Month: October 2014

Affordable & Eco-Friendly Halloween Costumes

Looking for a last minute Halloween costume? Look no further! Today’s blog comes from our Hotline Manager, Amanda, and she is here to help. Read more below about some of our favorite eco-friendly costumes from over the years! Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired!

ILACSD staff love Halloween and the chance to get imaginative! I’ve rounded up some of my favorite staff costumes for you to enjoy, highlighting how easy it can be to avoid those big box stores to make your own costume. Here are my top five costume creations from years past, in no particular order of course. Watch out for this year’s staff picture on our Facebook on Friday the 31^st!

Environmental Educator, Monica, as an elephant.

Environmental Educator, Monica, was an adorable elephant last year. She already had the pants and sweater, and made the trunk from an empty paper towel roll. The only item she had to buy was a set of elephant ears that can be used again in the future.

Reusable elephant ears
Recyclable paper towel roll trunk
Preexisting sweater & leggings!
Approximate cost – less than $5

Director of Community Events, Natalie, as Marge Simpson back in 2007 was pretty awesome don’t you think? All you need to do is find a green dress at a thrift store (or use one you already have) and craft some blue hair out of paper, using an empty 2-liter soda bottle in the middle for structure. And don’t forget to recycle your hair at the end of the day!

Recyclable hair made of construction paper and 2 liter bottle
Preexisting dress
Approximate cost – less than $2

Hotline Program Assistant, Barbara, as a French painter.

Hotline Program Assistant, Barbara, put together a marvelous costume from items that were around her home. She already owned her beret, and she borrowed a t-shirt and paint brush from family members. A splash of paint and voila! A French painter.

Preexisting beret
Borrowed shirt & paint brush
Approximate cost – $0!

Community Events Coordinator, Lexi, as a runny egg!

Community Events Coordinator, Lexi , loves a good pun. Here she is as a runny egg – get it?! She wore running clothes she already owned, and cut out runny yolk pieces from yellow construction paper that she recycled at the end of the day.

Preexisting running gear
Recyclable construction paper
Approximate cost – $0 – $1

Executive Director, Pauline, borrowed her Grecian goddess costume, reminding us that just because you wore a costume one year and are tired of it, doesn’t mean you should trash it! Save it and swap costumes with your friends the next year.

Borrowed costume & accessories
Approximate cost – $0!

Hopefully you got some good ideas for Halloween, and don’t forget to post your DIY and re-use costumes to our Facebook page!

Take the Junk Out of Your Mail

Today’s blog comes from our Education Coordinator, Erika! We all have become accustom to separating out the junk mail from our mail box, but what if there was a solution to avoid this all together? What if that same solution could save you time, tax payer money AND the environment? Read more below about Erika’s 6 easy solutions to significantly reduce the amount of junk mail in your mailbox and your impact on the environment.

Over the past few months, I have worked to reduce the amount of waste I generate. This began when I learned that on average, each San Diegan will produce 5 lbs of trash per day and 2,000+ lbs of trash per person per year! I started with cutting out Trader Joe’s samples, disposable Starbucks cups, and zip lock bags. I thought I was doing a pretty good job, until I looked in my mailbox. It was full of junk (mail). So I decided to do something about it.

Are you frustrated with junk mail as much as Sheldon? Follow the steps below!

For starters, it’s interesting to learn how many of us receive junk mail every single day, but most people I know hate it! In addition to it being an inconvenience, a lesser known fact is that it negatively impacts our environment. According to an EPA report, in 2001, more than 4 million tons of junk mail are shipped annually, and it is estimated that 50% of that mail ends up in our landfills.

MSW graph — Currently, paper and paperboard account for 27.4% of waste disposed. While a large percentage of that is recycled, paper is still one of the largest components in our landfills . Talk about a waste!

If the environmental impact doesn’t convince you to unsubscribe, consider your wallet. Reducing junk mail saves you money. The Postal Service offers lower prices for bulk mailings, so in essence, our standard postage subsidizes junk mail. Additionally, taxpayers pay for the cost of disposal, which amounts to $370,000,000 a year.

Last year, I received a catalog out of the blue. I had never shopped at the particular store and actually had never heard of it before, so I was surprised to see my name located in the address field. My curiosity led me to call the company to find out if I had unknowingly signed up for this their catalog. After a pleasant conversation with the woman, I learned that they bought my name from a mailing list. That got me thinking about how many other companies have my name and address.

Here is your go-to guide on how to reduce your impact on the environment and your wallet by refusing junk mail:

• Register on the National Do Not Mail List
• To cancel credit and insurance offers click here!
• Cancel unwanted catalogs here
• Unsubscribe from ValPack
• Sign up to receive your favorite grocery store’s e-coupons online and cancel your direct mail coupons here
• Call the businesses and organizations that sent you the junk mail and request that take you off their list

These simple steps will significantly reduce the amount of junk mail you receive and thus, the amount of waste you produce. For other excess mail, check out our Junk Mail board on Pinterest and see what you can create!

The ILACSD staff always enjoy a good laugh. Check out this Saturday Night Live spoof about junk mail. Enjoy!

education environmentally friendly junk mail reduce

ILACSD Kicks Off America Recycles Day Campaign!

Today’s blog comes from our Hotline Program Assistant, Barbara and Hotline Manager, Amanda! Our hotline team is gearing up for America Recycles Day and they want to make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest and greatest tips for waste reduction, while having a little fun! Read more below about what you can look forward to leading up to America Recycles day.

America Recycles Day is the nation's one and only day dedicated solely to recycling, so get ready for 1 month of recycling tips and tricks from ILACSD to get you geared up for the BIG DAY! — America Recycles Day is the nation’s one and only day dedicated solely to recycling, so get ready for 1 month of recycling tips and tricks from ILACSD to get you geared up for the BIG DAY!

Mark your calendar for America Recycles Day on November 15^th! This year marks the 7^th Annual America Recycles Day- the only nationally-recognized day to celebrate our waste reduction milestones and to share ideas with one another. The goal of America Recycles Day, an initiative of Keep America Beautiful, is to inspire communities to recycle more and correctly all year long. On that note, starting today, I Love A Clean San Diego kicks off its own America Recycles Day campaign! From now until November 15^th, ILACSD will share with you tips and tricks to help minimize your impact on local landfills!

sorted recycling — Thankfully, in SD most recyclable items can commingle in one bin! Paper, rigid plastics, glass, aluminum, and cartons.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to receive our helpful tips. You can look forward to posts about –

#DIY upcycling tips – give old items a second life!
#TransformationTuesday
Recycling humor – yes, it does exist!
Tips for hard to recycle items

I Love A Clean San Diego started as an organization to combat San Diego’s litter problem, and has quickly evolved to address residents’ recycling needs, as well. ILACSD first started its recycling hotline in 1972, focusing on keeping thousands of Christmas trees out of landfills. Today, we continue to run our one-stop recycling resource, WasteFreeSD.org, and our newest addition, RepairSD.org!

Christmas Tree Recycling, 1972 — Challenges in finding out where to recycle Christmas trees spurred ILACSD to start a recycling hotline in 1972…more than 40 years later, it’s still going strong. Give us a call today, 1-800-237-BLUE!

As San Diego moves towards a 75% diversion rate by 2020 and a zero waste goal by 2040, we are dedicated to be your go-to resource to help reach these goals. Although this may appear to be a lofty goal, ILACSD is here to help inform fellow San Diegans and ultimately, keep valuable resources out of local landfills.

More than 51,000 Americans have already taken the America Recycles Day pledge on Keep America Beautiful’s webpage. By taking it, you pledge to learn more about the materials that can be recycled, reduce your waste by recycling, and encourage others to do the same. Click here to take the pledge today!

For more information on all of your recycling, reuse, and repair needs, visit WasteFreeSD.org and RepairSD.org!

america recycles day ARD cleansd I Love A Clean San Diego recycle san diego recycling upcycle waste diversion zero waste

When in DROUGHT, turn to us!

Today’s blog is a collaboration with ILACSD and our friends that the San Diego County Water Authority. With a serious drought on our hands, it is up to all of us to take immediate action to reduce our use and save our stored water reserves for 2015. Read on to learn more about what we do to fight the drought, and go to WaterSmartSD.org to learn more!

Recently, we asked ILACSD staff members about how they fight the drought. Here are some of our favorite responses:

Save 5 gallons of water every time you brush! — Save 5 gallons of water every time you brush just by turning off the faucet!

Ann, ILACSD Director of Finance, puts a bucket under her bathtub faucet to collect the cold water as she waits for the shower water to heat up. Then she uses that to water her plants.

Sarah, our Marketing Coordinator, waters her plants with left over, day-old drinking water.

Natalie, Director of Community Events, has a wireless speaker in her bathroom and uses Pandora to time her showers.

Monica, ILACSD Environmental Educator, turns off the tap while brushing your teeth. Millions of people doing even the little things makes a difference!

Morgan, Director of Development & Marketing, and Ann have both recently replaced their lawns with native plants and rocks!

Before & after shots of Morgan's water-friendly yard! — Before & after shots of Morgan’s water-friendly yard!

There are also some mandatory water-saving restrictions in effect across the region. Requirements vary by local water agency, but they include:

When in Drought, visit WaterSmartSD.org!

• Limit outdoor watering days and times.
• Water only during the late evening or early morning hours.
• Eliminate runoff from irrigation systems.
• Repair all leaks within 72 hours.
• Turn off water fountains and other water features unless they recycle water.
• Use hoses with shut-off valves for washing cars (or patronizing commercial car washes that re-circulate water).
• If you do not plan to drink water with your meal at a restaurant, please remind the waitstaff not to bring water to the table.
• If you stay at a hotel, request the option of not laundering towels and linens daily.
• Use recycled or non-potable water for construction when available.

The Water Authority is not anticipating cutbacks to its imported water supplies this year that would trigger mandatory supply cutbacks to its member agencies. Allocations could happen in 2015 if conditions don’t improve, but regional investments in water supply reliability such as independent Colorado River water transfers and the Carlsbad Desalination Project will help offset the impacts of any supply reductions.

For more details about the drought, including links to water-use rules and conservation programs in your community, go to WhenInDrought.org. The webpage also includes a link to the Water Authority’s online conservation portal WaterSmartSD.org, which offers numerous water-saving incentives, free water-use evaluations, classes on WaterSmart landscaping and a home water-use calculator.

drought water conservation

Ditch the Disposable Lifestyle Part II: California Bag Ban

This week’s blog comes from Monica, an ILACSD Environmental Educator! You may remember her last blog, Ditch the Disposable Lifestyle: Choose Reusables, where she provided us with many useful tips to help reduce our waste, including using reusable bags. Now that SB 270, also known as California Bag Ban, has been signed into law, Monica is here to share helpful tips to make reusable bags a part of your daily routine!

Some Background: In late September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 270, making California the first and only state in the country with a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. While some applaud the effort, others are frustrated with it. However, unless an appeal is successful, come July 1, 2015, single-use plastic bags will no longer be available at your favorite grocery store or pharmacy.

Grocery stores will continue to carry paper bags for 10 cent each and plastic produce bags will still be available, which many people reuse to dispose of pet waste. Regardless of your position on this issue, our staff can assure you that the transition to a plastic bag free state will be easy, with a little practice.

Here are my top 6 tips to help get you in the habit well before July 2015 when the ban goes into effect.

Bag Ban tips from Monica! — This bag is machine washable and made in the USA!

1. Hold off on buying a lot of new reusable bags.

Look around your house, in the closets, under the kitchen sink, under the bed. It’s likely that you already have reusable bags, or the materials to make your own!

2. I don’t have any bags. Which ones should I buy? Quality is important. You want to buy a bag that will last you a long time. Think years!

Materials: Cotton cloth bags are my favorite. They can hold a lot of weight and they’re machine washable. I’ve had one of my cloth bags since 2010 and still use it all the time!
Close the loop! Look for bags made from recycled materials.
Carbon footprint. American made bags would be great! You’ll be supporting American business and know that those bags traveled less to get to you and thus consumed less resources.

Director of Education, Sam, returning to the ILACSD office with her reusable bag! — Here’s Sam, our Director of Education, coming back from the store with one of our reusable bags.

3. Getting into the habit can be hard. Give it a few weeks, before you know it, you’ll never forget your bag. Here’s what helped me get into the habit:

Keep your bags somewhere handy & always in the same spot to save time.
Keep a couple in your car. Lots of us make impromptu stops to the store.
At ILACSD, we keep our shared reusable bags in the same spot. When one of us takes a trip to the nearby Vons or Trader Joe’s, we know exactly where to grab one.

4. Oh no, it happened, again! You’re about to pay for your groceries and realize you forgot your bags!

If I’m only buying a few things I’ll refuse the bag. “No thank you, I don’t need a bag”. I say that all the time, I don’t mind carrying a couple of items in my arms, or maybe I can fit them into my purse.
Take a tip from Costco, ask for a box! If they don’t have boxes, I’ll put bulky items in my cart, without a bag, transfer them to my trunk, and the whole shopping experience is bag-less. I lived in Suwon, South Korea for a year, where they banned plastic bags, and this is what a lot of people did. Try to maximize and get only the bags you need for smaller items.

Help prevent plastic pollution - choose reusables! — On a 30 minute walk with my dog at Discovery Park in Chula Vista (an adoptable canyon), I picked up 6 plastic bags!

5. Keep in mind WHY you’re doing this. For some of us, the motivation may be to save the 10 cents per paper bag, but every time we choose reusables, that means there are fewer plastic bags to pollute our watersheds and occupy the limited space in our landfills.

I know the few extra efforts I put into using my reusable bags and refusing disposable bags are worth it because I’m not contributing to pollution. When it rains, littered plastic bags flow into storm drains and eventually to the ocean. Many marine animals, like sea turtles, get entangled in the bags or eat them because they mistake them for food. Keeping this is mind motivates me to continue refusing single-use bags!

6. Have fun with it! Reusable bags give you a chance to show your personality, and can be just another accessory that allows you to make a statement. Just try not to make this statement:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX5Nf-BiOQ4]

Although for some it will take time to adopt the reusable bag habit, our small efforts are bound to make a significant, positive impact on our environment.

California bag ban eco-friendly reusable

What the heck is going on in the TJ River Valley?

Today’s blog post comes from ILACSD’s Director of Development & Marketing, Morgan, who likes to take any and all of her out-of-town guests down to Borderfield State Park and the Tijuana River Valley for a private tour of one of San Diego’s little known gems!

Someone recently asked me, “what the heck is going on in the Tijuana River Valley that could warrant 4 weeks straight of cleanups and restoration events?” Well, I’m here to share with you the good news, and the bad news, about the Tijuana River Valley region.

The Tijuana River is a 120 mile waterway that originates in Baja California, northeast of Ensenada and flows through Tijuana. On its way to the Pacific Ocean, the River crosses the US-Mexico border near San Ysidro and its mouth is just south of the City of Imperial Beach, just a few miles north of the border. In Tijuana, the river is more like a concrete canal filled with trash, sewage and homeless migrants. Last year, NPR aired a story focusing on the hundreds of homeless who live in the Tijuana River channel. While there are seemingly insurmountable political, economic and social issues surrounding the border region, a group of San Diego and Tijuana-based nonprofits have come together to tackle the pollution problem. This group, jointly referred to as the Tijuana River Action Network, works on both sides of the border to prevent pollution, teach more sustainable building techniques and hold governments accountable for improvements in sewage infrastructure.

So where does I Love A Clean San Diego fit in? Well, each year for the past few years, our annual Coastal Cleanup Day kicks off the month of cleanup activities called Tijuana River Action Month. In fact, Coastal Cleanup Day involves close to 20 cleanup sites in the shared Tijuana River Watershed. While most of them are in Mexico, they do include Borderfield State Park, Tijuana River Valley – Dairymart Road, and the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, all on the U.S. side of the border. This year alone, nearly 50,000 pounds of debris was collected from these sites at Coastal Cleanup Day!

With Coastal Cleanup Day behind us, we can now look forward to a handful of other great events in the shared watershed that are meant to restore the environment and teach participants of the valuable resource we have in the TJ River Valley.

Saturday, October 4^th, 9am – 12noon

Join ILACSD & Wildcoast for a cleanup along Effie May Trail in the TJ River Valley. Help us to dig out tires and other trash that has been covered by sediment. You’ll be shocked and probably dismayed at the sheer amount of trash – especially tires, plastic and Styrofoam that is collected at a single cleanup. To sign up for this cleanup, contact Lexi Ambrogi at lambrogi@cleansd.org or 619-704-2778.

Saturday, October 11^th, 9am – 12noon

Join Surfrider’s No BS campaign volunteers & Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) staff for a cleanup at Goat Canyon in the TJ River Valley. Additional projects on October 11^th include building benches out of trash with 4 Walls International and erecting a mural created by local students with the help of A Reason to Survive. At 12noon, you can get a sneak peek into the rarely opened Friendship Park to participate in a bi-national planting and ceremonial butterfly release. To sign up for this cleanup, visit the Tijuana River Action Month website.

Saturday, October 11^th, 12noon – 2pm

If you had any involvement in this year’s Tijuana River Action Month, join us for the annual Volunteer Appreciation Party! Free food, craft beer, and a raffle for all sorts of great prizes. Plus, an opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the elected officials that represent the border region. We hope to see you there!