Gas Hills of Carrollton

http://carrolltondiary.blogspot.com/2008/07/gas-hills-of-carrollton.html

The following Dallas news story gives a lot of hope, particularly to the North Carrollton residents living around the Indian Creek community. I am glad to see this happening, and hope a similar step will be taken by the DFW Landfill. Conservation is good!

Mike Ghouse

Editorial: Gas from garbage
09:04 AM CDT on Friday, July 18, 2008
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-mccomas_18edi.ART.State.Edition1.4ddbf67.html

Despite the persuasive power of Tommy Lee Jones, Dallas won't be pumping a bonanza of natural gas from belowground. The city doesn't have the luck to be sitting atop major Barnett Shale gas formed over billions of years.

But eat your heart out, Tommy Lee. What Dallas does have is the technology and ingenuity to create its own natural gas in a matter of a few months. It's an exciting, forward-thinking venture that will make the most out of a decidedly unexciting thing: household trash.
Put that in your well and light it, cowboy.

The McCommas Bluff Landfill near Interstates 45 and 20 is Dallas' man-made gas field. The first biotechnology cell – a massive, 30-acre, pipe-laced, liquid-infused, microbial-rich burial mound of refuse – is now taking shape there. By fall, its decomposing waste will begin creating enough methane to enter pipelines. The cell could eventually produce as much gas as a couple of respectable Barnett wells – enough to serve the needs of 9,000 homes (based on typical use of 5,000 cubic feet a month).

Think of it as extreme recycling.

Trash-to-energy projects have cropped up around the country, perhaps 100 so far, with a concentration on the East Coast. It would figure that Dallas' biotech operation may be the biggest one yet once fully developed, with seven working cells.

(The project is in keeping with the visitor bureau's "Live Large" slogan, but somehow we doubt tour buses will be making loops around Dallas' cutting-edge trash heaps.)

Any backyard composter with delusions of selling gas to the neighbors should first consider the scale. Figure the average household tosses out 7.2 pounds of refuse a day. At that rate, it would take 91,324 years to create a trash heap just one-tenth the size of the first McCommas cell.
A more rational person might start smaller and think personal use. And these people are out there. (Google up methane and do-it-yourself.) But to join them, be prepared to irritate the neighbors. A good backyard methane pit uses a lot of pig and chicken manure.

WRITE YOUR COMMENTS BY CLICKING THE WORD COMMENTS BELOW
YOU CAN ALSO FORWARD THE ARTICLE BY CLICKING ENVELOPE SYMBOL

Teen Advisory Receives Scholarships

Immediate Release:
June 6, 2008

Contact: Sharon Goddard, Founder and Executive Director
972.466.2121, sharonsdivinenature@yahoo.com

Teen Advisory Board Receives Scholarships Carrollton – Keep Carrollton Beautiful’s Teen Advisory Board graduating members received college scholarships for their volunteer efforts. They are the leaders of Keep Carrollton Beautiful’s community service volunteers at the high schools.

“Without our Teen Advisory Board members, we would not have nearly as much high school participation,” said Sharon Goddard, Keep Carrollton Beautiful’s executive director. “Even with all their other activities, they are some of our best volunteers.”

Each member keeps up with all Keep Carrollton Beautiful’s events and volunteer opportunities; meets with all the service organizations in their schools to let them know about the next event; and encourages participation especially in the “high school only” opportunities such as Texas Recycles Day. In exchange, the Teen Advisory Board members receive support in their interaction with service organizations; an inside look at the workings of a vibrant non-profit; interaction with other Carrollton high schools; lots of community service opportunities; and a college scholarship upon graduation.

Alexander Selby from Turner started volunteering in 2005 during a video project with his media academy and has been active ever since. Alexander has been Keep Carrollton Beautiful’s technical knowledge support and artistic eye on a number of projects - including their Squirrel Brigade video, website pictures, videos of events, a marketing DVD about their programs, and even his Academy of Media Arts & Technology senior project was about Keep Carrollton Beautiful.

Mohammed Dhanjy from Hebron has been a great organizer at his school. All during his senior year, he has shown great perseverance and willingness to make sure we had volunteers from his school for every event. Mehdi has brought assertive, steadfast and thoughtful energy along with his people and communication skills to everything he has done for Keep Carrollton Beautiful.

Each of these young men received scholarships for college during their Senior Walk. They have shown civic pride and community spirit while volunteering for Keep Carrollton Beautiful and have also gotten others involved. Community service as a Teen Advisory Board member is good training for who they will be in the world as adults. Alexander has already been involved in the Technology Honor Society, the Academy of Media Arts & Technology, and the Philharmonic Orchestra and honored as a National Society of High School Scholars. Mehdi has been involved in the Student Council, the Key Club, the National Honor Society and the Hebron Parent/Teacher/Student Assoc.

Keep Carrollton Beautiful has a Teen Advisory Board representative in all Carrollton public high schools and plans to include all the Carrollton private schools this year. Many high schools require community service and Keep Carrollton Beautiful has lots of projects and programs where they can volunteer. Keep Carrollton Beautiful also does “pet peeve” projects to clean up the community where they can design their own projects.

If you are a sophomore or junior at Smith or any private high school in Carrollton and would like to be a Teen Advisory Board representative, please go to your counselor’s office or call 972.466.2121. Keep Carrollton Beautiful has plenty of community service opportunities.

***END***


Thanks for all you do for Carrollton,
Sharon Goddard
Founder and Executive Director
Keep Carrollton Beautiful,
a Gold Star Keep Texas Beautiful Affiliate
972.466.2121 phone and fax
1014 Noble Avenue, Carrollton, Texas 75006
www.keepcarrolltonbeautiful.org
Thanks for being part of Carrollton's Community Connection.

Keep Carrollton Beautiful

Immediate Release:
March 31, 2008

Contact:
Sharon Goddard, Founder and Executive Director
972.466.2121, sharonsdivinenature@yahoo.com

Media Photography Opportunity: Sat, April 19th, 12:00 – 1:00, City Hall parking lot

Photos – 1. Last year, Boy Scout Troop 114 did a great job.
2. Girl Scout Troop 1348 has helped every year.

Texas Trash-Off Countdown in Carrollton

Dallas/Carrollton –

Dallas County welcomed many special visitors to the Commissioners’ Court this month, and they all had one common purpose: to Keep Dallas County Clean & Beautiful. Welcoming the delegation, Commissioner Ken Mayfield noted, “By focusing on beautification, litter prevention, and waste minimization, we will continue to encourage the public, Keep Texas Beautiful affiliates, and other grassroots organizations to continue their important work.”

Ruthe Jackson, Grand Prairie Mayor Pro Tem, has led the “beautiful” delegation for 33 years of continuous recognition. March 1st through May 31st is a time to think about beautification. Keep America Beautiful sponsors the “Great American Clean-Up” and Keep Texas Beautiful has the “Don’t Mess With Texas Trash Off”, Earth Day and Arbor Day tree plantings.

Last year during the Great American Cleanup, 1069 Keep Carrollton Beautiful volunteers spent 4,840 hours collecting 16,850 pounds of litter and debris from green belts, streets, parks, rivers and shorelines in Carrollton. They are planning their fifth annual participation now.
“We all have a civic responsibility to participate in the education of our children, neighbors and the general public to nip climate change in the bud. Each act of community service shows each individual can make a difference in their own community,” said Sharon Goddard, Keep Carrollton Beautiful.

Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup is the nation's largest community improvement program. In 2007, the hardworking volunteers donated more than 7.7 million hours to clean, beautify and improve more than 17,000 communities during more than 30,000 events in all 50 states and beyond. Last year’s program netted 200 million pounds of litter and debris; planted 4.6 million trees, flowers and bulbs; cleaned 178,000 miles or roads, streets and highways; and diverted more than 70.6 million plastic (PET) bottles and more than 2.2 million scrap tires from the waste stream.

Trash-Off is a partnership between the Texas Department of Transportation and Keep Texas Beautiful. It was created to encourage Texans to refrain from littering and clean up roadsides. The 22nd annual Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off is the state’s largest one-day cleanup event. City-by-city across the state, the Texas Department of Transportation hopes Texans hear the call to action to volunteer for the annual Don’t Mess With Texas Trash-Off.

Locally, Keep Carrollton Beautiful is holding it’s Great American Cleanup/Don’t Mess With Texas Trash-Off on Saturday, April 19th. Go to www.KeepCarrolltonBeautiful.org to register your family, your group, your troop or your business. All Adopt-A-Spots will be cleaning; most of the schools; neighborhood groups, too. Get your group together and cleanup Carrollton with them!
***END***

Thanks for all you do for Carrollton,
Sharon Goddard
Founder and Executive Director
Keep Carrollton Beautiful,
a Gold Star Keep Texas Beautiful Affiliate
972.466.2121 phone and fax
1014 Noble Avenue, Carrollton, Texas 75006
www.keepcarrolltonbeautiful.org
Thanks for being part of Carrollton's Community Connection.