The Vernal Equinox may not take place until March 20 but meteorologically speaking, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the official spring season begins on March 1. OK, it might not look much like spring outside your window right now, but take heart; spring will eventually find its way to Green River and since this most ebullient of seasons does indeed begin in just a few days, why not start getting ready?
Last week, the public works department hosted their first Earth Day Fair planning meeting and this got us all daydreaming about the beautiful, warm days that are just around the corner. We hope. Since none of us can make spring get here any faster, we can at least start doing a few things in the garden to make it feel like spring is just a little bit closer than it actually is. This indeed may be a grand delusion since we live in Wyoming and it’s been known to snow in July, but what the heck! Let’s just say the groundhog was right this year and any day now we’ll open the front door to find Crocus and Daffodils smiling up at us.
In preparation for Earth Day, April 22, and just to help you get in the mood, here are a few tips to help you be just a little “greener” this year and get your garden ready for planting.
There are easy ways that you can be “greener” in your daily life and plenty of them help you save money too. Consider buying reusable sandwich bags, or simply wash out the regular plastic ones and use them again. A simple way to conserve water is to fix those leaky faucets, and be sure that your little-ones turn off the taps completely. Even a slow drip can waste 7-10 gallons of water per day. When you clean out your closet this year, don’t send your old clothes to the dump, donate them instead. Old T-shirts also make great dusting rags. Tin cans, glass bottles, and milk jugs are just a few of the things that Green River’s recycling center accepts, and if you aren’t sure if something is recyclable or not, just call Public Works.
Have you ever tried composting? It is easy to make your own compost if you have the right spot in your yard. It starts by setting aside your leftover fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and egg shells are great for the compost pile too, but don’t include meat or dairy products. If you start composting now, you’ll have rich nutrients to mix in with your soil next year that won’t have cost you a thing. Old egg cartons are great for planning seedlings and the cardboard will decompose so you can plop them right into the ground when they’re ready. Tending seedlings is a great activity to do with kids, and there will be a seed strip booth at the Earth Day Fair again this year.
While the weather is still cold and the spring rains have not yet started it is the time to tidy up the garden. Gather up the autumn leaves that have been hiding under the snow and at the base of trees and bushes – those can go in your compost pile too. You can also take garden waste to the recycling center; the big green bins are for yard material. Please don’t put the plastic into those green bins. Either empty your bag into the bin or use paper lawn bags instead, because unlike plastic, those will decompose and become part of the City’s compost heap at the dump.
The closing of the landfill and the transfer station that’s in the works means that soon garbage in Green River is going to be handled a little bit differently, including more recycling.
The Solid Waste Division at Public Works promises to get a lot of information out to the community as we get closer to completion of the transfer station. But in the Meantime, visit us at the Earth Day Fair, where spring will be in full swing and you can learn all about the new facility and the City’s great plans for the future.
The Earth Day Fair takes place April 22 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. at Expedition Island and the Pavilion. See you there.
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