League spotlights artist
Mina Miller has been the Lenoir County Artist League’s “Artist of the Month” for March. A long time member of the Community Council for the Arts, 400 N. Queen St., she has served as the league’s president.
The lifelong Lenoir County resident started painting after retiring from teaching at Kinston High School in 1989. She started in oils, taking lessons from Willie Tagleria in New Bern. She also has studied in watercolor and acrylics under many outstanding art teachers.
She has maintained a studio at the Arts Center for many years, has exhibited in many shows, won recognition for her works, and is owned in many private collections.
Home Solutions: April is Earth Month
April 22 is Earth Day, designated for fostering appreciation of the earth’s environment and awareness of the issues that threaten it. The entire month is Earth Month, so celebrate by using water conservatively.
Fill it up. Run your dishwasher only when full. Don’t pre-rinse dishes — tests show pre-rinsing doesn’t improve dishwasher cleaning, and you’ll save as much as 20 gallons of water per load. When buying a new dishwasher, look for water-efficient models that use about four gallons per wash.
Be sensible. You might think the Earth has abundant water, but only 1 percent is available for humans. Buy fixtures and products that are water efficient — less water will get the same job done just as well. When shopping, look for the WaterSense label to find water efficient products.
A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, but a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons. Check how fast you are with a timer or clock near the shower. Save even more water, and money, by installing a water-efficient showerhead.
Don’t let it drip. Leaky faucets can waste thousands of gallons of water each year, and that equals money down the drain. Repair or replace old or damaged fixtures. To check for leaks, check the water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.
Make it a full load. The average washing machine uses 40.9 gallons of water per load. Shop for a new high-efficiency washer that needs less than 28 gallons of water per load. To achieve even greater savings, wash only full loads of laundry or choose the appropriate load size on the washing machine.
Source: epa.gov
Trudy W. Pickett is extension family and consumer science agent at the Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Office, 1791 N.C. 11/55. Reach her at 252-527-2191 or trudy_pickett@ncsu.edu.
