KNI Green-O-Gram
October 24, 2008

Ghouls and goblins are beginning to fill the hallways of KNI and party planning is at a fever pitch. Halloween is merely days away kids of all ages are having sweet dreams and plotting their scary party attire.
Halloween is second only to Christmas in terms of consumer spending. North Americans are expected to spend $6.5 billion dollars this year; Americans will spend $5 billion of that total. Most of the expense is on candy and costumes account for most of the rest of the total.
The environmental impact of all of those candy wrappers, plastic costumes and accessories is tremendous. Many of these items are made in China and end up here in the landfills. The carbon footprint from Halloween is enormous, but not unmanageable.
There are steps that each of us can take to make Halloween more eco- friendly. As you host parties and trick or treaters in the coming days, consider the following options:
• Go plastic free. Use a cloth or canvas bag to carry the trick or treat loot in. Consider making costumes from old clothing and other items you have around the house. Shop the thrift stores to find the perfect costume; many of them have special sections for Halloween items. Swap costumes with friends and neighbors.
• Make your decorations out of items from the yard such as pinecones and leaves.
• Send online invitations instead of traditional paper ones.
• Walk the trick or treat route instead of driving.
• Use rechargeable batteries in your flashlights instead of regular ones.
• Find alternatives to candy. There are many nutritional alternatives such as small packages of microwave popcorn, fruit leather, honey sticks, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Non-edible treats are acceptable as well. You may want to consider some packages of flower seeds for spring planting or some soy crayons.
• Remember that pumpkins are food. The meat can be made into pie and the seeds roasted. Maybe a neighborhood pumpkin pie contest would be in order. Or freeze the pumpkin meat for the Thanksgiving pies. Make the trip to the pumpkin patch to pick out that special locally grown pumpkin and get some fresh apples while you are there. Make that connection with nature.
• Pumpkin jokes are always eco-friendly. Here are few to add to your personal collections. “What’s the ratio of a pumpkin’s circumference to its diameter? Pumpkin Pi “ “How do you fix a broken Jack-O-Lantern? With a pumpkin patch! “ and the ever popular “What is a pumpkin’s favorite sport? Squash”

Plan to attend the Green O Ween party on October 25 at 10 am in Pleasantview. We have a “make your own costume” activity and lots more fun planned for just for you!

Shedding some light on lighting

As the days grow shorter and we all are needing to turn on lights earlier in the evening and in the mornings, too, several folks (including the Employee Assistance Committee) have been asking the Green Team questions about lights. So here are the questions—and answers to those questions, along with links to where you can find out even more information. Keep those questions coming in!

Q: Is it true that leaving a fluorescent light turned on will save more energy than if you turned it off and on all the time?
A: We went to http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/fluorescent_lights.html
to answer this one, and the answer is NO! Read the following excerpt for more information:

LEAVING A FLUORESCENT LIGHT TURNED ON IS CHEAPER THAN TURNING IT OFF AND ON
This is an urban myth that has persisted for many years. Here's what you should do...
You should turn off your fluorescent lamps if the space is not going to be occupied for more than a few minutes (3-5 minutes is a good rule of thumb). The modern electronic ballast and T8/T5 lamp combination do draw a higher level of current during startup, but it only lasts for a fraction of a second, which is negligible compared to normal current requirements of the lamps.
Leaving fluorescent lights on when you leave an area is one of those myths from the '70s that has somehow survived to this date. In fact, occupancy sensors are routinely used with fluorescent fixtures to turn the lights off when no one is in a room.
A bigger concern here may be the impact of frequent on/off cycles on the lamp's life. This does shorten the lamp life somewhat. However, leaving the lights on all the time also reduces the lamp life. In fact, it has been shown that even though occupancy sensors reduce the lamp life as measured in total hours, they actually extend the calendar life of the lamps because the lamps operate only during those hours that are needed.
According to the Electric Power Research Institute, not only does turning off fluorescent lights reduce lamp replacement costs, it also reduces electric bills. For example, turning off an F40 fluorescent lamp for only one-half hour a day can save about $4.00 (based on 8 cents/kWh) in energy over the life of the lamp. In fact, the money saved by this routine is typically more than the price of a new lamp.
Source:
Efficiency & Demand Analysis Division
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95825
Remember, if you have a recycling question or need help with recycling efforts, please contact us. We don’t have all the answers, but we can find out! You can reach the Green Team at frances.boudreau@washburn.edu or call 845.8027.