Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Green Leak of the Month: Green Holiday Tips

  • Plant a tree in someone’s name from Arbor Day, Nature Conservancy, or Eco-Libris.
  • Make a wish list at a variety of online sites or email it to close friends or family. (rather than give or receive an unwanted gift that will go to waste … or …. see the next item…
  • Re-Gifting is NOT a crime! If you do not like a gift you receive keep it in the original packaging and give to someone who would like it. If the gift is valuable, Craigslist is a great way to even make money on the item if you can not return it to the store. If no one would like it then donate it to the Salvation Army, Goodwill or other thrift store to give it one more chance before it goes to the landfill.
  • Give the gift of experiences/activities. Buy tickets for plays, concerts, tours or other fun events such as a play, a symphony, a winery tour, cooking, art, or dancing classes, or a visit to a therapeutic specialist ( professional massage is NEVER a bad gift :)
  • Feed and hydrate your loved ones. Making a pie, baking some cookies, infusing your favorite vodka, or reviving Grandmother’s recipe for those you love is a meaningful and unique gift.
  • Seeds: the gift that will continue to keep on giving. Heirloom tomatoes and herb seeds are great gifts that will bear fruit well into the future.
  • Honor your loved one with a donation in their name. Heifer Project gives those in need all around the world animals that will give them a hand up. American Red Cross, Animal Shelters,Orphanages and Battered Women Shelters are always in need. Go online and find a reputable charity that will put your money to work helping others.
  • Reuse papers to wrap gifts, regular glossy wrapping paper is not recyclable but newspaper and magazines are…. or try old maps (as a former Map Librarian I still have some old maps I can use and reuse as cool wrapping paper)
  • Be creative with shipping containers and ways of packing the goodies. Pop corn or balled up newspaper are much better than Styrofoam. If you have Styrofoam then find a way to reuse it in another package. While not recyclable Styrofoam peanuts can be brought to any UPS store where they will gladly take it for reuse.
  • Look for fair trade products or items made of recycled materials.
  • Sierra Club has more green Christmas tips, Treehugger has a 2009 gift guide, and the Daily Green has a variety of categories to choose from (such as item under $20, Safe green toys, DIY gifts, etc) or check out the Green Depot. I personally love Global Girlfriend – not only fair trade items but made by women.
From Going Green @ your library blog.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Who am I?

December's Who am I?

Can you guess who this is? We will unveil the answer at the end of the month. Whoever chooses the correct person first wins! What do you win? The chance to pick the next contestant for Who am I? Click on Post a Comment to venture your guess.

1) If you could pick 3 countries to visit today where would you go and why?

Scotland – because it’s the land of my ancestors.
Japan – because it’s the land of kenjutsu and anime.
Greece – because it’s the birthplace of Western philosophy, and I’d like to visit Mycenae, Pylos, Knossos and all those sites – that would be great.

2) Who would play you in a movie about your life?

I guess maybe Uma Thurman since she’s already got the sword fighting training from “Kill Bill”

3) What would be your 3 main rules if you ran your own country?

1. It would be recognized that all entities classified under kingdom Animalia (under five, or greater, kingdom classification systems) have natural rights, and these rights would also be legal rights at the national level.

2. All activities would be carried out in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.

3. Development of land would be limited, leaving at least 60% of the land as undeveloped wildlife habitat, inclusive of all major types of habitat and with these areas being meaningfully contiguous. This should work out fine, since everyone will probably move out of the country after they hear about the rules, so there will be plenty of free space.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Hot Attraction! - New Best Seller?



Hot off the presses of the American Philosophical Society is Magnetic Fever. The author is Christopher Carter, son of Betty Carter. A re-working of his Duke dissertation, the book will help beef up the QC807 section of the catalog. It is not on the shelf yet--but should be in the near future. Go read!!

More information about Magnetic Fever

Betty

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thank You



As the chair of the SECC Committee, John Rife, stated, the 2009 Campaign took place during extraordinary economic times. Even with all of the challenges, UNCG rose to not only reach the goal of $230,000 but to surpass it. Yes, with your participation, UNCG provided a total of




Thank you - from your solicitors, Clara Kelly, Fran Rubio, and Carolyn Shankle; from the SECC Committee, from Chancellor Brady, and most of all from the organizations supported through the United Way.

The Library had a 97% return rate for envelopes with 9 out of 10 units returning 100% of envelopes - again, your solicitor deeply appreciates your participation!

Peggy Woods recognized our own Clara Kelly for her years of service and her upcoming retirement. Peggy is correct that the Library will look for another solicitor to assist with the 2010 campaign. Interested? You can speak with any of the three of us and/or Peggy Woods.

Still interested in participating in the 2009 campaign? You can - just get in touch with Peggy Woods who will guide you through the process.

Best,
Carolyn Shankle

As you travel for the holidays....


Don't forget to take Irma with you!! See Amy or Hannah in Reference for your very own paper Irma. She hasn't traveled much lately, and she's starting to get restless!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Who am I?

November's Who am I?

Can you guess who this is? We will unveil the answer at the end of the month. Whoever chooses the correct person first wins! What do you win? The chance to pick the next contestant for Who am I? Click on Post a Comment to venture your guess.

1) If you could pick 3 countries to visit today where would you go and why?
First one--United States--There is so much of the U.S. that I have not seen.
Second--South Africa--My niece and her family will soon be going as missionaries.
Third--Germany or England--My family history has been traced back to those countries.

2) Who would play you in a movie about your life?
It would have to be either Kathy Bates or Alex Borstein from Mad TV

3) What would be your 3 main rules if you ran your own country?
1. The Golden Rule--Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!
2. Everyone would be required to watch reruns of the Andy Griffith Show. You could learn a lot!
3. We would only have a 4 day work week with 3-day weekends!!!!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Flu info

Moses Cone readies flu tents

-Greensboro News & Record, Weds 11/4/09: http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/11/03/article/moses_cone_readies_flu_tents

And a quick recap for those who are interested in flu vaccines...

Contact Student Health Services. At last report, they had seasonal flu vaccine and at least some supply of H1N1 vaccine (nasal flu mist) for high risk groups.

Also, keep checking with your doctor's office to see if they have flu vaccines available.

The Guilford County Public Health Department has a clinical site for providing vaccinations. Their H1N1 and Seasonal Flu Vaccine Availability page gives updates on which vaccines are available for which populations.

Cheers,
Lea