Even if green commuting is your routine, track your ecological transit footprint for the week of June 3-9 and see how you and/or your workplace fare in this year's Commuter Challenge.

Don't forget: the week starts Sunday, June 3.

Even if you forget to track your movement for a few days, you can go back in add your information later.

Register now!

Login and record your details June 3-9. See how much fuel and emissions you've saved.

Calgary Public Library staff have participated since the event began in Calgary.

(If you work for CPL, your workplace is already registered. Simply register as an individual and choose "Calgary Public Library" and your location from the drop-down menu.)

The website to watch is www.commuterchallenge.ca

A baby hare raising experience.
Wild babies. They are everywhere – and if not, soon to be. The robins are announcing their presence, and all sorts of birds are now trying to find a suitable place to nest. Our wild jackrabbits have probably already had their first litter of leverets (they are not baby bunnies, but hares, as they are born with their eyes fully open.)

Last spring, a baby leveret was born in our backyard. We discovered him by accident – a tiny ball of fur that sat very still, looking somewhat akin to a rock. It was very important that we left him alone: leverets are born without scent, so they will not attract predators. They almost look as though they are orphaned or abandoned little baby rabbits…and therein lies the problem.

Many, many well intentioned people will make the mistake of interfering with wildlife. Because a baby hare looks like a baby bunny without a mother, they will bring them to either vet clinics or a wildlife rehabilitation centre (or worse, try to make them pets!) This is not the best fate for a leveret, as they can die easily of stress and need their mother’s milk.

Leverets differ from rabbits. Within the first hour after they are born, they have their eyes open and are ready to run. They do not borrow underground, unlike rabbits. They are away from their mothers for most of the day, so it looks like they are orphaned. But the mother will come back to them and feed them at dusk and at dawn, when it is safe. The rest of the time, she is away from her young, as her scent might attract predators.

As for our leveret, we did our best to give him his space. We avoided going into the backyard for the first couple of weeks, and watched out for neighborhood cats and crows that might have harassed him in our yard. We watched him grow, run off, and come back into our yard on many occasions. It brought us so much joy to see him come back again this spring, as an awkward young buck chowing down some of the creeping thyme in my rock garden…I think that thyme was a fair trade to be able to watch such a handsome animal! (But if you don’t want to share the spoils of your garden, you can “hare proof” your yard as well, with raised beds and some mesh wire.)

Our white tailed prairie hares are a native species often called jack rabbits, and an important part of our ecosystem. Both rabbits and hares are mistakenly called rodents; they are actually lagomorphs, a mammalian order that also includes pikas. There are other rabbits in Calgary – many rabbits, which should be pets, have been illegally released and reproduce in the wild as well. It’s a tough life for them out there and they are not meant for our environment. Our family adopted a “Bridgeland bunny” and recommends helping your local lagomorphs by adopting a rabbit from the Calgary Humane Society (and taking rescued pets there), and leaving the truly native species alone.

FYI
Some contacts (in case you find a truly injured/ distressed animal):
Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society: (403) 239-2488
Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (by Madden): (403) 946-2361
Cochrane Ecological Institute (just outside Cochrane): (403) 932-5632
Calgary Humane Society (for pets): (403) 205-4455

Oil up your chains and fill up your tires, it's Bike to Work Day Friday, May 4th! Curious to know more? Go to http://bikecalgary.ca/

It really feels like the thaw is for real, and little bulbs are up, so gardening's on my mind. Here's a list of books that are great reads for new gardeners and gardeners interested in going green outdoors. All have information useful for gardening in Calgary, even the ones whose authors live south of us.

1. All New Square foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. This revised classic focuses on intensive gardening of edibles in small spaces rather than long rows, and is perfect for city gardeners.

2. Eco Yards by Laureen Rama. If you want to go lawn-less in Calgary, this is your go-to guide with excellent information on feeding plants and soil organically.

3. Creating the Prairie Xeriscape by Sara Williams. The updated edition about water-conserving gardens is on order. This is a must-read for its lists of suitable plants.

4. Naturescape Alberta by Myrna Pearman covers a lot of ground and would be a great elementary school teacher resource. It focuses mainly on creating animal and insect habits and is full of information on how to attract birds, frogs, and more.

Feel free to list your eco gardening favorites by commenting. . .

Canadians urged to turn off the lights for Earth Hour CBC website

Turn off your lights tonight between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.

That's all that the supporters of Earth Hour 2012 are asking you to do.

It's easier than you'd think—fun, even. I blogged about my family's activities last year (Standing in the Dark: Earth Hour 2011) and the year before (Earth Hour 2010). The event is supposed to make us all think about our electricity use and little things we could do to reduce it.

If you'd like to have fun with just the light of the stars, you may want to take advantage of Public Star Night tonight from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Fish Creek Park by the Royal Astronomical Society and Fish Creek Provincial Park (it's FREE and there will be BIG telescopes).

Click on the links below for more information on Earth Hour 2012 and events taking place in Calgary tonight:

Earth Hour events in Calgary aimed at raising awareness of global warming: Calgarians asked to minimize energy consumption for one hour on Saturday night Calgary Herald

WWF Earth Hour info page

Will you turn out the lights tonight? I'd love to hear about your Earth Hour 2012 plans in the comments below!

"Sun shines on energy-efficient house" Edmonton Journal

An Edmonton neighbourhood celebrated the grand opening of the Belgravia Green Net Zero Project—three new net-zero energy building homes built through a collaboration between homeowners, local experts and Effect Home Builders, an Edmonton builder specializing in energy-efficient homes. One of the homes is a showhome open for viewings on Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

What exactly is a "net zero energy building (NZEB)?"

Generally speaking, a NZEB is a home that produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of one year. Experts divide net zero energy buildings in to four different categories:

Net-Zero Site Energy — A building that produces and exports at least as much renewable energy as the total energy it imports and uses in a year, when accounted for at the site. The measurement time frame is annual.

Net-Zero Source Energy — A building that produces and exports at least as much renewable energy as the total energy it imports and uses in a year, when accounted for at the source. "Source energy" refers to the primary energy required to generate and deliver the energy to the site. To calculate a building's total source energy, imported and exported energy is multiplied by the appropriate site-to-source conversion multipliers.

Net-Zero Energy Costs — A building where the amount of money a utility pays the building's owner for the renewable energy the building exports to the grid is at least equal to the amount the owner pays the utility for the energy services and energy used over the year.

Net-Zero Energy Emissions — A building that produces and exports at least as much emissions-free renewable energy as it imports and uses from emission-producing energy sources annually. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides are common emissions that NZEBs offset.

(source: U.S. Department of Energy)

Below are just a few of the books on green building in the library collection:

	Energy free homes for a small planet: a comprehensive guide to the design, construction, and economics of net-zero energy homes by Ann V. Edminster
	Green Design: From theory to practice by Ken Yeang and Arthur Spector
	Green architecture: advanced technologies and materials by Osman Attmann

If you love fabrics and/or crafting, one of the best green crafting events is just around the corner! For the last five years the Ujamaa Grandmas have held an annual sale, to benefit the Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The sale is so good that people line up around the block.

The next Ujamaa Grandmas Annual Fabric & Craft Sale is scheduled for April 14, 2012 ~ 9:30 am-3:00 pm. at Woodcliff United Church, 5010 Spruce Drive S.W. Calgary

But, the Ujamaa Grandmas need your help – AND your cast off fabric & yarn in advance. Donations of the following are needed:

• Unused fabric 0.5 meter or longer, unless quilting cotton or exceptional piece
• Yarn
• knitting needles
• Sewing Notions
• Threads
• Patterns
• Embellishments

Donations may be dropped off: Wednesday, April 11th & Thursday, April 12th 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM at Woodcliff United Church – 5010 Spruce Drive S.W. Calgary

For more information or to volunteer contact: Carla 403-256-2828 carla.lorfing@live.ca

See you at the sale, or on Etsy with your fabulous recycled fabric products!

Celebrate our environment and sustainable living in Calgary
with fun for the whole family!

Fish Creek Library

Thursday, April 12, 2012
5:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Fun Activities for Kids
Face-painting and magic 5:45 – 6:45 p.m.
Eco-Storytime with Alderman Peter Demong (ages 2-5) 6:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Voices Of Nature Concert with Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright
Singers from Canyon Meadows School join Holly and Kevin in standing up and
singing out for nature in a high-energy musical performance. 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Central Library

Saturday, April 14, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Main Floor – Speakers and demonstrations
Edible and Medicinal Plants with Julie Walker 10:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Home-Made Body Products with Sara Haney, 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.
Home-Made Green Cleaning Products with Green Calgary, 12:00 – 12:45 p.m.
Electric Bicycles with Power in Motion 1:00– 1:45 p.m.
Composting and Vermicomposting with the Calgary Horticultural Society 2:00– 2:45 p.m.

2^nd Floor: Fun Activities for Kids
Eco-Scavenger Hunt 10:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Eco-Babies Storytime (6-23 months) 11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Eco-Storytime (2-5 years) 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.
Green Poetry Slam (Teen/All ages) 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Eco-Friendly Art Drop-in (6-12 years) 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Face-painting, air-brush tattoos and a balloon artist!

Voices Of Nature Concert with Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright
Singers from Canyon Meadows School join Holly and Kevin in standing up and
singing out for nature in a high-energy musical performance. 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

 Saddletowne Library

Saturday, April 21, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Ecopalooza Fair 10:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Local organizations share what they're doing to create a greener Calgary with hands on activities.
Fair entertainment: Face-painting, magic, caricaturist, and a balloon artist!

Green Calgary Rain Barrel and Composter Sale
Begins at 10:00 a.m. – until supplies last! More info here.

Eco-Storytime 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Fun stories with an eco-theme for kids aged 2 to 5.

 Wildlife Talk with Lyn Hancock 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
The author and conservationist tells stories and shows pictures
of her exciting adventures saving orphaned wildlife.

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development 10:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Educational trailers 310-FIRE and Respect the Land

For program registration information click here

I was really excited to find out that our neighbourhood would be one of the first to get the new green bin this year, since we eagerly awaited the beloved blue recycling bin for a long time.

The city's website tells us that "each home in the pilot will receive a green cart, paper yard waste bags, kitchen pail and compostable liners. Households will also receive an information package with the carts including a collection schedule...The green carts will be collected every week like blue carts."

This sounded great until I realised...hey, wait a minute, I'm already composting! All our leaves and food wastes go into one of two of the black composters we bought from the city a decade ago. It takes about a year to harvest the compost with minimal maintenance and we use the end product to build our garden soil. I still plan to continue using the composters, so what about the green bin...?

Most Calgarians don't compost and, according to the city, organics account for 60% of the landfill. Wouldn't it be nice to see over 50% less waste in the future, and the water and nutrients reused instead of trapped in anaerobic conditions where they don't break down? I reckon our neighbours can "borrow" our green bin for their yard waste, diverting even more out of the landfill.

For more information about the green bins, go to Calgary.ca/greencart

My friendly neighbour: the nuthatchThis blog is for the birds, because it’s getting to be that time of year again - the time when many of our native bird species start to look for a suitable place to nest! Chickadees, nuthatches and other birds will start to look for a nice place to build a family around mid February to early March.

If there are mature trees in your neighbourhood, especially coniferous trees, you will have a lot of birds. If you don’t live around a lot of mature trees, you can help to create extra nesting habitat for native species by putting up nest boxes.

Many birds prefer to nest in old woodpecker holes. Woodpeckers tend to be drawn to mature and dying trees, which are often removed from city properties. So if you do have an old tree, or ‘snag”, and it is not a hazard, you may want to keep it for the birds it will attract. Certain nest boxes – ones that are ‘roughed’ up and more natural looking – can also attract chickadees, nuthatches, and a range of species including northern flickers (the picture is a nuthatch who nested in our yard last year).

For chickadees and nuthatches, use a nest box made out of untreated cedar. The entrance hole should be between 1 to 1/8 of an inch in order to protect the birds from house sparrows (an introduced species that often attacks smaller birds to steal their nesting sites). Cedar should not be stained, but it is rather soft, so if you are putting up a nest box for a flicker, a box made out of plywood (paint it with a low VOC stain, only on the outside) would work better for bird that tends to “drum” on the wood. Line an inch of the inside of the nest box with dried moss and untreated wood chips so the birds can ‘excavate’ their new home the way they would in a tree.

Painted beauty - a friendly resident northern flicker

The library has a number of books on how to make nest boxes and how to make your yard more attractive to native birds (including Bird-by-bird gardening: the ultimate guide to bringing in your favorite birds--year after year by Sally Roth.)