Eco-Tip for 4-7-19 Earth Day 2019: Events, Opportunities, and Inspiration By David Goldstein, Ventura County IWMD, PWA An Earth Day e-card already making the electronic rounds this year sarcastically says, “I admire your determination to save the planet despite your inability to save a houseplant.” Another says, “I’m hoping Earth Day will make Polar bears…
Eco-Tip for 4-14-19 Batteries not Included in Your Garbage Can or Recycling Cart By David Goldstein, Ventura County Public Works Agency, IWMD Lithium-based batteries are turning an important environmental issue into an urgent one. Proper management of discarded batteries has always been important to conserve resources and avoid toxic contamination, but now improper disposal of…
For Eco-Tip 3/31/19 Pet License Amnesty, Options, and Reasons By David Goldstein, Ventura County Public Works Agency Animal licensing can help reunite you with a lost pet, and although licensing is not as effective as having a microchip implanted under your pet’s skin, licensing has additional advantages. Importantly, a license proves your pet is vaccinated…
Eco-Tip 3/24/19 Certifications Give Clear Signals Amid “Green Noise” By David Goldstein, Ventura County PWA/IWMD A greeting card I recently received had a statement printed on the back, “Printed on paper made from responsibly managed forests.” People overwhelmed by the “green noise” of environmental claims may not pay attention to details, but this claim was…
Eco-Tip for 3-17-19 Shelters Reuse Common Items to Help People and Animals By David Goldstein, Ventura County PWA, IWMD Some discards are difficult to recycle but wonderful to reuse. Items made from multiple material types, categories of commodities with poor markets, and items with the potential to tangle sorting lines are better repurposed than recycled.…
Eco-Tip for 3-10-19 Bottle and Can Buyback Recycling Options By David Goldstein, VCPWA, IWMD Tobie Mitchell is a recycling expert, working for the Ventura County Integrated Waste Management Division, but even she had trouble recently trying to redeem the deposits her family paid for bottles and cans. “There are so few buy-back centers that even…
Eco-Tip for 3-3-19 Mail-in Recycling Program Turns Cigarettes into Bench By David Goldstein, VCPWA, IWMD An on-line “unveiling” last month of a Ventura beach bench made from recycled cigarette butts quickly generated over 153 social media shares and dozens of comments on the Ventura Parks and Recreation Division Facebook page, as web surfers took the…
Eco-Tip for 1-13-19 School Recycling Challenge Offers Cash Prizes By David Goldstein, VCPWA, IWMD Next month, Keep California Beautiful, a non-profit organization, will coordinate a statewide recycling competition between schools. Cash prizes, funded by commercial sponsors, will be awarded to schools for placing first through fifth in each of 18 categories. That is 90 possible…
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Eco-Tip for 1-6-19 Grants for Diesel Engine Replacement By David Goldstein, VCPWA, IWMD Farmers, construction businesses, and commercial boat owners can obtain grants from the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District to fund replacement of diesel engines. Last month, the District’s board allocated over $4 million for grants. Sample application forms are now available on-line,…