America Recycles Day, November 15,

On America Recycles Day, what new commitment can you make to recycle?

The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world’s people generate 40% of the world’s waste.** Yes, we can do better!

So…..What are we waiting for? Let’s get busy and recycle MORE!

Today focus on packaging. Read all packaging and recycle what ever has a recycle triangle.

Recycling saves lots of energy: Products made from recycled material use less energy! Sadly, valuable materials are ending up in our landfills every day.

Tips for increasing your recycling and working for zero waste in your home and business!

– Recycle all plastic bottles, plastic tubs, metal and aluminum cans, glass and newspapers and most paper products. Every community has different rules for this, but please don’t put these in the trash! Find a recycling location near you at http://earth911.com/

– Establish a place to collect recyclables. Keep a place for recycling in every room of your house or business. http://earth911.com/news/2012/12/11/binbisa-new-recycling-bin/ …AND recycle all junk mail

– Pre-cycle: Become aware of the packaging of the products you purchase. Buy the products with the least packaging, and with packaging that is recyclable. This has really improved the past few years.

– Awareness – The more you recycle the more you become aware of new things that you can recycle!

– Plastic Bags: All clean and dry plastic bags should be recycled. If it stretches and is clean, recycle it. Many grocery stores will take bags for recycling. Ask stores to start collecting plastic bags for recycling if you don’t have someone local. Some cities have banned the use of plastic bags!! We all can recycle them. Studies indicate that 100,000 marine animals and 2 million birds die every year from ingesting or being caught up in plastic debris*

–Through recycling and composting you should get your garbage down to one small bag a week!

Recycling is a process to change waste materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfills) by reducing the need for “conventional” waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to plastic production. From Wikipedia

Eliminate the idea of waste: http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/

** Recycling Revolution http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html

A Reminder To Save Energy

Energy Tip of the month from Bayfield Electic Cooperative: http://bayfieldelectric.com/

** Turn off lights when rooms are not occupied

** Tap into winter daylight by leaving window blinds open

** Disconnect unnecessary or unused equipment

Three Simple Tips for Going Green

Buy less, Consume Less and Recycle More!

AND

Shop Smart http://www.doitgreen.org/

Below is from Earth911.com and has some good ideas. http://www.earth911.com/living-well-being/how-to-go-green-without-going-crazy/

“1. Starting slow means sustainability. We have all experienced the rush of starting something armed with good intentions and enthusiasm, followed swiftly by crushing disappointment when we realize we have dropped the ball. Again.

As with anything in life, the process of creating Eco-friendly change has a far greater chance of sticking it out for the long-term if you take baby steps. Rather than making sweeping changes all at once, tackle one thing at a time – if you run out of window cleaner, replace it with vinegar and water.

When you have gotten the hang of cloth diapering and are getting more than three hours of sleep in a night, then tackle a backyard compost. Allow each change to settle in and become routine before you attempt a new one. This is less dramatic, yes, but far more sustainable.

2. Not being able to do everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything. So you can’t afford to buy organic, and using a clothesline simply isn’t going to happen in your fifteenth-floor apartment. Not being able to do everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attempt to enact change where you can.

There are hundreds of tiny ways you can create a greener life, from using public transportation to shopping secondhand. Many cost nothing at all, and take very little time. Shift your focus from what you’re not doing, to celebrating the positive change that works for you – and ditch the guilt!

3. It’s not what you buy, it’s what you DO. It truly doesn’t matter if you have the latest trendy green gadget, or if your closet is full of fair-trade, up-cycled, gluten-free clothing. It’s fantastic that these options are there if you need them but the simplest and most effective way to create a positive environmental impact is simply by reducing your consumption, period. Buy less.

The effect of this change is twofold: It reduces the amount of stuff that you have to pay for, store, maintain and dispose of, but it also shifts the focus of your efforts away from outward displays of Eco-trendiness, and frees up your time and money to enact real change instead.

An Eco-friendly life doesn’t have to be – and I would argue, shouldn’t be – expensive, time-consuming, or filled with guilt.

Remember these three tips: Start slow and start small, focus on what you can do, and remember that being green will always be infinitely more than the contents of your shopping cart.” from Earth911.com

Buy LESS http://getlesstoday.com/ Video

You Have a Voice, Please Vote!

If you don’t vote you are giving more power to the billionaires that pay for all the negative ads…Which is exactly what they want!! This is about all of us, not just a few.

“No other democratic nation makes voting as difficult as it is in the United States” Larry Jacobs University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute

Most of would agree there is too much money being spent in this election. The billionaires against billionaires is not in the best interest of any of us. They want to further THEIR agenda. And..it is impossible to sort out any truth from all the lies. The integrity of democracy is in serious trouble. More than ever your vote is needed. If you care about our earth, GMOs, violence against women and children, minimum-wage, healthcare,, or the control big corporations have on our country, you must vote!! Your vote does matter, and the candidates are not all the same!

How can you vote and support our democratic way of life?

1. Do NOT make your election choices from campaign ads….Too many lies, negativity and verbal garbage! I wouldn’t watch or listen to any of these silly ads.

1. Google your state’s Secretary of State to see a sample ballot ( for example, Minnesota Secretary of State). The ballot looks overwhelming at first, but if you take time to look at it, you will make sense of it. Remember you don’t need to vote for every race, but inform yourself about what and for whom to vote

3. Find your polling place on the same Secretary of State Website.

4. Google candidates to find what issues they care about and how do they align with your values. Most of the time you can figure what is important to them by skimming their website.
4. Go vote on Tuesday, November 4, even if it is for just one candidate or one issue.

5. Support organizations like Public Citizen, or Common Cause which work to end Citizen’s United. http://www.citizen.org/ www/commoncause.org

*** Above cartoon by Sack in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/281136042.html Why the election gloom? An editorial by /Washington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/2014-republican-billionaires_n_6025488.html?

#GetMoneyOut. http://ow.ly/D21sW #ncsen

http://michiganradio.org/post/detroit-free-press-endorsement-shows-our-system-government-broken

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/unusually-large-amounts-campaign-cash-overwhelm-election-commission/

Please Keep Leaves Out of the Street

Please Keep our Water Healthy

It has been a marvelous fall for both colors and weather, and now the clean up of falling leaves begins. Please DO NOT put your leaves in the street. It is hard work bagging up leaves, but leaves washing down the into the storm drains pollute the lakes and streams. Help keep the water we have as clean as we can. Many would give a lot to have our colorful leaves, lakes, and clean water! Also, leaves and trash can plug the drainage systems so the water will not drain from our streets.

Below is the City of Minneapolis Code on leaves:

Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 17:

427.270. – Leaves, grass on streets.

No person shall leave, or cause to be placed, any leaves, grass clippings or other organic debris on or along any public street or alley. (Code 1960, As Amend., § 583.380; Ord. of 6-14-74, § 1)

https://www.municode.com/library/mn/minneapolis/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_TIT17STSI_CH427INGE_427.270LEGRST

Vegan Lasagna

Vegan Lasagna #vegan #GMO free #glutenfree I adapted this from…… http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/vegetable-lasagna-2/

The ingredients are in italics

Cashew cheese
1 ½ cups cashews Soaked over night or for a few hours covered in water or some food coops and Whole foods have cashew cheese in bulk, just mix in some lemon juice and salt.
1 lemon
½ tsp salt
Food process cashews, lemon juice, and salt, add about ¼ cup water to make it smooth, but still thick.
Roasted vegetables
Slice vegetables into 1/8th inch slices, use the vegetables you like and have available
I used small sweet potato, 1 zucchini, 2 carrots, red pepper, small amount of sliced onion 2T. olive oil, and 3/4 tsp salt
Bake vegetables, 16 minutes, 400 degrees in a large roasting pan. Let these vegetable sit in your oven until you are ready to assemble. To save energy, I let foods stay in the oven and continue to cook.
Assembly of lasagna 1. Place a layer of marinara sauce(without soy or corn syrup) or your favorite tomato mixture in greased glass pan. To keep from getting too runny, don’t use a lot of sauce but add basil and oregano, garlic (dried or fresh)and stevia to taste! 2. Layer the roasted vegetables with the cashew cheese. 3. Garnish with red pepper 4. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, allow to sit in oven and continue cooking until ready to serve or allow to sit 10 minutes outside the oven to absorb liquids, and your vegetable lasagna will hold together better for serving. For a nice crunch, top with toasted slivered almonds the last 10 minutes of baking

Serve with a spinach salad, melted cheese toasts, or organic vegan sausage

NO to Plastic Bags

This letter to the editor was printed in the Star Tribune on October 24, 2014

Are PLASTIC BAGS NEEDED?

Shop with your reusab;e bags — Shop with your reusable bags

Companies like Target ought to at least ask

After a full day on the University of Minnesota campus, I stopped by the new Target Express in Dinkytown. I bought four small items — and acquired two disposable plastic bags before I could even ask for none. This avoidable pollution and waste of resources has proved to be Target Corp.’s standard operating procedure and needs to change to match the company’s sustainable practices.

Several towns across the country have adopted legislation requiring customers to purchase a plastic bag for a nominal fee if they did not bring reusable bags. Locally, students are not likely to carry around a reusable shopping bag — unless, of course, you count the backpacks they carry everyday. A majority of the Dinkytown store’s customers are students looking for minimal items that could easily fit in a backpack.

I recommend you search the Internet for “plastic bag statistics.” You will be appalled.

If Target simply asks customers if they would like a bag, people will say no. Whether it is from conscience or simple logic, it is dollars and sense. Target could reduce its pollution and costs while appealing to anyone who advocates sustainability.

Kevin O’Brien, Minneapolis

https://health4earth.com/2013/02/24/refuse-plastic/

Protecting Birds and Building a New Stadium

Call the Vikings and tell them to install bird safety glass. 952-828 6500, or http://www.vikings.com/footer/contact-us.html and call Gov. Dayton 651 201 3400.

Our bees, butterflies and birds are in serious decline. We all should reduce our footprint to protect our wildlife. This also means businesses and the Minnesota Vikings! In Minnesota we are having a debate over whether the Minnesota Vikings should place bird protective glass on the new stadium being built. This stadium is near the Mississippi River, a major migration flyway. And…it is a publicly funded stadium, one-third being paid for by the citizens of Minneapolis. To be a good corporate citizen the Vikings need to follow state laws(safety glass), and positively contribute to the environment where they reside.
The Star Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper editorialized that in the big scheme of things, it was not a big deal to protect these birds…WOW! http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/279625602.html “Keep Bird Deaths in Perspective” I consider the Vikings actions and the editorial board both hitting a new low! In my perspective 1 million for protective glass is minimal when a billion dollars is being spent and large portion is a public hand-out!!

This is the counter argument from Audubon:

As stewards, we are responsible for our impact on the Earth’s well-being, and it is precisely the logic presented in this editorial that is putting our vital ecosystems in trouble. We know that it is not a single deforestation event, a single oil spill or a single storm that leads to significant decline of bird species, but rather the effect of multiple factors over time. The good news is that the same way our cumulative actions can stress and degrade the environment, our individual actions can lead to its protection and recovery. Take the bald eagle, for example, or bluebirds.

Migratory birds are legally protected because they play a pivotal role, pollinating plants and controlling insect populations. One bird can eat 500 pests per day, reducing the need for toxic pesticides. Disarmingly, their populations are not constant; they are decreasing because of human activities, including glass buildings. Research shows that many once-common species have had a 50 percent reduction in just the last 50 years.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/279846202.html

Video,”Change the Glass Now” http:youtube.com/watch?v=ngvN7oHhHwY

What can you do?

1. Call the Vikings and tell them to install bird safety glass. 952-828 6500, or http://www.vikings.com/footer/contact-us.html and call Gov. Dayton 651 201 3400.

2. Reduce the chemicals you use in your yard, and plant bird friendly plants like cone flowers, little blue stem grass, cup plant, and Joe Pye Weed. These are just a few ideas that are easy to grow and birds love these plants.

3. Leave your car at home or carpool at least one day a week to reduce pollution.

4. Reduce plastic consumption and recycle all plastic bags.

Community facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/birdsafestadium

Cone flowers: Easy to grow, and loved by birds!

October 2014, Superior Views

Bright gold colors radiate everywhere.The aspen, birch and maple trees are stunning.

Migrating yellow rump warblers climb over our house looking for bugs, white-throated sparrows dig in the falling leaves. Groups of cedar wax-wing and robins take a rest from their migration to look for food.

Our presence surprises the fox and coyotes. It is unusual to never see deer.

A few bee balm, asters, and hyssop are still blooming, but the colorful trees absorb the eyes attention. The beautiful days are sunny and cool and you wish for them to last forever.

Protect monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act

This is from Friends of the Earth foe.org/monarchs

Tell the Fish and Wildlife Service: Protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act.

Across the Midwest, millions of acres of “Roundup® Ready” GMO crops engineered to withstand massive amounts Monsanto’s Roundup® have been planted along the monarch’s migration route — virtually wiping out milkweed, the only food young monarchs eat.

The use of Roundup® has skyrocketed in the last decade. More Roundup® = less milkweed = fewer monarchs.

Monarchs need our help before it’s too late! Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act.

The numbers are startling: in the last 20 years, the number of monarchs has declined by 90 percent. They’ve dropped from a recorded high of 1 billion butterflies in the mid-1990s to less than 35 million last winter. For this year, early reports suggest a 50 percent decline in their numbers from last year.

But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the power to help. It could restore essential monarch habitat nationwide — by giving the monarch butterfly protection under the Endangered Species Act. But we need your help to protect this essential pollinator for future generations.

Tell the Fish and Wildlife Service: Protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act.

Monarchs, like bees, are a “canary in the coal mine” telling us that the chemical-intensive, GMO, corporate-controlled agricultural system is wiping out the very species our food system and ecosystems depend on.

We must take swift action to shift our food system to one that not only protects these iconic creatures, but also people and the environment.

Urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the iconic monarch butterfly before it’s too late.

Friends of the Earth