Go Green Ride at Five with Sarah Stone!

Go Green Tips for January 10

2011-01-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Mon, January 10th:

• My Daughter, Emily, came up with a water saving plan that she puts to use in the shower. Turning off the water while you wash and condition your hair saves gallons of water! She’s a smart kid!
• Putting a few more raw foods into your diet means less cooking and less energy used! Don’t just save the cut veggies and dip platter for company, make it part of the family meal! Heck, raw is the only way my nephew eats his veggies! There’s usually a bunch of dip involved…

Did you know that winter is the time of year that we use the most air freshener? Think about it, windows are closed, shoes are often sitting, wet, in the mud room, the smell of that alone, could convince the cat to put himself out! Those air fresheners add up in your at- home environment in the form of chemicals. Chemicals that you and your family are breathing in minute by minute. Don’t despair, there are all-natural ways to combat the smell of Junior’s sweaty snowboots and your youngest child’s last diaper change. You can purchase these products online, or at merchants like Vermont Soap in Middlebury. You can also use fresh plants and flowers strategically placed around the house to absorb some of these odors. Amarillis, we found out recently is a very potent flower. They’re seasonal, available around the holidays, so you can probably still find them locally. You buy the bulbs, put them in a dish with rocks or marbles and soak them in water. They bloom pretty quickly—it took ours about a week and a half. Their aroma pretty much overruled any other in our home, including the diapers. What you pay for air freshener can just be applied to plant and flower maintenance…you’ll almost break even and any additional spent is well worth the knowledge that the air in your home is fresh and chemical free. This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for January 7th

2011-01-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Fri, January 7th:

• Washing your clothes in cold water, as opposed to warm or hot will save you energy in the long run. Most of today’s detergents are meant for cold water wash, anyway, so I can promise you won’t notice the difference, except in your electric bill!
• Paul in Bristol emailed me with this great tip to save energy: The rule of his house is only one light turned on in a room at a time. He admits, though, that there exceptions to that rule, like when his wife dropped one of her expensive diamond earrings. The search for that required every light in the house!

This week, we’ve been talking about ways to contradict the CVPS rate hike effective this week. Here’s some great stats that I pulled from another informative website: willyoujoinus.com. If you use a CFL in place of one lightbulb this year, you’ll save enough energy to play a video game for two hundred and one hours (not that I’d encourage that, unless it’s a wii, those things are a blast!) or if one hundred people joined you in replacing that one lightbulb, you could power six traffic lights for a year. And all it took was one lightbulb. Here’s another: I gave you the tip about washing your clothes in cold water earlier in the show. If you wash just one load in cold water instead of hot you usually use, you could save enough energy to read 42 emails OR if you found one thousand friends to join us, we could power a fire station for two whole weeks. That’s what I call an impact and all it started with was one load of laundry. Now, perhaps you’re one of the lucky ones, who can afford a higher electric bill. For the rest of us, though, the CVPS rate hike just isn’t in the family budget. My New Year’s Resolution this year? To not only keep my bill status quo, I’m after a bigger prize, it’s going down, baby, lower than it’s ever been. How will I do it? Small steps to add up to a big impact. This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for January 6th

2011-01-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, January 6th:

• Unplugging your appliances is a great way to save energy, but it can get tedious. In that case, everything plugged into a power strip with an off switch will also save you tons of phantom energy. Inexpensive power strips are available at your local hardware.

This week, we’re talking about ways to contradict the CVPS rate hike effective this week. A great place to visit on the web when you’re looking for ways to save energy is www.energysavers.gov. Super tips and great information about everything you ever needed to know about power usage, but were afraid to ask! It’s bookmarked on my PC!

Revisiting a tip we’ve talked about before, but now that we’re deep into the winter chill, here’s gentle reminder to keep an eye out for leaks. Windows and doors can rob you of your warm air if they’re not sealed properly. A tube of caulk can handle a big job when it comes to sealing areas around outdoor accesses. Buy some plastic wrap sealer from your local hardware. It’s cheap and easy to install over those older windows that you just can’t afford to replace, yet. Not only that, it’s invisible unless you’re standing right next to it. After taking the time to seal those leaks, you’ll be surprised at the difference, not only in the temperature of your home, but also in the cost of heating it. Just one more way to make sure that electric bill stays manageable despite the rate hike. Staying toasty and flush on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for January 5th

2011-01-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, January 5th:

• Saving energy can be easy when you’ve changed out all of your lights for CFL’s or LED’s. They run cooler and longer and use a lot less energy!
• Careful when purchasing CFL’s and LED’s, you usually get what you pay for. If it’s cheap, it won’t stand the test of time, unfortunately. But the investment in a quality product is worth it’s weight in gold!

This week, we’re talking about ways to contradict the CVPS rate hike effective this week. Here’s your reality check (cha ching!) If you lower your thermostat on your water heater by one degree this year, you’ll save enough energy to surf the web for thirty three hours. My daughter’s on Facebook for at least that long over a course of just a weekend! AND if one thousand people joined you, we could power a local school for 6 school days. My point? It all adds up, every light switched off, everytime you unplug that appliance before leaving the house for the day; that one small step, when multiplied with others, can make the impact. You can counter the rate hike, if you’re willing to just open your eyes a bit wider to notice the extra lights on in the room that you really don’t need; or that computer that’s sitting there waiting for someone to notice it’s still running, long after your child has switched from Skype chat to cell phone. One more: if you skip using the blow drier one day this month you could save enough energy to run your fish tank for two days, and if one hundred people joined you, we could, for one whole year, power 51 office computers. Yes sir, powering down on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for January 4th

2011-01-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, January 4th:

• If you thaw frozen food before cooking, you’ll take about 15 minutes off your cook time and save energy.
• Your drier will be more effective if you make sure to check the lint filter before each use. Clothes will dry quicker and the drier will run less.

Talking this week about ways we can counter the impending rise of our electric bills pending the recent rate hike by CVPS. To be fair, I do have say that according to the Edison Electric Institute, what we pay for electricity is substantially lower than other areas in New England. Here’s an inflation reality check: our power bills have increased by 20.8% since 1999. And we’re not alone. Other Vermont utilities have received rate increases ranging from 3.11 % to as much as 30.76 % in the past eight months. Whatever small comfort you derive from that…more power to you (no pun intended). So, the first step is a family meeting. We did ours yesterday. It’s time to put everyone on the same page. Now, I’m not talking about the “we don’t own the power company” lecture, unless your intent is to put them to sleep. Instead, a straight talk about what the power increase means to everyone whether it’s limiting the amount of time spent on the computer, or perhaps installing a surcharge for lights left on. My Dad’s idea, he put one in place when I was a teenager. I pretty much ended up handing my allowance right back to him the first month! It taught me to be more aware, that’s for sure! Lesson learned on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for January 3, 2011...Happy New Year!!!!

2011-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from 92.1 WVTK's Go Green Ride at Five with Sarah Stone!!!

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, January 3rd:

• Winter means more electricity usage! One way to cut back is to run the drier a bit less. Take advantage of wood stoves and fireplaces by hanging up that laundry by the fire. I love how it makes my clothes smell! Can you do all your laundry this way…no. But a few less articles in the drier, is a few steps in the right direction!

It’s 2011 and I think I’m still in shock. Anyone else feel this way? I don’t know what makes this particular year such a shock to my senses. Perhaps it’s the finish of the first decade of the millennium? That could be it. Coming soon to a 2011 electric bill near you will be the latest CVPS rate hike. I just got the news that it was approved by the Vermont Public Service Board to the tune of seven point four six percent effective as of Tuesday’s bill. Now, under this rate change, a residential customer using 500 kilowatt-hours per month would experience a $5.77 increase on their bill, from $78. 11 to $83.88. For my husband and I who live in a modest home, that increase will be a bit more. Last month our electric bill was $280., and that’s with heating our home. Usually, as a family of four, we use about 800 kilowatt hours. I consider that the norm after speaking with a few friends. Next month, I expect a twenty dollar or so increase. I consider that an “ouch”. So, thanks to the immediate change in my electric bill, my New Year’s resolution? You guessed it! Trying to keep our power usage down even further than what we might have been achieving before. If my daughter once considered me the light-switch-sheriff, she ain’t seen nothin’ yet! We’ll be talking all this week about ways we can keep “paying the electric bill” an obtainable objective. Powering down on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 21st

2010-12-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, December 21st:

• Want a great last minute gift? How about a membership to the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op? It enables them to a discount not only at the Co-op, but also at several other venues around town. A membership at the co-op encourages the thought of buying local!

So, with three and a half shopping days left, how are you doing with getting ready for the impending holiday? If it makes you feel better, I’m no where near done. AND I’m not sure when I’m going to make that miracle happen. Too bad I can’t just do a donation to my fourteen year old’s favorite charity. Teenagers don’t appreciate that kind of thing! One thing is for sure, after the big day comes and goes, all that giving will give way to one heck of a lot of waste. Wrapping paper, holiday cards, left overs, packaging, the tree…oh, I think I’ll stop there. What to do with it all? Tempting though it may be to shove it all into a garbage bag to put out to the curb, please, go through it carefully, because so much of it can be recycled. A good source of advice on what to do with all that left over holiday “fru-fru”, check out this website: addisoncountyrecycles.org. It offers an incredibly comprehensive list of everything on your Christmas garbage list. For example, the tree: you can arrange to have your tree picked up curbside, and on this website, they provide the number to call! I’ll post it up on my blog at 921wvtk.com if you’d like to click for the link at addisoncountyrecycles.org. Happy Holiday recycling on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 20

2010-12-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, December 20th:

• Not sure if the whole family is on board the recycle train? Find the answer in your trash can! Give it a quick glance every once in a while, just to make sure!

Vermont has been recognized once again as the greenest state in the nation. The website 24/7 Wall Street considered energy consumption, pollution problems and state energy policies in evaluating the environmental standing of states. The report found that Vermont, among other measures, releases the fewest cancer causing toxins and has the smallest carbon footprint in the country. And that’s all well and good and reason to pat ourselves on the back. But let’s take off our rose-colored glasses for a moment: Vermont is also rated 49th in population, less people make less waste. Not only that, less factories than say, Ohio, who was ranked pollution-wise somewhat lower. So our number one ranking doesn’t necessarily refer to what we’re putting out as much as the policies that have been put in place. Vermont has a number of policies to promote efficiency, alternative energy, and reduce pollution, and so far it has succeeded better than any other state where that’s concerned. So, we have policies…but, where do you come in? That’s the question I ask myself, am I doing all I can to make sure my impact continues to lessen? Is there one more light I can turn off? Try to better coordinate my trips around town so I’ll use less fuel? Can I lower the thermastat any further without my daughter threatening to move out into the cold where , she swears, it must be warmer? I think the fact that I’m considering these things means I’m moving in the right direction. Care to join me in the migration? I hope so! Happy Holidays from the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Dan Parks/"The Blame" December 17th

2010-12-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to know more about "The Blame" and where to catch their unique sound, live, visit their website: www.theblameonline.com

You can also download a copy of their latest single, "Christmas Eve"!

Go Green Tips for December 17th

2010-12-17T09:42:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, December 17th:

• Sure the kids want the latest technology under the tree, but I’m a huge fan of any gifts that encourages them to get outside-no matter the weather. Sleds, skiis, cool wintertime wear, even their very own snow shovel can be a thrill for a young child.

• Holiday shopping without a reusable shopping bag is like jumping without a parachute! Only the plastic bag you get stuck with is what ends up-splatt!-in a landfill!

Go Green Tips for December 16th

2010-12-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, December 16th:

• A new coat for Christmas means your gently used coat can be donated to one of our local resale shops! Pay it forward!!

Winter is here whether the calendar knows it or not, and now that we’ve winterized our homes on the inside, it’s time to find fun stuff to do outside! The kids are about to be out of school, why not have a list of fun outside activities sitting at the ready! A great one for a snow day would be animal tracking. If you have access to a forest or extended field, head on out with a camera and go in search of differing animal paw prints. It can be very exciting, especially if you happen across a larger print! Then, when you come back in to thaw out over some hot chocolate, (don’t forget the marshmallows!) sit down at the computer and find out what you’ve tracked! Visit U.S. Search & Rescue’s website about animal tracks for some great help in the endeavor! Do you have a fun wintertime outside activity to share? Email it to me: sarah@921wvtk.com! Finding green winter-time fun on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 15th

2010-12-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, December 15th:

• Trim your tree with energy slashing LED lights! They’re cooler to the touch and safer if you have small children or animals to consider!

The other day I was talking about holiday parties that my husband and I have been invited to. We have another one coming up, for his workplace. Gift giving is often a part of these parties, most require you to draw a name and put up a limit that you must stick to. Some twenty, some ten, based on the majority’s financial welfare. This year, the organizers of my husband’s company Christmas party decided to coordinate a gift exchange that requires you to not buy a new gift, but to give up something that you already own. Up to you what that might be as there’s no limit on the gift’s worth. Not only that, but the exchange is random and if what you receive does not necessarily fit your tastes, you can exchange the gift with someone else. I adore this idea! It’s giving permission to regift! You know, regifting has gotten a bad reputation. When truly, it’s making use of something that otherwise would just gather dust, up on a shelf. The original gifter would want the item to be put to use, right? So, this year, reuse, renew, recycle, REGIFT! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Diana Rule/John Graham Emergency Shelter December 14

2010-12-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to know more about the John Graham Emergency Shelter, feel free to email Shelter Manager, Diana Rule at jgesrule@yahoo.com

Go Green Tips for December 14th

2010-12-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, December 14th:

• Buying local is the trend this year and a great way to do it is to pick up some Middlebury Money! It makes an ideal stocking stuffer or gift for your kids’ teachers. It’s simply ideal for that someone in your life who is nearly impossible to buy for. Look to buy Middlebury Money at The National Bank of Middlebury, The Vermont Book Shop and The Middlebury Inn!

Upon receipt of our electic bill this week, my husband and I have reason to pat ourselves or each other on the back. We are officially using less electricity than we did this time last year. How we did it, was a few choices and sacrifices we put in motion, and everyone one of them not as painful as we thought they’d be. Our hot water heater is now set on 120 degrees, Its colder out, but that doesn’t mean the water needs to be hotter. We also make use of our ceiling fans. We set them on reverse which circulates warm air near the ceiling back down to your living space. We have high ceilings, the fans are a must! And then our simplest sacrifice has been keeping a better eye on the thermostat. Though I’m making more use of my sweater collection, we are not using as much energy when we keep the temperature a bit cooler. The biggest sacrifice there is listening to my fourteen year old complain, but that’s pretty much par for the course, anyway! Gripe, gripe, gripe and it’s my job to give her something to gripe about! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 13th

2010-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Mondday, December 13th:

• Re-use idea alert! Still have last year’s holiday cards? Use them this year for colorful gift tags. Use serrated scissors to cut out interesting images and dress up your wrapping this year! Better yet, assign that fun to your child!

My husband and I went to the first of our planned holiday parties this past weekend, we had a lovely time…but it got me thinking about ways we can make our holiday festivities a bit more environmentally friendly, without sacrificing the fun factor. First…do a potluck! It’s human nature to be more relaxed and enjoy a party when you’ve contributed to the effort. Tell friends to bring a dish or some kind of goodie and encourage them to carry the casserole in a reusable dish. A pretty dish adds charm to your table, unlike an aluminum foil disposable pan. That’s an eyesore. Also, help your friends arrange a carpool to your party. Perhaps, if one of your buddies is a non-drinker, they might be willing to handle the job of Chauffeur, so that others can imbibe without adding to the danger of our roadways later on in the evening. Not only that, they’d all save on fuel and lessen their impact. And don’t forget to have non-alcoholic drinking options available. Something other than what comes in a can. Spiced eggnog or a holiday punch would be great choices. Green can be festive on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 10th

2010-12-13T14:12:00.001-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, December 10th:

• Road salt is a must when it comes to getting from point A to point B without ending up in a ditch, but when it comes to your sidewalk, try to use either sand or CMA which are a bit more eco friendly and don’t harm plantlife.

Since the snow hit, my husband has bemoaned the fact that we don’t own a snowblower or a plow. Sorry honey. Instead, the poor guy goes out with his handy dandy shovel and starts the painful process. He’s six foot four, so it’s even more back breaking. Today, though, I received an email from a listener about a super cool wheeled shovel. Have you ever heard of it? It’s called the Sno Wovel Wheeled Snow Shovel. You push it ahead of you and it pivots up and down to shovel a line of snow and then you lift up the shovel and throw the snow onto a pile at the end of your line. Does that make sense? I like it because there’s no noise or fuel required and it’s a lot easier on the back. You have to check it out! I’ll put the website link up on my blog on 921wvtk.com. Take a look…what an awesome gift idea!! Saving fuel and our backs on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 10th

2010-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Go Green Tips for December 9th

2010-12-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, December 9th:

• Keeping an eye towards getting the most bang for your buck: adjust the temperature in your refrigerator and freezer. Of all household appliances, refrigerators use the most electricity. You can maximize the efficiency by setting your fridge at 37 degrees and your freezer at 0.

Many have trouble imagining the generosity of a bank but I received a press release today that I’d like to share concerning just such a thing. People’s United Bank, formerly Chittenden Bank, has just donated fifteen thousand dollars to the CVPS Shareheat Fund. The People’s United Bank donation will go into a pool of funds that will be used to match customer donations to the heating assistance program. Customer donations, along with the matching dollars, are distributed to five community action agencies across the state to assist those in need; and this season, more Vermonters than ever will be feeling the pinch when it comes to heating their homes. I’m often preaching to turn down your heat to save money, but so many of our neighbors face the bleak reality of no heat at all. CVPS Shareheat is a program of last resort for over 1,000 Vermont families each year. Funds are available to assist people who face heating emergencies, often because they never expected to need assistance so they didn’t prepare, or they lost their job. CVPS Shareheat is for those who have exhausted all other available assistance and options. If you know someone who fits this description, please encourage them to call their local community action agency to get the assistance they need. This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 8th

2010-12-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, December 8th:

• What’s your hurry? Driving 10 mph above 60 is like adding nearly 50 cents to the price of a gallon of gas, since higher speed equals more guzzling.

Have you made out your Christmas list yet? I think I’ve already mentioned my daughter producing hers after some time spent on the computer. It was footnoted, itemized, and had labeled pictures attached. Anyway, some great, green suggestions for inexpensive gifts: a new travel coffee mug, everyone could always use one more of those! It would mean more of us using less of those disposable coffee cups! If your child doesn’t already have a copy of Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax”, that’s a wonderful gift to reinforce the issue of preserving our natural resources. It’s one of my daughter’s favorite books! A gift certificate for local shopping, some Middlebury Money or a gift card from the local coop would make anyone a happy recipient! If you have a green gift idea you’d like to share, feel free to email it to me: sarah@921wvtk.com! Gifting green on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for December 7th

2010-12-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, December 7th:

• As the temperature drops, so should your thermostat! Especially if you have guest, more people in the house, more body heat! And if the oven is busy baking goodies, it can be set even lower, still!
• Looking to weatherize your attic? Don’t miss the free home efficiency workshop this Wednesday night at 7pm in the Illsley Library’s conference room in Middlebury. It’s presented by Fred Lugano, a local weatherization expert and author. Go to 921wvtk.com for more info!

Just taking a headcount: who had cold ankles last night as they trudged out of work, into the snow yesterday? Yes, my hand is up but I wore my boots today! And you know, I have no excuse, I hear the Weather Channel’s very accurate reports twice an hour, for heavens sake! Anyway, enough about the bubble I live in. Now that we are nearly knee deep in the white stuff, time to talk winterization! Did you know that drafts can waste 5% to 30% of your energy use? It’s an easy problem to correct, start simple: plug up a drafty door with a rolled-up towel, or get creative, sew up a tube and make a googly-eyed draft snake or long skinny Santa Claus for a festive accent piece. For a few bucks, you can insulate windows with shrink film and seal gaps with caulking. Of course, if you have a bigger budget, you can further reduce airflow, install storm windows and doors, which could save up to 45% of energy. Shiver not and waste not on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Addison Repertory Theater/December 6

2010-12-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

If you'd like more information about the ART program at Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury or would like to make a donation that will enable "Peter to Fly" in their upcoming production of "Peter Pan", feel free to visit their website:

addisonrepertory.com

or email the following: Steve Small or Candace Burkle

Go Green Tips for December 6th

2010-12-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, December 6th:

• Thinking of dropping the holiday cards in the recycling bin after they’re read, re-read and enjoyed. Make sure they have nothing attached that’s not recyclable. For instance, if the card speaks or sings to you, it’s not recyclable.

Eighteen shopping days left to get it all done. My husband and I were out and about yesterday, trying to at least, make a dent. We did, but just barely! Since gas prices are rising once again, many are opting to simply shop online this year, to avoid the long trip to the mall. That’s okay, if you’ve got the room on your credit card, but watch out, they get you on shipping. I’m really trying to keep it local as much as possible, our local merchants could really use the business. These days, consumers aren’t the only ones who are suffering. The businesses that flock our main streets take a hit when we take what few dollars we have elsewhere. Some might tell them to lower their prices to bring the consumer back in, but that’s not as easily done as said. The bigger the store, the bigger the deals, but service and quality is what you have to be willing to sacrifice. I’m not so sure the trade off is worth it. Pondering…on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Audrey Butler/ Epilepsy Foundation of Vermont/December 3rd

2010-12-03T13:54:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to contact Audrey, inquire about volunteering or donate an item for the 3rd Annual WVTK Radio Auction on Tuesday, December 7th, call:
1-802-775-1686 or 1-800-565-0972

or visit their website: www.epilepsyvt.org.

Go Green tips for December 3rd

2010-12-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, December 3rd:

• A friend of mine’s daughter bought a plain canvas bag for a buck and then decorated it with holiday decorations. She gave it to her mom and told her it’s her official Christmas shopping bag! It’s good sized to handle a load of gifts, that kid is smart!
• Remember the power strip for holiday decorations! That way you just have flip one switch to turn them all off!

It’s a Very Merry Middlebury Weekend, here at 92.1 WVTK. Tomorrow, in addition to all the fun activities happening in Downtown Middlebury, the Better Middlebury Partnership is also featuring free gift wrap service at 51 Main from 10am to 1pm. Volunteers will wrap any present bought in the town of Middlebury. You just have to show your receipt. That’s a great way to save your self some money this year, not buying all that wrapping paper! Now, if you insist on the personal touch and really want to do it yourself, here’s a couple of alternatives to buying one time use paper. You can repurpose newspapers, magazines, or old posters or maps to wrap up something special in a special way. Even better, turn bandanas or pillowcases into furoshiki (traditional Japanese wrapping cloths) or deliver gifts in a reusable bag or even a handmade purse, sort of a gift within a gift!. If every family wrapped just three gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. Wrapping it up on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for December 2nd

2010-12-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, December 2nd:

• I asked my daughter yesterday to make out her Christmas list for Santa and she immediately went to the computer to not only write the list, but to include pictures of some of the items so Santa will know exactly what to get her. The days of crayons and construction paper are over, I guess!
• Did you know you can arrange with your bank to receive your statement online? It’s a great way to save paper and clutter around the desk!

I told my husband this morning I wanted to start our holiday decorating earlier this year-this evening, to be specific. That’s not normal for me, I usually don’t get into the holiday mood until the third week of December, but with the economy and current events in the news, I’m feeling the need for jingle bells, garland and the smell of a pine tree in my living room. Know the feeling? As they sang in the show, Mame, I need a little Christmas or I guess, any holiday would do. Of course, I’m not encouraging anyone to head out and buy brand new decorations. That would be somewhat counter productive! Instead, I love to find ways to use what we already have in a new way. Do you have any plain Christmas ball ornaments? With some Elmers Glue and glitter, your kids, with your help, could make brand new decorations for the tree this year. The old popcorn chain, go one step further and put a bit of glue and glitter on pieces of popcorn, not all just some to accent the chain. It’ll really catch the lights of the tree! Do you love to display holiday cards? Don’t put them in one spot this year, instead distribute them throughout the house, they can add to the festive atmosphere! Lots of decorating ideas and all of them free! Jingle all the way on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for December 1st

2010-12-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, December 1st:

• Not that I’m preaching anything you haven’t heard before, however, our children may need to be reminded through your actions that the holidays are not about the biggest tree, the most gifts or the heaviest stocking. Time spent together is by far the best memory of the season!
• The holidays often involve a heck of a lot of travel! Over the river and through Rutland, Bristol and Hancock! What? That’s not how that song goes? Think now on how you can conserve your gas and combine your trips!

Holy red and green cow, Batman, It’s December, already! Happy Hanakkah to my friends of the Hebrew faith who will start their celebration this evening. Now, we’re still on the subject of holiday lights and I was asked a very good question through email this morning. John in East Middlebury wants to know if he can recycle his Christmas lights that no longer work. I went to the source, John, and posed your question to Don Magliente at Addison County Solid Waste Management District (addisoncountyrecyles.org). Don told me that if the strings are of the smallest twinkle lights, you know, the very little ones, those can be placed into the scrap metal trailer at the transfer station at no charge. However, If the bulbs are the larger type (or anything larger than the smallest bulbs), then the bulbs would need to be removed, first and thrown out before scrapping the wire. The light strings should never be put into a recycle bin or placed entirely in the trash. Parts are recyclable and should be taken to the transfer station. Thanks, Don and thanks, John for your email. Do you have a question about holiday recycling? Email me, sarah@921wvtk.com! Solving your recycling mysteries on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for November 30th

2010-12-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, November 30th:

• Money tight this year? Join the club! Shop our local second had and resale stores. Nearly new and a fraction of the original price, these gifts are even better because they’re twice loved!!
• Buying battery run toys or gifts this year? Stock up on the rechargeables! They last longer and lessen your impact!

Tomorrow is December first, therefore, we’ll talk holiday decorating, specifically, the tangled strings of lights that we’ll pull out of boxes, try to untangle and then put back into the boxes, utterly defeated. It is from experience that I speak. Yes, I do it, too. What to do with those strings of lights we no longer use, but still work? You can sell them online or trade them in, donate them to a local charity, they might not mind untangling them for you! Keep them to use as a fun night light for a little one or to use to decorate a campground this summer. When you are replacing those tangled strings, double check that the wire on the new set of lights has a holographic “UL Listed” tag (this ensures the product has been tested and evaluated for certification by UL’s laboratories). Keep it safe, when plugging in multiple strings to increase length, do not exceed more then three consecutive strings of lights. It’s better to buy the strings as long a length as you can find. Oh, and don’t forget to turn them off when you leave the house and when you go to bed. As to whether you prefer blinking or sustained lights, I’ll let you decide! (Go blinking!!!!) Happy stringing with the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green Tips for November 29th

2010-11-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, November 29th:

• When spending those holiday dollars this year, save money and keep local! Gas prices are rising and local merchants have lots of deals to share with you, the consumer!
• Over do it a bit last week on goodies? Don’t beat yourself up, instead, why not plan your meals a bit strategically with lighter choices like a couple of meatless meals. Perhaps a dip-itti-do night with veggies and lots of different low fat dip choices. The kids will love it!

Are you one of those who decorates the day after Thanksgiving? If so, I consider you an over-achiever! I can’t even go near the Christmas decorations until after December first and most of the time, it’s not even that early! I need transition time, work up to it, slowly, a light string and candy cane at a time. Speaking of light strings, LED strings are now cheaper than ever and are just a better choice to light strings of the past! They use a fraction of the energy of conventional light bulbs (up to about 15%) and they are cool to the touch and very durable, they’ll last you several years. If you’re online shopping you can find them that way or go Home Depot. For that matter, try your local hardware store! Call first, to make sure they’re in stock! We’ll be talking about lots of green choices to make during the holidays as The Go Green Ride at Five jingles on this month on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green Tips for November 24th

2010-11-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, November 24th:

• Shopping during the holidays? Try shopping local and keep your resources with your community!
• Planning that big meal for tomorrow is tricky! Keep an eye out for excess, because too much food means waste. Besides, you want them to save room for pie, anyway!

If you’re lucky enough to have the next couple of days off, take advantage and spend that time with your family. The number of times I’ve looked at my kids recently and thought: what happened? How’d they get to this point without me noticing? You don’t get these years back, and the want of them is an unbearable ache. So, forget about catching up with work, cleaning those dusty base boards or any other put off distractions you’d otherwise fill your vacation time with. Grab the kids and the dog and go on that long desired hike up that mountain in the distance or across that frozen field. Open up the game cabinet, have a gamers marathon, and the winner gets to put make up on the loser, or some such silliness that will one day be a precious memory they’ll share with their own kids. Appreciate and treasure the time you have with them now, because they’re off and gone before you know it. Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving from the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Kathy Hall/Vermont Adult Learning-November 23

2010-11-23T14:17:00.000-08:00

Kathy would like one and all to come to their HUGE craft fair at Middlebury's American Legion this Saturday, Nov. 27th from 10am to 3pm. If you'd like to know more about the programs Vermont Adult Learning provides, email Kathy: khall@vermontadultlearning.org or visit their website: www.vtadultlearning.org

Go Green Tips for November 23rd

2010-11-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, November 23rd:

• Shopping during the holidays? Try shopping local and keep your resources with your community!
• Driving to family destinations for the annual gorging of the Thanksgiving holiday? That way the only gas expended will be a result of Aunt Mary’s stuffing. I did not just say that!

We all go a little crazy with the housecleaning when we’re anticipating a crowd of guests in our home. I’ve gotten a reputation for that in my house. I start a cleaning frenzy and my daughter asks me,”Who’s coming?”. I'd be insulted by that, but we do get a bunch of visitors, so I'm always cleaning. Try to keep in mind that using certain household cleaners can greatly increase the air pollution in your house or apartment, making the air you breathe irritating and even unsafe for your family and guests. Unless, of course, helping them find a reason to leave early is truly your purpose. Seriously, consider using safe, non-toxic cleaning methods and products. Make sure to also properly ventilate with fans and open windows if it’s not too cold outside. And then, when considering the menu, try to center it around local cuisine. Visit the coop and buy fresh! Oh and serve it on real dishes and save the paper products for the kids’ birthday parties! Celebrating a greener holiday on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

The Buzz for Food/Cyclewise-Ducati Vermont November 22

2010-11-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to know more about about Cyclewise/Ducati Vermont's Buzz for Food, email Tamara Boise, call (802)388-0669, or visit their showroom at 130 Ethan Allen Highway in New Haven!

Go Green tips for November 22nd

2010-11-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, November 22nd:

• Back to shopping, my favorite subject! For your holiday wear, this year, why not look into one of the fabulous resale shops we have in the area? The dressier the garment, the less it’s been worn: that equals nearly new!
• Reuse tip from an anonymous listener: save the wax packaging your cereal comes wrapped in. You can use it to bake with over the holidays or even package up a sandwich for lunch!

This morning as I sat down at my work computer, the first email that caught my eye was from my son’s school, Mary Hogan Elementary, here, in Middlebury. I love my son’s school, especially the professionals who are lucky enough to work with him, he is equally as lucky, by the way. They get him and therefore, he gets away with nothing! However, when I got the email this morning, it was a general email addressing all the parents about a special meeting taking place tonight. I’d love to receive more notices from my son’s school in this way. I loath the stacks of missives addressed to “parents” that often clog up Mike’s take home folder. Not due to his teacher or his aide, but that’s the way school administrators have always communicated with their parents. Nowadays, with everyone on email, it’s too bad they can’t try to enact a system where a parent can opt out of take home paperwork if they’re willing to hand out their email address. Less paper wasted, more resources saved. How do you feel about this? Feel free to email me at sarah@921wvtk.com or comment on the Go Green Ride at Five blog on 921wvtk.com. My soap box is never warm for long on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for November 19th

2010-11-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, November 19th:

• Planning on doing some shopping for festive wear to impress the boss with at this year’s holiday party? Remember to buy washable instead of dry clean only! You’ll save money and cut down on toxic chemical use!
• What’s for dinner tonight? Why not go meatless once a week? You’ll save money and encourage your family to eat more and different vegetables!

Let’s look at recycling by the numbers:
9 cubic yards: Amount of landfill space saved by recycling one ton of cardboard.
98 percent: Percentage of glass bottles in Denmark that are refillable. 98 percent of those are returned by consumers for reuse. Now, that’s an awesome example to follow!
20 million: Tons of electronic waste thrown away each year. One ton of scrap from discarded computers contains more gold than can be produced from 17 tons of gold ore.
544,000: Trees saved if every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones.
I could go on like this forever, but I think you know where I’m going with it. Reduce, reuse, recycle…reclaim. That’s the way to go green and we’ll help! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for November 18th

2010-11-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, November 18th:

• Wanna save on gas? Easy enough, leave early and drive the speed limit! Talk about maximizing your milage!
• BYOB! Bring your own bag, shopping bag, that is!

• As the weekend approaches, start thinking about your errands now. Grocery shopping for the holiday must be on that list, perhaps some gift shopping, as well? Maybe you’re thinking of kicking in a few home improvement projects before the house fills up with company on Thursday? Whatever you have on your list to accomplish this weekend, consolidation of errands is key. Especially with the price of gas rising. We’re officially over $3 a gallon now in Addison County, if you’re in Rutland county, you might be still riding that line and if you’re in Chittenden county, well, I don’t want to depress anybody, so let’s stop talking the price of travel. These days, it makes so much more sense to simply go into town and get it all done at one time. Especially if you’re headed into Rutland, Burlington or Williston. So much at your fingertips, take advantage and get it all done while you’re in the area. And by the way, gentleman, mm-hmm, you know who I’m talking to: making a list does not make you less of a man. And you can quote me! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Very Merry Middlebury/Middlebury Money-November 17

2010-11-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Wow! The Town of Middlebury will literally sing during the month of December! Very Merry Middlebury events will all be posted on our Area Calendar page at 921wvtk.com! Keep up to date with Addison County and find lots of ways to celebrate with your family!

Middlebury Money can be used like cash and you can purchase it at all Middlebury branches of the National Bank of Middlebury, The Middlebury Inn and The Vermont Book Shop. It can be used at any Middlebury business and makes the perfect stocking stuffer!

For more information about Very Merry Middlebury and Middlebury Money, visit: bettermiddleburypartnership.org or call (802)388-4126.

Jingle and Shop Locally!

Go Green tips for November 17th

2010-11-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, November 17th:

• Temperatures are cooling and odds are the windows probably won't be opening, anytime soon. Now is the time, before you have to stand in a foot of snow to do it, to store all your window screens. They definitely do not need to weather the winter with you and will have a longer life if carefully stored during the winter months!
• While I'm at it, make sure you've also already stored your summer equipment, as well. Your gardening implements, your hose, those open bags of mulch and potting soil, close them up tight and put 'em away!

In the green news: the county of Los Angeles is doing away with plastic bags. No, I'm not kidding. According to the Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted just yesterday to ban plastic grocery bags in areas of the county under its jurisdiction. The first phase takes effect in July 2011, when 67 large supermarkets and pharmacies must stop providing disposable plastic bags. By January 2012, the ban will cover 1,000 stores throughout the county. The ordinance also seeks to keep shoppers from turning to paper bags as an alternative by requiring stores to charge10-cents to the consumer per paper bag. This ban does not include produce and raw meat bags. In Los Angeles County alone, 6 billion plastic bags are used each year, an average, per year, of 1,600 bags per household a year. And studies show that only about 5% are recycled. Not everyone is thrilled about this measure, many worry they'll be forced to buy plastic bags to simply clean up after their pets. Not only that, smaller merchants will feel the pinch since many cannot afford to stock reusable shopping bags to make available to their customers. I do think this is a step in the right direction, what do you think? Feel free to visit my blog at 921wvtk.com and post a comment or email me at sarah@921wvtk.com to give me your opinion! Reusable shopping bags are the wave of our green future, I'm on board, despite the inconvenience, how about you?

Hope's Model Citizen Fashion Show/November 16

2010-11-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

If you'd like more information about Hope's Model Citizen Fashion Show at the Town Hall Theater on Saturday, November 20th at 7pm, www.hope-vt.orgor email Andrea Solomon at: asolomon@middlebury.edu.

Hope to see you there!

Go Green tips for November 16th

2010-11-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, November 16th:

• When you clean out the lint filter of your clothes dryer before each load, you’ll reduce your energy use by up to thirty percent! Maybe post a note above the dryer to remind the kids to do the same!
• Reuse is the second cardinal rule of recycling, but make sure that what you’re reusing is safe. Plastic soda and juice bottles as well as other plastic utensils aren’t made for multiple uses and can break down, releasing chemicals, especially in heat (like the dishwasher) and cold, (like the freezer).

Hopefully there isn’t something in the water, but I’ve had quite a few friends, recently, become new parents. I remember those days, fondly. It’s amazing all the supplies you need to achieve parental success and even then, it’s a crapshoot! One thing some of my listeners may not know, is that you should ALWAYS buy a new car seat. Do not use a hand-me-down. No matter what. This is due to changing safety standards, and the fact that you can’t always prove that a seat hasn’t been involved in an accident of some kind. Now, if you’re on the other side of child rearing and are ready to dispose of the car seat, here’s a few things you should do before you put that seat out with the trash. And by the way, I understand how hard it is to throw it out, especially because you basically had to pawn your right arm to afford the overpriced albatross. Back to business: do not donate your used car seat, instead, cut the harness straps in half; remove all covers and padding, and visibly damage the seat with a hammer so that the seat cannot be used again. Place the separate pieces in an opaque trash bag and dispose of as household trash. This is the one time that I will not preach reuse, renew and recycle. The Go Green Ride at five on 92.1 WVTK!

Vermont Actors Retertory Theater/November 15

2010-11-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

Vermont Actors’ Repertory Theatre is entering its 6th season of presenting playful, poignant and provocative theatre. ART’s season runs from November through May and includes full mounted productions, staged readings of the winners of their Nor’Eastern Play Writing Contest and new works all at the Brick Box in the Paramount Theatre in downtown Rutland. For more information about ART please visit their website at: www.actorsrepvt.org

Go Green tips for November 15th

2010-11-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, November 15th:

• In this age of Facebook, googling, utubing (is that a word?), etc., remind the kids to shut off the computer after they’ve logged off. It’s better for the computer and your electric bill.
• Last night on myth busters, they confirmed that keeping your tires air pressure at the recommended levels, ensures your vehicle is achieving the maximum fuel efficiency and giving you the most bang for your buck!

Less than two weeks away, Thanksgiving is looming and this year, my husband and I are hosting the celebration for our extended family. I’m looking forward to it, and dreading it all at the same time. Not because I don’t enjoy the family, I adore them one and all (just in case they’re listening!), but because of all the work that’s involved in organizing a gathering of that size, probably over twenty people. Taking shortcuts would be an option. Paper plates, plastic ware, store bought decorations, the list is endless of ways to cut corners. But time saved is not worth the impact on the environment. Eventually, the remnants of my special family gathering would end up sitting in a landfill and that does not sit well with me. Besides, I never get to use the good dishware, so it will see the sun for the day. I’d call it china, but, it’s merely the last set of dishes I own that is neither chipped or missing pieces. I keep it way up high away from the demolition crew better known as my family. I’ll use my best table cloth or cloths, cloth napkins, real silverware and encourage my daughter and her cousins to help with making our table centerpieces, place markers and other decorations to help us look as festive as I’m sure we’ll be feeling. Yes, indeed, I’m thankful to be green! The Go Green Ride at five on 92.1 WVTK!

Wilson & Moore/November 12

2010-11-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to hear more of Wilson & Moore or would like to grab a copy of their cd: www.wilsonmoore.net. You will also find these amazing musicians at The Art House in Middlebury's Marbleworks at 8pm on November 12th! Don't miss this performance! Don't miss your opportunity to check them out on utube, either! They have a few videos posted that you're sure to get hooked on! Spread the word! Email Chip or Jesse!

Go Green tips for November 12th

2010-11-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, November 12th:

• An incredible 69 percent of Americans still don’t recycle. Every once in a while, perhaps do an inventory check of your garbage can to make sure your entire family is on board the recycle ride!
• Air quality inside our homes is often much worse than the air outside. Ways we can improve it, non-toxic cleaners for a start and fill the house with plants, they absorb air pollutants and improve your ambiance!

Did you know that aside from being incredible annoying, a small drip from a faucet can waste up to 50 gallons of water a week? That’s enough water to run a dishwasher twice on a full cycle! Simply fixing the leak can save you money! So can installing a low flow shower head. We have one and I can’t tell the difference between that and the regular flow model. I’m picky, too. While we’re talking about saving water and money…don’t forget that those bottles of water you spend money on will end up in the landfill and forty percent of bottled water is tap, anyway. Now, investing in an inexpensive aluminum bottle that you can refill and keep with you for impending thirst, is a better way to go. I just bought a new one for $2.99 at TJMaxx. No, I’m not kidding. It’s cute, too! My fourteen year old wants one just like it, and if that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is! I’m stylin’ and green on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Eric Bussiere/Gathering of the Gamers/November 11th

2010-11-12T08:46:00.001-08:00

Remember, for all you game-heads: the Gathering of the Gamers takes off Saturday, Nov. 13th at 7am at the Ilsley Library in Middlebury. It's an all-day extravaganza that will wind down at 9pm. Tons of games to play, or bring your own to share, take part in the raffles and door prizes and enjoy the day! Email Eric to find out more!

Go Green tips for November 11th

2010-11-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, November 11th:

• Many believe that you use less gas idling your car than it takes to start the engine. Actually, idling your vehicle for more than 10 seconds exceeds the fuel needed to simply restart it. Waste, waste, waste; and ten seconds goes by in a flash, unless it’s an awkward pause…then it seems a lifetime…
• In the habit of leaving your computer on? Do it and your electric bill a favor and shut it down when it’s not in use. Go one step further and turn off the power strip it’s hooked into, as well!

On average how much junk mail do you think you receive a week? Five to ten pieces, or maybe it’s ten to twenty? What strikes me boldly is the waste. Endless piles of paper, serving no purpose other than to clog up first, our mailboxes and eventually, landfills. But what can we do? There’s a couple of websites that help with the process of getting yourself off direct mail lists: and https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t. Beware: sometimes, it costs money to enlist their services, so choose carefully. Perhaps another option is to make sure you don’t end up on the list in the first place. Whenever a cashier or website asks for your address or phone number for a company's rewards program, you're probably being added to a list of other victims soon to be dealing with said company's direct-mail campaign. Corporations track your purchases to identify what products you are more likely to buy, but a resounding "no" to their original offer to join that crowded club, can save you some postal harassment and subsequent trips to your shredder. Down with tangible spam on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Larry Goetschius/ACHHH/November 10th

2010-11-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

If you'd like more information about the upcoming flu vaccine clinic:

Go to www.achhh.org or call (802)388-7259

Here's the dates and locations:

November 18: 2-6pm, VFW, Exchange Street in Middlebury

Remember, the best action is PROaction! Get your flu shot!!

Go Green tips for November 10th

2010-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, November 10th:

• Get the kids to turn off video games (both the TV and the console) after they're done playing, and you'll win back about $100 per year.
• Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings. Sure, you don’t pay the bill, but take the initiative and turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more.

I went today, where I have never gone before. I started my holiday shopping before December. I’ve never been so proud of myself. It’s always such a huge dent in the budget in December, so I’m trying to spread it out a bit. There’s less impact on the account that way. This morning, I spent at TJ Maxx, discount shopping for my fashionista fourteen-year-old and ever growing ten-year-old. But it’s not always necessary to buy new for the holidays. Why is it that second hand is such a taboo under the tree? I have no problem with it, I got a beautiful sweater two years ago from my husband, who found it at Neat Repeats in Middlebury. I still enjoy wearing it! Shoping via your keyboard this year? Well then, go second hand online. Today, navigating through Google, I found some great sites where, instead of purchasing new DVD’s, books or games, I can swap what we have and no longer use for gently used or even new books, music, movies and games. Here's two sites to start with: swapadvd.com and swap.com. As long as you’re willing to pay the postage, you can save big time this holiday season by going second hand. This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

St. Mary's Parish Bazaar/November 9th/Information

2010-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

St. Mary's Parish Bazaar happens Saturday, November 13th from 9am to 4pm, features holiday decorations, Thanksgiving goodies, crafts and home goods. Raffle tickets are 3 for $5 or $2 each and are available at the Bazaar on the 13th or at any of the following:
St. Mary's Rectory, 326 College Street
St. Mary's School, 86 shannon Street
County Tire, 33 Seymour Street
Greg's Market, 3 Elm Street
Taylor Rental, 1448 Rte. 7 South
Pratt's Store, 2504 Rte. 22A, Bridport
Thread Connections, Rte. 7 South, at Creek Road
The drawing will be held on November 14th after 10am Mass; winners need not be in attendance.
Call 802-388-2943 for more information or email Davil Millson at copyman@gmavt.net.

Go Green tips for November 9th

2010-11-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, November 9th:

• Reuse idea alert! Do you keep your knives in a drawer? Use flattened, empty, paper towel rolls to sheathe your sharp utensils to avoid accidents!

Continuing our talk about getting our homes ready for the cold stuff. Last summer, if you remember, I encouraged one and all to buy ceiling fans if they hadn’t already installed them in their homes. I said at that time, you’ll use your fan all year long. How and why? Many ceiling fans come with a handy switch that reverses the direction of the blades and this is particularly useful in homes with higher ceilings. Counterclockwise rotation produces cooling breezes while switching to clockwise makes it warmer, because warm air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space. Thus, cutting your heating costs as much as 10%! Another quick fix that will save you money is lowering the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees F or even lower. When the temperatures are cooler outside, the water will feel warmer to your body, anyway. Take the temperature down and reduce your water heating costs by 6 to 10%. This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for November 8th

2010-11-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, November 8th:

• Wanna save on groceries? Try eating meatless once a week. Say hello to black beans and rice with some salsa added. Yeah, baby, that’s how I say “ole!”
• The classified ads aren’t just for lining the bottom of the bird cage, Take a look, you won’t believe what you’ll find…cheap or even better, for free. Talk about recycling, that would be my favorite kind!

Throwing an extra heavy blanket or comforter on your bed in winter can save the planet, sort of. For every degree you turn down the thermostat, you keep up to 320 pounds of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere over the course of the season. By the way, the myth that “keeping your heat on one setting is more efficient”, is just that – a myth. According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy or the ACEEE, you'd have to keep your home temperature four to six degrees cooler all the time (brrr!) for the savings to equal setting it back the recommended eight degrees when you are at work or under the covers. Just don't turn off your heat completely in freezing weather since that might be dangerous for your pipes. The ACEEE says that with twice-daily, eight-degree, eight-hour setbacks, you can save 16 to 32 percent of your heating energy. So, adjust away!!! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for November 5th

2010-11-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, November 5th:

• Green your fridge! Make sure the temperature is kept between 35 and 38 degrees, double check that the door is air tight and make sure it’s positioned away from your hot appliances.
• It’s right about now, when we begin to see the signs of the season that we tend to boost up our heat. If you want to save money, you’ll turn that thermostat the other way and put on a sweater!

Go Green tips for November 4th

2010-11-04T12:50:00.001-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, November 4th:

• Cooler temperatures means digging out those winter time duds. The perfect time to schedule a clothing swap with some friends! Their kids are outgrowing what your kids will soon be able to fit into! One of my favorite winter jackets I got from a friend’s growing son!
• Love to shop with friends? Think of it as a carpool and do it more often to save gas!

Though many people gear up to work on their yards and gardens in the spring or summer, fall is actually an ideal time for yard work. Here’s a couple ideas for bringing your garden to life in the fall: By the time autumn rolls around, summer heat waves are long past, especially in Vermont. Rainfall is usually more plentiful, especially if we use today as a gage and new trees, bushes and flowers have a greater chance of surviving than they would if they were planted during a hotter season. Choose species native to your area as well as those that are drought and pest resistant and can grow in the kind of soil and amount of sunlight available on your property. In otherwords, don’t be afraid to ask questions at Agway or whereever you buy your greenery. Fall is also a perfect time because garden centers are often running specials this time of year. Gardening in the Autumn means saving money! Those leaves on the ground make the ideal ingredients for Springtime soil if you compost them now! So, don’t bag’em, compost ‘em! Never too late to talk gardening on The Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for November 3rd

2010-11-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, November 3rd:

• This morning instead of idling my car to defrost the windows, my husband moved it into the sun for me. We save gas and limit our emissions impact that way! Besides, I hate scraping!

This morning I got a big taste of what’s to come in the cooler seasons ahead when I walked out of my carpeted bedroom onto the hard cement floor of my living room. The feeling has just returned to my toes. That got me turning my thoughts toward my drafty home. This year, we’ve decided to cut back on our heat a bit to save a few bucks a month. So it’s very important we make sure our house is air tight and ready for winter. It’ll be here before we know it! Catching those drafts is probably the easiest task to start with. Making sure you’ve applied caulk where you can around windows to seal those leaks. If you live in an older house and don’t want to replace those antique windows, and who would blame you? Then why not buy a window insulation kit? Installed correctly, the plastic is virtually invisible unless you come up right against it and it’s an inexpensive alternative to replacement. Adding a buffer against drafts and extra still air space can give a nice boost to your older home's ability to hold heat. Bundling up, and keep the warm air in on the Go Green Ride at Five.

Larry Goetschius/ACHHH November 2nd

2010-11-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

If you'd like more information about the upcoming flu vaccine clinics:

Go to www.achhh.org or call (802)388-7259

Here's the dates and locations:

November 4: 2-6pm, St. Peter's Parish in Vergennes
November 18: 2-6pm, VFW, Exchange Street in Middlebury

Remember, the best action is PROaction! Get your flu shot!!

Go Green tips for November 2nd

2010-11-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, November 2nd:

• Keep recycling in mind when you make your purchases. How a product is packaged says a lot about how a company feels about the environment!
• You might be able to afford it, but does that justify the investment of brand new ski equipment? You can get used gear at a huge savings to your wallet and the environment! Or just rent your equipment, it’ll save you from having to schlep it from the car!

We’ve all heard of random acts of kindness. Those are great things to practice, I encourage them of my kids everyday. But, why not up the ante to random acts of green? Those, I also expect. Nothing huge: little ways or steps that we all can take towards a greener tomorrow. They can be achieved by sacrificing that steaming, hot, long soak in the shower for a short, luke warm showering experience. Maybe reusing that large yogurt container instead of immediately tossing it into the recycling bin; or turning off the water while you brush your teeth. Got some errands to run this week, your random act of green could be condensing them to one evening, so you use less gas. See? These aren’t king- sized, life altering leaps we’re taking, just small steps that add up to wonderful examples for our kids to follow later. They watch, they learn and they’ll live a better life as a result. Random acts of green, I’m all about ‘em on The Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Project Hope November 1st on 92.1 WVTK

2010-11-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

If you'd like more information about how you might be able to help Jeanne Montrose and her team at Hope in their mission to make Addison County healthier (and warmer) or if you'd like to know more about the Model Citizen Fashion Show on November 20th just click below:

www.hope-vt.orgor email Andrea Solomon at: asolomon@middlebury.edu

When no one else can help, HOPE is there. If you need help this winter, the only shame is in not asking for it. Wanna talk?: sarah@921wvtk.com

Go Green Tips for November 1st

2010-11-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, November 1st:

• All those leaves in your yard…when you rake, try to compost instead of simply throwing them away.
• With all the plastic in our landfills, why not take advantage of that tap in your kitchen instead of buying another bottle of water. Pick up an inexpensive aluminum reusable water bottle today for just such an occasion!

I’m always preaching buying green, but that can be somewhat confusing. Especially when it comes to the use of the term "natural". Just because something is natural, it doesn't make it environmentally friendly. Mercury is natural, so is arsenic, uranium, lead and asbestos - but all these things can be harmful if released into the environment. And when something like shampoo has a laundry list of natural ingredients, many of which don’t necessarily benefit the user, but are only there to persuade the consumer into making a purchase, well that certainly doesn’t help the environment. Especially when we’re needlessly pulling resources. In other words, a product packed with natural resources isn’t always a good thing for the environment. It’s still consumption, no matter how you package it. The key, is looking into where these ingredients come from. Some resources are actually in short supply because of over-harvesting. Take the time, do a little detective work, Do these natural ingredients really do you any good? Will you benefit through application? Hmmm. Don’t just accept the marketing spin, and I bet you’ll save money as you save resources! Green is the word on the The Go Green Ride at Five!

Go Green tips for October 29th

2010-10-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, October 29th:

• Remember: Halloween shouldn’t bankrupt you! Practice the word “no” in the mirror and then try it out on the kids! They don’t need the latest, instead they can use their imaginations and create a costume to be proud of!
• Halloween candy tastes even better when it comes out of a homemade Halloween candy collection bag.

Yesterday, we touched on a few ways to help ready your home for the cooler days ahead, here’s a couple more ways to save energy and dough!

Clean your furnace: Dirt in your furnace can make it work much less efficiently. Take some time this fall to clean or replace your furnace’s filter, and check it once a month during heating season. Having a professional out for a full furnace cleaning (or doing it yourself if you’re handy) can cut heating costs by up to 5 percent.

Install dimmer switches: Controlling the level of light in a room can be useful for dinner parties or kids’ bedtime. But dimmer switches also let you control precisely how much electricity you’re using, eliminating waste. Dimmers may also extend the life of a light bulb by minimizing the mild shock to the bulb’s filaments that comes with flipping on a light switch.

Replacing a light switch with a dimmer isn’t complicated. By the way, if you plan to use CFL bulbs, remember to get special ones designed for use with dimmers.

Ready to fall back into greener ways on the Go Green Ride at Five.

Go Green tips for October 28th

2010-10-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, October 28th:

• Not sure about trick or treating this year, especially since Halloween falls on a school night? Middlebury’s Spooktacular on Saturday is a good substitution for the usual candy hunt. For more info, check out the Area Calendar page on www.921wvtk.com!
• Buying new Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations each year adds to the amount of goods that will be tossed out into landfills at some point. Instead encourage the kids to make homemade decorations that you can save for next year! Remember to date them!

As the days start getting shorter and temperatures start dropping, here are a few green-tech energy-saving tips to help you green your season.

1. Knowing how and where your home leaks heat and wastes energy is the first step towards fixing it. A home energy audit should be first on your list to do this fall if you haven’t had one in the past couple years. If you qualify, you might be able to have this done free through a contact at Efficiency Vermont. Their number: 888.921.5990.

2. Put a timer on your hot-water heater, especially if you're not home for hours at a time on a regular schedule. There's no need for your hot water heater to keep running 24/7. Turn it off a few hours a day (or a few hours every night) and save. Oh, and if you're going away for a few days, turn your hot-water heater off altogether. It doesn't need to be running while no one is home.

3. Install solar accent lights outside your house. Pretty soon, you'll be coming home from work in the dark. If you’re not already, I do! Why keep an outside lamp on all day for the few minutes you'll need it when you come home. You can pick up nice solar lamps for a few bucks each. Put them around your door or along your driveway, they'll charge up during the day and illuminate your way home after a long day.

Go Green tips for October 27th

2010-10-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, October 27th:

• Remember: Halloween shouldn’t bankrupt you! Practice the word “no” in the mirror and then try it out on the kids! They don’t need the latest store bought costume, instead they can use their imaginations and create a costume to be proud of!

• Hoping they’re listening even as they roll their eyes, remind your kids one more time how important it is that they bring home all their candy for your inspection. And then, ask them first before you eat some. After all, you’d ask the same of them!

• Not sure about trick or treating this year, especially since Halloween falls on a school night? Middlebury’s Spooktacular on Saturday is a good substitution for the usual candy hunt. For more info, check out the Area Calendar page on www.921wvtk.com!

Go Green tips for October 26th

2010-10-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, October 26th:

• Believe it or not, I’m not a fan of alternatives to candy on Halloween. My parents used to give away boxes of raisins, and bags of peanuts instead of candy. It was incredibly embarrassing, don’t do that to your kids! One year, it was pencils-are you kidding me? It’s just one night a year, buy the candy. Lecture over.

Still wondering what costume to put the kids in this year, or how you’re dressing for the office Halloween party? Here are some ideas that I’ve made use of over the years. Does your child have any camouflage in his or her wardrobe, add some dark makeup to their cheeks and maybe a close cut beard and they could be Chuck Norris. A ninja is super easy to devise if you have a black shirt and pants to start with. Add a black sash and a black hood and begin the terror! Sweat suits are a great place to begin. If your child has a red sweatshirt and pants, you could do a Clifford costume. I did that one year with my son, Mike. I bought some red felt, cut out ears and added it to a head band. We got a ton of compliments on the idea. A yellow sweat suit could be Winnie the Pooh or a white sweatsuit with some added strategic black spots could be Snoopy. Don’t forget to add some black to their nose to make the look complete. A black garbage bag with arms and leg holes becomes a raisin costume. Here’s one of my favorites: make your child or yourself a recycle bin! Get a larger box, paint it blue and add the recycle logo in white. Cut out leg holes in the bottom of the box, so it can be worn. Then attach empty bottles, cans and even balled-up paper to some old clothing using a glue gun. Very clever and everything you need you already have on hand in your own recycling container! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 25th

2010-10-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, October 25th:

• Have you started decorating for Autumn, yet? Encourage the kids to do it for you. Send them out into the yard to pick up branches and leaves to decorate some niches around the house. Bring Fall into your house and let it stay there through November!
• Halloween candy tastes even better when it comes out of a homemade Halloween candy collection bag. Don’t believe me, well the only way to find out is help your child make the bag and then send them on their way to candy collecting! You let me know how it works out!

Tap into the treasures hidden in your closet or attic to pull together a fun, no-cost costume (it won’t take any longer than going to the mall, and will be a heck of a lot cheaper). Use what you have…for example, one year my daughter was Winnie the Pooh, simply because she had a yellow sweat suit that made a perfect base. I added a red t-shirt and a head band with home made bear ears and she made the perfect Pooh! Of course, her little belly sticking out made the picture complete! Trade costumes with friends and family if you don’t want to wear last year’s get-up. Use your imagination but don’t obsess. And yes, I know, first hand, how hard it is to convince your kids to wear someone else’s costumes. The trick is modify the costume and help them make it their own! That angel costume that Sheila down the street gave you for little Susie, refashion it into a fairy costume. A little fabric paint and your there! Need a little something extra? Shop for accessories at rummage sales or resale shops like Neat Repeats and Junebug, both in Middlebury and both carrying gently-used costumes for young children. Junebug features infant and toddler costumes that are just incredibly priced and they’re in brand new condition. Most of the kids who’ve worn them aren’t even on their feet yet! Remember, the point is to have fun, oh and to get as much candy as possible! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 22nd

2010-10-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, October 22nd:

• CFL’s last longer and can save 75% more energy than incandescent bulbs! CFL’s rated by Energy Star are tested for efficiency!
• Did you know that most of the energy consumed by dishwashers and washing machines goes to heating water. Washing dishes and clothes in cooler water can help save energy.

Halloween is just little more than a week away and if you were planning on heading out this weekend for costume shopping, remember the thrift and resale shops! They are wonderful sources of cheap and inventive! Think about the brand new, ready made costume at Walmart that you’ll be lucky if it makes it across the street before it falls apart! Instead, spend less and give your kids the chance to put it together themselves! Growing up, I thought for a while that my mother was so mean because she refused to buy new costumes. We had to make a costume out of what we had around the house. What we came up with totally outshined my friends’ plastic smock and mask get-ups every time and she knew they would. One year, I was a gypsy, another year I was a nurse with white hat, homemade stethescope and all. My Mom is the reason I’m a creative adult and I owe her a ton of gratitude for NOT giving in to my whining! By the way, the Middlebury Community Players are selling off a ton of costume pieces this Sunday from 11am to 3pm at their warehouse on Route 7 South. That would be an excellent place to start your Halloween costume search! Maybe I’ll see you there! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 21st

2010-10-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, October 21st:

• In my world, B.Y.O.B. means bring your own bags, shopping bags, that is!
• Forget the shopping bag? That’s okay. Just remember to return the plastic bags back to the grocery store so they can recycle them, okay?

I know that as we head into cooler temperatures, you might have already switched gears and are no longer thinking about gardening, but the fact of the matter is that when it gets cooler outside, we need to increase our plants on the inside. Have you every heard of superhero plants? These are certain easy-care greens (English ivy, mums, and peace lilies) that naturally help remove indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Once we close those windows, the air inside our homes may become somewhat polluted and stale. Keeping green plants indoors helps to keep our air clean and fresh until we can once again air everything out in the Spring. Green inside and out on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 20th

2010-10-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, October 20th:

• Bruce Zeman from the Wake Up Crew recommends not showering to save water. If anything I’m sure that means his underware is green if nothing else!
• Forget the shopping bag? That’s okay. Just remember to return the plastic bags back to the grocery store so they can recycle them, okay?

I love reuse ideas! I’ve received a few recently from listeners that I thought I’d share. Egg cartons: keep them to use as packing materials. They’re perfect to line a box when you’re mailing something fragile! Opened envelopes from bills or whatever: keep them to reuse as grocery lists. I love that one! That old laundry basket that might no longer work for clothes, may be able to do some time in the trunk of your car when you pick up a couple of bags of groceries. Everyone hates when their groceries fly all over the place, put them in the basket for the ride home! My Mom uses her older laundry baskets to store her rags, my Dad mounted the basket to the wall so she doesn’t have to bend over to get a rag out. Isn’t that sweet? Going for the “ah-h-h" factor on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 19th

2010-10-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, October 19th:

• Switching from traditional incandescent bulbs to fluorescent is the easiest and most cost-efficient fix for saving energy. Make the switch, today!
• Halloween is upon us before we know it, take time to talk with the kids about how important it is to wait to eat their candy until they get home. Number one for you to check through and make sure the candy is safe and also to avoid leaving any candy wrappers behind for your neighbors to find!

Talking Halloween, again! Any holiday that advocates free all-you-can-eat candy is all right by me! This weekend, there may be a couple chances at low-cost costumes for the kids or even adults for your Halloween festivities! The Middlebury Community Players are hosting a "Just in Time for Halloween Costume Blow Out Sale" on Sunday from 11am to 3pm. This is the perfect opportunity to get some awesome vintage pieces to construct the perfect Halloween costume! Vintage hats, accessories, jeans, coats and shoes in all sizes, kids and adult. I’ve been in their warehouse, we’re talking a treasure trove of stuff! Where are they? Their warehouse is on Route 7S opposite Foster Motors -- Look for Balloons and Signs! They want to make sure you see it! All proceeds will benefit Middlebury Community Players Scholarship Fund. It’s cash only, so plan ahead! Saving money and going vintage on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 18th

2010-10-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, October 18th:

• It’s apple time in Addison County, grab a bag of those yummy apples provided by several local farms in our area!
• Halloween is upon us before we know it, take time to talk with the kids about how important it is to wait to eat their candy until they get home. Number one for you to check through and make sure the candy is safe and also to avoid leaving any candy wrappers behind for your neighbors to find!

Go Green tips for October 11th

2010-10-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, October 11th:

• Better start thinking about the Halloween costumes before all the good ones are gone! Go thrift shop first when looking for a new get-up for your little ghoul!
• Cool reuse idea with the pending holiday in mind: Make a fun trick-or-treat candy carrier out of an empty cereal box! Cover it with brown paper bag and decorate it to reflect a spooky Halloween mood! Mine is going to say: “Put Chocolate Here!!!!”.

Fall’s the perfect time to start preparing your home for cooler temperatures! According to the Department of Energy, reducing drafts can cut energy usage up to 30%. So inspect doors and windows to ensure that there are no small spaces through which warm air can escape. Rather than crank up the heat, use nontoxic caulking on windows and homemade draft-blockers along the bottoms of doors. Super-easy to make, by the way. Create a long tube out of an old sweather or pair of jeans you no longer wear. Fill it with something weighted, like sand. Of course, you’ll need to put that sand in a bag first, before putting in your cloth tube. Next step, sew it up and it’s ready to go. My friend painted hers to look like big logs, pretty cool looking and functional! Another acquaintance of mine, has several that are holiday specific. That’s a bit much for me, but each to their own! In the end, it’s all about resource preservation, and keeping the warm in and the cold out! It's the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 6th

2010-10-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, October 6th:

• Thinking about Halloween costumes for the kids already? I know I am. Neat Repeats thrift shop in Middlebury has a super selection of spooky looks for little ones and on a budget! Check out your local resale shop first before you buy new!

• We have friends who have their sprinklers on a timer to turn on automatically two times a week. If you also have this technology, make sure to pay attention to the weather report. Rain today means no sprinklers needed tomorrow!

A super way to clean out your kid’s closet and add to it at the same time is a clothing swap. Plan a party with some friends, work or church buddies, bring your kid’s castoffs and swap around the duds. This is a great time to do it because Halloween is nearly upon us and your friends may have a costume or two to share! Oh, and while I’m at it, there’s a clothing swap planned this Saturday, from 9 to 11am at the Congregational Church of Middlebury in their Fellowship Hall. They encourage everyone to come on out to donate their child’s outgrown clothing and gear, then swap for the next size up! And again, all are welcome, even if you don’t have donations to swap. They’ll have children’s clothing, outerwear, accessories and shoes, age’s newborn through junior high. They do still need donations, though. The drop-off time was today between 5 and 6pm, but if you’d like to contribute, call them tomorrow and I’m sure they’ll be happy to take whatever you have! Reduce, reuse, refashion! It's the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK.

Go Green tips for October 5th

2010-10-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, October 5th:

• Don’t forget, tomorrow, October 6th is National Walk to School Day! If that’s a possibility for you and your kids, the town of Middlebury for one is planning on pulling out all the stops, look for "Way to Go" volunteers wearing gold sashes at key downtown and Route 7 locations and certain crosswalks toward the Middlebury Schools.
• Peak leaf season means getting out with the family to check out the colors. Don’t get in the car, though, hop on the bike or tie on those sneakers and see those colors up close and personal instead of through a car window!

Still talking about Walk to School Day tomorrow, it’s all about making our community more walkable! You’ll find all sorts of volunteers on hand in Middlebury and they will be handing out surveys that can let our Town Officials know what you think of your route! Are they kid friendly? Are they safe? If you’re not there to hold their hand, and they’re old enough, are you comfortable with your kids traversing the route without you? Tomorrow, if you can, get out and walk your kids to school for Walk to School Day.
Speaking of walking, don’t forget that on October 17, I will all about it with my team the WVTK Addison County Striders and we’ll be taking part in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, a non competitive Five mile walk to fight breast cancer. We’re out to raise two thousand dollars for the American Cancer Society! If you’d like to join us on October 17th or if you’d like to donate towards our team’s goal, please visit www.921wvtk.com. We’re high steppin’ with a cause on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for October 4th

2010-10-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, October 4th:

• Wednesday, October is national walk to school day! If that’s a possibility for you and your kids, the town of Middlebury for one is planning on pulling out all the stops, we’ll talk more about that later in the show.
• Fall's the perfect time to start preparing your home for cooler temperatures. According to the Department of Energy, reducing drafts can cut energy usage up to 30%. So inspect doors and windows and get out the caulk!

Wednesday, October 6th is National Walk to School Day. A little background: In 1997, the Partnership for a Walkable America sponsored the first National Walk Our Children to School Day in Chicago, modeled after the United Kingdom’s lead. By the year 2002, children, parents, teachers and community leaders in all 50 states joined nearly 3 million walkers around the world to celebrate the second annual International Walk to School Day. The reasons for walking grew just as quickly as the event itself. The Goal: To make our communities more safe and walkable.
So, Addison County, why not get with the program? In Middlebury, for example, walkers will be met by Middlebury Energy Committee "Way to Go" volunteers wearing gold sashes at key downtown and Route 7 locations and certain crosswalks toward the Middlebury Schools. Volunteers will also distribute a survey to provide feedback to town officials on how walker friendly our routes are. Surveys will also be available at Ilsley Library and Town Office where they can be returned. Please take the survey and tell them that Route Seven throughout Middlebury needs new sidewalks. The existing walks are in horrible shape, nearly impossible in some areas for wheelchair accessibility, not to mention how dangerous a trip and fall would be for an elderly resident, or young child. I’ll be walking my son to school that morning, pushing his wheelchair and dealing with those sidewalks, you bet I’ll be grabbing a survey! Walk with us and use this opportunity to help our communities become more walkable! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for October 1st

2010-10-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, October 1st:

• So, how many shopping bags do you own now? I’m up to thirty three! I know, some collect stamps, I gather bags.
• Doing dishes by hand? Turn that water off until you’re ready to rinse a bunch of dishes at a time. That’s what that second sink is for, pile up the soapy ones and then rinse them all together!

Less than one percent of Earth's water is available to feed, bathe, hydrate, and sustain nearly 7 billion people and millions of other species. Now if ever was a reason to conserve water, THAT would be it! What easy changes can you make to help save this valuable resource and set the best green example for your kids?
• Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. Because you’re saving hot water, you’ll also reduce your energy bill. They’re not expensive, check ‘em out at your local hardware store!
• Fix leaky faucets. All those wasted drops add up—sometimes to 10-25 gallons a day.
• Eat a bit less meat, especially beef. A typical hamburger can take 630 gallons of water to produce.
• Know the source of your drinking water—the river, lake, or aquifer that supplies your home. Once you know it, share it with you kids. It’ll help drive home the idea of water preservation.
If each of us learned how to conserve just a little more water, it could add up to big savings. My dad always told me that if I watch my pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves, I’d like to think it works the same way with other valuable things, as well.

Go Green tips for September 30th

2010-09-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, September 30th:

• Looking for a new appliance? In addition to all the other toys and whistles I’m sure you’re looking for, make sure the Energy Star rating is high on your list of options! If an appliance is Energy Star rated, it’s kinger on the environment and your power bill!
• A fun rainy day activity: challenge the kids to make a work of art out of the recycling bin! Of couse, young ones will need some supervision aroud sharp can edges and such. But you’ll be surprised what they can do with a yogurt container, a paper towel roll and the empty milk jug! Could this be how MacGyver got his start?

If there’s one thing on the Go Green Ride at Five that I can definitely get behind, it’s getting out and taking a walk of some kind. Whether it’s recreational, or you head out on foot to an errand near by, what ever floats your boat! There’s an opportunity to walk coming up, though, and truly there’s no better reason to hoof it! It The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides against Breast Cancer on October 17th. This Fundraiser is all about not only making someone’s life easier who’s suffering with this disease, the money raised helps with early screening, and research and even legislation. It’s a non-competitive five mile walk and every step is helping to save lives. I’ll be in the thick of it with my team, the WVTK Addison County Striders, we’re fundraising as we speak, striving to raise a goal of $2000. If you’d like to join us for this amazing day or if you’d like to donate toward our cause, please visit our website: 921wvtk.com. Join us as we rock this walk and “Make Strides” towards more birthdays! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 29th

2010-09-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, September 29th:

• Going green is not only your responsibility, it’s that of everyone, including your kids. They watch you, following your example. Things like recycling, conserving, repurposing, they’ll do it if you do it. So…do it!
• Why do we equate fun with the kids with going somewhere? Instead of going to dinner, have a fun theme night like Mexican or Chinese at home, where they can help prepare the meal. Building the burrito night, for example. Give them a ton of options to put on the tortilla and set em loose!

Lately, in this time of short change and big bills, my husband and I have been trying to think of ways to lessen the amount of power we use. Turning off the TV is a great way to use less and that will be happening soon when we discontinue our Direct TV subscription. Just not in the budget right now and frankly, I know I watch way too much TV. This will be a way to encourage me and the kids to turn it off! I’m also trying to serve more raw foods instead of boiling or steaming the veggies into submission. Simply put, if I cook less, I'll use less energy. I will also retain more vitamins and nutrients in the food we eat. Buying locally at a Farmers Market or coop may also save on emissions because the food has a shorter distance to travel to get to your table. It's healthier for family and the environment! We’re all feeling the pinch right now, walking more, driving less, I might head out of town maybe once every two weeks, or so, now to save on gas. I just consolidate my trips and try to coincide errands with my son or daughters doctors appointments when I have to travel further away. It takes some preplanning, (something else I’m learning) but the return in the end is worth it. Not only for my bank account, but for the world we live in. Green is the black on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 28th

2010-09-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, September 28th:

• Wanna save a hundred dollars? Train the kids to turn everything off after they watch tv or play a video game. That would be not only the tv, but also the satellite or cable box and the video game console.
• Teenager complaining about being broke? Encourage them to collect bottles and redeem them for cash. The redemption centers are waiting!

We’ve talked before about some ways you can get more bang for your gas buck at the pump. Especially, if you, like me, do not own a hybrid and it’s not looking financially feasible in the near future! Here are three things you can do now, to raise your mpg. That’s miles per gallon for those of you not as moniker savvy as me! OMG! Sorry. Okay, the first thing you can do:
Slow down. Driving 10 mph above 60 is like adding nearly 50 cents to the price of a gallon of gas, since higher speed equals more guzzling.
Also, once a month, check the pressure of each of the tires against the guidelines listed in your car's manual; add air if needed. Doing this can improve mileage by about 3 percent.
And then, replace your air filters regularly. A new oxygen sensor alone can improve mileage by as much as 15 percent.
One last thing: wash you car. Why? ...Because it’s dirty.

Didn’t see that coming, did you? It’s the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 27th

2010-09-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, September 27th:

• You know that bottle of water you bought the other day? A study recently revealed that forty percent of bottled water comes from the tap. Save your money instead, for the reusable water bottle and then, fill it up!
• Autumn means fallen leaves and fallen leaves mean raking! Remember, leaves make great compost!!! Don’t throw ‘em out, add them to your compost pile! Don’t have a pile yet? No biggie, odds are you have a neighbor that does!

• Awesome reuse idea! Start saving your used dryer sheets and then, when you have enough, use them to stuff a decorative pillow! It’ll save you from having to buy the stuffing and the pillow will be scented! If you start saving those sheets now, it’ll make a super Christmas gift for a teacher or someone special! Go one step further and repurpose a pretty shirt your child has outgrown or a dress you no longer wear and use those as your fabric for the pillow! Actually, while I’m on the subject, why not challenge your kids to make the gifts they’d like to give this year. It’s amazing what the recycling container and the back of their closet might hold that could get them on their way towards a whole bag of fun and useful gifts! Old CD’s could be reused as coasters! Attach felt in a bright, festive color to the back of the cd. It doesn’t matter what side you use, if it was CD you know the recipient would like, then keep the printed side up, but if you just want the clean silver side, cover the other with felt. A little bit of glue gun goes a long way! Renew, reuse, recycle, that’s the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 24th

2010-09-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, September 24th:

• Not only does bringing the reusable coffee mug to the java joint save on the amount of trash in landfills, it will also save you money! Most places now offer a discount when you fill up your own mug instead of one of their cups!
• Didja know that using the entire dryer sheet is not necessary? I get just as much softness and static control from half a sheet as I do the whole. Cut ‘em in half and the box lasts twice as long!

Some fun, today, with a super trash reuse site I found via google. It called recycling-revolution.com, and items are listed alphabetically. Ways to repurpose all sorts of things like a leaky garden hose, poke some more holes and it’s now ready to water a flower bed or entertain hot kids out in the yard. Cut off the metal ends and use it to tie up a young tree for support. Cut a short length from it and replace the handle on a bucket to make it more comfortable to carry. Who thinks of this stuff? I mean, it’s genius! How about the little pool you bought at the beginning of the summer that has a hole in it now, thanks to the dog? Or little Johnny mistaking the rake for a pool toy. Paint the outside of it a festive color, poke some more holes in the bottom, fill it with potting soil and create a decorative flower garden for the front or back yard. It’ll be way easier to maintain, no weeds, a higher surface for those of us who hate bending over…I am so doing that next year! Your old car tires also make great large flower pots in the yard. My friend repainted hers black, so they’d be shiny and pretty, I’m not that particular. Another old tire use tip, to save your children from bickering when they play in the sandbox together, use two old tires, each filled with sand, placed apart, so they each have their own sandbox for hours of happy play! For a more severe problem, put one tire in the front yard and the other, in the back! Ever the peacemaker, that’s me, on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 23rd

2010-09-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, September 23rd:

• My mother preaches washing out and saving those zipper storage bags. Go one step further, store them in the freezer, that way bacteria won’t grow on them in between uses!

Yesterday, I was talking a bit about those little toiletry bottles that hotels provide for your use. My position has been that I choose to leave those on the counter where housekeeping left them instead of taking them home only to never use them. Well, over the course of the past twenty four hours, I’ve received a couple of emails which presented an opposing point of view. Sheila in Ferrisburgh says that she will take the bottles because it saves her from having to buy travel sized bottles of shampoos, conditioners and the like for when she’s on the road. Good point Sheila! You could, though, go one step further and keep refilling those little bottles and continue to use them, rather than restocking with new ones once they’re empty. Michelle in Brandon says she holds on to the little lotion bottles because they are the perfect size to carry in her purse. Careful, though, Michelle, those bottles aren’t meant for purse abuse and they’ve been known open up on their own accord. Perhaps keep that little bottle in own little pocket, all by itself…just in case! Listener response(love it-keep it coming!), on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 22nd

2010-09-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, September 22nd:

• This might be one of the last weekends in which we’ll see several garage sales. Warm temperatures always inspire our inner retail clerk. So don’t just walk, ride or drive by, stop take a look at the selection and you might find that treasure you would have otherwise, had to buy new. Get it used, tried, true and cheap!
• Speaking of being ready for garage sales this weekend. Make sure the shopping bags are in the car ready to go bargain hunting with you!!!!

This past summer, my family took a vacation which involved what our vacations usually involve and that’s going down to Florida to see my family. We stayed this time, with my parents, who have turned their garage into a guest cottage. They love to make their guests feel as if they’re staying in an exclusive inn. So you walk into the cottage and there are mints on the pillows, a current TV schedule on top of the TV—which gets cable. There’s a refridgerator, full of frozen bagels and beer, they like to stock up; and in the bathroom there’s lots of different varieties of hotel sized shampoos, conditioners, soaps, lotions and toothpastes. My parents have traveled a bit and have collected these from various hotels. Lord only knows how old these smelly little bottles and bars are. I’ve often asked my Mom why she takes them. She has her own shampoo and stuff with her. Her answer? They’re free. I know, It’s tempting to scoop up all those little shampoo bottles and wrapped soaps. After all housekeeping just replaces them with new ones, right? Well, what seem like freebies to my Mom, exact a cost on the planet: Producing them requires resources and emits pollution, transporting them burns fossil fuels, and their packaging is likely to end up in a landfill. And it’s a fact that while most people take them home, many never use them…just like my parents. I do approve of the mints, though, they can keep those coming! Minty fresh on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 21st

2010-09-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, September 21st:

• When you buy a product try to pay attention to things like how you might dispose of the packaging. Is the same item available in a more environmentally friendly package? Being green means buying green as well!
• Did you know in Las Vegas, the Bellagio Hotel’s huge fountain contains one hundred percent recycled water from their showers and waste water. I’m down with that! I may not want to swim in it, but to look at and appreciate, I’m all about it!!!

Your child’s art teacher may be one more step towards living green! You’ve seen some of the great projects that come home from school, where do you think the art teacher gets all the oatmeal canisters and paper towel rolls and newspaper and…well…everything that inspires your child’s inner artistic prodigy? The parents, that’s who! Oh, he or she will also ask their fellow teachers to collect these things and such from their homes, but they rely on parents for the most part. So start putting the shoe boxes, the oatmeal containers, the wrapping paper rolls and scrap cardboard aside and then make a donation to your local art teacher. I promise you’ll be rewarded with a warm smile in appreciation for your thoughtfulness and maybe they’ll even promise to use a little less glitter in your child’s next take home art project. It never comes out of the backpack!! I may not know art, but I know what I like on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 20th

2010-09-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, September 20th:

• More about recycling, you can log onto addisoncountyrecycles.org to find out what to do with things like Styrofoam, bubble wrap and other packaging material that don’t belong in the blue bin!

How hard is it for you to consistently make green choices? Well, if it makesyou feel better, you’re not alone! There are times that I’m simply too tired to keep track! For instance, this past Saturday, my daughter Emily had some friends over. Now, she’s Fourteen, so the gatherings and parties are getting easier in some ways, but not so much in others. Easier in the fact that I don’t have to plan the activities for the group, because they’re no longer interested in “pin the tail on the donkey”. If I offered, though, I’m sure “pin the tail on the Mom” would go over incredibly well! But, once again, I digress. The parties are harder in the fact that by the time they’re teenagers, their mess-making skills are finely honed. Yes, there was a cake fight and I’m still trying to get that off the carpet, the ceiling... Anyway, as I was tackling the disaster, I went into biohazard mode. Everything began going into the trash. I wasn’t paying attention after a certain point. I’m sure the chocolate icing on my glasses might have played a part in my oblivion, but who knows. That night, as I was puttering in the kitchen, I glanced down on the trash can and noticed the plastic cups, the plastic utensils, soda cans…what was I thinking? I’m no paragon of recycling virtue, but at least I’m aware (for the most part, anyway!). My point? Don’t be too hard on yourself for checking out occasionally. Becoming green is, like everything else, a process. You’ll fall off the wagon every once in a while, but as long as you get back on that’s the most important thing! By the way, I did pick out those things that got by me the first time, but within reason…I only went into the trashcan up to my elbow. Anymore than that and I’d need my “Has-mat” suit! This is the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 17th

2010-09-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, September 17th:

• Wanna talk recycling? My daughter outgrew a shirt and I inherited it! I might add, it looks quite fetching on me!
• While the weather is still cooperating make a pledge to get out and walk to at least one of those errands as opposed of driving there. I’m sure one of them has to be close enough to make it happen!

This weekend should be prime walking weather, so I’ve made a promise to myself to walk as much as possible. Now, I’m already an avid walker. Please don’t ask me to run or jog anywhere, because that is definitely not happening! Especially after my daughter made fun of me running. She has a mean streak, don’t worry, I’ll work it out in therapy. Anyway, I may not run, but I could walk to ends of the earth. It’s good thinking time, it’s also a great time with Gracie, my puppy dog, I don’t get a lot of one on one with her at home, too many other things grabbing my attention, there! But when it’s just me and Gracie and the early morning air, (I usually go early in the morning--there’s less people who can catch me without makeup if I go later!) it’s almost cathartic! But I digress…This could be it for mild weather before things take a dip. So take advantage, get out, find a reason…whether it’s the dog, your kids, an errand close by or just some time with your ipod, get out and enjoy it while we have it! Treading lightly on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 16th

2010-09-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, September 16th:

• Wanna talk recycling? My daughter outgrew a shirt and I inherited it! I might add, it looks quite fetching on me!
• While the weather is still cooperating make a pledge to get out and walk at least one of those errands as opposed of driving there. At least one of them have to be close enough to make that happen!

Here on the Go Green Ride at Five I’m often talking about walking as opposed to driving, well taking that a few steps further (no pun intended!): This October 17th, My team and I will be participating in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. It the American Cancer Society’s Premiere fundraiser. The WVTK Addison County Striders are not only going to walk the walk (a non-competitive 5 mile walk), we are talking the talk! We’re out to raise $2000! How we’re going to do it is talk with every friend, every co-worker, every family member, every client, pretty much anyone who will listen about this amazing event and how this money will be used. It will go towards not only supporting those suffering with this horrible disease and their families, but also put into programs for prevention, like early screenings and yearly mammograms. Won’t you join us in this fight? Come and join our team, today! For more information click: 921wvtk.com.

Go Green tips for September 15th

2010-09-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, September 15th:

• I love resale shop shopping, but here’s a fact, in order one person to find that ultra cool rare find, someone has to give it up. It’s a cycle. So start your rummaging, clean out and donate! Then, head out to your local resale shop and go treasure hunting!
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating

Flies, flies and more flies. Ugh! You’d think that with these cooler temperatures, you’d see fewer of the little boogers, but not so. As a matter of fact, everytime I turn around there’s another one…taunting me…daring me to go for the flyswatter, which I inevitably do… to no avail. Flyspray? Hate it. Just the thought of it in the air that my children breath doesn’t sit well with me. So, I did a bit of research. I found a few alternatives that are way kinder to our environment, but not so much the flies. First: not to point out the obvious, but make sure you double check your screens, you might not notice the gaping hole they’re sneaking in through on your first glance! Next, Flies will tend to be attracted to and congregate in dark areas, particularly when it's warmer, so allow as much natural light into your home as you can. Flies don’t like Eucalyptus oil, so put some on a cloth and place near entrances of your home. They also don’t care for mint. Crushed mint can be placed in bowls or cloth bags and placed strategically around the home, again, near your entrances. Try some nontoxic flystrips. These are strips embedded with something such as honey and also an adhesive. The flies land on it and are, well… stuck. And well, there is always the flyswatter, it’s great exercise…just don’t break your overhead lamp on your ceiling fan like I did. I might have gotten a little over exuberant in my flychasing. Couldn’t blame that one on the dog! In the dog house on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 13th

2010-09-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, September 13th:

• Repurposing is just as good as recycling. An old milk jug is great to use as a scoop. Just cut off the top, making sure to keep the handle and there you have it, great to use in your garden, compost pile or even at the beach!
• Are you sure about recycling rules? A great site to visit to help keep things clear is addisoncountyrecycles.org. They have, by far, the most comprehensive list of what can and can’t go in the bin. Check it out, today!

I’m out of baking soda, again. We use it a lot and well, I’m beginning to think I need to buy it in bulk. Of course, it plays a big part in keeping my fridge fresh, with the open box in the back. My daughter uses it on the bottom of her pet’s cage and well, her pet rat, Diamond is a bit of a baking soda hog, frankly. It’s wonderful in helping to get all the cooked on crud off the inside of the microwave. I just dissolve a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in water in a microwave safe bowl, then bring to the boil in the microwave. I let it sit for a minute or two, and boom! All the tomato sauce comes easily off the ceiling of the appliance, from the last uncovered bowl of ravioli or beef-a-roni that served last week, as snack (don't get me started on that rant!). I clean out my dishwasher using baking soda, I just run a cycle with the soda instead of soap. Baking soda in your vacuum bag cancels out pet odors, you can use it to clean your fridge. You can even use it to remove stains from your clothes. Wanna know more? Click here, take a look, and before you’ll know it, you’ll be out of baking soda, too! Going shopping on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 10th

2010-09-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, September 10th:

• What’s better than recycling? Buying recycled products! Look for office supplies, furniture, flooring all made out of repurposed materials! What goes around comes around again, that great in all things expect fruitcake!
• Okay, so we’re finally remembering to bring our reusable bags to the grocery, but what about the drug store, or the farmers market or even when you do a Saturday of garage sale shopping? Bring those bags and show your green!

This weekend the fun in Addison County continues and I, once again, get to be in the center of it. September 11th is Middlebury Natural Foods Coop’s Second annual Harvest Festival. Happening from noon to 4pm, this is a great chance to see the Coop at it’s best! You can meet local food producers with tons of samples of local foods, there will be live music from the Cajun band, Yankee Chank and even super-fun kids activities. It’s free to the public and watch out for the blond with the camera, cause I’ll be there, with my hand in the samples. Make sure I take your picture because I’ll be posting all of my pictures from the event on www.921wvtk.com! Look for me, Sarah Stone, from noon to 2 at Middlebury Natural Foods Coop Second Annual Harvest Festival this Saturday, September 11th! Getting out and about on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 9th

2010-09-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, September 9th:

• Looking to save on the water bill? Start with the bathroom. Roughly sixty percent of your home’s water consumption lies in the smallest, yet busiest room of the house.
• How much hot water do you use? Using less hot water saves money, greenhouse gas emissions, and, of course, the water itself. This is a change well worth making. How can you use less? And don’t forget, your kids are watching, the example you set is the one they’ll follow.

Today, we’ll talk a bit about keeping your suds clean. Here’s the deal: Your personal hygiene will be cleaner and greener by using organic soaps, shampoos, and detergents. Why? Synthetic suds are often composed of and fragranced with harmful chemicals that end up in waterways and could be rough on your skin. Are you often itchie? Don’t just blame your allergies, take a look at what you’re washing with. I’m super fair skinned and I have a devil of time with sensitive skin. While shopping for washing products, however, be on the lookout for greenwashing – the false marketing of products as being sustainable when they're actually not. If you can, read those ingredients, do a bit research. Now, they are a sponsor, and I do talk them up a bunch, but it’s true that if you really want to make sure you’re getting the real deal, Vermont Soap is the place to shop for nothing but all natural and organic products. They leave the environment even better than they found it; cleaner and smelling better, that’s for sure!

Go Green tips for September 8th

2010-09-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, September 8th:

• How about those reusable shopping bags? Still forgetting them at home or in the car, for that matter. Oh for heaven’s sake, just walk back to the car and get them. Down with plastic!!!!
• As fall approaches, the time is now to make sure that you’ve sealed up all the leaks in your house! Go buy some caulk, and get to work, otherwise the energy and money you waste will definitely be your own!

This weekend the fun in Addison County continues and I, once again, get to be in the center of it. September 11th is Middlebury Natural Foods Coop’s Second annual Harvest Festival. Happening from noon to 4pm, this is a great chance to see the Coop at it’s best! You can meet local food producers with tons of samples of local foods, there will be live music from the Cajun band, Yankee Chank and even super-fun kids activities. It’s free to the public and watch out for the blond with the camera, cause I’ll be there, with my hand in the samples. Make sure I take your picture because I’ll be posting all of my pictures from the event on www.921wvtk.com! Look for me, Sarah Stone, from noon to 2 at Middlebury Natural Foods Coop Second Annual Harvest Festival this Saturday, September 11th! Getting out and about on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 7th

2010-09-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, September 7th:

• Fix leaky faucets. All those wasted drops add up—sometimes to 10-25 gallons a day.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and washing the dishes. Shave a minute or two off your shower time. Millions of people doing even the little things makes a difference.

This weekend the fun in Addison County continues and I, once again, get to be in the center of it. September 11th is Middlebury Natural Foods Coop’s Second annual Harvest Festival. Happening from noon to 4pm, this is a great chance to see the Coop at it’s best! You can meet local food producers with tons of samples of local foods, there will be live music from the Cajun band, Yankee Chank and even super-fun kids activities. It’s free to the public and watch out for the blond with the camera, cause I’ll be there, with my hand in the samples. Make sure I take your picture because I’ll be posting all of my pictures from the event on www.921wvtk.com! Look for me, Sarah Stone, from noon to 2 at Middlebury Natural Foods Coop Second Annual Harvest Festival this Saturday, September 11th! Getting out and about on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 2nd

2010-09-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, September 2nd:

• How appliance dependent is your family? Detox might need to come in small steps like simply trading TV time for a family game night this week.
• Remember that computers, VCRs, and microwaves can suck power even when they're turned off, so unplug "vampire appliances" when they're not in use.

Do you have a sewing machine or a friend with a sewing machine? Well here’s a use of electricity that I’ll support: Go through your closet and weed out those things you no longer wear, may have outgrown mentally or physically, things you haven’t put on your body for a year and a half. That’s a fair enough amount of time. Then, turn them into really cool reusable shopping bags. Jeans are ideal for this because they are so tough and really take the pounding of a day at the grocery. This is also an option if you’d developed an attachment for an item, but it’s not longer in style or it got ruined or stained. Give it a whole new life as beautiful shopping bag! It’s the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for September 1st

2010-08-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, September 1st:

• Every shopping bag you invest in has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags in it’s lifetime.
• When was you last tune up? A properly maintained engine can improve mileage by up to 4%. That’s a roll in the right direction!

I had a friend of mine make a reference to the fact that the price of gas is down and therefore she felt better about driving all the way into Burlington for one small errand. That kills me. I mean, if you have no other choice, that’s one thing, but if you can put off that long car ride until you have several things to do in that area, then why not do that? I don’t think the price of gas should be our motivator to save resources. The motivator is to…well…save resources! Right? My daughter is waiting to finish the rest of our school shopping until we have a few other things to do on that side of the universe. That’s the way it is. By the way, so it doesn’t embarrass her, I won’t blow the horn on that friend of mine who was willing to drive all the way into Burlington just for a sale on hoodies. Don’t worry, Tina, you’re safe. Oh, oops! Heh heh. It’s the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 31st

2010-08-31T12:57:00.001-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, August 31st:

• Are squirrels raiding the yard and garden? To keep the cute nuisance from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
• Warm weather and bridge construction are bringing the bicyclists out in droves! Bikers, remember sidewalks downtown are for pedestrians on foot, and unless you are walking your bike, you need to keep to the road!

Think for a moment of all the plastic, paper or styrofoam you might use in a day. On your way to work, there’s that cup of coffee you stop for with maybe a bagel or muffin that comes complete with its paper or plastic bag and paper napkins. Over the course of our morning, there’s, perhaps, a couple more cups of coffee taking advantage of the Styrofoam cups your employer is kind enough to supply. Lunch is a Styrofoam and paper extravaganza…I know, I’ve lost count, too. There a few ways we can cut down on waste when visiting the grocery store, coffee shop, or cafe. How? Pack a reusable bag, mug, napkin, or eating utensils in your purse. You could even take it further if you’d like and when you’re planning to dine at a restaurant, consider bringing a container for leftovers, and If you’re like me, there’s always leftovers. I usually order more than I can eat so I have lunch for work the next day! All ways lead to green on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 30th

2010-08-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Monday, August 30th:

• Here’s a helpful hint, when you’re vacuuming and you come to a tight spot, use an empty paper towel cardboard roll, slide it on the end of your vacuum hose and all of sudden, you can vacuum all the way under your fridge! Not that it I’m saying it needs it…

• Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t able to send your college bound kid off with their own laptop. Most campuses provide students with computer access in the library or labs, so using your own PC isn't always necessary. But if you're shopping for a laptop, opt for one that's Energy Star certified.

Talking laundry on the Go Green Ride at Five, but not yours, your kids’ laundry is the subject at hand. I recently let my teenager know that she is now responsible for her own clean clothing. That was hard. Not for the reasons you might think: I don’t feel guilty because of shirking my own responsibilities as a mom. Carol Brady, I am not (nor Alice, the maid, actually). It was hard because I’m a control freak and I have a strong desire to make sure that laundry in my house is done efficiently and with minimal resource usage. But how else will she learn to do laundry correctly if I don’t let her take over now, under my tutelage. And by correctly, of course, I mean my way. So, we talked a great deal not only about how to use the machines and measure soap, but also about why we wait until we have a full load and always use cold water. Also discussed were why our appliances are Energy Star rated and her impact on the environment. (Insert eye rolling here.) I gave her all the pertinent information and now it’s up to her to continue the example I’ve set. Oh, and the laundry cam I’ve installed up in the corner of the laundry room keeps her in line, as well! Green and independently clean on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 27th

2010-08-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, August 27th:

• Here’s some vegetable facts emailed to me from Tina in Middlebury. Green peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating but peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. I did not know that. Thanks, Tina!

• Reuse tip alert! Put a couple used drier sheets in your pockets before you head outside on the walk through the woods. It will keep the mosquitoes at bay!

Here’s an alternative to pesticide: Summertime means pesky pests! Things with lots of legs and antennas otherwise known as ants. Now I’m not a real ant-lover, and I really can’t stand the things in my home, and neither can you, I’m guessing. So, to get rid of them, put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! The only snag is if your dog is a canine vacuum cleaner like mine. I choose my cornmeal locations carefully when Gracie is around. Carefully green with a well-fed dog on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 26th

2010-08-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, August 26th:

• Considering a tattoo? As for me, I don’t do selective pain, but if that’s your thing, remember most tattoo inks are not FDA approved. Make sure you ask about vegan pigments that free of harmful chemicals.
• Summer means more car washing and yard watering. Here’s a way to multitask: wait until the end of the day, park your car in a shady part of the grass and then use an organic soap. That way, you’re watering your yard while cleaning your car!

• Here’s a tip from Larry at Vermont Soap and Factory Outlet on Exchange Street in Middlebury: tired of flies and insects in the garden? A 10 percent soap solution (90% water) with Vermont Soap’s Castille liquid soap will help kill pesky bugs. Spray it around the the leaves in your garden, but be careful, sunlight and soap can burn some tender leaves so make sure to apply it when the sun is not too bright. At dusk or early in the morning would be ideal!

Food fun, that’s what we’re talking about today. I love to involve my daughter in cooking and baking with me, it’s a great way to help them eventually become more self sufficient. But we can take it even further, jobs such as picking out produce and meat at the store before preparing a meal offer opportunities to show kids the importance of shopping smart, because shopping is a big part of cooking. Help them learn healthier choices, talk about about organic vs. nonorganic. Talk about why we wash our fruits and vegetables, the dangers of pesticides. You can also bring children to a local farm, we have plenty to pick from around here! Seeing the plants and animals that we eat is a great reminder, even for adults, that food doesn’t just magically appear at the store.

Go Green tips for August 25th

2010-08-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, August 25th:

• If you’re considering a room re-do and are looking at replacing the old carpet, why not go more streamlined and greener this time with either a cork floor or maybe some reclaimed wood. It looks really weathered and very cool!
• Still talking about flooring ideas, my sister found the most beautiful carpet via the news paper. It was gently used and way cheaper than going with a new version. Take it one step further and look at garage sales. You’re sure to get a major bargain perfect for say, a dorm room!

I’ve been shopping again online and I found the coolest shower head that finally will end my wastefullness! One thing I’m guilty of is that I hate waiting. Waiting in line, waiting on hold and waiting for the water to get hot after I turn on the shower. I usually will turn on the shower and then walk away and do something else while I’m waiting to be able to step into the shower. However, I usually take longer than I intended and by then I’ve wasted a ton of water that’s just been running down the drain, waiting for me to get around to getting into the shower. And even a low flow shower head won’t help that waste! So, I think I’ve found a great compromise. It’s called the RoadRunner. It’s low flow, first of all, but it also shuts off once it’s hot. Seriously! You turn it on to warm up and once it’s hot, it just shuts off. Then, you step into the shower, pull the cord and it comes on at your desired temperature! I think I’m in love! Not only that, it installs in a five minutes or less. It’s forty dollars, according to the site I found and I’ll post the link for it up on our website (RoadRunner) for those of you who’d like to take a look. Personal green shopper extraordinaire! That’s me on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 24th

2010-08-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Tuesday, August 24th:

• Sending that kid off to college? I’m sure you’ve made sure they have everything they could possibly need to accessorize that dorm room, but did you give them their own reusable shopping bags? Afterall, they’ll be doing their own shopping from now on!
• Another must have dorm room essential? A power strip for the computer, reading lamp and hair drier. Encourage them to switch it off when they leave their room!

I found the coolest eco-friendly arts and crafts websites the other day. I’ve always encouraged by daughter’s artistic side, which in my opinion is substantial, but I’m biased, you realize. Anyway, I’m constantly on the lookout for greener craft supplies. Things we take for granted like colored pencils, glue or even construction paper or fabrics can now be found in eco-friendly versions. How are they eco-friendly? Well, take, for example, felt. It’s one of my favorite materials because it’s so versatile. But it’s also made of plastic. So, I look for felt that’s made out of recycled plastic like soda bottles. It’s called eco-fi felt and you can find it online in a couple of places and inexpensively. Try joggles.com or feltorama.com to make all of your eco friendly felting dreams come true! Okay, maybe they’re just my dreams. Anyway, both of those sites have a ton of green craft supplies and ideas. You might also try stubbypencilstudio.com. This is a habit we’d like our children to learn, but it’s up to us to set the example. The old “Do as I say, don’t do as I do” doesn’t hold the filtered water anymore. Green is the way on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 20th

2010-08-21T03:28:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Friday, August 20th:

• That plush toilet paper that beckons you in the store may feel good for a moment, but it ravages our forests. Instead, how about a brand made of at least 50% post-consumer recycled content without chlorine. They also recommend single ply, but I’m sorry, that’s where I draw the line. I’m a double ply girl!
• Helpful hint: when you bring cheese home, take it out of the package and store it in tinfoil. It stays fresher longer! I love cheese!

The weather is getting a bit more mild, but summer is still upon us. Downtown areas, like right here in Middlebury are awash in pedestrian traffic. The sidewalks are a very busy place these days. That brings me to a certain pet peeve of mine. I’ve noticed quite a bit lately, the resurgence of bicyclists on sidewalks. Now, it’s okay if you’re walking your bike, especially if you’re downtown, but it is not okay to ride the bike on the sidewalk. As a matter of fact, its against the law downtown. I don’t care if it’s a busy time of day, or not. Some of the culprits are kids, that’s true, but yesterday, it was a woman a bit older than me that nearly ran me down as I was stepping out of Ben Franklin. And it was probably her kids who came close to taking me out two days before. Take comfort in knowing that motorists observe rules of the road when it comes to our two wheeled friends. If you go with traffic and keep to the curb, you’ll get where you need to go. By the way, don’t forget your helmet and pat yourself on the back for the fuel you’re saving, oh and pat yourself one more time if you keep to the road when you bike. Lecture over. We’re cruisin’ on the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 19th

2010-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Thursday, August 19th:

• Green movie pick this week would have to go to Toy Story 3. If you haven’t seen it, don’t worry, I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that we come away with a newfound appreciation for our well-worn things, for the virtues of hand-me-downs, kids get to see, quite viscerally, what happens when they discard something (or someone) that’s no longer shiny and new. Great movie!
• Low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets are wonderful, but what if you want to save water in the bathroom without having to install something new? Simply fill up a half-liter (or larger, if it’ll fit) bottle with water and put it in your toilet tank, a trick that can save up to 7,500 gallons per year.

Textbooks can be pricey, so buying used can save lots of money—and the resources and energy required to manufacture new books. You’ll be able to find most of the required reading material for semester used at the book store. Also try Otter Creek Used Book Store downtown Middlebury. They carry used text books, as well. Now, if you’re not looking to keep the text books after the course is over, why not just rent online? Several sites actually offer the option of renting books; For instance, if you go with Chegg, or chegg.com, a tree will be planted each time you rent a text book. They ship you the books, and even send you a return label so you can ship them back when you’re finished absolutely free. Check it out, that’s www.chegg.com. I’ll put the link up with today’s green tips at 921wvtk dot com. Greening the way to college, it’s the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!

Go Green tips for August 18th

2010-08-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

Gotta tip you want to share with Sarah and the Go Green Ride at Five? Email her: sarah@921wvtk.com!

Here Sarah's groovy green tips for Wednesday, August 18th:

• Having trouble keeping the cool? Lower the blinds and pull the curtains. Cutting down on the natural light coming in helps keep the temperature down! As a matter of fact, make sure you black out the house before you go to work for the day and come home to a much cooler abode!
• With school shopping and dorm room decorating to worry about, go first to our great local resale shops! Save money and go vintage!

This is the season of the garage sale. Have you had yours, yet? Well, if you’re planning to clean house and make some extra dough before the fall hits, there’s some great greener choices you can make for the big sale day. Don’t bother tagging everything. Instead appoint price point tables where everything on the table or in the box is a certain price. You’ll save time, money and materials not making out all those individual tags. Clothing is harder to price because we’re often driven by either sentimentality or the original price and quality of the garment when we’re assigning a price. But think of it this way, they’ll probably talk you down, anyway, so just price it to sell! Remember your intentions are to clean house, not take a Disney Cruise with your earnings. Finally, what to do with what doesn’t sell. Don’t take it back in the house, whatever you do! Instead, take it from the tables to the trunk of your car. Then, the next time you’re in the area of your local resale shop, just drop it all off! For a greener garage sale, it’s the Go Green Ride at Five on 92.1 WVTK!