For many years Tom Shelley has been removing all types of plastic items from his household waste steam that are not currently acceptable for collection for recycling by the Tompkins County Solid Waste Division.  Most of these items are packaging materials of one kind or another.  Almost all plastics are made from oil and Tom can’t stand seeing oil go back into the ground in the form of a landfill!  He packs these items in garbage bags, boxes and paper shopping bags and stores them in a garage he owns in Collegetown.  Eventually, when the price of oil goes up high enough, additional recycling markets will open for materials not currently accepted locally and Tom will be able to sell these materials to a vendor.

Alex Colket has lived without a car for the past 3 years, getting around everywhere using a combination of walking, biking, TCAT and carpooling.  While this is easy enough to do downtown, Alex does not live there and has manged with out a car in spite of living several miles from town and off the bus route.  In any given week he will walk between 15-60 miles to get around between meetings, errands and social events.

In addition to the environmental benefits that arise from this lifestyle choice, Alex also finds the time commuting to be refreshing, reflective and excellent exercise.  Here Alex is pictured making the 2.7 mile walk down Nelson Rd to pick up the bus along 96.

Solar panels power Gay Nicholson’s home in Ludlowville, with power to spare for an electric car (someday!). An open shed does double-duty supporting the panels on the south roof, while keeping firewood and lumber out of the rain.

In the foreground are fall and winter greens kept frost-free by the thermal mass of an old stone foundation facing south. The plants are watered from a rain barrel filled by the downspout from the shed. There are five raised beds nearby made from black locust boards salvaged from a damaged fence. The locust was locally harvested using a team of draft horses and a portable mill. The raised beds provide a bountiful harvest of fresh, organic vegetables. It’s fun to connect several systems together for greater self-reliance and a healthier planet!

For many years Tom Shelley has been removing a variety of materials from his household waste steam that are not currently acceptable for curbside collection for recycling by the Tompkins County Solid Waste Division.  Many of these items are metals and other “durable” materials of one kind or another that add a lot of weight to the waste stream relative to the amount of space they take up in the trash can.  Examples include anything made of iron/steel, lead, die cast zinc, copper, brass, plus batteries of all kinds and printed circuit boards (from disassembling electronic devices).  Many of these items are high-value commodities on the recycling market and can be sold for scrap. Tom saves these items in a set of boxes and bags in his cellar.  When he gets enough of a particular item, he takes it in for recycling or sale to a scarp vendor.   The less that goes to the landfill the better off we are!

For the past couple years, Marian and Michael Brown have purchased 100% wind power for their home through NYSEG’s “Catch the Wind” program. This is the photo of the renewable energy certificate they received for 2008’s purchase of 3,600 kWh. NYSEG invests these “clean power” purchase funds in Community Energy which, in turn, uses the money to develop wind farms in and around New York State.

Drying clothes by the woodstove in the winter saves plenty of energy for Jan Quarles and her husband Michael Dineen.  Washing clothes in cold water saves about $200/yr, and using a drying rack in lieu of a dryer saves another $100-$200/yr, depending on how many loads you do. Both methods will help your clothes last longer too.Jan and Michael hang their clothes next to the wood stove overnight, and they’re dry in the morning.

An alternative location used by their Amish neighbors: hang clothes lines above your stairwell, since heat rises.  And of course, in warmer weather, nothing beats the smell of clothes dried outside on a clothesline!

Every year Kitty Gifford and her partner Mark Sarvary pledge to support a local farm by purchasing shares in advance of the growing season. As shareholders they share the risks and the benefits of harvests whether they are decreased by poor weather or pests or have a surplus.

But the benefits don’t stop there, as a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) you enjoy ultra-fresh fruits and vegetables and the knowledge of where and how your food is grown. Typically members pick up the produce at a central distribution point in Ithaca, and for Kitty or Mark they can usually manage to transport their share home by scooter!

Tom Shelley composts the cat litter generated by their 6 cats. Tom switched from a clay-based cat litter to an organic, wheat-based litter. This litter clumps readily and the clumps and stools are composted with leaves, straw, shredded paper and other materials. The resulting compost can be used on non-food plants in your yards.

This has reduced the weight of their trash by 80 percent, which results in a reduction of waste in our landfills. Home composting of organic waste such as cat litter also reduces the number of trips to landfills and lowers greenhouse gas emissions coming from both transportation and landfills. They are also saving over $500 per year on trash tags, so this is a win-win situation for the environment and for them!