Tell and win - maybe
Two weeks remain in January, and that's plenty of time to make resolutions. Have you made any garden resolutions? Woman's Work, a woman-owned family business, is offering a chance to get something - in addition to a beautiful garden - in return for your resolutions. One of the company's products is garden gloves, and if you share your plans for your garden this year, you could win a pair. The company will choose one winner each of the next two weeks. Go to http://womans work.com/garden-gloves-blog/ and add your resolution to the comments section. Maybe you'll get some ideas from folks who have already posted.
Get expert advice
Triangle gardening enthusiasts have a new educational source they can turn to for help with basic or complex gardening issues. The recently launched Durham Garden Forum gathers monthly to discuss gardening techniques. People can join the forum for $25 a year or pay $10 to attend one of the educational meetings. Members need not live in Durham.
Each meeting is led by an expert in the featured topic, from horticulturists to landscape designers and members of the N.C. Cooperative Extension. Attendees will also be encouraged to share their own experiences. Meetings are from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, 426 Anderson St., Durham.
Topics include: Design (Feb. 9); Bloom (March 9); Vegetables (April 6); Pests (May 11); Disease in the Garden (June 15); and Sustainable Turf Strategies (July 20). For information, contact Gene Carlone at genecarlone@aol.com or call 237-3376.
Check for radon
Some things bear repeating. You've probably heard about radon, an invisible, odorless and poisonous gas that causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. The gas is also the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. To call attention to this danger, the Environmental Protection Agency has declared January "National Radon Action Month." Information about radon is available at www.ncradon.org.
Kits are available to help you determine whether your home has harmful levels of radon gas. First Alert Radon Gas Kit, available at hardware and other stores, is one. You can also get free kits from the state. Information about ordering a kit is at www.ncradon.org/free testkits_jan2010.htm
Live a little greener
They are all over the Internet, those lists of things you can do to live greener in 2010. Here's one more, from The Orlando Sentinel and compiled from several sites, in case you've ignored the others. Take reusable grocery bags to the store. It cuts down on the use of hundreds of plastic bags per person, per year. Buy reusable water bottles made from stainless steel or aluminum. It takes 26 bottles of water to produce the plastic container for a one-liter bottle of water. Use recycled disposables such as Reynolds aluminum foil and paper towels. Avoid unwanted catalogs by visiting catalogchoice .org to put a stop to them. Go "unplugged" and reduce your consumption of electrical energy by unplugging electronics when they're not in use. Phone chargers draw energy all day long when they're left plugged into the wall, and electronics can use 40 percent of their regular running energy when plugged in on standby.
