The FDA May Want to Reconsider BPA

By: Christopher Forestieri

Bringing your own water bottle has it’s benefits. Staying hydrated is important, especially for those on the move, and purchasing bottled water daily can be expensive and extremely wasteful.

But, a chemical in many reusable plastic water bottles called bisphenol A (BPA) can lead to an array of health problems including prostate cancer and diabetes.

Interestingly, a study by the Food and Drug Administration declared products containing BPA safe for use, dismissing calls for a federal ban on products containing BPA.

However, a recent article in the Washington Post by Annys Shin, states that “The Food and Drug Administration ignored scientific evidence and used flawed methods when it determined that a chemical widely used in baby bottles and in the lining of cans is not harmful, a scientific advisory panel has found.”

The article notes that a scientific panel concluded that the “FDA did not take into consideration scores of studies that have linked bisphenol A (BPA) to prostate cancer, diabetes and other health problems in animals” concluding that the “FDA's margin of safety is ‘inadequate.’”

One of the main dangers of BPA, which is also used in most baby bottles and cans of liquid formula, is its potential to harm infants who are more susceptible to it’s adverse effects. In response, many retailers now carry BPA free baby bottles and formula containers.

And for the eco-conscious and the thrifty who want to carry a reusable bottle, the market is now flush with aluminum based, BPA free water bottles. One example is the Swiss manufacturer Sigg who’s aluminum water bottles are available in many stores and online.

So, when you’re on the move, stay hydrated, stay safe, save money and reduce waste with a new BPA free reusable water bottle.

Vote Green

By: Melinda Toussaint

When it comes to voting for the next United States President things can seem overwhelming. Between the campaigns, the issues, and the all-in-all dirty politics, sometimes it seems like it doesn’t matter. That’s how I have felt on more than one occasion. Can one vote really make a difference? Well, maybe not. But I’ve realized that one vote matters to one person- you.

If you take the time to learn the issues and what you care about you will be a changed voter, and maybe a changed person. The old adage is true- knowledge is power. Now is the time to become powerful! (If you haven’t done so already) Visit both the candidates’ websites and research the issues they stand for. And in the process… think about what you stand for. After that if you find that most of the issues don’t affect you…. Vote green. It affects everyone.

Both candidates have strong views and policies on the environment so the best you can do for the country, the environment, and yourself is to become the guru of the green issues. But to give you a head start I have selected five important issues that Barack Obama and John McCain are fighting for.
1) Reducing Emissions: McCain would like to return to the past by reducing emission levels back to what it was in 1990, while Obama looks to the future in saying that by 2025 we could reduce emissions by 80 percent.
2) Clean Cars: Both McCain and Obama are trying to manufacture clean plug-in Hybrid vehicles to help reduce fuel usage. Obama, especially, would like to manufacture these vehicles strictly in the U.S. giving more jobs to Americans.
3) Clean Air/Water: McCain promises $2 billion annually to be spent on advancing clean coal technology and researching the use of wind, hydro, and solar power. Obama also provides a fight for clean air and water management but doesn’t report any monetary figure.
4) Green Jobs: Obama does wish to create more jobs for Americans by advancing buildings and factories to green standards and also by enforcing youth group programs to help disadvantaged citizens to find jobs and green living.
5) Renewable Resources: This is very important to both candidates. Obama would like to have 25 percent of electricity coming from renewable resources by 2025 and to ensure that the largest consumer of energy, the Federal Government, uses renewable resources as well. McCain, on the other hand, promises tax credits to companies using renewable resources for energy.

Overall, both Obama and McCain are putting up strong fights for the green movement. But if you don’t agree with any of their other issues they stand for you could also consider voting green but for the independent party. The Green Party (www.gp.org/) is highly focused on making this world a better place by using their funds to help the environment. They believe in democracy, equality, ecological wisdom, and overall a global responsibility held by all its’ citizens.

They might not be the most powerful or wealthy of parties to hold office, but every vote they receive helps their party achieve more funds for the next campaign. Who knows, maybe one day in the future America will be run by the green party? But until then you have vote green! Knowledge is power and now is the time to become powerful!

Research Obama’s Issues:
www.barackobama.com/issues/
Research McCain’s Issues:
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/
Research the Green Party:
www.gp.org/

Green Up!

By: Rachel Tanis

It’s here. The first snowflakes of the season are falling this evening. Don’t get me wrong. I am not the least bit depressed about it. While I generally enjoy their arrival more when they come after Halloween, seeing the glistening white diamond chips free fall from the sky tends to brighten my mood. Until February that is, when my patience for the season has run out. I’m ready for a break. I want to plant a garden. I want to be reassured that the lawn hasn’t frozen solid and completely vanished. I want to know that the groundhog hasn’t died of hypothermia. There’s a way around the winter blues though, and it begins with a little prep work in the fall.

Nothing cheers up the drab winter doldrums like the smell of live plants. They even make the air better in your house while it’s locked up for the winter. Growing plants indoors is not as difficult as you might think. Whether you own a home or are living on campus, adding a greenhouse is an easy way to brighten the space. Choose herbs or even vegetables for added nutritional benefit. Strawberries also grow well indoors. But all of these sensitive plants need heat and sunlight, so it is important to carefully construct a home for them that will provide both. You can do this by adding an eco-friendly “plant light” or “greenhouse light.” For information on the many types and sizes, click here. For an especially unique idea, trying growing citrus trees indoors. You can buy most citrus plants in a dwarf or miniature version. These small versions produce tiny, more intensely flavored fruits. Some trees – like lemon and lime – will produce fruits very similar to those that you see in the market. For more information on growing citrus plants indoors, click here.

If you’d rather grow ornamental plants, check out some of the more hardy indoor options. Smith & Hawken’s selection of beautiful flowering plants provides ideas and options for what you can grow indoors.

If you wish that you could spend your winters in a warmer climate, indulge day-dreaming by potting up a chamaedorea palm. The palm plant is reminiscent of those in southern locales, like Savannah or Key West.

Don’t let the winter blahs get you down. Plan ahead now and delight your senses all season long with fresh foliage. All the green is bound to cheer you up!

Everyone’s makeup should be some shade of green!

By: Melinda Toussaint

Did you know that women spend an average of $650 per year on beauty items and 400 hours per year on their beauty routine? (According to the book Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano) So no matter what the shade of eye shadow we are applying we can all apply more green to our routine.

Going green when it comes to your beauty is not only to keep the planet safe but ourselves as well. Currently 72 percent of all cosmetics contain phthalates which are hormone disruptors that can often lead to birth defects and an increased risk of breast cancer. And this is just one of the harmful toxins found in your makeup.

Only 11 percent of 10,500 ingredients used in beauty products have been tested for safety. That means that 89 percent is left up the consumer. For most of us, we don’t have the first clue of what to watch out for, and for many we don’t even keep a look out. That’s why I and many other useful tools are here to help.

After researching several harmful toxins, it seems that I am seeing the same ones over and over as part of the red alert for consumers. While you are shopping at your local drugstore or even upscale department store make sure you take a look at the fine print. While there are many toxins to stay away from, these top five are very widely used:

1) Parabens- (this means Methyl-, Ethyl-, Propyl-, Butyl-, and/or Isobuytl-) - These chemical preservatives are estrogenic (steroid hormones that affect female sex characteristics) and very disruptive of our normal hormone function. Repeated exposure to these chemicals can increase your risk of breast cancer.
2) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLC) - This is a foaming agent derived from coconut oil found in most soaps, body wash, toothpaste, and shampoos; things you most likely use on a daily basis. SLC is considered a carcinogen (capable to produce a cancer) and very harmful to us.
3) Aluminum - Aluminum is used in a variety of ways but it is most commonly used in deodorants (anti-perspirent especially) as well as in eye shadows as a color additive. Aluminum can cause heavy irritation as well as inflammation. It can seep into your pours which is bad because it is considered a toxic carcinogen.
4) Triclosan - I’m sure you have heard it before those anti-bacterial products do more harm than good, well it’s true. Antibacterial products like soap, toothpaste, and makeup are contaminated with dioxins (compound that is carcinogenic) from triclosan which with repeated use can weaken your immune system, decrease fertility, and cause birth defects.
5) Petroleum or Phenol-based products (nylon, polyester, etc) - Any petroleum based products or petroleum derivatives are very harmful to us and are unfortunately used in a variety of products. In lipsticks, petroleum based products can cause allergic reactions and in lash building mascaras, that we are all so attracted to, it can cause contact dermatitis. Phenol-based products are extremely harmful and when it’s in lip gloss, lipsticks, or balm can cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and sometimes kidney or liver damage.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? Well don’t be! Gorgeously Green has created a shopping cheat sheet to help you remember the harmful toxins to look out for. If you would like one just download it at www.gorgeoulygreen.com/cheatsheet to make it easier. Or better yet just stick to the organic brands.

To be certified organic by the USDA the ingredients used in beauty products have to be grown and processed without any pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides. However, not all organic products are completely safe. There are four levels of organic certification that will be helpful to know:
1) 100% Organic
2) Certified Organic: 95% + organic (with strict restrictions on the other 5%)
3) Made with Organic Ingredients (70-94% Organic)
4) Less than 70% Organic Ingredients (not certified organic but the ingredients that are will be denoted with an asterisk)

This should help you when deciphering labels and what they all mean. If you have ever looked up any organic product lines you might have noticed that a lot of lines can get pretty pricy (for example: Stella McCartney’s Care skin line sold at Nordstrom’s). But you might find it calming to know that you can get great organic and natural products right at your local Target store.
Shopping there the other day I saw one aisle in the beauty department dedicated to the organic brands. Everything from Burt’s Bees skin line, to Giovanni body washes and shampoos, to even EcoTools that make all their makeup brushes, scrubbers, and loafs out of bamboo! It’s that easy…. and cheap!!!

So no matter if your guilty pleasure is a softening skin lotion, or lash building mascara, or even that daringly sexy red lipstick, we all have to watch out for the products we are using on our bodies. Making your makeup any shade of green is not only saving the planet but it can also save you!

To learn more check out these books:
- Gorgeously Green by Sophia Uliano
- The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel

Big Cities, Big Green Initiatives

By: Rachel Tanis

Who says that going green has to start at home? Big cities, like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas, are leading the fight against global warming. Even bigger boundaries, like the state of California, are setting standards for environmental protection and well-being.

Last summer, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg declared that New York businesses would have to close their doors. No, they didn’t have to shut down operations, but they did have to keep doors closed (instead of wide open) to keep energy usage down. New York retailers were in the habit of propping open their doors year-round to welcome customers inside. While they might have been enticing a few to step in, they were letting precious cooled air (or heated, depending on the season) escape. This left air conditioners and heaters working overtime to maintain a comfortable shopping temperature inside of the store. Bloomberg’s plan was said to have saved city businesses more than $1,000 dollars and tons of CO2 each summer season. In addition, 20-25% of the businesses air conditioning was lost due to open doors. (http://energyefficiencynews.com/us/i/1251/)

When Chicago residents and visitors alike headed to the beaches of Lake Michigan, the summer fun was often overtaken by flocks of seagulls. The pests were disturbing sun-seekers good times because they were swarming the garbage-laden sand. The sandy shores were littered with food waste, a result of lazy summer days filled with picnics and summer-time drinks. To solve the problem, Chicago city management turned to trash compactors. Yet, not any trash compactor would do. The city called on Big Belly, a company that produces a solar-powered trash compactor. The solar power recharges a 12-volt battery inside the unit. The compactor can smash down about 200 gallons of trash in a single bin. Using the sun to help out the city, the units are saving Chicago tax-payers are two fronts. First, the city doesn’t have to send out as many waste management officers to clean up the trash. Secondly, the city can now keep up with the garbage and the beaches are cleaner, which keeps residents and visitors flocking to the shoreline. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12045048)

Government has taken quite a hit lately for not properly tackling green issues. But, if Chicago and New York can step up to the plate to make such minor – yet beneficial – changes for the better, why can’t we? This week think about the small things that these massive cities have done and ask yourself what tiny changes in your own life can have an equally big impact. Tell us what you thought of by commenting to this post. Who knows, maybe Mayor Bloomberg or Mayor Daley will be calling you up to discuss environmental policy.

Fighting Waste With . . . Waste?

By: Christopher Forestieri

In my house we try our best to eliminate waste. We recycle the things that we can put in our recycling box each week and, for example, avoid using paper towel when a cloth rag will do. But, like most people, my girlfriend and I try above all to avoid wasting food and electricity and, in turn, money.

There are many ways households can utilize their energy and food (I wrote just last week about ways to save the former). But, upon opening a new box of Ziploc® bags one day, I noticed that I was fighting wasting food with, well—waste.

I’m not saying one should under no circumstances purchase Tupperware® containers or Ziploc® bags, but rather, one is best served to take a look around the kitchen before making that purchase.

First, there are many packaged and takeout food items come in some type of reusable container. I have noticed that every time I buy lunch meat, I get a free container that I would be hard pressed to tell from a Tupperware® brand container in a “blind” test. This is also true for takeout food.

Just the other day, I brought my lunch to work in a leftover container from a Chinese restaurant. My coworker, recognizing the container immediately, asked if I had brought in leftover Chinese. She said that she had accumulated a stack of the same containers (saving them ostensibly to recycle) but had never thought of using them to save or transport food with. Now she knows.

I have also found that many items, such as tortillas and shredded cheese, come in resalable bags. These can prove useful for saving a sandwich or brining it to lunch. Most resalable bags can be washed either by hand or in the dishwasher first and hold up just fine.

It is easy to develop the mentality that everything that we get our food in either goes in the trash or recycling box. But, if you can begin to look for reusable items that would otherwise be trashed, you may save yourself a couple bucks and do the planet a favor in the process.

Wind Power

By: Rachel Tanis

On a recent road trip, I came across endless fields dotted with the tall, slender, beautiful windmills. The sight went on for miles and miles. Really something to see all on their own, the windmills are both powerful and aesthetically pleasing. It seems that this current movement for a greener earth could be very long-lasting since our attempts to become more energy-efficient haven’t compromised appearances. (Have you read my post about my love-affair with the sleek, sexy Volt?) What makes the windmills sexy is that they are more than tall works of art; they are strong, powerful, green energy-generators.

Commercial-grade windmills, like the ones dotting the farm fields of mid-Michigan, have an incredible capacity, producing up to 450 MW (megawatts). They are also massive: measuring 80 meters (nearly 263 feet) tall, with a rotor diameter of 88 meters (almost 289 feet). Click here for drawings of windmills. Other windmills, rated “residential” and “medium” can produce varying amounts of electricity. Since wind doesn’t blow all of the time, maximum capacity is rarely reached. In fact, windmills usually operate at about 25 – 40% of their abilities. Check the facts here.

Energyvortex.com says that a kilowatt-hour of energy costs American consumers anywhere from two to twenty cents, depending upon various factors like where they live. A kilowatt-hour of energy can operate “a 40-watt lightbulb for a full day, a 19” color television for about four hours, a personal computer for about 2 ½ hours, an electric hairdryer for 30 to 60 minutes, an electric razor for 36 hours, a clothes dryer for 15 minutes, a micro-furnace heater for 40 minutes, a clock radio for up to several days, a portable stereo for as long as a week, and a telephone answering machine for as long as month.” If one kilowatt can do all of that, imagine the possibilities one megawatt (let alone 450 of them) can do! Talk about energy savings!

Wind Energy Words to Know:

Kilowatt: A kilowatt is approximately equal to 1.34 horsepower.
Megawatt: 1,000 kilowatts or to put things in perspective, remember that the energy in a lightening strike is measured in megawatts!
Rotor: the windmill’s rotor is the part that a layman might describe as the “blades,” or the spinning part.

Driving Green is the SmartWay to Go

By: Melinda Toussaint

When buying anything you have to establish your wants, needs, and capabilities first. You wouldn’t buy a pair of jeans before you knew if they fit or glasses before you knew if you were far or near-sighted. Well the same goes for buying a car.

Before you do any research or go on test drives you need to sit down and write out what you want. Depending on your age and your current situation you should be able to decide if you need a car for just you or you need a family car.

From there consider your geographic location and what you would use the car for. If you need a car to drive to work daily in a major city like Chicago or Los Angeles where parking is limited buying a sedan or coupe might be best. But if you need a car to do some traveling, camping, or just driving the open country road with the family, then a SUV might be a better option.

After considering your needs based on you; let’s talk budget. You should sit down to calculate your monthly spending habits on food, entertainment, utility bills, etc. and factor in how much you can afford to spend each month on a car payment. Most dealer websites do have a monthly payment plan to help you figure out what you can afford based on the price of the car (www.toyota.com has an example).

Now that you’ve narrowed down your wants, needs, and capabilities you should do research. If want to go green there are a number of vehicles and websites that can help. Visit www.greencars.com or for an unbiased view on many different models and makes go to www.hybridcars.com.

Hybrid cars that are performing well right now offer a great solution to going green. The Toyota Prius has been the favorite in years past. The Prius provides approximately 45 miles per gallon and room for five adults while remaining a super-ultra-low-emission vehicle, or SULEV, and at $22,000 is an affordable choice. Roland Hwang, senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council said, “Compared to mid-size cars, drivers get half the pollution and half the gasoline bill.”

Another great option is the Honda Insight, the sporty hybrid, which offers 66 miles per gallon on the highway and costs just over $19,000. It may be smaller and less flashy than the Prius but it delivers 90 percent less emissions than a standard car.

While these two vehicles are affordable and eco-friendly options, buying green isn’t just about the car that produces the least amount of carbon dioxide or uses less gas, it’s important that the making of the car is helpful to the environment as well.

The Chevy Malibu is a great hybrid choice. It costs a little more than the Prius, at about $24,500, but you are paying for the eco-friendly assembly too. The Malibu Hybrid gives you an EPA estimated 24 miles per gallon, driving 15,000 more miles per year which can save 38 gallons of gas. It also offers regenerative breaking that will store that energy for later use. But these things are just the car. The Chevy Malibu Hybrid is assembled at the FairFax Assembly Plant which has received the Environmental Excellance Award from Bridging the Gap (a Kansas City environmental group).

FairFax has kept track of their waste generated since 1988 and has managed to cut down their waste from 89 pounds to 18. They have also saved 1,400,000 gallons of water per year, as well as recycled the following: 427 tons of cardboard, 91 tons of plastic, 76 tons of paper, 437 tons of wood, and 27,770 tons of scrap metal.

So now matter which Hybrid car you choose, remember that you should not only pay for the car’s safety and eco-performance, but also the company’s.

Whether you choose the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, or the Chevy Malibu Hybrid, buying an eco-friendly car is kind to the earth as well as your wallet. With as little as $389 monthly payments you can pay for your Hybrid in as little as 6 years. But if your wallet can’t afford a car at the moment there still are some things you can do now with your present vehicle to drive more green.

The best way is to switch to Biodiesel fuel instead of regular. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil and is a renewable resource. It burns clean, cheap, and safe because it doesn’t emit any harmful toxins into the earth. Biodiesel fuel can be used with regular diesel engines but can hurt your warranty, so think wisely before doing. But at 70 cents per gallon, it might just be worth it.

The green car industry is growing rapidly with new advancements in technology sure to come. Perhaps in the future we will all be driving the electric cars that companies are trying to perfect. Only time with tell, but driving green sure says a lot.

“Driving my electric car could not be more fun… I can go up to 80 miles on one charge, if I lose weight, I could go even farther! In fact, I constantly tell people that if you could drive this car, you wouldn’t want to drive any other car. There [are] no emissions, it’s quiet, and the cost of the electricity [comes out to roughly 30 cents a gallon].”
–Will Ferrell

*For more help picking an eco-friendly car the EPA gives you the SmartWay program. A vehicle must have above average fuel economy, low tailpipe emissions, and low CO2 emissions per mile. To find out if car you picked out has the SmartWay certificate visit www.epa.gov/greenvehicles to learn more.

While You Were Out . . .

By: Christopher Forestieri

Last week, I looked at ways to reduce waste in the work place. This week, I decided to take a look at how my personal habits affect waste in my home. It would seem easier to avoid waste at home as opposed to work. Having in-house dishes and a supply of food eliminates some of the key waste factors I encounter at work. But what about when I’m not at home.

The other day, I saw a woman interviewed on the local news about her electricity bill. She claimed that she was able to reduce her power bill by $100 by unplugging each appliance in her house after use.

It stuck me as a great idea, but also seemed a practice requiring a level of vigilance and dedication that would be hard to sustain for any length of time. It only takes a second to rush out the door without unplugging everything to begin the disintegration of the “unplugging habit”.

Examining my apartment, I looked for a feasible system which would allow me to cut off power to key appliances without actually having to pull the cord out of the wall. While it may not be entirely possible to cut off all power without unplugging each appliance, I may have found a compromise.

By running key, energy sucking appliances through a power strip, one can easily cut off the power source completely. Most power strips have an on/off switch and several outlets. By consolidating a group of appliances into one or two power strips, one can easily cut off power to several appliances by pressing one on/off switch. If you want to go a step further, the power strip itself can be unplugged. In any case, it’s much simpler and less time consuming than unplugging ten different appliances.

While the power strip may not be useful or feasible for every home appliance, it can be utilized where there is a concentration of appliances, such as the entertainment center, the kitchen or the bathroom. One should note that it is dangerous to overload a power strip which can result in a blown fuse, shortage or, at worst case, a fire. Danger can be prevented by being aware of the power limitations of the power strip and the outlet.

There are many simple things we can do to reduce waste. While it is may seem easy to change habits, it’s much harder to sustain them. The key, as I have found, is to make keeping up good, waste saving habits as easy as possible.

Waste at Work

By Christopher Forestieri

Reading the posts on this blog, I am reminded of the many ways that we can minimize the impact our lifestyles have on the environment. While it’s easy to keep certain principals in mind, I decided to take a look at specifics. That is, what have I done in the last few months to use less and reuse more?

This week, I took a look at the workplace.

It’s easy to fall into habits at work, and not all of them good. For example, I noticed that most of my coworkers drink their morning coffee out of disposable cups. While bringing your own cup seems like a no brainer, it’s easy to put off or forget about.

The same goes for utensils. Those little plastic spoons and forks are easy to grab out of the drawer and throw away when finished. While it was a simple and effortless act, bringing in a mug, a water bottle and a set of dishes has allowed me to reduce my daily waste significantly.

And what about lunch itself? On a busy day, a trip to the drive-thru seems like the simplest way to get a bite to eat, but it has significant drawbacks. For example, if you took the amount of paper and waste that comes with one fast-food meal and multiply it by five, you would be looking at a huge pile of trash.

It’s not only wasteful but it can also be inconvenient. I have found that by making my lunch the night before work, I avoid spending most of my lunch fighting traffic and waiting in line. I also save money.

If you figure that the average fast food meal costs between $5 and $10, one could easily spend $25 to $50 a week on lunch alone. Add in morning coffee and a bagel, and the cost continues to grow. For what you spend eating out, you could nearly buy enough groceries to eat for a week.

The conclusion I have come to, is that the key to wasting less plastic, paper, money and time, is to work towards being self sufficient. I no longer depend on the foam cups or plastic sporks. I avoid the drive-thru when I can and I’m better off for it. I save money, eat healthy and minimize my impact on the environment. And it was easy, I have barely had to put any effort into it.

Ten Cheap – Even Free! – Ways to Go Green

By Rachel Tanis

Many people wrongly assume that going green begins with pulling the green guys out of their wallets. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Becoming eco-friendly doesn’t mean spending a fortune. In fact, it doesn’t require spending anything at all.

Here are ten ways to help the environment that won’t hurt your budget:

1. Walk! Walking or taking public transportation can reduce your monthly bills in a drastic way. Not only can you save on gas, but if possible you may even be able to eliminate a vehicle, saving more money than ever! This is probably the most cost-effective way to do something good for the environment, not to mention your health.
2. Carpool! For many people walking everywhere you go simply isn’t an option. Yet, carpooling is an option for many, especially those working in large offices. Put up an ad on an office bulletin board or send out an email asking for fellow commuters who might like to meet and ride. Carpooling will help save gas money and wear-and-tear on your vehicle.
3. Unplug! When not in use, unplug your electronics. Everything from your television to your cell phone charger drains energy when plugged in. That’s right, an item doesn’t have to be turned on to be using up our valuable resources. So, when you’ve finished charging your phone, unplug the charger. You’ll save the environment and some cold cash!
4. Borrow! The world is full of waste. Much of it is because we, the consumers, demand to own everything. Truth be told, we’d probably all be much better off if we didn’t crowd every corner of our lives and living spaces with stuff that we’ll use only once or twice. Set up a borrowing or trading system with friends. Swap DVD’s, kitchen appliances or specialty items, tools and more. Don’t forget to check out your local library for a free site to borrow valuable resources from.
5. Reuse! Decorate your apartment or home with furniture that’s been used already. Shopping for antiques or great garage sale finds can save you tons of money and add unmatched character to your decorating style. Sites like Craiglist.com and Ebay.com are a great place to start. Don’t forget to look for estate sales in your local newspaper. They are like garage sales that specialize in attractive, usually well-maintained antiques.
6. Recycle! Items like cellphones, computers and televisions all eventually reach the point at which they have to be laid to rest. But, instead of tossing your used laptop into the trash (which is horrible for the environment) consider donating it to people who can repair them or are willing to sell them for parts.
7. Type! It’s cheaper and better for the environment to communicate electronically. Sending e-mail is not only faster than snail mail, but it cuts down on postage and paper costs. It also saves on gas used by the post office to deliver all those paper letters.
8. Carry! Bring home your purchases in reusable bags. It seems like nearly every retailer is selling them these days, from Wal-Mart to Target. The bags are cloth and can be used again and again. The bags are cheap, usually about a dollar, and don’t fill up landfills with harsh plastics.
9. Download! Instead of purchasing CD’s and DVD’s, which wastes plastic, packaging and shipping costs, download the songs and movies that you really want. Electronic file purchases are often cheaper too, since you only have to pay for what you really want. Recharge! Buy batteries that are rechargeable and you’ll save in the long run. By reusing batteries, instead of throwing them away, you’ll save money and save the environment. Batteries as waste do incredible damage to the environment.