Trade-in your old gas mower for an electric model!

The Durham News reports that the County/City Sustainability Office has partnered with Black & Decker to host "Get Your Grass Off Gas" events from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on May 12 and 19.

At both events, residents can trade-in their old gas-powered lawn equipment for all-electric models at discounts ranging from 13% to 50% of the retail value (depending on the model). The old mowers will be recycled.

The event will help save people money and reduce green-house pollution at the same time. The list of equipment that can be traded includes lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, string trimmers, edgers, loppers and blower-vacuums.

**Please note that you should drain your equipment of all fluids in order for it to be accepted as a trade-in.

Because supplies are limited, residents are encouraged to preregister online or call 919-560-7999. For more information, please see the event website

The May 12 event will take place at Durham County Stadium


The May 19 event will be held at Jordan High School.        
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City Program to Save You Money (and save the Earth in the process)

The Herald Sun has a good article about a year-old but still very much underutilized program to weatherize your home and reduce energy costs based on a 2009 grant of over $900,000 from the EPA. The program pays for significant retrofit to older houses, provided they meet certain criteria. The detailed information is available here.


To qualify​​ , homes must be either single story  two story with the top and bottom floors having the exact same footprint. All homes must be 2,300 square feet or less. All-electric homes will receive priority for participation in this program. Homes with natural gas, propane, or fuel oil will also be accepted.

The full article is reprinted after the break.

Durham Rickshaw - Your Solution to Ninth Street Parking Problems

A rickshaw on Oxford Street in London courtesy of Philip Halling.

We all know that parking on Ninth Street can often be a problem and, at least according  to the commenters to this WRAL article, it may be one of the reasons Ninth Street businesses are not seeing the same inflow of customers as some other growing areas of Downtown Durham. Personally, I see no problem with encouraging more people to use public transit or walk, but it is an issue about which both  the area merchants and potential customers alike care deeply. One simple, easy to use and emissions-free solution to this problem may have arrived in the form of Durham Rickshaw, a human-powered transportation system that has been enjoying tremendous growth in larger cities, particularly NYC and Washington, DC. Check out his facebook page here. He will be on Ninth Street this evening to give rides to anyone who is interested.