In the middle of 2008 Yonkers put together its Green Policy Task Force. This task force was put together to help make Yonkers cleaner and healthier. The task force has the power to pass city policy and legislation. When the task force was put together they worked with the Code Protections team and Code Enforcement teams as well as the Board of Education and the Transportation to figure out how to make sure that they were up to speed on current laws.

Eventually the Green Policy Task Force for Yonkers will work with the schools to help put together a curriculum that helps educate students on how to live "greener" lives and be friendlier to the environment. The city of Yonkers is determined to keep up with the larger cities that are already known for their green practices (like the city of Portland, Oregon which was named the Greenest city of the year for 2007).

By now most people already know the basics: recycle soda pop cans, walk or take the bus instead of driving, but there are more creative ways to reduce reuse and recycle as well! Here are some hints to help you get started:

1. Instead of buying brand name spices, buy some small containers and use them for the spices that you can purchase in bulk. Some stores in Yonkers are starting to offer spices and other things like flour, sugar, pastas, oatmeal, etc. in bulk. Buying these foods helps to reduce the amount of packaging you throw away.

2. Use Tupperware containers instead of plastic bags to transport sandwiches and store leftovers. The Tupperware is recyclable and you can wash it out between uses. This will reduce the amount of trash that you produce by quite a lot!

3. Figure out how to reuse things like soup cans, cardboard boxes, etc-the things you would normally throw away. Cans make great pencil jars. Cardboard boxes can be broken down and used for padding or patching of things.

4. Rather than purchase expensive home cleaners use home made cleaners-vinegar is a fantastic cleaner.

5. Instead of using sponges use washcloths that you make from old clothes. The washcloths can be washed and it will keep you from throwing out your sponges and old clothes. This saves quite a lot of space in Yonkers' landfills and town dumps.

6. Invest in some canvas bags and reusable bags to go shopping with. These bags last a long time and will cut down on the number of plastic shopping bags that you take home from the grocery store and other stores around Yonkers.

One of the best things about living a "green" lifestyle is that it can save Yonkers' residents quite a lot of money. Reusing products means that you do not have to replace them with new products. Recycling things cuts down on the amount of space needed for Yonkers' landfills and dumps. Living green is beneficial for everyone.