It's Easy Being Green

With Earth Day approaching—it’s April 22, for those not in the know—we thought we’d gather a list of ways Moorpark residents can get a little greener without too much cost or effort.

Hop on the bus: The city bus system runs two routes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and covers the city from the Mountain Meadows area to Moorpark College. And get this—it’s just a buck for most riders. The fare is $1 for riders 6 to 61-years old and 50 cents for those 62 and older as well as disabled riders. Children younger than 6 ride free.

or Walk the walk: Don’t hop in the car if you don’t have to. If something’s within walking distance—say the other store you need to visit, that just happens to be on the other side of the same shopping center as the store where you just shopped—just walk. You even get to burn a few calories this way!

Donate and reuse: Have some items you no longer use that are just taking up space at home? Instead of tossing them into the trash so they end up in the landfill, consider donating them to a thrift store. There are and thrift stores on High Street plus the store on Los Angeles Avenue. And if you need an item that could be just as good used as new, check out the thrift stores for that too; You'll be helping a charity and you could save a ton of money as well as the environment.

Composting anyone? The City of Moorpark has a compost program in which it will subsidize the cost of a composting bin. Get your 80-gallon-capacity Earth Machine for only $40 by calling the city sending a check to the city at City of Moorpark - Compost Bin Offer, 799 Moorpark Ave. and start turning those organic scraps into rich soil for your yard and gardens.

And be sure to properly dispose of your household hazardous waste. Throughout the year, there are a number of free events open to Moorpark residents wherein you can dispose of things like motor oil, pesticides and fertilizers, paint products and batteries. The next such events are April 8 and 9. Call 987-0717 for appointments and 517-6247 for more information.