Happy Holiday Card Recycling

Janet talks with other moms around town about what they do with old holiday cards.

Somewhere along the line, the holiday card evolved into one captioned picture or collage designed to capture the essence of an entire year.  I find myself stressing about my holiday card in early fall. I search for the perfect picture. I try to catch my kids playing in the leaves, jumping on the trampoline or in those rare moments, being nice to each other. I spend hours on the computer formatting my card and thinking of a cute caption or saying. Crazy? Yes!  My borderline obsession with my own family card has filled a drawer in my china cabinet with hundreds of other families' cards. I can't bring myself to dump their works of art into the recycling bin. Many women I spoke to feel the same way.  Most of us pack the cards away with our …

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Freecycling a Success

Tons of household items were reused or recycled this weekend.

Bicycles and gardening supplies. Old TVs and stereo equipment. Books, toys and games. All of it was brought to the second Freecycling event and all of it was taken away. “The event was a huge success from both an environmental and a community perspective and was also a lot of fun,” said David Moskowitz of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission. “Not only were we able to keep a vast amount of stuff out of our landfill, but the event hammered home the mantra to "reuse rather than dispose." Freecycling was a chance for people to donate and recycle virtually anything by bringing it to the Crystal Springs parking lot. People were invited to bring or take items such as furniture, clothing, bicycles, fish tanks, kitchen items…

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Film Looks at How Plastic Bags Affect the World

Documentary "Bag It" to be shown tonight at the library.

It began as a friendly challenge between two Colorado communities. Before long, it spawned an idea for a 20-minute short film, which soon grew into a feature-length documentary, then into five awards from film festivals across the United States. Now, “Bag It,” the film that asks if your life is too plastic, will screen at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday, June 2), the East Brunswick Public Library. The documentary, produced by Colorado resident Michelle Green and directed by award-winning filmmaker Suzan Beraza, follows a man’s rather unusual world tour. The man, Jeb Berrier, scours the world to find out how plastic bags are used in different cultures and how various communities have set about dealing with the environmental and health dangers that…

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House and Home

How to Pack an Eco-Friendly Lunch

Moms look to create waste-free lunches.

The way moms pack a school lunch has changed dramatically since I was in grammar school. When I was in elementary school, I toted a metal Charlie Brown lunch box and much of my lunch was wrapped in foil or plastic wrap. I also drank from a glass-lined thermos (until the lining broke). When I got older, I used a simple brown bag (that was tossed at the end of my meal) to carry my lunches. These days, many moms pack lunches in re-usable containers in an effort to cut down on the amount of waste generated in school cafeterias. (Just think of all those plastic forks, knives and straws, juice boxes and sandwich wrappings that get thrown out daily.) When I pack lunches for my daughters, I try to use re-usable containers – my girls carry their …

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