Door County Environmental Council Column

This column is a collection of bits and pieces with no central theme other than reducing your waste and saving energy.

• Bring your own coffee cup in for a refill – Fill your travel mug or ceramic cup with coffee so you don’t waste a disposable paper/styro cup.

• Cover pots when cooking – A covered pot will cook the contents faster when covered thus saving energy. Even if you are boiling water for pasta, cover the pot to bring the water to a boil before adding the pasta. Then, keep it partially covered.

• Buy quality products – Avoid buying products that are made cheaply. For a product to be used once – only to be thrown away – is wasteful and costly.

• Store a pitcher of water in the fridge – This will eliminate running your tap water until it gets cold enough for you to drink.

• Use leftover water to water plants – Save the water you use when soaking beans, rinsing produce, steaming vegetables, cooking pasta, boiling eggs, etc. Pour it into your watering can after it’s cooled and water your plants.

• Donate stuff – Used clothing or household items in good condition can be donated to local charities. Used art supplies can be donated to schools or day care centers.

I’ve been giving you ideas for a couple of years now, but I’m sure you have things that you do to make a difference in your lives that you might share with our readers. So, now it’s your turn to pass advice along. Send your ideas via email to [email protected] or write to Make a Difference, DCEC, PO Box 114, Fish Creek, WI 54212.