Being Green in Keene
- Sara Olson
- Oct 11, 2020
- 3 min read
A list of ways you can help the planet in our beautiful community!
Shop local
Monadnock Food Co Op
Hannah Grimes MarketPlace
Farmers Market, runs twice a week, 9:00 am- 1:00 pm on Saturdays and 3:00 pm- 6:00 pm on T Tuesdays.
Eat more plant based foods
Country Life Vegan Restaurant
The Monadnock Food Co-Op
The Farm Cafe
The Stage, The Works, Thai Garden all have vegan options
Piazza Ice Cream has two vegan, oat milk based ice creams and their sorbets are dairy free
Keene even has its own plant based MEAL DELIVERY company- Mama-Sezz
Donate old clothes
Urban Exchange
Linda’s Closet
Keene Middle School has a community closet
Planet Aid Bins
Check with local theater organizations
Thrift:
Senior Center Thrift Store
Urban Exchange
More Than a Thrift Store
Penelope's
Get a library card instead of buying books, library cards are free for Keene Residents.
Don't throw cigarettes or gum on the ground, and don’t litter!
Donate Your Egg Cartons
Stonewall Farm
Archway Farm
Or you can get a reusable egg carton and get individual eggs at The Monadnock Food Co-Op, they are 39 cents each!
Recycle your eye contacts
Contact your eye doctor to see if they collect them (many do in Keene) or save them up for a whole year and then mail them through/to Terracycle.
Recycle your plastic shopping bags
Locations that accept/collect them: Target, Hannaford's, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart, Price Chopper.
Compost!
Either on your own (which is more cost effective) or through the Elm City Compost Initiative
The Elm City Compost Initiate has two composting options; a residential collection, where they collect curbside (serving Keene, Swanzey, Harrisville, Peterborough, and Gilsum. This service is $19.99 a month. And drop off services! Where they sit at the Monadnock Food Co-Op on Saturdays 10:00 am- 2:00 pm where you can drop off your full bucket and get a clean/empty one. This service is $13.99 a month!
Information about what can be composted: https://www.elmcitycompost.com/about
You can also compost hair, human and pet, organic rolling papers, paper q-tips, cotton rounds, cotton balls, tea bags, all natural loofahs, finger and toe nails, and more!
Recycle and recycle properly
Operating Hours are Monday-Saturday, 7:00 am- 3:00 pm.
There is free compost available for the taking!
Proper recycling means removing labels, rinsing out the containers, and removing caps!
Usually the Monadnock Food Co op Take Plastics 3-5 but they’ve halted due to Covid-19, let's hope they continue after Covid!
Line or hang dry clothes.
Grow your own food if you can.
Walk or bike places whenever possible.
Use a reusable water bottle.
Use a reusable coffee cup (once it's safe of course).
Use reusable food containers for take out (see above).
Use shampoo/conditioner/soap bars instead of traditional bottled versions.
Use biodegradable floss with a reusable floss stick or refillable holder, or a water pik.
Instead of cotton swabs, switch to the LastSwab!
Use paper tape instead of plastic tape.
Invest in a safety razor instead of disposable, plastic razors.
Look into care/of for your vitamin/supplement needs, their packaging is compostable!
Shop in bulk!
Brining containers and jars to fill is the best option but simply buying larger boxes/bags of food is helpful too!
Monadnock Food Co-op has compostable bags for their bulk section!
Things that the City of Keene is doing or are working on to help the Planet!
Keene has a Sustainable Energy Resolution!!
What is Keene's Sustainable Energy Resolution?
In January 2019, the Keene City Council adopted Resolution R-2018-36 (Sustainable Energy Resolution) setting the following goals:
100 percent of electricity consumed in the City will come from renewable energy sources by the year 2030
100 percent of thermal energy and energy used for transportation will come from renewable energy sources by the year 2050
These aspirational goals apply to the entire community, not just municipal operations. The City Council made a commitment to develop a plan to achieve these goals by December of 2020.
Last Note:
I have been emailing and contacting various people trying to figure out a way, people can donate used items to be reused in art projects or as art themselves! Stay tuned!
Thank you for reading!
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