Green Community Project: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Redux

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Redux

Spring Clean up 2008 TRASH DAY, Fri April 25 8:00-3:00 and Sat, April 26 8:00-3:00 at DPW, 55 Pocono Rd

It's that time of year again! Isn't it amazing how much junk can accumulate in just six months time? My husband is a neat freak and always manages to ferret out the stuff that I stick away for the kids' apartments, to sell on Craigslist, give away on freecycle, or for the garage sale that I never seem to hold. I feel tremendously guilty as I watch him load up the car with these "treasures", headed for the town trash day, knowing that somebody could be using that stuff. I'll bet I'm not the only one around that just hasn't gotten around to disposing of things that are too good for the trash, so the Green Community Project has come up with an idea we want to test--we call it the Mountain Lakes FreeMarket. Check it out if you have things you want to give away, have something you're looking for, or if you are just curious! Please consider this or other ways of sharing goods that you no longer want.

Another place to donate items is our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, where they are celebrating their first anniversary on April 26th with a Shred-a-Thon. You can bring up to two banker's boxes of old receipts, bills, etc. to be shredded on site. There will be Green Organizing Expo vendors and, of course, amazing finds in the ReStore. More information can be found at the site linked above.

EARTH DAY is April 22. RECYCLE your old electronics
for Free! Dialogic & Advanced Recovery, Inc. will be hosting
electronics recycling days: May 2, 12PM to 6PM and May 3, 8AM to 3PM. Bring all your old electronics and computer equipment to the Dialogic Site:

1515 Route 10 Eastbound

(Between Rte 202 and Route 287)

Parsippany, NJ 07054

Open and Free to everyone!

AAUW BOOK/MEDIA SALE Drop-off Days, April 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and April 24, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ML Library downstairs. Books, incl. children's, CD/DVD and tapes (no textbooks, enclopaedias, or records, please.) Info: (973) 887-1664.

Finally. . . Jenny told me about a fantastic program to recycle cell phones which can be donated to the Wireless Foundation's Call to Protect program. To get the shipping address, go to wirelessfoundation.com and click on the "call to protect" symbol on the left. Then click on "donate your phone." Plus, phones can also be dropped off at certain sites, including any Body Shop store in local malls -- Rockaway, Paramus, Short Hills. Laurel stumbled over this link, Call2Recycle, which can help you recycle your used portable rechargeable batteries and old cell phones. Rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys.

EcoTips from the League

Eco-Tip #1 – Change a Light
By replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb you will reduce your home's carbon footprint by 150 pounds per year. It's that easy. You can make a difference!

Eco-Tip #2 – Plastic Bottles
Of the 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles Americans use each year, more than 80% end up in landfills. Most bottles are made from plastic derived from crude oil and then transported on diesel-burning trucks. If you must use a single serving bottle, please recycle it. Better yet, choose to re-use a refillable water bottle made of a refill-safe material.

Eco-Tip #3--BYOB Bring Your Own Bag

An estimated 1,460 plastic bags are used by the average American family each year. 12 million barrels of oil are used to make the plastic bags that the U.S. consumes annually. It takes up to 1000 years for each plastic bag to decompose. Presently, less than 1% of all plastic bags are recycled in the U.S. Plastic bags clog our landfills, litter our land and kill hundreds of thousands of marine animals who mistake them for food.

Break the trend! Take reusable shopping bags with you wherever you go. STOP using plastic or paper supermarket bags. Visit reusablebags.com to learn more and to find a variety of reusable bag alternatives.

Eco-Tip #4--Adjust Your Thermostat

Setting your home thermostat down just 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer can save over 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

By washing your clothes in cold or warm water rather than hot you will save more than 500 pounds per year.

Re-set your thermostats today!

Eco-Tip #5--Insulate Your Water Heater

In most homes, heating water stands among the top energy expenses, 13% of the average utility bill. Because water is constantly being heated regardless of whether a hot water tap is running, a good portion of that energy is wasted as heat is lost to the surrounding air. Many water heaters are turned up to a higher temperature than is necessary. Try turning down the temperature of your hot water by a few degrees. Then, by insulating the water heater and accessible hot water pipes you will reduce your energy losses between 4 and 9 percent and keep more than 300 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year. Most hardware stores carry water heater insulation kits for about $20, a price that repays itself in energy savings in just a few months.

Eco-Tip #6--Buy Local

Buy paper products made by locally-based company Marcal, which accepts materials from Morris County municipal programs and businesses. Its products are made primarily or entirely from 100% recycled fiber content.

Eco-Tip #7--Choices

Every day we make a hundred or more choices, some small and seemingly insignificant, and some large and unquestionably substantial. Small or large, our collective choices and the actions that stem from them have an impact--good, bad or indifferent--on the world around us. We all share the responsibility for the health and sustainability of our natural world. Consider your choices.

Eco-Tip #8--Keep it Simple

Simple doesn't mean unimportant! Even the simplest actions can make a difference when multiplied by many. If just two percent of the U.S. populations turned on the kitchen and bathroom faucets to a fraction of full blast when washing their hands, nearly 12 million gallons of water could be saved every day. Don't underestimate the impact of small changes made by many people.

Eco-Tip #9--Take it Slow

When it comes to making "green" changes in your daily activities, take it slow. Positive changes are more likely to take hold and endure if you pursue them one at a time. Give yourself sufficient time to adjust to and develop a new routine. This will lead to greater success on your path to a greener lifestyle.

Eco-Tip #10--Schedule an Energy Audit

Schedule an energy audit to learn more about energy consumption in your home and what steps you can take to cut energy costs. Many utility companies and service providers perform energy audits at no or low cost to you.

Eco-Tip #11--What's the Big Deal?

Last year, 11,973 "biters" kept their car tires properly inflated, saving enough gasoline to drive a hybrid car around the entire Earth. Keeping your car tires inflated is one small bite for an individual to take; but it's a big deal when you add up all the little bites. So, what is a biter? It's a person who is taking bite-sized steps to conserve and preserve the planet. Give it a try! Sign up for daily e-mail tips from idealbite.com--it's one step you can take to find inspiration for how to live green.

Eco-Tip#12--Eat Locally

Get involved in the environment in your own
neighborhood. You’ll become more personally invested
in the earth’s health and will therefore be a better
resident of your community and the planet. This Earth
Day, do a little research. Visit a nearby farm to meet
the people that make your food—to find farms and
farmer's markets, check localharvest.org or
ams.usda.gov.

Eco-Tip #13--Conserving Water - Drip by Drip
Global freshwater resources are being threatened by rising demands and climate change. Less than 2% of the water each of us uses everyday is water that we drink. Here are some easy ways to cut down on water waste in the home and save $$$ too:
* Turn the water off while brushing your teeth.
* Run your washing machine and dishwasher for full loads only.
* Install low-flow showerheads and cut your showers down to five minutes.
* Keep up with leaky toilets and faucets.
* Capture bathwater and "warm-up" water to water plants.
Doing small things consistently over time - can make a difference.

Eco-Tip #14--Pulling the Plug
Think your electronics and appliances are turned off? Probably not. Hair dryers, coffee makers, toasters, phone chargers, TVs and many other devices use energy for all the time! These hidden energy drains account for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and send 18 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. Unplug them all when not in use - or make it easier on yourself by connecting them to a surge protector and flipping the switch. It's that easy. You CAN make a difference!

Eco-Tip #15--Improve the Fabric--Buy Organic

When shopping for new clothing for yourself or others, remember that the benefits of organically produced cotton clothes are substantial. Conventionally grown cotton is drenched in pesticides and other chemicals. An average acre of cotton receives 13 pounds of pesticides and herbicides, plus hundreds of pounds of synthetic fertilizer. Organic cotton production avoids the runoff that this kind of agriculture produces. Do your part: Google - "Organic Cotton Clothing" to find suppliers near you.

Eco-Tip#16--Oil Down the Drain
Many dishwashing detergents contain petroleum products, a very unnecessary use of oil. Vegetable-based dish soap is a greener alternative widely available at many supermarkets. Read the labels and do your part!
If every American household replaced just one 28-ounce bottle of petroleum-based dishwashing liquid with a vegetable-based product, the savings would amount to 82,000 barrels of oil.

It's that easy. You CAN make a difference.

Green Community Project

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Redux

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