Green Drinks - After Action Report
The Last Thursdays - March through May
Environmental Forum
March 28th -
We had an enthusiastic crowd for our first Green Drinks event. Everybody was excited to start this tradition in the QCA.
April 25th -
On a stormy evening, Tara Witherow shared how she turned her lawn into a garden with native plants, which provide food for native insects and birds. Under the Davenport Native Roots Program, when a yard contains more than 80% native plants, it no longer needs to be mowed. Doing so, Tara no long used lawn chemicals, which end up in our water; eliminated emissions from lawn care equipment; brought back biodiversity; provided food for the pollinators; and brought carbon back into the soil. The added benefits are the time and cost savings in lawn care. That sounds like a win-win. You can learn more about what Tara did to her lawn the following Quad City Times article ("Lawns are Wasted Space") or contact Tara on her Facebook page.
May 30th -
Flood water covered the parking lot in front of Fresh Deli, but Green Drinks went on as scheduled. Dawn Temple, Administrator of the Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District brought her bin of worms and food wastes, and shared with us her Vermicomposting experience. In the US, we each generate about 277 pounds of food waste a year and only 3% of that is composted. Vermicomposting uses red wiggler worms, available from the bait shop, to compost. These worms eat their own weight in food every day, and produce nutrient-rich compost in about 3 months. This is done in a well-ventilated, covered storage bin that is kept indoors. The system is amazingly clean and odorless. It would be a great activity for the young environmentalist. For more information contact Dawn Temple on her Facebook page.
Susan Leuthauser