When you finish dinner tonight, skip the pre-rinse and load your dishes. When you do, you’ll conserve as much as 35% more water than washing by hand. Newfangled dishwashers are super powerful (Haven’t you seen the commercials?) and can handle most everyday dirty plates and cups. Energy Star models will help you save even more resources (and money), meaning that you’ll be an eco-friendly all star when it comes to keeping your eating utensils nice and clean. Remember to only use your dishwasher when full and you’ll be making the most of your water and soap, too.
- Sam Davidson
Help give wildlife a second chance!
Music, food and fun for the entire family with proceeds benefiting Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
Date: Saturday, August 21, 2010
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (Music begins at 3:00 p.m.)
Location: Yogi Bear Jellystone Park, 2572 Music Valley Drive, Nashville, TN 37214
Live music, featuring Rodney Crowell, John Anderson, Jypsi, The Notorious Cherry Bombs, Lane Brody, Emily West, Robin Meade, Victoria Shaw, Keni Thomas, Cerrito & His Mariachi Band, Nan Kelley as Emcee and many special guests.
There will be delicious food, swimming, a silent auction featuring music memorabilia and a chance to meet an animal ambassador at the wildlife demonstration!
Tickets: Adults $20, kids under 12 FREE (tickets are a tax-deductible donation.) Call 800-657-6910 or buy online at www.visitmusiccity.com
To learn more about Walden’s Puddle, please visit www.waldenspuddle.org.
Take a walk on the wild side at Sunset Safari!
What: Annual Fundraiser for Nashville Zoo
When: August 26, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Nashville Zoo, 3777 Nolensville Road
The after-hours, adults-only event includes extraordinary food and drinks from more than 35 restaurants, caterers and beverage purveyors from the Middle Tennessee area. Sunset Safari will also offer a sneak peek at the Zoo’s newest habitat, Flamingo Lagoon.
Sunset Safari tickets are $150 per person. Adults 21 years or older only. To purchase tickets, visit www.nashvillezoo.org or call 615-833-1534 ext 129.
Flamingo Fridays at Nashville Zoo!
Flamingo Lagoon, sponsored by The Memorial Foundation, is Nashville Zoo’s newest habitat featuring 30 brightly colored Caribbean flamingos and opens on August 27!
In a partnership with Kroger, the Zoo is offering Kroger Plus Card holders an opportunity to get one free Zoo admission during any Friday in August and September when another admission of equal or greater value is purchased.
Kroger Plus Card holders must present their card AND any Kroger receipt at the Nashville Zoo ticket booth to receive the “buy one, get one” deal. Zoo staff will keep the Kroger receipt. This offer is valid only on Fridays in August and September 2010 (August 6, 13, 20, 27 and September 3, 10, 17, 24).
Click here for more information.
Are you traveling this summer? My family is about to travel to Colorado for a week. We have some ideas about what we will do while we are out there, but it would be great to have an easy way to find fun nature-related activities that are nearby, too. Luckily, now we can, with a new free iPhone app from NatureFind.
This unique app features more than 9,000 nature-related places and their events, including parks, nature centers, zoos, and botanical gardens. The app highlights more than 200,000 wide-ranging events such as nature walks, birding hikes, water adventures, and programs on all kinds of animals and phenomena of the nature world.
The app helps families find events of interest for all ages, from tots to singles to seniors. The events selected are engaging, informative and affordable. Each NatureFind featured place or event is reviewed by an editor to assure that each offers a quality experience of nature.
* Find events in three easy taps
* Zoom in and get directions
* Switch instantly between listings and maps
* Watch demos on featured events and activities
When traveling around town or in a new area, the NatureFind iPhone app makes it easy to browse for things to do and places to visit.
So, go on and get out and find nature!
- Malinda Moseley
www.naturefind.com
Nashville Flood
City officials in Nashville are asking people to cut their water usage by one half. The math seems easy, but the call is too abstract. The intentions are great, but the call isn’t urgent enough – nor is it easy to understand.
After all, who out there can tell me – right now - how many gallons of water you use each day?Anyone? Of course not. It’s not something you normally keep track of. You never needed to. It was never a concern. You could easily tell me what you spent at Starbucks yesterday or how often you fill your gas tank. But no one knows how much water they use. How then can you know if you cut your usage by 50%?
Instead, the city needs to be direct on how to use (or not use) water. Don’t give me vague numbers. Tell me what to do. If they won’t, we will.
- Don’t wash your car. Don’t.
- Cut off your sprinkler system at home and at work (we’re looking at you, Bicentennial Mall).
- Smell your armpits. Do you stink? No? Don’t shower. Your friends will still be your friends.
- Don’t wash your clothes unless you’re out of underwear. Put on jeans and a T shirt and go to work. If your boss gives you crap, let him know there is a flood.
- Let the dirty dishes stack up. No one will judge you.
- Use and reuse the same drinking glass all day.
- If you must shower, get in and out in four minutes. Set a timer. Be diligent.
- Don’t shave. Armpits, legs, face, back, or knuckles.
- Your dog? He can also go without a bath for a few days.
- It’s time to use a bucket. Any time you turn the faucet on, catch the water and use it to wash what needs washing. Don’t toss it out or just let it run down the drain.
- Don’t use a hose to clean off debris and dirt from your sidewalk. Let it dry and use a broom. If you’re unfamiliar with what a broom is, click here.
- You don’t have to flush your toilet every time you use it. We’ll let you be the judge on how often you flush. Just see what happens if you let it mellow for a bit.
Chances are, if you do the above, you’ll cut your usage by more than half. But who’s counting?
- Sam Davidson
Posted in Activities, Attitude of Gratitude, Conservation & the Environment, Education, Family, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & Medical Issues, Recycle and Reuse, Safety, Volunteer
Here are some quick ways to make Mother’s Day a bit more green (and to help Mom go green at home or at work). And, we think she’ll like these gifts, too.
- Give a waste-free gift (and create no trash or recycling needs in the process).
- Go practical and give mom some things to save money on her energy bill.
- Give the gift of conversation.
- Give your time to Mom (this may seem obvious, but it’s often overlooked, always under appreciated, and rarely valued correctly – and we all have it).
- Sam Davidson
The 9th annual Earth Day Festival will be at Centennial Park on West End Ave in Nashville rain or shine on Saturday, April 17, from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Admission to the 2010 Nashville Earth Day Festival is free and the celebration will include educational displays from community groups, environmental organizations, local farmers, environmentally-conscious businesses, and government agencies. True to Music City there will be live music all day long.
The family-friendly event will include multicultural entertainment, children’s activities, educational programs, and a scavenger hunt. There will be workshops throughout the day to entertain and educate. This year there will be a Merchant Village where you can purchase green products directly from the small businesses that make them. There will be many kinds of food and drinks for sale. There will be lots of recycling going on, plus so much more.
Nashville Earth Day Festival
Cheekwood is celebrating the return of spring as one of the region’s most popular family holiday events. Among the day-long entertainment and activities will be face painting, garden scavenger and Easter egg hunts, balloon artists, and crazy Easter ears.
When: Saturday, April 3, 2010
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: FREE for children under 18 and to Cheekwood Members
Non-member adults are $10
Click here for a complete list of activities.
