Dear Eartha, I’m ready to take my holiday decorations down and don’t want to sacrifice a ski day in the process. What options do I have to easily recycle some of these items? New Year’s resolutions are coming in hotter than our warming climate, so now is the perfect time to add a last-minute resolution […]
Dear Eartha, As I learn more about recycling guidelines, and what is or isn’t accepted, it seems like I can’t recycle anything in Summit County! What gives? I applaud you for digging into local guidelines. Recycling can indeed be complicated, and answering your question means looking beyond Summit County. Let’s follow the journey your recycling […]
Dear Eartha, I want a real Christmas tree but feel bad about cutting down a tree. As I learn the impact of fake trees, I wonder which is the better choice. To some, nothing is better than the sweet, piney smell of a fresh-cut tree with glimmering lights — LED, of course. For others, the […]
Dear Eartha, I collect my food scraps at home but the restaurant I work at doesn’t. I’d like to help them start composting. How do I start? High five for composting your food scraps! You’ve joined over 2,300 Summit County residents who all use High Country Conservation Center’s (HC3) free Food Scrap Program. Just this […]
Dear Eartha, As a parent, I am worried about the impact climate change will have on my kids’ futures. How can I encourage my kids to be environmental stewards without totally overwhelming them? Although it can be scary to consider what a warming world might look like, we should nevertheless educate and prepare our kids […]
Dear Eartha, I get a little geeked out during the holidays and want to do it all — the decorating, the cooking, the gift wrapping… is there anything I can do to be more sustainable with my traditions? Can you believe it? It’s already that time of year when everything smells like pumpkin spice and […]
Dear Eartha, I am so confused by cartons. Egg cartons, ice cream cartons, juice boxes. What exactly is a carton? I feel your pain. My grandma calls cardboard boxes cartons, most juice boxes can be recycled as cartons, and foam egg cartons (yes, they unfortunately still exist) are 100% trash. When we talk about cartons in […]
Dear Eartha, Recently I noticed that some grocery stores offer aluminum water bottles in addition to plastic water bottles. Both are recyclable, does it really matter which one I buy? Despite many of us owning (and occasionally forgetting to bring) reusable bottles, consumption of bottled water is on the rise. In 2020, Americans consumed 15 billion gallons — […]
Dear Eartha, My smartphone is getting slower and it’s only 2 years old! It seems unsustainable that my phone becomes a dinosaur every few years. What gives? Let’s face it, our digital devices and other electronic goods and appliances aren’t as durable as they used to be. It has become the norm that when our […]
Dear Eartha, I have some old paint and fertilizer in my garage. I think they’re recyclable in Summit County, but I don’t know where. Can you help? Both items you mention are considered household hazardous waste, leftover household products that can catch fire, react, explode or are considered corrosive or toxic. The waste also includes things […]
I am looking to reduce my family’s carbon footprint, but with an active family, we do a lot of laundry. How can I make my laundry routine more eco-friendly? You are not alone in the ever-daunting full laundry basket. According to Treehugger, over 35 billion loads of laundry are done annually in North America, using approximately […]
