Tag: #GreenLiving

Returning our attention to Earth Day

LEGO recycling truck recently scene at a local Target store. Picture by Salena Wakim, do not reuse, duplicate, or alter without permission and credit

With all that is going on in the world these days, one might be forgiven for letting Earth Day slip their mind this year. Sadly, many will probably overlook it entirely, but now we should be revisiting the importance of this day more than ever. It’s time we returned out attention to Earth Day.

I won’t list all the eco catastrophies we’ve had in the last 12 months. For one thing you’ve heard it all before, and for another, unfortunately there are so many the list really wouldn’t fit in this space. Suffice it to say, there’s been a lot, and as such, there’s even more work to do to fix the situation. Despite the heavy need, there’s still so many other problems right now, that eco awareness is both higher than it’s been for a while, and yet equally not being acknowledged in everyday activities on a large scale.

Increasing awareness amongst all the generations is key to fighting this problem, but that is easier said than done. Various organizations and businesses have noticed though, and are wading in to help. This includes companies like Kleenex issuing a special ‘National Parks’ themed packaging line, Disney releasing their Earth Day centric reusable bag line, and LEGO putting out a Recycling Truck builder kit (see image above).

The semiannual Drug Take Back Day will take place on Saturday 4/27, just at the tail end of Earth Week, in an attempt to prevent not only drug misuse, but also to prevent unwanted drugs from ending up in our waterways. The EPA has a variety of online resources to help you teach your children about the importance of the day as well. There’s also some free Earth Day templates for you to use on Instagram, to help promote Earth Day awareness. Many private citizens will be out doing beach, forest, and park cleanups this week too. I know it might seem like the message is getting buried under the avalanche of bad news coming at us from so many directions, but it’s important that you remember you’re not alone. Others do care, and we all need each other to pitch n and help, if we’re going to succeed in making it better. The UN just put out a statement saying that we only have approx two years left to really mitigate any future to climate related problems.

So, regardless if you celebrate by attending an event, working on spreading Earth Day awareness, or by taking stock of your own eco street cred, the important thing is that you do in fact celebrate it, and pitch in.

Happy Earth Day Everyone.

Should your top three items be green

Daily writing prompt
What are three objects you couldn’t live without?
View all responses

“What are the three objects you couldn’t live without?”

That’s the question of the day. The answers will undoubtedly vary, depending on who’s answering, but here’s not only my two cents on the topic, but also my take on whether or not they should be green as well.

So, to get started, let me just clarify that I am actually only including “objects.” Therefore, nothing such as family, pets, good health, etc. will be considered a valid answer for this list. Also, I don’t want to suggest that things like insulin, EPI pens, or oxygen machines aren’t absolutely necessary, but I don’t happen to need any of those things right now, so they’re not on my list. (If you do need those things, please make sure to remember them as you’re writing your own list of top three.). Finally, things like a job, a house, and money are all equally important, but alas, not really the angle I’m going for here.

Now, that I’ve eliminated the big guys, lets move into my TOP 3 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT! (Dramatic enough for you?)

  1. Chocolate (what? I just eliminated most of the big serious ticket items, what did you think was left?) This has saved the day more than once for me. Should it be greener, well yes. Sadly, even when the larger companies have tried to do an organic version of their mainstream products ( ex: Hershey bar and Reece’s peanut butter cups) they always taste overly sugary, and waxy for some reason. Can the standard version become more eco friendly, and still taste the same. Yes, but that means the supply chain will need to be cleaned up. Doable, but facing an uphill battle across the industry.
  2. Vacation destinations to be clear, I don’t really get to travel hardly at all anymore. What I value about all these places is that they can inspire dreams/fantasies of what might be. This can spur on savings, planning, and eventually joy. How does that last one work? Well, if you enjoy the vacation that’s obvious, but I mean it can do it even before you book a ticket. Think of all the times you’ve watched a travel show, or checked out a website online. The very act of imagining yourself there, can make you happy just from the possibilities alone. Can it be green to travel, YES. It’s all in your choices. Even if the location isn’t taking steps to be eco friendly, that doesn’t mean you can’t be. Be that mindful traveler, and make sure you try to minimize your own impact as much as you can.
  3. Chocolate ice cream (or even chocolate coated ice cream) ok, maybe I was hungry when I wrote this, and dreaming about attending one if those chocolate festivals. Whatever…oh, and see point 1 for all the justifications. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the kitchen ASAP.

    Here’s to a happy 2024

    Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

    2023 has been pretty brutal, so the bar isn’t all that high for 2024 to be better, but still lets take a moment to all collectively hope that it will be.

    With two wars raging, environmental problems, an economy that is freaking many people out, and the ever present concerns surrounding China, is it any wonder that people are unsure of what the future holds? The good news is that there are several organizations out there trying to fix things.

    Every community has some sort of food assistance campaign now, as well as homeless outreach. Most colleges have programs set up to assist their students in a similar way. Neighborhood clean ups are ongoing throughout the year in most cities, and several beach, lake, and park cleanups are scheduled throughout the year now.

    We still have the larger concerns of course, like crazy weather threats, rolling blackouts, major storms, and wildfires, but there are groups like Esri working on that too. Over the summer the Esri User Conference in San Diego covered a myriad of ways government and local groups were getting together to better coordinate evacuation and rescue efforts, plus cleanup and rebuilding; and it all starts with a central hub to find needed information in real time, which Esri is helping to build.

    Many other such efforts are underway world wide, so there is hope that 2024 will be better for us all. Happy New Year everyone!

    New trick to this October’s Drug Take Back Day.

    Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

    Although it is a bit easier than it used to be to properly dispose of old medications, it’s still important to stay on top of unwanted drugs that might be in your household. One way to stay on track with this task is to take advantage of the DEA’s twice yearly reminder, AKA Drug Take Back Day. Every April and October, the DEA sets up locations around the nation, where you can easily drop off medications for free. This time around it will be taking place on Saturday, October 28th, 2023 (note: most locations will be operating from 10am to 2pm.)

    So, what’s the trick, you ask? Well, this year, if you do a search on the official site for your nearest drop-off location, then you might be confused about why your regular spot seems to be missing. Although it’s nice to see more options than you would have found in the past, it was a bit of a shock to find that none of the typical locations were listed. Local police stations, for example, seem to be missing.

    However, there’s no need to panic just yet. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your usual drop off location isn’t participating, it could just be that it has been moved to the year-round location list instead. If so, then you might just find that they aren’t doing a pop up location, simply because they now have a permanent drop-off bin on-site (which should offer ongoing convenience it they do). To be sure, just call them directly for the most current local information. No one wants to spend Saturday morning driving around, trying to find an alternative location at the last minute after all.

    No matter how you manage to get it done, please just make sure you try to get it done the right way. We need everyone participating on this, sadly for more reasons than one.

    Coastal Cleanup Day is almost here

    Photo by Inna Rabotyagina on Pexels.com

    This is just a reminder that the annual Coastal Cleanup Day is just around the corner. Make sure to check out what cleanups are going on in your area, and if one doesn’t exist yet, then perhaps consider starting one of your own. You can even use the Clean Swell app to help get it all organized.

    How will you pitch in this year?

    Time for a little recycling precaution

    Imagine of a credit card
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    Recycling as a practice has its pros and cons. We’ve all been hearing recently about how only a fraction of what we send out to be recycled ever actually is, but to not even try isn’t an option either. While the variety of arguments we could go through regarding this topic are plentiful, that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Nope, instead we need to talk about identity theft.

    Now before you hit the back button, and double check that you clicked on the right article link, hear me out. Hopefully, everyone is aware that before certain types of paperwork can go into the recycling bin (such as financial or medical papers) it needs to be shredded first (the tinier the cross-cut the better). This is especially true for those annoying, unsolicited credit card applications that we all keep getting in the mail.

    Usually you would just have to shred the intro letter and the application, and the shiny brochure and outer envelope didn’t have to be first put through the machine (saving you some time, and the wear-and-tear on your shredder). Sadly, that is no longer the case. Thanks to the enthusiastic adoption of QR codes, now the whole thing probably needs to be sliced and diced.

    If you take the time to look through some of those credit card packets (and let’s face it, they’re usually the thickest envelopes anyone receives these days), you’ll see QR codes on a majority of the pages. This can often include the shiny brochure too, and occasionally even the outer envelope. If you’re lucky, that might just be a generic code that goes to a blank application when you scan it. However, to make the application process easier, some of those codes will link to a very personalized (and partially filled out) application instead.

    Thanks to that, you can’t risk just tossing any part of the packet anymore. Instead, to safeguard yourself from identity theft threats, you have to make sure you shred anything that looks like an application, has a QR code on it, or has a personalized web address for you to use (which is basically the address that the QR code contains, but it’s just typed out for you instead).

    Nope, the thing to do is simply shred it all if you have to. Yes, there’s supposed to be a way to stop getting the solicitations in the first place, but if you’re like me, you just haven’t found the time to go through the process yet. If you’re determined to get it done now though, ironically you’ll be able to find that info in tiny little letters in the packet too. It’ll just be considerably harder to read. Good luck Everyone, and have a Happy 4th of July!

    Forgot about Drug Take Back Day? Don’t panic

    Photo by Julie Viken on Pexels.com

    Ok, so you forgot about Drug Take Back Day last month. Now you’re staring at a bunch of pills, thinking you’re going to have to store these until the next drop off day in October? As the title says, Don’t Panic? There’s more options now than there used to be.

    The official Drug Take Back Day usually is held in April and October. For a long time, that really was your only chance to safely dispose of expired, excess prescription medication for free. However, that changed because of an unfortunate perfect storm, comprised of accidental consumption of pills by kids, the opioid epidemic, and a growing concern over groundwater contamination. Now there’s more than one convenient way to get this job taken care of. Whichever of the options below you choose, just remember to either remove your personal info from the bottle, or use a sharpie to cover it up, before you drop it off!

    1. Pharmacies: Many local pharmacies now have dropped off containers for prescription drugs that are no longer needed. They generally look a little like a postal mailbox, but instead of being blue they’re silver.
    2. Mail option: if your pharmacy doesn’t have the silver container, then ask them if they have the free mail-in pouches. Now, be careful, because sometimes they’ll direct you to a shelf were there’s a mail-in pouch that you’ll have to pay for. Don’t settle for that, ask again for the free one. They’re usually set out by the pharmacy counter for people to grasp, or you might have to ask for one from behind the counter.
    3. Doctor’s office: This one is more of a long shot, but sometimes they might have it, so ask just in case.
    4. Police stations: Many police stations now have the silver drop off bins to. You didn’t even have to talk to anyone about it, you just go in, and drop you bag in the slot, and go.
    5. Community events: Sometimes, you can find drug awareness events going on in your community, There will usually be a drop off location set up at the heart of the event, which will be surrounded by activities and info booths. These are usually held in school parking lots, or local parks. Just keep an eye out for signs posted around town.

    Happy Earth Day 2023

    Photo by Cup of Couple on Pexels.com

    It’s back again. Earth Day is this weekend, and yet you wouldn’t know it from the lack of hype revolving around this super important day. After the last couple of years, it seems that in many places, Earth Day has been pushed even further out of mind than ever before. Sure, the corporations and retailers of the world are taking advantage of the opportunity to talk about how green they are. However, there seems to be precious few community events at all. If you are determined, as I am, to not let that stop you from celebrating this day anyway, here are a few ways that might be available for you to get your green on.

    1. Check in with your local garden center. Earth Day weekend is often utilized as a great time to encourage people to start their gardens. Many garden centers will be offering free gardening classes, as well as sales to help get you started. If you’re new to the garden thing, may I suggest starting small (perhaps with containers), and pick heathy looking plants (and leave the seed option till you’ve developed your green thumb a bit). If you happen to live near an Armstrong Garden Center, then you’re in luck, as in addition to the gardening class on offer this weekend, they’re also giving away free lady bugs with any purchase.
    2. If you’ve read my column before, then you know I love a good library. Many local branches will earn that praise this coming week, as they are usually the best option for finding free Earth Day activities. What’s on tap this week will usually include such fan favorites as Eco friendly kids activities, Earth Day themed movie showings, and some will even be sponsoring Earth Day faires. Check in with your librarian to see what they have planned.
    3. Several cities will be sponsoring neighborhood eco-waste events this weekend too. Most of these are free, but double check if the signs don’t explicitly state that! Take the opportunity to correctly dispose of unwanted electronics. You’ll reduce your clutter, while making sure nothing bad comes from anything you’re ready to get rid of. Many component get properly recycled, repurposed, and/,or reused this way.
    4. Finally, if you can’t find anything of interest around where you live, you can always organize something yourself. One app that can help you with putting together a neighborhood clean-up is Clean Swell. If you’ve ever done a beach clean-up then you might have already heard of this, as many organizers have started using it to record their participants’ progress. However, you can use it as a private individual too, and it’s free. I couldn’t get to any of the larger group clean-ups in the Fall, so I used Clean Swell for the first time to put together a small group closer to home. It was easy, and didn’t take long at all to set up. You can even do a local clean up for just you and your kids if you want. Just type in where you’re doing it, and then choose if you want to record as you go, or do what I did, and record it all at once at the end. The app keeps track of it either way, and you get to see your progress increase the more you participate.
    5. Whatever you choose, just make sure to have fun, and of course, remember why it’s called Earth Day in the first place. Happy Earth Day Everyone!

    Is anyone listening to the UN’s latest warning?

    Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

    If you’ve been paying attention, then you might have heard that the U.N. has once again issued a warning about the climate crisis.

    With so many of these announcements going out, and relatively little being done in response, one can’t help but wonder if anyone is even listening anymore.

    The sad reality is that precious few are. Sure, we all hear it being said, but are we actually listening? There’s just so much noise right now to distract us. In the last couple of weeks alone there have been a couple of mass shootings, Russian troops are uping the fight in Ukraine, two banks had to be seized by the government, and the world is once again staring down the barrel of a looming recession.

    Needless to say, most people are distracted right now. However, that doesn’t mean the climate issue can wait.

    The only way to get the focus back, is to first refocus yourself. Make it a priority in your own life, and then make decisions with that in mind. This includes purchase choices, voting decisions, planning trips with an eco-friendly eye, and several others ways that might fit in your life. The change has to start and grow from you first though. I know that right now this won’t always be easy, but all you can do is hold true to your values, and then move forward from there.

    Happy Spring Everyone.