Dear Eartha, I need to buy some new clothes, but I have heard that a lot of clothing is made poorly and ends up in the landfill when we are done wearing them, even if donated. How can I avoid contributing to the problem?Clothing is such a complex topic. We all need new things from […]
Dear Eartha, I’ve been thinking about getting solar panels for my home, but I’m curious about how they’ll perform in Summit County’s long winters. If the snow covers them up, do they still work?Summit County gets an average of 245 days of sunshine a year, but we also get a lot of snow. Despite this […]
Dear Eartha, I read about some new recycling grant projects in a recent article. What exactly will these recycling projects do for our community? Is it too late to apply for a grant for my own recycling idea? The Summit Daily News recently announced five recycling projects recommended for funding through Strong Future. And, on July […]
Dear Eartha, why are power companies building more solar and wind farms? Isn’t renewable energy more expensive than coal or natural gas? It’s a common misconception that renewable electricity – like solar and wind farms – cost more to generate than electricity from coal and natural gas-fired power plants. And that used to be true. As […]
Dear Eartha, I spend every day around food, how do I lower my environmental impact when it comes to the world of food? An easy way to influence your environmental impact is by starting in your kitchen. The kitchen is a great place to start as we eat food every day and spending more time […]
Dear Eartha, I’ve heard that it’s important to support pollinators, but what can I do to make my yard pollinator friendly? There has been a lot of buzz around pollinators recently. You might have heard that pollinator populations are facing some big challenges. Every year issues like pesticide use, urbanization, and climate change make it […]
Dear Eartha, I am looking for a way to be involved but I am not sure if volunteering is right for me, why should I volunteer this summer?After a long Colorado winter, summer is finally here. You might be planning to spend as much time as you can outdoors and taking advantage of every sunny […]
Dear Eartha, I didn’t expect my mountain home to be so hot in the summer. How can I stay cool inside this season while being eco-friendly too? Even in our mountain region of Summit County we’re feeling the impact of global temperature rise, with warmer winters and summer temperatures regularly topping the records in recent years. […]
Dear Eartha, my neighbor recently tore out part of their lawn and replaced it with a garden. I’d do the same thing, but wouldn’t a garden require more time and water than my grass? Sounds like your neighbor is on board with the latest trend – turf replacement, or simply removing part of your grass […]
Dear Eartha, I heard that cows are a major contributor to climate change. Is that true?Are cow burps really a source of greenhouse gas emissions? Mooooost certainly. In fact, emissions from the digestive systems of livestock – particularly beef cattle and dairy cows – are responsible for 27 percent of global methane emissions. In the […]
Ask Eartha, I’m a small business owner. This winter my energy bills were through the roof. What can I do to keep costs down? If you’re a small business owner battling high energy bills, you’re definitely not alone, winter can be a challenging time. But don’t worry- there are some simple strategies to help you […]
