SummitGreen Tips
Home | What's Green Going On? | Summit Green Fest info | Summit Green Fest Photos | Summit Green Links & Reading | The City of Summit Mayor's Sustainable Community Task Force | Green Shopping | About SummitGreen | Tips | SummitGreen Kids

 
 ......................................................................................... 
 
Summit’s Best Green Tips for Holidays, Birthdays, and Other Celebrations All Year ‘Round

•    Shop for gifts and decorations in local stores to make a big dent in greenhouse emissions from your car.

•    For an extra green bonus, stock up on gifts at local arts or crafts events featuring locally handmade goods.  You’ll cut emissions related to transportation and manufacturing.

•    Bring a canvas tote instead of taking disposable plastic or paper bags from stores.

•    Decline free gift wrap.  Put gifts in reusable bags or boxes.

•    At your favorite stores, look for green gifts like refillable water bottles, washable napkins and kitchen towels, stationery made from 100% recycled paper, or clothing made from organic cotton.

•    Gift cards for local stores are a great way to make sure your present doesn’t end up in the dump.

•    To guarantee that your gift doesn’t end up in the dump, give consumable presents like beverages, jams, candy, honey, cookies, fruit, or other foods.  If the items are locally produced, that’s another green bonus.

•    Activity gifts are another popular green alternative.  Some good options are movie or theatre tickets, dinner out, a gym membership, or art classes.

•    Save ribbons and other package decorations for re-use.

•    Summit recycles ALL mixed paper, including holiday and birthday cars, catalogs, paper beveage cartons, gift wrap, and paper or cardboard boxes and other packaging (remove any plastic panels first).  Put all mixed paper in a paper bag and leave on curb with other recyclables.

•    Summit also recycles corrugated cardboard boxes.  Flatten, tie with twine, and leave on curb with other recyclables.

•    Switch to the new LED holiday lights.  They use 90% less electricity.

•    Avoid loose tinsel, spray-on snow, plastic confetti, and other decorations that can’t be re-used or recycled.

•    Switch to reusable cups, plates, and flatware for holiday entertaining.

•    Stop unwanted holiday catalogs with a few clicks of the mouse by using www.catalogchoice.org.

•    Give a green gift to the earth by switching your home out of dirty coal-generated electricity and into clean power sources through the New Jersey Clean Power Choice program.  For more information visit www.njcleanenergy.com.

Top Tips
 
  • If you have to print a document or email, just print the text you need. Use recycled copy paper.  And, please print double sided. Alternatives to printing could be saving on your PC or book-marking. Proof all work on the screen instead of printing. Reducing the size of fonts saves paper too.
  • Put on more clothes rather than turning up the heating! And visa-versa in the summer. Program the thermostat to maximize energy efficiency. Reduce temperatures when space is not in use.
  • Set your monitor to hibernate when not in use.
  • Turn off your PC if you're not going to be using it for a few hours.
  • Use timer switches to turn off vending machines when the office is closed.
  • Make the most of natural lighting - open the blinds! Install compact fluorescent light bulbs and get clean green electricity from the NJ Clean Power Choice Program:  http://www.njcleanenergy.com/residential/programs/cleanpower-choice/new-jersey-cleanpower-choice-program.
  • Save energy by using Energy Star appliances. Save some more  by unplugging electronics when not in use.
  • Take steps to improve the energy efficiency of your space.  Fix leaky faucets, and drafts from windows and doors. Install insulation and new windows.
  • When remodeling your space explore all the green options and consider how the work is done may effect our environment. Simple choices like low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints will not add excess greenhouse gases to our atmosphere. Ask contractors how jobs can be done greener.  Asking questions will help drive the demand for environmentally resources to be made available. If you are a supplier of goods you can help by making environmentally friendly products available to your customers.
  • Turn off lights when leaving a room, bathroom or closet.
  • Use hand towels rather than paper towels. If you must use paper towels buy recycled paper products for paper towels and toilet paper. This helps stop deforestation. Locally you can find recycled products made by Marcal, CVS and Seventh Generation.
  • Use a laptop and projector to run meetings electronically.
  • Get rid of Junk Mail! Check out these sites:
  • Re use papers for notes and scrap paper. Re use interoffice envelopes by using stickers.
  • Use reusable cups, mugs and utensils rather than disposables.
  • Add a paper bin next to the waste bin. That will add to your recycles rather than landfills. Also, place a box by the copier to encourage reusing and recycling.
  • Purchase organic fair trade coffee and teas. By doing so you are supporting healthy working conditions and fair wages for people in other parts of our world.
  • Buy wood products made from sustainably produced wood that helps protect our endangered forests.
  • Bring recyclables home to recycle if your place of business does not have recycling methods established.
  • Green the cleaning. Use cleaners and soaps with natural ingredients.  This will not only help everyones health but it also protects our valuable water resources and the species that depend on it. Look for brands like: Avalon Organics, Burt's Bee's, Eco-over, Earth Friendly Products, Greening the Cleaning, Method, Miss Myer's, and Seventh Generation.
  • Cut down on packaging and bags. This saves paper, plastic, energy and oil. Use reusable bags and if you are a store sell reusable bags.  At the point of purchase ask customers if they need a bag. Given the choice hopefully they will opt for using their own bag.
  • Ask everyone you talk to about what they've got green going on. You never know how one simple conversation can change the world.

Important Recycling Tips Summit Businesses Need To Know:
 
Summit businesses can get a pass from the City that will allow them to use the recycling portion of the transfer station for the disposal of recyclables.  These recycling passes are available without charge through the Summit Department of Community Services and must be renewed every six months.   Information about what materials are recyclable is available on the City website, www.ci.summit.nj.us.   Since November 1, newsprint and mixed paper can be combined for recycling at the Recycling Center.  The Recycling Center now accepts all plastics with numbers 1 through 7.   These enhancements to the recycling program apply only to materials disposed of at the recycling center and do not apply to curbside collection at this time. 

Presione aqui para la traduccion de Checnet en Espanol. Instrucciones para limpiar su hogar saludablemente.

For more cleaning tips from SummitGreen click here



Enter supporting content here