David Leach, a driver for the Monroe County Domestic Abuse Shelter, takes some surplus chairs, a book case and table from The Nature Conservancy, demonstrating how to reuse unneeded items.
Good news: The recycling rate for Monroe County increased to 21 percent in 2010, an 11 percent increase from 2009.
Posted: Friday, May 11, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
Dear EarthTalk: Cuba just began drilling for oil not far from U.S. shores and hopes to become a major exporter. What ramifications will this have for the environment?
Posted: Friday, May 04, 2012 04:16 PM EDT
Shirley Gun
World Water Day on March 22, as designated by the United Nations, reminded me of when my husband and I would go cruising on our 32-foot sailboat and how important fresh water became.
Posted: Friday, April 13, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
A Marathon duplex gets a lot of shade from this tree, helping to keep the energy bill down.
When it comes to energy in the Keys, solar can go both ways: You can install solar panels to power your home to reduce or eliminate your monthly electric bill -- or the sun can heat up your house so much that your bill is sky high.
Posted - Thursday, March 15, 2012 11:48 AM EDT
The writer shows her relocated raised garden. Citing less success than last year, she plans to move it back to its previous location.
Location, location, location. Realtors know the value of this and so should gardeners. Better a modest home in a good location than a grander house in a bad location.
Posted - Friday, March 09, 2012 11:00 AM EST
Dear EarthTalk: I read that car makers had agreed to up fuel economy standards to an average of about 55 mpg by 2025, and that specifics were due to be hammered out by the end of 2011. Did this happen and where do things stand now?
Posted - Saturday, March 03, 2012 11:00 AM EST
Enma Saiz, who owns this house in Pinecrest and her husband Hadi Yaziji, have made a big investment by putting enough solar panels on the home to power everything they need. A good start for a novice is a solar water heater.
Solar water heating is a technology that every homeowner can use to save dollars on utility bills. Questions most frequently addressed to the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa about solar water heating are answered below.
Posted - Saturday, February 18, 2012 09:00 AM EST
Paper or plastic? How about neither.
I have joined the ranks of people who go nowhere without their shopping bags. My collection includes grocery-store bags purchased at the checkout and more interesting ones gifted to me by friends and family. Even my husband, who wouldn't normally carry any bag, has his own manly versions purchased from a dive shop and home improvement store.
Posted - Saturday, February 11, 2012 11:00 AM EST
Dear EarthTalk: There are a number of companies out there now doing energy audits for the home, after which they try to sell you attic insulation and other products and services. Is this just a scam or would it be wise for me to look into this? Bill Richards, New York, N.Y.
Posted - Saturday, February 04, 2012 11:00 AM EST
The wind turbines on Cudjoe Key will help power Keys Energy Services' substation.
Keys Energy Services is making the most of a state Clean Energy Grant it was awarded last summer.
The most recent initiative -- a pair of wind turbines -- has been getting noticed a lot lately at the Lower Keys utility's Cudjoe Key substation.
Keys Energy spokesman Julio Barroso said the utility plans to track how much energy the turbines produce and make the information available on its website. Barroso said the plan was to install one on Cudjoe Key and another on Stock Island, but instead both were put in the same location.
The smaller turbine is 35 feet tall, the maximum height allowed under county rules. Keys Energy got a waiver to install the other one at 52 feet.
Posted - Wednesday, February 01, 2012 11:08 AM EST
