new year's resolutions...

i've been thinking about this for the last few days... and, while i already do a decent bit to try to lower my ecological footprint, there are always more (and more and... ) actions i can take...

so to my resolutions this year (and if you catch me slacking, tell me! :)

--purchase produce that is grown locally (start working my way toward the 100-mile diet).
--replace one major appliance with a more energy-efficient model by the end of 07.
--get power strips for the kitchen appliances and tv, etc. and remember to shut em off when not in use!
--replace outdoor garden lighting with solar-powered lighting.

if you're looking for ideas, there are all sorts of baby-step actions you can take, such as...
--get out of the "paper or plastic?" vortex and buy reusable shopping bags.
--work with your company to see if telecommuting once or twice a week is an option.
--buying locally grown/organic products.

--if you pee your pants from laughing too hard, don't get caught on film (love ya, mare!).

happy new year, all!

those pesky plastics

ok. i don't know about you, but i get confused by all the different kinds of plastics used in food packaging... and how many of 'em are actually recyclable (sorry the chart looks sucky)...

most recycling programs accept plastics #1 through #4 (although that seems to be changing!), which include:
--soda and water bottles
--peanut butter jars
--shampoo bottles
--milk jugs
--film plastic (grocery and dry cleaning bags)
--narrow-neck bottles




most do not accept:
--cottage cheese tubs
--yogurt containers
--margarine tubs
--fast food containers
--toys
--garbage bags

while i'm not a fast-food kinda gal, and i'm not sure what kind of maroon would try to put toys in the recycling bin, i am a MAJOR consumer of cottage cheese and yogurt... so why aren't these accepted?

well, they're made of #5 plastics (aka polypropylene), which is too labor-intensive (not to mention costly) to be of interest to most companies. so does that make no. 5 plastics evil?

oddly enough, not really...

#5 plastics are durable and much lighter than other plastics, which makes them easier and more environmentally friendly to transport.

stonyfield farms has oodles of research on its site to support its choice to continue to use #5, rather than convert to more recycle-friendly #2 plastics. in addition, it encourages its consumers to send back used (but clean, please) containers to be turned into preserve products - from tableware (which i love), to razors and toothbrushes. works for me!

other companies, like nancy's have made the move to #2 plastics, but it also encourages reuse of its containers, which pretty much rocks my socks, as i'm all about reusing... you can...

--use old yogurt containers to store leftovers or to pack lunches.
--cut the bottom out of a yogurt container and place it around delicate plants to protect them in the spring.
--make your own herb garden: put hole in bottom, add large rock, soil and seed.
--store crayons or small hair clips, rubber bands and barrettes.

but if you end up with a backlog of containers, you can send them back to nancy's and the company will make sure they're recycled.

so what's the takeaway from all this? find out what your plastics your city's recycler will accept. shop smart and take an extra moment to check out what kind of packaging your food products are in... generally avoid plastic and other petroleum-based packaging... and, if one of your favvy companies (like alta dena... hint, hint) doesn't offer #2 or the option to return, write them and tell them to get on the stick!

discardia... absolutely bitchin' holiday(s)

you may be sick of "the holdays" (i know i am), but methinks there's room for this sweet little ditty.

no familial obligations... no monetary expenditure... you don't have to be "nice" to anyone... and it will leave you feeling a bit lighter.

NO, it's not high colonic day -- it's discardia!

so what the hell is discardia? discardia is a floating holiday to celebrate letting go -- of STUFF, that physical and/or emotional baggage... all the shit that weighs us down (and, even worse, ends up reinforcing our *need* for all this crud...)

started in 2002, discardia takes place in the time between the soltices and equinoxes and their following new moons. check out the current/upcoming dates.

this is frigging brilliant! and, as the cheese gods know, bigger isn't better! (man, i like cheese.)

clean dishes with no pesky chemicals

i admit. i was a doubter when i picked up this stuff. i tried some eco-friendly cleaning products a few years ago and was totally put off by their lack of... well... cleaning power (having to handwash dishes fresh out of the washer kinda defeats the purpose, si?)

fortunately, natural cleaning products have improved dramatically over last couple of years, and bi-o-kleen has a great line of natural, non-toxic and (so far) effective home cleaning products. hooray!

anyhoo, point is... this stuff works beautifully; is concentrated, so it lasts a good while; is reasonably priced; is biodegradable and ozone-safe; and is phosphate- and chlorine-free.

you can buy it online at www.drugstore.com, among others sites, but it's available at most natural food stores...

holiday clean-up... ugh!

just a few ideas for cleaning up this holiday season before it comes to a whimpering close... (whimper, whimper)

--giving/getting a new computer this year? don't toss your outdated hardware into the trash! find a local computer recycler at earth911.org.

--if you don't know what to do with all the holiday cards you received or your now outdated calendars, consider donating them to resource area for teachers, and those cast-offs will be used in schools and such for art projects.

--and what about those pesky packing peanuts? there are tons of local companies (box brothers, for instance) that will accept them and reuse them. look em up here.

--Last, if your wondering what to do with your tree after the holidays... go here to find out where you can recycle your tree! (btw... many cities do a special tree curbside collection... the only way they could make it easier for ya is if they vacuumed up all those f*&%ing pine needles, too!).

happy holidays!

settin' the mood... green-style!

ok. anyone who knows me well enough (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) or has attended one of my soirees knows i LOVE candles... this little segment from lime has some great tips on buying long-lasting beeswax or soy candles (soy candles last up to 50% longer than their petroleum-based paraffin counterparts!). they're eco-friendly and won't muck up the air in your house. you can find beeswax and soy candles at most natural food stores... or just google the terms. you're bound to find something you like!

bitchin' disco!

be a power vampire slayer

ask yourself: what would buffy do?

to follow up on my post regarding power vampires, i came across some cool gadgets on the simple dollar that can help cut down the after-hours bleeding...

electricity usage monitor
find out which machines are screwing up your electrity bill! connect your appliances to the kill-a-watt electricity usage monitor and it assesses how efficient (or not!) they really are. the unit's counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour so you can see just how much that shitty old fridge is costing you! once your done boo-hooing over it, head on over to energy star to find yourself a kick-ass new fridgematator.

smart power strip
i don't know about you, but i have a heckuva time remembering to shut down all my power strips at night. yes. i am lazy and forgetful. shoot me. anyhoo, i'm diggin' this power strip. it's for the the lazy-ass inside all of us!

plug your 'puter and all the other crap you have in your office to this puppy and, when you finally shut down for the day (does 10 p.m. still count as a "day"?), it shuts down all your peripherals, too! no more downtime energy suckage!




oops... i forgot my favvy one!

solar holiday lights
while a bit pricey, these no-electricity-suckage LEDs rock! and, well, since my dearest hubby, 200 lbs. of ass, has a tendency to leave the lights up year-round, this may pay itself off faster than i think.

tree greetings

cool, list-minute gift idea found on treehugger.

if you're running out of time but still want to get a friend or family member a "little something" or have a birthday or other special day coming up, go to treegreetings.com. when you purchase an e-card, a tree will be planted in the recipient's name, a e-certificate sent, and then they’ll be able to take an e-tour to see their tree and where it’s planted. you can even select the type of tree and planting area. save paper and plant a tree at the same time – for as little as $8.95!

your treehuggin' friends will love it!

p.s... happy birthday dad!

asu... who knew?

of all the universities, i'd never have put a Franklin (heck, not even a Washington!) on my alma mater emerging as an academic leader on the study of sustainability.

but, like my ability to survive 3-1/2 years of partying... uh.... i mean, intent study in good, old tempe, az... this is one of those "who knew?" moments...

fork 'em devils!

recycled, reusable tableware

i stumbled across these at wild oats and i LOVE em! perfect for holiday (or anytime) parties... made from recycled plastics (in partnership with stoneyfield farms), the plates are sturdy and can be put in the diswasher (low heat) and used again and again... i bought the smaller plates, but am going back for the dinner-size plates.

preserve also has toothbrushes and razors that you can send back to them (they pay the postage) to be made into new products.

donate books!

a friend of mine just sent this to me... what a cool program. for just a few bucks, you can buy a book that goes directly to a library or a children's or seniors' reading program. what a great (and easy) way to do something good today. :)

power vampires

ok. the video is uber-cheesy, but it illustrates a good point (and can save you a few bucks on your energy bill, to boot). so what's suckin' up your energy?

myths and facts about recycled paper

many people like to purport that recycling paper is 1) a waste of time, 2) environmetally damaging or 3) a scam... (i understand that there are arguments regarding the cost-effectiveness of recycling. i'm cool w/that, so let's just let that horse die)

anyhoo, lots o'information out there to the contrary, you apathetic dogs, you... mwaaah! :)...
junkmail.org
conservatree
rutgers university

as my "very good friend" pointed pointed out on his blog, the above information was rather circular. as opposed to his assertions, not everyone who cares about the earth is a lemming or whackadoo. i am totally open to closer examination and research.... as well as debate... even more so without the name-calling. regardless, the facts are out there... i'll just need to spend a few hundred bucks on purchasing more recent whitepapers... in the meantime, here's an interesting article...

tufts university white paper.

paper or plastic...?

how about neither?

millions of plastic bags are consumed each year... and what's the point? they just end up cluttering some corner of your kitchen until you finally toss them out...

after a slap alongside the head and a "DUH!" from a friend, i found some *great* bags at www.reuseablebags.com.

the chicobag on the left stuffs into a little sack that fits into a purse or glove compartment (great for those quick stops at the store on the way home), and the big bags on the right are ideal for bigger shopping expeditions.

word of caution: bagboys(gals), even at places like wild oats, will be perplexed. you gotta jump in there and tell them.

and, if you're a "bring your sammich to work" kinda folk (or, like me, have kids), these reuseable sandwich bags are a perfect replacement for those wasteful plastic bags! (don't know why the sammich below looks so gross :)