Less Garbage Is Green

Early this week my wife and I loaded up our VW Camper Van with bagged garbage to take it to the Lumpkin County landfill/transfer station. Since our middle son moved to Gainesville we have not been able to borrow his pickup truck for trash hauling so the van had to do.

We placed tarps inside the van to catch any spills from leaky trash bags, loaded the van and went on our way to the dump. My wife commented that there we no odors caused by the garbage. We check our guest trash for food at check outs and also take all of our unused food and use it for composting. That explained the lack of odor.

We were also surprised that we had not made the dump trip in over 3 months and marvelled at the small amount of trash we accumulated in the last 3 months. The trash were were taking to the dump were items we could not recycle or compost.

When my wife goes grocery shopping she tries to purchase items in recyclable packaging. By recycling the packaging versus disposing we keep it out of the landfill which helps the environment.

Here in the county we can recycle some plastics (mainly the water bottles guests leave us), cans and paper. We also use shredded paper/junk mail in our composter. Glass has to be taken to another county for recycling. Many wine bottles are bottle trees in the yard. See bottle trees for more information.

Being mindful about what you purchase and the packaging it comes in is very green. So is composting food to keep it out of the landfill. Start today and help the environment. Please do your part and everyone will benefit.

Michael Pollan "Omnivores Dilemma" Talks About Food

Michael Pollan wrote a book titled The Omnivores Dilemma that discusses the commercial food industry and the popularity of processed foods and high fructose corn syrup. The book had a major impact on my thoughts about food and where it comes from. My wife and I seldom ingest food or drinks with high fructose corn syrup or food that has been highly processed.

He is shown on the Democracy Now TV show in two videos that are linked below.

In the first video he talks about the relationship to confinement pork farming in Mexico to the recent swine flu outbreak. As a past college professor who taught consumer behavior I also found his comments on large food companies making unhealthy food additives live sugar appear healthy to the consumer. Another example of this is eating Cheerios to lower cholesterol.

Click Video 1 to watch.

In Video 2 he talks about how our school lunch program creates addicts of highly processed foods since that is what they serve to children. For example chicken nuggets.

In conclusion he makes a logical assumption that we cannot address climate change without first addressing our food since our food system contributed to global warming.

Click Video 2 to watch.

I believe they will have an influence on how you think about food.

Artists Marketplace in Dahlonega

Artist Marketplace moves to Hancock Park in Dahlonega

The Artist Marketplace features juried original handcrafted artwork from local area artists the first Saturday of each month starting on May 2 through October and is presented by the Dahlonega Arts Council and sponsored by the Downtown Development Authority.

The artist marketplace is in conjunction with the Dahlonega Farmers Market located in Hancock Park on the corner of N. Park St. and Warwick St. from 7am-3pm. Artists are from Lumpkin County or an adjacent county and be members of the Dahlonega Arts Council.

For more information visit Dahlonega Arts.

Inn Blog on Best Green Blogs

Cedar House Inn and Yurts Blog has been added to the Best Green Blog Directory.

Best Green Blogs is the web’s largest directory of green and sustainable themed blogs. Writers from all over the world are publishing articles and stories dealing with a wide variety of topics dealing with environmental issues and green living.

To see our our blog page on the directory visit Best Green Blogs.

Georgia Organics

Georgia Organics is an association that is trying to support and encourage more production and utilization of organic food grown in Georgia. The State is not known for it's organic practices compared to other regions of the country.

At Cedar House Inn we purchase organic free range eggs and organic milk for preparing breakfast dishes for our guests. In our area we also have an organic farm, Revival Gardens, who sells locally grown organic vegetables.

In a recent Georgia Organics ezine they asked reader's the following question which I found interesting: What's the single biggest obstacle to growing more sustainable farmers in the state of Georgia?

The Answers were interesting but not totally surprising and are noted below.

Low prioritization of university system - 20.8%
Lack of political will - 25.0%
Powerful special interests - 54.2%
Lack of training amongst cooperative extension service - 4.2%

I was dissappointed in the university system percentage being so high since as an ex college professor I expected,encouraged and experienced innovation.

Lack of political will in Georgia is not only a problem in Georgia among our lawmakers in organics but anything progressive or innovative. Lack of political will to take on nasty big coal for electrical generation is another Georgia political problem.

Powerful special interests is a real key problem in Georgia and around the country. Even Michelle Obama is taking heat for planting the White House garden with organics.

For more information on the Georgia Organic's Association visit Georgia Organics.

Recycling is Not the Same Everywhere

Here at Cedar House Inn and Yurts we have recycling bins in all guest areas to recycle paper, certain plastics and glass. Most guests are good about not throwing recycled items in the garbage can.

We also compost all uncooked and cooked leftover foods for the gardens and to keep the trash cans from odors.

Our trips to the local landfill happen about every 3-4 months since we throw away very little.

Our county offers a recycling station near the high school but is limited in what it takes. We haul certain plastics and all glass to another center in a nearby county.

I recently read an article about how much recycling varies across the country. It included a map of the USA showing recycling usage. I was shocked but not surprised that the southern states do not have recycling programs as much as other parts of the country. It appears to be a blue versus red state issue. Blue is more advanced in recycling. I often think this is true in most green practices.

I hope the south one day sees the importance of recycling on the Earth and environment.

To see the article visit Recycling Article.

Soap Nuts Instead of Laundry Detergent?

While twittering I had a follower ask me in a tweet if I wanted to try some soapnuts. They mentioned it was an eco friendly substitute for laundry detergent. We always use environmentally friendly laundry soap but I was intrigued and agreed to try a sample.

The soapnuts arrived promptly by mail.

For those of you that have never heard about soapnuts they are berries that grow on trees in India and Indonesia. Their shells contain a natural detergent called saponin. Soapnuts are gentle on clothes and skin so they are great for people with skin allergies and babies. They are also biodegradable so they are great for the Earth.

The nuts come with a little cloth bag with drawstring. all we had to do was place 3-5soapnut shells in the bag and throw it in the washer instead of detergent. We tried it on a load of personal clothing with great results. The clothes came out clean and fresh smelling (the soapnuts have no smell).

For more information on soapnuts and how to order some for yourself visit Laundry Tree.

Georgia Wine Festival 6/6-6/7/2009 Dahlonega

Come stay with us and attend the 2nd annual Georgia Fine Wine Festival at BlackStock Vineyards and Winery.

Festival will feature the finest food, wine, music, and art found in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains.

Saturday, June 6th from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 7th from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sample of over 50 premium Georgia-grown wines and a bounty of culinary offerings from the finest restaurants of the region.

Headline music by The Kip Dockery Jazz Quartet featured in 2,000 square foot covered Pavilion.

An interesting array of local artists and demonstration crafts including pottery wheels, weavers, blacksmiths, sculptors, and more

The festival will occur rain or shine. Tickets are limited. Reserve tickets today on the web site below.

For more information visit Festival.

May is National EcoDriving Month

Celebrate National EcoDriving Month by Improving Your Driving Habits

During May, EcoDrivingUSA Encourages Americans to Become EcoDrivers

WASHINGTON, May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- EcoDrivingUSA announced today that May is National EcoDriving Month, and the educational program, sponsored by the Auto Alliance, is encouraging all drivers to take simple steps to improve their fuel efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint. To mark the first EcoDriving month, the program is partnering with Indy Goes Green, sponsored by the racing team of Nelson Philippe. The program raises awareness about how to be an EcoDriver, and aims to be the first-ever carbon neutral Indy team.

"The key to EcoDriving is that anyone can do it, in any vehicle, and best of all, it's easy," said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "Now, as the summer driving season gets underway, EcoDriving month is the ideal time for each of us to renew our green driving habits."

"In partnership with EcoDrivingUSA, we are raising awareness about how to become EcoDrivers," Philippe said. "Race car drivers need to practice EcoDriving too because a race can be won or lost on the track by saving fuel. I apply that same principle when I'm on the road. To do our own part, we are working to make our team carbon neutral this year. It's a big challenge, but the goal is to make sure that we can try to offset our carbon footprint."

Along with the partnership with Indy Goes Green, EcoDrivingUSA continues to grow. This week the Environmental Defense Fund officially joined the EcoDriving Worldwide Community. And just last month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg became the first mayor to endorse the movement, adding his name to the growing list of leaders who have announced their support for the program.

The EcoDriving campaign was launched in 2008 at an event with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and Governor Bill Ritter (D-CO). Since then, Governors Sonny Perdue (R-GA), C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-ID), Jennifer M. Granholm (D-MI), Brad Henry (D-OK), and Jon Huntsman (R-UT) also have joined the movement. And this week, Gov. Steve Beshear (D-KY) announces his support for EcoDriving.

During National EcoDriving Month, the Auto Alliance and its 11 global automakers are working to educate consumers about the benefits of EcoDriving through www.EcoDrivingUSA.com. Practicing EcoDriving produces the highest mileage from every single vehicle, regardless of size or age--potentially affecting the United States' entire fleet of 245 million automobiles. As a result, the possible benefits of the program are significant, and many fuel-saving EcoDriving practices are surprisingly simple, such as:

-- The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that using cruise control for 10,000 of the miles driven in a year could save a driver nearly $200 and more than 60 gallons of fuel.
-- Observing the speed limit and not exceeding 60 mph, where legally allowed, can improve mileage by up to 23 percent.
-- Traffic lights are often synchronized so that a motorist driving at a specific speed will pass through a series of green lights without stopping. Driving at a steady speed can help drivers avoid red lights, therefore keeping their vehicles moving more efficiently.

"It's time that we all begin taking the steps necessary to reduce our carbon footprint," McCurdy said. "While May is designated as National EcoDriving month, we should be EcoDrivers all year long."

For more information on EcoDriving, or to become an EcoDriver, please visit the interactive Web site, www.autoalliance.org, which helps drivers learn practical tips for improving their mileage and reducing their carbon footprint. The site includes a video guide to EcoDriving, an "EcoCalculator" to determine benefits for individuals or states, a Virtual Road Test, and a variety of educational tools.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 11 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Mountain Flower Art Festival 5/16-5/17 2009

Come stay with us and visit the Mountain Flower Art Festival which will feature juried original fine art and fine craft of regional artists.

Local and area mountain wildflowers are also a part of the festival. The Dahlonega Master Gardeners will be holding their annual plant sale, along with a wildflower display and Garden Expo with workshops.

Many fine artists and crafters will be displaying their original handcrafted art, ranging from watercolors, painters, and potters to silversmiths, photographers and weavers.

Various performing artists will playing on the square.

The festival will also include a Garden Expo at Hancock Park, including a large plant and seed sale and speakers presenting programs on various topics. Also available at the festival will be a demonstration garden of native plants, wildflower walks, and children's activities.

The MFAF is Presented by the Dahlonega Merchants Association. Sponsored by the Dahlonega Arts Council.

For more information visit Festival.

Trip Advisor Survey on Green Travel

TripAdvisor®, the world's most popular and largest travel community, today announced the results of its environmentally-friendly travel survey of more than 1,200 U.S. respondents.

Seventy-six percent of travelers sometimes incorporate green choices in their travel plans and 27 percent of respondents intentionally made environmentally-friendly travel choices in the past year.

Fifty-two percent regularly find it challenging to incorporate "green" choices into their travel plans and 44 percent of travelers find that environmentally-friendly options are not readily available when traveling.

Guests visiting the North Georgia mountains and the Dahlonega area have a green choice in lodging at Cedar House Inn and Yurts. We opened in 2003 as a green lodging establishment and have always used green sustainable practices in our daily operations which are outlined on our web site.

To read the complete TripAdvisor Survey visit
Green Survey.