Group encourages residents to ‘Think Green. Act Green.’

Published in the Starkville Daily News. Wednesday, 23 September 2009

By KELLY DANIELS citybeat@bellsouth.net What started as an early American philosophy valuing conservation has since evolved into a branded way of life. Now known as the green movement, environmental concerns have confronted almost every facet of society: Industry, travel, commercial development, home development, the economy, foreign policy, education and even food. The City of Starkville has been no exception. In just a year, city officials have adopted a sustainability policy and a sidewalk committee to write an ordinance mandating sidewalks with future developments. The city also created a recycling committee to facilitate curbside recycling, which began this month. The new Electric Department building and the grant-funded fire station are both expected to acquire certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Members of Starkville in Motion, an ally for pedestrians, have kept an influential presence in the city since its establishment five years ago, when it began the work of installing a bike path on University Drive. And the founder of Green Starkville, Nisreen Cain, thinks these measures bring a great opportunity to address what these things mean for individuals and also the meaning of green-related words found in the media. Cain will hold a gathering called “Think Green. Act Green.” Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the State Theatre meeting room on Main Street. This meeting marks the first of a series held by Green Starkville amid attempts to hold non-profit status. “Our talk this Thursday will address many topics, but our focus is mainly on showing people how simple, easy and beneficial it is to be green,” she said. “Being green,” according to Cain, is an attitude that encapsulates social responsibility and awareness of the environment and community. “It also holds a great value to the individuals will being and health. For businesses, it is not only an image, but a great economical benefit,” Cain said. Cain and Green Starkville vice president Nick DiColandrea will also hold a discussion about the rights of consumers to be aware of products and to dictate their own habits and beliefs on the market. The idea, they say, is to think green by being aware and asking questions, and then to act green. “Acting green is to take social responsibility and to take action to improve the quality and enrich our personal lives,” Cain said. “This in turns brings change to our families, communities, and the world.” For more information, visit: http://www.greenstarkville.org/.

Starkville: Get Swept Up! 2009 is Today

From the Greater Starkville Development Partnership

More than 500 volunteers will "sweep up" Starkville today as part of a 6th annual community-wide event sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership.

The day started early with the Partnership opening at 7 a.m. to begin distributing supplies to volunteer teams, including trash bags and recycling bags, gloves, and water bottles. The Partnership urges all volunteers and people driving in Starkville and Oktibbeha County to use caution as these Get Swept Up volunteers will work along the roads of our community picking up trash and recyclables.
Starkville realtor Libby Gerald has chaired Get Swept Up for six years. Gerald said she thinks it has had a positive impact on helping Starkville residents become more aware of litter and the need to pitch in to keep our city clean. Organizers are also happy about working with Green Starkville this year to add a recycling component to the clean-up project.

WLZA 96.1 will be on hand from 9 - 11 a.m. at the Partnership offices located at 200 E. Main Street doing a radio remote to help get people excited about the project. Tune in to 96.1 fm. The State Theatre generously volunteered to serve a free barbeque lunch at the Partnership offices to Get Swept Up volunteers.

"This is a wonderful time of year, and we're hoping for beautiful weather all day so the volunteers can get the most done and enjoy their day. We appreciate so many people setting aside time for this important community service," said Allison Matthews, GSDP vice president of membership and community development.

The Partnership thanks all the sponsors who made this event possible: Metrocast, Prudential Starkville, Starkville Bank Association, MSU Community Action Team, Dux D'Lux, Comfort Suites, Frank Chiles - State Farm Insurance, Debbie Nettles - ERA Town & Campus Realty, Shep's Cleaners, Sam Cain - HomeSafe Inspection, Coldwell Banker S.R.E., Oktibbeha County Hospital, Piggly Wiggly, Wal-Mart, The City of Starkville, Starkville Recycling, Green Starkville, Keep Mississippi Beautiful and the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Vinegar. A Greener Cleaner

I’ve seen my mom use vinegar for so many things from cooking to cleaning surfaces to washing cloth and even in the garden. Doubtful, I’ve started my research to figure out how it works and why it works. For over a year now, we’ve been using vinegar for almost everything in our home, and since so many people have been asking me about vinegar, I thought this maybe useful.

Vinegar is Safe. Unlike many other cleaning products, vinegar is safe. It is all natural. You don’t have to “keep it out of reach of children”, its odor is non-toxic, and it is safe to swallow. In fact, it can be used as a disinfecting agent for wounds; so take that, Clorox! And have you ever noticed the picture on the front of many vinegar bottles? Salad!"

Vinegar is cost-effective. You can buy a gallon of vinegar for less than $3 for the store and it has a long shelf life and many uses. It is not only that you don’t have to buy all these other cleaners and products, you’re saving space in your kitchen and bathroom, and removing harmful products from your house.

Vinegar is safe, natural, environmentally friendly, and economical… that’s why it is

The many uses of vinegar... and this is just the short list…

Cleaning

• Cleaning and disinfecting counters and surfaces
• Final rinse in the dishwasher for sparkling dishes and a cleaner dishwasher
• Spraying on mirrors or windows for a streak-free shine
• Deodorizing and removing build-up from the microwave
• Polishing wooden or wicker furniture, leather, brass and copper
• Remove dark stains on an aluminum pot
• Clean a hairbrush
• Cleaning a coffee maker
• In place of (or in addition to) fabric softener to whiten or soften laundry and keep washing machine clean

Cooking

• Tenderizing meats
• Pickling cucumbers, onions, garlic, and other vegetables


• Salad dressings or dipping oil for breads
• Keeping eggs from cracking while hard-boiling

Beauty and Healing

• Adding shine to hair when used as a final rinse in the shower
• Tone facial skin
• Pain reliever as a warm compress
• Stop insect stings and bites from itching
• Soothing itching skin by adding to bathwater
• Disinfecting wounds
• Eliminate bad breath and whiten your teeth by brushing them once or twice a week with white distilled vinegar.

Gardening

• Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places
• Stop ants from congregating, and eliminate anthills
• Discourage cats from digging into your garden or the kid’s sandbox

Useful Links

For 1001 uses of vinegar in cleaning, cooking, gardening, health and more visit http://www.vinegartips.com/

Learn more about vinegar: at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar