Category: Holidays

Give the Environment a Holiday Gift – Celebrate Sustainably

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We love the holidays!  It is wonderful time of celebration, of family, of good food and good times.  However, despite all of the good times and feelings, it can also be a time of excess, waste, and great stress.  With a little thought, we think that you can green your holiday rituals and celebrations and make them more meaningful.  Read on for a few tips on how to celebrate the holidays more sustainably.

The Christmas Tree – Real or Fake?

Real

  • Christmas tree farms encompass many thousands of acres across the US and Canada, keeping an awful lot of carbon out of the atmosphere.  And for every tree that is harvested each year, it is typically replaced by more tree seedlings which will continue to sequester carbon dioxide for us.
  • They provide desperately needed food and habitat for many of our wild creatures.
  • Make sure that you are buying local to reduce your transportation duns on the environment.

Fake

  • Fake trees are primarily made of plastic and mostly in China.  Transportation costs are high for this option, as are environmental ones from the non-biodegradable plastics to the possible metal toxins such as lead.
  • Invasive insects such as grubs could also have hitched a ride so they might pose an additional challenge.
  • However, it is possible that some people with allergies to pollen or terpenes will likely benefit from use of a fake tree.  In that case, be sure to store the tree carefully so that it’s many usages over the years will overcome its high carbon footprint.
  • Consider using a potted tree.  It has the advantage of being able to be used for a number of years and then when it becomes too big to move, it can be planted in your yard.

For more information about the real vs. fake dilemma, read on for this very helpful and informative article from The Nature Conservancy.

Christmas Lights

  • Make the switch to LED lights that use one tenth as much energy as conventional holiday lights and last much longer.
  • Recycle your old lights.  Home Depot offers a recycling option before the holidays, but for those of you just reading this article that certainly won’t work.  Holiday LEDs (www.holidayleds.com) offers a year round recycling option.  Send them your old lights and they will send you a 15% coupon towards a purchase of new LED lighting.  For details, go to their recycling information page.
  • Use your lights sparingly.  Turn them off during the day and when most people are in for the night.  Timers are an effective way to manage this.  Don’t keep them on when no one is around.  This also helps to reduce potential fire hazards.

Gifting

  • Give the gift of an experience.  Whether a show or sporting event you will make memories to cherish.
  • Buy less.  Give the gift of your time.  It can be promising to take an elderly relative on errands or doing yard work or other house work.   Make homemade coupons or certificates!
  • Buy local.  We can’t emphasize this enough.  Not only does it reduce transportation costs, but it also supports your local community.
  • Minimalize your consumerism.  Instead of giving to everyone, have a Secret Santa gift exchange.  Add a twist to it with a White Elephant gift exchange and you can have a lot of fun trying to come up with the best gift in the exchange.  (Rules)
  • Give to favorite charity for your group.
  • Give handmade gifts.  They are always so appreciated.  From your homemade breads, cookies, or jams to knitted or crocheted items, the list of possibilities are endless.
  • Give gifts of books and magazines to help spread the “green” bug.

Wrapping

  • Çhoose sustainable gift wrap.  Use recycled wrapping paper.  Avoid use metallic or glossy paper that are not so environmentally friendly.
  • Use gift bags.  They are easily reused year after year.
  • Choose alternatives to commercial gift wrap.  This can include fabric, handkerchiefs, bandanas, scarves, thin towels, newspaper, and discarded paper items.  Put your gift in a pretty reusable basket.
  • Ribbons are easy to save and reuse.  Cut down used wrapping paper and reuse.
  • Save your holiday cards and use to make gift tags.

Your Holiday Dinner

  • Don’t forget to avoid using disposable products – no paper napkins or plates or glasses.  This is the time to bring out your holiday tableware.  Washing dishes afterwards is a small price to pay to reduce your trash output.
  • Food.  Buy local, free range and organic.  All of these options reduce the impact of your food choices on the environment.  They also have the added benefit of being the healthier choice.
  • Avoiding buying beverages in individual containers will also reduce waste.
  • Don’t forget to compost as much as you can from the holiday leftovers.

These are just a few suggestions out of the many possibilities for minimizing your environmental impact during the holiday season.   We think that employing them will help you minimize the amount of waste from your celebrations and also help to minimize your stress levels.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season from the Ewing Green Team!

Green New Year’s Resolutions from the Ewing Green Team

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Happy 2017!

As the old year ends and the new one begins, we frequently resolve to begin anew, to do something better and be better.  We asked all green team members to give us some green resolutions for the coming year. We share them to give you some simple ideas on what you can do. What would you add to the list?

Pete Boughton
I resolve to reduce the amount of food waste generated especially within my home.  I promise to either consume or give away what is prepared.

Mary Corrigan
I resolve to grow some of my own fresh food at the Ewing Community Gardens.  Community gardens improve the quality of life for people in the garden; act as a catalyst for neighborhood and community development; teach self-reliance and expand access to nutritious food.

Evan Crumiller
I will refrain from topping off my gas tank, a practice that is bad for the environment.  In case you hadn’t heard of this, our explanation follows:

This  leaves room for expansion in your gas tank.  It allows the evaporative emissions system of your vehicle to operate properly and re-burn fuel vapors which in turn reduces harmful emissions from our vehicles as well as prevents raw gasoline from entering into the carbon filter.  Raw fuel fouls your vehicle’s evaporative emission system and can cause gas to spill on the ground or issues with engine operation, resulting in  poor mileage, emissions and overall decreased engine performance.   Finally, gas station pumps are equipped with vapor recovery systems that feed back gas vapors into their tanks to prevent vapors from escaping into the air and adding toxic air pollutants such as benzene. So if you overfill your tank the extra fuel may be drawn back into the vapor line and fed back into the station’s storage tanks.

Lisa Feldman
This message is for walkers.  I resolve to pick up litter to make sure it doesn’t get washed down the sewers into the waterways as I walk.  In addition,  I resolve to bring a bag with me on my walks to help pick up more litter. I also like to think people see me doing this and will get the message.

John Hoegl
Whereas a comprehensive home energy audit would help me discover where and how my home is using energy inefficiently and what can be done to rectify the situation,  and whereas  household energy reduction benefits me and Ewing and the environment, and whereas I can save money by upgrading my home, I therefore resolve to schedule a home energy audit in 2017.

Garry Kheel
In our effort to make Ewing an even “Greener” community, I encourage other business owners to join me in making and following through with each of my New Year’s resolutions: (1) ensure that all proprietary documents and digital records are immediately shredded; (2) purchase a paper cutter and use it to cut all non-proprietary documents into squares and reuse them as note pads; and (3) enroll in the Direct Install program to upgrade and install energy efficient lighting, air conditioning, and heating units within your building.

Garry also provides a bonus suggestion.  With the beginning of the new year, many of us will be making a resolution to exercise more regularly.  One of the best low impact exercises is bike riding and at the same time of getting in better shape.  Bike riding also helps to reduce the auto exhaust into the air, thus helping our community become more green.  Bike riding and becoming more green: exercising and breathing better: a perfect combination.

Joe Mirabella
I resolve to mulch my trees properly and to let others know that the habit of piling mulch high around the base of a base of a tree can kill it.  Piling the mulch high around the tree base softens the bark.  Mice, insects, and fungus then feed on the living parts of the tree, killing tissue, cutting off water and nutrient supply as well as causing other serious problems. Proper mulching insures that mulch is never piled against the bark but kept 6 inches from the trunk and about 2 to 4 inches deep.

Joanne Mullowney
Did you know that the loss of habitat is probably the greatest threat to the variety of life on the planet today ?  I therefore resolve to become a better steward of nature on my property by employing eco-friendly gardening principles.   I will: (1) eschew the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers that destroy the molecular life of the soil and are harmful to all wildlife, (2) rebuild my soil via composting, using shredded leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps, (3) rip out some lawn and replace it with native plants that will assist in providing habitat for wildlife, and (4) include at least one (native) tree in my plantings.

Michael Nordquist
I will work to reduce the amount of waste I produce by simply buying less and buying items with minimal packaging. Most waste is produced through the production process of goods (mining, logging, manufacturing, packaging, shipping) and buying less and more intentionally is necessary to reduce one’s waste footprint.   I will also work to transition to eco-friendly household cleaning products, even if it takes more work to clean things.

Caroline Steward
I resolve to create a stronger, more resilient community by participating in my neighborhood association.  If there isn’t a association in my neighborhood I resolve to help form one.  Good neighbors build strong, and sustainable, communities.

Sarah Steward
I resolve to remember to bring and use my re-usable shopping bags at the grocery and other retail stores to do my part to limit additional plastics in our trash streams and environment!

Mark Wetherbee
I resolve to reduce my home energy usage.  I will keep my water heater’s temperature at about 120 to 125° F, the perfect temperature that does not create a thermal loss of the water as it would if folks set it at 150° F.  It is also safer for kids.  I will also use LED lighting all over the house.  Along with the energy savings, there is the life time of LEDs which is about 10 years.  They also are great with motion sensors as the CFLs degrade each time they are turned on and off.  That reduces their life.

We add one final suggestion.  We don’t know what the future holds for us beginning in 2017, but it appears that the roles of the states, local governments and environmental organizations will be more critical than ever in continuing efforts  to protect and clean up our environment.  So resolve to join with us in our work.  Come to a meeting and find a way that you can help us influence others to make needed positive changes for a better tomorrow for our town, our state, our country and our world.

The Ewing Green Team

Give the Environment a Holiday Gift – Celebrate Sustainably

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We love the holidays!  It is wonderful time of celebration, of family, of good food and good times.  However, despite all of the good times and feelings, it can also be a time of excess, waste, and great stress.  With a little thought, we think that you can green your holiday rituals and celebrations and make them more meaningful.  Read on for a few tips on how to celebrate the holidays more sustainably.

The Christmas Tree – Real or Fake?

Real

  • Christmas tree farms encompass many thousands of acres across the US and Canada, keeping an awful lot of carbon out of the atmosphere.  And for every tree that is harvested each year, it is typically replaced by more tree seedlings which will continue to sequester carbon dioxide for us.
  • They provide desperately needed food and habitat for many of our wild creatures.
  • Make sure that you are buying local to reduce your transportation duns on the environment.

Fake

  • Fake trees are primarily made of plastic and mostly in China.  Transportation costs are high for this option, as are environmental ones from the non-biodegradable plastics to the possible metal toxins such as lead.
  • Invasive insects such as grubs could also have hitched a ride so they might pose an additional challenge.
  • However, it is possible that some people with allergies to pollen or terpenes will likely benefit from use of a fake tree.  In that case, be sure to store the tree carefully so that it’s many usages over the years will overcome its high carbon footprint.
  • Consider using a potted tree.  It has the advantage of being able to be used for a number of years and then when it becomes too big to move, it can be planted in your yard.

For more information about the real vs. fake dilemma, read on for this very helpful and informative article from The Nature Conservancy.

Christmas Lights

  • Make the switch to LED lights that use one tenth as much energy as conventional holiday lights and last much longer.
  • Recycle your old lights.  Home Depot offers a recycling option before the holidays, but for those of you just reading this article that certainly won’t work.  Holiday LEDs (www.holidayleds.com) offers a year round recycling option.  Send them your old lights and they will send you a 15% coupon towards a purchase of new LED lighting.  For details, go to their recycling information page.
  • Use your lights sparingly.  Turn them off during the day and when most people are in for the night.  Timers are an effective way to manage this.  Don’t keep them on when no one is around.  This also helps to reduce potential fire hazards.

Gifting

  • Give the gift of an experience.  Whether a show or sporting event you will make memories to cherish.
  • Buy less.  Give the gift of your time.  It can be promising to take an elderly relative on errands or doing yard work or other house work.   Make homemade coupons or certificates!
  • Buy local.  We can’t emphasize this enough.  Not only does it reduce transportation costs, but it also supports your local community.
  • Minimalize your consumerism.  Instead of giving to everyone, have a Secret Santa gift exchange.  Add a twist to it with a White Elephant gift exchange and you can have a lot of fun trying to come up with the best gift in the exchange.  (Rules)
  • Give to favorite charity for your group.
  • Give handmade gifts.  They are always so appreciated.  From your homemade breads, cookies, or jams to knitted or crocheted items, the list of possibilities are endless.
  • Give gifts of books and magazines to help spread the “green” bug.

Wrapping

  • Çhoose sustainable gift wrap.  Use recycled wrapping paper.  Avoid use metallic or glossy paper that are not so environmentally friendly.
  • Use gift bags.  They are easily reused year after year.
  • Choose alternatives to commercial gift wrap.  This can include fabric, handkerchiefs, bandanas, scarves, thin towels, newspaper, and discarded paper items.  Put your gift in a pretty reusable basket.
  • Ribbons are easy to save and reuse.  Cut down used wrapping paper and reuse.
  • Save your holiday cards and use to make gift tags.

Your Holiday Dinner

  • Don’t forget to avoid using disposable products – no paper napkins or plates or glasses.  This is the time to bring out your holiday tableware.  Washing dishes afterwards is a small price to pay to reduce your trash output.
  • Food.  Buy local, free range and organic.  All of these options reduce the impact of your food choices on the environment.  They also have the added benefit of being the healthier choice.
  • Avoiding buying beverages in individual containers will also reduce waste.
  • Don’t forget to compost as much as you can from the holiday leftovers.

These are just a few suggestions out of the many possibilities for minimizing your environmental impact during the holiday season.   We think that employing them will help you minimize the amount of waste from your celebrations and also help to minimize your stress levels.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season from the Ewing Green Team!

Reduce| Reuse | Recycle – The EGT’S Mantra for Greening the Season

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The end of the year holiday season has arrived at last. It is a wonderful time for gathering together to celebrate the richness of life with family and friends.  But somehow, these worthy celebrations have been hijacked by the retail establishment turning the end of the year into a frenzy of shopping for gifts and overconsumption.  This excessive consumption can not only be stressful and financially burdensome, but also takes a significant toll on the environment.

How much of our overconsumption normally ends up in landfills? Then think about the additional amount of waste we create during the entire holiday season from the paper, cardboard and plastic wrapping and shipping products that are used in abundance, to the disposable dishes, plastic cups, bottled water, excess wasted food… The list goes on.  The Ewing Green Team has collected an extensive list of suggestions for reducing, reusing and recycling to green your holiday season.  We hope that there are suggestions here for everyone.

The Holiday Greeting Card

  • Send out e-cards instead of mailing them. This will save some trees, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions created while delivering them and more. It will even save $$!
  • Cut back. Send your mailed holiday greetings only to those family and friends who truly will be glad to receive them.
  • Wish someone a happy holiday by phone instead of sending them a card. It will make their day to be remembered with a personal connection!
  • Cut up and use the cards that you received last year as tags for your gifts this year!
  • Look for a higher percentage of recycled content for any cards that you do purchase.

Gift Wrap

Wrapping paper is a major and expensive source of waste. Here are a number of suggestions for greening your wrapping styles.

  • Decorate with live greens from your yard instead of bows.
  • Put gifts in reusable packaging, such as baskets, bags, or fabric wrappers. Who can’t use an extra basket?
  • Just use a ribbon for an oversized object or make it the object of a treasure hunt.
  • Be creative in your gift wrapping approach. Eschew the store bought wrapping with these suggestions from tree hugger.com or check out Pinterest for their DIY eco-friendly gift wrapping suggestions.
  • Reuse gift wrap that you already have (the gift bags that are so popular in the stores are perfect for that!)
  • Wrap gifts in old maps, newspaper, brown paper grocery bags or kids’ artwork. Almost any paper you have around the house is capable of being creatively repurposed.
  • Don’t for get to save any bows and bags you already have for reuse. Save them for next holiday season to keep excess items out of the waste cycle.

Reusable Bags

  • Don’t forget to bring your own shopping bags as you shop. You can do this most of the year. It really does get easier to remember!
  • If you forget your own reusable bags, consolidate purchases into one bag rather than using several.

Be More Energy Efficient

  • If you plan on updating your holiday lighting, purchase more energy efficient LED light strands instead. These are long lasting and will decrease your energy consumption by 80-90 percent!
  • Don’t forget to put lights on timers while you’re away for both safety and energy reduction.
  • When hosting a party, lower the thermostat. The bodies in the room will quickly heat up the room.
  • Recycle your old inefficient holiday lights at Holiday LEDS.

Gift Giving

Change your gift giving focus. How many unused gifts do you have hanging around in your closet?  Donate those items to local charities.  Or, better yet, instead of giving unneeded gifts to someone who already has plenty, gift them with a donation to their favorite charity in their name.

  • Give the gift of an experience: from tickets to the theater or a sporting event, to music lessons, to a gift certificate for a massage. Experiences make memories and you don’t have to wrap the gift.
  • Give a gift that helps someone go green. I’ve given reusable stainless steel drinking straws and water bottles, as well as reusable bags. Additional suggestions could include energy-saving power strips (think of all of those appliances that are constantly on…)
  • If you plan to gift with an electronic purchase be sure to look for consider the energy efficiency of your choice. Look for Energy Star rated models from the EPA.
  • Give creatively of things that require little or no packaging. Give the gift of your time i.e. cooking, babysitting, or gardening…
  • Purchase locally if you can. You will use less gas and support your local economy.
  • Don’t forget to unsubscribe! How many of those catalogs that you received in the mail this year did you actually purchase from? And, you can look at their products online. Use Catalog Choice to cancel nearly all catalogs in one location.
  • Shipping – don’t forget to reuse packaging and shipping materials. And drop off extra peanuts at local shipping companies (check out our list here).

The Holiday Greens

Choosing between an artificial tree and a real tree can be a difficult decision. Here are some things to consider while decorating for the holidays.

  • Get a tree that can be planted or mulched afterward that is native to the area. Check out the Ewing Environmental Commission’s article on Christmas tree care.
  • Make your own wreaths and table centerpieces using materials from your yard or around your home.

Holiday Food

Eat more sustainably sourced food. Buy from your local farmers.  Buy organic if you can.  Food that hasn’t been grown or prepared using antibiotics, growth hormones, chemical fertilizers and pesticides is better for you and the environment.  Consider meat that has had humane living conditions prior to slaughter.   Green your meal with more vegetables.  There are a number of community supported agriculture (CSA) program in our area. Consider giving a membership them.

  • So much food is prepared during the holidays and much of it is in excess of what is actually needed. Try to estimate actual head counts more accurately to eliminate excess food waste.
  • Aim for a Zero- Waste event by eschewing the disposable dishware and utensils, eliminating excess packaging by serving food in large containers instead of single-servings, providing bulk water, coffee and drinks instead of individually packaged products, serving bite-sized or finger foods to minimize plate and utensil use.
  • If you absolutely must use disposable products, make sure that they are made from recycled or compostable materials.
  • Don’t forget that you can compost your vegetative food waste all year long.

Travel

  • Encourage and participate in carpooling to and from holiday celebrations.
  • Make sure your tires are fully inflated to achieve optimal gas mileage while traveling.
  • Turn down your electric and gas water heaters to conserve energy and gas while you are away.

Happy Holidays from the Ewing Green Team!

Invitation to Holiday Open House – Ewing Community Center – December 9th

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As the Ewing Green Team Celebrates a Great Year

by Lisa K. Feldman

The Green Team had a great 2015, and wants to celebrate all the accomplishments and successful events of the year. One of the major facets of sustainability is building a sense of community; one that welcomes people from all walks of life. And what better way is there to celebrate but with an invitation welcoming any and all to join us at our Holiday Open House.

A few highlights of 2015 include Ewing’s very first bike tour, the Ewing Fall Spin, with over 50 people, the Fall Festival of Fun featuring the popular ‘Trunk or Treat’ with over 175 children participating, the 2nd Annual Scarecrow Contest with 13 entries and cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25, and the opportunity to make-your-own life-size scarecrow to take home, and seasonal refreshments. The Green Team’s Beautify Ewing campaign worked with the Township to design beautiful and sustainable landscaping to welcome visitors for the two entrances for the Municipal Building on Jake Garzio Drive. At this year’s Night Out event, we got to speak with a lot of our Ewing neighbors as we work to map out all the individual neighborhoods in the Township to help gain the sense of community. We started the mapping of safe routes for schools to help keep our children secure. We sponsored several Environmental Insights programs learning about Invasive Species and demystifying Nuclear Energy. We worked with the other Green Teams in Mercer County to host the Living Local Expo which welcomed over a thousand visitors. There is so much more, but this gives some ideas of what we are doing.

A lot of people in Ewing don’t even know that there is a Ewing Green Team. And there is a lot of confusion and concern about what is ‘green’ and ‘sustainable’. But it is basically raising awareness of the many issues such as recycling, transportation, pollution, local food and economic opportunities that are related to sustainability. And we see our mission as getting people to work together to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through education, cooperation, and action. And being part of this effort has been very rewarding.

Our meetings are the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Ewing Community Center at 7:00 pm and are open to the public. However, meetings are not always a good way to meet our group; we are taking care of business and it can be a bit dry. We hope you can stop by for our Holiday Open House and get to meet our members and learn first-hand how each and every one of us can make a difference.

Date: Wednesday, December 9
Time: 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Ewing Senior and Community Center

Happy Holidays from the Ewing Green Team!