Green Tips: Sustainable Spring Cleaning

As Spring approaches, spring cleaning is on everyone’s minds. Unfortunately, many conventional cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment and to humans. Most cleaning products come in plastic and non-renewable containers, only creating unnecessary waste. They can also be extremely expensive.

Here are some tips to keep your 2022 spring cleaning healthy for the environment, your family, and your wallet.

Make your own cleaning products.
- Making your own products is a great way to save money and create less harmful cleaning products. Some common DIY products are laundry detergent, all purpose cleaner, and stain remover. Most of the ingredients in these homemade products are common items that you already have in your home. Make sure when making your own products you use reusable containers like mason jars, etc. You can find a plethora of mason jars or other glass containers at your local second hand store. Checkout this article for more DIY cleaning product inspiration.

Buy eco-friendly products from eco-friendly companies.
- Purchasing from eco-friendly companies is another great way to support these businesses and get reliable products. Some examples of eco-friendly cleaning companies are Seventh Generation, Grove Collaborative, and Blueland. Checkout this article for more inspiration on which companies to buy from. Bonus points if the companies are a part of initiatives that raise money for the environment like 1% for the Planet.

Recycle when you can.
- If you need to buy products that come in plastic containers, make sure the container is recyclable. It is also important to check with your local recycling program to figure out how the containers should be cleaned before recycling. This is especially important when dealing with chemicals like the ones in cleaning products.

Start composting!
- Spring cleaning is the perfect time of year to reset your everyday routines. Introducing composting into your routine will not only reduce your food waste, but if done correctly, it will also eliminate gross odors from rotting food in your trash can. Check out this article to learn how to get started!

We hope you’ll follow some of these tips and have a clean, healthy, and happy Spring!

Green Tips: Sustainable Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day gifts usually include flowers, greeting cards, presents, and nice dinners. This year, we encourage you to celebrate Valentine’s Day more sustainably. Check out the tips below for a greener Valentine’s Day!

Here are some green tips for having a sustainable Valentine’s Day:

Giving flowers has become a hallmark of Valentine’s Day. Consider giving a potted plant instead which will outlive flower bouquets. The plant will also absorb carbon dioxide, and can freshen your space. If you do end up buying flowers, consider ordering from a florist that sells organic varieties and buy from local shops to reduce your bouquet’s carbon footprint.

In addition to flowers, Valentine’s Day is one of the most common holidays for purchasing cards. According to the Greeting Card Association and Hallmark, it’s estimated that 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. You can explore sending an electronic valentine’s day card or e-card to save paper, but there are also a bunch of eco-friendly greeting card options as well.

Whichever gift you choose can be carried in an eco-friendly shopping bag, or wrapped in a recycled magazine, newspaper, or used wrapping paper. Please refer to our previous Green Tips on choosing sustainable wrapping paper.

A typical Romantic Valentine’s Day, of course, is a dinner for two. If you’re trying to treat your loved one to a special meal, choose to cook a meal with local and organic ingredients. For those who like to eat out, consider restaurants that also use organic and local ingredients. Organic food, which uses fewer chemical pesticides, is not only better for your health, but the organic farming process produces less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional farming and food production.

We wish you a safe, happy and eco-friendly Valentine’s Day! Thank you for reading this special Valentine’s Day’s green tip! See you next time.

NYLCVEF’s Offshore Wind Webinar Recap

On Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, NYLCVEF and our partner, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, hosted a webinar with special guests Orsted and Eversource to learn more about their ongoing offshore wind projects, South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind. We heard from speakers Jennifer Garvey, New York Market Affairs Manager for Orsted, and Ken Bowes, Vice President of Offshore Wind Permitting and Siting for Eversource Energy. The speakers presented the goals and state of the current projects.

South Fork Wind is New York’s first offshore wind farm and will be located 35 miles east of Montauk Point. South Fork Wind will help the Town of East Hampton meet its 100 percent renewable energy goals by generating enough clean electricity to power 70,000 homes. It will be operational by the end of 2023.

Sunrise Wind will be located over 30 miles away from Montauk and will generate 924 MW of renewable energy for over 500,000 New Yorkers each year. This project is projected to create over 2,000 jobs. Production will start in 2025.

Offshore wind is critical to meet New York’s renewable energy goals, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and rebuild around a green energy economy, which will provide family-supporting jobs and improve public health. Currently, New York has committed to 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% clean energy by 2040, including 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Sunrise Wind and South Fork Wind are critical to meeting these unprecedented goals set by the state.

The webinar ended with a very active question and answer session. Attendees asked about the projects’ permitting processes, impacts to wildlife and wildlife habitat, cost to ratepayers, and more. Checkout the recording of the webinar to hear from the experts on these questions and to learn more about the ongoing projects!

Check out the recording of the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi8dgFSEw3c

Check out Orsted and Eversource’s presentation here: ??https://nylcvef.org/wp-content/uploads/FINAL_SFW_SRW-Update-1.pdf

Green Tips: Takeout

As COVID cases are spiking and the weather is getting colder, many are opting for takeout rather than dining in. Plastic containers and excess packaging can make takeout a less eco-friendly option, but there are many ways to still be environmentally conscious.

When choosing what to order, stick to in-season foods such as root vegetables and winter squash. Studies have found that eating in-season foods reduces the amount of energy necessary to artificially grow, store, or transport out-of-season produce, reducing your carbon footprint.
Research where your favorite restaurants source their ingredients, and try to opt for ones that use local ingredients to support nearby businesses and lower transportation emissions.
Be sure to ask the restaurant to not include plastic utensils or unnecessary packaging, and instead use your own at home.
If you do receive plastic utensils or any to-go containers, recycle or reuse them when possible.
When possible, pick up take-out yourself and bring your own bags to avoid disposable paper bags.
Try to order from restaurants that use environmentally conscious packaging, such as biodegradable containers.
Try to avoid getting dressings or sauces on the side to avoid extra plastic waste, and ask for them to be mixed in instead.
Eat your leftovers the next day for lunch, or incorporate them into a home-cooked meal for dinner to avoid food waste.

Thanks for reading this week’s Green Tips! We hope these tips will help you to stay environmentally conscious while enjoying takeout during the winter months!

Go Electric in 2022!

Go electric in 2022! Owning an electric vehicle (EV) has many advantages over owning a gasoline-powered car including lower maintenance costs, fewer emissions resulting in less pollution, and lower fuel costs.

More and more New Yorkers are buying electric vehicles because of the cost savings. For example, the average yearly cost of fueling an EV in New York is $708, while its gas-powered counterpart is $1,200 per year. Additionally, EV maintenance costs are lower than conventional cars because they have fewer moving parts (e.g., belts, crankshaft, fuel pumps, pistons) resulting in fewer mechanical failures.

Adoption of electric vehicles can also reduce pollution-related health outcomes and greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is the largest source of GHG emissions in the United States. In New York State, transportation accounts for over one-third of total GHG emissions. The average carbon footprint of an electric car is much smaller than that of a conventional car. As our electric grid shifts to renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower, electric cars will become a cleaner way to get around.

One common misconception of purchasing an EV is the lack of accessible charging, which creates range anxiety. Range anxiety is the fear that a vehicle doesn’t have enough energy/fuel to reach its destination and would leave its occupants stranded. In reality, most New Yorkers could drive an EV for days without needing charging. At home chargers and charging EVs overnight also help to ensure that your vehicle is always fully charged and ready to go. New York is also building charging infrastructure all over the state to address the increasing number of EVs on the road. Increased public charging will eventually lead to decreased range anxiety.

For all of these reasons, EVs are the future of transportation. Want to check out an EV today? Take our pledge! You can simply fulfill the pledge by attending a virtual or in person event focused on EVs, or by visiting an EV in person, and even take one for a test drive. Let’s go electric in 2022!

If you’re still feeling uncertain about EVs, hear from some EV owners! Click here to read testimonials from EV drivers across New York.

Make sure to check out more information about EVs and NYLCVEF’s EV Campaign on our website at https://nylcvef.org/plugitinny/.

By Miaojun Pang and Caroline Hahn.

Green Tips: An Eco-Friendly New Year

There’s a lot of talk about going green. Fortunately, governments, businesses and individuals around the world are taking action to support this initiative. From using alternative energy sources like wind, hydro or solar panels to switching to low-emission transportation options, if your daily actions are more eco-friendly, you will not only help protect the environment, but also benefit financially, physically and mentally.

If you’re in the beginning stages and need some inspiration for sustainable living, here are some suggestions to help you get started:

Turn it off

Saving energy is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Leaving electricity on when it’s not being used consumes unnecessary energy. Press the off switch and you will see significant improvements- most noticeable on your electric bill!

Eat less meat

Careful eating is at the heart of a greener approach, and cutting back on meat consumption can make a big difference. Cutting out red meat, even two or three days a week, can have a huge impact on reducing your carbon footprint.

According to The Science Report, if everyone in the country reduced their consumption of red meat by a quarter and replaced it with plant protein, we’d save about 82 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

Stop wasting Food

The United States discards more food than any other country in the world. Nearly 30-40 percent of the entire US food supply is wasted each year. This equates to 219 pounds of waste per person. Americans often discard perfectly good food because they misunderstand expiration labels. Food waste can be reduced by mindful consumption, improving storage spaces, and educating yourself on true lifespans of different foods.

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle

You’ve heard this term a million times, but it is a very effective mantra to live by if you’re trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle. The first step is reducing the amount of products you buy in general, leading to lower emissions related to production, transportation, and eventually waste. Reusing your products for as long as you can will also prolong their lifespan, thus also lowering emissions related to producing and purchasing a new product. Finally, if you are able to, please recycle your waste. Recycling programs are specific to the area you live in, so check out your town’s recycling programs and policies to get started.

Cut down on Plastic

Plastic seems to have made its way into every aspect of our lives. But giving it up isn’t as hard as you might think — take a reusable bag with you when you go grocery shopping, buy products in bulk when you can, and start using a reusable water bottle. According to this article, more than 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away everyday in the US.

Fix it. Don’t throw it away

Fixing or repairing things is more eco-friendly than just throwing them away and buying a replacement. Repairing and reusing is also often a lot cheaper. With access to the Internet, it is extremely easy to find step-by-step guides to help you fix anything.

Thank you for reading this week’s Green Tips! We hope these tips help you to start off your 2022 in a green way. See you next week!

By Miaojun Pang and Caroline Hahn

Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for this Holiday Season!

The holiday season is notorious for producing a great deal of waste and harmful emissions, further contributing to humans’ negative impact on our environment. This holiday season, consider purchasing eco-friendly gifts. These gifts may not only promote sustainable practices to those receiving the gifts but also reduce unnecessary waste.

Knowing where to start or which eco-friendly products to look for can be difficult, so we’ve put together a list of some gift suggestions to make your holiday more thoughtful, clean, and green!

Avoid buying disposable gifts and choose reusable products such as reusable cutlery, steel straws, reusable drinking cups, reusable shopping bags, etc. Not only can these products make life more convenient, but they will reduce the recipient’s need to buy disposable products in the future!
Shop local! New York has more than 400 active farmers’ markets. Shopping at farmers’ markets lowers emissions from transporting goods, promotes sustainable farming practices, and supports small local businesses. You can find everything from fresh produce and baked goods to locally made handcrafted goods such as candles, artwork, and jewelry.
Make a donation in someone’s name from a mission-oriented business or organization. Donating in a friend or loved one’s name is a wonderful way to honor them and is a very rewarding gift. Bonus points if the donation goes towards a cause focused on the environment or combating climate change!
Finally, most of the waste created during the holiday season comes from gift wrapping. Once you’ve chosen the right eco-friendly gift, use recyclable wrapping paper such as Kraft brown wrapping paper, or wrapping paper alternatives like newspaper. You can design your gifts with hand-painted patterns, dried flowers, or colorful ribbons and bows. Not only will your gift stand out, but it can also make the sometimes mundane act of wrapping presents more exciting!

We hope you’ll consider being an eco-friendly consumer as you shop for gifts this holiday season. Thank you for reading this week’s Green Tips and we hope you have a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season!

By Miaojun Pang and Caroline Hahn

Green Tips: Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer some of the best annual sales. However, they are also the heaviest consumerism days of the year, intensifying an already significant problem of electronic, clothing, and plastic waste. A 2019 survey found that up to 61% percent of Americans received an unwanted gift during the holidays, much of which will end up in landfills. Below are some tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint this season while still enjoying the discounts.

Try to buy locally, supporting both small businesses and your local economy.
If ordering from online retailers, choose stores with warehouses located closer to you to avoid high transportation carbon emissions.
Consider taking public transportation to your shopping destination, rather than driving your car.
To avoid overloading delivery drivers and increasing the amount of delivery vehicles on the road, choose a longer shipping time over next-day delivery.
Only buy items you would also buy if they were not on sale and will actually use or wear.
Bring your own shopping bags if shopping in-person, to avoid unnecessary paper and plastic bag waste.
If you are unhappy with your purchases, try giving them to family and friends or donating them instead of throwing them away.
If you are planning to buy brand new electronics, turn in your old ones to electronic retailers such as Best Buy or Amazon.
Buy products from ethical or sustainable brands to reduce the emissions of not just the delivery, but the products themselves.
Instead of buying material items, take advantage of experiences such as live music, theater, or art exhibitions.

This holiday season, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are excellent opportunities to take advantage of great sales and save money. If participating, limiting your purchases and being conscious of transportation CO2 emissions are excellent ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Thanks for reading this week’s Green Tips!

Submitted By Michaela Stones

Green Tips: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the most joyous holidays of the year. It is also one of the most resource-intensive days of the year, responsible for Americans collectively traveling billions of miles and consuming more than a billion pounds of food. As more families will be gathering in person again this year to celebrate, here are some tips on how to enjoy the holiday while being mindful of your carbon footprint.

Thanksgiving Meal:

The Thanksgiving meal and preparation is estimated to emit around 50 pounds of CO2 per household, according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. Included in those 50 pounds are around 34.2 pounds of CO2 emitted just by a 16-pound turkey. Here are some tips to reduce your Thanksgiving meal’s carbon footprint this season:

Consider choosing a smaller turkey and making other plant-based side dishes more of a centerpiece in your meal.
When choosing a turkey, consider buying one from a local farmers’ market, or one that is organic and GMO-free.
Perhaps you can avoid buying a turkey altogether, and opt for a vegetarian or entirely plant-based meal this Thanksgiving.
Try to avoid ingredients that require extensive transportation, such as out-of-season fruits. Instead, consider buying fall fruits and vegetables from a local farmers market to avoid extensive food transportation and unnecessary CO2 emissions.
When prepping and cleaning up your meal, try composting.

Traveling:

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year, and considering a flight across the United States emits at least one metric ton of CO2, carbon emissions for this holiday are particularly high. Below are some tips for reducing your carbon footprint during holiday travel:

If you plan to fly, try offsetting your carbon emissions.
Another way to reduce emissions when flying is to opt for direct flights instead of making one or multiple stops along the way.
If possible, consider taking public transport such as the train or bus.
Driving? How about carpooling by picking up relatives or friends along the way who will be joining you at the meal.

Decor and Set-Up:

Each year, the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Years generates an extra 25% more waste amounting to around 25 million tons. Here are some ways to limit waste during the holidays:

When serving guests, try reusable plates, cups, and cutlery instead of single-use plastic.
Instead of using paper napkins, opt for cloth, which can also be more festive.
When decorating for Thanksgiving, try to use decorations you already own, or use fall produce such as pumpkins and other squash from local farmers’ markets.

Thanks for reading this week’s Green Tips and have a safe Thanksgiving!

Submitted by: Michaela Stones

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