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For several years now, the Fox Valley has sat on the cusp of making sustainability a common household and community-wide priority. With a Farmers Market showcasing products made from recycled materials and produce sustainably grown in a Lawrence University garden, the Fox Cities has always had sustainability in mind.

Recently, however, sustainability has come to the forefront of local residents’ minds due to successful efforts and projects like Riverview Gardens andSustainable Fox Valley’s The Big Green. After receiving the assignment of a themed blog for FOX CITIES Magazine, I immediately thought that these efforts would be the perfect topic for discussion and deeper investigation. After all, there is no time like the present to help save the earth.

Growing up in downtown Appleton has instilled in me a genuine and passionate care for the Fox Cities. My family and I have always incorporated sustainability and environmentally friendly efforts in our day-to-day life.

Here are some ways we’ve tried to help the earth:

–composting
–reusing old plastic bags
–growing tomatoes, herbs and vegetables
–recycling plastic and paper
–buying secondhand clothes
–buying local produce at the Appleton Farmers Market

My hope for this blog is to highlight community efforts towards sustainability, yes, but also to encourage anyone who cares for the Fox Valley community to make composting and recycling second nature. With this small yet undoubtedly necessary step, residents and community members can begin to take bigger steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle and ultimately change the future of the Fox Cities through proactive and communal efforts.

Here are just some of the projects and efforts in the community that I hope to highlight:

— Riverview Gardens
— Sustainable Fox Valley
— Urban Evolutions
— Sustainable Lawrence Gardens (SLUG)
— Gardens of the Fox Cities
— Individual environmental efforts

If you have any suggestions of environmental projects or people in the Fox Valley community that have an impact on sustainability in the area, please let me know by commenting on this post!

—By Siri Pairin