Green Committee 
Green Tip of the Week
Did you know that having your car
tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than
3%?!? While this might sound like a lot of effort for a small
payback, just consider how this would impact our energy consumption if done on
a larger scale!
Not sure how to check your
tires? No worries! Just ask your local gas station
attendant to help you out the next time you stop for gas. It
is quick and inexpensive (typically under a $1.00) and good for your
tires too! Remember, every effort, no matter how small, adds up!
Past Weeks Tips:
Green Committee Green Tip of the Week
¬ With all these April showers turning the grass green, it
will soon be lawnmower season.
Recycle your grass clippings by leaving them on your lawn. ÒGrasscyclingÓ returns nutrients to
your lawn and retains moisture in the soil, so less fertilizing and watering is
needed. It's good for the environment
and good for your budget.cuss the District's 2009-2010 adopted Budget.
¬ It's spring, so pull your kids away from the electronics
and get them outside for a while.
Spending an hour a day outside improves kids physical fitness, emotional
well-being and intellectual development.
Go for a walk on the Sheldrake River Trail, fly a kite down at the
Harbor, or take turns hiding a well-camouflaged item in your backyard. For more ideas, see greenhour.org.
¬ As the weather begins to warm up, people will be
fertilizing their lawns. If you
use fertilizer, ask your lawn care company to use only phosphorous free
fertilizer. If you purchase your
own, look for a "0" as the middle number of the string of three
numbers on your bag. Rain-washes
excess phosphorous from lawns into storm drains that discharge into our local
water bodies. This causes a rapid
growth of algae that starves the water (and living creatures) of oxygen. The soil in most lawns in Westchester
rarely needs phosphorous, anyway.
¬ EarthHour will be on Saturday, March 28th, from 8:30-9:30
pm. During that time, people all over the world will be voting for
the earth and against global warming by turning off their lights. In past
years, participating landmarks have included the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney
Opera House and the Coca-Cola sign in Times Square. Show your
solidarity with the world by turning off your lights on Saturday night. For more information, go to
EarthHour.org.
¬ Spring cleanup time is a great time to start composting
your yard waste and kitchen scraps. By taking those items out of the
waste stream and using them instead for chemical free fertilizer for your lawn
and garden, composting is great for the environment. It's also great for
the budget of your municipality, which has to pay $40 a ton to haul away
organic yard waste. Apartment dwellers can compost indoors with a small
worm setup. For more info, contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension at
285-4620.
¬
How many
crayons does an average kid go through in a childhood? Your guess is as
good as mine, but there is now a way to make their crayon consumption more earth
friendly. Most crayons are Look for soy-based crayons instead, such as
Prang brand, the next time you shop for crayons made from petroleum, a
non-renewable resource that takes years to biodegrade.
¬
According
to the United Nations Climate Change Panel, meat production accounts for nearly
one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions.
Try to make one day a week a meatless day, or at least cut back on the
number of meals that include meat.
¬
Not sure
whether to order a Central School reusable water bottle? There are
many good reasons why you should. Recent studies have shown that
bottled water is not any safer than tap water and often, it is tap water. Meanwhile, the 31 billion liters of
bottled water used by Americans annually requires 50 million barrels of oil to
produce, transport and store; it also requires 900,000 tons of
plastic to manufacture, only 15% of which gets recycled. Finally, 5
liters of water are used to manufacture 1 liter of bottled water. So, dig
those order forms out of your child's backpack, and take action now!
¬
Looking to
reduce your carbon footprint? Simply wrap your water heater in an
insulation blanket, and you'll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Blankets are inexpensive and can be found at local hardware stores.
ItÕs easy and only takes a few minutes to do.
¬
Now that the weather's getting colder,
consider turning down your thermostat two degrees for the winter. If
you also turn it up two degrees in the summer, you will save about 2,000
pounds of carbon dioxide, not to mention the money you will save on your
energy costs.
¬
Please, if
you arrive early to pick up your child from school, turn off your
engine. You will save gas and money, and improve children's health and
the environment.
¬
Westchester
County recently enacted a law banning the idling of cars for more than three
minutes. Violators are subject to a $250 fine. Idling
releases unnecessary greenhouse gases and has an adverse
effect on air quality. It causes an especially negative impact on the health of
children. With advances in technology, it is no longer true that you use
more gas by turning the engine off and then on again; in fact, you will save
gas by not idling.
¬ Got something you'd like to recycle, but don't know
how? Check out the website earth911.com. You just enter the item
you're looking to get rid of (e.g. mattress, used motor oil, electronics, etc.)
and your zip code, and you will get a list of local places that will accept
it. It's that easy!
¬ Local governments have passed seasonal bans on leaf
blowers because they are bad for human health and the environment. The exhaust contains cancer-causing
agents and spreads particulate pollution, which most heavily impacts children,
seniors and people with asthma.
The decibel level of each blower exceeds noise safety
recommendations. Clippings,
fertilizers and pesticides get blown into streets and are carried down storm
drains, where they pollute watersheds.
And, finally, the blowers use energy that increases our carbon
footprint. The bans, which are
punishable with fines, are in effect as follows:
Village of
Mamaroneck: May 15th-September 30th
Town of
Mamaroneck: June
1st-September 30th
Village of
Larchmont: June 1st-September 30th
Please
observe the ban and speak with your gardener or landscaper to make sure that
they comply.
¬ Aluminum foil requires a tremendous amount of energy to
produce, so try to use less foil, re-use your foil, and then recycle the
foil. Rinse it off and place it in your recycling bin along with
your glass and plastic recyclables.