What Goes Where?

10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day 2023

1. Avoid the car! Cars are an important part of modern life, but forgoing using the car can reduce emissions and improve air quality. On April 22nd, instead use a bike or take the bus to get around town. If you’re going to Earth Day in the Park, you can even ride for free on StanRTA buses.

2. Calculate your footprint! Using the EPA’s Carbon Footprint Calculator, you can calculate how your actions impact the environment and take small actions to shrink it.

3. Sort waste! Diverting waste from landfill is a great way to treat the Earth better. Organic material, like food and yard waste and all paper products, can go in your green organicscontainer- this material is converted to compost that brings important nutrients back to the soil. Recyclables, including bottles, cans, jars, and jugs, can go into your blue recycling container and are made into recycled content products. Only when an item cannot be recovered or composted should it go into the black garbage container, like animal waste, plastic bags, and Styrofoam products.

4. Avoid single-use and plastic packaging! Try buying produce or bulk food that you can put into your own re-usable containers at the grocery store. Bring a re-usable container to restaurants and coffee shops instead of using their take-away containers.

5. Borrow, trade, and buy used! Instead of buying a new tool, ask to borrow it from a friend or neighbor. Offer to trade them for something they need instead. Or visit one of Modesto’s many thrift stores to buy used items.

6. Or buy local! Shopping local supports the community and prevents pollution from shipping products all around the world.

7. Save water! Even California is no longer officially in a drought, water is always a precious resource worth saving. Cutting back on lawn watering, not keeping faucets running while brushing teeth or scrubbing dishes, and reusing water whenever possible are small changes that add up to gallons saved. Contact the City of Modesto Water Conservation Division for more tips and resources.

8. Go outside! Earth Day is in late April, one of the most beautiful times of year. On a walk you can take in the blooming flowers, see pollinators like bees and butterflies, and enjoy Spring in the Central Valley.

9. Volunteer! Earth Day is a great day to make a commitment to your community and the planet by volunteering. Sign up for a project with Love Modesto on April 29th and you can beautify Modesto’s public spaces and parks.

10. Visit Modesto’s Earth Day at Graceada Park on April 22nd from 10am to 4pm to enjoy the park and learn about sustainability in a fun, family-friendly environment!

Donate at Earth Day!

O’BGreen will be at Modesto’s Earth Day in Graceada Park collecting items for reuse and recycling! The collection site will be on Stoddard Rd., between Sycamore and Park Ave., from 8am to 4pm and will accept for a $10 donation:

· Up to 5 boxes of paper and documents for on-site shredding

· CRV bottles and cans (plastic and metal beverage containers)

· E-Waste, including TVs, computers, printers, etc.

· Household donations, including kitchenware, furniture, home décor, clothes, and more (Collected by Community Hospice Hope Chest)

O’BGreen is run by local O’Brien’s Market to benefit the community. O’Brien’s matches all funds collected and donates to the City of Modesto’s “Adopt a Park” program to complete funding for the park and endowment for the Awesome Spot Playground. The Awesome Spot is an inclusive play park at Beyer Park designed so that children of all abilities can play together.

Compost!

Compost is an organic soil conditioner created by the natural breakdown of organic material, including paper, food, and yard waste. By diverting organic material away from landfill and into your green organics container, you begin the composting process. Organic waste is cleaned of contamination and taken to the City of Modesto’s Compost Facility, where is ground and chipped, then laid out in rows to breakdown. Regularly turning and watering the row keeps the process moving until a dark, rich, earthy compost is finally ready. You can purchase compost at low rates from the City’s facility to use in home or commercial gardens, providing organic matter, microbes, and nutrients to soil which retains moisture, promotes root growth, and heightens plants’ resistance to stress. Want to make your own compost at home? The City also offers workshops on home composting through Modesto Junior College Community Lifelong Learning.

Household Hazardous Waste

Knowing what goes into your three waste containers also means knowing what can’t! Some common household materials need special disposal and can’t be placed in any curbside waste containers. These are the most common household hazardous waste items:

· Batteries: tape the ends of your batteries if you’re going to store them together in a bag or box

· Electronic Waste: items in working order should be donated, but call first as some places do not take certain kinds of electronics

· Household Cleaners, Solvents, Motor Oil, Antifreeze, Liquid Chemicals: do not pour down the drain or in the gutter. Keep in a rigid, sealed container

· Fluorescent Bulbs and Tubes: contain mercury, which requires special disposal

All of these items and more household hazardous wastes can be taken to

Stanislaus County’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 209-525-6789, located at 1710 Morgan Rd and open Friday and Saturday 8am-noon (7:30-11:30am starting in June).

Did you know?

Curbside recycling was started in Modesto! Yes it’s true.

Modesto found itself at the forefront of recycling with the hard work of UC Berkeley student and activist Cliff Humphrey who discovered Modesto on the 1970 “Survival Walk”. As he passed through Modesto, he saw the potential for a local market of recycled newspapers, cans and glass. Later that year, he relocated his organization Ecology Action to Modesto, which soon became the first city in the country to offer collection of post-consumer recyclables. Read the whole story by Lee Davis at www.modestoview.com/designviewcurbside-recycling/

Learn about our ecology

Did you know our natural history and environment is on display and you can lear about it. If you have not experienced the Great Valley Museum at MJC West, you need to do it now. Take your kids and friends and go learn about the plants and animals of our region as well as our planet and interplanetary neighbors. The dioramas are lifelike and there is so much to learn from the solar system to our own local streams. There is an amazing planetarium where you can experience the night sky. No Pink Floyd show yet, but we remain hopeful. https://gvmatmjc.square.site/

Stay Water Safe

The rivers and creeks are running really strong this month and the storms are not over. As the snow starts to melt it will get stronger. Please watch out for dangerous currents and sudden drop offs. Stay away from the river edges as they are soft and may collapse. Be careful of cold temperatures, rocks and vegetation. Don’t take chances.

Protect your kids:

Watch kids in around water without being distracted

Teach kids how to swim in open water

Use a US Coast Guard lifejacket appropriate for the child’s weight Learn what to do in an emergency with out putting yourself at risk for drowning.

For more info www.safekids.com