Ocean County Library Going Green

NJNG Energy Cost Cutter Kit

2009-02-11T14:36:00.002-05:00

For $10, (List price $30) and NJNG will pick up the shipping and handling as well as the tax, you will receive a variety of items that will save money and energy.

• Switch/Outlet Gaskets (9 Pack)
• Two 14-Watt Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)*
• Two 20-Watt CFLs*
• 30' of Rope Caulk
• Roll of Adhesive Weather-stripping
• Four 18" Pieces of Pipe Insulation
• LED Night Light
• Refrigerator/Freezer Thermometer
• Energy-Saving Booklet

Plus an added bonus...

$50 Discount Coupon for a
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Comprehensive Home Assessment

Quantities are limited, so place your order today online at http://www.njng.com/conservation/special_offers.asp#costcutter

or by phone: 1-800-GOOD BUY or 1-800-777-5655

Limited to 4 kits per customer.

* CFLs last 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs. A 14-Watt CFL gives off the luminosity of a 60-Watt incandescent bulb and a 20-Watt CFL is equivalent to a 75-Watt incandescent bulb

If you attend the Earth Day Expo at the Little Egg Harbor Library located at 290 Mathistown Road in Little Egg Harbor NJ on April 18, 2009 and make a pledge you may be a lucky winner and receive one of these kits. Thank you AM Conservation Group for the donation.

37 Reuses For Old Clothes

2009-02-11T14:33:00.000-05:00

Green Cleaning:
| Dave Burdick | February 9, 2009 08:34 AM

I'm finding that I've got a lot of winter clothes that are too worn-out to keep, and Spring Cleaning is approaching. But I always found the idea of throwing clothes away -- even worn-out clothes -- kind of sad. Spring is supposed to be about, you know, life and birth and re-birth.

With that in mind, I've compiled a hefty list of reuses for old clothes.

1. 5 Reuses For Old Mittens
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/reuse-errant-mittens.html

Say you lost a mitten. Or there's a hole in one. Or your dog ate one. Planet Green offers ways to give your mittens new lives as drawstring bags, dusters and hoodie pockets -- which is saving two articles of clothing for the price of one!

And then there's this clever idea:

Get a drill, a punch or an awl and a nylon cord. Drill a hole in the bottom of your ice scraper. Thread the cord through. Attach the cord to the mitten. The scraper is now attached to the mitten. You will never find yourself without a mitten when you need one.
Check it out here.

2. 5 Reuses For Old Belts
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/reuse-belts-craft-tips.html

Bust a belt over the holidays? No problem. Planet Green also has five uses for old belts, including the very utilitarian organizer belt:

Slide some S-hooks into the belt holes and glue a strong magnet to a portion of the back of the belt, then attach it to a wall or the bottom edge of a whiteboard or a bulletin board with screws for an industrial look. Use small, powerful magnets to secure messages and notes to the front and hang keys, scarves or other small items from the hooks.

The other uses are much more artsy, so read up.

3. 13 Crafty Reuses For Clothes Of All Kinds
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Used-Clothes-in--a-Variety-of-Ways

Wikihow suggests 13 ideas for all kinds of worn-out clothes -- make a quilt, a dog bed, use cut-up blouses as wrapping for green gifts. It's all pretty creative. My favorite? Dressing up a gift of cheap wine:

Take old silk or rayon shirts and cut a square of fabric approximately twelve inches by twelve inches. Place a wine bottle in the center. Fold the bottom corner up. Roll the bottle in the fabric, tie the top with ribbon to secure, and insert dried flowers or gift tag in the pocket the folded corner has created. You now have a last-minute hostess gift (and people might not notice the wine inside is just two-buck Chuck).

4. 6 Reuses For Old Socks
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/reuses-socks.html

Everybody loses socks in the wash, so why not find new uses for the orphaned remaining socks -- or even for a sock with a hole worn in the toe or heel? Dusters, puppets, packaging -- Planet Green also recommends using socks as shoe-savers:

I know you're used to the socks being on the inside of your shoes, but they can work on the outside too. Cover shoes when storing them or stuffing them into your suitcase. The sock covers will keep shoes from becoming dusty or your other packed items from becoming dirty.
And best of all, you can make a hacky sack out of an old sock:

1. Get sock.
2. Cut sock in half.
3. Get rice or pinto beans or other biodegradable, loose-fill item.
4. Fill bottom half of sock with beans or whatever.
5. Sew sock closed.
6. You now have a hacky sack.
What to do with the remainder? You can make a wrist warmer or a drink cozy out of it.

5. Make Mittens Out Of An Old Sweater
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/diy-sweater-mittens.html

Not that I'm speaking from personal experience, but sometimes somebody absent-mindedly puts a sweater in the wash and it comes out as a different size. What do to? Make mittens!

And what to do when the mittens wear out? See above!

6. 7 Reuses For Jeans And T-Shirts
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/509297/uses_for_old_clothes.html

Ah, the staples. Everybody has these pieces of clothing, and honestly everybody's heard of most of these reuses -- shorts, skirt, etc. But here's a really clever one that's still good for winter use. I have a perfect candidates for it:

Old Shirt Use #2: Rice Bag Warmer. Cut off the sleeve of an old flannel shirt, fill with long grain white rice and sew up the ends. This will make a nice rice warmer for your back after a hard day's work, or your feet on a cold winter night. Just heat in the microwave for a few minutes.

7. OK, Give Up And Recycle Your Old Clothes

And look. Maybe you're rushed. Maybe you're not that crafty. Or maybe you just get more psychic satisfaction from getting things out of your house. If that's the case, be sure to recycle your clothes.

But instead of throwing it into the dumpster, there are a few companies out there that will recycle their product once you are done wearing it. Some of these items get turned into new clothing while some of them will get turned into playground equipment.
Read on at The Good Human.
http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/06/07/how-and-where-to-recycle-your

Point Pleasant Branch of OCL goes green!

2009-02-06T14:02:00.003-05:00

Published February 6, 2009

Today’s Ocean Star had an article commending Branch Manager Cathi Finnen and the staff of the PP Boro branch for their “going green” programs. The branch was recently presented with a certificate of achievement from the League of Women Voters and Point Pleasant’s Climate Action Committee for setting a good example to the community.

The article went on to tell of the different tactics the library employs to cut down on waste.
You can see the whole article by clicking on the following link. You'll need a Member ID (0010985) and Password (08742)

http://starnewsgroup.com/login/?from=email&code=9461888&pw=08736&dest=/weekly/2009/02.06.09/point_pleasa_02.06.09_27407.html

Second Chance Toys

2009-01-19T19:41:00.003-05:00

Info sent by Going Green branch liaison from Jackson, Joanne Morales - great idea! Collect gently used plastic toys and donate to needy charity. Step-by-step instructions on this website. Gives new life to discarded plastic toys which would otherwise clog up landfills - and makes kids happy!
http://www.secondchancetoys.org/

NJ Community Water Watch

2008-12-02T09:50:00.007-05:00

The Toms River Times had a recent article about Make a Difference Day in Toms River. The Ocean County College chapter of New Jersey Community Water Watch spent a Saturday in early October cleaning up Long Swamp Creek which empties into the Toms River and Barnegat Bay. Chemistry Professor Marashi of OCC told the reporter: "We must call upon our young generation to participate in activities, such as New Jersey Water Watch, to help educate, organize and actually clean our precious resource, water. Educators, parents, business leaders and politicians must expand awareness of these (environmental) issues and assist in fashioning solutions and processes to prevent the deterioration of our environment and help in improving it." Why not volunteer for such an organization as a member of the "OCL Going Green Team?"

Going Green at Your Library Blog

2008-10-31T15:11:00.002-04:00

Check out this blog - lots of great green news related to libraries!
http://greeningyourlibrary.wordpress.com/

Conserve Water (AND Money!)

2008-07-18T09:28:00.001-04:00

Check out this site for tips on saving water in your household from Mono Lake, CA:
http://www.monolake.org/waterconservation

Recycling CDs and DVDs

2008-07-15T09:22:00.002-04:00

This APP article gives ideas about recycling CDs and DVDs. The first suggestion in the article is to check with your local library!

Recycled music
Q: I buy more music and movies online and my CDs, videos, cassette tapes and even some DVDs are now just taking up space on the shelf. How can I recycle old media materials?
A: Consumers shouldn't toss old CDs or videos into the trash. They could contain chemicals and metals that don't belong in a landfill.
Check with a local library, school or community center to gauge whether they might have use for them. Beyond that, it's smart to ask a local sanitation department if it recycles such items.
The Environmental Protection Agency points consumers to various resources such as http://earth911.org, which lists services that handle the recycling of various materials. Earth 911 offers more than 2,900 locations that handle media such as CDs and DVDs. The plastic from CD containers, for example, can be used to make new containers or even create the casings that cover street lights, according to Trey Granger, spokesman for Earth 911.
He said consumers also can consider new uses for old media. Scratched CDs, for example, can become drink coasters or wind chimes.
"They're largely made of plastic, which is very recyclable and is important to do because they're made of oil," Granger said.
There are also companies such as GreenDisk that make a business of collecting what it calls "technotrash" from around the country. Mickey Friedman, chief operating officer at GreenDisk, said consumers are starting to ask more questions about what to do with the electronic detritus building up in basements, garages and attics.
Consumers and businesses can send old media to GreenDisk for processing. The company will handle up to 20 pounds for about $7 and charges 30 cents a pound after that. Under another plan GreenDisk will send a "technotrash can" — a container that can be filled gradually with a range of electronic waste. Once it's full, customers send the container back for recycling. The company covers the cost of the return shipment.
The Associated Press

Mandatory 4 day work week

2008-07-01T14:02:00.003-04:00

Utah has become the first state to mandate a 4 day work week for its state employees.

"Gov. Jon Huntsman, a first-term Republican, says he's making the change to reduce the state's carbon footprint, increase energy efficiency, improve customer service and provide workers more flexibility."

This effects about 17,000 state workers--
Could this be done in Ocean County?

Memorial Day Message from the Sierra Club

2008-05-16T07:38:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend is coming and -- in spite of gas prices -- more Americans than ever are planning to getaway by car. (1) But that doesn't have to cost as much as you think.
There are lots of ways to save gas (checked your tires lately?) but the easiest and most effective way is to slow down (just a little bit). When you add up the savings, it's like getting paid to relax.
So before you get behind the wheel for the upcoming holiday, show us what you're made of. Pledge to Drive 55 (or whatever the speed limit is on the roads you're traveling) for Memorial Day Weekend.
The Union of Concerned Scientists tells us that dropping from 70 to 60 mph improves fuel efficiency by an average of 17.2 percent. Dropping from 75 to 55 improves fuel efficiency by 30.6 percent!(3)
Put another way, in a family sedan, every 10 mph you drive over 60 is like paying 54 cents per gallon more for gas you bought at $3.25 a gallon. (4) That extra cost is even higher for big SUVs and other less-efficient vehicles.
And the time you save by going easy on the accelerator may not add up to as much as you thought. On a 300-mile trip, driving 65 instead of 70 mph would cost you only 20 minutes -- but save money and spew less carbon.
Take the Pledge!
Learn about other ways to avoid a "pain in the gas" when it comes to getting from here to there.
Is driving to your destination more fuel-efficient than flying? Take our "How Green Is My Getaway" quiz. You might be surprised.
Our April 29 post about driving the speed limit in our Green Life blog led many to share the wisdom of their personal road trip experiences. You can read all of them here, and share your own.
Have a great Memorial Day,
Greg Haegele
Director of Conservation

Smart Container Act 2008 (Bottle Bill)

2008-05-14T15:52:00.002-04:00

The proposed “Smart Container Act” would require a 10-cent deposit on all plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans (other than refillable containers) less than 24 oz. and a 20-cent deposit on such beverage containers over 24 oz. up to 3 liters. The proposal would include juice, sports drinks, and bottled waters as well as soda, wine and beer containers. The legislation was introduced on Jan. 8, 2008. To view the text of the legislation click on either format
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp

This is a link to an organization called The Container Recycling Institute which promotes recycling of container and packaging waste
http://www.bottlebill.org/legislation/usa/nonbb-nj.htm

Look at these articles from Jan. '08 National Geographic

2008-04-26T15:35:00.003-04:00

HIGH-TECH TRASH. - what's happening w/some of our discarded technology tools

E-HAZARDS. - what's IN some of our discarded technology tools

RECYCLING THE BIG PICTURE. - if you have access to the print magazine, check out the Glass & Paper Recycling Graph - we need to be better!

Going Green with our purses

2008-04-21T10:40:00.007-04:00

The Big Green Purse is a blog about conscientious spending. The creator, Diane, believes women have alot of power to affect positive environmental change with the way we spend our money--what she calls our "green purse." She encourages us to spend wisely--Going Green does not have to cost more. Her "Be one in a million" plan is to encourage women to pledge to use purse power to have a billion dollar impact on the environment.

Blog roll please-EcoLibris

2008-04-11T12:37:00.003-04:00

20 million trees are cut down every year to produce American books!!! Here is a green business that works with book related industries to balance out those staggering numbers by having readers plant a tree for every book they read.
Here is the Eco-Libris blog blog and the website. In an earlier posting about National Library Week one of the founder's of Eco-Libris interviews his mom who has been a librarian for 27 years. Let's get a blogroll going on the sidebar!

One More Newspaper Article

2008-04-11T11:47:00.000-04:00

Make a statement for Earth Day with these eco-friendly products
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200804100410/LIFE/80408040

Recycling of Electronics

2008-04-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

Firm Offers Recycling of Electronics
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/NEWS/80409028/1070/rss02

Battery and Cell Phone Recycling

2008-04-04T19:58:00.003-04:00

I just saw an ad for this
call2recycle.org where people can drop off cell phones and rechargeable batteries.

Friendly Cleaning Ideas

2008-04-02T17:28:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite charities, the Heifer Organization, had a list of environmentally friendly alternatives to cleaning in their recent publication of the World Ark Magazine that I thought may be useful. Their magazine is online and the list is found on page 6. This is the link:
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/heifer/worldark_20080304/

Post Office helps with recycling

2008-03-29T15:38:00.002-04:00

The US Post Office is launching a new pilot program; click below for the article.

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2008/pr08_028.htm

How to Recycle Everything

2008-03-25T09:59:00.003-04:00

I came across this link and thought we could use it for some ideas to pass along.

How to Recycle Everything

2008-03-22T15:28:00.001-04:00

I'd like to recommend the book:
Exposed: the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products - Who's at Risk and What's at Stake for American Power by Mark Schapiro
It really gives you a global perspective of how the United States is falling behind the rest of the world and how it is affecting our economy.

Solar Shingles

2008-03-22T09:28:00.002-04:00

Here is a link to an article about Solar Shingles. I was fascinated by this concept and am hopeful they can become part of the Brick renovation and Stafford's new building. I'm quite sure they will be expensive, but I wonder if we will be able to get a grant to help out with the cost of these. http://www.ovonic.com/PDFs/featured_solutions/oakland_university_goes_solar_uni-solar_shingles.pdf.

Welcome

2008-03-22T09:11:00.001-04:00

This weblog is maintained by the Going Green Committee of the Ocean County Library headquartered in Toms River, New Jersey.
If you have any articles or information on recycling or conservation you'd like to share, you are welcome to add a comment here that will be considered for publishing on this blog.