219 GreenConnect

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Tacy Fletcher of Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society’s North Chapter. INPAWS is growing despite the end of the growing season, and the fall of shorter nights and sleeping plants…

Tacy will discuss the numerous hikes the INPAWS group led; some of what was seen and identified; friends made; and trails discovered.  More of the same can be expected from INPAWS North Chapter in the upcoming year including the indoor monthly talks by invited speakers who have expertise in native plant species.  

Learn more:

www.inpaws.org

www.219greenconnect.com

219 GreenConnect Host, Kathy Sipple speaks with Dan Plath and Kat Szot from NiSource about their new renewable energy option available to NIPSCO customers. 

NIPSCO’s Green Power Program is a voluntary program that allows you to designate a portion or all of your monthly electric usage to be attributable to power generated by renewable energy sources, such as wind power.

When you sign up, NIPSCO buys renewable energy certificates (RECs) on your behalf. RECs are the environmental attributes associated with electricity that is generated from renewable sources.

Your purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) supports electricity production in Midwestern states and helps offset conventional electricity generation in the region where the renewable electricity generator is located. The purchase also helps build a market for renewable electricity and may have other local and global environmental benefits such as reducing global climate change and regional air pollution.

Recycling and reusing items like plastic bottles, hand-me-down clothing and newspapers is important to make part of one’s every day routine to the reduce, reuse, recycle movement that is helping to reduce waste.

One aspect of the recycling industry that may not be as popular, but just as important, is scrap metal recycling. Scrap metal exports are one of the largest in the US and by recycling metals, we reduce the amount of ore drilling throughout the world.

Some of these metals include copper, steel, aluminum, brass, iron and wires, but they are often tossed in the garbage due to the lack of knowledge and sources for metal recycling.

Interested in turning your scrap metal into cash? 219 GreenConnect Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Neil Samahon, CEO at Metro Recycling, about choosing a reputable recycling facility, some important regulations you need to know to comply with current laws and tips for a successful experience.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Paul Quinlan, Stewardship Director at the Shirley Heinze Land Trust about their recent land acquisition.

In 2012, SHLT was approached by the Girl Scouts to acquire their former Camp Meadowbrook in Valparaiso, Indiana. This strategic addition to SHLT’s system of nature preserves has been met with tremendous support from funders, partner organizations and volunteers.  

The property promises to be a nexus for conservation efforts throughout Northwest Indiana.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Ginny Brown from Energizing Indiana. GInny will share information about their free energy assessment for residential power customers and how your participation can help fund green causes like Northwest Indiana Green Drinks, a monthly educational meet up organized by 219 GreenConnect.

To enroll, call 1-888-893-8218 or email [email protected]. Please tell them you heard about the program here!

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with David Mueller from Paul Henry's Art Gallery in Hammond about their current exhibit, "Pipelines and Borderlines: People Can't Drink Oil!"

It is a group exhibit of 17 artists from across the U.S. who have produced work that brings attention to the tar sands oil issue nationally, regionally and locally in Northwest Indiana.

"Pipelines and Borderlines" is a a traveling exhibit that has made its way through several locations in the Midwest and also Canada, Mexico and Nicaragua. The portfolio has changed depending on the location of a given show and the issues important in the locale of a particular exhibit. The extraction and processing of tar sands oil has always been part of the exhibit. "...People Can't Drink Oil" is a revised collection, drawing from and adding to the original portfolio and focuses on the proposed end processing of tar sands oil here in Northwest Indiana, specifically at the BP refinery in Whiting, and the potential impact of that operation on Lake Michigan and the local environment.

Guest host Kassie Meeks interviews 219 GreenConnect Founder, Kathy Sipple, sharing the story behind the initiative and some success stories that have resulted.

Sipple is the local organizer for Green Drinks International, a worldwide network of monthly meet ups about environmental issues. She is also Regional Coordinator for Sustainable Indiana 2016 and their statewide Social Media Manager. 

In her free time Sipple enjoys growing organic vegetables at her community garden, hiking at the Indiana Dunes and taking nature photos.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks to Mitch Barloga, biking enthusiast and Ped, Pedal & Paddle Planner at Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission.

We'll talk about a number of trail initiatives and events, including Greenways & Blueways, the National Complete Streets Coalition, The Calumet Summit 2013 and Sustainable Indiana 2016's Mass Action initiative to Take the Trail in 2013.

219 GreenConnect host Kathy Sipple speaks with Chemical Engineer turned cooking instructor, Cheryl Dornberg of Mrs. Dornberg's Culinary Experience in Highland, Indiana.

Confused by all the fad diets and nutrition advice you keep hearing?  One of the best ways to achieve optimal health is to adopt a Clean Eating philosophy. 

Clean Eating is a focus on consuming whole foods as close to their natural state as possible along with whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. Cheryl will offer advice to guide you in making clean eating choices and provide tips and techniques for preparing great tasting, good for you meals for the entire family.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Jennifer Shelhart from Green Research Corporation about the organization's work.

They divert unwanted and broken computers from the wastestream, refurbish them and install programs on them from Berkeley Open Infastructure for Network Computing (BOINC). The programs allow BOINC to use the idle time on Green Research computers to communicate with BOINC to help cure diseases, study global warming, discover pulsars, and do many other types of scientific research.

Green Research uses only green energy to perform computing tasks. Their goal is to eventually create their own green energy to utilitize for their cause and to provide green energy for others.