So-Cal Solar Inc. ran a contest last month on how green are you. After many entries we are happy to announce Nick and Brooke Komar as our winners. This couple really has made saving our planet a priority in their household and together their contributions make a positive impact on our environment. Below is their story on how they work together to reduce, reuse and recycle.
“Reduce: For the past 6 years I’ve been reducing the amount of plastic bags in our landfills by shopping with fabric grocery bags. If I forget them in the car, I ask the grocer to put my cart aside and I run and grab them (they’re only 50 feet away! no biggie!); at malls I reduce shopping bags by asking subsequent stores to place their merchandise in my initial bag; I do all my shopping on one day to reduce emissions; we keep our A/C and heat as low as possible and just put on or take off layers to regulate our temperature; recently I’ve learned my hubby limits himself to just a few squares of toilet paper per bathroom pit stop!
Reuse: I’ve always been a fan of reconstituting items. As an artist, I will repurpose objects and make them into new things (clothing into a purse, curtains into a canvas, wine corks into a trivet); our wedding day was even green! Our e-vites/RSVP were virtual & I went to antique stores to purchase the centerpieces (candelabra’s) and have used them to decorate our home since then. My wedding dress will be re-worn by a friend and then I’m having it turned into a quilt!
Recycle: I began recycling in 4th grade after I completed a school project on ozone layer depletion and greenhouse gases. It impacted me greatly. I thought I wouldn’t live to see my 18th birthday because of pollution! Thankfully I am still here, and our earth is here too! But that made a big impact on how I live my life. My husband and I thankfully now live in a town/city that encourages living green! Plano, TX accepts all plastics, papers, glass, and metal and they collect them at our doorstep biweekly! However, before that, I lived in Germany (where they enforced recycling) and in Indiana where I would have to take separate recyclables myself and then transport them in my car to the local recycling plant. “
We are so thankful for all the submissions we received and loved hearing how so many of you out there are making your own environmental impact. We would also like to thank Homeology for their generous product donation to our lucky winner. To learn more about the product the Komar’s won please visit www.mygc.com/Lamonica.
Each of us can do a little something to extend the life of our planet! Something simple can help in a huge way so start reducing, reusing and recycling in your life.
Last night I was doing some research when I got sidetracked by a “calculate your carbon footprint” tool. I have seen many of these calculator’s online and have found some to be misleading while others overwhelming. The one I stumbled upon was created by Earthlab (
Ok readers we want to know from all of you “How Green Are You”. Tell us your story on what you do to impact the environment in a positive way. No impact is too small or large and we want to hear about it to share with the world and continue increasing awareness. If you recycle we want hear about it. If you have a solar electric system we want to what your system’s environmental impact has done. If you stopped using plastic bags we want to know how you adjusted from plastic to eco-bags. If you do it all WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!!!!
