Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Today's Energy Insight

This Friday April 29th is Arbor Day. Check out this great tree planting guide from the Arbor Day Foundation:

The Right Tree in the Right Place

A healthy community forest begins with careful planning. With a little research and a simple layout, you can produce a landscape that will cool your home in summer and tame the winter winds. Your well-planned yard will contain trees that grow well in the soil and moisture of your neighborhood. Your trees will be properly placed to avoid collisions with power lines and buildings, and the aesthetics will increase your property value.

A proper landscape plan takes each tree into consideration:
  • Height. Will the tree bump into anything when it is fully grown? [sizing guide]
  • Canopy spread. How wide will the tree grow?
  • Is the tree deciduous or coniferous? (Will it lose its leaves in the winter?)
  • Form or shape. A columnar tree will grow in less space. Round and V-Shaped species provide the most shade. [shape guide]
  • Growth rate. How long will it take for your tree to reach its full height? Slow growing species typically live longer than fast growing species.
  • Soil, sun, and moisture requirements.
  • Fruit. No one wants messy droppings on busy sidewalks.
  • Hardiness zone indicates the temperature extremes in which a tree can be expected to grow. For the purposes of this quiz hardiness zone considerations have been disregarded. Check with your community's tree board or forestry department or a local county cooperative extension agent for a list of trees suitable for planting in your specific hardiness zone.

Friday, April 22, 2016

HAPPY EARTH DAY

Saw this simple quote today about the earth...

Love it or Lose it!

Have a groovy and efficient Earth Day, Everyone!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Today's Energy Insight

April is considered Earth Month and next week is Earth Week because Earth Day falls at the end of the week. The very first Earth Day was celebrated 46 years ago on April 22nd, 1970. This day was set aside as a reminder for us to think about everything the earth provides for us; and to consider ways we can conserve these precious resources. Additionally this day serves as a huge reminder for us to clean up after ourselves.

"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people."      ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Friday, April 1, 2016

Today's Energy Insight

Perhaps you took a "stay-cation" over Spring break and maybe you went to the Mall of America. Did you know MOA is incredibly eco-friendly? Check out these fun facts...

  • MOA stays a perfectly comfortable 70 degrees all year around but even in Minnesota, it has no heating system! Inside MOA it stays warm in the winter thanks to 1.2 miles of skylights, heat from store fixtures and body heat from its visitors.
  • More than 2,400 tons of food waste from MOA go to a local hog farm, which equates to more than 1 million hog meals annually.
  • MOA converts the fat from restaurant fryers into more than 4,000 pounds of bio-diesel fuel per month. That’s enough fuel for a 53-foot semi-truck to travel back and forth from New York City to Los Angeles… FIVE times.
  • And last but certainly not least, the more than 30,000 live plants and 300 live trees act as natural air purifiers for MOA!