The Gardens Hotel at 526 Angela St. in Key West has converted the hot water system in one of its buildings to run off solar energy as yet another step in an overall green initiative.
Posted - Wednesday, December 03, 2008 07:01 AM EST
Green Solutions
The raw material goes in the opening at the top.
Keyswide environmental nonprofit Green Living & Energy Education has added an additional R to the traditional ones of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The fourth R stands for rot, or compost. By composting, people can reduce the amount of trash they send to the mainland. Better yet, composting creates one of the best fertilizers there is, for free.
Posted - Friday, November 28, 2008 09:30 AM EST
Inspired by environmental nonprofit Green Living & Energy Education’s monthly newsletter and the increased attention to reducing, reusing, recycling and composting throughout the Keys, a group of Marathon High School students has formed a Green Club to promote eco-friendly practices at their school.
Posted - Sunday, November 23, 2008 05:21 PM EST
- Solar panels adding power to grid
Solar panels tilt toward the sun in a field next to the FKEC Marathon Operations Center. When completed, the array will produce up to 97 kilowatts of electricity. (Photo by Chris Pankow/FKEC)
A half-acre solar array will be producing electricity for homes and businesses in the Florida Keys in the next few weeks.
Posted - Friday, November 21, 2008 08:08 AM EST
- A binful of activities
During the month of November, Green Living & Energy Education volunteers throughout the Keys are planning cleanups, workshops and fairs to provide the information needed to practice the 4 Rs — Reduce, Reuse, Rot and Recycle.
Posted - Saturday, November 08, 2008 06:35 PM EST
- The Three Rs for saving money: reduce, reduce, reduce
Do you use paper towels? How about plastic bags? What about those throwaway paper-based floor sweepers? Those raglike kitchen cleanup products? Plastic water bottles?
Posted - Saturday, November 08, 2008 06:29 PM EST
- Beware of falsely ‘green’ advertising
Green products touting environmental features such as “recyclable,” “biodegradable” and “eco-friendly” seem to be everywhere from grocery stores to card shops to car dealers.
Posted - Friday, November 07, 2008 12:00 AM EST
- Brighten up and lighten up this season
Question: We’ve got a lot of Christmas lights we’ve been using for years, but I keep seeing ads about new LED and other energy-efficient bulbs that use much less energy and cost a lot less to operate. Do you think it’s worth buying the new bulbs or won’t they make much of an actual difference?
Posted - Sunday, November 02, 2008 03:00 AM EST
- Marine debris takes a toll
Traps litter Long Beach on Big Pine after storm season. According to a study released last week, 75 percent of the debris researchers found in ocean and bay waters surrounding the Keys was the result of lobster and crab trapping. (Photo by KAREN QUIST)
As Robert Keeley drove through Geiger Key one day last month, he caught a glimpse of something odd out of the corner of his eye. He backed up to get a better look. It was a white ibis, lurching about in a way that looked unnatural to Keeley, who works at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary office in Key West.
Posted - Sunday, November 02, 2008 03:00 AM EST
- Working on a roadmap toward better recycling
When Gov. Charlie Crist signed The Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008 into law this past summer, he established a statewide recycling goal of 75 percent, to be achieved by the year 2020. It’s a realistic goal, Crist said. After all, Floridians are already well on their way to hitting that mark, with a current statewide recycling rate of 25 percent and 12 years to make improvements.
Posted - Sunday, October 26, 2008 03:00 AM EDT
