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V I L L A G E G R E E N

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LITTLE GREEN APPLES

WATERMELON RIND SALAD

PAGE 3

RED, WHITE & GREEN

GROWING JELLY BEANS

PAGE 5

GRASSROOTS ENERGY

HOMETOWN BIOFUELS

PAGE 6

J U L Y, 2 0 0 9 Volume 1, Issue 3 FREE

Page 2 The V i l lage Green Vo lume 1, I ssue 1

SHARE

A Little Green Apple

Share your family recipes with your community

by sending your 100 to 150 word

submission to

thevillagegreen@gogreendaytonabeach.com

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Page 3 The V i l lage Green Vo lume 1, I ssue 1

From The Editors Shannon McLeish and Ciana Maglio, co-editors

Some people see the glass half

empty; others see the glass

half full of nutritious veggie

juice just waiting for the sweet addition of a succulent water-

melon slice on the side—or

maybe that’s only fellow

“green beans” like us. Either

way, it seems that every day is

a cause for celebration here at

The Village Green. And this

month, we’re celebrating free-

dom of choice. The Village

Green team has exercised their

right to choose vacation time, and there is no better time than

the present. Now, don’t panic

– we aren’t going on a perma-

nent hiatus, just a temporary

search of comfortable ham-

mocks drifting on the breeze, green meadows strewn with

summer flowers, dappled sun-

shine filtered through cool

green branches, or lazing in

sunlit gardens. In other words,

we’re taking August off – but

we’ll be back, eager to harvest

our rewards in September.

So keep a look out for us, and

remember to tell your friends.

You can always sign up for

more green information at

GoGreenDaytona.com – your

local source for everything

green. And if you’ve got

something green to tell us,

please do! We’re always

happy to hear from you and

we’d love for you to submit

any recipes you have to share

with our Little Green Apples

readers or questions you want

answered by our quirky,

spunky, yet highly informa-

tive, Gripe the Green Guru.

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Little Green Apples Watermelon Rind Salad by Ocie’s Gourmet Preserves TM, Inc.

Serves 2 to 4 “Just like Grandma used to make ‘Em” TM

Tip: Chill all ingredients

ahead of time.

Ingredients: Salad:

8 oz. jar Ocie’s Gourmet Pre-

serves™, Watermelon Rind

Preserves

5 cups seedless watermelon,

scooped into teaspoon sized

balls

1 small Vidalia onion or other

sweet onion, sliced length-

wise

2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1/8 cup liquid from water-

melon rinds

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 pinch of allspice

Fresh mint, garnish (optional)

Directions:

Drain watermelon rind pre-

serves, saving liquid in a small

bowl.

In a medium-sized bowl, com-

bine preserves, watermelon balls, and onion.

Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese

over melon mixture and set

aside.

In a separate bowl, combine

vinegar and liquid from pre-serves. Whisk until blended.

Slowly add in extra virgin

olive oil, one drop at a time,

while whisking briskly until

well blended.

Add mint and allspice to

dressing and stir gently.

Pour dressing over salad mix-

ture and toss lightly.

Top with fresh mint garnish,

and serve immediately.

Serving suggestion: Great

with grilled fish or salmon

with asparagus.

Ocie’s Gourmet Preserves™

are available at the Downtown

Farmers’ Market on City Is-

land in Daytona Beach. For

special orders, contact Al

McConnehead at (386) 562-

1561 or ociesgourmetpre-

serves@yahoo.com, or by

snail mail: Ocie's Gourmet

Preserves™, Inc., P.O. Box

10439, Daytona Beach, FL

32120-0439.

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Page 4 The V i l lage Green Vo lume 1, I ssue 1

Green Gems The Watermelons are In Town: Part 2 of 2 by Dana Venrick

Watermelons have a storied

history. They have been luxury

food for royalty and a food sta-

ple for many people for thou-sands of years. Watermelons

probably originated in the Kala-

hari Desert of Africa. The first

recorded watermelon harvest

occurred nearly 5,000 years ago

in Egypt and is depicted in

Egyptian hieroglyphics on their

ancient walls. Watermelons

were placed in the burial tombs

of pharaohs to nourish them in

the afterlife. From Egypt, wa-termelons spread throughout the

Mediterranean area. By the 10th

century, watermelons were cul-

tivated in China, which is now

the world's number one pro-

ducer. Many watermelons va-

rieties were brought to the

United States from Africa by

slaves and by various immi-

grants who couldn’t bear to

leave them behind.

In certain semi desert districts

the watermelon is an important

source of water to the natives

during dry periods; there are

districts in Africa where it is

cultivated for that purpose. All

parts of the fruit are edible.

People have been known to

survive for weeks on water-

melon alone. The fiber-rich

rind can be pickled, candied,

or turned into jam or jelly. The seeds are highly nutri-

tious—packed with protein,

vitamin E and potassium—

and make a healthy, tasty

snack if roasted in a low oven

and salted.

Watermelons require a long,

warm growing season. The

optimum pH range for water-

melons is 6.0 to 6.5, although the plant will tolerate soils

with pH as low as 5.0. Water-

melon production is affected

by soil temperature. Seedlings

are easily damaged by frost,

and germination is very slow

in cool weather.

Both seeded and seedless wa-

termelons are produced in

Florida. Varieties of seeded

watermelons include Celebra-tion, Fiesta, Mardi Gras, Re-

gency, Royal Flush, Royal

Star, Royal Sweet, Sangria,

Sentinel, Charleston Gray,

Jubilee, Crimson Sweet, Star-

Brite, Stars-n-Stripes, Sum-

mer Flavor 800 and Summer

Flavor 900. Varieties of seed-

less watermelons include

Freedom, Sugar Baby, Pixie,

Genesis, Millionaire, Revere,

and Summer Sweet. The popularity of seedless water-

melons continues to grow

because of their convenience,

sweetness and longer shelf

life.

For commercial plantings,

pollination by bees is very

important. One beehive per

acre is the minimum recom-

mended by the US Depart-ment of Agriculture for polli-

nation of conventional,

seeded varieties. Because

seedless hybrids have sterile

pollen, rows of varieties with

viable pollen must also be

inter-planted. Since the sup-

ply of viable pollen is re-

duced, three hives per acre are

recommended.

Watermelons are packed with vitamins, minerals and health-

enhancing phytochemicals.

They contain more cancer-

fighting lycopene than any

other fresh produce, including

tomatoes. Watermelon has

lots of vitamin A, which pro-

motes eye and skin health,

and vitamin C, which boosts

the immune system. Water-

melon is high in potassium

and fiber, and the standard two-cup serving contains

just 80 calories and virtually

no fat. Watermelons should

be consumed within two to

three weeks after harvest.

While the redness and fla-

vor of the fruit may improve

over the first week when

stored at or slightly above

room temperature, the red

color fades when refriger-ated.

Join in the celebration of

summer and enjoy a fresh

chilled, red-ripe watermelon

today. You can find them at

the Daytona Beach Farmer’s

Market on Saturday morn-

ing and at other Farmer’s

markets and grocery stores

near you.

Dana Venrick is an Exten-

sion Agent II, UF/IFAS &

Volusia County Commercial

Horticulture Agent. To con-

tact him send an email to

dvenrick@ufl.edu or call

(386) 257-6012

COVER ART

“Independence”

by

Linda S. Archer

is often only the first draft of a second story, while still con-taining all the elements of its prior history. Part II of Independence will be showcased in the November issue of The Village Green. For more information on Independ-

ence, or to contact Linda Archer,

please email archerls@msn.com.

Linda Archer grew up in central Florida, not very far from Orlando. Although she grew up on a farm, she was very aware of the ex-panding city around her, and most importantly, its effects on the natural wild-life she once took for granted. Being part Native American, Iroquois to be exact, she often heard fam-ily stories of how the ex-panding necessity of Ameri-can territory affected this land’s original people.

Maybe it’s the evolution of how actions affect not only our present generations but the many to come that have influenced her art, because it is not uncommon for her to see many pieces of art breathing life from within the canvas before her. She does not superimpose her ideas onto the canvas, but rather mixes her pastels and watercolors and waits to see the images emerge or “take life” before her. It is in this way that a finished painting

Page 5 The V i l lage Green Vo lume 1, I ssue 1

Fresh Greens

Red, White & Green, and Growing Jelly Beans by Joel Tippens

It was an absolutely beautiful

Saturday morning in the garden

as Michelle and I broke the

ground with our shovels to remove patches of grass. With

the early morning sun still low

in the east, the tree that sup-

ports our tire swing extended

cool shade over the area next to

the sandbox – the site for the

new children’s garden. Mi-

chelle’s little boy, Isaac, had

been busy picking beans,

nearly filling a two-gallon

bucket, and she shared with him the idea of making a spe-

cial section of the garden just

for the kids. Isaac was obvi-

ously pretty excited about the

idea and wanted to know just

exactly what would be grown

there.

“Can we grow carrots?”

“Absolutely! What else would

you like?”

Isaac chewed on the question

and his green bean and asked, “Can we grow jelly beans?”

More kids arrived with their

moms a short time later and

Maria, being a little older than

Isaac, set us all straight, ex-

plaining that jelly beans were

out of the question and could

not be grown in the garden.

Digging, raking, and shaping

the new growing beds while I

listened to the kids engaged

with one another, I found joy in their innocence, but I was

also struck by the thought that

I might be witness to some-

thing significant taking place.

Were these kids the newest

“green guerillas” for the food

revolution that is so desper-

ately needed here in the land

of the free and around the

world? Would they be joining

in the movement to bring sustainability to a food indus-

try that is no longer sustain-

able? We may not be able to

grow jelly beans, but when

we grow those carrots with

the kids in the fall, will we

also be growing converts for

the cause – a just and sustain-

able food system?

It seemed to me as I worked

in the garden that morning that the innocent notion of

being given the opportunity to

“grow your own” was an idea

easily accepted by the kids.

Why, then, is the significance

of that simple, revolutionary

act of independence – grow-

ing your own food – lost on

so many grown-ups? Today’s

kids will be facing serious

consequences in the future

due to the way the food in-

dustry is wreaking havoc on

our environment. Are we really that disconnected from

our food?

The truth is, the local food

movement is swelling with

“green guerillas” working for

justice and sustainability and

advocating revolutionary

changes to our food system.

A very powerful symbol of

that movement was offered back in the spring by another

woman named Michelle, the

First Lady, as she gathered

kids in D.C. to once again

install a “victory garden” on

the White House lawn.

As we celebrate America’s

independence on the Fourth

of July, let’s slice some lo-

cally grown watermelon and

declare our own food inde-pendence. If you want to join

the revolution, feel free to

contact this ol’ green guerilla

and I will proudly sign you

up!

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Chasing-the-Green Hometown Biofuels by Robert Brown

Whether to save money or

enhance the comforts of a

green lifestyle, there are end-

less day-to-day activities that we are obliged to change.

Most of us want fewer hor-

mones in our meats, less pre-

servative, less gluten (fill in

the blank, etc…). At risk of

becoming a statistic labeled in

the “liberal” category, num-

bers of green supporters have

made considerable changes

not only to available products,

but also in the way new gen-erations look at health and

their place on earth. But what

is the answer when we turn on

our cars? The dilemma has

almost evaded us, until now.

The future espoused by our

media presents an uncertain

one for fuels. Is there enough

petroleum to keep our engines

running forever? If we don’t

run out of petroleum, will we then destroy our planet? How

is the consumer to make a

difference when an automo-

bile is not a luxury, but a ne-

cessity? In short, we want to

reduce our emissions but very

few alternatives are available.

However, these issues lead us

to a new concept, or, actually,

a recycled one: biofuels, such as biodiesel for diesel engines

and ethanol for gasoline en-

gines. These biofuels work

with little or no retrofitting

other than perhaps tuning

your engine or changing gas

lines and fuel filters. Since

biofuels are much cleaner

than petroleum fuels, they

actually clean your engine,

improve gas mileage, extend

the life of your engine, and reduce toxic emissions up to

65%.

It is very easy to imagine a

world that runs on hydrogen

from water and electricity

from the sun. Yet, new tech-

nologies have proven difficult and costly to implement

(Cough, big business lobby-

ist, cough). Well, ok, mo-

nopolistic competition is only

one problem facing the fu-

ture. The fact of the matter is

that there is not enough

money in Wall Street and the

government to facilitate mass

conversion of infrastructure.

The situation, therefore, re-quires a grassroots approach

for solutions.

It is rare that individuals and

communities find themselves

to be the answer to such tech-

nological dilemmas. Local

resources of waste, waste oil,

and non-food crops, to name

very few, are readily avail-

able to anyone who looks.

With a small budget and a little understanding of chem-

istry and engineering (talents

found in any human habita-

tion), anyone can begin pro-

ducing their own biofuel.

Therefore, the undeveloped

biofuel industry is an exam-

ple of open-source method at

its best.

Grassroots companies like BioSmart Fuel of Edgewater

provide biodiesel solutions

available for private and busi-

ness use. Using biodiesel in

boats is especially attractive

to keep our waterways and

oceans clean. In fact, Pastime

Princess of New Smyrna

Beach, a 100 foot fishing

vessel has taken the hint by

contacting BioSmart Fuel and

converting to B100 (100% biodiesel). By doing so, Pas-

time Princess will effectively

reduce 255 tons of toxic pol-

lutants over the lifetime of its

3 diesel engines and save

thousands of dollars every

year.

Using biofuels is a big step

toward a better future for our

planet and a self-reliant en-

ergy system for any commu-

nity. If you would like further

information on biofuels, how

to make your own, or where

to purchase biodiesel locally,

go to thinkbiosmart.com. If

you feel matters are more

urgent, you can email me at robert@thinkbiosmart.com.

Page 6 The V i l lage Green Vo lume 1, I ssue 1

The Green Light District 10 Reasons to Live Urban

by Kelly White

1. Go Green: Wouldn’t you like to supersize

to a green lifestyle to go with

your green home and green car?

2. Save Money: Less Gas, Less Yard, Less

Waste…It all adds up!

3. Get Healthy: Walk more in the environment

that was built for walking to

your destination.

4. Support Local: Support the people that support

you.

5. Public Spaces: Enjoy the areas that are built for

people to gather.

6. Save Time: Less commute time gives you

more time to relax with family

and friends.

7. Get back to Community: A great chance to get out and

know what makes your commu-

nity great…its’ people!

8. Find your 3rd Place: Urban settings were built for

3rd places…find yours here.

9. Farmer's Market: Save local farmland by support-

ing local farmers.

10. Be a part of change: We all talk about wanting great

change…here is your chance to

make it, and move back to

where it all began.

Your

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Page 7 The V i l lage Green Vo lume 1, I ssue 1

Dear Advertiser, An increasing number of people are deciding to use products based on a company’s commitment to the environment. Every day it is becoming more important that busi-nesses make sustain-ability a part of their brand. “Sustainability as we used to talk about it was a buzz word and it was nice to talk about it…not in the context of your real business planning, but as an addendum. Now sustainability has to truly become part of your business because it makes good economic sense, not because it sounds good as a char-ity.”

Muhtar Kent, Chief Executive Officer

of Coca Cola Many business owners believe that changing their processes to fit a more eco-friendly world will be expensive and time consuming. Actu-ally there are many eco-friendly solutions that save you money in the forefront as well as the long term.

If you are making eco-friendly changes to your operations,

here’s a chance to let the Daytona Beach

area know about them.

Advertise with Go Green Daytona.

Go Green Daytona is a grassroots community group focused on creat-ing a network of like-minded people and or-ganizations dedicated to improving themselves, our environment and our businesses through con-scious actions and choices about the way in which we live. Building a green commu-nity offers a wide array of benefits for developers, investors, business own-ers, residents, and the environment. This leads to healthier homes and communities, lower en-ergy and water costs, and a sustainable future. As a business owner you’ll experience a vari-ety of benefits by adver-tising with Go Green Daytona. Your business will enjoy increased brand awareness and you will reach out to a new market within the community. Most impor-tant, you will be recog-nized as a leader in the greening of Daytona Beach. Go Green Daytona cur-rently offers two plat-forms in which to adver-tise:

GoGreenDaytona.com GoGreenDaytona.com is a community-based re-source for everything green: green business directory, green products and services available in the Daytona Beach area; green forums in which consumers interact; green events in the Day-tona Beach area; green news; links to green websites (local, national, and global); articles on how to go green in Day-tona Beach, and more. The Village Green The Village Green is a monthly virtual newslet-ter available online at GoGreenDaytona.com. It is soon to be physically distributed—in a limited run—printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper. It will be available at the Downtown Farmers Mar-ket, The Volusia Mall, and Ocean Walk Shop-pes & Village. Standard packages are available on both plat-forms and customized advertising opportunities are also available. GoGreenDaytona.com: Place a large ad (300 pixels by 300) on our site for $50.00 per month, or choose a smaller ad (300 pixels by 100) for just $25.00 per month! The Village Green: 3” x 2” ad space is available for $25 per month; or $20 a month with a com-

mitment of three months or longer. Would you like to advertise in both spaces? Choose the Go Green Combo for $45 a month (3” x 2” ad in The Village Green plus a small ad (300 pixels by 100) on GoGreenDay-tona.com; or $40 a month for the same combination with a commitment to three months or longer. The same combo with a large ad on GoGreenDay-tona.com (300 pixels by 300) is available for $70 per month, or $65 if you commit to three month or longer. Thank you for your interest in Go Green Daytona! For advertising opportuni-ties please contact Nicole Miller, Go Green Daytona Marketing Committee member at marketing @gogreendaytonabeach.com or call 561-843-3948

Your

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The Village Green is a project of the new community

group, Go Green Daytona .

The purpose of Go Green Daytona is to create a network

of like-minded people and organizations dedicated to im-

proving ourselves, our environment and our businesses

through conscious actions and choices about the way in

which we live.

If you would like more information on how to further the

mission of Go Green Daytona please contact Ciana Maglio

at 386-676-0011 or info@gogreendaytonabeach.com

Contact

The Village Green

The Village Green is a project of community group, Go Green Daytona

and is brought to you courtesy of Net Works, Inc.

GRIPE, the Green Guru Send your gripes to Gripe at GoGREENDaytona.com,

and he may respond with wit and humor, but always relevant information. Editors:

Ciana Maglio

GoGreenDaytona

386-676-0011

Shannon McLeish of McEditing

McEditing.com

386-672-5028

Publisher:

Dustin Ross

of Net Works, Inc.

DaytonaNetworks.com

(386) 868-7259

Printer:

P S Printing (386) 255-2767

Keep it GREEN! Sign up at

GOGREENDAYTONA.com to receive The Village Green online

Dear Gripe,

How can my business be more energy efficient?

Eme, Daytona Beach

There are many companies asking this question and getting

no farther than the common solutions: I know, let’s turn off

all the lights and the AC…. Ok, let’s be serious – we’re way

past that! There are at least a few more things you can do.

For starters, TURN OFF YOUR MONITORS WHEN YOU

GO HOME. When your monitor is in power-save mode, it is

still using power. That goes for other machinery that’s usu-

ally left running, too. Turn it off. Turn your AC up to 78

degrees. Speaking of ACs, replace your old AC with a new

Energy Star unit. You can also replace your water heater

with a passive solar system. How about a green roof? It

could lower your roof temperature by more than 20 degrees.

Plant trees around the building. Shade helps keep out the

heat during Florida’s super-hot urban summers. You could

install energy monitors to tell you how much you’re using –

they’re quite inexpensive and all the rage in the UK. Initiate

a company-wide competition to see which department can

lower their usage the most. What about recycling, which

could save energy on the back end and the front end? And I

don’t just mean putting out a couple of recycle bins. How

about a little creativity here? What can you reuse of your

own supplies? Take an inventory of your usage habits: How

do we use paper and boxes? Do we have boxes coming in

with shipments that we could reuse for items we’re shipping

out rather than throwing them away and buying new ones?

Are we using paper supplies or water bottles that we don’t

need to use? Go paperless! It will save you ink, copier, and

printer costs as well as paper costs. Install skylights and/or

windows, which is pretty cost effective btw, and eliminate

the need to use lighting altogether during at least some of

the day.

The most important thing you can do is work as a team.

Team effort is the glue that holds us together. Remember,

“Where there is unity, there is always victory.”

If you have any suggestions for making businesses more

energy efficient, please register at GoGreenDaytona.com

and post your suggestions on the forums.

—Gripe, G.G

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