Green tips

Plastic Free Every Day

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Plastic Free July is ending, but habits to remove and reduce use of plastic can continue year-round. 

Plastic is literally everywhere, and it can be overwhelming deciding where to start. PlasticFreeJuly.org has great resources on getting started; plastic free at work;  at events; and more!

A recent article from Sierra Club discusses your plastic-free kitchen and provides tips such as utilizing glass jars; reusable produce bags; alternatives to plastic wrap; and thinking twice about what and where you buy.  “Until we have regulatory policies that ensure all chemicals are safe, we will still have toxic chemicals in our homes. Focus on a few things here that will improve your life and reduce your exposure. Don’t try to seek perfection, says Schreder, which is ‘too much on us on the individual, instead of holding the industry and government accountable enough.'”

LiveHealthyOSU.com also recently posted an article, Pass on Pesky Plastics, with information and simple ideas.

Buy whole produce –  Instead of buying half a vegetable such as a cabbage, or pumpkin wrapped in plastic, many people are choosing the whole thing.  By planning meals ahead and making a double batches of meals such as pumpkin soup it’s easily to find ways to use it all and freeze a meal as well.

Avoid plastic cleaning products – Choose plastic free cleaning products and homemade alternatives.

Swap bottled soaps with bars – Swapping out liquid soap in plastic bottles to bar soap is a popular way to reduce plastic waste. Bar soaps can be found without packaging in bulk food, health, and organic stores. Supermarkets also offer bar soaps wrapped in paper packaging, providing eco-friendly options almost everywhere.

***Did you know that you can host a Zero Waste Event with OSU? Learn more and order your Zero Waste Event Kit here!

How to Dispose of Household Hazardous Waste

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The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) drop-off facility for Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) located at 645 E. 8th Ave. in Columbus is expanding its hours, and will now be open Monday through Friday and on the first Saturday of every month.

New HHW Drop Off Hours

  • Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • The first Saturday of every month: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Accepted Items

  • Household cleaners and bleach
  • Paint strippers
  • Batteries
  • Gasoline
  • Fluorescent bulbs
  • Motor oil
  • Pool and lawn chemicals
  • Propane and other types of cylinders, and more

The facility currently does not accept ammunition, appliances, asbestos, tires, or medical waste, and is only available to residents, not businesses.

 The site also accepts latex or water-based paint for $1 per gallon, or these paints can be dried out and disposed of in regular household trash for free.

Visit SWACO’s Household Hazardous Waste webpage for a list of accepted items at the free HHW collection site, information about upcoming mobile HHW collection events, and how businesses can dispose of their hazardous waste.

 You can also learn how to properly recycle many common items at RecycleRight.org.

*** For information on hazardous waste disposal at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, visit My Tools and select Material Disposal Guidelines

Fireworks Should Leave Memories, Not Trash

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UPDATE: Cleanup Opportunity at Mock Park on July 5.

It is not uncommon to find streets and beaches littered with the remnants of fireworks after the holiday. Pieces of plastic, paper, and cardboard that are not properly disposed of, can easily make their way to the beaches and the ocean to become marine debris.

There are a number of activities we can all partake in to keep our beaches free of firework debris. Here are just a few:

  • If you launch it, pick it up. Cleaning up after ourselves and ensuring we properly dispose of our own fireworks trash is the very first step in addressing this issue.
  • Join in on a post-Fourth of July cleanup. Check with your local communities to find out how they take care of post-holiday cleanup and how you can be involved.
  • Spread the word. As the holiday approaches, talk to your friends and neighbors about the potential for firework debris to turn into marine debris.
  • Celebrate safely. Visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website to learn how to properly and safely handle and dispose of used fireworks. More on Firework safety.

By celebrating the Fourth of July and enjoying fireworks responsibly, we can honor our country through protecting our beloved coastal environments, and the marine animals who rely on these habitats.

Also see:

Central Ohio – Disposing Hazardous Waste

Keep Hilliard Beautiful

Keep Columbus Beautiful

Delaware County Litter Prevention

Keep Ohio Beautiful

Steps toward Sustainable Travel

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Live Healthy Live Well blog shares ideas on how to take steps toward sustainable travel this summer.

Regardless of where travelers head to, tourists effect the people, economy, and environment they travel to. When crossing any national, ethnic, cultural, or state border it is important to consider what impact travel can have on both parties. One way to ensure each party has as little negative impact on each other as possible is to travel more sustainably.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism development as travel that compares the negative to the positive social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of the travel in the host nation.

Here are some first steps you can take:

  • Check your travel options. Check for airlines that offset their carbon dioxide emissions. Beware of greenwashing campaigns.
  • Select a sustainable destination. From international travel guides and news outlets, many sources have done the research regarding some of the most sustainable destinations.  Cities across the globe are focusing on reducing waste, zeroing their carbon footprint, or building more sustainable infrastructure.
  • Look for alternative modes of transportation. Plan ahead. visit attractions within walking distance to your hotel/lodging. Check for cycle rentals at your destination. Try renting a hybrid or electric vehicle, instead of a gas powered one. Look into utilizing public transport or checking on train travel instead of flying.
  • Educate yourself. Learning about social issues, cultural differences, and current events allows the traveler to be aware of spots to visit and locations to avoid. Keep researching sustainable options.

More information can be found at: 10 Methods Of Transportation, Ranked From The Least To The Most Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Transportation and Fuels.

Read the full article on LiveHealthyOSU.edu here.

Earth Day Park Grand Opening

| Susannah Kistler

A bee visits pink flowers

Celebrate World Bee Day and the Earth Day Park Grand Opening with Ohio State’s Green Team Employee Resource Group, featuring our new bench made from recycled materials from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center! We’ll also recognize Claire Bollinger, PhD, recipient of the “2024 Woman of the Year” Green Team ERG award in recognition of her outstanding commitment to education and excellence in sustainability.

When: 9 a.m. May 20
Where: Earth Day Park (348 West 8th Ave. behind the 9th Avenue Parking Garage)

To build the bench, the Green Team collected #6 plastics (Solo cups, CD cases, clear plastic drinking cups) from some Ohio State staff and worked with Marble Plastics to rework and build the bench from those materials. Each bench requires about 150 pounds of #6 plastics. There are plans for future benches to be added to the park, but the cost of this initial bench is covered by an Ohio State Energy Partners Wexner Medical Center Sustainability grant.

#6 plastics aren’t typically recyclable through conventional recycling programs. If you’re looking for another way to recycle these plastics, you can check out the Hefty ReNew program, which has partnered with Rumpke Waste & Recycling in central Ohio.

Recycle Right with SWACO

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April is Earth Month, and to help you celebrate Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) curated an impressive lineup of educational webinars and home recycling tips to help you go green and stay green all year long.

Don’t Waste This Earth Day – Commit to Recycling More! April 22nd at 12:30 p.m.  Webinar.

Take the guess out of recycling and start recycling with confidence! SWACO is here to provide you with answers. Whether it’s about hard-to-recycle items such as appliances or Styrofoam, we’ll help you determine the best method for reusing or recycling. Register!

Recycle Right at Home with these Tips

  • Packaging is Key – Purchase products with minimal or recyclable packaging to reduce the amount of material sent to the landfill.  
  • How Clean Should They Be? Don’t obsess over how clean your recyclables are. The main goal is to make sure they’re empty and give them a quick rinse if needed.
  • Go Paperless – Opt for an e-receipt when at the store and consider digital subscriptions for your favorite magazines.  
  • Size Matters – Items such as bottle and jug caps and metal can tabs are too small to be recycled alone. Either leave them on bottles and cans and recycle them together or discard individual caps and tabs in the trash.  
  • Recycle Solar Eclipse Glasses – Drop off your gently used eclipse glasses at one of these participating locations and help make the future brighter and safer for young stargazers.   

https://recycleright.org/

Yard Waste Tips for Spring

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Spring Cleaning means sprucing up those yards for the warmer months. Fortunately, the Green Team ERG is here to help provide tips and resources on Yard Waste.

1. Curbside Pick-up

Most Columbus addresses have yard waste curbside pickup. This is probably the most convenient form of disposal. Use the Collection Day Lookup to see if and when your address is eligible for curbside yard waste pickup.

The City of Columbus also provides information on yard waste collection such as what is accepted, what is not accepted and how to prepare your yard waste for collection.

Be sure to avoid plastic bags, food waste, rocks and dirt.

2. Yard Waste Drop-Off

Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) subsidizes the cost for Franklin County residents to be able to drop off their yard waste materials for FREE at processors who turn yard waste materials into compost and mulch. Visit swaco.org/yardwaste for a list of those drop-off locations as well as a list of the materials accepted and hours of operations.

3. Food Waste and Compost

Only stems, roots and leaves can be collected for the above mentioned collections, so what to do if you have food waste such as fallen fruit? The most sustainable solution is to compost. Compost bins can also include many particles that are also seen in yard waste such as leaves, grass clippings, and sticks.

Want to learn more or become more active in Sustainability? Check out OSUMC’s Green Team ERG.

Or sign up to be a member!

Tips for sustainable holiday celebrations

| Susannah Kistler

‘Tis the season for giving, counting your blessings, family, miracles, remembrance and new beginnings. I encourage everyone to find a way to incorporate the Earth in their holiday traditions – giving back to the Earth and counting the blessings the Earth provides us year-round; taking care of the Earth as we take care of our loved ones.

Unfortunately, alongside the season of wonder and light there is also a season of waste in America. Practice being a Green Citizen this holiday season with some of these tips as you practice your holiday traditions. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Los Posadas, Krampus or none of the above, there is always an opportunity to celebrate sustainability.

Try vegan or plant-based menu options

Cows and lamb are the top two protein contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Plant-based diets conserve water, preserve forests, and protect biodiversity. Benefits of a plant-based diet are not just for the environment, but your health too! It provides a healthy variety of nutrients to your gut, lowers risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. It’s okay to start with small changes as you become more aware of your health and the environment.

Sustainable gifts

Whether gifting to kids, a spouse, a parent or a stranger, it’s never too late to give mindfully. Here are some tips to giving sustainable gifts this season.

  • Make a list and plan your gifts prior to shopping. Having a plan and a budget before you enter the store will help prevent overspending, wasteful/unnecessary gifts and can keep you thoughtful and organized in your gifting.
  • Try this Vegan Gift Guide from Veganuary
  • Make Your Own! DIY gifts are appreciated because they mean that the gifter put some thought into their gift. Whether it’s homemade cocoa mixes, a knitted sweater or handmade ornaments and candles, gifts made from the heart go a long way. You can find inspiration and many ideas for DIY gifts online or at your local library.
  • Sustainable business to buy gifts from:
  1. Gift Guide from One Tree Planted
  2. Ethical Online Shopping from Sustainable Jungle
  3. Top 10 Sustainable Clothes Companies according to Sustainability Magazine.
  • Do your research! As you shop in store or online research the products and businesses you are purchasing from. Do they practice sustainability? Does your Amazon order provide packaging that reduces the carbon footprint?
  • Gifts of experience. This might sound cheesy, but experiences are truly great—and sustainable—gifts. This could be a promise to watch a movie together; a membership to a museum, park or zoo; entertainment tickets or a trip to see local Christmas Lights.
  • Gifts that keep giving. This year, consider making a donation in someone’s name. Many organizations like World Wildlife Fund, Greater Good, Packed with Purpose, Sierra Club or conservation groups offer products where a portion of the proceeds go toward a good cause, or you can adopt an animal or choose a purpose. Also check out local non-profit organizations or national and state parks for gifts or ways to donate (such as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources online store!)
  • Do a gift swap! Not only is this a good idea if you are part of a group that has a tight budget, but it’s a great way to re-purpose and re-use some items that we don’t utilize much anymore.
  • Ditch cheap stocking stuffers. Traditional “stocking stuffers” are often cheap, break easily, hardly used and end up in a landfill within the year. Rethink your trinkets and make sure they are really worth it.
  • Buy Vintage or Secondhand. Waste comes in many forms, and clothing trends lead to environmental waste. Buying vintage or secondhand offers a way to reuse items that still have life before they get tossed.

Shop Local. There are many opportunities to shop locally. Check out some ideas below!

Rethink your gift wrap

“Most mass-produced wrapping paper and gift bags are printed using unsustainable inks and coated with shiny foils — which are not recyclable. Get creative and wrap gifts with materials that you have around the house, like old maps, comics, or paper shopping bags. You can also use any pretty, clean fabric like scarves, bandannas, or dish towels for a reusable wrapping. Create your own bows from strips of colorful paper and accessorize with twine, pressed leaves, and pinecones.” – One Tree Planted

  • Save and reuse wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags and boxes.
  • Avoid bows and stick on ribbons which are not recyclable.
  • Use tulle instead of gift wrap, or a reusable bag/box/basket instead of a traditional gift bag
  • Be creative! Use magazines or newspapers. Or coloring pages that would normally get thrown out. Or forgo the wrap altogether!

Real Christmas Trees

Yes, plastic and artificial trees can be used year after year, but not only do they wear down fairly quicky, the plastic used to create them takes years to break down whereas real Christmas trees are more environmentally friendly. Be sure when shopping for fresh-cut trees that you ask the grower and vendor about pesticides or other added chemical colorants that you want to avoid.

Decorations and lighting

  • Switch to LED energy efficient lights.
  • Use solar lighting for the outdoors.
  • Use natural decorations.
  • Make your own.
  • Ditch the tinsel.
  • Repurpose burnt out Christmas bulbs (you can find lots of ideas online!)
  • Use sustainable candles such as beeswax, soy and sustainable palm oil
  • Look for compostable pinatas (Instructions for a DIY eco-friendly pinata here.)

Efficient Energy

  • Keep your thermostats low, wrap up in blankets, long-johns, or fleece pajamas to save heating energy
  • Weatherproof your windows

Sustainable Christmas Cards

  • Buy recycled or recyclable
  • Go digital
  • Make a phone call instead!

Responsible Travel

  • Carpool
  • Take public transit
  • Pack less. Think “what can I use multiple times?”
  • Avoid single-use plastics. Use travel bottles that you can refill every time you travel instead of buying new travel size items. Look into solid toiletries like shampoo bars and bite toothpaste bits.
  • Take reusable bottles, cutlery, and straws instead of buying plastic bottled drink beverages.
  • Pack a shopping bag to avoid plastic shopping bags.
  • Research your hotels and flights eco-ratings (skyscanner.net – greener choices) and look into carbon offset programs
  • Buy local at your destination
  • Beginner’s Gude to Sustainable Travel from National Geographic
  • A View Outside article on Eco-friendly travel tips

Prep your house with eco-friendly cleaners

Volunteer, donate and give back

Remember those tips from Thanksgiving!

Compost, leftovers, meal planning, ditch the disposable cutlery and dishes, reusable food storage and more are still relevant for December holidays too.