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N.C. A&T will demonstrate to home gardeners, small farmers and locavores how to extend the growing season for tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and spinach.

The techniques will be presented during a free Fall Small Farms Field Demonstration from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the University Farm, 3136 McConnell Road. Production tips will also be offered on the care and management of strawberries, which are being planted now for spring harvest. Solar heating and other tips will be discussed and demonstrated.

Call 334-7956 for more information.

Downtown shoppers can cut back some of their packaging trash by picking up a free reusable tote offered by Downtown Greensboro Incorporated (DGI) as part of its efforts to promote the business district and reduce its waste stream. Shoppers get the totes by completing a voucher at particular locations.

The bags are decorated with DGI’s Fun & Lively logo and URL, www.downtowngreensboro.net, and are created out of a recyclable polypropylene material designed to have the strength of cloth. DGI initially ordered 250 bags.

The shopping promotion targets three Saturdays over a three-month period: Oct. 17, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19; however, shopping bags are available at Burton’s Pharmacy (120 E. Lindsay St.), Jules Antiques & Fine Art (530 S. Elm St.), Mack and Mack (220 S. Elm St.), and at Simple Kneads Bakery (227 S. Elm St.) by request, as well as at the DGI office (122 N. Elm St., Ste. 609) weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The oft-quoted Nielsen, a marketing and media information company, released today its latest Energy Trends report, which distilled from a 32,000-respondent online survey what drives Americans to pay for renewable energy/efficiency technologies. The survey largely confirmed what I'm sure many of you already knew:

* That people are primarily motivated by the prospect of saving money rather than fighting global warming or "saving the Earth;"

* That a tiny minority of Americans participate in green energy programs (such as N.C. Green Power) and that those who do are primarily young, solidly middle class, and liberals and moderates on the political spectrum. In fact, Nielsen found that only 3 percent of U.S. households participate in such programs, and of that number, 14 percent live in the Southern Atlantic region (i.e. North Carolina).

* Those who are interested in alternative energy prefer solar power, with the remaining options trailing by a large margin.

A couple statistics I did find interesting: 

* Many people don't understand Smart Grid technology but are interested in the prospect of managing their energy use online.

* Three percent of responding households reported their plans to purchase a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle once available, with an additional 25 percent indicating they plan to wait until the technology is proven and mainstream before purchasing. Only 15 percent reported that they plan to drive a gas-powered vehicle until they are unavailable. The rest replied that they are waiting until their current car needs to be replaced before considering that type of investment.

Any of you have thoughts on this or related consumer surveys? 

Tim Toben, a Greensboro native and clean energy proponent, will speak at Temple Emanuel at 6:30 p.m. on Friday as part of the synagogue's observance of Shabbat Noach. The event is open to the public.

Shabbat Noach, a time when Jews around the world read the Torah portion about the Flood, Noah, the Ark, and the Rainbow, occurs on Oct. 23-24, the same weekend that people all over the world will rally in support of reducing carbon emissions as part of the International Day for Climate Action. (Interestingly, members of Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem are holding related events that weekend.)

Toben will speak on climate change, North Carolina's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and it's current environmental challenges, and opportunities for mitigation and advocacy.

Toben is a principal in the Greenbridge development in Chapel Hill as well as chairman of the N.C. Energy Policy Council and member of the N.C. Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change. He is also chairman of the Board of Visitors at the UNC-CH Institute for the Environment. Toben is the son of Carolyn Toben, who co-directs the Center for Education, Imagination and the Natural World in Whitsett. He and his wife also own and operate an Orange County organic vegetable farm that operates on a hybrid solar and wind renewable energy system.

In about a month, Greensboro will join Asheville, Durham and other cities in offering a one-stop place for home and business owners to find green building materials. Four Branches Green Building Center will open on South Chapman Street in a former bedroom furniture store located next to Music Barn on South Chapman Street. The center store will sell a range of items at varying price points, including low-VOC paints, reclaimed hardwood flooring, vinyl-free wallpaper, recycled glass tiles, and formaldehyde-free countertops.

The project was undertaken by Trish Sutter, a remodeler, and Michelle Kennedy, a real estate agent, who both live in the Westerwood neighborhood in Greensboro. The 6,000 square-foot commercial space will include the store as well as office/meeting space for other green businesses and organizations.

Kennedy said she and her partner purchased supplies from Sapona Green Building Center in Wilmington when they renovated their 1925 American Foursquare house this year.

"You have a lot of people in this area who are committed to sustainable design, but there's not one place you can go to meet all your needs," she said. "There needs to be a place that's focused on efficiency and environmental responsibility for your building needs."

Kennedy said she believes the two chose a good location for the store since it's surrounded by Lindley Park and other neighborhoods where people are interested in green living. The platinum LEED-certified Proximity Hotel and regional green building associations have also brought attention to the need to build and renovate with better materials.

Kennedy said she would like for the space to become a hub for green businesses in the area, offering monthly classes and a resource lending library. The owners are offering inexpensive sublease space (Call Kennedy at 202-8421, if interested). The store will initially house an energy auditor and massage therapist.

Kennedy admitted that she is nervous about opening a store during a recession, but said:  "I feel like somebody's going to do it. It might as well be us. It's time."

The first things I noticed when I walked into the new R|E|F|S, a sophisticated sports bar tucked away behind Kohls and Village Tavern off Westridge Road, were the wall-sized displays of cocktail ingredients, the slick black seats and the flat-screen TVs hung beside almost every table in the two-story restaurant. This is a place you go to watch the NCAA championships or the Super Bowl with your buddies while licking chicken wing juice off your fingers, not arguing the merits of eco-certifications or reflecting on the last deep ecology conference you attended.

But the non-smoking restaurant does include several features that might motivate you greenies out there to check it out: The owners remodeled the store using local contractors and suppliers. Their rotisserie chicken is free range and American Humane Certified from Springer Mountain Farms in Georgia. The pork comes from Hopkins Poultry in Browns Summit and the bratwurst comes from Giacomo's Italian Market in Greensboro. They also serve Rain Forest Alliance certified coffee and locally baked kaiser rolls, and uses plant-based to-go cups and food containers. The waste vegetable oil is recycled and then picked up to be converted into biodiesel.

The owners included this statement on the front of its menu: "As part of the Greensboro community, it's important for us to develop plans to act responsibly, sustainably and continue to build relationships, whether it's reusing and recycling or striving to use products that are seasonal, sustainable and made locally whenever possible."

The restaurant also provides free Wi-Fi and a VIP room at no extra charge that accommodates up to 25 people. Oh, and the chicken wings are smoked, not fried.

R|E|F|S

Address: 3404 Whitehurst Road, Greensboro

Phone: 286-3131

On Facebook and Twitter @REFSgreensboro (No Web site yet)

"Green Eats" is an occasional posting about food service providers in the Triad that are "going green" by adopting socially and environmentally responsible practices. Contact Morgan Josey Glover at morgan.josey@news-record.com if you want a business profiled. Check out the Green Eats map here.

Michael Shuman, a nationally known proponent of community-based economies, will speak in two places (that I'm aware of) in North Carolina this month, one of which is open to the public.

Shuman, author of "The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition" and "Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age," will speak to the Weaver Street Market members in Carrboro on Oct. 25.

Shuman will also speak on Oct. 29 to attendees of the Central Park NC workshop and annual gathering. The workshop is $25 and the evening portion of the event is free (you need to register by Oct. 26). Central Park NC is bringing Shuman to the small town of Star in Montgomery County to give them ideas for rebuilding local economies that have been devastated by years of manufacturing job losses and outsourcing. The 15-year-old organization covers eight counties, including Randolph, Davidson and Montgomery counties, which are in the Piedmont Triad, and its goal is to create a sustainable local economy based on based on heritage and cultural tourism development and outdoor recreation.

Attendees will also be able to take a tour of STARworks Center for Creative Enterprises, a type of business incubator in Star that houses a community-supported garden, ceramics and glass blowing studios, clay factory and planned biodiesel plant. The center also plans to offer a graphic arts studio to train young people and is considering a cooperative brewery and community-owned business ventures.

"I think that the time is probably never better to talk about strengthening the local independent business movement, said Nancy Gottovi, executive director of Central Park NC. "We're bringing Shuman here because this region has lost thousands of jobs over the past five years."

Gottovi said residents of the rural counties have learned that they should not rely on drawing large companies for employment because they cannot absorb job losses when they leave. Instead, towns such as Star, which has about 800 residents, need 100 different businesses employing a few people rather than "putting that many eggs in one basket."

Still, the center is an experiment and starting point for rural communities wanting to reinvent themselves.

"I think a lot of buy local campaigns have not succeeded because there's this all or nothing approach and it's not realistic," said Gottovi, acknowledging that communities cannot meet all of their own needs.

By the way, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, which Shuman is a member of, will hold its annual conference in Charleston, S.C. next year.

Update (Oct. 15): I just found out that Shop Local Raleigh is bringing Jeff Milchen, co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance and a leading advocate for community-based businesses, to the city for an event on Oct. 21. This is free and open to the public.

Rockingham County residents who are interested in starting a community gardening in neighborhoods, churches and other places are invited to a luncheon meeting at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the county agricultural building, 525 Hwy. 65, Reidsville. 

Craig Cardwell with the Reidsville Area Foundation will share opportunities for grant funding to assist organizations with gardens for 2010. Please call the Cooperative Extension office at 342-8230 or e-mail Brenda Sutton brenda_sutton@ncsu.edu to register for the luncheon.

On a separate note, farmers who are interested making their operations more energy efficient or installing renewable energy systems can attend meetings the N.C. Farm Bureau is holding throughout the state starting today. Farmers have until Oct. 31 to apply for the bureau's Farm Energy Efficiency Project grant that awards up to $5,000 per project. Learn more about the meeting locations here and the grant here.

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The N.C. Sustainable Energy Associated estimates in an October report that the renewable energy industry employs more than 10,000 full time equivalent employees in the state and generates more than $3.5 billion in annual revenue. Last year, the association estimated that about 6,500 such jobs existed in the state.

Not surprisingly, the Research Triangle and Charlotte region led in the number of people working in some capacity with renewable energy. But the Piedmont Triad has 66 firms and green jobs now exist in all 100 counties, according to the association.

The survey found that most employees work for a few large companies in the state even though most of the firms responding to the survey employ 10 or fewer people. The majority of existing firms also started business within the past three years. Thirty-nine percent of responding firms were not originally involved in the energy efficiency or renewable energy business, according to the report, but instead transitioned or expanded into this type of business activity after their inception. This represents a small increase over last year’s census results in the portion of transitioning firms.

The association expects the industry to continue to grow over the next year, but found that the manufacturing sector, which employs the most people, was hardest hit by the recession. I asked if the association knows how many of those firms are receiving government funds and was told that the association plans to track that type of information in future years.

It's official: The 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system will pursue sustainability in eight categories, with the most ambitious goal being achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The Board of Governors approved the sustainability policy on Friday.

Campuses must address the following categories: 

Systematic Integration of Sustainability Principles: Systematically incorporate sustainability throughout the institution by integrating the policy goals into the institution’s processes, administration, teaching, research, and engagement.

Master Planning: Sustainability principles related to infrastructure, natural resources, site development, and community impact shall be incorporated into comprehensive master plans.

Design and Construction: Capital project planning and construction processes shall meet statutory energy and water efficiency requirements and deliver energy, water, and materials efficient buildings and grounds that minimize the impact on and/or enhance the site and provide good indoor environmental quality for occupants.

Operations and Maintenance: The operation and maintenance of buildings and grounds shall meet or exceed statutory requirements to reduce energy and water use, provide excellent air quality and comfort, improve productivity of faculty, staff and students, and minimize materials use. Further, priority shall be given to the purchase and installation of high-efficiency equipment and facilities as part of an ongoing sustainability action plan following life cycle cost guidelines where applicable.

Climate Change Mitigation and Renewable Energy: The University shall develop a plan to become carbon neutral as soon as practicable and by 2050 at the latest, with an ultimate goal of climate neutrality.

Transportation: The University shall develop and implement a comprehensive, multimodal transportation plan designed to reduce carbon emissions and dependency on single occupant vehicles.

Recycling and Waste Management: The University shall develop policies and programs that work toward achieving zero waste.

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP): Any purchasing shall, to the extent practicable, improve the environmental performance of its supply chain with consideration given to toxicity, recycled content, energy and water efficiency, rapidly renewable resources, and local production and shall also improve the social performance of its supply chain with consideration given to working conditions and historically underutilized businesses.

You can find UNCG's previous and current actions as well as its goals as outlined in its reponse to the UNC Tommorrow Plan, which is a complementary long-range planning process for the system. Find N.C. A&T's actions and goals under the "environment section" of its reponse to the UNC Tommorrow Plan.