Gasoline vapors are harmful to both you and the environment. They are toxic to breathe in and contribute to ozone formation in the atmosphere. According to the EPA, you should secure the gas cap after refueling and avoid refueling on “ozone action days”, and if that isn’t possible, do so in the early morning or late evening.
Use recycled & rechargeable batteries – disposable ones contain toxic chemicals. And, manufacturing them can take as much as 50 times the energy as the batteries produce!
When ordering or purchasing seafood, choose sustainably grown and caught varieties. For an up-to-date list of which varieties of seafood are “green“, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program: http://www.seafoodwatch.org/.
Don’t throw those aluminum soda or beer cans in the trash. Recycling aluminum cans significantly reduces energy consumption – 92% of the energy needed to produce new cans can come from recycling old ones. Aluminum is a special material that can be recycled time and time again. Used cans can be recycled into new cans in just 60 days!
Instead of sending all those grass clipping to your local landfill, install a mulching blade on your mower (or ask your yard service to do so) and leave the clippings on the lawn. As they decompose, they add valuable organic matter to the soil. And, contrary to popular belief, it won’t cause a buildup of thatch – primarily caused by over fertilizing.
Are you are throwing a 4th of July bash? Make it a red/white/blue and GREEN one! Buy locally grown organic produce; decorate with live plants that you can put in the ground afterwards; and use reusable (or at least recyclable) dinnerware and utensils.
Being an avid gardener, born and raised in Indiana, I feel incredible blessed to live in sunny California & be able to grow my own food all year-round! I write a monthly garden column for the San Jose Mercury News & am constantly striving for tips & ideas on how to live a little more gently in regards to ourselves, our planet & each other – basically sustainability we can live with! As a fulltime realtor here in the Bay Area, I help my clients “Go Green” in & around their homes & communities.
January 12th, 2021
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