February 2009

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Quick Energy Saving Tips for Empty Rooms

February 27, 2009 in Save Energy, Save Money by Jennifer | No comments

We all know that we should turn off the lights when we leave a room. However, there’s more you could be doing in order to save energy on empty rooms.

Close off the vents in unused or less used rooms of your house.

Make sure the doors aren’t leaking cool air into your home via a large bottom opening. If you can feel cold air coming into your home from an empty room, place a towel or a made to order door draft stopper like the one below.

In unused rooms with fireplaces make sure you close the damper.

In empty or less used rooms close the drapes or blinds so that less cool air comes inside, which can result in air leaking under the door and into your used rooms.

Unplug items in underused rooms – i.e. lamps and TVs.

Easy Ways to Save Some Green – Green Living Skills

February 26, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

There are plenty of simple ways to go green at home. Many of these options can save you two kinds of green; eco-green and a little cash. Some ideas…

Love on some ladybugs: Ladybugs rock; and not just because they’re so darn adorable. Just one little ladybug in your garden will eat loads of pesky aphids; (about 5,000 per year). This greatly reduces the amount of pest-fighting chemicals you need in your garden.

Turn off the shower water while you shampoo: This one small step can save you up to 50 gallons of water per year.

Eat at least five organic meals a week: According to various sources, if all the people in North America ate organic all the time we could reduce our annual pesticide use by about 10 million+ pounds. Holy right!? Even if you’re not going totally organic, you can reduce quite a lot of pesticide use in the U.S. by eating organic most of the time. Learn to read labels so you can make smarter organic choices.

Sign up for daily green tips: Ideal bite offers easy daily tips that can help you keep it green.

Recycle and reuse: Learn to make your own paper, switch to cloth napkins, organize your recycling, or simply learn how to recycle in your own community. You don’t have to do it all, but you should be doing at least some recycling in your home and using some non-disposable items.

New Ways to Solve Indoor Air Pollution

February 26, 2009 in Air Quality by Jennifer | 1 comment

Indoor air pollution is fairly common. Here at Best Green Home Tips, we’ve looked at many ways to keep the air in your home clean and healthy. To catch up, read…

Today, some extra tips that can help keep your home green and your indoor air clean.

Be an Apple user: I’m actually a PC girl, but Apple computers are free of PBDE which makes them a green step above if you can go that route.

Use a cloth shower liner: Vinyl shower liners suck to keep clean and worse can release icky chemicals into your home air and in some people these chemicals can even cause allergic reactions.

Opt out of dry cleaning: Dry cleaning, in most cases, is super bad for your health and the earth’s well-being. If possible only buy fabrics and home items that you can clean yourself. If that’s impossible, go with a greener dry cleaning option. Also read, “Green” Dry Cleaners to Be Leery Of.

Don’t forget your pets:  Most people don’t consider their pets when it comes to greening their home, but your dog’s bed may be releasing chemicals if you haven’t gone organic. That said, a good dog bed can do double duty for your air quality. Dog and cat beds capture a lot of dander and if you go organic (or buy beds made with natural materials) the bed won’t release chemicals found in conventional cotton.

Some healthy pet bed options: Read the rest of this entry »

Live simply for a better, greener life

February 25, 2009 in Community, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

Living simply is not all that complicated, but it can take effort. Simple living is basically learning to live happily on less stuff. Learning to enjoy people over things. Trying to live more of life in nature and reconnecting to what matters. Of course there’s a lot more to simple living than what I wrote above (we’d be here all day). For more tips on what simple living is and is not read one or all of the following…

Why is simple living green?

It limits the possessions you own, thus cutting your footprint and saves both energy and resources.

It connects you with both nature and community – both of these connections are necessary for people who care about the planet. You can’t hope to protect the earth and it’s members if you aren’t invested.

It allows you to live sustainably naturally as you look for other options (i.e. non-money, simple options) over the typical American goal of having more, more, more.

It incorporates healthy living and lifestyle choices which gears your thinking toward issues like eco-exercise, organic food, and healthy body and natural cleaning choices.

Are you living simply – or is life sort of bogging you down?

How To Choose Greener Body Products

February 24, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | 4 comments

When considering how to green your home, it pays to check out your bathroom habits. Body care products can cramp your green style in a major way, such as…

  • Many cosmetics and body care items are tested on animals.
  • Many of these products are over-packaged and often their packaging can’t even be properly recycled.
  • Most contain chemicals, artificial colors, weird fragrances, and more that you don’t need on your body or let out into our water supply.
  • Many antiperspirants contain aluminum salts; which yes makes them work (they clog your pores – thus blocking icky smells) but they’ve also been linked to health problems like Alzheimer’s.

To green up your beauty & body care routine try the following… Read the rest of this entry »

How to choose the best green grill – eco-friendly barbecue

February 23, 2009 in Outdoor Living by Jennifer | 1 comment

We’ve been looking at earth friendly barbecue ideas – yes it is almost spring. In case you need to catch up read…

Now, what about how to choose the best green grill? Grills overall are actually more earth-friendly than cooking in your kitchen. Many grills cook fast and beyond that have less of an impact than other stuff we do (think leaving the tv on, driving, etc.). However, you can be extra mindful and choose the greenest grill option possible.

There are various options when it comes to grills – gas grills (propane or natural gas), charcoal grills, wood fire grills (or just cooking over an open fire basically), solar grills, and electric grills. Solar is your hands down most eco-friendly choice, and currently, there are many options for solar cookers. They may not all grill as perfectly or as grillish as your typical barbecue, but they get the job done and have a low footprint.

Natural gas is your second best option (for the planet). Natural gas obviously has its own issues (um, offshore drilling) but in a purely eco-sense, it’s more friendly than say, electric.

Charcoal and wood are the least earth-friendly of all your grill choices, although, lately some charcoal and grill briquette options have emerged that are noted for being more eco-friendly than the typical charcoal. Keep in mind though, by eco-friendly, I mean only slightly more so – overall, all charcoal and briquette options release soot and toxins into the air which is not healthy for you or the planet.

Solar grill options and ideas:

Solar-powered barbecue

Build A Solar Cooker

Solar oven

Extra gear – Solar-Powered Barbecue Light

What sort of outdoor barbecue have you been using?

Green Barbecue Accessories

February 23, 2009 in Outdoor Living by Jennifer | 2 comments

Last week we started looking at green grilling in, How Earth Friendly is Your Backyard Barbecue?

Today we’ll look at some green barbecue accessory options.

Solar Grill Read the rest of this entry »

How Earth Friendly is Your Backyard Barbecue?

February 20, 2009 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink, Outdoor Living by Jennifer | No comments

With spring coming up fast, you may be thinking about grilling and backyard barbecue fun. But, how green is a barbecue? If you have one are you single handily killing the planet?

Eco-issues of barbecues – how to green your cookout:

According to CNN, “The carbon footprint of backyard grilling is not that significant compared to what people do in their everyday lives. Lights, TVs, cars, these are much more significant than grilling.” Which is good news. If you love barbecues, make sure you stay green in other areas to offset the issue.

You can green your grilling experience by grilling with gas or charcoal  – both better than gas or electric. Later we’ll look at some greener grill option.

Buy organic – organic meats for sure (there are tons o’ pesticides in conventional meats), get organic brew to drink, in season seafood, and organic veggies to grill too. Also think local. Locally bought food supports the economy and offsets long transport energy issues.

Use real plates, silverware, cups, and cloth napkins. Disposables are icky for the earth and frankly, don’t hold food as well. IF you must use disposables, use items made from easy to compost and biodegradable materials (corn starch and potato starch or 100% recycled for example.)

Don’t use toxins to fight bugs at your cookouts. DEET, the main component in most bug repellents is bad for your health and the earth. Use natural options.

Next up some other green barbecue tips to get you prepped for spring – from grills to organic recipes and more.

Two Quick Green Laundry Tips – Eco-laundry

February 19, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

Two icky chemical laundry issues are bleach and fabric softener. You don’t truly need either.

To soften clothing, add 1/4 cup baking soda to the final rinse cycle. If you can stand the scent, some people swear by adding a cup or so of basic vinegar to the final rinse. Being that I hate the smell of vinegar, I stick to baking soda. If you really like fabric softener, try a natural fabric softener.

For non-bleach whitening solutions read the following:

Five easy no-fuss ways to go green at home

February 19, 2009 in Green Your Home, Quick Green Home & Garden Tips by Jennifer | No comments

You don’t need dramatics to go green. You can, in fact, take some small steps to green your home. All the small steps you try can add up to big eco-changes.

Install light sensors: Installing light sensors in all your rooms means that when people leave, the lights go out  and you save energy and cash.

Give up juice boxes: Juice boxes, a perpetual kitchen favorite of kids are not so earth-friendly. Even if you can recycle them, there’s manufacturing and shipping to consider. Try a reusable juice container instead like the leak-proof kid-sized Sigg bottles.

Wash your hands right: Switch out your toss away plastic hand soap containers and purchase some refillable hand soap pumps. Most co-ops and natural grocery stores carry bulk hand soap. Or you can make some.

Clean your coils: Cleaning your fridge coils just once yearly can allow your fridge to run 10%+ more efficiently.

Buy big bathroom items: If you don’t buy bulk bathroom items (i.e. shampoo, conditioner, etc) then buy the largest size possible. This technique is especially important with items like toothpaste – which can’t really be bought in bulk. If you have to buy a tube of plastic, it’s better to buy the larger size which eliminates two+ smaller sizes.

Which small steps is your household taking to stay green?

Cloth Napkin Pros – Green Home Reusable Cloth Napkins

February 19, 2009 in Eco Kitchen, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | No comments

This week we’re taking a look at cloth napkins. So far we’ve discussed basics of why you need to use cloth napkins, and looked at some places where you can get some for your home.

Now for some pros:

  • Cloth napkins feel better and work better than paper napkins.
  • Cloth napkins are very cost efficient. Even if you buy a super nice set, cloth napkins will still save you money over paper napkins.
  • Cloth napkins are much healthier for the earth than paper napkins or paper towels. Paper napkins not only create waste because they’re made with paper, but they also come in wasteful packaging, take gas to ship, and are extremely hard to recycle.
  • Cloth napkins last forever and serve other purposes. While paper napkins are a use and toss product, cloth napkins can be used to death, then switched over to cleaning rags. I still have good cloth napkins from over five years ago. My now scrappy and unusable napkins are used for dusting and cleaning. Pretty soon they’re going to biodegrade right at my house they’re used so much.
  • Cloth napkins are NOT that much more work. To keep them looking good throw them in a wash when you do a load of cold delicate items. If you don’t care if they lose a little color, toss them in with any load of laundry.
  • Cloth napkins, contrary to popular belief are still better for the environment than paper, even though it takes water and energy to wash them. Cloth napkins are so small – even if you have a big family, cloth napkins will only run you about one load of wash per week. If you wash on cold, hang dry, and use eco-friendly laundry soap, they just don’t add up to the same eco-badness as paper napkins.

Are you still using paper napkins?

Where in the heck can you find cloth napkins?

February 18, 2009 in Eco Kitchen, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | 3 comments

In the last post I had myself a little rant about how My family (and maybe your family) are killing trees in one fast swoop. I.E the cloth napkin vs. paper napkin rant. In any case, there are loads of cloth napkins on the market. AND they’re at all price ranges. There is no reason ever to use paper.

Where are all the cloth napkins…

  • Thrift stores.
  • Department stores.
  • Trendy eco-stores.
  • Antique sales.
  • Ask for them on your wedding (or other) registry.
  • Make some.

Some options… Read the rest of this entry »

My family (and maybe your family) are killing trees in one fast swoop

February 17, 2009 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle, Save Money by Jennifer | 2 comments

The other night I went to a family dinner at my dad’s house. There were maybe 15 people there. We had pizza (good), salad (good), ice cream cake (even better) and LOADS of paper napkins. Oh my.

At my own house, all we use are cloth napkins. We’ve never used paper napkins, and we don’t even use paper towels. I was a little shocked about all the paper napkin use at dinner the other night, and almost considered wiping my hands on my jeans just to cut down on the excess. On a given day, (not a family dinner night) there are still about 5-8 random people at my dad’s. If you do the lowest math that’s about 5 people x’s three meals and snacks a day. That’s possibly:

  • 20 paper napkins a day.
  • 140 paper napkins a week.
  • 7,280 paper napkins a year! For ONE household. Not to mention the family dinners.

Wow right?

How many trees is that affecting? Let’s use a basic bulk pack of Bounty Quilted Napkins, 100-Napkin Packages (Pack of 20) for our calculations. If you buy in bulk, that’s about 12 pounds of paper napkins. In my family, you’d need about 3.5+ bulk packs for the year.

Semi-fuzzy math calculations: Read the rest of this entry »

Sustainable Paper for Your Home Office

February 17, 2009 in Home Office, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | No comments

I recently read that Americans use about 580 pounds of paper per year. That is a ton of paper and tree waste if you’re using new virgin fiber paper and not recycling.

Easy tips for more sustainable paper use:

Switch to a mostly paperless office – use your computer calender, electronic fax, pay bills online, and don’t print out emails. Cut paper use wherever you can.

If you have to print, make sure you REALLY need to print. For example, as a writer, I can’t proof on my computer, it just doesn’t work as well for me as a print out and a red pen. However, I know this about myself, so I make sure I’m close to an end proof draft before I print out copies. I never say, print out a first draft.

When you do print, use both sides of the paper.

When you do print out something unimportant (say like my proof drafts I mentioned above) use old scrappy paper you’ve got laying around. You’re the only one who is going to see it.

Recycle all your paper after it’s been used.

Buy the best eco-friendly paper. You want to look for 100% post consumer waste paper, chlorine-free paper, acid-free paper, and paper with smart eco-packaging (soy inks, paper not plastic, and so on).  You can snag some earth-friendly paper from the following companies:

NOTE: Even places like Office Depot and other mainstream office stores carry recycled content paper nowadays, so if you don’t want to shop online, you still can find eco-paper.

Learn more!

How are you greening your home office? Do you recycle all your paper?

Early Organic Gardening Planning – Fast Green Gardens

February 16, 2009 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | No comments

If you’re planning an organic garden for spring, I hope you’ve been gathering ideas for non-toxic, healthy landscaping. If not here are a few eco-garden starter ideas.

Make your own non-toxic weed killer: Mix 1 ounce orange oil and 1 teaspoon liquid soap (I’d use natural) with 1 gallon of 10% white vinegar. Put some in a spray bottle and use it to spot spray weeds that pop up. Shake well before use.

Start collecting egg cartons: Use these for seed starting vs. plastic cups. You can also try composting or biodegradable seed starting pots.

Plan for crop rotation: Crop rotation is important for an organic garden. This keeps soil at a fertile level and inhibits disease and insects. So, if you’ve been planting your lettuce and carrots in the same places year after year, this season, sit down with a notepad and sketch out a new planting plan.

Save your coffee grounds: During the planting season you can sprinkle used organic coffee grounds into the soil to both enrich the soil content and keep pests like slugs and snails away. You can use non-organic, but organic is better due to the rich mineral content.

Get a better bag for leaves and debris: Snag some 100% biodegradable cornstarch-based leaf bags to gather the leaves and other debris from your yard then toss it straight into the compost bin.

Need more organic garden ideas?

What’s Fresh and Green Around the Web

February 16, 2009 in News by Jennifer | No comments

We haven’t had any link love in a while. I think today is good day for this – since it’s a nice holiday for most of you and so on.

Here’s what fresh around the green web… (ok, what I think is fresh around the green web)

8 Ways to Green Your Home Closets

February 14, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

Closets are sometimes overlooked, but you can actually score major eco-points using smart green closet ethics.

Some ideas for a greener closet…

  1. Ditch toxic moth balls (who likes these anyhow?) instead use airtight plastic bins to store clothing and keep it safe. The plastic is not so eco-friendly, but so long as you use it to death, it’s a better deal than moth balls. You can also try a cedar chest; although the lids aren’t quite so good.
  2. Buy organic, hemp, and other natural, non-toxic clothing items.
  3. Go vegan with your shoes.
  4. For a nice closet scent try cedar blocks or lavender bags.
  5. Buy thrift store or other used clothing or hold a clothing swap with pals.
  6. Read Big Green Purse to learn handy tips about making your clothing last longer (and lots more green goodies).
  7. Buy decent closet organizers. You can purchase cheap plastic and cloth organizers and racks, but, in the long run, investing in a quality, long-lasting closet organizer is the greener choice.
  8. Use eco-hangers.

Can you think of any other ways to green your closets?

Love the Earth this Valentine’s Day – 15 Easy Green Living Ideas

February 14, 2009 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

It’s all good and fine to give organic flowers and Fair Trade chocolates, but if you really want to make an impact, choose some green minded goals this Valentine’s Day and follow through.

Here are 20 EASY green ideas you can commit to that will make the earth happy this Valentine’s Day…

  1. Have sweeter, less toxic dreams by choosing organic beds and bedding.
  2. Create a dedicated home recycling area.
  3. Salt Your Oven
  4. Take a three minute quiz to save water and support a great cause.
  5. Learn to enjoy earthworms.
  6. Quit cleaning with bleach already!
  7. Before you next go shopping ask yourself some green shopping questions.
  8. Choose earth friendly beverages.
  9. Green your toilet paper.
  10. If it’s time for a new phone, recycle your old cell phone.
  11. No yard space? Get a cool Urban Kitchen Compost Bin.
  12. Cancel all that junk mail.
  13. Get your kiddos involved with all of the above green ideas.
  14. Wash Less Laundry.
  15. Boil some cinnamon – ummm, spicy house.

Do you have any green plans this Valentine’s Day?

Where to Stash Your Plastic Grocery Bags

February 13, 2009 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | No comments

Hopefully you’re using reusable grocery bags when you’re out shopping. Reusable bags are far more eco-friendly than plastic toss-away bags. However, if you’re not using cloth bags, the least you can do is reuse those plastic bags you bring home.

One thing that makes reusing plastic bags easier is having a smart storage area for them, then you won’t be tossing them in the trash. Some ideas…

upright bag holder

Stainless Steel Grocery Bag Holder

Hold-A-Bag Grocery Bag Holder

Don’t forget, after you’ve used your plastic bags to the extreme, make sure you recycle them.

Homemade Organic Fragrant Room Spray

February 13, 2009 in Air Quality, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

Homemade organic fragrant room spray is a great alternative to chemical laden (and sometimes costly) conventional air fresheners. If you don’t normally keep essential oils around, the start up costs of making homemade air freshener can seem more expensive than buying a ready made bottle, BUT keep in mind that one little bottle of essential oil will last forever and goes a really long way.

Here are two easy recipes you can make at home:

Organic grapefruit lavender room spray Read the rest of this entry »

Are Microwaves Eco-friendly?

February 11, 2009 in Eco Kitchen, Save Energy by Jennifer | 1 comment

Microwaves can be eco-friendly; if you use them properly.

Eco-perks:

  • Cook faster than the oven or stove (in most cases). Thus saves energy.
  • Uses less energy overall than an oven or stove (if you’re cooking for the same amount of time).
  • Microwaves are recyclable.
  • Microwaves are not emitting toxic heat waves into your kitchen and home. Although, in the past, microwaves have been followed around by rumors of radiation attacks, this is no longer an issue. The FDA currently continually runs tests on microwave brands and also notes that as of right now, none on the market are a problem. I do always like a little grain of salt with my FDA, but overall new microwaves are safe. (see below).

Eco-cons:

  • If you microwave plastic containers bad chemicals can be released into your kitchen. You can avoid this by using good eco-friendly food containers vs. plastic.
  • Can zap nutrients if you cook food too long. This is not exactly an eco-problem, but if you pay for organic veggies, why zap them to death? Make sure you cook for short time periods.
  • Most people leave their microwaves plugged in because of the handy clock. Unplug your microwave when its not in use for maximum energy savings.
  • Older microwaves can be a hazard. Not only have older models been shown to leak radiation, but they’re not as energy efficient as newer models. It’s not worth the $5 you’ll save to buy an old one – just go new.

How to choose the best green mattress and pillows for your bedroom

February 11, 2009 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

In the last post we looked at why it’s best to choose green bedding, mattresses, and pillows. In this post, tips for choosing your mattress and pillows. If you’re looking for tips about other bedding, read How To Choose Earth-Friendly Bedding and Organic Cotton for the Bedroom.

How to choose a good green mattress and pillow:

Green mattresses come in all flavors. You want to look for certified organic materials, wool, and non-treatment with chemicals. Overall, you’ve got plenty of choices such as:

Most of the places that sell green mattresses will have healthy green pillows available as well. For more shopping help, check out the green mattress shopping guide and this guide to eco-pillows.

Consider packaging and shipping as well. If you’re going to go green – don’t half-a** it. Make sure the packaging for your products are made with recycled or recyclable materials and buy local whenever possible.

Costs vary A LOT on green mattresses and pillows. While there is something for everyone, no matter your budget, it’s not as easy to find a great price on a earth friendly mattress as it is a conventional one. You really need to plan your budget and research options to snag the best deal.

Keetsa is a great place to start your search for a greener bed – the folks there not only offer great bedding info, but run an informative eco-blog and are overall cool folks. You can also look at Green America’s green mattress and bedding pages.

Why Choose A Green Bed Mattress and Pillow

February 10, 2009 in Air Quality, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Green bedding is a huge deal because we spend about a third of our lives in bed. Some of us probably spend even more time in bed :)

This is a major reason why you should go green with all your bedding, including the main components – your mattress and pillows.

Perks of choosing an eco-friendly mattress and pillow:

Conventional cotton can be jam packed with pesticides and even insecticides. You don’t want to sleep on that.

Many of the synthetic fabrics and materials used in conventional mattresses and pillows are made with non-renewable petroleum products. These products are often further treated with chemicals that can, over time, emit icky junk into the air (and into your peaceful dreams).

Conventional bed items are made with some major flame retardant baddies. Yes, no one wants to burn alive, but flame retardant materials like the ones used in conventional mattresses and pillows are overly bad for your health. The combustible-happy petroleum materials used to make conventional bed items is why the mattress and pillows need treated anyhow.The most common flame retardants are PBDEs and has been shown to pollute both the planet and our bodies. PBDEs have been noted as a possible prerequisite to birth defects, decreased sperm counts, motor skill problems, and more.

All of the above not only can cause problems in your home (added toxicity, chemicals in the air, and health issues) but also are dangerous for the people who manufacture these products.

All in all, conventional mattresses and pillow spell big trouble for your health and your green home. Coming up, how to choose a greener mattress and pillow, and some more facts about healthy green bedrooms.

Do you know what’s in your mattress?

Cancel Your Random Catalogs

February 10, 2009 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | 1 comment

Everyone is always talking about stopping the insane influx of junk mail, but catalogs are a better place to start.

Why?

Catalogs aren’t simple junk mail – catalogs are HUGE mounds of paper that most of use don’t need or read.

One source notes that 17 billion catalogs were distributed in the United States in 1998 and that 3.35 million tons of paper were used for catalogs in 1999. Catalogs have become more and more prevalent in recent years – you do the math.

Often catalogs are made up of glossy paper that’s not recycled or as easily recyclable as plain old paper.

Nowadays you can find almost anything you might find in paper catalog online instead.

What to do:

  1. Head over to Catalog Choice.
  2. Catalog Choice is a free service that helps you to limit what ends up in your your mailbox.
  3. You sign up, choose which catalogs you’d like to stop and then the company contacts the catalog providers on your behalf, requesting that you don’t get anymore of their catalogs.

Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center. It’s endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Do you need the catalogs that come to your house? Why or why not?

Attractive Recycling Bins for Your Home

February 7, 2009 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | No comments

In the last post we looked at some key points surrounding your ideal home recycling center. In this post, I’ve got some nice looking bins that will help you sort out the trash from the recycling, but won’t compromise your decor.

Simplehuman is rocking the recycling bin market. They have some of the best looking bins I’ve ever seen. This will cost you a little more than plain old plastic, but your decor will thank you. Three good choices include the fingerprint-proof rectangular recycler (seen above) or the pretty and modern front load recycler bins and the pullout recycler (seen below). Read the rest of this entry »

Create Your Dedicated Home Recycling Area

February 7, 2009 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | 2 comments

One way to control your trash is to stock up on smaller garbage cans for your home. Another is to set up a decent recycling center in your house.

Key points:

Set up your recycling area in a high traffic part of the house. Recycling bins on the porch or in the garage will get used less frequently. The kitchen is ideal.

Make sure you have enough bins for your local recycling center. Some cities need you to separate plastics from cans, others don’t care. In Humboldt I had to separate cardboard from paper, but here in OR you can toss those in together. Read about Recycling in Your Community.

If you have kids, make sure they know which bin is which. If you have small kids (pre-readers) you can tape a visual to the bin, such a picture of a soup can.

Aim for attractive and easy to move. Unless you have a dedicated area; such as an in-drawer recycling unit, you may want to move your bins at some point. Attractive bins just ensure that you won’t hide them away. And yes, there are attractive recycling bins. In the next post we’ll look at some.

Do you have a dedicated recycling area?

Cell Phones vs. Landlines for Energy Saving

February 6, 2009 in Green Your Home, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle, Save Energy by Jennifer | 1 comment

Today, most of the people I know have cells. Many don’t even have landline phones anymore. However, some people I know have both.

Is this a wise use of energy and resources? Or should you ditch the landline phone?

Eco cons of landlines:

  • Landlines use more energy. Most need to stay plugged in 24/7; even cordless, because of the charger. Leaving anything plugged in drains energy resources.
  • Landline phones are tough to recycle. Some parts can be, but in many cases, you’ll be hard pressed to find a decent recycling center for basic phones.

Eco cons of cell phones

  • Cell phone batteries, for the most part are not eco-friendly. Some companies are working on more eco-friendly phones though.
  • Cell phones are outdated quickly and don’t last as long as most landlines.
  • Cell phones are lost often – another way cell phones cause waste.

The upsides:

Landlines don’t have those toxic batteries, and last a long time. Cell phone recycling programs are becoming very common, and they’re easy to find. Cell phones also use fewer materials to make, and can be unplugged plus charge quickly, using less energy.

What to do:

Some estimate that landlines will soon be obsolete anyhow, which is something to consider. Another fact is that you really don’t need both. If you already have both, it’s probably a smarter eco-choice to ditch the landline. The flip side is if you’re concerned about cell phones causing cancer. This is up for debate, but something to consider. If you’re worried, and having a landline will ease your concerns, it may be healthier stress-wise to have both and only use your cell on the go.

Do you have both landlines and cells in your family? Have you considered ditching one?

Does It Waste Energy To Turn Lights Off?

February 5, 2009 in Save Energy by Jennifer | 1 comment

You always hear that you shouldn’t run around flipping lights on and off because that act wastes energy. Does it though? Should you leave lights on rather than turn them off if you’re only leaving the room for a minute or two?

You should turn off the lights whenever you’re not in a room. Bulb lifespans are shortened by flicking them on and off, but not enough to make it worth your while to leave the light on. You’ll save more money by saving energy – i.e. turning off the light will lower your electric bill considerably.

For things like computers you don’t need to turn them off if you’re only stepping away for a minute, but you should power it down. Program your computer to sleep if you walk away for a bit. If you know you’re going to walk away for more than an hour, I’d turn it off.

All in all, when it comes to lights turn them off. It’s doesn’t waste bulbs significantly or power to do so. When it comes to other electronic items, turn them off and unplug, unless like a computer they have power down and sleep settings.

Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Are Shoes an Eco No No?

February 3, 2009 in Air Quality, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Your shoes may be vegan, they may be made with recycled soles, they may even be made by a totally ethical company, but when you get right down to it, your shoes may be waging war on your green home.

Quick step: Take your shoes off at home.

Why?: Research shows that shoes drag in way more eco-baddies than we think. From pesticides to chemicals whatever is on your shoes comes inside with you and gets tracked all over your house.

Other tips:

  • During the summer taking off your shoes is more important. Summertime shoes have been shown to be worse offenders. During the summer pesticides used outdoors are at their peak, and more of these chemicals make it onto your shoes.
  • Having hardwood, clay, or tile floors reducers your exposure. Carpets, not so eco-friendly on their own, become worse when shoes walk all over them. Studies show it’s almost impossible to clean out dust, pesticides and chemicals from carpets – no matter how often you clean.
  • Keeping the above in mind, a rug or mat outside your door will help to limit the junk you carry inside, because the door mat collects some of the pesticides.
  • It’s also important to improve your overall indoor air quality which can help to combat the stuff you bring in on your shoes.
  • If you hate going shoeless, keep slippers or house shoes by your front door. You can change once you arrive.
  • Don’t forget the kids – they walk where you walk. Their shoes may be small, but they cause the same risk.

Do you go shoeless at home?

Choose the Greenest Plants for Home Landscaping

February 3, 2009 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 4 comments

You can plant almost anything when it comes to landscaping – BUT that doesn’t mean you should plant any old thing. Part of using environmental landscaping for your home means focusing on plants that make sense for your location and site. Right now is a great time to consider which plants to choose – before you buy organic seeds or plant starts.

Why bother choosing the correct plants?

  • Your landscape and garden environment is more likely to thrive on its own. This cuts down on evasive care and nurturing.
  • You’ll reduce fertilizer, water, and pesticide use if you choose plants that naturally thrive in your specific environment.
  • Your plants will attract the helpful bugs, birds, and butterflies you want in in your garden and eliminate the pests you don’t want around. Native plants are much better at this task than weird non-site specific plants.

Tips for choosing the right plants:

I suggest starting at your local nursery. The folks at a local site know the area, know the weather, and know the water. A pro can help you find the best native plants and flowers.

Read Heat-Zone Gardening: How to Choose Plants That Thrive in Your Region’s Warmest Weather. This book will help you choose plants that will thrive in your area and is not only handy for warm weather regions but everywhere.

Better Homes & Gardens has an extensive regional gardening section, as does the National Gardening Association, and Gardenplace.com. You can also use basic Plant Hardiness Maps. All of the above resources allow you to make smart plant decisions – i.e find the best plants for your landscaping needs that cause the lowest eco-impact.

Tree Planting Where You Live can help you decide which trees to include in your landscaping plans.

What’s your gardening region? Does your region make it harder to plant what you like?

Green Valentine’s Sweets, Treats, and Eco-Flowers

February 2, 2009 in Holiday, Organics by Jennifer | No comments

Looking for a nice assortment of sweets, treats, and flowers that offer traditional Valentine’s Day flavor, but also allow you to keep your green ethics in tact? You’re in luck because I’ve got a ton of goodies for you…

Ooo la la, organic flowers…

  1. Endless Love Tulips
  2. Lavender Lovers Gift Box
  3. Red and Pink Anemone
  4. Shades of Love Rose Bouquet
  5. Everlasting Love Wreath

Treats! Read the rest of this entry »

Last Minute Eco-Valentine’s Gifts for Green Friends

February 2, 2009 in Holiday by Jennifer | 1 comment

We’re coming up at the end of shipping dates for Valentine’s Day – so today we better see some gifts. We’ll look at some home-minded items, being that this is a home-minded blog. The first gift idea above are charming Recycled Tin Words – actually say I love you all year round with this pretty mismatched recycled tin wall decor.

The above gift – the Green Box is not very hearts and pink but it is very earth-lovin’ which makes it the perfect Valentine for someone looking to live green. The Green Box comes with:

  • Bamboo Cutting Board
  • The Green Book
  • Reusable Travel Mug
  • Energy Saving Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb
  • Envirosax Reusable Bag
  • Sun and Earth All Natural Liquid Hand Soap
  • Bamboo Box

A great green starter kit.

Or maybe you want something more traditional Valentine… Read the rest of this entry »