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Living Green 365 Newsletter

July 2008: Summer Gatherings

In Minnesota, summer weekends fill up fast. My calendar is booked with festivals, weddings, and family picnics. Gatherings bring people together to share ideas and build relationships. Because of this, they are a great place to learn about and promote living green.

In this issue you'll find many ways to green your next gathering.

Learning from each other

Living green is easier when we support each other. Sharing the benefits of living green with your neighbor can be difficult. Here are some tips to help green your community. 

Get your neighbors together

• Organize a block party for National Night Out on August 5. Bring a handout with energy saving tips.
• Get a group together to take the Minnesota Energy Challenge.
• Organize a safe walking or biking route to school for neighborhood children.
• Host an ecoparty!

Show off without showing off

Live by example. Others will feel more comfortable living green if they see neighbors and friends doing the same. 

• Choose a park for your picnic that is close enough to bike to.
• Use reusable dinnerware at your next get together. Set up a recycling bin for cans and bottles.
• Have living green information available at your next gathering. Check out MPCA's reduce.org and livinggreen.org for tips and advice.

Any event can be a green event

By planning ahead, events can be low-impact on the environment and your pocket book.

For picnics and backyard gatherings

• Ask guests to bring a plate and fork from home.
• Cook part of your meal using food grown in Minnesota.
• Consider skipping the campfire.

For larger events

• Choose a location that has natural lighting and mass transportation options.
• Arrange recycling pick up. If the venue doesn't include recycling in their services, request it.   
• Choose 100% recycled paper invitations.  
• Calculate the carbon footprint of the event and off-set the emissions by planting trees or supporting renewable energy projects.
• If you don't know where to start, get help from a green event planner.
• Read more about green events from Do it Green! and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Get ideas by learning about the Living Green Expo's efforts.
  

And when it comes to gift-giving

• Host a Birthday Without Pressure. Ask children to come to the celebration without a present.  
• Coordinate family and friends to contribute to one nice gift instead of several small gifts.  
• Give an experience. Many people want to try new things but won't spend the money on themselves.
• Consider an alternative to registry, such as The New American Dream's Alternative Gift Registry.
• Pick a charity and encourage guests to bring a donation or appropriate gift for the charity.

Find additional celebration tips at reduce.org.

Lawn watering tips

Inviting friends and family to a barbecue is also inviting them to view your lawn. As you watch your neighbors watering their lawns constantly, fight the urge to over-soak your grass. Read our July 2007 issue for water-saving lawn care tips. For more ideas about growing a "green" lawn, check out these resources:

• Growing a healthy, no-waste lawn & garden
• Yard & Garden exhibitors and workshops from the 2008 Living Green Expo
• University of MN Extension's Low Input Lawn Care

Days of our green lives: Community events and resources

• Don't miss the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair, August 21-September 1. Sign up to volunteer and you'll get an Eco Experience t-shirt and one ticket to the fair (St. Paul).
• Live music, family fun, and sustainability education can be found at MarketFest's Sustainability Fair, July 31, 6-9 p.m. (White Bear Lake).
• Learn about global water resources by watching Flow: For Love of Water at the Walker Art Center, August 1-3 (Minneapolis).
• Get the knowledge to green-up your shoreline at the Buffer Zone Expo, August 9, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Deep Portage Conservation Reserve (Hackensack).
• The Science Museum of Minnesota and the Will Steger Foundation Find present Global Warming: Science and Solutions at the Science Museum of Minnesota Auditorium, August 11, 7:30 p.m. (St. Paul).
• Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America is a new Pew Commission report, based on a thirty-month investigation into industrial farm animal production. The report covers public health, the environment, and animal welfare.

Look for more events on the SEEK and NextStep calendars.

Missed an issue? Read past newsletters in our online archive.

livinggreen365@pca.state.mn.us