Green Tips of the Week

Avoid plastic baby bottles

1/16/2026

Microplastic risks are greatest for infants. Avoid them in baby bottles by using glass or steel.

Since 1950, more than 11 billion tons of plastic have been produced. Plastic shards and particles are found almost everywhere on the planet. But you can take steps to keep them away from your baby during the critical early years of development. Glass or stainless steel baby bottles don’t shed microplastics. Silicone sleeves can protect glass bottles from breaking.

Read more here from Earth911

Insulate hot water pipes

1/2/2026

Insulating your hot water heater pipes retains heat in the water that reaches your faucets, saving energy and money.

According to PECO, “Insulating your water heater pipes can help recover lost heat, decrease the time required for hot water to reach your faucets, and save you money. You can install foam insulation yourself in just a few hours.” By retaining heat, the water that reaches the faucet is at a higher temperature. This allows you to reduce the temperature setting on your water heater, further saving energy and money.

Insulating your hot water pipes is an inexpensive DIY project, and the materials are readily available at hardware stores.

Water-efficient hand dish-washing technique

12/26/2025

Using an efficient dish-washing technique, you can save water when washing dishes by hand.

Modern dishwashers are generally more energy and water efficient than washing dishes by hand. If you don’t have a dishwashing machine or just prefer handwashing your dishes, there are steps that you can take to minimize your water and energy consumption. Perry Santanachote describes the two-basin method in her article on Consumerreports.com (updated by Molly Bradley, October 29, 2023; retrieved November 30, 2025). Another method is to wash the lightly soiled dishes over the more heavily soiled dishes and pots to allow them to soak as you wash. Always turn off the faucet when you are not actively using the water.

Recycle string lights

12/19/2025

Providence Friends Meeting House collects holiday string lights for recycling in early January only.

After the holidays, recycle all your broken string lights at the Providence Friends Meeting House at 105 North Providence Road in Media. The collection bin is located outside the meeting house and is only available in early January.

Potted holiday tree to reuse or plant

12/12/2025

This holiday, get a live tree that can either be planted after the holidays or used as a houseplant for the rest of the year.

Earth911.com lists a number of options as alternatives to either a plastic, artificial tree or chopping down a live tree. One option is to buy a live potted tree. If you would like to keep your tree as an indoor plant and use it again each year, some good options are Norfolk Island pines, dwarf Alberta spruces, or small junipers. If you have space to plant a new tree, there are a number of PA native pines, spruces, firs, and cedars to choose among.

Choose smaller, energy efficient vehicles

12/5/2025

Cars and trucks are continuing to supersize, undermining environmental gains. Consumer preference is the main reason. Consider how we are influenced by marketing.

Over the past decade, cars have continued to increase in size, not just a little but significantly so, with serious consequences for our safety and climate.

Read more at finn.com

Photo by Robert Couse-Baker, flickr

Wrap gifts with reusable or recyclable materials

11/29/2025

Be mindful about wrapping materials this holiday season. Wrapping paper with plastic or metallic additives such as glitter and foil cannot be recycled. Tissue paper cannot be recycled. Bows can be reused but not recycled.

A common misconception is that all wrapping paper can be recycled.

Read more at ecologycenter.org

Stream on the smallest and most energy-efficient device possible

11/21/2025

Streaming on your laptop or phone uses a fraction of the energy required to stream on a TV

Read more at Everything Energy.com

Put mixed recycling loose, not bagged, in the bin

11/7/2025

Don’t put mixed recyclables in a plastic bag. Closed plastic bags with items inside are considered contamination at recycling facilities.

Plastic bags and curbside recycling don’t mix! Both plastic bags used to contain recyclables and those that are tossed into recycling bins are problematic for recyclers.

If you use a plastic bag for storing household or office recyclables, open it and dump contents into your recycling bin so all items are loose. Save your plastic bag for reuse or recycle it at the supermarket. If neither option is viable, discard it in your garbage so it doesn’t cause costly shutdowns at the recycling plant.

Single-stream curbside programs rely on mechanical sorting of recyclables. The business model for recyclers depends, in turn, on keeping the machinery running efficiently. Plastic bags slow things down in two ways:

If used to contain recyclables, plastic bags have to be separated out and ripped open by workers, so that the recyclables can be removed and sorted. That’s so inefficient that recyclers may sideline plastic bags and send them to landfills instead.
Plastic bags that are included in curbside recycling bins along with other materials – especially the flimsy, single-use bags used by many supermarkets and big-box stores – clog sorting machinery. That results in costly downtime at sorting plants.

Most supermarkets collect plastic bags for recycling, so returning them to the store where you got them is a good option. Alternatively, try to cut down on the number of plastic bags you use in the first place. When running errands, take along a reusable shopping bag instead!

Read more at earth911.com

Buy Bird friendly Habitat certified coffee

10/31/2025

When buying your morning java, select coffee that is certified as Bird Friendly Habitat Coffee to promote coffee growing practices that support birds.

To quench the international thirst for coffee, plantations have sprung up throughout tropical areas, replacing habitat used by both resident and migratory birds. Americans alone drink 1/3 of the world’s coffee. The issue has been made worse by the development of sun-loving varieties being grown on large plantations that have already replaced 40% of the shade-grown varieties. However, by employing sustainable practices, these shade-loving tropical plants can be grown in such a way to recreate necessary bird habitat. Look for coffee that is certified as Smithsonian Bird Friendly® coffee: it is sustainably grown in shade created by a canopy of at least 60% native plants.

Learn more from The Willistown Conservation Trust.

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