Learn about green living from local experts and then tour the Environmental Education Center, Plano's only LEED Platinum certified building. 

At this 3rd Saturday Tour & Talk, attendees will learn how to reduce use of water, pesticides and fertilizers by landscaping with native and adapted plants. 

Location: Environmental Education Center, 4116 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75093 

Saturday, March 17, 9:30-11:00am 

Pre-registration required http://livegreeninplano.obsres.com/

http://livegreeninplano.obsres.com/Info.aspx?EventID=3

Is your yard work piling up? Let it! Learn the basics of turning that garden debris into garden gold through composting. We cover what to put in, what to leave out, and how to mix, moisten and manage your way to successful soil enrichment. We'll also teach you to use specialized red worms to compost your food waste and create a fertile soil amendment for plants. 

Class meets at the Environmental Education Center, 4116 W. Plano Parkway. 

Saturday, March 3, 2012 8:00am-11:00am 

To register for this class, please visit the website listed below:

http://livegreeninplano.obsres.com/Info.aspx?EventID=3

Water Conservation Workshop for Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) Organizations 

Join us for a FREE one-day workshop taught by Bill Hoffman, Water Management, Inc. 

Learn about: 
-the latest technology and how-to's of water conservation for ICI water users 
-exploring alternative sources of water 
-ways to establish and finance water conservation programs 
-where to find helpful resources 

Thursday, March 8, 8am-5pm 

Class meets at Sockwell Center, 6301 Chapel Hill Blvd, Plano, TX 75093 

Please register for this class by visiting the website below:

http://livegreeninplano.obsres.com/Info.aspx?EventID=3

Fort Worth Prairie Fest is the annual fundraiser for Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area. Learn more about how funds are plowed back into Tandy Hills HERE.

Prairie Fest grew from a small neighborhood event in 2006 to become the “Best Outdoor Cultural Event in 2010”, according to the Fort Worth Weekly. By 2011, Prairie Fest had attracted hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors to Tandy Hills.

For 2012, Prairie Fest has been re-imagined and re-focused back to discovery and enjoyment of Tandy Hills, itself. Instead of a single event, there will be three festivals throughout the Spring on the last Saturdays of March, April and May. Event hours will be from 4 PM - Dusk.

http://tandyhills.org/fest

Fort Worth Prairie Fest is the annual fundraiser for Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area. Learn more about how funds are plowed back into Tandy Hills HERE.

Prairie Fest grew from a small neighborhood event in 2006 to become the “Best Outdoor Cultural Event in 2010”, according to the Fort Worth Weekly. By 2011, Prairie Fest had attracted hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors to Tandy Hills.

For 2012, Prairie Fest has been re-imagined and re-focused back to discovery and enjoyment of Tandy Hills, itself. Instead of a single event, there will be three festivals throughout the Spring on the last Saturdays of March, April and May. Event hours will be from 4 PM - Dusk.

http://tandyhills.org/fest

When: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Time: 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Topic: "FIELD TRIP! Want to See How Solar Panels are Made?"
Hosted By: 1SolTech, 1920 Diplomat Drive, Farmers Branch, Texas

1SolTech is a leading US manufacturer of quality, cost-effective solar solutions.

The March 2012 meeting of the North Texas Renewable Energy Group will be a tour of the facilities of 1SolTech, manufacturer of solar electric panels. We will not meet at REI on IH635 in Dallas this month only. 

Instead, here is a map. Please go directly to 1SolTech. They are located east of the President George Bush Turnpike, and north of I-635 near Luna Road and Valley View Lane.

We have developed a class schedule with a focus on preparing and managing your landscape during drought conditions.  We are also offering a few classes and ideas if you want to get rid of that old turf grass and make that space more useful and enjoyable to you.

Activities for Kids: 

Water Conservation, Library Craft Project, Composting,  Wildlife, Watershed Protection, and more.

Classes for Adults:

9:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.:  Managing Lawns During a Drought, Warren Tingley, Tarrant County Master Gardener

9:45 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.:  Backyard Composting, Donna Fry, Tarrant County Master Gardener

10:30 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.:  Drought Tolerant Landscaping with Native Plants, Callie Mitchell, Tarrant County Master Gardener

11:15 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.:  Vegetable Gardening, Lance Jepson, Tarrant County Master Gardener

The Earth Day Festival is a community-wide, free, fun, family event where ordinary people will learn practical things to improve the health of the planet, their children and themselves.

http://www.earthdaytexoma.org/ED2012/index.html

Building the Off-Grid Home with Compressed Earth Block (CEB)
============================

Saturday, February 25, 2012, 10:30 am

A building or home from our DFW clay compressed into earth blocks is Natural, Healthy, Inexpensive, Durable, Quiet, Strong, and Super Energy Efficient. And what could be better than building your home out of your own dirt?

This is a mechanized form of adobe that is easy and quick to build. It is naturally cooler than the outside air on a Texas afternoon and also warmer in the winter. Of course in the North Central Texas area, staying cool is of utmost importance. Adobe does this through latent heat.

Latent heat is thermal energy released or absorbed during a phase-change of a substance such as a phase-change material (PCM) like adobe.

Clay, carrying a negative charge, draws water from the atmosphere when relative humidity is highest, as in early morning. When the relative humidity is low, as in later afternoon, water vaporizes out of the adobe as latent heat of vaporization.