Gone Green

After many different directions, I have decided to take this blog green. In addition to the occasional other news I may pop off on, I will be offering green tips and tricks from myself and the web. I hope you enjoy.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Water Savings

In east Tennessee, we can go from drought to flood conditions in a weeks time. The old saying goes if you don't like the weather stick around a day or two, it will change.

However, rain is not something we should count on, as the drought a few years ago showed us. We need to plan for water for our gardens, flowers and small plants. The easiest and greenest way to do this is to set up a water capture system. It doesn't have to be fancy, and can be done without costing a cent. My great grandmother did it and I remember as a child wondering why bother when you can just turn on a faucet?

To do this effectively, you need to find a location(the more the merrier) where you have water run off during rain, such as a gutter, side of a barn, storage shed, etc. You place a bucket of some type(my great grandmother used a big barrel)in this area to collect the run off water. You will want to use some sort of mosquito net to cover it with, to ensure that you don't get over taken with mosquitos because of the standing water.

When it comes time to water your flower garden, you flower pots, your small vegetable plants, or other items, you simply get your water from the barrel, and use it for your watering needs. This saves you money on your water bill, reduces dependence on water from outside sources, and uses a resource that would otherwise be wasted.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Solar Factory Coming To Clinton

Just announced last night, there is a solar factory coming to Clinton TN. This is expected to bring in around 400-500 jobs.

This is exceedingly good news for 2 reasons. The first is more solar panels, more off grid support and energy. The second of course is more jobs.

However, dont get too excited yet. People still need to get into the solar idea. Right now, solar is a good supplement, but not the end all of energy solutions. Its best for homes as stand alone or back up power. Especially in east Tennessee, when some springs we can go almost a month with no actual sunlight.

Regardless, the full announcement will be coming this afternoon, so lets hope it spells good news for the people of east Tennessee.