Viridescence - be green!

“For it is in giving that we receive.” ―St. Francis of Assisi Typically, during the holiday season, we purchase gifts that are not environmentally friendly. Frankly, the holiday season is filled with wasteful traditions. Consumerism is one of the top contributors to waste, environmental degradation, and climate change. One way to reduce environmental degradation and improve your carbon footprint while giving a gift to a loved one is to give a gift that benefits the environment. Before purchasing material goods as a gift, consider supporting the environment by giving one of the following gifts! Living Tributes The U.S. Forest Service and the Arbor Foundation sell living tributes, which are trees planted in the in honor of a named loved one. The honoree receives a customized greeting card in the mail detailing the type and location of the tree. Additionally, the environment will get a boost by increasing the number of trees, which will filter carbon dioxide out of the air. Eco-...

With cold weather on its way, now is the time to weatherize your   Courtesy of i.pining.com home. All types of homes (apartment, duplex, mobile homes, single-family) benefit from weatherization. Making your home resistant to cold weather by adding storm windows, insulation, etc., will not only make those cold winter nights cozy it will also reduce your energy consumption and reduce your energy bill. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates a savings on your energy bill of 5 to 30%. Weatherization – What you do Add insulation to walls and attic – if needed Seal air leaks in attic with expanding foam or caulk (seal around chimneys, wiring, ducts, flues, and vent stacks) Caulk doors and windows Install weather-stripping to windows and doors Install plastic sheeting on inside windows and sliding doors Install door sweep Seal furnace ducts Seal household leaks with spray foam (around door and window frames, chimneys, vents, skylights, etc.) Use heavy curtains or drapes Energy Audit Hire ...

Part of the Eco-Challenge to refuse single-use plastics is to keep your community clean. Take the daily challenge to  pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day while following the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer. "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."  Chinese Proverb 

Single-use plastics pollute the environmental and harm wildlife. Join the movement to refuse single-use plastics during the month of July and into the future. The Plastic Free Eco-Challenge inspires and encourages individual actions toward reducing single-use plastics. The Eco-Challenge consists of categories that contain actions you complete to reduce the usage of single-use plastic, which earns you points in the Eco-Challenge. The idea is to inspire competition while improving the health of the environment and the well-beginning of the individual. I invite you to join Team Viridescence!

Direct mailings, commonly known as junk mail, waste valuable forest resources and creates unnecessary carbon emissions because it all ends up as waste whether you recycle it or toss it in the trash. Stopping the flow of junk mail is good for the environment because it reduces the timber extraction, reduces energy use during production, distribution and recycling, and reduces the amount of waste in landfills. It is easy to stop receiving direct mailings and their good reasons to do so. Production of junk mail = greenhouse gas emissions as 3.7 million cars [ 1 ] Production of junk mail = 1.5 trees / year / household [ 2 ] Amount received = 848 pieces of junk mail / year / household [ 3 ] Consumers’ cost to dispose junk mail = $370 million / year / person [ 4 ] Paper waster = 69 million tons / year [ 5 ] REDUCE JUNK MAIL Here are five easy ways to stop receiving direct mailing (A.K.A. junk mail). Write the company a letter asking that your name be removed from the...

If you want a natural way to maximize your garden space, control pests, increase pollinators, grow healthier plants, and reap bigger harvests then companion planting is your answer. What is companion planting? Companion planting is planting certain flowers and vegetables in combination, so as to attract good insects and repel pests. So, this year when you’re planning your garden , consider companion planting. As you can see in the chart below, some plants do not get along and should not be planted together. Happy Gardening! COMPANION PLANTING CHART Plant Good Companion Bad Companion Asparagus Tomato, parsley, basil Beans, bush Potato, celery, cucumber, corn, strawberry, savory, carrots, cosmos, daisies Onion, fennel, sage Beans, pole Corn, savory, radish, tomato, cosmos Onion, beet, garlic, chives, sage Blackberries Dill, carrot Broccoli Celery, rosemary, dill Oregano,...

It's Earth Day! Here are some ways you can improve the health of our planet.  1. Replace disposable plastic products with  durable and reusable  products 2. Influence Environmental Policy -  Write Your Representative 3. Reduce your  carbon footprint 4. Learn about your local  watershed 5. Reduce  paper waste 6. Learn about  invasive species 7.  Upcycle 8. Conserve Water by… Only washing full loads of laundry Do not leave the water running…Instead… Wash produce in a bowl of water Defrost food in the refrigerator Keep a pitcher of drinking water in refrigerator Turn off water when brushing your teeth Take shorter showers Turn off water when washing your hair Retrofit showerheads, faucets, and aerators with WaterSense© Replace old toilets – consider a dual-flush toilet 9. Reduce Air Pollution by… Limit driving – carpool, public transportation, walking, and biking Take few trips – combine errands Keep automobile maintained and regular...

Water quality and marine life biodiversity are under attack from toxins that enter our watersheds. A watershed is an area of land that transports rain and snowmelt to streams and rivers and eventually to reservoirs, bays, and oceans. Household cleaners, garden herbicides and pesticides, plant and lawn fertilizers, detergents, vehicle oils, garbage, and animal feces are toxins that contribute to water pollution. These pollutants wash away with the rain and snowmelt, end up in our streams, rivers, bays, and oceans, and destroys habitat, creates dead-zones, and kills wildlife. Salt Creek Falls, Willamette National Forest, Oregon - 2020 Amy Bradley Here are five simple steps you can take to reduce water pollution. 1. Replace impermeable surfaces with permeable surfaces.  Solid surfaces, such as asphalt and concrete driveways and sidewalks are impermeable surfaces that do not let water penetrate their surface. Instead, water runs over impermeable surfaces collect...

Gardening does not have to be difficult or take very much space. (Click here to learn about container gardening). A few things it does take are planning and preparation. By planning your garden, you will maximize the use of your space, conserve resources, reduce the need to pesticides and herbicides, and increase your yields. Sketch the layout of your garden area including the number of each plant and the placement of each plant. (Click here for a table detailing the spacing requirements for some of the most common vegetables.) Next, determine the planting schedule. In order to do this, you need to determine the average last frost (ALF) date for your area. The National ClimateData Center is a resource to determine ALF dates. Simply select the State in which you reside to generate a table containing the ALF dates. On the left, is a list of cities – find the one closest to you. The next column has the probability of frost during (90, 50, and 10%) for the listed date. You wi...

The Great Backyard Bird Count is your opportunity to be a citizen scientist and help Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society gather information on the North American bird population. For at least one day between February 14-17, 2020, simply count birds for 15 minutes. You can bird-watch from the comfort of your home or in the great outdoors. Why help? You will help create a snapshot of the abundance and distribution of bird populations. This information along with other citizen-science projects helps scientist develop a broader understanding of bird populations . Bird Identification Many people do not know what type of birds live in their area. Do not let this keep you from participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). There are several sources for helping you identify the birds in your regions, such as the free online resource published by the Bird Watcher’s Digest . Participation Information CREATE… First create a free GBBC account with...

If you want change then you need to ask for it. You know plastic pollution is a major contributor to environmental degradation. According to the EPA (2018), in 2015, the United States generated 34.5 million tons of plastic waste. In 2017, the U.S. produced 80.1 million tons of product containers and packaging of which 14.5 million tons were plastic packaging and containers.  If you want to stop polluting the environment with plastic, then you need to stop using it. Unfortunately, plastic is everywhere and almost everything you purchase is packaged in plastic. One way to reduce plastic pollution is to request that your favorite retail grocery store stop using single-use plastic and increase or add a bulk goods section. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead The following is a sample letter that you can copy and paste or use this link to access the sample l...