Need some ideas to keep the environment in mind during the Holiday season?

Check out this list of 10 ways to go green for the Holidays from the Cincinnati Zoo’s website.

Fresh food is local at one of Cincinnati’s most interesting places: Findlay Market.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

If you can’t see the video above, click here to watch.

Want to know what’s in season in Ohio all year?  Visit Ohio’s fresh fruit and vegetable harvest calendar.

Check out our other Live Green Cincinnati video pods on You Tube.

The Cincinnati Zoo is encouraging all visitors to bring their own treat bag for HallZOOween this year.  Think pillowcase - gives you more opportunities for goodie collection.  That’s just the beginning of a green Halloween: check out this list of suggestions to have an environmentally friendly (as opposed to environmentally spooky) Halloween.

From the HallZOOween website:

Be Green this Halloween! Halloween can be spooky and fun, but it doesn’t have to be scary for the environment. Here are some tips for having fun this Halloween the green way.

• Make costumes out of old clothes, trade last year’s costumes with friends, or purchase your costume at a second-hand shop.

• Pass on the vinyl masks—they emit toxic fumes. Paint your face instead using homemade face paint.

• Make your jack o’lantern from an organic pumpkin bought at a local farmer’s market and light it up with beeswax or soy candles, which burn cleaner than traditional candles.

• Once you’ve finished carving your pumpkin, roast the seeds to make a healthy snack for you, or set them out for wildlife.

• Use a reusable cloth trick-or-treat bag, or even just a pillowcase.

• Trick-or-treat in a safe neighborhood where you can walk from house to house instead of having to drive.

• Light your way from house to house with a flashlight that uses rechargeable batteries, or better yet, one you can crank or shake to light.

• Light the path to your front door with luminaries made by nailing holes in empty tin cans.

• Switch out your incandescent porch light for an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb or LED light, or even better, burn candles instead.

• Sit on your front porch to hand out treats instead of opening and closing the door, which wastes energy.

• Give out organic candy—yes, they make organic lollipops, chocolates, and even gummi bears!—which can be purchased online or at natural food stores, or go with an even healthier option like granola bars or raisins.

• Compost your pumpkin instead of throwing it in the trash. Go ahead and smash it first—it will help start the decomposition process.

Get more green Halloween ideas from GreenHalloween.org!

Solar energy doesn’t have to be high tech.  Check out one way that passive solar heat can keep you warm long after the sun goes down.

If you don’t see the video above, click here to watch.

Check out our other Live Green Cincinnati video pods on You Tube.

Ever wonder what the middle-schoolers in your life are learning about the environment?  Here are a few more insights from my 11-year old niece Cary.

Have your teachers used any good lessons or demonstrations that helped you learn about the environment?
Yes we all recycle. We also plant tulip bulbs.

Has your school or scout troop ever done an environmental field trip or service project?
Yes.  I wasn’t able to go but my class went on a field trip to clean up Sharon Woods lake. Our scouts have gone on a field trip to clean part of a forest.

What in your house would you run with human-power (aka riding a bicycle or turning a crank to power something) if you could?
I would power the garage door opener or things like that.

Are any of your school supplies made of recycled paper or materials?
Yes they are we always use both sides of paper and all of our paper has already been recycled.

In response to the GreenED Challenge in this month’s newsletter, Holly from Mt. Washington offered a number of other ways to incorporate green in your life.  She is working hard to be conscious of her environmental impact.  Check out some of her ideas to see if you’re up for adopting any of these tips:

Hi! I often feel like a misfit in Cincinnati, probably because I’m from the opposite corner of the state. I try to be green. Regarding the idea of skipping the straw, here’s what I’ve done at work:

1. To avoid using plastic utensils, I stopped at a yard sale and was lucky to find a perfect set of cheap flatware for $3.00, and that’s what I use now at work. Nothing new had to be made, and I just bring them home to wash.
2. I use washcloths for napkins instead of the paper napkins; same thing, bring them home to wash.
3. I took hand towels from home to work, and use those instead of paper towels when I wash my hands - it feels like you’re at camp first walking to the restroom with a towel, but you get used to it.
4. When I decide to purchase lunch at the Mark Pi’s restaurant in the UC hospital, I take a stainless steel bowl for the food so that i avoid the Styrofoam pack.
5. I recycle at work, even sugar packets and straw papers if I use them; I will take it to heart to be more conscious of not using straws.
6. When i go to lunch, I turn off my lights, monitor, and copier.

At home, I hang my laundry - everything - on a clothesline; I am bottle-free in my shower area by using J.R. Liggett bar shampoo, no conditioner, and locally made bar soap; I recycle at home, and have committed to reduce what comes into my home; I spin my own yarn from wool that I buy from a local Ohio shepherd. There’s more; just thought I’d share.

Thanks Holly - excellent ideas!  How are you doing in your first 30-day GreenED Challenge efforts? If you have more of your own inspiration and experiences, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or send us an email.

The Hamilton County Waste Management department has been working hard to help increase environmental awareness around the area.  Earlier this year they shared 10 Ways to Go Green, which are very much worth re-sharing.

From the Hamilton County Interchange Newsletter:

Top 10 Ways for Your Business to Go Green
Michelle Balz, Program Specialist, Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District

So, your business has decided to reduce its environmental footprint and become a good corporate citizen by going green. Generously, upper management has given you free reign to implement environmental policies…but where do you begin? Here are 10 simple ideas that can increase worker productivity, improve your company’s public image, and save your company money.

1. Start Recycling

Today recycling is a no-brainer. More than 40% of what we throw into the landfill is paper, yet over a dozen local companies crave paper as feedstock for their operation. Not wasting this valuable resource can also reduce your waste bill since the cost to haul recycling is lower than trash. Add in the environmental benefits of reduced pollution and conserved energy and it is easy to understand why recycling is often one of the first environmental policies a company adopts. For help with recycling, call the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District at (513) 946-7734 or visit www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org.

Environmental Benefit- Recycling office paper reduces air pollution by 95% and saves 24 trees for every ton of office paper recycled (National Recycling Coalition).

2. Switch Your Bulbs

While the lighting technology choices are endless, CFL, LED, T8, T5… the solution is clear: switching to energy efficient lights saves energy and money. The bulbs may cost more upfront, but energy efficient lights last much longer than traditional bulbs and use significantly less energy to reduce costs in the long run. To help you decide which technology is right for you, visit www.energystar.gov.

Environmental Benefit- Replacing a single standard bulb with a CFL reduces energy use by 75% and prevents 450 lbs. of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the bulb (Energy Star).

3. Build Green

Whether you start with a vacant lot or renovate your current space, integrating green building ideas can decrease energy and water use and increase worker productivity with a healthier work environment. The idea is simple: use sustainable materials and design to create a space that works with the local environment instead of against it. For ideas on green building and how to earn LEED certification, visit the US Green Building Council at www.usgbc.org or call the local Cincinnati chapter at (513) 388-0020.

Environmental Benefit- Green buildings on average use 30% less energy than conventional buildings, saving $60,000 per year for every 100,000 ft2 space (US Green Building Council).

4. Convert Your Fleet

Increase fuel efficiency, decrease pollution, and receive federal tax credits, need I say more? Integrating hybrid vehicles or biodiesel not only builds a green fleet but it also makes the public aware of your green commitment. To compare the latest alternative fuels and vehicles visit www.CleanFuelsOhio.org.

Environmental Benefit- The production and use of biodiesel, compared to petroleum diesel, results in a 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions (National Biodiesel Board).

5. Implement Storm Water Management

Everything the rain washes off your buildings and parking lots ends up in a stream nearby, likely with unnatural speed that damages a stream ecosystem. You can take steps to minimize this effect by installing green roofs, buffer zones, rain gardens, and porous pavement. These practices allow rainwater to slowly release into local streams improving the health of the stream for local wildlife. For more information, visit
www.hamilton-co.org/stormwater.

Environmental Benefit- Porous pavement can reduce storm water runoff six times better than traditional pavement during peak rainfall (Environmental Protection Agency).

6. Encourage Employees to Save Fuel

If gas prices continue to climb, employees will welcome ideas to reduce fuel consumption. Offer incentives to employees who take the bus, ride a bike, carpool, or drive fuel efficient vehicles. Or if practical, allow your employees to work from home and eliminate the commute altogether. These actions will reduce your company’s carbon footprint and likely save employees money.

Environmental Benefit- Switching a 20-mile round trip commute to existing public transportation can reduce one person’s annual CO2 emissions by 4,800 lbs per year, equal to a 10% reduction in all greenhouse gases produced by a typical two-adult, two-car household (American Public Transportation Association).

7. Adopt an Environmental Purchasing Policy

Your company purchases many products- why not make those purchases greener? Adopting an environmentally preferable purchasing policy will give your employees the green light to seek out products ranging from post-consumer recycled content paper to non-toxic cleaning products. For sample policies and environmental purchasing tools visit www.epa.gov/epp/.

Environmental Benefit- Purchasing one ton (40 cases) of 30% post consumer copy paper saves the equivalent of: 7.2 trees, 2,100 gallons of water, 1,230 KW hours of electricity, and 18 pounds of air pollution (Conservatree).

8. Reduce and Reuse

Reduce waste in your office by discouraging employees to print unnecessarily (e.g., keep emails electronic) and encourage double-sided printing when possible. A simple change in margin size to 0.75 inches fits more text onto a page and reduces paper usage over time. Reuse in your office by providing a water cooler instead of water bottles and giving employees a reusable mug instead of disposable cups.

Environmental Benefit- Save energy! You would have to use a foam cup 1,006 times to reduce the amount of energy equal to reusing a ceramic mug (Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment).

9. Make Energy Conservation an Office Habit

Want an option for going green that won’t cost you a dime? Encourage employees to conserve energy by turning off lights when they are not in use and shutting down computers before they go home. This small change in behavior can add up to a big conservation of energy. According to the US Department of Energy, to conserve the most energy turn off the monitor if you are not going to use your PC for more than 20 minutes and turn off both the CPU and the monitor if you’re not going to use your PC for more than 2 hours./

Environmental Benefit- Turning your computer off at night or on weekends can reduce energy use by two-thirds and save an average of $90 a year per computer (US Department of Energy).

10. Take the Go Green Challenge

By joining the Hamilton County Go Green Challenge, your business becomes part of a network of local companies implementing green practices. Go Green Challenge members also have access to experts in a variety of environmental fields and receive public recognition for their accomplishments. Visit www.hcdoes.org/gogreen.htm for more information.

And remember, the next Go Green Challenge event is Oct 7. Are you registered?

Local company Wire & Twine (of the Cincinnati Transit for Optimists shirt fame) has another shirt available with a green twist.

The 50 Ways are explained here.  Read through this list for some ideas to adopt in your personal efforts to go green.

Need a holiday gift?  Pick one of these up online or at Park+Vine.

For your viewing pleasure, check out the latest Live Green Cincinnati video pod.

There are a lot of ways to be green while out and about, all you need is a bit of forethought.

Check out our other Live Green Cincinnati video pods on You Tube.