If you think like I do, when you need to replace appliances and other household items you go for the most environmentally-friendly choices out there, like Energy Star® certified models and water-saving appliances such as tankless water heaters and front-loading washing machines. I’m fortunate to live in Austin where the city offers rebates on appliances like these, so not only can you save money in energy and water consumption costs, but you can get a hefty rebate. I got $100 back from the City of Austin when I bought my front-loader washing machine a few years ago, which is no small change!

But alas, my relationship with my beloved 6-year-old front-loader came to an abrupt halt last month when it started making a REALLY LOUD banging noise during the spin cycle. The repair man asked me questions like: “You used ‘HE’ soap, right?” and “How much soap did you use?” I quickly realized that I had not done enough research. I swear I read the manual but, as it turns out, it was going to cost more to repair my washing machine than to buy a new one. Ouch! Read the rest of this entry »

At WFM, we just happen to celebrate Team Member Appreciation Week during the same week as Earth Day, so at the Global office, it always turns into a great party. This year we enjoyed perfect Texas weather on the Plaza, complete with live music from Colin Gilmore, seed planting, face painting, cake and gelato eating….we held a trash art contest, played “Pin the Continent on Mother Earth” (in which Team Members donned a bandana, were twirled around a few times, and tried to pin all the continents to the correct geographical location on the map, ha!) and “Wheel of Waste” (in which Team Members spun the wheel and determined whether the selected item should be recycled, reused, composted, or thrown away). It was super FUN!

But I saved the best for last…for the second year in a row we held a voluntary pledge in honor of Earth Day. Last year, we had over 100 Team Members pledge to take the stairs, conserve energy, carpool, bring their own water bottles, etc.-in general, they pledged to become more conscious of the simple, daily things they could do to help the earth.

This year, we asked Team Members to take it one step further and give up their trash cans! “Think Trash Last” was the theme. We asked them to take the following things into consideration:

• Can I reuse? …use a SIGG bottle, drink from a reusable coffee mug, bring your own silverware and containers – skip the plastic silverware, re-use bulk bin/produce bags and containers!
• Can I recycle? …recycle glass, aluminum, #1,2 (& soon #5) plastics, paper, cardboard, batteries, electronics, etc.
• Can I compost? …compost uneaten food, soiled napkins, soup & salad bar containers…even gum.
• Can I buy better? …make some changes in my purchases that will eliminate the trash that I am producing…less packaging!

And guess what?! 77 brave souls gave up their trash cans. They are now having to pile their trash on their desk, which will force them to want to reduce the amount they generate, which will force them to re-think what they are buying, which will eventually eliminate more and more waste going to the landfill. We are making Earth Day every day, that’s for sure.

…or the Environment

Are you in the same boat as I am? I have a really old television because I just don’t really watch TV, and I don’t have cable, so it looks like I’ll be one of those folks who will benefit from a digital converter box to keep my perfectly good television working. The other choice is to invest in a new digital-ready television. If you aren’t up to speed on this whole thing, the digital switch is coming June 12th so find the details here.

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…Save Money, Keep Stuff Out Of The Landfill, and Have Fun Doing It

My friends are always asking me for tips on how to green up their workplaces – but they need stuff that won’t freak out their coworkers (I guess I shouldn’t tell them to get rid of all the trash cans just yet). I thought I’d share some ideas that are really simple and have worked for us here in our Austin office.  And, conveniently enough, some of these will even save your company some money.

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A few months ago a group of my friends and I were talking about global climate change and environmental issues. I was shocked to hear one of them say that until someone told her that she had to change her lifestyle that she was going to just keep living the way she was accustomed—i.e. not making any effort to conserve energy, recycle, reduce her carbon footprint, etc. It made me realize that the problem with this may be a lack of awareness of how to make some changes…some of us may be happy to change some simple things, if we were given some good advice on how to go about doing just that.

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If you are like me, you probably have at least two or three strands of holiday lights that were handed down from your mom when you were in college.  Some of the light bulbs are broken so the whole strand doesn’t work…but some day, in the spirit of reusing and doing your share for the environment, you were going to try to find those replacement bulbs and keep using those lights, right?

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