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Green Works
Orlando Green Updates
June 2008
June 27
Great American Cleanup Results
 The national
Great American Cleanup takes place from March 1
through May 31 annually. This year, more than 3
million volunteers across the nation got
involved and campaigned for a cleaner, greener
America. The Great American Cleanup encourages
people to care for communities through volunteer
participation.
On a local level,
the City of Orlando’s Keep Orlando Beautiful
program engaged Orlando neighborhoods in nine events within 14
different communities. The results are
outstanding.
·
642
volunteers participated and gave more than 1,657
hours of their time.
·
11,140
pounds of litter and debris were removed
from eight miles of streets, roadways and
highways.
·
38 acres of
green spaces and parks and 10 miles of river
and lake shorelines were beautified.
·
2,135 pounds
of aluminum and 185 tires were recycled.
·
29 trees and
520 flowers were planted.
Thank you to Keep
Orlando Beautiful, Green Up Orlando and all the
wonderful volunteers... you made the difference!
June 19
Orlando is a ‘Solar American City’
The City of
Orlando, in partnership with OUC and Orange
County, has received a $200,000 grant from the
U.S. Department of Energy. Orlando was among
only 12 cities to be designated a ‘Solar
American City.’ The grants, along with technical
expertise, are being offered to develop solar
projects that can be replicated across the
country.
OUC is making it
easier for customers to switch to solar, too, by
partnering with Orlando Federal Credit Union to
offer low interest loan options for solar
installations and providing a monthly production
credit to customers for the energy their systems
produce.
To learn how you
can switch to solar in your home, visit ouc.com/green/solar_pilots.htm
June 13
WMMO Downtown Concert Series Going
Green
Music fans will
have an opportunity to help the environment
while listening to Eddie Money and the Spin
Doctors during WMMO’s Downtown Concert Series at
City Hall Plaza this Saturday. The Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corporation
will provide 20 recycling containers while Keep Orlando Beautiful
volunteers will promote recycling and ensure that concert-goers have the
opportunity to dispose their beverage containers in the right place. The
recycling program will be in place at all Downtown Concert Series
events. The free concert is this Saturday, June 14, and starts at 4 p.m.
June 6
Water Conservation Tips
Due to the dry season, the amount of
water used to irrigate green spaces is at a record high. As a City, we
must work together to avoid wasting one of our most precious natural
resources.
Please follow these important irrigation
and water conservation guidelines:
·
Water only before 10 a.m. or
after 4 p.m. to minimize the amount of water lost to evaporation.
·
Water just once a week in the
cooler months, and twice a week in the warmer months (experts say
this is enough to maintain healthy, green grass with a strong root
system).
·
Water for just 30-45 minutes
per session (½ inch to ¾ inch of water per zone
·
Turn off sprinklers when it's
raining or install a rain shut-off device.
·
Avoid watering on windy days.
·
Make sure plants are not
blocking sprinklers.
·
Check your irrigation system
for broken or leaky heads. Set timers so that no zone runs for more
than 20 minutes.
·
Irrigation systems should be
zoned so plants with different water needs are irrigated separately
(grass, for example, should be watered separately from shrubs and
flowers).
·
Drip irrigation systems
(which use less water than sprinklers) are recommended for trees,
shrubs and flowers.
·
Use a low flow shower head. A
10-minute shower can use less water than a full bath. A new shower
head also will save energy — up to $145 each year on electricity.
·
Stop your leaky faucet. A
leaky faucet can waste gallons of water. Hot water leaking at a rate
of one drip per second can waste up to 1,661 gallons of water over
the course of a year, and waste up to $35 in electricity or $35 in
natural gas. Fixing drips is a cost effective and easy way to save
energy.
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