How Can We Make Every Day Earth Day? (Sponsored)

Here are some family activities you can do to foster environmentalism. Sponsored by Sony.

Very few events are celebrated around the globe, but Earth Day is. This year, it’s come and gone. But we’re here to ask: What can we do to show our love of the earth on that day, and every day? On May 31st, Sony will release After Earth, an action-packed movie that takes place 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity to leave. It’s the kind of scenario that makes you want to donate to Greenpeace, recycle everything, and start biking every where, immediately. So, in honor of Earth Day, Patch has teamed up with Sony to present these ideas for making every day Earth Day. How can we make every day Earth Day? Begin with little things. Easy things. Obvious things. Things we take for granted each day, and use and/or abuse because of …

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Meet Bayside's 'Queen of Living Green'

Emily Vaill Pfaff urges citizens to develop sustainable practices so future generations don't suffer.

For over 15 years, Emily Vaill Pfaff of Bayside has been eating organic foods, recycling as much as possible, saving energy and engaging in many other key aspects of a "green" lifestyle. “Every bedroom has a recycling basket, and at every desk there is a recycling receptacle. The kitchen recycle can is twice the size of the garbage can,” Vaill Pfaff said. While most residents in Bayside use one rolling recycling dumpster, Vaill Pfaff’s family has two. Vaill Pfaff also has strict rules on water usage at home and showers must be kept to a 10-minute maximum. Clothes washing is only done on days without rain. “The water is off during teeth brushing and we do little to no lawn watering. We also have three rain barrels,” Pfaff said. Vaill Pfaff …

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Heard in the Hall

Bayside Fall Clean Up Day One Month Away

Resident can bring everything, including the kitchen sink, on the next village clean up day, Oct. 27.

Preparation for the Village's Fall Clean-Up Day event on Saturday, Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. is underway.   The Fall Clean-Up Day event is the last one for 2012, and as with previous events, vendors such as GoodWill and Habitat for Humanity will be on hand to help collect just about anything you need to dispose of, except for household hazardous waste (HHW).  The village will take care of latex paint and motor oil, but residents are responsible for opening and dumping out the items at the event.   Residents can also bring paper items for shredding, but are asked to remove all binders and folders and documents must be free of binder clips and paper clips.  Donations will also be collected for the Milwaukee area Ronald McDonald House …

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Recycling Day at St. John's

Get rid of your unwanted junk this Saturday, September 29th, from 8-noon. St. John's has teamed up with Action Recyclers for a fundraising event to raise money for technology.

Reminder: Fall Clean Up Day Coming Up Quick

Residents can get rid of everything from used motor oil and latex paint, to electronics, dehumidifiers and shreddables.

Bayside's Fall Clean Up Day is back again Oct. 9 and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Identification is required, so please bring a driver's license or state ID along and enter through the old Yard Waste Drop Off Site on Fairy Chasm Road. Keep Shredding Simple Remove all binders, folders, etc., and documents must be free of binder clips, paper clips, etc. Motor Oil and Latex PaintResidents can also get rid of paint and motor oil, but they will be responsible for  opening and dumping out the latex paint and motor oil themselves at the event. Habitat for Humanity Collections New and gently used construction materials and supplies will be accepted at the event. Check out the Habitat for Humanity website for more information on what items will …

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Illegal Dumping in Bayside Sparks Talk of Closing Yard Waste Site

Will history repeat itself in Bayside, forcing the village to shut down the yard waste site as they did the recycling center in 2009?

Illegal dumping at the yard waste site in Bayside is growing to such an extent, Bayside Village Manager Andy Pederson said the Village Board is beginning to consider shutting down the site all together. "People often use the word 'dump' and I have to ephasize it's not a dump, it's a yard waste drop-off site," Pederson said. "So, that means yard waste only. Not water heaters, not toilets, not all the household items, not chemicals, not TVs."  The yard waste drop-off site, located on the north end of Village Hall at 201 E. Fairy Chasm Rd., is currently open 24 hours a day and is unsupervised. This allows residents the flexibility to stop by any time.  But Pederson said that luxury has been abused as people are leaving behind all kinds of …

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There's 'Re'cycling and Then There's 'Pre'cycling

PREcycling: Preventing waste before it happens. It’s the reducing/reusing two-thirds of Reduce/Reuse/Recycle and it also involves rethinking. It’s preventative medicine for the Earth.

Heard in the Hall

A Little Bit of Rain Can Go a Long Way

Help conserve water, keep your plant healthy and be a little green by saving what little rain we do get lately in a rain barrel.

While we've seen a little bit of rain over the past week Ba yside weather station, the summer total has been well below average.  In fact, the weather station (located on top of Village Hall) indicates that our area has seen just 2.04 inches of rain in all of June and July combined!  What is one way you can help conserve water, and even keep your plants healthy?  How about a rain barrel?  That's right, when we do get some rain, you can preserve the natural rainwater and save it for watering plants, shrubs and trees - thus saving on your water bill or your well supply.  A rain barrell connects directly to your home's downspout, and helps prevent impervious surface runoff.  Rain barrells can be purchased at Village Hall for just $45 each, …

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Heard in the Hall

Video: Steve and His Mower

Check out the incredible totals from the village's summer cleanup where residents not only helped save money by recycling, but donated hundreds of dollars and non-perishable food items to the MACC Fund and the Hunger Task force.

Residents didn't let the hot weather deter them and took full advantage of the Cleanup day. If you missed out on the event or want to relive it, check out the sights and sounds of the event on Pinterest. Residents generously gave $886.80 to the MACC Fund and donated more than 2,000 pounds of non-perishable food and a $20 check to the Hunger Task Force. Overall, residents disposed of: Habitat for Humanity also collected:  Thank you to the vendors who made this event possible including: Service Master, SecurX, GoodWill, Habitat for Humanity, DP Electronics Recycling, A&W Iron and Metal, along with Topper's Pizza for providing volunteers with free food. A special thank you to our staff and volunteers who braved the heat.  The next Cleanup day…

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