April 22nd is Earth Day, and this year's theme is Our Power, Our Planet.  You may not realize it, but the decisions you make when choosing to recycle can have a huge impact on the energy that we use.

In SLO County, our food and yard waste is turned into a renewable enery source, biogas. Our organic waste goes through a process called anaerobic digestion: it's fed into a giant stomach, where it is eaten by tiny bacteria and converted to biogas. That biogas is a clean, renewable natural gas that is used to power our electricity grid. This sustainable energy source powers 600 homes locally! 

Recycling paper, metals, glass and plastic in your blue recycling bin is a great way to conserve energy. Harvesting natural resources to produce materials is extremely energy intensive. Making a product from recycled materials can use up to 95% less energy than using new materials. By recycling just 10 plastic bottles, you can save enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours. 

We are so excited to celebrate Earth Day this month! We will be at some local community events in celebration throughout the month: 

• Party for the Planet, April 19th
  • Charles Paddock Zoo, Atascadero
• SLO Earth Fest, April 26th 
  • Meadow Park, San Luis Obispo
• Greenspace Earth Day 2025 Celebration, April 27th
  • Greenspace Creekside Reserve, Cambria