Recycling in Hendricks County

I often have a hard time, especially around the holidays, finding drop off points for recycling.

I was cleaning out my garage this weekend and found probably 2 dozen old paint cans that were left by the previous owner. I offered them up on Freecycle, but if no one wants them, what do I do? HCWM has a great amount of info on their site and you can request an actual hardcopy guide by email. It lists where to take what (paint, antifreeze, batteries…) and contact info for every drop-off point. Great Job, Guys!

(EDIT: Computer recycling info here @ Recycleindy.com!)

Cicadas Everywhere

I’ve seen and heard more Cicadas this year than in a long time. (Originally I said Locusts, which after a bit of researching, was incorrect. They are actually Tibicin.) Their shells are everywhere, all over the tree in our yard. This morning I was out with the kids and saw several hatching out of their shells and I watched for a few before getting my camera. It’s both digusting and amazing to watch these bugs emerge, their new wings still rolled up, and fly away once they’ve managed to get free. I took a few pictures:

Click on the photos for larger images….

Honda to Build “Zero Waste” Plant in Indiana

  

My Man Mitch hard at work again! This is the coolest news I’ve heard lately! First we’re building the world’s largest biodiesel plant and now producing hybrid Hondas in Indiana! Honda plans to hire 2,000 workers to staff the new plant. (Maybe the new jobs will offset the loss of jobs by airline workers and Delphi workers – GM supplier of electronics) “Our goal is that this plant in Indiana will have the smallest environmental footprint of any Honda auto plant in North America.” They will probably build Civics and Fits there. I’ve wanted a Fit for awhile anyway…

Chron.com story (Houston)  ,   IndyStar.com story (Indianapolis)  ,  WTHR.com story  ,  CBSNews story

read more | digg story

Hugg.com

Treehugger.com has a 'DIGG-like' site up now. I subscribe to the Treehugger RSS feed and enjoy reading the 'green/ environmentally friendly' articles there.

They have (not-officially) released the hugg.com website. Similar to Digg.com, the top stories are "hugged" and moved to the front page based on popularity. It's really neat to see this technology applied to news sites like this! (And IMO hugg.com has a nicer layout! +Hugg!

*EDIT: Also ckeck out Care2 News Network ("It has the digg thing going on, target at not only green, but all progressive causes (human rights, politics, etc). Alas, they lack the 'add to blog' as well.) – Thanks Chris !

(Now if they could only integrate 'add to blog' like Digg, that would ROCK!)

“World’s Largest Biodiesel Plant Coming to Indiana”

Awesome news! Gov. Mitch Daniels is My Man Mitch!

via Treehugger:

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced plans to build the world’s largest biodiesel plant in his state yesterday. Louis Dreyfus Agriculture Industries LLC plans to build the plant near Claypool, Indiana. The new facility will produce up to 250,000 gallons of biodiesel per day, which adds up to more than 80 million gallons per year. With this facility, two other biodiesel and six ethanol plants currently under construction, Indiana is looking pretty sharp when it comes to biofuel production. Said the Governor, “It’s been a hectic year of dramatic progress in renewable fuels development in our state. If Indiana can do this, think what America can do to work toward energy self-sufficiency. In just one year, we’re growing from one alternative fuels plant to nine, with more to come.”
Read More: 

Willie’s Willys – a 700HP Biodiesel Pickup!

From Treehugger:

“Willie’s Willys,” is a biodiesel fueled collectors’ car modeled after the 1941 Willys pickup truck. The pickup was unveiled in a surprise honor to Willie Nelson at the 2006 National Biodiesel Conference in San Diego. Running a 700-horsepower engine, the truck also boasts a body made of a soy-based resin.”

Only $97K… I have a birthday coming up you know! 🙂

Ford Invents Hybrid that is *300% more efficient* than Toyota Prius

Ford is developing a new form of automotive propulsion, and the implications for the American Auto Industry are huge. The example is of an F150 that gets up to 60MPG!

read more | digg story

Woman bicyclist beat up over beef patty

“Toronto bicyclist Leah was upset when a driver in Kensington Market tossed half a beef pattie out his window; she picked it up and tossed it back into his car.” If she presses charges, she gets hit with a count of “Mischief”
This is a ridiculous story with photos of the assault here.

Lighting your house with the sun

My wife and I live in a 50 year old, brick, ranch style home in the midwest. We have been looking at either retrofitting our house with newer technologies or building a new one with several “green” upgrades in mind. We would like to limit the amount of gas and electrical energy that we use, but solar, wind, and water power are not currently an option for us. The cost of implementation exceeds the payoff (there is not enough sun year-round to support our energy needs/ we have a lot of tree cover).

Himawari makes a nice solar collector that collects sunlight and transfers it through the house via fiber optic cable and does a nice job at it! Studies have shown that natural lights provide many health advantages (and since we typically have 3 months of rain and 3 months of snow, we spend a lot of time indoors). This is definately on the list of upgrades, maybe even replacing the skylights/ solar “bubble” lights that we had planned to use.