Living Clean & Green workshops

During one Saturday and Tuesdays in November, Ijams Nature Center will present a series of Living Clean and Green programs at the Blount County Public Library. The programs are sponsored by Ijams Nature Center, KUB and WBIR-TV Channel 10.
The programs point out some simple lifestyle choices a person can make that will help improve the health of the local environment.
“Each program outlines environmental issues facing the community, how we impact these issues and what we can do to ‘lighten the load’ we place on the environment,” says Kara East, Educator/Naturalist with the program.
All programs will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays:
November 2: Creating a Green Household by Kara East in the Sharon Lawson Room. With too many chemicals in the environment, many household products end up in local soil and water supplies, contaminating vital resources. This program discusses safe options for household products that can be used inexpensively (such as vinegar, baking soda and water) to replace harsher chemical products. Topics include:
Homemade cleaners,
Green products available at your local store,
Homemade pest control solutions, and
Guiding principles for choosing products.

November 9: Wildscaping Workshop by Peg Beute, Conservation Program Director at Ijams, in the Dorothy Herron Room B. Each year Tennessee loses habitat the size of Hamblen County. To address the problem of habitat loss, Beute says, “This workshop provides hands-on landscaping that focuses on creating a natural-looking habitat with native plants.” Participants will learn how to assess their yard, create an overall blueprint and draw up a list of plants that will work at their locations, keeping in mind that everyone’s yard is different. Topics include:
Native versus non-native plants,
How to assess your yard and define your needs,
Recommended plants to create “mini-habitats,” and
Propagating by collecting seeds to grow your own plants.

November 16: Air Quality and Green Energy by Kara East in the Sharon Lawson Room of the library. In a recent study, Knoxville was ranked eighth worst in a list of U. S. metropolitan areas with poor air quality. This workshop covers information to regular citizens to help address and improve conditions. Topics include:
Information on pollution sources,
Slide show of alternative energy (Green Power) installations in our area,
Green Power information,
Details of solar, wind and methane gas produced energy, and
Ways to reduce energy consumption.

November 23: Organic Gardening and Composting by Peg Beute, in the Sharon Lawson Room. A recent study in Science magazine details how organic gardening makes good sense. Although yields are not quite as high as with chemicals, organic gardening costs less and does not fill waterways and soil with toxic chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides). This program discusses the benefits of organic gardening and creating your own compost. Topics include:
What is an organic garden?,
Why chemicals are harmful to the environment,
Ways to enrich the soil without chemicals,
Different types of compost bins and what goes in them, and
Chemical-free pest control.
The program is free and open to the public. The Blount County Library is located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.
For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981.