Deeper Shades of Green: Building Sustainable Partnerships at the TRIP & RCHR Green Fair

On Saturday, September 29th TRIP & RCHR hosted our first Green Fair, and though the cold September rain kept us under tents and umbrellas, the 2012 Fair set a solid foundation for local partnerships focused on sustainability.

Exhibitors at the TRIP & RCHR Green Fair

Thank you to eLot recycling and 3N Document Destruction for generously providing free electronics recycling and personal document shredding.

TRIP & RCHR would also like to sincerely thank all of the exhibitors at our Sustainability Info Expo. Information about solar energy, saving money on energy efficiency upgrades, composting, aquaponics, household products to minimize water and energy waste, responsible consumerism, and healthy living were provided by:

• American Chemical 
• Arbonne International
• Citizens Bank
• Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Dept. of Public Service
• Empire Solar Store
• Habitat for Humanity
• NYSERDA
• Pfeil's Hardware and Paint
• Real Goods Solar
• Rensselaer County
• Rose Garden Domes
• Transition Troy
• Troy Shares

Cafe Deli-icious also attended, selling beverages and locally-made treats.

Thank you to everyone who attended; we look forward to seeing you again at future events.

Green and Sustainability Tips from TRIP

Bins from 3N Document Destruction

Learning about responsible cleaning products

To see more pictures from the Green Fair, visit www.triponline.org/TRIPandRCHRGreenFair2012.html and/or www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151127239264678.450307.48674229677&type=3

The TRIP & RCHR Green Fair was organized in partnership with Rensselaer County and the City of Troy and was underwritten by Citizens Bank Foundation.

Don't Forget to Bring Your Old Electronics to the TRIP & RCHR Green Fair, 9/29

On September 29th, from 9 AM - 1 PM, in the Troy Marina Parking lot (just north of the Green Island Bridge), TRIP & RCHR will host our first Green Fair. Underwritten by Citizens Bank Foundation and in partnership with Rensselaer County and the City of Troy, TRIP & RCHR will host eLot Recycling and local organizations providing an array of Capital Region eco-knowledge.

Items that can be recycled for FREE include: batteries, cameras, cell phones, electronic toys, florescent light bulbs, lawn mowers, etc. For a full list of recyclable items visit: http://elotrecycling.com/.

** Note: for those recycling computers-- eLot will be accepting both computers that have already had their hard drives erased as well as those that will still need to be scrubbed.  When depositing your computer, there will be signs indicating which pallet to leave your machine on.  Computers still needing to be cleaned will be brought back to the eLot warehouse to have hard drives erased.

Deeper Shades of Green: TRIP & RCHR Green Fair, September 29th

Do you have a pile of old electronics taking up space in your house or garage? Have you ever considered home composting? And what's the deal with solar energy?

All of these questions and more will be answered at TRIP & RCHR's first annual Green Fair on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at the Troy Marina Parking Lot (just north of the Green Island Bridge). Underwritten by Citizens Bank Foundation and in partnership with Rensselaer County and the City of Troy, TRIP & RCHR will host eLot Recycling and local organizations providing an array of Capital Region eco-knowledge. Invited groups include Cornell Cooperative Extension, Real Goods Solar, Transition Troy, Troy Shares, CEO, Troy Bike Rescue, Habitat for Humanity, and others.

The Green Fair will run from 9am - 1pm and is open to the public. eLot will be accepting "almost anything that plugs in" for free recycling while other groups and agencies will offer information and demonstrations at our educational expo.

Organizations interested in exhibiting at this event may contact Mary at TRIP, mary@triponline.org or (518) 272-8289 x213.

We hope to see you there!

Deeper Shades of Green: Managing Cooling Costs

Summer is in full-swing, barbeques are being put to use, ice cream trucks troll neighborhoods, and cooling costs are at their seasonal high-point. How do we stay comfortable in our homes without resorting to lying down on the kitchen floor with the fridge door open? Well, TRIP would like to offer you a couple tricks to keep cooling costs low while staying comfortable during these hot, summer months:

1. Program your thermostat responsibly. If you regularly leave for work at 8:30 AM every morning and return home at 5:30 PM, program your thermostat to automatically set itself higher during those hours... maybe even have it start cooling more about 15 minutes before your scheduled return so that when you open the door you can still feel that cool burst of air! A suggested summer temperature range is 74-78 degrees.

2. Use light colored blinds or shades, and keep them closed while you're out. White or light colored window coverings will reflect sunlight better than darker colors, and if sun and heat are kept out, cooling will be less of an uphill battle.

3. Avoid heat generating activities during the hottest parts of the day. Did you ever think, "It's summer" would be an excuse for you to put off doing laundry? Running large appliances such as washers, dryers, and ovens produces additional heat in your house-- save those chores until later in the evening when it is not as hot.

Deeper Shades of Green: Start Your Summer Green, Build a Rain Barrel

Hot, summer days are here again, and for most of us that means using a lot more water to keep our yards and potted plants thriving. Increased attention on possible water shortages during summer months has us looking for water conservation strategies. It's obvious that we would prefer to drink water from a faucet rather than what runs off the roof in a rainstorm, but can flowers and grass tell the difference? No, so instead of filling up watering cans with tap water build a rain barrel and harvest your own water!

To build your own rain barrel you will need a large plastic barrel, a nylon or plastic filter, two water spouts, two rubber washers, plastic extender pipe, and a hack saw. For step-by-step instructions on building a rain barrel visit http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-rain-barrel/index.html. Good luck, you'll soon be enjoying the benefits of a healthy garden without a higher water bill!

Deeper Shades of Green

Addressing "green" and sustainability issues has been a long standing commitment at TRIP, and we are always trying to keep up with the best practices in our field. We are currently in the process of assessing our internal office practices and determining how to increase efficiency while decreasing waste. Externally, we are constantly searching for new and helpful material and resources to incorporate into our rehab projects, workshop classes, and community events and programs.

Partnering with the SUNY Albany Business School, TRIP is acting as a client for a group of first-year graduate students in the G3 program. G3 stands for "Going Green Globally". The six students, aided by coach Mark Boucher, will act as sustainability consultants for a brief, but intense, twelve day project (May 4th - May 16th). Since this program is part of the Business School, G3's goals are to provide clients with suggestions for greater sustainability in their organization while also increasing financial savings.

TRIP's G3 Team

Sustainability at TRIP is about lessening our overall environmental influence and finding ways to maximize economic impact and/or savings for our clients and communities. With fewer resources being wasted, more money can be saved and used to improve existing services and create new program opportunities.

If you have any questions about what TRIP does or doesn't do please contact us. Also, if there is a sustainability issue that you think TRIP should be more aware of, we want to hear from you! Help us provide the resources you and your community need!