Snowdate: March 9, 2009, 10:00 a.m.

Thank you to Jesse Tiffany at SP for our tour yesterday of the SP Forest Park Materials Recovery Facility.  We were interested to see the bales of plastics that have been recovered from single stream recyclables and ready for sale.

Here is the Greensun detox cleaning essential oil aromatherapy blend for opening.

2 parts Orange

2 parts Clove

1 part ‘Tea Tree

1 part Pine

1 part Eucalyptus

Blend with Ahava salts and diffuse for opening and cleansing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtK3girnnHA]Jinger’s Showcase was voted 2009 Favorite Florist by Thomaston newspaper reader’s of Upson Beacon.  The reason Jinger’s is the favorite of Greensun is she recycles vases. A doctor’s office brought to Jinger’s a box filled with vases yesterday which Jinger plans to recycle.  Consider returning your floral vases to local florists.  I love the flower girl who recycles.

Thank you to Jinger’s Showcase for providing Teddy Bears for the Barnesville Street School for today’s Valentine Teddy Bear Tea Party. Greensun provided organic Numi Jasmine Green Tea and Teddy Bear toys.

Greensun visited the recently upgraded Lamar County Recycle Center. Lamar County is now working to recycle in the Griffin Hub Single Stream recycling program. Dependable Waste is the hauler. Pratt Recycling serves as the Materials Recovery Facility.  The successful upgrade is managed by Mr. Larry Johnson, a leader in recycling best practices.  It is a joy to see this recycle center come on board with the State of Georgia Recycle Hub program. The Griffin Hub program was introduced to Barnesville during  Summer, 2008 with Greensun facilitating education and development.  We believe Lamar County provides an excellent model for Georgia towns moving forward with single stream and cardboard recycling efforts.

Greensun also enjoyed a lovely visit with the owner of the newly opened Maxi’s. We highly recommend this delightful locally owned and operated establishment.

The Greensun mission statement begins “We want our planet to be a garden…”  We encourage urban farming, community gardens and victory gardens to empower sustainable sunlit living.

Greensun recommends this children’s book by Jill Bloomfield that is a simply lovely illustrated vegetable  growing guide.

 What is the secret to a Winning Pinewood Derby Car?

A winning Pinewood Derby Car is one built by a child learning how to Do-It-Yourself  with self reliance.

Parents who encourage their Scouts to Do-It-Yourself and build a smart handmade Pinewood Derby Car better lead go green learning experiences.  When your child makes it an eco-friendly smart car they model the importance of saving our planet with sustainable fuels.  Greensun is invited to attend the Thomaston Scouts Pinewood Derby in February. Instructions for fast Pinewood cars encourage saving our planet using smart eco-friendly aerodynamics, weight, balance and velocity for auto design.

Pinewood Derby Car weight compartment - More DIY How To Projects

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-4SfW3lv3o]

This photo is from the Georgia Solid Waste Trust Fund Report. It proves unfortunately that fires still occur. This fire was in Upson County. 

• There is an on-going need for education to citizens on recycling methods in order to maintain both the quantity and quality of materials collected, both of which determine the value that local governments receive when selling their recyclables.
• Scrap tires are still a problem, mainly with one to four tires being littered along roadways.
• Many local governments, even those that have successful recycling collection programs, do not have official policies for buying recycled products. Many do not realize that increasing demand for products with recycled content will help increase the value of the recyclables they collect and send to market.
• There is an on-going need for recycling coordinator trainings to teach local officials how to select equipment, market materials, improve efficiency, track costs, etc. 

Burning was an expressed concern in our meeting with Kyle Hood, Upson County Manager, when encouraging recycling efforts.   A bid is currently open for Upson County Solid Waste Collection. 

“ This is the Southern setting for the popular PBS television show, The Victory Garden.”  This garden provides fresh produce for the garden eateries.  Greensun harvested Hunt’s muscadines from the Georgia Vineyard that provided grapes for Callaway’s preserves and sauces for 19 years. These grapes were sold locally after the fall harvest at Farmer’s Markets in Thomaston, Zebulon and Barnesville, Georgia. Greensun visited the Callaway Gardens display at Enviro Expo and learned ways they strive to be an eco-friendly garden.