After an outrageously mean 2020, we get a clean start in 2021. Perhaps the No. 1 New Year’s resolution for civilization in general is to wean ourselves of COVID-19. Most of us also can strive to go more green. The planet is crying out for us to do so.
A quick scan of the internet yields many suggestions on specific things we can do to lighten our load on the environment. The Center for EcoTechnology, a 40-year-old nonprofit organization, lists six “impactful” resolutions that include unplugging devices that use energy when they are not in use. “Energy vampires can add up to nearly 10 percent of a household’s monthly electric bill,” the CET reports. “By using smart power strips you can save money and energy!”
Like the CET, earthday.org encourages resolution makers to transition to a plant-based diet. It also urges everyone to “stop buying crap.”
Here are five ideas to green up our act in the Sacramento region.
DONATE, DON’T DISCARD
The pandemic prompted the temporary closure of most donation sites and many collection services, but not all of them. The Salvation Army, for example, in November was still accepting gently used household items, clothing and toys at a drop-off site behind its store at 10309 Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova. Local citizens could still drop off hazardous materials and unwanted chemicals at the Waste Management Sacramento Recycling & Transfer center, at 8491 Fruitridge Road.
For the latest information about donation and drop-off sites, try calling The Salvation Army at (916) 563-3700, Goodwill at (916) 395-9000, WEAVE at (916) 448-2321 or Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services at (916) 456-1980, among others.
