Eco Living

Eco Living: fall in love with sustainable living!

Eco House Tour

We are accepting submittals from neighbors who are interested in having their homes showcased in the FIRST EVER EcoLiving Tour.  All things green will be considered: site, building, purchases, and actions.  If you live in or know of a super green house, send it in!  We are looking forward to showcasing Newlands true colors – green, green, and green.  The download options are below: new house pdf or excel spreadsheet, remodeled house pdf or excel spreadsheet.

If you would like to volunteer, contact ml at 303 443 1945.

pdf:  eco-living_new-house_criteria10

excel: eco-living_new-house_criteria10

pdf: eco-living_remodel-house_criteria10

excel: eco-living_remodel-house_criteria10

More Green Winter Tips!

• If you want to melt snow on your driveway in an environmental way, Alfalfa meal, (sold in pet stores as reptile bedding) is believed to be the greenest way to melt ice.  This information was in the Daily Camera last year. Not sure how well it works. Has anyone tried this?

• If you want to cancel all those unwanted holiday catalogs that show up this time of year, go to www.catalogchoice.org/

•Check out the Zero Waste Holiday Guide at  www.ecocycle.org for a Green Guide to Gifts, Holiday Recycling Guide, and 10 Ways to Green Your Holiday

• If you hate to throw away those lovely holiday cards, you can cut off the front and make them into gift cards or you can go to www.stjudesranch.org where they want card fronts so kids can make new cards and sell them.

• If you don’t want to throw away the holiday envelopes that are dyed red and green all the way through and they can’t be recycled, compost them.

Green Winter Party Tips from Foothill Schoolwinter 014-edit2

Decorate with nature! Simple items such as pinecones and apples make wonderful decorations that everyone will love. Create fragrant pomanders by hanging oranges with natural raffia and studding them with whole cloves.

Provide finger foods that require no utensils and can be served on napkins or paper towels, which are compostable.

Promote homemade goodies and snacks purchased in bulk, without individual wrappers. Remember, almost all packaging around individual servings of purchased snacks is trash.

Use washable, reusable plates and cups.

If you are using table coverings, avoid plastic tablecloths that are disposable.  Butcher paper can be decorated by guests and composted after the party. Remove any cellophane or plastic tape before composting.

Compost and recycle food scraps and leftover party items.


Recycling Holiday Gift Wrap Tips from Ecocycle:

A-Z Recycling Guide — Wrapping Paper
ONE MONTH ONLY December 26th - January 31st
Wrapping paper will be accepted at the Longmont, Boulder, Louisville and Broomfield drop-off centers in the boxes marked “Paperboard.” Please DO NOT put wrapping paper in with your curbside materials. This material will be accepted for one month only as it is a very low-grade material and normally considered a contaminant in the recycling bin because of its high clay and ink content and low fiber content. If you do receive wrapped gifts from friends and family this holiday season, we suggest you save and store ribbons, bows and wrapping paper and reuse them again next year before recycling.

NO Metallic wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, ornaments, tissue paper, fluorescent or dark paper,  paper covered with tape

Before you wrap watch our wrapping paper video to learn about eco-friendly ways of packaging your presents.

 

Curbside Composting of Wrapping Paper and Tissue Paper:

- Small paper items and packaging ( price tags, other small items)

- Wrapping paper (no ribbons, foil or tape)

- Tissue paper

- Shredded paper

- Neon, fluorescent, goldenrod and dark paper (not recyclable due to their high ink content)