Go Green 2015

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April 17, 2015

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April 17, 2015

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Choose green materials for building, renovation work The decisions people make when choosing building materials during renovation or construction of a new home can have a significant environmental impact.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the products people use to clean, light, furnish, renovate and build our homes must be a part of the greening process. “Reducing our environmental impacts requires thinking and learning about not just how we use products, but where they came from and where they’re going,� the EPA states on its web page devoted to the topic of choosing green materials and products.

Factors to consider include the energy used to make, ship, and use a product; its contents and the sources of its raw materials; emissions during manufacture and toxins in the final product; and the product’s lifespan and recyclability.

Environmentally preferable building materials include reclaimed building materials and recycled content building materials.

Reclaimed or salvaged building materials might include marble mantles, antique

Welcome

Turning your corner of our corner of northeast Indiana a bit more green is not that difficult.

Inside this special section you will find stories offering tips on some of the basic, like choosing green building materials, composting, sustainable farming, conserving water and much more.

We hope you find the information valuable for how you live your life.

fixtures, hardwood and lumber, bricks and iron work. Salvaged materials can be incorporated into the construction or renovation of a home.

Examples of recycled content building materials include drywall, insulation, plastic lumber, kitchen countertops, glass tiles, landscaping materials, carpet and carpet padding and steel.

When selecting green building materials, the EPA cautions buyers to avoid “greenwashing,� where manufacturers make misleading, unverified or untrue claims about their products.

The EPA advises consumers to read labels carefully and look for environmental attributes such as recycled content, low or no VOC (volatile organic compounds), or reduced toxicity or non-toxic, and sustainably harvested wood and materials made of a rapidly renewable resource, such as bamboo flooring and wool carpets.

The word “natural� has no legal meaning and is not a reliable indicator of environmental attributes, the EPA cautions.

METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

Reclaimed or salvaged building materials can be incorporated into the construction or renovation of a home. Examples of such materials might include marble mantles, antique fixtures, hardwood and lumber, bricks and iron work.

TICCIT (pronounced “ticketâ€?, which stands for “Trees into Cartons, Cartons into Treesâ€?) is an outreach and educational program for school-aged children held every year at the end of April to honor Earth Day and highlights the renewability and sustainability of paper and paperboard packaging. As part of the program, Graphic Packaging International, Inc. (GPI), a producer of consumer paperboard packaging, has been making presentations at local elementary schools, to instruct students about the beneďŹ ts of recycling, how paper is made, and why trees are important to the earth’s lifecycle.

Native saplings are donated by GPI to each child to plant in a milk carton they have saved from lunch. These “carton-into-tree units� are then given to the children to take home and plant in the ground. As the trees grow, students are taught how the cartons biodegrade, completing the “trees into cartons, cartons into trees� cycle.

Last year, 30 GPI facilities participated in TICCIT, and planted trees with close to 20,000 students across the U.S. and Canada.

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April 17, 2015

Compost is nature’s fertilizer

BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com

Think green, brown and wet when composting.

Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as fertilizer and a soil amendment. It’s rich in nutrients for gardens, landscaping, horticulture and agriculture. It’s beneficial to the land as a soil conditioner, fertilizer and a natural pesticide.

Is composting labor intensive, expensive, smelly and complicated?

No. No. No, and no. This is not rocket science. It’s the perfect lazy person’s gardening project. Unlike weeding or digging, which take time and physical effort, a compost pile pretty much takes care of itself.

If you want compost material, but don’t want to compost, then you can pick up free compost at one of the Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District’s compost sites in Noble, LaGrange, Steuben and DeKalb counties

SINCE 1964

from mid-April through mid-November.

In addition to communities dropping off leaves and yard waste, individuals are encouraged to dispose of their leaves and yard waste at these locations: • Kendallville — West Wayne Street near the wastewater treatment plant, Tuesdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Ligonier — Gerbert Street north of the railroad tracks, Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• LaGrange — C.R. 75N, east side of LaGrange County Fairgrounds, Mondays through Saturdays, daylight hours.

• Steuben County — near Steuben County 4-H Fairgrounds at Crooked Lake, Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Auburn — Indiana Avenue north through blinking light at North Street

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Compost is rich in nutrients that can serve as a soil conditioner, fertilizer and natural pesticide in gardens and landscaping and on lawns.

See Compost page 5

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COMPOST From page 4

intersection, turn left at T-road onto C.R. 36, two miles on left, Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Making your own compost requires a heap of wet organic matter, green waste and waiting for the materials to break down into humus. Decomposition is aided by shredding plant matter, adding water and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture.

You will need a container, but composting can occur in an exposed pile like those at the NEISWMD recycling compost sites. The container or structure doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s purpose is to hold all the ingredients together.

The contents should be turned periodically to provide oxygen and combine decaying materials. It’s important to retain moisture and heat.

Place the container or composing material in a sunny location to help the decomposing process.

A combination of brown and

green plant matter such as shredded newspaper, dry leaves, wood chips, kitchen waste and grass clippings plus moisture will keep the bacteria working.

In three to four months the finished product should be dark, crumbly soil that smells like fresh soil.

Here are some helpful tips: • Don’t start too small — perfect pile size is 3-by-3-by-3 feet to 5-by-5-by-5 feet.

• Keep the composting material moist.

• Don’t depend on one material because composting should have a combination of different textures.

• No fats, pet droppings and animal products that will attract pests and spread disease.

• No plant material treated with pesticides or herbicides.

• No colored paper because dye may be harmful.

• Add ashes sparingly.

• If the pile is stinky, aerate regularly.

Now that you have nutrient-rich compost, apply it to the garden 2-4 weeks before planting, giving compost time to integrate and stabilize with the soil.

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April 17, 2015

Sustainable farming expert stresses soil

BY JACOB KLOPFENSTEIN jklopfenstein@kpcmedia.com

WOLF LAKE — Jon Zirkle is passionate about soil.

He’s the interim director of the Agroecology Summer Intensive at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center. The nine-week program offers academic credit for undergraduates and instruction in soil properties, farming ecology and sustainable farming.

Zirkle also manages Merry Lea’s sustainable farm. He said learning about soil and focusing on improving soil quality is important for making any garden sustainable in the long run. As plants grow, they take organic matter from the soil, so it’s important to give something back to replenish the soil, he said.

“You have to put something back that will keep on giving generations from now,” he said. “If you don’t add See FARMING page 7

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Jon Zirkle, who directs Merry Lea’s Agroecology Summer Intensive and manages its sustainable farm, stands in front of the farm’s kitchen garden with student housing in the background.

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April 17, 2015

FARMING From page 6

something back, the (soil) quality will keep going down gradually.�

People who use synthetic fertilizers aren’t doing the best thing for the future of their garden, Zirkle said. Most people already have organic resources that can work for that purpose. Grass clippings,

straw or wood chips can be worked into the soil. Even shredded paper works.

Fallen leaves also are great for a garden and people should more fully utilize them in autumn, he said. “When people burn leaves a little part of me dies,� he said. “You could put those on a garden.�

Zirkle also stressed the importance of choosing seeds carefully for a garden.

He encourages people to save seeds from

the previous year’s crop. Doing so helps strengthen the gene pool of a certain plant. It also keeps native plants growing in the area. Seeds in packets from a store might come from another state, but seeds saved from previous years came from your garden, he said. “Saving seeds is a great teaching process to see how plants develop,� Zirkle said. “It makes (gardens) more sustainable.�

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Learning from others and passing along knowledge to other gardeners is important for sustainability in farming, too, Zirkle said. Visiting farms or learning from Master Gardeners is a great way to learn, but even simply taking your kids to a pumpkin patch is valuable, he said. “Information sharing is big,� Zirkle said. “That’s a huge piece; equipping younger generations or older generations that didn’t have that growing up.�

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April 17, 2015

What does the waste management district do? A lot

BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com

ASHLEY — Many people are unfamiliar as to what Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District does in promoting going green year-round, officials say.

What it actually does is quite a bit.

“Most people don’t realize what we do. We accomplish a lot with a focus on municipal solid waste,” said Steven Christman, NISWMD executive director.

Christman said the district has four main programs: • It maintains 17 rural unmanned drop-off sites for solid waste in DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble and Steuben counties; • comprehensive composting; • household hazardous waste collection, which is offered between 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday at 2320 W. C.R. 800S, Ashley; and See WASTE MANAGEMENT page 9

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Paint collection like this in Kendallville is frequently conducted by the Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District.

For more details on such collection, visit the district’s website, niswmd.org. The website explains ways of disposing of various items.

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April 17, 2015

Waste district has long, active history

BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com

ASHLEY — The Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District has existed since 1990 serving DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble and Steuben counties.

The district continues to evolve with different environmental services and programs offered.

The following is a brief history of the district: 1990 • The four counties entered into an inter local governmental agreement forming the solid waste district. Each county gave $5,000 toward the initial operating costs.

• State law mandated solid waste management districts.

• Each county budgeted $50,000 toward the district and the first budget was passed with taxing authority.

1991 • Three compost sites were available in Angola, Auburn and Kendallville.

1992 • The Indiana Department of Environmental Management approved NISWMD’s 20-year plan.

1993 • The first safety plan for NISWMD was established.

1999 • The district was the first to hold pesticide container collection day.

• NISWMD received the governor’s award for its mercury program.

2000 • District received the SWANA 2000 recycling excellence gold award for a recycling drop-off program.

2001 • Pesticides container day was held.

• An aluminum theft ring was busted.

WASTE MANAGEMENT From page 8

• an electronics program for disposal is available each Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $5 per TV or computer.

“We take anything with a cord,” he said.

The idea of solid waste convenience centers for one stop is growing, Christman said, and there is currently one in Steuben County by Crooked Lake and one in LaGrange County.

There’s plenty more the district does. It also offers education, various

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resources and recycling.

Christman has been with the district since its first year in 1991 and has served as director since 1997. During that time, there’s been a lot of change and Christman said he couldn’t pinpoint being proud of one major accomplishment.

For more details on the district and how to dispose of certain items, such as batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, used motor oil and diabetic syringes, to name a few, visit niswmd.org. The group also works with companies throughout northeast Indiana for technical assistance.

2002 • The collection fees for tires increased.

2003 • Local police charged a person with open dumping in Noble County.

It was the first time a charge occurred.

2007 • Tires and white goods were no longer accepted through the district program.

• The district assisted Garrett with a solid waste contract.

2008 • Drop-off sites were relocated with four for each county.

• Tox Day was held in Kendallville and 380 vehicles participated.

1995 • NISWMD entered into an inter local agreement with Monroe County Solid Waste Management District to begin a battery collection program.

2009 • IDEM suspended state grants and loan programs for business and local government recycling and pollution prevention projects.

• Electronics collection day was held at the district office.

1996 • Tri-State University (now Trine) sought direct assistance from the district for an Earth Day celebration and recycling bins were put in place.

• NISWMD became the registered waste tire transporter through IDEM. • Hazardous household waste collections were held in LaGrange, Noble and Steuben counties.

2010 • Tox day was held at West Noble High School and 163 vehicles participated.

• A supplemental environmental project began in partnership with Trine focusing on used oil recovery in the district.

1997 • Aluminum theft increased at recycling sites.

• The district moved to Ashley facility.

2011 • Glass was reinstated at rural recycling drop-off stations.

• An unused/expired medication program was launched.

For the full history, visit the district’s website, niswmd.org.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District works at grinding brush in Steuben County. It is then used for wood mulch for landscaping.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Electronics collection like this one in Fort Wayne is handled Friday between 8 a.m. to noon at the Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District, 2320 W. C.R. 800S, Ashley. Cost is $5 each for a TV or computer brought to the collection.

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April 17, 2015

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Recycling program targets high school students INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Recycling Coalition last week announced a partnership with PepsiCo Recycling to launch a new high school recycling program: the Student Recycling Leadership Corps. The goal of this partnership is to grow the impact of K-12 recycling programs and away-from-home recycling by facilitating PepsiCo Recycling’s Recycle Rally program in high schools and implementing public space recycling projects in communities across Indiana.

Student leaders will be selected from a competitive application process. The IRC will select 15 students to join the Corps and student leaders who successfully complete the program will receive a $500 college scholarship.

“The Indiana Recycling Coalition is thrilled to launch this program to develop recycling leaders in Indiana’s

high schools in partnership with PepsiCo Recycling’s Recycle Rally Program,” said Carey Hamilton, Executive Director, Indiana Recycling Coalition. “We look forward to helping develop the next generation of recycling leaders while immediately growing access to recycling in schools and communities across the state,” continued Hamilton.

The goal of the Leadership Corps is to engage student leaders across Indiana in recycling initiatives in their communities, building the next generation of recycling champions. Through these student leaders, the IRC will measure recyclable materials recovered from each student project, working towards PepsiCo’s goal of increasing the U.S. beverage container recycling See RECYCLING page 11

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April 17, 2015

RECYCLING From page 10

rate to 50 percent by 2018 and the IRC’s goals of increasing away-fromhome recycling and helping Indiana achieve the newly legislated state-wide 50 percent recycling goal.

“We’re excited to partner with the Indiana Recycling Coalition to amplify the impact of Recycle Rally across Indiana and engage students to lead local recycling efforts,” said Tom

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students make recycling part of their lives. The Student Recycling Leadership Corps aims to take K-12 school recycling programs to the next level, expanding to more schools across Indiana and offering exciting new opportunities for involvement. More about Recycle Rally can be found at www.PepsiCoRecycling.com/Programs/ RecycleRally.

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April 17, 2015

How to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at home METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, and according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, these gases are significant contributors to climate change.

While climate change poses a considerable threat, it’s important to note that much of the increase in greenhouse gases over the last 150 years can be traced to human activities. By changing certain behaviors and practices, men and women can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The following are a few simple changes men and women can make in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their homes.

• Buy Energy Star® products. A 2012 report from the United States Energy Information Administration noted that electricity production generates

the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. The Energy Star® label indicates products have been tested and approved as energy-efficient, meaning they consume less electricity than other similar products. The Energy Star® label can be found on a host of home appliances, including lighting, heating and cooling equipment and electronics.

Homeowners who want to pitch in to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also lowering their utility bills should only consider those products that have earned the Energy Star® label.

• Revisit your cooling and heating habits. Home cooling and heating systems consume a considerable amount of energy, and inefficient use of these systems is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. But cutting back on these emissions does not mean you have to sweat out sultry summer afternoons or hide under the covers upon See Gas Emissions page 13

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April 17, 2015

GAS EMISSIONS From page 12

the arrival of winter. Replacing air filters according to manufacturer guidelines and using programmable thermostats so you aren’t heating and cooling your house when no one is home are some easy ways to dramatically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that emanate from your heating and cooling systems.

Such efficient use of these systems also saves you money on your monthly energy bills.

• Recycle. Recycling can greatly reduce your home’s greenhouse gas emissions. Many communities now mandate that residents recycle plastics, glass containers and paper goods like newspapers and magazines. Recycling can be so simple that it’s easy to forget just how beneficial it can be. When products are recycled, that reduces the need to extract resources, manufacture replacement goods and dispose of products, each of which contributes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

If you and members of your household

have yet to embrace recycling, you’re not only increasing greenhouse gas emissions, but also you may even be breaking the law. If your community sponsors a recycling program, simply separate recyclable items from the rest of your trash and leave them out on the curb on designated pickup days. If no such program exists in your community, separate items to recycle and periodically bring them to your local recycling center, which may even pay you for certain items.

• Compost food waste. Instead of discarding leftovers in the garbage can, compost that wasted food so it does not end up in landfills, where it will contribute to methane gas in the air.

Composting food waste can improve the soil in your yard and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it also makes you feel better that you’re making use of wasted food that would otherwise go straight into the garbage can.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions may seem like a massive undertaking, but concerned men and women can employ several simple strategies to do their part to protect the environment.

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April 17, 2015

Abundance of water in NE Indiana doesn’t mean people shouldn’t conserve resource

BY PATRICK REDMOND predmond@kpcmedia.com

LAGRANGE — There’s an abundance of water neatly stored beneath the surface of northern Indiana. Communities all across the area, not to mention many individual homeowners, tap into those giant aquifers to provide a constant supply of fresh, safe water “We’re blessed,” said John Leu, the superintendent of the LaGrange Waterworks, talking about the local water supply. But just because northern Indiana has a plentiful supply of fresh water doesn’t mean Leu believes people should use it wantonly, watering lawns and gardens.

“I’m pretty conservative about that” Leu explained.

With spring finally here, and lawn and garden season just around the corner, and Leu and other water professionals are encourage homeowners to use water resources wisely. When it comes to things like watering the lawn, Leu said he wants people to know more is not better.

Over watering a lawn or garden can

actually cause harm plants, causing grasses or vegetable plants to set short, weak roots.

That makes it easy for those plants to be uprooted. Over watering also opens the door to fungal attacks that kill plants and grass.

Instead, Leu recommends, watering be restricted to just a couple of times a week, and only for short periods of time which allows the water used to have a chance to soak in the soil where plants can use that moisture as needed.

Martin Franke, the director of the LaGrange County Soil and Water Conservation service said the good news is watering lawns and gardens does little affect the water supply found in northern Indiana.

“We’re blessed with adequate ground and surface water here in northern Indiana, but most of the United States, and the world, does not have an adequate water supply,” he pointed out.

Franke added watering plants, lawns and gardens doesn’t adversely affect the quality of the water supplies or its volume.

“Watering doesn’t destroy water,” Franke explained. “When you’re irrigating,

part of that water water gets evaporated, part of that get used by the plants and the rest travels back through the soil and returns to the water table, but none of that water is gone.”

But like Leu, Franke urges people to use water wisely.

Once again, Franke is quick to point out over watering should be avoided.

A good rule of thumb, he said, is to water lawns and gardens no more than one inch or so of water a week when rainfall is normal.

Franke suggests homeowners unsure how long it takes to deliver one inch of water to the lawn or garden go to the hardware store and buy a simple rain gauge, one that sits on top of a stake, and place that directly in the path of the water being delivered by a sprinkler. Then, using a watch, a homeowner can time how long it takes those sprinklers to deliver a full inch of water. That way a homeowner can accurately estimate how long to leave the sprinklers running as he or she waters an entire lawn or garden.

“It’s minimal, but what you want to do is simulate getting about an inch of rainfall on your garden a week,” Franke said.

Experts also recommend most watering be done in the early morning hours. That allows the excess water sitting on the plants to evaporate, reducing the chances of a fungal problems. Evening and overnight watering allows excess water to sit on blades of grasses or plants for long periods of time, opening the door to fungal attacks.

Martin also said it’s important homeowners understand the nature of their soil before starting watering.

“We have very varied soil types in this part of Indiana due to the glacial activities a long time ago,” he said. “Parts of northern Indiana have heavier soils, but typically much of this area has lighter, sandier soils, and those soils pass the water through rapidly. Understanding what soil you have is necessary to tell you whether you need to irrigate or not, and how much.”

That information, Martin said, can be found by visiting your local soil and water conservation district office.

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April 17, 2015

Go Green

15

There are many ways to go green with pet care METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

Environmentally conscious lifestyles are a way of life for many people. But while men and women may look to hybrid cars or energy-saving appliances to reduce their carbon footprints, few may know they can go green with their pets, too.

Pet care is likely not the first thing pet owners think of when they look to tweak their lifestyles to make them more environmentally friendly. But there are many ways pet owners can take a more eco-friendly approach to caring for their pets.

• Buy environmentally friendly toys and supplies. Many businesses now produce products with the environment in mind, and manufacturers of pet products are no exception. When buying toys and supplies for your furry friends, look for products made from recycled materials or natural fibers. Such products may even be packaged in post-consumer materials like recycled paper.

• Buy in bulk. Buying pet items in bulk can be both eco-friendly and convenient.

Buying in bulk means less frequent trips to the store, which conserves fuel and saves you time. Buying in bulk also means less packaging, which conserves resources and leads to less plastic and cardboard finding its way into landfills.

• Keep a watchful on your pets. Pets that are allowed to roam free can have an adverse impact on local wildlife. For example, cats that are allowed out to roam your yard and the yards of your neighbors may be on the prowl for birds, and killing birds can have a negative impact on local ecosystems. Each bird death caused by a cat is preventable if pet owners simply keep their feline friends inside, which veterinarians note is good for the average cat’s life expectancy. In addition, keep your dog on a leash when taking Fido for a walk or to the park, as dogs also are prone to some questionable behavior when off the leash and out from under the watchful eyes of their owners.

• Embrace organic foods. Many humans are turning to organic-only diets, and there

is no reason why pet owners can’t let their four-legged friends in on the fun. Certified organic pet foods are created without the use of any harmful pesticides, hormones and artificial ingredients, making them healthier for both the family dog and the planet on which he roams and chases his frisbee.

• Clean up in an eco-friendly way.

Cleaning up after your pet has done his business is perhaps the least enjoyable part of pet ownership. But dog owners can make picking up their pooches’ poop more eco-friendly by using biodegradable poop bags in lieu of plastic bags from the grocery store or elsewhere. Plastic bags will sit in landfills for years to come, while biodegradable bags will decompose over time. Cat owners can also make cleaning up after their pets more eco-friendly and healthy for their furry friends by using environmentally friendly cat litters that don’t contain strip-mined clay or clay sediment that can contribute to feline respiratory problems.

METRO CREATICE CONNECTION

There are many ways eco-conscious pet owners can reduce their carbon footprints without expending much effort at all.

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