5-23-07 - Important News for Parents

A recent study just released from a Michigan environmental group points to child safety seats as yet another potential threat to our kids' health. Out of 62 car seats tested, 30% reportedly leaked harmful amounts of chlorine, bromine, and lead. For an article covering the report, click here. They'll tell you some of the seats to avoid, and which ones to embrace. It's important to note that no one is saying we shouldn't use car seats, because they still save a lot of lives. Just be more conscious of which ones you put your kids in, okay?

5-8-07 - Hello Again!

Sorry for the delay in keeping you updated in Green Happenings around the KC area. Hopefully you've been diligently checking the calendar in the meantime. Today I've added four new sites to our list of Links.

You'll find three of them under "Global/Non-Local." They are VegCityGuide - a guide to Vegetarian and Vegan city guides, organized by city; VegHealthyGuide - a resource to help you learn more about the health qualities of various Vegetarian and Vegan foods; and VegProductsGuide - a guide to various Vegetarian and Vegan products available. The fourth site is a collection of Vegetarian and/or Vegan related blog posts, called VegBlogs, and so it's under the "Blogs/Podcasts" section of the Links page.

All of those sites are brought to you by Bryan and Amanda, co-founders of www.VegKansasCity.com. Thanks, guys!

(And to save time and space in the future, anytime I refer to "Vegetarianism and/or Veganism", it will just be called "Veg*nism." That seems to be the generally accepted shorthand.)

In case your wondering about this site, I'm currently working on making this little News & Updates section avialable for comments and feedback, blog-style. If you have any ideas, please send them on to me. I'm happy to have any help I can get.

Also, notice that at the bottom of this page I added an invitation to join our mailing list. There's still not a regular newsletter yet, so you'd be signing up to receive periodical updates and important news items

It's nice to see everyone again.

-Bobby

4-18-07 - New Articles, and an Important Reminder

Deciding finally that content is more important than originality (or proprietership, for that matter), we've gone ahead and posted some "outside" articles to the site. The Articles section, you may notice, is now split into two categories: "Big Green City Exclusives", and "Other Articles". The "Other Articles" will include content from a variety of sources, like CNN, Treehugger.com, Time Magazine, etc--all appropriately credited, of course. We hope this addition only enhances this site's effectiveness at providing you the most pertinent, relevant information on living green. Watch for more articles to be added, both from in-house and outhouse (tee-hee), in the near future.

Also, if you have plans for this Saturday you need to cancel them, unless those plans are to attend the 11th Annual EarthFest/EarthWalk at Shanwee Mission Park, because that's where you need to be. There will be tons of displays and activities for children and adults alike; information on everything from solar power to carbon tax; food and music; and plenty of et cetera. Be sure to visit the Mid-America Electric Auto Association's area, where folks like Mark Higley (see previous post) and others will be showing off their homebuilt or dealer-bought electric vehicles. I will even be there with my Tidalforce electric bike and Black & Decker electric lawnmower. I promise you won't be disappointed, and you might even learn something you never knew you didn't know. For instance, did you know that, on average, mowing your lawn for one hour with a traditional gas-powered mower contributes more pollution into the air than driving a typical vehicle 100 miles? Even if you already knew that, I bet you know someone who doesn't, and what better way to celebrate Earth Day than to spread the good word--or the "Good World," as it were? (Ooh, I like that. Dibs!)

Visit EarthDayKC.org for more information on the event.

See you there!

4-13-07 - All the Best Things Are Spelled with X

Props to Mark Higley of Midwest EV, the areas only authorized (or unauthorized, for that matter) dealer of ZAP electric cars. He was not just mentioned, but was the subject of an entire article in the Pitch Weekly magazine, thanks to his appearance at Earth Fair.

Please, please, please visit the Pitch sit and read the article yourself. If you haven't had a chance to drive any electric cars, why not saunter up to Mark's dealership in Leavenworth and try on a ZAP? They're cheap, they're green, and they're just s'goshdarn cute.

Congrats, Mark. Here's to the New Black Escalade.

4-9-07 - MORE LIGHT RAIL TALK

Over at KCLightRail, they just posted a follow-up to Clay Chastain's Q&A at Central Exchange. He answered a few softball questions about his light rail plan--so don't expect any hard-hitting, controversial discussions when you click this link. However, it does shed some light on a few aspects of the light rail program you might not have been aware of, and it will help keep you up-to-date on how the plan is progressing, if you're into that sort of thing.

What are your thoughts on the light rail plan? What problems do you think it will solve? What problems do you think it will create? Is light rail really the best choice, or do you have another suggestion? Send your comments in via our Contact page, and we'll post your responses here.

4-3-07 - BIG GREEN CITY: NOW BIGGER, GREENER,

AND CITYIER

I was fortunate enough to attend the Clean Energy Show at Zona Rosa this past Saturday, put on by the Concerned Citizens of Platte County. It wasn't a huge event, but there were some great participants, from heavy-hitters like KCPL and MGE, to some grassroots organizations like ReEnergizeKC and True Blue Women. One thing stood out to me: there is a genuine desire amongst these people to see a positive change in our lives. They are not subversive or calculating in the least. Everyone that I talked to--minus one or two from some of the "heavy-hitters" I mentioned--was sincere and enthusiastic and passionate, and very friendly. I encourage you to get out there and meet some of these people yourself. Join their causes, show your support, and become a part of something bigger than yourself. There are other people out there just like you who want the same thing, and it just takes getting everyone involved to make things happen.

It was a very fruitful day for Big Green City, as we passed out business cards and collected enough paperwork to build a tree, and the best part is that you ultimately benefit. Check our Business Directory and Links pages to see just how much was added, and definitely visit our forum and see all the upcoming events added to the calendar. If you don't have anything to do between now and August, we've got you covered. You'll have to register to view the events calendar there, but it's worth it, promise.

Look for more content to be added continuously over the coming week as I make my way through all the flyers, pamphlets, leaflets and full-on magazines I picked up at the Show.

3-28-07 - UPCOMING EVENTS AND E-BUSES

There are some big events coming up in April, like the International Food Aid Conference from the 16th through the 18th, or EarthFest on the 21st. Check out the Events Calendar page for a full listing, and then mark your schedules.

We've also added some links, like the On-Grid Hybrid Bus Program, which has been going on here in Kansas City for a few months now. They are testing the viability of plug-in hybrid buses as public transportation. This is one effort I'd really encourage you to look into. It would be a shame if it was discovered that people didn't want clean, alternative transportation. With the bus thing being tested, and the Light Rail program slowly pushing it's way toward reality, we may be on the verge of a transportation renaissance of sorts here in Kansas City. Ten years from now we may all be riding public transit and enjoying it every minute--and then in eleven years it will be as mundane as driving your car. Well, unless your car is, like, a Ferrari or something. That will probably always be more fun than riding the bus, let's face it. :)