The Idyllwild Town Crier's guide to responsible living going greenidyllwildvisitorscenter.com/publications_files/2009... · 2010-05-12 · Page 2 - Idyllwild Town Crier, Going Green,

going greenThe Idyllwild Town Crier's guide to responsible living ...

2009going greengoing green

2009going green

2009going green

Sav

ing Planet Idyllwild

Page 2 - Idyllwild Town Crier, Going Green, 2009

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“One Planet Is All We Get” is the theme for Idyllwild’s 20th-annual Earth Fair — a celebration of and plea for more vigilant stewardship of the planet’s resources. Organizer Holly Owens promises the usual attractive mix of food, music and dancing but in an economic downturn when “saving” is on everyone’s lips, saving the planet will take center stage at the fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at Town Hall. Interactive booths will feature recycled art, solar energy, composting and water conservation. Kicking off the event at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 15, at Town Hall, is a presen-tation by Sarah and Paul Edwards (right), co-direc-tors of the nonprofit “Let’s Live Local” in Pine Moun-tain Club, Calif. Pine Mountain Club is part of a Transition Initiative of worldwide communities dedicated to eliminating dependence on foreign oil, reducing individual and community carbon footprints, and living greener. The 24 U.S. communities committed to the Transition Initiative goals are in California: Santa Cruz, Sebastopol, Cotati, Mount Shasta, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach and Pine Mountain; in Colorado: Boulder, Lyons, Denver and Louisville; in Idaho: Sandpoint and Ketchum; in Wash-ington: Whatcom and Seattle; Montpelier, Vt.; Portland, Maine: in Oregon: Portland and Ashland; Pima, Ariz.;

Idyllwild Earth Fair celebrates 20 yearsNewburyport, Mass.; and Berea, Ky. What these communities share, and what the Ed-wards will talk about, is agreement to reduce energy costs in homes and businesses; reduce fuel costs in work commutes; create a resilient local economy that protects the ecosystem and supports a sustainable com-munity life; and share information with other similarly committed communities. As part of that scope, particular areas of planning focus can be surveying local gardens and fruit trees to explore possible community harvesting; local sustain-ability projects; expanding and promoting incentives for shopping locally; creating shared transportation pools and ride sharing programs; developing community gar-dens; and organizing local home tours for homes using energy-saving approaches. Sarah said they will talk about the Transition Initia-tive process through which communities like Idyllwild can chart their own course of how to live sustainably, responsibly and network with other communities to advance shared goals. “The Transition Initiative offers a positive vision in scary eco-anxiety times,” she said. “What the initiative offers are tools and structure for reaching eco-responsible goals within a framework of shared values and ethics. It’s an organic process built on individual input.” Edwards is one of 19 U.S. Transi-tion Initiative trainers and the only one in Southern California. Pine Mountain Club is a small mountain town in the Los Padres National Forest northwest of the San Fernando Valley and west of Gorman. Its popula-tion is around 1,600 with a relatively older demo-graphic — median age of

45 as opposed to 35 for the nation as a whole. Much like Idyllwild, Pine Mountain Club considers itself an idyllic mountain destination close to, and yet distanced from, larger metropolises. The Edwards are authors of “Middle-Class Lifeboat: Careers and Life Choices for Navigating a Changing Economy.” They emphasize in their book that the current downturn is not simply a cycle, but a sea of change in how the nation’s and world’s economies will function in the future. And, ac-cording to the Edwards, saving, reducing one’s carbon footprint, consuming prudently, and living in greater harmony with the planet are the watchwords for a healthy planetary agenda. They will share their experi-ences in becoming part of the Transition Initiative. For more information prior to their presentation, go to www.transitionus.org. The Edwards’ presentation is free. Marshall Smith can be reached at [email protected].

Recycling in Idyllwild Idyllwild Transfer Station, 28100 Saunders Meadow Road, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday to Monday. The station offers recycling bins, as well as bins for discarding electronics.

Karin Greenwood is the 2009 recipient of the Greenwood Award, which will be presented at this

weekend’s Earth Fair on Saturday. The

Greenwood Award was named for her husband, Richard, the first recipient.

File photo

What can you recycle? Metal, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard all can be recycled in the bins at the Idyllwild Transfer Station.

Make sure to flatten boxes before placing them in the bins available just for cardboard.

Idyllwild Town Crier, Going Green, 2009 - Page 3

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ContentsEarth Fair .............................................................2

Sustainable Idyllwild ........................................3

Conserving water .................................................4

Is Idyllwild ready for a community garden? ..5

Issues of water reclamation may become more predominant in the Hill's future ............6

What is composting and how is it benefi cial? .......................................... 7

A Pasadena man applies environmental remodeling to a new business plan ..................8Cover photo and design by Jim Crandall

Town Crier staff who compiled “Going Green” are: Publisher-Editor Becky Clark; Operations Manager Jim Crandall; Staff Reporter Marshall Smith; Production Assistant James Larkin; Copy Editor Beth Nottley; Advertising Sales Manager Grace Reed; Advertising Sales Representative Kathy Bryson; Photographer Jenny Kirchner; and Offi ce Manager Sandy Burns.

By Victoria Jakubac

It’s time to freshen up your wardrobe for spring, but before you hit the stores, keep in mind that there is nothing more in style right now than fl aunting that you’re good to the Earth. A great way to conserve resources is to preserve the clothing you already own. Wash like colors together in cold water to prevent bleeding and fading. Sew up holes or tears and replace missing buttons. If you’re worried that someone will notice that you’ve worn the same thing several times, just remember that their new duds not only

Sustainable Idy tipscost them money, but it also costs the Earth. One cotton polo shirt travels more than 14,000 miles, causes 27 pounds of carbon emissions, expends 33 kilowatt hours of energy and produces its weight in waste. That is pretty shabby, no matter how spiffy it may look. If you have to buy new apparel, consider paying more for pieces that will last a long time and buy classic styles to ensure timeless-ness and keep them out of the landfi lls. With winter behind us, it is time to em-brace the season of rejuvenatation by reducing clutter and attacking grime. That’s right, I mean spring cleaning! But before you start scrubbing your fl oors and tubs with harsh chemicals that reduce indoor air quality and harm the environment, think about using a few common household items to get your house sparkling clean and smelling fresh. Some basic ingredients for cleaners include baking soda, lemon, vinegar, salt, liquid soap and hot water. Check the Web for simple, easy, non-toxic recipes for household cleaners and then clean away.

The Sustainable Idyllwild winner of May’s green bag draw-ing was Gia LaGrutta (left). Gift certifi cate donor Maureen McElligott (center) and Fairway Market General Manager Diana Johnson present a $25 Fairway Market gift certifi cate to LaGrutta. Sustainable Idyllwild sponsors the monthly green bag drawing. Photo by Jenny Kirchner

Recycle your bags and winAnyone who uses their own shopping bags to cart

their Fairway Market groceries is entered in a monthly drawing. A local environmental awareness group, Sustainable Idyllwild, started the program at the market. Various individuals and businesses donate the monthly gift certifi cate.

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California continues to struggle with an ex-tended drought, leaving many communities to urge voluntary conservation measures. Many of these conservation campaigns en-courage every person to save just 20 gallons of water each day. Sen. Barbara Boxer offers these five simple ways to reach this goal. • Stop leaks. Fixing just one leaky faucet can go a long way in reaching the goal of saving 20 gallons of water a day. Some leaks are obvious, but others are hidden. Check with your utility company to find out how to check for leaks. • Replace an old toilet. Toilets use more wa-ter than any other usage in most homes. If your home was built before 1992 and the toilet has never been replaced, you should consider switch-ing to a water-efficient model. Newer toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons, some even less. Also, install a lower flow showerhead, which will save even more water. • Turn off the faucet whenever you can. Turn-ing off the faucet when you brush your teeth can save 3 gallons a day. You can save about 5 gallons by reducing your shower by one or two minutes. If you turn off the hose while washing your car, you can save up to 150 gallons per wash. • Switch to Energy Star appliances, including your clothes washer and dishwasher. These types

Easy ways to conserve waterof appliances use 35 to 50 percent less water and 50 percent less energy per load. Run these ap-pliances only when they are really full. Washing partial loads wastes water and energy. • If you are thinking about changing your landscaping, consider plants that require less water. If you don’t want to change your land-scaping, assess your irrigation needs. Water only

when your yard is dry, and then apply only as much water as needed. Watering very early in the morning will also help conserve water because of reduced evaporation. The California Landscape Contractors As-sociation offers additional tips on outdoor water conservation at www.clca.org/clca/about/water-Wise.php.


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Start with economic hard times. Then add a gener-ous donation of land in lower Fern Valley from Sandy Wilkes at the corner of Fern Valley and

San Jacinto roads. Then add the willing expertise of the Idyllwild Garden Club (IGC) led by President Elliott Tay-lor. All that is missing is a group of townspeople, energetic and able-bodied, to form a committee to begin preparing the land for a spring debut next year. “Taking overall responsibility for the community garden is not really what we do, which is beautification projects,” said Taylor. “But we could be involved and perhaps best served providing our advice and expertise.” Taylor ex-plained that the IGC is, because of the age of many mem-bers, not a heavy lifting group. “For the community garden to work, we’ll need to involve more participation from the community,” said Taylor. “An organizational committee advised by the IGC would be ideal.” The intent of a community garden, and the way in which most work, is that a piece of land is fenced, then subdivided into plots, which community members rent (usually a rent sufficient to cover the costs of water), then plant whatever they would like to raise for themselves and their families. Although sometimes flowers are part of a renter’s plot, the main crops are usually vegetables. They are common in many metropolitan areas and small towns and villages. In addition to the pleasure of raising crops, teaching kids a part of a longstanding American tradition, there is the additional pleasure of meeting and hanging out with community members in a shared pursuit. Taylor explained that, if a committee could be formed this year, they could begin preparing the infrastructure for the garden so that it could debut next year at the commence-ment of the planting season for this climate zone. The IGC could advise, said Taylor, on soil preparation techniques, placement of water lines, and height and depth below soil of the appropriate fence necessary to keep out rabbits and other voracious critters. Typically, once established, commu-nity garden plot holders have keys to the lock on the fence and can visit their plots at their convenience. A “Community Garden Start Up Guide” published by the nonprofit Garden Works in the Twin Cities, Minn., lists a number of organizational steps: Form a committee of interested households to act as initial organizers; get neighbors involved by dis-tributing invitational fliers; work with the landowner (in this case Wilkes) and an expert adviser (Taylor and the IGC) to develop a vision for the garden; sign a lease for the land for a three-year period (typi-cally groups lease garden sites from landowners for $1 a year); include a simple “hold harmless” waiver in the lease and in gardener agreement forms; consider obtaining liability insur-ance to protect the property owner and the organiza-tional committee should

an accident occur at the garden site; have the soil tested for fertility, pH and presence of heavy metals such as lead or toxins (soil tests are relatively inexpensive, in the $15 to $80 range); plan the garden with community input (it might be that an existing organization, say the Idyllwild Community Recreation Council or Rotary, might be willing to pro-vide insurance); create a garden budget including fencing (Taylor suggested that fencing could be pieced together from existing, already owned, or scrap materials); put the infrastructure in place, including gardener agree-ments; prepare the soil using composting materials in the season prior to the garden’s first planting season; then prior to the planting season, clean up the site, set up the water system and begin to plant. The Garden Works Web site (www.gar denworksMN.org) and e-mail (info@garden

worksMN.org) are good sources for guidance in addition to local expertise from Taylor and the IGC. Garden Works provides a list of sample documents that can be used to get a community garden up and running, including examples of a community flier invitation to become involved; a worksheet for developing a vision for a garden; a sample lease agreement with the property owner; a community garden planning worksheet designed to guide group deci-sion-making about how the garden will operate; a com-munity gardener agreement; a sample budget worksheet showing how to calculate cash flow for the garden; a dona-tion letter for gardeners to use asking local merchants and others for donations to improve the garden infrastructure; sustainability guidelines; and a community garden health and safety policy distributed at the beginning of the plant-ing season to remind gardeners to be safe and protocol for potential garden hazards. Taylor said that he and the IGC could advise and direct soil preparation that should begin this year. Although details would have to be worked out about creating a large enough composting bin to be placed on the property this year, Taylor advised that all materials suitable for compost-ing, instead of being taken to the dump, could be deposited on Wilkes property in the bin, to provide materials needed to begin soil preparation for next season’s planting. If interested in being part of this venture, especially being on a planning and preparation committee, e-mail Elliott Taylor at [email protected]. Marshall Smith can be reached at [email protected].

Community garden possibility requires committee

Sandy Wilkes, donor of the proposed community garden site at the corner of Fern Valley Road and San Jacinto, stands on the property with her dog, Maggie.

Photo by Marshall Smith


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A ccording to climatologists and futurists, fresh water is the new gold. Most of the world suffers without adequate potable water. The American Southwest,

according to climate models, will become increasingly drier, snowcaps will disappear, and major metropolitan areas will face draconian water shortages and regulation. To prepare, what can a homeowner do to save the gold that nature provides in diminishing amounts? There are two methods, one of collection and one of reclamation. Rainwater harvesting, or rainwater catchment, is routinely used in many other countries like drier areas of Mexico, but not so much in the United States. Histori-cally, either an underground cistern or an above-ground barrel or tank is covered or sealed to make certain the collected water is not contaminated. Cisterns are put underground because it is the safest way to ensure the water is protected in its container and kept at a constant temperature. Accumulated water is wealth in some areas. Among the people of the deserts of Africa, water is a synonym for the word “God,” so important is this natural resource. So de-termining how to collect adequate water, especially to tide one over during times of no water, is a science in other parts of the world. One needs to calculate the amount of water used first on a daily basis within the household. System designers always advocate that the first step in rainwater harvesting is to reduce daily consumption prior to designing a system and to treat water with the respect it deserves as the new gold. With the new consumption calculation, determine the longest season with no rainfall, multiply daily consumption by the days without water and you arrive at the size cistern that could supply your family. Obviously this assumes you are not on a municipal water system. But even if you are, these kinds of conservation measures are a prequel to the water disaster movie soon to play in everyone’s future. The roof of one’s home is the initial area of the catch-ment system. This includes the overhang and the gutters. Gutters organize the flow of water caught by the roof and direct it into a downspout where it is filtered like a kitchen sink drain and then finally stored in a barrel or cistern. Designers of rainwater harvesting systems stress paying

Saving water is the prime green imperativeattention to the efficiency of the system; taking into ac-count the slope of the roof, and the width, strength and capacity of the gutter and downspout system; and other factors, such as debris in the gutters that would cause loss of water. Keeping debris out of the gutter system is critical to efficient harvesting. Getting the water from the roof to the tank is the role of the conveyance system, with pipes attached to downspouts that lead directly, by force of grav-ity, into the storage tank. The tanks are the holding system and are commonly made of polypropylene. They can either be buried or above ground. The last part of the system is the distribution system. Most people in the United States who harvest rainwater use it for irrigation and outdoor watering. In Mexico and other areas it is used and pumped into the house for inte-rior uses, where some form of water filtration system must be added in order to make the water potable. Although this aspect is more expensive, it also helps eliminate de-pendence on a utility company. Harvesters recommend initiating a water conservation program prior to installing a catchment system. Recom-mended elements are track water usage through your meter and bill; wash dishes by hand, in a dish bin; don’t let the water run while rinsing and use the dish water in your

garden; use the garbage disposal infrequently (compost much of what you would otherwise put down the dispos-al); soak pots and pans rather than letting water run while scraping them clean; don’t defrost frozen food under run-ning water; put aerators on all faucets; run dishwasher and washing machines only when full; “mellow yellow, brown down”; install a sink top on top of your toilet with a toilet lid sink so that hand washing water goes into the toilet tank to be used twice; install automatic shutoff faucets like those used commercially; and use graywater where possible for outdoor use. Check rainwater-harvesting Web sites for additional and more detailed information. Although not yet legal in Riverside County, use of gray-water is common in many other areas. According to the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center, between 60 and 65 percent of the water that goes down a home’s drain has the potential to be reused. For the unfamiliar reader, white water is potable water, black water contains or has come into contact with fecal matter and is a haven for bacteria and disease causing pathogens, and graywater is that in-between commodity, commonly from dishwashers, showers, sinks, etc. If house-hold chemicals in graywater are kept to a minimum, most plants will be able to handle it.


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W hy compost? For one thing, organic waste ac-counts for 24 percent of material taken to dumps and collected by trash companies. It is almost

a quarter of the mountain of trash that Americans, as the most voracious consumers on the planet, produce annually. Composting materials are routinely thrown away when, in fact, they can be productive and useful. What is it? Compost is organic material that can be used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants. Compost is created by combining organic wastes (yard trim-mings, leaves, food wastes) in proper ratios into piles, rows or containers. One then adds bulking agents, for instance wood chips, to accelerate the breakdown of the organic materials. Compost improves soil structure, porosity and bulk density that creates a better environment for a plant’s root structure. Using compost to enrich a soil prior to planting a garden is a necessary precondition with many types of soil. The moisture-holding capacity of soil is improved with com-post, reducing water loss and nutrient leaching. Beneficial microorganisms are supplied to the soil, which assist nutrient uptake and suppress certain soil-born diseases. Compost adds a variety of micronutrients to the soil and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, which recent research has shown to damage soil if used over extensive periods of time. And finally, compost acts to release nitrogen into the soil slowly and steadily so plants receive a constant flow of nutrients. In addition to benefiting plants and gardens, compost has been shown to facilitate reforestation, wetland restora-tion and habitat revitalization by amending contaminated, compacted and marginal soils. Compost can remove solids, oil, grease and heavy metals from storm water runoff. It can help capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals in contaminated air; and provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable. (Statistics courtesy of the federal Environmental Protection Agency [EPA].) So the question is why throw away materials that have use and why buy new materials that can cost as much as $15 a cubic yard? Elliott Taylor, president of the Idyllwild Garden Club, hopes to create a com-posting bin on the site for a future community garden, where villagers can deposit composting materials rather than throw them away. The compost would then be used to prepare the soil this year for spring plant-ing next year of Idyllwild’s first community garden, where gardeners can rent plots and grow what they’d like for themselves and their families. According to the EPA, here is the “In” list of good composting materials: animal manure, but not pet wastes; cardboard rolls; clean paper; coffee grounds

What is the importance of composting?

and filters; cotton rags; dryer and vacuum cleaner lint; egg-shells; fireplace ashes; fruits and vegetables; grass clippings; hair and fur; hay and straw; houseplants; leaves; nut shells; sawdust; shredded newspaper; tea bags; wood chips; wool rags; and yard trimmings. The “Out” list, or things not to compost, includes coal or charcoal ash; black walnut tree leaves or twigs; dairy prod-ucts (such as butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream and yogurt); diseased or insect-ridden plants; fats, grease, lard and oils; meat/fish bones and scraps; pet wastes, including soiled cat litter; and yard trimmings with chemical pesticides. As a general rule of thumb when composting, use equal amounts of green and brown material. Green materials are nitrogen-rich and moist and include grass clippings, weeds, coffee grounds and kitchen scraps. Brown materials are carbon-rich items such as dried leaves, straw and wood chips. Don’t add twigs larger around than your finger; they take too long to deteriorate. Keep compost moist, but not wet. Your compost pile or container should have enough mass for microbes’ activity to raise the temperature. Rule of thumb is that a pile be 3-foot-by-3-foot-by-3-foot but not greater than 5 feet in any direc-

tion to allow air into the pile. The more often you turn the pile the faster it will become fully composted. Turning means reversing the top and bottom materials on a regular basis. Make sure the compost pile is at least 2 feet from any building. And always mix compost with soil before using for gardening. Finished compost can be applied to lawns and gardens to help condition the soil and replenish nutrients. Compost should not be used as potting soil for houseplants because of the presence of weed and grass seeds. Riverside County will be presenting a free composting workshop in Idyllwild at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 30 at Town Hall. The county posts extensive composting information on its Web site, www.rivco.org/composting/compost_methods.html. It also offers a six-week master composting program course, free to enrollees with an agreement to provide 40 hours of volunteer hours back to the program, which could include staffing Saturday composting workshops throughout the county; staffing booths on recycling/composting at home and garden shows, The Date Festival and Riverside County Fair and various Earth Day events; lecturing about compost-ing to various civic, community and garden groups through-out the county; and giving lectures about composting to schools, school groups and teachers. Sign up for classes with Janet Moreland at [email protected] or call (951) 486-3200. Marshall Smith can be reached at [email protected].

Riverside County Waste Management Department master composters educate the public about back-yard composting at Earth Fair 2006.

Photo courtesy of Paul Jacobson


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In his many careers, Norman Howe (right) has always pushed the boundaries, trying

both to learn something and then to pass on to others what he has learned. From a career in the movies as a dance man, to one as a prominent Los Angeles ad executive, to the founding of his own company, F & P in Pasadena, Howe has tried to combine fun, profit and do-ing good in the world. His Pasadena startup F & P (standing for “fun and profit”) raised millions for the City of Hope hospital in Duarte through its “Coupons of Hope” program in which major food manufacturers provided discount coupons to consumers. A portion of every sale went to fund cancer research at the City of Hope. Howe committed himself to growing not just the per-sonal wealth and well-being of his employees, years before larger companies became so enlightened, but also to grow them as individuals through what Howe called “personal growth games.” Employees were organized into teams whose bonuses depended on the group successfully com-pleting projects, often designed to provide some positive benefit to the surrounding community and its residents. Having sold F & P for a decent profit after nearly 30 years of operation, Howe still wanted to contribute, do

Pasadena entrepreneur founds Green & Leansome good in the world, and make a profit for his stake-holders, some of whom are former F & P employees. Howe’s new project is called Green & Lean (GL), a business model in which GL acquires run-down properties and remodels them using the latest in green technologies and building methods. “My ‘strategy’ is to acquire single family homes that can be converted into duplexes for rental or sale,” said Howe. “However, my ‘tactical’ objective is to buy our first property at as low a price as possible to help us ascertain the ‘real’ construction costs and learn what we don’t know about converting an average home into a green and lean, energy efficient and elegant living space.” On April 28, GL closed escrow on its pilot project, an 856-square-foot home built in 1925 at 1825 Atchinson St. in Pasadena. “The demolition and reconstruction will begin on May 4 and should be completed by mid-August,” said Howe. “During that period we will also be construct-ing the Green & Lean look [brand image], establishing our network of outside suppliers, and learning how our virtual company can best work together to create desired results.” Intended remodeling steps designed to fulfill GL’s mission of making a profit for stakeholders and doing some good for the planet are replacing all windows with dual-pane, high R-factor ratings; installing energy miser lighting devices including automatic dimmers and sensors that turn lights off after periods of non use; installing rainwater collection systems since the average roof collects 22,000 gallons of water each year in the Pasadena area; using zeroscape landscaping and installing drip irrigation systems since 45 percent of residential water consump-tion is for exterior use; installing dual-flush toilets (one

for liquid and one for solid waste, decreasing average per flush use from 5 to 1 gallon; and installing aerator filters in faucets and shower heads that maintain water pressure but reduce water flow volume. Old showers can use 5 gallons per minute, whereas new ones use 2 gallons or less; and install on-demand water heaters. “And, we’ve only just begun,” said Howe. “Our team is a long way from being experts in ‘the fields of green.’ How-ever, this much I know for sure. When we’re done working on the Ugly Duckling [Howe’s team’s affectionate name for its pilot project], we may not have transformed it into a beautiful swan, but it will be more elegant and environ-mentally responsible, and we will all be able to say we left this house and our environment better than we found it.” As a prudent businessman, Howe knows about tradeoffs. “Our Green & Lean pilot project is filled with tradeoff decisions. I’m trying to balance what’s best for the environment with what’s necessary to produce the optimum return on [stakeholder] investment.” Howe sees water as the key. Climatologists and futur-ists, especially in the Southwest, see water as the new gold. “In another 10 years, 36 states will be rationing water,” said Howe. “Water is the declining resource. I’m adamant that if we can make a difference in what one family consumes, then we will be doing our part to make the planet a more responsible place and the United States as a more respon-sible energy consumer.” Prior to the GL Web site launch in June, interested readers can follow GL progress and receive their newslet-ters, including helpful green remodeling information, by contacting [email protected].

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The Idyllwild Town Crier's guide to responsible living going greenidyllwildvisitorscenter.com/publications_files/2009... · 2010-05-12 · Page 2 - Idyllwild Town Crier, Going Green,