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Going to the beach this summer?  Remember to practice several GreenLiving habits: Planning a beach vacation this summer?  The beach is a natural resource and also an ecosystem- plant and animal life live at the beach all year and can experience negative repercussions when people visit for the summer and litter, improperly dispose of waste, or disrespect the vegetation. Follow the following, five, GreenLiving tips to help protect this natural resource:   1) Pack appropriately : Spending the day on the beach?  Remember to pack light: bring sunscreen, towels, water, etc. but try to avoid bringing too many surplus items, toys, or unnecessary clutter.  This is an easy way to reduce the amount of potential or accidental litter (such as food wrappers, empty bottles, etc). 2) Don't bring unnecessary items : Leave bulk items at home when traveling to the beach.  Aim to fit everything into a small bag, so items can be secured.  This will help limit the amount of...

Struggle With Food Waste?  There are Easy Ways to Manage Excess Waste. Food waste, also known as food loss, is a form of waste that stems from people throwing away food that is spoiled or simply leftover from meals or from excess produce purchases.  Food waste is easily preventable, below are three tips that can help reduce food waste: 1) Get organized and make a list.  Before shopping for food and/ or produce, always try to plan out weekly meals to determine exactly what ingredients are needed.  In addition, it is a good idea to try to make frequent shopping trips to avoid buying excess food. 2) Avoid buying in bulk.  Some supplies, such as paper goods and laundry detergent, are fine to buy in bulk and an easy way to save money.  Buying food in bulk, such as eggs, fruit, and bread, can also save money but can produce a lot of waste unless all of the food is eaten.  Remember to freeze some food, like bread, to preserve it for longer.   3) Find s...

Recycling a Smarter Way to Live a Greener Life What is recycling contamination? Recycling contamination occurs when objects and/ or materials that should not be recycled intermingle with recyclable goods during the recycling process.  Often, this can cause bins of recyclable products to be thrown away as garbage to avoid more contamination. Why is recycling contamination a problem? Not every plastic, paper, or glass product can be recycled.  Mixing recyclable and non-recyclable materials can impede and even stop the recycling process and cause even more waste.   What are ways to avoid recycling contamination? Five "do's and don'ts" for recycling contamination are: 1) Break down and separate all recyclables : Break-down and fold all boxes and separate paper, cardboard, glass, and plastic materials to make sure that all products are recyclable.  2) Empty out glasses and containers : Leftover food residue is a major cause of recycling contamination.  Before recycli...

Numerous Environmental and Health Benefits Result from Biking  What is Bike To Work Day? Sponsored by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association , this annual event encourages commuters to bike to and from work to celebrate the many benefits of bicycling.  Participants register for the event online to receive an event route and map.  During the event, participants are encouraged to stop by several community pit stops for refreshments and raffles to win prizes such as a new bike .  This year, the event will take place on May 19. After the event, participants are encouraged to partner with a "biking buddy," another biker met during the event, to continue to bike to work and enjoy the benefits of biking. What are the Benefits of Biking to Work? Four benefits of biking to work include: 1) Creating zero pollutants : Biking is a sustainable way to get to and from work.  Unlike vehicles that produce exhaust that can pollute the air and harm pla...

Bike Repairs, Green DIY, and Home Compost are all Topics of This Local Event The Montgomery County GreenFest will be held this Saturday, May 6, at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  The event will include live music, interactive displays, food trucks, local art, and more! Five reasons to attend the Montgomery County GreenFest include: 1) Compost demonstration : A great way to go "green" is to compost food scraps in order to reduce food waste.  The GreenFest will have an interactive compost demonstration that will detail how to create and fill a compost bin. 2) Green films : The GreenFest event will feature several short films on the topics of GreenLiving and local sustainability. 3) News from a "Green Team" : A local "Green Team" will discuss how to begin greenliving community engagement to encourage neighbors, or even an entire neighborhood, to get involved in green tasks and initiatives. 4) Bike demos : Biking has numerous green advantages: the Gree...