by Angela Hinkle | Oct 19, 2016
It’s that time of year: going to Friday night football games, decorating with pumpkins, welcoming in some cooler weather, and harvesting our locally grown peanuts and cotton. This also means it’s time for the Peanut Butter Challenge. We collect jars of unopened peanut butter throughout the Northwest Panhandle of Florida through November 23rd. (Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office for details and peanut butter drop-off sites.)
Peanut butter is a locally grown (okay, we don’t actually grow peanut butter, but we do grow the peanuts that make peanut butter), protein packed, tasty food that is safe to eat and store at room temperature. For these reasons, it is one of the most requested items at food pantries. After Thanksgiving, we will distribute to food pantries and organizations that give food to hungry families in need.
Okay, so what role do socks play in this? Cotton, another great locally grown agricultural product, is used to make socks. And even though UF/IFAS Extension does not have a “Sock Challenge,” the homeless and limited-resource families are often in desperate need of new white socks. There are plenty of shelters and schools who would really appreciate donations of clean new socks – any time of year.
So…Peanut Butter and Socks – they really are the Florida Panhandle’s perfect combination!
by Marie Arick | Mar 15, 2016
Earth Day is honored around the world on April 22, with many festivals, activities and events being held in in the weeks prior. April 22 marks Earth Day. Help build a better future and preserve Mother Earth by committing to protect our environment year-round.
The origin of Earth Day is linked to the 1969 Santa Barbara, California oil spill. Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, envisioned protecting the nation’s environment after the massive oil spill in California. This led to a movement to increase awareness of environmental pollution. Nelson, partnered with Congressman Pete McCloskey and Denis Hayes of Harvard University to put the Earth Day plan in motion. Earth Day, April 22, 1970 was the catalyst to increase environmental awareness and led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Hayes further expanded the Earth Day movement in 1990 into a global event.
Why do we need an Earth Day? Because it works! Earth Day broadens the base of support for environmental programs, rekindles public commitment and builds community activism around the world through a broad range of events and activities.
What can I do for Earth Day? The possibilities for getting involved are endless! Volunteer. Change a habit. Plant a garden. Do something nice for the Earth. April 22 marks Earth Day. Mark your calendar to attend an event or do something positive to preserve your little piece of Mother Earth.
A few Earth Day Events
Earth Day Bay County, April 9, 2016 10 am to 4 pm at McKenzie Park. The University of Florida’s Museum of Natural History will host an Earth Day Exploration on Saturday, April 16, 2016 from 10 am to 3 pm. Earth Day Pensacola, April 23, 2016 10 am to 4 pm. .
by Shelley Swenson | Nov 25, 2015
Green Gift Giving
The holiday season will soon be upon us. A “Green“ Holiday focuses on finding ways to reduce consumption by using renewable resources and reusing or repurposing objects. Practicing these principles can fit in line with holiday celebrations, making it a time of sustaining traditions as well as helping the environment. Here are some fun ideas for “greening“ your holiday season when it comes to wrapping gifts.
It is not about sacrifice; it is about an opportunity to…..
- Wrap gifts with brown paper bags, newspaper, or reused wrapping paper.
- Create personal wrapping paper with stamps or collages, or drawing on paper bags.
- Avoid wrapping altogether and tie a large bow around an item instead.
- Make the wrapping part of the gift such as using reusable tins, planting pots, or new towels.
- Give presents or gift certificates from local businesses.
- Focus on homemade or non-traditional gifts such as baked goods, plants, fishing licenses, dance classes, travel mugs, local art, or battery chargers.
- If giving appliances or electronics, make sure they are Energy Star-certified.
- Make donations in someone’s name to charities or conservation organizations. Investigate to see if any organization in the area is offering an alternative giving holiday festival.
- Give “time”. Help an older relative with difficult chores or take children to a park.
- Teach someone a skill or talent you have.
Investing time and creativity into the holiday can help make it more fulfilling and meaningful for you, your family, and your friends.
by Angela Hinkle | Oct 28, 2015
Happy Child with Peanut Butter Sandwich
November in the Panhandle of Florida. Time for pumpkins, cooler weather, hay rides, football games, harvesting cotton and peanuts, and of course, Thanksgiving. It’s also time for the annual Peanut Butter Challenge! We gather peanut butter to give to those who could use a little help feeding their families. Why peanut butter? It is the most requested item in food pantries, it’s shelf stable – you don’t have to heat it up or keep it cold, people like it – a lot, it’s economical – especially if it’s a buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO), it’s local – peanuts are the biggest crop in the Florida panhandle, and it’s healthy – a great source of plant-based protein.
So what about Jane? Jane’s been a consistent contributor to the Peanut Butter Challenge every year. This may not seem like a very big deal, but you see, Jane is allergic to peanut butter. This may not seem like such a big deal either, but to me, it’s like giving time to help out the blood drive even though you can’t give blood, walking in Relay for Life to show support for cancer research though you have no money to give, giving money to a charity because you have it and it feels like the right thing to do.
So whether you give because of your competitive spirit – “my group can give more than theirs”, you have a couple extra dollars and there is a BOGO, because it makes you feel good knowing how much the receiving families appreciate it, or you just feel like it’s the right thing to do, please give to the Peanut Butter Challenge.
And be thankful – for peanut butter … and Jane.
To find out more about the Peanut Butter Challenge or how you can give by November 25, please contact your local UF/IFAS Extension County office in the Northwest District UF/IFAS Extension Office.
by Shelley Swenson | Oct 2, 2015
Did you know that Floridians throw away 8 pounds of garbage per day? That is double the national average. This is not something to be proud of but it leaves a lot of room for improvement!
Many times when I frequent my housing facility’s dumpster, a computer will be sitting by the side. Does someone think that another resident will take care of properly disposing of it? Think again – it probably will end up in the landfill and will remain there for years. What a waste!
Electronic products are made from valuable materials, including metals, plastics, and glass, all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources. Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 homes in the U.S. in a year. For every one million cell phones we recycle, 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.
Before you donate or recycle your used electronics, do the following:
- Consider your purchase of a new device – could you upgrade the hardware or software instead of buying a brand new one?
- Delete all personal information.
- Remove any batteries; they may need to be recycled separately.
And now the question is where to donate or recycle items? Many manufacturers and retailers offer several options to donate or recycle electronics. Go to www2.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling for instructions offered by many companies on where/how you can recycle mobile devices, personal computers, and even televisions.
Think about it…..with just a little more effort, another item can be saved from our already overloaded landfills. You can be a part of the solution for cutting down on waste in Florida.
