The Rockfall Foundation's "Meet Your Greens" Program is Back!

 

Meet Your Greens is back!

With COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, we are excited to see you again in person and resume our Meet Your Greens program! This will be the first of four Meet Your Greens events in 2021.

Join The Rockfall Foundation on Thursday, June 17 at 5:30 at Cinder + Salt with speaker Rosemary Ostfeld. “Food For You and The Planet” is a talk about the connection between our food choices and the environment. Rosemary will give us bite-sized actions to take to eat sustainably and support our local farming community.

Rosemary is the founder of Healthy PlanEat, an online platform where people can order food directly from local farmers that use sustainable growing practices and local food artisans. Rosemary also teaches at Wesleyan University in the College of the Environment and Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

Register now: https://forms.gle/G44XdMeNGz59MTEF8

We will meet on Cinder + Salt’s back patio under an open-sided tent. Plan to arrive around 5:30, with the speaker beginning at 5:45. Bring your own food & drink. Free to participate.

Face masks are required if you are not fully vaccinated.
If you are fully vaccinated, face masks are optional throughout the program.

See here for more information on Meet Your Greens: https://www.rockfallfoundation.org/prog.../meet-your-greens/

Join Rockfall on 3/22 for our Annual Symposium

Coming up next week on March 22nd, The Rockfall Foundation and the UConn Climate Adaptation Academy host a symposium on:

Site Development Considerations for Changing Weather Patterns

Case Studies: What Works, What to Watch Out For, and How to Encourage Success

Join us for a discussion on progress in eco-friendly commercial development and an exploration of completed projects including a LID residential development, a pervious pavement parking lot, and a municipal stormwater upgrade. We'll discuss both the long- and short-term challenges and successes of development and investigate several case studies. 

The Jordan Cove Subdivision in Waterford is now 15 years old with multiple homeowners and expiring deed restrictions; we’ll examine how this worked and apply that information going forward.
We’ll also learn about what’s been done on the UConn campus in Storrs (pervious parking lot and more) including lessons learned and whether maintenance is an issue or not; and we’ll have a return visit from Giovanni Zinn in New Haven to get a progress report on the green infrastructure he discussed at the 2016 Symposium, including how it has fared in both drought and flood conditions. Finally, we’ll hear about successful sites nationwide and how our regulations and mindsets may need to be adjusted in order to foster site development that works with our changing weather patterns.

Who should attend: Local elected and appointed officials; planners and zoning enforcement officials; architects; developers; engineers; landscape architects; educators; students; Planning, Zoning, Wetlands and ZBA board and commission members; and all concerned with our changing weather patterns and how best to design for them.

Symposium Program: 

8:00 – 8:30          Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:40          Welcome – Tony Marino, Executive Director, The Rockfall Foundation
8:40 – 9:10          Introduction – David Dickson, Co-Director CT NEMO
9:10 – 9:50          Residential Subdivision: Jordan Cove, Waterford’s LID Subdivision, 15 years later – Michael Dietz, Co-Director CT NEMO
9:50 – 10:35       Municipal Stormwater Management: New Haven’s Green Infrastructure/LID and How It’s Working – Giovanni Zinn, City Engineer, City of New Haven
10:35 – 10:45     Break
10:45 – 11:30     The UConn Experience:  Maintenance, Issues, and Benefits –  Michael Dietz, Co-Director CT NEMO
11:30 – 12:15     Commercial:  National Case Studies and a Toolbox that Encourages Developers to “Do the Right Thing” – David Sousa, Planner & Landscape Architect, CDM Smith
12:15 – 12:45     Panel Question & Answer Session with David Dickson, Michael Dietz, David Sousa, and Giovanni Zinn

1:00                      Lunch (Optional)

March 22nd, starting 8:30am.
Location:
UConn Middlesex County Extension Office
1066 Saybrook Road
Haddam, CT 06438

Register online here

Newest Artist-In-Residence on the New England Trail performs free show Wednesday

The Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s latest New England Trail Artist-in-Residence, Ben Cosgrove, will perform and talk about his upcoming residency Wednesday night at the Wesleyan University science center. Ben composes and performs music inspired by New England landscapes, and will spend the next 12 months writing and performing music inspired by the New England Trail (NET). 

The New England Trail, from Long Island Sound
to Mount Monadnock. Plenty of parking!
(Click to embiggen.)

The New England Trail runs 215 miles from the Guilford shore to the Massachusetts/New Hampshire Border, ("from the Sound to the Summits"), and in 2009 became one of just eleven federally-designated national scenic trails. It's comprised primarily of the historic Mattabesett, Metacomet, and Monadnock Trail systems and passes through 42 communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts, including Middletown.

The New England Trail Artist-in-Residence program is a project of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the National Park Service. The artists help to create and deepen people's connections to the land, particularly the shared resource of the New England Trail. Past artists include poet David K. Leff, and photographers Xiomaro and Barbara Bosworth.

Ben performs regularly all over the country, writes scores for films, plays, radio, and television, and has produced several well-received albums of original instrumental work. He says the strongest forces guiding his compositions are his deep interests in landscape, place, and ecology.   

Wednesday's event is co-sponsored by Wesleyan University’s Earth & Environmental Science Department. Further details here on CFPA's web site.

When: Wednesday, September 27, 2017 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm  

Where: Exley Science Ctr. Lobby (Lawn Ave. side) 265 Church St.  (Parking may be available at Lot D on Lawn Avenue.)   RSVP: RSVP recommended Price: FREE

Video: title track to Ben's album "Salt"

Fracking Film "GasLand II" - Free Screening Friday at CFPA

  Don't get scared on Friday the 13th -

 get educated!

  Gasland Part II Screening 
  & Fracking Discussion

  Friday, June 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

  CFPA Headquarters, Rockfall (Middlefield)

Join CFPA volunteers Scott Gray and Sonya Wulff as they host a screening of Gasland Part II and a discussion regarding fracking.

In the follow-up to his Oscar-nominated film Gasland, filmmaker Josh Fox uses his trademark dark humor to take a deeper, broader look at hydraulic fracturing, 
or fracking, the controversial method of extracting natural gas and oil, now occurring 
on a global level. 

Don't think fracking is a CT issue? A representative from Food & Water Watch 
will lead a discussion on how fracking impacts you, and the ways you can become 
more involved. 

Don't miss this fun and invigorating evening. All are welcome, and your questions are encouraged.

Space is limited, pre-registration is greatly appreciated. 

Click here to register. Or call us at 860-346-2372.

Connecticut Forest & Park Association

16 Meriden Road

Rockfall, Connecticut 06481

(860) 346-TREE

www.ctwoodlands.org

Advocacy  -  Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails  -  Education  -  Land & Forest Conservation  -  WalkCT

Are you a CFPA member? Please join to support CFPA 
at www.ctwoodlands.org/join-us.

CFPA hosts "Science Sunday" series at HQ on Route 66

Science Sunday Series: A Hidden World - Part 2 - Magnificent and Mysterious Ants

Where: 

CFPA Headquarters (16 Meriden Road, Rockfall, CT)

When: 

Sunday, January 19, 2014 - 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Who: 

Adults

Event Info: 

Join us for this exciting Science Sunday Series: A Hidden World! Each month we'll meet on the 3rd Sunday to learn about the secret world of insects found in Connecticut forests and parks. Be a lifelong learner with us as ecologist and Wesleyan University PhD student, Rob Clark, leads an indoor presentation followed by an outdoor scientific exploration in Highlawn Forest. This series is free and open to the public. Participants are welcome to attend all or individual classes.

Traffic Backup At Hazardous Waste Collection

Quite the crowd at today's hazardous waste collection at MxCC. Apparently we have LOTS of nasty stuff to get rid of. Or at least EVERYbody has a little.

Line of cars snakes down Training Hill Road around the corner and down Reservoir Rd.  Collection runs until 1pm.

Environmental Activist Honored

Long time Conservation Commission member Katchen Coley was honored Thursday night at the City Council chambers by having 50 acres of land in the Maromas section of town named the Katchen Coley Mountain Laurel Preserve.

The above video captures a few of the many, many people who attended to thank Katchen for her years of service on behalf of the people of Middletown.

CCP's Did You Know? Fact #20.

Today's fact pertains to Wesleyan and Middletown's collaborative efforts to promote sustainability.

While sustainability undoubtedly comes up in Environmental Studies classes and meetings for student groups such as the Enivronmental Organizers Network (EON), WesFRESH, and SAGES, it is also a topic that is presented at Orientation, Staff Trainings, and Reunion & Commencement.

If you're looking to get engaged with topics of sustainability, look to April's Earth Month Calendar. One event at 11AM on April 22nd, will take place at MxCC:

“Rethinking How Money Works: Monetary Reform as a Catalyst for Sustainability”
Chapman Hall, Room 808, Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Rd., Middletown
Facilitated by Justin Good and Michael Harris in partnership with the Middlesex Community College Sustainability Committee and Wesleyan Sustainability Office.

A workshop on monetary reform, community credit systems and local money as tools for addressing unemployment, social and economic justice and community development.  This workshop will offer an overview of the current monetary reform effort, with a focus on complementary currencies or local community-issued credit systems as catalysts for sustainable development. The session will feature a demonstration of Connecticut Sound Shares, a local community currency system currently operating in the Middlesex area. Read more info here.

ECoin's First Project A Success

Middletown’s Environmental Collective Impact Network (ECoin) reached its first goal, resulting in a positive, measurable outcome for the environment. The group facilitated the retrofit of exit light signs, which replaced incandescent 40-watt bulbs with high efficiency 4-watt LEDs. The initial goal was to facilitate 50 retrofits, and ultimately 86 were done. Once the original goal of 50 was surpassed, the group re-set the goal to 100. However, it was hard to find that many more places around town that had incandescents that need to be retrofitted. The energy efficient exit signs were provided at no cost to local businesses and nonprofits, thanks to a $1,200 grant from the City of Middletown’s Clean Energy Task Force.

The reduced environmental impact of these 86 LED exit lights represents just over $4,000 worth of electricity per year, the equivalent of removing nearly 4 average cars from the road or reducing gasoline combustion by about 2,100 gallons per year. This was calculated using an online estimation tool on the Department of Energy's website. Changing one little thing like an exit sign might seem like a small step, but these signs are turned on and lighted at all times, so the savings really do add up when factored together. In the process of contacting facilities about the LED retrofits, ECoin incidentally introduced some businesses to energy efficiency programs and practices and started additional conversations encouraging businesses to go a step further on their own.

A little less than one year ago, ECoin was established to mutually reinforce the work being done by various groups to preserve the natural environment and improve the general quality of life in our city. ECoin now serves as a unifying force among local environmental nonprofits, city commissions, and representatives from the business community. It was created by John Hall through The Jonah Center for Earth and Art for the purpose of streamlining communications and concentrating efforts on specific goals, thus elevating the real measurable impact of environmental activism in Middletown. Hall explains that it is not always very clear if efforts around education and raising awareness really translate into positive impacts for the environment. He notes that multi-faceted problems call for pooling of expertise and concentrating actions. He stresses the importance of collaboration among members of the environmental community. And while it is a great demand to ask groups to dedicate more time to work together, it will eventually result in positive outcomes.

At regular ECoin meetings, participating organizations share information about their individual projects and support each other’s efforts. ECoin also went through a process of establishing goals and selecting and prioritizing specific projects for the group to work on together. The initial process took several months and entailed meetings with brainstorming for ideas and reviewing and vetting all the proposed projects. The high-level goals identified were energy efficiency, open space land preservation, waste management, low impact design, reduction in pesticide use, and making the city more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

The proponents of these general areas wrote out specific achievable goals that would have a measurable effect on the environment. Next, each proposed goal was ranked using an elaborate scoring system that resulted in a list of projects ranked in order of priority. The criteria for ranking the projects included how well it fits in with the organization's overall goal, how achievable it is, and how easy it is to measure the impact.

Meetings are hosted by the Rockfall Foundation at the DeKoven House. Regular participants in ECoin include the City of Middletown’s Conservation Commission, Recycling Advisory Council, Urban Forestry Commission, and Clean Energy Task Force; South Church’s Earth Ministry; Wesleyan University’s Sustainability Department and the Center for the Arts; Middlesex Community College’s Sustainability Committee; Middletown Garden Club; and the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District. Liberty Bank Foundation, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, and St. Pius X Church have also attended meetings and expressed interest in supporting ECoin’s mission in the future.

In order to respect everyone's time, the group is very disciplined about keeping the meetings limited to one hour. Discussions focus on behavior rather than education. Soon, the group will be moving onto their next project with another specific goal in mind. For more information on ECoin’s activities or meetings, call John Hall at 860-398-3771 or visit http://www.thejonahcenter.org/mailform.php to email your question.

Members of ECoin pictured above, clockwise from top left: Katchen Coley, Krishna Winston, Jane Brawerman, John Hall, Jane Harris, Claire Rusowicz, Kim O'Rourke, Sheila Stoane

Tribute to “Silent Spring” author, Rachel Carson

50 years ago, government scientist Rachel Carson recognized that widespread pesticide use on crops and in back yards was causing devastation in some biological communities.  She wrote about this scientific finding in a compelling book, “Silent Spring”, published in 1962.  It was a turning point in environmental awareness, and environmental regulation, but it did not happen easily.

Thursday night, September 27, 2012, acclaimed actress Kaiulani Lee brings Rachel Carson to life in “A Sense of Wonder” at Oddfellows Playhouse.  “A Sense of Wonder”, a one-person play written by Ms. Lee, has been performed by her at venues across the country and abroad, including at the United Nations, Congress, and The Smithsonian.  The play celebrates Rachel Carson and her work, and reveals a strength of character that allowed Ms. Carson to defend her science against an onslaught of opposition mounted by a chemicals industry fearful of the business consequences of her revelation – an onslaught attempting to discredit Ms. Carson personally, and the quality of her scientific studies.

The play is sponsored jointly by the Connecticut Groundwater Association and the Connecticut Society of Women Environmental Professionals.  Many of the members of these two organizations owe their profession and environmental awareness to Rachel Carson.

“To me, Silent Spring’s  legacy is the realization that environmental science and business were, and often still are, uncomfortable bedfellows.  There are ongoing efforts by business to weaken the environmental scientist’s ability to discover and investigate pollution, and the environmental scientist must have the perseverance and backbone of Rachel Carson to not give in to special interests” said Dennis Waslenchuk, CGA President and organizer of the tribute. 

The production runs one night only, Thursday, September 27, 2012 beginning at 8:00 p.m.  Limited general public tickets are available at $20.  Tickets can be reserved for “Will Call” by calling 860-443-7638.  Please do not call Oddfellows, as we are not handling the reservations.

River Cleanup this Saturday

COME ON! Get your feet wet, your hands dirty, and make the rivers cleaner! 

 SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29th 2012 

Join thousands of individuals, clubs, troops, students, towns and businesses to clean up the Connecticut River and its tributaries. The Source to Sea Cleanup is a one-day, coordinated effort in four states to highlight a cleaner Connecticut River. We’d love your help! Come to your local CT River watershed cleanup for the COGINCHAUG RIVER at: 

VETERANS PARK 10AM TO 12PM 

hosted by Middletown Regional Agricultural Science and Technology Center 

Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District 

Questions? Contact: Ms. Courtney Johnson, 860.704.4599 ext 4049 

OR 

Ms. Jane Brawerman, 860.346.3282 

Dress for messy work, e.g. boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirt. 

Bring water, extra clothes, and friends and family too!!

Cleanup supplies (trash bags and gloves) will be provided.

A program of the Connecticut River Watershed Council - www.ctriver.org

Climate Change Reality Presentation Tonight

New Haven-based lawyer and land use specialist Marjorie Shansky will be offering a compelling “Climate Reality Presentation” to community members for free at Middletown’s Russell Library at 7 pm tonight (Monday, November 14.)

Founded and chaired by Al Gore, Nobel Laureate and former Vice President of the United States, The Climate Reality Project has more than 5 million members and supporters worldwide. It is guided by one simple assertion: The climate crisis is real and we know how to solve it. The Climate Reality Project is bringing the facts about the climate crisis into the mainstream and engaging the public in conversation about how to solve it. It is designed to help citizens around the world discover the truth and take meaningful steps to bring about change.

Ms. Shansky is one of a handful of experts trained by Mr. Gore to bring these presentations to communities around the world. The hour-long presentation will include visual documentation and a chance for dialog with audience. People from all sides of the Climate Change discussion – or on no side at all – are welcome to attend.

This presentation is being co-sponsored by several Middletown-based organizations, including ARTFARM, the Jonah Center for Earth and Art, Earth Ministry, Middlesex Community College Sustainability Team and Wesleyan University. The presentation will be held in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Midletown.

For more information contact ARTFARM at (860) 346-4390 or email info@art-farm.org.

Healthy Lawn Program

Organic Fall Lawn Care 101

with organic lawn care professional Scott Reil

“Fall is an excellent time to start an organic program and build a healthy foundation for the spring.”

Monday,

September 12,

6:30-8:30 pm

Hubbard Room at Russell Library

123 Broad Street, Middletown, CT

Phone 860-344-3526

or email kim.orourke@cityofmiddletown.com

to register for free.

This program is brought to you by Project Green Lawn, a public awareness program to encourage residents, businesses and the City to maintain healthy lawns free of chemicals that are harmful to people, pets, and the environment.

Have Unwanted Paint? Let DEEP Know

CT DEEP is conducting a survey on how much unwanted paint CT homeowners have. While we want you to respond to this survey, what would be even more helpful is if you could share with others - your work colleagues, friends, members of your faith community, neighborhood club or other group that might help us learn more about unwanted paint in CT.

CT PAINT SURVEY:
CT DEEP is trying to get an estimate of the amount of unwanted paint in Connecticut residents' homes. This information will prove helpful in planning the implementation of our paint stewardship law. This very short survey is accessed online at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JY9282P

The survey asks Connecticut homeowners to answer a few short questions about unwanted paint. Please share this link or post it on your website to help us gather responses. The survey is only meant for Connecticut homeowners.

For more info about Product Stewardship: Managing Unwanted Paint click here

Thanks in advance for your help!
Sherill

Sherill Baldwin
Environmental Analyst
Source Reduction and Recycling
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT 06106-5127
860.424.3440 phone
860.424.4059 fax
sherill.baldwin@ ct.gov

sherill.baldwin@ po.state. ct.us

ARTFARM's new circus to perform in Guilford and NYC

Since its premiere at Central Connecticut State University's Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium on April 7, ARTFARM's all-new Circus for a Fragile Planet SUBMERGED! has been making a splash throughout the northeast. Ten shows have taken the five member company to schools all over Connecticut and New Jersey, during which time over 2000 students and teachers have been dazzled by the combination of stunning circus artistry and compelling science.
Now you have a couple of opportunities to experience this unique 60 minute circus yourself!
On SUNDAY, May 22 at 3 pm, Circus for a Fragile Planet SUBMERGED! will be performing at the Guilford Community Center, 32 Church St, Guilford, CT. This performance is sponsored by the Shoreline Outdoor Education Center, and tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for kids (less for SOEC members).
For more info about this performance, please go to www.shorelineoutdooreducationcenter.org.

On SATURDAY, JUNE 11 at Noon, SUBMERGED! will open the New York Festival of Young Artists presented by DownTownArt and the Lower East Side Girls' Club. This free outdoor performance will take place on East 4th Street, between Second Avenue and Bowery. For more info, go to www.downtownart.org

Created by and featuring ARTFARM's Executive Director Dic Wheeler as Professor Offli Varminhere, SUBMERGED! takes environmental circus to new levels of skill and advocacy, deftly combining breathtaking circus arts with accurate and compelling action points about the state of the Earth's hydrosphere. Adults and young people alike will love this fast-paced show, and no one will come away thinking about water in quite the same way again. Featuring ARTFARM circus company members Megan Berritta, Maegan Fuller, Allison McDermott and Joel Melendez as the "Fossil Fools", Circus for a Fragile Planet SUBMERGED! is the result of nearly a year of training, research and experimentation -- we think you will impressed and inspired by this unique combination of circus art and environmental education. Set and props are designed by Jason Leinwand; costumes by Heidi Kirchofer. Circus for a Fragile Planet SUBMERGED! is co-directed by ARTFARM Artistic Director Marcella Trowbridge. Photos here are by Heidi Kirchofer from the April 7 premiere.

Never Look At Dinner The Same Again

During Earth Week, the MxCC Sustainability Team and Student Activities Office have secured the rights to show the Academy Award Nominated Documentary Film "Food, Inc."

The Sustainability Team conducts special activities during Earth Week to raise awareness of important issues involving environmental and social problems. This year the focus is on food and the problems associated with the industrialization of farming and corporate agribusiness.

Here is a NY Times review of the film

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/movies/12food.html

Today is America Recycles Day!

FROM Kim O'Rourke, City of Middletown Recycling Coordinator +

HAPPY AMERICAN RECYCLES DAY

A Sampling of the Environmental Benefits of Connecticut Recycling

Based on Connecticut FY2008 Data – Using the NERC Environmental Benefits Calculator http://www.nerc.org/documents/fsheets/ct-factsht.html

Connecticut’s municipal and commercial recycling programs collected and supplied 865,417.79 tons of scrap commodities such as paper, glass, metals, plastics, wood, computers, etc. for use in the production of new products.

• Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by Connecticut source reduction, reuse, and recycling.

Connecticut source reduction, reuse, and recycling reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 398,937.82 metric tons of carbon equivalents (MTCE)⁴ in a one year period. This is equivalent to approximately 51.15% of all industrial MTCE emissions generated from fossil fuel combustion in Connecticut and 3.11% of greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxides (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). Curbside recyclingalone accounted for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 352,711.87 MTCE per year.

• Connecticut’s source reduction, reuse, and recycling saved energy.

Connecticut’s source reduction, reuse, and recycling saved a total of 7,767,053.19 Million BTUs of energy, equal to 6.51% of all energy used by industry in Connecticut. This is equivalent to 62,517,484.48 gallons of gasoline. It represents the amount of energy that would be required to power 75,924.27 homes for one year in the United States. Curbside recycling alone saved 5,143,228.68 Million BTUs of energy.

• Connecticut’s recycling conserved natural resources.

By recycling 61,071.09 tons of scrap metal and glass in 2008, Connecticut’s recycling efforts reduced the need for virgin materials, including 6,893.01 tons of limestone, 45,293.23 tons of iron ore, 25,364.21 tons of coal, 16,143.73 tons of sand, 5,091.48 tons of soda ash, and 1,986.92 tons of feldspar.

Recycling 461,734.82 tons of newspapers, phone books, office paper, textbooks, magazines and cardboard in 2008, resulted in forest carbon sequestration benefits equal to 33,566,655.72 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

From USA Today November 15, 2010

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/11/america-recycles-day-urges-us-action/1

America Recycles Day urges greater U.S. action

Workers sorting recyclables at the North Gateway Transfer Station in Phoenix, Ariz. on Oct. 11.

CAPTION

By Tom Tingle, AP

Today, is the 12th annual America Recycles Day, aimed at encouraging people to dump less trash .......

Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit group that started American Recycles Day in 1997, is leading the charge, supporting the more than 2,000 grassroots events across the country that include recycling drives of electronics, paper and other goods. You can find events near you with a search-by-zip code toll on its website.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs should not be thrown away with household waste, because they contain mercury. Expired or unbroken ones can be recycled in Lowe's recycling center.

CAPTION

By Business Wire

"Recycling is the easiest thing that any individual can do to reduce his or her carbon footprint, save energy and protect natural resources," said Matthew M. McKenna, the group's president and CEO, in a statement.

Recycling has increased dramatically in the United States -- from 7.7% of the total waste stream in 1960 to 17% in 1990 and about 33% this year, according to the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency. Yet EPA officials say a lot more can be done, noting that nearly 4 ½ pounds of waste per person each day is produced in the United States, most of it recyclable.

"By making smarter choices, consuming less, and reusing and recycling, each of us can contribute to a healthier and more sustainable environment," added Mathy Stanislaus, EPA's assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response. While most people now separate their trash, EPA cites additional steps they can take, including these six:

1. Buy recycled products. When we buy recycled products, we create an economic incentive for recyclable materials to be collected, manufactured, and marketed as new products.

2. Purchase durable, long lasting goods.

3. Re-use items by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them also reduces waste.

4. Use a product more than once, either for the same purpose or for a different purpose. Reusing, when possible, is preferable to recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.

5. Reduce your packaging: buy bulk or concentrated products when you can.

6. Another form of recycling is composting. Composting is the controlled biological decomposition of organic matter, such as food and yard wastes, into humus, a soil-like material. Composting is nature's way of recycling organic wastes into new soil used in vegetable and flower gardens, landscaping, and many other applications

Thank you for your environmental concern - and REMEMBER TO REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE; it's a first step towards a more sustainable world.

Judy Belaval

CT DEP Office of Source Reduction and Recycling

(860) 424-3237