Spent Grain from Apocalypse for Compost or More

Posted on February 11, 2013 by KHolmes

Apocalypse Brew Works at 1612 Mellwood Avenue, in the 9th District, sent the following information about an opportunity for people to use their spent grain for composting or other uses. Kudos to Apocalypse for working with the community in sustainable ways!

We have great compostable material in our spent grain (the grain pieces after we have stripped them of fermentable sugar to brew beer). Since the spent grain has already been ground up and is wet, it’s well on its way to becoming compost. We have it picked up once a week by a local farmer to be used as feed for cows, but this spent grain can also be used for baking (think dog cookies, bread, pizza dough-about a cup per batch) and chicken treats (sprinkle out on the ground-they love it!). If folks are interested in picking some up, they can email leah@apocalypsebrewworks.com and I can let them know when we’ll have fresh spent grain available. Bring a container, bag, or a bucket!

Apocalypse Brew Works is located at 1612 Mellwood Ave at the I-64 exit onto Mellwood. Folks are also welcome to come pick up some spent grain anytime we’re open for the public: Friday & Saturday from 5pm-11pm. Make sure to notice our solar collectors on our roof that we use to heat our water!

One Stop Drop

Posted on November 15, 2012 by KHolmes

The Clifton Center, 2117 Payne Street, will host the One Stop Drop, on Saturday, November 17^th, from 10am to 2pm where you can drop off the following items to be reused or recycled: cardboard, cell phones, clothing, shoes (new, used & worn out), personal documents (shredded on-site), household building supplies, household furniture, household items/accessories, children & baby items, professional business attire & accessories for women (clothing must be clean and on hangers), household electronics ($5 recycling fee for CRT monitors – cash only), tv’s (working & cable-ready only), batteries (household & re-chargeable). The event is produced by the Energy Pros. View the One Stop Drop Flyer. Call Kelly Doyle at 266-8871 with questions or visit www.LouisvilleRecycles.com.

9th District Fall Community Forum

Posted on September 19, 2012 by KHolmes

Join Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh and her staff for the annual 9th District Fall Community Forum on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at Field Elementary School, 120 Sacred Heart Lane. We’ll be collecting shoes for WaterStep (formerly EDGE Outreach) and handheld electronics to be recycled and raise funds for sustainability projects through the Green Triangle.

Guest speakers include Ms. Maria Koetter – Office of Sustainability, Officer Daniel English – LMPD, Mr. Bennett Knox – Metro Parks re Bradley Greenway Update, and Inspector Randy Scott – Codes & Regulations.

Beginning at 6:00 p.m. drop off your donated new/used shoes to help EDGE Outreach, now WaterStep, provide clean, lifesaving drinking water for people in developing countries AND donate your handheld electronics to Eco-Cell for the Green Triangle. (Acceptable items include cell phones, cell phone accessories, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players, GPS handheld units, laptops, e-readers and portable hard drives.) To view the forum flyer please click here.

Donate Your Denim to Make a Difference

Posted on August 15, 2012 by KHolmes

Do you have old jeans that are in too bad of condition to donate or to consign? Here is an option to donate your denim: it will be reused as insulation and make a difference!

Margaret’s Consignment, located at 2700 Frankfort Avenue, is now accepting donations of used blue jeans for Denim for a Difference, a denim recycling program that the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture is conducting in conjunction with Cotton, Incorporated. The program takes the used jeans and converts them into natural, cotton fiber insulation that is used when building homes for Habitat for Humanity in areas hit hard by natural disasters, such as New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina. Jeans with or without embellishments and of any color and condition will be accepted, including scrap material, through the end of October. Margaret’s Consignment is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00am to 6:00pm, and Sunday noon to 4:00pm. For more information call (502) 896-4706 or visit www.margaretsconsignment.com.

Sustainability Tip – Go Beyond Curbside Recycling

Posted on May 9, 2012 by KHolmes

Go beyond curbside recycling. There are many items that cannot go in curbside recycling and should not go into the landfill. Other items can be reused instead of being thrown away. Find a list of local sites that accept these items. Some examples include plastic bags, packing materials, all types of metal, electronics, and paint. If you know of other places in the 9^th District to recycle or repurpose other items, contact Katie Holmes to add this information to the list.

One reuse tip included in the list:
Pottery Rowe, located at 2048 Frankfort Avenue, accepts used packing material, including peanuts, bubble wrap/foam, air pillows and medium to large boxes for reuse. If you have packing material that you are interested in reusing/recycling, please call 896-0877 to see if Pottery Rowe can accept it. This way packing material can be reused instead of taking up space in the landfill.

Please follow these guidelines for packing material:
Packing material should be in trash bags or boxes with no trash (i.e. paper cups, fast food wrappers, etc.). Empty boxes must be in reusable condition (not smashed, have all flaps in place, etc.) and broken down.

If your business has packing materials that you need to reuse, contact Pottery Rowe to see if they can accept it. If your business would like to receive packing materials to be reused, please contact Katie Holmes to be added to this list.

Sustainability Near and Far

Posted on May 7, 2012 by KHolmes

The Green Triangle is collecting green success stories for our website. We’d love to hear about any green project you’re working on, or sustainable steps you have taken. If there is a story you’d like to share, please contact us. Just Creations shared how they are working to create more sustainable communities, near and far:

Just Creations, located at 2722 Frankfort Avenue, is a not-for-profit store that sells fair trade goods from around the world. Fair trade is a system that provides sustainable employment for people who live below the poverty level in developing countries. Some components of fair trade include ensuring that people receive a fair wage, working conditions are healthy and safe, and producers use environmentally sustainable practices. Learn more about fair trade.

In addition to selling goods that are made using practices that support the health of people and the environment, Just Creations engages in green practices in its own store. They recycle or reuse everything possible. The store reuses paper, plastic, bubblewrap, and boxes to wrap purchases for customers, instead of purchasing new wrapping materials. Everything else that can be recycled is picked up by volunteers and taken to Metro recycling drop-off centers. Additionally, the store recently developed a partnership with Pottery Rowe, another local business at 2048 Frankfort Avenue, to reuse extra bubble wrap and other packaging materials for their pottery sales. (You can reuse your packing material at Pottery Rowe too – learn how.) Staff members at Just Creations take coffee grounds and kitchen scraps to the Billy Goat Hill Community Garden on Payne Street for composting. These are examples of great connections that can be made when community members work together to think of sustainable solutions to waste issues.

Just Creations can help you reuse items as well. The store accepts donations of tissue paper and shopping bags for use with customer purchases.

Sustainability Tip – Spring Cleaning

Posted on April 11, 2012 by KHolmes

Spring If you are doing spring cleaning, here are some tips for making green choices:

Don’t use harsh chemical cleaners. Make the switch to natural cleaners. Find some ideas. Watch videos on kyGreentv about how to make your own natural cleaners.
When you get rid of your old cleaning products, make sure to dispose of them properly. Most chemical household cleaners are considered household hazardous waste and need to be disposed of at Louisville Metro’s Haz-Bin site at 7501 Grade Lane. Find hours the site is open and a list of all household hazardous waste.
Improve indoor air quality by dusting often. Instead of using aerosol sprays that contain harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), use a microfiber cloth to collect dust. Learn more and find ideas to reduce the amount of dust in your home.
Sort through old clothes and other items that you do not use. Instead of throwing items away, donate them to a local charity. Many sites accept clothing. If you have clothing that cannot be donated, reuse these as rags. Habitat ReStore accepts furniture, appliances, and building materials in good condition. If you have metal items that cannot be donated, consider recycling them at River Metals Recycling on River Road. You will be paid by the pound for recycled materials. Watch a video on how this works.

This sustainability tip first appeared in the Green Triangle eNews. View the full issue and subscribe.