Reduce... Reuse... Recycle!

Another hot topic NC GreenPower is focusing on this month is recycling! Of course, many of us are familiar with The Recycle Guys and the catchy R-E-C-Y-C-L-E jingle, but at the same time we often think that this “one can” or “one bottle” won’t make too much of a difference. But, the act of recycling one item is so much more than just keeping it out of a landfill. It’s important to keep in mind what happens after you do your part in tossing it to the recycling bin. Your used items go to recycling centers (where in NC alone, 15,000 jobs have been created from the Recycling industry), and will be used again to create new items which will result in less energy use, fewer fossil fuels burning, which in turn decreases greenhouse gases and makes for a healthier planet! RecycleMoreNC has created a great picture to help better demonstrate the cycle. (See below)

 

So, keep that in mind next time you finish drinking that soda. Thanks to our social media audience for participating in last week’s Friday Freebie Recycling Challenge! And, don’t forget about this week’s Friday Freebie! Blog readers get a sneak peak today on the topic, so click the link and keep an eye out on social media for more info.

Green, Yellow, Red... These colors aren’t meant just for stoplights!

Earlier this month, following our June theme of “Air Quality”, we tweeted a few lesser-known facts about air quality and how it relates to your lung health. Little attention is given to air quality in our day to day lives, given that the hazardous particles such as ozone are relatively invisible unless it’s a particularly hazy day. Even when you can’t see it, the danger is there. The American Lung Association provides a “State of the Air” Report that has incredible information regarding the air and your health. On a local level at the NC Department of Natural Resources, much emphasis is placed on reaching out to the public to help provide a better understanding of Air Quality Forecasts! A simple color scale is provided that can easily help you judge for yourself whether or not you should take your evening jog. Most people don’t realize that peak air pollution actually occurs in the late afternoon when the day is warmest. Keep in mind that a green indication means “safe”, yellow means “take it easy outside”, orange is “unsafe for sensitive populations” (i.e: young children, elderly, those who suffer from asthma), while red indicates that you should probably stay inside. The color to be most weary of? Surprise- purple! Yes, although not a familiar “red light” indicator, purple is the most dangerous of the air pollution levels. 

So check the forecasts. It's an easy way for you to know whether or not to take your afternoon bike ride and to pay attention to what you’re breathing into your body! 

Father's Day weekend is here!

Father’s Day is right around the corner! If you’ve been following us on Twitter (@NCGP) you’ll see we’ve been posting ideas left and right about eco-friendly gifts for dad and ways to celebrate sustainably. Some ideas for gifts have been things like a solar-powered docking station, homemade household items, and even recycled rubber flip-flops and an organic cotton beach towel. Taking time out of your day to just go on a nature walk through the park is always a great option, too. 

We are even launching our summer of prizes with Friday Freebies! It's a photo contest and this week, we are looking to find out what you’ve got planned for Sunday. Be sure to check out our webpage for details and enter to win a NCGP Swag Bag. Happy Fathers Day!

Who we are

Started in 2003, NC GreenPower is a statewide, nonprofit organization working to help improve the quality of the environment in North Carolina. We do this with voluntary contributions that we receive from residents and businesses who donate directly or through their utility bills to support local renewable energy and carbon offset projects. We work with all utilities across the state. They help us by marketing the program to their customers and collecting donations for us through utility bills. All of the money is then simply passed over to NC GreenPower. Renewable energy funds are used to pay approved generators across the state for each kilowatt hour of green energy they produce and put onto the electric grid from their project. Carbon offset contributions are used to pay carbon mitigation projects for every pound of greenhouse gas that is destroyed from their project. Funds support local projects and help create N.C. jobs.