Okay... This was super geeky but I needed to get the attention of the recycling pick-up men somehow.  You see, they left all of my boxes the prior week, I assume because they weren't broken down, and thus my garage was getting packed with cardboard.  I normally don't have excessive cardboard but with a baby on the way we have received a number of gifts that are packaged in cardboard and I'm not going to allow that cardboard to go anywhere but to the recycling plant.  What they do with it there is out of my hands.  Anyway, I hope that you enjoy my weak attempt at humor.  I'm sure the pick-up guys got a kick out of it.

Cox Enterprises and Georgia Power Produce Green Energy for Georgia (bNet) - On April 20th, Cox Enterprises announced the completion of the largest solar power facility in Georgia. This facility is the largest of its kind in Georgia Power's alternative energy program here in Georgia. The facility will produce 150 megawatts annually. It is located on the roof of Cox's Manheim DRIVE facility in Stockbridge.

Southeast Positioned for Renewable Energy, WRI Report Says (Environmental Protection) - The Southeast could generate over 25% of its power from renewable energy by 2025 according to a report released in April by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the Southface Institute. The estimate combines potential power from biomass, solar, wind and hydroelectric.

Coca-Cola to use Green 'PlantBottle' (Atlanta Business Chronicle) - Coca-Cola will introduce a partially plant based plastic bottle in its Dasani water bottles later this year. They plan to begin using it in their vitamin water line in 2010. Their vision is for 100% recyclable and renewable packaging. It's great to see this type of move from one of the Atlanta's and the world's most popular companies.

Georgia Submits Request for Clean-Energy Stimulus Money (Atlanta Business Chronicle) - If the request is approved, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority will get roughly 2x as much money to aid business in solar, wind and efficiency projects as is available through state tax programs.

Even the dogs are getting in on the action these days. A Philadelphia woman was missing for several days before her neighbors called authorities. It turns out that her cocker spaniel knocked her off balance and she fell, rear end first, into her recycling bin. She wasn't able to liberate herself from the bin and ended up stuck for several days. Wow, I never thought that recycling could be life threatening. The 76 year old woman is expected to make a full recovery.

via Obscure Store

image courtesy of KB35

The jury is still out on this one but it is worth a try.  I can't tell you how annoyed I get with the obsolete unsolicited yellowpages books that I get every so often.  I can't help but think of all the waste that goes into the preparation, manufacturing and delivery of this product that makes it from my front doorstep to the recycling bin faster than your average piece of junk mail does.  At least I take a look at the junk mail to decide whether to shred or not to shred.

Well, we stumbled on this site from the Eco Bella blog the other day and figured it was worth a try.  It's pretty easy.  Just go to www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org and enter your information.

You will get this message:

Your request to be removed from Yellow Pages distribution has been forwarded to the Yellow Pages publishers we have on file that serve your area. Michael, for verification, we have sent you an email. Please click on the link in the email to verify your signature.

I'm hoping this works.  You'll be hearing from me if it doesn't.

This year was my first year with a real Christmas tree as an adult.  Previously, I've either gone treeless or put up a tiny little tree just for a little holiday cheer.  However, Nita and I decided that we would definitely get a real tree this year.  We evaluated the alternatives of real versus fake.  This SF Gate article helped.  The debate will rage on but I would say that a majority lean toward real as the better choice if you must make one. 

Positives of Real: US Grown, Biodegrades, Affordable, No Storage, Fresh Smell 

Negatives of Real: Pesticides, Sap, Transportation, Needles 

Positives of Fake: No Needles, No Sap, No Transportation Issues, Lasts Longer 

Negatives of Fake: Non-Biodegradable, Made w/PVC, No Fresh Smell, Have to Store it, Made in China

Well, we decided on the real tree and once we decided, I immediately started wondering how we would get rid of the tree. 

Well, I put off the research for the past 3 weeks and enjoyed the holidays.  Yesterday, the tree came down and the environmentalist came back out.  I quickly googled my city and tree recycling.  I knew there would be something.  Most likely a mulching operation.  To my surprise, I stumbled on a national campaign run by Earth911.org who has teamed up with many Home Depot locations to act as a drop spot for used Christmas trees.  You will need to enter in your zip code on the home page to find local info and events. 

The campaign is aptly named "Bring One for the Chipper."  So, I couldn't resist putting up a nice beaver for today's post.

MDH