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Tips on How Live Sustainably
What Can You Do?
TIP: How you can help stop tree loss
Protect what you have: The first step is caring for the trees on your own property. We think we pay for our house, and so we must maintain it. But because we don't pay for nature, we don't need to. And that's not necessarily true.
Prune the dead limbs out of your trees: If they're small enough, do it yourself or hire a company. The risk of limbs damaging your house is significantly lowered when there's tree upkeep.
Notice where your trees may be in trouble: Often, you can observe when something's wrong, such as when branches are losing leaves and breaking or when mushrooms are growing at the base or on the trees. You can also hire an arborist or tree canopy expert to assess the health of your trees on an annual basis. Or you can contact your local agricultural extension office for advice.
Don't remove old trees if it's not necessary: Instead, try taking smaller actions like removing branches. It takes a long time for these big trees to get big: 50 to 100 years. And once they're established, they can live a long time. But taking a big tree out and saying 'we'll replant,' there's no guarantee small trees will make it, and it will take a very long time to grow.
Allow trees to grow on your property: Although everyone's aesthetic is different, it's the cheap way to get cooler yards and lower energy bills. It's also an inexpensive approach to flood and noise control.
People may wonder why their property doesn't have more trees, but fallen seeds need a chance to implant, and constant mowing prevents that. If you don't like where a seedling is growing, you can dig it up and plant it or a new tree where you like.
Educate yourself about trees and get involved: Many cities have tree ordinances that seek to protect very old, significant trees. You can get involved by attending city council meetings. You can also help your city plant trees by joining local nonprofit groups.
Volunteer or donate to tree planting and research organizations:
TIP: NATIVE PLANTS THAT ATTRACT & PROVIDE NECTAR FOR BIRDS & BUTTERFLIES
Here are five favorite wildflowers for your garden! Your local garden center should stock all of these hardy plants.
Swamp Milkweed
This milkweed offers nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies. Preferring moist soils, it’s great for use in rain gardens. This lovely perennial’s clusters of pink flowers bloom in June and July. Milkweed is tall (3 to 5 ft), so place at the back of your garden for a show in spring and a place for Monarchs to tend for the remainder of the year, while other plants and flowers create a screen in the front of your garden.
Cardinal Flower
Each beautiful scarlet flower stays in bloom for several weeks. Hummingbirds, and even swallowtail butterflies, love the nectar. Insects find it difficult to navigate the long tubular flowers, so Cardinal Flowers depend on hummingbirds for pollination. They need rich moist soil, so this flower would be good in a rain garden as well.
Windflower
Windflower is a hardy groundcover for moist, shady sites and boasts beautiful, pure white flowers that pollinators love. It combines well with other spring-blooming perennials and adds a fresh pop of color to shady areas of the garden.
Black-eyed Susan
This classic garden wildflower provides nectar for butterflies. In late summer the seeds will attract finches and other birds. And aside from being beautiful, it’s easy to grow and drought tolerant once established. There are a number of different sizes that can be planted depending on your garden needs. Black-eyed Susan plants never disappoint, but during the height of flowering season deadhead regularly to extend their show..
Native plants are species that are indigenous to specific regions.. When you create a bird-friendly garden, you’ll be going above and beyond to ensure your local songbirds, hummingbirds and other birds always have a welcoming haven in your neighborhood
Credit: National Wildlife Federation
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Tips - Cleaning your Closet? - Recycle Your Clothes
First consider donating to a secondhand or resale shop. Find out their requirements first. While secondhand stores do good business, they typically sell less than 20 percent of consumer donations. Luckily, it is possible to recycle old clothing.
If you prefer to cut out the middleman, some prominent names in textile recycling include the American Textile Recycling Service, Mac Recycling, Planet Aid, and USAgain. All of these companies offer clothing drop-off bins throughout the U.S., usually in high-traffic areas such as parking lots..
According to Secondary Materials and Recovered Textiles Association (SMART), about 45 percent of discarded clothing is reusable. Of the remaining 55 percent, most of it can be recycled: 30 percent is downcycled into industrial rags and 20 percent is processed into fiber that can be used in products like carpet or insulation. The remaining five percent is unusable because of contamination, and will end up in a landfill.
Here are a few helpful hints if you want to recycle old clothing:
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Tips - Why Recycle Glass Bottles & Jars
Tip: Keep the Cap on your Plastic Bottles
"In the past the plastics recycling industry was not able to effectively recycle bottles with caps on, so the message to remove the cap was created." American Plastic Recyclers explains on its website. But times have changed.
Here's how the great melting pot at the local plant works: The bottles, cap and all, are ground into flake. A special "float/sink" process takes it from there — essentially, as 911 Metallurgist explains, "particles of lower specific gravity float on the surface of the medium, while the particles of higher specific gravity sink to the bottom."
In other words, PET, the material bottles are made from, floats, while the heavy stuff in the cap — high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) — sink to the bottom.
Thus, both kinds of plastic are separated in a kind of bath before going on to their next lives.
Credit: Mother Nature Network. March, 2019
__________________
Tips on Recycling Preparation for TIRES:
Tips for Sealing Air Leaks
Tip: Disposing of DVDs, CDs, Tapes, Discs
Tip: Water Conservation/ Stormwater Control
When replacing your patio, walkway or parking area, install attractive permeable concrete pavers. The pavers are solid, but spaced correctly, water drains between them. Pavers are placed over a bed of sand or gravel, which filters water before it percolates into the soil. This conserves & filters water naturally & without the oil & pollutants that are present when run off flows through the sewer system and then into Lake Michigan.
For driveways or parking lots, open-cell concrete blocks can also be used. The blocks are designed to support vehicles, but are sufficiently open to allow water to drain through them. The spaces are filled with gravel or sand. Grass or low ground cover can be planted in the open spaces, which will help reduce the heat build up.
Another product that can be used for driveways is pervious concrete, (porous pavement). This is a highly porous form of concrete. It’s made from aggregate (small stones) and cement, which binds the aggregate together. However, unlike standard concrete, pervious concrete's composition creates a substantial number of open spaces in the concrete, which allows water to flow into the ground.
_________________
TIP: REDUCE; REUSE; RECYCLE
Reduce: Fix dripping faucets. A drop per second wastes 192 gallons per month! First, try tightening all fittings a quarter to half a turn. If that does not work, the gaskets or O-rings might be worn out. To check, the faucet will need to be taken apart, so if you are not really handy, for best results, consult a plumber.
ReUse: Reach for a reusable microfiber cloth which can take the place of 60 rolls of paper towels before it needs replacing — and is gentle enough to use on nearly all surfaces (even eyeglasses). Keep a few handy for absorbing spills, wiping down counters, unstreaking mirrors, and more.
Recycle: Don't just toss worn-out garments such as tattered tees or jeans. Donate these to the ASPCA, which may use them for pet bedding. Give still wearables to Goodwill — clothing that doesn't sell in its stores is sold to rag traders or fabric recyclers.
_________________
TIP: Water Conservation
TIP: BIKING, WALKING & REDUCING AUTO USE
Follow Go Edgewater and join their biking and walking tours to learn about the area and its history.
Tip: Clean & Green
HOW DO YOU START YOUR SPRING CLEAN UP?
TIP: AIR QUALITY AND YOUR HEALTH
Air quality decreases during heat waves: The heat and sunlight essentially cook the air along with all the chemical compounds lingering within it. This chemical soup combines with the naturally occurring nitrogen oxide in the air, creating a“smog” of ground-level ozone gas.
This makes breathing difficult for those who already have respiratory ailments or heart problems and can also make healthy people more susceptible to respiratory infections.
What We Can Do to Improve Air Quality During a Heat Wave
You can help reduce smog by:
Winter Tips - Save on Electricity & Money:
Door Draft Stoppers Cold, drafty air often sneaks in underneath doors. You can purchase simple door draft stoppers to cover up these cracks. You can even roll up a rug to improvise.
Window Insulator Kits As houses settle, cracks tend to form around windows. If there are drafts sneaking in through your windows, it could cost a lot more to heat your home. You can buy a window insulator kit to cover your windows in a thin plastic film in the winter months to keep the chill out.
Set Your Water Heater at 120 The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by setting your water heater at 120, you can lower your water heating expenses by 6-10%. You can further improve your water heater’s efficiency by insulating it.
Cook with Your Oven Ovens can pull double duty in the winter. While you’re cooking a casserole in the oven, you get the side benefit of heating up your home at the same time. (But don't try to heat your home with just your oven)
Add Extra Blankets to Your Bed Instead of turning up the heat at night, add an extra blanket or down comforter to your bed to keep toasty warm. Then you can turn the heat on in the morning to take the chill out of the air.
Replace Your Light Bulbs Get rid of your old incandescent bulbs and replace them with modern LEDs. They use less energy than incandescent, last longer and are safer than CFLs.
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Tip: Winter is Here-Heating Tips
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Winter Bird Feeding Tips
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Tip: Fall & Winter Tree Care
Trees provide shade in summer, absorb pollutants and exchange CO2 for Oxygen. For these benefits and for their beauty, we should follow these simple steps:
1) Give your trees a drink. Winter droughts require watering as much as summer droughts. If temperatures permit, an occasional watering during the winter on young trees can be a life saver. Water only when soil & trees are cool but not frozen.
2) Put composted organic mulch under your tree in the fall or early winter to help retain water & reduce temperature extremes. A thin layer of mulch will act like a blanket & give the tree's roots a little extra winter protection. Remove in the spring & clear the root flare at the bottom of the tree. (Mulch a donut ring, not a pyramid around the tree)
3) Homeowners should prune their trees. Winter is actually one of the best times to prune because it is easier to see the structure of trees without their leaves. Limit pruning to deadwood & poorly placed or crossed branches to save as many living branches as possible.
4) Prevent injuries. Branch breakage or splitting can be caused by ice & snow accumulation, or chewing and rubbing by animals. Clear & clean the problem as soon as possible. Prevent problems from occurring on young trees by wrapping the base of trees in a hard, plastic guard or a metal hardware cloth. Wrapping trees with burlap or plastic cloth also can prevent temperature damage. Remove the guards in the spring to prevent damage when the tree begins to grow.
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Tip: Safe Disposal of Used Motor Oil/Getting Your Car Ready for Winter
Some car fluids like motor oil can be processed and recycled into new fluids. Every gallon of used motor oil that is improperly discarded can contaminate 1 million gallons of drinking water, according to the EPA. Motor oil also never wears out, but rather gets dirty, so it is often recycled and resold.
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Tip: Reduce Winter Heat Loss & Save
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HEAT FROM THE SUN
Tip: Reducing Heating Costs While Saving Energy
ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE
Tip: Save Energy and Heat Loss by Sealing Air Leaks
FIND AND SEAL LEAKS
TIP: CHECK YOUR TIRES FOR SAFETY & SAVINGS
Schedule a regular check of your tires - both the tire pressure and tread depth. Use a gauge to check that the tire pressure agrees with the label on the door, not the maximum pressure shown on the tires' sidewalls. Uneven wear indicates a need for wheel alignment. Check the tires for bulges and bald spots.
Look carefully to see if the wear bars are showing at right angles to the treads. Evenly spaced around the tires, wear bars appear when tread depth is less than 2/32 inch. An easy check is to insert a nickel between the treads. If the head on the nickel is fully visible, it is time to replace the tire.
These actions will protect you and your family, reduce the amount of gas used and less gas equals fewer emissions and cleaner air.
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Tip: You can reduce pollutants and emission in our air by reducing reliance on cars:
When you calculate gas, wear and tear and other car expenses, driving alone to and from work costs you about 56 cents a mile. That can add up to thousands of dollars a year. Not to mention the stress on you. Join the thousands of commuters who make every mile count by avoiding driving alone or even driving every day. Choose to do one of the following.
Carpooling: Share the ride -- it saves money and reduces stress. Check with fellow employees via posts or newsletters.
Telework: Avoid traffic altogether by working from home. And it helps improve productivity! Ask your boss if this option is available.
Compressed Work Weeks or FlexTime: If you can't change how you get to work, change when you work.
Public Transportation This may be the best option, depending on your destination and access to CTA or METRA.
_______________________
Protect what you have: The first step is caring for the trees on your own property. We think we pay for our house, and so we must maintain it. But because we don't pay for nature, we don't need to. And that's not necessarily true.
Prune the dead limbs out of your trees: If they're small enough, do it yourself or hire a company. The risk of limbs damaging your house is significantly lowered when there's tree upkeep.
Notice where your trees may be in trouble: Often, you can observe when something's wrong, such as when branches are losing leaves and breaking or when mushrooms are growing at the base or on the trees. You can also hire an arborist or tree canopy expert to assess the health of your trees on an annual basis. Or you can contact your local agricultural extension office for advice.
Don't remove old trees if it's not necessary: Instead, try taking smaller actions like removing branches. It takes a long time for these big trees to get big: 50 to 100 years. And once they're established, they can live a long time. But taking a big tree out and saying 'we'll replant,' there's no guarantee small trees will make it, and it will take a very long time to grow.
Allow trees to grow on your property: Although everyone's aesthetic is different, it's the cheap way to get cooler yards and lower energy bills. It's also an inexpensive approach to flood and noise control.
People may wonder why their property doesn't have more trees, but fallen seeds need a chance to implant, and constant mowing prevents that. If you don't like where a seedling is growing, you can dig it up and plant it or a new tree where you like.
Educate yourself about trees and get involved: Many cities have tree ordinances that seek to protect very old, significant trees. You can get involved by attending city council meetings. You can also help your city plant trees by joining local nonprofit groups.
Volunteer or donate to tree planting and research organizations:
- The Arbor Day Foundation
- National Forest Foundation
- Trees Atlanta
- ReLeaf Michigan
- Urban ReLeaf
- Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition
TIP: NATIVE PLANTS THAT ATTRACT & PROVIDE NECTAR FOR BIRDS & BUTTERFLIES
Here are five favorite wildflowers for your garden! Your local garden center should stock all of these hardy plants.
Swamp Milkweed
This milkweed offers nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies. Preferring moist soils, it’s great for use in rain gardens. This lovely perennial’s clusters of pink flowers bloom in June and July. Milkweed is tall (3 to 5 ft), so place at the back of your garden for a show in spring and a place for Monarchs to tend for the remainder of the year, while other plants and flowers create a screen in the front of your garden.
Cardinal Flower
Each beautiful scarlet flower stays in bloom for several weeks. Hummingbirds, and even swallowtail butterflies, love the nectar. Insects find it difficult to navigate the long tubular flowers, so Cardinal Flowers depend on hummingbirds for pollination. They need rich moist soil, so this flower would be good in a rain garden as well.
Windflower
Windflower is a hardy groundcover for moist, shady sites and boasts beautiful, pure white flowers that pollinators love. It combines well with other spring-blooming perennials and adds a fresh pop of color to shady areas of the garden.
Black-eyed Susan
This classic garden wildflower provides nectar for butterflies. In late summer the seeds will attract finches and other birds. And aside from being beautiful, it’s easy to grow and drought tolerant once established. There are a number of different sizes that can be planted depending on your garden needs. Black-eyed Susan plants never disappoint, but during the height of flowering season deadhead regularly to extend their show..
Native plants are species that are indigenous to specific regions.. When you create a bird-friendly garden, you’ll be going above and beyond to ensure your local songbirds, hummingbirds and other birds always have a welcoming haven in your neighborhood
Credit: National Wildlife Federation
________________
Tips - Cleaning your Closet? - Recycle Your Clothes
First consider donating to a secondhand or resale shop. Find out their requirements first. While secondhand stores do good business, they typically sell less than 20 percent of consumer donations. Luckily, it is possible to recycle old clothing.
If you prefer to cut out the middleman, some prominent names in textile recycling include the American Textile Recycling Service, Mac Recycling, Planet Aid, and USAgain. All of these companies offer clothing drop-off bins throughout the U.S., usually in high-traffic areas such as parking lots..
According to Secondary Materials and Recovered Textiles Association (SMART), about 45 percent of discarded clothing is reusable. Of the remaining 55 percent, most of it can be recycled: 30 percent is downcycled into industrial rags and 20 percent is processed into fiber that can be used in products like carpet or insulation. The remaining five percent is unusable because of contamination, and will end up in a landfill.
Here are a few helpful hints if you want to recycle old clothing:
- Make sure all fabric is dry, to avoid mildew.
- Check all pockets to make sure they’re empty.
- You can’t recycle rags contaminated with car fluids, paint, pesticides, or other hazardous waste due to the hazardous derived-from rule; these need to be treated as hazardous waste. Find a hazardous waste collection site near you.
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Tips - Why Recycle Glass Bottles & Jars
- Glass bottles represent the quickest recycled-packaging process, as a bottle can be recycled and back on store shelves in 30 days
- Unlike most materials that lose their quality over time, glass can be recycled infinitely with no loss in purity
- Although glass bottles have dropped in weight by 40 percent over the past 30 years, they still represent the heaviest form of packaging if they end up in a landfill
- Do your best to not break glass bottles, as there is no market for recycling broken glass.
- You can leave the label/foil on, but many recyclers will ask you to separate the metal caps. This is partly to ensure that all liquids are removed. Wine corks need to be fully removed.
- Don’t worry about non-liquids in the bottle, such as a lime wedge in a beer bottle or bits of cork in a wine bottle.
- Remove any non-containers from your glass recycling, such as Pyrex, glassware, windows and mirrors. These glass products can’t be recycled with containers.
Tip: Keep the Cap on your Plastic Bottles
"In the past the plastics recycling industry was not able to effectively recycle bottles with caps on, so the message to remove the cap was created." American Plastic Recyclers explains on its website. But times have changed.
Here's how the great melting pot at the local plant works: The bottles, cap and all, are ground into flake. A special "float/sink" process takes it from there — essentially, as 911 Metallurgist explains, "particles of lower specific gravity float on the surface of the medium, while the particles of higher specific gravity sink to the bottom."
In other words, PET, the material bottles are made from, floats, while the heavy stuff in the cap — high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) — sink to the bottom.
Thus, both kinds of plastic are separated in a kind of bath before going on to their next lives.
Credit: Mother Nature Network. March, 2019
__________________
Tips on Recycling Preparation for TIRES:
- Before disposing of tires, ask an auto shop if your old tires can be retreaded or repaired. Either option prolongs the life of your tires and is cheaper than buying new tires.
- If you are having tires replaced at an auto shop, ask if the shop will recycle the old tires for you. Depending on where you live, the cost of new tires may include a tax that funds the disposal of your old tires, or disposal may be included in the service charge.
- If recycling tires yourself, you’ll need to remove the rim and wheel weights first. Luckily, the rim is made of aluminum and the weights are made of steel — both valuable metals you can recycle as scrap. Warning: You should have experience using power tools if you’re going to cut the tire off the rim yourself. Please exercise caution.
- Before recycling tires, consider a reuse project for them. Besides the obvious option of making a tire swing, they make great planters in your garden or compost bin.
Tips for Sealing Air Leaks
- Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air.
- Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring comes through walls, floors, ceilings, and soffits over cabinets.
- Install foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on walls.
- Inspect dirty spots in your insulation for air leaks and mold. Seal leaks with low-expansion spray foam made for this purpose and install house flashing if needed.
- Look for dirty spots on your ceiling paint and carpet, which may indicate air leaks at interior wall/ceiling joints and wall/floor joists, and caulk them.
- Cover single-pane windows with storm windows or replace them with more efficient double-pane low- emissivity windows.
- Use foam sealant on larger gaps around windows, baseboards, and other places where air may leak out.
- Cover your kitchen exhaust fan to stop air leaks when not in use.
- Check your dryer vent to be sure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire.
- Replace door bottoms and thresholds with ones that have pliable sealing gaskets.
- Keep the fireplace flue damper tightly closed when not in use.
- Seal air leaks around fireplace chimneys, furnaces, and gas-fired water heater vents with fire-resistant materials such as sheet metal or sheetrock and furnace cement caulk
Tip: Disposing of DVDs, CDs, Tapes, Discs
- Donate your old CD, DVDs and tapes to a secondhand store or music reseller for reuse. Even if the items are scratched, it’s likely they can be repaired and resold. This obviously won’t be an option if you’re getting rid of blank or burned CDs and VHS tapes.
- Use them for a DIY art project.
- Mail your media to a company like the CD Recycling Center of America or GreenDisk. Make sure to remove any paper sleeves, as these can be recycled with other paper. CD jackets are office paper, and VHS tape sleeves are paperboard.
- Find a drop-off location for CDs and tapes near you using the Recycling Locator at earth911.
Tip: Water Conservation/ Stormwater Control
When replacing your patio, walkway or parking area, install attractive permeable concrete pavers. The pavers are solid, but spaced correctly, water drains between them. Pavers are placed over a bed of sand or gravel, which filters water before it percolates into the soil. This conserves & filters water naturally & without the oil & pollutants that are present when run off flows through the sewer system and then into Lake Michigan.
For driveways or parking lots, open-cell concrete blocks can also be used. The blocks are designed to support vehicles, but are sufficiently open to allow water to drain through them. The spaces are filled with gravel or sand. Grass or low ground cover can be planted in the open spaces, which will help reduce the heat build up.
Another product that can be used for driveways is pervious concrete, (porous pavement). This is a highly porous form of concrete. It’s made from aggregate (small stones) and cement, which binds the aggregate together. However, unlike standard concrete, pervious concrete's composition creates a substantial number of open spaces in the concrete, which allows water to flow into the ground.
_________________
TIP: REDUCE; REUSE; RECYCLE
Reduce: Fix dripping faucets. A drop per second wastes 192 gallons per month! First, try tightening all fittings a quarter to half a turn. If that does not work, the gaskets or O-rings might be worn out. To check, the faucet will need to be taken apart, so if you are not really handy, for best results, consult a plumber.
ReUse: Reach for a reusable microfiber cloth which can take the place of 60 rolls of paper towels before it needs replacing — and is gentle enough to use on nearly all surfaces (even eyeglasses). Keep a few handy for absorbing spills, wiping down counters, unstreaking mirrors, and more.
Recycle: Don't just toss worn-out garments such as tattered tees or jeans. Donate these to the ASPCA, which may use them for pet bedding. Give still wearables to Goodwill — clothing that doesn't sell in its stores is sold to rag traders or fabric recyclers.
_________________
TIP: Water Conservation
- Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 100 gallons a month!
- Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 150 gallons per month.
- Designate one glass for your drinking water each day and refill it as needed. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash.
- Use a water-efficient showerhead. They’re inexpensive, easy to install and can save you up to 750 gallons a month.
- Install an aerator on your faucet.
- Turn off the water while you shampoo your hair to save up to 150 gallons a month.
- When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water
TIP: BIKING, WALKING & REDUCING AUTO USE
Follow Go Edgewater and join their biking and walking tours to learn about the area and its history.
- Take your bike or walk to the local stores, theaters and activities. Healthy exercise, less pollution and you will support your neighborhood businesses.
- Reduce your carbon footprint! Leaving your car at home twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds per year.
- If you must drive, save up errands and shopping trips so you need to drive fewer times.
- If you commute to work via auto or bus, ask if you can work from home at least some days, and you'll reduce air pollution and traffic congestion - and save money
Tip: Clean & Green
HOW DO YOU START YOUR SPRING CLEAN UP?
- Clean your yard, parkway & sidewalk of litter. You will set a good example & encourage your neighbors
- Always pick up glass litter when you see it. Broken glass can hurt children, pets, as well as damage bike & car tires.
- Help elderly neighbors clear up around their homes. They may not have the energy or ability to keep it up & will appreciate your kindness.
- If you see someone going out of their way to clean up around the community, thank them!
- Thank a business when you notice that they are cleaning around the outside of their business.
- Send an email to a “Special Service Area” (part of the Chambers of Commerce) letting them know that you appreciate their ongoing cleaning & beautification efforts.
- Check your alley. If you see debris or excessive litter, contact the Ward office at 773-784-5277
TIP: AIR QUALITY AND YOUR HEALTH
Air quality decreases during heat waves: The heat and sunlight essentially cook the air along with all the chemical compounds lingering within it. This chemical soup combines with the naturally occurring nitrogen oxide in the air, creating a“smog” of ground-level ozone gas.
This makes breathing difficult for those who already have respiratory ailments or heart problems and can also make healthy people more susceptible to respiratory infections.
What We Can Do to Improve Air Quality During a Heat Wave
You can help reduce smog by:
- Using public transit and carpooling or bike riding to reduce vehicle trips
- Refueling cars at night to prevent escaping gas vapors from getting cooked into smog by sunlight
- Avoid gas-powered lawn equipment
- Set your air conditioning thermostats a few degrees higher to help reduce the fossil fuel that would be burned in order to power them
Winter Tips - Save on Electricity & Money:
Door Draft Stoppers Cold, drafty air often sneaks in underneath doors. You can purchase simple door draft stoppers to cover up these cracks. You can even roll up a rug to improvise.
Window Insulator Kits As houses settle, cracks tend to form around windows. If there are drafts sneaking in through your windows, it could cost a lot more to heat your home. You can buy a window insulator kit to cover your windows in a thin plastic film in the winter months to keep the chill out.
Set Your Water Heater at 120 The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by setting your water heater at 120, you can lower your water heating expenses by 6-10%. You can further improve your water heater’s efficiency by insulating it.
Cook with Your Oven Ovens can pull double duty in the winter. While you’re cooking a casserole in the oven, you get the side benefit of heating up your home at the same time. (But don't try to heat your home with just your oven)
Add Extra Blankets to Your Bed Instead of turning up the heat at night, add an extra blanket or down comforter to your bed to keep toasty warm. Then you can turn the heat on in the morning to take the chill out of the air.
Replace Your Light Bulbs Get rid of your old incandescent bulbs and replace them with modern LEDs. They use less energy than incandescent, last longer and are safer than CFLs.
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Tip: Winter is Here-Heating Tips
- Set your programmable thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and lower the setpoint when you're sleeping or away from home.
- Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as recommended.
- Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
- Eliminate trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season; if unsure about how to perform this task, contact a professional.
- Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
- Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing; when replacing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models.
- During winter, keep the draperies and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
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Winter Bird Feeding Tips
- Birds need rich sources of fat and calories to combat low temperatures and severe storms. Suet, nuts and high-oil seeds such as nyjer, black-oil sunflower seeds and sunflower hearts are all great choices
- Since you didn't cut down your final autumn flowers you know that the dried flower heads of aster, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, sunflowers and other plants are seed havens. These wildflowers’ stalks also may house insects for birds that need a little protein.
- Make sure to leave berries and other fruit on your native trees and bushes.
- Finally, if you left your fallen leaves on the ground since autumn, the decaying leaf litter will provide a feast of insects, seeds, nuts and other treats for your backyard birds.
____________________________
Tip: Fall & Winter Tree Care
Trees provide shade in summer, absorb pollutants and exchange CO2 for Oxygen. For these benefits and for their beauty, we should follow these simple steps:
1) Give your trees a drink. Winter droughts require watering as much as summer droughts. If temperatures permit, an occasional watering during the winter on young trees can be a life saver. Water only when soil & trees are cool but not frozen.
2) Put composted organic mulch under your tree in the fall or early winter to help retain water & reduce temperature extremes. A thin layer of mulch will act like a blanket & give the tree's roots a little extra winter protection. Remove in the spring & clear the root flare at the bottom of the tree. (Mulch a donut ring, not a pyramid around the tree)
3) Homeowners should prune their trees. Winter is actually one of the best times to prune because it is easier to see the structure of trees without their leaves. Limit pruning to deadwood & poorly placed or crossed branches to save as many living branches as possible.
4) Prevent injuries. Branch breakage or splitting can be caused by ice & snow accumulation, or chewing and rubbing by animals. Clear & clean the problem as soon as possible. Prevent problems from occurring on young trees by wrapping the base of trees in a hard, plastic guard or a metal hardware cloth. Wrapping trees with burlap or plastic cloth also can prevent temperature damage. Remove the guards in the spring to prevent damage when the tree begins to grow.
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Tip: Safe Disposal of Used Motor Oil/Getting Your Car Ready for Winter
Some car fluids like motor oil can be processed and recycled into new fluids. Every gallon of used motor oil that is improperly discarded can contaminate 1 million gallons of drinking water, according to the EPA. Motor oil also never wears out, but rather gets dirty, so it is often recycled and resold.
- Old motor oil can be refined, reconditioned or reprocessed to become usable again.
- An oil filter is made of three basic items: paper, steel and plastic. All of these items are recyclable when sent to the proper recycling outlet.
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Tip: Reduce Winter Heat Loss & Save
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HEAT FROM THE SUN
- Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
- Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
- Install tight-fitting, insulating drapes or shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing..
Tip: Reducing Heating Costs While Saving Energy
ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE
- When you are home and awake, set your thermostat as low as is comfortable.
- When you are asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 10° to 15° for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills. A programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your temperature.
Tip: Save Energy and Heat Loss by Sealing Air Leaks
FIND AND SEAL LEAKS
- Seal the air leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes ("plumbing penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.
- Add caulk or weatherstripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors
TIP: CHECK YOUR TIRES FOR SAFETY & SAVINGS
Schedule a regular check of your tires - both the tire pressure and tread depth. Use a gauge to check that the tire pressure agrees with the label on the door, not the maximum pressure shown on the tires' sidewalls. Uneven wear indicates a need for wheel alignment. Check the tires for bulges and bald spots.
Look carefully to see if the wear bars are showing at right angles to the treads. Evenly spaced around the tires, wear bars appear when tread depth is less than 2/32 inch. An easy check is to insert a nickel between the treads. If the head on the nickel is fully visible, it is time to replace the tire.
These actions will protect you and your family, reduce the amount of gas used and less gas equals fewer emissions and cleaner air.
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Tip: You can reduce pollutants and emission in our air by reducing reliance on cars:
When you calculate gas, wear and tear and other car expenses, driving alone to and from work costs you about 56 cents a mile. That can add up to thousands of dollars a year. Not to mention the stress on you. Join the thousands of commuters who make every mile count by avoiding driving alone or even driving every day. Choose to do one of the following.
Carpooling: Share the ride -- it saves money and reduces stress. Check with fellow employees via posts or newsletters.
Telework: Avoid traffic altogether by working from home. And it helps improve productivity! Ask your boss if this option is available.
Compressed Work Weeks or FlexTime: If you can't change how you get to work, change when you work.
Public Transportation This may be the best option, depending on your destination and access to CTA or METRA.
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Tip: AIR QUALITY & RESPIRATORY HEALTH
Air quality decreases during times of hot temperatures because the heat and sunlight essentially cook the air along with all the chemical compounds lingering within it. This chemical soup combines with the naturally occurring nitrogen oxide in the air, creating a “smog” of ground-level ozone gas.This makes breathing difficult for those who already have respiratory ailments or heart problems and can also make healthy people more susceptible to respiratory infections.
What You Can Do to Improve Air Quality During a Heat Wave
The EPA urges you to help reduce smog by:
· Using public transit and carpooling to reduce vehicle trips
· Refueling cars at night to prevent escaping gas vapors from getting cooked into
smog by sunlight
· Avoiding gas-powered lawn equipment
· Setting air conditioning thermostats a few degrees higher to help reduce energy used
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