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Sustainable

Sustainable Shopping: Get Organized!

My grocery store trips have usually been rushed affairs, and I rarely have taken notice of other customers’ purchases or shopping practices. Recently, however, Clean Fairfax was designated as Whole Foods’ recipient for a Nickels for Nonprofits campaign (through January 15), whereby shoppers could donate the five cents returned to them for each reusable tote

by Clean Fairfax February 7, 2017
VA Bagged Out

Virginia is definitely not keeping up with Mumbai, Eritrea, Rwanda, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, China, South Africa, Tanzania, Australia, Ireland, and Italy. Nor with Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, MD, California, and other localities across the United States. When it comes to cleaning up our plastic bag problem, we are behind. A proposed bill to add a

by Clean Fairfax January 30, 2017
Don’t Wish-Cycle

              Supporting environmental sustainability means recognizing some of the limitations of what we can do at this time—and avoiding trying to recycle items that our area recycling program cannot yet support. The single stream recycling that we enjoy here in Fairfax County, enabling us to throw all recyclable items

by Clean Fairfax January 24, 2017
DIY and Environmental Sustainability

There is a plethora of do-it yourself (DIY) ideas on the internet that promote environmental sustainability. From 100 Ways to Repurpose and Reuse Broken Household Items http://www.diyncrafts.com/6081/repurpose/100-ways-repurpose-reuse-broken-household-items to ideas on how to extend the useful life of old clothes, dilapidated furniture, and even used tires, broken tools, construction debris, and ripped wrapping paper. (See blogs

by Clean Fairfax January 18, 2017
From Generation to Generation: Forte Grants Encourage Environmental Stewardship in Children

It starts by getting kids to recognize the challenges we face as stewards of our environment, and then supporting them in devising solutions. Problems like the environmental degradation caused by litter and chemical pollutants, the vast amounts of food and other resources wasted in school settings, and the lack of affordable fresh produce for low

by Clean Fairfax December 14, 2016
Keeping Amazon Green

Reminder: When you order from Amazon this holiday season, go to www.smile.amazon.com to designate Clean Fairfax as a recipient of a portion of your purchase price. You can use your existing account and your purchases will help support Clean Fairfax using the Amazon Smile program! That being said, Green America is asking Amazon users to

by Clean Fairfax November 29, 2016
Greening Your Thanksgiving

What would make your Thanksgiving more green?     No, it’s not about a green turkey or even just going for the vegetarian option. First of all, how about getting outside in nature? Fortunately, Thanksgiving marks that time of year where, here in northern Virginia, we can usually still enjoy some outside time without having to drag out

by Clean Fairfax November 22, 2016
Green Your Next Event

America Recycles Day, November 15, 2016 has arrived—and I want to talk about a pet peeve: Large events that provide NO recycling options! I have recently attended indoor and outdoor sporting events, a large training event with teenagers, and a wedding. In every instance, huge quantities of bottles and cans were thrown into the garbage,

by Clean Fairfax November 15, 2016
Don’t Demolish—Deconstruct

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

by Clean Fairfax November 8, 2016
Styrofoam Packaging: A Recycling Challenge

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

by Clean Fairfax November 1, 2016