Dallas is My Home

17
Jun

Dallas Does Green Well

Author: Raine Devries, Category: "Green" Dallas, Health and Human Services, News, Outdoors

Dallas is among the leaders in Texas cities in recycling.

While Houston thinks 2% is impressive (bless their hearts), we are at a whopping 12% after just 18 months of utilizing the city-wide recycling program. The amount of recycled material has doubled since the city began its curbside blue cart program a year and a half ago. Initially the city anticipated 50k requests for the 96 gallon blue bins but were gobsmacked to receive 90,000 requests.

If you don’t have your recycling bin yet, you can order one at this link.

In order to participate, residents now call the city for a cart. A white truck with the words “Too Good to Throw Away” scrawled on its side picks up the recycled goods every other week. In a few locations, this now occurs once a week. The items are then transported to a recycling facility in Garland, compressed and resold.

The city gets 67 percent of the proceeds.

Dallas may never take up San Francisco’s Styrofoam ban or use all hybrid cars, but we could become Texas’ surrogate green city.

Dallas has the largest alternative-fueled fleet of city vehicles in the state. And it passed an ordinance in April that mandates environmentally-conscious buildings.

Watch out Austin – we’re coming up fast. And since this is a “Texas thang” you know we are gunning for the top spot!

23
Apr

Request for Assistance to AmeriCorps’ PEP Program

Author: Raine Devries, Category: Call to Action, Commentary, Government, Health and Human Services

This post is taken verbatim from an email sent in. AmeriCorps is a wonderful program and let’s see what the Dallas community can do to help them out with their new person!

A much needed opportunity has come PEP’s way, and we need your help to make it happen.
As many of you may know, PEP is an AmeriCorps sponsored program. Our three full time staff members are all AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers placed with PEP under the Corporation for National and Community Service. For many months now PEP has been actively seeking a forth VISTA to assist the organization with fundraising, grant writing, and program development.

The good news, we have found a qualified applicant. Her name is Nicole Pena and she has had experience with both grant and lesson plan writing, and is a firm believer in civic responsibility and community service.

The bad news, the next AmeriCorps VISTA training is not until June 17-19. This means that Nicole is unable to start working for PEP as a VISTA until after she takes her Oath of Service on June 19.

Just as many nonprofits go, additional help is always needed. PEP needs another qualified individual, such as Nicole, to help further the mission of personal responsibility, community service, and good citizenship. We would like Nicole to come on board as soon as possible, but we are financially unable to provide her with a salary.

Our goal is to raise $5,000, which will provide a salary, and meet any additional expenses incurred, until she is officially sworn in as a VISTA, wherein her salary will then be provided for by the Department of Treasury.

Please help PEP bring onboard another helpful hand to make the organization stronger and more effective! Any amount of support is greatly appreciated.

Donations can be made online by visiting www.governmentbelongstous.org and clicking on the support button on the main menu, or simply mail a check to:
People Empowerment Project
P.O. Box 192402
Dallas, TX 75219

Since PEP is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, your donation is entirely tax deductible! Thank you in advance for your help.

People Empowerment Project
P.O. Box 192402
Dallas, TX 75219
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30am-5:30pm
Phone: 214-824-3107

PEP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization

MISSION STATEMENT:
To educate, promote, and demonstrate to school children and adults the importance or personal responsibility, community service, and good citizenship.

01
Dec

World AIDS Day

Author: Raine Devries, Category: Call to Action, Gay & Lesbian, Health, Health and Human Services

December 1 is World AIDS Day.

While AIDS isn’t as scary now as it was 20 years ago, there are still far too many people suffering from the ravages of this disease.

Many organizations in Dallas provide services for those battling from AIDS complications. Learn how you can do more to raise awareness by getting involved with these organizations:

01
Dec

Dallas County Flu Immunization Locations

Author: Raine Devries, Category: Health, Health and Human Services

If you are wanting to protect yourself against a possible bout with the flu, the Dallas County Health & Human Services site provides a listing of locations offering immunization.

30
Oct

Parkland Goes Organic

Author: Raine Devries, Category: Health, Health and Human Services

A big “HOORAY!” to Parkland Hospital for taking their kitchen’s organic.

Effective next week and in an effort to address the health and well being of staff, patients and visitors, Parkland will be providing organic meals prepared with produce from local suppliers which helps our local farmers and economy.

Parkland is the first hospital in North Texas to make this change and we hope that others will soon follow suit!

01
Oct

Cosmo for a Cure at Palomino

Author: Raine Devries, Category: Call to Action, Downtown, Food, Health and Human Services, Restaurants, Uptown

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so during the month of October when you purchase a classic Cosmopolitan cocktail, at Palomino at the Crescent, $1 will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Palomino is partnering with Komen for the 4th year in a row, and they think their “Cause-mopolitan” adds just a bit of whimsy to this important endeavor. With the money they raise and the fun you’ll have, it’s a win-win. Hey, we’ll drink to that!

NEW THIS YEAR! They are also donating $1 for the purchase of a non-alcohol Strawberry Daiquiri.

17
Aug

Afraid of the Garden

Author: Aron, Category: Garden, Health and Human Services, Outdoors

I’m afraid of my garden.

A more accurate description, I guess, would be that I am afraid of the mosquitoes in my garden. All the rain that we’ve had over the last three months has provided me with a healthy, robust garden in full bloom here in the heat of mid-August, but has enabled tiny blood suckers to create thriving vampiric colonies beneath the wide, shady leaves of my caladiums. I can’t venture out there for even a moment without being set upon by throngs of the vile creatures — my legs and arms riddled with swelling welts.

Earlier this week, Dallas County Health and Human Services announced four new cases of West Nile Virus in four different city zips. You remember West Nile, right? Don’t confuse it with that twenty-four hour East Nile bug.

No, no.

That West Nile will mess you up.

Now, I’m not what you’d call an organic gardener, but I do try to be mindful of the chemicals I put into the world. As such, I don’t normally hit the garden with toxic agents. I’m all about the earthworms and the butterflies. I’ve got lots of birds out there, too. Don’t want to poison them, y’know?

I like birds.

Got no beef with them.

But the ’skeeters?

Them’s gotta die.

I’ve bombed the garden three times this summer.

And they keep coming back.

I’ve got the garden of the living dead out there!

You think holy water might work?