PC Recycles Updates

by The Cowl Editor on February 7, 2019

Eco Updates

by Maddie Stephen ’21 and Payton Morse ’20

Eco Representatives

Valentine’s Day is a beautiful day for couples, family, and friends to show their love and appreciation for one another. This is frequently expressed through Hallmark cards, flowers, or chocolates.

However, most of the cards and flowers get thrown away and the chocolate goes uneaten. In fact, 65 percent of the cards given on Valentine’s Day end up in the trash.

This year, try having a “green” Valentine’s Day! Rather than splurging on an expensive card, make a homemade one. Look around the house for scrap paper and old pictures. This gives the card more meaning and a personal touch.

If creativity isn’t your thing, look in the store for cards that say, “made from recycled materials.” This prevents the exploitation of resources.

Furthermore, approximately $2.1 billion are spent on flowers every year. Consider recycling the flowers you received. There are easy ways to make flower perfume or potpourri at home. Just do a simple Google search for instructions. If that doesn’t interest you, bring your flowers to a nursing home or hospice center.

Despite being a bit old, the flowers will be much appreciated by those receiving them, will help cheer them up, and put a smile on their faces.

This year, spend quality time with your loved ones, a gift that lasts forever. Take your date on a hike, enjoy the fresh air, and make memories that will last longer than a card, flowers, or your box of chocolates (it will save you calories too)!

Eco PC Updates

by The Cowl Editor on December 6, 2018

Eco Updates

by Maddie Stephen ’21 and Payton Morse ’20

Eco Representatives

With the semester coming to a close, the holiday season is rapidly approaching. The holiday season is a time of great happiness and cheer, but also a time of great waste.

However, there are many ways you can reduce your waste so that the holidays do not have a major impact on the environment.

A great place to start reducing your waste over the break is with wrapping presents. In fact, every year, 30 million trees are chopped down in order to produce wrapping paper. However, most wrapping paper is not recyclable.

Keep an eye out for wrapping paper made out of recycled goods, or use recyclable wrapping paper.

Other methods include wrapping presents with colored newspaper or recyclable gift bags, that you can decorate while at the kitchen table for some quality family time.

Rather than purchasing new supplies and goods each season, consider reusing materials from past holidays.

When you open a present that has a pretty bow or ribbon, tuck it away in a box and then save it for the next gift.

This also goes for decorations. Rather than buying new lights and decorative Santas to put around the house each year, store them all away in a closet to save them.

This will not only help reduce your consumption but will save you money when you do not have to purchase new supplies and decorations.

Lastly, think twice before purchasing and sending out Christmas cards to all your loved ones. The cards themselves, and the envelopes that you stick them in, results in a lot of unnecessary paper and resource consumption.

Although most of the cards and envelopes themselves should be recyclable, there is no guarantee that they will be recycled.

Most likely they will be put in the trash and not the recycling bin. If all the Christmas cards sent this year were placed next to each other, they would stretch around the world 500 times.

Therefore, instead of purchasing the cards, try making them yourself with recycled paper. They will be much appreciated. Or, cut back even more by sending an e-card this holiday season.