Living Green in Park Slope

Hand with LeafThe Park Slope Civic Council’s Sustainability Committee advocates for responsible use and conservation of natural resources in our community, and promotes practices that have a beneficial effect on the environment. To help achieve those goals, we’ve assembled a thorough list of ways to live a greener lifestyle in our community.

 

Purchasing

  • Shop at locally owned businesses. Buy regionally grown food. The Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket on Saturdays and the Park Slope Farmers’ Market on Sundays (in front of JJ Byrne Playground on Fifth Avenue) are wonderful resources.
  • Buy staple items in bulk or in the largest size available.
  • When buying new appliances, look for the Energy Star label.
  • Buy reusable rather than disposable products.
  • Use a reusable cloth bag when shopping. Say no to plastic bags.
  • When possible purchase products in glass jars, and reuse the glass jars when empty.

 

Dining

  • Take a mug to work, rather than using a paper or Styrofoam cup.
  • Use cloth napkins. Avoid disposable plates, flatware, and glassware.
  • If brown-bagging your lunch, take utensils from home rather than using disposables.
  • Compost. Take your fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags and egg shells to GrowNYC Composting at the Grand Army Plaza GreenMarket, Saturdays, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

 

Conserve Water

  • Scrape dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Don’t rinse.
  • Shower rather than bathe. Install a low-flow showerhead (1.5GPM).
  • When buying a new dish or clothes washer, consider one that saves 40% water or more, which is even better than Energy Star. Wash only full loads.
  • Harvest rainwater in a rain barrel to water your garden, houseplants and wash your car.
  • Or, preferably, take your car to a carwash instead of washing it yourself.

 

Conserve Electricity

  • Switch your home’s electrical power source to wind and/or solar power such as Green Mountain Energy.
  • Use CFL or LED bulbs.
  • Consider motion-sensor light switches.
  • Wash laundry in cold water.
  • Unplug chargers when not in use.
  • Use a power strip for your television, cable box, and stereo and turn it off when not using them for a long period such as overnight.

 

Conserve Paper

  • Bank and pay bills online. Receive statements via e-mail and don’t then print them.
  • Call to stop phonebook delivery.
  • Go to www.catalogchoice.org to opt out of mail order catalogs you don’t want.
  • Read the newspaper online.
  • Tear up old T-shirts and towels for use rather than paper towels.
  • Print on both sides, when possible.
  • Leave messages for your family with chalk on a small blackboard.

 

Your Car

  • Maintain your car’s fuel efficiency — tune it up, change the oil, fix a cracked or missing gas cap, strip the rack when not in use, unload the trunk, maintain recommended tire pressure, drive the speed limit.
  • If you drive to work, carpool.
  • Combine trips when running errands and limit idling.
  • Consider a hybrid or electric vehicle.

 

Your Home

  • Hire a home energy audit professional who is Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified. Reduced or fee audits are available from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Rebates and low interest loans are available for the actual work.
  • Insulate your home starting with the attic and heating and hot water pipes.
  • Air-seal all gaps in attic floor, in basement, at baseboards and window moldings.
  • Apply weather stripping around door and window openings.
  • When replacing your boiler, consider a high efficient condensing boiler.
  • Consider ductless mini-split systems for air conditioning.
  • When replacing your windows, use Energy Star-rated windows.
  • Set your water heater to the lowest temperature that makes you comfortable.
  • When building new or renovating, choose flooring, countertops, and other building supplies that have been made from sustainable sources; for example, hardwood flooring that is made from managed sustainable forestry programs or from quick-to-grow sources like bamboo.
  • Use your ceiling fan, set to run in reverse, in the winter — hot air rises.
  • Adjust your refrigerator to 37°F and your freezer to 0°F.
  • If possible, install skylights and solar panels.
  • Consider Java Log Firelogs made from recycled coffee grounds. Produce fewer emissions (www.java-log.com).
  • Use low VOC paints and caulks.

 

Your Pets

  • Spay or neuter your dog or cat.
  • Use natural cat litter made from biodegradable ingredients like recycled paper, corn and wood.
  • Avoid clumping clay litter — the clay is strip-mined.
  • Adopt pets from a shelter.
  • Pick up your dog’s poop with a biodegradable bag, available at pet stores.
  • Keep your cat inside to protect birds.

 

Your Garden

  • Mulch to reduce water evaporation and build up healthy soil.
  • Select native plants only. They need less water and fewer pesticides.
  • Plant perennials rather than annuals. They use less water.
  • Water in the early morning or evenings to avoid evaporation during the day.

 

Your Environment

 

Also, take a look at the Sustainability Committee’s list of local resources for recycling waste.