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Tips from Tracy

Below is recycling and conservation information copied
from previous newsletters, submitted to us by
Tracy Durfee. If you have other information to recommend,
please send it to Anne. I (Anne) also welcome suggestions of links
specific to environmental concerns.

 Environmentally Friendly Shopping Tips
1. Buy eggs in cardboard, not Styrofoam, cartons.
Then when you are done with them, bring them to church
and Tracy Durfee will use them again (her chickens
continue to produce a dozen eggs a day!).

2. Buy in bulk. It's cheaper and uses minimal packaging.
Our own PC Market of Choice in Cottage Grove has a
great selection of bulk food items.

3. Buy carrots, onions, potatoes (and so on) loose,
not in bags. Choose to leave that extra bag behind.

4. Buy beverages in glass or aluminum containers,
which are easy to recycle. You can also choose sauces,
condiments, baby foods, spreads, etc. that are packed
in glass instead of plastic.

5. Avoid plastic containers, especially squeezable ones;
that are made of different types of plastic in several
layers and are dramatically nonbiodegradable.

6. Most cereal boxes are made of recycled cardboard.
It's easy to tell: The boxes are gray in the inside.
Look for the "recycled" logo.


Energy Conservation Tips
Don't forget to redeem those coupons from your local
utility (EPUD and Pacific Power) for those
energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. Not only will
you be saving precious electricity, but you also will help
decrease the emission of greenhouse gases.

According to Home Energy magazine, we would save
over 250 million gallons of water every day if every
American home installed faucet aerators. By attaching a simple
low-flow aerator to each water faucet in your home,
you can save an amazing amount of water. Aerators can
reduce water flow by 50%.

Installing an aerator is easy. The ends of most modern
faucets unscrew, and that's where the aerator attaches.
If you have questions, ask a plumber or seek advice at a
local hardware store. Low-flow aerators sell for less than $
4 at hardware and plumbing stores everywhere.

Waste Not . . .
Every day, American families produce an estimated
four million pounds of household hazardous waste. Who's
dumping hazardous waste into the environment? It's not just
factories - you and I could be doing it too. As much as
25% of America's hazardous waste comes from private homes.

Take a look around your house. Here is a list of common
household items that are considered hazardous:

adhesives (super glue)
caulk drain openers
furniture polish
lighter fluid
mothballs.
nail polish remover
nail polish
oven cleaners
paint stripper
paints and thinners
pesticides
scouring powders
spot removers
toilet bowl cleaners

Hazardous items can be taken in to the Glenwood
Center on Thursdays and on the second
Saturday of each month. Disposal is free, but you must make
an appointment by calling in advance: 682.4120.

The best solution is to use as few hazardous products
as possible, but recycling is a limited alternative.
Some of these products can be passed on to friends and
neighbors who will use them up - which is essentially better
than throwing them away.

If just 1% of American families cut their hazardous
waste in half, we'd keep 7.3 million pounds of it
out of our landfills and waterways.

You can also plan to buy less-toxic or nontoxic
alternatives whenever possible. Green consumer products are
increasingly available. PC (Price Chopper) in Cottage
Grove carries many such products.

Did You Know . . .
. . . two 75-watt lightbulbs will use as much energy
in a year as a new Energy Star refrigerator. These
refrigerators are widely available at all appliance stores.
Be sure to look for the Energy Star label.

Did You Know . . .
. . . using a screensaver doesn't save an ounce of energy.
Turning a monitor off will conserve energy.
It's a fact: A computer monitor uses almost as much
energy as a refrigerator!

Bonneville Power Administration has sent out a
Community Conservation Challenge.
If you did not receive one in the mail,
you can call 1.800.962.9731 for more information.
Or you can print a copy of the pledge
card from www.bpa.gov/ccc.

 

Last but Not Least: You Can
Help Cottage Grove First Presbyterian Church
Be Resourceful!

If you have been receiving our newletter through the
mail, you can help us save money on postage if you would
like to receive your newsletter electronically.

You have two options:

1. Let Anne know that you would like to receive the
newsletters instead in PDF format, hot off the press
(openable through Adobe Acrobat Reader).
If you would like to be on the electronic-recipients
list, please let me know!

2. If you like the option of reading the newsletter text
on this Web site (minus the nice graphics
and amusing cartoons - until I learn how to import them here,
that is), again, let me (Anne) know.
The Web site version of the
newsletter is posted within a week of the
newsletter mailing.

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