The Park Spark Project

First of all I'd like to give a Big Thanks to everyone who attended the Keller Williams Dog Wash last week! It was a privilege to be able to help out the East Baton Rouge Animal Rescue Shelter.



Have you heard about The Park Spark Project?
The Park Spark methane digester, unveiled this week, only powers a streetlight for now — no poop-powered popcorn yet. But it’s a neat concept: Replace trash cans with a public methane digester, and you demonstrate how simple it can be to turn waste into fuel. “As long as people own pets in the city and throw away dog waste, the production of energy will be continuous and unlimited,” the project’s Web site says.

The project involves three basic steps: Throw your dog’s waste into the digester, where anaerobic bacteria are ready to break it down. Stir the mixture to help methane rise to the top, and burn the methane to generate light or electricity.
After picking up their dogs' waste in biodegradable bags, visitors to the Park Spark digester can feed the waste through an above-ground tube, and stir it with a hand crank. The bacteria container is buried underground and the methane is piped through the ground to the streetlamp, which burns with an eternal flame. Eventually, the project leaders want to use dog-generated methane to power vendor carts selling human food.

I wish the best for this project and hopefully we'll see it expanded to Baton Rouge one day!

View more great ideas and learn about Green Building at GreenBatonRouge.com!

What are Rain Barrels?

Looking for ways to become more self sufficient or live a more eco-friendly lifestyle? You may want to think about buying one or more rain barrels for your home.

What are rain barrels? Rain Barrels catch rain water run off (typically from your gutters) that would normally flow to the ground. You can use this water for watering your plants and lawn (rain water is healthier for plants than tap), washing cars, or it can be used as an alternative water source during dry spells. Saving this rain water helps to decrease the amount of treated water you would normally use and saves you money.

You can make your own rain barrel or visit RainBarrelSource.Com where you can buy rain barrels in almost every style and color.



Above is an example (Good Ideas Rain Wizard 50 Gallon Oak Rain Barrel) of one of the many rain barrels ‘The Rain Barrel Source’ has to offer. It is made of 100% recycled plastic resin and can be connected to additional rain barrels for increased capacity. The top includes a screen which keeps water free of debris and insects.

As you can see you can ‘Green’ your home without having to give up style!

View more great ideas and learn about Green Building at GreenBatonRouge.com!