Madison Wisconsin Living shares Nutrition, Locally Grown Food, Home Decor Tips, and Real Estate Advice, serving as a resource for real life in Madison WI.
As a sustainability consultant for Madison Environmental Group, Inc. and and is the program manager for their sustainable living program, EnAct, Nicole Craig is a passionate about helping others take individual action to have a better impact on the environment. Check back weekly for more tips and actions from Nicole and EnAct to learn how to reduce your ecological footprint!
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How much do you think about the food on your breakfast table in the morning? What do you know about the chickens that laid your eggs, the grain that was processed to produce your cereal, or the cows that provided your milk? Knowing how and where your food is grown, harvested and processed is important for the health of your body, the natural environment, and the local and global economy.Living in Dane County provides you with numerous opportunities to enjoy affordable, high quality food. The Dane County Farmers’ Market in Madison is back outside now on the Capital Square. It is the largest producers-only farmers’ market in the United States and provides a fantastic opportunity for consumers to get to know the people who grow local food and to taste the freshness of local food. In addition to this downtown farmers’ market, there are fifteen other markets held around the city over the growing season. Beyond the markets, here are some other tips from the EnAct Participant Guide for eating local, sustainable foods.
For more information and ideas on how to eat sustainably, visit www.enactwi.org. Check back here weekly for new tips from EnAct to help you have a better impact on the environment. EnAct, a program of Madison Environmental Group, Inc., encourages sustainable living and strengthens communities by creating Environmental Action Teams in neighborhoods, community organizations and workplaces. If you are interested in starting your own EnAct team, please contact us at enact@madisonenvironmental.com or (608) 204-2888.
Check out these great opportunities from EnAct sponsors and friends to get involved and have a better impact on the environment. For more information about EnAct, visit www.enactwi.org or call 608-204-2888.
Planning landscaping projects this spring? Well-placed plantings not only add to the beauty of your yard, but can save energy and improve your comfort as well. For example:
For more ideas, visit the US DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.
MGE recommends that you plant the right tree in the right place to avoid future problems with overhead lines. For more information, visit their website.
When planting, be careful to avoid dangerous contact with underground utilities. Contact Diggers Hotline at 800-242-8511 at least three working days before digging to have pipes and wires marked on your property.
You know that switching to compact fluorescent lighting saves energy and money, but fluorescent bulbs also keep you cooler in the summer because they create a lot less heat than incandescent bulbs. Visit Focus on Energy for purchase information and available incentives on fluorescent bulbs.
And be sure to recycle old fluorescent bulbs to make sure the mercury needed to produce the light does not get into the environment. For more information and a list of businesses that accept used bulbs, see their website.
The City of Madison and Dane County will be sponsoring a home compost bin sale on Saturday, May 3 from 9am until 4pm at the Alliant Energy Center Olin Avenue parking lot. Earth Machine bins will be on sale for $39 plus tax, along with other composting supplies. The bins will be sold on a first come, first served basis. No advanced registration is necessary. Sale is by cash or check only. No credit cards will be accepted. For more information about the sale and composting resources, visit www.cityofmadison.com/streets.
Silver fillings are composed of an amalgam (mixture) of silver, mercury, and other metals. When a silver filling is placed or removed, much of the waste amalgam is removed from the patient’s mouth by the vacuum system and discharged to the local sanitary sewer. MMSD has enacted a sewer use ordinance that requires general and pediatric dental clinics to implement amalgam waste “best management practices” and to install separation devices into their vacuum systems to capture amalgam debris before it reaches the sewerage system. At this half-way point in the implementation period, over 60% of the dental clinics in our service area have installed separation devices into their vacuum systems, and we have received commitments from the remaining clinics to install separators prior to the December 31, 2008 deadline. For more information related to the MMSD Mercury Pollutant Minimization Program visit http://www.madsewer.org.
Mark your calendars for June 7 for the next MedDrop event. This is a free service where unused prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications will be accepted and disposed of in the proper manner. The drop off point will be the city transfer station on Olin Avenue near the Alliant Energy Center and Goodman Pool. More information can be found at www.meddropdane.org.
Organic Valley’s 5th annual Kickapoo Country Fair will take place Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27 on the grounds of Organic Valley’s headquarters in La Farge, Wisconsin, set in the ancient and beautiful hills of the Kickapoo River Valley.
This rural heritage and organic farming festival will be a showcase of rural cultural traditions, farm and garden exhibits, music, dance, arts, natural and organic foods and cooking, green housing and renewable energy, community health and education, environmental responsibility, and eco-development.
The all-weekend event will feature organic farm tours, farmers and farm animals, sustainability workshops, hiking, the Butter Churn Bike Tour, food and artisan vendors, not-for-profit exhibitors, family “farm-friendly” activities, all-day music and entertainment, and dancing!
For more information, visit www.kickapoocountryfair.org.
Are you ready to expand your action plans? Take the Madison-wide Mpower pledge and join over 2,500 individuals in a community commitment to reduce 100,000 tons in citywide emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2011. You can help double this number by Earth Day!
When you visit www.Mpoweringmadison.com, you can pledge to take further action in 6 areas to help Madison become the green, clean energy capital. Do you want to expand your action plan at work? Join over 20 Madison Businesses as an Mpower Business partner when your business takes the pledge.
Start spring off with a green thumb and plant trees in support of your pledge. Reduce car emissions by taking the bus or biking in the warm weather.
Buy renewable energy from MGE and make those extra energy efficiency investments for your home or office. Are you thinking about a solar panel? Take the leap and have the energy savings count towards this larger commitment!
To support water conservation with the Mpower campaign, Sustain Dane is promoting water saving kits. Each water kit saves an average of 1,500 kWh annually for homes with electric water heaters (or 86 therms of gas). This equates to almost 3,500 pounds (1,000 pounds for gas) of CO2 reduced per year! (Visit www.rainfordane.org for more information.)
For more information about the Mpower campaign, please contact the Mpower Coordinator at info@mpoweringmadison.com.
Join us at these local events to learn more about EnAct and continue your Earth Day celebrations.
Green Day Expo, April 26, 9am – 6pm
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, One John Nolen Drive, Madison
Check out the Community Car and EnAct displays and learn more about EnAct during the EnAct Steps to Greener Living presentation on Stage A from 2-2:30pm. For more information, visit www.thedailypage.com/green/.
EnAct Team Kickoff and Informational Meeting, April 29, 7 – 8:30pm
Madison Environmental Group, Inc. office, 25 N. Pinckney Street, 3rd floor, Madison
You are invited to be part of an
We will have eight informal sessions, one every 2-3 weeks. We will learn from each other using the
For more information about EnAct, email enact@madisonenvironmental.com or call (608) 204-2888 or (866) 953-6228.
You’re invited to celebrate Earth Day with EnAct, Madison Environmental Group, Inc. and Community Car!
Earth Day Picnic
Tuesday, April 22 11am – 1:30pm
In front of our offices at 25 N. Pinckney (on the Capitol Square)
Bring your own sack lunch and we’ll provide the Organic Valley cheese and Café Soleil treats.
Community Car and the EnAct Steps to Greener Living program will share tips on reducing your carbon footprint, and we’ll offer tours of our third floor green offices at 11:15 and 1pm.
In case of rain, we’ll picnic on the third floor. We hope you’ll also join us at the Earth Day events listed below.
For more information, contact EnAct at 204-2888 or visit www.enactwi.org.
P.S. Community Car is also offering a special Earth Day promotion: Join Community Car for just $15 at our Earth Day Picnic or online before May 1. Visit www.communitycar.com and enter “Earth Day” in the promo code field at the bottom of the online application form.
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Free Film and Discussion: Story of Stuff, April 18, 7pm
Indigo Coffee & Tea, 300 S. Main Street, Verona
Get acquainted with the EnAct Steps to Greener Living program at this EnAct-sponsored event. For information: www.indigocoffeeandtea.com/IndigoCalendar.htm
Habitat ReStore Earth Day Celebration, April 19th, 12 – 4pm
Habitat Restore, 208 Cottage Grove Road, Madison
Meet our staff and learn about Community Car and the EnAct Steps to Greener Living program. For information: www.restoredane.org/news.cfm#66
Every Day is Earth Day at Happy Bambino, April 20, 3 – 4pm
Happy Bambino, 2045 Atwood Avenue, Madison
Attend a panel discussion including Community Car on how families can become more green. For information: www.happybambino.com
MATC Earth Day Event , April 21, 10am-2pm
MATC-Truax Campus, 3550 Anderson Street, Madison
Visit our EnAct display and catch a presentation by Nicole Craig, our EnAct Program Manager, on Steps to Greener Living at noon or 1pm. For information: 608.243.4593 MATC Volunteer Center
Design MMoCA, April 24 – 27
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), 227 State Street, Madison
Explore 16 one-of-a-kind room vignettes created by local and regional design teams, including Madison Environmental Group, Inc.’s own Fullcircle Design. April 26 at 11am, Sonya Newenhouse, our president, will present Climate Change and Residential Design: The Connection and Green Examples. A gallery talk, Fullcircle: A Green Retro-Fit, will be given April 27 at 1pm by Christi Weber, Fullcircle architectural designer. For information and tickets: www.mmoca.org.
Green Day Expo, April 26, 9am – 6pm
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, One John Nolen Drive, Madison
Check out the Community Car and EnAct displays and hear Nicole Craig, our EnAct Program Manager, speak on Stage A from 2-2:30. For information: www.thedailypage.com/green/
WISC-TV Going Green Special Program, April 28, 7pm and May 4, 6:30 pm
Anchored by News 3’s Susan Siman and Eric Franke, the special will show how we can all take steps toward a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Sonya Newenhouse, our president, will provide examples of how she lives green at home.
Going Green Wisconsin Expo, May 2 – May 4
Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison
Meet our staff and learn about Community Car and the EnAct Steps to Greener Living program. Sonya Newenhouse, our president, will present “Getting There Green,” a transportation talk, from 2:15-2:30 on May 3. For information: http://www.channel3000.com/mm-green-expo/index.html
As spring begins to show its face, yards and gardens all over Madison are finally getting some attention. Last weekend my neighbors were out raking, pruning, turning compost, and enjoying the sun. One thing we could all add to our list of outdoor chores is conserving energy. Conserving energy and improving energy efficiency in your home can save you money, make your home more comfortable, and benefit the environment. Most of the energy used by homes in the Madison area is generated from coal and natural gas. Extracting these resources, transporting them to power plants, and burning them to produce energy all generate significant environmental and financial costs. But how can you conserve energy outside your home? Here are some EnAct Steps to Greener Living tips from Madison Environmental Group, Inc.
For more information and ideas on how to conserve energy inside and outside your home, visit www.enactwi.org. Check back here weekly for new tips from EnAct to help you have a better impact on the environment. If you are interested in starting your own EnAct team, please contact us at enact@madisonenvironmental.com or (608) 204-2888.
In the post-Inconvenient Truth world, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the gloom and doom of daily radio reports, newspaper articles, and television stories all focusing on the negative impact humans have on the environment. Global problems like climate change, water shortages, and unhealthy foods are such complex issues that they can seem impossibly large and intangible for an individual person to affect in any meaningful way. And yet, when working together, individuals can be very powerful.
In 2003, Madison Environmental Group, Inc. began EnAct, a free and local sustainable living program in Dane County. EnAct creates Environmental Action Teams of friends, co-workers, or neighbors who are interested in reducing their household or workplace environmental impacts. Teams work through a Participant Guide (available at www.enactwi.org), filled with environmental statistics, local resources, and suggested actions, to make changes in the way they handle solid waste, transportation, energy, water, and food in their homes. By committing to taking action at the end of each team meeting, EnAct participants have a supportive and encouraging network in which to make changes in their own lives.
Together, EnAct teams have made a difference for themselves and for the planet. After completing the eight EnAct meetings, the average household reduces its yearly carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 tons, uses 12,500 less gallons of water, drives 1,400 less miles, and saves $346.00. Multiply that by the over 900 households that have participated in EnAct and it’s clear that individuals are making a difference, right here in Dane County.
Check back here weekly for new tips from the EnAct Participant Guide to help you have a better impact on the environment. If you are interested in starting your own EnAct Team, please contact us at enact@madisonenvironmental.com or (608) 204-2888. If you are outside of the Madison area, you can reach us on our toll-free line at (866) 953-6228.
