Next Meeting:

Monday, November 16, 2009, 7 p.m.

Rutherford County Courthouse

The annual phone directory-recycling contest will culminate with drawing for the winners at Recycle Rutherford’s semi-annual meeting on Monday, November 16. Ten winning classes from participating public and private schools in the county will be announced. Each will receive a cash prize of $200. Every ten books collected earns the class one entry into the drawing.

In addition, Mike Russell of QRS Recycling will speak at the meeting. He will discuss a single-stream recycling program being piloted in schools.

The competition, coordinated by Recycle Rutherford and called “Throw the Book at Us,” is supported by AT&T Real Yellow Pages Project Redirectory. Participants in the community project include Allied Waste, SP Recycling, Rutherford County Solid Waste Department, City of Murfreesboro Solid Waste Department, City of Smyrna, Rutherford County Recycle Education Coordinator, Rutherford County Schools, and Murfreesboro City Schools.

            AT&T Real Yellow Pages directories are 100 percent recyclable content, made from an average 40 percent recycled, post-consumer content. The paper is made from recycled paper waste and wood fiber waste such as sawdust and wood chips that would otherwise go unused. Recycled phone books are made into useful products such as insulation, roofing shingles, animal bedding, and new phone books. Residents are urged to take their phone books to one of the following sites, all of which are open 24/7:

·         Smyrna City Hall parking lot, 315 S. Lowry St.

·         Sam’s Club, 125 John R. Rice Blvd., Murfreesboro

·         Haley Road Recycling Center, 1140 Haley Road, Murfreesboro

How Green Are Those Candles?

Many peoplereach for candles when they decorate for the holidays or other special occasions. Don’t spoil the event by using paraffin wax candles, urges an article in the 2009 November/December issue of E The Environ-mental Magazine. Made from the by products of crude oil, paraffin wax releases harmful toxins and soot when burned. Setting the mood gets a whole lot greener with these eco-friendly candle options:

            Soy: These candles are soot-free and can burn 50 percent longer than paraffin ones. Choosing organic and GMO-free (no genetically modified organisms) makes your soy varieties even greener. Downsides: they don’t carry scent as well as other types, and the wax is so soft they have to be in a container—so no soy birthday candles or dinner tapers.

            Beeswax: Pure beeswax candles last long, smell great, and release air-cleaning negative ions. Beeswax candles are also allergy-free and come in a variety of natural colors. And when your candle has reached its end, use the leftovers to make lip balm or hand cream or add it to another candle.

            Palm Wax: Palm oil comes from the inside of coconuts so it can be extracted without harming the trees. Palm wax is also fully biodegradable, but as with soy candles, look for GMO-free.

            LED “Candles”: If you’re looking for a candle that surely won’t release toxins or trigger allergic reactions, try the LED flameless candle. They’re particularly great for outdoor lighting in windy weather, for tucking in among greenery and other decorations, and for use around children. LED candles can be rechargeable and even remote controlled.

Taken from an article by Rebecca Benson,

 E, November/December 2009

Local Builder Going Green

Swanson Realty LLC and Construction Co. is putting on the local market the first “green” home certified by the leading international building rating system, LEED, according to a recent story in the Murfreesboro Post.

LEED certification is a recognition that a construction project or building can attain by utilizing environmentally friendly building practices during construction or remodeling. LEED is an acronym that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The model was developed in 1998 to encourage environmental awareness among government agencies, architects, engineers, developers, and builders.

The house is a 2,014 square-foot structure in Kingdom Ridge Subdivision off Highway 96. “We don’t decide whether we are in compliance” with Green standards, Michael Wrather of Swanson Realty explained. He and Joe Swanson, Jr., have been working for more than a year to become LEED “certified Green professionals.”

The Post article states: To achieve LEED certification, a house must meet standards in all areas of construction that are rated by third-party experts and submitted to a board for approval on a point system to provide transparency and authenticity.

Swanson and Wrather’s efforts are driven by a combination of market considerations and concern for their community. Swanson was quoted in the article, saying, “We owe it to the consumers and ourselves.” Wrather added: “The older I get, the more I care about this com-munity,” and going Green in homebuilding is “the right thing for the community, consumers, the environment, and our children.”

Not only is Swanson’s company building according to LEED standards, but also it is keeping the cost in line with conventional construction. The house in Kingdom Ridge will be listed at $179,900; that is just over $89 per square foot; currently homes in the local market are selling for around $90 a square foot. Swanson observed that LEED houses will be cost effective because any increase in construction costs will be directly offset in energy and water costs.

Examples of measures used to achieve LEED certification cited in the Post article include

·         The process starts with harvesting the raw materials that eventually are used to construct the house. LEED established a chain of authority running from the logger to the cabinetmaker to ensure that materials used in construction are environmentally friendly.

·         High efficiency heating and cooling systems are used to provide balance in airflow through ducts and returns to lower demand on the units.

·         Low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as sealants and adhesives, are used; common VOCs such as formaldehyde are avoided. Paint with low or no VOCs is used.

·         Non-chemical termite control is practiced.

·         Recycled concrete is often used to reduce fly ash.

·         Foam insulation is used in foundation blocks.

·         Blown cellulose insulation is used in walls instead of batted insulation, pro-viding higher efficiency.

·         Radon venting is installed under the floor system to eliminate the odorless, color-less gas that has been linked to cancer and is prevalent in middle Tennessee.

·         High-recycled drywall is used.

·         Energy-efficient windows are installed.

·         Low-flow fixtures are used in baths and kitchens.

·         Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent lights (CFL) are used throughout the house

According to the U.S. Green Building Council website, (usgbc.org), the council is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building certification program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. The LEED® green building certification program is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system that emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

Recycle Rutherford commends Swanson Realty and Construction Company for this significant step and encourages other builders to consider taking this responsible approach.