The Green Team meets the second Tuesday evening of every month.
We publish tips and info on a regular basis.
Recent items are at the top, older toward the bottom of this page.
Wasted food
- 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.
Recycle your holidays
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!
Aluminum
Aluminum foil pie plates and TV dinner trays are all reusable and recyclable.
Hangers
Take wire clothes hangers to the dry cleaners for reuse.
Dry cleaning
Choose a dry cleaner who will guarantee that solvents are recycled.
Drains
Don't pour hazardous waste down drains as it goes into lakes and streams.
Antifreeze
If you change your own antifreeze,
take it to a service station that will dispose of it properly.
Newsletter
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
Packaging
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.
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.
Car batteries
Buy new car batteries from someone who will take the old one and recycle.
Prescription bottles
Take empty prescription bottles to the veterinary offices. They often reuse them.
Clothes
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.
Packing peanuts
Don't throw packing peanuts away. Reuse or take to a place that will reuse them.
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 Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair.
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.
Wonder Where Your Recycling Goes?
The Green Team toured the Olmsted County Recycling Center.
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.
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.
The Brick Trick
- Problem: Water in short supply but high demand.
- Solution: Save gallon after gallon in the bathroom alone.
- "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.
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.
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 %.
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:
- Leave content and safety information visible, scratch out the patient's name.
- Modify the contents to discourage consumption.
You could add water or vinegar to pills and salt or flour to liquids.
- Seal and conceal the medicine. Tape the lid shut and don't conceal in food.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
