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Print this pageLive Green or Die?
The last 12 months have been the year of living green. GO Magazine jumps on the bandwagon this month to tackle some of the local environmental problems, and what you can do to fix them.
By Dinah Cardin
(page 5 of 6)
Practice what we preach
Want to be green in April (and the rest of the year)? Here are 30 ways for 30 days.
By Matt Lemmon
 Photo Melissa Pedersen The Toyota Prius is one of the iconic symbols of the Green movement. And you can buy one in Springfield. |
2. Fill up with E85. If you can find it. Hot Spot No. 9 (5353 S. Campbell Ave.) was the only local station to offer the cleaner-burning, ethanol-based fuel, but management told us problems finding a consistent supplier halted that program. They’re waiting to see if the ethanol plant near Rogersville becomes a reality before they sell E85 again. The next nearest station is in Buffalo, Missouri. To see if your car takes E85, go to e85fuel.com, or call your dealer.
3. Join a group. Don’t worry, you can be involved with the EPA, PETA or Greenpeace without being a left-wing nut job (though they won’t turn you away if you are). PETA’s website (peta.org) is calling for students to join “street teams” in exchange for cool PETA gear, while Greenpeace (greenpeace.org) is building a network of private bloggers dedicated to furthering its mission.
4. Take the bus. It may not be the handiest transit system, but the CU buses travel to most in-demand commercial areas—and they run on B2 biodiesel fuel to boot.
5. Embrace the Greenways. This network of paved biking and jogging trails is a jewel of our city. For a complete map, check out ozarkgreenways.org—and register your business or school for the Bike, Bus, Walk Week challenge scheduled for May 14-18.
6. Recycle. If your trash service doesn’t offer recycling, take your bottles, cans and paper to one of the city’s recycling centers at 731 N. Franklin Ave. or 3020 S. Lone Pine Ave. If you’re going to a movie, go to the Moxie, where they recycle your soda and beer bottles after every show.
7. Take canvas bags to the store. Those white Wal-Mart sacks are a pain, we know. Just grab all those freebie canvas bags around your house.
8. Join Stream Team. Run by Americorps, Stream Team is like those Adopt-a-Highway programs, but with waterways. Form or join a group, and you’ll be charged with periodically cleaning a small stretch of river or stream (mostreamteam.org or call 1-800-781-1989).
9. Call someone in Washington. If you’re concerned about the U.S.’s environmental policy, let your senator or representative know about it. Call Roy Blunt’s local office at 417-889-1800, Claire McCaskill’s St. Louis office at 314-621-8227, or Kit Bond’s Springfield office at 417-864-8258.
10. Drink Mueller beer. You knew we had to advocate a happy hour in here somewhere, didn’t you? You can find Mueller on tap at Springfield Brewing Company or find it on local shelves. Mueller sells the byproducts of its brewing process to local farmers to feed to their pigs. Well, that explains Animal Farm.
11. Install energy-efficient appliances. Everything from high-efficiency toilets to “green” washing machines can be found at big-box home stores like Lowe’s and The Home Depot. You might pay a bit more, but it’s good for the environment and resale.
12. Go to the library. We know you’re not going to wait for the library copy of the final Harry Potter, but if you’re reading the first one, why buy it? The library is the epitome of recycling, and the card is free.
 Photo Melissa Pedersen No. 4: City Utilities buses run on experimental B2 (2 percent biodiesel) fuel; next year, wind farms? |
13. Buy less packaging. Some products come with too much wrapping. Examples of what to buy: 2-liters of soda or juice, not individual servings; bulk bags of chips, not the individually wrapped ones (you can still parcel out 100 calories worth, lazy ass) and several loaves of bread wrapped together from a bakery.
14. Give GO to a friend. After you read this magazine—or any magazine—just drop it in a public place like a dorm lobby, pass it on to a friend or find a school or organization and donate it.
15. Pester your boss. Get a group together and petition for environmentally sound practices in your office like two-sided printing for internal-use documents and recycling bins in the break room. The boss will likely be amenable once you tell them it’ll save money.
16. Call the watershed committee. Before you fertilize your lawn, get the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks to do a soil test; it’s free, and they’ll prescribe the proper fertilization amount. Appointments are booked a week or two in advance, so call 417-836-4847 now if you plan to.
17. Save water in the bathroom. Some good habits will save hundreds of gallons every year. Turn off the shower as you lather up; turn off the faucet while you shave or brush your teeth; use as little toilet paper as possible. Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you flush only after going No. 2. That’s just filthy.
18. Buy a water filter instead of bottles. Water pitchers or on-tap filters can be bought at retail stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond for $25 or less. Buy a big jug, fill it up every morning, and you’re set.
19. Turn off your computer. It’s easier on hardware and saves energy. Going to a meeting? Hit “sleep” rather than letting the screen saver kick on.
20. Buy organic produce. While “organic” is somewhat overused these days, buying fresh produce from the store or, better yet, a local grower or farmer’s market, is the surest way to ensure you’re not buying pesticide-tainted yams.
21. Carpool. Duh.
22. Adopt a manatee (or another animal). For a small donation, you can pick your own manatee, just like we did (see p. 10). Similar programs exist for whales, sea turtles and snow leopards, and the World Wildlife Fund (worldwildlife.org) offers 40 animals to choose from. Dibs on the Blue Footed Booby!
23. Green up your entertainment. Rent a movie or read a book that inspires environmentalism. Good film choices include Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Medicine Man, A Civil Action and Erin Brockovich. If you have a child (or even if you don’t) you really should read Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.
24. Don’t be an a**hole at the lake. If you’re boating or floating this summer, keep track of all your waste, everything from beer cans to cigarette butts. There’s nothing more gross than man-made flotsam.
25. Vote. Bills that affect the environment pop up frequently (ahem, power plants). Educate yourself on the issues and go to the polls.
26. Plant something. Plants produce oxygen; it’s that simple. Fill your house with greenery and plant out doors. It’s both respiratorally and aesthetically pleasing.
27. Start a compost pile. This is the best time to start composting since it takes six months of warm weather to make useable matter. Just roll several feet of mesh fencing and stand it on end. Add leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds and other kitchen or garden waste. By this time next year, the stuff at the bottom will be a goopy mess, but it’s the most natural fertilizer you can use on a garden.
28. Buy better light bulbs. It’s a small step, but energy-efficient, fluorescent light bulbs can give brighter light and last longer for just a few cents extra.
29. Conserve through your chores. Quit pre-rinsing dishes; it’s like masturbating before sex. Scrape the scraps into the trash or garbage disposal and drop the dishes in the washer (which, of course, you should only run when it’s completely full. Same goes for the washing machine). During warmer months, try line-drying your clothes.
30. Be Tim Allen. Small home improvements, like proper insulation, fixing leaky faucets and changing air filters regularly can increase your home’s energy efficiency. —Matt Lemmon
