The Green Issue 2022

The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

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The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

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THE GREEN ISSUE

WHERE DOES SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY GET ITS WATER? Welcome TO THE GREEN ISSUE

The sound of the beating drum for the nations of the world to act on climate change only grows louder each passing year, as communities around the globe continue to face rising sea levels, drought, record-setting wildfires, floods and heat waves.

Those threats are expected only to worsen, as nations haven’t yet done enough to offer cities, coastlines and farmlands protection, the latest scientific report authored by 270 researchers from 67 countries concluded last month.

The somber findings should serve as a drastic wake-up call.

This month, as the U.S. and other nations observe Arbor Day and Earth Day— two holidays meant to create changes in human behavior, promote better policies to address the warming planet, and inspire hope for our collective future—we publish our annual “Green Issue.”

This yearly special section serves as a reminder of the various ways we in South Orange County can help take better care of the planet and leave our corner looking a little better than before.

In this year’s edition, we talk to one local business owner who’s operated without the use of plastics while helping others in the community maintain a plastic-free lifestyle—all in the hope of reducing waste that can be harmful to marine life.

The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

We also catch up with Ryan Hickman—now 12 years old—to see how his recycling efforts have taken him around the world. In addition, we list locations where residents can take their bottles and glass for recycling, as well as explore where South Orange County gets its water supply.

And as the state continues to inch closer toward its goal of having only zero-emission vehicles sold in California by 2035, we look at some of the progress that’s been made to reach that ambitious target and show how some local auto dealers are embracing the transition.

Lastly, the issue also offers a look at the new arts-based campaign that the local environmental nonprofit Wyland Foundation started, to remind residents that trash and debris collected in storm drains ultimately make their way to the oceans.

We hope this 2022 issue informs readers of ways to be more in tune with nature and inspires them to practice environmental stewardship in any form that takes.

BY SHAWN RAYMUNDO

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oughly 90% of the water that South County residents use comes from imported sources.

The other 10%, according to the Orange County Water District—the local authority on groundwater—comes from the area’s small groundwater basins and local water recycling projects.

Our water supply, brought down to us by the Metropolitan Water District, comes from two primary sources: the Colorado River, via the Colorado River Aqueduct, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in Northern California, through what’s referred to as the State Water Project.

The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) purchases that imported water from Metropolitan and then distributes it to its more than two dozen member agencies comprising both city water departments and water districts.

Water districts including South Coast Water District, Santa Margarita Water District and Moulton Niguel Water District, largely serve South Orange County cities, including areas of Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.

The water districts provide the retail water services to ratepayers within their jurisdictions.

But some cities—and that includes San Clemente—largely manage their own water utilities, distributing the imported water and billing residents.

Up until last year, when the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approved plans to transfer water utilities over to Santa Margarita Water District, the City of San Juan Capistrano similarly managed its own.

Ongoing environmental concerns exacerbated by drought, as well as worries of supply disruption from potential earthquakes, have encouraged agencies, municipalities and elected officials to diversify the area’s water supply and consider alternatives to reduce reliance on imported water.

In late 2020, Santa Margarita Water District opened its Trampas Canyon Dam and Reservoir on land acquired from Rancho Mission Viejo, south of Ortega Highway, where the agency will maximize recycled water use.

Santa Margarita Water District will use its reservoir to store water in the winter months for use during the summer, and supply irrigation water for San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente.

And other agencies, such as South Coast Water District, also utilize water desalination plants, which adds local groundwater into the distribution system.

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South Coast Water District is currently forging ahead with its longstanding plans to develop the Doheny Ocean Desalination Plant, which would draw water from the ocean, remove all the salt and then distribute potable water to the public.

The agency is looking at potential partnerships, including with City of San Clemente, to help support the desal project that’s estimated to cost about $120 million. thecapistranodispatch.com

THE GREEN ISSUE

Auto Dealers Embrace Electric Vehicle Market

BY COLLIN BREAUX AND SHAWN RAYMUNDO

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ll new cars and trucks sold in California must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2035—the mandate set by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

While automakers have more than a decade to meet Newsom’s statewide target of transitioning California’s transportation industry, local car dealers are already in the thick of embracing the electric vehicle market.

“Until recently, there have been limited options, and the percent of new cars powered solely by electricity has been less than 2% of the market,” said Miles Brandon, owner of Capistrano Volkswagen and Capistrano Mazda. “Momentum really started building in 2021. Last June, 32% of our VW store’s new car sales were EVs.” Not just the dealerships, but automakers as a whole, including General Motors and Ford, are also embracing the transition. News outlets reported last year that GM is looking to produce only electric vehicles by 2035, and it plans to roll out 30 new plug-in models by 2025.

Brandon attributed a number of reasons for the shift, including increasing regulation.

Aside from California’s mandate, countries outside the United States—including China and in Europe—are regulating for internal combustion engines (ICE) to disappear over the next dozen years.

“As environmental requirements tighten and the share of the pie shrinks, the cost to produce an ICE will continually rise at the same time that mass production—together with advancements in batteries—will continThe Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

ually bring down the cost of EVs,” Brandon said.

California’s shift toward an all-ZEV auto industry comes as the state continues to feel the impacts of climate change, largely brought on by carbon emissions and smog from motor vehicles.

According to the state, transportation makes up nearly 50% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, with medium- to heavy-duty trucks contributing the most vehicle pollution despite only comprising “two million of the 30 million registered vehicles in California.”

“California has made great strides in cleaning up our air, but the Los Angeles region and the San Joaquin Valley still suffer from the worst air quality in the nation,” the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development said in its report on market strategies for zero-emission vehicles. “Greenhouse gas emissions are falling in California as a whole, led by our clean electricity sector, but transportation still accounts for nearly 50% of the total.”

As part of the 2035 mandate, the state has set intermediate goals over the next several years, such as the benchmark to reach five million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030. The market strategies report noted that as of September 2020, there were more than 766,800 zero-emission passenger vehicles and trucks sold in the state.

In late February, the governor’s office reported that more than one million plug-in electric vehicles—cars, trucks, SUVs and motorcycles—had been sold in California.

Steve Smith, electric vehicle sales manager for the two San Juan dealerships, said con-

sumers are driving a demand in market sales prescription while doing so. after hearing about the benefits, designs, and “Most manufacturers were standing on unique features of electric vehicles—which the sidelines just a few years back, but are can include smooth vehicle turning and easynow all jumping in with plans of being 100% to-use screens that can easily control air conzero-emission vehicles within a decade,” dition temperatures and driving navigation Brandon said. “There are now EVs on the instructions with the few touches of a finger. market that, after available rebates, cost “They are reading about the awards and acabout the same as a comparably sized and colades EVs are receiving in the market. They equipped ICE car.” now see more charging locations wherever Asked their thoughts on the state’s 2035 they go on a daily basis, such as at shopping target, Miles and Smith both said trends tend centers, grocery stores, their local Walmart to start in California. or Target—and usually with prime parking “However, it truly is not just a growing locations,” Smith said. “Consumers now see California or even a U.S. trend in the auto more of them on the road than ever before industry, but a global one,” Smith said. “I and in growing numbers, making the idea of believe—based on consumer demands and transitioning to electric less foreign.” auto manufacturer plans—that, at this rate, The private market is also driving a shift by the time 2035 arrives, most consumers will toward EVs. have already replaced at least one ICE vehicle “Investors aren’t looking at manufacturers’ in their driveway with an electric vehicle, if pasts, but rather investing heavily in companot two.” nies who are taking the lead in building EVs,” Advantages electric vehicles have over Brandon said. “Investments in new battery gas-powered vehicles, as mentioned by Smith technologies and new battery production and Brandon, include annual savings on fuel, facilities are skyrocketing as well.” lower routine maintenance costs, and the Those investments to improve battery convenience of being able to charge an EV at technology—which make up the biggest home as opposed to filling up at a gas station. portion of an electric vehicle’s price tag—are A recent study by AAA found that while what’s needed to also help drive down the owning a new EV was “slightly more expenhigh costs associated with EVs and make sive” than owning a gas-powered automothem a mass-market product, according to bile—about $600 more annually—drivers of Bloomberg.

EVs spend less on fuel and “At current rates and pack maintenance. sizes, the average battery “The electricity required to “MOST cost for a typical EV works drive 15,000 miles per year MANUFACTURERS out to about $6,300, though in a compact electric vehicle the ones that go into premicosts an average of $546, WERE STANDING um models are more,” acwhile the amount of gas ON THE SIDELINES cording to a November 2021 required to drive the same JUST A FEW YEARS report from Bloomberg, distance costs $1,255 (or which also noted that battery 130%) more,” AAA explained.

BACK, BUT ARE pack prices have dropped And when it comes to NOW ALL JUMPING considerably—89%—over vehicle maintenance, EVs IN WITH PLANS OF the past decade. don’t require oil changes or A previous concern air-filter replacements like BEING 100% ZEROregarding the mass gas-powered cars.

EMISSION VEHICLES production or adoption of “If maintained accordWITHIN A DECADE.” EVs has been whether the ing to the automaker’s infrastructure for charging recommendations, electric —MILES BRANDON stations can accommodate vehicles cost $330 less than EVs traveling long distances. a gas-powered car, a total of Both the state and federal $949 annually,” AAA said. government have taken steps to allay those As for what those unfamiliar with electric concerns. vehicles should know, Smith said anyone new As another one of the state’s intermediate to EVs should consider them a “viable option.” goals, California is looking to have 250,000 “Yes, EVs used to be priced—and, of public and shared charging stations and 200 course, many still are—for the wealthy,” Smith hydrogen fueling stations by 2025. said. “However, the costs have come down Nationally, President Joe Biden has set a significantly as EV options have increased goal of establishing a network of 500,000 EV over the past few years.” chargers around the U.S. Funding for that People also need to look beyond the initial goal is coming from the bipartisan Infrastrucpurchase price and instead look at the total ture Investment and Jobs Act enacted last fall. cost of ownership over the term of the lease Brandon says that the quantity of pubor loan, Smith said. lic charging stations and available home “Yes,” Smith added, “you can continue to charging capabilities have already “soared” in wait until the costs come down even more the past few years. over time, but then the current level of EV For instance, public charging stations are incentives at federal, state and local utility available at the Walmart on Avenida Pico in company levels will also continue to decrease San Clemente, where drivers can spend a over time—making the benefit of waiting less short time charging their vehicles and may be and the opportunity for annual savings even even prone to chat with other drivers or fill a greater over time by jumping in now.”

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The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

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THE GREEN ISSUE

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

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he Wyland Foundation, a local environmental nonprofit, has launched the Streams of Hope public arts and awareness campaign to bring attention to the importance of maintaining the county’s storm drains, channels, and waterways.

Streams of Hope aims “to promote good water stewardship and give people a way to have fun doing it,” said Steve Creech, president of the Wyland Foundation.

The Wyland Foundation, funded by environmental artist Robert Wyland in 1993, works to protect and preserve the world’s oceans, waterways and marine life. Through community events, educational programs and public art projects, the foundation encourages environmental awareness.

The 29-year-old foundation developed the Streams of Hope campaign to bring awareness to pollution and marine debris in California’s storm drains and waterways.

“That’s really what the Wyland Foundation is all about,” Creech said. “Our goal is clean water, healthy oceans, but when you think about it, we all live downstream from somebody else. Whatever we’re putting into our storm drains will wash into our storm channels and eventually out to sea if it’s not intercepted.”

The Wyland Foundation developed the Streams of Hope campaign in partnership with the Municipal Water District of Orange County, Orange County Conservation Corps and the County of Orange.

It’s also sponsored by other agencies and organizations, including the Metropolitan

The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

WYLAND FOUNDATION LAUNCHES STREAMS OF HOPE CAMPAIGN Water District of Southern California, the Orange County Department of Education’s Inside the Outdoors, and KCAL9/CBS2.

Through Streams of Hope, the Wyland Foundation also looks to bring awareness to the county’s Adopt a Channel program.

The program is “really a way for partners across Orange County to get involved and help support the cost of maintaining the storm channels around Orange County,” Creech said. “Orange County Conservation Corps plays a big part in that, because they provide employment and retraining for people, some from tough circumstances, but they get them on their feet and give them their first jobs, and a lot of that is maintaining those storm channels.”

The Streams of Hope campaign reminds residents that the trash and debris collected in storm drains and channels ultimately make their way to the ocean and impact marine life.

“The problems really start upstream, and especially now as our communities get larger and the things that we consume are spread wider across the community,” Creech said.

“It’s one thing if there’s one home and there’s fertilizer running off into the storm channel and the local watershed, but when you’ve got 20 million people doing that, you’re looking at much bigger problems, and they magnify downstream.”

Throughout April, 8-foot by 4-foot, relief-style whale murals will be painted by artists across Orange County in celebration of Earth Month. The murals will be exhibited in shopping centers, City Halls, schools and Orange County storm channels and serve as a reminder of the impact land-based pollution and debris have on the ecosystem and marine life.

The first mural of the series was unveiled at the Festival of Whales in Dana Point and was painted by Huntington Beach artist Dave Reynolds.

The foundation recently announced that there will be three baby whale murals placed around Downtown Disney. The whales were painted by a group of artists from the Laguna Woods Art Association.

“Most of the artists are going to be local to that city, and then that statuette will be sponsored by that water district, painted by local artists and displayed in that area,” Creech said. “We want to keep it really local, because that’s really how we feel like these issues are going to be addressed; it’s locality by locality, neighborhood by neighborhood. That’s how you deal with pollution.”

The Streams of Hope website will be updated with the location and pictures of the murals as they are placed throughout Orange County.

To be a good environmentalist, the Wyland

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Foundation believes that one needs to both care and be informed. This program brings both of those aspects together, Creech said, to remind people of “the beauty around them and also encouraging them to seek out information and ways that they can get involved and take action.”

The Streams of Hope campaign will culminate in a large coastal and waterway cleanup effort on Earth Day and coincides with Wyland Foundation’s National Mayor’s Water Challenge—a friendly competition between U.S. cities to see who can best conserve water, energy and other natural resources.

The Foundation’s website includes a pledge to make “water-wise” choices, as well as actions that individuals, groups and communities can take on to conserve water.

For individuals, some of the recommended actions are conserving toilet water and taking shorter showers, whereas community actions include eliminating plastic straws, organizing hazardous waste collection drives and holding community cleanups.

The Wyland Foundation will soon announce dates for beach and waterway cleanups for the Earth Month celebrations and the Streams of Hope campaign.

“Water pollution affects us all,” Municipal Water District of Orange County General Manager Rob Hunter wrote in a recent press release. “Every piece of trash or harmful chemical that ends up in our waterways encroaches on the fragile ecosystems that support healthy communities. This campaign serves as a reminder that we can all do our part to protect and preserve our natural resources through education, good environmental stewardship, and an action plan.”

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The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

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THE GREEN ISSUE

WAYS TO RECYCLE WHERE TO DO YOUR PERSONAL RECYCLING IN SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

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ocations for personal recycling in South Orange County have faced plenty of changes over the past few years.

Back in 2019, rePlanet, California’s largest redemption recycling operator at the time, shut down its 284 locations across the state, including locations in San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano. At the time, Consumer Watchdog reported that 40% of California’s redemption centers had closed over the previous five years.

Despite some of those centers being scooped up and taken over by local companies after the rePlanet closures, more redemption centers have closed around South Orange County over the past few years.

However, despite these closures, there are still ways to get your personal recycling done and redeem cans and bottles around the area.

According to CalRecycle, there is only one redemption recycling center in the tri-city South Orange County area: Ponce Recycling in San Clemente, which operates behind the Ralphs at 638 Camino de los Mares.

Ponce Recycling is the company that grabbed some of the rePlanet centers in 2019.

Outside of San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano, Ponce Recycling also has a center in Mission Viejo at 25104 Marguerite Parkway and in Aliso Viejo at 26901 Aliso Creek Road.

There are two other redemption recycle centers just outside the local area, according to CalRecycle. In Mission Viejo, you can visit Next Generation Recycling #2 at 27771 Center Drive, and in Aliso Viejo, there is CRV Recycling Solutions at 26892 La Paz Road.

For more recycling centers outside the The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

immediate area, go to calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainter/RecyclingCenters.

CalRecycle also provides a list of local stores that offer in-store CRV redemption for your cans and bottles.

In San Clemente, there are two participating Albertsons locations—at 989 Avenida Pico and 804 Avenida Pico—and at the Walmart at 951 Avenida Pico.

In Capistrano Beach, check out Dollar Tree at 34077 Doheny Park Road and Smart & Final at 34091 Doheny Park Road.

In Dana Point, go to Albertsons at 33601 Del Obispo Street, either CVS location at 32575 Golden Lantern or 32900 Pacific Coast Highway, Gelson’s Market at 24 Monarch Bay Plaza or Rite Aid at 24829 Del Prado.

In San Juan Capistrano, look for the Farmers Market at 31109 Rancho Viejo Road, Vons at 32401 Camino Capistrano or either Rite Aid at 32121 Camino Capistrano or 31890 Plaza Drive.

In Rancho Mission Viejo, check out Gelson’s Market at 30731 Gateway Place or Rite Aid at 30551 Gateway Place.

If gathering your bottles and cans and taking them to any of these locations is still too much of a hassle, there are other ways to recycle.

As has been featured previously in The Capistrano Dispatch and in our “Green Issue,” including this year’s, there is the entrepreneurial spirit of 12-year-old Ryan Hickman and Ryan’s Recycling.

Ryan and his dad, Damion, operate a pickup recycling business across Orange County that has been rolling for years. To schedule a pick-up, go to ryansrecycling.com/contact.

In an ever-changing world, there are still plenty of ways to do your part for the planet.

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A Helping Hand

SJC’s Own Ryan Hickman CONTINUES CAMPAIGN TO KEEP SOUTH OC CLEAN AFTER GROWING IN POPULARITY

BY COLLIN BREAUX

Ryan Hickman has been busy since he was last profiled in 2016’s “Green Issue.”

The San Juan Capistrano-based youngster is active in recycling efforts in South Orange County, and he is a champion for sanitation in the local area and beyond.

“I’ve traveled around the country and even around the world speaking about taking care of our environment. I’ve gone to Alaska with Recycle Across America and Subaru to help teach people how to take care of the environment while camping at Denali,” Ryan said. “I was in a ‘Got Milk?’ commercial, I was a TIME magazine Kid of the Year finalist, I’ve gone to Vancouver to speak at ‘We Day’ and toured so many recycling facilities across the country.”

He’s also done plenty of interviews and been on television—including the Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. Even with the newfound national exposure, though, Ryan has not deviated from his core cause of keeping the world environmentally clean.

“Now, I’m 12 years old, and I’ve recycled nearly 1.6 million cans and bottles, and I’m still doing beach cleanups every week either after school or on the weekends,” he said. “In 2021, I started a nonprofit named Project3R, and its goals are to help educate people about recycling and taking care of our environment. I’m

excited to teach people about how easy it is to take care of the environment.”

Ryan donates proceeds from his online shirt sales at ryansrecycling.com to help support his friends at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, which he estimates has reached about $15,000 so far.

“My dad and I typically do a beach cleanup every week, and it’s simply walking the beach for 60 or 90 minutes with a bucket and a trash grabber, picking up trash from the sand,” Ryan said. “We find a lot of small plastic items like straw wrappers that are important to pick up, because birds and other sea animals eat our trash, thinking it’s food. I’ve done quite a few large cleanup events, and we get hundreds of people coming out to join us. It’s awesome.”

Ryan has also found toys, which he cleans up and then donates.

The young green steward regularly picks up items, because he wants future generations to be able to enjoy a clean environment.

“I try to raise awareness because when people see it’s easy enough for a 12-yearold kid like me to do it, they can do it, too,” Ryan said.

Follow Ryan Hickman on Instagram @ryans_recycling and Facebook for upcoming cleanup dates and for more information.

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THE GREEN ISSUE

THE IMPORTANCE OF REDUCING DAILY PLASTIC USE

AS THE PUBLIC BECOMES MORE AWARE OF THE DANGER THAT PLASTIC PRODUCTS PRESENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT, UNDERSTANDING WAYS TO ELIMINATE THEIR USE AND THE BARRIERS THAT PREVENT PEOPLE FROM PARTICIPATING CAN PROVIDE HELPFUL INSIGHT.

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

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lastics are an essential part of daily life and are used to protect food, medication, and beauty products that can seem hard to live without.

An estimated 367 million metric tons of plastic were produced in 2020, using various types of polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene resins.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 14.5 million tons of plastic containers were generated in 2018, contributing to 5% of all municipal solid waste (MSW) generation.

Additionally, more than 69% of those containers and packaging products ended up at landfills, and the amount recycled has been inconsistent, spelling trouble for the environment.

Single-use plastics, which can have a lifespan as short as a few minutes, often end up in the oceans and other bodies of water, where they harm animals by blocking their digestive tracts if consumed or by strangulation.

The overwhelmingly negative impact of plastics on the Earth has received massive media attention in recent years. Now that the public has grown increasingly aware of the problem, the next step is to find ways to mitigate these products’ effect, or to eliminate their use altogether.

Colleen Henn, a New Jersey transplant, has already helped some in the San Clemente area maintain their own efforts to live without plastic. Her business, All Good Goods, delivers pantry staples with the expectation of reusing glass jars for all orders.

Before Henn moved to California, she worked for six years with Surfrider Foundation, educating people about the impact of single-use plastics and advocating for legislation to prohibit plastic straws and Styrofoam.

She said that it is easiest for people to understand and empathize with the reality of plastic waste posing problems to marine life. From the beginning of its production stages to the end of its lifespan, otherwise known as the “cradle-tograve” process in the environmental world, there are several hazardous parts.

The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

Fracking is the first step, in which wells are drilled into the earth to then release natural gas liquids— they can contaminate groundwater—that are then collected and sent through a pipeline that also has the potential to leak before ending up in a refinery, where the oils are used to make compounds for plastics.

“Those refineries tend to be in communities of color and have a high incidence of cancers, asthma, a whole suite of health issues due to the proximity of oil refineries,” Henn said. “And that’s all before the plastic is even being used.”

She added that there are also toxic chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, to which consumers are exposed in the form of plastic storage containers and other products.

The affordability of plastics, to make them and to buy them, can overshadow the actual environmental and human health costs of production, as well as the costs of disposal, according to Henn.

Conversely, sustainable and reusable products can initially appear expensive because of the money necessary to make a product sustainably and pay fair wages to those who are a part of the process. As more options become widely available and more affordable, there is the opportunity for the general population to contribute positively.

“I think if you have the capacity and the ability to be able to afford sustainable products, it does pay off in the long run, because a lot of these are made to be used for years and years to come,” Henn said. “Choosing those more sustainable products is a really great way for people to make an impact.”

Another limiting factor that could prevent some from committing to a plastic-free lifestyle is merely access.

“Right now, when you go to the grocery store or when you go to a pharmacy to pick up something, chances are it’s going to be wrapped in plastic,” she added. “Luckily, there are companies out there that are sort of spearheading the change from a single-use plastic business model to a refill business model.”

Progress has been made, but “big wheels turn Page 19

slow,” Henn cautioned.

For more individual efforts, she advised that people avoid trying to throw away every household object that contains plastic, as that can be overwhelming. Instead, identify one area where there may be too much waste, and slowly start from that point by purchasing shampoo bars to replace bottles.

Sustainability can even translate to families participating in arts and crafts activities.

When going to a craft store, avoid purchasing plastics such as glitter, or use mason jars to store unused paint at home.

Henn said that looking at all everyday actions through the lens of sustainability can help people on their journey, as they learn to think of how long they will use a certain product or whether a certain investment is worth the cost.

“I really like the lifestyle of sustainability, and it really is a lifestyle, because you become more minimal and you become more mindful,” she said.

Stores such as Sonora Refillery in Oceanside that sell home items in bulk, in addition to other utensils made out of alternative materials like bamboo, are helping the cause. Henn also recommended Eco Now and Fill Up Buttercup, both refill stations and purveyors of other goods located in Costa Mesa.

She challenged those who may be more able to purchase sustainable products from small businesses to do so, especially with larger corporations’ tendency to follow what successful, local companies do.

Henn said that such actions will go a long way and genuinely improve the lives of those who live sustainably.

“I think there is definitely something to say about just being prepared anytime you leave your house,” she said. “You want to have a reusable water bottle with you, you want to bring cutlery with you, you want to bring a reusable bag with you.”

By consistently practicing these efforts, habits will eventually form, and with the addition of planning ahead, sustainability becomes much easier to achieve, according to Henn. thecapistranodispatch.com

THE GREEN ISSUE

REDUCE AND REUSE

REPURPOSING OR UPCYCLING CAN LESSEN DEPENDENCE ON LANDFILLS

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

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hile there is plenty good being done by recycling, some argue a better way to make a positive impact on the environment is through repurposing or upcycling.

Where recycling takes materials and breaks them down for reuse, upcycling and repurposing takes items and materials out of that cycle. Instead of contributing to the stream of refuse, one can take items out of that loop and repurpose them into something that can be used around their home.

Things such as aluminum, cardboard and certain plastics can all be recycled, but there’s

The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

plenty to grab for upcycling. Upcycling and repurposing offer an alternative way to lessen the dependence on landfills.

Old or damaged furniture can be rescued from your own home, yard sales or thrift shops and the like and repurposed into different things around the home. Old dressers can become antique vanities, for example.

A popular example of upcycling is repurposing old metal trash cans. Rather than sending them to a local landfill, these metal barrels can be turned into planters for flowers

or other garden-type displays.

What can and can’t be upcycled might be difficult to determine, and for some items, it might take more creativity than others.

For larger items, there are plenty of businesses and services that can take a look at things such as furniture to determine whether it should be trashed or if it could be repurposed at the home or sold somewhere else. Businesses including OC Junk Hauling can look at those items and haul them where they can be used.

While some large items such as furniture and

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trash cans can be obvious cases for repurposing, there are plenty of smaller everyday items that can be repurposed around the home.

As warmer weather and summer approach, you might be unearthing the pool toys from storage, and you might discover things such as pool noodles are in some disrepair. Instead of tossing the pool noodle, the foam tubes can be cut up and repurposed.

For young families, pool noodles can be excellent cheap forms of baby-proofing the home. The noodles can be cut and sliced to be affixed to sharp, hard edges. Also, as more people remain working from home, some stress can be relieved for those sitting at a keyboard all day by slicing up the pool noodle and used as a wrist rest.

When cleaning out those garages, you might find your electrical cords and other extension cords have formed quite a tangle.

When reorganizing these cords, look for some ponytail bands or paper towel/toilet paper rolls to help store these coiled-up cords and not allow them to get tangled up again.

For plastics, various containers can be reused around the home. A plastic container that once housed a pile of cashews or other nuts can store nails or screws at your work bench for those summer projects. Plastic milk jugs can be sliced in half and used as scoops for items such as dog food.

In ways big and small, people can do their part to lessen their refuse and reuse items all around the home.

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The Capistrano Dispatch April 8–21, 2022

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