Check out www.usaservice.org for service opportunities in your community. (This link takes you to a list of events within a 10-mile radius of zip code 22153)
We've signed up to take non-perishable food items to the Lorton Community Action Center, give grocery store gift cards to Our Daily Bread, and give blood with INOVA Blood Services in Annandale.
There are lots of opportunities to volunteer -- everything from clean up to food banks to the environment. You're not limited to what's on the list. Think of what you can do to make your community a better place. Every act makes a difference.
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Sunday, January 18, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Milk Man is Back?
Do you remember when the milk man would deliver fresh milk in glass bottles to your front door? Nowadays, milk is packaged in waxed paper cartons (which aren't recyclable) and plastic cartons (which are recyclable but take a lot of energy to produce).
I read recently in National Geographic's "Green Guide" magazine about dairies who are offering milk in glass bottles. The magazine was rating the energy efficiency and recyclability of milk packaging. And on my last trip to Whole Foods, at the intersection of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill, I saw these bottles. They stand out in the refrigerated dairy case like gleaming stars. I'm getting too nostalgic, I know. But I can't help it. I am so excited about these milk bottles! It's the little changes that will make a world of difference.
So, here's the scoop. The milk comes from the family-owned Homestead Creamery in VA. Whole Foods has it in whole, 2%, nonfat, chocolate and buttermilk. The 2% I purchased was $3.79 and there's a $2.00 deposit. When you bring the empty bottle back to Whole Foods, they'll refund your deposit. It's a little more expensive than milk in a plastic or waxed paper container, but it's definitely more energy efficient and earth-friendly. The store sends the glass containers back to the dairy who will wash and sanitize them. Then, new milk is pumped in to begin the whole process again.
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I read recently in National Geographic's "Green Guide" magazine about dairies who are offering milk in glass bottles. The magazine was rating the energy efficiency and recyclability of milk packaging. And on my last trip to Whole Foods, at the intersection of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill, I saw these bottles. They stand out in the refrigerated dairy case like gleaming stars. I'm getting too nostalgic, I know. But I can't help it. I am so excited about these milk bottles! It's the little changes that will make a world of difference.
So, here's the scoop. The milk comes from the family-owned Homestead Creamery in VA. Whole Foods has it in whole, 2%, nonfat, chocolate and buttermilk. The 2% I purchased was $3.79 and there's a $2.00 deposit. When you bring the empty bottle back to Whole Foods, they'll refund your deposit. It's a little more expensive than milk in a plastic or waxed paper container, but it's definitely more energy efficient and earth-friendly. The store sends the glass containers back to the dairy who will wash and sanitize them. Then, new milk is pumped in to begin the whole process again.
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