The Green Team meets the second Tuesday evening of every month. If you are interesting in joining us please contact Donna Caflisch at 286-8805.

We publish tips and info on a regular basis. Recent items are at the top, older toward the bottom of this page.

Jan 15

- Here in the United States we waste a lot of food. A recent study of food waste in the USA estimated that 1,400 calories of food per person are wasted every day - 39% of the available food supply in our country! Because growing and processing food uses significant freshwater and energy resources, wasted food means wasted resources. Use all your food! Shift toward less waste: Buy proper portions, store food so it stays fresh. Most veggies keep longer in a humid environment such as in a plastic bag or crisp drawer in the refrigerator. Use recipes for tasty leftover meals. Plan ahead: buy only what you need. Cook a couple extra meals when you have time and store them for later use. Share meals at restaurants if portions are large, or bring your own containers to take leftovers home. Compost peels and wilted leaves.

Jan 8

- RECYCLE YOUR HOLIDAYS. Did you recently discover that string of lights you put up isn’t working? For a limited time, they can be recycled as an alternative to just throwing them in the trash. In collaboration with the Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) and the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), old, broken holiday strands can be dropped off free of charge in bins located at:

• Public Works/Planning Building Lobby (2122 Campus Dr SE, Rochester)
• The Salvation Army in Rochester
• Ace Hardware Stores (Bryon, Rochester)
• Rochester Community College * Heinz Center Lobby * Sports Center Complex * Atrium of the University Center (UCR Building)

Light strands can be dropped off until January 15th at the any of the above locations. The “Recycle Your Holidays” program is a free service. Please help recycle these resources and help exceed the program’s goal of collecting over 50,000 pounds of holiday lights!

Dec 25

- Aluminum foil pie plates and TV dinner trays are all reusable and recyclable.

Dec 18

- Take wire clothes hangers to the dry cleaners for reuse.

Dec 11

- Choose a dry cleaner who will guarantee that solvents are recycled.

Dec 4

- Don't pour hazardous waste down drains as it goes into lakes and streams.

December

- If you change your own antifreeze, take it to a service station that will dispose of it properly.

Nov 27

- Need some friendly reminders in your efforts to lead a healthier and more sustainable life? Sign up for the Living Green 365 e-newsletter and receive monthly tips for living green. Sign up at www.livinggreen.org

Nov 20

- When shopping, purchase frequently used items with long shelf life in bulk when available. Buying in bulk will decrease packaging waste and the total cost. Watch out for individually wrapped items that are packaged together and sold as a bulk item. You?ll be getting a lot more packaging than you were counting on. Help out to reduce the amount of packaging headed to the trash.

Nov 13

- BYOB! (Bring Your Own Bag) With weekly trips to the grocery store and other holiday gift shopping beginning, consider helping to reduce shopping waste by using reusable bags. Keep several reusable bags in your car since you’ll probably need more than one. Green bags are available for sale in the narthex and are sturdy with reinforced seams and 18” carrying straps. By using your own bag you’ll show that you care about the environment and set a good example for others.

Recycle old car batteries - buy new car batteries from someone who will take the old one and recycle.

October newsletter

- Antifreeze: if you change your own be sure to take the old to a service station where it should be taken care of appropriately.

Sept. 25

- Recycle old car batteries. Buy new car batteries from someone who will take the old one and recycle.

Sept. 18

- Take empty prescription bottles to the veterinary offices. They often reuse them.

Sept. 11

- Recycle old clothes by donating to Salvation Army or the like and do it seasonally, sweaters in the fall, etc. At home make rags out of old shirts and towels.

Sept. 4

- Don't throw packing peanuts away. Reuse or take to a place that will reuse them.

September newsletter - Don't Trash Your Cash!

The best way to reduce waste is to avoid generating it in the first place. Consider the environmental impact of your purchases before you buy. You'll not only reduce waste, but will save time and money, too.

• Shop the 3 R's - reusable, refillable, returnable.
• Choose good quality products that last longer.
• Check efficiency ratings and warranties.
• Consider "gently used."
• Rent or borrow things you'll seldom use.
• Choose products with less packaging.
• For more ways to "precycle" your purchases, check out www.reduce.org.

Go Green at the Minnesota State Fair

Check out the 2009 Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair (August 27 - September 7 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Learn about our environment, cutting edge services and products, and how we can all live a more sustainable life. You'll be truly inspired! For more information, go to www.ecoexperience.org.

August 21 - Wonder Where Your Recycling Goes?

The Green Team tours tour the Olmsted County Recycling Center on Tuesday, September 1. We'll meet at Good Shepherd at 5:30 p.m. and carpool to the site.

August 14 - Good Things Come in Small(er) Packag(ing)...

Did you know that up to a third of solid waste generated is packaging? Choose products with less packaging, and consider buying in bulk and concentrate. You'll reduce packaging waste, save money, and reduce transportation energy/cost.

August newsletter - Recycle cell phones

Do you have old cell phones or chargers laying around? The Women's Shelter and Olmsted County Human Services distributes them to families to use as mergency 911 phones. The Green Team will be collecting and delivering them to the county.

July newsletter - THE BRICK TRICK

• The Problem: Water in short supply but high demand.
• The Solution: Save gallon after gallon in the bathroom alone.
• The "How-To": Water has become such an issue because of drought, and we waste so much of it. There are many steps you can take, such as taking shorter showers and turning off the tap while brushing your teeth. An all time favorite way to save water is the brick-in-the-toilet trick. Just take a brick and put it right there in the tank. Think of how much water you use after every flush as the toilet refills. If you put a brick in there, you'll save approximately a third of a gallon every time you flush. It is estimated you can save 8% of your water costs with this method.

June 26 - Go Green

How Green Are You? Find out how green your lifestyle is with a free, easy, and fun survey at GoGreenScore.org. In just a few minutes, you will find out whether you are Heading Toward Greener Pastures or if you are a Lean, Mean, Green Machine."

June 19 - Ease up

Set your refrigerator at 36-42 F, your freezer at -5 to +6 , and the water heater at 120 F. Because: Adjusting these temperatures can cut your energy use by 20 %.

June newsletter - Don't Flush Your Meds

Disposing of your medications down the drain may unintentionally harm fish and wildlife. Recent studies have found medications in Minnesota waters. Some of them interfere with reproduction and normal growth of many aquatic species, such as frogs and fish. Traditional wastewater treatment does not prevent these medications from reaching Lakes and Rivers. One step to prevent this would be to discard your prescription medicines in the trash, after taking steps to prevent children, animals and others from coming into contact with them. Before placing them in the trash please do the following:

1. Leave content and safety information visible, scratch out the patient's name.
2. Modify the contents to discourage consumption. You could add water or vinegar to pills and salt or flour to liquids.
3. Seal and conceal the medicine. Tape the lid shut and don?t conceal in food.
4. Discard the container in the garbage, not the recycle bin.

If you are someone that also has an interest in the green issues we would love to have you join us.

May 29 - Junk the junk Mail

Eliminate tempting offers and reduce your recycling or garbage load by taking your name off mailing lists. Go to www.reduce.org to find out how to remove your name from junk mail lists.

May 22 - Pack a no-waste lunch

When packing lunches, use plastic containers that can be washed and used repeatedly. The containers will cost less in the long run than disposable plastic bags.

May 15 - Watch the grass grow

Save money and the environment. Let your grass grow a little longer in between mowings and save money on fuel. The Extension office says that a typical grass should be 2.5 to 3 inches that's a little taller than a business card.

If you would like to join us for a recycling center or waste-to-energy facility tour please contact Donna Caflisch at 286-8805.

April 24 newsletter - Go outdoors

Spring is here and the weather is getting nicer every day. Consider giving your treadmill a rest and taking your walking or jogging routine outdoors. If an additional 10 percent of Americans who walk as their number one form of physical activity walked outside instead of indoors, it would save as much energy as it would take to drive a car forty thousand miles. Enjoy spring.

April 26 bulletin - CFL

As you're doing spring cleaning, make the commitment to replace some of your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.

Another benefit of the compact fluorescent bulbs is that they last a long time (up to 10 years or more). Find them in any local home store or hardware store. Remember to always try and turn lights off when you are not in the room or at home. www.eartheasy.com

May Newsletter

One of the goals of our Strategic Planning for the next few years at Good Shepherd Church is to become more environmentally conscious. The Green Team has been established and has 10 members who are meeting once a month to begin this process. To accomplish this goal, we are reviewing current practices to determine if there are any actions needed to reduce our ecological impact on the earth. Watch for frequent updates and information from the team as we focus on education and keeping everyone informed as the action plan progresses. If you are someone that also has an interest in the green issues and would like to be part of this process, we would love to have you join us. Please contact Donna Caflisch at 286-8805 for more details.

Newsletter and Bulletin for April 19th

Don't miss the newly formed Green Team and their display in the narthex this weekend. Stop by and get updates on what they're working on right now and make a commitment button. Don't forget to check out the bike demonstration and look for handouts on how to recycle common household items. They're also planning an upcoming tour to the recycling center so if you're interested, sign up and join them.