Tips from City Committees
Monthly tips from our Animal Welfare Committee & Committee for a Better Environment
Shrink your Carbon Footprint
Here are some of the easiest ways you can start to shrink your carbon footprint through changes in behavior regarding food.
- Eating mostly fruits, veggies, grains, and beans. Livestock—meat and dairy, is responsible for 14.5 % of manmade global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from feed production and processing and the methane that beef and sheep belch out. Every day that you forgo meat and dairy, you can reduce your carbon footprint.
- Choose organic and local foods that are in season. Transporting food from far away, whether by truck, ship, rail or plane, uses fossil fuels for fuel and for cooling to keep foods in transit from spoiling.
- Buy foodstuffs in bulk when possible using your own reusable container.
- Reduce your food waste by planning meals ahead of time, freezing the excess and reusing leftovers.
- Compost your food waste, either in your backyard or through the drop off site located at Public Works.
Halloween Fun & Pet Safety
While Halloween is fun for us, it’s scary and potentially dangerous for our pets! Candy can be toxic to our pets. Keep the trick or treat bowls out of their reach! Pumpkins, decorative corn and plants and wires from electric decorations can be of concern.
Pet costumes are also popular. Make sure your pet “enjoys” wearing them and check for loose, dangling buttons, trim or any other parts that could be chewed off and swallowed. Also make sure their vision is not blocked by the costume.
If trick or treaters knock on your door make sure all pets are secured in another area of the house so they can’t escape. And always have identification on them - at least a collar with an id tag but preferably a microchip!
Keep Halloween safe and fun for all!