One of the first things you may notice, especially if you live in an apartment complex, is that you can’t get out of the gated complex! Have you experienced this yet? You pull up to the gate, just like you would with your car and the gate does not open. Why is this? Your gate is very likely triggered by metal in a car, not pressure or a laser beam. If you don’t have your “clicker” look for a rectangular marking in the road and put your bicycle on it. If your bike is aluminum or carbon fiber, you’re going to be there for a while! Try laying the bicycle down on the ground. Really, this has worked for me. If that doesn’t work, you have to come up with a “B” plan. It’s a great reason to try this on a day you don’t have to work.

Another obstacle you may notice and it’s my biggest peeve is how un-friendly traffic lights are in this town when it comes to bicycles. Traffic light “coordination” works a few different ways in Las Vegas: timed, camera controlled, ground sensors. It is very possible to sit at an intersection in this town and the light will never, ever change for you; oh, Wigwam and Pecos comes to mind. Short of running the light, which I never recommend, don’t drive yourself crazy. Roll over and hit the pedestrian button. In some cases it will trigger the light immediately, or at the very least it will give you extra time to roll through the intersection. Do you ever notice that left hand turn signals sometimes only last six or seven seconds? They’re programmed that way. You see, each intersection only is allotted a max number of seconds. To improve flow in any one direction, less “green” time is given to lower priority traffic flow. So, if you’re heading south on Spencer, crossing St. Rose Parkway and there are no cars behind you to trigger the camera or the ground sensor, where do you think the priority is going to be given to? Yep, the major road: St. Rose. If you press the pedestrian cross button when you get to your green light, you’ll get more green light. If not, sorry bicycles, hope you brought enough water.

One of the main reasons I do my test ride is to figure out terrain, specifically: hills and road widths. Las Vegas is a peculiar town when it comes to roads. Take a ride south on Eastern on a bicycle and then do the same ride on Pecos. Pecos has wild, rolling hills, Eastern appears to be flat. A lot of the town is like that and it’s great if you can find a nice downhill as part of your route or something as flat as possible. Using those two roads again as an example, ride either with traffic. Pecos has bicycle lanes and wide shoulders. Eastern, well, Eastern reminds me of riding a bicycle on 7th Avenue in New York City. It would be to your benefit to ride Pecos, even if it means taking a little extra time to get to it. Again, you might not notice this driving in your car, but when you’re on your bicycle nuances like these become obvious.

It pays to ride-your-ride. You’ll save so much energy, time and you’ll be safer. In future posts I’ll provide more tips and tricks to help you get around on your bicycle, but until then, ride safely and always wear a helmet.

WHAT: On December 24th Target invites you to experience, free of charge, the third annual Winter Lights Festival as their gift and as part of their commitment to make arts and culture accessible to children and families across the nation. Set amidst the latest in green building technology and native desert gardens adorned by a half-million eco-friendly LED lights, this winter celebration is sure to delight kids from one to ninety-two. Live performances of holiday music will captivate visitors on Christmas Eve. The spirited voices of roving madrigal groups, the scent of seasonal dishes, rides on “reindeer” ponies, and visits with Santa will make this an experience the whole family is sure to cherish. Don’t forget your warm woolen mittens and be sure to visit the Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck where sweet treats and hot cocoa will surely take the chill off of a winter’s night. Visit the Gift Shop and peruse “green” treasures perfect for everyone on your list. Join us as we bring together the old and the new at the 2009 Winter Lights Festival!

• • • Additional charges apply for the rides.

WHERE: Las Vegas Springs Preserve
333 Valley View Blvd. (U.S. 95 at Valley View, across from Meadows Mall)

WHEN: Thursday, December 24, 5-9 pm

INFO: For more information, call 822-7705 or visit the Ticketing Window.

Energy Consultants Help Save Homeowners on their Energy Bills
Pro Energy Consultants let us tag along while they performed an energy audit on a home. We now realize how much energy can be lost by having poor insulation in your ceiling, around your fireplace and throughout a number of places in a home. We can all save on our energy bills by fixing our insulation, filling cracks and doing little things around or own homes. A simple trip to Home Depot or Lowes and a couple of hours of maintenance work and you can start saving hundreds of dollars a year.

So sit back and enjoy GLTV’s (that’s us) ride with Pro Energy Consultants. We hope you learn a few tips to start making your home more energy efficient.

Are you a business that is “green?” Have an idea for a GLTV spot?

If you are interested in your business being featured in an upcoming GLTV spot please contact Justin @ 702-525-1605 or send him an email at justin@redhousemediainc.com.

Collected by ACT (Advertising Community Together) the ACT Responsible-Advertising Sustainability exhibit showcases ads from around the world that market sustainability. From companies working toward more environmentally friendly operations and “green” products to values that organizations want you to support, this interactive exhibit examines the effectiveness of sustainability-themed advertising, poses questions, and provides opportunities to share your views on advertising and the issues highlighted.

“Advertising surrounds each of us and has an impact in our daily lives on both a conscious and subconscious level,” said Managing Director of the Springs Preserve, Elizabeth Herridge. “These exhibits will give you reason to pause and examine the role ads play in the sustainable choices you make.”

Artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold takes this one step further, using advertising of many forms to create colorful mosaic portraits. Sandhi Schimmel Gold: Junk Mail Art features these portraits, which are assembled from “tiles” made from junk mail, old greeting cards, calendars, photographs, and other paper ephemera—materials that would otherwise go to waste. A self-described “rabid recycler,” Schimmel Gold shows us new visions of beauty created from the advertising industry’s images of beauty.

About the Springs Preserve
The Springs Preserve is a 180-acre national historic site that is the original oasis of Las Vegas and a beacon for a sustainable future. Located three miles from the Strip, the Preserve provides indoor and outdoor experiences that enrich, educate, and entertain visitors of all ages. Indoor experiences include two exhibition galleries dedicated to showcasing art of local and national significance in 8–10 exhibits annually; on-site technologically advanced learning centers; over 300 state-of-the art interactive museum exhibits; and an immersive theater experience. Outdoor experiences at the Preserve include 8 acres of botanical gardens, a series of walking trails leading to historical structures and restored wetlands, live desert wildlife exhibits, a child’s play area, and a 1,800-seat amphitheater. Celebrating the diversity of Las Vegas culture, the Preserve offers events and educational programming that enhance every season of life in the Mojave. Award-winning LEED Platinum architecture and water-smart desert landscaping highlight the Preserve’s dedication to sustainability. The Preserve is located at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. For more information, please visit http://www.facebook.com/l/9f277;www.springspreserve.org.

Program promotes recycling and gives value to the customer

LAS VEGAS – October 23, 2009 – The Cupcakery, Las Vegas’ premier cupcake bakery, has just launched a new green incentive program that promotes recycling and gives customers a sweet discount. In an effort to reduce
waste and encourage customers to return reusable material, The Cupcakery is offering a discount on the purchase of a dozen cupcakes in exchange for Cupcakery packaging materials.

Customers have the opportunity to receive a $2 discount for reusing or returning a dozen cupcake box, a $1 discount for a Cupcakery shopping bag and 50 cents for any small plastic container or the half-dozen box. The offers can also be combined for an even greater discount. Regular prices are $3 per cupcake and $32 per dozen.

“The Cupcakery is excited be able to help Mother Earth by recycling our products and giving customers a great discount at the same time,” said Owner Pamela Jenkins. “The discount offer is also a great way to encourage people to make the effort to recycle.”

About the Cupcakery

Baked fresh daily, The Cupcakery uses only the finest ingredients for quality you can taste. With a signature line-up of more than 16 distinctive flavors, The Cupcakery also features seasonal and monthly cupcakes. Local delivery service is available. Specialty orders, including themed and corporate logos, can be ordered with advance notice. Customers can also visit the website www.thecupcakery.com for easy online ordering, upcoming specials, contests and breaking cupcake news! Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10
a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Cupcakery…the best little cupcakes in Vegas!

My life plans did not include single-handedly populating the earth; yet, when after four children, I found out I was pregnant again–with TWINS– that is exactly what it felt like. Since the birth of my twin boys, I have become increasingly aware of the emergent condition of our planet.

Our planet’s degraded state is due, at least in part, to over population-and more importantly over consumption. Not only do I feel an intense moral need to “do my part,” because I have a large family, I feel an intense responsibility to educate my children about the fragile state of earth, and decrease my families “ecological footprint.”

Many people feel that the answer is to limit the number of children we are able to have. However, I am amazed (and horrified) when people suggest that the means to population control includes eliminating our rights ( I had a guy in an Environmental Science class I took suggest that a way to effectively control population was to give a baby boy a vasectomy at birth). Besides our most basic rights, these types of people fail to look at the AMOUNTS of resources each person is consuming – which is inordinately high in highly developed countries such as the United States. This is at LEAST as important as the actual size of the population.

Although recently ‘experts’ have focused on the Earth’s population as the culprit of our planet’s issues, It is important to understand that when scientists or other ‘experts’ explain the effect of each person on the environment by giving a ‘per capita energy consumption,’ it is not accurate. It is the amount of resources each person consumes and the damage done by the technologies used to supply them.

While researching information on this topic, I came across several websites and various sources that contain both astounding and disheartening facts.

The “Population Explosion” is an article that was written by Paul and Anne Ehrlich. They begin their article with a quote by Thomas Hardy. “If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst.” The degradation of Earth is rapidly turning into ‘worse’ and clearly some solutions must be found. However, these solutions do not include taking away the rights of individuals or allowing government officials to control/monitor our most basic rights and freedoms.

Paul and Anne Ehrlich define overpopulation as “…population can’t be maintained without rapidly depleting nonrenewable resources…and without degrading the capacity of the environment to support the population.” In other words, if the area is unable to sustain the people long-term, that area is overpopulated.

Although concerns about overpopulation usually centers on rapid population growth – often in poor countries — Paul Ehrlich points out that “…the impact of humanity on Earth’s life support systems is not just determined by the number of people alive on the planet. It also depends on how those people behave. When this is considered, an entirely different picture emerges: the main population problem is in wealthy countries.”

Consumers need to be informed. It is imperative that people learn to use resources in a more responsible manner. That doesn’t mean give your child a vasectomy — or throw them into the Nile at birth, it means that maybe they should reconsider before buying a Hummer, or supporting companies who have refused to be compliant with environmentally safe standards.

As parent’s we have the opportunity to make a difference every day by making choices such as carrying our own shopping bags or choosing cloth diapers over disposables (saves money too!). We also have the opportunity to have an ongoing effect well into the future by educating our children. Think about the choices we make, and examples we set on a daily basis:

* When was the last time you ordered a magazine subscription – or printed things unnecessarily?
* Do you have your monthly bills sent electronically and request that paper bills are no longer sent?
* When was the last time you bought a cup of coffee at Starbucks and they ‘double cupped’ because it was hot?
* How many plastic bottles do you throw away from water every day?
* Do you buy in bulk – or many small packages? (packaging creates more landfill)
* Do you buy vegetables and fruits from the produce section ‘loose’ instead of in unnecessary packaging?
* Do you RECYCLE?

If everyone would make an effort, it would have an enormous impact. It may not be the complete solution – but it will certainly make a difference. Our children bring immeasurable joy not only to you the parents, but to many others as well. Above all, remember that our children are our most valuable resource.

Please visit www.twinpregnancyinfo.com for facts about pregnancy, pregnancy with multiples, as well as parenting and relationship advice.

______

Kelliann Bateman

Kelliann has writing expertise in the areas of health, fitness, and nutrition. Kelliann also has intimate knowledge of high-risk pregnancy, twin and multiple birth, and maternal health. She is founder and editor of both TwinPregnancyinfo.com and FitWithTwins.com, where expectant and new mothers find the latest information on pregnancy with multiples and post-pregnancy fitness. For further information please contact Kelliann at kelliann@twinpregnancyinfo.com

• First energy-generation on The Strip through its 8.5 megawatt natural-gas co-generation plant, providing efficient electricity on site, reducing emissions and using “waste heat” to provide domestic hot water

• World’s first fleet of stretch limos powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG)
• Nation’s most technologically advanced hotel rooms with exclusive features allowing guests to “green their stay”
• Development of slot machine bases that serve as floor air-conditioning distribution units, efficiently cooling public spaces from the ground up in the occupied zones, rather than wasting energy cooling the empty space below the ceiling
• Energy-efficiency initiatives providing a savings equivalent to powering 8,800 households annually
• Creation of a large-scale recycling operation that enabled the recycling or reuse of more than 260,000 tons of construction waste, including 97% of the imploded Boardwalk Hotel
• More information on CityCenter’s Green initiatives can be found at: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/mgm/39529/

Located in the Northwest at the corner of Tenaya and Lake Mead.
7290 W Lake Mead Blvd. #2
Las Vegas NV 89128
702 586-0430

Print out the coupon and bring it into Create Restaurant to get your FREE Small Custard.

LAS VEGAS – August 6, 2009 – The green job market in Nevada is growing at a rapid pace, and UNLV students will soon gain a competitive edge in this emerging market with the creation of a new degree program in solar and renewable energy.

The Solar and Renewable Energy Minor, made possible by a $500,000 gift from NV Energy, will be available to all UNLV students beginning this fall as a complement to students’ existing degree programs. The minor is designed to boost student knowledge in the areas of solar and renewable energy utilization, sustainable building design and global environmental challenges. The gift also includes funding for scholarships, undergraduate research opportunities, demonstration equipment and internships with either NV Energy or local agencies with a strong focus in renewable and solar energy.

“The Solar and Renewable Energy Minor is an ideal industry-education partnership that will provide our students with career opportunities in the booming green job market and supply the workforce needed to support the alternative energy industry in our state and community,” said Tom Piechota, UNLV director of sustainability and multidisciplinary research.

The degree program is housed in the UNLV department of environmental studies and consists of both policy and science and engineering tracks. The policy track is open to all majors and includes additional coursework in environmental history, economics and policy. The science and engineering track, which is open to those who have fulfilled the science and engineering prerequisites, includes additional training in solar thermal and photovoltaic systems and design principles of renewable energy.

Scholarships of up to $3,000 will be awarded to 10 students each semester to offset costs associated with the minor. More than $80,000 will also be available each year to support graduate assistantships and undergraduate research opportunities for students to work with UNLV faculty on solar and renewable energy on research projects.

Each semester, four students enrolled in the minor will also have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in emerging green technology fields through internships with agencies such as NV Energy or other public and private sector organizations with a similar energy mission. In addition, local industry leaders from both the public and private sector will be brought in each semester to teach courses or make presentations in their areas of expertise.

For more information on the Solar and Renewable Energy Minor, please visit: environment.unlv.edu/solar