Tampa Bay Living Green Expo looking for volunteers

The Tampa Bay Living Green Expo, sponsored in part by SPC will be in St. Petersburg at the Coliseum and Sunshine Center June 5-6 and we need volunteers!

Sign up for a shift, bring a friend, help out, show support, and have fun!

The Tampa Bay Living Green Expo stands out every year because of its many great volunteers. Now is the time to sign up!

Volunteers are needed for:

• Pre-Expo promotion events – promote Expo at outdoor markets, events, etc. in May
• Pre-Expo marketing – put up flyers/posters at coffee shops, bookstores, colleges, etc.
• Expo set-up – assist with setting up the event on Friday, June 4
• Exhibitor check-in/support – assist Expo exhibitors in getting set up on Friday, June 4
• Volunteer check-in – check in volunteers as they arrive for their shift
• Information desk/ front door greeters – provide Expo attendees with event program, answers to questions and information for making the most of their Expo experience
• Exhibitor assistance – available for troubleshooting related to exhibitor problems
• Sign wavers – help people find their way to parking and entrances
• Info sessions assistance – Encourage visitors to visit the seminars, and provide general assistance to information session speakers
• Kid’s Korner – work with children in the arts and crafts area
• General assistance – Be available to help with whatever comes up during the Expo
• Teardown – Assist in tearing down and cleaning up after the Expo

Visit http://tampabaylivinggreenexpo.org. Click the volunteer tab and select your preferred shift and task.  Shifts are set in 2-3 hour increments but can be tailored to fit your schedule. And… you will get a free Tampa Bay Living Green t-shirt (and maybe free food from Evos)!

Please don’t over commit in your excitement to help. We can always find an additional shift for you if you want one.

We ask that you arrive 15 minutes early for the afternoon shifts (not the morning). If your schedule is flexible, we will need more coverage on the Sat 2:30-6 and the Sunday 2-5 shift.

Volunteer Orientation has been scheduled for XXX at the Coliseum (535 Fourth Avenue North, St. Petersburg).

This orientation is optional, but offers volunteers the opportunity to pick up their t-shirts early, get the lay of the Expo land and meet other volunteers (and eat pizza!).

Contact Volunteer Coordinators Daniel Jacobs (danielj@shirtsofbamboo.com) or Jason Green (green.jason@spcollege.edu) with questions.

SPC named Outstanding Business of the Year by U.S. Green Building Council chapter

St. Petersburg College was named “Outstanding Business of the Year” Thursday by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, a sustainable building organization whose membership covers 15 counties from Citrus County to Collier County.

The award recognizes a business that demonstrates a commitment to green building initiatives and a culture of sustainability through the services or products it provides and the way which it conducts day-to-day operations.

“Environmental issues are no longer a fad, but rather a mainstream philosophy,” said Jason Green, SPC’s Sustainability Coordinator. “Now more than ever, the college has the opportunity to provide the leadership needed to help guide the community to a more sustainable future.”

The college began to cement its environmental reputation in late 2008.

Since that time, it has opened two of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the Tampa Bay area.  The buildings, St Petersburg/Gibbs Campus’ Students Services building and Clearwater Campus’ Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building, were both awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the USGBC.

The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a nationally accepted certifier of high performance and environmentally sensitive buildings.

Three other SPC buildings are under various stages of development and will be built to meet a LEED Silver certification or higher.

Additionally, SPC developed an Associate of Science in Environmental Science Technology and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainability Management; an online LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance 2009 examination training course; an online and face-to-face solar energy generation, installation and inspection training course; and soon will offer nearly 50 other environmentally-focused continuing education/certification programs.

SPC recently installed its first solar energy system, a thin film solar blanket for use as a teaching tool.  This system, along with other energy conserving initiatives, have resulted in a cost avoidance savings of over $500,000; preventing 1,888 metric tons of carbon dioxide from polluting the air, equivalent to removing 310 cars from the road, supplying electricity to 235 homes for one year, or planting 42,729 trees.

Among many other initiatives, SPC is developing a natural habitat park/environmental center for passive recreation, observation, and education. SPC has initiated an Energy Star purchasing policy, a native plant policy and exclusively uses “green cleaning” products.

SPC also hosts four active environmental clubs and a chapter of USGBC Students.

Additionally, Ken Buschle, an SPC alum, received the Chapter Member of the Year award, which goes to an individual who demonstrates dedication to chapter growth and betterment, commitment to educating the membership base on progressive initiatives, or enthusiasm about green building practices in others.

To learn more about sustainability at St. Petersburg College, contact Jason Green at green.jason@spcollege.edu.  Then visit http://www.spcollege.edu/sustainability, join the facebook group and follow us at http://twitter.com/sustainableSPC.

Richard O’ Barry’s The Cove at Muvico BayWalk

See the Oscar Award winning documentary that exposed the slaughtering of countless dolphins and exposed the ecological crimes taking place in Taiji, Japan, at the Muvico Theater in BayWalk on Wednesday, May 5th.

The pre-screening reception will be held at hermanHOME store at BayWalk from 6-7:30 p.m.; tapas, wine, and dessert will be served. The film screening will be from 7:30-9 p.m., with a post-screening Q & A session.  Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.ilovetheburg.com, $25 at the door (very limited seating).  Proceeds to benefit Oceanic Preservation Society.

The Cove, the recent winner of the Academy Award for best documentary and 24 other film accolades, uncovers the horrific practices in the small Japanese town that, at first glance, seems to be devoted to these playful aquatic mammals. The filmmakers soon realize that there are dark secrets beneath the surface of this seemingly dolphin-loving town, exposing the truth about the slaughter and the selling of the animals’ heavily mercury-tainted meat as counterfeit whale meat.

The film is “a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery,” documenting these brave eco-activists and their dangerous covert mission to lift the veil of secrecy and show the public what was really taking place in Taiji.

Richard O’Barry, one of the film’s stars, is a Marine Mammal Specialist at the Earth Island Institute in Berkeley, California, and former dolphin trainer for the popular ’60s TV show Flipper. After a heartbreaking realization that these intelligent creatures shouldn’t be held in captivity, O’Barry founded founded The Dolphin Project, dedicated to freeing captive dolphins and educating people around the world about the suffering dolphins in captivity. He has currently liberated over 25 dolphins in South America, the Bahamas, and in the U.S., and has launched a campaign against the multi-billion dollar dolphin captivity industry, “telling the public what was really going on at dolphin shows and urging people not to buy tickets to see dolphins play the fool.”

Visit www.ilovetheburg.com for more information.

Start composting this Earth Day

The Issue

• Composting recycles or “downcycles” organic household and yard waste and manure into an extremely nutrient rich composted soil.
• Annually, an average household can keep 500 pounds of perfectly biodegradable kitchen and garden waste out of landfills.
• Composting recycles nutrients in your scraps, producing soil that’s tastes gourmet to your plants.

Be Part of the Solution

How can I learn more about composting?

• A biodegradable material is not necessarily compostable but is capable of being broken down completely but may take a very long time.
• A compostable material biodegrades substantially under composting conditions.
• Some of the things you can compost include:  fruits and vegetables, bread, cereals, pastas, coffee grounds and filters, teabags, eggshells, grass clippings, leaves, weeds, non chemically treated woodchips and sawdust.  Visit http://www.compostthis.co.uk/ for more information.
• Some things you can compost include: chemical treated wood, meat, bones and fat, human and animal waste, diseased plants and plants like poison ivy.
• Visit http://www.planetnatural.com, or http://www.gardeners.com to select your compost bin.
• Visit http://www.howtocompost.org/ to learn more about composting.
• Buy Barbara Plesant’s book The Complete Compost Gardening Guide, Mary Applehof’s book Worms Eat My Garbage or Stu Campbell’s Let It Rot!
• Call or visit UF-IFAS/Pinellas County Extension at (727) 582-2673, 12520 Ulmerton Road in Largo to sign up for their next free Compost Happens Workshop or to see demonstration composting bins in action.

To learn more about sustainability at St. Petersburg College, contact Jason Green at green.jason@spcollege.edu.  Then visit http://www.spcollege.edu/sustainability, join the facebook group and follow us at http://twitter.com/sustainableSPC.

Photovoltaic solar panel expert to speak at SPC

As part of St Petersburg College’s Earth Day celebration, Rick Gilbert, president of Solar Source will discuss photovoltaic solar panels.  the lecture will take place in the SPC Clearwater Campus Teaching Auditorium on Thursday, April 22, 2010, 12:30-1:45pm.

The presentation is quite timely since SPC recently installed a thin-film solar system.  The 3.5 kilowatt system, which generates power for the electrical grid, was  installed on the roof of the LEED Gold Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building, already one of Tampa Bay’s most environmentally friendly buildings.

Some of Solar Source’s past achievements include:

• Georgia Tech, Aquatic Center – Site of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
• Australian Olympic Pool – Melbourne, Australia
• State of Florida Governor’s Mansion – Tallahassee, Florida
• Mazatlan, Mexico – Largest Solar Pool Heating System in the world
• City of St. Cloud, Florida – Largest Solar Pool Heating System in the State

The lecture is cosponsored by SPC’s US Green Building Council Students and The Florida Engineering Society.

To learn more about sustainability at St. Petersburg College, contact Jason Green at green.jason@spcollege.edu.  Then visit http://www.spcollege.edu/sustainability, join the facebook group and follow us at http://twitter.com/sustainableSPC.

SPC’s 2010 Earth Day activities

Thursday, April 22, 2010 marks the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the environment.  SPC’s four environmental clubs, Emerging Green Builders, Honors College, Florida Engineering Society and SPC M.M. Bennett Libraries have come together to plan environmentally focused events everyday beginning Monday, April 19 through Saturday, April 25.  No matter your home campus, we have activities for you!

Saturday, April 17
College-wide event
9:00-11:00am
North Shore Clearwater Beach clean-up (Meet at Rockaway St., Clearwater Beach)

Monday April 19
Clearwater Campus (2465 Drew Street)
12:30-1:30pm
“No Such Place as Away” Pinellas County Utilities recycling presentation (NM205)

College-wide event
1:45-3:00pm
Pinellas County Utilities, Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility tour (Meet at 3095 114th Avenue N., St. Pete)
Space is extremely limited; email green.jason@spcollege.edu to reserve a spot.

Tuesday, April 20
Clearwater Campus (2465 Drew Street)
12:00-1:00pm
LEED Gold Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building tour (Meet at NM building main entry)

1:00-1:30pm
NM Solar panel dedication (NM building entry)

Tarpon Springs Campus (600 Klosterman Road)
7:00-8:00pm
Community Garden Forum (FA132)

Seminole Campus (9200 113th Street N)
10:00-1:00pm
SPC Green Expo (UP building lobby)

• Tampa Bay Watch, “Bay Restoration”
• UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension, “Rain water harvesting”
• Pinellas County Utilities, “Recycling”
• Solar Source, “Solar power”
• Midori Salon and Spa, “Sustainable beauty”
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium, “Marine animal rescue”
• SPC Office for Sustainability, “SPC LEED buildings”

1:00-1:20pm
Earth Day presentations (UP building lobby)

• Dr. James Oliver, SPC Seminole Provost
• Hon. Jimmy Johnson, Seminole Mayor,
• Mr. Jeremy Hockenbury, Seminole Public Works Director

1:20-1:30pm
Second Annual Seminole Campus tree planting (Meet at UP building lobby)

Wednesday, April 21
Clearwater Campus (2465 Drew Street)
2:30-3:30pm
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle food production panel (TA building)

4:00-5:30pm
Food, Inc. screening (TA building)

Tarpon Springs Campus (600 Klosterman Road)
All day event
Campus garden planting (Tent at middle of campus)

Thursday, April 22
Clearwater Campus (2465 Drew Street)
12:00-12:15pm
Second Annual Clearwater Campus Tree planting (Quad at LA building)

12:30-1:45pm
Photovoltaic Solar Panel presentation by Rick Gilbert, President Solar Source (TA building)

Tarpon Springs Campus (600 Klosterman Road)
12:30-2:30pm
Wall-E screening (Location TBD)

6:30-8:30pm
Wall-E screening (Location TBD)

Friday, April 23
College-wide event
10:00-11:00am
Moccasin Lake Park tour (2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater)

Saturday, April 24
Tarpon Springs Campus (600 Klosterman Road)
12:30-2:30pm
Food forest project (For more information, text “food forest” to 727 271-2754)

To learn more about sustainability at St. Petersburg College, contact Jason Green at green.jason@spcollege.edu.  Then visit http://www.spcollege.edu/sustainability, join the facebook group and follow us at http://twitter.com/sustainableSPC.

Help clean up Clearwater Beach, April 17

The St Petersburg College environmental clubs and SPC chapter of US Green Building Council Students (you don’t have to be a member of either to participate) adopted a mile of beach (Lot 36) on North Shore Clearwater Beach, running from Rockaway St. to 880 Mandalay.

They have scheduled their next beach clean-up Saturday April 17 starting at 9am, meeting on the beach at Rockaway Street, right in front of the public parking lot.  Bags and gloves will be provided, but please remember to wear a hat, sunscreen, closed toed shoes and pants for the dunes, etc.

For driving directions click here.

You can park in the public beach parking or find residential parking further down the road then just walk back.

So again, plan to meet on the beach in front of the public parking lot, April 17 at 9am.  Spend a few hours picking up garbage and the rest relaxing on a clean beach.

For more information, please contact green.jason@spcollege.edu or call 727 341-3283.

Hope to see you there!

To learn more about sustainability at St. Petersburg College, contact Jason Green at green.jason@spcollege.edu.  Then visit http://www.spcollege.edu/sustainability, join the facebook group and follow us at http://twitter.com/sustainableSPC.