Did you know that we produce almost 400 million tons of plastic each year across the globe?
Join I Love A Clean San Diego on Thursday, April 25th at 11 a.m. for our free Simple Swaps: Sustainable Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic webinar!
During the webinar, you’ll learn:
What happens to plastic after we throw it in the trash
How to properly recycle or dispose of plastic waste
About the City of San Diego’s local ordinance banning single-use plastics
Zero waste product swaps for single-use items inside and outside the home
Registration is required. Participants that cannot attend live are encouraged to register to receive the recording and additional resources. Thank you to the City of San Diego for sponsoring this event!
Did you know the average American throws away 82 pounds of textile waste every year? Join I Love A Clean San Diego from 10:00AM-11:00AM on Saturday, April 10th, for a free Conscious Closets webinar all about creating an environmentally conscious closet! Learn about textile recycling and how to mindfully clean out your closet. We’ll share tips on thrift shopping successfully, repairing clothing items, and creating a low waste laundry routine. Please register to receive the Zoom link. Thank you to the City of San Diego for sponsoring this event!
Whether you’re looking for more creative and sustainable ways to wrap your gifts this year or you’ve simply ran out of wrapping paper, Ani, I Love A Clean San Diego’s Recycling Programs Manager, is here with a couple of quick, eco-friendly gift wrap solutions!
Did you know that food waste, shopping bags, wrapping paper, and ribbons all contribute to an additional 1 million tons of waste to our landfills? Here is a quick gift wrapping guide to limit the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills after the holiday season (and beyond):
Start early. I reuse boxes from my online shopping, food packaging, tissue paper, gift bags and bubble wrap year round to avoid having to buy any additional gift wrapping materials; and it saves me some money as well!
Community Programs Coordinator, Moriah, reused a paper grocery bag to wrap her gift and it looks great!
Consider wrapping gifts in fabric or newspaper. Unfortunately, festive wrapping paper usually ends up in the recycling bin and is often difficult to reuse. Give the gift of beautiful fabric or simply dig through your recycling bin to find paper to cover a gift. I guarantee your gift will stand out from the rest!
Furoshiki is a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth
Skip the ribbon, skip the bow! These items are difficult to reuse and uncommon to keep. Check out Emily’s gift below!
Education Manager, Emily, wrapped chocolates in a personalized reusable napkin.
All in all, try to hold on to gift wrapping items or opt out of using items that are hard to reuse and you’ll be on the path to creating less waste in no time! For recycling options, check out our one-stop database, www.WasteFreeSD.org!
Happy Holidays from the ILACSD staff! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for other creative zero waste ideas!
Have you found it increasingly difficult to be creative each Valentine’s Day? Well, you’re in luck! Today’s blog comes from our Marketing Coordinator, Sarah, who has put together some great eco-friendly, Valentine’s Day-themed ideas! Read on to learn how to celebrate with the environment in mind!
Celebrate your love for the environment at Cupid’s Cleanup!
Switch up your dinner and a movie routine! We want you to join us on Sunday, February 15th for a street-sweep cleanup and Valentine’s Day-themed mixer hosted by AleSmith Brewing Company! Complimentary beer tasters will be on-hand for adult volunteers as a “thank you” for your hard work and to celebrate our love for a cleaner community. This is also a great way to connect with like-minded singles, couples or even new friends.Take Ken and Julie for example!
In 2007, Ken and Julie met for the first time at Cupid’s Cleanup…
Fast forward to 2015, they are happily married with two children, ages 2 and 4 years old! They have since moved to Oregon, and continue to protect our environment by instilling environmental values in their children who, by the way, already enjoy putting trash in its place!
Although they won’t be joining us at this year’s event, Julie shared these kind words with us…
“We have not forgotten about you (ILACSD) or where we met.”
For more information about how to get involved with Cupid’s Cleanup please click here or email Lexi at lambrogi@cleansd.org!
If you cannot join us for Cupid’s cleanup, here are some other festive Valentine’s Day-themed eco-tips!
Candy
Let loose, get your valentine some sweets! Instead of the cliché heart-shaped box of candies, head over to the bulk section and fill up reusable glass jars with more variety and less waste!
Flowers
Instead of buying flowers that are going to wilt and die within a week, choose a sustainable and earth-friendly drought tolerant plant! Here are a few of our favorites:
If you do decide to go with a dozen roses, remember they are compostable!
Skip the card – give with purpose
Although most cards are recyclable, why not give a gift with a purpose? If you have children, this link is especially good for low waste, kid-friendly Valentine’s Day gifts!
These are just a few of our ideas – share your earth-friendly Valentine’s Day ideas in the comments below!
