Tenney: Earth Day, Arbor Day Save The Environment And Money
April 24, 2012
In light of both Earth Day and Arbor Day taking place this week, Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney (R,C,I-New Hartford) recently reminded Central New Yorkers that cleaning up the environment can save them money. “Central New York is one of the most beautiful regions in the United States. Its natural beauty has drawn people to this area for centuries,” said Tenney. “Authors such as James Fenimore Cooper have found inspiration in Central New York’s beauty and captivated audiences. During this time of year, with incredible weather sparking an early spring, we are reminded of the budding and blooming natural splendor which surrounds us. “However, our fast-paced lives often cause us to forget some simple and easy environmentally friendly practices that both protect the environment and save us money. One particular measure is to use reusable shopping bags.” Plastic bags buried in landfills may take up to 1,000 years to break down. Plastic bags do not break down to environmentally safe material, but fragment into smaller and smaller pieces which get absorbed into soil, plants, waterways or consumed by animals. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. citizens use 100 billion plastic shopping bags a year at an estimated cost of $4 billion to retailers and small businesses. Other ways to preserve our environment as well as save money can be found at www.dec.ny.gov, such as:
- Gas-saving tips;
- Low-interest-loan information for energy improvements;
- Less costly and effective environmentally safe homemade cleaning products;
- How to minimize water usage; and
- Access to an environment myth-buster section.