Tuesday, October 18, 2011
All that paper may seem contrary to going green, but you can have your cake and eat it too!
I have to admit that I still really like the feel of paper in my hands. I love curling up on my couch to flip through a book, magazine or even a cookbook. Sometimes I love a book so much and find it so useful that I want to own a copy to use over and over again. The environmentalist in me sees all that paper! Do I really need to choose? No. There are so many alternatives to new books – buy a used copy, download an electronic version, borrow it. I can own books while reducing the amount of paper used. Borrow Use the library! They have thousands of titles at the J.V Fletcher Library. If you can’t find it here, search the entire Merrimack Valley consortium of libraries. You can request a copy and it will be delivered to Westford…
42.58145
-71.43867
J.V. Fletcher Library
50 Main St, Westford, MA
/articles/you-can-own-books-and-be-an-environmentalist
778988
/locations/5609064
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Local girl scouts held a "Zero Waste Day" at Day School last week.
Girl Scout Troop 60210, with the help of the Westford Recycling Commission, recently organized a "Zero Waste Day" at Day Elementary School. For school lunch, compostable trays and utensils were used. Leftover food was composted. Students who brought their lunch were encouraged to use reusable containers. Principal Kevin Regan joined in with a reusable water bottle and sandwich container. Only one-third of a bag of trash was generated, compared to seven bags on a typical day.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Reuse thousands of books, movies and more.
Libraries are the ultimate in green. A huge repository of books, magazines, movies, music and more available to many people to borrow, share and reuse. Here are just a few of the things our local J.V. Fletcher Library offers for reuse for free.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Rid your home of harmful chemicals with this simple, cheap recipe.
Ever see those warning labels on conventional cleaning products? That's because many contain harmful chemicals and are not tested before they go on the market. An easy way to go green and save green is to mix your own cleaning products. Homemade cleaners can be made from safe, time-tested, and even edible ingredients you probably already have in your house! This all-purpose cleaner concoction costs less than $1 -- after the initial $1 expense for the spray bottle. Skip the essential oils and you are talking pennies for each bottle. If you choose to reuse an old spray bottle, just make sure you clean it very well. WARNING: If you have granite counter tops, do not use this. The vinegar can damage them. All-Purpose Cleaner: Add all …
42.56743
-71.42269
General Nutrition Center
175 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA
/articles/homemade-non-toxic-cleaner
778913
/locations/3831052
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Town Meeting coming; getting rid of Styrofoam responsibly.
Before you head out and start your Wednesday, here are five things you should know: 1. CLOUDY, RAINY. Today will be cloudy with a good chance of rain after 4 p.m., according ot the National Weather Service. 2. GET RID OF YOUR STYROFOAM RESPONSIBLY. Styrofoam is horrible for the environment. Here's a way to recycle it reponsibly in Westford. 3. TOWN MEETING COMING. The annual Town Meeting -- which affects how much you spend in property taxes -- is coming Saturday. All registered voters are encouraged to attend. Get up to speed on the issues. 4. DID YOU KNOW? There's a unique "Green Living" fair at the First Parish Church on April 2. 5. THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On this day in 1775, Patrick Henry declared "Give me liberty, or give me death."
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Styrofoam will be collected for recycling at the Green Living Fair April 2 at Westford's First Parish Church.
Styrofoam is used for many things – coffee cups, meat trays, packing peanuts, and Westford Public School lunch trays. Unfortunately, you cannot throw it into your curbside recycling bin in Westford, or many communities for that matter. Styrofoam takes up a lot of space in the waste stream and doesn’t biodegrade. ReFoamIt, a Framingham-based company, is one of the only Styrofoam recyclers in this area. How do they collect this Styrofoam? They have collection days and invite people to bring their styrofoam. And guess what? Westford will be having a Styrofoam collection at the upcoming Green Living Fair on April 2 at the First Parish Church. You can bring everything from packing peanuts to plastic utensils. The cost is $1 per bag or $5 per …
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Where to bring your old electronics for proper disposal.
Electronics contain toxic substances such as mercury, lead, and cadmium. What happens when those materials end up in a landfill? Correct, they contaminate the soil, water, and air. Sometimes the material even ends up in third-world world countries and burned. Old televisions, computers, cell phones, printers, MP3 players, and GPS devices can be easily recycled. There's a perfect opportunity to responsibly recycle these devices at an e-waste collection day March 26 at the Highway Department at 28 North Main Street. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are small fees to dispose of a variety of items: Questions can be directed to Recycling Commision Chair Kris Erickson at recycling@westfordma.gov.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
An easy and delicious do-it-yourself microwave popcorn without the chemicals.
Friday night is movie night at our house, complete with popcorn. In my continual search to make sure my family is eating healthy, I stumbled across some information on microwave popcorn that I did not like. According to an article on Care 2, an environmental blog, some microwave popcorn contains diacetyl in the fake butter flavoring. While the real concern for exposure to diacetyl seems to be concentrated on people who work in popcorn factories, there isn't any proof that we as consumers of microwave popcorn are not being exposed as well. Diacetyl can cause a condition called popcorn lung. Another concern with microwave popcorn is with the coating used on the bags. The Food and Drug Administration indicates that this chemical coating …
Kristina Greene
7:47 pm on Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thanks for the suggestions Jennifer. I'll have to check those out. I LOVED reading the Twilight series a couple of years ago. more ›