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Holiday Cards... What do you do with them?

What do you do with those attractive Christmas cards that you get?  1.  you can cut out the front of the card and use that snow man for example as a gift tag.  2.  You can recycle the entire front of the card and laminated on a larger piece of stock paper and putting your own greeting on the right side of the card and re-gift the card.  Helps your pocket book and the environment.

The First Issue - "A Little Greener"

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 1

This is the first issue of a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  It is brought to you by the “G2 Force*”, with Administrative approval.  Your editor, will send out topical and interesting items that either come across my desk, or, the desks of my G2 colleagues, or your desks/mailboxes.  Whatever you send me I will use.  The emphasis is on the practical.

 

• Polly Taylor, C-10 our new Foods Teacher invites Staff and Students to come to her room during Brunch and Passing Periods to fill up their water bottles, with good, clean, pure drinking water.  You can save $ and make a contribution to re-cycling!

 

• You can save money on glass cleaner, and this makes a good all-around household cleaner as well + you are using a re-usable plastic spray bottle aren't you?

1/2 cup sudsy ammonia

1 pt. rubbing alcohol

1 tsp. dishwashing liquid

Mix these ingredients and add tap water to make 1 gallon.  Pour it into a re-useable spray bottle & you can save $ and make a contribution to re-cycling!

 

• Kathy Soulard reminds us all that we can stop using plastic bags for lunches and instead buy a roll of wax paper (you know the kind your family used to use when you had lunches back in the day).  The paper can be re-used several times, plus it is much less expensive than plastic, and sometimes the less, the better.

 

• A web site entitled www.earthteam.net is staffed by students and adults with a goal of promoting environmental education and activism.  Get on their list to find out how your students can get involved with other Bay area teens and create environmental change.  They sponsor a “green screen” video program + have several lesson plans available.

 

• Speaking of lesson plans: The G2 Force is looking for "Environmental Lesson Plans", to complement the TUPE plans that substitutes can use when you are away.  A great way to practice sustainable teaching, when you are not in the classroom!  Send your plans to Polly Taylor, Marin Aldrich or Josh Rubin.

“G2 Force” is the preferred term for “The Greenies-Gardeners Task Force”.  No “…Greener” next week, your editor is out of town.  Next issue features:  Bleach vs. Peroxide in the best of two out of three falls. Woodside will soon be offering “Klean Kanteen & Chico Bags as a recycling fundraiser. Stay tuned. Do keep those cards and letters coming.  Herb Felsenfeld, Editor

Greener #2

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 2

This is the second issue of a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  It is brought to you by the “G2 Force*”, with Administrative approval.  Your editor, will send out topical and interesting items that either come across my desk, or, the desks of my G2 colleagues, or your desks/mailboxes.  Whatever you send me I will use.  The emphasis is on the practical.

Kathy Soulard reports on a recyclable toothbrush you can purchase for $2.79.  The “Preserve Toothbrush” can be recycled back to the company.  You can purchase it at “Trader Joe’s” or “Target”.  The company has many other personal care, kitchen, and household products (all recyclable), programs, and environmental information that are well worth considering.  Check them out at: www.recycline.com

BLEACH vs. PEROXIDE

Bleach was invented in the late 1940’s.  As a chlorine product it has toxic properties, and has been used to kill people.  Peroxide was invented in the 1920’s and has been used to cleanse operating rooms in WWI hospitals.  It has many uses; I will note a few in this and in coming issues:

Take a capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold it in your mouth for ten minutes daily, then spit it out (you can do this while you bathe, shower, do dishes, etc.).  This will prevent canker sores and your teeth will be whiter, without expensive pastes.  Use it also instead of mouthwash.

Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free from germs.

Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell.  Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe or spray it on your counters.

There will be more to come next week on the uses of peroxide.

The G2 Force is looking for "Environmental Lesson Plans", to complement the TUPE plans that substitutes can use when you are away.  A great way to practice sustainable teaching, when you are not in the classroom!  Send your plans to Polly Taylor, Marin Aldrich or Josh Rubin. 

Woodside will soon be offering “Klean Kanteen & Chico Bags” as a recycling fundraiser. Stay Tuned.

The “Greener” Depends Upon It’s Friends:  Please let me know if you have “green” information to share. HF

Greener #3

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 3

This is the third issue of a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  It is brought to you by the “G2 Force*”, with Administrative approval.  The editor, will send out topical and interesting items that either come across my desk, or, the desks of my G2 colleagues, or your desks/mailboxes.  Whatever you send me I will use.  The emphasis is on the practical.

RE:  Last Week –

Jill Baumgartel reminds us that when using peroxide, the kind I am talking about is “hydrogen peroxide” – there are many other kinds.

Greg Gruszynski notes that for those who can get there, The Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco (at Folsom Street and Division) also sells Preserve (recyclable) Toothbrushes.

Kathy Soulard reports that the G2 Force is sponsoring a fundraiser to support re-cycling efforts at Woodside.  You can purchase the following right now in D-5: 

Klean Kanteens – in black or sunset orange with loop caps for easy carrying.  It’s made of 100% recyclable, high-quality, food grade stainless steel so it doesn’t need a special lining like some other metal bottles. It’s completely BPA-free and won’t leach chemicals, toxins, or funky flavors into your water, juice, smoothie, or drink of choice. Plus it weighs only 8 oz. and is incredibly durable, so you can reuse it for years.  They are $20.00 each.  

Chico Bags in light or dark green, mango, black, hot pink, or blue with an earth logo and totally re-useable. They are five dollars each, fit in the palm of your hand and expand to hold 25 lbs.  Why use ‘em?  An estimated 1 trillion single-use plastic bags are consumed worldwide. In the United States alone, the average citizen uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year. Currently, 97% of these bags end up in either a landfill or littering our planet’s fragile eco-systems.  You do the math.

Big sale days are October 28 and 30 when we will be selling outside.  In the meantime see Kathy for an early purchase for a worthwhile cause.

The Editor is out of room, so that will be the 0-0-0 mark for tonight sports fans.  Next week: more peroxide hints, adding vinegar to the mix, and South Bay/Peninsula Natural Pages.

Greener #4

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 4

This is a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  The Greener Depends Upon Its Friends – send information, it will be printed. The emphasis is on the practical.

RE:  Last Week –

Jill Baumgartel reminds us that baking soda is another toothpaste alternative.

Pam Ranganath reports that staff can request a white bucket for can/bottle recycling by calling room F-16 @ ext. 4403

Kleen Kanteens ($20.00 each) in black or sunset orange with loop caps for easy carrying, and Chico Bags ($5.00 each) in light or dark green, mango, black, hot pink, or blue with an earth logo and totally re-useable are available for purchase in D-5 from Kathy Soulard.  Big sale days are October 28 and 30 when we will be selling outside.  On other days see Kathy for your purchase.  All monies raised go for a worthwhile cause – Woodside’s recycling program.  

South Bay/Peninsula Natural Pages have been around for 20 years.  The magazine is a directory, calendar, restaurant guide, marketplace, and resource guide for those in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. For $10.00/year you can have a copy mailed to you twice a year.  Order online at: www.naturalpages.com/orderbooks.  Their address is: 1290 Bodega Ave. Ste. D, Petaluma, CA 94952.  They also talk about Gooshpooti(!?!)

The Slow Lane 

You can save up to 25% of your gas fuel bill by driving your car at or under 3,000 rpms on the freeway.  That amounts to slightly under 65 mph.  It may drive some of your fellow drivers crazy; but I’ve tried it and it works.  This is information from my local AAA.

A Gallon Of Vinegar

It is cheap, $3.00 per gallon and great.  Instead of dumping detergents with polluting phosphates into lakes and waterways, you’ll be using a biodegradable substance when you clean.  What will it do:  Vinegar and Water will allegedly clean anything (this is from NEAtoday, April 2008 – something I usually race through & throw it, but they now have some good green information).

Hydrogen Peroxide Again:  

After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria

Peroxide and water, a 50-50 solution in a spray bottle is a very good treatment for foot fungus.

That is the 0-0-0 mark for tonight sports fans.   Next week: more 50-50 peroxide hints, + your cards and letters in the meantime, as Madame Chico says, “Be Gorgeous, Be Green.”

Greener #5

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 5

This is a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  The Greener Depends Upon Its Friends – send information, it will be printed. The emphasis is on the practical.

Chuck Velschow, of the Business Academy, reports that he has switched to “an old fashioned” lawn mower.  No gas, no electricity, creating a healthier lawn (the shredding reseeds the lawn without fertilizers) and it is great exercise.  

For those of you who do not want to mow at all, or would like to learn some alternatives to lawns:

On November 12, Wednesday there will an presentation on “Alternatives to Lawns” with guest speaker Deva Luna

Location:  San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way (located just off Alameda de las Pulgas, 4 blocks south of Hwy 92) 

Time:  7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Cost:  Free …Open to the Public …No advance reservations necessary

Tired of watering, mowing and weeding your lawn but don’t know what to put in instead?  Replacing your lawn appropriately reduces water and maintenance costs, encourages habitat for birds and butterflies and does not contribute to global warming.  You’ll come away from this inspiring talk with dozens of ideas, illustrated by pictures worth more than a thousand …   Deva combines her passion for plants with a desire to enhance the environment.  She is a lifetime Master Gardener, Gardening Instructor, Coordinator of the Santa Clara Teaching Garden and Landscape Designer/Horticulturist for EarthCare Landscaping.  Deva has a degree in “Plant and Art” from UC Davis.

This is the last lecture for the 2008 season.  For additional information, please contact RecycleWorks @ 1-888-442-2656 or email, info@RecycleWorks.org

Your Peroxide Hints for the Week:

Soak any infections or cuts in 3% Hydrogen Peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day.

Fill a spray bottle with 50/50 mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and water.  Keep the bottle in your bathroom to disinfect with harming your septic tank (unlike bleach and other disinfectants).

                                                                                       

That is the 0-0-0 mark for tonight sports fans.   Next week: more peroxide hints, + your cards and letters, in the meantime, as Madame Chico says, “Be Gorgeous, Be Green.”

Greener #7

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 7

This is a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  The Greener Depends Upon Its Friends – send information, it will be printed. The emphasis is on the practical. 

Coming soon to a mailbox near you

Tammy Del Bene, Recycling Coordinator for NORCAL meet with the G2 Force recently and there will soon be whole passel of information coming about recycling information you can use.  Here are some highlights:

In San Francisco only, you can cut up your old milk cartons and put them in the green compost recycling containers.  This is not true for San Mateo County however

Laundry lint can be composted.

Dog hair?  Soiled tissue paper?  Waste products from herbivores?  Tammy will check on whether these can be recycled or not.  Information will be included in the list we will send out.

Bottle caps are recyclable.  It is very important that any plastic you put into your recycling container be free of all food – wash, wash ‘em.

Very Interesting Company :  GREEN DISK- 1-800-305-DISK; 1-425-392-8700; www.greendisk.com

GreenDisk offers a convenient, comprehensive set of services to help individuals and organizations reduce the expense and the environmental impact associated with obsolete technology. Specialized, convenient recycling programs are available for virtually all forms of technotrash. Each program pays particular attention to the secure, audited disposal of the intellectual property that is uniquely associated with this waste stream. With audited accountability you can be assured that your files are safe. And you can demonstrate that your materials have been disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.  

(This company was mentioned, by Marin?, at our last “G2Force” meeting)

PEROXIDE TIPS

Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water; keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants.

When you have a cold or plugged sinus, tilt your head back and spray that 50/50 mixture into your nostrils.  It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria.  Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.

Web Site of the Week   http://www.theglobalintelligencer.com/december07/chrisjordan.php  After you have viewed it, and if we have not sent you, on the next school day, to Kathy Soulard’s office to buy your Klean Kanteen and your Chico bags, then I give up.

And … that is the 0-0-0 mark for tonight sports fans.   Next week: more peroxide hints, + your cards and letters, + in the meantime, as Madame Chico says, “Be Gorgeous, Be Green.”

Greener #8

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 8

This is a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  The Greener Depends Upon Its Friends – send information, it will be printed. The emphasis is on the practical. 

NOT Coming soon to a mailbox near you

Kathy Soulard notes the following companies as the best sources for what you can/cannot recycle from home:

San Francisco Residential Recycling:  http//www.sfrecycling.com

For San Mateo County, Allied Waste Recycling:  http://alliedwastesanmateocounty.com

 For Santa Clara County:  http://www.recyclestuff.org/Guides/CityGuideSantaClara.pdf

Ann Akey notes a great use (and promotion) for Chico Bags – buy them for $5.00 from The Treasurer’s Office, or the Academy Students at lunch/brunch … and … use them in place of wrapping paper this holiday season.

One more from Kathy:  What household item:

Is a dry shampoo for pets

Untangles knots

Soaks up furniture polish residue

Removes ink stains from your carpet

Gives carpets a fresh scent

Makes paste for kids school projects

Makes finger paints

Cleans stuffed animals

Separates marsh mellows

Lifts scorch marks from clothing

Removes grease marks/splatters from walls

Gets rid of bloodstains

Polishes silver

Makes windows sparkle http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/extraordinary-uses-for-cornstarch/article23823.html

Rids your house of roaches

Take detailed notes at: http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/extraordinary-uses-for-cornstarch/article23823.html .  Be warned!   This will be on the Final!  

Brush up on your Spanish and Be Green at the same time.  Marin Aldrich sends in the following:

http://entretenimiento.latam.msn.com/fotogaleria.aspx?cp-documentid=14872989

“Great pictures - would be cool if we could incorporate something like this into this year's spring fashion show!” - MA

And … that is the 0-0-0 mark for tonight sports fans.   Next week: maybe more peroxide hints, + your cards and letters, + in the meantime, as Madame Chico says, “Be Gorgeous, Be Green.”

Greener # 9

A LITTLE GREENER

Vol. 1, No. 9

This is a regularly re-occurring e-mail about matters green.  The Greener Depends Upon Its Friends – send information, it will be printed. The emphasis is on the practical. 

LAST MINUTE STOCKING STUFFER!

32 ounces of Hydrogen Peroxide at Walgreens: $2.09

2 – 32 ounce bottles of Hydrogen Peroxide at COSTCO: $2.09

Deal baby deal!

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Ann Akey writes that EarthTeam Environmental Network – www.earthteam.net - has over five pages of environmentally friendly holiday ideas in such areas as: 

gift wrapping and cards, 

gift giving, tips for a “low carbon” holiday,

decorating, 

holiday entertaining, 

after party activities, 

green gifting websites,

Use less stuff 

Green gifts/decoration shopping sites. 

To find out more go to: – www.earthteam.net  - and click on “Greening the Holidays Guide 2008” at the prompt on the home page.

In general the Network advises you to follow the four R’s when planning your gift wish list, choosing gifts for friends and family, decorating, and when planning holiday parties.  They have a checklist to consider:

Can I reduce my waste by choosing alternate gifts, gift-wrapping, and decorations?

Can I reuse materials to wrap gifts in, give a gift that can be re-used, or give a good “used” present, such as something antique or vintage?

Will I or my family and friends be able to recycle gifts, gift-wrapping and holiday decorations?  Can I buy an alternative that is made from recycled materials?

Can the gift, gift-wrapping, or holiday decorations rot (be composted)?

Finally, consider the life expectancy of everything you buy, including the packaging that things come in: will this be around in 6 months, or will be landfill now?

The site also has some interesting facts about how much we consume over the holidays.

And … that is the 0-0-0 mark for tonight sports fans.   Next time: maybe we are done with peroxide hints, + your cards and letters, + in the meantime, as Madame Chico says, “Be Gorgeous, Be Green.”