City of Bel Aire

City of Bel Aire

Conservation

Conservation is one of the easiest and most effective ways to promote environmental sustainability. Using fewer resources or reusing materials can be as simple as reusing a ceramic coffee mug rather than foam cups for hot beverages or as complicated as building your own compost piles or installing solar panels. Whatever change you decide to make, no matter how small, can add up to cleaner air and water and increased quality of life for future generations. In addition to providing a recycling program, the City of Bel Aire wants to encourage every citizen to help make Bel Aire the most ecologically friendly community in Kansas.

Tree City USA

Bel Aire is a Tree City USA Community. The Tree City USA program, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities. In 2008, Bel Aire received a Growth Award from Tree City USA to recognize environmental improvement and encourage higher levels of tree care. For more information, visit the Tree City USA/Arbor Day website.

Tip of the Month

November 

The holidays are right aroudn the corner, which means plenty of hustle and bustle.  This is also the perfect time to begin taking steps toward a more eco-firendly lifestlye.  Here are a few easy ideas to get you through the holidays. 

Try to reduce the amount of waste you are producing.  Sounds simple enough, but this time of year we tend to throw away more food than any other time of year.  So, try to estimate and purchase only the amount of food that will be consumed.  Also, try to purchase products packaged in recyclable containers.  

Don't use disposable items during the holidays.  Put some reusable bags in your car to have on hand for holiday shopping.  At holiday gatherings, use cloth napkins and washable tableware. 

Set out bins for all paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum containers as a reminder not to throw away these recyclable materials. 

Utilizing any and all of these ideas through the holiday season will be a step toward a greener lifestyle and a positive impact on the environment.    

August

It's almost time to send the kids back to school – can you believe it? Go green and save some green with these tips.

• Figure out which school supplies can be reused from last year's leftovers, such as pens and bottles of glue.
• Stock up on supplies at the store now – prices can be many times higher during other seasons.
• Look into eco-friendly options such as recycled paper, scissors made with recycled plastic, refillable pens, etc.
• Avoid bags and backpacks made with PVC (vinyl), which contains some chemicals the EPA has defined as toxins. Look for bags made of cotton, recycled rubber and other natural materials.
• Keep it simple. Only buy what you really need and try to reuse as much as you can.
• When the backpacks are filled, consider green transportation options – instead of dropping your students off at school, have them walk/bike, carpool or take the bus.

July

Fireworks can be fun, but they're not always kind to our environment or to our health. Fireworks typically include perchlorates, which are classified as an environmental pollutant. Coloring agents may include heavy metals like copper and barium, which can have toxic effects.

As with any action that harms the environment, you don't have to give up fireworks entirely – just use them in moderation. A larger shootoff attended by multiple families might use fewer resources than if each family lights its own fireworks. Make sure to follow safety procedures, and try to avoid breathing in the smoke emitted by your firecrackers.

Also, you can consider buying new "green" fireworks. Some companies are developing pyrotechnics containing nitrogen or nitrocellulose instead of perchlorates, making them cleaner-burning. Click here for more information.

June

Camping and boating are fun summer activities, but they may lead to unintentional ecosystem damage. Invasive species are non-native plants and animals that invade and take over ecosystems, leading to loss of biodiversity. They are spread in part by human transport from one area to another.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks defines these species as invasive to Kansas land and water:

• White Perch
• Rudd
• Asian Carp
• Ruffe
• Zebra mussels
• Rusty Crayfish
• Round Goby
• New Zealand Mudsnails
• Eurasian watermilfoil
• Hydrilla
• Purple Loosestrife
• Saltcedar
• Curly-leaf pondweed

Zebra mussels are located in Marion Reservoir, Perry Reservoir, Cheney Reservoir, El Dorado Reservoir, the Walnut River, Winfield City Lake, and Lake Afton. Boaters using these waters are required todrain and clean their equipment before launching in another body of water to avoid spreading the zebra mussels.

Other tips to avoid spreading invasive species include:

• Empty bait buckets on dry land, not into the lake.
• Never move fish caught from one body of water to another.
• Inspect equipment and remove any visible organisms and vegetation.
• Wash equipment with 140-degree water (typically found at a carwash), a 10-percent chlorine and water solution, or a hot saltwater solution.
• Do not release aquarium pets into local streams.
• Don't bring your own firewood when you camp; buy it onsite.

Click here for more information.  

May

Memorial Day is a day to honor the sacrifices of our nation's veterans. It is also an "unofficial first day of summer" and a three-day weekend of grilling, picnics and camping. Both types of celebrations can put strain on our environment.

Gravesite decorations such as flags and pinwheels may be thrown away by cemetery employees after several days. Check with the cemetery to see if you can plant a small live plant at a gravesite instead. Fresh-cut flowers are also a good option, as they can decompose and improve the soil.

Green your grilling routine by using wood-based charcoal and composting the ashes. When you're done, close the grill and shutter the vent to kill the fire quickly so you can reuse the charcoal next time. Look for organic grill cleaners, meats, veggie burgers and vegetables. Be sure to clean up after your campsite, and try to use reusable and/or recyclable materials when possible.

March

As spring begins and you turn your attention to your yard and garden, it's also time to think about composting. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, yard trimmings and food scraps account for 23 percent of the U.S. waste stream. Instead of throwing away these items, you can turn them into nutrient-rich material that will benefit your soil.

For the best results, use a mix of ingredients. Grass clippings and other yard waste wil decompose quickly, while tougher plant material takes longer. Many experts recommend a mix of "greens" (raw plants and fruit and vegetable scraps) and "browns" (paper, cardboard and wood scraps). Meat and dairy should not be composted. As time goes on, the items in your compost pile or bin will turn into a rich, earthy material that you can add to your soil.

For more information on composting, visit the EPA's composting site. (Photo courtesy of Amy Delamaide)

January

Get a new TV, cell phone or computer for Christmas? Don't throw that old electronic device away! Throwing broken or unwanted electronic devices in the trash can cause dangerous increases in mercury, lead and other toxin levels in landfills. Left unattended, these chemicals can leach into ground water and the atmosphere creating hazardous conditions. Instead of throwing your electronics in the trash, recycle them at the E-Waste Collection site.

Sedgwick County Environmental Resources will be running a Residential E-Waste Collection at the Kansas Coliseum, Pavilion 2 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Items that will be accepted include TVs, VCRs, DVD Players, cell phones, all computer equipment, PDAs, video games, stereo system components, mp3 players, GPS units, and pagers. For more information please contact Sedgwick County Environmental Resources at 316-660-7200 or visit the Sedgwick County website at Sedgwick County Environmental Resources

December

With Christmas quickly approaching, holiday shopping is in full swing. Getting the right gift can be quite a chore, but giving colorfully wrapped presents is actually an excellent opportunity for conservation. Following these tips can simplify the Christmas season and have a positive impact on the environment.

• Need to stuff those holiday gift bags? Grab your shredder and turn used gift wrap or other colorful paper into your own shreds to use as filler in gift bags and boxes. Reusing the colorful shredded paper that cushions packages can reduce trash and save time and money for you.
• Give presents that require minimal packaging and wrapping: tickets to performances, sports events, movies; gift certificates, gift cards, coupons for services or activities. Reduced packaging helps reduce waste and is a win-win situation; you get to spend quality time with someone special and they don't have another meaningless gift.
• Recycle what you replace. If you buy a new cell phone or computer as a gift, remember to pass the old one or recycle it. Retailers, like Best Buy and Office Max, participate in electronic recycling programs to keep mercury, cadmium and lead out of landfills. Not-for-profit organizations also recycle "e-waste.'
• Make the wrapping part of the gift by wrapping presents in a reusable bag. The bags can be used for every trip to the grocery store or for returning less thoughtful gifts to the store.

November

With winter on the way, you can take steps now to increase your homes energy efficiency. Increasing your comfort indoors without sending your thermostat – and energy bill – through the roof is good for the environment and your budget. Here are a few simple tips to prepare your home for winter:

• Seal or fix broken basement windows.
• Re-wrap and tape ducts or replace cracked or peeling tape on ducts. Make sure to use heat tape with the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) logo and labeled for heating ducts.
• Check and replace weather stripping on exterior doors and windows.
• Check attics and crawl spaces for adequate insulation.
• In the evening, close your drapes to retain heat. Make sure heating registers are not covered by the drapes or furniture.
• Check your furnace and heat pump filters once a month. Replace if dirty. 
• Lower your thermostat at night and when not at home. Using a programmable thermostat will save energy and lower heating bills.
  
• If you have a fireplace, make sure to have it properly cleaned and inspected annually. Faulty dampers can lead to heat loss and unsafe operations.

October

With fall comes many traditions. After the kids have trick-or-treated around the neighborhood and Halloween has past its time to recycle those Jack-O-Lanterns. Pumpkins, while great for carving, are excellent sources of food. Pumpkins are low in calories, fat, and sodium and high in fiber and are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron. Pumpkins are technically fruits and part of the squash family. Many great recipes are available from the Food Network. If you don't care to eat your Halloween creations, consider feeding animals or your garden. Squirrels and birds will eat left over pumpkins if they are cut into manageable pieces. Burying a used pumpkin can provide soil with lots of nutrients for the winter. Pumpkins that have been cut into will break down quickly in soil or in compost piles.