Green New Year!
by Jac
Happy New Year, Glen Ellyn (and friends!) We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and spent time with friends, family and nature! Now is of course the time of year when people start thinking about changes they'd like to make in the new year, so we are here with a few green ideas to kick off your 2023.
Two of the most popular new year's resolutions are to try new eating habits and to organize your home. James Clear, author of the New York Times best-selling book "Atomic Habits," writes that we are more likely to stick with new habits when we make them attractive. So why not put a green spin on them for some extra motivation?!
Eating Habits - Reduce your food waste
Food waste is a huge problem in the U.S. According to a recent New York Times article, "Households account for 39 percent of food waste in the United States, more than restaurants, grocery stores or farms." Not only does that mean a waste of all the water, land, and energy used to produce your food, but you are throwing money away too!
Making this kind of change isn't easy - it takes preparation, some willpower, and creativity. Planning meals, buying or ordering less food, and composting can make a huge difference. Make sure to sign up for Glen Ellyn's curbside composting program! Check out more tips in our Do section below.
Home Organization - Declutter without dumping!
Ever saved a cardboard box, because it was just a "really good box?" What about clothes you might wear again, that book you might read, or that funky houseware item you got as a gift? Chances are everyone has STUFF in their home that they'd rather part with but don't want to throw away. DuPage county has some amazing resources for donating or recycling unwanted items to give them a second life and to reduce what you send to the landfill! The county has a fantastic online guide for dealing with everything NOT accepted in your curbside bin. And, on January 18, attend a presentation with Kay McKeen from SCARCE that will provide even more tips and practical information for how to declutter in an environmentally friendly way. Kay is a wealth of knowledge and will be taking questions - this is not to be missed! Sign up here.
Actions You Can Take
There are TONS of tips to reduce your food waste (more here) but here are our top 3:
Understand what the food labeling dates mean (spoiler alert: nothing). With the exception of infant formula, manufacturers are not required by Federal law or regulation to place quality-based date labels on packaged food. Dates like "use by" or "best before" are primarily used for store inventory and are not indicative of food safety! An estimated 20% of food waste is due to confusion over product labeling! Here's a great article that breaks it all down.
Purchase "ugly" fruits or vegetables at the store - these are often shelved separately and have physical imperfections but are still safe to eat. They are often available at a discount! (We've seen a shelf like this at Mariano's).
Sign up for Glen Ellyn's curbside composting to take your food waste. It is operating bi-weekly in the winter and the cold weather means the food doesn't spoil in the can. Consider combining with a neighbor or two and share a bin!
