http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable/http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable/

Image credit:  http://www.busyboo.com/2008/08/25/japanese-house-design-mineral/

Touring Philadelphia's green buildings

A few notes from the green building tour I took at the Greenbuild 2013 conference in Philadelphia recently...

This tour (TF06)was called "Rebirth of a Neighborhood: Going Green in Northern Liberties and Kensington," and included residences constructed by Onion Flats (Rag Flats and The Twins), Kensington CAPA school, and Postgreen rowhouses (100k and Skinny). 

Rowhouses in Philadelphia's working-class neighborhoods are often of bandbox or trinity type, constructed with a central staircase.  The residences we visited incorporated sustainable features such as pervious paving, plyboo (bamboo plywood), rain chains, intensive green roofs, SIPs, induction cooktops, radiant floor slab heating, ERV Ultimate Air RecoupAerator fans, skylights for minimal electric lighting, HVAC hydronic distribution, and mini-split heat pumps.  It was noted that the use of SIPs allowed builders to avoid thermal bridging by hanging joists on the inside face of SIP walls as with rimboard deck construction.  In-floor storage and no second floor heating contributed to overall efficiency.

The Kensington High School for Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA) features large windows and sawtooth roof construction to allow for maximum daylight, along with solar panels, geothermal wells, and heat pumps for optimal energy efficiency.  Much attention was given to community revitalization in this transitional neighborhood:  for instance, the 500-foot deep rainwater tank was buried onsite lest it be punctured by drive-by shootings.  The school was constructed on a remediated brownfield with special considerations for stormwater management and public transportation access.

See more photos here.

It's raining persimmon

One sunny yet crisp weekend in October, I joined a group of persimmon-hunting friends on a farm in West Virginia.  Following a string of warm days and cool nights, it was almost the perfect time to harvest these cheery little orange fruits... almost.  The first one I picked was not quite ripe, and I quickly learned why people talk about the Hachiya persimmon's Pucker Power!  After this I only ate the fruits so obviously ripe that their sticky jam-like flesh oozed out from wrinkled skins - yum.  As for the not-so-ripe ones, we carted a bag of them home to ripen on the counter for a persimmon pudding.

Really the best way to pick persimmons is to gather the fallen from the ground after the first frosts - if you can find them before the local wildlife do.  The other best way, as we discovered, is to shake the tree while singing "It's raining persimMEN!"

More persimmon facts, including history and growth habits, plus recipes here:
http://www.eattheweeds.com/persimmons-pure-pucker-power-2/

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/12/chocolate-persimmon-muffins-recipe-kim-boyce-good-to-the-grain/

http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2008/12/13/hachiya-persimmons/

http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2012/12/04/roasted-persimmon-brie-salad/

Also in season right now:
Apple
Basil
Eggplant
Kale
Osage orange
Pawpaw 
Potato
Tomato
Walnut
Winter squash

June in the garden

"It is the month of June

the month of leaves and roses
when pleasant sights salute the eyes
and pleasant scents the noses."
~N P Willis

Despite cold weather and soaking thunderstorms in May, the June garden is still going strong.  Starting to harvest things, and continuing to plant more...

Now harvesting:
Beets
Daylilies
Garlic scapes
Kale
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes
Rosemary
Sage
Strawberries
Tarragon
Turnips

Planted:
Basil
Eggplant
Parsley
Tomato

The first potatoes are ready!  Very easy to harvest if you grow them in bags.

Also ready now:  other spring root veg (turnips, beets, kohlrabi) and the first of the greens...

And a trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania for inspiration:  living walls, Florida weave tomatoes, and solar flowers!

May in the garden: a time to sow

Planting time:  this year black weedblock covers the newspaper-laden pathways.  Also experimenting with floating row cover over the greens.

Misc seedlings hardening off and containers on the deck, plus the first strawberry of the year!

Garden flair

This year's garden flair:  Little Jerry Seinfeld, Jerome the Gnome, and Mary the protector of potatoes.

Gardening in the cruellest month

April really is the cruellest month to a gardener:  teasing us with more sun, but still cold temperatures.  Time to till the beds, plant some root vegetables, and watch the baby garlic come up.

Bleak midwinter gardening

February and March in the garden:  a little snow and a lot of daydreaming over seed catalogs.  This year I bought a seed-starter tray to fit the Aerogarden.  Tomatoes and snapdragons took to it well, but the eggplant not so much.

And then... crocus!