Blog

---

2012 Earth Day – Discovery Bay, CA

Today is a spectacular and beautiful day in Discovery Bay, CA. Mother Nature is showing off all her finest blooms and greenery in honor of her special day. It’s a wonderful time to reflect, think and ponder about how blessed we are with all the natural resources we have not only to consume but to cherish.

We have abundant clean drinking water but we must alway remind ourselves that it is a gift and we must constantly conserve and protect our water quality every day. Our water in Discovery Bay is managed by Veolia Water. Stop by and visit their booth to get useful tips about water conservation. You can also subscribe to their “WAVE” Newsletter.

Sue Emmett is well know in our community as a Juice Plus distributor and for her amazing and

successful “Body Fit” training camps. She is stepping it up at the Earth Day event by showcasing a hydroponic tower garden. Look for a future post regarding this wonderful product. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could produce enough fresh fruits and vegetables to sustain ourselves on our own properties?

By the way, we can boast of enough sunshine on a regular basis in Discovery Bay that with the help of amazing local companies such as “The Solar Company” we should make it our goal to become one of the first “Net Zero Energy” communities in Contra Costa County. With affordable leasing programs the installation of solar panels on residential homes is now becoming more attainable. Go to their website and make an appointment to evaluate your energy bill. TheSolarCo.com

I look forward to seeing all the “green vendors” come our and show case their products and services and I also look forward to spending my purchasing dollars locally doing the right thing at the right time and in the right place.

Look forward to more posts about what’s “Uplifting Green” in Discovery Bay.

96 gal recycling cans come to Discovery Bay, CA

Three years ago the Garaventa Family, owners of Mt Diablo Recycling Center

in Pittsburgh, CA had a grand vision and this month in Discovery Bay we get the opportunity to participate in their vision and help make it a reality.

As our bins are being delivered over the next few weeks we have choices to make that effect the way our community embraces and accepts the responsibility that has been bestowed upon us. As in “Field of Dreams,” The Garaventa Family built a state of the art 90,000 square foot recycling facility now it’s our turn to keep it busy.

Choice #1 – Are we going to challenge ourselves to truly reduce our waste? Discovery Bay Disposal is offering all residents three different sized garbage waste containers. Most of us are probably comfortable with the 96 gallon container just in case we need it. But what if we can get by with a smaller container such as a 64 gallon or a 32 gallon container? The benefits are you’ll save money on your garbage bill and more importantly you’ll divert garbage going to our local landfill. Think about it. How much garbage do you think we can sustain in Contra Costa County before we eventually reach capacity? We might not run out of capacity in the next few years but our children may have to deal with it when they are older.

Choice #2 – Are we going to change our habits? If you were going to look through your garbage today and actually separate it into the proper containers you’d be amazed. Here is a list of four types of garbage that could be either diverted or not used at all.

1) Vegetable table scraps -Store them in a waste container underneath your sink until you take the trash out. You can throw them in the yard waste or start a compost pile.

2) Paper towels and napkins – How often do we use paper towels or napkins to just wipe up a quick spill or wipe a dirty mouth. Maybe cloth napkins or hand towels could replace them and it would save money too.

3) Cardboard boxes – If you accumulate a lot of useable cardboard boxes post them on Freecycle.org and someone in your local neighborhood will pick them up to use for moving etc.

4) Plastic grocery bags – stop using them at the grocery store instead bring your own bags. There is a great website called “Bagnetic” that sells bags that hang on a hook so they don’t take up much room in your trunk.

Choice #3 – Teach our children the importance of recycling. We need to lead by example and encourage them to separate the trash. After all it’s probably one of their chores anyway. Mt Diablo Recycling offers school presentations and tours of their recycling facility in Pittsburgh. Talk to your children’s teacher about organizing a field trip or plan a family or neighborhood trip of your own. Contact Nicole Adler at (925) 692-2224, or email her at nicole@garaventaent.com.

In conclusion, let’s get excited about this new recycling program by taking action and changing. By the way did you know that currently 30% of our garbage in Contra Costa County is being diverted from the landfill at the Mt Diablo Recycling Center? Wouldn’t it be great to get it up to 50% or higher?

I invite you to post comments and ideas on what works for you.  What changes are you making to make a difference.

You can buy safer cosmetics. Read this.

Are you grossed out by all the nasty products used in our cosmetics to make us beautiful? Do you think you don’t have any ability or resources to purchase safer cosmetics? Well, if you are willing to check out a website called

Environmental Working Group, you may be pleasantly surprised. This dedicated organization is actively researching what goes into our cosmetics.  Their goal is to provide us with safer cosmetic options.

Since 2004, the Environmental Working Group has been working on a Skin Deep database. They are a founding member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics which helps protect the health of consumers and workers by encouraging companies to phase out the use of dangerous chemicals and replacing them with safer alternatives.

More than 1000 companies have committed to producing safer cosmetic products by signing the “Campaign for Safe Cosmetics” and by voluntarily publishing their safety data.

The Environmental Working Group reviews are thorough and assigned specific and meaningful categories to insure fair and consistent scoring. They specialize in analyzing product types, use and composition, the target demographic, special product claims, brand and company information as well as animal testing.

Review their website and research how safe are the cosmetics you are currently using. If the cosmetics you are currently using don’t meet your expectations, The EWG skin deep database has plenty of new options for you to explore.

Check out these lipstick options

Revolution Organics

Read the EWG review here.

Boots Mineral Perfection Lipstick

Read the EWG review here.

Green home remodeling in California

Homeowners interested in remodeling their homes in California should check out www.greenremodelforum.com. This locally managed website specializes in showcasing homeowners in California that are remodeling responsibly and with a conscience. Green Remodel Forum is quickly becoming a go to resource for useful information about green building methods as well as products and services to support your green remodeling project.

It’s free to join the forum. Some of the benefits of becoming a member of the Green Remodel Forum include:

• Connecting yourself with like minded people and affiliating yourself with known local experts.

• Collapse time and research by seeing what your neighbors have accomplished through the question and answer discussion forum.

• Easily locate green professionals in the building and energy management industry.

• Become savvy and knowledgeable about energy efficiency and how you can work towards a Zero Net Energy Home.

• Learn useful green tips of the day.

For most of us our belts are tightened due to the economy. We need to spend our money wisely. Usually our home is the biggest financial investment we make. Therefore, it is important to realize we are empowered to make positive changes in our purchasing power by supporting green building methods. As homeowners in this current market there are so many financial incentives to do the right thing such as focusing on significant energy efficiency rebates through PG & E, and leasing solar panels through Sungevity.

Green remodeling is a positive step that should be part of your decision making process. I challenge you to put more thought into what materials you buy for your next remodeling project and who is going to do the work. Your final objective is to remodel responsibly so that your home is not only visually pleasing but also a healthier and more energy efficient place to live.

Go to their Website Greenremodelforum.com

Find them on Facebook

Jet skis are harmful to the environment

You know jet skis are dangerous (and loud), but did you know that they leak as much as 30% of the fuel directly into the water? Ditch the machine in favor of a pedal boat or kayak and you’ll be doing the environment (and your waistline) a favor. ITbikes.com has several models (including a water bike!).

We have to remember and be reminded to be good stewards of our earth. We cannot continually follow our selfish pleasures and desires without experiencing consequences. The choices we make today to live a more sustainable life is not only good for today, it has a lasting impact on the future. Our children need to know we are protecting the earth and their future.

By making the decision to own a man powered boating vessel you have the opportunity to be aligned with nature without consuming, reducing or contaminating natural resources. What a great way for families to slow down and truly enjoy what nature has to offer.

Once you proudly own a man powered vessel. you need to visit Discovery Bay, CA where you have an opportunity to participate in the annual Paddle For Fame. It’s usually held in June at the end of the month.

According to the Delta Sun Times, Discovery Bay broke it’s own World Record Saturday, June 25th, 2011 for the largest raft-up of man-powered vessels. The unofficial count is 492, which beats last years record by more that 100 paddlers.The

Next Page »