As we get closer to America Recycles Day, November 15, I wanted to talk about a BIG recycling opportunity that often gets missed. Everyone has seen the pile of cabinets, appliances, light fixtures, countertops, flooring, carpeting, etc. that accompanies a remodeling project. Most of what is in that heap can be recycled or reused—and if donated …

While most of Styrofoam—95%— is actually air, the solid part is the epitome of environmentally unfriendly: not only does it not biodegrade, but when it is burned, it creates a toxic ash. And remember, in Fairfax County, our municipal waste is virtually all burned at the Covanta trash-to-energy plant in Lorton (more on that in …

You can recycle more than you think! According to the EPA, the average person produces 4.40 pounds of trash per day or about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year However, we recycle and compost only 1.51 pounds of our individual trash generations. While the EPA estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is …

America Recycles Day is coming on November 15! We all know that single-use water bottles are terrible for the environment. The statistics are staggering:  According to National Geographic, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, adding 29 billion water bottles to waste disposal. Additionally, in order to make all these …

When was the last time you used a marker? Was it a washable marker to create a sign? A highlighter to help you remember some information on the page? A permanent marker to label your moving boxes? Or was it a dry erase marker to use on a whiteboard? And how quickly does that marker …

America Recycles Day, Keep America Beautiful’s nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling, is November 15 this year. Living in Fairfax County, where we have curbside recycling, it is easy to assume that the U.S. is a leader in recycling. In fact, the U.S. falls behind many other nations, with Americans recycling only 34 percent …

Dry cleaning is amazing: you bring in your wrinkled, stained clothing and several days later pick up crisply pressed clean clothes. There is, however, that faint chemical odor. Therein lies the problem! In 1996, the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOSH) found that the leading dry cleaning chemical, perchloroethylene, commonly known as PERC, was indicated …

They’re green in principle, but not in the way people use them.  While many people have made the move to reusable bags, there is still some debate about whether these are, in fact, better than paper or plastic. Some studies suggest that it takes more energy to produce reusable bags, and that a large portion of those …

Sunchoke and Spinach Soup 3 ½ cups scrubbed and peeled sunchokes, cut into 1-inch pieces [Tuscarora Mountain Farm, Spring Run, PA] 3 cloves of garlic 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces [Porter Farm, Elba, NY] 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup spinach 2 cups whole milk 2 cups vegetable broth ½ teaspoon salt …

[Sorry about the hiatus, friends! Here’s something to warm you up after the snow!] Butternut Squash, Purple Carrot & Broccoli Bowl with Chipotle Almond Sauce For the Bowl: 1 Bowl. But also… 1 small butternut squash [The Farm at Sunnyside, Washington, VA] 1 large purple carrot [Second Spring Farm, Wheatland, VA] 1 tablespoon olive oil …