Pine Cove Water District: Greening your Holidays II

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Greening your Holidays II

Packing Peanuts, what are they good for? Well that depends. They can be the bain of our existence at times. However, there are some things you can do with them. In the past few years, some strides have been made in the packing peanut industry, such as peanuts made out of corn starch or wheat. Some biodegrade quickly and can be put into your compost pile and others dissolve in water. Also, traditional packing peanuts are made out of polystyrene and are now color coded to indicate the origin of the material they contain. Polystyrene takes hundreds of years to decompose in nature, so recycling it is key. Green colored packing peanuts are made from at least 70% recycled material, while white and pink colored peanuts are composed of at least 70% raw (i.e. non-recycled) materials. Additionally, pink peanuts have been treated with chemicals to prevent static cling.

One alternative to using shipping peanuts is to use popcorn. If you have an air popper, this works perfectly. Just be sure your popcorn is plain with not butters, oils or seasonings on it. Plain, dry popcorn works wonderfully well as a packing material and can then be put outside for the birds to enjoy.

But if you do find yourself afloat in a seat of shipping peanuts, here are some things you can do with them.

REUSE THEM: Store packing peanuts in an old pair of pantyhose to keep them from over taking your house until you are ready to ship them off to someone else. Cut a hole in the toe and tie it off with a twisty seal for easy peanut dispensing.

REFUSE THEM: If you detest packing peanuts, ask mail order companies if they use them before you agree to place an order and encourage them to use the new biodegradable variety. Sometimes companies, particularly smaller outifits, will agree to ship your order with shredded newspapers or some other more eco-friendly substitute instead.

RECYCLE THEM: More and more recycling programs are accepting packing peanuts, but make sure you put them in a bag or box so they don't escape and invade the neighborhood. Also, shipping services like Mailboxes, Etc. will often accept peanut donations, as will many stores and businesses that do a lot of shipping. If nothing else, list them on Freecycle since someone in your area is bound to be moving or shipping something.

RE-PURPOSE THEM: Packing peanuts make great stuffing. No, not for your turkey, but for things like pet beds and draft dodgers. Simply sew up your project and then use the packing peanuts for the stuffing.

So with a little imagination, we can turn an annoying item like packing peanuts into something useful.

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FREE STUFF!

We have lots of things available for our customers, all free of charge. Stop by the district office to pick up yours today.

Saving Water Kit. These kits include a low flow shower head, a kitchen swivel aerator, 2 bathroom faucet aerators, toilet water saver, toilet leak detection tablets, flow meter bag and a water conservation wheel.

Blue bird houses made from recycled wood.

Wood chips to help retain moisture in your garden.

Here at the PCWD, we care about the environment and want to help our customers save water.

CURRENT REBATES

Effective 7/1/10, the District is offering a rebate program for the following items:

One half of the purchase price to a maximum on $100.00 per toilet, max of two toilets per household, for the purchase and installation of a 1.6 GPM or less, Low Flow Toilet.

$50.00 rebate for the purchase and installation of a High Efficiency/Front Loading washing machine.

$100.00 Rebate for the purchase and installation of an approved Hot Wter Recycling System, limit of 1 per household.

Smart Water Systems on outside watering an drip stystems, maximum of $150.00, decided on a case by case basis.

Rain Water Collection Systems, maximum of $150.00 decided on a case by case basis.

All rebates must be approved by the General manager and must include proof of purchase and installation and there will be no repeat rebates allowed for a minimum of 5 years. Within any fiscal year, the maximum total rebates is $250.00 per property.

Rebates for any commercial or multi-family units will be decided on a case by case basis and must be approved by the Board of Directors.

Please stop in the office to fill out the necessary paper work to receive your rebate.

Winterizing Tips

Every winter season, homeowners in mountain communities are at risk of the damage and expense caused by frozen pipes. However, just a few precatuions can greatly reduce your risk and may even help with your winter heating efficiency.

Disconnect and Drain-detaching hoses from outdoor faucets allows water to drain from the pipe.

Insulate-if you have pipelines in an unheated garage or cold crawl spaced under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet. You can also puchase insulated covers for your outdoor faucets as well.

Turn off Water-turning your water off when you leave you mountain home is the most important thing you can do to prevent a leak or break.

Seal Off Vents, Cracks and Doors-winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes.

By following these simple steps, you will be protecting yourself from a possible leak or broken pipe due to freezing.

Remember, all water that passes through the meter is the homeowner's responsibility, even if it is due to frozen or broken pipes.

Riverside County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

The Pine Cove Water District is participating in Riverside County's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. They are currently in the process of updating it and we have been trying to do our part. We have been nominated as a possible site for an Emergency Operations Center should a diaster befall us. We will be making updates here on the blog and our website so that we can keep the public informed as to our progress and plans. It is our hope that our preparations are never put to the test, but we want to be prepared, just in case.

Pine Cove Water District Welcomes You!

It is our mission to provide ample amounts of potable water at a reasonable price to all constituents within the Pine Cove area.

As a water district in a small community, we here at the Pine Cove Water District feel a special connection with our customers. We want our customers to be informed and in addition to our website and our semi annual newsletters, we have created this blog to keep everyone up to date on the latest happenings here at the Pine Cove Water District.

We hope you will check in often and feel free to leave your comments and suggestions.

Rules for Watering your Landscape

1. Get to know your plants signal for water: All plants and trees have different water requirements. The time to water is when the plants need it. Adjust your watering schedule and automatic timers for cooler, wetter or windy weather.

2. Split your watering time and prevent runoff: If water runs off instead of soaking in, split the water time into two sessions to allow the soil to absorb the water. Amend your soil to improve the water holding capacity of your soil.Watering half the time, twice as often will help water stay in the root zone.

3. Train your plants to develop deep roots: Water thoroughly, but infrequently. Make sure that plants are deep watered in the spring so they will develop deep roots and need less water in the summer. Deeper roots allow plants to use moisture deep in the ground. Plants will be healthier and stronger.

4. Avoid watering on windy days: When you water on windy days (a breeze stronger than 5 to 7 miles per hour), much of the water evaporates or blows away.

5. Avoid watering in the middle of the day: Morning is the best time to water because it helps prevent the growth of fungus. Also by watering in the cool part of the day, more water soaks in instead of evaporating.

6. Turn off your irrigation system when it rains: Don't waste water by watering plants in the rain. Rain sensors are available if you aren't home to to turn them off.

7. Mulch around trees and shrubs: Mulching discourages weeds and slows evaporation when you water your plants.

8. Keep your soil in shape: Soil amendments such as compost can benefit your plants both by providing nutrients and by changing the composition of the soil so it holds water better. Improving your soil needs to be done regularly, including the areas around existing plants and shrubs.

9. Maintain your watering system: Broken sprinkler heads spew water that doesn't benefit your plants. Replace old or worn irrigation fixtures. Hoses, couplings, valves and fauceets that leak not only create large puddles, but waste water and your money.

10. Choose the right plants: Take a plants water and sun needs into consideration before adding it to you landscape. Look for drought tolerant plants with low water needs.