Earth = Home. This equation seems simple, but many people don't quite get it. The fact that the planet that supports us is in jeopardy from our own carelessness is another thing that many people don't understand. So many things in life are out of our control, but we can make a difference in our own environment. The new motto is "act local, think global."
   Making a small difference in your own world is easy. Using less water, cutting back on chemicals, creating habitat for wildlife and using organic methods of gardening are all things that can make a real difference.
   Small Effort With Big Payoffs
By planting things that are adapted to our climate, you will use less water. Ceonothus and fremontedendron are both beautiful, hardy and use very little H20.
   Make your garden friendly to wildlife. Habitat in the wild is disappearing at an alarming rate. Some of the most beautiful gardens are those that are bursting with wildlife. Provide shelter by leaving a weedy thicket in a forgotten corner of your garden for birds to hide in. You will be amazed at how your insect population will decrease. Another thing you can do is put out a birdbath. Everybody is grateful for a little drink now and then, even dragonflies and butterflies.
   Compost your garden debris instead of having it hauled off to the dump. Compost is the very best thing for your garden soil, and besides, the dumps are filling up faster than ever. You'll get some regular exercise by turning the pile, and you will create the most excellent product ever invented for your efforts.
   Lose your lawn. I can't emphasize this strongly enough. Lawns are greedy for water and chemicals and are passé in the landscape industry. Create a meadow in your front yard instead that will invite butterflies and bees to visit, use less water, and look better than any lawn in the neighborhood. If you absolutely have to have a lawn, at least make it a small one, surrounded by perennial beds and shrubs.

Top

Waste Reduction Checklist
 by Angela Brantley, Solid Waste Manager

Waste Reduction Checklist:
1. BYOB: Bring Your Own Bags to the grocery store. Albertson’s, Safeway, and Whole Foods will give you 5 cents per bag when you bring your own bag.
2. ROW: Reduce Office Waste. Reuse paper that has been copied on one side; reuse manila folders using sticky labels to re-label; review written reports and decide what is truly necessary and find a way to send them electronically; forward emails instead of copying on paper and distributing; don’t print that copy of the email unless it is absolutely necessary.
3. CAMS: Compost and Make Soil. Put your yard trimmings and food scraps in a heap, add water and make healthy soil for your garden. Check out the City Website at www.monterey.org/recycle/3r/ingarden/composting.html  for more tips on composting.
4. SAW: Save All Water. Before the hot water gets to your bath, save the water and use it for your compost pile, to fill your birdbath, to water plants or use it to wash your car. Remember to turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth too!
5. M&M: Mulch & Mulch. Plants will love you for it. Your water bill will show its appreciation and your yard will look better. Mulch as deeply as possible but keep it away from the center part of your plant (so you don’t choke it)

NEW Ideas to Reduce Waste
 by Angela Brantley, Solid Waste Manager

It’s May! What’s planned for the month? We’ve covered cleaning out the closets, turning in recycling for cash and reducing the amount of waste you generate. So, it’s time to celebrate and think of new ways to reduce waste.
   Water: Before the hot water reaches the taps in the bath, do you collect the running water and use it on your houseplants or pots outside? It’s a great way to save water. Have you converted to drip irrigation? That is another great way to reduce overwatering and excess water reaching sidewalks instead of just the plants.
   Gasoline: Take out the bikes and start riding to work or walk. That’s right. Most of you live close, and even if there is a hill to climb to get there, you will feel great once you get to work. Ask your supervisor if you can leave extra clothes to change into. Choose a Friday when it’s “dress down day.” Even if you do it once a week, you’ll save lots of gas in the process and will feel happy with yourself for starting a healthy exercise program. Ride your bike to get groceries. It’s invigorating and makes you really consider what you are buying. OR take a bus to work. It can be fun in that you will be able to read that book you can’t seem to find the time to read.
   Library: Get books and magazines at the library instead of buying them. Libraries are the leading institutions encouraging reuse. If you can’t seem to find what you need, you can ask the ever-friendly reference librarians for help. There is also a system to find books you want from other libraries. They get all the new juicy reading material. If you buy books, give them to the second hand stores for resale.
   Garden: If you like plants your neighbors have, ask for cuttings and start plants in your yards, instead of buying them. Cutting Day is incredibly popular for just that sort of fun. Almost anything can grow by just sticking it in the ground and giving it water (you know, from that pre-bath savings). Get books at the library about starting plants from cuttings. Mulch the living daylight (literally) from your garden. Your plants will love you for it, and you’ll use a fraction of the water you once used and keep those nasty weeds suffocated. Don’t suffocate the good plants though (leave space around the base of the plant).

Spring Cleaning the Earth-Friendly Way
 by Angela Brantley, Solid Waste Manager

It’s spring! Officially! Time for clear clean days that make you want to open windows and clean closets. So, how will you eliminate things that you no longer use or need? There are many good alternatives for donation or sale (as opposed to putting them into the trash). Here are some to consider:

• Garage sale. Everyone loves them and you can make a few extra dollars. Marking items before the sale helps buyers decide without having to ask questions. Be flexible with your prices. Everyone likes to think they have received a good deal! Make a game of it. Have children sell lemonade and cookies to inspire buyers. Donate what you don’t sell to thrift stores. Stores are listed in the yellow pages. Last Chance Mercantile (at the landfill) is a good option.
• Donation: People wait every morning to purchase items brought into Last Chance Mercantile. What you may see as junk, might be really fun stuff for others. There are many thrift stores in the area, and they are doing a BOOMING business.
• Freecycle: I’ve mentioned this Web site before:  www.freecycle.org
     You will have to join a group or groups, but you can post things to give away (for free, no selling allowed), or you can get things the same way. Folks will come and pick them up. A lot of good stuff is out there.
• Quality purchase and reuse: When you can, buy quality so that it will last longer and be repairable. And then reuse what you can. Eliminate waste by buying only what you truly need. You would even be amazed at the really fun, high-quality clothing that is available at thrift stores. Do a hunt and peck through the racks and enjoy yourself.

Top

Super Bowl Trash Stats May Sway you
to the "Bright Side"
 by Angela Brantley, Solid Waste Manager

Well, the Super Bowl is over! Great game. Did you have friends over? Or did you visit friends? Or maybe just sit around and watch the game with family? Here are some helpful tips and statistics that are interesting and may sway you to the “Bright Side” (as opposed to the "Dark Side") of recycling.

• Did you know that millions of bottles and cans recycled by California’s football fans over Super Bowl weekend would be worth enough cash to sign a first-round draft pick to a multi-million dollar contract? Unfortunately, too many beverage containers end up in the trashcan.
• Nationally, the estimated 650 million beverage containers that were sold over Super Bowl weekend would nearly fill Jacksonville’s Alltel Stadium.
• The California Department of Conservation estimated that in California alone more than 30 million containers of beer, soda, water and other refreshments were thrown away instead of redeemed for cash and recycled during Super Bowl weekend.
• Californians save energy, natural resources and landfill space when they recycle, and if they take their California Refund Value bottles and cans to a recycling center, they can redeem them for cash.
• In California, 30 million containers represent approximately $1.2 million in California Refund Value. To put that in perspective, there will be enough CRV thrown in the trash to buy about 6,000 big-screen televisions!
• In addition to cash, these trashed beverage containers represent a substantial loss in resources. For example, if recycled, there would be enough clear plastic bottles – about 11 million -- to make 780,000 Patriots and Eagles T-shirts, 173,000 team sweaters or enough carpeting to cover 52 playing fields. Each aluminum can recycled saves enough energy to run a television for nearly three hours, roughly the time it takes to watch the Super Bowl. And glass can be recycled over and over again into new glass, saving energy each time

Knowing this information for your next gathering, whether at home or while camping or visiting friends and family, you can put a good game plan together.

1. Always place two containers out: One for garbage and the other for recycling. Mark the container or plastic bag clearly stating RECYCLING and what you want in there. For instance, glass, aluminum and plastic bottles only. Clear plastic bags help as people are more visual and tend not to read. Start the bin out with a few bottles and cans already in them. There is still confusion regarding the recycling of paper such as paper cups and paper plates. Those items are garbage. Unless, of course you choose to use re-usable plates and flatware; then they can be washed and reused.
2. Put the kids in charge of collecting cans and bottles from guests. They can earn nearly 5 cents a container for their effort if you choose to go to a buy back center (consumers can find their nearest recycling center by calling 1-800-RECYCLE or visiting www.bottlesandcans.com/and using the recycling center locator by zip code).
3. NOW, if you choose to use paper (white) plates AND compost your plates and food scraps you would be nominated for sainthood in my book! Pick up info on composting at www.monterey.org/recycle

Remember to reduce your waste AND recyclables. Everything has a price tag attached to it, not only what you purchase but your time as well.

Top