44th Annual Sand Castle & Sculpture Contest

June 19th marked the 44th annual sand castle and sand sculpture contest. Where people came to Crown Beach to recycle the sand, seaweed and beach debris and created some unique and creative sand castles and sand sculptures. The beach was crowded with onlookers to view the creations. Here are a few of my favorites.

Bike to Work Day

Everyone who knows me knows I love to ride my bike. I have 4 of them. It used to be more for intense recreation (I used to do Triathlons and raced Mountain bikes) but over the last few years I have grown to enjoy, ney love biking to work and around the Island just for fun. I even joined BikeAlameda.

This year I participated in BTWD helping out an Energizer Station on Webster St. handing out bags filled with goodies, water, oranges, bagels and info to those riding by. Many of them biking to work.
And all of them smiling.



From left to right Jon Spangler, Clarke Cole, Kathy Moehring and Me (Philip Kaake)

Here are some bike to work day stats.

We had a total of 493 riders who signed in at energizer stations this morning and 307 who rode bikes but didn't sign in for a grand total by our count of 800 bike rides today.

Change your mind ride a bike instead of using your car once.
I probably ride my bike to work 3 to 5 days a week and on brokers tour whenever possible. I also try and do as many errands and shopping when possible (2 large bike bags help). If you are using your car for all your errands and shopping I encourage everyone to try it and see if you don't enjoy the journey rather than just rushing to the destination just a little bit more. If you haven't ridden your bike for awhile and it's getting a little hard to shift or brake I suggest you take it to one of great local bike shops and have it tuned up. Or better yet get a new bike, or new used bike. This will really give you incentive.

Bike on Alamedans, and cyclists everywhere.

AOR Green Home Expo is coming!

On Saturday, July 17th, 2010, from 10 am to 4 pm the Alameda Association of REALTORS® and their AFFILIATE Partners will host The Green Home Expo at the Alameda Towne Centre. The Alameda Association of REALTORS ® is proud to host this fun and informative event to promote the growing interest in green building, awareness, and lifestyle.

The Green Home Expo is a trade show showcasing the latest environmentally friendly products and services used in the homebuilding and home improvement industries. This is your opportunity to promote your products and services to both builders and consumers. Sponsorship and limited trade show vendor opportunities are available. It's also a chance to learn about the newest innovations and trends through top speakers and exhibits.

We will have a number of guest speakers who will be presenting to promote green building, awareness, and lifestyle on the Center Stage throughout the day.

Green Kids at the EXPO!!!!!

Bring your Kids and let them experience and learn from the Mad Science Team who will be providing hands on experiments, and "Up in the Air" Mad Science show. Other activities include Face painting and a building competition for our "Green Home Builders of the future.

For more information on The Green Home Expo you may visit us on the web at

www.TheGreenHomeExpo.com.

Building greener is great but most of us in Alameda own a vintage or older home.  There are ways to go greener with improved efficiency such as an energy audit for your home. Choosing materials that have less indoor environmental effects.  Low or no VOC paints, even certain cleaning products are pretty toxic. Using surfaces and materials that have less offgassing that have been known to cause health issues. It's worth doing a little research to find materials that could improve your quality of life while improving your home.

Are you wasting energy?

Homes use energy, lots of it, electricity, gas, water. A home energy audit is a great way to take a look at where you could be saving money on utilities, this could be anywhere from 5% to 30% of your total usage. There are DIY ways to do this and it's pretty simple.  You could also hire a special home energy auditor to perform a more sophisticated home energy audit.
I like the idea of a do it yourself approach at first, this article in thedailygreen.com website was simple and straightforward. This is a good way to start educating yourself about your home and easy ways to start on making your home more energy efficient.
Look at it as a treasure hunt in reverse.

Green news from around the world

Just discovered the New York Times green blog.
Interesting news from around the world on green issues.

New York Times green blog

City Car Share is in Alameda

I knew that City Car Share was in Alameda but had completely forgotten about it until I used the parking lot on Central recently.  It is  a great idea that is catching on quicker in cities and urban areas where it's more of a hassle and expense to own a car.

I remember well the days of searching for a parking space at night when I lived in SF.  I hope the program is successful here in Alameda because it is such a great idea for those who do not own a car or maybe want to drop owning a second car.  I have emailed them and asked for more information on the program and will be getting back with updates. Check out their website for more information.

Ever heard of recycled paint.

What happens to all the latex paint that is dropped off at hazard waste centers? It’s recycled and is being resold at your local paint distributors, Dunn-Edwards and Kelly-Moore, for instance. Recycled paint sells for less, but the quality and viscosity is augmented by blending it with virgin materials. For more information and a complete list of distributors, visit  http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/ConDemo/Paint/