How Green Are You?

There are many traditions surrounding St. Patrick’s Day that include wearing green and eating corned beef and cabbage.  But another way to celebrate being green is to be more sensitive to the environment.  Here are some ideas to change up the green holiday this year.

You can WEAR green, but not just the color.  Most textile waste (a.k.a. clothes, shoes, curtains) has the ability to be recycled or repurposed, yet only a small amount are disposed of properly.  Shopping for clothes and accessories at Goodwill and other second hand stores is easy on your wallet, and fun to try different styles with a low-cost risk.  And if you haven’t done it already, you can rid your closet of sizes and types of clothes you may not be wearing any more.  If they’re recent fashion and in like-new condition, there are places that will give you a store credit or even a little cash for them.  There’s ReThreads in Frederick County, and New To Me Consignment Boutique in Roanoke.  If you live near Stitchback in Richmond, they actually come to your house to retrieve your donated clothes!

You can EAT green!  Spring is the time to start planting!  If you’re in a cooler climate on the western side of the state, start your seeds indoors until after the last frost.  Or sow some seeds for cooler weather crops, like collards or peas, near the end of March.  If you live in a milder area of the state, you can set out many different green plants, such as spinach, lettuce and broccoli.  Here’s a guide to the planting times and types of crops for wherever you live in Virginia.

You can BE green!  As we say around here, “Grab a bag, take a walk, pick up litter!”  Unfortunately, you don’t have to look far to find errant bags, papers, and PPE strewn in the landscape.  Better still, register for Shiver in Virginia and reap the benefits of picking up litter – like receiving a one-day free parking pass to any Virginia State Park, and be entered to win very cool prizes, and feel good about yourself because you can do something meaningful for your community.  You can also do many beautiful things to earn extra entries for prizes, check out the list on the Shiver in Virginia page!

So get your green on!