The Palisadian-Post has teamed up with locally founded environmental nonprofit Resilient Palisades to deliver a weekly “green tip” to readers.
Resilient Palisades hopes your new year is off to a good start! If you’re looking to get a fresh start on a more resilient future, here a few things you and your family can do to help address some of our most pressing environmental (and social) issues. Together, Palisadians can build a safer, cleaner and plain better community and country.
Energy: Sign up for clean energy through your utility provider. Fifty percent of California’s energy is still sourced from coal.
Water: We live in a Mediterranean climate, and our water is shipped from northern California and the Colorado River. Rethink your lawns, landscape with low-water plants and mulch to help retain moisture in your soil.
Air: Although they continue to be the norm, one of the most passé and archaic behaviors we partake in on a daily basis is the use gas-powered gardening equipment. You can reduce your family’s output of thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde and other noxious chemicals into your home and backyard.
Speak with your gardener about making the shift to zero-emission equipment (rebates of up to 75% off through the South Coast Air Quality Management District on commercial-grade alternatives).
Waste: There is no “away.” Landfill space is actually shrinking with valuable materials that can be composted, recycled or downcycled. If you’re not ready to compost at home, services like Compost Carriers and Compostable LA will pick up your food waste and compost it for you. Visit LA Public Works website for free electronic and HHW drop-off locations.
Transportation: Have you ever considered that we are never “stuck” in traffic but that we “are” traffic? Before leaving home, group your errands together to reduce your driving footprint.
Toxins: Clever marketing has us thinking we need harsh chemicals to clean everything from our hair to our floors. Spend one day with your family and look up the ingredients of products from your bathroom to your broom cabinet. Then visit EWG.org to find out how these chemicals are affecting your household—your two- as well as your four-legged family members—and make the switch to safer alternatives.
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