Rapid Transit Planning
We’ve come a long way since the early years of the 20th century. Yet even back then, the Charlotte region depended on transit to carry the city into the future. Early trolley lines fostered the growth of neighborhoods rather than sprawling subdivisions, allowing communities such as Myers Park, Plaza-Midwood, Wilmore and Dilworth to flourish. In the more recent past, after careful study, extensive public input and thoughtful consideration, citizens of Mecklenburg County approved the half-cent sales tax in 1998 to support the vision outlined in the 2025 Integrated Transit/Land Use Plan.
Through the 2025 Integrated Transit/Land Use Plan, many improvements have been made including the enhancement of customer amenities, expanded bus routes, improved services and advancements in the rapid transit program and construction of the LYNX light rail line.
In 2006, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) adopted the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan, furthering the vision outlined in the 2025 Integrated Transit/Land Use Plan. The 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan will help focus future growth along five primary transportation corridors, linking our area’s key centers of economic activity. In other words, transit is once again taking us into the future. || Read more »
Smart, Environmentally Friendly Packaging Ideas
Did you know that packaging constitutes as much as one-third of the non-industrial waste stream, which is why 28 countries have laws designed to minimize that waste? Unfortunately, the U.S. is not among them, according to www.idealbite.com.
To ship your holidays gifts the smart way, consider these tips that will help reduce what ends up in our landfills:
- Instead of throwing away the shreds you get when using a paper shredder, use them to fill packages you send in the mail. It doesn’t cost anything, it can be recycled and it’s an environmentally safer product than Styrofoam.
- Save cash by reusing. Boxes can cost a few bucks each. Avoid buying new ones by reusing the ones sent to you.
- If you don’t have old boxes to reuse, insist on mailing boxes that use 10% to 30% recycled paper.
- Ship early to avoid shipping by air. Energy costs for sending a package for next day delivery are four times higher than the cost of ground shipping.
- Lighter means more energy-efficient (and cheaper), so make sure you’re using the right size box for the job.
- Consider using cornstarch packing peanuts. They are made from corn starch and dissolve in water leaving no toxic waste. Organic fill is static free, economical, fast and easy to use. Place them outside and they will either disappear when the birds take them to make their nests or they will melt in the next rainstorm.
- Use recycled plastic bubble wrap to cushion the contents of your package.
- Reuse plastic shopping bags or shredded newspaper and pack it around breakables.
Canning Basics for Preserving Food
What does canning do?
Canning is an important, safe method for preserving food if practiced properly. The canning process involves placing foods in jars or similar containers and heating them to a temperature that destroys micro-organisms that cause food to spoil. During this heating process air is driven out of the jar and as it cools a vacuum seal is formed. This vacuum seal prevents air from getting back into the product bringing with it contaminating micro-organisms.
Safe Canning Methods
There are two safe ways of processing food, the boiling water bath method and the pressure canner method:
The only way to destroy these spores is by pressure cooking the food at a temperature of 240°F, or above, for a specified amount of time depending on the type of food and altitude. Foods that are low acid have a pH of more than 4.6 and because of the danger of botulism, they must be prepared in a pressure canner.
High acid foods have a pH of 4.6 or less and contain enough acid so that the Clostridium botulinum spores can not grow and produce their deadly toxin. High acidic foods can be safely canned using the boiling water bath method.
Certain foods like, tomatoes and figs, that have a pH value close to 4.6 need to have acid added to them in order to use the water bath method. This is accomplished by adding lemon juice of citric acid.
