The GLEE sponsored recycling fairs in Islamorada and Key West were both a huge success. Not only did hundreds of people turn out but the fairs had an immediate and positive impact. Attendees filled a truck with electronic items destined for recycling. Children learned about the importance of recycling and helped create junk sculpture.
GLEE co-founder Diane Marshall reports that she arrived with two friends just before 3 p.m. at the Islamorada festival, organized by Karin Wolfe, and stayed until 4:15 p.m.
“We spent the entire drive home talking about R4 things we learned. Who knew that we could recycle our toner cartridges at the local banks and help raise money for Coral Shores High School? I generally recycle my printer and copier cartridges by returning them to the manufacturer or taking them to Home Depot, where I receive a free ream of recycled paper. At the fair I learned I can take them directly to Key Largo and Islamorada TIB Banks and First State Banks, where they are picked up by a Coral Shores High School student organization, which benefits financially when they recycle them. It's all about supporting the local community. The students learn and get involved. It's a win-win situation.
Who knew about the SIGG bottles? There are millions of plastic water bottles. Most of them are not recycled. That's a shame because they can be turned into viable products. Additionally, the manufacturing of the bottles requires petroleum and energy. New health reports indicate that harmful chemicals may leach into the water in the bottles. So people aren't getting the benefits they expect. There are alternatives such as stainless steel bottles, which can be washed and reused and are not reactive to their contents. There are also corn-based "plastics," which are made from corn and can be washed, reused dozens of times and then composted. Karin Wolfe had several samples of water bottles, including some from a company called SIGG. As soon as my corn-based bottle is used up, I'm going to buy a SIGG bottle.
Who knew we could recycle our sheets and duvets to be turned into shopping bags? old sheets and duvet covers go when they die? They used to go into the trash or if still in good condition to Good Will or Salvation Army. At the fair I learned that I can give them to a local family, which cuts them up, sews them and recycles them into shopping bags. So the next time I go shopping and am asked, "Paper or plastic?" I can answer neither!
“We learned about kitchen waste and worms. I compost, but learned how I could improve on it by introducing worms. Between mulching and composting, I'll have a healthier garden, will have less trash to be picked up, and won't have to buy as much garden soil. Gardens Alive sells worms for composters and for the ground.
“My neighbors signed up with GLEE and took home a shopping bag and look forward to using it.”
GLEE board member Cristina Lindley reports that the Key West fair was successful beyond expectation.
“Since it was the first Recycling Fair in Key West ever, we were anticipating a crowd of 200 people. Actually, 315 people signed the America Recycles Day recycling pledge, so we estimated that 350-400 people showed up.
“We announced that 200 free recycling bins would be available and they were gone in the first hour. Sixty people are on the waiting list for recycling bins. We had an electronic waste gentleman drive down from Orlando and filled up his 17 foot cargo van with 5000 pounds of electronics on the first try.
“The most significant impression I have of the event is the smile on people faces and the eagerness to learn how to recycle and do their part in saving our precious Florida Keys.”
Lindley wants to be sure to thank the City of Key West, LoveYourIsland.com, and Waste Management for the success of the Fair.
Photo identification: At the event the Florida Keys Quilters (l-r: Mary Lou Wilkinson, Mary Ann Lindroth, and Earlene Nelson) showed off their study, reusable shopping bags made from recycled fabric. Fabiana Cale, Christi Allen, Beth Kaminstein and Ashley Miller created this sculpture from junk mail.
Those who like to celebrate the holidays by decorating their homes or trees with lights face a dilemma. The additional lights draw additional power – sometimes a great deal of electricity – and, therefore, contribute to climate change. In fact, lighting consumes 22 percent of the electrical power generated in the U.S.
Now there is a way to have the beauty of the lights but use much less power. It’s now possible to purchase holiday LED lights. LEDs, or light emitting diodes, use 90 percent less electricity than traditional holiday bulbs. Burning 10 strands of lights with 100 lights per strand, eight hours per day for a month costs $175 for incandescent bulbs vs. about $1 for LED mini-bulbs.
To find out where to buy these lights and more information about why they are the way to go, click here.
LEDs also remove one of the holiday hassles. With their 20-year lifetimes, you don't have to replace LED light-strings as often as conventional ones.
Even better, there is no concern about fire. Incandescent lights give off as much as 90 percent of their energy as heat, leading to fire concerns. LEDs barely warm up.
Other advantages of LEDs are that they are:
• Durable, insensitive to vibration
• Dimmable and programmable, in many cases
• Super-fast turn-on, unlike compact fluorescents
• Lightweight and compact
• Color, without the use of filters and lenses
When you select energy-efficient lighting you reduce the need for additional power plants, reduce greenhouse gases and other pollution.
Locally you might find these bulbs at Kmart, Home Depot and, possibly other stores.
They can also be purchased online. Some sites that feature them include
Environmental Lights
http://www.environmentallights.com/ all Christmas lights are LED-from traditional strings to webs, icicles, spots and boat lighting for Christmas. They even carry two light models that plug directly into cigarette lighters and an inverter to use all other LED lights. They offer a high quality commercial grade of many lights that can string up to 125 at one time.
Holiday Led Lights
http://www.holidayleds.com/ wide variety of commercial and residential grade LED holiday lights, Christmas, Hanukkah and snowflakes too.
Brookstone LED Mini-Ice Lights (http://www.brookstone.com/shop/product.asp?product_code=541664&cm_mmc=CJ-_-1662617-_-1836459-_-Brookstone+Product+Catalog) - small white or multicolored lights; 24-ft strands ($20).
Forever Lights (http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/ViewProductDetail-SellPage?OfferID=19444&SC=xnet8419) - pinecone-esque colored or white bulbs; 24-ft small-bulb strand, 16-ft large-bulb ($19-$29).
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Alicia Betancourt
University of Florida- Monroe County Extension
Is there a way to shop eco-friendly and budget friendly too? For those who celebrate Christmas and Chanukah, it may be the season to give, gather, and spread good cheer. And yet many families break out the holiday cheer by breaking out of their budget. It’s possible, however, to save money and be environmentally sensitive. Most “green” shopping is actually easy on the budget.
To help you save money, feel good about helping the environment, and avoid needless financial stress this holiday season, here are some practical tools to help make the holiday season a joyous time.
First, take a hard look at what you typically spend on gifts, decorations, new outfits, wrapping paper, cards, special meals and year-end gratuities. At the same time, look at the rest of your budget and estimate how much you can afford to spend without racking up debt. Some financial planners recommend spending no more than 1.5 percent of your annual income on holiday expenses. If you haven’t saved that much, look for ways to cut back.
Next, write down everyone on your gift list and set an amount you expect to spend on that person. Keep track along the way of what you actually spend and compare it against your budgeted amount. If you overspend in one area, you must reduce costs in another. Be honest about what nonessentials you could cut out this year. Think about some of the unnecessary gifts you received last year: would you have been any less happy without them? You might just save someone a trip to the return window.
Once you’ve decided what you want to spend on each item, stick to your guns. It helps to know in advance what you want to buy so you’re not enticed by all the attractive merchandise on the shelves. Monitor your spending. Plan ahead. This is supposed to be a joyous time; don’t let the temptation to overspend ruin your holidays – and make you pay for months afterward.
Here are some ideas for budget and earth conscious gifts.
Find out more about reducing packing material consumption at “Enviroshopping: Buy Smarter” by Marie Hammer and Joan Papadi at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HE790.
Additional tips for “Planning Holiday Shopping” and “Mail Order: Your Rights & Responsibilities” written by Dr. Jo Turner, Professor, Family and Consumer Economics can be found at http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/ Or http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2006/11/plan-holiday-shopping.html.
Additional information on family and community development is available from the UF/Monroe County Extension Service, 1100 Simonton St. #2-260 Key West, Florida 33040 305-853-7385 or Monroe@mail.ifas.ufl.edu or visit our web site at http://monroe.ifas.ufl.edu. Our services are free and available to all without regard to race, color, sex, or national origin.
A group of volunteers gathered at Marathon City Hall last month to begin the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the middle Keys city.
The team, chaired by GLEE steering committee member Michael Welber, is beginning the effort by auditing energy usage by residents of Marathon. Once those numbers have been gathered, with each member of the team responsible for a portion of the audit, the group will repeat the process for city government.
The goal will be to find areas in which both city government and residents can conserve and reduce the area’s carbon footprint.
Members of the team include Joy Tatgenhorst, NOAA; Julie Cheon, FKAA; Elizabeth Moore, Crane Point Museum and Nature Center; Bob Williams, SALT; Jeff Stuncard, D’Asign Source; Kirsten Donald, Dolphin Research Center, and William Lorimer.
Once the data has been assembled it will be put into a software program designed by ICLEI, an international organization that assist cities with their effort to meet the guidelines established by the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
Former Marathon mayor Chris Bull signed that agreement earlier this year and new mayor Peter Worthington has committed the city to those same goals.
City Community Services Director Susie Thomas, who is working as the city’s liaison with the Green Team was quoted in the Keynoter as saying that, “We're gathering the data and that can give us our baseline so we can set a goal to improve our carbon footprint. It can be a myriad of things; [ICLEI] will identify where our strong points and weak points are.”
Thomas hopes the information will be gathered soon since the city begins budget preparations in April each year.
“Our goal is ... if it had some budgetary impact, we would be prepared for it,” she said. The next step is to evaluate the information and start to think about what the city can do to reduce their usage.
If you celebrate the upcoming holidays you're probably thinking about what gifts to give relatives and friends. Many in the environmental community are urging people to remember the holidays by donating to charity, giving a gift of a service or purchasing tickets to an event. A recent article on Grist.org provides some terrific ideas.
However, if you still want to give that certain something to that special someone, you can do so on Amazon.com's "sustainable living store" and also help GLEE. On December 4, GLEE will show the Amazon logo on its website and by clicking there up to 10 percent of your purchase will benefit GLEE.
Remember, GLEE will only get paid if you click on the Amazon logo on the GLEE website.
Steering committee member Karen Beal put together a list of some of the things you can purchase.
Some of the items include Pinzon bamboo cotton bath towels, recycled plastic Adirondack chairs, shortwave dynamo emergency flashlight, woven recycled gift baskets, and tableware from the Bambu store.
Health and home items include a two year subscription to Organic-Gardening Magazine, Juice Beauty organic skincare products, or Healthy Handfuls Organic Krackers.
Children’s gifts include organic cotton monkey stuffed animal toy, ultra cloth diapers, recycled crafts box kits and Earth Marbles made from recycled glass.
The online store also offer West Paw Eco Friendly dog beds, World of Good fair trade gifts and holiday cards on 100 percent recycled paper.