Un-Decking the Halls!

DC Department of Public Works will pick up Christmas trees and wreaths from Dec 26 through January 8 for composting! PLEASE DO NOT BAG YOUR TREE, and kindly remove all ornaments. Trees will be pick up after January 8, but may not be composted! Just leave the trees near your trash bins!

Meanwhile, you can send your holiday cards to St. Jude's Ranch for Children which will upcycle these into new creations!

The DC Recycler's 2015 Green Holiday Gift Guide

Need some green gift ideas about now?  Here are just a few to ponder!

• Shop Online but offbeat. Have you found The Grommet?  They have a plethora of unique and quirky gifts.  Check out their Sustainable Living line. Uncommon Goods also has some fun stuff. 
• Buy more conventional, but still green. Bambeco is Baltimore based and they're all about sustainability.  They give a lot of money to help restore the bay, and OK, they're my friends. Check them out.
• Buy local.  Indulge your favorite chef or gamer with a gift certificate from Hill's Kitchen or Labyrinth. 

Otherwise......

• Gift a class.  The Hill Center on Capitol Hill has a wide array of classes - including an urban foraging class and a vegan cooking class. 
• Kayak and paddleboard the Potomac: The Key Bridge Boat House has 2016 season tickets on sale now.  You'll be set to go when they open in April.
• How about an amazing helmet or backpack for your favorite cyclist from Torch Apparel?! 
• Give some homemade food.  If you have 15 jars of strawberry jam, or salsa, or jalapenos, that you made this summer (ummm, like me), share that bounty!  Or, make a batch of granola and bag it as gifts. You can find my favorite recipe here!  There's still time to get some great labels at www.evermine.com.
• Live the cliche, make potholders!  Those potholder frames have evolved and are larger and much more practical.  You can pick up a loom and loops at Sullivan's Toy Store on Wisconsin Avenue. If you want more loop colors, check out harrisville.com/.
• And for that person who has absolutely everything, share the love. Gift a donation in their name to a local non-profit! There are so many great groups to choose from such as Sierra Club DC, the Anacostia Watershed Society, the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the list goes on, and on.  

Mostly, have yourself and yours a merry and very GREEN holiday season!

Reduce your Catalog Footprint!

Tis the season - for too many catalogs. While I rarely buy out of catalogs, my mailbox is brimming with them.  Here are a couple of options for culling the catalogs you receive.

PaperKarma is a free smartphone app.  You register your address(es) and name(s) and take pictures of the business logo and address of the unwanted catalog and/or junk mail, and upload this. within the app. Then, you're done! PaperKarma contacts the business and unsubscribes you from their mailings.  The first three cancellations are free and after that you can continue the service for $1.99/mth or $9.99 per year for an unlimited number of un-subscriptions.

Catalog Choice is currently web-based though they're developing an app.  Their services are free. You establish a free account and type in the addresses of the catalogs and junk mail you don't want to receive. They're a non-profit that was recently acquired by the Story of Stuff project.

Go On Line:  If you go to the company's website, you can often find an "unsubscribe" option.  This can work for catalogs and for junk email.

Call:  Most catalogs still include a phone number for orders.  Call and ask to speak to customer service - or just tell the person who answers that you no longer want to receive the catalog.

Catalogs are printed months in advance, so it may take 6-8 weeks to get OFF any mailing list.  While you may not save a tree this year, you will in the long haul.

Time to Freeze the Herbs!

Alas, it's oh so sad to see the summer end...but so it is.  It's time to harvest the rest of the herbs and freeze them for winter soups.  It's easy enough to do - the hardest part may be finding an ice tray.  Muffin tins will work in a pinch!  Just harvest your basil, oregano, thyme and such separately, chop and spoon a tablespoon or so into ice trays with a bit of water.  Store in plastic bags once frozen (and label as it's easy enough to forget what's what).  Then when it's soup making time, just pop a cube in.  You can also make pesto and freeze it or you can dry them. You'll be able to enjoy a bit of summer all year!  Enjoy!

Green Micro Beads

In my forthcoming novel, "Confessions of an Environmentalist" one chapter will be dedicated to micro beads.  I'm kidding about the book, but I will confess that part of me was sad to learn that I was going to have to boycott any soap or scrub that contained micro beads.  I like(d) the scrub they gave me that left my skin feeling smooth and clean. 

But now I know, IT'S GOING TO BE OK.  I've found "sugar scrubs". I made my own in all of 5 minutes.  1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, some lavender extract and TA-DA, I've got my own scrub that moisturizes to boot.  I'm a happy (and smooth skinned) camper.

The web is teaming with variations of the recipe.  Make it in smaller quantities as it's oil based and won't last forever.  For the shower, consider putting it in a stainless steel or yes, even plastic container to avoid any breakage. 

Make some for your non enviro friends and wean them off the beads.  Be green.

I realize I don't blog that often these days, but I'm often on Twitter at DC_Recycler. I hope to see you there!

Recycling Worries: how to keep your recyclables out of the landfill!

The bin dilemma

You may have heard all the concerns about recycling of late.  The Washington Post, Diane Rehm and MarketPlace have all done stories on the issue and how contamination of the waste stream and low oil prices are wreaking havoc on the industry.  So, what is a good recycler to do to ensure that your goods don't end up in a landfill?  Here are a couple of ideas:

1) DON'T place your recyclables in a plastic bag.  Plastic bags really mess up the sorter machines.  Just dump your recyclables directly into that big blue bin - no bag needed!
2) Only recycle goods listed on THIS LIST. Otherwise, put it in the trash ....OR....
3) Join DC's Freecycle Network. Anyone living or working in DC can join.  This website is a true testimony to the idea that "one person's trash is anothers treasure"!
4) Compost it!  Food waste is a major issue in recycling streams.  If you can't start a compost in your own yard, see if another neighbor or your local community garden will take it....OR treat yourself to a FatWorm Compost, Compost Cab or (support local vets through a) Veteran Compost subscription!
5) Participate in a Terracycle Brigade.  Terracycle will pay the postage for the items you send in.  I'm participating in the Personal Care and Beauty Brigade this summer, asking my friends and neighbors to drop off old lipsticks, chapsticks, shampoo bottles and such.  
5) Donate your old doors, windows, sinks, tools, flooring, extra tile, etc, etc, etc to Community Forklift!
6) Reduce your consumption.  It's a great time of year to experiment with making your own food and hygiene products...and reduce your consumption of plastics.  

• Keep a reusable water bottle in your purse, backpack, briefcase.  
• Bring reusable containers with you for your restaurant meal leftovers.
• Bring your own plastic bags to the grocery store/farmers market for your fruits and vegetables. 
• When you order drinks, specify "No Straw Please!".  
• When ordering online, specify "No plastic or styrofoam packing!".

7) Buy products made from recycled goods.  Terracycle now has an Etsy store. They also have an "Upcycled, Recycled, and Repurposed" category for shopping. Shop at Community Forklift for tools, doors, sinks, etc, etc!

I'd love to hear your ideas for ensuring that waste stays out of landfills. Send them to me at dcrecyclerdc@gmail!

Recycling Old Glory - With Respect

Flags fly in all sorts of weather, and they eventually breakdown, fray and fade.  While burning flags is a recognized method of proper flag disposal, burning American flags made of nylon (a petroleum product) creates hazardous gases and wastes resources.  Advanced Disposal is offering free US flag recycling is offering free recycling services for US nylon flags through September 11, 2015. You can drop off flags at any of their facilities or mail your flag to them at:

Carroll County Transfer Station
1400 Baltimore Blvd.
Westminister, MD 21157

American Flag Recycling also recyclesAmerican flags and ask for a small donation to cover the costs. And, If you're curious about the dos and don'ts of flag disposal, check out the Veterans of Foreign Wars website at https://www.vfw.org/Flag/

Dehydrating: Drying it out!

 The season's bounty of fruits is just beginning...but the season is ever fleeting and before you know it, the local strawberries and blueberries will be gone for another year.  This year, I've decided to preserve a bit of the riches and try dehydrating to preserve these goodies in some form for a later day, maybe just to snack on or sprinkle over my granola.

If you buy in bulk, most local farmers will give you a big discount on the price.  It's a bit tedious to slice the fruit into thin slices, but then, a couple of hours in a dehydrator and you've got some delicious dried fruit on your hands.  I even dried some not so local mangoes that were on sale at WholeFoods.Four quarts of strawberries sliced filled up the five strays of the dehydrator and took about 2 hours to dry.  They then all fit into the jar in the picture!    Even though I blanched the blueberries until their peel/skin split, it still took about 12 hours for them to dry. I don't think I'll do that again.  The mango tood about 3 hours.

While I should have bought the dehydrator at a local shop, I opted to buy a slightly scratched new dehydrator at a discount on Amazon. What I'm not so sure about is the energy efficiency of the dehydrator, but for now I'm enjoying it immensely!

Local Green Goods: Electric bikes, Ugly Fruit Juices and Online Garage Sales

Being green and buying local is getting easier and easier here in DC.  Here are just a couple of things I've learned about in the past week.
 
Misfit Juicery was started by two Georgetown students late last year.  There's a lot of noise about food waste out there, especially as we learn that some 40 percent of food is thrown out BEFORE it hits the supermarket shelves.  Eating ugly fruits and veggies is becoming all the rage. These guys are using uglies to make yummy juices like "Kale + Stuff", "Off Beet" and a couple more varieties.  Buy this good juice locally at Glen's Garden Market, Sticky Fingers, FreshFarm Markets at Foggy Bottom and on H St NE as well as a few more locations.  Yum!


Love to cycle, but not so crazy about the hills?  Check out Riide, a DC made electric bicycle!  While their Kickstarter campaign is over (they've raised all the funds they needed), this video gives a great overview of the bike.  With a battery that will last for 25 miles (don't forget that you can still pedal it, too) and a charger that can be plugged into any electrical outlet, there's a lot to love about this bike!

Finally, at least for now, maybe I'm the last person to know about Wallapop, an app that allows you to buy and sell things locally.  Think Craigslist with pictures.   It's searchable and now in DC. It uses your location and offers items that are close to your location. You can contact the seller and even go look at the item before deciding whether or not to buy it.  Pretty cool!

Enjoy, be green.  Recycle! Freecycle.

Green DC: Ask DC to plant a tree on your street!

From now until June 15, 2015, there's a fast and simple way to request a tree for your street or neighborhood. getdctrees.org provides an online map of where trees are missing from tree boxes around the city and provides a simple online request form. DC's Urban Forestry Administration will accept requests through June 15.  They'll then prioritize tree plantings for the Fall 2015 season.  The website also provides a breakdown of tree plots available by Ward. And, while you're at it, consider signing up to care for an urban tree through DC's Canopy Keeper program.

EarthDay Action: Tell DC City Council to Oppose the Exelon/Pepco Merger!

Hey folks, the proposed Exelon/Pepco merger is a bad deal for DC and for renewable energy in general!  Several councilmembers have come out against the merger....but others haven't.  Please send an email - similar to the one below today--and ask your friends/family to do the same!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Hello, 

My name is _______ and I am a ____________ year DC resident. I support clean energy and energy efficiency in the District to combat climate change and promote a clean, sustainable District for all its residents.

 

I note that you've not yet taken a stance on the proposed Exelon/Pepco merger, and I am writing to you today to ask you to oppose the proposed merger. Exelon is overtly anti-renewable energy and has worked to actively undermine clean energy policies at both the federal and state level. 

 

DC has made significant strides in the past decade to become a leader in clean energy and energy efficiency - these policies will likely come under attack if Exelon is at the helm. I very much appreciate the letter that your colleagues, Councilmembers Cheh, Silverman and Allen sent opposing the merger. I urge you to join them and PUBLICLY OPPOSE the Exelon merger as not in the public interest so that we can continue our city's progress as a clean energy leader. 

 

Sincerely, 

[YOUR NAME]

Ward ____

Please send to:

• Brianne Nadeau, Ward 1 (bnadeau@dccouncil.us)
• Yvette Alexander Ward 7 (yalexander@dccouncil.us)
• Anita Bonds, At Large (abonds@dccouncil.us)
• David Grosso, At Large (dgrosso@dccouncil.us)

Earth Day Turns 45! Help DC Celebrate!

From Huffington Post

Yikes! Earth Day is turning 45 this year! 

The good news is that are plenty of ways to celebrate the event, and your (renewed) commitment to help save the Earth couldn’t come at a better time.  

Why not make your own Earth Day project for the month? Pick up the trash on your street, reduce your plastic footprint, sign up for Bike to Work Day, clean up a green space in your neighborhood (even if the city is supposed to do it), organize a clothes swap with friends, plant a few native grasses or bushes,  . Groundswell is organizing a bulk purchase for wind energy. Sign up! If you’re a renter click here and if you’re a homeowner click here.  It’s easy and it will get you off that coal power diet at very reasonable price!

,

 And, of course, plenty of groups are organizing events to celebrate Earth Day's 45th. Here’s just a smattering of things going on around town:

• ·         Saturday, April 11^th is the Potomac Conservancy’s Annual  Potomac Clean Up Day.  Meet at Fletcher’s Boathouse from 10am till noon.

• ·         On Saturday, April 18^th, check out the Annual Earth Day concert on the Mall from 11am to 7pm.  For more information on the event, see http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/EarthDayMall.htm

• ·         Saturday, April 25^th is the Anacostia Watershed Society’s Clean Up Day. There will be events held at various sites along the river from 9am until noon, and if you’re lucky, you might even spot the bald eagles that are now calling river home.  Sign up at http://www.anacostiaws.org/earthday2015/

• ·         Also on Saturday, April 25^th starting at 9:30am, the Student Conservation Association is sponsoring a clean up at DC’s Fort Totten Park at 5170 South Dakota Drive NE.  Lunch will be provided.  Register at   http://www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-service-at-fort-totten-park-in-washington-dc-registration-16084664665.

About.com has more DC Earth Day events.  Get out there!

GET READY: THE 23rd Annual DC Environmental Film Fest: March 17-29, 2015

What's not to love about March in DC?  The snow is melting, temps venture into the 60s for a couple of days, robins arrive, daylight savings time starts and the Environmental Film Fest comes to town.  This year's fest offers some 160 films focusing on local topics ranging from the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, Riversmart Homes,  Potomac Vegetable Farms,  and Chesapeake Bay Oysters.  There are stories about the ugly side of Ewaste and inspiring upcycling stories like Paraguay's Landfill Harmonic. The website has evolved and you can now make your own itinerary online. All good! Go!

A Timely Composting Primer: It's easier than you might think!

A guest blog by Sam from Organic Lesson





According to a study conducted by Duke University’s Center for Sustainability, the average person produces around 4.3 pounds of waste every day. As a result of all the waste we’ve been throwing away, the stress on not just the environment but also on landfills has been slowly reaching pressure point. One way we can help reduce such problems is by composting our own organic waste.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons



Many consumers avoid composting because of a number of misconceptions. For example, people may believe that composting will always lead to a huge, nasty odor. That isn’t always the case. As shown by this infographic created by Organic Lesson there are some methods that can be used, such as vermicomposting, that are much cleaner and better organized.

Composting is also not that complicated. It can be as simple as dumping all your organic waste into the corner of your backyard. What one does have to be aware of though is the good and bad composting items. As you look more into the infographic, you will notice a number of waste items that will help you yield better results. Happy composting!