Tag: sustainability

Watershed Warriors: Valley Center Community Cleanup

Join I Love A Clean San Diego and the County of San Diego for a litter cleanup in Valley Center! We will divert litter from traveling through the San Luis Rey watershed.

You can participate in this cleanup in 2 ways: In-person with us at our meeting location, or remotely in your neighborhood. Here are some ground rules:

In-Person Cleanups: Our staff will be set-up with a check-in table, disposable supplies, and plenty of hand sanitizer at this cleanup meeting location (see address in Shift #1).

Join us there at 9am for a brief kick-off, sign a liability waiver, grab some disposable supplies, and help us clean up the area!
We can sort, weigh, and dispose of the litter you collect, and when you are finished you can request a Letter of Appreciation through your Community Hub dashboard.
Our in-person cleanups are limited to 25 volunteers, and we ask that you give other volunteers 6+ ft. of space and wear a mask if you are unvaccinated.

You can sign up for the in-person cleanup below in Shift #1. Please register to receive important preparation details via e-mail.

Remote Cleanups: If you are not able to join us in-person, join us remotely! Pick-up litter around your neighborhood Saturday morning and report your totals online.

When you sign-up we will e-mail you resources so you can watch our kick-off video before you start your cleanup. Grab some reusable gloves and a bucket from around your house and go for a walk somewhere you want to make an impact.
Invite some friends to make it a neighborhood effort, and sort and dispose of litter in your household bins. Take a few photos and write down your litter totals.
When you are all done, report your litter totals in our Volunteer Impact Map so we can verify your service, and go to your Community Hub dashboard to receive a Letter of Appreciation.
Please give other volunteers 6+ ft. of space and wear a mask if you are unvaccinated.

You can sign up for the remote cleanup below in Shift #2. Please register to receive important preparation details via e-mail.

DISCLAIMER: By participating in a cleanup, you agree I Love A Clean San Diego is NOT responsible for any injury suffered and you waive any claim arising from participation in the event.

I agree to read and follow all of the safety protocols for this event.

cleansd cleanup I Love A Clean San Diego litter pollution prevention recycling San Diego county sustainability watershed warriors

Celebrate Sustainably: Summer Fun Webinar

Summer means longer days and warmer temperatures. This naturally leads to spending more time outdoors. Every summer, I Love A Clean San Diego collects thousands of pounds of waste from local beaches. As we celebrate outdoors this summer, how can we keep this waste out of our environment and put trash in its place?

Join I Love A Clean San Diego as we dive into sustainable habits for the summer! During this webinar, we’ll discuss:

How to have a low waste BBQ, picnic, or beach day
Zero waste and energy saving summer recipe ideas, including how to properly dispose of food waste in your green bin!
Environmentally friendly pool toys and beach supplies
Proper recycling and upcycling of materials from all of your summer activities

Our Celebrate Sustainably: Summer Fun webinar will take place on Wednesday, July 28^th, from 4-5 p.m. Please register to receive the Zoom link. This webinar is in partnership with the City of Poway. We can’t wait to see you there!

celebrate sustainably environment environmental education summer sustainability

San Diego River Days Community Cleanup

Join I Love A Clean San Diego, the San Diego River Park Foundation, and SDG&E for a virtually-hosted litter cleanup across the San Diego River Watershed! We will pick-up litter from the communities throughout the watershed and divert it from the Pacific Ocean.

These cleanups are currently virtually-hosted; we are not gathering or meeting in a specific location. Instead, you can do a fun and flexible cleanup on your terms. While we are targeting the communities across this specific watershed, you are welcome to clean up wherever and with whomever you feel comfortable.

Invite your neighbors and practice social distancing. Bring a bucket and gardening gloves from home, and wear your face-covering. You can make this cleanup zero-waste by using your own supplies!

Register now to receive e-mail resources and event details, including special information about the San Diego River Watershed.

We will also be gifting some “Drop in the Bucket” upcycled cleanup kits to registered volunteers before the cleanup, courtesy of SDG&E. Each kit contains an upcycled 5-gal bucket and grabber. When you register you’ll be automatically entered to win a kit you can use for this cleanup and beyond!

Watch the kick-off video you get in your e-mail, then clean up in the neighborhood and use your household cans for disposal. Afterwards, log your totals and request a Letter of Appreciation for your service – it’s that easy!

cleansd cleanup eco-friendly san diego sustainability trash watershed

Step Up Your Sustainability Webinar

You’ve mastered remembering reusable bags at the grocery store, you’ve fine-tuned your meal planning to eliminate food waste, and your reusable water bottle is like a new appendage, always at your side. What’s next in leveling up your sustainable lifestyle? Join I Love A Clean San Diego as we dive into sustainable habits in niche areas of your life, namely pets, hobbies, and how to avoid greenwashing. During this webinar, we’ll discuss:

How to find low waste options for pet food, toys, and more
Where to take items from hobbies we’ve left behind, and how to create waste free habits in your current hobbies
How to avoid greenwashing and what to look for when shopping new brands

Our Step Up Your Sustainability webinar will take place on Saturday, May 1^st, from 10-11am. Please register to receive the Zoom link. Thank you to the City of Encinitas for sponsoring this event. We can’t wait to see you there!

education environmental education sustainability zero waste

Waste Hierarchy: What are the 4 Rs?

Waste Hierarchy: What are the 4 Rs?

Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose/Upcycle, Recycle –

These 4 R’s are extremely important when it comes to sustainable living and help manifest environmentally responsible consumer behavior. They all aim to reduce the amount of waste we create, which will not only save money but conserve natural resources and energy as well.

Reduce

Reduce comes first in the waste hierarchy and is the most effective way to prevent waste from being generated in the first place. From production to transportation, every single product that we own uses up large amounts of raw materials and energy, which poses as a detriment to the environment through resource depletion and pollution creation.

Tips on Reducing

Only buying what you need
Buy in bulk, click here to learn the basics of bulk buying
Buy used items from thrift stores or consignment shops
Borrow, rent or share items that are used infrequently like Halloween costumes, party decorations, pool toys
Printing double sided
Avoid buying non-recyclable products

Reuse

Reuse is a great way to give an item an elongated life span by using it more than once. This means that none of the components of the product are wasted and can be used again for the same purpose.

Tips on Reusing

Using a reusable grocery bag instead of a getting a new plastic bag at the store
Using reusable utensils and water bottles
Reusing plastic or glass jars as storage containers (e.g. glass honey jars to store flour or sugar)
Repair items like clothes, shoes, tires, electronics or appliances instead of throwing and replacing them
Donate unwanted items to charity organizations like Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity and help those in need

Repurpose

Repurposing and upcycling are often used interchangeably but they are actually slightly different. Repurposing is using one product to serve a different purpose and creating a new use for an old product. Examples include making plant pots out of egg cartons or making tea lights out of bottle caps.

Tips on Repurposing

Look for inspo on creative ways to repurpose items: blogs
Repurposing can be a fun arts-and-craft activity to do with children
Works really well during holidays like Halloween and Christmas, where you can make decorations and costumes from old and used items at home

Upcycle

Upcycling on the other hand is enhancing or upgrading a product to better serve the same purpose through the addition of paint, ad-ons, decorations etc. An example is painting over your old table to transform it into a new pretty one.

Tips on Upcycling

Look for inspo on creative ways to repurpose items: blogs, YouTube
Utilize items at home that might be outdated such as old clothes to use as rags and towels for your project

Recycle

Recycle comes last in the waste hierarchy and should also be the last option you choose if you exhaust all the other choices from reduce, reuse and repurpose/upcycle. This is because it is still creating materials and using up energy during the recycling process. Recycling aims to close the loop on resource consumption and preserve them for continued use by turning them into new products. For example, milk jugs and other plastic containers can be made into new bottles and containers, or even furniture and playground equipment. Paper can be recycled into toilet paper and tissues, and thin cardboard boxes and cartons.

Tips on Recycling

Only put items accepted by your waste hauler in your blue recycling bin
Make sure your recyclables are generally clean and dry
Putting contaminated items into the blue bin can contaminate the entire recycling load and deem it unusable
Never bag recyclables in plastic bag
Mixed material items such as chip bags cannot be recycled because there is no process to separate the items
Keep electronics and hazardous waste items out of your blue bin
Visit WasteFreeSD.org to find out where you can recycle other items like electronics and batteries

recycle reduce reuse sustainability wastefreesd zero waste

Recycled Crafts: Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars

Recycled Crafts: Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars

Wondering how to teach your kids about Zero Waste? Recycled crafts are a great place to start! Creating crafts from materials you already have at home is the perfect way to help teach your children about the importance of resource conservation and upcycling.

Here in San Diego County, we create a lot of waste. Residents create an average of 5.6 pounds of waste per person per day. This adds up to 2,044 pounds of waste per year, weighing more than a giraffe! After we throw our trash away, it never really goes “away,” but rather ends up in our landfills. With the current rate our waste is entering our landfills, they are expected to close a lot sooner than we realize. Regionally, our landfills in San Diego County are estimated to close in 2052. In order to avoid going out into our environment and building a new landfill, it is important to see how we can reduce the amount we are throwing away and slow the rate at which our landfills are filling up.

Get Creative and Reuse!

So, how can we throw less away?

Recycling is a great place to start! By sorting our metal, paper and cartons, glass and plastic containers into our recycling bin, we are helping to put these resources back into our economy and produce new products!

Looking to take it one step further? Reuse! Reusing is one amazing way to reduce what we throw away and help our environment thrive. By reusing an item, you are using something again or in a completely new way, giving the item a whole new life. There are many ways to reuse items, but one clever way to get kids involved is to make toys from “trash!” Creating recycled crafts is a great way to get creative with your children and simultaneously teach them about why it’s important to reduce what we throw away.

Start off by taking a look at the items you have at home: toilet paper or paper towel tubes, soda bottles, newspapers, magazines and plenty more! There are so many crafts you can create with traditionally recycled materials. Crafting with repurposed materials helps children think outside the box, while developing fine motor skills and expressing themselves in unique ways; let your child’s imagination take the lead!

Getting Crafty

Don’t toss your toilet paper tubes! They’re great tools to see the world. Simply follow the below instructions and build your very own binoculars.

With a few supplies from around your home, you’ll have everything you need for an afternoon of creativity and science! Follow along to learn how to make Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars.

How to Create – Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars

Step by Step Instructions

Materials:

Two (2) toilet paper rolls
Scissors
Glue
String, ribbon, yarn, or wire
Scrap paper or photos
Markers, paint, or crayons
Hole punch or pen

Follow these steps:

1. Gather supplies. Create your own drawing, gather photos from magazines and newspapers, or use wrapping paper to create your own designs to decorate the binoculars.

2. Cut your picture, designs or photos to the same length as the toilet paper roll. Place glue on the back of the photo or picture.

3. Roll the paper around each tube. Let it dry. Punch a hole in each side of the toilet paper roll with a pen or hole punch. You may want to ask for help with this step.

4. Glue the two rolls together. Tie a string on the side of each roll for a neck strap. Once dry, your binoculars are ready to see new things and explore your world.

Visit I Love A Clean San Diego’s YouTube channel to view the video on How to Make Your Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars!

Backyard Science

Once you’re finished making your binoculars, let your budding scientist take inspiration from the outdoors and explore their living landscape! Take a walk around your neighborhood, backyard, park, or playground to see what they can find.

Scavenger Hunt Idea – What can you spot with your binoculars?

Observe what’s around you. Have your child make a list of what they spot. Have them record what they see, draw a picture or describe what the item looks like, noting any specific characteristics.

Keep an eye out for any local San Diego County species:

☐ Animal ☐ Mineral ☐ Vegetable ☐ Wood ☐ Metal

☐ Plastic ☐ Glass ☐ Paper ☐ Insect

environment Recycled Crafts sustainability zero waste san diego

Watershed Warriors: Rancho Santa Fe Community Cleanup

Join I Love A Clean San Diego and the County of San Diego for a virtually-hosted litter cleanup in the Rancho Santa Fe community! We will pick-up litter from the community and divert it from the Carlsbad watershed and Pacific Ocean.

These cleanups are currently virtually-hosted; we are not gathering or meeting in a specific location. Instead, you can do a fun and flexible cleanup on your terms. While we are targeting this specific community, you are welcome to clean up wherever and with whomever you feel comfortable.

Invite your neighbors and practice social distancing. Bring a bucket and gardening gloves from home, and wear your face-covering. You can make this cleanup zero-waste by using your own supplies!

cleansd environment recycle San Diego county sustainability trash volunteer watershed warriors

Sunset Sweep: Manzanita Canyon Community Cleanup

Join I Love A Clean San Diego, San Diego Canyonlands, and Think Blue San Diego for a virtually-hosted litter cleanup in the Manzanita Canyon neighborhood! We will pick-up litter from the community and divert it from the canyons and Pacific Ocean.

These cleanups are currently virtually-hosted; we are not gathering or meeting in a specific location. Instead, you can do a fun and flexible cleanup on your terms. While we are targeting this specific community, you are welcome to clean up wherever and with whomever you feel comfortable.

Invite your neighbors and practice social distancing. Bring a bucket and gardening gloves from home, and wear your face-covering. You can make this cleanup zero-waste by using your own supplies!

cleansd cleanups I Love A Clean San Diego san diego sustainability trash volunteers

Tech Talk: Energize Your Waste Webinar

Tech Talk: Energize Your Waste! Curbside Organics Recycling and the City of La Mesa

In early 2021, EDCO began the roll out of a state-of-the-art organics recycling plant, known as an Anaerobic Digestion Facility. This facility will turn La Mesa’s organic waste into renewable natural gas and fertilizer – but how? Join I Love A Clean San Diego and the City of La Mesa for a virtual sit down with EDCO General Manager, Carl Scherbaum, as we talk all things Anaerobic Digestion.

Are biodegradable plastics accepted? What are some tips for keeping your food collection bin clean? Find out these answers and more as we dive into the science behind the digester, why it is important, and how it relates to La Mesa. Afterwards, Mr. Scherbaum will be answering attendee questions live. Registration is free and open to all. Please register here for the link to join.

More about the Speaker:
Mr. Scherbaum began his career in the solid waste collection and recycling industry in 1984 with Waste Management. In 2016, Mr. Scherbaum joined EDCO as Division Manager. Throughout his 37 years in the industry, he has gained valuable experience working in a variety of rolls, including Fleet Director, Senior District Manager and Area Fleet Manager. He is based in the Lemon Grove office and he and his family reside in San Diego County.

He directly oversees seven waste collection and recycling municipal contracts served by the eight South San Diego County locations, and is excited to share more with you about this process!

Anaerobic Digester food waste I Love A Clean San Diego La Mesa recycling sustainability

Watershed Warriors: Fallbrook Community Cleanup

Join I Love A Clean San Diego and the County of San Diego for a virtually-hosted litter cleanup in the Fallbrook community! We will pick-up litter from the community and divert it from the San Luis Rey watershed and Pacific Ocean.

These cleanups are currently virtually-hosted; we are not gathering or meeting in a specific location. Instead, you can do a fun and flexible cleanup on your terms. While we are targeting this specific community, you are welcome to clean up wherever and with whomever you feel comfortable.

Invite your neighbors and practice social distancing. Bring a bucket and gardening gloves from home, and wear your face-covering. You can make this cleanup zero-waste by using your own supplies!

Sign-up to get instructions directly to your e-mail. Watch our kick-off video, then clean up in the neighborhood and use your household cans for disposal. Afterwards, log your totals and request a Letter of Appreciation for your service – it’s that easy!

cleansd cleanup environment san diego San Diego county sustainability watershed warriors