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Note: Find an update below.

All kinds of "buy local" initiatives are bubbling up from the Greensboro grassroots and business community these days. I learned this week that a group of business owners are organizing a local version of the 3/50 Project, which encourages people to spend $50 a month at three or more locally-owned "brick and mortar" businesses in their communities.

Organizers of the "Buy Triad First" project plan to hold its first public organizing meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Proximity Hotel. About 12 business owners currently serve on an advisory committee, said participant Betsy Gauthier, owner of Loco for Coco Gourmet Chocolates. Gauthier is also a member Velocity Trade Exchange, a bartering network I wrote about previously.

Gauthier said she expects at least 100 business owners to attend Monday's meeting. Buy Triad First aims to start out with a Greensboro chapter and expand to High Point and Winston-Salem, she said. I'll follow this to see where it goes.

Update (Sept. 15): The Buy Triad First board of directors has developed its mission statement and created a logo, so expect to start seeing black and white stickers posted on business storefronts. Close to 70 merchants attended the first membership meeting at the Proximity on Monday. 

"My feeling is consumers should see the 3/50 Project and Buy Triad First in front of them everywhere they turn," said Dottie Cooke, owner of Jack Cecil boutique. 

Cooke serves as the organization's president. The rest of the board includes: Bob Plummer of Fleet Plummer; Erica Worth of Worth Accounting; Betsy Gauthier of Loco for Coco; Maribeth Hudgins of Nails and More Day Spa; Randy McManus of Randy McManus Designs; Martha Nading of The Extra Ingredient; Rick Wall of The Pewter Place; and Garson Rice of Rice Toyota (board member at large). The group is charging a $150 membership fee and will next meet at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Proximity Hotel. The group will soon have a Web site.

The network's goals are to "share ideas and network to promote locally owned brick and mortar retail businesses, to educate consumers on the importance of shopping locally and to encourage investment in our community by keeping our dollars at home."

When I asked Cooke about the purpose of the group, she said that many small business owners felt they were neglected by leaders and organizations that either promote solely downtown businesses at the expense of Battleground Avenue and other areas or limit their advocacy so as to not offend companies with non-local ownership.

"We're not saying don't ever shop at a big box store," Cooke said. "We're just saying think about the locally owned stores and shift some of your money back to us."

Cooke also expressed interest in having the group affiliated with the national Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, whose principles you can find here.

Local residents who want to voice their support or opposition to the Duke Energy rate increase request will have an opportunity to do so next Tuesday. The N.C. Utilities Commission has scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. Sept. 15 in the council chambers of High Point City Hall, 211 S. Hamilton St.

The cases for and against the 12.6 percent electric rate increase have already been fleshed out by others so I won't duplicate the effort. In summary, environmental groups and concerned citizens maintain that Duke could avoid the increase by scrapping the Cliffside coal plant and reducing energy demand through efficiency and conservation. Duke Energy says the overall demand is strong enough to require the increasea, regardless of Cliffside's construction.

I checked in today with UNC physics professor Gerald Cecil, who I interviewed last year for a series of stories I wrote on the peak oil concept. Cecil and professors from four other departments are moving forward with the scheduling of a Spring 2010 freshman seminar undergraduate course called "Energy and Environmental Crises."

Up to 125 students can enroll in the 100-level course (geared toward freshmen and sophomores), which will explain to students the background, causes and possible implications of peak oil and  climate change. The last portion of the class will focus on what students can do through future careers and lifestyles to address these issues, Cecil said.

"The idea is to hook them and direct them to other courses where they can take up these subjects," he said.

Cecil said he hopes enough demand for the course will exist to schedule three classes per semester. He also hopes to get involvement from the business/economics professors who could help students explore the future of energy-related investments in a carbon-constrained world.

Peak oil-awareness has slowly started to seep into the research interests of academia, although the theory's premises continue to be disputed (i.e. energy consultant Michael Lynch, who I've interviewed in the past, with rebuttal here). Cecil is one example of a professor sounding the alarm to students, but there's also the University of Oregon and Johns Hopkins University, which held a conference earlier this year about the potential effects of oil depletion on health care. 

The U.S. Department of Energy announced last week that it awarded funding for a Carolina Blue Skies and Green Jobs Initiative spearheaded by the Triangle J Council of Governments, which I wrote about in July.

From a DOE press release: 

"The project will include vehicles and fueling infrastructure for electric, hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, propane, E85, and biodiesel fuels and technologies to be deployed throughout North Carolina and South Carolina.  The project includes 45 E85 and B20 stations, eight propane stations, and 132 electric vehicle recharging sites.  New vehicles to be deployed include 55 CNG vehicles, 363 propane vehicles, 89 hybrid electric vehicles, and 56 neighborhood electric vehicles.  DOE estimates that the initiative will help displace 724,000 gallons of petroleum annually. Total DOE award: $12,975,388"

However, DOE awarded 12 percent less than what the agency requested so that means some of the North Carolina and South Carolina projects will have to be cut or trimmed. The initiative originally included several Triad area projects, including the purchase of 10 Toyota Prius hybrids for Guilford County, and two compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, one CNG refueling station and 10 hybrid vehicles for the city of Greensboro.

Anne Tazewell of the N.C. Solar Center, which partnered with the council of governments, said today that the Triad projects could be confirmed in November when DOE and COG sign the contract.

"Honestly right now we don't know how we're going to cut 12 percent," Tazewell said.

Update (10:11 a.m.): Kathy Boyer with Triangle J COG called me back and confirmed what Tazewell said, adding that the Triad area will definitely get some funding. Keep in mind that the total initiative runs about $39 million, with the federal government chipping in about a third.

I learned this morning that the nonprofit agencies that weatherize low-income households still have not received their share of federal stimulus funds. However, the state Office of Economic Opportunity issued contracts in August for the stimulus-funded work and also allocated funds for the agencies' regular weatherization budgets. (Background on the program and why it's running behind.)

I spoke to Tiffanie Wilson, weatherization director for Regional Consolidated Services (RCS) in Asheboro. The agency, which serves Guilford, Randolph and three other counties, received $1.5 million in regular weatherization funding, about half of what they received last year, she said. (Note added: I rechecked the RCS budget and they actually received about the same amount in 2008.) That amount will pay for work at 169 homes.

RCS is supposed receive an additional $11.4 million to weatherize 2,728 households over a three year period, but those funds haven't flowed from the state yet.

I also talked with Melvin Dodson, the weatherization coordinator with Alamance County Community Services Agency in Burlington. He confirmed that agencies have not yet received stimulus funds.

"I really don't know what the problem is," Dodson said. "Nobody can seem to tell you."

Dodson said the agency received enough in regular funding to weatherize 37 homes this year instead of the typical 70 homes. The state plans to allocate about $2 million in stimulus funds to pay for an additional 1,057 households over three years. Dodson said his agency has already weatherized about a dozen homes and fears running out of money before the stimulus portion kicks in.

"By the end of September I'll probably be panicky," he said. "Hopefully we'll have something in place by then, or within the next two to three weeks."

I'm waiting to get an update from Verna Best, the acting director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, which administers the Weatherization Assistance Program. I was told she is out of the office until Tuesday.

A unique fundraiser will take place for local charities in September at the Greensboro Chic Chateau, a new house outfitted with furnishings from consignment and antique stores. Details here.  

An urban farm tour will take place in Carrboro on Saturday, Sept. 12. Details here. 

The Peace and Justice Network of the Triad will hold an alliance building session from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Greensboro. Speakers: Brian Higgins of Sustainable Greensboro, Jehan Benton of Partners Ending Homelessness, Signe Waller Foxworth of the Greensboro Currency Project and Pat McCoy of Health Care for America Now. E-mail pjn@triad.rr.com for more information.

The N.C. Sustainable Energy Association will host an October green energy forum in Charlotte. Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute and a leading voice on renewable energy and energy efficiency, will speak at the event. Details here. 

Engage in an October series of discussion about climate change with UNC-Chapel Hill scholars, researchers, and clinicians. 

The town of Jamestown will hold a public meeting from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 in the Town Hall to get input from residents on proposed sidewalks and trails, community programs and ordinance changes. Some background here.

A listing of proposed sidewalks (with cost estimates) and greenway trails:

1. High Point Road to Guilford College Road $496,275
2. East Fork Road sidewalk to town limits $476,500
3. East Fork Road trail to town limits $414,375
4. Potter Drive to Ragsdale Drive $169,163
5. Oakdale Road to Main Street $537,713
6. Penny Road to town limits $644,200
7. Main Street to Yorkleigh Drive $634,543
8. Forestdale Drive to Woodland Drive $140,725
9. Ragsdale Drive to Forestdale Drive $171,925
10. High Point Road to Greensboro city limits $526,013
11. Forestdale Drive to O’Neill Drive $194,350
12. Cloverbrook Drive to Guilford Road $164,125

Trails:
1. Deep River Trail
2. City lake/Penny Road Connector
3. Main Street to Guilford College Road

You can also read the notes from a July pedestrian plan committee meeting here. 

Residents can review a map of the recommendations at the town Web site and fill out a short walking survey.

Private and public elementary schools in Guilford County can again earn some cash and promote recycling in their communities by participating in the 4th annual "Kids, Cans & Cash" contest, organized by the cities of Greensboro, High Point and Guilford County. The governments' recycling departments started holding this contest in recognition of America Recycles Day on Nov. 15. 

The contest works like this: Students collect aluminum cans and bring them clean, bagged and uncrushed to recycling facilities in Greensboro and High Point from Nov. 2-13. Three winning schools will get a pizza party and evening of play at Proehlific Park. (Clarification: All schools will get money based on the amounts they raise, not just the three winning schools as I wrote previously.)  Schools must register by Oct. 24. 

Twenty-four schools participated last year and raised a total of $1,731, paid out by the recycling facilities. The winners: Alamance Elementary collected 445 pounds and earned $267, Madison Elementary collected 208 pounds and earned $125 and Sedgefield Elementary collected 303 pounds and earned $182. 

Participating schools are encouraged to recruit the help of families, businesses and neighborhood churches and community organizations. 

"I want the community to participate to help the kids out as much as possible," said Yvonne Foust, recycling education specialist for the city of Greensboro. 

Greensboro-based Unifi Inc. and its recycled yarn manufacturing process will be featured on the Travel Channel this week.

The cable program, "Extreme Mega Factories," will show how  the company's Yadkinville plant makes yarn out of recycled materials at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The "Extreme"program is designed to take viewers on the ultimate tour of the nation’s cutting edge factories. The Extreme film crew visited Unifi’s REPREVE manufacturing facility on May 19.

From a Unifi press release:

“Unifi has a company-wide commitment to reduce our environmental impact, and this show will help demonstrate how seriously we take this responsibility,” said Roger Berrier, Unifi’s executive vice president. “We hope that a product like REPREVE will inspire consumers and others in our industry to adopt more environmentally–friendly practices.”
 

It's no secret for Triad area greenies: This region -- either by perception or reality -- tends to lag behind Asheville, Portland and other cities when it comes to the adoption of socially and environmentally responsible business practices (something local groups are trying to remedy), and restaurants are no different. 

I mean, how many Greensboro or Winston-Salem restaurants can boast of their ecological footprint ,and serve Fair Trade coffee, use alternative fuels or invest as much creative energy in its vegetarian or vegan dishes as their meat-heavy entrées? 

But let's be fair. Green eateries are probably the exception, not the rule, throughout the U.S. Many people hope to see that change.

The Environmental Defense Fund and other organizations recognize that restaurant owners can be leaders in the green movement. The national organization partnered with Restaurant Associates to develop "Green Dining Best Practices" that incorporate everything from non-toxic cleaning supplies to composting food scraps and purchasing antibiotic-free meat. And the "No Net Cost Challenge" aims to help companies improve their business practices in an affordable way. 

Steps restaurants can take include: 

* Purchasing from local farms and using efficient modes of transport to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 

* Increasing low carbon menu options and choosing products that are grown without the use of antibiotics designed for humans;

* Purchasing coffees, teas and chocolates through rigorous certification programs that promote habitat protection and organic growing methods;

* Switching to washable, reusable serviceware and increasing the recycled content and recyclability of “to-go” containers; and

* Using cleaning solutions approved by credible third parties and limiting the use of toxic cleaning chemicals.

Are Triad area restaurants and dining providers doing these things? That's where you readers come in. I would like to compile a list of Triad companies that have taken steps to go green, but I need referrals from the public to get started. This would not be a scientific assessment or attempt at a layperson's certification program. I only want to provide information that will assist readers in finding restaurants that better suit their values. 

E-mail me morgan.josey@news-record.com if you know of a company you are impressed with - be it a large franchise or "mom and pop" restaurant - that has incorporated or plans to implement several of these strategies.  I will include them in my new "Green Eats" blog feature an online map.