Recycling involves processing used materials into new products in order to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste management and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy

The international recycling symbol.

Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastics, textiles, and electronicsAluminum (e.g., cell phones and computers). Although similar in effect, the composting or other reuse of biodegradable waste – such as food or garden waste – is not typically considered recycling. Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing.

In a strict sense, recycling of a material would produce a fresh supply of the same material, for example used office paper to more office paper, or used foamed polystyrene to more polystyrene. However, this is often difficult or too expensive (compared with producing the same product from raw materials or other sources), so "recycling" of many products or materials involves their reuse in producing different materials (e.g., cardboard) instead. Another form of recycling is the salvage of certain materials from complex products, either due to their intrinsic value (e.g., lead from car batteries, or gold from computer components), or due to their hazardous nature (e.g., removal and reuse of mercury from various items).

Critics of recycling claim that it often wastes more resources than it saves, especially in cases where it is mandated by government. Note here that municipal recycling may nevertheless still be worthwhile if the net cost is less than the landfill or other disposal costs for the same amount of material.

A recycling bin at a park in northern California.

A recycling bin at a park in northern California.

Trade in recyclates

Certain countries trade in unprocessed recyclates. Some have complained that the ultimate fate of recyclates sold to another country is unknown and they may end up in landfill instead of reprocessed. According to one report, in America, 50-80% of computers destined for recycling are actually not recycled. However, Pieter van Beukering, an economist specialising in waste imports of China and India, believes that it is unlikely that bought materials would merely be dumped in landfill: he also claims that the import of recyclates allows for large-scale reprocessing, improving both the fiscal and environmental return through economies of scale.There are reports of illegal-waste imports to China being dismantled and recycled solely for monetary gain, without consideration for workers' health or environmental damage. Though the Chinese government has banned these practices, it has not been able to eradicate them.

Certain regions have difficulty using or exporting as much of a material as they recycle. This problem is most prevalent with glass: both Britain and the U.S. import large quantities of wine bottled in green glass. Though much of this glass is sent to be recycled, outside the American Midwest there is not enough wine production to use all of the reprocessed material. The extra must be downcycled into building materials or re-inserted into the regular waste stream.

Similarly, the northwestern United States has difficulty finding markets for recycled newspaper, given the large number of pulp mills in the region as well as the proximity to Asian markets. In other areas of the U.S., however, demand for used newsprint has seen wide fluctuation.

In some U.S. states, a program called RecycleBank pays people with coupons to recycle, receiving money from local municipalities for the reduction in landfill space which must be purchased. It uses a single stream process in which all material is automatically sorted.

Computers being collected for recycling at a pickup event in Olympia, Washington, United States.

Computers being collected for recycling at a pickup event in Olympia, Washington, United States.

There are three key factors when thinking about how to recycle:

Recycling Different Materials

You can find out how to recycle different materials such as Glass, Batteries and Mobile Phones by simply using our list on the right hand side.

Recycling Etiquette

Recycling can sometimes be confusing and it can be difficult to know whether you are following all the right rules. Improve your recycling efforts by learning some recycling etiquette rules and check out which type of collection is best and why different areas recycle and collect in different ways.

What's in your Rubbish Bin?

A large percentage of UK household's still do not recycle enough and throw everything that they consider 'rubbish' into their ordinary bin. Much of this waste can be recycled and should be disposed of separately to general household waste. Look inside this rubbish bin to see how much of the contents should actually have been recycled. Check our list on the right to see how to recycle different materials.

rubbish bin diagram

Recycling tips

There are lots of innovative things you can do to help reduce your rubbish – check out some of the tips below to get started.

Making use of your mountain of plastic bags:

Use them as bin liners.
Place them in the bottom of plant pots and hanging baskets - they act as great drainage systems.
Children can use them for carrying PE gear to school.
Scrunch them up to surround items when you're packaging as an alternative to bubble wrap.
Use them in the garden to hold your grass cuttings and hedge trimmings before transfer to a compost bin.
Use them when packing for a holiday to keep dirty/wet clothes and shoes away from dry clothing.
Use them as 'doggy doo bags' when out walking your dog!
Some supermarkets recycle plastic bags, so you can return plastic bags to them.
Re-use washed zip lock bags for sandwiches and snacks rather than using plastic wrap.

Ideas for recycling paper:

After children's drawings and paintings have been displayed for a while they can be used to wrap presents - this also makes the present special.
Discarded A4-sized paper can be cut and stapled together to make notepads. Alternatively, if you save five reams, it will cost you about $5 to get a print company to convert this paper into 'proper' notepads.
'Use the envelopes you receive in the mail a second time by placing a new address label over the last address. I call this the OMT System ("One more time system"). Old envelopes can also be used for scribbling down shopping lists, to-do lists, and notes.'
Resealable envelopes can be reused many times: 'My daughter takes one to school when she orders her lunch. The envelope has all details written in felt on the front and the money sealed inside. She brings the envelope home and we use it again until it gets too shabby.'
Old calendars, colourful pictures, etc. can be used to make your own envelopes. You can unstick a used envelope and use it as a template for making envelopes.
Old rolls of wallpaper can be used for childrens' drawings.
Junk mail can be used as scrap paper, or as bedding for pets.
Cardboard cartons can be used to collect paper for recycling, instead of plastic bags (even breakfast cereal cartons are good).
SPCA and pet shops appreciate old newspapers.
Toilet roll centres can be recycled - they're made of cardboard.
To fill in a rainy day get a paper recycling kit and get the kids to rip up old used paper to make recycled paper, it can be great fun.
Old magazines are appreciated by:
- Doctor and dentists' surgeries
- Motels
- Friends

Ideas for recycling household waste in the garden:

Aluminium trays from pies and cakes make ideal 'drip saucers' to put under pot plants.
Old tyres can be used outside for plant pots - especially good for plants that like warm soils as they trap the heat.
The following waste items can be modified and used for planting seedlings:
- Egg cartons
- Tetra-pak cartons
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic containers for cherry tomatoes
- Old boots and shoes
- Plastic containers for takeaways
- The cardboard centres from toilet rolls
- Plastic icecream containers.
Lawn clippings can be used to cover weeds and keep from growing in the garden through winter.
Broken crockery can be used as drainage at the bottom of pot plants.
Tin cans can be used as:
- Water reservoirs for new plants and trees. Tape a piece of hose pipe in a can and fill the can with scoria or pumice. Then, when you plant a new tree or plant, bury the can below the root level and leave enough hose poking out of the ground. You can water the plant in summer by pouring the water into hose pipe. If the hose is short enough it can be mowed over on a lawn and does not look obtrusive.
- Pot plant holders. Decorate the outside of the can to your liking, put some soil in it and plant away. (Make sure you put some drainage holes in the bottom of the tin before you start potting the plants.)
Old newspapers (including those gathered from your friends) can be used to mulch and weed control the garden. Wet newspaper and place thickly on the garden. Cover with bark or stones.
Plastic milk bottles can be used to hold snail bait and are pet proof.
Old stockings can be used to tie up plants in the garden.
Plastic icecream containers can be cut into strips for seed labels.

Ideas for recycling organic/garden waste:

Local pig farmers often appreciate any kitchen scraps that you can offer them. If you know of any in your area, get in touch with them and find out if they are interested in your kitchen scraps.
If you've done any trimming of trees and hedges, contact the local Zoo to see if they can use these for their animals, either as food or environment improvement.
Avoid using kitchen waste disposers and compost food scraps instead. This reduces the load on sewage treatment plants and local government can concentrate on the treatment of real sewage.
If you need leaf mulch for your garden approach a local school and ask what they do with the leaf litter. Some schools throw theirs away.
Get a couple of hens for the household. They eat all the kitchen scraps and provide fresh eggs as a bonus.

Ideas for recycling other items:

Old or broken household goods such as toasters, transistor radios can be used by others for parts. Sell them cheaply at a garage sale.
Carry a supermarket bag with you when you go walking so that you can pick up glass, litter or other plastic bags.
Creches, schools and kindergartens often need boxes, plastic bags, old buttons, used wrapping paper, greeting cards, ribbons, tiles, crockery and other materials for art resources. They may also want old phones, keyboards, etc as learning toys. The DonateNZ website provides a way to put donors and recipients in touch with each other.
Wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, and boxes can be used to wrap someone else's presents.
Recycle jars by using them for home preserves.
In Auckland, batteries from toys and other electrical items can be saved and taken to the hazmobile once a year for recycling.
Ice cream containers can be reused around the home in a number of ways:
- Storing food in the freezer
- As a container for toys, crayons, clothes pegs
- Biscuit container
Meat trays, yoghurt containers, egg cartons, and film canisters can be kept and used by the kids to 'create stuff'. This is a great way to keep the kids amused and even make gifts for family and friends.
An upside down bottle with small holes in the top can be used to provide water for your pets while you are on holiday.
Materials left over from home sewing can be used by schools for collages. Larger pieces can also be used for patchwork and crafts by people in rest homes. In Wellington (and possibly other centres as well), there is a group in the women's prison who choose to do patchwork as part of their rehabilitation.
After you have finished a ’family-size’ yoghurt pot (and since they aren’t recyclable), rinse it out and use it as a lunch box or cookie jar.
Use ice cream and other plastic containers to put kids toys in. Also good for nuts and bolts and taking away camping, or clothes peg containers.
The black meat trays from the Supermarket make great paint trays for both adults and kids.
Stronger plastic bottles can be used to hold tools and nails etc in the shed. Simply cut three sides and leave one side longer and nail to the wall in the shed.
Old furniture, clothes, kitchen gear, and bedding are always wanted by organisations like Drug Arm, and the Salvation Army.

General tips for recycling and avoiding rubbish:

Buy a smaller rubbish container for the kitchen. This makes you to remember to recycle.
Make sure bottles and tins are clean before putting in the recycling bin. This prevents flies both at home and the recycling station.
Reorganise the kitchen so it has an efficient recycling area with good sized bins to help with sorting and holding. This will encourage other members of the household to contribute and help share the work instead of it being reliant on one person.
Cutting both the tops and the bottoms off tin cans (and placing them inside) and squashing them makes them smaller to fit into the recycling bin.
Put a 'no junk mail' sticker on your letter box. You'll be amazed at how much this reduces your rubbish.
Spread the word. By telling other people and helping them to get started, we increase the savings that can be made. Also get your children involved – if we can educate them early, they will grow up and appreciate waste reduction and will be able to apply these skills in later life.

FreightFox , Online Freight & Logistics Directory

Diy Solar Panels – Learn How To Fabricate Your Own

http://szynakameble.com/diy-solar-panels-learn-how-to-fabricate-your-own

Taking advantage of alternative energy to power our homes is becoming ever more attractive. Homeowners can take it upon themselves to make DIY solar panels for less than $200. They rival in quality the ones the photovoltaic solar panels that are so expensive from the manufacturers.

A complete solar system purchased and installed can easily exceed $20,000. There’s no question that if you stay in your home long enough you can recoup those costs, but it will take many, many years. I must ask, wouldn’t it make more sense to build your own system so you can start saving right away?

It is completely understandable if some are intimidated by the prospect of building a solar panel. Earth4Energy is a guide that can actually teach even novices how to do it. And the fact of matter is, it really isn’t all that hard. Even if you have absolutely no carpentry skills whatsoever.

Solar panels are made of several components. A series of solar cells work together form the panel itself. The rays of the sun are absorbed by the cells and converted into electricity. When light is converted into electricity is known as photovoltaic. It comes in the form of photons provided by the sun.

There are quite a few advantages to building your own DIY solar panels. Saving on evermore expensive utility bills is the first that comes to mind. A single panel can generate up to 120 watts of electricity. A collection or array of solar panels can potentially provide your home with all its electricity needs.

Going off the grid means that the home is completely self-sufficient. That means independence from your expensive electricity provider. And as an added bonus, electricity produced in excess of what is needed can be sold back to the utility company. How nice is that?

Alternative energy in the home makes the homeowner eligible for tax breaks and rebates through the government. Your home’s resale value will also increase with a solar power system It is, for all intents and purposes, a power plant that needs very little maintenance.

Solar energy is very friendly when it comes to the environment. Reducing our carbon footprint and lessening our dependence on fossil fuels is a great way to help mother Earth. DIY solar panels do not pollute the environment in any way, shape or form. That’s why they call it green energy.

By: Thomas Wire

25 Ideas for an Eco-Friendly Yard
Organic practices are healthy for your family and pets. Going green can help you save cash on watering and upkeep, too

TOH's Roger Cook shares his top 10 eco-friendly yard tips

Build a wood compost bin to make your own vitamin-rich fertilizer

Plant a native landscape to save water—and money

The chemical-free way to get a lush spring lawn

Inhabitat

This is another blog that has caught my eye as of late. They focus on design and architecture that lends itself towards the sustainability of the planet. Sustainability is something that I’ve been getting into, along with recycling, no – repurposing things around the house so that we don’t have to trash them.

The thing that hooked me on this blog is this Osusowake Planter. You grow stuff in it and then can cut away sections to give to your friends and family. That is such a great idea! I know my mom would love it – she gives away cuttings of her plants all the time to people. This would step that up a notch!

It’s interesting to see design so focused on Green elements. You can even check out huge architectural projects that are focused on being more earth friendly like the San Francisco Transbay Terminal plans – which look not only lush and earthy – but are also earth friendly and green. They look like something amazing out of the future.

Be sure to bookmark this site – I have the feeling this is a trend that isn’t just going to be trendy, it’s going to last a long time.

http://www.inhabitat.com/

~Amanda

Green up While You Clean Up
Products that are good for you, your home, and the planet

When it comes to helping the environment, small changes really add up.

See how easy it is to green up everyday things like your health and beauty routine or how you clean your home and do your part to protect planet earth!

Then, use this tool to determine your carbon footprint now, and discover how to reduce it.

New Uses for Old Stuff

Easy, affordable tips to making old house parts and products work in new ways

Ladder Plant Stand & Other Reuse Ideas - Breathe new life into these 5 items
DIY Umbrella Holder- Keep drips contained with this claw-foot creation at your entry
10 Uses for Carpet Scraps- Move heavy furniture, clean up, muffle noise, and more
Gray Water Plants- Use it for trees and lawns, but not vegetables
Recycle Your Fridge- What to do when swapping out for an energy-efficient model
10 Uses for Tennis Balls- Erase scuff marks, remove a broken lightbulb, and more
Salvage the Staircase - Deconstruction crews save beautiful house parts
Recycle Fluorescent Bulbs- The safe way to dispose of mercury-containing CFLs
Old Beams, New Build- How to treat, scan, and disassemble lumber to use again
Recycle Your Carpet- Getting rid of rugs? Here's a great eco-friendly way to do it
House-Part Recycling Centers - How to find and navigate architectural salvage yards
Adaptive Reuse - Turning old barns, firehouses and other structures into homes

What to do with construction waste

by E. E. Kane

In one version of the American dream, Joe Handyman buys a house with five acres (more or less) desperately in need of repairs and remodeling. Joe and his wife cannot afford a home otherwise, but they qualify for a construction loan and start putting a lot of sweat equity into their dream. Because they are willing to work hard and they have the necessary skills, they are privileged to be among the ranks of Americahomeowners.

Then they hit a bump in the road: what will they do with everything they tear out of the house, and other items left behind by the former owners? Joe did not budget adequately for waste removal.

Joe is tempted to burn some of the construction waste and bury the rest. But as a handyman, he knows he could be penalized with a huge fine. He also knows his wife, Jane, would throw a huge fit at the prospect of turning their acreage into a landfill, and harming their own little environment. So together they agree to dispose of as much construction waste as they can, legally, before they resort to the container sitting in their driveway. Here is their plan:

1. Check local classifieds for repairmen who want old electronics and appliances. Sell working appliances, or give to a friend in need. Take remaining appliances to the landfill and pay a small fee.

2. Gather scrap metal and salvaged electrical wire and store until prices for copper and steel rise again. When prices are no longer rock bottom, sell scrap metal to a salvage yard.

3. Reuse untreated wood (studs, shelving) removed during demolition in future remodeling and carpentry projects. Do not reuse wood with mold, rot, or lead-based paint.

4. Save sawdust and wood shavings (from untreated new wood) for mulch. Save old carpeting for a weed barrier in the garden.

5. Have leftover paint from former owners? If it's still good even though the lid is rusty, save for use in out-of-the-way places and the future doghouse.

6. Contact Habitat for Humanity to see if they are interested in any of the carefully-salvaged items (cabinets and bathroom vanity) or leftover new materials.

7. Sell anything of value that will not be used in the renovation or future projects: light fixtures, vintage hardware, antique furniture, mantelpiece, mirrors, intricate door trim or molding. Contact salvage companies who specialize in vintage materials, or sell through Internet auctions (eBay) or classifieds (craigslist.com).

8. Have a yard sale for the rest. Carefully removed ceramic tile, leftover plumbing materials, electric switch plates and outlet covers, miscellaneous screws, nuts and bolts, etc. Advertise in local papers with a special alert to handymen and contractors.

9. Recycle glass, paper, and plastic when possible. www.Earth911.com is a helpful resource to locate recycling plants in your area.

Some landfills will not accept construction waste from anyone but a contractor, so do-it-yourselfers should always find out what permits they will need. If they cannot obtain a permit, they can hire a construction waste removal company, some of whom bend over backwards to ensure the good leftovers will be reused or recycled, and not just automatically sent to a landfill.

___________________

Emma and her husband, Evan, are in the middle of an extensive remodel, and are whittling away their own pile of construction waste.

garbage

Save Money by Rekindling the Art of Reusing your Stuff

Posted: 10 May 2009 08:19 PM PDT

By Nora Dunn

Before recycling became popular, reducing and reusing were the key methods of keeping our stuff out of landfills. But long before overflowing landfills were an issue, our forefathers were masters at the age-old art of reusing. Ingenious and creative, their ways of putting old things to new uses were practical and well and truly frugal. We could all stand to learn some lessons from them and rekindle the art of reusing by breathing new life into old stuff.

So before you chuck that tattered trinket in the bin, here are a few ways we can reuse our tired toys right now:

SOCKS

The sock monster visits most homes, illicitly leaving us with missing and mis-matched socks. Here are a few things you can do with those lonely left-over socks:

Moth Repellant

This is a great way to reuse two things that would otherwise wend their way to the garbage bin: used socks and pencil shavings. Stuff those pencil shavings into an unmatched sock, tie off the end, and store it with your sweaters to keep the moths away.

Shoe Freshener

Fill an old sock with baking soda, and stuff it in the toe of a stinky shoe overnight for de-smellification.

Washcloth

Do you use solid soap? If so, you know how difficult it is to put those last slivers of bar soap to good use. Fill an old (clean) sock with these soap slivers, and you have a soapy washcloth to use. This takes “soap on a rope” to new levels.

Hot Pack

This is probably my favorite piece of reusing brilliance: fill that old sock (the bigger the better) with rice. Tie or sew off the end, microwave for one minute, and melt away your stress with your homemade hot pack. Add some lavender or essential oils and your hot pack will have aroma therapeutic effects too.

Draft Dodger

Filling a long sock with rice and/or (even better) dryer lint or any other material you have for reusing and putting the sock along the bottom of doors will keep the cool drafts out and the warmth in.

Drink Cozy

Although not exactly fashionable, an old tube sock with the foot cut off makes for a handy beer cozy.

Dolly Dresses

If keeping your drink insulated is not a priority(!), then use your tube socks (again, with the foot cut off) as a tube dress for your kids’ dolls. Decorate it with fabric paint or markers and buttons, and your kids will enjoy expanding their dolls’ wardrobes.

Broom Buddy

Tie an old sock on to the end of a broom handle, and now you have a way to dust under the fridge, behind the stove, and other hard to reach places.

CRAYONS

Any household with children has probably seen its share of little crayon pieces. Once they are small enough, these well-loved crayons seem to wend their way to all manner of nooks and crannies in the house, if not the garbage can itself. Never throw another crayon away! Here are a few things you can do to breathe new life into these colorful tools:

Crayon Cupcakes

Peel the paper off your collection of crayon pieces, and break the larger remnants into smaller pieces. Fill an old muffin tin with the crayon pieces, and bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes, or until the wax melts. Allow to cool, and enjoy your multicolored creation.

Alternately, you can use pie plates or ice cube trays instead of a muffin tin, and you can use the microwave or a double boiler instead of the oven.

Candy Crayons

Instead of using muffin tins, melt the crayons using a double boiler or microwave, and pour the melted wax into candy molds. Insert a candy stick, and allow to cool. These rainbow-colored “candy crayons” look good enough to eat, and will be like new toys for your kids. They also make fabulous gifts, and are even something easy and inexpensive to make that enterprising kids can sell at the local craft fair.

MISCELLANEOUS HOUSEHOLD HACKS

Stop Floor Scratches with Old Mouse Pads

Stop floor scratches in their tracks by cutting up old mouse pads or carpet pieces, and gluing them to the bottoms of chair and furniture legs.

Vapor Rub Insect Repellant

Once cold season is over, use extra or expired vapor rub on clothes and skin to repel ticks and mosquitoes.

Paintbrush Renewal

Once a paintbrush is caked in dried paint and is hard as a rock, it is tough to believe that it can be restored. But in fact it can, and without any harsh solvents. Simply soak the brush in vinegar for five minutes, then massage the bristles while you rinse.

Turn Halloween Treats into Christmas Delights

Instead of letting your child gorge on their Halloween take, freeze some of the candy. When Christmas season rolls around, use the Halloween candy to decorate a gingerbread house.

Making Apple Pie or Applesauce? Reuse the Cores

After making a batch of apple pie or applesauce, you undoubtedly have the peels and cores to contend with. Before you throw them into the compost bin, put them into a pot, cover with water, and boil on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. The strained juice can be used for drinking, or as a flavorful broth for cooking grains like oatmeal and rice.

recycle warehouse

How to Recycle your Clothes, Shoes, Electronics, and More

Posted: 06 May 2009 09:34 PM PDT

By Nora Dunn

We have so much stuff. Clothes that don’t fit (either our bodies or the current fashion) any more. Cell phones that don’t work any more. Batteries that won’t charge any more. Shoes that have holes in them. The list goes on.

We don’t want to throw this old stuff away; some of it might even still be good – just not to us. Other items are too harmful to the environment to chuck in the waste bin. We would like to reuse some of it, but cannot figure out how it can reasonably be used (I mean, truly – what do you do with an old smelly running shoe).

The solution? Find other people who can use what you don’t need any more. By giving it away, you can breathe new life into your old stuff.

Here are some places you can donate those hard-to-dispose-of things you probably have lying around:

SHOES

Gently used shoes can go to Soles 4 Souls, where they are given to victims of disaster, such as the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

Nike has a “reuse-a-shoe” program which accepts not only Nike but all brands of athletic shoes which are recycled into sports surfaces. Visit http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/ to locate the nearest drop-off location.

And used Crocs are perfect for playground padding. Mail them to 1510 Nelson Road, Longmont CO, 80501, and make sure the outside of your box is clearly marked “recycle”.

SolesUnited is affiliated with Crocs and is another place to reputedly recycle your crocs (they recycle the material to make new ones for those who don’t have shoes), however when I visited their website, they currently seemed only to want pledges of money.

ELECTRONICS

E-cycling Central is a great resource for recycling programs across the States.

Hewlett-Packard will accept trade-ins on any brand of electronics, and Apple accepts trade-ins of phones and offers free recycling of any computer and monitor with the purchase of a new one.

Whole Foods Market will take your non-recyclable batteries.

Verizon Wireless collects cell phones and equipment (from any service provider, not just Verizon) for the HopeLine project, which uses them as support for victims of domestic abuse.

WOMEN’S CLOTHING

Send your suits to Dress For Success, which helps disadvantaged women suit up for job interviews, giving them a chance at a better life.

Old prom dresses can be donated to either the Princess Project for the Bay Area or The Glass Slipper Project for the Chicago area, so a girl who can’t afford a dress can still be the belle of the ball.

And if you aren’t too attached to your bridal gown, give it to the Brides Against Breast Cancer Foundation. Here it will be auctioned off, with the proceeds helping breast cancer survivors and patients.

For old maternity clothing, call around to local young parent and teen parent organizations and see who is accepting donations.

MEN’S CLOTHING

Although I was disappointed not to find as many opportunities to donate men’s clothing (a Dress For Success type of program for men would be nice), we need not forget about Goodwill and the Salvation Army for this and any other clothing that doesn’t fit into the above specialty categories.

You may also want to look locally for opportunities to recycle your old duds and help at the same time. Clothing drives held by various community groups and local businesses are always around to be discovered.

EVERYTHING ELSE

The Internet Consumer Recycling Guidecontains many more resources for where to recycle something you probably have in your house but don’t know what to do with.

Top 10 Renewable Energy Sources

Posted: 01 May 2009 10:27 PM PDT

There are many sources of energy that are renewable and considered to be environmentally friendly and harness natural processes. These sources of energy provide an alternate ‘cleaner’ source of energy, helping to negate the effects of certain forms of pollution. All of these power generation techniques can be described as renewable since they are not depleting any resource to create the energy. While there are many large-scale renewable energy projects and production, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.

Tidal Power

Tidal energy can be generated in two ways, tidal stream generators or by barrage generation. The power created though tidal generators is generally more environmentally friendly and causes less impact on established ecosystems. Similar to a wind turbine, many tidal stream generators rotate underwater and is driven by the swiftly moving dense water. Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power. Historically, tide mills have been used, both in Europe and on the Atlantic coast of the USA. The earliest occurrences date from the Middle Ages, or even from Roman times. Tidal power is the only form of energy which derives directly from the relative motions of the Earth–Moon system, and to a lesser extent from the Earth–Sun system. The tidal forces produced by the Moon and Sun, in combination with Earth’s rotation, are responsible for the generation of the tides. British company Lunar Energy announced that they would be building the world’s first tidal energy farm off the coast of Pembrokshire in Wales. It will be the world’s first deep-sea tidal-energy farm and will provide electricity for 5,000 homes. Eight underwater turbines, each 25 metres long and 15 metres high, are to be installed on the sea bottom off St David’s peninsula. Construction is due to start in the summer of 2008 and the proposed tidal energy turbines, described as “a wind farm under the sea”, should be operational by 2010.

Wave Power

Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work — for example for electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water (into reservoirs). Wave energy can be difficult to harness due to the unpredictability of the ocean and wave direction. Wave farms have been created and are in use in Europe, using floating Pelamis Wave Energy converters. Most wave power systems include the use of a floating buoyed device and generate energy through a snaking motion, or by mechanical movement from the waves peaks and troughs. Though often co-mingled, wave power is distinct from the diurnal flux of tidal power and the steady gyre of ocean currents. Wave power generation is not currently a widely employed commercial technology although there have been attempts at using it since at least 1890. The world’s first commercial wave farm is based in Portugal, at the Aguçadora Wave Park, which consists of three 750 kilowatt Pelamis devices. In the United States, the Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative is funding the building of a commercial wave-power park at Reedsport, Oregon. The project will utilize the PowerBuoy technology Ocean Power Technologies which consists of modular, ocean-going buoys. The rising and falling of the waves moves the buoy-like structure creating mechanical energy which is converted into electricity and transmitted to shore over a submerged transmission line. A 40 kW buoy has a diameter of 12 feet (4 m) and is 52 feet (16 m) long, with approximately 13 feet of the unit rising above the ocean surface. Using the three-point mooring system, they are designed to be installed one to five miles (8 km) offshore in water 100 to 200 feet (60 m) deep.

Solar Power

Photovoltaic (PV) Solar power is harnessing the suns energy to produce electricity. One of the fastest growing energy sources, new technologies are developing at a rapid pace. Solar cells are becoming more efficient, transportable and even flexible, allowing for easy installation. PV has mainly been used to power small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to off-grid homes powered by a photovoltaic array. The 1973 oil crisis stimulated a rapid rise in the production of PV during the 1970s and early 1980s. Steadily falling oil prices during the early 1980s, however, led to a reduction in funding for photovoltaic R&D and a discontinuation of the tax credits associated with the Energy Tax Act of 1978. These factors moderated growth to approximately 15% per year from 1984 through 1996. Since the mid-1990s, leadership in the PV sector has shifted from the US to Japan and Germany. Between 1992 and 1994 Japan increased R&D funding, established net metering guidelines, and introduced a subsidy program to encourage the installation of residential PV systems. Solar installations in recent years have also largely begun to expand into residential areas, with governments offering incentive programs to make “green” energy a more economically viable option. In Canada the government offers the RESOP (Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program).

Wind Power

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy by wind turbines into a useful form, such as electricity or mechanical energy. Large-scale wind farms are typically connected to the local power transmission network with small turbines used to provide electricity to isolated areas. Residential units are entering production and are are capable of powering large appliances to entire houses depending on the size. Wind farms installed on agricultural land or grazing areas, have one of the lowest environmental impacts of all energy sources. Although wind produces only about 1.5% of worldwide electricity use, it is growing rapidly, having doubled in the three years between 2005 and 2008. In several countries it has achieved relatively high levels of penetration, accounting for approximately 19% of electricity production in Denmark, 11% in Spain and Portugal, and 7% in Germany and the Republic of Ireland in 2008. Wind energy has historically been used directly to propel sailing ships or converted into mechanical energy for pumping water or grinding grain, but the principal application of wind power today is the generation of electricity. As of 2008, Europe leads the world in development of offshore wind power, due to strong wind resources and shallow water in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and limitations on suitable locations on land due to dense populations and existing developments. Denmark installed the first offshore wind farms, and for years was the world leader in offshore wind power until the United Kingdom gained the lead in October, 2008. Other large markets for wind power, including the United States and China focused first on developing their on-land wind resources where construction costs are lower (such as in the Great Plains of the U.S., and the similarly wind-swept steppes of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia in China), but population centers along coastlines in many parts of the world are close to offshore wind resources, which would reduce transmission costs.

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower, i.e., the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste. Small scale hydro or micro-hydro power has been an increasingly popular alternative energy source, especially in remote areas where other power sources are not viable. Small scale hydro power systems can be installed in small rivers or streams with little or no discernible environmental effect or disruption to fish migration. Most small scale hydro power systems make no use of a dam or major water diversion, but rather use water wheels to generate energy. This was approximately 19% of the world’s electricity (up from 16% in 2003), and accounted for over 63% of electricity from renewable sources. While many hydroelectric projects supply public electricity networks, some are created to serve specific industrial enterprises. Dedicated hydroelectric projects are often built to provide the substantial amounts of electricity needed for aluminium electrolytic plants, for example. In the Scottish Highlands there are examples at Kinlochleven and Lochaber, constructed during the early years of the 20th century. The Grand Coulee Dam, long the world’s largest, switched to support Alcoa aluminum in Bellingham, Washington for America’s World War II airplanes before it was allowed to provide irrigation and power to citizens (in addition to aluminum power) after the war. In Suriname, the Brokopondo Reservoir was constructed to provide electricity for the Alcoa aluminium industry. New Zealand’s Manapouri Power Station was constructed to supply electricity to the aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point.

Radiant Energy

This natural energy can perform the same wonders as ordinary electricity at less than 1% of the cost. It does not behave exactly like electricity, however, which has contributed to the scientific community’s misunderstanding of it. The Methernitha Community in Switzerland currently has 5 or 6 working models of fuelless, self-running devices that tap this energy. Nikola Tesla’s magnifying transmitter, T. Henry Moray’s radiant energy device, Edwin Gray’s EMA motor, and Paul Baumann’s Testatika machine all run on radiant energy. This natural energy form can be gathered directly from the environment or extracted from ordinary electricity by the method called fractionation. One of the earliest wireless telephones to be based on radiant energy was invented by Nikola Tesla. The device used transmitters and receivers whose resonances were tuned to the same frequency, allowing communication between them. In 1916, he recounted an experiment he had done in 1896. He recalled that “Whenever I received the effects of a transmitter, one of the simplest ways [to detect the wireless transmissions] was to apply a magnetic field to currents generated in a conductor, and when I did so, the low frequency gave audible notes.”

Geothermal Power

Geothermal energy is a very powerful and efficient way to extract a renewable energy from the earth through natural processes. This can be performed on a small scale to provide heat for a residential unit (a geothermal heat pump), or on a very large scale for energy production through a geothermal power plant. It has been used for space heating and bathing since ancient roman times, but is now better known for generating electricity. Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, and environmentally friendly, but has previously been geographically limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for direct applications such as home heating. The largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located at The Geysers, a geothermal field in California, United States. As of 2004, five countries (El Salvador, Kenya, the Philippines, Iceland, and Costa Rica) generate more than 15% of their electricity from geothermal sources. Geothermal power requires no fuel, and is therefore immune to fluctuations in fuel cost, but capital costs tend to be high. Drilling accounts for most of the costs of electrical plants, and exploration of deep resources entails very high financial risks. Geothermal power offers a degree of scalability: a large geothermal plant can power entire cities while smaller power plants can supply rural villages or heat individual homes. Geothermal electricity is generated in 24 countries around the world and a number of potential sites are being developed or evaluated.

Biomass

Biomass, as a renewable energy source, refers to living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production. In this context, biomass refers to plant matter grown to generate electricity or produce for example trash such as dead trees and branches, yard clippings and wood chips biofuel, and it also includes plant or animal matter used for production of fibers, chemicals or heat. Biomass may also include biodegradable wastes that can be burnt as fuel. Industrial biomass can be grown from numerous types of plants, including miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane, and a variety of tree species, ranging from eucalyptus to oil palm (palm oil). The particular plant used is usually not important to the end products, but it does affect the processing of the raw material. Production of biomass is a growing industry as interest in sustainable fuel sources is growing. The existing commercial biomass power generating industry in the United States produces about 0.5 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Currently, the New Hope Power Partnership is the largest biomass power plant in North America. The facility reduces dependence on oil by more than one million barrels per year, and by recycling sugar cane and wood waste, preserves landfill space in urban communities in Florida.

Compressed Natural Gas

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline, diesel, or propane fuel. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill (natural gas is lighter than air, and disperses quickly when released). CNG is used in traditional gasoline internal combustion engine cars that have been converted into bi-fuel vehicles (gasoline/CNG). Natural gas vehicles are increasingly used in Europe and South America due to rising gasoline prices. In response to high fuel prices and environmental concerns, CNG is starting to be used also in light-duty passenger vehicles and pickup trucks, medium-duty delivery trucks, transit and school buses, and trains. Italy currently has the largest number of CNG vehicles in Europe and is the 4th country in the world for number of CNG-powered vehicles in circulation. Canada is a large producer of natural gas, so it follows that CNG is used in Canada as an economical motor fuel. Canadian industry has developed CNG-fueled truck and bus engines, CNG-fueled transit buses, and light trucks and taxis. Both CNG and propane refueling stations are not difficult to find in major centers. During the 1970s and 1980s, CNG was commonly used in New Zealand in the wake of the oil crises, but fell into decline after petrol prices receded.

Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nuclei via controlled nuclear reactions. The only method in use today is through nuclear fission, though other methods might one day include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay. All utility-scale reactors heat water to produce steam, which is then converted into mechanical work for the purpose of generating electricity or propulsion. In 2007, 14% of the world’s electricity came from nuclear power, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for 56.5% of nuclear generated electricity. There are 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in the world, operating in 31 countries. According to the World Nuclear Association, globally during the 1980s one new nuclear reactor started up every 17 days on average, and by the year 2015 this rate could increase to one every 5 days. According to a 2007 story broadcast on 60 Minutes, nuclear power gives France the cleanest air of any industrialized country, and the cheapest electricity in all of Europe. France reprocesses its nuclear waste to reduce its mass and make more energy. Reprocessing can potentially recover up to 95% of the remaining uranium and plutonium in spent nuclear fuel, putting it into new mixed oxide fuel. This produces a reduction in long term radioactivity within the remaining waste, since this is largely short-lived fission products, and reduces its volume by over 90%. France is generally cited as the most successful reprocessor, but it presently only recycles 28% (by mass) of the yearly fuel use, 7% within France and another 21% in Russia.

Proponents of nuclear energy contend that nuclear power is a sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions and increases energy security by decreasing dependence on foreign oil. Proponents also emphasize that the risks of storing waste are small and can be further reduced by using the latest technology in newer reactors, and the operational safety record in the Western World is excellent when compared to the other major kinds of power plants. Critics believe that nuclear power is a potentially dangerous energy source, with decreasing proportion of nuclear energy in power production, and dispute whether the risks can be reduced through new technology. Proponents advance the notion that nuclear power produces virtually no air pollution, in contrast to the chief viable alternative of fossil fuel. Proponents also point out that nuclear power is the only viable course to achieve energy independence for most Western countries. Critics point to the issue of storing radioactive waste, the history of and continuing potential for radioactive contamination by accident or sabotage, the history of and continuing possibility of nuclear proliferation and the disadvantages of centralized electricity production.

This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.

Plastic Packaging

Plastic Packaging: Thirty Ways I'm Using Less and Why

Posted: 30 Apr 2009 11:48 AM PDT

By Myscha Theriault

It's everywhere, isn't it? And once you become more aware of the problem and commit to using less, one walk down any aisle of the grocery store is nearly enough to make you pass out. It's simply overwhelming. At our house, we still have quite a ways to go, but have taken a number of initial steps to start making an initial impact. Wanna know how we're doing it?

First, with a great deal of inspiration from Beth Terry. This Wise Bread reader is seriously taking on the plastic reduction issue to an extreme level. Her site is also where I first saw a video of the Pacific Gyre and its effects on marine life. I can't tell you how much of an impact this made on me. I felt physically ill and weak in the knees. I was immediately both motivated about making a difference and paralyzed with a feeling of helplessness. How much of a difference could I even make? In the end, I obviously decided doing nothing was not an option. There are many more things we need to do, but this list represents how we're starting out.

I considered combining some of the similar items into a single category due to the length of this post. I want the article to make a positive impact, after all. The more I thought about it however, I decided that artistically having a list which might be a bit overwhelming to the readers was, after all, the point. This is an overwhelming problem in every sense of the word. Additionally, having a list like this represents more accurately the process a person goes through when they start looking around their house and seeing that reusable grocery and produce bags are literally just a drop in the bucket of the overall plastic problem. So, without further ado . . .

Frozen vegetables.

I only buy the ones in the cardboard boxes with the wax covering. The ones in plastic bags are a thing of the past. Frozen fruit is another story. I haven't found the most affordable local fresh source yet, and I have yet to see them in boxes.

Coffee beans.

We are exploring the bulk bin options where you can empty the loose beans into sealable paper bags. The only option we've found in our area is more than double the cost of what we are currently paying. So unfortunately, we'll have to continue to explore for a while.

Produce bags.

It took me a while to find an uber affordable option for these. Making the transition to reusable produce totes requires WAY more bags than you need when switching only to fabric shopping bags. My solution? These little four for a buck numbers I found at Dollar Tree. Score!

Cloth shopping bags.

For large trips, I have the fold up cheapies from various stores. But those unexpected stops I always found myself unprepared for? I now have a specially designed one that fits easily into my purse. Here's a review article with a few options.

Pesto.

The bulk stores in my area only have pesto in plastic jars with plastic tops. The most affordable brand I've found so far that also has responsible packaging? Classico. Glass jars, metal tops and no plastic shrink wrap sleeve. Their pesto is fantastic, and the jars are actually miniature Atlas canning jars with the measuring lines on the side. Since they are the narrower mouth jars that fit on the base of your blender, this makes them great for grinding red peppers, peanuts and more. So not only do have a great tool for the lazy gourmet, you have an easily repurposed container as well.

Corn starch.

The price on the cardboard boxes is definitely comparable to the large plastic container at my local Sam's Club, so I'm making the switch as soon as the batch is used up.

Toilet paper.

I actually have Fake Plastic Fish to thank for this one. Beth Terry was the one to alert me to the fact that the cardboard cases of Seventh Generation toilet paper arrive with virtually no plastic packaging whatsoever. The packing tape is the only bit of plastic you'll see. All the rolls are wrapped in recycled tissue paper. It's a huge case that lasts a long time too.

Bread bags.

This one's sort of a fifty-fifty approach. On one hand, I am trying to bake more in order to reduce plastic packaging. Most of the types of bread that I would normally buy don't come in the cases where you can put them in paper or fabric bags, at least at the stores where I shop. (Although that's a great option, if you live near a store that offers that.) On the other hand, I haven't found a source of non mesh fabric bags for bulk bins that would afford me to stock up on the large number I feel I would need to make the transition. So for the bread bags (and other similar ones) that I do end up bringing home, I've decided to make them into my temporary bulk bin solution. If I can finally find time to take up sewing again, then that would be a great solution as well.

Save A Lot.

There happens to be one of these stores very close to my house. It's dirt cheap place to shop, and at least with regards to produce, they have a reasonable selection of loose items that don't come in plastic bags or containers. A few produce items I buy there regularly include cilantro, sweet potatoes, cabbage, bananas, tomatoes, onions and Spanish potatoes.

Tabasco.

Compared to other hot sauce brands that come in plastic jars, this stuff comes in a glass bottle. The top is plastic though.

Lime juice.

Whole foods carries the Santa Cruz organic kind. It comes in a glass jar with a metal lid and no plastic sleeve around the top. Bonus? The price is definitely comparable to the plastic bottles we'd been buying. We go through a fair bit of lime juice on a regular basis, so buying fresh limes to squeeze our own isn't really feasible given our schedule.

Popcorn.

By checking the snack aisle at my local warehouse store, I found popcorn in a paper bag instead of plastic wrap.

Rice.

I still have to use up the supply I have, but I recently discovered the Asian market I go to will open up their larger direct import bags and measure out a set weight if customers request it. I don't think they carry basmati, but they carry a ton of other varieties, including brown jasmine.

Eggs.

I refuse to purchase the styrofoam containers, and have even stopped buying the bulk sets in cardboard since they are wrapped in plastic. I go only with the cardboard containers. If I can ever find a local egg person, I'll even be able to reduce that waste.

Sun dried tomatoes.

The Bella San Luci brand comes in a glass jar with a metal lid. Now I still like the dried kind that don't come in oil for things like scones and flavored breads, but instead of buying the in a plastic bag, I'm going to hit up a fellow blogger for her homemade recipe.

Olive oil.

I'm switching over to glass jars and bulk cans. We've always done that to some extent anyway, but would snag a large plastic jug if that's what happened to be available where I was shopping when I ran out. Also, oils in general I'm starting to make precision choices about. For example, grape seed oil at the stores in my area always comes in a plastic bottle. But at Whole Foods which is further away, they sell a version in glass. We try to make it down there every 4-6 weeks for the few items that we purchase from that chain. Since I'm almost out, and they have a comparable price, that's the kind I'll buy from now on.

Taking advantage of bulk bins.

I'll be honest. I don't have that many available at the stores in my area. And while I love the fact that we do have a Whole Foods in Tampa, it's bulk bin selection isn't nearly as large as others I've seen. In fact, it's bordering on disappointing. It seems that all the folks out west have access to more package free bulk buying than those of us on the other side of the country. I've seen remarkable images of stores with rows and rows of nothing but bulk bins on either side, and storage tanks with things on tap like lotion, shampoo, honey and olive oil. Why are we so far behind the times on this coast? I have no idea. But I'm at least committed to making the best of the few options I have. Kuwait actually had some decent options for this when I lived there, and I noticed they still did when I was visiting a while back. The old souk was not only a fun place to shop and hang out, but they had great options for package free produce, spices, nuts, etc. I've noticed similar options throughout the Middle East and other countries where the open air markets are the norm.

DIY cleaners.

Actually, I've been doing this for a while for both toxicity and frugality reasons. So the reduced plastic container waste has been going on for a while in this particular department. If I was trying to make all of these transitions at once, it would be far too overwhelming.

Keeping a keen eye.

I have found myself viewing the produce aisles of the stores where I shop quite critically. For example, one of them has portabellas (although not the baby ones I love) available without packaging, but none of the other types are available without plastic. Just down the street, another store has loose champion mushrooms for the same price as the plastic packaged ones.

Vodka.

Once we have used up our two large bottles of rubbing alcohol (We use it for mirror and faucet shining, spray sanitizer in the bathroom, electronics cleaning, etc.) we are switching over to using vodka for the same purpose. It's available in glass bottles with metal tops. Now, the peroxide and witch hazel are still things we'll need to use plastic bottles for. But at least this is one switch we can make easily.

Dollar Tree.

I just can't stop thinking of reasons to love this store. Check them out for glass containers with stainless steel tops. Shakers, pour tops and other types of non plastic containers are available there. We use them for things like cinnamon and sugar blend, cocoa for a coffee bar party and more. You can also use them for things you might see in a restaurant like shakeable Parmesan, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning.

Precision tea purchases.

Honest to Pete, do we really need to have extra plastic packaging here? And don't get me started on the same argument for coffee. For crying out loud, this stuff comes clear around the world in a burlap sack. I think we can safely store it in paper. I went to pick up a bit at the grocery store the other day. No loose options were available at the store I went to, so I went for the boxed. The one and only brand that came without an outside layer of plastic wrap? Bigelow.

Canning jars.

Like I needed another reason to love these. For foods that aren't going to expand, they are going to be my new freezer storage solution. For example, I can cut down on the use of freezer bags when I break down my bulk purchases of shredded cheese by putting the shredded cheddar and mozzarella into pint jars. I've also heard of some stores being willing to pre-weigh the jars you bring in and subtracting from the total new weight once moist products like feta are added in. Haven't checked that one out yet in my neighborhood. Now, I'm finding that a fair number of stores I used to be able to find the jar lids at are no longer carrying them. So this is going to be a bit of a quest in my new area. Also, some stores only carry them seasonally. But I will press on and make it happen some how. Stay tuned.

Dental floss.

We are nearly finished our very last package of plastic-encased floss. Standing by is our new brand. Eco Dent. No petroleum waxes, and it comes packaged in a paperboard container. Score!

Peanut butter.

For our own use, we are making a conscious choice to buy it in glass jars from now on. It's a little challenging though, because I've always bought the larger jugs of the cheaper stuff for doggie kong stuffing. Not sure how I'm going to replace that one yet.

Compiling a list of local farmers' markets.

So far, this is as far as I've gotten since we've moved here. But I did come up with a list and forward it to a few friends. Several of the markets aren't open in the summer, but others are. We are in the process of setting aside some times to explore them as a couples' activity. They are a bit far away to make them work on a regular basis, but for certain things that are cheap enough to seriously stock up on, it could be a fun day outing with a side grocery benefit.

Meat.

This has been nearly impossible for me, but here's my plan: The next time there are a few loss leaders at different stores, I'm going to call the meat departments ahead of time and request butcher paper packaging instead of the styrofoam and plastic wrap the meat sale items usually come in. It probably won't work so well for full turkeys, but I'm hoping they'll play ball for things like ribs, roasts and chicken breasts. I'll keep you posted.

BYO flatware.

We already do this when traveling, so I'm not sure why we haven't previously made the decision to do it on a regular “out and about” basis. Beth Terry has inspired us though, so we're going for it.

Glass or plastic?

Many products come in both types of containers on the very same shelf, although it may be a different brand. If the price is comparable, I'm going with the glass.

Cider vinegar.

I only go through enough of this stuff to buy one of the smaller bottles every month or so. Since that size comes in glass, I've committed to buying it that way from now on. White vinegar is a little tougher. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw the gallon jugs in glass, and that's how I need to buy it. The smaller glass bottles represent too much of a cost differential for the way we've committed to allocating our funds. I feel good about the fact that we're halfway there, but the amount of white vinegar we use is so much greater that I'm left feeling like I've somehow missed the boat on this one. In the meantime, I'll keep looking for an option.

These are the choices we've made to start making an immediate change. We have a few others in mind, some of which will likely result in a product review or two. I invite those of you who are trying to use less plastic in your own homes to share your trials, successes and strategies for some of the tough switch overs below. Thanks for tuning in.

Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming

By Larry West, About.com

Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

You can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global warming, by using energy more wisely. Here are 10 simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming.

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning

Adding insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.

Turn down the heat while you're sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

3. Change a Light Bulb

Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.

If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

4. Drive Less and Drive Smart

Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.

When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products

When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.

Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

6. Use Less Hot Water

Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.

7. Use the "Off" Switch

Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.

It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

8. Plant a Tree

If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

9. Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company

Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.

10. Encourage Others to Conserve

Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.

These 10 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.

Ways to Help Save the Planet in 30 Minutes or Less

Invest half an hour to protect the environment by changing how you live each day

By Larry West, About.com

You may not be able to reduce global warming, end pollution and save endangered species single-handedly, but by choosing to live an earth-friendly lifestyle you can do a lot every day to help achieve those goals.

And by making wise choices about how you live, and the amount of energy and natural resources you consume, you send a clear message to businesses, politicians and government agencies that value you as a customer, constituent and citizen.

Here are five simple things you can do—in 30 minutes or less—to help protect the environment and save Planet Earth.

Drive Less, Drive Smart
Every time you leave your car at home you reduce air pollution, lower , improve your health and save money.

Walk or ride a bicycle for short trips, or take public transportation for longer ones. In 30 minutes, most people can easily walk a mile or more, and you can cover even more ground on a bicycle, bus, subway or commuter train. Research has shown that people who use public transportation are healthier than those who don’t. Families that use public transportation can save enough money annually to cover their food costs for the year.

When you do drive, take the few minutes needed to make sure your engine is well maintained and your tires properly inflated.

· Benefits of Public Transportation

· Keeping Your Tires Properly Inflated Could Help Save the Planet—and Your Life

Eat Your Vegetables
Eating less meat and more fruits, grains and vegetables can help the environment more than you may realize. Eating meat, eggs and dairy products contributes heavily to global warming, because raising animals for food produces many more greenhouse gas emissions than growing plants. A 2006 report by the University of Chicago found that adopting a vegan diet does more to reduce global warming than switching to a hybrid car.

Raising animals for food also uses enormous amounts of land, water, grain and fuel. Every year in the United States alone, 80 percent of all agricultural land, half of all water resources, 70 percent of all grain, and one-third of all fossil fuels are used to raise animals for food.

Making a salad doesn’t take any more time than cooking a hamburger and it’s better for you—and for the environment.

· Plant-Based Meals: Can Peanut Butter and Jelly Save the World?

· What Are the Negative Health Effects of Red Meat?

· Does Eating Seafood Help or Harm Your Health?

Switch to Reusable Shopping Bags Producing plastic bags uses a lot of natural resources, and most end up as litter that fouls landscapes, clogs waterways, and kills thousands of marine mammals that mistake the ubiquitous bags for food. Worldwide, up to a trillion plastic bags are used and discarded every year—more than a million per minute. The count for paper bags is lower, but the cost in natural resources is still unacceptably high—especially when there is a better alternative.

Reusable shopping bags, made of materials that don’t harm the environment during production and don’t need to be discarded after each use, reduce pollution and save resources that could be put to better uses than making plastic and paper bags. Reusable bags are convenient and come in a variety of sizes and styles. Some reusable bags can even be rolled or folded small enough to fit into a purse or pocket.

· Reusable Bags: Paper, Plastic or Something Better?

· Why Stop Using Plastic Bags?

Change Your Light Bulbs
Compact fluorescent light bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are more energy efficient and less expensive to use than the traditional incandescent bulbs invented by Thomas Edison. For example, compact fluorescent light bulbs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and they last up to 10 times longer. Compact fluorescent light bulbs also generate 70 percent less heat, so they are safer to operate and can reduce energy costs associated with cooling homes and offices.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if every U.S. household replaced just one regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, the equivalent of taking 7.5 million cars off the road. On top of that, for every incandescent bulb you replace with an approved compact fluorescent light bulb, you will save consumers $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

· Change a Light Bulb and Change the World

· A Bright Idea Goes Global: Nations Worldwide Phasing Out Incandescent Lighting

· China Makes Commitment to Energy-Efficient Lighting

· Let There Be Light: Solar-Powered LED Lamps Brighten Lives of Poor People

Pay Your Bills Online
Many banks, utilities and other businesses now offer their customers the option of paying bills online, eliminating the need to write and mail paper checks or to keep paper records. By paying your bills online you can save time and money, lower the administrative costs of companies with which you do business, and reduce global warming by helping to prevent deforestation.

Signing up for online bill paying is easy and doesn’t take much time. You can either choose to have certain bills paid automatically each month or elect to review and pay each bill yourself. Either way, you will receive outstanding returns on your small investment of time.

· Why Online Bill Paying is Good for the Environment

·Global Warming - Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming

·Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs - Save Energy, Money and the Environment wi...

·How to save money at your restaurant - How Restaurants can save money

·Energy Savings - Seven Ways to Save on Your Utility Bill

·The Problems with Fluorescent Lights - Green Tint

Skip the screen-saver. Instead, program your computer to "sleep" after five minutes of inactivity.

ways to protect your health -- and the planet

Story Highlights

Small changes -- to improve the planet's and your health -- can make a difference

Take shorter showers: They're better for your skin and use less water

Eat less red meat; fish is heart-friendlier, cattle production ups greenhouse gases

By Kimberly Goad

Doing the environmentally correct thing can be a challenge. After all, there aren't many of us who actually have the time or enterprise to compost or the spare cash to replace the washer, dryer, or other appliances with the latest energy-efficient models.

Skip the screen-saver. Instead, program your computer to "sleep" after five minutes of inactivity.

But here's a convenient truth: Small changes really do make a big difference -- not only for the planet but for your own health -- and may even save you some money. Here, a few to try today.

Take shorter showers

Install a waterproof timer in your shower, and set it to five minutes. Even better: Replace your showerhead with one of the new "low-flow" or "water-saving" models. They're easy to install and available at home-improvement stores. Look for a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) or less; older showerheads have flow rates of around 5.5 gpm. (And, don't worry, you'll still be able to get the suds out of your hair.)

Why it's good for the Earth: Using a low-flow showerhead, a family of four can conserve almost 15,000 gallons of water per year.

Why it's good for you: Hot water strips skin of its natural oils, so spending less time in the shower can result in better-hydrated skin. Health.com: How to detox your body

Bypass the dry cleaner

Buy fewer clothes labeled "dry-clean only." Also, look for a cleaner that wet-cleans, using nonhazardous solutions and special equipment. (Find out where the service is available in your state.) You can hand-wash many dry-clean-only garments in cold water, too.

Why it's good for the Earth: Perc (short for perchloroethylene), the standard solvent used in conventional dry cleaning, eventually breaks down into other chemicals -- some of which are toxic and may deplete the ozone layer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Why it's good for you: In high doses, perc has been linked with dizziness, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and skin irritation

Don't Miss

The dish on fish and mercury: How healthy is your catch?

How to buy the best fish

Go easy on beef

Make it a tuna or salmon burger instead.

Why it's good for the Earth: Red meat production is responsible for about two-and-a-half times more greenhouse-gas emissions than chicken or fish.

Why it's good for you: Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like tuna and salmon, not only are good for your heart (helping lower triglycerides and blood pressure) but can help prevent dry skin, too. Eat fish twice a week. Health.com: 10 easy ways to eat natural

Ditch air fresheners

Indoor air may be up to three times more polluted than the air outdoors, so go fresh the natural way by opening your windows. For a light, citrusy fragrance, place orange peel mixed with sage in small bowls throughout your home.

Why it's good for the Earth: The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tested 14 air fresheners and found that 12 contained phthalates, chemicals linked to hormone abnormalities, birth defects, and reproductive problems. Even products billed "all-natural" or "unscented" weren't chemical-free. Health.com: DIY air freshener: Spring citrus potpourri

Why it's good for you: In addition to phthalates, the NRDC says, air fresheners may contain allergens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and cancer-causing chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde.

Buy organic coffee

Besides "Certified Organic," look for "Shade Grown" (a process that preserves more nutrients) and "Fair Trade" (these coffee farmers are paid a fair price, so they don't look for growing shortcuts). Health.com: Organic living with "Bones" star Emily Deschanel

Why it's good for the Earth: Pesticides and fertilizers used in conventional coffee production can harm soil and seep into water supplies.

Why it's good for you: Fewer synthetic agents involved in chemical treatment means a healthier cup of Joe.

Skip the liquid soap

Stick with the bar kind.

Why it's good for the Earth: Many liquid soaps, though convenient, contain triclosan, an antibiotic agent toxic to wildlife.

Why it's good for you: You can easily overdo it with liquid soap, which can dry out your skin and make it susceptible to germs. Plus, antibacterial soaps don't always deliver the germ-killing benefits they promise.

Health Library

MayoClinic.com: Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?

MayoClinic.com: Skin care --Top 5 habits for healthy skin

Toss that flea collar

Baths are a great way to de-flea your pet sans chemicals. Wash your animal friend's bedding in hot water once a week, too.

Why it's good for the Earth: Pesticides used in flea collars may contain toxic chemicals, including possible carcinogens, that can contaminate water.

Why it's good for you: Many pesticides are designed to obstruct the nervous systems of bugs. But they can also interfere with human hormones over time, says Sarah Janssen, M.D., NRDC environmental-health expert.

Nix the screen saver

Set your computer to "sleep" after five minutes of inactivity.

Why it's good for the Earth: Animated screen savers consume electricity unnecessarily, says Taylor Grant, executive environmental advisor of the Environmental Media Association.

Why it's good for you: Eco-psychologists say even a small Earth-friendly gesture can have a positive affect on mental health.

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Saving Money and the Environment: Where Green and Frugal Meet

Posted: 22 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT

This is a guest post for Earth Day from Beth H., who writes about saving time, money, and the environment at Smart Family Tips.

Going “green” has a bit of a bad rap. As soon as marketers realized it was profitable to be green, suddenly all sorts of products flooded the marketplace with eco-friendly claims. It can be overwhelming. Is it really necessary to buy all this “stuff” to be green? Are these products really as green as they say they are? We’re in a recession — I can’t go into debt to save the planet!

The good news: At its most fundamental, being “green” is nothing new. It’s actually built around a very old philosophy of consuming less, buying only what you need, using things until they’re worn out, and wasting not. Unsurprisingly, frugality and green-living are closely tied. You don’t have to buy expensive “green” products in order to be environmentally friendly. The real goal is to mind your consumption, and that’s good for your wallet and the planet.

Where to start?

Reduce consumption
Think of all the things you consume in a given day — or a given week. What can you use less of? I’m not talking about self-denial. As J.D. mentioned in a prior post, it may not really be necessary to use two tablespoons of cocoa instead of three. But on a larger scale, can you use less or use things in a different way to avoid waste? Some areas to consider:

Fewer Disposables. Try using fewer paper towels and paper napkins. I picked up a package of 50 terry cloth shop towels at Costco for the same price as a mega-pack of Bounty paper towels. The shop towels are the perfect size for a paper towel replacement (and more absorbent), and that one-time purchase will last indefinitely. I can’t say that I never use a paper towel for anything, but I use far fewer now than before. We’ve also started using basic cotton cloth napkins almost exclusively. They’re just as easy as paper napkins and far less expensive in the long run.
No more bottled water. Consider buying a reusable, BPA-Free bottle and fill it with tap water. Most bottled water is tap water anyway. If you don’t like the taste of the water that comes out of your tap, consider an inexpensive filter. Depending on how much bottled water you and your family drink, you could see tremendous savings here — not to mention the positive impact on the environment when you reduce the number of plastic bottles coming out of your home.

Conserve
When you conserve resources, you’re not only helping to ensure there will be resources left for future generations, you’re saving money, too.

Water. Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth. If you have children, teach them to do this as well. Install low-flow shower heads. The newer models don’t sacrifice water pressure like the older ones used to. Wash full loads of clothes and dishes. Consider a rain barrel if you have a garden. The benefit: lower water bills and a happier planet.
Energy. Turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees. Set your hot water heater temperature to no more than 120 degrees. Arrange errands so that you drive less.
Food. Plan meals so you waste less food and make fewer trips back and forth to the store. Grow your own. J.D. and Kris have written a lot about their garden project. Having your own garden not only saves you money on food, but conserves resources — your food doesn’t haven’t to travel long distances to make it to your table.

Remember that most of the time, being frugal is being green. Reuse what you can, and try to wear things out. When you do buy new products, try to purchase items that are more efficient and have the least packaging. And of course, recycle. Happy Earth Day!

J.D.’s note: For more on this subject, check out this article from the archives: Want to save the environment? Buy less stuff.

recycle1

54 Tips For Green Living - Earth Day 2009

Posted: 22 Apr 2009 01:00 AM PDT

Simple, practical tips for adopting a healthier, greener lifestyle and reducing your environmental impact.

Clean Up Your Food

1. Buy organic, locally grown produce. A weekly visit to your local Farmer’s Market is a great way to support local farmers.

2. Eat less red meat. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN says livestock production is one of the major causes of the world’s most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, and air and water pollution.

Reduce Waste

3. Be vigilant about recycling. Don’t forget to also recycle used batteries.

4. Avoid individually packaged items.

5. Consider making your own baby food instead of buying hundreds of those pesky little jars.

6. Buy items in recycled packaging.

7. Instead of throwing away stuff you don’t need, donate.

8. Take old computers and electronics to a gathering center.

9. Instead of buying books and videos, check them out at the local library or rent videos at the local video store.

10. Reuse paper scraps and packaging for crafts and play activities.

11. Choose a reusable bottle and fill it with filtered tap water.

12. Cut up old clothes and linens and use them as cleaning rags.

13. Keep a reusable bag in your car at all times for shopping trips.

14. Use rechargeable batteries whenever possible.

15. To avoid use of “to-go” packaging, sit down, have your coffee at the coffee shop and ask them to use a mug instead of a paper cup. It will give you a nice break too!

16. Give a great deal of thought to your purchases. Don’t buy something unless you truly need it. Don’t engage in “recreational shopping.”

17. Use reusable cloths and towels instead of paper towels.

18. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.

19. Consider using cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers. Not everyone agrees this is actually helpful in terms of the environment, but if you’re expecting a baby, it’s a good idea to research the topic.

20. Reuse empty jars: turn them into containers for leftover foods, for holding craft supplies, or even for original homemade gifts.

21. When packing or storing food, choose reusable plastic containers instead of Ziploc bags.

22. Sign up to receive paperless statement from your bank or broker.

23. Pay your bills online.

Save Energy

24. Don’t be too quick to turn on the lights in the evening. Are you SURE you need to turn them on? Could you get enough light by simply opening a curtain?

25. Turn off the light when you leave a room.

26. Unplug electronics when they are not in use, especially overnight or when going on vacation.

27. Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

28. Wash your clothes with cold water.

29. When using the washer to wash clothes, only do full loads. Small loads are wasteful.

30. Turn your thermostat down in the winter.

31. Minimize use of air conditioner during summer. Install a ceiling fan.

32. Plant deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves in the fall). It’s a great way to cool your home and reduce your air conditioning costs during the summer.

33. Regularly clean your refrigerator coils.

34. Replace weatherstripping around the house.

35. Use a clothesline in the summer instead of the dryer.

36. Keep the temperature of your water heater down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

37. When it’s time to replace your appliances, buy energy-efficient appliances.

Conserve Water

38. Install a low-flow shower head.

39. Limit your showers to five minutes or less.

40. Only use the dishwasher when it’s packed.

41. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth.

42. When landscaping, consider low-maintenance alternatives to traditional lawn grass.

43. Fix leaking faucets.

Support Eco-Friendly Manufacturers

44. When shopping for clothes, check the labels for eco-friendly materials like organic cotton.

45. When you have a choice, choose organic and green products, including personal care products and cleaning products, over mainstream items.

Save The Air And The Soil

46. When it’s time to buy a new car, get a smaller, more fuel-efficient car.

47. Use public transportation or bikes as much as possible.

48. Combine your errands into a once-a-week session to minimize driving.

49. Use green detergents and soaps. Avoid chlorine bleach and antibacterial products.

50. Compost. Composting is a natural process that keeps organic nutrients cycling from soil to plants and back to the soil. You can use organic waste from your home such as fruit peels to return needed nutrients to the soil and reduce trash.

51. When looking for a home, look for a small home with green features.

52. When planning a trip, be aware of the damage air travel does to the environment and try to find alternative ways to travel.

53. Consider a staycation instead of a vacation.

54. Carpool to school and to work as often as possible.

After struggling for a long time to incorporate green practices into my daily routine, I am finally doing better. I probably follow more than half of these tips, which is huge for me. I’ve definitely come a long way since last year. But it’s not enough. My goal is to incorporate more and more of these tips until they become second nature and I don’t feel like I’m making a special effort anymore.

What do you do to help save the Earth? Can you offer any more tips for greener living?

How To Teach Your Preschooler to "Go Green"

By Amanda Rock, About.com

Think your preschooler is too young to understand the concepts of going green and recycling? By teaching your preschooler the important lesson of taking care of the earth you will instill good habits in your little one that they will be sure to carry with them for a long time. Here's how.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Over a lifetime!

Here's How:

1. Set a good example. In a 2008 Harris Poll 91% of Americans said that they have recycled. By being good to the earth in your daily actions and deeds, you are already teaching your preschooler. You are the person your preschooler most wants to emulate and using the principle, "monkey see, monkey do" your little one is learning simply by observing your actions.

2. When taking out or sorting through the trash, separate out any recyclables like cans, bottles, plastic containers, newspapers, magazines and pieces of cardboard. Make a point of doing this task in front of your preschooler and asking him to help. Point out when the garbage truck comes and when the recycling truck comes (if they are different). When bringing the cans to the curb, show how each item is separated out.

3. When you are at the supermarket, buy big bags of your preschooler's favorite snack as opposed to the smaller, snack-sized packages. When packing a snack for a day out or for preschool, use reuseable containers instead of plastic bags. By setting a good example, your preschooler is likely to follow your lead in the future.

4. When you are outside, point out nature's beauty to your preschooler. Show him the different types of trees, flowers and plants that exist in your neighborhood. Try to find a local nature trail and when the weather is nice, take a hike together. You'll have an enjoyable afternoon and your preschooler will develop a love of being outdoors.

5. When possible, walk instead of drive. You'll both enjoy the exercise and will get a nice boost of energy from it. Explain to your preschooler how walking is not only good for her body, but for the earth too as we don't use as much gas and energy.

6. Whether they are battery-operated or plugged in, teach your preschooler to turn off any lights, video games or other electronic toys once they are finished playing or when the leave the room.

7. Make good use of scrap paper like old envelopes or grocery store lists by having your preschooler use them to create works of art. Encourage her to color on both sides of the paper. Keep a stack in easy reach so your preschooler knows where it is and can get to it whenever she is inspired to draw.

8. Going out for the day? Instead of bringing pre-packaged juice boxes or water bottles purchased from the store, pick up a couple of BPA-free reusable plastic bottles and fill them with water from the tap or juice from the bottle in the fridge.

Tips:

1. Don't feel you need to teach your preschooler everything all at once. This is a lifelong learning process. If she forgets to put a can in the recycle bin, it's OK -- correct her and move on.

2. If you haven't been great about recycling until now, don't fret. Any time you start is a good time.

3. Make sure you check with your local community or town the guidelines for what they recycle and when. Some towns have home pickups, others ask that you drop off your recyclables.

4. Keep up on any new guidelines or laws that are passed in your area so you stay up-to-date.

What You Need:

· Containers to separate recyclables

· Reusable plastic bottles for water and drinks

· Reusable containers for snacks

· Scrap papers for art projects

· A sunny day for walking or biking instead of using the car

· The address for your local recycling plant

· Rules and guidelines for recycling in your community

More Preschoolers How To's

Going Green

Wednesday April 1, 2009

Green is everywhere in April, from the springtime landscape to Earth Day on April 22. When you're a parent, going green with parts of your lifestyle takes on a whole new significance, as you consider what the world will be like for your little one as he or she grows. Teaching our kids to make eco-friendly decisions also becomes important, both by letting them watch us choosing products and activities carefully or by simply showing them what the planet has to offer and why we need to protect it. This month's All About Parenting Blog Carnival is about going green with your family, whether your children are very small or ready to move off on their own.

· It's easy to forget about environmentally friendly choices when you're very busy, which is why Katherine Lewis, About.com Working Moms Guide, rounded up some great time-saving websites that can help busy working moms find ways to go green in different areas of your life. Katherine also mentions a fast and fun way to pass the "go green" message on to your kids - reading to them.

· It's not too early to start teaching preschoolers the old "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra! Parenting Preschoolers Guide Amanda Rock shares that her daughter heard the recycling message loud and clear at age three, and is still a strong proponent for eco-friendly behavior in their household three years later. Amanda also shares plenty of tips for how to go green with your preschooler.

· Recycling doesn't just mean taking your cans to the curbside. Creative recycling is the theme of About.com Special Children Guide Terri Mauro's post. From using old cereal boxes and grocery bags for a pretend store to using torn clothes to for muscle effort or sensory stimulation, Terri's ideas may help you think differently about items you'd otherwise throw away.

· Crafting can be a great way to use household items again before they are recycled or thrown away. About.com Family Crafts Guide Sherri Osborn shares lots of creative recycling craft ideas that use really common household items. If your house is anything like mine, you can probably find an old light bulb, a check box or an un-needed CD-ROM lurking around every corner. Sherri has simple and fun craft ideas that use all of those items!

· Have you considered ways to go green with your workout? Even your family's fitness habits may have room for green improvement. Catherine Holecko, About.com Family Fitness Guide, suggests outdoor activities vs. using electricity for things like treadmills and using household items as fitness or play equipment as ways to make your family's fitness routines more eco-friendly.

· Sometimes we get wrapped up in the idea that our efforts to go green have to be huge to really impact our kids. Erika Jones of Organic Baby Resource says that's just not so. She suggests five Earth Day activities for tots that are simple, Earth-friendly and will start teaching your little one about green habits right now.

· Disposable diapers are one of the most common trash items, and they don't readily break down once they're in the landfill, which leads many families to look for more eco-friendly diapering options. Disposable vs. cloth diapers isn't the only choice, though. If you're looking for an alternative to disposable diapers for your little one, I've got some suggestions, along with pros, cons and costs of each, to help you make a more eco-friendly diapering decision.

· Remember all of the still-useful furniture that was tossed into the dumpsters on dorm move-out day? About.com Young Adults Guide Jackie Burrell does, too, and she says the problem certainly hasn't gone away since my college years. Jackie advises parents to help their college students start preparing for the move now, so they're not stuck with things they must move or throw away come the last day of school. If you're just preparing to send a child off to college, you'll find tips for starting a green dorm life, too.

· Going green takes on a different meaning as About.com Work-At-Home Moms Guide Laureen Miles Brunelli expresses her jealousy over Michelle Obama's glorious White House garden. Envious green-ness aside, Laureen also points out that a veggie garden is a great way for busy parents to teach kids about the planet while adding very locally grown, healthy foods into the family's diet.

· Elementary school-age kids are at the prime time for making good habits when it comes to the environment. About.com K-6 Children Guide Katherine Lee suggests planning anEarth Day celebration for kids of this age, since they're old enough to begin understanding wildlife conservation, things that negatively impact the environment, and their own effects on the planet.

· Books can provide a relaxed, fun way to introduce eco-friendly ideas to your kids, plus reading together adds valuable snuggle time to your day. About.com Children's Books Guide Elizabeth Kennedy recommends a book from the popular Charlie and Lola series, called We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers. Not only will this book give kids information on recycling basics, it includes a poster to track their own recycling efforts.

AAP Changing Rear-Facing Car Seat Recommendations?

Thursday April 2, 2009

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and most other car seat safety advocates already recommend keeping baby rear-facing until he or she reaches the limits of the car seat, AAP may soon upgrade their minimum "1 year and 20 pounds" recommendation to two full years of rear-facing if possible. A recent AAP News releasepreps parents for the potential change, which is based on new research that shows toddlers are more than five times safer if they remain rear-facing until age two.

With rear-facing weight limits on convertible car seats up to 35 pounds, most toddlers should be able to stay rear-facing until at least age two. If the toddler is larger, the best option is to keep your little one rear-facing to the limits of the car seat. Rear-facing car seats are outgrown by the weight limit, or when there is less than an inch of shell above baby's head. A toddler's legs hanging over the car seat edge do not play into outgrowing the car seat at all.

Update: It appears that, though the new information about improved safety with extended rear-facing was made available in an AAP publication, and the information was directed at parents, the group is not updating their official recommendation right now. In an email to child passenger safety advocates, an AAP representative said, "A Parent Plus box in the April 2009 issue of AAP News appears to contain a revised AAP recommendation on how long babies and young children should ride rear-facing. However, Parent Plus boxes and AAP News articles do not constitute AAP policy." The email also says "AAP's recommendation has not changed at this time."

Kid Super Heroes Needed to Help Save the Planet

Preschoolers and Up Can Learn Earth-Friendly Lifestyles

By Robin McClure, About.com

Judging by recent news, we need all the young super heroes we can get to join forces in helping to save the planet! Here are kid-friendly ways to have our most precious commodity--our children--understand the balance of Mother Nature and to become active eco-friendly participants.

Sort and Save: Recycling Basics

Recycling is based on the three Rs of environmental preservation: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Young kids can start with separating trash (papers from plastics) to put in recycling bins and then become more involved from there. Other great starter projects include recycling phone books, newspapers or magazines; shopping with canvas or re-usable bags instead of loading items into plastic, and buying products that can be re-used vs. one-time use only. In kid-friendly language, tell them the ultimate goal is to "cut down on the amount of trash!"

Conserve Energy

Youngsters may not understand the importance of cleaning or replacing air filters on your air conditioner unit (adults should, however), but they can understand turning off unneeded lights, unplugging appliances when not in use, and purchasing energy-efficient light bulbs. Explain to children in an age-appropriate manner what conserving energy means and then have them help you to think up ways to achieve it. Who knows? A 5-year-old may have a great conservation idea you've not yet even thought of! Plus, if kids are involved with the brainstorming and planning, they will be more apt to be eager participants in the ongoing efforts.

Green Really IS the New Black

It's become much more than a cliche; green is the color of choice in today's home decorating and clothes, inspired by none other than Mother Nature herself! Going green means much more than a fashion choice or accessory color; have kids tour a "green" building or "green" car to see what changes are being made in recognition that we all need to do our part to preserve our lifestyle for today and in the future.

Trashy Crafts to Treasure

That's just trash...or is it? About Guide to Family Crafts Sherri Osborn has a growing list of free craft ideas to make from reuse. Kids will love it, and parents and caregivers will like the savings resulting from recycled materials.

Pick Up a Children's Book About Science and Nature

Most kids really become quite fascinated about science and nature, and need very little encouragement in reading about nature, scientists, and everything about our world. Help to foster and then reinforce that interest by picking up some of these selections, as noted by About Children's Book Guide Liz Kennedy.

It'a All Up in the Air

It's sunny, warm, clear sky, and a mostly wind-free day. What could be better for a day outside in the sunshine? Depending on where you live, the answer could be a high ozone alert day. Children with respiratory illnesses or asthma can become quite ill with ozone exposure. the culprits are typically ground-level ozone and airborne particles, two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Kids can learn to tune in to their local ozone action days, often reported in the media on a daily basis. Further, kids should learn the Air Quality Index and its associated colors.

Why Walking IS Cool!

Kids nowadays are walking and riding their bike much less than they used to, and the results are showing everywhere. Not only are more kids suffering from obesity and health-related illnesses, but the noxious emissions from automobiles are also starting to take their toll. Encourage your youngers to use their "people power" more often. Instead of driving to the neighborhood park, walk there as a family! The simple lifestyle change is not only good for the environment but will make everyone feel better physically as well!

Less is More

Encourage your kids to write on both sides of a sheet of paper, to use the least amount needed of a product (such as glue), to be careful with watering or taking long showers, and just in general to use less of anything rather than more. Whereas bigger used to be better, environmentally-conscious individuals are setting out to prove that less is indeed more when it comes to the environment. Even small steps of putting a child's nightlight on a timer will help make him feel like he is active and part of an important movement.

·Teaching Kids to be Environmentally Responsible

·Ketchup Goes Green as Heinz EZ Squirt Hits Store Shelves

·The Bonding Benefits of Family Fitness

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Which Bin Does It Go In? Recycling and Composting 101

By Molly Mann (View Profile)

A friend was telling me about a recent trip to Germany, where she was daunted by the strict and varied recycling rules there. Apparently, they have a host of different color-coded bins (brown, blue, yellow, and gray) for sorting waste recyclables. That really puts me to shame, since I have trouble deciding between recycling, compost, and trash! Since hearing about Germany’s eco-diligence, I’ve decided that it’s time to brush up on my recycling and composting routine and learn to avoid common mistakes.

As of 2005, the last time the U.S. General Accounting Office collected statistics, the recycling rate is 32 percent, up from 10 percent in 1980. This is good news, but not good enough, since municipal solid waste has also grown by 60 percent in the same amount of time. The numbers work out to an approximate 246 million ton yearly increase in landfill waste. Most people understand that they’re supposed to recycle, but many—I plead guilty as charged!—have forgotten or never quite understood how. Sure, putting your empty water bottle in the plastics bin is a no-brainer, but what about that paper plate with pizza grease on it, or the packaging from your latest purchase?

Different municipalities have slightly different recycling rules, so you should check with your local town or county for specifics, but here are some basics for what to throw where.

Recycling
Whether your municipality does single stream recycling (all recyclables are collected in the same bin) or separate containers, the basic recyclables are similar.

Paper
DO: Envelopes, paperback books, catalogues, cartons (with any plastic or cellophane removed), writing pads, brochures, loose leaf paper, cereal boxes, newspapers, clean paper plates.

DON’T: Photographs; anything with food or other soilage. The basic rule here is to keep it clean. That greasy paper plate or pizza box is compostable, not recyclable. By throwing it in with your other paper recyclables, you risk sullying the whole bin. This is a big problem in offices, where people often throw their lunch detritus in the blue bin next to the copy machine. Learn the difference and don’t be that person!

Bottles/Cans/Plastics
DO: Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, tins, cans, glass bottles and jars, yogurt cups, soap/shampoo/lotion bottles, plastic bags (some places have separate drop off for these), margarine tubs; really any plastic, glass, or aluminum containers. Check if soda bottles or cans are redeemable in your state. You can usually collect a small refund at your grocery store and those nickels and dimes do add up!

DON’T: Mirrors, broken glass ware, compostable food containers, batteries, and other non-recyclables. Try to keep it relatively clean. Although a little food residue on containers won’t gum up the whole system (that wedge of lime in your beer is fine), it’s a good idea for sanitary reasons to rinse everything out before tossing it in the bin.

Compost
Growing up, we always had a canister on the kitchen counter for composting. We’d empty it into a larger bin in the backyard and my mom would use it to fertilize her garden. Almost anything biodegradable can be compost and you don’t even need a garden to develop these eco-friendly practice. As part of its initiative to reach 75 percent citywide recycling by 2010, San Francisco now has green carts for food scraps and yard trimmings that get picked up with other recycling, and other cities are starting to follow suit.

DO: Stale bread, egg shells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, fruit and vegetable scraps, nutshells, hedge trimmings, leaves, grass clippings, weeds, dead flowers, twigs, saw dust, straw. You can also throw in biodegradable paper products like used paper towels, paper coffee cups, paper milk cartons, take out containers (with metal parts removed), egg cartons, etc. And although in your personal garden compost piles you don’t want animal products like meat, bones, or fats (it attracts vermin), when throwing it in the yard waste bins for city pick up, these items are sometimes acceptable.

DON’T: Ash, cigarette butts, anything recyclable or not biodegradable.

Other Recyclables
Although not usually picked up with your regular trash and recycling, electronic products, including TVs, cell phones, and computers can all be recycled or reused. The EPA has reference page which gives links to drop-off centers nationwide. Other items that should be kept out of the trash include batteries and fluorescent light bulbs (in some states it is illegal to throw them away because they contain pollutants); you can usually drop these off for free and they will be recycled or disposed of properly. Many items, like motor oil, scrap metal, treated and untreated wood, bronze, radiators, and other building materials can be recycled or reused. For some items, like scrap metal, you might even earn some money.

Toxic household items like herbicides, paints, solvents, and poisons should be taken to a hazardous waste drop off center—almost all cities and counties have these and drop off is free.

Regular Trash
Basically, everything that doesn’t fall into any of the above categories goes into the trash. Make sure you can’t reuse or donate items. Broken glass, chip bags, chewing gum, feminine products, diapers, vacuum cleaner bags, and mirrors should be thrown in the trash.

Most towns have scheduled curb-side pickups for recyclables. Check with your waste management company to find out when pickups are scheduled and what items will be accepted (this is important, since non-recyclables placed at the curb will be left there and can blow away to become litter). If your town does not have a recycling pick-up program, visit Earth 911 to find a recycling center near you. Though the process can be confusing and daunting at first, once you get into the habit, you’ll stop asking, “What can I recycle?” but rather, “What can’t I?”

First published April 2009

Gazelle

Do you have electronics just sitting around collecting dust? Have you recently upgraded a game console, laptop, or heck even your cell phone? Well, why are you hanging on to that stuff when you could be getting money for it?

Welcome to Gazelle, a site that is dedicated to helping you get your old electronics out of your house where they are collecting dust to either resell them or recycle them. This is a great way to start going green, as well as, to put some cash back in your pocket.

I know you’re probably curious as to how it all works, so click the How it Works tab and watch the short online demo video. The video walks you through the whole process of selling your old electronics. They’ll even send you a postage paid box to send the item out to them in the mail. So it doesn’t cost you a penny to get rid of those dust collecting electronics.

For example, I have an old Xbox that we don’t use anymore. It is literally collecting dust on my TV stand. So, I select game console, choose the Xbox model I have, and find out I can get seven dollars for it! That’s more than the used video game store would give me. I don’t have to pay anything to ship it away either!

Another great resource this site offers is found by clicking the grey tab at the top of the page with the recycle sign on it. This takes you to a listing by State of where you can recycle old printers, fax machines, and CRT monitors. Just put in your zip code and click the submit button to get a listing of recycling locations near you!

I think that this is a stellar idea that might actually get people to recycle their old electronics instead of just throwing them away. Especially with the way people change cell phones these days, now you can get some money out of that old phone.

Are you ready to recycle your old electronics and put some cash in your pocket? Well then, check out Gazelle today!

http://www.gazelle.com/

~Amanda

Going Green: What's Hype and What Helps

By Tom Kraeutler, AOL Home Improvement Editor

http://www.moneypit.com/repair-improve/going-green-what-s-hype-and-what-helps.html

The market for green home products has had quite a growth spurt in the last few years, thanks to savvy consumers who want earth-friendly solutions and savvy manufacturers happy to meet the demand. But how do you know what’s truly green vs. “greenwashed” with false claims of environmental and health benefits?

Telling the difference has just become easier thanks to a partnership between the American Society of Interior Designers and the U.S. Green Building Council. Their Regreen Program guidelines for homeowners and industry pros include a Green Product Checklist that’s helpful in discerning all possible shades of product greenness, from material composition to end-game efficiency. Following are the assessment categories to help you create results that are green through and through.

Start with the manufacturer
Green begins at the industrial birthplace of a product, so check out the manufacturer’s website or product literature for a written, working environmental policy. It should strive to make important improvements in production, with reduction and reuse as top priorities, followed by recycling. The company should also be compliant with their industry’s voluntary testing programs.

Check the contents
Find out what raw materials go into a product and where they come from, remembering that long-distance transport involves other precious resources. Renewable material resources are a big plus, as are energy-efficient manufacturing processes. You’ll also want to know what adhesives, coatings and finishes are needed to make the product viable, and whether or not the manufacturing process itself is responsible for the release of harmful substances.

The product’s journey to and place in your home
Next up, assess what the product is packaged with, and how it’s transported to the point of purchase. From there, confirm whether or not it’ll release VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into your home environment at installation and beyond, and at what rate; conversely, it may have qualities that nurture the health and well-being of occupants. And how about energy─how much does it use, and does it have a color or texture that leads to reduced lighting energy or an expanded range of thermal comfort conditions? Maintenance counts, too, with the greenest products having minimal, benign care requirements that call for the use of safe cleaning products.

Strategies for disposal
All good things come to an end, and a green one is preferred. This can take the form of content that can be separated for recycling, biodegradable elements, and even the opportunity to make one product into another that’s new and useful. Some items may also be returned to the manufacturer at the end of their lifecycle.

Consider the cost
With every project there is, of course, a budget, so the measure of green that you’re getting for the price will always be an issue. Spending more for something that has less impact on your health and the environment is a good investment, and the greener it is, the better the use of your monetary resources. Also refer to the manufacturer’s lifecycle cost analysis for a product, which can help you see beyond immediate comforts and conveniences into the sustainable future of your home improvement plans.

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Teaching Our Youth to be Environmentally Responsible

Earth Day Isn't Only Occasion Kids Should Practice Recycling or Planting

By Robin McClure, About.com

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 (although some communities opt for connecting the day to the first day of Spring). On this day, kids can plant a tree, learn about endangered wildlife, or even walk to school rather than riding in a car. That's all very fine and good, but it's not enough. No longer is it the opinions of a select few that Mother Earth is hurting at a rate quicker than we ever thought; evidence clearly shows that everyone had better develop an environmental social conscience and start making changes...today...if we want a livable Earth in the future.

While preschoolers and early elementary students are indeed too young to understand details and ramifications of a gigantic ice shelf crumbling in Antarctica, they are not too young to become environmentally aware. That awareness starts with both their families and their childcare providers working in partnership for young kids to do their part in helping to preserve the planet.

Even toddlers can learn the basics of recycling, not using "smelly" chemicals on things, and why planting trees and plants to replace ones that are taken is very important. A kid old enough to throw trash away is old enough to learn to sort paper from plastic (with adult supervision at first)and to turn off lights when not in a room. Kids who are a little older can also help with community trash pickup days (have them wear gloves at the very minimum), learn how to compost and how to save water.

Creative early educators and elementary school teachers often use the Earth Day events as a way to jump-start environmental consciousness with kids in their care. As kids learn about ways to conserve, they often become environmental zealots amongst their friends and with family members. Oftentimes, involved parents often spur environmental solutions with care providers, coaches, and other adults who interact and supervise kids, thus having an opportunity to role model responsible behaviors.

Getting started:
Teaching kids to be environmentally responsible is easy. Here are 8 ways for raising children to become environmental super heroes! Keep in mind that even asking your kid to color on both sides of a piece of paper is a small step in the right direction!

Raise Greener Kids
How to help them help the planet

Whether your kids are in preschool or high school, it's never too early or late to help them learn how to live green with our age-appropriate guide.

Plus: Meet other green moms and share tips for keeping the planet healthy for this generation and those to come.

To your health,
Michele Bloomquist
iVillage TotalHealth Newsletter Editor

Make Your Batteries Last Longer

Okay, if you've been shooting with your digital camera for more than a few hours, you've probably noticed your camera thinks of your battery inventory as an all-you-can-eat buffet. So, here's some advice that will hopefully save you some money and make your batteries last longer!

1.) Use rechargeable batteries. Check your owner's manual to see if you can use rechargeable batteries. If the answer is yes, go out and buy some!

When I was doing photography professionally, I used nothing but rechargeable batteries. I had several sets and each set was discharged and recharged at least once or twice a week. They lasted a couple years and they saved me a small fortune in alkaline batteries.

2.) Keep extra batteries with you at all times. Don't you hate it when you're about to snap a photo and the battery quits? Usually, they croak right when you're in the middle of shooting an exciting event. Always keep at least one spare set of batteries in your camera bag at all times.

If your camera uses its own proprietary battery, you may need to contact the manufacturer or go to their Web site to get extras. It's probably not a bad idea to get several extras, especially since cameras become obsolete faster than last year's pop music! You don't want your original battery to wear out, only to find no more are available for your camera due to its age.

Oh, and if you're using sets of rechargeable batteries, try to keep those sets together. That way, they all "age" at the same rate.

3.) Use less of the LCD monitor. LCD monitors are really great. They're one of the reasons digital photography is so fun. You just look at the LCD panel and snap when the image looks good. What could be easier? However, there's a downside.

That little LCD monitor on the back of your camera is like a battery vampire. The more you use it, the faster the life gets sucked out of your batteries. If you want to conserve battery power, keep your LCD monitor use to a minimum. The optical viewfinder on your camera will work just fine for most images and it can really stretch out your battery life.

4.) Avoid excessive playback. Yep, I'm going to be picking on the LCD monitor again here, since the playback feature can also eat a lot of battery juice.

If you're running low on power, use playback only when absolutely necessary. If you really need to examine a photo you snapped a moment ago, that's fine. Just keep in mind that if you're showing a friend the last 200 photos you've taken of your pet chihuahua, you may not have any power left the next time you need it.

5.) Keep your batteries warm. Cold weather is to batteries what Raid is to bugs. It kills them good!

If you're shooting in cold weather, keep your extra batteries in a warm pocket, wrapped in a Ziplock bag. (The Ziplock bag is to keep them from shorting out with other metal in your pockets. Things get a little hot when that happens. Trust me!)

You may be able to resuscitate cold batteries by removing them and warming them up in a pocket (again, I stress using a Ziplock bag). I usually end up switching back and forth between a couple sets when it's cold.

6.) Keep them fresh. It's been a long time since you've used your digital camera, but now you're going on vacation. As you pull it out and blow the dust off of it, you remember you charged all your batteries before you put the camera away. So, no need to worry, right?

Wrong! Rechargeable batteries can lose their charge over time just by sitting. I'm not sure where all that power leaks out to, but it's gone nonetheless. So, before any trip, be sure to stick the batteries on a charger. Happy shooting with long lasting batteries!

~ Steve

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What to do with those odds and ends around the house

A Little of This or That

by Linda Shaper

Are you the type of person who can't stand to waste that last foot of ribbon on the spool or throw out that one lonely latex glove? I am, and I'm constantly looking for ingenious uses for those odds and ends that I can't bear to part with. Here are some ideas for leftovers (not of the food variety):

Greeting Cards

These are absolutely wonderful for cutting into gift tags (especially Christmas or birthday cards) or for rainy day projects for the kids, such as making collages or decoupage. All it takes is scissors, bits of ribbon, glue and whatever else your imagination dreams up.

Wrapping Paper

If it's torn or wrinkled and just can't be salvaged to wrap another gift, use it to wrap up items such as ornaments before you store them away or to pad a box for shipping.

Ribbon

Use those small pieces for decorating doll clothes and crafts, to hang artwork or pictures for a finished decorator touch, or to attach gift tags to gifts.

Fabric

There are a lot of ways to use leftover fabric: doll clothes, cat and dog clothes (yes, there are quite a few people outthere who dress their pets), cosmetic bags, jewelry pouches, cell phone cases, or patchwork quilts (my favorite).

Wallpaper

Wallpaper is great for making bulletin boards, book covers, trimming small and large mirrors, or drawer liners.

Denim Jeans

Make a shoulder bag and decorate it with leftover ribbon, sequins, studs, buttons, etc. Also, jeans make cute toss pillows for a bed or sofa.

Scrapbook Bits and Pieces

These are terrific for making greeting cards, gift tags, postcards, and confetti.

Teacups

Do you have teacups that no longer have saucers? They are perfect for filling with things such as candy or teabags, then wrapping with cellophane and tying with leftover ribbon or a bow for an instant gif

Soap

Those thin slivers of soap can be used for lubricating screws and drawers that stick. I also know someone who filled a large clear jar with them and used it as a decorative piece in their bathroom. Beautiful!

Socks

Cover the wheels on a bed frame that has been taken apart for moving. The socks will protect walls and other furniture when it's being moved.

Butter and Margarine Wrappers

Handy for greasing pans. You can put them in a baggie and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer. Just pull one out when needed.

Latex Glove

My favorite use for that one lonely glove is to pick up pet hair from furniture. It works best if you dampen it first.

Carpet

Those leftover pieces after you have a carpet laid are handy for extra runners, mats, and pieces for patching.

Paint

Before checking with your local recycle plant to see if they will accept it, look around to see if you have any outdoor projects that might need a new coat of paint, such as wooden benches or other outdoor furniture, planters, etc. Also, check with local schools that may be grateful for donated paint that can be used for painting backdrops and scenery for school plays.

Light Bulbs

Used light bulbs are fun for kids to decorate by painting, gluing on glitter or other decorations like fake flowers, adding a ribbon to hang. Provide proper supervision so they don't hurt themselves.

These are just a few ideas for leftovers. I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a few of your own. As you already know, it's so satisfying to find new ways to be thrifty!

Take the Next Step:

- Use the above ideas to put your leftovers to good use. Better yet, think of a few additional ways to use those odds and ends around your home.

- Subscribe to our new weekly "Inflation Fighters" newsletter by sending <mailto:subscribe-InflationFighters@hub.thedollarstretcher.com> "Inflation Fighters" is a free email newsletter that will provide ways to help you save money as the cost of everyday items rise. Each issue features six or seven articles to help you stretch your dollar!

The Light Bulb Showdown: LEDs vs. CFLs vs. Incandescent Bulbs - What’s the Best Deal Now … And In The Future?

Posted: 10 Feb 2009 12:00 PM PST

Recently, I made a purchase that’s right on the fine line between my desire to investigate frugality and my enjoyment of new technology. I purchased three very expensive 60 watt light bulbs, not much different than any other light bulb. The catch? These bulbs were LED bulbs, among the first LED bulbs designed to replace incandescent bulbs available on the market.

About LED light bulbs To put it simply, LED light bulbs will eventually be what we use to replace incandescent bulbs - CFLs are merely a stopgap measure. LED bulbs are made out of clusters of light emitting diodes - you’ve seen them in use in countless places, but perhaps most commonly as the small indicator lights on electronic devices. LEDs use very little energy for the amount of light they produce.

The problem with using LEDs for normal light bulbs are many fold. For one, the light they produce is directional, meaning that they work great for things like flashlights where you want to point the light in one direction, but they don’t work nearly as well for general room lighting. For another, individual LEDs generally aren’t all that bright - individual ones don’t produce a great deal of light, certainly not enough to light up a room. Another problem is that the process for making truly white LEDs pushes the very limits of technology.

In short, LED light bulbs are just barely at the edge of being commercially viable. The first manufacturer that I’m aware of that’s producing direct replacement bulbs that replace normal 60 watt light bulbs is C. Crane, which is making what they call GeoBulbs. These bulbs cost an astounding $119.95 a pop, but they last for 30,000 hours and use only 7.5 watts of energy (less than the 13 watts or so an equivalent CFL would use, and far less than the 60 watts a comparable incandescent would use). Even better, they light up immediately like an incandescent and don’t have disposal hazards like CFLs do.

Still, $119.95 for a light bulb? Can that possibly be worth it? And if it’s not, at what price point would such an LED light bulb be the most cost-effective method of home lighting? And how’s the quality, anyway? Do they really compare well to incandescent bulbs?

I decided to thoroughly compare them by comparing three different 60 watt cool white light bulbs - one CFL, one LED, and one incandescent. Let’s see how they work out.

Incandescents, CFLs, and LEDs in Action
I decided to test three roughly equivalent bulbs - a 7.5 watt LED bulb, a 13 watt CFL bulb, and a 60 watt incandescent bulb. The CFL and LED were common generic bulbs as purchased at a typical department store, whereas the LED bulb was the GeoBulb produced by C. Crane. Take a peek at this puppy.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Here they are, all laid out, like daisies in a row.

The big question that most people ask is about brightness, so I installed all three bulbs in a single ceiling fan, flipped on the light, and here were the results.

In this picture, the incandescent is on the left, the LED bulb is in the middle, and the CFL is on the right. This shows clearly that the LED bulb is quite bright. It’s also a rather different color than the other bulbs, but that’s primarily due to the difference between “cool” and “warm” lighting - you can choose the particular type of lighting you like.

The LED does have a minor drawback, though, which you can see here:

Quite a bit of the GeoBulb’s light is directional. It’s very bright directly underneath it, but if you move far off to the side, it’s not producing nearly as much incidental light as the incandescent bulb. For many situations, this isn’t a problem at all - recessed lights and lamps won’t skip a beat. However, for other uses (such as a single bulb that lights a small room), you may want to wait for next generation LEDs.

On startup time As soon as I flipped the light switch, the LED and incandescent bulb lit up immediately. The CFL also came on as well, but it had a brief five second (or so) warm-up time before it reached full brightness.

On heat This was the one area where the LED really blew me away. After five minutes or so of taking pictures and examining the light for myself, I turned off the lights and removed each bulb, intending to see how warm they got in the process. Both the CFL and incandescent bulbs were too hot for me to immediately touch. However, the LED GeoBulb was still cool to the touch. It had produced almost no noticeable heat.

This is a very important but difficult to quantify factor. The heat produced by these bulbs escapes into your house, contributing subtly to the heat level in your home. Over a long period, light bulbs can actually make a noticeable difference in the amount of energy required to heat your home (lessening it a bit) or cool your home (increasing it a bit). The LED bulbs would factor into that equation much less than CFL bulbs or incandescent bulbs.

In short, the LED bulbs flip on as quickly as incandescent bulbs (and faster than CFLs) and produce roughly the same amount of useful light, but much of that light is focused in one direction. This makes the GeoBulbs just fine for most uses, but perhaps not appropriate in some cases.

Comparing Costs
The best way to compare the three types of bulbs is to calculate their costs over 30,000 hours of usage - the lifespan of a single LED bulb.

Standard incandescent bulbs The CFL used here has a lifetime of 1,300 hours, so we would need 23 bulbs over the period of this study. I was able to purchase a single incandescent of this type for $0.34, so our total cost for bulbs over 30,000 hours would be $7.82.

As it uses 60 watts, over a period of 30,000 hours, an incandescent bulb would use 1,800,000 watt hours, or 1,800 kilowatt hours. At the current approximate price of $0.10 per kilowatt hour, you would have to pay $180.00 to run an incandescent bulb over this period.

Thus, the total cost of a 60 watt incandescent bulb over a 30,000 hour lifespan is $187.82.

CFL bulbs The CFL used here has a lifetime of 8,000 hours, so we would need 3.75 bulbs over the period of this study. I was able to purchase a single CFL for $1.24, so our total cost for bulbs over 30,000 hours would be $4.65.

As it uses 13 watts, over a period of 30,000 hours, a CFL bulb would use 390,000 watt hours, or 390 kilowatt hours. At the current approximate price of $0.10 per kilowatt hour, you would have to pay $39.00 to run a CFL bulb over this period.

Thus, the total cost of a CFL bulb over a 30,000 hour lifespan is $43.65.

LED bulbs The LED bulb used here has a lifetime of 30,000 hours, so we would need only one bulb over the period of this study. Unfortunately, that single bulb has a cost of $119.99.

As it uses 7.5 watts, over a period of 30,000 hours, an LED bulb would use 245,000 watt hours, or 245 kilowatt hours. At the current approximate price of $0.10 per kilowatt hour, you would have to pay $24.50 to run an LED bulb over this period.

Thus, the total cost of an LED bulb over a 30,000 hour lifespan is $144.49.

What’s the Best Deal Right Now?
Clearly, given the current market conditions, CFLs are the best bargain at the moment for our home lighting needs. However, they have drawbacks - they have special disposal requirements and do not provide immediate illumination as incandescent bulbs and LED bulbs provide.

However, if you’re avoiding CFLs and are directly switching to LEDs from incandescent bulbs, replacement LED bulbs are already there in terms of cost. You’ll have to judge for yourself if the light quality matches your needs.

My current plan is to use the CFL bulbs for general lighting purposes, incandescent bulbs for focused reading (where immediate light is important), and the LED bulbs will be used in a few very hard-to-reach sockets, since they have a very, very long life span. As the price on the LED bulbs goes down (as they inevitably will over the next few years), I’ll replace the incandescent bulbs first, then the CFLs.

When Will LED Bulbs Be Ready for Prime Time?
My advice is to keep a close tab on the prices of LED bulbs. Ignoring light quality entirely, LED bulbs are already cheaper than incandescent bulbs over a long period, but as they are manufactured by more and more companies, the prices on such bulbs will drop over time - and I believe a rapid drop will occur over the next one to two years.

If you’re switching directly from incandescent bulbs, I would wait for one to two years for the market on these bulbs to mature just a bit - let the technology mature and let other manufacturers get into the game, driving prices down. Wait until the prices on LED bulbs drop to half of their current price - say, $60 a bulb - then begin replacing incandescent lights.

Why not just replace all incandescent bulbs with these bulbs now, since they’re cheaper over the bulb’s lifetime? I believe that in the short term, the prices on LED bulbs like these will actually drop faster than the energy cost savings in buying them now, so I would hold off for a year or so before replacing all of my incandescent bulbs.

If you’re just looking for the cheapest lighting possible, your magic number for LED bulbs is in the $15 per bulb ballpark When those prices are reached, LEDs will then be the cheapest solution for light bulbs in the home - and they won’t have the challenges that CFLs provide, either. I would estimate this price point will be reached in three to five years.

How to Reduce Your Impact on the Earth

Friday, January 30, 2009 by: Jo Hartley, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
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Key concepts: The environment, Food and Paper

(NaturalNews) Raising personal awareness of the impact everyone has on the environment is an important first step in making changes in how we use and reuse products and save energy. Reducing one's impact on the environment starts with thinking about how energy is consumed and how it can be conserved. Quality of life typically increases as carbon footprint decreases. With even small changes, anyone can make a difference in helping to improve the environmental legacy for future generations to come.

Here are some suggestions for making simple changes that can make a big difference:

1.Recycle -- Recycle everything possible. Use city curbside services if available or find a nearby recycling center. When first starting to recycle it may seem difficult, but this is worth every effort it takes.

2.Buy Recycled Products -- Whenever possible, use recycled paper, napkins and other paper products. Even recycled computer disks are available. Once this awareness is achieved, it's easier to find many recycled home products that are attractive and functional.

3.Buy Items in Glass Containers -- Glass is a smart choice because it can be recycled over and over again.

4.Replace Light bulbs -- Replace existing light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. They are energy efficient and last thousands of hours. This is a huge energy and resource savings.

5.Walk or Bike -- Not only is this better for the environment, it also provides beneficial exercise.

6.Utilize Automated Salary Deposits -- This saves time and energy. Also utilize online services to pay bills whenever possible. This will save time, energy and postage with the added benefit of avoiding late payments.

7.Reduce Junk Mail -- Visit http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/ to begin a process for removal from junk mail lists. Additionally, calling companies that send catalogs and asking to have your name removed is effective. Usually these companies comply with requests of this nature.

8.Buy Organic -- Many organic products are not more expensive than conventional counterparts. What's more, scientific research has revealed that organic foods taste better and are higher in nutritional value than nonorganic food items.

9.Support Local Farming -- This will provide fresher, higher quality foods at lower prices. Visit http://www.localharvest.org to find a participating farm nearby. When a seasonal membership is purchased, members receive a box every week during growing season.

10.Choose Organic Gardening -- Utilize organic methods for fertilizing and pest control. Make a simple compost bin. Organic pest control is better for the environment and human health.

11.Dispose of Hazardous Materials Properly -- Find out about hazardous material drop off dates and use them. They are free and are scheduled throughout the year in local communities. This is a very simple way to properly dispose of dangerous chemicals.

Source: http://www.inspiredliving.com/healt...

Gorgeously Green: A Book Review

Posted: 25 Jan 2009 09:58 AM PST

By Myscha Theriault

Looking for an overall bible of green that doesn't require a chemical engineering degree to understand? Wanting to do your part without devoting months of research time to figure out your options? This title just might be for you. In fact, it's on a very short list of titles that have completely surpassed my expectations. To find out what I loved and learned, read on.

Sophie Uliano's indexed, 309 page tome is jam packed with green tips, resource recommendations and generally great eco-info. For example, did you know that half of the pollution that comes from transporting your food comes from your drive to the grocery store? The other half is from commercial transportation. Translation? The commercial half at least carries more product to the same location, making online shopping a reasonably green choice for items that are not produced locally. Like I needed another reason. The lines at some of the bargain stores lately are nearly overwhelming. For items you aren't able or willing to order online that do have to be shipped in, planning your shopping route to reduce driving time and combining errands is still an excellent way to go. Some other great tidbits you'll see covered?

Re-usable eco options for sandwich wraps. If you picnic often or take lunch to work, cutting down on disposable bags is worth exploring.
Green cleaners that won't break the bank. Not only does Ms. Uliano cover several homemade versions but also points out that one of the more Earth-friendly scouring powders, Bon Ami, has been on the market for years. Bonus? It's super cheap.
Air drying for urbanites. Occasionally skipping the dryer can be good for both planet and pocketbook. But city residents are often confined to narrow alleys, hallways and the space over the tub. For a full range of drying options for apartment and brownstone dwellers, Sophie recommends checking out UrbanClotheslines.Com. Some of the more elaborate alley and hallway options can be a bit pricey, but there are some smaller options for those on a tighter budget.
Fun factor. Recommendations and resources are also included for various children's arts and crafts materials.
Frugal fitness. There's an entire section with illustrated yoga moves to keep you jazzed about your green living choices and limber at the same time.
A free eco-friendly shopping bag! Yup. That's right. On the gorgeously green web site, cloth shopping bags are available for purchase. However, if you use the URL and coupon code word provided in the book, you'll be credited during the checkout process and will receive a free chic shopping bag with its own mini drawstring stuff sack for easy purse storage. She even makes it into a scavenger hunt! You go to the URL, which then refers you to a particular word on a particular page to use for the coupon code. Very fun. (Whether or not shipping charges apply was unclear.)
Frugal ways to go green. Looking to go green on a shoestring? Sophie's got your back with numerous suggestions on how to go green and save money at the same time. As my regular readers might expect, my favorites included bulk buying to reduce packaging and costs, assembly cooking your own granola and using a crock pot as an energy efficient and frugal choice for dinner prep.

It's easy to tell from this book that Ms. Sophie Uliano is a Wise Bread kind of girl. I wonder if we can convince her to visit us for a guest session in the forums . . .

Easy Ways to Save Energy -- and Money

By Katie Rockman From:

Helping the environment may give you more cash in the long run.

On the Road

According to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Americans spend more than $160 billion a year on energy. This energy -- used to heat, cool, light, and otherwise keep our homes running smoothly -- represents about 21 percent of the nation's total energy use. But our impact could be smaller. Take the time to implement even a few of the following energy-efficient improvements, and the results could cut your total energy consumption by up to 30 percent.

On the Road

Drive safely -- and not just when baby's on board. Any aggressive driving (think speeding, rapid acceleration or hard braking) wastes gasoline, lowering your highway gas mileage by 33 percent and city mileage by 5 percent.

Keep up with car maintenance. A clean air filter -- important because it keeps dirt and other foreign particles from entering the engine -- can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Properly inflated and aligned tires will improve gas mileage by 3 percent.

n the Home

As much as 85 percent of the energy used for washing clothes goes toward heating the water. Switching the setting from hot to warm (cold for your colors) will cut a load's energy use in half.

Quick fixes for your dryer: Clean the lint filter after every load to improve air circulation. Dry towels and heavier cottons separately from your lighter-weight clothes. Don't "over-dry" -- and if your machine has a moisture sensor (it automatically shuts off once the clothes are dry), use it.

Regularly defrost your manual-defrost refrigerators and freezers. Don't allow more than one-quarter of an inch of frost to build up. Frost buildup decreases energy efficiency.

Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make your fridge work harder.

Replace all standard light bulbs (incandescent) with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). CFLs are more expensive but last 6 to 10 times longer.

When shopping for appliances, think of any new purchase as having two price tags. The first and more obvious cost is the purchase price. The second? The cost of operating the appliance during its lifetime -- in other words, your monthly utility bill for that appliance (likely to last you for the next 10 to 20 years). On average, refrigerators last for 13 years, room air conditioners and dishwashers last for 11, and clothes washers last for about 9.

Conduct home energy audits. If you're handy or someone in your family is a contractor, you can perform your own home energy audit to pinpoint problem areas. Look for holes or cracks in your walls and ceilings and around windows, doors, electrical outlets, and lighting and plumbing fixtures, to make sure air isn't leaking into or out of your home. Caulk inside and out where necessary. Make sure all appliances and your heating and cooling systems are still working properly. Old, worn-out equipment that doesn't function properly can lead to higher bills. Also consider using light controls, like dimmers or timers, to reduce your family's lighting-energy use.

If you don't have the expertise for the job, you can also pay for a professional energy audit. An energy auditor should do a room-by-room examination of your home, as well as a thorough examination of past utility bills. To prepare for your appointment, make a list of any existing problems, such as condensation and uncomfortable or drafty rooms, and have a summary of your home's yearly energy bills available. Visit the Residential Energy Services Network (natresnet.org) to locate an auditor in your area.

Enter your zip code into the Rebate Finder on the Energy Star Web site (energystar.gov) to find out about rebates and other offers in your area.

Heating and Cooling Your Home

Water heating is the third largest energy expense in your home, typically accounting for about 13 percent of your utility bill, so lower the thermostat on your water heater. A setting of 120 degrees F. provides comfortably hot water for most uses.

Install a programmable thermostat. Replacing the older, manual kind is an easy and inexpensive way to conserve energy, when used properly. Setting the thermostat to a lower temperature at night when everyone is snug in bed or during the day when kids are at school and parents are at work can save your family $150 a year or more depending on its settings.

Take advantage of natural lighting to regulate the temperature in your home. Keep blinds closed during the summer, especially on those windows facing the sun, but open during the winter.

Forget about shortcuts. Setting your air conditioner to run colder than normal when you first turn it on won't cool your home any faster. If anything, the lower setting will lead to excessive cooling and -- more chilling news -- higher bills.

Buy an air conditioner that's the right size for the room. An air conditioner that's too big will perform less efficiently than a smaller, more appropriately sized unit. Room units work best running steadily over a longer time instead of constantly switching on and off, which is more likely to happen if the unit is too big for the space.

Keep lamps and TVs away from your air conditioner's thermostat. It will sense the heat from these appliances, which could cause the AC to run longer than needed.

Place your AC unit on the north side of your house and/or in the shade. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10 percent less electricity than one in the sun.

Plant a tree on the sunny, or western, side of your house. The foliage will help to shade your house during summer.

Bag Monster To Ban or To Tax? The Plastic Bag Dilemma

lisa.olson@greenraising.com.

At Greenraising, we sell many reusable bags in response to the growing problem of one-time-use plastic grocery bags. Experts estimate that anywhere from 500 billion to 1 trillion of these bags are used worldwide each year - about 1 million per second!

While the plastic bags are a common sight in everyday life, they cause numerous issues for our environment. Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals mistake them for food and die from eating them each year. They litter our fields, streets, and beaches. These bags don't biodegrade, but rather photodegrade - breaking into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate our soil and water. While they are recyclable, the vast majority of them are not recycled, but enter our landfills.

A reusable bag, on the other hand, can eliminate hundreds of plastic bags a year. As a volunteer from King's Highway school in the picture above is illustrating, each American can save an average of 500 plastic bags per year by switching to reusables.

So how do we get people to switch? A straight-forward solution would be the banning of such bags, with a requirement for retailers to find another solution. They might turn to biodegradable plastic bags, or use paper only. Opponents of this approach say that this will just be an indirect tax, since retailers will pass along the increased costs to consumers, the alternative bags are not much better for the environment, and it won't stop the use-and-discard habits of consumers. It would, however, have an instant effect on the problem of plastic bags in our environment.

A solution that has worked well in many places is a direct tax on consumers per bag used. This would provide an incentive for individual shoppers to bring their own bags, and would raise funds to clean up the mess caused by plastic bags. Ireland, for example, passed a plastic bag tax (or PlasTax) in 2002 and saw consumption of the bags drop by 90%. This is initially more expensive for consumers, since they'll have to pay for reusable bags or pay the tax on plastic bags, and will have a slower effect on the number of bags in the environment since many people will just pay the tax.

You can take action in your own community while waiting for your local government to decide on a course of action. Try circulating a petition to get your local grocery store to give a few cents credit for each reusable bag used. They're saving on the plastic bag they'd otherwise give you, and getting good "buzz" around town for being environmentally friendly. Write to your local newspaper praising those stores that comply. This is a wonderful project for kids to organize and implement, as it can incorporate math skills (how many plastic bags can we save? What is the average number of bags used each week in our class/school/town?), writing (letters to the editor, and to the stores), science (how are plastic bags made? how do they photodegrade? how are they getting into our oceans and streams?), social studies and economics (how consumer action can change government and store policies, the affects of a tax on consumption).

Reduce Plastic Consumption

Thursday, September 04, 2008 by: Neil McLaughlin, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author

Key concepts: Water, Food and Ponds

(NaturalNews) By now you have likely heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a tragic byproduct of the plastics industry and consumerism that is an island of garbage floating in the northern Pacific Ocean. Originally the size of Texas and approaching the size of the Sun, this gargantuan pile of plastic is collected by currents that swirl around in a big circle. Most of the debris is picked up from the shores of both China and North America that sandwich it.

As plastic never goes away, it eventually crumbles up into tiny bits (photo-degrades). These bits of plastic enter the food supply and are passed from the jelly fish all the way back up to humans where it is stored in their livers (that part is only fair). Plastic also pollutes the water with PCB's (PolyChlorinated Biphenyls, dangerous carcinogens and hormone disruptors).

While no one person is to blame, every person has contributed to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (it's a safe bet the Atlantic also has one lurking somewhere). Whether one throws litter on the ground or trusts in their municipal trash companies to do it for them, everyone throws away plastic and it ends up in the ocean and then back in our bodies.

While some say cleanup is impossible, hopefully someday someone will find a solution. Perhaps they will find a way to convert plastic to energy (it is made of oil after all), and they can make a ship refueling station out there that will produce energy from plastic. Or perhaps nanotech robots can disassemble it and bring it to the recycler. (Such technology would be extremely dangerous as it would have to be careful not to accidentally disassemble Kenny Rogers face). In the meantime there are many things people can do to at least help prevent this pile of garbage from getting any larger.

Ways to Reduce Plastic in Landfills

1) Avoid Products that use Plastic to Begin With

Plastic is made from petroleum hence it is so ubiquitous today. Plastic is convenient but most of the cheaper grades (the clear stuff) find its way into our food, often leaving a film on anything that is wrapped in it and which we then eat. Microwaving anything in plastic cooks plastic residues right into the food, vaporizing other chemicals that contaminate the food and air. Consider the amount of sheer waste a single meal or even serving produces (Kraft Singles is second only to Individually Wrapped Breaths of Air (tm) in the Most Wasteful Products Award). Reuse glass or Tupperware containers for leftovers instead of plastic wrap. Store water in the high grade blue plastic bottles only. Prefer cheese that is made from raw milk.

2) Kick the Bottle

High on the list of most wasteful products is Individually Wrapped Drinks of Water, a lingering 1990's fad for those pretending to be health conscious. Picture a lake compared to a lake of plastic bottles and that is basically what we now have in the Pacific. Corporations are taking over town aquifers and selling it back to the people for $2 per bottle. Shipping one bottle of water costs on average 1/3 bottle of fuel. It is best to filter or distill your own water and use metal or glass containers. Companies like Nalgene make trendy reusable water containers of high grade plastic. Opt for tap water with lemon in restaurants. Note: wait staff seem trained to always supply a plastic straw with every drink (probably so you don't notice the lipstick on the rim of the glass), so remember to request no straw with your drink.

3) Recycle or Reuse Materials

Plastic can be recycled and you will find that when you start recycling you at least save money on trash bags. Many containers can be washed out and reused (though they should be sterilized with apple cider vinegar). Note that only the higher grade plastics can be reused.

4) Choose Products with Biodegradable Plastic

Now many plastic cups along with packaging peanuts and other supplies are available in a biodegradable form. Companies like Ecosafe and Natur-Tec are providing real solutions to the plastic problem.

5) Repair, Sell or Upgrade Gadgets

Many people run out and buy the latest new cell phone or iPod more often than needed, discarding their old phones in the rubbish where they not only add to plastic landfill but also leak out various other contaminants like Mercury. Meanwhile older components, while larger, are often superior as they tend to be constructed of much more solid materials. By repairing your items you can keep things in top shape much longer. Tackle small problems when they arise. Take the time to fix things right. Buy used products when possible and sell your items when they are no longer needed. Prefer products that offer replacement parts.

6) Recycle Computer Parts

If you must discard items like monitors or printers, at least take them to an electronics recycler. Staples accepts old monitors, etc. for a small fee.

7) Use Cloth Grocery Bags

While this is more of a challenge for men as they look like pocketbooks, it is important to avoid bringing home so many plastic bags. Cloth bags can help. Some shoppers at the farmers market seem afraid to let any vegetables touch any other vegetables, insisting that each be individually wrapped. A better method is to use as few bags as possible, to reuse those taken, recycle them when they tear, and especially to avoid using them to begin with by bringing your own bag. Eventually this will save money as stores are considering charging for them.

8)Do Sweat the Small Stuff
The worst pieces of plastic are the tiny bits. These are the ones that birds, turtles and fish mistake for food and eat and then can't pass them. Eventually these poor animals become full of plastic and they die of starvation, or they are consumed by larger animals and the process continues. After these animals die, the plastic is the only part that is left behind where it kills again.

9)Don't be a Litter Bug
Many feel that if they don't litter, they will be putting the garbage man out of a job. Some will simply chuck their used car batteries (full of sulfuric acid) into the woods behind their home. The truth is that this debris will persist for decades and humans leave enough of a footprint without adding insult to injury. In the 1970's there were TV commercials with Woodsy Owl reminding us to "Give a Hoot Don't Pollute". In today's corporate controlled media the best we get is talk about the Carbon Tax. Even the threat of Nuclear War is brushed aside by the media in favor of the War on Drugs, the War on Terror, and the War on Manners.

10)Clean up your Neighborhood Ponds
Many neighborhoods have small ponds containing water that is cleaner than their municipal tap water. These ponds are often teeming with fish and turtles that help keep them pure. Sadly however these ponds (and wildlife) are normally loaded with plastic debris. By taking 15 minutes each week, one person can really help clean up their neighborhood. The process is surprisingly relaxing and the animals will appreciate it. Do note that random passerby will think you are out on parole, so wearing an orange jumpsuit is not recommended. Ideally, organize a neighborhood trash pickup (nowadays that may require legal waivers in case participants obtain a boo boo).

References

GPGP Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Paci...

Plastic grades:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/108/plastic

Alternative Transportation - Greener Ways to Get Around

Go Green with Electric Vehicles, Public Transportation and Fuel Efficiency

By Courtney Curtis, About.com

In today's world, you're not likely to want to give up your car all together. But limiting the need for your gas-guzzler is certainly in the best interest of your pocketbook and our planet.

Considering the ever-rising gas prices and the toll our personal vehicles take on the environment, it's about time we started looking at alternative options to driving absolutely everywhere. Take a look at these alternative options to determine which alternative works for you.

1. Take a Walk

Flashfilm / Getty Images

Walking may seem like the obvious alternative to driving, but it's one that isn't enacted very often. The biggest burden to walking, though, isn't money or energy - it's time.

Walking to the local grocery store or a friend's house may seem too far in today's fast-paced world, but if you learn to make the time, and consider the added benefits of walking, you may just change your mind about this alternative method of transportation.

More on Walking:

· Benefits of Walking

2. Scoot It

Allan Danahar / Getty Images

When it comes to scooters, you have more options than you may think. Models range from stand-up to sit-down designs, inexpensive or costly, and even fast or faster. So whether you're looking for a motorized way to aid your walking, or an eco-friendly vehicle that resembles a motorcycle, a scooter might be the greener option you've been waiting for.

More on Scooters:

· Scooter Buyer's Guide

· European Motorcycles and Scooters

3. Ride a Bicycle

Digital Vision / Getty Images

Whether you're more traditional, or you're all for the latest green technology, bicycling could be the greener transportation you're looking for.

You've been pedaling around since the age of eight, but with the rising concern of increased carbon offsets associated with cars (not to mention the ever-rising cost of crude oil) bicycle manufacturers are catering to an entirely new crowd with electric bicycles. You used to have to be in good - even great - shape to ride for miles, but the electric alternative certainly makes it a bit easier to go further.

More on Bicycles:

· Essential Bike Commuter Gear

· Buying the Right Bike for You

4. Golf Carts on the Go

Getty Images / Getty Images

You may think that golf carts belong on the golf course, but more and more companies and communities are finding uses for these miniature movers. Just make sure to stay on local roads with speed limits of 25 mph or less, because golf carts and the like can't move much faster than 30 mph.

More on Golf Carts:

· Four Wheel Drive Vehicles and Golf Carts

5. Public Transportation

Tom Bonaventure / Getty Images

How could we forget public transport? Using public transportation services like busses, the subway, or even trains doesn't cut the cost of gas or oil, but by dividing the use and cost between so many passengers, you'll be saving money and cutting carbon emissions.

More on Public Transportation:

· Public Transportation - The Fast Track to Energy Independence

6. Get Smart With Your Car

Stockbyte / Getty Images

If you're not willing to trade in your car at least some of the time, you've got no excuse to let that gas guzzler produce more emissions than it needs to. Make sure to keep your car maintained for maximum efficiency, and pick out a fuel-efficient model to do your part.

More Car Tips:

· Green the Car You Have

· Top 10 Fuel Saving Tips

Elsewhere on the Web

EPA - Green Vehicle Guide

AIR Now - Local Air Quality

Choosing a Fuel Efficient Vehicle

·Alternative Fuels 101 - Basics of Alternative Fuels - Alternative Fuels Lis...

·Green Your Wedding: In More Ways Than One

·Alternative Fuel Vehicles Incentive and Rebate Programs

·Hybrid Car Tax Credits - Alternative Fuel Vehicle Tax Credits Incentives an...

·Reno, Lake Tahoe, Nevada - Public Transit, Commuting Transportation Alterna...

footprint

Waste Not Want Not:Turning Waste Into Savings

Posted: 26 Dec 2008 04:43 PM PST

By Tisha Tolar

Living paycheck to paycheck often leaves no room for the “extras”, forcing you to live on a tight budget and leaving no room for a savings plan. Even rainy day funds are not able to get incorporated into a family budget because money is just too tight. There are countless pieces of advice for those looking for ways to save money, much of it mentions things you need to do such as stop eating out in restaurants and cancel your subscriptions to cable television. That advice is good but isn’t always relevant, as some families don’t even partake in these activities and still don’t have any extra cash. Living without extra luxuries sometimes isn’t enough to stash away the extra cash.

So what can you do to find a few extra bucks you can tuck away for a rainy day? Start thinking about how you live each day. While living frugally usually brings people to think about what they are spending, many will forget to consider what they are wasting. If you can adjust your daily habits in some very minor ways, you can start saving some extra cash each month.

Here is a list of ideas you can start implementing into your life to make saving a little bit easier and cut down your wasteful practices immensely, helping you to not only save your own money but also helps you to preserve the environment as well.

In the kitchen:

Stop spending money on paper towels. Instead use old towels or clothing cut up into convenient cleaning rags.
If you use a dishwasher, you can allow your dishes to air dry naturally instead of using power.
Reuse as much as you can and what you can’t reuse then recycle. You can find great uses for orange juice cartons and milk jugs. There is also no shame in reusing items like tin foil, Styrofoam plates and cups, and utensils.
Stop buying expensive garbage bags and use the bags you get at the supermarket and department stores. They are great for lining the smaller trash cans throughout the house.
When cooking, make enough food so you can eat two or three more times. Leaving just a little each time, you are more likely to throw out the extra rather than eat it later. Plus you save on cooking and cleaning time during the week. You will also be saving at the grocery store by planning bulk meals and avoiding the fast-food drive thru’s in favor of quickly reheating an already prepared meal.

In the bathroom:

Stop purchasing expensive and potentially toxic cleaners and use baking soda to scrub your sink and tub. Use vinegar on your mirrors and windows for cleanliness and shine.
Take it easy on the toilet paper. You may not realize how much extra paper you yank off the roll each time but it can add up. Being a little bit more conscious of your habits, even ones this normal can make a big difference.
Turn shampoo and conditioner bottles upside down to get every last drop. You can also add a bit of water and swirl it around to get one more use.

In the car:

Stop wasting gas with unnecessary trips to the store. Instead, plan to go to the store only once a week and keep a list easily accessible. You will save gas and money and resist the urge to impulse shop when you just stop in to “pick up a few things”.
Pay attention to how you heat and cool your automobile. Don’t blast the air conditioner when you have the windows open. Conserve energy as much as possible and save gas in return.
Forgo the car as often as you can and walk instead. Not only are you saving money on gas and car maintenance, you are benefitting your own health and well-being.

Miscellaneous Places

Find a way to line dry your clothing, even in the cold weather.
Turn off all lights and unplug all electrical cords you are not currently using.
Use junk mail and envelopes that have no other use as scrap paper instead of buying new notebooks or memo pads which can get pricey.
There is no harm in free samples. You can often find samples of food and health and beauty items right in the store or you can sign up online to receive them by mail. It is always good to have various items on hand when you are running low.

Again, it’s the little changes that you can make to save you money. It does take dedication to making the changes but it is not impossible. Focus on your current living habits and make changes where you can. Once you start finding a few extra bucks where you least expect it, it will get easier and you will end up more motivated and more creative with ways to save.

Permalink | 2 comments | Tisha Tolar's blog | Channel: Frugal Living

Similar entries:

Look Waste in the Face (and Save More than Money)

· Saving the Planet - One Drop at a Time

SAVE ENERGY – SAVE MONEY!

• Energy checkup – Find out where you're losing energy, and what to do about it.
• Tankless water heaters – The pros, cons and costs of going tankless.
• Seal air leaks – Stop expensive heat loss in your attic.
• Install a fan timer – Bath fans that run too long pump energy dollars outside.
• Seal a drafty door – New weatherstripping for an old wooden door.
• Stylish CFLs – Light fixtures that combine high fashion with high efficiency.
• Furnace tune-up – Simple maintenance prevents energy waste and expensive repairs.
• Stop drafts – Seal hidden air leaks around windows and doors.
For more tips, tools and projects, check out the January issue of The Family Handyman on sale now at home centers and other retailers. Here's a sample of what's in store:
• More proven ways to slash heating bills
• New appliances that pay for themselves
• Gift guides for DIYers
• An heirloom bookcase you can build yourself and more!
Good luck with all of your projects.

Gary Wentz
Senior Editor
The Family Handyman

water

Saving the Planet - One Drop at a Time

Posted: 08 Dec 2008 09:46 PM PST

By Nora Dunn

More and more catastrophic storms. Global warming. Droughts and floods. It seems that we have entered an era of extremes in planet earth’s saga.

With global environmental issues becoming bigger and harder to ignore, there are things we all can work on to help do our part. You may argue that we should stop making “the little guy” pay and change their habits when it is really the big corporations who exponentially consume that should be held to a higher standard.

But truly – if we are to continue to foster a planet for future generations to enjoy, we have to start somewhere. Being an example and teaching our children how to conserve resources is the first step to getting the “big guys” to listen; some of our children will eventually be in those positions of power and influence to enforce greater changes than we could ever imagine. All we have to do is give them the proper building blocks.

I am currently traveling through Australia, a country that has suffered terrible drought for over a decade now. So here in Oz, water conservation is not a nice thing to do for the environment; it is a necessity.

Here are a few ways you can save the planet, one drop at a time:

2 Minute Showers

You heard me: two minutes. Public showers at some campgrounds in Australia actually have timers. If you aren’t done in the allotted time, you will be one soapy dude for the rest of the day.

At home, you don’t necessarily have to complete your shower in two minutes. But see if you can run the water for just two minutes by turning it on and off as needed. Myscha wrote a great article about how to get the greatest use out of the least amount of water while sudsing up

Brushing Teeth

I’m sure it goes without saying, but if you aren’t tuned in yet, let’s get with the program! Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth, okay? It involves no sacrifice other than the laborious action of turning a tap on and off a few more times.

Washing Dishes

For anybody who has camped and had to haul their dishwashing water from a nearby river or tap or wash using a sink that’s way too small, you are already a good chunk of the way towards washing your dishes in a water-friendly way. Every kitchen is set up differently for washing dishes, so techniques for how to get those plates clean while using the least amount of water will vary.

One technique I have found useful is to fill the sink with rinse water (not too much!), and rinse dishes creatively instead of running the tap to do so. Use glasses and bowls to scoop up the water and pour it over the awkward dishes, killing two birds (or rather, rinsing two dishes) in one shot. And at the end, if your rinse water isn’t too grimy, leave it in the sink to soak your next set of dirty dishes.

For those with dish washers, seriously consider cutting down or eliminating your usage. It is a pig on both power and water, while ultimately being totally unnecessary for survival. At the very least, only use it when it is absolutely fully packed. Even then…

Watering Your Garden

Using a hose to water your garden is the perfect way to waste a ton of water. Instead, try using a bucket and scoop. You will concentrate your watering efforts on exactly the plants and spots that need watering, and you’ll get better exercise hauling the bucket. In Australia, this is how even some commercial growers water their produce; so you can too.

If you are an avid floral gardener (and thus not able to consume the product of your watering efforts as with a veggie patch), consider the types of plants you are landscaping with. If you live in a dry climate and plant with a water-hungry plant, you are doing no favors to anybody and satisfying no more than your own sense of aesthetics. Try instead learning about drought-bed techniques, and planting things that do well even in dry conditions.

For those with a new property and a small patch of lawn, try not laying sod down at all. There are lots of grass-free landscaping techniques that are very attractive, virtually maintenance free, and dry as a bone.

If It’s Yellow, Let It Mellow

Do you have to flush the toilet every time you pee? Arguably, no. Ladies: don’t use a half a roll of toilet paper (one or two squares will do – this is also environmentally friendly) to wipe, and you can get lots of extra mileage out of a toilet flush without clogging the pipes.

Catch the drips

Most taps drip, even if very slowly. Think about all the taps you have; outside taps for hoses are the biggest culprits. Bathtubs are close followers. Catch those drips! It may not be aesthetically appealing to have a bowl or bucket under the tap, but at least perfectly potable water won’t be wasted.

Get Creative

Every time you turn on the tap, think about how you can either reduce your usage, or get some extra mileage out of it by reusing it. Some people water their gardens with their gray water (from washing dishes with biodegradable soap). Others install water-saving taps and pressure reducers. By calculating how every single drop of water gets used, you can actually turn water conservation into a creative exercise that is stimulating and even enjoyable! Present it as a challenge for the whole family to participate in. Put the right slant on it, and saving the planet – one drop at a time – can create a more sustainable world for us to live in, and actually be fun too.

Look Waste in the Face (and Save More than Money)

Posted: 24 Nov 2008 08:16 AM PST

By Linsey Knerl

If someone would have told me that I could save money by living like a prairie settler, I would have laughed. My time, after all, is worth something. But it was only after I suffered a horrible year of remodeling (which is not quite completed), that I began to realize how much my family uses, and how that is ultimately affecting my bottom line. Here are the facts, and how I reconciled what I should have already known.

Hot water. Remember when my hot water heater tanked out? Living in a rural area with gobs of sediment leaves my heater needing a little TLC every year or so. The last time it went out, I suffered through days upon weeks of boiling my own water for baths, cooking, and even dishes. Not only was it disgustingly tiresome, it helped me appreciate my hot water usage. Showers don’t need to be so luxuriously long now. Kids share a bath. I have adapted my dish-washing techniques to accommodate dunking instead of rinsing. My water (and electric bill) sing my praises. (Check out Myscha’s 60-second shower technique for a jump-start to your own water conservation.)

Plumbing. What started as a little ol’ clog in the kitchen sink turned into two months of demo work and whispered cursing from my husband, as he used massive DIY efforts to rebuild our waste plumbing. Not only did we find out that it was an expensive task, we watched my muscles grow as I hauled full five-gallon-buckets of yucky sink water outside after every household chore. I became irritated with the process, looked for ways to use less water, and refined my scrubbing and cooking techniques to limit my bucket-dumping. The effects were lasting. Two weeks since the final piece was put in place, I still only let the water run in little trickles when I’m rinsing off a single piece of cutlery.

Food. Those of you with garbage disposals may be unaware of how much food you are truly wasting. I was, as well, until the acquisition of a dozen chickens and a few barn cats prompted me to get a little savvy with our mealtime scraps. With one bowl for chickens (veggies, fruits, and grains) and one bowl for the mousers (meats and dairy), I watch each plate-scraping pile up until the end of the day, when I use our cast-offs as discounted supplemental nutrition for the animals. Lucky for us, we have a use for our scraps. Others I know just let it go down the drain, not fully realizing how many pennies and dollars end up in their waste pipes. Since our little project began, I’ve been serving smaller portions, carefully assessing requests for “seconds” and wrapping up any tiny morsel that could be used as a reincarnated dish. You pay the same amount for food that you digest as you do for food that you toss….so put it to a very good use.

Trash. We live in the country, where trash service is a luxury. We bit the bullet a few years back, and subscribed to twice-a-month pickup services. We get 3 bins emptied for $28 a month. Some weeks, when we do a massive de-cluttering operation, we overflow the bins. Other weeks, we don’t even come close. The goal is always to “just make it all fit.” Last week, however, there was a payment mix-up (meaning that my trash guy dropped my check into the ditch, where I found it many weeks later), and I didn’t get my regularly-scheduled pickup. I panicked. Where would I put all my stuff? We started to get creative: “Here kids, color on all these envelopes and bills.” “Let’s throw all these boxes in your room. I’m sure you can find a good use for them, huh?” “If I fold this box 100 times, I can possibly fit it inside this other box and toss it into the woodstove.” You get the picture. We are now looking into local recycling (which is rarely used and not so conveniently offered to us country folk.) The waste situation has to improve.

What if you lost a vital service or utility tomorrow? What would you do? How would you cope? Would it change your perception of resources, usage, and waste? If so, can you begin to do little things today to change your habits and save dollars down the road?

Simple Water Conservation Methods: Do They Save Real Money?

Posted: 20 Nov 2008 12:00 PM PST

One of the most common frugality tactics is to find ways to reduce your water bill. There are many, many ways to do this in your average home, but several tactics seem to pop up time and time again.

The question is: do these tactics really save significant money? Is it enough to make the move worth the hassle? Let’s dig into five of these methods and find out.

Assumptions
In order to do some of the calculations below, I had to make a few basic assumptions.

First, I’m using a cost of $0.0015 per gallon for the water. I obtained this estimate from offline research materials provided by the American Water Works Association. This means that 1,000 gallons of tap water will cost you about $1.50.

Second, I did usage counts in our own home in order to make calculations. I basically assumed that my own family is the “average American family,” in other words.

Putting a plastic bottle in your toilet tank.
The average home toilet tank uses roughly a gallon and a half of water per flush, though older toilets often use substantially more. When you flush, this water goes straight down the bowl, costing you roughly two-tenths of a cent.

However, for almost all flushes, one does not need nearly that much water to expel the contents of the bowl. The solution often prescribed for this unnecessary water usage is to take a plastic soda bottle, fill it with water (and perhaps a few pebbles to weight it down), then put that bottle into your tank. This reduces the amount of water in the tank at all times and thus reduces the total amount of water your toilet uses.

How much does this actually save? Let’s say you put in a 20 ounce soda bottle into your tank, which is 0.16 gallons. This would reduce your average flush from 1.5 gallons down to 1.34 gallons of water used.

How many times do you flush? I did a count at our home and counted a total of sixteen flushes over a day-long period at our home (two adults, two children).

Using that metric, putting a bottle in our tank would save us 2.56 gallons of water per day. Over the course of a full year, that’s 934.4 gallons saved. In dollars and cents, that bottle would save us $1.40 a year.

Is it worth doing? Considering it’s something you can do in a minute and that it lasts for years and years, it’s probably worth the time. There’s no real downside to it, either - for virtually all flushes, the small fraction of water saved will make no difference at all. For us, it was a no brainer - we did it.

Installing a low-flow shower head.
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission reports that a normal shower uses 8.5 gallons of water per minute. In comparison, a low-flow showerhead uses (depending on the model) 1 to 3 gallons of water per minute. Our home currently has a mix of normal flow and low flow heads.

I asked around for a recommendation for a low-flow shower head and a friend pointed me toward an Alsons 657CBX - which allows you to switch between 1.85 and 2.5 gallons per minute. The plumber liked this model because, as he put it, some people don’t like the low flow setting but enjoy the higher flow one. The model costs $25 via Amazon and is easy to install.

So, what do real-world showering times look like? Over the course of a week, I estimated that there were thirteen showers taken in our home, averaging twelve minutes in length per shower, a figure that my wife concurred was “reasonable.” This adds up to 156 minutes of showering in a week and, thus, over the course of a week, the shower head above will save us 1037.4 gallons of water (assuming we are replacing a high-flow showerhead). That adds up to a savings of about $81 per year!

However, there are some drawbacks here. First, replacing the shower head in your home might not save you that much water. If your initial shower head is reasonably efficient, your savings won’t be that tremendous. Second, low flow showers can be unappealing to some bathers. I don’t mind them (except for washing my hair, which takes a bit longer), but others can be frustrated by them.

My suggestion? Don’t get an ultra low flow showerhead. It can be worthwhile to get a lower flow showerhead - and it can save you significant money, indeed - but don’t jump on board the lowest flow head you can find or it may seriously degrade the quality of your showers.

Taking “on the clock” showers.
For a long while, I got in the habit of taking very brief showers. I used a timer and established a routine of taking five minute showers, shaving seven minutes from my shower time. Now, I don’t worry about it quite as much - I take quick showers if I need the time, but quite often I take showers around ten minutes in length.

So, let’s say you’re able to shave two minutes off o

SOCKS

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Broom Buddy

CRAYONS

Crayon Cupcakes

Candy Crayons

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SHOES

ELECTRONICS

WOMEN’S CLOTHING

MEN’S CLOTHING

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