Each holiday season, there is so much money spent on presents, food, gift wrap, decorations, and lighting up our homes. Whether in-store or online shopping, it is so important for us to keep in mind that many of the trappings of the season end up in the trash and ultimately in landfill. While it’s a season to celebrate with our loved ones, let’s also try to focus on making this holiday season a more sustainable one.
Here are some really easy ways that everyone can do:
Try alternatives to gift wraps- Gift wrapping paper found in stores is cheap and convenient. But colorful and shiny foils are not recyclable. Even if you have a shredder, most wrapping paper contains dyes, glitter, and laminates and is often too thin to be recycled effectively. Try an alternative like a colorful section of the newspaper, or opt for the recycled, recyclable kraft paper and a beautiful, reusable ribbon.
Use LED Lights- Conventional holiday mini lights use a lot more energy than LED lights. LED lights not only help to save on energy but they last much longer – and they will help to reduce your carbon footprint. Even better, string some pom poms together for a chic, zero-energy solution.
DIY gifts- Gifting your friends and family something that you made yourself is thoughtful and touching. It could be handmade soap, candles, or a beautiful photo frame with your family picture in it!
Eco-friendly gifting- Try choosing gifts that are sustainable and recyclable and that also come with recyclable packing. You could gift reusable items like water bottles, bamboo products, organic soaps, or wallets and accessories made from rescued off cuts of leather, recycled or sustainable materials.
Use a container-grown Christmas tree- Though it seems like buying a plastic Christmas tree is more sustainable, but consider that when you decide to replace it after a few years, it will just end up as landfill. Instead, use a container-grown Christmas tree that you can plant in your yard during the spring. You could also use a potted tree and then opt for a recycling program if there is one in your city.
Practicing sustainability may not always be easy, but it is a conscious effort that will reap rewards for us and for future generations.
Recycling on campus is simple with EvCC’s comprehensive co-mingled recycling program! Blue and green recycling containers are located next to trash containers in all campus buildings. Use these containers as a single source for recycling for:
Paper
Plastic
Aluminum
Tin
Glass
Commingled Materials means acceptable items such as aluminum cans and foil products, steel or tin cans, bi-metal cans, glass bottles, jars and jugs, plastic bottles, tubs, lids, and containers, which are not separated by type, but are mixed (mingled) together in one container.
Recycle used batteries, printer and toner cartridges and compact fluorescent lights at of the following locations across campus:
Liberty Hall (LBH): 1st floor next to the North entrance doors, across from the Fitness Center.
Gray Wolf Hall (GWH): 1st and 2nd floors next to the bathrooms.
Glacier Hall (GLA): 1st floor Reception 101 next to the door.
Shuksan Hall (SHK): Main Entrance on top of the EvCC clipper box on the right.
Parks Student Union (PSU): 2nd floor next to the ATM near the bookstore.
Whitehorse Hall (WHI): Next to the staircase by the Main Entrance.
Olympus Hall (OLY): 2nd floor hallway next to copier.
Please remember to limit your deposit of CFL bulbs to 10 per day and make sure it’s free from plastic bags, ziplock or cardboard boxes.
The more we recycle, the less garbage winds up in our landfills and incineration plants. By reusing aluminum, paper, glass, plastics, and other materials, we can save production and energy costs, and reduce the negative impacts that the extraction and processing of virgin materials has on the environment.
Thanksgiving is probably one of the few times a year you cook a whole turkey or bake a pie. And one of the few times you use a pie tin or an aluminum tray. But, with 46 million turkeys consumed each Thanksgiving, we had better figure out what to do with all those turkey trays. Those aluminum trays, and the pie tins too, are recyclable. Please clean them and place them in your recycling bin.
In fact, aluminum is some of the best material to recycle. It can be reused over and over again without losing it’s strength. Aluminum cans can be recycled and back on the shelves in 6 weeks. The cans are quickly melted down, reformed again, filled, and brought back to your grocery store self. You can recycle all your aluminum, tin, and steel cans. Leave the lids and labels on, no worry.
So as you clean up after your holiday feast, clean up the environment too, recycle your turkey pans and pie tins.
The autumn season often brings many changes like going back to school, drops in temperatures, and even different vegetable sprouting from the ground. But one of the biggest and most noticeable changes year after year is leaves turning colorful shades of red and orange, eventually making their way to the ground, scattered across your yard.
But instead of immediately throwing leaves away after you remove them from the yard, consider recycling them for different uses and projects. Here are a few ways we can recycle leaves. All of which save room in the trash can and keep our yard in its best shape.
Garden Compost
Leaves make a great addition to homemade compost whether we’re composting with a bin or yard pile. Combined with kitchen scraps, grass clippings and other compostable materials, leaves decompose and create nutrient-rich compost for our garden.
Winter Mulch
As winter approaches, we can eliminate the expense and hassle of purchasing mulch by recycling leaves into our own DIY mulch. We can use freshly fallen leaves, dried leaves or a combination of both. Simply rake the leaves into a pile and redistribute them over garden plants or trees that need extra winter protection. The natural leaf mulch will decompose over time so there is no need to remove it after the winter season is over.
Craft Projects
Most craft projects will not use the large amount of leaves accumulated throughout the fall. However, drying and preserving a few to use in craft projects is a great way to recycle leaves and provides free, natural material for our projects. To preserve leaves for use as art, clean and dry them before laying flat between two sheets of wax paper. Stack them in between two heavy blocks of wood until they dry or use a homemade botanical press.
You can make holiday yard decorations using large amounts of leaves and heavy-duty trash bags. Fill the bags with leaves and shape them into pumpkins, scarecrows, snowmen and other yard decorations. Paint the bags and place them throughout your yard. Make a string garland, display them in a bowl or just scatter them on the table for a pop of fall color.
Using colorful leaves is simply the easiest and most festive way to celebrate the turn in the weather, and what’s more, they are free!
Recycling is important to ensuring our planet remains healthy. There are many great reasons and benefits to recycling which include:
Reduces landfill waste
Conserves natural resources such as oceans and forests
Helps lessen the burning of fossil fuels which can decrease the emission of greenhouse gas.
Recycling Events on campus:
Electronics Recycling Event
3R Technology is providing FREE drive up and drop electronics recycling on campus in Lot F (next to the large recycle dumpster) on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 from 10am to 2pm.
Students for Environmental Action (SEA) & the Marysville Community Food Bank invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! Parking Lot F
Please consider bringing a donation for the Marysville Community Food Bank of non-perishable food or monetary donations. We hope to collect as much styrofoam as possible! Help us spread the word to your family, neighbors, and friends.
For more information about this event please contact Laura Wild, Club Advisor at lwild@everettcc.edu
America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. It is celebrated each year on November 15th.
Why is recycling so important?
Recycling helps extend the life and usefulness of something that has already served its initial purpose by returning it to its raw materials and then using those materials to produce something that is useable. It’s part of the three golden rules of sustainability (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and has a lot of benefits both to us humans and to the environment. Virtually all the planet is impacted by how much we recycle.
Recycling Events on campus:
Electronics Recycling Event
3R Technology is providing FREE drive up and drop electronics recycling on campus in Lot F (next to the large recycle dumpster) on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 from 10am to 2pm.
Students for Environmental Action (SEA) & the Marysville Community Food Bank invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! Parking Lot F
Please consider bringing a donation for the Marysville Community Food Bank of non-perishable food or monetary donations. We hope to collect as much styrofoam as possible! Help us spread the word to your family, neighbors, and friends.
For more information about this event please contact Laura Wild, Club Advisor at lwild@everettcc.edu
Set New Green Goals on America Recycles Day
Even though America Recycles Day is just a day, think of it as a day to start new recycling goals for the upcoming year. Here are some ideas to consider for America Recycles Day.
Find out if carton recycling is available in your area. If it’s not, talk to the local recycling center about recycling cartons. The Carton Council has some great resources.
Avoid plastic bags by bringing your own bag, or simply declining the bag when you can. When you have excess plastic bags, dry cleaner bags, or newspaper bags, bring them to your local retailer to recycle.
Talk to your kids about recycling. Beyond the typical paper, plastic, and aluminum, how can they recycle their clothes, toys, or electronics? How can they use recycled items into art projects or gifts?
Get familiar with what you CAN and CAN’T recycle. Here is a great refrigerator list, and a few more items you probably forgot. Recyclable items can also vary by where you live, so check with your local recycling center too.
Buy recycled when you can! When you purchase items that are made from recycled materials, you help eliminate the need for virgin materials. Buying art made of recycled materials can be even more meaningful.
Find out what you can do to help make a difference in our environment every day. Whether you’re at home, on the go, in the office or at school, there are many opportunities to go green by reducing, reusing and recycling. Visit the links below to see how, and check out our Think Green Before You Shop poster for questions you can ask yourself before shopping to reduce, reuse and recycle more.
A new research study at the University of Chicago Medicine has found that when it comes to Flu or Covid, having vitamin D levels above those traditionally considered sufficient may lower the risk of infection.
Get out for lunch!
We all need to spend more time exposed to sunlight but it’s the UVB rays that we’re really interested in as these make vitamin D. These rays are best absorbed between 11am and 2pm when the sun is at its highest. Just 10 to 20 minutes per days generates sufficient vitamin D.
Vitamin D insufficiency affects almost 50% of the population worldwide. An estimated 1 billion people worldwide, across all ethnicities and age groups, have a vitamin D deficiency (VDD). This pandemic of hypovitaminosis D can mainly be attributed to lifestyle (for example, reduced outdoor activities) and environmental (for example, air pollution) factors that reduce exposure to sunlight, which is required for ultraviolet-B (UVB)-induced vitamin D production in the skin. High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency is a particularly important public health issue because hypovitaminosis D is an independent risk factor for total mortality in the general population. Current studies suggest that we may need more vitamin D than presently recommended to prevent chronic disease. As the number of people with VDD continues to increase, the importance of this hormone in overall health and the prevention of chronic diseases are at the forefront of research. VDD is very common in all age groups.
Food on Campus
Buenos Diaz Coffee
Now open! The espresso stand in the Parks Student Union serves coffee, other beverages, grab-and-go salads and sandwiches. It is operated by Buenos Diaz Coffee Co.
Hours:
7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday (closed Fridays during the Summer)
Bookstore
The bookstore located on the Parks Student Union main floor sells snacks, beverages and grab-and-go items. See webpage for hours.
Parks Cafe
The cafe on the Parks Student Union main floor is closed for food service, but the airy cafeteria with large windows and seating for more than 300 is open. Microwaves are available for student use.
There are also a number of nearby places that offer food, including Starbucks, Taco-Book, Umami (poke, sushi burritos, and tea), Sunny Teriyaki, and 7-Eleven.
3R Technology will be on campus providing FREE electronics recycling in Lot F (next to the large recycle dumpster) on Wednesday , November 15th 2023 from 10am to 2pm.
Students for Enviromental Action (SEA) invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! Parking Lot F
Lack of sleep can affect our immune system. Studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast we can recover if we do get sick.
During sleep, our immune system releases proteins called cytokines, some of which help promote sleep. Certain cytokines need to increase when we have an infection or inflammation, or when we’re under stress. Sleep deprivation may decrease production of these protective cytokines. In addition, infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when we don’t get enough sleep.
So, our body needs sleep to fight infectious diseases. Long-term lack of sleep also increases your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease.
How much sleep do we need to bolster our immune system? The optimal amount of sleep for most adults is seven to eight hours of good sleep each night. Teenagers need nine to 10 hours of sleep. School-aged children may need 10 or more hours of sleep.
But more sleep isn’t always better. For adults, sleeping more than nine to 10 hours a night may result in a poor quality of sleep, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep.
Eco friendly sleep simply means sleeping in a greener bedroom. The apparent advantage of anything ecofriendly is environmental sustainability. However, when it comes to the bedroom, eco-friendliness achieves much more than saving earth’s resources. An ecofriendly bedroom is healthy.
Now the question is, how can we make your bedroom eco-friendlier?
Ecofriendly mattress
Organic mattresses are free from synthetic materials and harmful chemicals. Some of their advantages include:
Naturally, fire-resistant materials: Meaning they do not use fire-retardant chemicals which can trigger skin and respiratory allergies.
Breathable material: Cotton and wool are breathable and absorbent meaning they will keep you cool in the summer and warm during the cold seasons.
Biodegradable materials: When you dispose of these mattresses, there is less impact on the environment due to the biodegradable nature of the materials.
Organic bedding
Enhance your sleep even more by spreading a pair of organic bedsheets on your organic mattress. Don’t stop there; go for organic comforters and pillows.
When it comes to organic bedding, we are talking 100% natural cotton.
Polyester and other forms of synthetic cotton are soft. But, 100% natural cotton is even softer. More importantly, organic cotton is breathable. Therefore, it allows air circulation and absorbs moisture, which keeps the body from getting too warm.
Less exposure to toxins
During your sleep, we toss and turn. These actions create friction between your skin and the bedding. With synthetic bedding, the tossing and turning expose you to toxic chemicals, dyes, and fragrances used in the manufacturing process. With organic cotton, there is no risk of exposure to anything toxic.
Green furniture
There are greener options for the bed, and other furniture in our bedroom such as wardrobes, dressing table, and sofa. Green furniture does not necessarily mean not using wood (although that would be the best way to eliminate cutting trees). It means that if we have to use wood, ensure the creation process had the least impact on the environment.
However, the greener way is to recycle furniture. For example, instead of buying a new piece of furniture, hit the used furniture stores. We are likely to get something vintage and unique.
Putting plants in our bedroom
House plants purify the air. They absorb VOCs such as benzene and ammonia. Besides, they improve the quality of air through emitting oxygen during the day.
So, by putting a plant in the bedroom, we are literally going green and decontaminating the air. Good air quality promotes better health and improves quality of sleep.
Clearly, eco-friendliness in our bedroom is not all about environmental sustainability. We will sleep in a space with less air contamination from chemical toxins, odors and VOCs. Also, by choosing organic bedding, we will not come in physical contact with harmful chemicals in synthetic fibers. Ultimately, green sleep is of high quality. And, we all know quality sleep is a crucial factor in a happier, healthier life.
Making our bedroom eco-friendly can improve sleep quality.
3R Technology will be on campus providing FREE electronics recycling in Lot F (next to the large recycle dumpster) on Wednesday , November 15th 2023 from 10am to 2pm.
Students for Enviromental Action (SEA) invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! Parking Lot F
A healthy immune system can defeat invading disease-causing germs (or pathogens), such as bacteria, viruses, parasites—as well as cancer cells—while protecting healthy tissue.
When we are thinking about how to keep healthy where do we turn? Whether we are looking to keep a strong and healthy body through exercise, eating well, or practicing good hygiene, the question remains – how to keep our body stronger for longer? Hiking is the answer! Hiking improves our health by boosting the immune system, not just in the moment, but for an extended time afterward. Some of this effect is easily attributed to the generic influence of exercise, but there are multiple unknowns in the study of immunology that lead us to believe that hiking is uniquely helpful in boosting the immune system and leaving us happy and strong.
Multiple studies have supported the conclusion that exercise boosts your white blood cell count, leaving your body significantly better equipped to fight bacteria and viruses. This effect is an interesting one because intense short interval exercise often leaves your body exhausted and slightly weaker in the immediate term but builds your immune response after recovering from the exercise. Sustained moderate exercise, however, causes your body to produce anti-inflammatory cytokines which reduce stress and improve your immune response through the reduction of inflammation. Long term sustained exercise, like the kind you get from a relaxing hiking trek, boosts your immune defence in a more significant way, with benefits that are statistically visible not for days but months after you exercise!
Fall — the best hiking season! Larches glowing gold in the high country, maples and alder blazing orange and yellow, and crisp blue skies.
The very nature of hiking makes it a very ecological-friendly activity already. You use your own legs to propel yourself, no gas or harmful emissions. Hiking teaches us to live on less, make do with whatever we packed, appreciate water and natural resources.
Hiking trails are accessible for everyone who wants to explore them, but not all trails are created equal.
Some trails are suitable for people who want to take it slow and easy — whether they’re grandparents with kids, individuals who use wheelchairs, travelers just out for a stroll, or the visually impaired.
Students for Enviromental Action (SEA) invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! Parking Lot F
Eating enough nutrients as part of a varied diet is required for the health and function of all cells, including immune cells. Each stage of the body’s immune response relies on the presence of many micronutrients. Examples of nutrients that have been identified as critical for the growth and function of immune cells include vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, selenium and Vitamin E. You can get those nutrients from fruits and vegetables.
What’s great about Fall is that it’s root and squash season, which means you can make lots of delicious sheet pan meals or hearty soups. Another wonderful thing are the Farmer Markets, making it one of the best times to get food right from your local area. When buying regional produce you help the farmers and economy around , as well as cut down on waste. Farmers tend to not wrap everything in plastic, and the food doesn’t have to travel as far, meaning you’ve aided in cutting down on carbon emission. If you’re trying to find your closest farmers market, check your city’s chamber of commerce or find an app that serves your area.
Buying your food seasonally is another way to be more sustainable. When you purchase food that is growing and ripe during its natural season, it is more nutritious, and doesn’t have to be flown in from a faraway land (which makes it more expensive too). Overall it cuts down on use of fossil fuels and is healthier for you.
Click on the link below to find your local farmer markets.
Environmental problems are at the top of the list of the most relevant issues. In response to this issue, more and more people are getting started with a sustainable lifestyle and taking care of the ecology.
Can one student change the state of the environment? Well, every student who begins to change their lifestyle in order to protect the environment will be able to make real changes to the overall picture. Below are some simple tips to change not only the ecological situation, but also change the life for the better.
1. Reduce Plastic Use and Sort Your Trash
The first point to start is to try to reduce plastic consumption. Give preference to products that have eco-friendly packaging, avoid plastic tableware, and so on.
2. Get A Coffee Mug and Refillable Bottle
According to statistics, students drink coffee for various reasons, but it does tend to be a daily ritual. To reduce it, consider buying a reusable coffee mug for these purposes. The same goes for the water bottle. Grab a refillable water bottle and take a big step in the fight against plastic.
3. Buy a Bamboo Toothbrush
A bamboo toothbrush is a must-have for every eco-conscious person. Firstly, such toothbrushes are eco-friendly. Secondly, they are really pleasant to use and more effective than plastic toothbrushes.
4.Eat Healthy
Most of the food students choose involves various packaging and containers that take a long time to decompose. Therefore, switch to a healthy diet, choose fresh fruits and vegetables and prepare your own food, this can change the situation for the better.
5.Save Energy
Everyone talks about saving their time, but they sometimes forget about saving energy. Let’s say, for example, you left your laptop on charge for a whole day, even though it is already fully charged. During this time, your laptop continues to consume power. Therefore, make it a habit to turn off all devices and equipment. This can save between $100 and $200 per year. Turning off lights in room not in use can also help save energy.
Did you know, the average US person uses 700 pounds of paper per year? For this reason, it is worth paying attention to what you buy. Today there are notebooks created from recycled materials, which can do a lot to help save the forests. In addition, the cost of such notebooks are typically in the same range as ordinary ones. And such notebooks and notepads also have excellent designs for every taste.
