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Tips for Living a Sustainable Lifestyle

Tip #1: Conserve Water

Conserve Water: According to the EPA, households in New Hampshire typically use up to 75 gallons (LINK to EPA Data) of water every day. With droughts across the nation and around the world becoming more frequent, it’s critical to conserve water whenever we can. In some communities toxic runoff from agriculture, industrial pollution, fossil fuels, and degraded lead-pipe infrastructure can put water sources at risk. Take care not to toss chemicals down your drain at home to avoid polluting local water tables, and check out these additional tips for conserving water from Green America. (LINK)

Tip #2: Reduce Single Use Plastics

Reduce Single Use Plastics: Did you know that most plastics are made from petroleum and often contain toxic chemicals as well? And that 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans around the world every year? This is the equivalent of one dump truck full of plastic being dumped into the ocean every minute. Source: 5gyres.org (LINK).

Plastic manufacturing around the world is expanding at a phenomenal rate, and some states (Maine, Oregon) have passed laws requiring producers to participate in funding recycling efforts and to implement changes in plastic packaging, but what can we do as individuals to help reduce plastic waste? We can start by refusing to use the top five sources of single-use plastic: plastic bags, water & soda bottles, to-go containers and cups, and straws. By simply putting a reusable bottle, food container, cloth napkin, and utensils in a cloth bag when we’re away from home, we can reduce the use of single use plastic at no cost to us, but with great benefit to our health and the environment.

Tip #3: Recycle or Donate Plastic Plant Pots

Recycle or Donate Plastic Plant Pots:

Gardener’s Supply stores in Lebanon, NH, Burlington & Williston, VT, and Hadley, MA is hosting a plastic plant pot collection on June 25, 2022, from 10 am to 2 pm. You can bring your plastic plant pots (labeled #2, #5), to Gardener’s Supply.

Home Depot has ongoing plant pot recycling at all stores, and the pots go to Michigan-based East Jordan Plastics, one of the largest manufacturers of plastic pots in the country. Nathan Diller, who manages recycling at East Jordan Plastics, said the company worked with European manufacturers to design its recycling process leading up to its launch in 2009. The program began small, but now East Jordan recycles over 20 million pounds of horticultural containers a year. “We’re not making food-grade or medical-grade packaging,” Diller said. “We don’t need virgin plastic.” East Jordan operates a “closed-loop” recycling process, pelletizing the horticultural containers and using the pellets to make fresh pots.

Tip #4: Help Save Our Oceans

Help Save Our Oceans:

According to the American Dental Association, we should replace our toothbrushes every 3-4 months. In the U.S. alone, that translates to more than 1 billion toothbrushes entering the waste stream, polluting our oceans and hurting marine life. And plastic toothbrushes, made from petroleum, take hundreds of years to decompose. One alternative is to switch to a bamboo toothbrush. Their handles break down in 6 months, and some brands have biodegradable bristles. If you want to give bamboo toothbrushes a try, here’s a LINK. You can also get silk dental floss in a glass jar (LINK). In the meantime, Cornish, NH residents can recycle plastic toothbrushes in the special bin at the Cornish Recycling Center. The Cornish Community Initiative has a mail back program agreement with Tom’s of Maine to recycle any brand of toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and personal care product packaging.

Tip #5: Save That Styrofoam for Polystyrene Collection Days

Save That Styrofoam for Polystyrene Collection Days

Did you know that polystyrene foam (typically referred to as styrofoam) is one of the few plastics that can be recycled again and again? Even with this feature, it’s a good idea to avoid polystyrene if we can, especially in food packaging like meat trays and take out containers, because of its chemical content. If you want to have less polystyrene in your life, you can start by asking for a non-styrofoam take-out container at your favorite restaurant or deli by suggesting alternatives like foil or deli paper. Better yet bring your own personal take-out container with you!

But what about the polystyrene that fragile products are packaged in, egg cartons, and foam coolers? There’s now a solution! Sustainable Lebanon, NH has partnered with the Lebanon, NH Rotary Club to offer a polystyrene collection days.

For more information, contact Sustainable Lebanon at sustainablelebanon@outlook.com.

Tip #6: Develop a 'No Idling' Practice

Develop a ‘No Idling’ Practice

Did you know that according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Idle Free Schools website (LINK), car exhaust contains air toxics, which are known to cause cancer and respiratory ailments? Research shows that idling more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting the engine, and Ford Motor Company suggests that idling more than 30 seconds, even in cold weather, can damage a car’s engine. In New Hampshire, we’re fortunate to enjoy good air quality overall compared to other parts of the country. But developing a ‘no idling’ practice when you visit the bank, pharmacy, or restaurant drive up, your child’s school, or are in a line of traffic can save on fuel costs and is better for your health!

Tip #7 Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

Join a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture)

CSAs or crop sharing, is an arrangement that connects producers of produce/farm products with consumers. These CSAs allow the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms and develop a relationship with them. Many CSAs also commit to treating the land and soil (many follow organic methods) in a sustainable way and treat employees and consumers fairly.

Did you know that CSA’s have been around for decades? Two Europeans brought the concept to America in the 1980’s using “biodynamic agriculture” (LINK) approaches. A similar Japanese model called Teikei (LINK) existed as early as the mid-1960s. Dr. Booker T. Whatley (LINK), a professor of agriculture in Alabama, advocated for agriculture based Clientele Membership Clubs as early as the 1960s.

CSAs have proven to be a highly sustainable food source model that reduces your carbon footprint when it comes to accounting for the soil to table journey of your food. Environmentally, the “food miles”(LINK) for CSA produce, or the distance the food traveled to reach your plate, is very small. Across America, the average distance a food item travels before showing up in your home is between 4,000 and 5,000 miles (LINK). In contrast, local weekly food miles for picking up CSA shares around here can be 10-20 miles. According to researchers, around 11% (LINK) of food-related carbon emissions is due to transportation.

In a Carnegie Mellon University study (LINK), the authors estimate that shifting to an entirely local diet would reduce the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of driving 1,000 miles. They also estimated that shifting entirely from an average American diet to a vegetable-based diet would reduce emissions equivalent to driving 8,000 miles per year regardless of buying local or not. Let us do our part to cut our carbon footprint and provide fruitful livelihoods for our local farms though how we eat!

How to get involved:

Go online to a website such as Local Harvest (LINK) and enter your zip code or address and you will get a list of CSAs nearby. The USDA also has a CSA registry (LINK) that you can use to find a CSA near you. You could also check out farms that are listed in the Co-op food store on the produce placards. A number of them have CSAs and/or local food stands and farmers markets.

Tip #8 Start Using Cloth or Paper Bags for Produce and Bulk Foods

Start Using Cloth or Paper Bags for Produce

Have you ever wondered why we need to use plastic bags to contain produce? Some of us are old enough to remember a time when there were no plastic bags at the grocery store, and we did fine. If we think about it, there are very few vegetables and fruits that we can’t put right into the grocery cart and then into a reusable cloth bag.

For loose spinach or lettuce, which is usually available at the Co-ops, try shifting to a paper bag then when you get home wrapping it in a clean dish towel in the fridge - it stays just as fresh and doesn’t get slimy as fast. It’s also super easy to just load up a cloth bag or two with all the produce you want. This keeps fruit and veggies that roll around like onions, beets, oranges, and apples all together.

Research shows that fewer than 1 in 7 plastic bags are recycled, with much of the material ending up in our waterways and oceans. To read everything you ever wanted to know about single use plastic bags and why a shift to cloth or paper makes sense, here’s a comprehensive article from the website Biological Diversity (LINK). Wondering about how to store produce without plastic when you get home? Check out this extensive list on the blog ‘My Plastic Free Life’ (LINK). So give cloth and paper bags a try the next time you’re at the grocery store - your environment will thank you!

Tip #9 Explore Regenerative Agriculture

We most likely have heard about growing sustainable food, but what if farmers could go beyond preserving the environment and actually improve it? Regenerative agriculture (LINK) offers the promise of farming and grazing practices that reduce pollution and capture carbon with the least amount of environmental impact.

The term regenerative agriculture illustrates the idea that farming systems can actually improve water quality, soil health, benefit ecosystems, and provide wildlife habitat. There are several principles of regenerative agriculture:

Conservation Tillage: Plowing and tillage dramatically erode soil and release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, resulting in the kind of bare or compacted soil that creates a hostile environment for important soil microbes. By adopting low- or no-till practices, farmers minimize physical disturbance to the soil, and over time increase levels of soil organic matter, creating healthier, more resilient environments for plants to thrive, as well as keeping more and more carbon where it belongs - in the earth.
Crop Diversity: Different plants release different carbohydrates (sugars) through their roots, and various microbes feed on these carbs and return all sorts of different nutrients back to plants and the soil. By increasing plant diversity, farmers help create the rich, varied, and nutrient-dense soils that lead to more productive yields.
Rotation and Cover Crops: Left exposed to the elements, soil will erode and the nutrients necessary for successful plant growth will either dry out or literally wash away. Planting the same plants in the same location can lead to a buildup of some nutrients and a lack of others. By rotating crops and deploying cover crops strategically, farms and gardens can infuse soils with more diverse organic matter, avoiding disease and pest problems. Covered soil is healthy soil.
Mess With it Less: Regenerative agriculture practitioners reduce or eliminate chemical and biological activities that damage long-term soil health. Misapplication of chemical fertilizers can disrupt the natural relationship between microorganisms and plant roots.
The overriding theme: If you take care of the soil, it will take care of you.

The agriculture sector is one of the biggest emitters of CO2, the greenhouse gas (GHG) most responsible for the changes we are seeing in our climate today. Together with forestry and other land use, agriculture is responsible for just under 25 percent of all human-created greenhouse gas emissions. From the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): “Leveraging the mitigation potential in the [agriculture, forestry, and other land use] sector is extremely important in meeting emission reduction targets.” (LINK)

What Can You Do?

So, how can you apply the principles of regenerative agriculture? You can make an impact in your own yard, creating healthy soils by adding organic matter. Be a conscientious consumer by looking for farmers that are using organic and regenerative methods. Check out the Vital Communities Food & Farm program for local farms that practice regenerative agriculture (LINK). By reducing your meat consumption and buying from regenerative agriculture and organic farmers (locally), you can not only improve your health, but reduce your carbon footprint by at least 40% by some estimates. (LINK)

Want to Learn More?

You can read more about the effect of the climate crisis on the health of our soil – and the future of our food – by downloading a free ebook, Right Under Your Feet: Soil Health and the Climate Crisis from the Climate Reality Project (LINK).

You can read about how land and soil management fit into our climate change future in the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land. (LINK)

We know that to solve the climate crisis, business as usual will not cut it. Not in electricity production. Not in industry. Not in transportation. And certainly not in agriculture.

Tip #10 Sustainable Lifestyle Reading List

As we head into winter, now is a good time to check out some great books for learning more about climate change, living sustainability, and hope for our future. Here is a list of a few recommendations from the members of the Living a Sustainable Lifestyle Tea & Talk gatherings, with descriptions from the website for each book. Reach out to your local library to borrow these books!

All We Can Save Anthology, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine Wilknson

“Intermixing essays with poetry and art, this book is both a balm and a guide for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our resolve never to give up on each other or our collective future. Curated by two climate leaders, this book is a collection and celebration of visionaries who are leading us on a path toward all we can save.”

Active Hope, Jane Goodall & Chris Johnstone

“This book shows us how to strengthen our capacity to face this crisis so that we can respond with unexpected resilience and creative power. Drawing on decades of teaching an empowerment approach known as the Work that Reconnects, the authors guide us through a transformational process informed by mythic journeys, modern psychology, spirituality, and holistic science.”

Islands of Abandonment, Cal Flyn

“Cal Flyn, an investigative journalist, exceptional nature writer, and promising new literary voice visits the eeriest and most desolate places on Earth that due to war, disaster, disease, or economic decay, have been abandoned by humans. What she finds every time is an “island” of teeming new life: nature has rushed in to fill the void faster and more thoroughly than even the most hopeful projections of scientists.”

The Future We Choose, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

“A cautionary but optimistic book about the world’s changing climate and the fate of humanity, from the people who led negotiations for the United Nations during the historic Paris Agreement of 2015.”

Nature’s Best Hope, Doug Tallamy

Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy.

Regeneration, Paul Hawken

Regeneration is a radical new approach to the climate crisis, one that weaves justice, climate, biodiversity, and human dignity into a seamless tapestry of action, policy, and transformation that can end the climate crisis in one generation.

Tip #11 Become an Environmental Steward

Environmental Stewardship refers to responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices, and is an all-encompassing term that includes the concepts of sustainability (LINK), environmental science (LINK), and environmental social science (LINK). It can be confusing, but when we think of all the things we do to have minimal impact on the environment - recycling, miserly water use, green cleaning, creating minimal waste and using less energy - these are all part of being an Environmental Steward.

The term Environmental Stewardship was first championed by Aldo Leopold (LINK) (1887–1949) based on a “land ethic” (LINK) dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it. The US Environmental Protection Agency provides topics on Environmental Stewardship on their Earth Day (LINK) and Greener Living (LINK) pages. For organizations and businesses, Environmental Stewardship Programs are typically voluntary, performance-based leadership programs designed to recognize those entities for going above and beyond current environmental regulations.

How can you be Involved in Environmental Stewardship?

As with many goal-oriented practices, there are basically three types of involvement: doers, donors, and practitioners. Doers go out and help the cause through action. The doers in an oil spill would be the volunteers that go along the beach and help clean up the oil from the beaches. A donor is the individual, focused groups or governmental agencies that financially helps the cause. Practitioners. work on a day-to-day basis to steer governmental agencies, scientists, stakeholder groups, or any other group toward a stewardship outcome.

You can also support businesses that have Environmental Stewardship programs. Doing a web search for B Corporations gives you a list of businesses who have environmental stewardship, sustainability, and environmental policies. Locally, the Co-op Food Store’s Environmental Policy (LINK) lists the ways they practice sustainability. You can feel better about giving certain companies your business if they have an active sustainability program and you like their commitment. If the company has a program, they will more likely be open to listening to their customers about ideas and suggestions on how to improve the company’s environmental impact profile. Just the act of researching this and then acting yourself, that is, giving your business/input to a company that has an active Environmental Stewardship program, means you are being an Environmental Steward!

Most of all, we all can be Environmental Stewards by being aware and knowledgeable of the world around us and making sure we do as little as possible to negatively impact our world through informed decisions.

Tip #12 Save That Styrofoam for the Next Polystyrene Collection Day

Expanded polystyrene (EPS #6) also known as Styrofoam packaging may come into your life when you buy an appliance or other fragile item. Did you know that polystyrene foam is one of the few plastics that can be recycled again and again, but isn’t typically accepted at local recycling facilities? There’s now a solution! After a successful polystyrene collections in 2019 in Cornish and in 2020 in Lebanon with 100 people filling a 24’ trailer (thank you Bruce Bergeron of Jake’s Market!), many towns in NH and VT are now accepting foam for recycling. Gilford, NH & the Northeast Kingdom Solid Waste District are processing it and sending it to Canada for recycling.

It’s a good idea to avoid polystyrene if we can, especially in food packaging like meat trays and take out containers, because of its chemical content and its origins in petroleum. If you want to have less polystyrene in your life, you can start by asking for a non-styrofoam take-out container at your favorite restaurant or deli and suggesting alternatives like foil or deli paper. Better yet bring your own personal take-out container with you if the store allows it.

If you do generate foam packaging in your purchases, save the following types of foam to be collected for recycling: Polystyrene #6 (EPS).

Foam to save includes packaging foam used for TVs, computers, and other appliances, as well as foam coolers. Make sure all tape and labels are removed and all foam is clean, dry, and free of food residue or other debris. And be sure to read any text on unusual packaging received as it may be biodegradable or you may be able to return it to the company for recycling at their expense.If you have packing peanuts, either biodegradable or polystyrene, True Value/UPS in Hanover accepts them anytime.

Tip #13 Join an Environmental Organization

You have decided to become more aware, more involved, more active in being a part of the solution to this Climate Crisis we find ourselves in. The question is: “How can I help?” It comes down to the personal decision of gifting one, two or all the following: your time (active knowledge seeking and direct participation), your talent (using your experiences and knowledge to help and guide the endeavors), or your treasure (donations to organizations).

The environment typically refers to the biophysical environment or the natural environment. An environmental organization is an organization that seeks to protect, analyze or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human influences. The organization may be a charity, a trust, a non-governmental organization (NGO), a governmental organization or an intergovernmental organization. These organizations can be global, national, regional or local. Environmental Organizations mostly focus on pollution (including plastic), waste, resource depletion, human overpopulation, and climate change.

If you do a web search for Environmental Organizations, you will get a lot to review! A good place to start is to look for NGO Environmental Organizations (Berkeley Library) (LINK). Each organization listed is linked to its respective web site so you can research and review yourself. Most will list opportunities for how you can get involved, and many organizations have local chapters so that you can contribute your time and talent closer to home as well as donate treasure to the larger parent organization. A more exhaustive list of Environmental Organizations can be found on Wikipedia (LINK).

One of the best ways to be involved with your time and talent is to seek out local organizations. Grassroot movements can reach a lot of people through networking, interacting, and having others see you “walk the walk.” To get involved locally, find out if your town or city has a sustainability, conservation, or energy committee and inquire about attending a meeting. Here are a few examples: Lebanon, NH Sustainability (LINK); Hanover, NH Sustainability (LINK); Norwich, VT Sustainability (LINK); Woodstock, VT Sustainability (LINK). There are many more organizations in the Upper Valley area, so have fun discovering what local involvement can mean for you!

Selecting a national or international organization to become involved in will depend on your goals and the level of impact you desire to have. Here are some examples for review as a start so you can compare across organizations:

Environmental Defense Fund (LINK)

Mission: The Environmental Defense Fund is one of the most wide-ranging environmental organizations. The EDF works to provide solutions under the broad categories of climate change, oceans, wildlife and habitats, and health. The EDF works with other organizations, businesses, government, and communities to create incentives for positive environmental actions; help companies become better environmental stewards; influence policy; and keep tabs on emerging issues. Top Programs: Climate and energy, oceans, ecosystems. Percent of expenses spent on programs: 79.1. Charity Navigator Score: 94.48.

The Nature Conservancy (LINK)

Mission: The Nature Conservancy protects ecologically important lands and waters around the world with the help of more than five hundred staff scientists. Top Programs: Climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems. Percent of expenses spent on programs: 71.2. Charity Navigator Score: 84.35.

Natural Resources Defense Council (LINK)

Mission: The Natural Resources Defense Council seeks to protect the basics—air, land, and water—and to defend endangered natural places, with an eye toward how these long-term decisions affect humans. Top Programs: Climate, land, wildlife, water, oceans, energy, food, sustainable communities. Percent of expenses spent on programs: 83.6. Charity Navigator Score: 96.35.

Tip #14 Reduce Your Energy Consumption

Energy conservation is important and beneficial for many reasons. You can protect the environment, save money and increase your property value through several simple energy-saving measures. By simply taking a small step towards living a more energy-conscious lifestyle, you can begin to enjoy all the perks of being energy efficient. Here are the top eight reasons why energy efficiency is important for your home and why it is important to conserve energy:

Significantly reduce your utility bills

As a homeowner, energy costs can make up a significant portion of your recurring monthly expenses. With energy efficient appliances and home upgrades, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you can save anywhere from five to 30 percent on your utility bills (LINK).

Earn a great return on your investment

Energy efficient purchases should not be viewed as an expense, but as an investment with utility savings that add up over the service life of the product. Savings can offset the initial price premium on energy efficient options, and offer a significant return in comparison to conventional, non-efficient alternatives. Furthermore, the return you pocket through savings will only increase over time as energy prices continue to rise in the United States.

Increase your property value

In the real estate market, energy efficient homes frequently sell for a higher price than standard homes with comparable features. Every project that increases your home’s energy efficiency adds a fraction of its cost to the final selling price. In addition, private residences with green certifications have been proven to sell at a premium compared to similar homes in the area. Coming with expectations of reduced utility bills and fewer repair bills, energy efficiency is an attractive feature in any home.

Protect the environment

Energy efficiency is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Homes were responsible for 19 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 and implementing energy efficiency measures in your home can significantly reduce your emissions contribution. The typical household can reduce its energy use (and by extension its greenhouse gas emissions) by 25 to 30 percent by investing in more efficient energy consumption.

Enhance your quality of life

By optimizing your energy use, you can increase the comfort of living in your home and, in many cases, see notable health benefits. When you conduct energy efficient measures, your home will be warmer, drier, and properly ventilated, which lowers the risk of illnesses and mold growth. Energy efficiency also prevents the buildup of indoor pollutants, a major concern in areas with high radon emissions. In fact, the financial benefits of energy-efficient buildings yield a benefit-cost ratio of over 4 to 1, and 75 percent of those benefits can be attributed to health advantages.

Energy savings tips help you easily cut costs

Energy expenses are often thought of as a fixed cost of owning a home or business, with reductions only possible through pricey renovations. However, you can easily reduce your utility bills through simple energy conservation behaviors or small energy efficient purchases (see tips below).

Earn incremental returns on energy efficiency investments

Energy efficiency measures, no matter how small, can generate utility savings over their service lives. However, your savings are usually proportionate to the cost of the energy efficient upgrade – replacing light bulbs will only cost a few dollars, but will deliver marginal savings, while upgrading your attic insulation can save hundreds of dollars in heating and cooling bills. Upgrades can range from simply plugging in a smart power strip to an HVAC system overhaul. How little or how much you choose to invest in energy efficiency is completely up to you.

Insulate yourself from rising electricity prices

Utility residential electricity rates fluctuate seasonally and annually but have risen steadily in the last decade. This trend is likely to continue. In addition to cutting your monthly electricity bills now, conducting energy efficiency improvements on your home helps to insulate you from the monetary impact of unpredictable sharp energy price increases that could happen in the years to come.

Simple ways to reduce household energy use

Shut down your computer at night. Computers are some of the biggest energy guzzlers. Computers can be turned on and off over 40,000 times, and it won’t affect their lifespan.
Choose the right light. LED bulbs are the most energy efficient. They use 75% less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last 25 times longer.
Dust lamps and light bulbs frequently. Aging light bulbs and dust buildup can reduce total illumination by 50%.
Unplug electronics. Even when off, TVs, microwaves, scanners and printers use standby power. Unplug the charger. Some chargers still pull small amounts of energy when left plugged in. If it feels warm even when not charging a device, it’s using energy.
Use a power strip. Prevent phantom energy loss by flipping the switch on a load of plugs all at once, rather than pulling plugs individually.
Turn off lights when you leave a room, hallway light too. Use natural light. Do you really need that lamp on?
Install automatic light sensors or timed sensors on outdoor lighting. For landscape lighting, install solar-powered devices.
Buy energy efficient appliances. Look for the ENERGY STAR label, which is a federal guarantee the thing will use less energy. ENERGY STAR clothes washers consume 25% less energy and 45% less water than conventional ones; refrigerators 9% less energy than the conventional.
Hang clothes to air dry instead of using a clothes dryer.
Use cold water in the washing machine whenever possible and only wash full loads of laundry.
Wash dishes using a fully loaded dishwasher (Energy Star Rated) and not by hand.
Seal leaky windows that let in cold in winter and let out the cool in summer.
Use timers on the holiday lights.
Use ceiling or floor fans instead of air conditioning.
Use a timer and sleep mode on the AC overnight.
Adjust the AC temperature setting a degree or two higher than you normally would and pretend you didn’t. Each degree increase saves about 10% energy use.
Clean or replace filters on furnaces and air conditioners as recommended. Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators as needed and make sure they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting or drapes.
In winter, keep the drapes and shades on south-facing windows open during the day to allow warming sunlight to filter in. Close them at night to keep out the cold.
In summer, keep the window coverings closed during the day to block the sun’s heat.
Close the chimney flue when not in use to keep out not only bats, but also cold air. Be aware that using fireplaces creates a draft that will pull colder air in through leaks around windows, doors and other penetrations. Inserts with catalytic converters are much more efficient.
Open the refrigerator or oven door only when necessary so the cold and the heat don’t escape. Your appliances will thank you for not having to work extra hard to do their job.
Thaw frozen foods in the fridge, not on the counter. This will help keep the fridge cold.
Thaw meats and casseroles completely before cooking to reduce cooking time.
Wait until hot foods cool before placing them in the fridge. This will keep the fridge from having to work overtime to keep its contents cool.
Match the size of your cooking pot to the size of the burner. Using a larger burner allows heat to escape into the room.
Buy locally produced/grown produce and food. Eat less meat. Be aware of the environmental impact your eating habits (and health also!) (LINK).

Tip #15 Start Composting!

What we discard (or do not discard) matters. Composting is a key element in the process of moving towards a Zero Waste lifestyle. Compost improves soil, protects the climate, and builds community resilience. And almost anyone can do it!

Why Compost

Compost increases microbial activity, suppresses plant disease, improves the soil’s cation exchange capacity (enabling the soil to better hold on to essential nutrients), improves soil structure, increases water retention, and enhances soil fertility. Compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Another benefit: composting protects the climate! When rotting materials like wet food scraps end up in a landfill, they contribute to landfill emissions of methane (a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term!). But when those same food scraps are converted into compost and added to soil, they expand the soil’s ability to store carbon. Compost is rich in organic matter. Organic matter in soil acts as a carbon sink. By improving plant growth, compost also increases carbon sequestration.

Composting is an activity that you can do at home. It’s also an activity that can engage the whole family. Here we will focus on outdoor composting as indoor composting like vermiculture (composting with worms) is different and more complicated.

What you will need (the basics):

Browns - This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs.
Greens - This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds. The DO’s and DON'Ts for what to compost can be found here (LINK)
Water – we all need water to survive
Air – so aerobic microbes can do their work!
A compost bin of some sort (we don’t recommend open piles for food scraps in suburban or urban communities) and space for it
A pitchfork – to turn and aerate.
A desire to learn, make mistakes and have fun!

How to get started:

Read and learn:
1. The Institute for Local Self Reliance is a good place to start to get the basics (LINK).
2. Cornell Waste Management Institute also has more detailed information (LINK)
Reach out to your community
1. Post your inquiries about composting to the local or regional list-servers. There are several gardening groups that have forums/discussions on composting.
2. If you do not want to compost directly in your yard, several communities and businesses offer compost pick up or drop off (usually with fees). An example is the CO-Op food store drop off program for the werecyclefood.com division of Nordic Waste Services (LINK). You can do a google search on upper valley composting or your township composting programs (or partner with a neighbor based on your waste quantities)

Composting is a big component of reducing your waste impact on the environment. It takes waste that would previously be harmful to the environment and makes it not only beneficial for the environment but improves your and your garden’s health!

Tip #16 How to Recycle the Unrecyclable

There is a growing awareness of the difficulty of recycling products we consume while living our daily lives - especially the many types of single use plastic (SUP) we encounter in the course of grocery shopping, furnishing our homes and offices, enjoying travel experiences, and acquiring the necessary clothing to stay warm in our winter climate and take to the outdoors in the other seasons.

Did you know that according to some research, only 5% of plastic is actually recycled? As consumers, we can ‘choose to refuse’ using and purchasing items wrapped in single use plastic. Here are some tips:

Purchase items with as little packaging as possible
Bring your own reused plastic or cotton produce bags for produce and bulk items
Opt for highly-recyclable glass and metal options when they are available
Eliminate plastic wrap by using containers or “beeswaxed” cloth alternatives

And there’s good news! While sometimes using SUP is unavoidable, there are places we can recycle certain types of plastic instead of throwing it away where it litters our landscapes, and leaches chemicals into our soil and water.

So here is what we know so far about how to recycle two types of plastic - film & snack packaging:

Plastic Film - bread bags, newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, produce bags, toilet paper, napkin, and paper towel wraps, furniture wrap, electronic wrap, plastic retail bags, deli bags, grocery bags, Ziploc® Bags), Tyvek (no glue, labels, other material), plastic shipping envelopes, bubble wrap, and air pillows (deflate/remove labels if possible), case wrap (e.g., snacks, water bottles). Recycle at Hannaford’s, Price Chopper, or Shaw's grocery stores.

Snack Packaging - Disposable cups, lids, and straws; candy and snack wrappers; and coffee and creamer capsules. Recycle at your nearest Subaru dealership - call first to be sure they accept it.

For more info on this option, here’s an article about the partnership between Terracycle & Subaru (LINK). Of course, think about refusing single use plastic when you can!

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