• styrofoam recycling
    Guest Post,  Recycle,  Reduce

    Styrofoam®: To Recycle Or Not?

    If you’ve recently had to replace a refrigerator and now have a garbage bag full of Styrofoam® taunting you from the garage, you may be experiencing the paralysis of eco-anxiety brought on by recent articles calling attention to the negative environmental and social impacts of chemically recycling Styrofoam®.  These articles are an essential part of being aware of both the pros and cons of the recycling systems we have in place, but what’s a gal to do?  If I throw it in the landfill, I pollute the landfill and groundwater for the next 500 to 1 million years.  If I take it to be recycled, I pollute my low-income neighbors…

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  • RE-THINK,  Think Piece

    One

    Think about the little actions you take every day and how they add up. I’m writing this just after the turn of the year, at the beginning of 2023. It’s the tradition to make resolutions in January. This year, I will work on ONE thing at a time. ONE is so much less daunting than the whole long list of “shoulds” – those things that we feel we should accomplish. A counselor I knew said “Don’t should on yourself.” I agree! I am one of those individuals who always have lots of thoughts inserting themselves into their heads. Lately, the thoughts are about ONE: • One planet home • One…

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  • RE-THINK,  Reduce

    Shake & Fold: Preventing Paper Towel Waste to Help Curb Climate Change

    How many paper towels do you use to dry your hands? Two? Three? More? What if you could complete the task and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time? Just use Shake & Fold! Here’s what to do: Paper towels contribute to climate change at each stage of their life cycle. It takes fossil-fueled machines to harvest trees, then process, manufacture, package, and deliver paper towels. Then after one use, trucks pick up the waste and drive to the landfill, where they decompose, releasing methane. Sadly, Americans send over six billion tons of paper towels to the landfill each year. You can share Shake & Fold by placing stickers…

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  • Guest Post,  Reduce,  Water Conservation

    Water Conservation 101: A Guide For Consumers

    Nowadays, being wise with how much water you use is essential. As a finite resource, this precious and all-important feature of life here on Earth must be protected. Whether you live in a drought-susceptible locale like California, or by the Great Lakes where fresh water is abundant, each and every one of us needs to do our part to help the planet.  Why is water conservation so important? Although it may seem there is plenty of water to go around, that simply isn’t the case. In fact, a mere 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater, and only half a percent is considered available for human consumption. The rest — saltwater…

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  • Fossil Fuels,  Go Electric,  Publisher's Page,  RE-THINK

    See No Evil

    Fossil fuels dominate our lives We occasionally receive letters from readers calling our attention to the fact that wind turbines are not green because they kill birds, are an eyesore, and make noise. We also had a President that claimed windmills cause cancer and destroys the value of homes. And there have been many articles written claiming electric cars (EVs) are more damaging to the environment than gas-fueled cars. The claim is that the manufacturing processes used to build EVs and their batteries produce more CO2 and other side effects than are ever offset over their lifetime of use. This same issue is used against solar panels and wind turbines,…

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