Green Tips

Avoid using them!!  “Bug Zappers.” are indiscriminate and non-selective: they attract and kill all kinds of insects unnecessarily.

Contact the Garden Helpline offered by Buncombe County Master Gardeners. Send questions and photos to buncombemg@gmail.com or call 828-250-4878.

Squash the plastic bottles and cans if you can but do not flatten them like a pancake because they would be hard to separate from paper recyclables.

Store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator to extend the life. If only using occasionally, store in freezer.

Cut down on packaging by choosing tea bags that don’t have strings and tags or are in individual wrappers.

Sunscreens labeled “reef-safe” may not mean that they are 100% reef-friendly (non-harmful to coral reefs) because the label is not currently regulated.  FMI: Environmental Working Group’s guide to sunscreens.

To make ocean-friendly choices when you eat seafood, check out Monterey Bay Aquarium’s  consumer guide at seafoodwatch.org

No More Hormone Eggs

As reported in Consumer Reports, eggs labeled “raised with no hormones” are no different from eggs that don’t have that claim.  By law, chickens that produce eggs cannot be given hormones.

Every once and a while, check the rubber gasket on your gas cap to be sure it’s not cracked and allowing gasoline to evaporate because of a poor seal.

When shopping for wood products, look for a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label.  The Council certifies that the wood comes from sustainably managed forests.