By Nanette Wiser
On April 22nd, Mother Nature will have her day in the sun. While official Earth Day celebrations may be cancelled, eco-kindness and sustainability never go out of vogue. Why not join Paradise News publishers and staff in making it Earth Day everyday in 2020.
Plant A Garden: Order seeds, visit your local nursery and look on You Tube for gardening tips. Publisher Rene Roos has her Victory Garden ready in March, and we’re adding a rain barrel for our veggies this year by the bay. Don’t forget the compost (veggie peelings, tea bags and coffee grounds in a lidded pail work well.) And whenever possible, choose native plants or bee-friendly ones.
Support Farmers: Order from produce co-ops and Brick Farms, shop farmers at the Saturday Morning Market and others when they return and be a good steward of the earth.
**St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market is offering online order pickup from select vendors to keep you stocked on fresh, local produce during the Coronavirus. Set up your pick at https://saturdaymorningmarket.com/.
Relearn to Recycle: Now: Kathryn Kellogg, author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste, reminds us that recyclables should be clean, but not spotless. Know your local recycling rules on your city or county website. And keep an eye out for the household electronics and chemical collection fairs.
In Your Kitchen: Cut down on food waste, use smarter storage containers and don’t run the water. Use refillable non-plastic water bottles and eliminate straws and paper plates/napkins in favor of dishes.
Use Non-Toxic Cleaners: Consider homemade options or products such as Molly’s Suds offering safe, non-toxic cleaning products. For example, detergent ingredients like ionic surfactants, are the most persistent in the environment and change the sex of our fish and Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE’s), which have been banned in Canada and Europe, imitate the hormone estrogen in our bodies which affect our health and fetal development. These chemicals are found in our drinking water because they are not completely biodegradable.
BYO Bags: In some cities, paper and plastic bags are banned, but you don’t need a law to do the right thing. Wash them when they’re dirty, and keep one for meat, one for veggies and fruits.
Reuse & Repurpose: Turn a glass jar into a vase, repurpose a toilet tube to hold power cords and get crafty. Lots of ideas on Pinterest and YouTube. I use my Clorox Wipe containers to hold trash bags.
Gently Used Treasures: Why buy new when you can buy furniture, dishes and clothes at a local thrift or vintage shop? Even Jane Fonda said recently she’s not buying new clothes and wearing what she has in her closet.
Color Me Purple: Sketchbook or mandalas, use 24 Grip Eco-Pencils in flattering colors and made from sustainable wood to relax and unwind. Fabercastell.com
Life’s A Gas: Without a car, that is! Ride a bike to do a chore, and when it’s time for errands, try to do a loop that minimizes mileage and gas consumption. (By the way, Paradise News is delivered by a hybrid car, gas free!)
Better Bulbs: Use LED lightbulbs and for outdoor lighting, set a timer or motion detector so lights aren’t always on.
Upgrade Appliances: Refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and air conditions that are more than 10 years old use more energy than newer, energy-efficient models. Remember to adjust your water heater temperature from the 140 degree F default to 120 degree F; they can use up to 15% of your home’s energy.
Help Earth-Friendly Organizations: Tampa Bay Watch, Greenpeace and Surfrider Foundation do good for Mother Nature. Help pick up trash, make a donation and get involved with like-minded eco-friendly folks. Make sure the Great American Cleanup and International Coastal Clean Up are on your calendars.
Support Green Businesses: Some things we plan to do when COVID-19 wanes is to book at hotels that have green certifications (Tradewinds, Don Cesar) and sustainable practices with conserving water and electricity. Ruth Eckerd Hall was certified Ocean Friendly by the Ocean Allies Group thanks to using compostable material products in F&B, eliminating straws and using eco-friendly cleaning products. Even McDonald’s is shifting to renewable and recyclable packaging materials and installing recycling bins onsite.
Electric Charging Stations: Hats off to Duke Energy and Pinellas County Solid Waste and City of St. Petersburg for supporting electric vehicles and charging stations.
From Junk To Reefs: Pinellas County has 42 reef sites along the Gulf Coast located from 100 yards to 38 miles offshore. Made from environmentally safe discarded materials (concrete pipes, steel beams or ships), that provide valuable underwater habitats for marine life.
Educate Future Leaders: Guardians of the Gulf, a St. Petersburg based program for disadvantaged youth to learn about marine science, is among the 13 national winners of the IDC Smart Cities North America awards. Guardians of the Gulf is a collaboration between University of South Florida College of Marine Science, the St. Pete Innovation District and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast. It leverages the power of technology to provide children with web-based educational experiences, such as news-style broadcasts from researchers in the field, gamified learning and real-time sensors including underwater cameras and drones. It also gives underserved communities a voice in the dialogue surrounding escalating coastal threats.
Clever Cafes: an initiative to encourage sustainability in the local community, Kawah Coffee Roasters will open their next café made from three reclaimed shipping containers and is the first of its kind to hit St. Pete.