Urban Sustainability

Don't let the worms crawl in and the worms crawl out -- put them to work! We'll teach you to use specialized red worms to compost your food waste. These use their waste as a fertile soil amendment to benefit your plants. Learn to set up and maintain a worm bin, and to harvest and use the worm castings. 

Class meets at the Environmental Education Center, 4116 W. Plano Parkway. Plano, TX 75093

Thursday, March 1, 2012 7:00pm-9:00pm 

Please register for this class by visiting the website below:

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

Everyone loves the cheery sounds of birds in the garden. Join Dan Coletti, owner of Just Natural Design, as he shows you how to attract these beautiful guests into your garden. Find out which plants are must-haves in the garden, how to provide food and shelter, what type of birds you can expect to see in our area and more. After this class, the birds in your yard will forget about migrating and want to call your garden home. 

4/5 from 6pm-8pm, $27 or 24 for Members

 Register for a class online or Download a printable form 

For more information contact education@dallasarboretum.org

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.

Hands-On Organic Vegetable Gardening Class

Don’t have a lot of time, money, patience, or space…but want a
productive vegetable garden?

learn about DFW’s unique growing season(s), climate, soils, plants,
and water resources
raise safe, nutritious food for your family
teach children to know and enjoy gardening
What will I do in the class?

Basics: Gain knowledge needed to turn your bare ground or Bermuda
grass lawn into raised-garden beds – in the right place, with the
right soil, at the right time, with the right plants. Small enough to
manage, big enough to provide real food.
Techniques: Raised beds; soil, mulch, and compost;
bio-intensive/square-foot gardening, organic methods.
plant varieties that work best in the North Central Texas area
water management
plant starts, seeds, and propagation
good and bad bugs
80% hands-on -- Remainder of class is discussion time

Irrigation Quick Fixes 

Tuesday, May 8, 6-8 p.m., Southwest Branch Library, Dr. Dotty Woodson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service 

To work efficiently, an irrigation system requires, at the very least, an annual check-up. An inefficient system may waste as much as 50% due to minor problems that are easy to fix. This class will provide step-by-step instruction on how to perform an irrigation check up as well as how to make minor repairs and adjustments.  Information on how to select a licensed irrigation professional for larger more complicated jobs will also be presented.

The City of Dallas invites you to learn the science of composting.

By composting we can reduce the amount of waste we send to the landfill.

In fact, at least 30% of the material sent to the landfill is organic and could be composted at home.

Composting at home is easy! Join us for a free class to learn how you can compost in your own backyard.

Spaces are limited so please call us now at 214-671-8134 to reserve your seat.

The City of Dallas invites you to learn the science of composting.

By composting we can reduce the amount of waste we send to the landfill.

In fact, at least 30% of the material sent to the landfill is organic and could be composted at home.

Composting at home is easy!

Join us for a free class to learn how you can compost in your own backyard.

Spaces are limited so please call us now at 214-671-8134 to reserve your seat.

Dan Pallotta, Author of “Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential“ & Founder of the Charity Defense Council

A pioneering social entrepreneur and expert in nonprofit sector innovation, Dan Pallotta’s “Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential” has been acclaimed by The New York Times, The Economist, and The Stanford Social Innovation Review. He is the founder of Advertising for Humanity and the Charity Defense Council. Pallotta is a William J. Clinton distinguished lecturer and a regular contributor to The Harvard Business Review Online, where he writes about transforming the nonprofit paradigm.

Do you like the feeling of Dallas Sustainable Living Meetup? Do you love sharing meals, talking, growing food together, just plain spending time with other people?

Then you might be interested in living in intentional community,with like-minded people. An intentional community could be urban or rural, condos, townhomes, or individual houses.

For those new to the concept of intentional communities, we'll briefly introduce the concept.

Then we'll discuss communities currently forming in the DFW area, both urban and rural, including Dallas Cohousing and White Rock Crossing.

Please come if you are:

• curious about intentional communities
• would like to know your neighbors
• want to live in an intentional community; and/or
• are forming your own community and are seeking new members

RSVP - http://www.meetup.com/DallasSustainability/events/48557252/