Kansas Green Guide Your Bi-Weekly Guide to Sustainable Living

Green Your Valentines Day February 1, 2013

What better way to show how much you love her or him than doing it in a way that's sensitive to the environment? Let's all get a little greener as we celebrate this Valentine's Day. Here are a few simple steps you can take to celebrate the holiday with the environment in mind: Use your local grocer Planning to gift your Valentine with organic flowers or candy? Shopping online or at local green boutiques is one option. But if you're pressed for time, utilize the selection at your local grocery store. Green & Black's and Newman's Own organic chocolates are carried in most supermarkets, and almost all grocers' florists carry organic and sustainable choices. Just ask! Try a greener gift wrap Get creative when wrapping your Valentine's Day gifts by using recycled, reused or repurposed materials. Or, just put your gift in a reusable shopping bag! Choose a gift that gives back Think outside the candy box for your Valentine's gifts by choosing a gift that gives back. That $20 you'd spend on a bouquet of roses could buy a flock of chicks for a hungry family through Heifer International or help save an endangered species through the World Wildlife Fund. Dine green Planning a night out on the town with your Valentine? Choose a sustainable or eco-friendly eatery to cut back on the footprint of your meal and support a green business in your community. Not sure where to start? Just type your zip code into a green restaurant search database, like the Green Restaurant Association or EatWellGuide.org, for a full list of choices in your area. Think vintage Sure, you could make a last-minute trip to the mall for your Valentine's jewelry. But wouldn't it be cooler to give your special someone a gift with a touch of history? Rather than hitting the big-name jewelry stores, check out a local thrift shop or second-hand store for a vintage necklace, ring or broach that suits your sweetie's style. The Environmental Protection Agencys Sustainable Materials Management Web Academy is hosting a webinar Getting Those BIG Office Buildings to Recycle. The webinar will be February 7 from 12 1:30 p.m. You can register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/611857762. This webinar will focus on recycling professionals who have successfully worked with property managers and others to set up and run programs to recycle paper, OCC and containers from several large office buildings, government and commercial. During this webinar you will hear about: Who are the right people to contact? How to work with the building's owners, employees and custodial staff to start a good recycling program How to ensure staying power of your recycling program SMM Website: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/smm/ SMM Web Academy Website: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/smm/web-academy/index.htm
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