Environmental Rewards to Make You Feel Good

Are you ever bothered at the site of trash on the side of the road?  If you are like me, then at some point or another you have probably thought to yourself about what you can do to clean up the landscapes around you.

According to a recent press release, the people of Ankeny have done just that in honor of Earth Day.  Among some of the items cleaned up were a discarded car seat and plastic swimming pool.  Early spring flooding most likely contributed to much of the debris collected.

Formed into small groups, more than 60 volunteers, armed with garbage bags and gloves, scoured around “collecting a record-setting two truckloads of trash and debris.”

Celebrating environmental awareness day didn’t stop there and was followed by several city-sponsored activities to encourage greener, more environmentally friendly lifestyles.

Ankeny’s environmental stewardship continues on Saturday, April 24 with its annual Appliance and Electronics Recycling Day. Ankeny residents can bring old appliances and electronics free of charge to the City Maintenance facility, 211 SE Lorenz Drive, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Televisions will be accepted for a nominal fee dependent on size. The materials collected will be dismantled at a recycling center where the metals and refrigerants are removed in an environmentally safe manner and the remaining materials repurposed. (Read the full Press Release here.)

What can you do to play your part?

Green Cleaning Thoughts

Replacing your store-bought household cleaners with a few items you probably already have on hand can help you improve your indoor air quality, save you money, reduce your impact on the environment and keep your home clean.

Some inexpensive cleaners that don’t contribute to indoor air pollution or negatively impact our environment are:

• Vinegar (Distilled white vinegar (not cider or red vinegar-which can leave stains) removes dirt and acts as a disinfectant.)
• Lemons (cut grease)
• Baking Soda (provides the grit needed for scouring when used with half a lemon as a scrubber)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (safer alternative to bleach)

Search the Internet for more on natural cleaning recipes and cleaning agents.  Just be sure you use a trusted site like the National Geographic’s “The Green Guide” (www.TheGreenGuide.com), which offers plenty of green resources.

Happy Green Cleaning!

Cell Phones Can Be Recycled Too

Have you ever thought of recycling your old cell phone? We’ve all upgraded at least once I’m sure, but did you recycle your phone? Probably not. Don’t worry this isn’t a finger pointing blog, it’s just most people don’t think of doing it. I’m one of those people. For the people like me, retailers are actually making it easy to recycle. You can drop off your old phone or even mail it in and they will handle the recycling for you.

What do you think of this? Would you recycle your phone?

You can read more about the program here.

Gadgets that make you go: Really?

Are you looking for an energy curtain? Well, it’s made the list of the ten dumbest green gadgets. The energy curtain absorbs energy from the sun and then glows in the dark as a result. If you are looking for other gadgets that aren’t exactly green friendly you can try the wind up emergency radio (not waterproof) or the color changing solar powered coasters – because the ones that don’t change colors are melting the ice caps.

What do you think of the list? Personally, it just seems to be further proof how businesses like to slap the green label on a product just to sell it.

Tips to have a Green Holiday

Guests can plan their travels to include carpooling, public transportation or purchase non-stop flights to reduce their carbon footprint. You could also bring a soy or beeswax candle as a gift to use during the meal. Soy candles burn longer than wax and are also biodegradable.

Cooks can use a slow-cooker like a Crock Pot to help conserve energy. You can also conserve energy by using your dishwasher more efficiently. If you scrape the plates off instead of just running them under water, your dishwasher will use less energy. The less energy you use the cheaper your power bill.

Do you have any tips you would like to pass along? How are you going green?