How many plastic grocery bags do you have in your house right now?  Every time you buy anything, a plastic bag is most likely used.  There are lots of problems with plastic bags. They litter our streets, waste natural resources, and can expose us to toxins. In 2007, the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and Massachusetts Food Association (MFA) recognized this problem.  Together they set a goal of a one-third reduction in the number of paper and plastic bags used by 2013.  Over 500 grocery stores are members of the MFA, including Market Basket.  This effort was voluntary in …

  Wouldn’t you love to cut your energy bills by 40%?  Think of the savings over the years!  Think you need solar panels, geothermal, or a wind turbine to get there?  Think again. Did you know that in 2008, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell in conjunction with Building Science Corporation, built a super-efficient home in Westford?  The estimated savings were roughly 40% over a similar more traditional home.  These savings equate to $1295 per year.  OK, but how much would this cost up front?  The additional initial investment for this 1400 sq foot home was $10,000. Want to know how they …

In early March, news reports that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was planning to purchase 7 million pounds of Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB, or “pink slime” as it has been called) started to surface.  This prompted Bettina Elias Siegel to start an online petition asking Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “to get pink slime off of our kids’ lunch trays once and for all.”  This former lawyer, freelance writer and parent, started a firestorm of media coverage and social outcry. What is “pink slime”? Gerald Zirstein, former USDA scientist, first coined this phrase in a 2002  USDA…

Don’t feel like cooking dinner tonight?  No problem!  Enjoy dinner at Chipotle between 5 and 8pm and 50% of your purchase will go to Sustainable Westford.  Chipotle's "Food With Integrity" commitment, makes them a perfect match.  Download your coupon here and print it or show on your smartphone.  Sustainable Westford is a non-profit most notably responsible for the Westford Farmers Market.  But it has become much more over the past 2 years.   They are committed to providing education and inspiration on issues of sustainability.  From food to recycling, Sustainable Westford has got "green" …

  For Westford Recycling Commission chair Kris Erickson, composting is the next logical step.  She explains, “My recycling has followed a progression.  I started with recycling all I could curbside, then started to reuse and donate more.  The next logical step was to start composting.” This year, the Westford Recycling Commission is focusing their energy on encouraging more residents to compost.  Why compost?  Because food scraps present a huge untapped potential for savings. EPA estimates that, in 2010, 13.9% of our nation’s waste was food scraps, making it the second largest category.  …

Upcycle It! is a unique recycling program that collects non-recyclables such as chip bags, granola bar wrappers, cookie wrappers and more to keep them out of the waste stream.  These items are sent to a company called TerraCycle. TerraCycle donates two cents per item and pays for shipping.  The items are then upcycled into new products such as backpacks, tote bags, and flower pots.  The program began in May 2010 with collection points at Starbucks, Nabnasset Elementary School and the Westford Farmers Market.  Since then, collection points have expanded to every school in Westford, the JV …

I know people were upset to find out that Whole Foods would not be going into the new Cornerstone Square.  I was definitely one of them.  I do shop at Market Basket occasionally, but I would love for another supermarket to come to town.  I recently looked more closely at what Market Basket offers and their prices.  I found quite a bit of organic and other more natural items at great prices.  Here is what I found: Pete and Gerry’s Large Organic Eggs – 12 for $3.69 Organic Valley Organic Butter – 1 lb for $4.69 Organic Valley Organic Cream Cheese - $2.49.  This is a great price!  I saw it once …

When I first heard of Coconut oil, images and smells of Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil from years ago popped into my head.  Coconut oil is much different and is being regarded as very beneficial for health in so many ways. Coconut oil has been described as “the healthiest oil on earth” by some.  Many people believe that coconut oil can help with such health problems as kidney stones, fever, flu, burns, colds, constipation, nausea, rashes, dry skin and dandruff to name a few. Inside The Body What makes it so healthy?   It is 92% saturated fat –the bad fat.  However, coconut oil is comprised mainly…

Ever wonder what happens to your recycling after the black and yellow trucks pick it up?  Call me a garbage geek, but I was so excited when I had the opportunity to find out first hand.  Last November, I joined members of the Westford Recycling Commission, and representatives from Chelmsford and Dracut, at the Integrated Paper Recyclers (IPR) facility in North Andover.  In addition to handling Westford’s recycling, IPR services over 40 communities locally. Christine DeRosa of IPR showed us how the single stream recyclables are sorted into paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass and plastics 1, 2 …

The New Year can be a time to break old (bad) habits and start new (better) ones.  In January things slow down a bit.  It is getting colder and darker earlier.  In New England we tend to hibernate at this time of year.  Great time to look inward and challenge yourself.  So I challenge you to take on one more green action.  It can be a habit you want to start, like bringing your reusable grocery bags all the time, or one to break, like your dependence on disposable water bottles.  Or a one-time action such as scheduling an energy audit on your home.  Pick something that interests you – saving …

In the past year, there have been many good steps for the environment in Westford.  From solar panels to upcycling to less trash on the streets, take a look at some of the highlights from 2011. Solar Panels on Stony Brook Middle School Go Live On April 22, Earth Day, Westford’s first town building went solar.  The 176 panel system is expected to generate about 40,000 kilowatt hours annually.  Since the beginning of April 2011, the array has generated almost 35,000 kilowatt hours.  Well on its way to reaching the estimate. More Solar Coming to Westford A 4.5 Megawatt system, announced earlier …

Do you ever wonder how green you really are?  Do you want to do better for your family and the environment but don’t really know where to start?  Well, aside from reading this column, a Boston-based website can help point you in the right direction. Practically Green is a free online service that provides you with knowledge, resources and recommendations for making future green choices and changes.  Through this tool, you can set goals, track your progress and share with friends. To begin, you take a quick quiz to evaluate your “green-ness”.  I have to say that my initial score was pretty …

As winter approaches, out comes the lip balm!  Not just for me, but the whole family.  We have it everywhere – bathrooms, backpacks, purses, cars. Lip balms are just one of several personal care products each of us uses daily.  These include shampoo, conditioner, soap, makeup, deodorant, moisturizers and the like.  They get us clean, make us smell and feel good.  Now for the bad news: There are no real regulations for personal care products.  Companies are NOT required to test for safety before they hit the shelves.  All ingredients do NOT need to be disclosed.  This is especially the case …

Do you know how much more trash a household puts out during the holidays?  Think about all the holiday cards, letters, wasted food from all those parties, gift wrapping, bows, the packages and bags the gifts were purchased in.  According to the EPA, the amount of household garbage increases from four to five million tons around the holidays.  That’s an extra one million tons per year, 25 percent more! As I have mentioned before, trash is big money.  The Town of Westford pays for every single ton of trash that is disposed.  More trash means a higher trash bill that month.  With budget concerns…

The holidays are here.  Have you made your list and checked it twice?  All those gifts to buy!  Does the thought of buying all that stuff drive you crazy?  You don’t have to abandon your beliefs to give a gift.  There are many ways to do both.  Even if you aren’t bothered by all the spending, going a little greener with your gift choices can make for some really unique gifts. Green Gift ideas: Homemade gifts – I love homemade gifts, especially from my children.  The internet is loaded with ideas for every skill level.  Look for items you can make with simple things you may have at home.  If …

Do you see cars idling while in the pickup line at school, in the driveway warming up in the winter, or waiting for someone to run into a store?   It’s actually against Massachusetts state law to idle a vehicle for more than 5 minutes.  It is punishable by a fine of up to $100 for the first offense and up to $500 for a second offense.  We need to drive our cars to get places.  We don’t need to idle the engines.   From the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), “The goal of the Massachusetts Anti-Idling law is to improve air quality by reducing unnecessary air …

Since I was born,  Thanksgiving has been spent at my parents’ house with my huge extended family.  The extended family consists of several cousins, their spouses and children and of course the aunts and uncles.  With all of these people, the paper plates, plastic cups and (gasp!) Styrofoam coffee cups come out of the woodwork.  Who wants to do dishes for a crowd of 30?  Not me!  Each year my Mom and I try to add one more green aspect to our Thanksgiving. We add ideas slowly so we are not overwhelmed and tempted to give it all up the following year.  We notcied that we have inspired other …

A home energy audit is a great place to start going green.   It can show you where to focus your attention to get the biggest bang for your buck.  It may take an initial investment, but will usually pay off in a short amount of time, then saving you money on your energy bills.  As a customer of National Grid, you are eligible for a free Home Energy Assessment every year through a program called Mass Save.  Mass Save is sponsored by Massachusetts’ gas and electric utilities.  They work with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to “provide a wide range of services, incentives, …

My head starts itching at the beginning of the school year when the lice information sheet comes home. Approximately 6 to 12 million cases of lice occur nationwide each year.  Westford is not immune.  I have already heard of a few cases this year. This is probably one area where you think, “I am not taking any chances.  Give me whatever will kill those things!”  I was right there with you, until I started to do some research.  Permethrin and pyrethrin are the most common chemicals used to treat lice currently.  They are pesticides.   They are meant to kill live insects by attacking their …

Sports equipment can get expensive.  Especially sports like skiing and snowboarding.  Not only are these items hard on your wallet, they can be hard on the environment.  Everything you buy comes with an environmental price tag.  Resources were used to harvest the raw materials, more resources used to actually construct the equipment, harmful chemicals could be involved in the production, more resources used to get it to the store, etc.  I certainly don’t want to put a downer on outdoor sporting activities.  They are great! They get people interested in protecting the environment and can use …