Green Initiative Articles

January 2010

Jan. 11 - STYROFOAM’S a No-No

Styrofoam's everywhere. Technically called polystyrene, it holds your food, is used as packing material and lines your bike helmet. Styrofoam is a cheap and convenient product used ubiquitously for coffee hot cups, dinnerware and carry-outs.

            Alas and unfortunately, styro's a "no-no" for sustainability. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that styro cups will still be sitting in landfills 500 years from now and 25 billion of them are tossed annually. Styrofoam products are not degradable, emit dangerous toxins, and are easily littered — a danger for waterways and fish/wildlife.  For care of the earth, china cups, plastic mugs and compostable hot cups reduce our environmental impact. 

            So why is the Res Green Team now asking Res committees, staff and parishioners to use styrofoam? Good stewardship says we shouldn't just throw away our unused cache of cups, plates and bowls.  As John Stierman, school maintenance, said in Nov. 15 bulletin: The best solution for styrofoam products still on our Res campus is to "use them up and get rid of them!" Besides styro plates/bowls, our church and school have 1,100 styrofoam cups to "use up."  At your next event, find the hot cups in the Res meeting rooms and in the rectory storage room (marked with green sign). Call the school office to locate other dinnerware. Hopefully by summer, especially by the church festival, we can replace styrofoam products with china, reusable plastic compostables—once and for all.

Res Environmental Stewardship Committee/ wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene/"Recycling Mystery: Expanded Polystyrene," Kasen Seaver, www. earth911.com/blog/2009/03/09/recycling-mysteries-styrofoam/

 

Jan. 17 - ENERGY GREENING and SAVING 'GREEN'

"Creation care" requires that we are good stewards of our energy usage to reduce our carbon footprints. Here is some helpful information from Alliant Energy.

 If you purchase a product that uses energy in 2010, you can help the environment and save money through the Alliant "Cash-Back Reward" program. For example:

• 50% off purchase of fluorescent light bulbs

• $20 cash-back on ceiling fans

• Up to $25 off programmable thermostats

• $25 off of replacement windows

• $50 off refrigerators (e.g. EnergyStar)

Find out more on Alliant's website about Cash-Back Rewards AND federal tax credits. 

alliantenergy.com/rewards OR alliantenergy.com/taxcredits. Phone: 1-866-255-4268. Resource: "Power House News" newsletter

 

Jan. 24 - ENERGY GREENING and SAVING 'GREEN'

Last week, the Res Green Team talked about a Cash-Back Rewards program by Alliant Energy. Here's another "bright idea" that's only a computer click or a phone call away. Every year, the average American home loses $150 worth of energy through inefficient appliances, lack of insulation or drafty windows and doors. Help save energy, cost and the environment by getting a Home Energy Audit, free for AE customers in homes built before Jan. 1, 2000. (It's popular, you might have to wait awhile.) A certified energy auditor will visit your home and spend about an hour, pinpointing where energy loss is happening. He/she will identify ways for you to reduce your energy usage and tell you how much you can expect to save by considering by simple household maintenance or  upgrades to appliances, furnace, windows, etc. The auditor may even install some energysaving measures on the spot at no cost. Call 1-866-255-4268 or visit www.alliantenergy.com

 

Jan. 31 - ECO-FRIENDLY SUPER BOWL

Reduce your carbon footprint with these bright ideas for a greener Super Bowl party:

• Save paper. Invite folks on line through evite.com

• Forget decorations. People will be watching the game, not centerpieces and streamers.

• Go vegetarian with meat-free chili, cheeses, veggie/fruit

• Use real dishes, not paper or styrofoam

• Take good, fresh leftovers to the Dubuque Rescue Mission

Adapted from U.S. Weekend; www.usaweekend.com