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Whitby Free Prose, Wednesday. Apili 20,1994, Page 23 'OA* Consumers Gas1L sponsors tree-plantîngs at schools 1Blue spruce trees wilI be plan- ted at a Whitby sehool as part of Earth Day initiatives, held by To the editor. Earth Day'94 is coming up on Friday, April 22. For people locally who haven't done much in the way of environmental action, here are three suggestions for simple smail steps that may help getUou going. The first is to maire a pledge to stop buying coffee in disposable cups. Iles easy te develop the habit of carrying a reusuable mug, and in doing so, you'll help cut down on the garbage probleni. Paper cups contribute te deforestation and its many related environinental impacts, while the foam ones contribute te ozone depleton (the HCFCs with which CFCs have been replaced are stIl ozone-depleting). Another simple way te help is te stop warming up and idling your car. Not only is idling bad for car engines and a crazy way to burn up money, it also contributes to health and envirornental problems. I guesa it stands to reason that, if car exhaust in an enclSe space can il, there must be some pretty Con sumers Gas. Each year, holda an essay ci Consumera Gas ontest for Grade nasty stuif coming out of those tailpi peu.. The guideline I have heard ie to turn the engine off if you're stopping for more than 10 seconds. Air pollution is believed to contribute to fast-increasing rates of allergies and asthma. We can help do something about that. Thirdly, start -composting. Composting reduces household wastes by one-third or more and the end product is great for Iawns, gardens and shrubs. Durhami Region's works department is holding composting sales and information worlcshops in both Whitby and Newcastle on April 30. Cail the region at 668-7721 (collect if necessary) for more details. These tips alone certainly won't "save the planet,' but we ail have te start somewhere, don't we? It's easy te say, "What can one person do?" but until more of us as individuals make a commitinent te change, how can we expeet governments and businesses te doseo? 7 and 8 students. Each school selects a winner who is awarded a prize by Consumera Gas. Schools selected for this year's tree-panting project were those which participated in last year's essay contest. The tree-pIanting in Whitby wiIl be at Si. Matthew Evangel- Th secret-- out! I etlz yu a n Ihycl tgas ouIaig rbg Ieeshw In -owrc I I 1/2 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ist Catholic School at 60 Willow- brook Dr. at il a.m. "These annual events give Consumera Gao an opportunity to increase employee.and public awareness or environmental issues, and to demonstrate our comxitment throu h actions that help improve the environ- ment," says Don Fergusn, chair of the Consumers Gas central reio environmental action com- riee Tree-plantings will also be held at other schools in Durham Region. The treeS were donated by White Rose Crafts and Nursery. FREENER 'S 'STE iOLVED!m Lawn care experts agree that grass clippin< ýJust leave them be - nature wiII do the res yclin g... it makes your lawn greener... with- ging. :n do the job. Make sure the blades are sharp, " Cut only 1/3 of the grass height with each mowing. " Cut grass to ifs ideal height of 2 to 3 inches. This encour- ages deeper roots and reduces evaporation. " Cut when the grass is dry. " Water your Iawn 1 inch per week, early in the day. " Dethatch your Iawn in spring or fali and compost the thatch. " You can also use modest amounts of clippings in flower beds and vegetable gardens'as a ferlilizer. 0Compost small quantities of excess ........ ]Ii.lpt.e.e. .r.n. . . . I For more information on Grasscycling please contact your municipal-office at:I Pickering Ajax Whitby Oshawa Clarington Uxbrîldge Scugog Brock (905) 668-7721 420-4630 683-2951 668-3437 725-7351 623-3379 852-9181 985-7393 (705) 426-77?? I or (416) 869-3751 or 432 -2920 -- I I I I I I I I I r' I I I I I gs I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ) I I I I I I I I I I I try I Iv I I I I I I I I I 4? Win #1 - Newspiper aind flyer inisert reco%,ery iii Otntario liouseliolds wvth BIle Box service is an ilicredliblc 75%, excccding the fecleral mnd p)ro\,iicial %vaste reductiio, targets set for die yeair 2000. Win #2 - Ilhose ncevspapers - 250,000 tlnes of t hem - d id 't endi up iin la nd fi l; t hey werc recycled iib niore newsliriuit. WVin # 3- By saving. thle li dfill c osrs, :111d selliuig the old] ncwspaipers to lie recycleti, Quitario mmiicipalities saved millionis of dollars. Let's ke1' winning. Recycle your inewspapers ol Earth I)ay aind everyday. The Newspaper Publishers of Ontario à j Àr ÀwiFi-FÀýWÀm ý i