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Green gift ideas, get outside, what to do with your old stuff, sustainability news, and more!
Planet-Friendly Holiday Ideas
Read our December Sustainability Savings Tip [PDF] where Sustainability Santa shares ways to keep the holidays merry, bright, and easier on the planet. Learn what items are naughty or nice.
Here are some additional Sustainability Santa ideas:
- The Store at Mesa Arts Center is an artists' cooperative gallery, and a great place to find one-of-a-kind art and unique gifts by local artists. Learn more.
- Landscape Nursery Gift Card. We’ve got lots of great nurseries in Mesa, like Treeland, Greenfield Citrus Nursery, A&P, and Summer Winds. In fact, consider pairing the gift card with a gardening book. See our next tip.
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- Desert Landscaping Books. We put together a list of our top desert gardening books in this Water - Use It Wisely blog. The story also introduces you to some of our best local authors.
- Nature or Earth-Friendly Books for Youth. Here are some great titles, The Lorax, We Are Here: Notes for Living On Planet Earth, Bee & Me, Touch the Earth, Follow the Moon Home, We Planted a Tree, How to Build an Insect (local author). Oh, and for fun non-fiction books about our amazing southwest creatures, try any title from local author Conrad J. Storad.
- Books About Make-it-Yourself Natural Cleaners. One of my favorites is The Organically Clean Home by Becky Rapinchuk. Include a good quality spray bottle with the book for a great gift combination.
- Compost Crank. Hands down my favorite garden tool. Mine has lasted over 20 years and helps keep my compost turned and aerated. It’s made by a company in Tucson called Lotech Products.
- Gift Ideas That Keep on Saving. Find great ideas like smartphone-friendly irrigation controllers, landscape books, and more on this Water – Use It Wisely approved holiday wish list.
-Refurbished Electronics. Looking for an affordable tablet, laptop, desktop computer, or television? When you purchase refurbished (like new) equipment, you’ll also be helping the environment. Check out our local Revive-IT Store, located at 730 E Southern Ave.
The holidays typically mean that you’ll be buying STUFF and being gifted more STUFF. That likely means that you will be deciding to get rid of old STUFF. Find our advice below:
Recycle Right Wizard This is such a fun tool. Just type in the waste material you’re wondering about. The Wizard will tell you if an item is or is not recyclable. Better than that, it will also advise you of additional safe and appropriate options for disposal.
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AZ StRUT (AZ Students Recycling Used Technology) And now – what to do with your old electronics? If they are beyond use or repair, we will accept those items at our household hazardous materials facility for recycling. But here's a fun alternative – donate them to AZ StRUT. This non-profit takes all types of electronics, working or not, and refurbishes them to provide computers to Title 1 schools and community non-profit organizations. If they cannot use the items you donate, they will recycle it responsibly. Your donations are tax deductible. Find them at 1720 W Broadway Rd, #101 (right next to Stardust Building Supplies). Note that Staples and Best Buy also recycle electronics.
TREE-CYCLE! ARE YOU DONE WITH THE HOLIDAYS ON DECEMBER 26? No worries. Mesa’s Christmas Tree Recycling Program starts on Dec 26 and runs through Jan 16. You can “Treecycle” by bringing your tree to free drop-off locations. Collected trees are taken to the Salt River Landfill and chipped into nutrient-rich mulch.
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Stardust Building Supplies, Mesa This non-profit operates two reuse centers for home improvements that sell gently used, salvaged, and surplus building materials at affordable prices. Additionally, they provide deconstruction services that salvage building materials, divert waste from landfills, and support sustainability in the community. They accept working appliances, lighting and electrical, cabinets, plumbing, hardware and more. Mesa location: 1720 W Broadway.
Goodwill Donation Centers Will accept all items that are in working condition, contain all of their pieces and parts, and are free of stains and rips. This is the best way to ensure that your used items do the most good. Drive-thru drop-off makes it even easier to donate. Sites are located throughout Mesa. Don’t forget to shop there too.
Earth911 If you have an unusual item like old carpeting, check into this site for listings of companies in the area that may accept them.
Mesa's Climate Action Plan calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and establishing strategies to increase sustainability in our community. It’s time to engage residents and businesses to be climate ready within our six focus areas of Energy, Heat Mitigation, Air Quality, Water Stewardship, Materials Management, and Food Systems. With this month's topic, let's talk about Materials Management, also known as, STUFF!
Why do we need to create less trash for our landfills?
-Buying new stuff takes energy to make and ship.
-Food waste will create methane, a greenhouse gas.
How can you help? 1) Don’t purchase items you’ll only use once and throw away. 2) Donate or recycle computers and electronics. 3) Compost food and yard waste.
Learn more about Mesa's Climate Action Plan.
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Mark Your Calendar!
> Merry Main Street
Now through Dec 31: Merry Main Street in Downtown Mesa. Celebrate the holiday season with Merry Main Street in downtown Mesa. Enjoy the Mesa Santa Express on our special Light Rail car (Dec 16 & 17), enjoy visits with Santa, skate on the winter wonderland ice rink (see live web cam), and don't miss the Mesa Temple Christmas Lights. They are back after a four-year hiatus due to the Temple renovation. Oh, and there are weekly prizes you could win if you find Bingles, our Gnome on the Roam. There are weekly drawings for prizes, then a grand prize of a $250 gift card. Get the details on how to locate Bingles.
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> Red Mountain Library Workshop
Sat. Dec 17, 3-4 pm. How Will Arizona’s Future Be Shaped by Water? Sarah Porter is Director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy. As the past AZ State Director of the National Audubon Society, she led a multi-state initiative to protect and restore important river habitats. Sarah brings to the program familiarity with the Arizona water management community and knowledge of Western water law. Join us for a timely conversation about water and what comes next. Location: Red Mountain Library in person or Zoom. Please register for this program. Free!
New and Like-New Book Sale at Mesa Public Library Get gift-quality books at amazing prices! Mesa Public Library's New & Like-New Book Sale runs Monday, Nov 28 to Saturday, Dec 31, at the Main Library, 64 E First St.
Plant of the Month – Chinese Pistache
If you miss the vivid, light to very dark red, scarlet, orange and yellow colors of fall, this tree will give you a brilliant display in December, with new leaves emerging in late March to early April..
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Mesa Urban Garden is a beautiful community garden located near downtown Mesa at 212 E 1st Avenue. Garden bed leases are available for the public. Here's their holiday wish list: Bagged leaves and grass clippings for their compost bins, books for the Little Free Library, and shade-sail installation for the patio area.
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Participate In Maricopa County's Propane Fire Pit Program Get a $75 voucher to convert your wood burning fire pit to propane. In Maricopa County, a combination of wood burning and stagnant weather conditions can create poor air quality during the winter season. In an effort to reduce smoke produced…
Clean Air Make More Learn when it’s NOT OK To burn. Sign up for alerts so you’ll know just when the time is right to light your fire...
December Landscape Watering Reminder Rain! We have had some great rains the last two weekends. If you haven’t already done so, use the 'off' 'stop' or 'rain' setting on your controller to stop the watering cycle without disturbing your programs. You can find more information and rainfall data maps at Maricopa County Flood Control.
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> Fun ideas for getting outdoors over the holidays:
Desert Arroyo Park, 9320 E McKellips Road. This beautiful 58-acre parcel of native desert uplands is located at the NE corner of McKellips and Ellsworth Roads. This passive park takes full advantage of the site’s natural desert landscape.
Park of the Canals, 1710 N Horne. This hidden gem of 31 acres got its name because it is the location of prehistoric (Hohokam period), historic, and modern canals. There is also a playground and botanical garden walk at the site.
Desert Trails Park, 2955 N Recker Road, includes a series of biking trails, a pump track, and a kids’ skills track. The trails consist of a ¾-mile perimeter trail for hiking and non-motorized bike use.
 Monarch Haven & Reading Sanctuary, 635 N Power Road. This pocket park at Red Mountain Library was created not only for Monarchs and other butterflies, but for our community members as a contemplative place to read, learn, & enjoy nature. Find it in the NE portion of the parking lot. The park includes a labyrinth and more.
 Thank you for being a subscriber this year and for all of your efforts to live a greener lifestyle! Be sure to sign up for our monthly landscape watering eNewsletter. These alerts notify subscribers of monthly adjustments to their irrigation frequency, current weather situations, and other landscape tips. See this month's news. You can sign up directly for this newsletter by providing your email at this subscriber site. And please consider following us on Twitter... well, at least for now.
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