A green thought - Every single day!

Microwave

2008-10-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

I was reading a bunch on articles on saving energy by using the microwave vs the stove or oven. Its seems to be quite a saver. Precooking / thawing and such other methods will help speed up the process on the stove or oven.

But of course.. there is also these floating theories about health concerns of using the microwave. I cannot comment on that .. its your call I guess!

But.. tip of the day is "using the microwave" Vs the stove or oven - can be a "green" thing to do!

Water

2008-10-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long absence of posts here. We are back!

Water conservation:
You have heard this a million times, and still, bad habits are really hard to break. Please shut off that tap when brushing your teeth. Keep your showers to a 5 min maximum. Really, its ok not to shower longer than that on weekdays. Maybe weekends, you treat yourself with a couple of minutes extra. When you shower, think about the millions people in the world that do not have water to even drink.! That really helps to cut short your shower time.

Awesome!

2008-05-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the blog being out for a week. To make up for all that, We found one of the best ever made information website to understand Consumption and its impact on our planet.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Recycle - Reasons

2008-05-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Reasons to Recycle:

We are putting out the reasons to Recycle this whole week, to help motivate us to recycle as much as possible

A glass bottle thrown away into a landfill today will take almost a 100 years to disintegrate.

Recycle - Reasons

2008-05-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Recycle today - reasons to motivate us to recycle.

The more we recycle - The cheaper the cost for material and cost of clearing out trash comes down considerably.

Recycle - Reasons

2008-05-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Reasons to Recycle:

Recycling creates 1.1 million jobs in the US

Recycle - Reasons

2008-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Recycle today - reasons to motivate us to recycle.

In America, 30 million trees worth of Newspapers are being thrown out every year. America only recycles 25% of the paper waste generated in the country.

Mother's Day - Go Green

2008-05-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Go green with your Mother's day gift this year. If you observe Mother's day - do remember - The earth is our first mother! So, be green and gift green.

Look for great green choices while buying presents - Eco friendly makeup, natural oils and fragrances, soy candles, and much more.

Water

2008-05-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Its amazing to see the number of ways we can buy water now a days. Bottled, flavored, vitamin and minerals added, sugar added etc. Millions of plastic water bottles are used everyday around the world. And these water bottles are often made of flimsy plastics. The plastics used in the water bottles are often questioned for its quality and a lots of warning is out there today about freezing the bottles or prolonged use of the water bottles.

Today, stop or reduce using bottled water. There are so many ways to reduce the usage of these bottles. Buy bigger water containers and refill a good quality reusable bottle. Use bottle filters (Fill& go from Brita is a good one)

With summer approaching and temperatures soaring, always be sure you have a reusable bottle handy at all times, so you don't end up buying bottled water when you get thirsty.

If you really like flavored water, try using some organic fruit extracts to flavor your water.

Food Waste

2008-04-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Millions of pounds of food is wasted everyday in America. We are all to blame when it comes to food wastage. Everyone of us, waste food in some form or the other, or at some level, directly or indirectly. Over buying, over consumption, over ordering are all to blame for.

Today - When you order lunch or dinner at a restaurant or take out - be sure to order only portions that you really can finish, and really 'need' to full fill your nutrition goals. If the place does not carry the portion sizes you want, make sure you order something that you can actually save for later. - A soggy sandwich will not make a good leftover. Think about all the food we throw out of refrigerators. All those leftovers from dinner and lunches, that we never eat. Best bet is to avoid buying too much food.

When you do carry out food, try to use places that offer paper or recycled paper food containers. If you bring your food in plastic containers, be sure to rinse them out and recycle them. Storing food for a longtime in plastic containers or reheating the food in the plastic containers in a microwave should be avoided as well.

Detergents

2008-04-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Reduce the use of harmful chemicals in the house. Start with the most used products - detergents, hand soaps, floor and surface cleaning products, cosmetics etc.

Lets look at Laundry Detergent today. Its not that expensive to go green with detergents - a lot of people think they have to go to some fancy green store and buy some fancy detergent - only to find out they paid tons of money for baking soda and water. But, there are reasonable products out there, you will surprised to see how much you will actually save by reducing the user of harmful chemicals - in terms of other costs like medical conditions and such.

Here is a resource to understand the Laundry detergent options out there
Comparing Green Laundry detergents

Polystyrene (styrofoam)

2008-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Styrofoam (a trademark name for Polystrene) is a type of plastic, made from petroleum products and a harmful toxin called Benzene is used in it as well.

Styrofoam - probably the most common use we see as packing peanuts and other packing materials. This is actually a very hazardous material, and if ingested by animals, it can prove to be very harmful to their digestive system. Not mention, the years it takes to breakdown this material - so not a landfill material at all.

Polystyrene is NOT a good material to package food products. It can be toxic and is in fact banned in several states in the the US from being used as food packing material.

So, make sure you dispose the polystyrene material responsibly in the proper recycling program. Make sure you do not dump these in the trash. There are several ways to recycle polystyrene

1. Recycle bin
2. Donate to craft stores - they use a lot of this in their projects
3. Avoid packing peanuts and use alternative materials when possible
4. There are some mail back options available now that take polystyrene back

So, today, pack up all those packing peanuts, and get rid of them the right way!

Paints and Chemicals

2008-04-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Don't put batteries, antifreeze, paint, motor oil, or chemicals in the trash. Use proper toxic material disposal sites. Never buy more than you need.

Charity organizations are always happy to take extra and left over paints. So, please do round up all that extra paint sitting in the house, call a charity today or drop it off at a local charity location.

Used stuff

2008-04-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

A great way to go green - go used!

Look around the house, if you have tons of used CDs, vidoes, DVDs that you have not used over a few months, the chances are, you will never use them. There are great ways to now sell, donate these items. Craigslist & FreeCycle are great resources. You can also buy used materials as much as possible. Using MP3 players and purchasing mp3 music online, can also reduce use of disc plastics.

Today , jus take 20 mins to clear out that stack of media and books you have been hoarding for years.

Real Juice, Your Way

2008-04-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Everyday people spend money on plastic bottles filled with 'juice', which is really juice concentrate powder and mostly water. The packaging is plastic and non-biodegradable, the water is heavy and adds tons of fuel wasted to ship the juice to our grocery shelves, not to mention hauling it home after we've purchased it. Why do manufacturers do this? Because you pay them $$$$ for WATER -- which increases their profits! Also you have no control over the ingredients, and it's funny to read some of the packaging which says 100% juice, but then lists a ton of other ingredients on the label. Read your labels, you might be surprised to find food coloring, sugar, and/or preservatives listed.

Instead, buy concentrated juice powders directly, and make as much or as little juice as you want, right at home in a reusable container. The juice concentrates are higher quality, you have control over the ingredients, and the juice powder has a much longer shelf life dry, than pre-mixed in your fridge. And per unit, it's much less expensive too!

I haven't done much searching, but this company came up while I was looking for organic concentrates, I'm sure there are others out there as well:

http://www.naturesflavors.com

Mixing the juice in a re-useable glass pitcher (with a lid) avoids 'plastic' chemicals leaching into your drinks, and there is no plastic bottle to throw away or even haul to the recycling center.
Avoid juice boxes & pouches in your kids lunch box, instead mix juice and pour into a reusable capped bottle.

CFL Bulbs

2008-04-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

The most common, effective and easiest way to reduce energy use, is using Energy saving light bulbs. We have heard this a hundred times, yet , we all sometimes miss out replacing a few regular bulbs around the house like inside appliances, closets or garage door openers, look for these spots that you may have missed and change them today!

An interesting and commendable approach by Mr.Sanjayan
Quote (Mr.Sanjayan's article on Nature.org)

"...So I take energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) with me on my trips, and I give them to someone at my destination — swapping them for existing incandescent bulbs that illuminate a small shop or local restaurant or school....."

Kudos to Mr. Sanjayan for taking this approach to replace light bulbs:
Read the entire article at :http://www.nature.org/activities/art23429.html

Material from one of our readers:
"Use Energy star light bulbs,Be aware of energy conservation.

Energy Star lights use low voltage, especially compact fluorescent, contributes more lights
using less power. By simply changing the light fixtures we can take a major step forward in the commitment and pursuit of energy conservation.

Changing the world starts with simple actions. If every American home replaces just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, We would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year and prevent green house gas emissions."

Phone books

2008-04-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yellow and white books, are delivered to millions of American homes every year. Most of the people who receive these books have not requested for them, these books tend to just mysteriously appear on the front porch.

A lot of us, probably try to recycle them, that's a good thought, but the better solution is not to receive them at all. If you are not going to really use them as a yellow book, you do not need to receive them.

Here is a great resource to unsubscribe from receiving phone books.
http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/

Earth Day - Take a step!

2008-04-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day everyone! A great day to remember our planet and appreciate what we have and also, feel a little responsible for why it may not be the same next year. The fate of the planet and our lives, is not that hard to change. All it takes is one small step a day.

It is a great day to start taking that ONE STEP to make a difference. Stay Green today - is just that perfect tool to help you take that ONE STEP towards a better and greener life.

Start today, One green act a day - next earth day, you will enjoy the day with a great sense of accomplishment of having done several green acts over the year. Stay green today provides you a daily tip, every single day of the year, to help you achieve your green goals and save the planet!

Toady's recommendation

Use the Stairs

Waiting for that elevator to get one floor up? Well, use the stairs please.

Use the stairs as much as you can. Do it today! try it. At least use it to get down the stairs, if you are unable to climb up. Use the stairs for many reasons, conserve power, burn some energy, improve your health.

If you are in a very high floor, go part way in the elevator and walk the rest! Its OK, if you can only do 2 flights of stairs, that still counts.

No act is too small, every single act, however trivial it may seem like, STILL COUNTS!

Helpful Links:
Benefits of taking the stairs
Stairway health program

Mobile Chargers

2008-04-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

Do not charge your mobile over night. Leaving it on the charger for over 8 hrs is a waste of power, when most of the cellphones batteries get charged up in just a couple of hours or less.

Please charge your mobile today during the day and not over night. Leave it in the charger on your desk or somewhere you can see it when its done charging. If available, Use the beep option on your cellphone to indicate and remind it to unplug when done charging.

Earth day tomorrow! Lets use that as a bit of extra inspiration and start doing this daily commitment to a greener life.

Paper Towel Vs Cloth towels

2008-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

There has always been arguments over which is a better choice? Paper towels are bad as they simply encourage overuse of paper, cloth towels are blames too for increased use of energy and water to clean and use them.

We have done reading to decide that Paper towels are a bad choice. But, considering the huge lifestyle of change and simply giving up those extremely convenient paper towels, but there is room some some adjustments we can do to make a lot better.

1. Use unbleached, brown colored, recycled paper towels. They are not fancy, but that is one step. At least use these better versions for high use areas.
2. Do not use paper towels in bathrooms!
3. Use a cloth towel as much as possible. Have enough to collect to make a decent sized dishwasher load to wash them.

So, today's green tip is - Replace bleached white paper towels with recycled paper towels or put it down on your shopping list. Buy a bunch of cloth towels and keep them handy in kitchens and bathrooms.

Do something

2008-04-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Do something, that's right, do something /anything to stay green today. Today's tip, write a letter, an email, a post on a blog, anything, to promote the idea of staying green.

Remind a friend to recycle, educate a child by showing how to recycle, do any one single thing that works for you, to make one other person around you to do one little green act today! We cannot do this alone! The more the merrier!

Stay green, Stay safe, Stay informed!

tip: To think of a green idea to share, read our archives and pick one or more.

Cool water

2008-04-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Using cold water for washing clothes in your washer can save you a lot of energy costs. Check your default setting on your washers - Not many of bother to even look at the settings, no matter what we wash, we usually just toss in the clothes, add some detergent and turn it on.

Today, take just spend a minute to make sure you are not using hot/warm water setting at the default. Make a list of most common settings to use on the washer and put it up, so the others users of the washer know to use the right settings. The step to use cold water, can also save the occassional shrunk sweater scenario.

Line dry your clothes as and when you can. Spring/Summer coming up, use the natural sunlight to dry your clohtes. Even in shade, most clothes dry well, just plan a bit ahead and dry them

tip: Do not wash your bath towels and sheets too often . Towels can comfortably last atleast 2-3 uses. Even hotels like Hilton are adopting the once in 3 days sheet change and encourage reuse of bath towels. Use this option at the hotels when you travel.

Avoid PVC

2008-04-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

PVC plastics - (Poly vinyl Chloride)

PVC is in a lot of things we use / buy on a day to day basis. Shower curtains, bags, toys. PVC is an extremely toxic material especially when burnt as it contains chlorine.

So in your next shopping trip, avoid all items containing PVC and also make sure you get rid of stuff with PVC at home - add this to your spring cleaning check list.

Helpful Links:
Hazards of PVC
Wikipedia Information on PVC

Bike

2008-04-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Bike to work, Bike to a store or simply bike for fun.... however you want to call it and whatever reason you want to ride a bike for, its just a great green activity.

Biking is a great way to burn less fuel and burn more calories - both great for the environment. A green life, should definitely involve a healthy lifestyle, a balanced and low fuel consuming lifestyle. Biking is one fantastic option to use to lead that lifestyle.

Mark your calendars today! Make room for at least once a month bike days. Once a month is still not a bad idea... just once a month!

Remember - Mark your calendars today! Once a month Bike day.

tip: If weather doesn't permit, make sure you reschedule your calendar to fit that once a month bike day. If you other compelling reasons, that do not favor biking, then try, walking, snow shoeing, anything to minimize fuel usage atleast once a month.

Spring Cleaning

2008-04-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning must be in the plans for the next few weekends in lot of our households. Here are a few tips to follow today!

1. Get rid of harmful cleaners -oven cleaners, air fresheners - all these contain stuff that's not good for us or the environment
2. Clean as much as you can with simple baking soda and water mixtures. A LOT of stuff can be easily cleaned with these. Use protective "reusable" gloves when handling any cleaning materials.
3. Use rags - time to put good use to those Old t-shirts. Do not waste paper towels all the time to clean. Use them sparsely

Today's Green tip: Remove and discard harmful chemical cleaners around the house and replace with simple earth-friendly products, and also household supplies like baking soda.

Helpful Links:
Green tips for Cleaning
6 Cleaners to avoid