go green 2013

A special supplement to The Daily Nonpareil

Rain barrel solves storm water problem

See Page 2G

Your home, the green machine

See Page 4G

Alternatives to traditional egg dye kits

See Page 5G

Sunday, March 10, 2013

2G Sunday, March 10, 2013 The Daily NonpareilGo Green

A+ Rating2011

DAILY NONPAREILDAILY NONPAREIL

FIRST 25 CALLERS this week will receivea FREE 1 year maintenance agreement. Must mention ad.

712-322-7574 • 2437 Ave. M • Council Bluffs

Free Estimates!

322-6874

4 Generations Since 1922.

✔ Service & Repair✔ Remodels

Capturing the rainChad NatioN

[email protected]

I live on a hill. If you live on a hill – or know anything about gravity – you know that water only wants to go one way: down-hill.

This can be a problem with storm water runoff. No matter where you extend your down-spout to, or how far away from the house, the water will find its way downhill.

At my own property I have tried a number of different solu-tions: Buried pipes, dozens of feet of downspout tubes and downspout extensions. And while they have all worked to help divert the water away from my home and those of my neigh-bors, they are not aesthetically pleasing and push the polluted water back into the local creeks and rivers.

This spring, I will try some-thing new. I will capture that rainwater and use it to my advantage.

Rather than pushing it to the creek as fast as I can, I will try to filter it through my yard and flower beds.

Last fall, I attended a con-tinuing education class at Iowa Western Community College where I built my own rain bar-rel.

The class – taught by Danelle Schmielau, project coordinator at West Pottawat-tamie Soil & Water Conserva-tion District, and Kevin Seevers, Pottawattamie County resource planner – provided all the mate-rials for making a rain barrel

and a discussion on water run-off and what is being done to capture, clean and contain it.

While I have been patiently waiting for spring to test the barrel out, I know that one bar-rel will not make a huge differ-ence in the bigger picture, but I want to see what the collected water can do.

The barrel will not be able to collect all of the water of my house. Schmielau said a one-inch rain on a 1,000-square-foot roof will generate 623 gallons of runoff. Even if you divide that into a 1/4-inch rain, that is still 156 gallons of water, far more than my 55-gallon barrel can hold.

That is why the barrel is designed with an overflow water release to allow water to run out if the barrel is full.

But the key is not keeping the barrel full.

One common concern about rain barrels is that they can harbor mosquitoes. Schmielau said using the water is the big-gest deterrent to mosquitoes, making sure it is circulated five days after the rain event, but using a small amount of veg-etable oil on the top of the water will keep mosquitoes from lay-ing eggs.

The barrel has a spigot on the bottom to attach a garden hose to use the water in your yard. The untreated water is perfect for watering plants or the lawn. It also can be used to wash your vehicle or garden tools.

Capturing the water not only

keeps the oil, sediment, debris and waste the water picks up on its way to rivers and streams from entering the waterways, but also avoids using potable water for purposes that don’t require clean drinking water.

Seevers said in the sum-mer it is estimated between 40 and 60 percent of all drinkable water produced is used to water lawns.

“It doesn’t make sense to spend money and resources making water drinkable and then turning around and wash-ing a car or watering a lawn with it,” Schmielau added.

Iowa average 32 inches of rain per year, which adds up to 868,864 gallons of rain water per acre per year falling from the sky. While I will only be try-ing to capture 55 gallons at a time, it’s a start.

Iowa Western will hold another rain barrel workshop through its sustainability con-tinuing education program on

April 27. The two-hour class costs $40, which includes every-thing needed to make a barrel. For more information, call (712) 325-53404.

I’ll see how my barrel works this spring, and I might have to look into the rain garden class April 16. Of course, with my luck, it could always be a dry spring.

Staff photos/Chad Nation

The spigot, above, is sealed at the bottom of a homemade rain barrel to prevent the precious liquid from leaking out. The spigot should be placed far enough above the bottom of the barrel to attach a garden hose, or build a base to place the barrel beneath your downspout. At left, the rain barrel the author made.

Using storm water runoff to replace potable water in the summer

Sunday, March 10, 2013 3GThe Daily Nonpareil Go Green

tim [email protected]

As you think about home improvement projects to do this year, it’s a good time to start identifying steps you can take to save energy – and money.

One of the easiest and most effective energy con-servation measures you can take is to turn down your thermostat in the winter and turn it up during the summer, said Tina Potthoff, spokeswoman for MidAmerican Energy Co.

“Just by lowering your thermostat by 1 degree, you can save up to 4 percent on your utility bill,” she said. “That can amount to a huge savings. If you go from 68 degrees to 65 degrees, you can save 12 per-cent on your utility bill.”

Depending on the age and condition of your house and appliances, you may be able to save a lot more.

“We really encourage people to sign up to have a home energy audit,” Potthoff said.

If you are a MidAmerican Energy customer and your house was built before Dec. 31, 2002, you

may qualify for a free energy audit, she said. In an audit, a specialist will walk through and check your faucets, shower heads, water heater, insulation, calking and windows, she said. You may qualify for free improvements, such as faucet aerators, shower heads, water heater insulation blankets or compact fluorescent light bulbs.

“We do have a lot of success with these home audits,” she said.

Those who can’t be home during the day can do an online audit through MidAmerican’s HomeCheck Online function, Potthoff said.

Rebates are available for newly installed, energy-efficient furnaces, furnace fans, heat pumps, pro-grammable thermostats, air conditioners, water heaters and other appliances, according to informa-tion on the MidAmerican website.

To find energy conservation tips, rebate informa-tion or HomeCheck Online, go to midamericanen-ergy.com/ee/ia_res.aspx and click on the appropriate heading. To arrange an on-site home energy audit, call (800) 545-0762.

Making energy efficient choices – and saving money – the easy way

Your home, the green machine

Get it Online: Complete our home energy assessment. Compare your energy use to similar homes in your area and see where your home uses the most energy.

Roll it Out: Make sure your home has adequate insulation. This includes the attic, exterior walls, floors, basement and crawl spaces. In unheated areas, be sure to insulate around fur-nace ducts or boiler pipes.

Buy it Right: Install ENERGY STAR® compact fluorescent light bulbs and appliances in your home. ENERGY STAR light bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.

Seal it Up: Use weather stripping and caulk to seal air leaks and block drafts, even in the basement and attic, around doors, windows, chimneys, electrical outlets and other potential areas for air leakage.

Set it Smart: Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower in the winter and 78 degrees or higher in the summer to save some green. You also can save with a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature when you’re asleep or away.

Wrap it Up: Put clear plastic sheets over the inside or outside of your windows to reduce

heat loss and increase comfort. Window wrap kits, available at your hardware or home store, are an ideal choice for the job.

Let it Shine: Keep draperies, shades and blinds open on sunny winter days, especially with windows on the south side of your home, and closed on hot and sunny summer days. Closed drapes also double as insulators.

Turn it Off: Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans only when necessary. Remember, mois-ture from cooking and bathing helps humidify your house, making it more comfortable in the winter.

Keep it Clear: Make sure your air registers and radiators aren’t being blocked by furniture, rugs, drapes or other objects in your home. In addition, be sure to dust or vacuum registers or radiators on a regular basis.

Keep it Up: Have your heating system serviced once a year so it runs properly and effi-ciently. Change your furnace filters regularly since dirty filters make the system work harder and use more energy than necessary.

– MidAmerican Energy

No- and low-cost energy-saving ideas to make homes and small businesses more energy efficient10

Photo illustration/Kyle Bruggeman


AMES – Iowa farmers are encouraged to check out a new online tool that will help them select the right cover crop for their operations.

The Cover Crop Decision Tool was developed by the Midwest Cover Crops Council to help farmers select cover crop spe-cies based on their main crops, available planting windows and what they needed from the cover crop such as stopping ero-sion, livestock forage or to con-trol weeds.

Last year, for example, farm-ers throughout the Midwest were urged to plant fall cover crops as a way to keep nitrogen in the soil that was not used by crops during the drought-stressed growing season.

New data updates the Cover Crop Decision Tool so that it can be used for Iowa crops and conditions.

“This tool should be a big help for farmers planning, consider-ing or just thinking about how and where they might use cover crops,” said Tom Kaspar, USDA plant physiologist involved with the Iowa Cover Crops Work-

ing Group that helped develop the tool. “The planting window for each species is adjusted for each county in all participating states, a unique aspect of this resource.”

Mark Peterson, who farms about 300 acres of row crops in southwest Iowa near Stanton, said he would welcome the free, online tool.

After several years of con-sideration, he planted about 80 acres of cover crops for the first time last fall. He used a couple methods, including aerial seed-ing of winter rye by helicopter before soybean harvest.

“I wanted to make sure that something worked,” he said. “I’m also comfortable that the winter rye by itself will save enough soil that even though it might not show up in the bot-tom line on a year-to-year basis, it will be worth it in the long term by keeping the soil where it needs to be.”

Peterson is a farmer-cooper-ator in the Iowa Cover Crops Working Group that has rep-resentatives from Iowa Learn-ing Farms, Practical Farmers

of Iowa, Iowa State University Agronomy Department, USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environ-ment in Ames, and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agricul-ture. All organizations have con-tributed to demonstrations and research related to cover crops.

Kaspar said the tool is spe-cific to region, soil drainage class and includes information about a variety of cover crop species: non-legumes such as oats, buckwheat, barley, triticale and winter wheat; brassicas such as radish, oilseed and tur-nip; legumes including alfalfa, red clover and cowpeas; and five mixes.

The tool suggests cover crop species and potential planting date windows that usually pro-vide good establishment and growth, based on 30-year aver-age frost dates in the user’s county.

To find the Cover Crop Deci-sion Tool, go mccc.msu.edu/selectorINTRO.html.

The tool went online in 2011 with information suited for growing conditions in Indiana. It was expanded to Michigan, then Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario.

Iowa is the latest state to be added to the tool.

– Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Recycle More in Council Bluffs

Questions?Call the Council Bluffs Recycling Center at

(712) 328-4985

You can now recycle#1 - #5 plastic containers

and cartons

• On the curb (on Green Weeks with plastic and metal containers)• In the drop-offcontainers around town• At the Recycling Center

Where?

• Federal Tax Credits: Consult a quali-fied tax advisor or visit energystar.gov/taxcredits for details related to appli-cable federal tax credits or incentives available for installation of energy-efficient equipment.

• U.S. Department of Energy: The website, doe.gov, provides energy information to consumers, educators, researchers, employees and students.

• Energy Savers: The U.S. govern-ment website, energysavers.gov, offers information to help you save energy in your home, business, vehicle or industrial plant.

• Energy Information Administration: Research comprehensive data, pro-gram information and reports, analy-ses and forecasts to help you and your business at the website eia.doe.gov/emeu/consumption/index.html. Infor-mation is available for households, buildings, industry and vehicles.

• ENERGY STAR: ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps us all save money and protect the environ-ment through energy-efficient products and practices. For information, visit energystar.gov.

• ENERGY STAR – Compact Fluores-cent Light Bulbs: If just one light bulb in every American home was replaced with an ENERGY STAR-qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, save approximately $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of approxi-mately 800,000 cars. Visit energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls.

• ENERGY STAR for Small Business: Whether you own your building or are a tenant, you typically need lighting, heating, air conditioning and power for office equipment, and other services to stay in business. With free, unbiased information and technical support from ENERGY STAR, you can more easily improve your company’s financial per-formance by reducing energy waste and energy costs, while protecting the earth’s environment. Learn more at energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=small_business.sb_index.

• ENERGY STAR Home Sealing – Seal and insulate with ENERGY STAR. Learn how to seal and insulate your home’s outer walls, ceilings, windows, doors and floors. A do-it-yourself guide offers step-by-step instructions for sealing common air leaks and add-ing insulation to attics. Visit energystar.gov/homesealing.

• My Energy Gateway – My Energy Gateway, mmsend6.com/link.cfm?r=221170208&sid=19901499&m=2155479&u=AESP1&j=10871873&s=http://www.myenergygateway.org, was cre-ated by the AESP Foundation with a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy. It is a practical tool to help students, displaced workers and returning military plan an education and rewarding career in energy. My Energy Gateway contains a complete database of schools that offer degrees, certifications, as well as internships, scholarships and job descriptions in the energy field.

• Iowa Association for Energy Efficiency – The site, iowaenergy.org, promotes the art and science of the efficient use of energy. As the future of energy changes and evolves, look to IAEE to provide resources and infor-mation on the critical issues of energy efficiency.

– These resources are provided as a service for visitors to MidAmerican

Energy’s website, midamericanenergy.com.

Helpful online

resources

Taking the guesswork out of cover crops

Call 712-256-9823

www.justcallburton.com

CALL TODAY!

$99DRAIN OPENING

1/2 PRICECLEAN & CHECKon Furnace or A/C Unit

GREENLIVING TIP:Yearly routinefurnace & A/Cmaintenance

before the seasonis critical in

managing your home comfort

system.

Not valid with other offers or discounts Not valid with other offers or discounts

WHEN THE PLUMBING’S HURTINJUST CALL BURTON!

GREENLIVING TIP:

Take care of leaky faucets & pipes as soon as you notice them. A leaky faucet

alone can waste up to 100 gallons of

water every week.

The Daily Nonpareil Sunday, March 10, 2013 5G

800-432-9837 ||| 712-366-0531 ||| www.mcmullenford.com3401 South Expressway, Council Bluffs, IA

Take the I-80 Lake Manawa Exit, Turn South Visit us on Facebook

47MPG

40MPG

47MPG

40MPG

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

2013 Ford Focus

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

2013 Ford Fiesta

Up To

Up To


Easter is a time when Christian families gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Religious customs abound on Easter, but a number of secular traditions have emerged as well. Perhaps the most popular secular tradition associated with Easter is the coloring of Easter eggs.

Easter egg dyeing kits emerge in early spring. Consumers have a variety of alternatives to these kits at their disposal. There are some people who desire more environmentally friendly Easter eggs, so here are some creative and greener ideas for coloring eggs this year.

• Wooden eggs: Visit a craft store and purchase wooden eggs that can be painted and decorated however you desire. The wooden eggs will be durable and can be stored away for use each and every year. Because they are made of wood, a naturally recyclable material, they are easy on the environment.

• Consider natural dyes. Use different food items to create all-natural dyes for the eggs. Tea, fruit and vegetable juices – even pack-aged drink mixes – can be used to tint Easter eggs in various colors. Because you’re controlling the materials you use, you can ensure they are safe to use.

• Experiment with papier mache. This ancient paper crafting technique uses recycled paper and a paste to create a hardened mold. Turn excess scraps of paper into delightful eggs put on display for the holiday.

• Purchase corn starch eggs. Corn starch is used in everything from packing materials to children’s craft products. Corn starch can be molded into solid forms or foam-type consistencies. Egg kits are sold with this green material. When Easter is over, the corn starch eggs can be put out for composting. Foam-type eggs may be dissolved with water.

• Make edible eggs. Traditional Easter eggs can be wasteful if the eggs are boiled and used entirely for display. Rather, make eggs that will be enjoyed and are not at risk of spoiling too soon after being on display. Gelatin-dessert eggs is one way to use the eggs after Easter, and creative people can try crafting eggs out of meringue as well.

• Dough eggs: Have the children get out their favorite modeling dough and craft multi-colored eggs as a fun, rainy-day project. Those who want the eggs to last can purchase actual clay from the craft store or whip up their own medium at home. After drying, the eggs should be ready to paint.

• Drained eggs: Those interested in using the yolks and albumen from the eggs for cooking can poke small holes into the eggs and drain them. Then the remaining eggshells can be decorated and put on dis-play.

– Metro Creative Connection

There are many alternatives to dyed eggs, including options that are eco-friendly.

You may think that an eco-friendlylifestyle is expensive, but althoughsome eco-conscious products andpractices can be pricey, it doesn’talways cost a lot of money:

ONE: Wash laundry in cold water.Only use warm water when wash-ing heavily soiled items. TWO:Clean filters in the car and homeroutinely. Clean filters enableitems to operate more efficiently.

THREE: Turn down the tempera-ture on the water heater.FOUR: Recycle everything thatyou can. If your town or city does-n't collect recyclables, bring themto the transfer or recycling center.

FIVE: Buy recycled productswhenever possible. SIX: Switchto a low-flow toilet or place awater-filled plastic bottle in thetoilet tank to cut down on theamount of water used.

SEVEN: Remove excess items,like golf clubs or fishing gear,from a car trunk to improve fuelefficiency. EIGHT: Use publictransportation. Often it is lessexpensive than commuting by car.

NINE: If possible, walk or bike towork instead of driving.TEN: Work more from home ifyour company allows it.ELEVEN: Mend clothing beforebuying new.

TWELVE: When cooking smallermeals, save energy by using amicrowave or toaster oven.THIRTEEN: See if appliances orother items can be fixed beforeyou shop for new things.

FOURTEEN: Use a water filter onyour faucet instead of purchasingbottled water. FIFTEEN: Compostfood scraps for the garden.SIXTEEN: Donate items that youno longer need or use.

SEVENTEEN: Skip take-out foodor convenience items, which use alot of packaging and mass-pro-duced meats. EIGHTEEN: Growyour own food and herbs in abackyard garden.

NINETEEN: Bathe young childrentogether to reduce water con-sumption. TWENTY: Put on orremove layers of clothing insteadof adjusting the thermostat in thehouse.

Inexpensive, Eco-Friendly Tips20

New Unloading Area for Non-Semi Customers. No waiting, No lines! Drive in, Unload, Drive out!Buying scrap steel, cars, farm equipment, copper, brass, aluminum, batteries, etc.

Containers Also Available ~ Call 712-328-7866

(712) 328-2601 ✦ 2603 9th AvenueHOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:30AM ~ 4:30PM ✦ SATURDAY 7:30AM ~ 11:30AM

TThhee AArreeaa’’ss

LLaarrggeesstt RReeccyycclleerr

ooff SSccrraapp SStteeeell

aanndd MMeettaallss!!

BBRROOCCKKEERR,, KKAARRNNSS && KKAARRNNSSIINNSSUURRAANNCCEE AAGGEENNCCYY

11331177 NN.. 1166tthh •• CCoouunncciill BBlluuffffss

771122--332222--11222288

Trusted InsuranceSince 1894

We help insure that the needs of you and your family will be met,

no matter what happens in life.We're proud to provide the same level of knowledgeable, caring servicethat families have relied upon since 1948. We offer life and healthinsurance plans and annuities that will meet your family's financialneeds today and in the future, at affordable rates you can live with.

103 North Ave. ~ Council Bluffs, IA

712-328-3975

CampbellINSURANCE

Agency,Inc.

~ All Types of Insurance ~

AA LL TT EE RR MM EE TT AA LL RR EE CC YY CC LL II NN GG

1426 2nd Avenue • CB

322-1088“CHECK OUR PRICES FIRST”

MONTANGBODY SHOP

Our hometownservice for our customersseparates usfrom the rest!

127 Pearl St.Co. Bluffs, IA

712-328-1823

712-388-4495

322-0291

Engraving Awards Apparel Gifts3022 2ND AVENUE 712.388.4489

CUSTOM WITH YOUR PICTURES, DESIGNS OR LOGOS!

How can wemake you smile?

CALL 681-2078

MMRR.. EE DD’’SSFLAG POLE CO.19278 Conifer Lane ~ Council Bluffs, Iowa

712-323-7095

CALL FOR A FREECommerial Flagpole

MAINTENENCE INSPECTIONfor all your commercial flagpoles!

Since1990

HHAAWWKKEEYYEE / NNEEBBRRAASSKKAA SSIIDDIINNGG,,WWIINNDDOOWW && DDOOOORR,, IINNCC..

NAT-36260-1

Mary Morrow (Jim 2007)Dan Koch 402-630-0852 ●● Jeff Henderson 402-740-2008

1530 Avenue N ●● Council Bluffs, IA 51501NE (402) 344-2376 ●● IA (712) 323-5126

[email protected]

PEOPLES

HARDWARE2917 W. Broadway

Council Bluffs, IA 51501

(712) 323-6822

8G Sunday, March 10, 2013 The Daily Nonpareil

MidAmerican Energy Company puts the power of energy efficiency in our customers’ hands.For more than two decades, our EnergyAdvantage® programs have provided free energyaudits and education and training to teach customers how to use energy more wisely, whichhelps the environment. In addition to receiving program rebates and incentives, customerssave some green through reduced energy costs.

THE

POWERTO SAVE SOME GREEN

800-894-9599www.MIDAMERICANENERGY.com