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Welcome to the Whole Green Blog!
In celebration of Earth Month – also known as “April” — we are launching this blog as a way for our readers to share their great ideas about how to keep our Earth strong and healthy. For the past year or so, we’ve invited our fl@vors newsletter subscribers (sign up now) to send us their simple, actionable tips for making the world a “greener” place – with the bonus of a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card if we published their tip in the newsletter. We’ve been inundated with awesome advice and have felt quite guilty that we couldn’t share all of it with our readers. This blog solves that dilemma! By adding your comments here, everyone will have ready access to them. We’ll read them all and then choose a few each month to feature as their own expanded posting on this blog and in fl@vors. If your comment is turned into a feature, we’ll send you a $25 gift card, same as before.
And for our first feature, Gina who shops at our White Plains, NY, store has a great idea for reusing plastic bags. She explains “After I use a heavy-duty plastic bag (zip top type) for bread or muffin storage in the freezer, instead of throwing it away, I store the empty bag back in the freezer. Then the next time I purchase bread or muffins for freezing, I reuse the frozen bag. This way I am not wasting the bag and freezing it keeps mold from developing.”
Great idea! What else are people doing out there to limit the number of storage baggies making their way into our landfills? Comment here and let us know how you are keeping green for Earth Day and every day.
Thanks and looking forward to your comments!
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I also reuse my zip top bags, especially for bread. When I purchase fresh bread I slice it and freeze immediately, this way the freshness is preserved. When ready to use I take out what I need and wrap in foil and place in warm oven for about 10 min. Comes out just like fresh baked. Then when finished with the bag I fold down the top and let it air dry and fold and store for another bread storage item. I do this with fresh bagels, rolls and also bake small breads myself and do the same. Make sure you mark each package clearly.
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:27 pm
In the March 31, 2007 issue, p.38, of the magazine “The Economist” there is a short article entitled “Plastics of Evil”. It relates that the city of San Francisco has just outlawed plastic shopping bags in favor of biodegradable bags made of corn or potato starch. “Outlawing plastic bags in San Francisco alone will reduce oil comsumption by nearly 800,000 gallons a year” the article states, describing as well other significant environmental benefits to result. Apparently other cities - Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Oakland, Berkeley and even New York are exploring similar requirements. Given the number of stores in Whole Foods’ system there is the potential for a meaningful environmental impact should Whole Foods introduce this change. How about it, Whole Foods? Great way to set a trend nationally with other markets encouraged to follow.
April 5th, 2007 at 5:54 am
I bought 2 canvas shopping bags which I use on every trip to the grocery store to minimize paper usage. If I have more groceries than my bags can handle, I request they pack lots of stuff in one bag until it is completely full. When I get home, I keep the bag and use it a few more times before recycling. I also bring my own empty jars for bulk products like rice, oatmeal, sugar, nuts, etc.
April 5th, 2007 at 6:03 am
I also freeze my bread. For a single person, this is the only way to avoid wasted bread. A short time in the microwave will defrost and warm up slices. I don’t know, but I think microwaves are more energy efficient than ovens, does anyone know?
April 5th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Before I toss my bath towels in the hamper, I always use them to wipe down the entire bathroom. (Handtowels are especially useful for this). Countertops, toilet cover, faucets, tub and other hardware. This saves a lot of papertowels, and absorbs better than them too!
April 5th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Here’s how I avoid using plastic wrap to store pieces of melons and other fruits that I buy whole but cannot use up immediately.
I cut through the top third of the melon, scoop out what I need of the inside, and use the top as a lid to cover and protect the rest of the fruit. As the fruit is used up, I cut away rind from the middle of the fruit, keeping the lid intact. To save storage space it can be helpful to stand the fruit on its smaller end, trimming the bottom a little and placing it on a small plate for stability. The stored fruit stays fresh and moist without plastic.
The rind and seeds go into the compost, but that’s another blog topic.
April 5th, 2007 at 11:02 am
we reuse our yogurt containers by planting our seeds for a spring/summer garden in them. poke a few holes in the bottom, set them out on the deck in the sun and you’re good to go.
if we’re feeling really frisky, we’ll mod podge a little decorative paper on them so they look pretty while also being functional and eco-friendly.
April 5th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
I use film canisters as stamp dispensers. I buy the rolls of stamps (also saves on paper), cut a little slot in the side of the cannister, put the roll in, feed the stamps out and VOILA I have a neat and tidy place for my regular stamps as well as my postcard stamps. Can’t recycle them all that way, but it’s a start.
April 5th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
My community and other neighboring communities extends our curbside recycling programs by offering designated household hazard waste dropoff days throughout the year where residents can drop off harmful commonly used household products that cannot be recycled at the curb like non-reusable batteries, lightbulbs, pesticides, bleach, oil based paints, expired medications and even computers so that they may be disposed of properly and not dumped down drains or buried in landfills where they have the opportunity to contaminate the land and water systems. I make sure to keep a large bag in my garage for my used up one time use batteries and lightbulbs and to take advantage of this community based service every year. It gives me a little comfort in knowing that at least I am not sending my old batteries and lightbulbs to the landfill where harmful chemicals can leech out into the soil and revisit me in a dangerous way–my drinking water.
April 5th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
I bought an Earth Day string bag which will hold up to 40 pounds and lasts indefinitely. It’s always in my car and has lots of uses in addition to groceries. This usually gets a great discussion started in a department store, hardware store or any other place where paper or plastic bags may be used.
April 5th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
We as a family have adopted many “green” routines. All the light bulbs in our home have been switched to compact fluorescent bulbs. We keep canvas and reuseable groceries bags in the back of the car and use them as much as possible when we go shopping, that includes department stores as well. We only turn on lights in our house in the rooms we are in and when we leave the room, we turn off the lights. We recycle everything that we can and even wash and reuse plastic ziploc bags until they are too broken down or too smelly to use again. We use biodegrable laundry soap and wash in cold water. There are many little things we have done and we hope to be a good example to those around us
April 5th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Plain and simple. I wash plastic bags that I use. We have had the same couple of boxes (different sizes) of plastic bags for several years. I also use celophane bags (I got these years ago, also, from Seventh Generation) and wax paper bags from Whole Foods.
April 6th, 2007 at 5:16 am
Here is a cool audio podcast establishing and supporting a local living economy that sustains itself, our community and a healthy environment.
http://organicallyspeaking.org/wp/?p=24
All the best,
-Ricardo
April 6th, 2007 at 6:06 am
i have canvas bags that i reuse for groceries but also have the plastic grocery bags (from overflowing my canvas bags) that we fill with anything that can be recycled…so when whe see the plastic bag we know it is all recycling stuff…i have a 3 year old daughter that i am trying to mold into a “green” little girl!…we reuse the plastic containers we get from the hot and cold cases to organize my daughters small toys such as beads, broken crayolas, and jewelry…we have made a piggybank out of the large one…i feel like i can always use those for some kind of storage…we also have a compost which is great to give some nutrients back to the soil.
April 6th, 2007 at 8:27 am
I keep a stack of china bowls,all fitting one inside the other, and a stack of glass plates in the kitchen cabinet. Leftovers in the bowls,glass plate on top and into the fridge. I can see instantly what’s in what. I don’t worry about hot or cold foods absorbing any nasty carcenogenic molecules that get into our food when we use plastic films and/or containers. This method cuts back on plastic containers in the land fill. Our mothers and grandmothers did something like this before plastic was invented…
April 6th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Teachers are always on a limited budget. Think about them the next time you finish a can of soup, an oats canister, yogurt container, etc. Wash them and send them to school with your child. You can even have your child decorate them before sending. Teachers can then reuse them as containers for their classroom supplies. They’ll find many creative ways to use what could have been trash!
April 6th, 2007 at 9:46 am
I slice and wrap bread in foil before putting in a plastic bag in the freezer then the bag can be reused for anything.
April 6th, 2007 at 9:54 am
It’s a great idea to switch to compact flourescent lighting when possible. However, if you are going to continue using incandescent, try to use as low a wattage as possible. In other words, 40 watt is better than 75 or 100 watt.
April 6th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I purchased a stainless steel water bottle which I refill, rather than using disposable plastic bottles.
Rather than using petroleum-based hand & body lotion, try organic coconut oil, from the baking secion at Whole Foods! That way your skin is absorbing something nutritious instead of toxic.
April 6th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
There are lots of great ideas here. We use shampoos and conditioners that are in bar form to avoid the grade 5 plastics that are not recycable, reuse zipper bags by turning them inside out and washing them as if they were our tupperwear. Our tupperwear is made of glass and a recycable plastic lid. We make our own cleaning soloution with vinegar, water and a natural oil fragrance and reuse the plastic spray bottle. Biodegradable laundry soap I have found smells better and gets our clothes cleaner than the traditional chemical based soaps. We use shopping bins instead of bags and we are currently looking into getting a doggie doodie composter so we don’t have to even use the biodegradable bags for the stoop and scoop.
April 7th, 2007 at 7:48 am
For dirty kitchen and bathroom counters, I do not use harsh chemicals. I mix some baking soda and lemon juice and leave on the soap spots / lime deposits. Then, using an old toothbrush, I scrub those areas clean. For the other areas, I use old clothes that have been cut and tailored into small square cloth pieces, which can be washed easily. The counters are clean and fresh smelling for a longer time.
April 7th, 2007 at 10:06 am
I am in the process of teaching my son, Jake, that there are several uses for everyday items. Here are some things Jake and I have reused recently: we use egg cartons for painting, coffee cans & cottage cheese containers to store his toy cars & markers/crayons, he has painted many beautiful pieces of artwork on brown paper bags and the backside of gift registries, Daddy’s old shirt are the perfect art smock, and what little boy doesn’t like a big old box???? Endless adventures for a 2 1/2 year old.
Jake is currently learning all about composting. Again tons of fun for a little boy: Throwing leaves, grass, newspapers, and kitchen scraps into an outdoor bin. Slam dunk!! in Jake’s own words.
April 7th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
What I recently started is I bought a bunch of pretty linen napkins to use in place of paper. That way they just easily help to fill up a load of laundry instead of being tossed each time they are used. And the paper towels that we do keep in the house for those odd moments none of the napkins are washed are 100% recycled.
April 8th, 2007 at 8:00 am
HI All,
When you get home with all our fabulous organics.. you can also keep the yellow jackets away this summer .. without killing them or using harmful pesticides.. I love Whole foods and would like to introduce others who enjoy shopping there to my invention!! It’s an enviromentally friendly Wasp deterrent product that really works!! NO yucky bait- no chemicals-just hang it up and watch them take off!! The Original Waspinator mimics a real nest-wasps are territorial so they stay away from it. Simple and easy and above all doesn’t kill them.. wasps are benifical insects.
thanks for you time. hope you have a chance to check out our product. My sister and I have developed ths product together. http://www.waspinator.com
April 8th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
After I have finished with those plastic dried spice containers I wash out them out, dispose of the labels and use them for holding different colored pencil crayons, the kids love to see them displayed on a desk or anywhere easy for them to reach them. They look so nice and makes chosing the desired colour easy as pie! It also teaches the kids organization as they love to return them to the right pot
April 8th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
We’ve been creeping towards more greeness for years, decided to jump off and do it big time in 2007. I traded in my car for a scooter, and we’re turning our standard city lot in the middle of Austin into an organic farm. I quit my jobs as a personal chef and substitute teacher to grow organic produce to hopefully sell to local businesses. Gardens this year, chickens (for eggs) next year. I also use ‘trash’ to create artwork, things that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
April 9th, 2007 at 6:37 am
i reuse plastic bags in two ways. i keep one in the freezer for compostables such as coffee grinds, eggshells, avocado rinds and seeds, and so forth. when it gets full, i take it out to the compost pile and bury the frozen organic waste deeply to keep flies away and the odor down. this saves on trips to the compost pile and the “green matter” helps the “brown matter” decompose more quickly.
i keep another plastic bag in the freezer for making stock. into it i put parsley stems, onion peels, carrot ends, squeezed lemons, little bits of leftovers, and so forth–anything that would add to the flavor and nutrition of a homemade stock. when i have a chicken carcass (from a lovely WF roasted chicken), i put it in a pot of water, add the frozen odds and ends of veggies, and simmer for a couple of hours. voila! it makes delicious stock.
when the stock is done, i strain it and put the bones and whatever is left of the veggies back into that plastic bag and freeze it. it’s garbage now, but freezing it until garbage collection day keeps the odors down.
if i get confused about which bag holds what in my freezer, a quick peek inside tells me which is which. i have better compost and better stock, reuse plastic bags, and keep odors down!
April 9th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
i try to do as much as i can think of to stay green. i carry bags made from recycled plastic in my car to use each time i go to the grocery. and in my husband’s car, i keep old Whole Foods paper bags. when at the grocery store, i do not put produce in plastic bags. and should i need to use a bag for something like green beans, i recycle old plastic newspaper bags, which i also keep in my car. they are the perfect size! and when i’m not using them for produce, i recycle the bags for poop my dog has created. i also reuse ziploc bags over and over as well as aluminum foil and plastic wrap, if it’s not too dirty. very handy. and i try to reduce my use of all of those items by using food storage containers instead. one final thing, when i go out to eat, i can seldom finish my meal (given the ridiculous increase in portion sizes) so i try to bring storage containers from home to use instead of styrofoam to-go boxes.
April 10th, 2007 at 11:20 am
While everyone wants to bring their own bags to reduce waste, it’s easy to forget them at home. What I reccomend my friends do is keep a stash of plastic or canvas bags in their trunk, this way even if you are making an unexpect trip to the store you have your bags waiting for you!
April 10th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Instead of plastic wrap, use reusable silicon suction lids to cover containers of food. The lids form an air-tight suction and are heat & freezer safe. No more flimsy plastic to deal with nor worries about plastic leeching into food.
April 11th, 2007 at 12:24 am
I shop at thrift shops and consignment shops for a lot of my clothes and housewares. Yard sales are the ultimate thrill! And when I’m done wearing the clothes, I put them back into circulation! Once I held a “clothing swap” with some friends. We all ended up with something “new” and then we donated what was left. It was a perfect “spring cleaning” party!
April 11th, 2007 at 11:38 am
I have children that love making art for me to keep!…all of it!! To make keeping, storing and preserving easier I roll the artwork and fill an empty paper towel roll with a few pieces of rolled art at a time. These rolls are easy to store inside a storage box. I just put the name of the child and the date on the outside of the roll and voila, very important masterpieces from very important children
April 12th, 2007 at 8:20 am
I bring lunch to work and I make sure I take any garbage that can be recycled back home with me since work doesnt have recycling. Its simple and satisfying to know that you dont add to the garbage heap.
April 12th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
My favorite, although unintentional, means of recycling is collecting vintage Pyrex glassware. Many come with lids, some are stackable, and they are all oven/micro/fridge safe. And of course they are all fun and pretty on the kitchen shelves!
April 13th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Here’s another way to minimize use of plastic bags and throw-aways. I use 5 re-usable plastic divided plates with lids to pack my lunches for work. I pack 5 lunch plates on Sunday evening and take them to work on Monday. There’s plenty of room in refrigerators at work to store my lunches for the week. My lunches are mainly vegetable, fruit, and grain -based so they are healthy, inexpensive, and delicious. I never forget my lunch and never have to go out to eat thereby using more gasoline, spending more money, and consuming excess calories. My daily routine is simplified, I’m eating in a healthy fashion, spending less money for meals, and will have a trash-less lunch when I switch to a cloth napkin (as suggested in an earlier comment.) Give my lunch plan a try - I think you’ll like it!
April 14th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Every morning when I fill up my dog’s water bowls and my birdbaths, I use the water from the previous day to water my outdoor potted plants. I never have to water them from the hose and I don’t have to worry about wasting the water that would otherwise be thrown away - and I get a bit of exercise in moving the water to all of my different plants.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:55 am
We are working very hard to teach our children about recycling on the front end, before an item is even purchased. In the store we talk with them about an item’s packaging, and look to see if it is recyclable. If not, we don’t buy it. We have bins readily available in the kitchen, and look for the symbols before putting them in. Also, if an item in their lunch requires a spoon, we send in a metal one that they bring back home. If you don’t want to take a chance on your “good” flatware, you can buy inexpensive ones at a thrift store.
April 19th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Compost! Not very many people down here in Florida do it, but it’s easy as pie and works great for recycling all of your kitchen scraps right into potting soil. I use a covered plastic bin with holes in the bottom and put it in amongst the ferns, so no one’s the wiser. (Do not put it next to the house.) All my food scraps (except meat and starches) go in it, as well as leafy yard waste (no sticks). Down here, because of the heat and wet, it doesn’t even need to be turned and composts very quickly.
April 19th, 2007 at 6:11 am
Here is a simple thing anyone can do; take a travel mug to your favorite coffee shop. Most are 16 oz size, a standard size used in most shops. If every person who frequently buys coffee away from home did this, millions of cups would be saved from the landfill.
April 19th, 2007 at 6:27 am
My 4 year old granddaughter, Patience, and I have endeavored to turn our little plot of ground into a butterfly and organic garden haven.
Patience has learned by observing caterpillars eating the Italian parsley that they will spin their cocoons and become butterflies. She is so excited when they hatch and actually fly onto her little hands!
At her tender age, she can identify a few common kitchen herbs and readily waters and feeds them with compost tea. We save all of our vegetable kitchen scraps and add them to the soil every day~
She is our catalyst for recycling plastic, glass, and cardboard/paper. All of our aluminum cans are transported by her to our octogenarian neighbor who donates them to her church for the funding of children’s programs.
Every dinner meal has a bit of vegetables/edible flowers helpfully picked by her. She scared her papa badly one sunny afternoon when she popped a nasturtium into her smiling little mouth~
Blessings~Theresa Byer
April 19th, 2007 at 7:55 am
In the Fall of 2006 it became very aware to me that while packing my kids lunches we created an awful lot of waste with plastic sandwich bags and snack bags. At first I would have my kids bring home the somewhat clean sandwich and snack bags and I would reuse them. Of course that didn’t last long because the thought occurred to me that these used bags could really be very dirty! I searched for alternatives and I came across “laptop lunch boxes”, which is a hard plastic flat (like a laptop) lunch box that comes with a reuse spoon and fork and 5 plastic containers and 2 lids, which can be used if needed. At first my elementary school kids were not thrilled but as we discussed the TONS of waste created by school lunches we happily agreed that our family would NOT contribute to global warming. They have not asked to use “regular” lunch boxes since October of 2006. I really enjoy packing lunches in the colorful containers and I am really, really happy to be able to wash their lunch boxes and containers — keeping away lots of those school germs!! I also teach my kids the importance of recycling. We even return the plastic bags that we use to take home our groceries from the supermarket back to the supermarket. I am looking into investing in the reusable cloth bags instead of using the plastic and/or paper bags from the grocery stores. We buy organic eggs, milk, cookies, chips, ice cream, cereal bars, fruits and veggies too! I think it is important to teach the young about how valuable our earth is and how and what we can do to help. We also recycle our plastic bottles, newspapers and tin cans in our weekly recycling pickup. I am proud to say I have not purchased plastic wrap, tin foil or plastic sandwich/snack bags since October 2006.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:13 am
My family is a bunch of trash pickers or as they say in England, gleaners.
We find good stuff that people are throwing away and knock on their doors and ask if we can take the stuff to someone else. I have fixed up 17 bicycles this year for needy and deserving children and adults. Over 3 years we have provided more than 50 bicycles for families from my children’s school who are in the US for a limited time and a bike is the key to them meeting other children. It is rewarding and fun to see how my children search for items on their bus ride and we run to salvage stuff out of the trash!
April 19th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
A child in a family unit (conventional or unconventional) can’t help but notice how parent(s) conduct themselves at home, in the household. If they recycle, re-use, buy green, etc., the child will notice this. If parent(s) stop to “keep the kids in the loop” about WHY they take so much care with these issues, all will be more readily absorbed. Confide in your children, and respect their ability to think in fresh ways. Ask for advice: “What else should we be doing to clean up our sick planet?” “If you think of a good idea, would you write it down for me?” Take the kids on a field trip to a landfill (Gross!). Offset that with another excursion to an urban garden or farmer’s market. Information is just that, until it is integrated and lived.
April 19th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
in addition to all the stuff i posted on 4/10, i’d like to share some additional things i do to reduce/reuse/recycle. i always carry 2 cups in my car: one for coffee and one for water. i often find myself at my local coffee shop, and when i’m spending time there, i use their ceramic cups (sadly, they usually think i’m odd for asking) and i use my plastic cup i keep in my car for water.
when eating at home, we always use cloth napkins. they don’t get very dirty, and so they are only washed once a week along with the kitchen and bathroom towels (also used repeatedly throughout the week). this saves paper from paper towels and water due to washing.
at dinner, my husband and i drink water. sometimes, we don’t finish all that’s in the glass before it goes stale. i use the remaining water to water my plants. i also use the dog’s left over water for the same purpose.
when i go shopping, i always try to have a bag handy. but, when i don’t and i only have one or two items, i tell the cashier that i don’t need a bag. i do have 2 capable carrying devices attached to my arms
April 20th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
At work, we’re constantly having to photocopy documents to give to our agents and clients. I recently began copying one-sided documents into two-sided documents whenever possible (some items cannot be combined with other documents), cutting the number of single sheets of paper used in half. With some of these items numbering in the 100’s of pages, it has really cut down on the amount of copy paper used. Another tip my mother gave me years ago, is to use the inside of the envelopes from junk mail. She would cut open the envelope along the folds on the remaining 3 sides, after opening with a letter opener, and clip them all together and use as scratch paper, for her grocery list, notes, etc. instead of purchasing more expensive notepads. And, when I print something for myself on my home computer, such as receipts from online purchases or emails, once I no longer need that receipt or email, I turn the paper over and put it back in my printer to use again. Thanks for all the other great tips on this blog! HAPPY EARTH DAY!
April 20th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
I live in a resort town in Vermont. Alot of unnecesary items get thrown away every day. My crafting group and I try and salvage as much as we can and make art out of it. Old sheets we dye and turn into carpets or bags. The candles that are used once we scrape down and rewick. It’s fun and and uses less waste!
April 21st, 2007 at 7:26 am
Don’t throw away those empty film canisters! Use them to hold medications when traveling.
Don’t throw away that bottled water! Did you ever forget whose bottle was whose? No problem! Just boil away the germs and you’re good to go!
If you MUST use paper towels: Don’t throw away that paper towel! Your hands were clean, right? So the paper towel is clean - it’s just wet! Hang it up and it will dry! Then you can use it again.
Don’t throw away that firm cardboard tube that’s in the center of the roll of plastic wrap! Cut it length-wise so you can fit it onto a wire hanger. Use the newly fitted hanger to hold your favorite table cloth. Reduce unsightly creases!
Don’t throw away those zip top bags! If the bags are clean (not used to store foods that contain proteins, fats, etc.) you can reuse them over and over again. If you need to rinse them out, invert them to dry or you can put a few tall chopsticks in a heavy mug and hang the bags on the sticks to drip dry.
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:50 am
To make our little corner of the world a little bit “greener” and to introduce our almost two-year old to the joys of Planet Earth…he planted some sunflowers in a big pot in the garden a cyckeouple of weeks ago. It is amazing, that even at his very young age, he is excited to see his own flowers starting to sprout up! He looked at them yesterday, and then up at me, and said “Baby Flowa ?!” so he has his own babies to look after…who knows if this interest in the natural world will carry over into his later years, but one can always hope!
As for “Reduce, Recycle, Re-use”…we do that is many ways. He helps me to sort plastic bottles from the paper, he also helps with the compost pile, and loves throwing in the old potato peels, orange peels etc!
Cheers, and happy Earth Day to all!
April 24th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Every tuesday night on the Sundance channel @ 10pm there is a special called “The Green”. The information is very helpful and educational. I have learned alot about green housing and driving. This is a great way to get “green” more mainstream. I love this website and all Whole Foods is going for the environment. I am actually working on a paper for marketing, and my choice was Whole Foods. I am highlighting the eduacation, social, and economic support from the company. I love that “green” is growing in popularity! Happy belated Earth Day!
April 25th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Being from the Caribbean and in my 50’s I was raised in a very organic and sustainable environment, thus the following suggestion:
Line dry your laundry and, should the dried clothes need fluffing, 5-10 minutes in the dryer should do it(contrary to 60+ minutes in the dryer alone). Your clothes and linens will also last a long longer. I understand that not everyone has access to laundry lines, but at least keep it in mind when the opportunity presents itself.
Your children, up to age 10 or 11, will love hanging, running through, taking down and folding the laundry. But then, they usually don’t like to do much of anything around the house past 11 years old, anyway.
April 26th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
We live in NYC and our youngest is in 7th grade, and for a science project he did a presentation on the life cycle of the earth worm. Well to make a long story short, needless to say, today we have a bin of earth worms under our kitchen sink and the little guys, who I hated at first- for the first six months of this “experiment” only my son and my husband would deal with them. Believe it or not but we’ve been doing this now for nearly two years and it works and I’ve become their care taker and keeper along with the rest our family. Why would we do this? Nearly all of our compostable waste from our kitchen goes into the earth worm bin! Everything (well within reason) and newspaper as well. All within weeks is converted to the best potting soil you’ll ever see. We give this top soil to our friends and neighbors for their roof top gardens and indoor plants. So instead of sending literally hundred of pounds of potato peelings, newspapers, onion skins, lettuce (no meats or fats!) to our land fill we convert this into something useful. Believe it or not its also fun!
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:22 pm
When I absolutely have to get clothes dry cleaned, I reuse the plastic film in which the dry cleaner places my items. Since there’s just a small slit in the film for the hangers to be put through, I reuse the film as a recycling bag! I put it upside down in my paper recyling bin, so that the slit is at the bottom, and then tie it up when full. The pieces of paper and cardboard are too big to slip through the slit, so it works perfectly.
May 3rd, 2007 at 7:10 am
It’s that time of year for picnics, showers, parties and weddings. Save all the invitations that you hang on the frig or cork board. They become great ideas for the next time you throw your own party. It can be an idea for anywhere from a theme to the font style. If you are already married you’re bound to know someone who gets married. So, you can then pass on the box of wedding invitations which then become great examples for the bride-to-be. It’s recycling in a different way!
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:56 pm
I find that flies and fruit flies can be quite the nuisance in the summer. (Especially in a house with now screens!) Cider vinegar and/or red wine are sure fire fruit fly traps. Use any sort of container with a small opening. The flies can get in, but not out. Keep the container in the kitchen and change daily.
To keep away regular flies. Keep a few potted basil plants around in your kitchen. It will keep the flies away as well as give you delicious fresh herbs all year long.
May 3rd, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Shannon, does basil really keep houseflies away? If so, that is a great idea! I of course plant it in the garden but I’ll try some in the pantry windowsill now.
May 3rd, 2007 at 6:01 pm
I work in a hospital and everyone goes to get coffee,that’s alot of paper cups. The manager of the shop agrees with conserving and will fill people’s thermos and we are going to try and have the shop sell thermoses. Also I try and give gifts that help save the earth-canvas bags as birthday,mother’s day get-well,etc, from envir. web site or org, which I even get in the mail. Great products from a web mysigg.com . Will also try and have a earth day at work to teach people ways of conserving by bringing in various organizations/companies. Cynthia
May 4th, 2007 at 6:51 am
I found that the mesh bags that onions, potatoes and other items come in make handy, lightweight produce bags.Shopping for one, I only want a few onions, apples, oranges, etc. and these bags are perfect. They go in my canvas bags and right back into the car so they’ll be there for the next shopping day. If they get soiled they are easy as pie to wash and dry.
May 4th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Toilet paper/paper towel tubes have a GAZILLION uses. We don’t put a single one in the recycle bin. Besides using them for all kinds of crafts - we use them as seed starts.
I cut them down to about 4 inches (TP tubes are okay in their original size), stuff a little newspaper in the bottom and fill with potting soil. Add seeds, water and grow.
When ready to transplant, stick the ENTIRE thing in the ground. The cardboard composts and amennds your soil!
May 5th, 2007 at 5:43 am
We have a 9-month old who goes through 2-3 jars of Earth’s Best food daily. I pass the empty jars on to my mom who sterilizes and uses them to store home-made jams and jellies. These are then sold at a church bazaare to benefit the church’s women’s group.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:47 am
I drive a Hybrid, grow our own fruits and vegetables, am a vegetarian recycle everything I can, use reusable shopping bags,and generally try not to be wasteful. I have a non profit to help low income folks and the homeless spay and neuter their companion animals (www.animal-ministry.org) because euthanasia of millions of excess dogs and cats in this country is totally avoidable and another wasteful by-product of our society.
May 7th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I have a bad habit of flipping on the hot water faucet and waiting for it to warm up in order to wash my hands. Then I thought, what a waste of energy. It doesn’t really matter if the water is warm or cold because the soap is what removes the germs. So now I make it a point to turn on the cold water to wash with so the hot water heater doesn’t have to kick on and heat water just to rinse off soap! I also make sure I don’t let the water run on and on while I brush my teeth, wash my face, hand wash dishes, etc., etc. So much water is wasted otherwise.
May 7th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Hi All,
The energy saving floresent bulbs contain mercury so
be sure to recycle them properly.
May 14th, 2007 at 12:19 am
Using plain H2O and one of those microfibre cloths from the $ store does everything from windows to monitor screens, mirrors, glass - just about everything. Rinse in water, and dry.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I keep 3 canvas bags in my car for any time I need to go to the grocery. Plus, I take my lunch to work everyday in a small canvas bag. I also make sure that I keep my air pressure in my tires correct and that my car’s air filter is replaced often. This helps a lot on gas mileage.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:11 am
Organic fertilizers feed the soil, they are made from organic materials, such as corn gluten meal, combined to provide a broad range of nutrients. An excellent organic source of nutrients is composted plant materials, such as grass clippings and leaves. Spread compost on the garden regularly and you may rarely need added fertilizers.
May 26th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
I have a great idea that works to rid of bugs! It’s Dr. Bronners Peppermint liquid soap. I dilute this with water ~about 1/3 of soap to 2/3 of water~then I put it in a spray bottle. Ants were finding their way into our house. I sprayed the entire perimeter of the house and especially where I spotted the parade of ants. They retreated to a different path, nowhere near the house. It really worked. I have also used this same formula for tiny flies (much like a fruit fly) that come out of our shower drain. I just spray the fly and it dies. I have sprayed many different bugs with this stuff and they never return!
I always have a diluted bottle on hand as I use it for all of my sink, tile, tub, shower and commode cleanning. It works wonders and really gets that bathtub ring easily. It’s antimicrobial, a disinfectant, earth friendly and doesn’t harm me either-I think it’s also ph balanced. It actually makes the house smell clean and minty fresh. If I do a load of laundry with a 1/4 cup of Dr. Bronners liquid soap, my laundry room smells nice for days!!! (and so do my clothes*) It’s like a natural air freshner just using it.
June 1st, 2007 at 12:16 am
Save drinking water for watering plants.
This is my green tip:
My family members always some leave some drinking water (filtered and free and chlorine and other chemicals) in glasses after dinner.
Instead of throwing out, I gather it all in a watering can and then use it to water plants all over the house.
Hope this helps. Lorea
June 21st, 2007 at 11:21 am
I used several old shirts, overalls and jumpers to make four heavy duty fabric shopping bags. each one is smaller and when not in use they sit inside each other. I made sure I used the pockets inside and outside the bags. They are machine washable and come with either hand carry or sholder straps. I save on plastic and paper when ever possible.
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:26 am
Who wants to iron a t-shirt??!!!
I hate when I hang up clothes and they are so wrinkly or I leave them in the dryer and they get wrinkly. I have the best secret to getting out those annoying wrinkles in cotton (or cotton-like) clothes. Instead of wasting energy by throwing already dry clothes in the dryer or busting out the iron (which is annoying for things such as t-shirts). I make a wrinkle-remover spray by mixing about 10:1 water to environmentally-friendly fabric softener in a spray bottle. All you do is just spray the clothes and give them a little tug and a smoothing and they are good to go once the spray has dried. Just be careful of certain clothes that cannot have fabric softener, but for cotton t-shirts it’s the best thing!
June 28th, 2007 at 8:48 am
To control ants without using pesticide or chemicals, buy some corn meal in bulk, and put a tablespoon or two near the ant colony. The ants will carry the corn meal back to their nest, eat it and die, as the corn meal is incompatible with their digestive systems. This will only affect the ant colonies near your own home and won’t cause any negative reaction inside your home for you or your pets.
June 28th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
club soda in a spray bottle with microfiber cloth will make windows and mirrors sparkle with no streaks. try it-you will be so surprised.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I just started using reusable tote bags for my groceries and other shopping trips. You can get some great reusable bags at http://www.Rejavanate.com. Not only do they eliminate the waste caused by plastic and paper bags but they are made from recycled burlap coffee bags, keeping tons of burlap waste out of our landfills AND the manufacturing process provides employment for individuals with developmental disabilities !!!! It’s a Win, Win, Win !!!
July 18th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Hello! Just a quick note to introduce myself. My name is Richard Tiland and I am writing you from San Diego. Recently, my partners purchased John Lennon’s Merchandise Apparel License from Yoko Ono. This is a monumental occasion because Lennon’s license has only been released once in history to make the baby line “Carter’s”, that by the way is worth $1.8 billion.
Our new line is called “Free Karma”. We are really excited about creating a dynamic movement that both embraces Lennon’s essence while being environmentally conscience and, of course, very fashionable. We will begin this rockstar, green-friendly, couture fashions by creating a HOT reusable grocery bag. We have begun to critique our first production samples and then once the final sample is approved we will then promote them to all of the buyers of the major grocery stores. We are the most innovative, fashionable and socially conscience movement that will gain quick momentum with such a high-profile name recognition such as John Lennon.
We would like to team up with a great charity to help a worthwhile cause. Please let me know if you have any.
Kindest regards,
Richard Tiland
richardtiland@gmail.com
206.218.3301
Director of Media Relations
July 26th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
We started our company in August last year as we felt the need for biodegradable products. We have jute grocery bags that are biodegradable and also gift bags that can be used to giving organic gifts from your local organic farms. So visit our website and check out all the neat stuff we have. We will be going online with paypay by mid-August and let me have your comments if there is anything that you would like to see. Again our hope is to help sustainable farming all over the world.
Jessica
July 30th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Instead of buying no-stick cooking spray, you can get a reusable spray bottle at Whole Foods or Bed, Bath & Beyond and refill it with any kind of heart healthy oil you choose. (I’m using olive oil.) You will never have to buy another can of cooking spray again and will be saving the environment from the aerosol contaminants, which some of them use to induce the spray action.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I remove the labels from my jars. At Christmastime I spray paint the lids and fill the jars with some homemade treat. Perhaps cream cheese with almonds and apricots, dressed up nuts, or bath salts (put epsom salts, essential oils, glycerin and, if you want, food coloring in a bowl and mix well).The ideas are endless and having free containers makes the gifts inexpensive.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I keep ALL my bags from Whole Foods: I take them back and re-use them when I shop, of course. My other favorite uses are package wrapping for shipping, coverings for students school books, yard sale sacks(for the plastic ones) and gift bags - just decorate or dress it up, in a GREEN way of course!
August 16th, 2007 at 5:36 am
Help Save Green Space in Boca Raton by supporting our organization’s effort to protect green space that is being paved-over by over-development in our community. The city staff is currently recommending rezoning almost 30 acres of recreational land for the development of 211 townhouses in an already saturated residential housing market. This proposal is not good for the quality of life within our community, so please visit our web site and see how you can get involved to protect our green space.
August 21st, 2007 at 2:09 pm
The referenced web site was not published in the previous blog, so the web site is: http://www.savebocaratongreenspace.org
Help Save Green Space and Help the Environment by Stopping Overdevelopment
August 21st, 2007 at 2:12 pm
When you throw things into the garbage, they go to build a mountain/trash heap that is not likely to decompose. So I have worms instead, my food scraps garbage turns into dirt, which I use in my extensive window garden (I live in an apartment), to grow beans and peppers and lettuce and herbs. A worm box ranges from super easy to find or not so hard to make.
You can use a big plastic storage container, the bigger the family the bigger the tub. Drill holes on the side and bottom, some to let in air, and some to let out the delicious worm juice (that watered down is brown tea your plants will love!)
Buy 1 lb of red worms, you can buy mail order or maybe someones farming them near you. Cost $20 or so.
Then you dampen 1 newspaper slightly and mound it up in your box leaving pockets of air for them to hang out in before they create there dirt. Each worm can eat 1/2 its weight in garbage a day! And make dirt!
Just feed them up to half a pound of scraps a day -never meat or plastic- , if it gets dry add a little water, keep it dark, and keep a pan under your worm box for your brown tea to drip into!
It doesn’t stink, It doesn’t hurt, and if you have kids you get to teach them all about the life cycle. keep your worms inside a closet, cabinet, coffee table…
I’m just telling you how easy it can be but for more information, the internet brimming!
Be good to the plantet!
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:55 pm
i have learned a great way to disinfecant and clean in the house the really natural way. you can purchase grain alcohol and pour some in a little spray . i mix it with half alcohol and half water.
i go around spraying everything and i love that it is all natural disinfecant.
it will smell like their is liquior around but it is a clean smell and quickly disspates.
hope this works for someone !!! i do not use any harsh chemicals…
October 20th, 2007 at 9:22 am
I’m a single man who relies a lot on sandwiches, therefore, lunchmeat bags from the local grocers. These are lockable bags (not the typical press ‘n’ close, but the ones with a white plastic “slider” that seals the bags.
I’ve recycled for decades & have often found my garbage bag isn’t full, but “odorous” enough to put out for the trash man.
With these small bags I have been putting my ‘garbage’ in them & keeping them in the freezer. When I accumulate several bags of frozen garbage, I put them into the trash with other non-recyclables & in this way at lease DOUBLE the use of these “throw-away” items.
These bags are not recyclable at my local grocer who accepts pre-used plastic grocery/plastic bags, and I don’t know of any place that accepts them for recycling.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 am
Allan
I love your site. They really look very nice. The articles provided are long enough to provide great content but not so long as to be totally engrossing, if you know what I mean.
February 13th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I USED VINEGAR AND POURED IT OVER A HUGE ANY COLONY IN FRONT OUR HOUSE. SOME DIED, THE NEXT DAY, THEY WERE ALL GONE!
I RE-USED NUTELLA IN GLASS JARS AS BABY FOOD STORAGE, THEY COME WITH A TUPPERWARE-LIKE LID TOO. SAFER INSTEAD OF PLASTIC.
May 5th, 2008 at 3:41 pm