YSDI is located at 3001 N. Levee Road in Marysville. Limit one coupon per customer.

For a full schedule and detailed info on vendors and other things, click here and plant a tree. For an event guide pdf, click here and plant two more. Happy learning!

And while it may be too late for this year, keep these tips in mind when you plan next year’s fright fest

Photo from The Press Democrat

In a story that has fascinated me to no end (read about it here and here and here and here), a happy green ending is coming to the story of the 70-foot blue whale that was killed off the coast near Fort Bragg and washed up on shore, becoming quite the odoriferous irritation to neighbors.

Humboldt State students are helping in the removal endeavor, which I admit makes me a little jealous I didn’t choose to major in marine biology. The steep cliffs made it difficult to remove the whale, which was dissected into pieces to be shipped around the world for research. Dead blue whales in such good condition are quite a rare find, or so we’re told.

The skeleton will be carted off into an undisclosed forest location where bugs and Mother Nature will pick it clean and leach away the stinky oils so that it can be put on display several years down the road. But what to do with all that blubber? The fatty insulation was starting to get a little putrid but aside from a landfill there was no place to put it. Federal law prohibits use of marine mammal parts for commercial purposes.Someone offered to turn it into biodiesel, but that was turned down, too.Why it couldn’t be carted back into the ocean from whence it came is beyond me.

Finally, a Potter Valley composter said he would turn the blubber into compost and then donate an equivalent amount of compost to schools and senior garden projects. Blubber problem solved, landfill space saved and the whale will go back into the earth. What an awesome closed loop.

One of the latest envirotech inventions aims to help the enviroconscious quench their thirst. It’s one thing to have a reusable bottle and try to use it whenever possible, but when drinking fountains and other water sources are in short supply and you’re parched like the Mojave on a summer day, what do you do?

Turn to TapIt, an organization that started in New York City but now is helping the thirsty by tuning them in to cafes, shops and restaurants who offer drinking water available to the general public  so they don’t have to bite the evil bullet and buy a plastic bottle of H20. I couldn’t find the iTunes app online (it supposedly exists), but you can also check out the Web site or print out TapIt’s city maps.

Now, Yuba City is not on the list. BUT IT COULD BE! Businesses can sign up to be a partner on the site. Not only are you a friend to the environment by helping people take back the tap but it will draw in some extra foot traffic to your business.

Who knew hydration could be so fun?

To qualify, wood stoves must be older than 1990, be uncertified and in a home in Yuba or Sutter counties. Replacements can be bought from a participating retailer and installed professionally, using a $500 voucher from the air district. The old stove would be destroyed.

Residents can opt for a new stove or gas insert, depending on what they have now. Vouchers will be available beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, and can be obtained through filling out a form on the district’s Web site.

Federal officials announced the plan today, but it will take several years to carry out. The 70+ obsolete vessels will be cleaned in dry-dock to get rid of any invasive species clinging to their hulls before getting towed to Texas to be broken apart.

Years ago, recyclers likely would have paid for the rights to get rid of the ships in trade for the steel they contain. But prices are so low today, the government is paying $2 million to get the ships to Texas and another $500,000 each for the dry-docking process. But, “It is worth it in environmental terms to do it the right way,” one official said. And I agree.

Chris Kaufman/Appeal-Democrat Braiden Morrison, 2, of Marysville plays with the leaves in Plaza Park near the Bok Kai Temple in Marysville.

Green tip of the week! Consider the environment when dealing with leaves.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. The red, orange, yellow, green and brown leaves that drown every lawn and clog every gutter are so beautiful and make the most wonderful rustling sounds under your feet – and they provide another opportunity to go green. Here’s three tips:

• Trade your leaf blower for a rake. It’s a good workout and has none of the noise and air pollution associated with most electric/gas-powered blowers.
• Don’t burn your leaves. The smoke pollutes the air and the burning can release particulates and toxic compounds.
• Compost or mulch the leaves. If your trash company doesn’t offer yard waste pickup, designate a backyard spot for a compost pile and let the leaves turn back into earth.

Happy Fall  !!!

It doesn’t just save trees, but it saves the energy used to print and deliver the bills. If you like saving the bill details for your files, you can view them online, save them on your computer as pdfs, and if you have to, print them on recycled paper. Going paperless also saves you money on stamps. Not to mention less chance of paper cuts and death by stamp licking.

Most of your bills should be available paperless (with the exception of Yuba City water/sewer). And those that aren’t, well, call them up and tell them you want them to be – and that it would save the company money, too!

But… Americans do love their conveniences. ABC asked readers if a tax would make them kick the single-use bag habit. The answers were from all ends of the spectrum.

Now, I’m a penny pincher, known to clip coupons and lambaste friends who literally throw away my little copper friends. I also smile with glee for every 5-cent refund I get with each reusable bag I use when grocery shopping. But for some people, *ahem penny discarders* money back is just not enough. It’s doubtful a nickel makes a difference either way, and some people will doubtfully write any fee off as more government intrusion.

Me? I think it’s one of the best sin taxes there is. Not to mention the money it could raise to boost conservation efforts and eventually cut back on usage itself. What do you think? Would 5 cents make a difference to you?