If you’re an educator who’d like to keep all those markers your kids use out of landfills, take note!   There’s a free recycling program from Crayola that allows students to collect and repurpose used markers from classrooms in K-12 schools across the country and in parts of Canada. The Crayola ColorCycle initiative is designed to help both teachers and students learn about sustainability and make a positive impact on the environment.   To participate, you simply need to sign up your school, collect markers, and send them in. The four easy steps are outlined on the ColorCycle web page.   First, inform your school’s administrators or parent-teacher organization about the program. Any school, kindergarten through 12th grade, in the contiguous 48 United States, is eligible to participate. Some areas of Canada are eligible as well. You can check if your Canadian postal code is covered here.  An adult representative can register the school to participate online.   Next, set up a collection site where people can drop off used markers at your school. The markers should then be packed in a cardboard box that has minimal outer markings. Only include markers in the box. All brands of markers are accepted, so they don’t just need to be Crayola markers. Ensure that each box weighs about 8-10 pounds, and secure it with packing tape. Crayola suggests a minimum of 100 markers and a maximum of 40 pounds per box. The packages should be affixed with a FedEx shipping label, which you can print online. They will be picked up by FexEx Ground, with shipping costs covered by Crayola.   Markers are often not allowed by local community recycling efforts, which more commonly collect paper, plastic, and glass. That makes this program all the more welcome. So what happens to the markers? According to Crayola, the recyclables are sent to a facility that converts old markers into energy as well as wax compounds for asphalt and roofing shingles. “The process repurposes the entire marker, regardless of the different kinds of plastics or how they are assembled,” the FAQ says. One school participating in the program is Geneva Middle School in Geneva, Illinois, where a group of students known as “The Green Team” is collecting markers through the program. They also have a deposit box to collect empty chip bags in school’s cafeteria. The club was organized last year in a sixth-grade science class.   Last month, the club brought their first load of empty chip bags to Gerald Ford Subaru in North Aurora, which has a recycling box for TerraCycle, a private recycling business. The school plans to continue the program when the school year gets underway again. If your classroom needs new markers, teachers can purchase Crayola Classpacks, which include a color palette of educator-preferred hues, as well as other bulk items at affordable prices. We hope plenty of schools are signing up this year!

Recent restrictions on recycling have left many diligent Oregonian recyclers confused and dismayed about what they can and can’t recycle.   China was a major market for Oregon recyclables, especially the type of plastic that isn’t allowed in weekly recycling bins. Examples include car seats, small plastic containers (less than 6 ounces), and the plastic bags wrapped around your newspaper.   But don’t fret, intrepid Oregonian recycler. Even if you can't put them in your curbside bins, you can still recycle all those items (as of this writing), as well as materials you may not realize are recyclable, such as plastic bottle caps and Styrofoam.   As a bonus, you can recycle many of these items for free in the Portland area, and some dropoff locations are as close as your neighborhood retailer.   Read on to learn where you can recycle specific materials, along with some tips on how to make the journey easier. Polystyrene (including Styrofoam)   As counter-intuitive as it seems, you can recycle polystyrene. Tigard-based Agilyx will recycle different types of polystyrene, including Styrofoam take-out containers and the polystyrene blocks that cushion products inside cardboard boxes.   How: Agilyx is one of the few “chemical recycling” plants in the U.S. that breaks down polystyrene into liquid form.   Tip: Agilyx won’t accept starch peanuts, polyethylene foam, or polypropylene foam. Read their Frequently Asked Questions list on their website to learn more about their recycling process.   Bonus tip: There’s a dog park next to the plant.   Where: 13240 S.W. Wall St., Tigard; agilyx.com or 503-217-3160. Plastic film (such as produce and newspaper plastic bags)   Plastic film is ubiquitous, but some plants can still recycle this material into other materials, such as the composite wood used in backyard decks.   How: Many retailers have specially marked boxes where you can drop off plastic bags. Participating retailers include Safeway, Target, Walmart and the Garden Home Marketplace (formerly Lamb's Thriftway) in Southwest Portland.   Tip: You can’t recycle chip bags, candy bar wrappers or compostable bags. Additionally, plastic film recycling rules can be arbitrary. Some retailers (like Garden Home Marketplace) can’t accept “colored plastic” bags, such as bread bags, because their recycler won’t take them. So call your retailer’s customer service number if you’re unsure what is accepted.   Where: Various retailers; go to plasticfilmrecycling.org to search by zip code for a dropoff location.  Carpet and carpet pad (residential only)   Once you could drop off carpet and carpet pads at carpet stores or at centers like Far West Recycling. Commercial businesses have more choices for carpet recycling, but homeowners have few options.   How: Environmentally Conscious Recycling accepts small amounts of carpet and carpet pads. At its 350,000-square-foot facility, your vehicle is weighed, you let the booth attendant know what you are hauling, and then you are directed to an area where another employee will confirm whether your load is acceptable. There is a $25 minimum fee for up to 200 pounds; the cost is 5.5 cents per pound for anything above that weight ($110 per ton).   Tip: If possible, bring a heavy-duty vehicle to navigate the steep inclines. Some paths in the facility are unpaved, so check the weather forecast before you go if you want to avoid excessively muddy conditions.   Where: 12409 N.E. San Rafael St., Portland; ecrrecycling.com or 503-253-0867. Car seats   Car seats are another casualty of China’s “hard plastics” ban. But at least one retailer accommodates parents interested in recycling their kids’ car seats.   How: Target has week-long “car seat trade-in” promotions where you can recycle your car seat (you don’t have to remove the fabric), as well as car seat bases. Target partners with Waste Management to recycle the car seats.   Tip: The next car seat trade-in is planned for September. Go to target.com to check for updates.   Where: Selected Target locations; check target.com. Plastic bottle caps and #5 plastic containers   The numbers on the bottom of recyclable products identify what the recyclable is made of. For example, #5 plastics are polypropylene, such as soda bottle caps, yogurt lids and prescription medicine bottles.   How: Preserve is one company that seeks to “close the loop” for polypropylene by creating new products out of old ones. You can also recycle #5 plastics with TerraCycle, but you will need to pay for a box that is delivered to your home.   Tip: You don’t need to make sure bottle caps are stamped with the number 5; Preserve will accept any bottle caps or container lids. You can see Preserve’s entire list of accepted materials at preserve.eco.   Where: You can mail your #5 plastics to Preserve or order a TerraCycle box (terracycle.com). Some Whole Foods Market locations are partners with Preserve’s Gimme 5 program, but you’ll need to call individual stores to confirm their participation.  

You just heard the latest terrifying news about microplastics. You vow to make this the week you actually pack your lunch in Mason jars and avoid single-use plastics. Reusable straw in hand, you're ready for anything—until, inevitably, something comes up that leaves you tossing a plastic wrapper in defeat. We've all been there. In a world where plastic is quite literally everywhere, reducing the amount of waste in your life is a challenge in every sense of the word. So we asked six decidedly eco-friendly women how they deal with inevitable snags in the road. The take-away? Eating plastic-free is a huge challenge—but it's about progress, not perfection.   Image by Martí Sans / Stocksy

Opt for unpackaged food when you can (without depriving yourself).

  One challenge I've had in trying to avoid single-use plastic is that some produce items I love, like grapes and berries, are nearly impossible to find not packaged in plastic. So it's just something I try to be conscious about. If it's peak raspberry season and I'm craving them, I'll buy them and then maybe find another use for the clamshell. But if there's something else that sounds just as good that doesn't come packaged in plastic, I might go for that instead. I never want to feel like I'm depriving myself by living a low-waste lifestyle—for me it's just about making decisions from a mindful place.   —Maia Welbel  

Keep with it—and don't get discouraged if plastic inevitably comes up.

  The biggest challenge in switching to a low-waste lifestyle was the extra effort and thought it required. Leaving the house meant I had to be prepared with my water bottle, coffee mug, napkin, silverware, and grocery bag. However, once I got used to it, it became easier. That all changed once I had my daughter because my thought and effort went to her. The few low-waste practices we are able to maintain with a baby? Buying cloth diapers and wipes. We are slowly getting back into being more mindful about our plastic usage, which is what it takes!   —Hannah Baror-Padilla

Lead by example.

  Having a low-waste lifestyle in 2019 isn't easy. Not even remotely! Our society is designed for ease, which means items are usually fast, cheap, and disposable. I believe that as a community we can generate new social norms that will put pressure on corporations creating the majority of pollution/carbon emissions. By challenging our daily consumption habits, bringing reusables, and being a leader in our family/community, we can help inspire others to do the same. This is how together we can create a new normal!   —Meg Haywood Sullivan

Use TerraCycle whenever you do end up with plastic lying around.

  My whole family is on board with low-waste living and is environmentally conscious. However, I'm definitely the strictest. I don't want to be the plastic police and constantly make those people I love the most feel bad. To remedy the plastic that inevitably creeps into our lives, I make as much food and as many snacks at home as possible, and I purchase a TerraCycle Plastic Packaging Zero Waste Box. TerraCycle is dedicated to recycling the unrecyclable. We fill the box with all the plastic we accumulate and send it to them, knowing that we're at least dealing with the plastic in a responsible way.   —Abby Cannon, J.D., R.D.   Image by Maria Ilves /  

Keep a zero-waste tool kit on hand.

  Going plastic-free, to me, is a journey. One of my biggest hurdles was not having to resort to plastic when I was on the go. I found myself wanting an iced coffee, needing to use the plastic forks when grabbing a salad, or being stuck with only plastic-wrapped snack options. So now I always leave home prepared with a snack in a glass jar or Stasher bag and with my zero waste tool kit: a travel coffee mug, bamboo silverware, a tote bag, a cotton produce bag, and a water bottle. Carrying these items has helped me to reduce my plastic usage drastically!   —Sara Weinreb

Rethink your grocery store routine.

  Since switching to a low-waste lifestyle, I'd say the biggest challenge has been avoiding food packaging. I try to stick to more whole foods. I also try to shop in bulk grocery stores (or stores that have bulk sections within them) to get as many of the things I need without packaging. It's also kinda fun scooping out your food and is a great way to get kids involved in the process if you have them. (I don't have kids just yet, but I've seen many parent-kid duos at the bulk section having honest, fun conversations about why they're getting their food from the bins instead of buying something that's prepackaged.)   —Shannon Kenny

When you do find ingredients that don't come in plastic, buy in bulk and freeze 'em!

  One of the biggest challenges I've encountered since switching to a low waste lifestyle has been choosing to do without some of my favorite foods that typically come packaged in plastic. For example, I love strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, but they typically come packaged in plastic clamshells at the grocery store. So now I mainly purchase all of my berries in season at the market with my own bags and containers, and freeze as much as possible until they come in season again the following year. The awesome benefit resulting from this change is that I'm supporting local farmers and buying berries in season, so there's less transportation and packaging.   —Tara McKenna   Always keep some simple, unpackaged snacks on hand.   I'm a disorganized person and don't always properly plan ahead to bring home-packed snacks with me when I may be out for an extended period of time. But something that's really helped me is putting bulk-bought nuts and snacks in separate small containers at home on the weekends, so when I'm in a rush to head out the door, I can just easily grab a few of the containers to take with me spontaneously.   —Kaméa Chayne   Image by Tino Renato / Stocksy Tote it up.   I believe plastic bags should be completely banned globally, so organic cotton tote bags are my absolute go-to carrier of choice. Unlike in the past, there are finally so many fabulous styles available, allowing one to make a true and important (eco)fashion statement!   —Marci Zaroff      

Focus on the little wins. I spent so much time focused on the big wins that I missed the little ones. I didn’t realize how few of the big wins would come to fruition. Now I fill the success jar with the little wins and let the big ones be the bonus on top.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicoya Hecht, co-founder of RISING SPRINGS, a natural mineral supplement (NMS) water, comprised of 100% geothermal spring water from the purest source in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest. Rising Springs is the steward of this incredible source, and in addition to being committed to making the purest, unfiltered water on the planet accessible to those who seek it, Nicoya also ensures that the Rising Springs SPC (Social Purpose Corporation) respects the environment. She has built a close-knit team whose sole purpose is to protect and responsibly share Rising Springs in its most pure form, and bring an awareness to the importance of pure drinking water, minimal packaging and environmental preservation. Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”? I was born in Costa Rica to quintessential hippie parents — and named for the Nicoya Peninsula. My first years were spent on a 45 foot trimaran sailing the seas and I took my first steps in the Galapagos Islands. I was raised in Maui surrounded by the beauty of Hawaii. I was a tall, gangly, shy, self-conscience adolescent who hid my insecurities behind the mask of a bubbly, outgoing teenager. It’s taken me a while to find balance between those two extremes. In my 20s, I had my two incredible sons and became a homebirth midwife. In my 30s, I co-founded an eco-boutique with my sister-in-law and joined the Waterkeeper Alliance movement. And now in my 40’s, I have co-founded Rising Springs with my brother-in-law, and husband, who is Rising Springs’ CEO. I am passionate about water, and both awed by its complexity and dumbfounded by the lack of education and differentiation in the marketplace. I am acutely aware of the value of water and feel the need to protect it. Can you share your top three “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Meditation, gratitude and sleep! Incorporate a gratitude practice: For the first half of my life, I focused on what wasn’t working in my life. In an attempt to be real and combat that fake bubbly mask I had worn through adolescence, I emphasized the negatives and paid little attention to the positives. I also believed that if I talked about the good in my life, bad would soon follow- a little like knocking on wood. It was startling when I realized how much these thoughts were increasing the negativity in and around me. I believe one’s emotional state affects their health as much as, or more than, what they put in their body. Through continual practice, I am changing the pattern, spending time each day appreciating the world, people, things, and experiences, and focusing on the positive. At first I had to make a point of finding and naming my gratitude and it felt somewhat contrived and inauthentic. However, gratitude has now become part of my internal world and I notice it bubbles up naturally. Today I feel grateful for a good nights sleep, the sunshine, a quiet house to write in, a facetime chat with my son and an exceptional cup of tea. Recognizing and expressing gratitude feels good, I can feel it throughout my body, and affects those around me. It’s contagious. Get quality sleep: So many of us are dealing with sleep issues- from not being able to fall asleep to waking in the middle of the night or not getting enough of the right kind of sleep. Sleep deprivation affects various parts of our lives, from mood and energy levels to clarity of mind. Getting a good night’s sleep can take forethought and attention, but it’s totally worth it! It’s important to follow your personal rhythm. In my family, my nickname is Bed Time, and I’m often teased for being the first one ready to turn in. Many tools can support healthy sleep. I often take a bath before bed. Good pillows are a must, and snacking after dinner is a no go for sure. Meditate: I’d really like to have a consistent meditation practice but have been challenged to incorporate one into my life, I won’t share my list of excuses with you- even though it would probably make for a good laugh. Practically every person I respect in the health and wellness movement considers meditation to be one of the most important tools to support our wellbeing. I believe meditation practices are further undermined by our culture’s addiction to technology and the constant external stimulation we experience. We as a society have forgotten how to be silent and still, and I think some people feel uncomfortable without constant input. Currently my meditation practice consists of not picking up my phone in the in-between moments like at the stop light, or while in line at the grocery store. Instead I take a few deep breaths and try to quiet my mind. I know, I have a long way to go- I’m working on it! Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? The path to co-founding Rising Springs is the most interesting thing that has happened in my career so far. My husband, Grey and I had just built a home in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica and become empty nesters. We were planning on living abroad part-time and traveling a lot. I had few commitments and my only focus was on non-profit work with our family foundation. My husband had work in both Costa Rica and the states, so could work from home and travel when needed. Think: yoga, meditation, romantic trips to exotic places, juice cleanses and spontaneous visits to see our boys…you get the picture. So how did I go from that lovely story to having a startup that requires most of my attention, leaves little space for self-care and requires the multi-tasking of raising toddlers? Frankly it was the water’s fault. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. When my extended family purchased the Spring and the land around it, we were excited to become stewards of the source. We were aware of the value and rarity of a single source spring. The water had previously been bottled under the name Trinity and we knew there was a latent consumer group who wanted to be reconnected to the spring source. My husband and I talked a lot about the water and its benefits. We asked ourselves if the water was worthy of being shipped and if it made sense to launch a new company. We also wondered if we could incorporate what we had learned in the nonprofit world into a for-profit company (and by we I meant he). I have often been fortunate to be involved in the creative side of my husbands ventures without having to be “officially” a part of them. When Grey asked me to work with him to launch Rising Springs, my initial response was to say no. First, I questioned if it was a good idea to work with my husband- the person I’d known since I was 12, been married to for 20 years, and who I spent 90% of my time with already. Wouldn’t working together put unnecessary stress on our relationship (that’s a different story)? Second, as previously mentioned, I had few commitments and intended to implement a long list of self-care practices — why would I screw that up? Third, I had very little experience in business and none in marketing. The learning curve was daunting. But every time I said “No!”, my husband kept asking, I could hear the water calling me to it and to the project. I ignored it for awhile but it persisted and so I started showing up at the office dressed for the job with zero idea of what to do. It was challenging and I googled EVERYTHING. But what blossomed was the realization that I am passionate about water, excited to learn more, and have a desire to be part of a larger movement. I also developed newly-found confidence in not only my abilities but in myself. I’m thankful to my husband for continuing to ask, support and encourage me! When things get challenging, I turn to the water to show me where it wants to flow. Passion for water brought me into the company, and I trust it to show me how to move forward.  

  Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? I can’t think of one big mistake I’ve made. Instead, I’ve made a series of smaller mistakes that ultimately led me to become better at my job. I repeated some mistakes over and over until I finally learned those particular lesson but there are many mistakes I still notice and some I have yet to recognize. The one I repeat most is trying to impress people who I respect in order to feel worthy or of value. But ironically, when I’m trying to impress someone, I have left my true self, and therefore the interaction is inauthentic and hinders genuine connection. I found myself in this situation recently at a wellness retreat weekend sponsored by Rising Springs. I needed/wanted a particular person I admire to validate me as a person and business woman. As I kept noticing that neediness in me arise, I would take a few deep breaths and have a sweet little chat with the part of me that was seeking validation. Then I would find something around me to be grateful for. The energy would dissipate and I could return to what I was doing. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world? We have helped to start important conversations about water- particularly the importance of paying attention to the water we drink to the same degree we focus on the food we eat. Our bodies are 70% water. We encourage people to know where their water comes from. Water is the great dissolver — it is the product of everything it has ever flowed through — so it is important to know what has happened to it along its journey to your body. The source really matters. People should be able to easily identify where their water comes from, what’s in it and how it’s handled or treated on its journey. We hope that the conversation will also help people focus more on protecting natural fresh water supplies. It’s an urgent issue. Once a spring is contaminated, the damage is done. By studying to be a water sommelier at the Fine Water Academy, I am deepening my understanding of and relationship to water. I am on a mission to help shift the conversation in the United States from ‘water is a commodity that can be processed to be made drinkable’ to ‘water naturally pure and unprocessed is an essential key to wellness’. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that? Sharon Egan was the marketing director for Trinity, the company that previously owned and bottled at the source, and we were lucky enough to hire her when we started Rising Springs. She holds institutional knowledge about the source, the water that rises, and the industry. She has been a gracious and patient mentor to me and other members of our team. Sharon has put in many years of hard work and she is helping me short-cut a lot of those lessons by taking time to help me understand. That said the greatest gift she has given me is her encouragement and belief in my abilities. I’m not really one to put myself out there until I feel very confident, which all to often means never. Time after time after time she encourages, supports and praises me for the work I do. Recently, I did a spur of the moment podcast at the Paleo FX expo in Austin. I was able to go for it with no prep because of all the support and training from Sharon. When she listened to it she sent me this text- “truly — I cried. thank you for doing such a wonderful job”. I have needed that kind of support in my corner and I am truly blessed that I can depend on her to be there for me. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be? Gratitude Everyday — many health/wellness providers and followers speak to and incorporate gratitude in their lives, but if the general population joined in the daily gratitude practices, I believe it would create positive change on a huge scale- swinging the pendulum from fear to love. What are your “3 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? Don’t get attached to the moment, it will change. Launching a startup is a bit like riding a roller coaster everyday- so many ups and downs and loop-de-loops. I had to learn not to get too excited or too disappointed because things shift on an hourly basis. Don’t worry- just Google it! I was intimidated by everything I didn’t know about both water and business in general, and I’m not talking about nuanced business strategies. I’m talking about how to use collaboration software as a management tool, what the hell a COG was, and that OOO wasn’t a typo. Luckily, Siri knows 99% of what I don’t. Focus on the little wins. I spent so much time focused on the big wins that I missed the little ones. I didn’t realize how few of the big wins would come to fruition. Now I fill the success jar with the little wins and let the big ones be the bonus on top. Do you have a “girl-crush” in this industry? If you could take one person to brunch, who would it be? (Let another “woman in wellness” know that you respect her as a teacher and guide! ) There are so many incredible ‘women in wellness’ that I would love to have an afternoon chat with. At this moment in time I would take Esther Perel to lunch and bring my husband along! She is a pioneer when it comes to the landscape of relationships today, and Grey adores her. I have read her books Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, and have been fortunate to hear her speak a few times. I gained numerous insights into myself and my marriage that have helped me uncover some unrealistic expectations I didn’t know I had and shifted the way I viewed my marriage, for the better. My husband and I married and had children at a relatively young age and have now been married for 22 years. In this day and age, our long marriage is unusual and we therefore don’t have much of a peer group in the same situation. I have read a lot of books and gone to a ton of workshops gathering tools for navigating my marriage. Esther’s work has been infinitely valuable in that journey. I am proud of my husband’s and my relationship- the tough times we have worked through and the incredible gifts we have received from each other. I know there are still so many ways to learn and grow separately and with each other. I would love to chat with Esther about it, she has been married for a long time so has lived the journey I’m on, plus she is super funny and I love her accent. Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why? Sustainability and mental health are both important to me. But if I had to choose one, it would have to be sustainability. If we don’t start to make significant changes in our behavior and policies, our very survival is at stake, regardless of our mental health. I became a vegetarian at the age of 20. It was a personal decision and I didn’t judge others for their dietary choices. However, now I believe people need to consider how their diet affects the environment and make changes accordingly. We all need to participate in shifting to a more sustainable model. It’s challenging to change patterns. I feel strongly that we are responsible for not only the items we buy but the packaging it comes in. That plastic at the top of a tincture bottle I buy is my responsibility. So I invested in terracycle recycling boxes- I can put any plastic item in it and it will be upcycled. I am paying for an alternative to the landfill. It’s not the answer but a step in the right direction. But every time I take out the trash, I find plastic bits that me and my family members have thrown away because we are still learning to shift our patterns. My next step is to look at offsetting my carbon footprint. I drive an electric car but am on a plane often, which I know contributes to carbon emissions. I’m not ready to give up travel but I want to offset the pollution I am participating in creating. What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media? Instagram is the best place to engage with us on social media. We need to up our social media game, which basically means we need to hire a dedicated social media manager. I want to work with an individual rather than a company- We’ll be accepting applications in 2020!

NEWBURYPORT — Two local high school students and two senior community members were honored for their volunteer efforts at the annual Generations of Giving ceremony Wednesday.   About 25 people, some of whom were former Generations of Giving honorees, gathered at the Senior Community Center for the ceremony, which is held during each year’s Yankee Homecoming celebration and recognizes local residents young and old who have made a difference by donating their time and energy.   This year’s senior volunteer winners were Bob Peters and Don Beaulieu, who were honored alongside youth winners Kylie Lorenzo and Anna Cameron.   Peters, 85, has spent a decade packing and delivering meals each weekday for the area’s hungry residents as part of Newburyport’s Meals on Wheels program. On the weekends, Peters and his friends also help feed the area’s hungry residents, house its homeless and perform minor repairs for people in need.   During the ceremony, Peters shared some wise words from his grandmother, who encouraged him to help those around him from a young age.   “I can remember my grandmother saying to me when I was so young, I could barely walk. She said, ‘If you can do something for somebody, do it and don’t even think about it, and it comes back to you a hundredfold,’” Peters said.   Beaulieu served as a Salisbury selectman for three terms, and volunteered on the Warrant Advisory Committee and the Triton School District Subcommittee. He volunteered to record Salisbury town committee meetings and also works for Northern Essex Elder Transport, taking local seniors to medical appointments in Boston.   Cameron, a Newburyport High School junior, has volunteered at the city’s Recycling Center for several years and runs the “Free Corner,” which keeps usable items out of the city’s waste stream and gives them to new owners. She manages the TerraCycle collections and has helped with Toward Zero Waste Newburyport projects, including volunteering at the Repair Cafe.   Cameron was unable to attend the ceremony, but her mother, Susanne Cameron, spoke on her behalf. She praised her daughter’s dedication to volunteering and informed guests that Anna planned to donate her cash prize to charity.   “She is a tenacious volunteer,” Susanne Cameron said. “When most kids her age are sleeping on Saturday morning, she is at the Recycling Center in the snow, rain, cold and heat. ... She really believes in the spirit of volunteerism.”   Lorenzo, a senior at Triton Regional High School, has logged 120 volunteer hours at Anna Jaques Hospital’s patient information desk and in the patient transport department over the last three summers.   Lorenzo is a member of the Triton Community Service Club, through which she has volunteered for PTA meetings, the Salvation Army, elementary school events, road races and other events. When Lorenzo returns to school in the fall, she will be vice president of the student council.   At the ceremony, Lorenzo thanked her family, who she said “always encouraged me to give back.”   Richie Eaton, a former chair of Yankee Homecoming, also addressed the crowd Wednesday, shining a light on the volunteer spirit that he said drives Yankee Homecoming.   “Without the volunteers, you wouldn’t have Yankee Homecoming,” Eaton said. “Without volunteers, we’d be nothing. It’s so important to all of us.”   Staff writer Jack Shea can be reached via email at jshea@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3154. Follow him on Twitter @iamjackshea.

On a recent Saturday morning, I answered my antsy 3-year-old’s request for a snack by digging into my bag and finding – to my relief – a pouch of applesauce. I snapped off the cap and handed it over, and he was content for the last few minutes of his sister’s violin class. Perhaps apple slices would have been more ideal, but I was glad to have the pouch on hand.   Since the introduction of baby food pouches about 10 years ago, they’ve claimed more of the market each year. Technavio, a market research firm, estimated in 2018 that global revenue from baby food pouches grew tenfold between 2010 and 2017 — from $16 million to $160.8 million. In 2017, the market research firm Mintel surveyed 1,000 households in the United States with young children and found that about half of kids 3 and under eat purees from pouches, and of these, 58 percent have one or more pouches per day.   As a parent and college nutrition instructor, my guess is that pouches are popular because they’re convenient, shelf-stable and usually more nutritious than other packaged snacks. While they’re mostly fruit and vegetable purees, they can include more interesting ingredients like chia seeds, chickpeas, millet, avocado and yogurt.   “They were great when my daughter was about 2 and so hungry at 5:30 when I picked her up from day care. It prevented many dinner-prep meltdowns,” said Melissa Marks, a biology professor in Salem, Ore. “I didn’t love the eco-unfriendly nature of them,” said Marks, “but they got this scientist mom through the final pre-tenure year.” While the pouches are not recyclable through municipal services, they can be mailed to TerraCycle at a cost of at least $65 per shipment, except for a few brands that have set up free mail-in programs with the recycling company. Pouch caps are collected in some locations by Preserve, which manufactures goods like toothbrushes and razors from recycled plastic.   The pediatric feeding experts I spoke with said that there’s nothing wrong with giving your kids pouches from time to time, but they’re worried that some families might be becoming too reliant on them. The pouches’ entry into the baby food market is so recent that there isn’t yet published research on their impact, but they are enough of a departure from traditional baby foods that they raise several theoretical concerns, including delaying motor development, diluting nutritional quality, and increasing picky eating and cavities in young kids.   One potential problem is that pouches may oversimplify the eating process, leaving fewer opportunities for babies to practice the oral and fine motor skills they need to use utensils and to eat more textured foods. For example, babies can suck from a pouch using similar mouth and tongue movements as when they breastfeed or drink from a bottle, said Jenny McGlothlin, M.S., a speech-language pathologist at the University of Texas at Dallas and coauthor of “Helping Your Child With Extreme Picky Eating.” It’s better for babies to eat purees with a spoon, she said, so they can practice closing their lips over the utensil and moving food back in their mouths to swallow, and then advance to food with more texture as soon as they’re ready.   Pouched baby foods are marketed for babies as young as 4 months, and since they’re easy for babies to suck down, this might encourage parents to add too much pureed food to their babies’ diets too early. “As semi-liquids that could fill up the baby, they are not good nutritional substitutes for breastmilk or formula in early life,” said Dr. Steven Abrams, M.D., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Nutrition. The A.A.P. advises parents to start offering solids to babies when they’re interested and developmentally ready to sit up and eat from a spoon, usually around 6 months.   Anecdotally, some professionals say they’re observing delays in motor development among kids overly dependent on the pouches. Ruth McGivern, M.A., a pediatric speech-language pathologist in Philadelphia, said that she and her colleagues had noticed that some of their toddler clients were learning to self-feed with a spoon later than usual, and that she was “pretty sure reliance on the pouches is part of the reason.” On its own, taking longer to learn to use a spoon wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, she said, but she worries that these toddlers are missing out on an important stage of food exploration.   “Without the opportunity to smear food all over their faces, and lick it off with their tongues, and wave the spoon around while they play with the food in their other hand, young toddlers tend to lose their curiosity about food and become more and more dependent on either the pouches or their parent spoon-feeding them,” said McGivern.   Research suggests that kids use all their senses to learn about food. Having the opportunity to see, smell and play with food can increase a toddler’s acceptance of new foods, according to studies published in the journal Appetite, and pouches don’t allow for that full sensory experience. Maryann Jacobsen, M.S, R.D., a coauthor of “Fearless Feeding,” recommended advancing from purees – like those in pouches – to more textured foods between 6 and 10 months so that babies can learn to chew and feed themselves finger foods.   Babies are most open to new tastes during a “golden window of opportunity” between 6 and 18 months, said McGlothlin. It’s a perfect time to get used to the bitterness of green vegetables, which can require repeated exposures. “If we don’t offer a variety of foods and experiences, then we’re setting ourselves up for pickiness later,” she said.   If vegetables are introduced to kids only in pouch form, their taste is probably masked. “When you’re mixing it with other flavors, there’s no guarantee that they’re able to taste it in the way that they need to in order to learn to like that flavor over time,” said Kameron Moding, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric nutrition at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, whose research has shown that most packaged baby and toddler vegetable products, including pouches, are blended with fruits or sweet vegetables.   Those sweet ingredients also mean the pouches are high in sugar. A study published this July in the journal Nutrients analyzed 703 pureed baby and toddler food products and found that pouched purees were often higher in sugar than baby food in other packages, like jars or plastic tubs. For example, among fruit and vegetable blend products, pouches had a median of 11 grams of sugar per serving, compared with 5 grams of sugar per serving in products with other packaging because the pouches both came in larger serving sizes and were more concentrated in sugar. Among the pouched blends, 58 percent had added sugar beyond that naturally present in fruits and vegetables, compared with 33 percent of the purees in other packaging.   “The higher the sugar content, the higher the risk of tooth decay,” said Dr. Joe Castellanos, D.D.S., immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He recommends using pouches only in moderation, along with a good tooth brushing routine.   Despite these concerns, there’s nothing wrong with the occasional pouch, Jacobsen said. “It’s fine to use these,” she said. “It’s just when we overuse them and we rely on them too much, I think that’s when it becomes problematic.”   The experts I spoke with said that it’s impossible to give hard and fast rules on how many pouches is too many. Some kids who eat several pouches per day are still comfortable eating many other foods. However, if your kid is fussy when they can’t have a pouch; or if they refuse to eat more textured foods, or if they don’t want to use utensils or touch food with their hands, it’s a problem, McGlothlin said. A pediatric feeding specialist can do an evaluation to identify sensory or oral motor issues that may be contributing and help make a plan to broaden the child’s diet.   Although she’s concerned about overuse of pouches, McGlothlin, who’s also a mother of three, said that it’s not helpful to judge parents about how they feed their kids. “We’re all kind of just trying to do the best we can on a daily basis,” she said.   Pouches may be especially helpful for parents with disabilities, or for those who have little time for food prep and who might find that pouches are the most realistic way of getting fruits and veggies into their kids’ lunchboxes.   The same can be true for children with special needs. Katie Herzog, a mother in Novi, Mich., has a 4-year-old daughter who has significant feeding problems that require therapy. “Even as we add solid foods to her diet, the pouches are important to give her jaw a break,” Herzog said. Her daughter also has celiac disease, an autoimmune condition in which the body mounts an attack response against the small intestine after eating gluten, she said, so pouches can be given to her on the go without having to worry about wheat contamination.   For my part, I see parenting as both a short game and a long game. My long game that Saturday morning was to make a fragrant lentil and veggie curry that would simmer in the slow cooker all afternoon. I wasn’t sure if my son would eat much of it, but at least he would smell it, taste a bit of it, and watch his sister and parents enjoy it. But my short game? It might involve a pouch every now and then.

It’s challenging to change patterns. I feel strongly that we are responsible for not only the items we buy but the packaging it comes in. That plastic at the top of a tincture bottle I buy is my responsibility. So I invested in TerraCycle recycling boxes- I can put any plastic item in it and it will be upcycled. I am paying for an alternative to the landfill. It’s not the answer but a step in the right direction. But every time I take out the trash, I find plastic bits that me and my family members have thrown away because we are still learning to shift our patterns. My next step is to look at offsetting my carbon footprint. I drive an electric car but am on a plane often, which I know contributes to carbon emissions. I’m not ready to give up travel but I want to offset the pollution I am participating in creating.

In October 2014, I took a trip to New York City where I made the editorial rounds to introduce Slow Flowers to members of the media (remember, the online directory launched earlier that year). At each of these meetings, I unveiled the first of what has since become the annual Slow Flowers Floral Insights and Industry Forecast.   And then, of course, as I love to do whenever I travel, I gathered with a group of Slow Flowers members to meet them, hear about their journeys, learn what encourages and even challenges each of them in them in their floral enterprise.   Summer wedding flowers, designed by Molly Oliver Flowers (c) Cheyanna di Nicola   The woman who generously helped me find a location for this gathering, and who brought beautiful flowers to the first-ever New York area Slow Flowers Meet-Up was Molly Oliver Culver, today’s guest.   A small, dynamic group of florists and growers joined us that night. And after the party wrapped, Molly agreed to stay for an interview for the Slow Flowers Podcast. We sat in the rather dark, brick-lined upstairs room of a Brooklyn eatery and recorded the conversation which you can hear from the Slow Flowers Podcast archives – episode 172, which originally aired December 17, 2014.   A vivid seasonal floral palette featuring all locally-grown New York blooms, designed by Molly Oliver Flowers (c) Iris Photograph   Today, we’re catching up with Molly and I’m so pleased that she has returned to talk about the changes in the local floral landscape in New York and Brooklyn, where most of her clients’ wedding ceremonies take place, and in the surrounding areas such as Hudson Valley, further Upstate New York, and on Long Island, where most of the local flowers for Molly’s designs are grown. So much has changed in five years and it’s so encouraging – I’m excited to share this conversation with someone I consider a Slow Flowers pioneer and valuable friend.     A lovely altar piece by Molly Oliver Flowers © Khaki Bedford Photography   Here’s more about Molly Culver and Molly Oliver Flowers:   Molly Oliver Flowers is a sustainable floral design company founded in 2011 by farmer/educator, Molly Oliver Culver. She has been recognized by Brides.com as one of the top five wedding professionals using sustainable practices and was featured on the list of best sustainable florists in NYC by Ecocult.     Molly’s aesthetic is translated into stunning, lush, local and evocative wedding flowers © Khaki Bedford Photography   Molly writes this on the “about” page of her web site: A desire to help grow social justice and care for our beautiful planet led me to community organizing around food justice, then to rural organic farming, and eventually, to education and flowers. I’m proud to say I’ve helped to nurture soil, and have grown my own food and flowers, on my own and with others, for the past 15 years.     Sweet blooms (c) Weddings by Two   I love that floral design allows me to meet fun, loving and mindful clients and connect them with seasonal flora and our local flower, herb, perennial and foliage farmers. I’ve had many lives in my 38 years: Audrey Hepburn/NYC-obsessed teenager; literature major; novice journalist and ESL instructor in Santiago, Chile; urban farming educator and farmers market manager; community garden outreach coordinator; compost educator; urban farm manager…and now, a business owner and floral designer.   Throughout these many experiences, the connective tissue has always been people, soil, and plants. At core, I care deeply about equity, inclusion, sustainability and loving kindness and works to help these values emanate through this business.   Urban wedding-local blooms by Molly Oliver Flowers   Molly Culver on her design style: I continue to be deeply inspired by all of the local blooms and foliages, from cultivated to wild and foraged, that any given season has to offer. Our region’s climate and four-season evolution offers something just right for every occasion, all year round. I am interested and inspired by my clients’ vision, and whenever they are needing guidance, I’m happy to share my love of wild, natural designs. In other words, I love to bring your vision to life using the gorgeous product we have available locally.   Molly Culver on “Why Local?” I love to connect my clients with locally grown flowers, to share the fun of learning about what’s in season at the time of their event, and to create gorgeous arrangements that evoke time, place, mood and my clients’ individual style.   I source 90-100% of the flowers we use within 200 miles of New York City, from both regional and urban farms. An organic grower of 10+ years myself, I love supporting the talented community of dedicated farmers who grow an incredible diversity of beautiful flowers, cut days or even hours before, and delivered at peak quality to the city. Collaborating with these new growers to share experiences, discuss trending varieties and colors, and celebrate our successes is one of the most exciting aspects of this work.   Bridesmaids bouquets by Molly Oliver Flowers (c) Tim Ryan Smith   In the studio and for her events, Molly puts a priority on waste reduction and composting. Here are some of her practices, which I hope inspires change in your studio or shop:   Emphasis on waste reduction and composting: It’s par for the course in the NYC event world to throw away much of the decor at the end of the night — this waste (vases, flowers, candles, etc.) winds up in a landfill.   Unfortunately, many flower studios still rely heavily on floral foam and other synthetic, non-biodegradable products to create designs — all of this goes into landfills as well. Need I go on? There are a number of ways I work to reduce waste, both in my day-to-day work in the studio and on event days:  

• I offer a variety of vessels as rentals, and re-use these as long as possible.
• I make complimentary ‘grab and go’ bouquets for your guests, and generally ensure you and your guests go home with as many peak quality flowers at the end of your event as desired.
• All unclaimed flower waste is composted locally at urban farms and becomes a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
• All items not accepted by NYC’s municipal recycling program are recycled through a partnership with TerraCycle
• Much of the cardboard and paper packing and packaging from vessel shipments is re-purposed or recycled.
• I avoid all use of synthetic floral foam or other non-biodegradable products and chemicals.

    The wedding party’s florals by Molly Oliver Flowers   Learn more about (and follow) this wonderfully inspiring creative floral artist at these social places: Molly Oliver Flowers on Facebook Molly Oliver Flowers on Instagram   Thank you so much for joining me today as we visited Brooklyn’s Molly Culver. I learned a lot and appreciate hearing Molly’s timely update about one of the most important markets for local and seasonal flowers. Molly is in an influential marketplace and her devotion to the Slow Flowers Movement is essential to the cause.   The recently renovated and restored Hay Barn at USCS-CASFS, our venue for the Slow Flowers Summit 2020! (c) Cesar Rubio   You may have picked up on the fact that I’m lobbying to bring Molly to the 2020 Slow Flowers Summit, which will take place at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. As Molly is a graduate of that program at University of California, Santa Cruz, I’m eager to involve her and together we are brainstorming a panel on the influences of sustainable flower farming for the farmer-florist. Watch this space and I promise you’ll hear more details soon.   Maegan Williams of Gilsum Gardens in Gilsum, NH   Our theme for 2019 – Fifty States of Slow Flowers – continues today with Maegan Williams of Gilsum Gardens, based in Gilsum, New Hampshire. Gilsum Gardens was founded by Barry Williams and Barbara Kelly in 1993 and is now run by dad Barry and daughter Maegan.   Greenhouses share space with field-grown peonies at Gilsum Gardens   Maegan explains: Possessing no formal education in horticulture, I chose the family business after much consideration of nearly any other profession. About the time I realized I couldn’t picture my life without greenhouse season, I fell in love with cut flowers. What I lacked in classroom hours I made up for in my unique life experience of growing up in my parents’ greenhouses and countless hours spent roaming our woods and acreage. I have loved building upon and diversifying what my parents created, and feel fortunate to be guiding the business forward into its next chapter balancing seasonal nursery plants and specialty cut flowers for wholesale customers.     You’ll want to find and follow Maegan and Gilsum Gardens at these social places:   Gilsum Gardens on Facebook Gilsum Gardens on Instagram     Spanning the seasons: Beautiful & New Hampshire-grown from Gilsum Gardens, including ranunculus and dahlias. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of the American cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. I value your support and invite you to show your thanks and with a donation to support my ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right.

Did you know that 91% of plastics don’t actually get recycled? Or that your feel-goodrecycling program doesn’t necessarily (or most likely) recycle the items you set out to your curb each month? As efforts for plastic free July ramped up, I took a hard look at what we used in our household, and what waste we were personally contributing to the environment. The results were nauseating - so I dedicated the month to trying more sustainable products and reducing plastic waste from our household. We all know that using reusable grocery bags instead of plastic ones, eliminating plastic straws, and using glass or aluminum water bottles instead of their single-use counterparts can make a big difference, but it can get trickier to sort through other ways to be more sustainable and use less plastic. That's why I’m so excited to share the results - some of which really surprised me. Along the way, I found some products that worked, some that didn’t, and (sadly) moved away from purchasing one of our previously-favorite brands because they don’t appear to have any intentions of recognizing the moral imperative that brands have when it comes to social good.

My favorite find: Getting clean while not dirtying the earth

By far, the find I’m wildest about is Plaine Products. Between myself and my daughters, we were using *a lot* of hair care and bath products - all of them in plastic. After some copious searching to replace our beloved tried-and-true products in the bathroom, I’m here to tell you that Plaine knocks it out of the park when it comes to sustainability, elimination of plastic waste, AND products that are incredible. The concept is simple, but brilliant: You select the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, etc. that you’d like, and they mail them to you, along with a pump for each, in aluminum bottles. Once you’re running low, you let them know (or subscribe), and they’ll mail you out a replacement, along with a label for you to send your used bottle back in, and you keep the pump and reuse it. Not kidding: The Rosemary-mint-vanilla line is amazing, and the conditioner leaves your hair feeling like silk. If you decide to purchase from them, you can use the code: SAPForbes and receive 20% off on your order.

Household cleaning reimagined

With the personal care items off the list, household cleaning was next up. I discovered an incredible company making a big difference in reducing plastic waste: Blueland. Their site points out some of the most troubling aspects of plastic use: We’re eating and drinking plastic: 90% of the water we drink, and 75% of the fish we eat contains microplastics. We’re harming animals and sea creatures: Plastic has been found in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of seals, and 40% of seabird species examined. We’re polluting our oceans: By 2050, scientists predict that our oceans will contain more plastic than fish. Blueland has created a nearly indestructible bottle, and - this is the amazing part - the cleaning solution is actually contained within a tablet. You add the tablet to water, and viola - you have cleaning solutions for each area of your home. The cleaning tablets are sent in compostable, biodegradable packaging, and they work great. The products smell great and they have three solutions: multi-surface, bathroom, and glass + mirror. Tip: Leave the nozzles off the bottles until the tablets are completely dissolved, and plan to use a couple of extra wipes on the glass surfaces. It cleans very well - it just seems like it’s a few seconds slower to dry than what we were used to.

Oral care: Every toothbrush you've ever used is still on this earth

Recognizing that each toothbrush that's ever touched any of the teeth in our family is still sitting in a landfill or heap somewhere is unnerving. Clearly, brushing our teeth is important, so how can we do it in a way that doesn't leave waste behind? First, Moso bamboo toothbrushes are a great alternative, and they break down naturally in a composter within 4-6 months, and if you just throw them out, they take about 5-10 years to biodegrade, which is still better than never breaking down at all. (We tried these toothbrushes at our house, and everyone loved them.) Next up, toothpaste. This proved really difficult for us. Essentially, trying to balance the thought of our kids using toothpaste tablets with knowing them didn't sit well, so I researched oral care products that offered recycling. In theory, Terracycle is a fantastic site to find recycling programs with brands. What I found, though, was that I was wait-listed for nearly every item I wanted to recycle in my area. I ordered a zero-waste box, but really wanted to figure out how to go plastic-free with toothpaste. After some sleuthing, I discovered that Burt's Bees Oral Care will send you a pre-paid mailing label so that you can mail them back your used toothpaste products. They'll recycle them, or work with organizations that will.

The Twitters: Accounts with great advice on going plastic-free

When I started really going down the checklist to go plastic-free, Twitter proved to be a great asset. Thanks to the SAP4Good account, I discovered a co-worker who offered fantastic personal insights into going plastic-free. She helped me find the following products that we're now using in our kitchen to replace single use plastics: Beeswax food wraps to replace traditional plastic wraps. The warmth from your hands creates a great seal on these re-usable wraps, and after a year or so, you can compost them when it's time for a replacement. These silicone storage bags to replace single-use plastic bags. In our household, I had a subscription for plastic bags - not anymore. These are durable, BPA-free, and the company ethos is in line with the values of my family. The Plaine Products Twitter feed offers tons of ways to go plastic-free, as does PlasticFreeJuly. Sadly, Twitter was also where one of my favorite brands lost me as a consumer. I'd tweeted out, asking about using less plastic, and the brand ignored me, but engaged with all of the replies telling me to repurpose the containers. Indeed, I've repurposed the containers, but it's rather crazy to hope that everyone else does, and at some point, how many plastic containers do you need? (Narrator: No more plastic containers were needed). We're living in a time where brand purpose and ethics drive sales and loyalty more than prices do, and it's time for brands to act as responsible stewards of our environment, which is why I'm so proud to work where I do.

“GRAYL is committed to designing and manufacturing with a sustainable mindset and in the coming months will implement a zero waste cartridge recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. This program will empower customers to trade-in their Purifier Cartridges at end of life and be rewarded with a discount for replacement Purifier Cartridges. The program will be supported online and by many participating retailers.”