Fall Green Living Tips

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Green Living

 

Dear Green Living subscribers,

Here are our top ten Fall tips to help you live in an environmentally sustainable way.   Visit the Green Living page to see many other tips and resources.


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Top Ten Fall Tips

 

  • Rent-a-book to save waste and money.
    College students, if you haven’t yet obtained all your semester’s textbooks, look into renting them. You could save up to 90% of the cost of purchasing them. Google ‘rent text books’ to explore a number of vendors.

  • Top picks for fall hikes
    Visit the Great Autumn Hikes page for the best places across the state to take in the foliage, watch migrating birds and enjoy fall’s cool crisp (bug-free!) air.

  • Batten down the hatches against rodents, squirrels and bats
    Seal all holes and openings that are more than ¼-inch wide with cement, caulk or stainless steel scouring pads. Check floor drains, around pipes, wiring and foundations. Bats can enter through 1cm-wide cracks in rotted eaves, where the chimney meets the house and through ventilation slats.

  • Big cash incentives for photovoltaics
    Thinking about installing solar panels? NYSERDA is accepting applications for its Solar PV Program that will cover up to 40% of the cost of residential and commercial systems. The system must be put in by an eligible installer. Get program details on the NYSERDA website.

  • Protect your property from flooding
    Hurricane season lasts through November, with most storms happening in the fall. Be prepared for flooding and you’ll reduce damage to your home and property. See “Be Prepared for Floods” and “Shoreline Stabilization Techniques” for advice and resources.

  • Cut down on spoiled food
    Where you put food in the fridge affects how long it stays fresh. Store meat on the bottom shelf. Milk should go on a middle shelf, and not in the door. Keep apples in the crisper, separate from other fruits and veggies, as they give off ethylene gas which ripens produce.

  • Have a car battery to get rid of?
    The lead-acid batteries used in cars, trucks and RVs can’t go in the trash and must be recycled. If not disposed of properly, they can leak contaminants. Find out how to recycle them (it’s free!).

  • You don't need a special mower to mulch leaves.
    Use a regular, side-discharge mower (without the bag). Start mowing from the outside of the yard, shooting leaves toward the center. This way, the leaves will be cut multiple times. Do this regularly during autumn; otherwise a thick layer of shredded leaves can be just as damaging as doing nothing. Strive for no more than a 1-inch layer of leaf mulch on lawns.

  • What's lurking in your garage?
    Now's the time to clean it and dispose of any oil-based paints, pesticides, automotive fluids, home chemicals, compact fluorescent bulbs and other household hazardous wastes you might have forgotten there. See if your community offers collections.

  • There's still time for one more camping trip
    Fall is a perfect time to catch a hawk migration, take in the foliage from a mountain peak or enjoy quiet paddle on a lake. You can camp at North-South Lake (Catskills) and Cranberry Lake (Adirondacks) until October 26 and at Fish Creek Pond in Saranac Lake until November 9.