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Locally Grown or Grow Your Own 

Living sustainably is a hot topic these days and one way we can all do our part is to eat locally grown food.  A few of the benefits to eating local include:  

1. Local economic benefits – dollars stay local to the community;
2. Fresher produce – which results in a better tasting fruit/vegetable and increased nutritional value;
3. Better air quality – Locally grown produce doesn’t have to travel a great distance to get to your table, thus reducing green house gas emissions.

One hurdle to eating locally is, knowing the particular season for our locally grown produce.  The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services publishes a guide to assist consumers choose products currently in season.  The information can be found at http://www.florida-agriculture.com/shopping_list.htm. For information on where you can purchase locally grown produce, visit www.localharvest.org. Additionally, look for the Florida Grown produce in your local supermarket.

In addition to purchasing locally grown, you can supplement your produce supply by growing your own. There are many easy choices for starting a garden, for example an herb garden or container garden.  If you are interested in a larger garden you may want to try square-foot gardening.  Karen Stauderman, Residential Horticulture Extension Agent with UF/IFAS has provided tips for starting your own garden.   

More tips on gardening can be found at http://www.volusia.org/extension.

Square Foot Gardening: http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

Energy tips
 

Phantom electricity likely is taking hold of your electricity bill around the office and in your house. Phantom - or vampire - electricity is the little bit of energy used by electronics even when they are turned off. The biggest culprits in your home are televisions, coffee makers, radios and the microwave. Around the office, these power phantoms include cell-phone chargers, desktop printers, computers and copy machines. Unless you unplug all of your electronic devices after use, phantom energy loss probably is costing you nearly $100 a year.

The only solution to avoiding this trickling power loss is to unplug all small appliances or other electronic devices when you are not using them. Because unplugging the TV, DVD player and cable box among other devices every night can be burdensome, you may want to invest in a simple device called a SmartStrip - a “smart” power strip that detects when your devices are not in use and cuts the power to those devices automatically.

EnergyStar TV's
 

Volusia County has...saved energy and money by retrofitting county buildings with T8 Fluorescent bulbs.  This change (from T12 bulbs) reduced energy consumption by 25 percent and is estimated to save more than $8,700 annually after two years.  These bulbs also run cooler than T12 which will reduce our cooling costs.  

At home you can . . . trim money off your monthly power bill and save energy by changing your regular light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs).  

More energy conservation tips
Energy Conservation Links

At home you can . . . reduce your carbon emissions and while doing so save money at the pump by keeping your tires inflated,  

Get your engine tuned up and keep your tires inflated -- both help fuel efficiency. If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated (and a government study shows that many don't), gasoline use nationwide would come down 2 percent. A tune-up could boost your miles per gallon anywhere from 4 to 40 percent; a new air filter could get you 10 percent more miles per gallon.

More air quality tips
Air quality links

Volusia County has reduced water consumption by installing low-flow toilets, and low-flow irrigation heads at County facilities.

At home you can…save water and reduce your monthly water bill by installing a low-flow shower head. They're inexpensive, easy to install and can save your family more than 500 gallons a week.  Save up to 1,000 gallons of water a month by reducing your shower time to 5 minutes.

More water saving tips
Water Conservation Links

More habitat conservation tips
Habitat Conservation Links