How To: Sustainable Labor Day

Are you looking forward to a relaxing Labor Day away from the office? So is our team here at Green Mountain. As our employees planned for the long weekend, they jotted down some of their best tips for celebrating a labor-free Labor Day in a sustainable way.

You and the environment can take it easy this holiday by:

• Grilling in the backyard:

1. 1. If grilling fish, be sure to make sustainable choices (EX: wild fish are better than farm-raised). Online resources can help guide you in the right direction: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch/web/sfw_regional.aspx - Rachel 
   2. I think it’s wasteful to fire up my grill if I am cooking only 1-2 pieces of chicken, steak, etc. At the minimum, I feel that one burner on my grill can cook 4-5 pieces of meat. Any less meat than that, and I feel like it’s wasting propane. So I keep that in mind before deciding to grill. - Nick
   3. We’re heading to the farmer’s market on Saturday to get fresh veggies for grilling. Veggies from our market mean less packaging, less travel and a conversation with the farmer that actually pulled that tomato off the vine! - Katie

• Taking a trip:

1. 1. Only take what you need in the car to reduce the weight of the car. You’ll use less gas! - Helen 
   2. Carpooling. My parents are hosting Labor Day this weekend which is about an hour away from where I live. I’m hopping in the minivan to carpool up with my sister and her family so that we have only one car on the road vs. two. Here’s to a smaller carbon footprint AND singing out loud to the Neil Diamond satellite radio station. - Katie
   3. Make sure your tires are fully inflated, but also pack healthy snacks for the road to avoid stopping and buying junk. Fill up reusable water bottles, put lights on timers at home (vs. just leaving a couple on the whole time), and set your thermostats high! - Rachel

• Enjoying the outdoors:

1. 1. Explore a local spring or pool - you might even find a nice hiking trail! - Caitlin
   2. I'm taking my kids to the closest natural body of water and jumping in as quickly as possible! We prefer natural springs over chlorinated pools to avoid exposing ourselves to chemicals. - Tony

Need more ideas? Here's what some of our Green Mountaineers have planned for the weekend:

• Watching my husband sweat through a triathlon then doing my part to celebrate with margaritas afterwards! - Rachel 
• Labor Day weekend is my birthday weekend, so spending time with family and enjoying the outdoors are always tops on my agenda. - Nick
• Relaxing, going to my daughter's soccer tournament, and swimming. - Helen
• My birthday is right around Labor Day so there’s always an ice cream cake involved. It has to get eaten quick before it melts in the Texas sun! - Katie