COMOsustainability

𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘁-𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁! You do not have to feel "the crunch" for salt to do its job. Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water, making snow and ice easier to remove. Putting more salt on a surface does not make snow and ice melt faster or eliminate the…

𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗬𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗜𝗣! Some things to think about as you purchase holiday gift wrap and greeting cards: 🎁 Metallic (foil) and laminated (shiny surface) gift wrap is not recyclable. Stick to plain wrapping paper. Better yet, avoid wrapping paper and consider…

🤑𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆🏪 - Avoid unnecessary purchases. Buying less stuff helps to conserve natural resources, lower greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and shipping, and reduce waste in landfills. - Consider giving gifts…

🍂 Give thanks sustainably this Thanksgiving! ✅ Use reusable plates & cloth napkins 🥕 Plan portions to reduce food waste 🛍️ Shop local & seasonal 🥡 Ask guests to bring containers for leftovers 🌱 Try plant-based dishes 🌿 Compost food scraps Small choices = big impact! 💚…

♻️ 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗬𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗧! 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵. 🚫 NO milk, juice, egg, cream or broth cartons/boxes. Please help keep our recycling stream clean by…

This year, the Office of Sustainability piloted CoMo Canopy — a new tree-planting program helping regrow Columbia’s canopy! 🌿 One highlight? 🌟 Students at The Language Tree Preschool helped plant trees, spread mulch, and learned how to care for them — future urban forest…

🦃 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆!🍂 As you prepare to cook and share delicious meals with loved ones, remember that kitchen time can also mean higher energy use. Here are some simple ways to save energy (and money!) while still serving up a fantastic feast:…

⚡ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 - As part of our long-term sustainability goals, the City of Columbia is transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles (EVs). 🚛These changes are expected to reduce fuel costs, decrease maintenance needs,…

Ward 2 Council Member Vera Elwood, former Ward 2 Council Member Lisa E.A. Meyer and artist Adrienne Luther spoke about the new Pollinator Trail Art Posts. They were joined by community members and City staff, as well as the students from Parkade Elementary who helped design the…

𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘: 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁. What can you do to help? Here are some tips for using road salt wisely: - Shovel (and use the right tool for the job). The more snow and ice you remove manually, the less salt you will have to use and the more effective it will…

✨𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 The holiday season has finally returned! One beloved tradition this time of year is the glow of festive light displays. While they bring plenty of cheer, they…

📦𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗬𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘! Fibers and cardboard will now be diverted from the landfill for residential customers. (You can recycle cardboard, newspapers, office paper, magazines, junk mail, etc.) We would like to remind residents to flatten their cardboard and NOT put…

🔧 Captain Fix It (Craig Adams) & team ran another successful Fix It Fair with Jefferson MS 7th graders! Students repaired items instead of sending them to the landfill. 🌱♻️ Proud to support @ColumbiaSTEMAlliance in reducing waste! #FixItFair #ReduceReuse #STEM The Office of…

♻️ The Good Intention but Troubling Problem of Wishcycling ♻️ Placing non-recyclable items in your blue bag hoping they can be recycled contaminates the stream — even causing whole loads to be landfilled. 🚫 Keep OUT of blue bags: Glass bottles/jars, yogurt cups, clamshells,…

🦃🍂 As you prepare to cook and share delicious meals with loved ones, remember that kitchen time can also mean higher energy use. Here are some simple ways to save energy (and money!) while still serving up a fantastic feast: - Keep lids on: Tightly fitted lids on pots and…

𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘: 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁. What can you do to help? - Shovel (and use the right tool for the job). The more snow and ice you remove manually, the less salt you will have to use and the more effective it will be when you do use it. - 15˚F is too cold for…

🎉🌳 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁: 𝗖𝗼𝗠𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘆! 🌳🎉This year, the Office of Sustainability piloted a brand-new tree planting program — CoMo Canopy — and we’re thrilled to share how it’s growing! Our mission? To help regrow Columbia’s tree canopy and bring the…

Follow these easy steps to properly break it down: 1. Remove cat. 2. Take your box and turn it upside down. Run a box cutter along the center bottom seam, slicing through the packing tape 3. Repeat this under the two flaps on each end of the box, freeing the tape at the edges 4.…

RECYCLING UPDATE! Fibers and cardboard will now be diverted from the landfill for both commercial and residential customers. We would like to remind residents to flatten their cardboard and not put cardboard and fibers into the blue bags. Please put the cardboard in a separate…

𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘁-𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁! Salt is really powerful when it comes to preventing ice from forming – all you need for a 20-foot driveway is ONE mugful (12 oz) of road salt. You do not have to feel "the crunch" for salt to do its job. Salt lowers the freezing…