Are you attending the ideal home show March 26th-28th at Exhibition Park (Halifax, NS)? This year there is a unique opportunity to participate in Lite 92.9 FM contest at the ideal home show and win an IDEAL backyard! An instant do-it-yourself backyard that includes MVQS topsoil and most advanced turfgrass that helps the environment, RTF Sod. This is a BIG prize with the contest winner receiving enough sod and topsoil to cover 4,500 square feet of area! And the RTF Sod is more than that thick, lush, green sod you expect from MVQS, it gives you a lawn that’s tops when it comes to pest resistance – with natural protectant from pesky insects and disease! The contest winner also receives plants, shrubs, seeds from Blomidon Nurseries. Wow!

>>Find out more on how to enter for your chance to win at Lite929 website

There is a new sod in town: Pesiticde lovers need not apply – the green organic is in!

Spring will soon be here, which means that people will be exploring ways to ensure that they have greener and more healthy lawns.

While a new season will soon kick in, there is something even more special that’s going on that will no doubt attract the attention of consumers this spring.

You see, Musquodoboit Valley Quality Sod (MVQS) has just unveiled a new “green organic” sod, which marks a new era in the landscape industry – a green revolution.

MVQS is the first in Nova Scotia, and their sister company, New Brunswick Quality Turf (NBQT) is the first in New Brunswick to now offer RTF (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue), a green-friendly sod.

>>>Link to News Release by Salt and Pepper Media News Inc

Renewable energy for Nova Scotia is a winner…what deal at Copenhagen?
Nova Scotia won a green initiative award at Copenhagen because of effort to reduce Nova Scotia’s carbon footprint. If the main thrust of how this will be achieved is through investment in renewable energy for Nova Scotia…it may just make sense. From bio-massed fuelled power plants to tidal energy from the Bay of Fundy. From what I took in on the comments by the Premier of Nova Scotia on Andrew Krystal’s News 95.7 FM Morning News talk show this morning, Nova Scotia has a real opportunity to achieve GHG target by 2020 in accordance to the Environmental Goals and Sustainability Act. The Premier, Darrell Dexter in fact spoke of the spirit of discussion he and his provincial delegation had with potential international financial investors in Copenhagen, and he seems to recognize in a business sense the opportunity that presents itself with research suggesting the Bay of Fundy is North America’s best site for tidal power generation. Research in fact suggests the Bay of Fundy has the “in-stream potential of 300 megawatts of energy from two sites close to the exiting grid — enough power for about 100,000 homes.”

Copenhagen, Environmental Sustainability & Green Roofs

No matter the push by skeptics & extremists at the summits, environmental progress really happens in bi-lateral agreements between nations well in advance of the Copenhagen Summit and personal choices we make at home

In advance of the Copenhagen meetings between nations on climate change and the climate summits call for action, media articles are poping up either led by skeptics or extremists. Some of the media releases and blogs push with a sense fear articulated from the scientific data and the claim that all (over 90%) of scientists concur it is fact that something must be done. Other articles (by skeptics) point to the notion that other factors from water to wealth re-distribution may be behind what is leading the environmental push. And now with leaked information from emails between scientists from world’s leading climate research units at Britain’s University of East Anglia that begs to questions the choir of environmental groups, not much wonder this environmental religion is facing some hard questions from skeptics and the public is becoming irritated.

What the leaked material appears to reveal is there has been a series of conspiracies to exaggerate data concerned with man-made global warming. For example, one of the emails reads: “I’ve just completed trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years and from 1961… to hide the decline.” And, “The fact is that we can’t account for the lack of warming at the moment is a travesty. The data published on 2008 shows there should be even more warming. Our observing system is inadequate.”

So with this information now public, is it a saboteur to the green agenda by world nations, is it a suggestion that there may be a scandal in the scientific data? What can one expect at Copenhagen? Then again is much of the environmental progress really made at the Copenhagen summit or in advance of the summit?

Well, in the case of Canada (contrary to the view of some detractors) we should be happy to see Canada making environmental deals with major developing regions like China in advance of the summit. This agreement between Canada and a major emitter like China shows there is recognition that something must be done to both foster realistic environmentally-friendly technologies, and adopting to climate change responsibilities in amongst the ambitions to increase trade. This is progress. And with Canada & the US both looking to meet very similar emission targets & friendly discussion between the PM & President, a North American made agreement is likely all but an done deal.

With more questions starting to be raised about the data and the science of climate change and people ask themselves if cap & trade (wealth re-distribution) is really going to do anything to actually reduce carbon emissions we have every right to be irritated. And we should recognize that we are empowered to help promote environmental sustainability with decisions we make at home.

Sometimes I think the media and environmental groups put to much of the focus on national government decisions, and fail to put enough focus on what we can do ourselves in our actions and use of new technologies. We can be more green & help the ecosystem by taking more steps to encourage recycling, to composting to how we use our green space by utilizing new advanced sod & seed technologies like RTF® (Rhizomatous Tall-Fescue) in our landscapes. Because RTF® seed/sod has greater amount of natural inhibiters against common plant disease, weed & pests, while at the same time requiring less watering and exterior nutrient input it can qualify for LEED credits. So to be clear RTF® in a landscaping seed or sod that with it’s rhizomes (creeping stem or runner that extends outward from plant underground) & endophyte enchanced tall-fescue nature helps the environment by self-repairing, reducing water usage & requiring less nutrient & chemical inputs. RTF® is truly an effective tool in home, business or commercial application to improve green space, reduce the use of chemical application (improved health & reduces unsafe chemicals into our water ways) & help the ecosystem, much the same as replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFL light bulbs is an effective method in green energy reduction.

Progress and environmental sustainability can start at the home whereby we know we are making a difference. Perhaps we should be more realistic with our expectations on the results that will be coming out of Copenhagen — as most realistic bi-lateral commitments between nations, I suggest, are likely already agreed upon well in advance of this years summit.

Answer to why we have to gather up fallen leaves!

What is your method: Rake or leaf blower?

Landscaping and the skinny on Pallets (Skids sod is delivered on)