Keeping Halloween eco-friendly, without taking any of the fun away!
Autumn is my favorite season, mainly because it has one of my favorite holidays: Halloween! Over the past few years, I’ve worked hard to make my family’s Halloween a more eco-friendly holiday without taking out any of the fun. Here are some easy tips:
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Even though the leaves are turning yellow and red, there are still many fun ways to be green throughout autumn.
It's that time of year - Halloween candy on the shelves at CVS, chilly mornings and apple cider aplenty. Autumn has always been my favorite season and there are lots of fun ways to experience a New England fall, all while being sustainable! 1. Do some canning! There is still lots of fresh, local produce available, so stock up before it's too late. I love opening a jar of homemade marinara sauce in the winter made from backyard tomatoes in the summer. PickYourOwn.org has lots of resources on canning. Homemade sauces, jams, and jellies also make excellent gifts, so you can even start your holiday preparation early. 2. Explore Newton's parks. Cooler weather is perfect for a walk and you can enjoy beautiful New England foliage! Some of my …
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It's back-to-school week here in Newton. Make the school year greener by packing eco-friendly lunches.
Well, the time is here. Summer is nearing an end and Newton schools are back in session this week. One way that you can make back-to-school a little greener is by making your kids’ lunches eco-friendly. Packing your kids an eco-friendly lunch is easy and inexpensive. One of the most important things to do is to work on making a waste-free lunch. The first step is to ditch the brown bags and find a good lunchbox, which are easy to find. Make it fun by letting your kid pick out his or her own lunch box. For older kids who may not think lunch boxes are cool, reusable lunch sacks (like ones from Kids Konserve - which I love) or nondescript insulated lunch boxes (my personal favorite is the Lunchopolis collection). Both Kids Konserve and the …
Still have your old Newton recycling bin sitting around your house? Turn it into a planter!
Even though Newton has had single-stream recycling since 2009, many of you may still have your old Newton recycling bin sitting around somewhere. There are a number of ways to put it to good use, such as using it as a planter for your yard. It works well as a planter because there are holes at the bottom already, which are important for drainage when container gardening. All you have to do is fill with soil and plant. We usually fill our containers with mostly compost, some top soil, and then mulch after planting. Even though it's nearing the end of August, you can use your recycling bin planter for a small fall container garden. If you want to plant flowers, now is the time to plant mums. Mums are beautiful and a true symbol of a New …
Forget about Shaw's and Trader Joe's this summer and buy your produce at the Newton Farmers' Markets!
My family loves farmers' markets and we're so lucky to have two fantastic ones in Newton. Supporting farmers' markets is an important thing for any eco-minded person. Here are 10 reasons why the Newton Farmers' Markets are particularly great: Enjoy the Newton Farmers' Markets for the rest of the summer and through early fall. Friday Farmers' Market: American Legion Post 440 Parking Lot, 295 California St. 12:00PM - 5:00PM Tuesday Farmers' Market: Cold Spring Park, 1200 Beacon St. 1:30PM – 6:00PM
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Newton and surrounding towns have lots of options for recycling items beyond glass bottles and cans.
While there are many things accepted through Newton’s curbside recycling program, you might be left wondering where to recycle less common items. Luckily, Greater Boston has plenty of options and locations for dropping off those hard-to-recycle items. The Rumford Ave. recycling center takes a lot of items not recyclable through curbside recycling. Some items they accept are aerosol cans, bicycles, auto parts, car batteries, cell phones and chargers, lightbulbs, empty propane tanks, white Styrofoam, and more. Styrofoam peanuts are also accepted at the UPS store at 321 Walnut Street. Both Whole Foods Markets in Newton take wine corks for recycling. They work with Cork Harvest, a nonprofit organization that upcycles cork while developing …
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2:30 pm on Monday, July 25, 2011
Boston Building Resources (the new name for the Building Materials Resource Center) will gladly accept reusable building materials ranging from complete cabinet sets to plumbing fixtures and doors. The key is that they must be good enough quality to be reused by another homeowner, as items are reused "as is" and not recycled per se. We can also schedule a pick-up of items for a $25 fee. More … more ›
Tips on gardening sustainably in Newton.
Now that we’re in the midst of another warm, muggy summer, you might be wondering how to make your gardening habits a little more eco-friendly. One key tip is water conservation; don’t use more water than necessary when watering your garden. Mulch can help with this significantly, as it keeps the moisture in your garden so you don’t need to water quite as frequently. If you haven’t put mulch on your garden yet, Star Market in Auburndale currently has bags of mulch on sale. (Unfortunately, for a place nicknamed The Garden City, there are not a lot of places in Newton to get gardening supplies -- usually I go to Russo’s in Watertown or Mahoney’s in Brighton or Wayland). Mulch has a lot of other benefits, which you can read about on …
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9:37 pm on Monday, July 11, 2011
Great Article! I like the bit on the Ladybugs. New blog called: History fo the Ladybug http://historyoftheladybug.blogspot.com/ more ›
Composting helps your garden and it reduces waste.
Over the past few years, reducing waste has been a big priority in my life. This is one of the reasons why composting has become important in our home; the other reasons are that it helps our garden and we save money on soil. The City of Newton is very supportive with this important practice and encourages composting. You can even purchase a compost bin through the city at a reasonable cost. If you’re handy, you can also build your own compost bin; StopWaste.org has instructions on making different kinds of compost bins. If you’re new to composting, you might be surprised at how much you can compost. Once you start composting, your garbage cans will be practically empty by the end of the week. Some common household items that you can …
11:06 am on Thursday, July 7, 2011
Same! I drink a lot of tea and when I'm not home it pains me to throw tea bags in the garbage! more ›
The unique Nonantum store reuses items to make merchandise, recycles electronics and donates money to the Northeast Animal Shelter.
Shopping at vintage stores is a great way to live green, but Newton’s newest vintage store takes it a step further and does even more for the environment. JaLo’s Re-NEW is owned by two Nonantum women: Lois Dominique and Jan Heath. Lois and Jan have created one of the most unique stores in Greater Boston. This fantastic little shop offers a “boutique feel without the boutique prices,” explains Lois. Aside from a variety of new and vintage merchandise available at very reasonable prices, the ladies of JaLo’s also “renew” different items, meaning they take older items and give them a new life. You can find fun, repurposed jewelry that you won’t find anywhere else. Their passion for reusing items doesn’t end with their renewed items…
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8:48 am on Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Hi there! Thanks for reading our column. As mentioned in the story, the store is located in Nonantum. If you check out our map to the right of the story with the locator pin, you'll notice it is at 212 Adams St. Also, the link to the store in the story will take you to JaLo's Patch directory listing with more photos and specifics on the store (hours, parking etc.) more ›
From tomato sauce made in the Berkshires to gelato and sorbet made right here in Newton, Whole Foods Market's Walnut Street store has everything that a locavore could want!
Whole Foods Market is known for having a robust selection of organic food, but their commitment to the environment goes beyond produce; they also have a strong devotion to providing other locally produced food and the Walnut Street location of Whole Foods Market offers a variety of foods that come from New England. With the warmer months approaching, the Whole Foods Market’s Walnut Street store is getting ready to offer locally grown produce in greater quantities. Currently, you can find tomatoes and herbs from Maine, but over the course of the next few weeks you’ll find more locally grown fruits and vegetables. However, when it comes to eating local, it’s more than just produce. Whole Foods also has other local items including local …
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Helen Rittenberg
7:35 am on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
AND, you can park your bike free with Bike Newton's Bike Valet Parking, on the left side of the entrance to Cold Spring Park! Park right up front, no hustling for parking spaces! more ›