CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The homes Habitat for Humanity builds in Orange County are getting more eco-friendly, thanks to a new partnership with a national hardware company. (Read more)
A colleague of mine recently had me meet Pete Pagano of Green Planet Catering here in Raleigh, NC.
NBC 17 covered the company recently. The catering company has only been catering for about half a year, but the concept has been growing much much longer.
I have to admit, the “greenie” in me is deeply suspicious anytime someone mentions to me a business claiming their “greenness”. I agreed to meet and told myself I would keep an open mind, but truthfully, I expected very little as we met at Tir Na Nog’s “The Cottage” room.
Pete quickly wowed us, however, with sharing that Green Planet Catering uses as much local and/or organic produce as possible. They use spudware and compostable materials. They create their own bio-diesel and work with a farm, headed by Ben and Charles Keefer here in Raleigh. “We work to be as sustainable as possible,” Pete says.
Green Planet Catering, a team comprised of six members with over a 100 cumulative years of restaurant experience (at least a decade under each of their belt’s), also collaborates with other area partners for composting events. Partnerships for composting and events they’ve covered include Burt’s Bees (headquartered in Durham), NCSU, UNC, Matchbox 20, the Cary Wine Experience, Southern Energy, weddings and private parties.
While the company is already taking impressive strides to show their dedication to a healthy environmental philosophy, Pete’s own education and passion is what sold me.
Referencing Native American philosophy, the Weston A. Price Foundation and movement toward traditional food and knowledge of pesticide and chemical use in mainstream American food industries, I found myself enthralled with Pete’s passion and mission. And I liked that he was not one to put down other companies and their efforts, or arrogantly praise all of their own implemented environmentalism. He is about encouraging the movement by spotlighting positive steps of each company.
Pete explained the importance of READ THE REST OF THIS STORY!
NEW YORK (AP) - Three major auto manufacturers are promising to reserve 300 new hybrid vehicles each month exclusively for the city as it replaces its entire fleet of yellow cabs.
Nissan North America, General Motors and the Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that they are setting aside the environmentally friendly cars to help the city reach its goal of making all yellow cabs green by 2012. Today there are about 13,000 cabs on the street and more than 1,300 are hybrids.
New city regulations require that any new cab coming into service after Oct. 1, 2008, achieve a fuel efficiency standard of 25 miles per gallon. The following year, that increases to 30 miles per gallon.
The standard yellow cab in use today, the Ford Crown Victoria, gets about 14 miles per gallon. But some hybrid models, which run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, achieve as much as 36.
The government does not own the city’s yellow cabs, but sells licenses to drivers and operators, who must purchase vehicles that meet the specifications of the Taxi and Limousine Commission. The agency regulates and licenses all for-hire vehicles in the city.
Some taxi fleet owners had recently complained to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration that there would not be enough hybrids available on the market for all drivers to meet the city’s fuel efficiency regulations by the deadline.
Bloomberg said the help from the auto companies guarantees that won’t be a problem.
“We want to ensure there is more than enough supply to meet the demand for hybrid taxis,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
At least one fleet owner said Wednesday that there was not enough research yet about how safely hybrids can perform as taxi cabs, which can clock tens of thousands of miles each year and are on the road for longer lengths of time than regular cars.
Ron Sherman, of the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, said the city “is asking taxi passengers and taxi drivers to become human crash test dummies.”
Bloomberg, when asked about the safety issue at a news conference later Wednesday, said every study the city has examined says hybrids are safe for use as cabs. He suggested that dirty exhaust from standard cabs poses more of a safety hazard.
“Maybe that’s not what you should be worrying about - try the air that you’re breathing when they go by,” he said.
Both the city and taxi driver advocacy groups acknowledge that drivers or fleet owners will have to spend more money up front when purchasing hybrid vehicles, but point out that they will save money on fuel. The Taxi and Limousine Commission estimates that a hybrid cab saves a driver $6,500 per year.
The life of a city taxi is typically about three to five years because the commission requires all vehicles to be retired within a certain time frame.
Seven, stupid, simple ways to be green and save green via lyved.com
… that’s because his cooking-Highness Emeril Lagasse is delivering the goods. And so is Raleigh’s own Pete Pagano from Green Planet Catering.
Take a look for some great advice from these go-green guys. And please… chime in after watching with your own tips on buying and cooking organic and/or local!
President Bush on Monday lifted a ban on offshore oil drilling.
Read coverage from The Huffington Post.
Check out the list of the top green vacations from ”The Green Guide” here.
A life without chocolate?
Future generations may never have a sweet tooth to feed. John Mason, the executive director and founder of the Ghana based organization Nature Conversation Research Council (NCRC) believes that in 20 years times, chocolate will be much like caviar today. Read the story here.
Did you know that you can find a lot of cool fashion finds that are super cheap at your local thrift shops?!
