holiday waste take part in the patch program€¦ · you can help save your family a lot of money....
TRANSCRIPT
Winter2014
Page 1Page 4
A quarterly newsletter ofThurston County Solid Waste
9605 Tilley Road S, Suite COlympia, WA 98512
(360) 867-2280
Thurston County Solid Waste
The President’s Environmental Youth Awards recognize young people, schools, summer camps, and youth organizations across the country that are leading the way in taking care of our environment. Each year, 10 regional winners are selected. To learn more about the award, visit www.epa.gov/peya. Applications are due by December 31.
Edible or Inedible – You Decide!All food gets gross when it has been around too long. But when it comes to deciding whether or not something is edible, it’s not about appearances. American families throw out about 25% of the food they buy. That’s like bringing home four bags of groceries and throwing a whole bag in the trash. Throwing out edible food is costing families money, and it’s bad for the environment too. When all that food rots, it makes greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. So what is edible food? Well, it’s anything that you could have eaten sometime. Here are some examples of edible and inedible foods:
Remember, if you’d NEVER in a MILLION YEARS eat it, it’s probably inedible (unless you’re just a picky eater, but we can’t help with that).
Want to SaveYour FamilySome Money?It’s true! You can help save your family a lot of money. Oh yeah, and you can help the planet while you’re at it! And guess what? You can do it from your very own kitchen. It’s easy. Just work on wasting less food. The average American family wastes $130 a month on food they don’t eat. That’s a lot of bubble gum! Wasting food is also really bad for our planet. In fact, if wasted food were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases after the United States and China. So, what can you do to help your family and the planet? Waste less food! Here are some easy ways to start:l Eat your leftovers. Ask
for a leftovers night, or pack leftovers for your school lunch.
l Only take what you know you can eat (go back for seconds if you are still hungry). That way, whatever can’t be eaten is still in the pot for another time.
l Eat what you have before it goes bad! Start a bin in the fridge and make a sign for it that says, “Eat This First!” Then you and your family will remember what to grab first when making a meal or a snack.
l Use the freezer. Sick of the chili Dad made three days ago? Can’t look another baked potato in the eye? Suggest freezing them for another time—maybe when everyone’s too busy to cook.
l Buy less food. Maybe a two-for-one deal is not so great if one gets thrown out. Maybe your family will really only eat five bananas in the next couple days instead of 10. Getting it right takes some practice, but thinking about whether food will really get eaten before you buy it is a great way to save money and waste less food.
l Take the Waste Less Food Challenge. You and your family can measure your EDIBLE food waste for a week, then try a few (or a lot) of our tips for three more weeks to waste less. How much will you save? The Challenge Packet is free at www.wastelessfood.com, and everyone who takes it gets a free food saver kit and a chance to win $100 in groceries. Sounds tasty
to us!
edible – adjective –
fit or safe to eat
inedible – adjective – not fit as food; not suitable for
eating
Photo credits: Tomato © Fotyma/iStock/Thinkstock; Eggshells © Olga Aleksandrovna Lisitskaya/iStock/Thinkstock; Banana © Jens Gade/iStock/Thinkstock; Banana Peel © Fuse/Thinkstock
Looks a little gross now, but you could have added it to a salad last week or you could maybe add it to soup this week. Edible.
Inedible. There is no way eggshells are going into anyone’s mouth—ever.
Yes, it’s edible! How about a smoothie or some banana bread? Or, you could freeze it to make something later. Guess what, though...
This is inedible. Your little brother or sister won’t even eat banana peels! (You can shine leather shoes with the inside of banana peels – which is cool – but don’t eat them.)
Did you know? During the holidays, Americans toss out 2.6 billion holiday cards and enough ribbon to tie a bow around the Earth!
Holiday WasteIt’s no secret that we overdo it during the holidays. A few too many cookies may lead to a few extra pounds. Your trash can may look like it has overdone it, too. Trash in the United States increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Give your trash can a rest by following these tips for a less wasteful holiday. vRemember your reusable
bags for holiday shopping.vChoose active gifts, like
movie tickets, kayak rentals, or spa gift cards. You can also pick items that get used up, like homemade pies or yummy jams. You might give reusable gifts, such as lunch bags, coffee mugs, or mechanical pencils. Some families donate to a charity instead of exchanging gifts.
v Be creative when you wrap presents. Instead of buying wrapping paper, use decorated paper bags, comic pages, scarves, or old maps. A quick Internet search will turn up some great ideas and examples.
v Save and reuse wrapping paper and boxes if they are still in good condition. Cut up last year’s holiday cards to use as gift tags.
vSend low-waste holiday greetings and invitations. Email a letter and photo or turn a favorite photo into a postcard. If your family sends cards or letters, remember to look for recycled-content paper.vWhen hosting a party, use reusable dishes, silverware, and napkins.
vProvide bins for guests to recycle cans and bottles and to compost uneaten food scraps.
vChoose decorations that you can reuse or send them home with your guests.Look for more ideas for preventing holiday waste at www.
ThurstonSolidWaste.org/Holiday.
Recycle Old GreetingCardsSt. Jude’s Ranch for Children recycles used cards to create new greeting cards. Recycled cards are sold in packs of 10 for $17. The program helps everyone. Shoppers get fun cards that they can feel good sending, and the children at St. Jude’s Ranch receive payment for their work and learn basic job skills. Visit: www.stjudesranch.org/shop/recycled-card-program.
Take Part in the Patch ProgramThe Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Patch is now being offered by Thurston County Solid Waste. The program is designed to teach youth the meaning of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” by encouraging them to take better care of their environment and neighborhood. After completing activities and action projects, each group fills out a Patch Requirement Sheet. Thurston County Solid Waste will then send free patches to the group for practicing the 3R’s. For details, visit our website, www.ThurstonSolidWaste.org/Youth, or contact Colleen Minion at 360-867-2280 or [email protected].
Don’t Stop With the Patch Program!Thurston County Solid Waste has even more opportunities for youth in organizations such as Scouts to earn badges, pins, and service
hours. Our helpful presentations show you what you can recycle in your
community, how you can recycle at home, and where your garbage goes. We also have “learning by doing” activities so that your group members become the teachers, such as showing people how to sort their waste at a public event like the Thurston County Fair. If your group is interested and would like more information, please ask
your leader or sponsor to contact Colleen Minion at 360-867-2280 or [email protected].
Youth Are Doing Amazing Things!
Photo Courtesy of U.S. EPA
Winter2014
Page 1Page 4
A quarterly newsletter ofThurston County Solid Waste
9605 Tilley Road S, Suite COlympia, WA 98512
(360) 867-2280
Thurston County Solid Waste
The President’s Environmental Youth Awards recognize young people, schools, summer camps, and youth organizations across the country that are leading the way in taking care of our environment. Each year, 10 regional winners are selected. To learn more about the award, visit www.epa.gov/peya. Applications are due by December 31.
Edible or Inedible – You Decide!All food gets gross when it has been around too long. But when it comes to deciding whether or not something is edible, it’s not about appearances. American families throw out about 25% of the food they buy. That’s like bringing home four bags of groceries and throwing a whole bag in the trash. Throwing out edible food is costing families money, and it’s bad for the environment too. When all that food rots, it makes greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. So what is edible food? Well, it’s anything that you could have eaten sometime. Here are some examples of edible and inedible foods:
Remember, if you’d NEVER in a MILLION YEARS eat it, it’s probably inedible (unless you’re just a picky eater, but we can’t help with that).
Want to SaveYour FamilySome Money?It’s true! You can help save your family a lot of money. Oh yeah, and you can help the planet while you’re at it! And guess what? You can do it from your very own kitchen. It’s easy. Just work on wasting less food. The average American family wastes $130 a month on food they don’t eat. That’s a lot of bubble gum! Wasting food is also really bad for our planet. In fact, if wasted food were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases after the United States and China. So, what can you do to help your family and the planet? Waste less food! Here are some easy ways to start:l Eat your leftovers. Ask
for a leftovers night, or pack leftovers for your school lunch.
l Only take what you know you can eat (go back for seconds if you are still hungry). That way, whatever can’t be eaten is still in the pot for another time.
l Eat what you have before it goes bad! Start a bin in the fridge and make a sign for it that says, “Eat This First!” Then you and your family will remember what to grab first when making a meal or a snack.
l Use the freezer. Sick of the chili Dad made three days ago? Can’t look another baked potato in the eye? Suggest freezing them for another time—maybe when everyone’s too busy to cook.
l Buy less food. Maybe a two-for-one deal is not so great if one gets thrown out. Maybe your family will really only eat five bananas in the next couple days instead of 10. Getting it right takes some practice, but thinking about whether food will really get eaten before you buy it is a great way to save money and waste less food.
l Take the Waste Less Food Challenge. You and your family can measure your EDIBLE food waste for a week, then try a few (or a lot) of our tips for three more weeks to waste less. How much will you save? The Challenge Packet is free at www.wastelessfood.com, and everyone who takes it gets a free food saver kit and a chance to win $100 in groceries. Sounds tasty
to us!
edible – adjective –
fit or safe to eat
inedible – adjective – not fit as food; not suitable for
eating
Photo credits: Tomato © Fotyma/iStock/Thinkstock; Eggshells © Olga Aleksandrovna Lisitskaya/iStock/Thinkstock; Banana © Jens Gade/iStock/Thinkstock; Banana Peel © Fuse/Thinkstock
Looks a little gross now, but you could have added it to a salad last week or you could maybe add it to soup this week. Edible.
Inedible. There is no way eggshells are going into anyone’s mouth—ever.
Yes, it’s edible! How about a smoothie or some banana bread? Or, you could freeze it to make something later. Guess what, though...
This is inedible. Your little brother or sister won’t even eat banana peels! (You can shine leather shoes with the inside of banana peels – which is cool – but don’t eat them.)
Did you know? During the holidays, Americans toss out 2.6 billion holiday cards and enough ribbon to tie a bow around the Earth!
Holiday WasteIt’s no secret that we overdo it during the holidays. A few too many cookies may lead to a few extra pounds. Your trash can may look like it has overdone it, too. Trash in the United States increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Give your trash can a rest by following these tips for a less wasteful holiday. vRemember your reusable
bags for holiday shopping.vChoose active gifts, like
movie tickets, kayak rentals, or spa gift cards. You can also pick items that get used up, like homemade pies or yummy jams. You might give reusable gifts, such as lunch bags, coffee mugs, or mechanical pencils. Some families donate to a charity instead of exchanging gifts.
v Be creative when you wrap presents. Instead of buying wrapping paper, use decorated paper bags, comic pages, scarves, or old maps. A quick Internet search will turn up some great ideas and examples.
v Save and reuse wrapping paper and boxes if they are still in good condition. Cut up last year’s holiday cards to use as gift tags.
vSend low-waste holiday greetings and invitations. Email a letter and photo or turn a favorite photo into a postcard. If your family sends cards or letters, remember to look for recycled-content paper.vWhen hosting a party, use reusable dishes, silverware, and napkins.
vProvide bins for guests to recycle cans and bottles and to compost uneaten food scraps.
vChoose decorations that you can reuse or send them home with your guests.Look for more ideas for preventing holiday waste at www.
ThurstonSolidWaste.org/Holiday.
Recycle Old GreetingCardsSt. Jude’s Ranch for Children recycles used cards to create new greeting cards. Recycled cards are sold in packs of 10 for $17. The program helps everyone. Shoppers get fun cards that they can feel good sending, and the children at St. Jude’s Ranch receive payment for their work and learn basic job skills. Visit: www.stjudesranch.org/shop/recycled-card-program.
Take Part in the Patch ProgramThe Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Patch is now being offered by Thurston County Solid Waste. The program is designed to teach youth the meaning of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” by encouraging them to take better care of their environment and neighborhood. After completing activities and action projects, each group fills out a Patch Requirement Sheet. Thurston County Solid Waste will then send free patches to the group for practicing the 3R’s. For details, visit our website, www.ThurstonSolidWaste.org/Youth, or contact Colleen Minion at 360-867-2280 or [email protected].
Don’t Stop With the Patch Program!Thurston County Solid Waste has even more opportunities for youth in organizations such as Scouts to earn badges, pins, and service
hours. Our helpful presentations show you what you can recycle in your
community, how you can recycle at home, and where your garbage goes. We also have “learning by doing” activities so that your group members become the teachers, such as showing people how to sort their waste at a public event like the Thurston County Fair. If your group is interested and would like more information, please ask
your leader or sponsor to contact Colleen Minion at 360-867-2280 or [email protected].
Youth Are Doing Amazing Things!
Photo Courtesy of U.S. EPA