Think Green in Yamhill County

There are a lot of individual steps people can take. Everything each person does adds up. Voting green with your consumer dollars can make a big difference, too.

We will continue to add items as we learn more. Feel free to contribute what you learn as well. Drop us a line at greatideas@lafayetteoregon.info.

There are more environmental options than using recycled paper. Like linen dinner napkins, or handkerchiefs instead of facial tissue. But, each person will make their own changes. Listed are some options for people who still want the disposable option.

Recycled Paper Products

Locating items that are truly recycled can be a bit of challenge. We will continue to look at local stores and find what we can and list pricing.

Post Consumer usage percentages matter. Being 100% recycled can mean they used the end of the rolls. Post consumer means they actually reused paper from the recycling system in place.

Wal-Mart – None

Safeway

One brand only – Nature’s Balance
No facial tissue

All 100% recycled – 80% post-consumer waste

Toilet Paper $4.99 for a 6 pack

Paper Towels $5.99 for a 6 pack

Napkins $2.49 for a 200 pack

Other Things You Can Do

Chemicals in your home

Coming soon are the top ten most toxic chemicals you can keep in your home. I will be working with WOW to see if we can get a hazardous turn in day locally. A lot of people miss out on the one in McMinnville because it only happens two times a year and the lines are really long.

Some cleaners that work great that are more earth friendly.

Baking soda for killing moss, scrubbing grout, brushing your teeth, brightening your clothes in the washer.

Vinegar as a bacteria killer. Also works on most molds. And if sprayed on top of baking soda, will literally eat the moss off the rocks. Great for those folks whose rocks hold up their house.

Water soaked for a week in rock salt and then strained will make a great weed killer. Mother-in-law says you can also use boiling water.

Shop at local farms. Most have shops attached for those that don’t want to pick their own. No gas is used to transport the items. And since they don’t have to sit in the grocery area with other produce, they generally don’t have all the chemicals on them. I will be contacting local farmers to find out who is environmental in their processes.

Re-purpose items.

Stuff you don’t want – set up a table outside with a free sign. Any given weekend, it will be gone within hours. Lots of people are doing this now and more people are looking for it. Let me know if you planning on adding yourself to that list and maybe we can do a ‘Get It Free in Lafayette’ weekend. Also saves a trip driving to Mac for drop off at the charity. I don’t know if Lafayette would require a yard sale permit for it, but it would interesting to see them enforce it for free items.

Craig’s List & Freecycle (Craigs List has a Yamhill County tab)

Put a barrel at the end of your drain to catch water to use in your garden. Make sure it has a lid and you use it regularly to avoid the mosquito issue.

Create a solar system for your hot water heater. We will be trying a few of the plans that are available and placing the best systems here later on.

Compost. Worms, turning leaves, lots of different methods.

Create a contest with your neighbors to see who can create less trash.

See if you can fill your recycling faster than your trash can.

Pull weeds instead of spraying them with harsh chemicals. Even if you wear a mask, you are still breathing those fumes in.

Use environmental paint in and on your home. That new paint smell are fumes you are absorbing into your brain. Those fumes stick around for years. We will be locating local resources for these and adding them to the list.

Ask about earth friendly items at local merchants. The more people ask, the more their buyers will stock the items. I had to drive to Beaverton to find Live Like Ed (by Ed Begley, Jr.). No one locally had the book. The irony of the drive was not lost on me, but I did get to see and hear Salman Rushdie speak at Powell’s. Very exciting for me.

Good Luck and Good Living. Cherish your brain cells – you will need them later in life.

Angela