This week I am going to discuss our family’s electric car. We chose a Volvo electric vehicle. Deciding on an electric car was a long process with a significant amount of research. We wanted a vehicle that was reasonably priced, had good distance, and had great reviews. I used several different websites to read reviews and make comparisons. What I found: All electric cars have the benefit of producing significantly lower emissions than gas-powered vehicles not just daily but for the lifetime of the vehicle. This means that they are emitting much less carbon and no pollution. I also don’t have to worry about changing the oil in my vehicle which saves me time and money. The car is amazingly quiet which helps to reduce noise pollution. Because we have a charger at home and we have solar, I not only do not have to pump gas in the rain or snow, but also I am using the power of the sun to power my car without the extra pollution from coal-burning electric plants. We like to travel to visit family from out of town. Sometimes we travel 4-5 hours. In order to do this with our electric car, we do have to plan ahead but it is not as hard as we had initially thought to find charging stations. Plus, when we stop, we can charge in about 20 minutes. This is about the same time as we would stop to get gas, get snacks/meals, and a bathroom break. We found that Volvo had some great deals and with me working in healthcare we had even more deals. Sweden is a country that is ahead of the game when it comes to preventing climate change and this is no different in their cars. Why it is good for the environment: Less carbon, less pollution (both noise and smog), and no oil changes. There are some obvious downsides but for driving locally most are great and depending on where you are traveling you may be able to easily charge. Other: I have driven the car in the snow and found that by having a dual motor, my car went through the snow without any problems. Where to find: We looked at several different models at several dealerships in the Fox Valley. We purchased off the lot at Bergstrom, but ordering was looking to be easy. The Nissan Aryia was merely a 6-week wait.
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Hello! My name is Lisa, and I am the current president of the 100% volunteer-led Sustain Greenville. We are more than the Greenville Farmer’s Market and would like to show you. Over the next few months, we invite you to visit our website to learn more about the team AND to discover a new favorite sustainable activity each week. Each month, a different member will share their environmental aha’s. We’d love to hear what you think! April: Lisa - current president Hello, I am the current president of Sustain Greenville. During the day, I work in health care. I am married and we have several children. I have been a resident of Greenville for over 20 years and a Sustain Greenville (SGV) member for over 10 years. I enjoy being a part of SGV as I have learned so much about improving the environment and making changes that make a difference. One of my pet projects is the Christmas light and wire recycling program. I am proud that we have partnered with a recycling company that recycles every part of the wires. We collect from businesses all over our area to prevent these tons of material from ending in our landfills. Watch our website to see how we do each year! My second topic is all about my family’s new rain garden! We planted this in the spring of 2023. Then we had a terrible drought! We worked with Emily Henrigillis AKA The Plant Gal LLC (wiplantgal.com) who helped us design a rain garden. She came to our house and did some calculations on what size garden we would need for the area we were planning on feeding with our gutters. We ordered most of our plants through the Wild Ones spring plant sale (https://foxvalleyarea.wildones.org) and some through Prairie Moon Nursery (Prairiemoon.com) for what we couldn’t get locally. When the plants arrived we had to get them into the ground quickly because it was such a warm and dry spring! My husband prepped the area by manually removing the sod and making some areas deeper. Planting was crazy! We have pure clay in our yard. There was not a bit of topsoil brought in when the house was built so digging was very difficult. We ended up purchasing a large drill bit to make the holes. My husband would dig the holes and our youngest daughter and I would plant the natives according to the plan. We had a lot of plants so the digging/planting process did take a few days. We planted over 100 plants! Good thing we have a well and solar to power the well because we had to water a lot at first but once they got established they started to look good. Surprisingly, we had many blooms the first year! What I found: The rain garden was quite a bit of work the first year but already was looking very nice by the end of the season. We had blooms early in the year and very late into the fall. I could not believe how many native bees and butterflies we would have at any given time. They never bother us either. Even the hummingbirds flocked to our garden. I am excited to pet a native bumble bee - I heard it’s a wonderful experience! The winter look of the garden was surprisingly beautiful. Why it is good for the environment: Natives are important to protect our native insects and birds. As we learned in our book club this year when we discussed “Nature’s Best Hope” by Douglas Tallamy, natives are a very important step in the food chain that if lost could affect humans in the way we live. Many of us understand that the Monarch butterflies need milkweed, but did you know that many birds, bees, butterflies, and even plants need each other to continue to survive as well? A rain garden takes the water from part of our roof and allows it to naturally filter down into the groundwater which prevents runoff and flooding. The plants have deep roots that purify the water. The plants also improve the soil in many ways which our soil needs! The plants are chosen because they have been here for many thousands of years and have evolved with the rest of the native creatures. Other: I am excited to see how these plants develop over time and fill in the space. Native plants are billed as “maintenance free”, however, I feel there will still be some work to be done, but so much less than the annuals and non-native plants I have worked with in the past. I am looking forward to getting out to enjoy all the flying creatures who will hopefully make our yard their home because we have planted some natives. Also, I am looking forward to saving money on less mowing, less weed and feed, and saving time from a lot of mowing! Our rain garden is not the end either! We have planted some other native gardens and some are hidden in plain sight. If you didn’t know it, you may not realize how much of our yard is native grasses, flowers, bushes, and trees. We are working on another native area in our backyard since most of our front yard is already native. We are slowly removing non-native turf grass so we will have much less area to mow - more time for ourselves! Don’t get me wrong - we are not 100% native nor probably ever will be! We have our vegetable garden and we fiercely fight with the rabbits to keep them out. I also enjoy the spring bulbs that I interplanted around the natives. But, with each area we plant more natives, we are seeing more birds and butterflies. I can’t wait to get the lightning bugs back! Where to find: I try to shop locally whenever I can! The Wild Ones plant sales are amazing! I also liked Prairie Moon. There are some native nursery stores in the area as well. It is hard to pick out natives from non-native plants. Even worse - the invasive plants! Do your homework and ask questions. We are happy to help with our limited knowledge. I’d love to hear where you find your natives! My garden is sleeping because as I write this it is snowing out. Hopefully, spring will be here soon and I will have some pictures to share. Know that you do not have to hire someone, nor does your native garden have to be large, any little bit helps! We would love to see your native plantings! This first week I am discussing removing plastics from my shower. I have long, fine hair and sensitive skin. I have fallen in love with shampoo and conditioner bars. They clean and condition well without all the chemicals and extra weight that comes with standard bottles of shampoo and conditioner. They are a bit more expensive than the bottles, but since they last much longer, I am saving money. I have tried a few different brands and so far my favorite is The Earthling Co. No chemical ingredients, natural fragrance, sulfate-free, and climate neutral. There are many brands and many of them worked very well. What I have found: Great lather, clean hair without any residue, and lightly scented. I appreciate there is no plastic in the packing or the product. I also noted when I got some in my eyes, it was barely noticeable. Due to my fine hair, I needed something that would not weigh down my hair nor dry it out. I found this product worked! I had no skin irritation either. Because my hair is long, I avoid washing daily and found that between washes I don’t need to worry about oiliness! I no longer need a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and co-wash. It is a good deal without any hype. Why is this good for the environment: When you buy bottles of shampoo and conditioner, you are purchasing the water and the plastic. Those items make the product heavier which contributes to increased carbon use to get from the manufacturer to your home. Things that weigh more use more fuel. Then when you finish the bottle, you have to rinse it to make it recyclable, wasting water. Next, you place it in your bin and a truck picks it up to bring it to the recycling plant. In addition, some plastics cannot be recycled and therefore add to our burden in the landfill. Landfill items take an extremely long time to decompose. Plastic is potentially shed from the bottles when you use them and added to the microplastics in our environment. Other products: I have switched out standard bars of soap or liquid body washes to a natural bar soap for the same reasons as above and found my skin to dry out less frequently and clean just as well if not better. While The Earthling Co. has a body bar which I liked, I usually purchase soaps made locally - even purchased at our farmer’s market! I am planning to switch to a shaving bar or just use my body bar. I’ve already found a good face bar from Spinster Sisters Co., although I could probably use my body bar here too. We’ve switched out our hand soap to a reusable glass bottle to make foaming hand soap. We purchase plastic-free tablets, add water from the tap and we are good to go! And, most recently, we purchased bamboo toilet paper from Who Gives a Crap. We just got it so we haven't tried it yet!
Where to find: I tried The Earthling Co, The Free Market (on WI Ave in Appleton), Lush (inside the Fox Cities Mall in Grand Chute but did not like the conditioner and that was the only thing I tried), local farmer’s markets, Target online, and Spinster Sisters Co. Of course, I am sure Amazon would be a good place too but be sure you are not getting something that has chemicals or is made in a country like China where things are not as regulated. Have fun! We would love to hear from those of you who have their plastic-free favorites for the bathroom or other rooms! |
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Based in Greenville Wisconsin, Sustain Greenville is a volunteer organization that promotes eco-friendly activities that support a sustainable environment. We sponsor the Sustain Greenville Farmers’ Market and several recycling and educational events. You are invited and encouraged to get involved and participate!
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