For those of you who may not have heard, the Starlight Workshop
(Starlight Enterprises Incorporated or SEI) at 638 Commercial Avenue SW
in New Philadelphia is now collecting all types of plastic for a
recycling project/effort (not just plastic types 1&2 that the local
curbside programs will take, but ALL plastic, including the plastic
grocery baggies).

Plastics accepted can be most anything: plastic
wraps, shrink wrap, bubble-wrap, CD cases, plastic toys, rinsed plastic
spoons/forks, yogurt/pudding cups, `Lean Cuisine’-type meal trays,
plastic bottles (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MOTOR OIL BOTTLES/CONTAINERS) ,
milk/laundry detergent bottles, even fast-food plastic
cups/lids/container s!

***Please note that the SEI WORKSHOP, NOT THE STARLIGHT SCHOOL is the
collection site for the plastic, so please do not take items to the
Starlight School (which is located on Church Ave.)

ALL PLASTIC ITEMS MUST BE RINSED THOROUGHLY BEFORE BEING BROUGHT IN FOR THE COLLECTION; THE WORKSHOP WILL NOT BE CLEANING THE PLASTIC ITEMS.

Items collected will then be taken to a facility that will reuse the
plastic to make new recycled plastic products for resale.

For those of you who do not have curbside pickup of recycling in your
town/area, this is a great opportunity to drop off your plastic for
recycling! Items may be dropped off during regular business hours
(7:30am to 3:30pm at the rear of the SEI workshop at the large back
dock door; simply ring the bell, and someone will come to the door to
take your items to the collection bin. (Please do not leave items
laying outside to avoid debris being blown around or scattered by
animals.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to email and I will try
to answer any questions you may have. pugluvr2@yahoo. com

Thank you for recycling and assisting the workshop clients with this
very worthwhile project!

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/wild_resourcessubhomepage/Educator_Resources/project_wildplaceholder/resourcesprojectwilddefault/tabid/5864/Default.aspx

Project WILD involves young people and wildlife, a proven formula for generating interest and participation. Project WILD is a supplementary education program emphasizing awareness, appreciation, and understanding of wildlife and natural resources. Attractive and easy to use, Project WILD is an ideal way to supplement your curriculum and fire the imagination of your students.

Project WILD teaches young people how to think about wildlife, not what to think. Students in kindergarten through twelfth grade learn basic concepts about wild animals, their needs and importance, and their relationships to people and the environment. The hands-on, diverse activities help develop problem-solving and decision making skills in determining responsible human actions.

    Project WILD involves young people and wildlife, a proven formula for generating interest and participation. Project WILD is a supplementary education program emphasizing awareness, appreciation, and understanding of wildlife and natural resources. Attractive and easy to use, Project WILD is an ideal way to supplement your curriculum and fire the imagination of your students.

Project WILD activity guides are available to educators free of charge only when they attend a workshop. Trained facilitators conduct educator workshops throughout the year. In addition, the Division of Wildlife conducts annual leadership workshops to train new facilitators…

Combined Project WILD and Aquatic Project WILD Workshop
Saturday March 28, 2009  10:00am to 4:00pm
Location: St. Joseph Hall, Mt. St. John, 4435 E. Patterson Rd., Dayton OH 45430
Registration is limited and the deadline is March 24th.  
Cost is $15 ($10 for Univ. of Dayton ed majors).  Lunch and snacks will be provided.
Please dress for outdoor activities.  To register, download and print registration form and mail to the above address.  For more information, call 937-429-3582 or email meec@udayton.edu  
Map and directions: http://meec.udayton.edu

Combined Project WILD/Aquatic WILD, WET, PLT, and Flying WILD Workshop
Thursday and Friday,  July 30-31, 2009     9:00am to 4:00pm both days
Location: Friendly Hills Grange Camp, 5880 Friendly Hills Rd., Zanesville
Cost is $40 (covers WET, PLT and Flying WILD guides as well as lunch both days)
To register, contact Nicole Hafer, Muskingum SWCD, 740-454-2027

There are TONS of grants for residential alternative energy projects, offered from the Ohio Department of Development:

http://www.odod.state.oh.us/cdd/oee/elfgrant.htm

A short and comprehensible explanation of the program is at:

http://www.greenmadesimple.com/incentives/details/ohio-energy-loan-fund-elf-renewable-energy-loan-program

Feb. 21- 22nd: OEFFA’s  conference this year

http://oeffa.org/conference2009.php

• Saturday, February 21st
• 9:00 am Welcome & Announcements
• 9:30-11:30 am Workshop Session I
• 9:30-11:30 - Long Workshops
• 9:30-10:25 - Short Workshop Session IA
• 10:35-11:30 - Short Workshop Session IB
• 11:30-12:30 pm Exhibit Hall Break
• 12:30-1:30 pm Lunch
• 1:45-3:45 pm Workshop Session II & III
• 4:00-5:15 pm
• Keynote Session, Awards & Announcements
• Fred Kirschenmann:
• Opportunities in a New Agricultural Climate
• 5:15-6:15 pm Business Meeting*
• Proposed By-Laws Changes 2009 (pdf)
• 6:15-7:15 pm Dinner
• 7:30-9:15 pm
• Contra Dance with the Back Porch Swing Band
• and 30th Anniversary Party!*
• Sunday, February 22nd
• 8:30-9:15 am Non-Denominational service
• 9:30-11:30 am Workshop Session IV
• 9:30-11:30 am - Long Workshops
• 9:30-10:25 am - Short Workshop Session IVA
• 10:35-11:30 am - Short Workshop Session IVB
• 11:45-12:45 pm Lunch
• 12:45-1:30 pm Exhibit Hall Break
• 1:30-2:30 pm Workshop Session V
• 2:45-4:00 pm
• Keynote Session and Announcements
• Melinda Hemmelgarn:
• Feast or Famine: A Fork in the Road
• 4:00-4:15 Closing Remarks
• *OEFFA members are invited to attend the business meeting and the dance. All other conference events require registration fee.

Appalachian Voices, a relatively-new magazine, has available their latest edition of “Appalachian Voices” for free download.

The cover story is on the TVA Coal Spill, which happened last December 22nd in Tennessee. It has been called the Worst Environmental Disaster in US History. Please let your friends and neighbors know!

From: The Alternative Consumer 
Published February 17, 2009 09:39 AM

[...]

“Well, perhaps necessity and a government mandate will overcome the challenges presented by climactic conditions and land availability to get renewable solar energy flowing in my native Bay State.  Just this weekWestern Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) announced that it filed a plan to implement an integrated, large-scale solar energy program with the Department of Public Utilities.   The solar installations, to be located in WMECO’s western Mass service area, could begin generating eco friendly, renewable power from photovoltaic (PV) facilities as early as 2010.”

Massachusetts’ 2008 Green Communities Act authorizes electric distribution companies like WMECO, to contribute to the development of 250 megawatts of installed solar by 2017.  Under the act, WMECO is allowed to own up to 50 mega watts of solar facilities.

The challenge for this heavily populated, northeastern state is:  where do you place a sea of solar cells?  The answer appears to be a combination of:  public rooftops like schools and municipal buildings; landfills and other non-usable land; utility properties, and a variety of undeveloped acreage.  Companies like Solutia, the Big E and The Springfield Republican are also volunteering to get involved in the pilot project.

Hopefully, future innovations in photovoltaic technology and solar panel design will help mitigate land use and climate restrictions, and make New England a major consumer of cost-effective renewableenergy.”

posted by the Environmental News Network: http://www.enn.com/top_stories/commentary/39332

Spencer Hunt, of Columbus Dispatch reports:

Ohio environmental officials are considering a request by a mining company to pump coal waste into the ground instead of turning an eastern Ohio stream into a 1.85-billion-gallon lagoon. 

In April, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency rejected Murray Energy’s plan to dam and fill Casey Run in Belmont County. 

The EPA said the lagoon would threaten the pristine waters of nearby Captina Creek, the home of the endangered eastern hellbender salamander. 

State officials said today that underground storage would be a temporary alternative to a lagoon. They said that in the long run, the company will likely need to dam a different Belmont County stream. 

for more: http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/02/06/caseyrun.html?sid=101