The Greening Of Westford

How To Recycle Everything

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:04:00 +0000

This past Wednesday Reduce Footprints put out another Change the World Wednesday Challenge:

This week create a recycle bin for all the non-curbside recyclables - batteries, CFL bulbs, misc. plastics, etc. - and then find out where to recycle them.

Or ...

If you're already a recycling "guru", please tell us about your toughest items to recycle and how you've managed it. And, of course, any tips and ideas you have for recycling would be wonderful!

I already have a spot in my closet for “clothing to donate” and another spot for “plastic grocery-type bag recycling”.

In doing the de-clutter challenge last month, I came to the conclusion that I need a few more spots for non-curbside recyclables. For me, these include:

miscellaneous broken electronics
gift cards
greeting cards
completely beat up shoes that no one could ever wear (we end up with more of these than you’d think!)

Although I love to talk about recycling. I have to point out that it is the 3^rd R in Reduce, Reuse , Recycle. Still a good one, but the higher on the list you can go the better.

OK, back to recycling….

Over the past few years, I have compiled quite the list of how to reuse or recycle various things. some of these options are actually reuse, which I feel better about.

So here is my list of odd things you CAN recycle - beyond normal curbside recycling. I have listed what I have found local to Westford, MA, but also, where I could, gave an idea of how to find a place close to you. I can’t stress enough that if you have curbside trash/recycling pickup, get in touch with your local municipality for information on recycling. Trash pickup costs big bucks and they are very eager to encourage recycling where they can to reduce this budget.

Note that some of these items, especially electronics, can be recycled at large national chains that can be found across the country.

Athletic Shoes - If you have any type of athletic shoe that has completely come apart (we have a few of those), the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program will re purpose them into play surfaces. If you don't have one close to you, ask shoes stores. Some around here will recycle them for you.

Alarm Clock – Best Buy will recycle numerous electronics.

Appliances, small (breadmakers, blenders, hand mixers, curling irons, irons, hair dryers, etc..) – Anyone who lives near Westford, can recycle these items at one of our 3 Electronics Recycling events. There is a $1 fee per item.

Appliances, large (Washers, Dryers, Refrigerators, ovens, etc…) There are several options in Westford based on whether you would like someone to pick up can drop off. These items have a lot of valuable metal to reclaim. Search your local area. You are bound to find something.

Batteries

Alkaline (Single-Use) - NOTHING IN MA. According to MassDEP, they can be thrown in the trash.

Button Type – They contain mercury. Check Hardware stores or your local Board of Health. In Westford, they can be brought to Ace, MacKay's and the Board of Health.

Lithium Batteries – considered household hazardous waste. in Westford, you need to wait for a household hazardous waste event. Some locations have them more frequently.

Rechargeable batteries - Radio Shack, Best Buy, call2Recycle locations in many hardware stores

Books – Check your local library. Ours has book sales 4 times per year and accept many books. Reading Tree is another organization that accepts all kinds of books.

Bicycles – A Boston based organization, Bike Not Bombs, collects bikes to send to Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean or are used domestically in their youth programs on bike safety. If you are not in the Boston area, check here.

Brita Filters - Every WholeFoods recycles Brita filters through the Gimme 5 program.

Cables, connectors and wires– including chargers – Best Buy

Calculators – Best Buy

Carpeting – small area rugs can generally be donated to charities. Installed wall-to-wall type carpeting is a lot more difficult for the consumer to recycle. Ask your new installer if they can recycle your old carpeting.

Carseats (expired) – The options are limited, but I think more recyclers are understanding that they can do something with that big hunk of plastic. You will most likely have to disassemble it yourself and take the fabric, metal and plastic to various places, but it’s worth looking into. I recently heard form one of our local charities that this was one of their largest sources of trash. They then hooked up with a local recycler who can accept them!

CDs/DVDs – Best Buy

CFLs – Because of the mercury content, these should never be put into the trash. Most hardware stores and larger stores such as Home Depot will recycle these. In Westford, Ace and Mackay's accept them.

Clothing – Again, if they are wearable, check out a Salvation Army, Goodwill or other charity. There are fabric recyclers. New England Clothing Recyclers is one such company.

Cosmetic Tubes or jars - Origins Makeup Store locations

Digital Cameras and Camcorders – Best Buy

Digital Photo Frames – Best Buy

Electronics (Computers, Monitors, TVs (Tube < 32”, Flat Panel LCD, Plasma, LED), Modems/Routers/Hubs, Memory cards, Pedometers/Heart Monitors, PC game controllers, Video Game Consoles, Shredders, Software, Speakers, DVD/Blu-ray player, E-readers, GPS (portable, in-dash and outdoor), Stereo Receivers, Turntables, Two Way radios, VCRs, Webcams)

Best buy accepts MANY electronic devices freeof charge.

Electronics can also be brought to one of Westford's 3 electronics drop off events.

DVDs – Best Buy

Eye glasses – The Lions Club has collection boxes in many locations or ask a local eye glass shop or eye doctor. In Westford, locations are located at the JV Fletcher Library, Nab One Stop, Roudenbush Community Center, among others.

Fans – Best Buy

Gift Cards – Best Buy

Greeting Cards - Any greeting card can be sent to St. Jude's for repurposing.

Hearing Aids - Help the Children Hear gives hearing aides to children who cannot afford them.

Inkjet cartridges – Staples, you will receive $2 to use at Staples. Many schools run fundraisers recycling used inkjet cartridges. They are also accepted at Best Buy.

Linens – If your linens are not candidates for reuse by a charity, look into animal shelters or your local animal control. They often need old blankets, towels and other linens for the animals.

Mercury Thermometers and Thermostats – Because of the mercury, they need to be disposed of properly. In Westford, we can take them to our Board ofHealth in the Town Hall.

Motor Oil – Try returning used oil where you bought it. In MA, whoever sold oil to you is required by law to take back up to two gallons of your used oil per day, without charge, provided you still have the sales receipt. If you don’t have your receipt, try your local Fire Station.

MP3 Players – Best Buy, Target

Packing Peanuts – Most delivery type places like UPS will take these.

Pizza Box – Some recyclers will accept pizza boxes without too much grease. THIS IS VERY RECYCLER-dependent, so ask, it could ruin lots of other recyclables. Even if you can’t recycle greasy boxes, you can recycle part of it.

Plastic bags – Plastic bags can be recycled at most grocery stores. I use reusable bags mostly, but there are so many more items that can be recycled big "Plastic Bag" bins at local grocery store. Check you local grocery store. In our area, Hannaford and Stop and Shop accept any bag labeled #2 or #4. I have found this on carrot bags, grape bags, toilet paper wrappers, bread bags, produce bags, cauliflower wrappers and more. Check PlasticBagRecycling.org for more information in your area.

Plastics #5 – If your local recycler does not accept these, they can be recycled at Whole Foods via the Gimme 5 program.

Professional Clothing – Many local organizations will accept professional clothing, to donate to men and women applying for new jobs. In Lowell, MA, Suitability provides this service.

Prom Gowns – Many local organizations will take prom gowns or other formal gowns and redistribute them to local young ladies who cannot afford. In our area, Priceless Prom Gowns provides this service.

Sporting Equipment – Many Boy Scouts Troops do sporting goods sales for usable equipment, Play it Again Sports is a national company that buys and sells used sports equipment. When the sports equipment is beyond usable, there are 2 companies that will make your old equipment into chairs, wine racks and more.

Telephones – Mobil, cordless, corded phones are accepted at Best Buy. Cell phones are also accepted at call2Recycle locations in many hardware stores.

Toys (Small) – Small toys are accepted at many charities such as Salvation Army and Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS). In our area, BBBS will pickup from your home or you can bring them to Savers in Nashua, NH.

Toys (Large) – The only options I have found are to give away to a friend or on Freecycle or sold at yard sales.

Vacuums (Upright/canister, robot, brooms/stick) – Best Buy

Wine Corks – All Whole Foods locations collect natural wine corks in conjunction with Cork ReHarvest.

Yoga Mats – Recycle Your Mat will recycle your used up yoga mat. You can find a location near you or ship your mat.

There are over 40 random items that can be upcycled through a company called TerraCycle. These include chip bags, granola bars, used writing instruments, candy wrappers, toothbrushes and more. To learn more about the program, look here.

I still can't seem to find a place for leftover paint! Anyone? I think I will need to get creative and use it for craft projects.

Have you found any other odd items to recycle?

Pit Stain Remover That Actually Works!

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Best Stain Remover

If you own any white shirt you know those awful disgusting yellow armpit stains that develop over time. Especially on T-shirts.

Well, we have some of those shirts in our house. Eventually, they get too disgusting and must be used for something else. I had just accepted that this was part of the life cycle of a white T-shirt. Until now….

I saw a post in Glamour magazine for “The Only Sport RemoverYou’ll Ever Need” so I decided give it a go. The original post calls for 1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid and 2 parts hydrogen peroxide. I altered it slightly as this original recipe didn’t seem to work as well as claimed. Based on another bloggers experience, I added baking soda to the mix.

1 part Dawn Dishwashing liquid

2 parts hydrogen peroxide

½ part baking soda

Mix everything together. I wasn't too scientific on the quantities, I eyeballed it.
Using a brush (an old toothbrush works great) brush the mixture on the stains.
Then let it sit. I had intended on checking every half hour or so to figure out how long it took, but I got busy and forgot! Somewhere between 1 and 3 hours does the trick. Probably depends on the stain.

Note: You should mix this recipe fresh each time you use it. Hydrogen Peroxide looses some of it's power when exposed to light. Guess you could trying storing it in an opaque container...

OMG! It works. Why am I not surprised that baking soda boosted the cleaning power! This stuff is awesome.

These pictures do NOT do it justice. Please take my word for it!

I also tried some other random stains. It worked! Ring around the collar – gone! I have only tried white shirts so far, but based on both sources above it should work on colored fabrics as well.

For the first test, I specifically bought Dawn. I couldn’t find just plain old Dawn rated in Good Guide so I don’t know what the health score is. But I was happy to see that some of the other Dawn products had a score of 8 out of a possible 10.

Still I would rather use something a little more natural. I had some Kirkland Environmentally Friendly Dish Soap that I am trying out. Honestly, I have no real clue as to how environmentally friendly this really is. The claims on the bottle seem nice, but may not mean anything. I’m still researching how “green” it is. But for now, I just wanted to see if you REALLY needed Dawn. The results: I don’t think so. It seemed to work just as well with my Kirkland dish soap.

So armed with dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and a toothbrush you can rid some of those stubborn stains. I'd be really interested to see how this works on baby spit up!

What are your favorite stain removers?

What Happens To My Recyclables

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:39:00 +0000

This week's Greene Westford column re-posted.

IPR truck arrives for sorting at the North Andover facility.

Take a virtual tour of Integrated Paper Recyclers and learn what happens to Westford recycling once it leaves the curb.

Ever wonder what happens to your recycling after the black and yellow trucks pick it up? Call me a garbage geek, but I was so excited when I had the opportunity to find out first hand.

Last November, I joined members of theWestford Recycling Commission, and representatives from Chelmsford and Dracut, at the Integrated Paper Recyclers (IPR) facility in North Andover. In addition to handling Westford’s recycling, IPR services over 40 communities locally.

IPR employees hand pick non-paper items out of the stream

Christine DeRosa of IPR showed us how the single stream recyclables are sorted into paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass and plastics 1, 2 and 3 – 7. All of the recyclables enter the first sorting station where paper and cardboard are removed. The mix is then hand sorted to ensure that non-paper items are removed before it is compacted into cubes called bales.

Several years ago, IPR noticed that they were losing small bits of paper. They added a new mechanism that is able to capture the smaller pieces of paper, even shredded paper. The paper is sent to a paper mill in Fitchburg, MA where is it used to make the paper for books. Most notably the Harry Potter books. The cardboard is used to make new cereal boxes or board games like Monopoly.

The "baler" compacts each type of recyclable into a cube and secures it for transport.

Once the paper and cardboard are removed, the rest of the mix continues along the sorting process. Plastics are removed and sorted by their chemical makeup denoted by their recycling symbol. Infrared machines determine the type of plastic by weight. Plastics with a recycling symbol #1 are used to make carpeting and clothing. Others may be turned into milk jugs or lawn furniture. Even plastics #3 – 7 are used, according to Ms. DeRosa, to make biodiesel.

Glass is the final item to be sorted. The glass is crushed and used as road fill.

Crushed glass is used as road fill.

Ms. DeRosa estimates that less than 10% of the almost 6500 tons of recyclables processed monthly ends up in a landfill. She explained that it is in their best interest financially to recover as much material as possible and find outlets for it. IPR pays to dispose of its trash just like towns do.

What is the most unwanted item that ends up in a recycling plant – plastic bags! Followed by jump ropes and kiddie pools. Plastic bags get caught in the sorting mechanism, causing problems and time to dislodge. Plastic bags should never go in your recycling bin. They can be taken to grocery stores for proper recycling.

Bales of paper, plastic and aluminum ready for reuse.

Purging Stuff: Week 4 - Digital Cleanout

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Digital clutter can be just as maddening at the visual kind.

This was the final week of the de-clutter challenge. I focused on the office and the computer. Even though you may not be able to see the clutter on your computer, boy is it ever there! In a way, I did this to organize myself to go more electronic and reduce more of the paper coming into the house. Paper clutter is my #1 pet peeve!

Step 1: Remove Unnecessary Files - I went through all my folders and deleted files I no longer needed, temporary files, files I couldn't even open anymore!

Step 2: Organize Folders - I re-organized some of my folders, moved some files to better places, stuff like that. I also added folders for electronic statements and receipts. I have gone electronic for quite a few of my bills, but didn't really have a place to store the ones I may need. To reduce the paper clutter, I am going electronic on some of our receipts as well. Anything really important, large purchases, I will scan the receipt. I will still keep the paper one, for now, just in case. But this will make things so much easier to find. Anyone buy anything at Sears lately? You can opt for "email receipt only"! Love it!

Step 3: Scan Important Docs - I scanned any important documents or receipts we had to make it easier to find them. The kids' physicals was the first! How many times do you go looking for their latest one for some reason or another? Most of the time you can email a copy.

Step 4: Backed Up All Files - I backed up everything - files, pictures, music. I also set a reminder for myself in my online calendar to do this more often.

Step 5: Go More Electronic - Most of my bills and statements are electronic. But I did find a few odd items that can be converted to cut down on the paper.

To refresh you memory, here are the results from the first 3 weeks:

Week 1: Purging Stuff: Week 1
Week 2: Purging Stuff: Week 2 - Toys and Electronics
Week 3: Purging Stuff: Week 3 - Food

How do you deal with digital clutter?

Coconut Oil: It's Good For More Than You Think

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:43:00 +0000

This week's Greene Westford column re-posted.

You Can Find Organic Coconut Oil in the International Foods Aisle at Market Basket and other grocery store.

Coconut oil has been getting more popular for it's natural healing benefits.

When I first heard of Coconut oil, images and smells of Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil from years ago popped into my head. Coconut oil is much different and is being regarded as very beneficial for health in so many ways.

Coconut oil has been described as “the healthiest oil on earth” by some. Many people believe that coconut oil can help with such health problems as kidney stones, fever, flu, burns, colds, constipation, nausea, rashes, dry skin and dandruff to name a few.

Inside The Body

What makes it so healthy? It is 92% saturated fat –the bad fat. However, coconut oil is comprised mainly of medium-chain fatty acids. Most of the oils we use are long-chain fatty acids which are large (as their name suggests) and are difficult for our bodies to break down. Thus they are stored as fat. The difference – medium chain fatty acids are smaller and are more easily digested and burned for energy. For this reason, it can help with weight loss when used in place of other oils. Medium chain fatty acids also have a positive effect on cholesterol and help protect the heart. Coconut oil also contains lauric acid that is believed to have antimicrobial properties and aid in dealing with certain bacteria and viruses.

Outside the Body

Moisturizer – Coconut oil makes a great moisturizer. You can mix it up with other oil or use it straight out of the jar after showering. It is absorbed quickly by your skin. Coconut oil is also antimicrobial and a natural germ fighter so it could help with skin irritations. (Please consult a physician first)

Conditioner – Coconut can be used as a deep conditioning treatment for hair and scalp. Massage into your scalp and leave on for at least 30 minutes, or longer, then wash. If you are suffering from dandruff, coconut oil could also help.

Lip balm – I use coconut oil as an ingredient in homemade lip balm. It works great. Straight coconut oil could be used in a pinch as well.

Remove Glue Residue - Use to remove glue residue from a sticker on a glass container. Mix equal parts coconut oil with baking soda, let it sit for a minute then scrub. This works pretty well.

Wrinkle Prevention and Wrinkle Reducer – Rub a little coconut oil on your skin. It helps to strengthen the connective tissue delaying wrinkles.

As with anything, there are some who are not so convinced that coconut oil is a miracle cure all. It will be interesting to see what new research brings. I can personally vouch for the benefits to the skin and hair. It is amazing! And for the price, it makes a wonderful natural moisturizer.

Coconut oil is widely available at grocery stores. Market Basket carries Spectrum organic expeller pressed virgin coconut oil in the international foods aisle.

Have you ever used coconut oil? Tell us in the comments.

This post has been submitted as part of Frugal Days,Sustainable Ways at Frugally Sustainable.com

Purging Stuff: Week 3 - Food

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Dragon Fly Farms produce at the Westford Winter Farmers Market

I took a slight detour this week - I purged my refrigerator, freezer, pantry and other stashes of food. Sort of like this food challenge post.

The amount of food that goes wasted in this country astounds me! In 2009, the EPA estimated that food scraps accounted for 14.1% of our national waste. It is the second largest category (paper is #1 - don't get me started on that!) This does NOT include yard trimmings, which accounts for another 13.7%.

Not only could some of this food be eaten, but it is costing towns and cities millions (maybe billions) to dispose of. Money that should be spent elsewhere. Trash disposal fees are big in municipalities. Many of them are turning to Pay-As-You-Throw situations where homeowners pay for each bag of trash they dispose of - most tend to be charging around $2 per bag.

I volunteer with our town's Recycling Commission. We are focused this year on getting more people to compost to reduce the trash and thus the trash budget. One member did a quick calculation on the annual savings:

Almost $74, 000 saved if ALL 14.1% was composted (or eaten) instead of thrown in the trash.
If only 10% of our residents composted their food waste, the town could save over almost $7,400.

Think of it this way, if 14.1% of trash is potentially compostable, then that is a potential savings of 14.1% of the trash budget.

I recently saw a special on Food Network called "The Big Waste". It dealt with the waste that occurs commercially. I was sick! If you get a chance, watch it. I can't believe the amount of food that is tossed from grocery stores and suppliers. There has to be a better way! Can't some of this get donated to food pantries? Or sold to customers at reduced prices - like the quick sale items?

Back to what I did this week to reduce my food waste.

I am usually pretty good about meal planning, but I also tend to track prices and stock up when I see a sale. So, if I'm not careful, I can end up with a lot of stuff in house. When I look through all the food we had, I realized I had plenty to make meals this week without going shopping. I really like to do this once in a while. I can use up things before they spoil and remember what I have so I don't buy more. It also gets me to be more creative and find uses for odds and ends. I have developed or found many favorite recipes this way.

I must confess - I did go to the store once. But I only got a few things - fresh fruit, milk and deli meat for lunches.

We ate pretty well.

Turkey Burgers - I used ground turkey in the freezer, served with homemade fries and green beans (left over from another dinner)

Homemade Pizza - This is definitely a staple on our menu. It is a great way to use up leftover meat and/or veggies, condiments, you name it! I always keep Whole Foods organic wheat pizza dough and mozzarella in the freezer. This week, I used one of the leftover turkey burgers and sun-dried tomatoes that were sitting in the frig.

Pasta Primavera - Another staple. This is one of those recipes that was created out of a need to use up leftovers. It tastes great and is a great way to use up veggies, meat, and beans. To make it, I saute veggies and garlic, make a simple sauce (flour, butter, and chicken stock) add Parmesan cheese, any meat or beans you want, and whatever other herbs or spices your'd like, then toss with pasta. If the sauce is too thick, I add some of the pasta water. I have also used milk, half and half, evaporated milk - whatever dairy I happened to have left over - to make it more of a cream sauce.

Shredded BBQ Chicken - I came across some chicken thighs in the freezer - not a big fan and I had bought these by mistake. I also had 3 bottles of BBQ sauce! I put 2 boneless chicken breasts and the thighs into the crock pot with BBQ sauce and about 4 cloves of minced garlic and let it cook away. I didn't have any rolls, so I served them on tortillas.

Snack Dinner - This is my version of eating leftovers for dinner. My kids love it. They think they are getting away with eating "junk" for dinner. I pull out whatever we have - leftovers, hummus, bread, wheat crackers, cheese, applesauce, veggies (I always have carrot stick in the fridg), fruit, yogurt, whatever I can find. Everyone fills their own plate with an assortment.

I still have quite a bit of food left, so I will continue this week using up what we have and really planning my menu so I buy very little.

How do you deal with food waste?

Luscious Lip Balm Made Easy

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:48:00 +0000

I really like making my own products - whether it's food, cleaning, or personal care products. I like to cook and be creative and this feeds that passion.

Lip balm is so simple! There are tons of recipes out there. This is one that I made with my daughters and some of their friends. It is girl approved!

The basics are really simple - melt a combination of oils together, add scents (optional), pour into a container.
You will use a combination of oils that are liquid and solid at room temperature. The amount of each will determine the consistency of the resulting balm.

Basic Recipe

1 TBSP beeswax
1 TBSP coconut oil
1/4 tsp Vitamin E oil
scent (optional: try extracts you use for baking like vanilla, coconut or peppermint, essential oils, or honey)

Yields about 1/2 oz.

Melt the beeswax and coconut oil. There are a couple of ways to do this. Whatever you use, you may need to designate as "lip balm making" use only and the beeswax if difficult to clean out. If you have a bowl you are willing to sacrifice, use that over a pot of simmering water (double boiler). I sacrificed one of our many mugs. I set it in a shallow pan of water. You will need to stir the mixture. An old Popsicle stick works great.
Once the oils have melted, add Vitamin E and scent (if using).
Place in a container and cool.

Some Tips:

Vitamin E is great for the skin and acts as a preservative.
Honey adds a nice creaminess to the lip balm. If you use it, you will need to stir until the mixture begins to cool. Otherwise the honey will separate. You will also need to reduce the Vitamin E slightly.
Once the lip balm has cooled, test it out. If you don't like the consistency or want more scent, you can remelt the mixture and add whatever it needs. For example, more peppermint oil for a better scent or more liquid oil to make it softer. Go light on the liquid oils and scent at first. It's easy to add more of these later, but you can't take it out.

Because these were in metal tins, I just dropped them into the hot water to remelt. I wouldn't try this with plastic containers.

Here is another variation that was popular with the girls.

Chocolate Mint Lip Balm

1 TBSP beeswax
2 TBSP coconut oil
1 TBSP coco butter
1/2 tsp honey or jojoba oil (or other oil)
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp of Vitamin E
few drops peppermint essential oil or extract

Yields about 2 oz.

Melt the beeswax, coconut oil and coco butter slowly.
Once the oils have melted, add peppermint oil. Remove from the heat and add honey/jojoba oil, cocoa powder, and Vitamin E. Stir until mixed thoroughly.
Place in a container and cool.

Sources for ingredients

Beeswax can be found at Debra's Natural Gourmet, Nissitisett Apiary and online. Make sure you get pellets. Beeswax is extremely hard so it will be difficult to break off the correct amount if you get a big hunk.

Coconut Oil is available at most grocery stores, including Hannaford, Market Basket and Trader Joe's.

Vitamin E can be found at any grocery or drug store.

Essential oils are available at GNC and online.

Extracts are available in the baking aisle of the grocery store.

Containers

Any small container works well. I purchased small 1 oz tins online, but I also used old cosmetic containers and a contact lens case! Baby food jars would be a little big and not extremely portable, but a good option as well.

We tired vanilla, lime, coconut, peppermint, plain honey,and chocolate mint. We loved them all!

Have you ever made your own lip balm?

This post is part of Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Pixie Dust, and Frugal Days,Sustainable Ways.

Purging Stuff: Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:13:00 +0000

This week I attacked the playroom and found and dealt with more electronics.

TOYS

I ventured into the play room. I purged many toys my kids have outgrown. Only a handful of miscellaneous unidentifiable items were tossed. Many of the toys were still in very usable condition. It is difficult to donate toys. Charities will only take small toys and some won't take them at all. Here is a quick run down of charities in the area that will take toys:

Big Brother Big Sister - will accept small toys, games, and stuffed animals. To donate, you must arrange for a pickup at your house.
Savers - This is basically a large indoor year round yard sale. They work with local charities, donating money for your donations. They will accept toys, games, puzzles and stuffed animals. The closest location to Westford is Nashua, on the Daniel Webster Highway, near Best Buy.

The Wish Project (formerly Lowell Wish Project) and Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts (HGRM) in Acton, MA, do not accept toys of any kind. Their goal is to provide those in need with essentials - beds, kitchen items, etc. I'm sure The Salvation Army takes toys too, but there isn't a location terribly convenient to Westford.

Yard sale toys

With so many large toys, I decided to have a yard sale. I like doing the town wide yard sales organized by our community center, Roudenbush. So this spring I'll haul everything to the Abbot School lawn. Anything small left over will go to charity or possibly freecycle if too big. Since I cleared out part of the basement last week, I now have space to store the toys until spring.

I was able to get my kids to help clear out thing they no longer played with. To some small extent, they felt good giving them to a child who was less fortunate. But I have to admit, that the prospect of them making some money selling their toys, helped more. Need to work on the charity piece with them.

ELECTRONICS

It is amazing how many electronics I found. I remember hearing a statistic a while back, something like each home has at least 3 - 4 pieces of electronic waste that could be recycled. I actually thought that was high - until I started looking!

More old installation CDs, various cables, DVD writer, web cam, broken calculator, old portable CD player, a walkman! I went through it all to determine what still worked and offered that on Freecycle. The rest went to Best Buy for recycling. Best Buy will also recycled used gift cards!

Webcam -> Freecycle (picked up 2 days later)
Sony Clie -> Freecycle (picked up the next day)
Pioneer DVD/CD writer -> Freecycle ( picked up a few days later)
broken Discman -> recycled at Best Buy
broken walkman -> recycled at Best Buy
old installation CDs -> recycled at Best Buy
broken head phones -> recycled at Best Buy

How did you do?

Struggles with Going Green

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:43:00 +0000

Each week Reduce Footprints presents a challenge to her readers called Change the World Wednesday. This week's challenge is to:

This week, please share road blocks to green living. For example, perhaps you'd really like to compost but don't. We'd like to know why. Maybe you don't recycle ... let us know why. We're looking for all the reasons for NOTadopting a green activity. If you're not struggling with any road blocks at this time, then please share ones which you've heard from others. For example, one of the most common reasons is that it's too expensive.

Then ...

Take a look at the road blocks shared and offer solutions. For example, to people who say green living is too expensive, we might share examples of how green living is actually frugal. The idea of this challenge is to help us all find solutions and "bust" all excuses for not living green.

I know that I am not perfectly green by any means. There are lots of things, I'm sure, that I don't do and maybe should. What has been bothering me most lately is when I give in and do the not so green thing because of what someone else may think - including my children.

I wrote an entire article on how to Have a Green Halloween. In it I talked about costumes and how not to buy a brand new one each year. I was all set with this one in early October. My oldest daughter found a great Spanish Dancer costume at a yard sale. It was an old dance costume, well made and $1! My son decided he wanted to be Frankenstein. Great! I went to Savers (it's basically a huge indoor yard sale) and found a blazer for $4. I figured he could wear jeans and a T-shirt. I would figure out how to use old wine corks for those head bolts and just needed to look into some eco-friendly face paint. Two down, one to go. My youngest daughter decided she was going to be a witch and wear her sister's old costume. Yeah! I did it!!!!

Then, the two younger kids changed their minds. Less than 2 weeks before Halloween. I sort of brushed it off and thought I could convince them to go with the original ideas. No dice. My son now wanted to be a Ninja. Daughter #2 still wanted to be a witch but now refused to wear her sister's costume. Ugh! Now what?! Do I "force" them to wear the other costumes? How do I explain this to them so they want to reuse another costume? Why do they think a new, cheaply made costume is so cool?

I ended up giving in and bought 2 costumes. I consoled myself by remembering that my kids love to play dress up. These costumes would be used many more times. And when they were done, I could donate them to other children to use.

Update: I meant to explain a little more on why I gave in. As I re-read this, people may think my kids were being bratty and I gave in because of that. Not the case. For my son, he rarely asks for anything and is quite happy, most of the time, with whatever he is given. So when he expresses a real opinion on something, I want to listen to him and honor that request when I can. As for my daughter, she is the younger of 2 girls. As soon as she could express herself, she has copied her older sister on everything. As flattering as people might think this is, her older sister did not this flattering. Much tension over this exists. So, when she does express her own interests, no matter how small, I like to recognize and encourage her to be her own person. Now, I probably could have found a way for them to be what they wanted without buying brand new costumes. I did try, but couldn't find used ones and I am not terribly crafty so making them myself wasn't going to happen. So there you go!

There are lots of things my kids do that others may not - we use cloth napkins all the time (even for school lunches), they recycle, upcycle, have reusable water bottles and snack bags, etc. At times though I don't want to risk alienating my children or making them feel they are sacrificing just for my ideas. Of course, I hope these also become their ideas, but they may not.

As far as what other people think, I don't want to become that person. I rarely tell people about environmental issues unless asked. I don't want to come off as preaching even though at times I am biting my tongue. Every soccer season I cringe when the parents in charge of the snack bring out the individual drinks and individually packaged snacks for everyone. I can't help but do the math in my head - X teams in the town, Y games per season, then multiply this by all of the towns in the state, country - how much plastic is being used on fields each Saturday morning. And that's just one sport!!!! What is wrong with a big jug of something to drink and their reusable bottles (which most kids bring). The communal snack, well, it can be muddy and maybe not the greatest idea for each kid to be grabbing into a bowl, but there has got to be a better way. Each year I say I am going to suggest that kids bring their own bottles to refill, but I don't. I didn't play sports as a kid so I have no idea what was done then.

I am, by nature, much more private and non-confrontational. So putting myself out there is not natural for me. But at this point in my green journey, I feel like I should be more active in educating people and pointing out things they could do. For now, I do it in this blog and Greene Westford column - sort of passive. Maybe that's enough?????

Any suggestions? How do you deal with other people?

Purging Stuff: Week 1 Results

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:05:00 +0000

This week began my January long purge. I have to admit that when I start something like this, I often have trouble focusing on ONE area. I wander around the house picking up random things trying to decide where to start, which area is THE place to start?

This time, I didn't decide. I just cleaned out whatever struck me as interesting at the moment. Interesting? I know, sounds crazy. But you know how sometimes you really FEEL like cleaning that cabinet or that pile that has been sitting in the corner of the dining room for months?

I started with clothing. I had actually started going through my daughter's closet the week before, so I finished that. I always have an empty bag in my closet for "clothes to donate". It was getting full so I bagged up everything I had.

Then I moved on to the office - went through a few bookshelves and drawers with random electronics. I finished this week with bookshelves in other locations and started the basement files.

What I Purged and Where It Went

2 kitchen sized trash bags and 3 grocery store bags of clothing -> clothing drop at the Roudenbush Old Nab preschool parking lot.

1 old, but working, digital camera -> Offered on Freecycle (was picked up that evening)

Set of curtain rods -> Offered on Freecycle (picked up next day)

Large 9x11 size envelop with old Christmas cards -> St. Jude's for their card recycling program.

30 (?) Children's books -> I will save these for a spring yard sale, but may rethink that if I run out of space

10 Cookbooks and other misc books -> Donated to JV Fletcher Library for their library book sales

Lots of paper( I had user's manuals from things I don't even own anymore!) -> Recycle bin

Notes from college classes (printed on one side only) -> Saved for use in my printer
Did anyone print double sided 10 + years ago???

Very old bank and utility statements -> Will be shredded, then recycled

Lots of old electronics -> Whatever still works will be offered on Freecycle or perhaps sold through Gazelle. The rest will be recycled.

Did you join me? How did you do?

Time To Purge Some Crapola

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

I seem to always be purging stuff from our house. Sometimes more vigorously than others. This month I am joining ecokaren's De-Clutter 2012 Challenge. For the entire month of January, I will be de-cluttering our house -clothing, toys, basement stuff, etc. And in the spirit of being green, of course, I will be finding homes for as much of it as I possibly can. Join me!

I found that when I blogged about my Spring Cleaning last year it really helped motivate me. Don't feel you need to show pictures or anything. Just comments on what you are getting rid of is fine. If you need help figuring out where it should go - ask!

I'll post something short each week to tell you what I am getting rid of and where it's going.

Stay tuned!
____________________________________________________________

Update Post Challenge - What a great challenge!
Here are links to each week's results:

Week 1: Purging Stuff: Week 1
Week 2: Purging Stuff: Week 2 - Toys and Electronics
Week 3: Purging Stuff: Week 3 - Food
Week 4: Purging Stuff: Week 4 - Digital Cleanout

Go Practically Green!

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:39:00 +0000

Reposted from Greene Westford

Do you ever wonder how green you really are? Do you want to do better for your family and the environment but don’t really know where to start? Well, aside from reading this column, a Boston-based website can help point you in the right direction. Practically Green is a free online service that provides you with knowledge, resources and recommendations for making future green choices and changes. Through this tool, you can set goals, track your progress and share with friends.

To begin, you take a quick quiz to evaluate your “green-ness”. I have to say that my initial score was pretty unimpressive. There are only so many questions on the initial quiz. To get a better, more accurate picture, go through the actions and check off what you already do. Your score will improve.

Now you are ready to track your progress and advance on your green journey. The actions are broken into 4 categories – Energy, Health, Stuff and Water. Within the categories are specific actions you can take which earn you points toward your green score. For example, “Turn off the lights when you leave a room” gets you 10 points, “Wash laundry in cold water” is worth 50 points, while “Add insulation to your roof” gets you 100 points.

For each action, there is an explanation on why it's consider green, information on how to accomplish it and, if appropriate, recommendations on products and services that will help with this action. As a user, you have the ability to rate recommended services and products and suggest new ones.

As you make your way through the actions, you earn badges. Badges measure how you are doing in a particular area, similar to Girl Scout or Boy Scout badges. Some of these are "The Back to school" badge which “rewards you for greening your school year prep” , "The Frugalista" badge “rewards you for taking actions that save money while promoting a healthy green life”, and "The Recycle 5" badge “rewards you for choosing to recycle plastic or purchase items made from recycled materials.”

I was drawn to the website because of its practicality – guess that’s why it’s called “Practically Green”. I like knowing why I should do this or that, what’s in it for me, and then how to actually do it. I also like the way the website breaks actions into different categories and gives you a measureable way to track how you are doing. Plus it’s fun!

Part of the fun is seeing what everyone else participating in Practically Green is up to. You can see who is on top in the country, across Massachusetts or just Westford. It is interesting to see what other Westford residents are doing and figure out what our collective impact is on the environment.

Currently, I am at Level 8 – Impressively Green. What’s your score?

2011 Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Reposted from Greene Westford on Westford Patch.

In the past year, there have been many good steps for the environment in Westford. From solar panels to upcycling to less trash on the streets, take a look at some of the highlights from 2011.

Solar Panels on Stony Brook Middle School Go Live

On April 22, Earth Day, Westford’s first town building went solar. The 176 panel system is expected to generate about 40,000 kilowatt hours annually. Since the beginning of April 2011, the array has generated almost 35,000 kilowatt hours. Well on its way to reaching the estimate.

More Solar Coming to Westford

A 4.5 Megawatt system, announced earlier this year, will be located near Route. 3 in Westford. In comparison, the Stony Brook system is rated at 36 kilowatts. This is 125 times greater in terms of energy generation!

Upcycle It! Turns One Year Old

In May, Upcycle It! celebrated its first birthday. The program, run by Sustainable Westford, collects non-recyclables such as chip bags, energy bar wrappers and pens to be upcycled into new products. In the process, 2 cents per item is generated for the Westford Schools. In July, the program was #2 in the country for most items upcycled. Since its inception, the Upcycle It! program has saved over 210,000 pieces of trash weighing over a ton, generating over $4300 for Westford School’s.

First Winter’s Farmers Market

In addition to the summer farmers market, the Westford Farmers Market ran the first winter market starting in January 2011 running through March. This year, the winter market is on Saturdays at Eric's Garden Center.

Reduction in Trash

The Westford Recycling Commission reports that we decreased our trash by almost 5 percent by the end of fiscal 2011. This is in addition to a similar reduction the year before! The Recycling Commission is focusing on composting to reduce trash even further in 2012.

Westford’s Litter League Green Team Debuted

The Litter League Green Team, started by Carmen Chiungos, meet every Saturday from April through October, picking up trash in various parts of town. Carmen, a Passionate Westford Resident, start the group because she didn’t like seeing all the trash around town.

Composter at Westford Road Race – The Westford Road Race not only had recycling, but they also provided composting for banana peels and orange rinds! Absolutely awesome to see.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Idling Your Car: Illegal And Costly

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:16:00 +0000

Reposted from Greene Westford on Westford Patch.

Idling your engine for more than 5 minutes is not only illegal but causes health and climate problems.

Do you see cars idling while in the pickup line at school, in the driveway warming up in the winter, or waiting for someone to run into a store? It’s actually against Massachusetts state law to idle a vehicle for more than 5 minutes. It is punishable by a fine of up to $100 for the first offense and up to $500 for a second offense.

We need to drive our cars to get places. We don’t need to idle the engines.

From the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), “The goal of the Massachusetts Anti-Idling law is to improve air quality by reducing unnecessary air pollution from idling vehicles.”

A typical vehicle produces more pollution when idling longer than 10 seconds than it will restarting the engine. If you plan to be stopped for more than 10 seconds, shut off your car.

Unnecessary idling causes the following:

Air Quality Issues

Vehicles emit carbon dioxide while running. An hour of idling can release almost 4 pounds of needless carbon dioxide into the air. As we know, carbon dioxide adds to greenhouse gases in the environment. These greenhouse gases contribute to climate change.

Health Effects

Many other gases are released while a car runs. Carbon monoxide can reduce the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. Nitrogen oxide, another component of vehicle exhaust, can irritate air passages and lungs. Car exhaust can cause headaches, aggravate asthma and allergies and impair learning. Children are particularly vulnerable. Their lungs are immature and since they are shorter, their breathing space is closer to the emissions.

Wasted fuel

Depending on the size of the engine, idling can use ¼ to ½ gallon of fuel per hour. Many experts agree that warming your car for 30 seconds is sufficient in cold weather.

School buses have diesel engines. While they are durable and economical, the pollution from diesel engines is a growing concern. Some studies indicate that over time, exposure to diesel exhaust can cause cancer and other health problems. MassDEP is working with schools to reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust.

I have noticed that school buses in Westford do not idle while waiting. Yeah bus drivers!

Are there “No Idling” signs at Westford schools? I haven’t noticed any at my children’s schools. Although the few times I am in the car line, no one seems to be idling. At least not in good weather. So good for you Westford-ians!

As the weather gets colder, remember to bundle up if you will be sitting in your car and shut off the engine.

[Above photo used under Creative Commons from Eutrophication/Flickr]

Change The World Wednesday - Lemons

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:00:00 +0000

This past week's Change the World Wednesday challenge was:

This week make a conscious effort to waste no food. If you need some ideas on how to accomplish this, please read the article referenced in the previous paragraph.

I really try to do this on a regular basis, but it doesn't always happen. Reduce Footprints had a related challenge a few months back. The challenge was to use up whatever food you have before buying anything more. I made some really great meals out of my leftovers. In order to reduce your food waste, you really need to start upfront - planning before you go buy food. For me this means making a menu for the week and looking ahead at what will be leftover and what I can do with them.

When I started thinking about this challenge, I saw it in in a different light than the first challenge. Let's see if I can use parts of food that I would normally compost or throw out. I found so many things that Americans (especially) throw out that could be used. Too many for one post! So this post will concentrate on uses for lemons, especially the peels which are often composted or tossed out. Don't toss those lemon peels - or any other citrus peel.

Citrus zest/peel (the colorful part of the outside of citrus) has many health benefits and shouldn't be tossed. Before you squeeze your lemon, lime, or any other citrus, zest it. The zest is great for you – high in antioxidants, killing cancer cells and inhibiting tumor growth. It’s where the essential oils of the citrus are.

For Cleaning

Use to clean the microwave – Add lemon rinds to a bowl half filled with water and cook on high for 5 mins. The steam created will loosen any crud making it easy to wipe away.

Freshen the Garbage disposal - Send spent lemons down the garbage disposal to freshen them.

Use to scrub greasy messes – Use a juiced lemon, add some salt if you need more of a scouring action – be careful with Granite or Marble.

For Eating

Make Limoncello – This is an Italian lemon flavored alcohol. There are many recipes on the internet. This would make a great gift.

Make zest – You can zest a lemon, dry the zest on a towel then store in a jar. You can also freeze the zest. Use any where you would use fresh zest or lemon.

Make Lemon Powder – Make the zest above, dry it thoroughly, then grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestal. You can also peel the zest with a vegetable peeler and roast the peels lightly, then crush into a powder. Use the powder anywhere you would lemon juice.

Preserved lemons - Preserved lemons are whole lemons preserved with salt. Preserved lemons are used in many Moroccan dishes. This can also be done with limes.

Candied lemon peels - These sound really yummy! They can be eaten like candy or used as a garnish.

Lemon infused Olive Oil – Lemon infused oils are delicious and a great way to use lemon peels.

Freeze the used halves, then use when roasting fish or chicken. I always place lemons inside the cavity of a chicken. It just gives such a good flavor.

For Beautifying

Make a sugar scrub - Mix 1/2 sugar with finely chopped lemon peel. Add enough olive oil to make a paste. Use in the shower as a body scrub to soften your skin.

Soften Elbows - Add some salt or baking soda to a lemon half. Scrub elbows to soften.

There are so many more out there. Next step for me is to set an up easy way for me to save the zest so I can try some of these.

*Top picture used under Creative Commons by Mowie Kay/Flickr.

How To Keep Warm This Winter

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:03:00 +0000

Another Greene Westford column reprinted.

A home energy audit is a great place to start going green. It can show you where to focus your attention to get the biggest bang for your buck. It may take an initial investment, but will usually pay off in a short amount of time, then saving you money on your energy bills.

As a customer of National Grid, you are eligible for a free Home Energy Assessment every year through a program called Mass Save. Mass Save is sponsored by Massachusetts’ gas and electric utilities. They work with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to “provide a wide range of services, incentives, trainings and information promoting energy efficiency that help residents and businesses manage energy use and related costs.”

Now you are probably wondering who pays for this program. Guess who: You and every other customer of the utility companies contributes to the program.* Ever wonder what an “Energy Efficiency Charge” on your electric bill is for? There is a similar charge on your gas bill too. It’s included in the Minimum Charge.

Do I have your attention now? Take advantage of it! You are paying for it anyway.

The first step is to make an appointment for a Home Energy Assessment by calling 866-527-SAVE (7283). This program is eligible to homeowners of standalone homes, residents of multi-family dwellings and landlords. At this assessment, the auditor will test your gas appliances for safety, assess your home’s energy use and provide recommendations. In the process, the auditor may install certain items that will start saving you money immediately such as CFLs, programmable thermostats and water savings devices as needed.

Before your audit, do some homework. Based on the age of your home and heating source, investigate what might be worth doing before the auditor comes. Also investigate what the program is offering at the time. You will then be able to absorb and understand what they are telling you and ask questions. The program changes from time to time, so be sure to ask. Then ask some more. Make sure you understand your options and what the next step should be. Are you eligible for incentives or a loan? If you still don’t understand, call Mass Save and ask them.

Our home was built a little over 10 years ago, so we thought we were in pretty good shape. Our audit revealed several light bulbs that had not been changed to CFLs yet. Those were changed to CFLs free of charge. The insulation in our attic had settled to half the original thickness. It also seems that the building codes have changed calling for more insulation in attics. More insulation was needed to bring the attic insulation R-value to R-38. Our home also needed air sealing in the attic and a dome covering the access to the attic.

All of this work would normally cost about $3600. The air sealing was free. The dome on the attic access was free. We also qualified for an incentive. Mass Save paid for 75% of the cost of insulation, up to a maximum of $2000. All of this brought our portion to about $600. It is estimated that these improvements will save about $300 per year in heating and cooling costs.

This is only my experience which was very specific to what was found at my home and the program as it stood then. This process took about 6 months from beginning to end. I had to stay on top of things and keep asking questions when things didn’t make sense. I was able to choose my own contractor from their list of approved vendors. If you have a contractor in mind, call Mass Save to find out the correct process. The program changed in July and this process is now different.

According to my auditor, it is a good idea to have an audit done every year or two. The program changes, so does your house. You are entitled to take advantage of the incentives and rebates once per year. This year you might insulate your attic. Maybe next year the program changes to include duct sealing and you can then take advantage of that.

*Note: I did not investigate completely how Mass Save is funded. However, I was able to confirm that we, as utility customers, contribute to the fund.

Head Lice: Give Me The Pesticides!

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:52:00 +0000

A recent Greene Westford Column reprinted here.

If you are faced with this predicament, you might want to make a beeline for the pesticides. Take a deep breath and read on for some facts and alternatives that may make more sense.

My head starts itching at the beginning of the school year when the lice information sheet comes home. Approximately 6 to 12 million cases of lice occur nationwide each year. Westford is not immune. I have already heard of a few cases this year.

This is probably one area where you think, “I am not taking any chances. Give me whatever will kill those things!” I was right there with you, until I started to do some research.

Permethrin and pyrethrin are the most common chemicals used to treat lice currently. They are pesticides. They are meant to kill live insects by attacking their nervous systems. Do you think they know the difference between humans and insects? Not sure I want to take the chance.

If you are still itching your head and thinking, “I still want the pesticide!” Think about this.

More and more evidence is showing that some strains of lice are becoming resistant to these pesticides.
The pesticides only kill the live lice. If the eggs are not removed and hatch, a second application will be needed.

This information is also conveyed by the Westford Board of Health in their information sheet.

As yucky as they are, lice are not a health hazard and not responsible for spreading any disease. The itching accompanying a lice infestation is caused by a reaction to the louse’s saliva. Lice need a host to survive and for their eggs to hatch. They cannot fly or hop. They cannot survive on pets.

To Prevent Lice:

Remind your children not to share hats, scarves, personal hair care items, coats, anything that can come into contact with your head or hair.
Keep your hat, coat, etc away from others.
There are some that believe that lice do not like hair products. Adding gel or hair spray could deter lice.
Wear long hair in a ponytail or braid.
It is believed by many that tea tree oil is effective in preventing lice. Tea tree oil has natural antiseptic properties. There are several tea tree oil shampoos on the market. If you choose one of these, make sure it uses pure essential oils and contains 5 drops per ounce of shampoo.

NOTE: Tea tree oil should not be used in pure form on babies, young children or pregnant women. Consult your Physician first.

Alternative Treatments:

I am not a doctor. I am a mom who does not want lice in my home. I also want to protect my children from pesticides as much as possible. If your child gets lice, call your pediatrician for treatment options. I called mine. They recommend a non-toxic method called the Nuvo method for treating head lice.

This method uses Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Large amounts of the cleansers are used to completely drench the head and scalp. The excess is combed out and the hair and scalp is completely dried with a hair dryer. Drying the cleanser on the hair essentially shrink wraps any live lice, suffocating them.

I have also heard of people using olive oil in a similar manner as the Cetaphil. Again, the head is covered in large amounts of olive oil and left on overnight.

Both of these methods only kill the live lice. Any eggs will not be harmed. For this reason, it is recommended that you repeat these treatments 1 or 2 more times, at one week intervals, to kill any eggs that hatch and/or remove the eggs (nits). Westford Public Schools have a "no nit" policy, meaning that your child must be checked by the nurse when returning and must be nit free.

These alternative treatments rely on suffocating the live lice and interrupting their life cycle. No chance they will become resistant to that!

Books: An Environmentalists Guilty Pleasure?

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Here is a repost of my latest Greene Westford column from Westford Patch.

I have to admit that I still really like the feel of paper in my hands. I love curling up on my couch to flip through a book, magazine or even a cookbook.

Sometimes I love a book so much and find it so useful that I want to own a copy to use over and over again. The environmentalist in me sees all that paper! Do I really need to choose? No.

There are so many alternatives to new books – buy a used copy, download an electronic version, borrow it. I can own books while reducing the amount of paper used.

Borrow

Use the library! They have thousands of titles at the J.V Fletcher Library. If you can’t find it here, search the entire Merrimack Valley consortium of libraries. You can request a copy and it will be delivered to Westford. You will be contacted by phone, email or both when it arrives.

Ask a friend or neighbor to borrow a copy.

Borrowing works with magazines, newspapers and other print media as well. If there are older magazine that you would be interested in, the library is clearing out 2008 and 2009 magazines.

Go Electronic

Download electronic books to your reader or smart phone for free. This service is offered by the J.V. Fletcher library and works with Kindle, iPhone, Android, your computer and others.

Purchase e-books from one of several online sources.

Don't have a reader or want to check one out before purchasing? The library now has 2 Nook and 2 Kindle readers available for check out.

Many magazines and newspapers can be found online as well.

Purchase Used Books

Friends of J.V Fletcher Library Book Sales are held 4 times per year at the library. We have purchased many books over the years for every member of the family. All at a fraction of the cost. As an added bonus, it benefits the library! The next book sale is this weekend October 21 – 23.

Used Book Superstore in Nashua, NH carries 100,000 used books DVDs, CDs and audio books in every category imaginable.

Savers is also located in Nashua, NH. Their used book section may be small, but I have always found something interesting.

Donate

When you are done, donate your books back to any one of these places to be enjoyed by someone else and start the cycle going again. If your books are not suitable for donation to the locations above, they can be donated to the non-profit Reading Tree. A self-serve drop off container is located in the Water Department parking lot at 63 Forge Village Road.

[photo taken by A Conant/morguefile.com]

Have a Green Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Here is a repost of my latest Greene Westford column from Westford Patch.

With a little effort, your Halloween can go green and stay fun.

Being conscious of the environment can be woven into anything you do. Even Halloween. It’s about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, in that order. The goal is not to use more than you really need, so there will be something left for future generations. When done with thought, it can simplify your life and even save you time and money.

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend $6.9 billion this year on Halloween. The bulk of the money will be spent on costumes, followed by candy and decorations. You can save some money, save the planet and still have a blast this Halloween.

Costumes

Make Your Own. You don’t need to be a seamstress. There are many easy ideas online for some really great costumes.

Swap or Borrow Costumes. If homemade is not your thing, try swapping costumes with friends.

Reuse old costumes. Perhaps a younger sibling wants to be a witch this year. Look at old dance costumes or search yard sales or thrift stores.

Donate old costumes. If you have costumes you will no longer use, donate them. Roudenbush Community Center has teamed up with From The Pumpkin Patch to collect gently worn costumes for local children in need. A collection will also be held at the Westford Family Fun Fest this weekend.

Treats

Upcycle your candy wrappers. Save your candy wrappers and the bags they came in and bring them to an Upcycle It! drop off location.

Try alternatives. Honey sticks such as those sold by Nissitisett Apiaries at the Westford Farmers Market are more natural and you know how the kids love those!

Try non-food items. Tattoos, stickers, pencils and other small items are always a favorite. According to Care 2, an environmental website, kids of all ages would be excited to see these items as a Halloween treat.

Don’t waste the candy you do get. Chop it into your favorite cookie or granola bar recipe, use some of it to make a ginger bread house, or freeze it for later. There is even a Halloween Candy Buy Back program sponsored by area dentists. The candy is sent to deployed U.S. military troops.

Decorations

Use Natural Elements. Pumpkins, apples, gourds and other natural elements make great decorations and can be composted. You may even find them around your yard saving you money.

Yard sales are another good source. If you love Halloween and will decorate year after year, invest in things that will last.

Make your own. The internet is a treasure trove of DIY ideas using items around the house.

Don't for the rechargeable batteries for the flashlights or a reusable bag for gathering your loot.

Happy Halloween!

Green Your Summer Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Reduce Footprints Challenge this week is:

This week, head over to Zero Waste Week 2011 and commit to at least one activity which will reduce waste away from home. Be sure to come back here and share your commitment. The same rules will apply as always ... if you write about it and/or tweet about, you'll be honored next week. After committing to an activity, keep track of your progress because we'll be talking about our successes next week.

For this challenge, I have "recycled" an article I wrote for Westford Patch back in June which listed tips for greening your vacation. I have reprinted it here.

Summer means vacation! Making your vacation more environmentally-friendly does not mean you need to bike to your destination or even find a green hotel!

Although those certainly would do it, there are simpler things you can do wherever you go.

Before You Leave Home

Turn your hot water heater to "vacation" (or down low). Just remember to turn it back up when you return. When I had an energy audit, the auditor told me this makes sense to do anytime you are away for more than three days.

Set your thermostats up so you aren't cooling your home unnecessarily.

Unplug everything you don't need running - TV, coffee maker, toaster, stereos, microwave, cable box, etc. Anything with a clock or remote control continues to use electricity even if you are not using it. I recently discovered that a cable box can draw almost as much electricity even when it's turned off.

Stop your newspaper. No sense in just recycling it when you get home.

Driving? Make sure your car is tuned up and your tires are at the correct pressure to get the best gas mileage possible.

Bring reuseables such as water bottles, snack bags and grocery bags. This way you can pack your own snacks or even lunch, saving you money on eating out. You will also be saving the packaging of single serve items. Bottled water is super expensive especially at vacation destinations. You can refill your water bottles for free most anywhere. And remember that grocery bags can be used for any purchase.

Flying? You can bring an empty water bottle through airport security and fill it on the other side.

Another tip for flying - instead of printing your boarding pass, see if your airline has a mobile boarding pass application that allows you to use your phone for your boarding pass.

Instead of buying new books, magazines or DVDs, go to the J.V. Fletcher library or borrow from a friend.

At Your Destination

Look for recycling bins at amusement parks or other attractions.

Find out the recycling options. Ask the hotel or property agent. Recycling rules vary greatly. You may need to separate your bottles from your paper.

If you are in a hotel, take advantage of their programs. Most hotels will offer to conserve water by not washing your towels everyday.

You already have your water bottle so no need to buy bottles of water.

Turn down the AC/heat and shut off lights when you leave. Hotels are now starting to install devices connected with your key that will automatically shut the lights off when you leave. You may not be paying for these directly, but we all are paying for it in the end.

Try to resist the tacky souvenirs that will break quickly and be thrown away. I know this is difficult with children. Hats, T-shirts, even a great picture make fantastic souvenirs too.

You may be great at recycling at home, but going to a new place may throw your routines off. Little steps. Pick one thing - maybe bringing your water bottle. I bring mine everywhere because I find it so convenient and I drink more water this way. Always a good thing.

Most importantly, have a great time!

Change The World Wednesday - Clean Out The Pantry

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:06:00 +0000

Last week, Reduce Footprints’ weekly challenge was this:

This week, use what is in your cupboards, pantry, freezers, etc. before buying new food items.

I am usually very good about making a menu for the week and shopping from that menu. It really helps reduce food waste and we eat so much better. I started this about 7 years ago when I had 3 children under the age of 3 and started dreading 4pm when I would need to start thinking about dinner. We ended up eating horribly and I was stressed every day at the worst time of day! So I started making up a menu for the week. I’m not saying I spent hours on this. In the beginning I spent maybe ½ hour. When I had time and energy I would look for a new recipe to try. It’s to the point now, where I could probably throw together a menu in about 10 mins, check for what ingredients we need and I’m out the door. It makes the week go so much smoother too. I can look ahead and plan an easy slow cooker meal for busy days or plan to use leftovers in another recipe.

This challenge could not have come at a more perfect time for me. In the summer, my meal planning goes out the window. So over the past few weeks, I have been shopping randomly without a plan. We have lots of food, but nothing really to eat. Know what I mean!

I went through the frig, freezer, pantry and other storage places and figured out what I could make from it all. Here is what we ate this week.

Roasted Chicken, potatoes, frozen peas - Night one was pretty easy. I had a frozen chicken from my meat CSA that we hadn't used yet.

Homemade BBQ chicken pizza with some of the leftover chicken. I always have frozen pizza dough and mozzarella. You can actually freeze shredded cheese with great results if you plan on using it in some sort of melted application - lasagna, mac 'n cheese, pizza... When I make this pizza, I use BBQ sauce instead of marinara and usually add caramelized onions.

Quinoa, black beans, corn and tomato salad – Used up some extra black beans I had from another recipe earlier in the week, leftover corn on the cob and one lonely tomato from the garden. This was awesome! I remember a friend of mine making something similar years ago. I used this recipe loosely but improvised in some places. I will definitely make this again! Lime juice was the key.

My Fake Lasagna Bake – Think the ingredients of lasagna but all mixed together instead of layered neatly. Didn’t have ricotta, so I mixed together penne, the rest of a jar of spaghetti sauce, defrosted and drained spinach, pink beans I found in the freezer, 2 cans of diced tomatoes (about to expire), and mozzarella left from the pizza. I also added sauteed onions and garlic for flavor. My parents happened to stop by and I served it to them. My Mom asked for the recipe!

Overnight French Toast – Loaf of cinnamon raisin bread from the freezer(honestly have no idea how long it was in there!) , last of the eggs, and some cream leftover from another dish. Basically you layer the bread in a 9 x 13 buttered pan, mix the eggs and cream together and pour over the bread. There needs to be enough egg and milk to cover the bread. Let it sit overnight then baked for about 30 – 40 mins in a 350 degree oven. The kids loved it and the bread tasted great soaked with the cream, eggs and covered in maple syrup.

Iced Tea – Apparently I have lots of tea!

Homemade “Chex” Snack mix – Used up some stale pretzels and cereal in this one. Everything crisps up nicely. I have been making this for a while. I modify this recipe slightly by adding ½ tsp of onion powder too and using whatever I have on hand. It’s a great way to use up stale cereal or other snacks. Or things your kids didn’t like.

Quesadillas – No tortillas so I made them with some help from my friend Sally. So good! I also pulled out some salsa and a few veggies – lunch!

To prevent leftovers

Although this challenge was a great opportunity to use up some things, I like to plan a little more so that I don't end up with lots of leftovers.

Make a plan for the week – This one really works for me. It makes shopping and making dinners so much easier. I also found I was spending less on food. Guess why? I was thinking about how much we actually eat in a week instead of throwing a bunch of stuff into my grocery cart. Some of which would get thrown away because I had no real plan for when to use them or I bought too much. I can also think ahead and pick easy dinners (like in the crock pot) for busy days. If I want to try a new recipe that means I need to buy something I normally don’t use (like fresh herbs) I can look for another recipe to make within the same week to use up that ingredient.

Plan for the leftovers - I don’t like leftovers. Reheating the same meal to eat again, yuck! This way I can think about how to use what is left in another recipe. This is where the pizza and pasta recipes and other tips below come in handy.

What to do with leftovers

Pizza – I make homemade pizza almost once a week to use up leftovers. Two of my favorites are: 1) BBQ chicken with some caramelized onions 2) Turkey burgers with feta, Kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

Pasta – I got this recipe from my Italian hairdresser. I mix eggs with some milk – maybe 4 eggs with about 1 cup of milk. I have also used evaporated milk, cream and half and half. Once the pasta is done, I drain it, reserving some cooking liquid, and put it back in the pot. Over low heat I add the egg and milk mixture and cook it gently stirring constantly. When it’s almost done I add tons of Parmesan cheese and whatever veggies I have. It’s sort of like a pasta carbonarra without the bacon – unless I have leftover bacon! Or ham or anything else like it.

Search the Internet - You can find recipes for almost anything. I really like

www.allrecipes.com. It has an ingredient search feature so you can enter the items you have and recipes using those ingredients come up.

Use Your Freezer - If you don’t use it by the next day, freeze it! I do this with a lots of meats then use them on pizza or in soups later. Here are some others to try:

Freeze bananas for smoothies or banana bread.
Fresh herbs – try drying or freezing them. Freezing works well for most green herbs (rosemary, thyme, dill, parsley). Basil can also be frozen but requires a little extra effort. You can make pesto and freeze that. Or chop the basil and add it to a little water and freeze in ice cube trays. I have done this with Rosemary and it's great! The Rosemary isn't as powerful as fresh, but not as mild as dried either.
Wine – Freeze for use in cooking. I have not tried this myself, but I really should. I love cooking with wine, but when I open an entire bottle for that ½ cup, I almost never finish the bottle.
Greens – You can’t freeze greens, but you could add to smoothies and freeze those.

I am going to keep this challenge going a little longer. I need to use up some odd things I have picked up along the way. I have some curry paste, capers and hoisin sauce, among other things, that I have yet to open! Anyone have recipes for those?

Update: Nov. 29, 2011 -Fried Rice is a new addition to my "Use up the leftovers" recipe collection. I sauteed whatever veggies I have left with some garlic. Add to scrambled eggs, rice and soy sauce.

The Lazy Way To Compost

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:49:00 +0000

It's been a BUSY summer and I just realized I haven't posted in almost a month! Here is a repost of one of my Greene Westford columns from Westford Patch.

Earth Machine Composter use at the Westford Road Race this past spring

When I was a child, my grandparents always had a wire stand with a small bag attached to it on their counter. Kitchen scraps would go in and then be taken to the large garden out back. I really never thought about it much until years later. They were composting! To my grandparents it made total sense. Why throw out useful material when it was so good for their garden.

According to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, “[f]ood scraps account for more than 800,000 tons of the waste generated each year in Massachusetts.” Some of this is good food that goes bad. This waste can be reduced by watching how much you buy. You can save money in the process.

Some of this cannot be eaten – melon rinds, vegetable ends, coffee grinds and the like. These items can be composted into rich food for your garden. If you aren’t a gardener, you still might care to reduce this waste. Why? Westford pays for each ton of trash that is hauled away. Compostable items are heavy! So the more you throw into your trash barrel, the more it costs the town.

The whole process can seem confusing and daunting. It really isn’t. Composting is easier than you think. Composting will happen regardless of your efforts, or lack thereof. Organic materials rot!

There is no single correct way to compost. A very quick way to get started is to purchase an Earth Machine Composter from the Westford Recycling Commission for $45. This same composter retails for well over $100. If you don't live in Westford, check with your town. Quite a few of them offer these, especially if they are paying for any of your trash disposal.

Start throwing your compostable items in and Voila! Compost! Or at the very least a lot less trash. You could turn the compost, but it’s really not necessary. You could make sure you have the right ratio of “brown” to “green” materials, but again, not absolutely necessary. Roughly equal parts of brown and green materials will give you the optimal ratio. You should keep the pile moist but not soggy. Add some water when you think of it.

I don’t really pay attention to my compost bin. Sad to say I did not inherit my family’s green thumb, so I am not terribly concerned with getting usable compost at the end. To me, if I am reducing my trash I am happy. After 3 years, my Earth Machine is pretty much always half full no matter how much I put into it.

With any big change, figuring out a system that will work for you is key. Most likely you will need someplace to gather your scraps in the kitchen, then transfer them to your yard composter. I generally use a porcelain crock that sits on my counter. When it fills (which for me is pretty quickly) I take it out back to dump it. Sometimes in the winter months I have a secondary stage. I keep a 5 gallon pail out my back door. The counter-top composter gets dumped into the 5 gallon pail, then the 5 gallon pails goes to the yard composter less frequently

Here are some items that CAN go into your composter:

GREEN

Fruit and Vegetable scraps – melon rinds, banana peels, apple cores, carrot tops...
Dryer lint
Grass clippings
Coffee grounds (include the paper filter)
Egg shells

BROWN

Leaves
Straw
Hay
Shredded newspaper or cardboard
Paper napkins or paper towels (depending on what is on them)
Human hair
Tea bags and grounds
Old flower arrangements
Dog or cat fur

Do NOT include:

Meat
Bones
Dairy
Fats or oils

These will attract animals and will smell.

Do You Compost?

Sunscreens That Shine

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:21:00 +0000

Last week I featured sunscreens on Greene Westford. Here is the article re-printed from Westford Patch.

Summer is here! Fun in the sun also means staying safe from the sun’s rays. However, it’s not as simple as avoiding sunburns.

The sun contains two major types of ultraviolet (UV) rays - UVB rays are primarily responsible for sunburns while UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and cause more dangerous cell changes such as wrinkles and skin cancer. A sunscreen’s sun protection factor (SPF) tells you how effectively the product blocks UVB rays. Currently there is no such label for UVA rays.

Most skin damage is the result of years of cumulative sun exposure. That is why doctors say it's important to use sunscreen year-round. It is especially important to protect children. Many doctors believe that melanoma (the most dangerous skin cancer) can be caused by severe sunburns before the age of 18.

The safest thing to do is to limit your sun exposure: staying in the shade, wearing clothing, hats and sunglasses. Sun guard shirts have become much more popular recently and easier to find. I recently bought some at Olympia Sports in Westford. You can find several online as well.

However, this is not always possible. A good sunscreen is still a must. Not all sunscreens are created equal. While some may be great at blocking the harmful rays of the sun, the chemicals they use can cause some damage on their own. What to do now? This is where I turn to the Environmental Working Group’s 2011 sunscreen guide.

The EWG is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting people from toxic contaminants. The EWG’s guide rates 1700 sunscreens based on how well they protect you from UVB and UVA rays as well as the ingredients used. Each product is given a value from 0 to 10, where 0 is the best (has the least harmful ingredients and protects against the sun) and 10 the worst.

When looking for sunscreen, there are several ingredients to avoid such as Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate), added insect repellent and especially Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone is a synthetic estrogen which can interfere with our own hormones. There are studies that indicate Vitamin A absorbed into the skin may cause tumors to grow quicker, and if you need insect repellent, it's better to add that as needed.

Sprays, powders and SPFs above 50 should also be avoided. Sprays and powders spread through the air and may not be safe to breathe. SPF higher than 50 may tempt you to stay in the sun longer than you should. Remember, UVA rays do not burn, but they are more dangerous overall than the burning UVB rays.

Look for products that contain Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide or Avobenzone as their active ingredients. Not only do these products better protect against the sun, but they won’t harm you in the process.

Most of the safest choices are only available online. However, here is a list of some more commonly found sunscreens that still rate low on the danger scale. The number is parentheses is the EWG rating.

Elemental Herbs (1) - Available at The Whole Body Spa
Aveeno Baby Natural Protection Mineral Block Face Stick SPF 50 (1)
Kiss My Face Kids SPF 30 Sun Stick (pink, blue, white) (1)
Aveeno Active Naturals Natural Protection Mineral Block Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 (3)
CVS Baby Stick Sunscreen SPF 60+ (3)
Walgreens Baby Pure and Gentle Sunscreen Stick SPF 60+ (3)
Walgreens Sport Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 (3)
Walgreens Sunscreen SPF 45 (3)
Coppertone Kids Pure and Simple Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 (3)
Coppertone Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 (3)
Coppertone Water Babies Pure and Simple sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 (3)

I was able to find quite a few of these in Westford at CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens. Just remember to apply sunscreen before you go outside (15 - 30 minutes) and reapply as directed.

Change The World Wednesday - Homemade Granola Bars

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:47:00 +0000

OK OK, yes I know it's actually Monday. I am writing this in response to Reduce Footprints Change the Word Wednesday (CTWW) challenge from last week. Here is the challenge:

This week, make your coffee or tea at home. Getting coffee/tea out every day not only costs a lot but also generates a lot of waste. Make it at home instead. And don't forget ... both coffee grounds and tea leaves are great in the compost bin.

Or ...

If you don't drink these beverages or always drink them at home, choose one other food or beverage, which you typically buy at either a restaurant or grocery store, and make it yourself at home. And, of course, we'd like to hear all about it!

I almost always make my coffee/tea at home, so does my husband. We compost the grounds and tea leaves. We use one of those "gold" reusable filters. I even buy loose tea and fill reusable tea bags. However, we get coffee out every Sunday morning. We don't use reusable mugs. Bad, I know. I will work on this one.

It does somehow taste so much better when they make it. It must be their machines. If you do get coffee/tea out a lot, try to reduce the impact on the environment and your wallet. Instead of committing to making your own at home ALL the time, reduce slowly over time. Start with once a week. Or bring your own mug. Many places, like Starbucks, will give you a discount for bringing your mug.

I have actually already been working on the second part of this challenge. Granola bars are our downfall! We buy these by the case. It kills me. I know they are not good for you, even though I try to buy the healthiest ones I can. And the packaging waste! Again, we upcycle the wrappers, but still. Reduce is the best option.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

I started playing with recipes last week. I have a couple that are very promising.

Chewy Granola Bars - I found this one on allrecipes.com. Here is my version:

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup brown rice crips (these can be difficult to find, regular rice krispies could be used as well)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1 cup assorted mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large mixing bowl combine oats, flours, baking soda,vanilla, butter, applesauce, and honey. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Lightly press the mixture into the pan. Bake at 325 for 18 to 22 mins. or until golden brown.
Let cool for 10 mins, then cut into bars. Let them cool completely before removing from pan.

These are pretty good. They are a little more cookie-like in texture. But I like that they didn't have as much sugar (the recipe actually called for honey) or butter as other recipes I saw. They are crumbly though. Need to work on that. You can add any mixture of dried fruits, nuts, or chocolate for the last 3 ingredients.

There is another recipe for granola bars that have peanut butter. They are promising, but need to be tweaked as is. They were way too sweet even though I didn't even add the chocolate chips. I love the peanut butter and the texture.

This post has been submitted as part of Frugal Days,Sustainable Ways at Frugally Sustainable.com

Have any recipes to share?

Ways To Avoid Pesticides in Produce on a Budget

noreply@blogger.com (The Greening Of Westford) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Conventional produce has pesticides even after washing. Ideally it would be great if you could buy organic for all of your produce. However, that's not always possible - either you can’t afford or can’t find organic produce for everything you eat. Now, what do you do?

The Environmental Working Group has created a Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides which ranks pesticide contamination for almost 50 popular fruits and vegetables. The 12 most contaminated foods are called the 'dirty dozen'. They include apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries(domestic), lettuce, spinach, kale/collards. There is also the 'clean 15' which are the 15 least pesticide ridden. They include onions, sweet corn, pineapple, avocados, asparagus, sweet peas (frozen), mango, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, mushrooms.

The obvious answer is to buy organic for the dirty dozen. If that is not an option, the EWG still says “Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.” Aim to reduce your pesticide exposure if you can't totally eliminate it. And let's face it, eliminating it totally is probably going to be pretty tough.

Here are other ways to reduce your pesticide exposure:

Buy from a local farm that is organic or uses other methods of pest control. With summer approaching, farmers markets will be everywhere!
Don’t buy the dirty dozen as frequently. Even if you reduce the amount of strawberries you eat by half, that’s half the amount of pesticides.
Exchange one of the dirty dozen for something lower on the list, ideally the clean 15. For example, choose sweet potatoes over regular or cantaloupe/watermelon for peaches or nectarines.
Try organic frozen varieties of the dirty dozen. They are often less expensive. I love this for smoothies. Plus, it helps to satisfy the craving for that fruit, which means I don’t need to buy it fresh as often.
To reduce residual pesticide, wash your fruits and vegetables well.
Do some pricing research. You can find organic produce at pretty good prices if you look around.
Take a look at other areas where you can save money so you can shift some of your budget to organics.
Grow your own!
Take a look at what you eat the most and concentrate on reducing the pesticides on those. For example, even though carrots are not in the dirty dozen, they are still pretty high on the list and we eat lots of them. I choose to buy these organic. Costco used to have them at a fantastic price. But I haven't seen them in Nashua for a month!

Here are some specifics I have found:

Celery – I have seen organic for not much more. You could just leave it out of your recipe, or substitute chopped cabbage, cucumbers or water chestnuts for the crunch and celery seed/salt for the flavor. If you do buy organic celery and won’t use it all, try freezing it. I have chopped celery, frozen it and used it in soups with much success.

Apples – Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s regularly have organic apples. Since they keep so long, I stock up when I can. Also, remember to buy organic applesauce. Trader Joe’s has reasonably priced unsweetened organic applesauce that even my sweet tooth daughter loves!

Blueberries (Domestic) – Sounds odd, but try to look for imported blueberries.

Spinach – For cooked dishes, broccoli is an option which is also high in carotenoids, vitamins A and C and folate. If you can use frozen, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have organic frozen spinach at a reasonable price.

Kale/Collard Greens– I see organic kale at Hannaford quite regularly for not much more.

Potatoes –Try sweet potatoes. They are more nutritious too. I recently bought organic potatoes at Hannaford for the same price as non-organic. The only difference being that I had to buy them in a 5 lb bag instead of choosing them individually. Trader Joe’s also has them at a reasonable price.

Grapes (Imported) – I have been buying domestic grapes at Hannaford. Although from January until about April, they are not available so we don’t buy as many grapes.

Just knowing which ones are high in pesticides will help you make better choices. I often find myself opting for the lower pesticide fruits and veggies automatically now. There are still plenty of great options that do not need to be organic.

As a general rule of thumb, items lower on the pesticide scale tend to be fruits and veggies with thick skins that you do not eat – melons, mangoes, pineapples, grapefruits, kiwi, peas, corn. Of course then there are cranberries and eggplant that mess that up, but it’s a start!

In case you still can’t remember all this, there is a pocket guide!

As soon as I posted this, the EWG updated their guide for 2011. This post has been updated for the 2011 EWG guide.