WORDS: PR and News

Sierra Business Council Blog post

www.sierrabusinesscouncil.org

The Quiet Revolution

The World Wide Web and how it's being spun

Since I embarked on my new position at Sierra Business Council managing the Gold Country Broadband Consortium, my curiosity about how we are connected to the World Wide Web has been piqued. What I’m finding, there’s a complex web being built by a few spiders and some of them are poisonous. I have been uncovering where the various wires are, who owns them, and how unserved communities can gain access to them. The big telecoms own most of the fiber, coax cable, copper, and the conduit to deploy it. Even if you dig the trench, pay an ISP to lay the conduit and the wire to connect you; they own the conduit and the wire. I discovered that AT&T is slowly turning off its old copper lines and migrating to a fiber and wireless network. During this migration process, they are canceling internet services in areas where it doesn’t pencil for them to maintain it. The only reason they’re not canceling all copper services just yet is because the government, by law, requires they provide wireline phone service. In Illinois and other states, AT&T wants to back out of mandates to run landline phones, but approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is necessary before they can pull phone service. As far back as 2014 AT&T and Verizon started canceling landline Internet and phone service leaving people to complain to the FCC. It seems their goal is to implement fiber in high-density areas forcing smaller communities to rely on mobile wireless for all AT&T telecommunication services, including broadband. AT&T is working hard trying to get new bills passed, SB 649 in California is one of them, and similar bills in other states. Allowing them, in part allowing, to put cellular antennae on any public building, or utility pole without needing to ask permission. They’ve also been busy working on changing the FCC’s definition of home phone service from wireline to wireless. Now I know why they don’t have time to return phone calls. Thanks to Jerry Brown, AB 649 didn’t pass.

The FCC is responsible for protecting us from losing our core utilities or getting bitten by one of those dangerous spiders. Broadband should be a core utility and more heavily regulated by the FCC. Broadband provides access to the types of services we are losing in rural America; Healthcare, education, emergency services, and access to more economic development opportunities yet these are the areas that are losing access or don’t have access. In 2015 the White House and the Broadband Opportunity Council authored a report that discusses how broadband Internet has become an “essential infrastructure for communities” and is no longer just a convenience, but a “core utility” considered as essential as electricity and water. Regulations were put in place between 2010 and 2015 to help remove the threats to Internet openness, protecting the consumer and preventing providers from deceiving customers, degrading content, or promoting content they favor and disfavoring content they don’t like. With the current administration and the appointment of Ajit Pai as the new chair of the FCC, the regulations to protect consumers are being threatened. Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon, is opposed to regulation and is looking to restore “Internet Freedom” for the providers, in part determining whether regulatory intervention is necessary for this market. The Commission hopes that by reducing the red tape these proposals will spur broadband deployment throughout the country, bringing better, faster Internet service to more Americans and boosting competition and choice in the broadband marketplace.

Recently, I went to the AT&T website and searched for service availability in my area and found only home phone and mobile phone service, no more internet. Many rural providers are filling the gap left by the big telecom using grants and creative funding to lay down their own wires and purchase parts of the World Wide Web with the goal of creating an open-access web. The revolution is well underway.

Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation

www.ttcf.net
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation connects people and opportunities, generating resources to build a more caring creative and effective community.
News Letter For Last Splash Fundraising Campaign

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) launches new end of summer fundraising campaign with a Splash!

Last Splash Give Back is a creative way to encourage donations from second homeowners, tourists, and the community. The donations go directly to TTCF's programs and administration that support Direct Grantmaking, Community Leadership and Strengthen Nonprofits.

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Starting in August, visitors will find Last Splash messages like "Make your last splash a cannonball! Give Back to Tahoe yourlastsplash.org" or "A Tahoe visit is brief, but the memories last forever. Preserve future memories. givebacktahoe.org"

TTCF's goal for this campaign is to attract more donors that don't live in the area, but appreciate the North Tahoe/Truckee community. They would like to educate visitors and the community on what they do in transforming success on the ground into long-lasting change for over 200 nonprofits. Donor's contributions go directly back into the community.

Anyone can make a donation at givebacktahoe.org. Please visit the campaign and tell us what you think! info@ttcf.net

Join TTCF for a cannonball competition sponsored by Squaw at Lahontan on Saturday, June 24th at 2pm.

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation connects people and opportunities, generating resources to build a more caring, creative, and effective community.

With a long-term goal of securing discretionary resources from many donors to meet changing community needs, TTCF has been building philanthropy in North Tahoe through its work with donors, nonprofits and communities for more than a decade. Established through the vision of William Hewlett and the commitment of community leaders throughout the region, the Foundation serves thousands of people who share a common passion for the Truckee Tahoe region.

Individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create charitable funds that help meet the challenges of the region. Today, the Foundation's assets of $15 million are held in stewardship for more than 3,000 donors.

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation grants impact the life of every full time resident, part time resident, and visitor to our community. We make grants in the areas of:
•    Arts and culture
•    Education and youth development
•    Environment, conservation, and animal welfare
•    Health and human services

Since opening our doors in 1998, TTCF has awarded over $10,000,000 in grants and scholarships. The foundation depends on volunteers to help review grants and community members to build the philanthropic resources so vital to this precious region.
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation is the center for philanthropy in North Lake Tahoe. We will continue that leadership even more vigorously in the future. Come join us!

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Adobe Systems

www.adobe.com
OpenHD Program
HD Expo News Letter Article for the Adobe OpenHD Program.
HD Expo produces premier industry events for the production and content creation communities.

What is Adobe OpenHD? In the world of High Definition (HD) production anyone wanting to create HD content is presented with a myriad of options that often leave them confused and bewildered. Adobe OpenHD is an alliance of industry leaders whose goal is to solve some of the mystery that exists when considering a solution for creating HD content.

By offering customers scalable, open, and certified solutions to support any popular HD format, Adobe OpenHD provides an efficient way for customers to purchase turnkey solutions and gain expert support for the ever-changing world of HD content creation and post-production.

Adobe and the Adobe OpenHD partners achieve this by assembling and certifying a line of open, scalable, desktop and portable HDV, HD, SD and 2K solutions with Adobe Production Studio. This range of solutions is based upon industry-standard video, graphics, and Windows®-based computers, which allow industry professionals to get the best performance, scalability and reliability possible. By thoroughly testing and certifying the OpenHD configurations, the Adobe OpenHD program gives customers confidence that the OpenHD system purchased will operate at the optimal performance level for their workflow. They can be assured that they're getting a reliable system that provides the performance necessary for any level of production and includes dedicated Adobe OpenHD support.

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The Adobe OpenHD certification process resolves support conflicts that exist when configuring off-the-shelf components or generic, unproven white-box solutions. And the system configuration scales easily to support a variety of projects and budgets. With Adobe OpenHD, customers get the reliability of a brand-name system along with dedicated comprehensive support. Customers enjoy an integrated system that allows them to start producing the instant it is plugged in. Support calls are minimized. Its flexibility provides video professionals the ability to expand as the world of HD production evolves. About the partners The Adobe OpenHD alliance consists of industry-leading manufacturers serving the video post-production community.

In January 2005, Adobe teamed with HP®, Intel®, Dell™ and Microsoft® to create the Adobe OpenHD initiative. By January 2006, the initiative was strengthened with the addition of 10 more key industry partners: AJA, AMD, Blackmagic, Bluefish, CineForm, Ciprico, Focusrite®, Matrox, NVIDIA®, and Rorke®. With the addition of ATTO Technology in November, and more partners expected to join soon, Adobe OpenHD continues to expand its ability to provide the most comprehensive desktop and portable HD, HDV, and SD offerings on the market today.

This broad alliance of leading manufacturers behind Adobe OpenHD makes HD accessible to a much wider audience. Broadcast professionals, filmmakers, corporate and event videographers, and others will now have a choice of several optimized, tightly integrated and innovative HD post-production platforms.

Looking ahead, the anticipated shut down of the analog signal in 2009 and the lack of a standardized format for acquisition, distribution and delivery, support for HD solutions is essential. Adobe OpenHD provides the infrastructure necessary to support the great diversity of HD content creation needs.

Adobe OpenHD Products and Features Adobe OpenHD turnkey solutions include Production Studio software and hardware for portable HDV workstations, desktop HDV workstations, HD/SD editing and finishing, Real-Time HD/SD/2k editing and finishing.
www.adobe.com/adobeopenhd/certified_solutions.

Adobe Production Studio Premium-Adobe Production Studio Premium provides a complete post-production environment. This well-integrated solution combines After Effects® 7.0 Professional, Adobe Premiere® Pro 2.0, Photoshop® CS2, Adobe Audition® 2.0, Adobe Encore™ DVD 2.0, and Illustrator® CS2 software with Adobe Dynamic Link.

Adobe Dynamic Link-Dramatically increase your productivity by using After Effects compositions in Adobe Premiere Pro sequences and Adobe Encore DVD projects with no need for intermediate rendering. Edit a composition in After Effects and view your updates instantly in the other applications. Available only in Adobe Production Studio. Designed for HD-Work with HD at all popular resolutions and frame rates. Adobe Production Studio supports HD, HDV, SD, and DV formats.

Adobe Bridge-Organize, search, browse, preview, and manage the content for all your post-production projects with this centralized, powerful, and convenient file-management application.

Broad Support for Industry Standards-Smoothly integrate Adobe Production Studio into your existing workflows with support for today's formats, including Macromedia® Flash® (SWF), AAF, OMF, EDL, VST, ASIO, Photoshop (PSD), ReWire, BWF, MPEG, Windows Media®, FireWire, QuickTime, and Real.

Adobe¨ OpenHD Expert Support As a key component of Adobe OpenHD certified systems, Adobe OpenHD Support delivers one-stop, advanced technical support for quick resolution of software and hardware issues. This includes:
Access to Advanced Support Agents-Adobe OpenHD Support gives your customers direct access to senior-level technicians well versed in Adobe OpenHD Solutions.
Collaborative Support-With Adobe OpenHD Support, just one phone call reaches the expertise of multiple platform vendors working behind the scenes to resolve cross-platform issues.
Unlimited Calls-No more per-incident fees, no more incident packs that run out in the middle of critical projects! With Adobe OpenHD Support two users can contact a support technician as often as necessary.

For more information about Adobe OpenHD please view the website, www.adobeopenHD.com

Michelle Gartner Product Marketing Manager, Consultant Adobe Systems

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Adobe Systems

www.adobe.com

OpenHD Program

HD Expo Workshop Announcement

From 2:00pm - 5:00pm in the Club Room
Adobe and Matrox will be hosting the intensive workshop: From Ingest to Distribution.
This FREE workshop focuses on a multitude of facets relating to real-world production and the most recent Adobe support for the latest cameras including the Panasonic P2 DVCPRO HD and other popular HDV cameras from Canon, JVC and Sony. Workshop highlights include:

Learn how to Input direct to disk or capture off tape with Adobe Production Studio.
From green screen set-up for the best image quality to editing and pre-visualizing in the field with new portable workstation technology
How to export from HDV, HD and SD formats for distribution on a number of platforms in a variety of formats.
Encoding Flash for web or for Mobile phones, learn how to diversify and empower your content distribution ability.

Truckee Green Network

tgnw.org
A networking nonprofit connecting partners that are fostering sustainability and environmental stewardship.
News

Welcoming Sagehen Creek to the network

I want to welcome the Sagehen Creek Field Station as the newest partner. A field station is an experimental natural environment for biological research, hydrological studies, ecology, climate change studies, and environmental education. It's amazing to have something of such historical and environmental importance right in our back yard!

Sagehen Creek was originally developed by the Berkeley University School of Forestry and Conservation in 1951 and is now overseen by several entities. The Leopold family was instrumental in creating the Sagehen Creek Field Station, as they were in many other endeavors through over 3 generations of environmental stewardship.

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Sierra Sun News Paper

How Green Is It? Column
04-13-07

How Green Is It? Examining Light Bulbs

As a bi-product of the industrial revolution, the US is the world's largest producer of Carbon Dioxide as a whole and per capita. Since we are the pioneers who created most of the elements that produce carbon emissions it's our responsibility to lead the campaign to reduce carbon emissions.

Many of us have the sincere desire to reduce our carbon footprint, but what does that really mean? Carbon footprint is a measure of environmental impact directly related to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of non-renewable resources. No, it isn't a direct correlation to your shoe size. Essentially it is a measurement of the energy used to produce, use and dispose of a product, commonly known as the product life cycle. Well, if you have a large foot there's a good possibility that your product consumption is relative to its size. There are other effects that also impact the environment, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, erosion, and land use. It's crucial to consider the complete picture when looking at reducing your impacts on the environment.

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If a product has little or no carbon emissions it is frequently referred to as green. There is an overwhelming amount of information about green products and services scattered about various media and the number of companies claiming to be "green" is growing exponentially. Where do you start and how do you decide what's right for you? Take it one step at a time and explore how green it really is. There are cost effective, and in many cases cost saving, ways to reduce your negative impact on the environment.

Let's start with something that is utilized by every person in this region everyday, lighting. There is a big push to switch from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). This helps to reduce carbon emissions, because most of our electricity currently comes from coal burning power plants, the most environmentally damaging, energy producing, non-renewable resource. Using CFLs will also provide you with savings for your pocket book. This seems like a win win situation, but there are a few things that we need to be aware of. State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) identifies fluorescent bulbs as hazardous waste. It wasn't until recently, February 9th, 2007 to be exact, that it became illegal for anyone to dispose of them in the trash. They have been considered toxic waste for years, but households and businesses were exempt from complying with regulations that keep these and other hazardous waste out of the trash. These bulbs are toxic because they contain mercury, a highly toxic heavy metal, and if they break mercury vapor is released. Remember the Mad Hatter? Well, he didn't first appear in Alice in Wonderland. Mercury was used in the felting process for making hats that early in the 18th century were very popular in Europe and North America. It is a cumulative poison that causes kidney and brain damage. Symptoms include trembling, loosening of teeth, loss of co-ordination, slurred speech, irritability, loss of memory, depression, anxiety, and other personality changes, all components of mad hatter syndrome.

California refers to hazardous waste matter as "Universal Waste" or "U-Waste" and defines them as such, electronics, batteries, mercury thermostats, fluorescent lights, mercury thermometers, and other products containing heavy metals. There is no charge to drop-off batteries, florescent tubes and bulbs and partially filled aerosol cans at the recycling center at Eastern Regional Landfill (ERL). Fees apply to all other U-waste items, which need to be taken to ERL for proper disposal. The ERL is off 89 South of Truckee on Cabin Creek Rd. ½ way between Truckee and Squaw. The hours of operation are Monday – Saturday 8:00am – 4:00pm.

There is a push to create more efficient and less toxic light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are becoming more efficient, fluorescents are being created with less mercury and, well, then there's LEDs. These lights are the most energy efficient and the least toxic, but what about the blue hue that makes you look like you drank too much the night before? There is white light technology, but unfortunately it's not economical for consumer lighting. The 5th Annual Advanced LED and Solid State Lighting Suppliers Conference, BLUE 2007, takes place this month in Hsinchu, Taiwan to help hasten the transition to LEDs. Hopefully they will figure out a way to inexpensively cancel out the blue.

What bulbs to use and where to use them? CFLs are the most energy efficient and should be used where it's appropriate. I will be addressing this and more next month, including proper handling of fluorescent bulbs.

Michelle F. Gartner

Through providing information on how one can reduce their carbon footprint and other negative environmental impacts, " How Green Is It?" aspires to influence businesses and individuals to become more aware of how they affect the environment and assist consumers in purchasing green goods and services.

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How Green Is It? Column
05-11-07

How Green Is It? Examining Light Bulbs Cont…

Thomas Edison was not the inventor of electric light. Like technology today the inventors aren't usually the ones to bring a product to market successfully. Experiments with electric arc lamps date back to 1801. Sir Joseph Swann invented and patented the evacuated carbon filament incandescent lamp in 1878, around the same time Edison was experimenting. Edison was able to make it more efficient and partner with Swann to create a complete lighting system.

The first incandescent bulbs made by Edison converted around 1% of the electrical energy they used to light. When products are first brought to market they aren't necessarily preeminent. As technology improved, a tungsten filament replaced the carbon making them 10% more efficient. Ingenuity, such as putting halogen element gas into the bulb, allowed filaments to last longer. Halogen incandescent bulbs are about 15% more efficient and last almost 3 times longer than a traditional tungsten bulb. Of the remaining 80% - 90% of electrical energy transferred into a modern incandescent most is changed into invisible infra-red radiation or heat.

Peter Cooper Hewitt, a nearly forgotten inventor, created an arc lamp that used mercury. Low-pressure arc lamps put out large amounts of dangerous ultra-violet light, so the insides were coated with a fluorescent chemical, blocking out the harmful UV rays and creating fluorescent light. Essentially CFLs are mini tanning lights with a protective coating.

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The most efficient fluorescent lights are the industrial tubes, which use up to 40% of electrical energy as light, but they contain more mercury than CFLs, which convert 20% - 30% of their electrical energy to light, are up to 80% more efficient than incandescents and last 10 times longer. LEDs are even more efficient than fluorescents, use less electricity and last much longer. Even though they are more expensive to purchase, in the end LEDs are much less expensive for you and the environment. Though they are the most efficient and least toxic, currently LEDs are only good for lighting up small areas, or directional lighting. Don't let the price scare you, they really are cheaper, can last up to 60 times longer than incandescents and use up to 3000% less energy saving you money in the long run. Check out these websites… ccrane.com and theledlight.com

What does all this mean? If you are using renewable energy, energy that isn't releasing carbon or heavy metals into our atmosphere, stick with halogen or LED bulbs as not to add to the mercury already being spewed by coal burning power plants. If you get your energy from Sierra Pacific Power, like Truckee, most of your electricity comes from burning coal. Since coal plants emit much more mercury into the air than you ever could by changing all the bulbs in your house to fluorescents, for now it's best to upgrade where you can.

And what about all those halogen lights you've installed? Halogen bulbs are the most efficient incandescent bulbs, but they are still less efficient than fluorescents or LEDs. The issue with halogens is they inevitably cause a room to heat up. My suggestion is use LED's when you want spot lighting, task lights, night-lights and reading lights. A quartz-halogen is brilliant for achieving natural light in large areas, common areas, living rooms and dens. CFLs are great for area lighting, but are labeled as toxic waste and are not directional, so use CFLs in heavy use areas that need dispersed light, bathrooms, kitchens and work areas are good examples. Fluorescents don't work well in cold temperatures, so using them outdoors in the Tahoe area is not advised.

Start by changing the most frequently used lights to LEDs and CFLs and as the other bulbs burn out replace them with the most appropriate lighting. Install dimmer switches for your halogen lights. Reduce your energy consumption and keep current with the least toxic solutions. The good news is less toxic more efficient bulbs are being produced and we are starting to rely more on renewable energy.

Some important information on CFLs;

If a CFL breaks take these simple precautions. Open nearby windows to disperse any vapor that may escape. Use a broom to sweep up the fragments. Do not use a vacuum and avoid using your hands. Wipe the area with a damp disposable paper towel to pick up small glass fragments. Place all fragments in a sealed plastic bag and bring it to the ERL (Eastern Regional Landfill). See my April 13th column for toxic waste disposal information.

If the fluorescent coating is damaged harmful UV rays will be emitted. If this happens immediately discontinue use and dispose of properly.

For a CFL to work in a dimmer, or to work in a 3-way light it must be specially designed to do so. Read the package before you buy a CFL. Three-way CFLs can be quite tall, so make sure they will fit.

Don't purchase off brands of any light bulb. These have proven to be less efficient and don't last as long as brand names.

Ask your self these questions; Where does my energy come from? For specific products what are the overall effects on the environment? Think about energy efficiency, consider the overall toxicity of what you're using, how it's created, used and disposed of, reused or recycled.

The "Alliance to Save Energy" estimates that if inefficient lighting was phased out, the US could save about $18 billion annually on electricity bills. According to them this can avoid power plant emissions of more than 158 million tons of carbon dioxide and 5,700 pounds of airborne mercury.

In my next column I will have tips on how you can reduce your energy usage and keep more money in your pocket book.

Michelle F. Gartner

Through providing information on how one can reduce their carbon footprint and negative environmental impact, " How Green Is It?" aspires to influence businesses and individuals to become more aware of how they affect the environment and assist consumers in purchasing green goods and services.

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How Green Is It? Column
06-08-07

How Green Is It? A Learning Experience

I was at the drug store the other day looking for non-acetone nail polish remover all proud of myself for thinking green, but when I got it home I rubbed for over 20 minutes only to end up with blotchy red spots on my toenails. I got back in my car, drove back to the drugstore and purchased the more toxic nail polish remover. I burned excess fossil fuel, wasted a plastic container filled with useless chemicals and in the end purchased a toxic product. Go ahead, turn up your nose at me and say, how environmentally friendly is nail polish anyway? Well, not very, but red toenails in the summer are just one of those things that a girl's just gotta have. And guys I know some of you have had a pedicure and enjoyed it!

So, what's the balance? That's up to you. Becoming greener is a learning process. As I go through the day I try to think about things that will support my quest to make less of a negative impact on the environment. Big thanks to my mother who always reminded me to "TURN OFF THE LIGHTS" this is so deeply ingrained in me that I turn off lights at friends houses and if I see that one of my part-time neighbors has left their porch lights on I have to restrain myself from unscrewing their light bulbs.

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I think it's been over 5 years since I purchased a roll of paper towels. My napkins are cloth and I reuse them until I can't find an unsoiled spot to wipe my face. I use power strips for all my electronics, cut down on driving by planning my trips and ride my bike when time and energy allows, but getting back up Northwoods is always a challenge. I bring my travel mug to the coffee shop; compost in the summer and recycling is a no brainer. Unlike popular belief paper cups and plates are not recyclable. They are coated, so liquids don't make them fall apart.

I use recycled paper products in my bathroom, the roughness gives you character, and when I think that my mother used the Sears catalogue in the outhouse on the farm, OUCH! But She does have a lot of character. I also use flushable biodegradable wipes, to cut down on TP, and the air hanky in the shower is always a hit.

If you cook a lot, or just heat stuff up, there are simple things you can do to be more
efficient. Microwaves use up to 2/3 less energy to cook with than your electric oven or stove. Always cover pots and pans when cooking and turn down the heat. Refrigerators and freezers are more efficient when full, so if you don't keep a stocked kitchen put large containers of water in both and keep them turned up as high as recommended to keep food fresh, but don't drink the frozen water from your fridge. Plastic water bottles release dioxins when frozen.

I will take a minute to dispel any myths about microwave ovens and persuade you to use them more often. Any danger associated with microwave ovens is less than when cooking with other methods. When cooking with microwaves you're not interacting with flames or extremely hot surfaces. The only injuries you can obtain are from touching hot food or eating something that has been over heated causing one of those nasty blisters on the roof of your mouth, which subsequently peals at the least opportune moment causing you to overtly lick the roof of your mouth and inadvertently use your finger to pull off the dead skin.

Now you may ask… What about the radiation? There are many forms of microwaves, or electromagnetic radiation. They range from the radio frequency waves used in broadcasting to the more energetic forms used in x-rays. The electromagnetic radiation used in microwaves is the less energetic radio frequency waves and should never be confused with x-rays, or the radioactivity associated with a nuclear reaction, which may be why they call them microwaves? And if you're worried about those radio waves getting out of the oven, they wont because they can't pass through metal. Even if they did the worst that would happen is vibration in your water molecules, so being exposed for extremely long periods of time may cause your insides to boil, but don't quote me on that!

The FDA has made sure that in the design of microwave ovens every precaution has been taken to insure your safety. No, your food does not become radioactive, radioactive material comes from a completely different reaction, radioactive decay, and is best explained by wikipedia.org. Just type in radioactive and they use the analogy of an avalanche, making it perfect for all you snow gods and goddesses out there.

Now back to all the good things about microwaves. When cooking with microwaves you use less water, things cook faster, use less energy, and you don't have to heat an area bigger than your food. The microwaves cause the water molecules in food to vibrate, which produces heat in your food and cooks it. Foods like fresh vegetables, that have high water content, cook faster and because they cook faster they don't loose much of their nutritional value. In fact food cooked in microwaves can retain more vitamins and minerals than food cooked in an oven or on a stove because more nutrients escape the longer you cook food.

If your microwave has a turntable put your food on the outside edge, so more microwaves can interact with your food and cook it faster. Never cook in plastic. When heated, plastic can release dioxins into your food.

Here's some clarity on treated water; to pump water out of the ground, treat it, deliver it to you and treat it again takes energy. By reducing water consumption you will help reduce the energy used to manage it. Here's a few small things you can do…

Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when it's full.
Wash your larger dishes by hand.
Scrape your dishes with a brush and use cold water to rinse them when putting them in the dishwasher.
Cook in the microwave.
Plant low water plants, or native plants in your garden and if you must have plants that need water please use a drip irrigation system.
Don't install a sprinkler system.
Don't use water to wash pine needles off your deck. Sweeping can be therapeutic and give you a little workout to boot.
Start composting instead of using your disposal.
Use a gray water system.
And don't forget, if it's yellow let it mellow, but if it's brown then flush it down.

When recycling please use blue bags, even though they sort through our garbage at TTSD more than 80% of items that are recyclable are recycled when we use blue bags as compared to a meager 10% when we toss our garbage into one bag.

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Green Drinks Tahoe

www.greendrinks.org
Green Drinks event announcement

Green Drinks Tahoe Event

Join us at Rocker@Squaw for the first Green Drinks Tahoe
Wednesday, July 10th 6pm – 8pm

"What are you doing to free yourself from dirty energy dependence?"

Rocker@Squaw will be offering drink specials and a food special, that incorporates local, sustainably raised, items.

Blue Moon $3 beer specials for the event!
An extended, beer only, happy hour
Food special, with a meat, or vegetarian option, for $10 per plate.

Featured Guests

Squaw - Discussion about Squaw's restoration and retrofitting efforts in becoming more sustainable
Sustainable Tahoe - Information on accessing activities that increase connection with the environment and provide good clean fun!
Truckee River Watershed Council - Providing education and information on stream restoration
Tahoe Food Hub - Educating attendees on the regional food system they are developing to bring nutritious, ecologically grown, foods to the area.
Growing Domes - Providing education on how to grow food in the Sierra region
Organize 2 Live Green - Educating attendees on what it takes to Live Green

We encourage you to use alternative forms of transportation. There will be bike racks available and schedules for the New water shuttle, buses and all your transportation needs are below.
http://www.laketahoetransit.com/home

Contact: Michelle Gartner at magicdoor@mac.com

WORDS

PR and News