Greening of the Oakland County Fair July 12th-17th

Summer's has officially arrived by all accounts.  The July 4th fireworks are still going on in some communities and believe it or not.... dare I say.... the days are getting incrementally shorter from here on out.   This year's annual celebration of freedom was especially beautiful with a back drop like non other provided by mother nature.  With the sun still glowing in the north western sky and a series of clouds radiating out from a central point like the spokes in a wheel... the stage was set for the fireworks to begin.

Oakland County 4-H Fair Association Mission Statement The Oakland County 4-H Fair Association Mission is to provide a public educational showcase of our youth through hands-on experience with exhibits, demonstrations, and presentations as young people develop life skills in a family atmosphere.

All that being said.... the stage is set for the next big event of summer.... The Oakland County Fair.  For those of you who have attended the fair annually or are considering a visit for the first time there is plenty to do for everyone.   The fair has been well known for its agricultural history and will stay true to its roots.   You can expect the traditional Miracle of Birth Barn, 4-H events, Racing Pigs, Show Me Petting Zoo, Frog Jumping Contest, Demolition Derby and Monster Trucks events.  You will see show-case animals on display at the small animal auction. Let's not forget the Play-world Carnival and nightly events in the arena starting at 7 pm.   Many of these are free events while others are chargeable events.  The Carnival has special pricing for opening night with a reduced $17 fee and open from 1 to 11 pm.  All other days are priced at $20 with hours of 1 to 11 pm.   Did I mention the Circus?  There are 3 show's daily so plan to see the show.   

So what is new at the fair this year?  The Oakland County Fair is going Green!  Not that the fair isn't already green in the agricultural sense of greenness.   Earlier this month I met with L.C. Scramlin, the General Manager of the Oakland County Fair, and talked about some steps that could be taken in the the greening of the fair.    L.C. indicated that there has been a desire to take some small steps toward greening up the fair and took the bull by the horns (so to speak) this year.  The first small... yet significant shift you will notice is the change over to eco-friendly coffee cups.  L.C. indicated "There so many things we can change over we want to start with every cup of coffee we serve in an eco-friendly cup will be a good start".   With well over 80,000 plus guest expected during the week that could stack up to a lot of coffee cups.  

You will notice the world art on each cup indicating the message of thinking globally here in Oakland County when it comes to use of resources and the effect on the world.  Small... yet significant.  The cup is a biodegradable cup that will break down naturally.  The traditional polystyrene cups are not biodegradable and will be here long after their one and done use.  The lids are made of recyclable plastic and can be re purposed with the right collection processes. 

The next shift is the big shift that should turn some heads this year.  When you can make a shift to a major process of the maintaining of the operation using an agricultural based product... that is a true "Win-Win" proposition.   Enter the Soy Bean!  L.C. indicated to me that the fair had applied for a grant through the American Soy Bean Association   http://www.soygrowers.com/ .   However,  as luck would have it a grant came through from the local Michigan Soy Bean Association  http://www.michigansoybean.org/MSASite/msahome.html .

The grant funds were used to supply the fair with a variety of unique cleaning supplies that are required to operate AND clean for a crowd of 80,000 plus.   Let's take a look at a list of some of the cleaning supplies you can make from a soy base.  Here is a short list:  Glass cleaner, clinging toilet bowl cleaner, BBQ grill cleaner, all purpose cleaner, heavy duty hand cleaner, drain and septic cleaner, dry erase board cleaner, driveway sidewalk and patio cleaner, kitchen cleaner and degreaser, and my favorite... go ahead and say it with me.... Stinky Pee Eater.  How would you like that job?   This is just a short list of items we discussed and many will be on hand next week to do the job they are intended to do.  All of these soy based products are available (currently being loaded) at Greenfundraiserstore.com for use in your home or business.  A portion of the proceeds for any soy based product purchased at Greenfundraiserstore.com  http://greenfundraiserstore.com/ during the month of July and August will go toward the Oakland County Fair.  

Fun to use AND say.... 

  

Fund Raising that makes Sense.....

May I take a minute to thank all those who help make the fund raising effort for Michigan Green Schools a success?  Thank you.... and Thank you!   If I start to name individual names and companies I will leave out some one since there are soooo many.   They came out or allowed me to enter into their worlds during the months of April and May 2011.   We had cold, we had rain, we had heat, we had... well you get it... spring is always a roll of the dice.

On May 25th, 2011 Greenfundraiserstore.com was there front and center for the Michigan Green Schools Awards Ceremony held at the Oakland County Intermediate School District Building in Waterford.   Over 190 plus schools attended to be recognized for their accomplishments.  They did not come in Priuses or hydrogen powered buses.  They are regular people like you and me trying their best to inspire kids to do the best they can.  I was pleased to see my own children's school district performing well.  It was great to see Brian Kaplen and his green staff from Orion Oaks Elementary on hand.   Brian and I go back many years when my now 17 year old son attended his school.  My 14 year old daughter also went to school there and so do my 10 and 7 year old.  It is foolish to say that time goes by fast... since it really is the same 24 hours in a day 365 in a year.  Amanda is moving up and out of Orion Oaks and that means Molly will be the last.  I told Brian years ago that when Molly was born that this was "job security" for him and his staff.   I am sorry to hear that Brian will be moving on as well at the end of this school year.  He has taken an opportunity in another district and I want to wish him and his family the very best.  He is a very dedicated man and has built a great surrounding cast in the Orion Oaks staff.

Now it's time to re focus on the next big thing and that is a new fund raising campaign for the Oakland County Fair.   This event is held every year at Spring Field Oaks park ground and lasts from July 12-17th.  It has changed only in name since it used to be known as the Oakland County 4-H fair.  I believe it is a good decision to change the name in order to change the perception that this fair is only about farm animals and getting a chance to watch a calf being born.  Not that this isn't something for everyone to see... but I've heard plenty of stories from my old farmer friend Wayne Nolan up in Thomas (small berg of Oxford).  Wayne would always like to make us city folk uneasy with the stories of late night berthing of calves.  I will spare you the details.... but one episode had to do with a breach birth and a tractor and chain hook up.  The fair is much more than that so plan to mark the dates and come on up to the great northern part of Oakland County and see what is going on at the fair.

In the mean time.... we are shifting gears from composting pales to another more frequently used item that we all use in the course of daily living.   This is a simple kitchen liner that we don't think twice about when we pull out the full bag of "garbage" and slid in a new liner.   What is in a common liner? Well... it is poly plastic that is really a petroleum based product.  That means it is another link to our unquenchable thirst for foreign oil.  How is our liner different?  Once again we make a small yet significant shift to a liner that is corn starch (plant material) based.  The bag is also biodegradable and compost able.  Today I spent several hours with a display in Orion Township and was explaining this to a nice lady who stopped off at the exhibit.  She asked me "So how is your liner any better than the plastic liner if they both end up in the land fill?"  That was a great question and had been prepared for it with a three part answer.  ONE:  Less dependence on foreign oil.  TWO:  Plastic has zero chance of bio-degrading/compost ability.  THREE:  It makes you feel good.

So.  Operators are standing by right now.... we can offer you a 20 gallon liner in rolls of 10 that will easily fit standard size kitchen waste cans,  13 gallon liners in rolls of 12 which will fit the "shorty" office waste cans, and 3 gallon liners in rolls of 25 which will fit in those little tiny under the bathroom counter cans.  Each goes for $5.99 and $6.99 on our web site however we have special pricing for our Oakland County Fair Fund Raiser.  They are on sale for $5http://www.greenfundraiserstore.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=133&category_id=1&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=40 per roll... all sizes and Greenfundraiserstore.com will make a donation of .50 for each roll we sell during the period of June 1st through July 31st, 2011.  Support your Oakland County Fair and make a small yet significant shift to an activity of daily living that is cleaner , greener,  never meaner!

Now... if you like stuffing your used cotton balls, q tips , facial tissue, in a plastic bag and tying it off to be preserved for who knows really how long.... that is one of those choices you have to make. Kind of like the guilt I used to have with throwing those used AA, AAA batteries in the waste stream.  We know it's not right... but well only a couple won't hurt.  Wait... if we all use that logic and we all throw 4 out times say 2.5 million people.... well... that's.... a lot of batteries.          

 Thank you... and Good Night!

Michigan Green Schools Award Ceremony May 25th, 2011

The big day is now just around the corner.  No... it is not the highly publicized "end" that thankfully didn't come.  It is something much more important.   Schools all over Michigan have been working on meeting a standards system designed to meet a criteria of over 20 key points.   These are not MEAP standards... no they are something much more meaningful... at least to me.   They are the Michigan Green Schools standards.

http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/Departments/CapitalBuildingProjectsandFacilityOperation/MichiganGreenSchools/tabid/2638/Default.aspx

For weeks now Greenfundraiserstore.com http://greenfundraiserstore.com/  has been promoting AND raising funds for MGS of Oakland County.  I want to give a large and  very special shout out to several key supporters of our initiative.   Let me first thank all the individuals who allowed us to teach them about composting and the composting system we sold as the fundraising tool.   Second... not all of our local suppliers are equal when it comes to embracing grass roots initiatives like this.   Rule of thumb... the bigger they are... the more self centered and difficult to work with.

That being said... let me start out with a big thank you to Western Market http://www.westernmarket.net/ of Ferndale.  Not only were the Selvaggio brothers receptive to the idea... but they invited me into the store, introduced me to their key players AND now stock the system as a regular item.  THAT my friends is an example of a Green Certified business.  They have met the Greenfundraiserstore.com standards and can proudly display the certification emblem on their premise.

I need to make a mention of Hollywood Markets for a couple mentions.  One... they invited me into their corporate HQ to talk about and show the system. TWO... they allowed me to do a demo day on Mothers day at their Rochester location.  THREE... they stepped up and created two (to my knowledge) beautiful brand new stores in former Farmer Jack locations that would otherwise probably be empty holes in our community.   We are still in conversation about the possibility of carrying the green products and Green Certification.

On a more local level to me in Oxford Michigan.... let me thank Simply Organic,  Oxford True Value Hardware,  Don Sherman Insurance Agency,  Orion Art Center,  Oxford Down Town Development Authority, Oxford Chamber of Commerce and the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce for helping promote and support the efforts.

I also want to thank these two unique partners in The Michigan Green Team AND Greeningdetroit.com for their support in the way of media exposure,  consulting services,  table and location opportunities, and other countless gifts of kind.  These organizations are the back bone of Metro Detroit green initiatives.  

We will proudly stand side by side with the Michigan Green Schools folks in support of the 190 plus Oakland County schools who will be recognized and awarded on Wednesday.  Great Job to all and to those who did not qualify this year.... contact me (866-752-6626) and we will make sure your there next year.

In closing....The one moment that occurred over the past weeks of fund raising that I will call the defining moment was as follows.   On the Sunday of the green living festival....after raining heavily all night and continuing on into the start of the event... I was ready to pack it all in when my helper friend and neighbor Katherine arrived with a spirit of let's do this.  So... with new energy we unrolled a condensed version of our display and began to welcome the hearty souls into the tent.  You have got to give it up for anyone who came out in the unfavorable conditions to see the green vendors.  Our neighbor.... Gina was full of spirit and energy and that helped lift our spirits.  Gina does something very similar and so we became friends instantly.

The magic moment came when Katherine introduced me to a father and two young (6 to 8) year olds who came a long way in the rain to find out answer to a burning question.  The father explained that his daughter was combing over the list of the schools who were Michigan Green Schools.  When she found that her school was not on the list.... she wanted to know why AND more importantly.... what did they need to do to get on the list next year.  SHE IS MY HERO.... and so is her dad for bringing them out on such a unfavorable day.  As we finished our short 10 minute talk about MGS , things that can be done to meet the standards and a list of resources... I tried to drive home a point.  It takes an advocate DAD,  the one person who is willing to stand up and take the lead... DAD,  and speak up to say we need to do this... DAD and he and I connected on that point.   I'm pretty sure they will be on the list and at the award ceremony in 2012.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of the award recipients for your focused efforts to become Michigan Green Schools!     

http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/Departments/CapitalBuildingProjectsandFacilityOperation/MichiganGreenSchools/tabid/2638/Default.aspx

Made from Plastic.... that's fantastic.... back to where it came from.... Really

I received an e mail from a good friend this week.  She know's I am a green advocate and knew this was going to be a real hit with me.  So I have made the decision to pursue this story in detail and report to you what I have found.  It seems that a fellow green advocate from Japan has rolled up his sleeves and created to technology that could save us from the possibility of.... drowning.... well in plastic.

Akinori Ito, CEO of the Japanese company Blest, has figured out how to turn plastic back into where it came from....oil.   If you have a minute to watch the video link  you will discover an amazing yet simple technology in action. 

http://motherboard.tv/2010/8/22/a-machine-that-turns-plastic-back-into-oil

Using heat and pressure, the machine can take this commingled plastic trash and in a few hours produce unrefined oil, composed of kerosene, diesel, gasoline, and heavy oils. A pipe running from the heating machine to a container of tap water puts the resulting gas through a filter and into the water, which breaks it down into H₂O and CO₂, so there isn’t really any smell and no release of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

  The question begs to be asked.... why aren't these technologies being brought into the center stage?  I'm not sure myself... however I am not waiting around to find out why.  I have jumped into action and am seeking more information on how to order a base line unit for my own experimentation.   If this is as good as advertised it will change the fact of recycling AND legitimize the efforts before our very eyes.  Stay tuned folks for a  conversion system coming soon to a North Oakland County neighborhood near you...

Oak Green Summit May 16th 2011

For those who may not be aware... Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson is leading the charge in Michigan toward what is known as "Triple-Bottom Line" standards for you, your business and local government. It's a new day in local government with plunging property values comes drop off's in tax revenue.  That means doing more with less and thinking out of the box for combined services and sharing of services with local governments like never before.  

We are not in Kansas anymore.... and the pain and suffering we went through personally over the past few years border line depression will still be making its way through public sector entities near you.  Let's start with the road commission....notice anything about the pot holes of this past winter?  Not being attended to as in the past and my theory is simply less people on staff to fill more potholes.  How about your local school district?  The money being poured into the funnel is less than the past good old days AND that means less coming out of the bottom to each kids!  I remember back in 1988-1990 getting word that I had $250 to work with to run the entire science department for my Junior High School.  Talk about down the trickle down effect!  I literally did my job with smoke and mirrors AND out dated equipment from the last big government effort to support sciences which was the "SPUTNIK" era.  

I recently attended the launch of the new Clean Energy Center at Oakland University in Rochester Michigan.  Oakland has the vision and fore sight to see the future of green energy and is launching a brand new Clean Energy Center out of their Business Incubator located right on Campus.  The day was loaded with examples of cutting edge technology already out in the market place ready to be implemented.   The key note speaker was Gilbert Sperling from the US Department of Energy and his comments rang true to me.  He stated that "This alternative energy game is ours to win or lose..."  AND "This is the current generations "SPUTNIK" moment..."  meaning that this is such a critical battle we are in with China that our future depends on us rising up and taking the ball away from China and running with it.   China is investing at a ratio of almost 10 to 1 in research and development for new energy initiatives compared to the United States.  Once again I will use the smoke and mirrors analogy to make the point of what we are up against relative to the resources available to develop the emerging technologies.  

I will finish this segment with my favorite and most impacting statement I used to share with my middle school students and it can be summed up in three simple words.... Make, Let, Know...

Here is the translation... The world can be divided up into three very simple categories.  There are those in one category who "Make" things happen.  The second group is a very large group of people who "Let" things happen.  And... the last group is also very large and that is the group you really want to stay away from.... and that is the group who "Don't KNOW what happened". 

Kick butt today and Make things happen!      

Motor City Metal... well plastic too... Born in the D in California...

 Tue. 05/17/11 06:48 AM    My comments to Detroit News Article on lack of Hybrids on the road in California... not the case in LA area. 

Trucks, pickups, no or little Hybrids in California...

• See related article

Your experience was certainly not like what I experienced on a recent vacation to California. We flew into LAX and headed over to the Hertz rental car located offsite as is how the process works in LAX. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our request for a domestic brand was met. In years past when on vacation we were never able to obtain a domestic brand mini van and settled for what ever was available. This year we were packing up a Chrysler Town N Country for our family of six. The first great feature was the design with the easy loading rear gate. Bags were easily loaded with the near curb height opening. I must admit I was impressed with just about every feature of this vehicle. I am a former owner of 3 mini vans and vowed to never go back to one after moving into the SUV. This was fun to drive AND packed with power to keep up with the fast pace loaded free ways heading out of LA to our destination in New Port Beach. I appreciated the little green leaf button that gave me the Eco option which some how traded off performance for economy. I'll admit that I found it more enjoyable to turn off the economy feature for really one reason. I wanted to sacrifice economy for giving the T & C the ability to take on the competition all round me.

What I found on the highways of LA were a diverse mix of vehicles. I found many Prius owners who seemed to take great joy in maxing out the capabilities of their gas sippers. The Prius drivers seemed over overwhelmingly to be very aggressive drivers who liked to tail gate and pass without signaling pushing the limit to 80-85 when not in stand still traffic. I took this to be kind of like a statement of "Oh look at me... I can get good mileage AND still keep up with your gas guzzler... kind of like a "Performance Envy" condition. This is another example of the "Napoleonic syndrome" I have observed for those that lake size and girth in certain area's.

The fact is that Californians don't seem to have any clear identity when it comes to vehicles. One trend seemed to change as we arrived in the more upscale New Port Beach area... and that was the higher the income levels the more drivers seemed to choose non-domestic brands. Mercedes, Lexus, Lambo, Ferrari ruled the roads. So being from the D I needed to make a social statement that the T & C was not to be out done. Off went the ECO button and we were rolling in "Motor City Metal"...well lot's of plastic too! I had no problem blowing away pretty much every brand off the light. I wonder if I attracted any attention from the local's not accustomed to seeing the T & C in their hood?

I do know one driver who took up my call to support vehicles born in the D. On a beautiful Sunday morning we were cruising along the strip looking for a spot for breakfast when we approached an American classic. It was my "Born in the D" moment... a burnt orange Plymouth Prowler Roadster! As we pulled up next to the 60 something couple... I rolled down my rear window... looked the driver in the eye and yelled out "Born in the D..!" to him. He beamed with pride and with his eastern Boston accent yelled back in delight! They kind of ebbed and flowed with us through the traffic for the next several lights, waiving and smiling at my kids. I figure that is probably the most attention they have gotten in years with their classic ride living in the land of Lambo and Porsche they probably are down some where pretty low on the auto enthusiasts food chain.

We all felt a nice lift in our spirits that day and continue to proclaim our message that we are from the rust belt, we are not from Oakland Township... but born and from the D!

Donaldman, Oakland, Michigan 

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Power Surge 56 minute NOVA look at Energy Demands Now

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

">OK... If you can spare 56 minutes of your life to see some pretty incredible facts about what is happening with energy... I mean current through the Japan Nuke melt down... very informative.

This really points toward the US "Sputnik Moment" for this generation.  The game is ours to be won or lost with regard to who will supply the world with the energy needs in the future.

If your short on time... jump to minute 24-25 to watch the demonstration on the amount of carbon it takes to make a short drive to the neighborhood store.... and then take that out over the average year it translates into 14 tons of carbon (coal or oil) per year just for your car alone.

Seriously... take a look around you... I was watching a video tape done in our back yard in Oakland Township just 10 years ago and there is a noticeable difference in surroundings around us.  Consider the parallel to say a friend or cousin who is a long distance relative who you only see once every few years.  As a parent you really don't notice the differences day to day in your children since you see them every day.  You do however catch those moment in time where you say.... wow... look at how you've changes since this picture!  That is what I notice about my own yard and the "health" of the surrounding area.   Walk through the forest across the street and what do you see?  More evidence of changes.  Trees that have died off on a mass scale and fallen laying everywhere.  Is that just because of the introduction of the emerald ash borer or something more?   The same can be discovered in the Austrian Pines that were planted in the area... they are also dying off on a mass scale... due to a blight?   I can recall sitting out in the yard and in the spring time the line of blue spruce and pines where thick like a fur coat.   Now they are thin and spindly with mass needle drops all around the area.  Blight?  Change in PH?  Change in soil?  I think it is all of the above.

The point is that something is happened over the past 10 years to create change on a mass scale to our surroundings.  Many of my friends like to stick their heads in the sand and say it is not changing... the world has always changed... it changed with the dinosaurs it will change again in our life time.  All that is true... however it is really an excuse for not wanting to take responsibility for being part of the bigger problem.

I am not a big Al Gore fan... after all... we all joke that he somehow proclaimed he created the Internet... right?  Well... one thing big AL got right is that... this problem of these conditions changing around us... is... well...INCONVENIENT.   Do I really have to give up my gas guzzler, do I really have to put more money into my house that is already decreased in value?  "I'll never get the return on the investment to put in that new  energy savings/creation device."

The answer is... yes you do... and I've heard the greatest generation membership say "Well... as long as I am not being told I have to ....I am ok with it ... and they walk away and continue the same selfish behavior.  How many have I talked with that say "It's not my problem... I'm only going to be here a short while... It's your problem... your kids problem...?  What the F??

Sorry Grandpa.... move over and take a back seat cause I'm taking the wheel.  You've done enough damage feller!