Suggestion Box Yields Great Results in December

The first month of the Climate Change Suggestion Box was a success! Rich Mathes won the drawing and received a reusable water bottle. Here are the excellent suggestions our members submitted:

For the Community:

Support uniform federal standards for recycling and composting.

For the Church:

Solar panels.

Use compostable products to replace plastic. BEWARE: “compostable” means what Cedar Grove accepts. Flatware and lined deli containers are trash in Seattle, even though the products say they are compostable. Plates with slick surfaces and waxed cups aren’t compostable, either. Even if you wash food off these dishes and recycle them, the paper itself probably goes into the garbage at the recycler.

For Our Homes:

Put up a clothesline to dry your clothes in good weather (makes them smell wonderful!).j

Plan trips to avoid using the car; make it a family contest! Ideas: 1) carpool with families for soccer practice, 2) ride bikes or walk to school, 3) group errands – for example, do grocery shopping and visit the library when you’re in the area for a doctor/dentist appointment.

Use compostable products to replace plastic. BEWARE: “compostable” means what Cedar Grove accepts. Flatware and lined deli containers are trash in Seattle, even though the store where you get them says they are compostable. Plates with slick surfaces and waxed cups aren’t compostable, either. Even if you wash food off these dishes and recycle them, the paper itself probably goes into garbage at the recycler.

Use washable ceramic/glass dishes and storage containers instead of single use plastic.

Use air purifiers for good respiratory health.

Use toilet paper made from recycled paper. A million acres of Canada’s boreal forests are logged each year, and a lot of that timber goes to make throwaway tissue products like toilet paper. Since boreal forests store more carbon per hectare than any other forest ecosystem, they are one of the best defenses against climate change. NO major household brands of toilet paper contain any recycled content. See the sustainability scorecard on page 6 of the Natural Resources Defense Council/Stand.earth and Google “The Issue with Tissue”.

Please keep these great ideas coming! Truly, it will take all of us working together to reduce our carbon footprints and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In February, let’s all make a commitment to try out one of these suggestions.