The Ordinary Environmentalist

It worked!

2011-05-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

They didn’t deliver my Dex phone directory.

I was a bit startled today when I heard the screen door on my front door open. No one rang the doorbell or knocked, but it sounded like someone put something in my doorway. Being a curious person, I quickly ran to the window and peaked out to see who was soliciting in my neighborhood.

I saw an energetic woman lugging heavy plastic bags full of phone books to my neighbor’s doors. Seeing this I was a little upset because I distinctly remember writing a blog post Yellow Pages Go Green, and opting out of phone directories in my area on the Don’t Trash the Phone Book

“Well that didn’t work,” I thought as I went to the door to grab the phone books and toss them into the recycle bin. As I opened the door, a little door hanger came fluttering in. It said that Dex was now delivering books in my area, but since I had opted out, they did not give me one. If I have changed my mind, the flyer said I could opt-in again.

“It did work,” I thought with some excitement. Then I got to thinking, I have not received any of the five local directories I used to get, once I opted out on the website.

If you want to free up some space in your closets or drawers, and reduce paper consumption, consider opting out of redundant directories. You can also call or email the directory companies and ask to opt-out of their delivery.

Waking Up an Ordinary Environmentalist

2011-04-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

Three actions for morning-challenged coffee drinkers

A fresh-brewed cup of coffee in the morning is fantastic! If you are morning-challenged like me, you probably don’t have a lot of brain activity prior to that first cup, so here are a few things you can plan ahead for, so that first cup taste great and is environmentally- friendly.

1. Stop Trying to Impress your Coffee Maker

Why are some coffee filters white, and some brown? Strictly, for appearances: apparently someone in the coffee filter business decided a long time ago that white coffee filters looked better, so they started bleaching them. Most inexpensive white coffee filters use chlorine to turn the natural brown color to white. That means more processing with water, chemicals, and energy for no practical reason. The color does not affect the taste. Take a look next time you are in a coffee house – they are probably using brown filters. Stop trying to impress your coffee maker, stick with the brown filters.

2. Choose Sustainable and Ethical coffee producers.

As good as coffee is, it is bad for the environment. Rainforests are replaced with plantations that produce high-volume beans, however eliminate natural environments for wildlife. These plantations often negatively influence the indigenous populations and prey on the small coffee farmers. There are a number of companies that sell sustainable coffee, that may be shade grown, and possibly fair trade. You can find this information on the package labels. Starbucks http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility, for example has a strong sustainability program and many of their beans are grown in environmental and ethical ways. Yes, you may pay a bit more, however read on for a way to save a bit of cash.

3. BYOC = Bring Your Own Cup

If you buy a cup of coffee, you are likely buying a paper cup, a cardboard band to protect your hand and a plastic lid. You can compost the paper parts (really it works!); however few places will recycle the plastic lids. Bring your own travel mug and you will not have to worry about waste, your coffee will stay hot longer and many coffee houses will give you a 10cent or more discount if you bring your own mug. That means once a month you get a free cup of coffee if you are a weekday customer – or about $25 a year. That will make up for additional costs you spend on sustainable coffee!

Three simple steps an Ordinary Environmentalist can choose to do to positively impact the environment; in our backyards and ½ ways around the world.

Can Oatmeal Make for a Better World?

2011-03-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Yummy sustainability in the cereal aisle.

My blog post “Have I Peaked?” listed my 2011 Ordinary Environmentalist resolutions, and #3 is to Buy Sustainable Products and Packaging.

With that in mind, I was at the grocery store looking for instant oatmeal that wasn’t laden with sugar and artificial ingredients and I came across a product that caught my eye because it was a small box of organic instant oatmeal. Creative and eye-catching I thought, but probably 3x as expensive because it looks like a specialty item. Nope, it worked out to be priced similar to other brands. What the heck, I thought, and tossed a box in my shopping cart.

Yum! The BetterOats Organic Raw Chai Spiced oatmeal is very good and I’ll buy it again, for a number of reasons:

PACKAGING – There are four great things about the packaging:
1. The box uses up to 35% less packaging then other brands.
2. It takes up 35% less space in my cupboard – a surprisingly nice benefit.
3. The box and the paper envelopes are both recyclable.
4. The oatmeal packet is cleverly designed to measure your liquid so you do not need to find a measuring cup, or guess the right amount – a great benefit if you bring this to work).

SUSTAINABILITY – BetterOats purchases wind energy credits – a sustainable resource.

HEALTHY – whole grain, flax, no artificial anything, and organic.

TASTY – it has great texture and plenty of flavors. It has to taste good, or it isn’t worth buying!

Ordinary Environmentalists are not extremists, we simply make everyday choices that promote sustainability and reduce our impact on the environment – like buying yummy oatmeal with an eco-friendly slant.

Will there be a rum shortage soon?

2011-03-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Sugar Cane based paper products are introduced.

I just learned that Emerald Brand is making paper plates and toilet paper using 70% - 100% less trees in their products. They are replacing wood pulp with sugar cane.

What??!! I immediately began to think that if this takes off, there could be a shortage of sugar cane – the main ingredient in rum! Will there be a shortage? What will we do without our daiquiris, rum ‘n cokes and mojitos this summer?

Relief washed over me when I kept reading and learned that the paper products where actually going to be made from the by-product of sugar cane juice pressing. Whew – it’s the juice that goes into the rum!

According to earth911.com, “Rather than using virgin or even recycled paper, the new products use Bagasse, the leftover residue from sugar cane juicing. Using Bagasse in new products reclaims an agricultural waste material and prevents the polluting gases created during Bagasse’s usual disposal – burning. It also takes less energy and fewer chemicals to produce Bagasse-products than it does to manufacture tree-based paper products.”

This is an excellent example of how we can rethink our production processes and see how we can leverage existing waste materials to create products, instead of negatively affecting our environment.

This change agent saves trees, reduces air pollutants and minimizes use of energy and chemicals – and doesn’t affect rum production. Cheers to all Ordinary Environmentalists who support products like this!

Slipping and Sliding to Sustainability

2011-02-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

How falling into a snow bank can help with sustainability.

This morning I went to get my Sunday paper and as I slipped and slid and eventually fell into the four-foot snow bank at the end of my driveway, I managed to hang on to the paper; which was conveniently wrapped in its protective plastic sleeve.

After dusting the snow off, and looking to make sure no one saw my ungraceful fall, I took a closer look at that plastic newspaper sleeve and noticed it had some new printing on it this week:

“Green15™ This product is made with at least 15% recycled material and with 15% less plastic.”

I’m pleased to hear that the StarTribune is making conscious choices that reduce their impact on the environment. That got me to thinking about one of my Ordinary Environmentalist consumer decisions I am making in 2011; Buy Sustainable Products and Packaging. This means I will look for packaging that is made, at least in part, from scrape and recycled materials. We are a little over a month into the year, and here is one product I found that works great, and is very thoughtfully packaged:

Seventh Generation dish soap = 90% Post Consumer Recycled materials (PCR). That means they use scrape and/or recycled materials content in their dish soap bottles. The bottles are recyclable too, helping to close the loop and make this packaging, nearly 100% sustainable.

It is great to see that companies such as the StarTribune and Seventh Generation™ are making sustainable packaging decisions that us Ordinary Environmentalists can choose to purchase for our households.

Falling in the snow bank wasn’t a great way to start the day, however it did wake me up, and I found another example of how companies are paying attention and converting to sustainable packaging practices. It is now up to us to purchase products from these companies.

One Leg at a Time

2011-01-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

Shopping for jeans can promote sustainability in manufacturing.

Eco-friendly, sustainability, recyclability; all of these are words that describe what an Ordinary Environmentalist looks for when they make purchases. When it comes to clothes however, it is a bit difficult to make purchase decisions that are environmentally mindful, without going to fringe stores and buying 100% organic hemp t-shirts.

Levi’s® is launching a new line called WaterLess jeans this month. They figured out that they could save a lot of water usage by changing their manufacturing process. With this line of jeans, they are using ozone within their ‘softening’ stage to help reduce water usage.

OK…. what does that mean? According to Levi's website, that saves from 28-96% of water consumption, saving about 16M liters of water for this new spring season line. That is a lot of water – and that is for one product line, in one fashion season.

I am not, as an Ordinary Environmentalist, going to purchase jeans exclusively based on their environmental impact; I put my pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.

I will however consider them, and as with any product with sustainable practices, it may be the tipping point for me to purchase it over other similar products.

Caps Off!

2011-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

What you may not know about recycling plastic bottle caps.

Is the rumor true that bottle caps from water and shampoo bottles are recyclable? The answer is yes, however if you are putting them in your recycle bin, they are probably not being recycled.

Paul Kallevig, Customer Service Representative from Allied Waste in Eden Prairie MN told me that I can put the caps in my recycle bin, and “Though they are not recyclable, they are made out of a chemical that floats when it is melted. Once the plastic is melted down they skim off the contaminants off the top.” That waste plastic is then thrown away. This explains why many recycle/waste haulers allow caps to be included in your recycling bin. Bad news is that it means those caps - or the melted globs are ending up in landfills.

The good news is that plastic #5 caps can actually be recycled by bringing them to any U.S. Aveda Salons. Just make sure they are clean and store them in a bag until you are ready to take them to the local Salon. Aveda is an environmentally conscious beauty products and services company and they utilize this recycled plastic into their product packaging.

Aveda has provided a handy reference sheet on what caps can be recycled. You can bring in any #5 rigid caps with threaded necks from shampoo, water, milk, detergent, flip top, and pharmaceutical bottles. Don’t include plastic pumps or non-ridged lids from things like yogurt and margarine lids. You will be surprised at how much plastic this adds up to in your household.

Aveda also has a school caps recycling program that looks easy for a group or individual student to introduce into their school.

If you want to see what one amazing, 11-year old student has done, check out his website dedicated to recycling plastic caps at: RecycleCaps.Webs.com

Now, just find your local Aveda Location, and incorporate an occasional stop during your regular errands.

Hats (or caps) off to Aveda for their sustainability initiative, and for every Ordinary Environmentalist who takes this little step to a better world.

Have I peaked?

2010-12-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

Four easy consumer decisions that will help our environment.

I resolve in 2011 that I will not stand in front of bulldozer in the middle of the Amazon, set my SUV on fire, or swear off electricity for the year; that would be extreme environmentalism and is not for me.

I will resolve to be an Ordinary Environmentalist and continue my simple environmental habits that reduce landfill waste, minimize fuel, electric, and water usage, and decrease my overall carbon footprint. Easy things like:

- Buying CFL light bulbs,
- Opening my south-facing curtains on sunny days when it is cold, and closing them when it is hot,
- Using cloth bags,
- Combining errands so I drive less,
- Reducing, reusing and recycling,
- Composting, etc.

Thinking about my 2011 resolutions, I have been wondering how I can continue to find ways to help the environment that do not take much time, are easy to incorporate into my daily life, and are repeatable. So, here is what I came up with… ummmm… hmmmm… yea, ahhh…. right, I’ll…. give me a minute here…

Yikes! Have I peaked as an ordinary environmentalist? Do I have to tip into the arena of an extreme environmentalist in order to continue to improve our collective lives through responsible, sustainable living? I do not have that much vacation time!!

With a little more thought, I did come up with a way to continue to tweak my habits as an ordinary environmentalist. It comes down to four decisions I will weigh as I make my purchasing decisions:

Decision #1: Bike More
It is the middle of a very cold winter and it is not an option for me to bike anywhere outside for the next 3-4 months, however once the snow melts, I will decide to use my bike to run my local errands to the bank, library, post office, office supply store, local volunteer meetings, etc. I will decide to incorporate this into my regular exercise by planning my errands around longer bike rides. More exercise is good, and hey, it will save a bit of wear and tear on my car, and reduce vehicle emissions by driving 50-100 miles less per month. I may even reduce impulse buys because I will not have room to carry them on my bike!

Decision #2: Buy Local
I will decide to buy as many products as I reasonably can that are made or grown within 150 miles of my house, and I will shop at local stores when possible. This will support the local economy, reduce fuel and emissions from long distant trucking, and help me to bike more. I will go to the summer farmer’s market for fresh produce and meat, and look for locally grown items like honey and grass-fed beef in the grocery store. I will also first try and find items at local boutiques and galleries, which often feature unique products that support local artists, before heading to the big box stores and malls.

Decision #3: Buy Sustainable Products and Packaging
When I am in the store, I will decide to look for and purchase sustainably made products, that use recycled and/or sustainable materials, and are also recyclable. This will help close the recycling loop and reward companies that support sustainability. I can for example use laundry detergent that comes in a box that uses recycled paper, and I can toss the packing in my recycle bin when I am done with it.

Decision #4: Buy Plant-Based Products.
As I shop for new household cleaning and beauty products, I will decide to try products that use plant-based/natural ingredients. Plant-based solutions are biodegradable, less likely to cause skin and airway irritations and they are sustainable. This will take a little more time up-front understanding the ingredients list, however once I find products that work for me, it will be simple to continue to purchase them.

No, I am not going to protest deforestation by living in a tree, chase down whaling boats in the arctic seas, or reduce my possessions down to 150 items. I will however I will use these four decisions as a guideline for 2011 to help positively affect the environment.

Best wishes to all Ordinary Environmentalists for a happy and healthy 2011!

Seven Habits of an Ordinary Environmentalist

2010-12-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

Non-environmental reasons to change your environmental habits.

Let’s face it… most of us want to do the right things to protect our environment, but it requires that we change some of our ingrained habits. A habit is an acquired behavior and usually develops because the rewards of that behavior outweigh the consequences of not acting on it.

The rewards for good environmental habits are obvious – reduce carbon footprint, better health for the family, decrease landfill, and chemical waste, lessen our dependency on foreign oil, etc. These are all logical reasons to change our behavior; however, we all know that logic by itself rarely changes our actions. (How many of us know someone who smokes, knows how bad it is for them, understands they should quite, however continues to smoke)? Most often, there has to be other reasons such as feeling better about yourself, or saving time or money to change your habits.

I looked at the seven most important environmental habits I have developed and refined over the course of 2010 and realized that each one of them had very real benefits that did not have any logically environmental rationale.

Here is a quick rundown of my 2010 Seven Habits of an Ordinary Environmentalist.

Habit #1: Two Reasons for Every Trip
Always try to think of what errands you have to run that are on the way to or from your primary destination. Plan and schedule your time out in advance of every trip. If, for example, you are meeting a friend for lunch, stop and get your groceries on the way home. My grocery store is only 5 minutes away, but if I make that solo trip twice a week, it takes up 17 hours a year in driving time. Yes, it requires a bit of planning, but it will:

• reduce your carbon footprint,
• save on gas costs, and
• save you lots of time.

Habit # 2: Use Cloth Shopping Bags
“Oh I have those things but I always forget to take them into the store with me.” Sound familiar? Habits take time to develop. I purchased my first cloth grocery bag in 2006, and only remembered to take them along about 10% of the time. Four years later, I remember 95% of the time, and I love to use them because:

• It is environmentally smart: less plastic and paper in landfills, less carbon footprint from manufacturing and shipping, fewer trees cut down, etc., etc.
• It reduces clutter in the house from stored paper and plastic bags (really it does make a difference), and
• They have much better handles and are easier to carry then paper or plastic.

Habit #3: Line Dry Clothes
Right now, I have two feet of snow in my backyard and cannot dry my sheets and towels outside. I miss the habit of line drying my linens outside for a number of reasons:

• Less electricity used, saving money and reducing carbon footprint,
• Reduce wear and tear on my dryer,
• A break now and then to go outside in the fresh air and sunshine is good for me and,
• My sheets and towels smell amazing!

Habit #4: Compost
I started composting on a whim a few years ago, and today I am a bit upset because I can’t compost with two feet of snow blocking the door out to my compost bin. My whim developed into a composting habit because of the immense benefits I found with:

• Surprising less garbage sent to the landfill, and
• Fantastic mulch for my garden and potted plants.

Habit #5: Twice is Nice
I like a good challenge, and this habit of trying to look for a secondary use for packaging and other materials has stretched my imagination. This has been, in fact, my most difficult habit to develop, and the most interesting. I now seek out Styrofoam to replace some of the dirt and lighten up my big flowerpots, use plastic mushroom containers for little disposable paint containers and convert bread bags into pet pooper picker uppers. This is a good environmental habit because:

• Less landfill waste and contribution to floating plastic islands in the Pacific ocean,
• Save money by not purchasing plastic disposable food and other containers,
• Helps me think inventively.

Habit #6: Use Recycled Packaging
We all know about the reduce, reuse, recycle stream and there is one more thing you can do to really help; use recycled paper and packaging when possible. Make it a habit to check out those shampoo and cleaning bottles and see if they are made with recycled materials. The more we use recycled materials, the less new plastic and wood has to be used, which means:

• less landfill waste, less virgin wood use, and less dependency on oil,
• reduce demand for oil, which can reduce fuel prices,
• reward, through increased sales, the companies that are making a stand to protect our environment.

Habit #7: Something In, Something Out
A friend of mine gave me this tip a number of years ago as a philosophical way to help determine what ‘things’ are most important to me. The basic principal is that if you bring something into your house, like a new pair of shoes, something similar, like an old pair of shoes, has to leave your house. With this habit, you need to decide that what you want is better then what you have. This habit really helps:

• Reduce waste with less packaging from new products,
• Saves money on buying items you don’t really want,
• Eliminates clutter and things you don’t want in your house,
• Helps charities who need used clothes and household items,
• Philosophically helps you understand and prioritize what is really important to you.

These seven habits of an Ordinary Environmentalistreally benefit anyone who is interested in saving time or money, with the added benefit of making a difference in the future of our world.

Who needs a tube?

2010-11-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

Kimberly Clark has started testing tube-free toilet paper for it’s Scott Natural's brand.

What’s the big deal about tossing out paper toilet paper tubes? USA TODAY colleague Bruce Horovitz reports that:

“The 17 billion toilet paper tubes produced annually in the USA account for 160 million pounds of trash, according to Kimberly-Clark estimates, and could stretch more than a million miles placed end-to-end. That's from here to the moon and back — twice.”

That is a lot of trash – and it also take a lot of trees to make the tubes, fuel to ship the trees and finished tubes to the manufacturers….you get the point.

Kimberly Clark will not reveal how the can make a roll of toilet paper without the paper tubes. They only say it has something to do with the way the toilet paper is rolled. I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Seems a bit silly to think about tube-free toilet paper, but what a simply way for us Ordinary Environmentalists to help green the planet!

• USA Today online article Oct. 27, 2010.
• Scott Brand website

Five Ways to Lose 2.2 Pounds per Day.

2010-11-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Throw away 50% less by Reducing. Reusing. Recycling. Renewing. Regifting.

Each American throws 4.4 pounds of trash away every day, adding up to 1,600 pounds of your waste going into landfills every year, according to WM Recycle America. Oh, and that doesn’t include the waste you toss at work, where you eat out, or any kind of industrial waste – just want you toss when you are home.

Want to cut that amount in half?

Here are five things any Ordinary Environmentalist can do to reduce their waste by 2.2 lbs per day. Ask yourself, in this order if you can:

1. Reduce.
You don’t really need to take a plastic bag for one or two items, and no your kids do not need the happy meal plastic toy they will rip open, play with for 30 seconds and lose in the pile of cheap toys. Don't bring as much into the house.

2. Reuse.
OK, I am NOT crafty, so this one is a bit tough for me, but by asking this question, I have found I can be creative; for example, plastic mushroom containers make great paint buckets for small projects, and check my blog on how you can repurpose Styrofoam containers. http://ordinaryenvironmentalist.blogspot.com/2010/06/packing-up-your-plants.html

3. Recycle.
Think beyond plastic bottles and aluminum cans and remember to recycle the things like the paper towel tube and tissue boxes, along with the paper backing found in most packaged goods. Think even further, for example, any smelly used tennis shoes can be dropped off at Nike stores to be recycled into new sport surfaces. Check it out.

4. Renew.
Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that can be composted. All of your stale bread, coffee grounds, and fruit peel; basically, anything from your cupboard or refrigerator, that is not protein or fat, can go into the compost bin and be renewed into incredible soil for your trees, garden, and flowers.

5. Regift.
That old army jacket from Ragstock or the ugly lamp from Aunt Sophie can all go to charity, to your nephew who is headed to college, or you can try selling it at a consignment shop or online (your trash is someone else’s treasure!)

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Renew. Regift. Five things any ordinary environmentalist can do to lose 2.2 pounds from their garbage bin every day.

More information on landfill waste can be found at CleanAir.org

Drink Up with No Strings Attached

2010-10-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

A little change that reduces landfill waste by 3.5 million pounds a year.

There is a chill in the fall air today, and I pulled out my box of individual tea bags to warm up. While waiting for my water to boil, I read the tea box and learned that the brand of tea I had in my cupboard was an eco-friendly choice.

The manufacture of Celestial Seasonings Tea has individual tea bags; however, they do not use strings, tags, staples, or individual wrappers for their bags.

These little itty bitty packaging changes have a big impact – reducing landfill waste by 3.5 million pounds every year. Huh... just from a simple packaging change.

I happen to like the taste of their teas, but always thought it was a bit of a pain to use a spoon to fish out the bag, instead of having a handy dandy string to pull it out, but I liked the taste of their teas, so it was worth the effort. Now I realize that minor little inconvenience is actually a big benefit to our environment. Now I feel GOOD about using a spoon instead of a string!

Consider making a simple change by looking for teas that have minimal packaging. Loose tea leaves bought in bulk are probably the best path, but if that is not to your taste, look at how the tea is packaged and opt for brands that have the least amount of packaging surrounding their tea leaves.

On a similar note, I’ve learned from experience that some tea bags are made from synthetic materials and they do not compost (even after several years). There is no need for that type of packaging, when there are so many eco-friendly options available.

So, drink up with no strings attached!

Yellow Pages Go Green

2010-09-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

Opting out of yellow page book deliveries.

I store my stack of yellow page books on the top shelf of the coat closet by my front door. If I’m careful, I can use my right hand to reach up with my umbrella to jiggle one loose, and then catch it with my left hand as it falls down. That really is too much work to get the phone number for an emergency 24-hour plumber or FTD florist…

Instead, I either go to my laptop or iPhone and Google a few key words to get the contact information I need. So much easier!

I haven’t used yellow pages for ages, yet I still get new ones every year on my doorstep. A couple of years ago I decided to be proactive and I contacted each yellow page publisher I had a phone book from and asked to opt-out of their publication.

That worked well - for the first year. I’m now back up to five yellow page books in my coat closet. Kudos to Dex, the only phone book publisher who has continued to honor my opt-out request after one year.

There is good news for us Minnesotans! Conservation Minnesota has put together a website that encourages residents to either opt-out of the yellow page books or use and recycle them.

There are simple opt-out options for the three major yellow page publishers in Minnesota: yellowbook, supermedia, and Dex. In less than five minutes, you can opt-out of all three publishers. You will need to click on each publishers’s opt-out page, but it is very easy to understand and fast to fill out their individual forms. If you still want to have one or more of the books delivered, the website offers information on how to recycle the old books once your new ones are delivered.

Here is the link for opting out: Don’t Trash the Phone Book.

Why have I been saving those phone books I never use? I'm not sure - but now it is time for me to recycle them and make room in my coat closet for those winter hats and scarves!

Bury your Bic?

2010-08-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Back-to-School shopping for biodegradable pens and pencils

The Plastic Bits article I posted a few weeks ago discussed how active compost and recycle efforts in your household will significantly reduce what you throw in the trash. In fact, most of what an eco-friendly household throws away is plastic that can’t be recycled. You know… things like disposable pens.

I just learned that Paper Mate and Bic have two new eco-friendly lines of pens and pencils. Paper Mate’s Biodegradable pens and pencils are made from corn-based materials that can be thrown in your compost bin, or buried in the ground. Within one year, they become dirt. It could be a fun little test for your kids to bury a biodegradable pen and a regular plastic pen, dig up in a year, and see the difference.

Bic’s new ECOlutions™ line of writing instruments and notepads made from varying degrees of recycled materials. Despite the title of this article, the Bic writing instruments are not compostable; however, they help reuse materials that would otherwise go into landfills.

Susan Wilson’s Green.Blorge article posted May 5 2010 provides more details on the products mentioned here.

Back-to-School shopping is in full swing right now, and making eco-friendly school supply choices is a simple thing all Ordinary Environmentalists can do to reduce and reuse inorganic materials.

I heat up and I can’t cool down.

2010-07-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Five tips to stay cool when temperatures are high.

Yes, we all know air conditioners suck up a lot of energy, and it accounts for 20 percent of total electric consumption in the U.S. Today, where I live in Minnesota, it is going to be 94 degrees with 83 percent humidity, (yes, it does get hot and humid in Minnesota), and I have every intention of having the air on!

How do we, as Ordinary Environmentalists, manage our desire to reduce energy consumption with our yearning for a home that is a cool, sweat-free zone? Here are a few simple tips to manage your home air conditioner energy use, while remaining cool.

#1 Only cool the areas that need cooling.
Take a look around your house. Most of us only use about 80 percent of our living space. If you have a guest bedroom, dining or living room you rarely use, close the air vents and stop cooling those room when they are not in use.

#2 Hang out in the cooler areas of your house.
If you live in a multi-level house, chances are it is at least several degrees cooler on the lowest level. My lower-level family room is 3-4 degrees cooler than my top-floor bedrooms. I can turn the air off in the evening and hang out in the comfortable family room. By bedtime, it is often cool enough outside to open up the windows, turn on the ceiling fan, and sleep in a comfortable air-condition free environment.

#3 Get some air movement with fans.
Fans will not cool the temperature of the room down, however they will give you air movement, which makes your skin feel like it is 2-3 degrees cooler. You can run ceiling fans for about $1 per month, which is a lot less expensive then cooling that room an extra 2-3 degrees with an air conditioner.

#4 Close the curtains.
You can close the curtains partway or all of the way and reduce the temperature in the room by several degrees. This also helps reduce fading on furniture, carpets, and rugs. Make sure to do this for all south and west facing windows on hot summer days.

#5 Turn the air-conditioner temperature up when you are gone.
Off to work or leaving with the kids for the afternoon? Turn the air-conditioning up so you are not cooling the house. If it is humid out, keep the windows shut so the humidity stays lower and it will feel OK when you get home. Make sure your pets are in a cool spot and have water and they will be fine with the temperature a few degrees higher.

If you heat up, let these five tips help you cool down, and be friendly to the environment!

P.S. For the lyrics to Steve Miller’s Abracadabra song, click here.

Resolution #3: Only throw out plastic bits.

2010-07-21T04:56:00.000-07:00

Four simple questions to ask before you throw something in the trash bin.

My resolution to only throw out plastic bits may seem odd, however once I started composting, and utilizing my Twice is Nice resolution; I noticed a drastic reduction in my trash.

This week I decided to take mental note of what I was throwing in the trash bin, and found that almost everything I’m tossing are plastic bits and pieces that cannot be recycled, composted, or repurposed. Stuff like cereal bag liners, coffee bags, plastic clamshell packaging, and the like.

Want to get to the point where you are only throwing out plastic bits? Here are four simple questions to ask yourself, first when you are at the store, and second when you at home walking toward the trash can.

Question #1 Do I need it?
The best thing to do is avoid bringing waste into your house in the first place. Do you really need that plastic bag to carry that one item? How much food do you throw out because you bought too much? Simply ask yourself if it is something you will use, and how you will dispose of it before you buy it.

Question #2 Is it compostable?
Any vegetable-based waste, coffee grounds, food-stained paper (think the cardboard bottom from frozen pizza boxes) and paper from the shredder, can easily be composted.

Question #3 Is it reusable?
Always ask yourself if you can reuse something before you throw in the recycle or trash bin. Keep in mind it is better to reuse, than to recycle. Use your imagination! I just discovered a great use for the plastic containers mushrooms come in; they make great paint trays for small painting projects. My Packing Up Your Plants article gives another idea.

Question #4 Is it recyclable?
Most of us recycle our junk mail and soda cans, now think beyond that. Are you recycling your tissue boxes, paper towel tubes, and shampoo bottles? Make sure you take advantage of all of the opportunities to recycle.

If you ask these questions and really follow the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle process, you will find the only things you are throwing out are the plastic bits.

Dirty, Sudsy Water Guilt

2010-07-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Four tips for washing cars and garbage cans.

Today I was cleaning out a very smelly garbage can in my driveway by squirting a bunch of dish soap into the can and turning my water hose nozzle to jet-stream mode. After swooshing the sudsy mixture around with a makeshift mop, I unceremoniously dumped the dirty water down my driveway… and then… the guilt kicked in.

If you read my Green Gutter Guilt article, you know I was having guilt about leaving grass clippings in the gutter after mowing, and how I was contributing to the contamination of our lakes and streams. Now I have sudsy water guilt.

After quickly hosing down my driveway to cover the evidence of my soapy water (I live on a slight hill and it didn’t take long for it to look like it was my neighbor who was polluting the gutters and not me), I got to thinking of what an Ordinary Environmentalist can do to reduce water pollution when washing their cars and garbage cans in the driveway.

I did a bit of research and learned that it is more environmentally friendly to take your car to a carwash then wash it in the driveway.

According to a June 10, 2010 Los Angeles Times Article by Jerry Hirsch titled "Environment-friendly tips for washing your car", a car wash is designed to capture the dirty water, which includes brake dust, grease and detergent, and either send it to a treatment facility or to their own filtering system.

Hmmm… but what about water consumption? According to the article, a garden hose at full force uses about 7 gallons of water per minute. If you leave the garden hose running, it will exceed the average 7-minute commercial car washes’ water consumption within 2 minutes.

For convenience and costs, people often prefer to wash their own cars. The article sourced some tips to help at-home car washers be environmentally friendly:

1. Wash the car on the lawn. This way you water the lawn too, and it doesn't run down the gutter. I’m going to have to assume that typical car washing soap isn’t going to kill the lawn. Maybe I’ll offer to wash my parent’s cars and test it out on their lawn first.

2. Use a water hose that has a nozzle you can shut off when you are not using it.

3. Use a bucket and biodegradable soap that is chlorine- and phosphate-free to scrub the car down. Avoid dish soap, which could remove your car's wax finish. (Whoops have to change that practice)!

4. Dump your dirty soap bucket into a sink or toilet so that the water gets to a treatment center. If you just toss it in the gutter, it will go into a storm sewer and eventually drain to your local waterway or ocean.

These four tips are easy to do, and you can get a clean(er) smelling garbage can and a shiny car without the Dirty, Sudsy Water Guilt!

Green Gutter Guilt

2010-06-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

How 4 minutes of your time can keep our lakes and rivers cleaner.

Summer is lawn-mowing season and well-maintained suburban lawn is great. Manicured lawns however are not necessarily environmentally friendly. Fertilizers and pesticides can get into our water systems, grass clippings that are bagged often end up in landfills, irrigation systems use up a lot of water, however those are issues for another day.

Every week I mow the lawn, I am ashamed to admit that I hope for a little wind so the clippings will blow away and I wouldn’t have to clean up the curb gutters. I know – that is a very non-environmentalist thing to do and I have to tell you that I do get Green Gutter Guilt every time I leave grass clippings on my driveway and curb gutters.

According to PlantTalk Colorado, “…grass clippings and leaves that fall on hard surfaces release their phosphorous into water sources. Research studies indicate that 80 percent of the phosphorous from urban settings comes from lawn clippings and leaves that end up in street gutters. While a few grass clippings mowed into the street look rather innocent, collectively they have a major impact on our water quality. Using a mulching lawn mower to keep lawn clippings on your lawn is especially useful.”

Is the time I save by not sweeping the gutters worth the guilt? I decided to time how long it takes me to put the clippings back on my lawn, using my new cordless electric leaf blower (a broom would work too). I have a big yard, on a corner lot, and a wide driveway, so there is quite a bit of area to clean up.

From start to finish, it took about 4 minutes. Yup – 4 minutes once a week, and I can help reduce phosphorous in our water sources. Wind or no wind, I’m going to commit to this final step when I mow. If every homeowner does that, we can make a significant impact on our environment.

Next time you mow, take 4 minutes to put the grass clippings back on your lawn, and help keep our lakes and rivers clean.

Packing Up Your Plants

2010-06-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

What to do with those Styrofoam® packing peanuts and take-out containers.

Part of my focus as an Ordinary Environmentalist is to look at how I can reuse materials instead of adding to a landfill. Sometimes I can’t think of a use right away, but I’ll keep things around for a while, hoping I’ll come up with an idea on how to reuse the item.

This explains why I had a bag full of packing peanuts and a dozen or so to-go ‘claim shell’ Styrofoam containers cleaned and stacked in a closet. You know the kind I’m talking about – the white containers you get at a restaurant when you take home your too-yummy-to-throw-out-until-they-are-moldy, leftovers.

The best thing to do is try not to have take-out containers in the first place. Three ways to do this:

1. Avoid take-out (I like to cook so this one is pretty easy for me).

2. Think about how much you order in a restaurant. Consider splitting a plate with your dining companion if portions are too big to eat at one sitting.

3. If you are an ‘extraordinary environmentalist’ bring your own to-go container. I have to admit I’m not there yet on this one, but logically it makes a lot of sense.

Even using these tips, most of us will still end up with some Styrofoam containers in our house. Next best thing is to reuse them. Since I like to cook, I use these containers to pack up leftovers to-go’s for my dining guests. I also bring them to family get-togethers where everyone can use them to take leftovers home (we always bring too much food). I reuse the packing peanuts to... well, to pack things!

I still end up with extra Styrofoam materials - what else can I do? I just tried a new way to reuse Styrofoam materials. I put them into the bottom of my big flowerpots. When full of dirt, these pots can be heavy! Your flowers don’t need all of that dirt. If you fill the lower half of the pot with lightweight Styrofoam (from to-go containers, packing materials, coffee cups, etc.), you have a much lighter pot to move around.

I tried it and it works!

So pack up those plant pots with extra Styrofoam peanuts and containers!

For more information on how to recycle to-go containers, visit Earth911.com.

The Ordinary Environmentalist: Big Events = Big Garbage Bags

2010-06-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

How to Balance Convenience with Conservation

Yesterday I volunteered at a wonderful event that had around 100 attendees. We served beverages and heavy hors d'oeuvres using, you guessed it, plastic plates, and cups. I wasn’t in charge of bringing any of the serving items and didn’t think very much about it…until we were cleaning up.

After I saw three huge black garbage bags full of waste, I started to think about what we could have done to be a bit more environmentally friendly, without adding more work for the volunteers, or making things inconvenient for the attendees.

Here are a few things I came up with that I think balance convenience with conservation when you are planning your informal parties, reunions and other events this summer:

Before the Event
• Try to purchase paper and plates made from recycled products.
• Look for plastic products that can be recycled, e.g. serving containers. For example, I can put clear plastic #1 cups in my recycling bin.
• Find a couple of boxes or bins to use for recycling and make up signs clearly showing what to toss into that particular container.
• Assign a designated person who is willing to take the recycled products home to put in their recycle bin, if there isn’t an onsite recycling option.

During the Event

• Place the well-marked recycle box or bin near the garbage can.
• In the ‘kitchen’ area have paper recycle box or grocery bag clearly marked for cracker boxes, etc.

After the Event
• Have a bored kid or spouse make sure only recyclable materials are in the containers and have them bag ‘em up.
• Give the recycled materials to the designated person for home recycling, or if available, put in the on-site recycling bins.
• Put away the chairs, divvy up the leftover food and head on home!

Given some guidance, most people at in-formal events are more than happy to recycle, as long as you make it easy for them.

Paper and plastic items have their place, and with a little planning, any Ordinary Environmentalist can balance convenience with conservation and save a couple of garbage bags from going into the landfill.

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Big Events = Big Garbage Bags

2010-06-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

How to Balance Convenience with Conservation

Yesterday I volunteered at a wonderful event that had around 100 attendees. We served beverages and heavy hors d'oeuvres using, you guessed it, plastic plates, and cups. I wasn’t in charge of bringing any of the serving items and didn’t think very much about it…until we were cleaning up.

After I saw three huge black garbage bags full of waste, I started to think about what we could have done to be a bit more environmentally friendly, without adding more work for the volunteers, or making things inconvenient for the attendees.

Here are a few things I came up with that I think balance convenience with conservation when you are planning your informal parties, reunions and other events this summer:

Before the Event
• Try to purchase paper and plates made from recycled products.
• Look for plastic products that can be recycled, e.g. serving containers. For example, I can put clear plastic #1 cups in my recycling bin.
• Find a couple of boxes or bins to use for recycling and make up signs clearly showing what to toss into that particular container.
• Assign a designated person who is willing to take the recycled products home to put in their recycle bin, if there isn’t an onsite recycling option.

During the Event
• Place the well-marked recycle box or bin near the garbage can.
• In the ‘kitchen’ area have paper recycle box or grocery bag clearly marked for cracker boxes, etc.

After the Event
• Have a bored kid or spouse make sure only recyclable materials are in the containers and have them bag ‘em up.
• Give the recycled materials to the designated person for home recycling, or if available, put in the on-site recycling bins.
• Put away the chairs, divvy up the leftover food and head on home!

Given some guidance, most people at in-formal events are more than happy to recycle, as long as you make it easy for them.

Paper and plastic items have their place, and with a little planning, any Ordinary Environmentalist can balance convenience with conservation and save a couple of garbage bags from going into the landfill.

Liquid Dish Soap has Oil in it Too??!!

2010-06-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

I just had learned something new, as I was getting ready to wash my dishes.

A lot of liquid dish soap contains petroleum. Yuck. Is it in everything!!??

According to Seventh Generation, if every U.S. household replaced ONE bottle of 48 oz. petroleum-based dish liquid with a 48% plant-derived product, we could save 248,000 barrels of oil a year. That is enough to heat and cool 14,300 U.S. homes for a year.

Now think if we all did this all the time, for every cleaning product in our house…

Switching to a plant-based liquid dish soap is easy to do. They are reasonably priced, and easy to find at places like Target.

There are additional benefits to using plant-based cleaning products; for example, the bottle of Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid I have under my sink:

1. Is fragrance and dye free which reduces toxins in your house - see toxic chemicals blog

2. Uses at least 25% post-consumer recycled plastic – see recycled plastics blog

3. Reduces our dependency on oil – – see reducing oil blog

With enough simple changes like this, we can make a difference in the amount of oil we use in our daily lives. Replacing your current petroleum based dish-liquid with a plant-based product is simple and a great thing all of us Ordinary Environmentalist can do!

A New Reason to Dust! Or…5 ways to avoid 5 toxic chemicals.

2010-06-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

There are bad chemicals out there and we bring them into our houses every day. We don’t really know how bad some of these common chemicals are, however studies have shown five chemicals used in our houses, may cause serious health issues; think things like cancers, reduced male sexual function, endocrine system problems and hyperactivity in kids.

Yikes! We can’t get rid of all of it, however, here are five things an ordinary environmentalist can do to reduce exposure to five toxic chemicals. This information is based on a May 31 2010 CNN.com article by David S. Martin, Senior Medical Producer.*

#1 Use stainless steel and glass storage containers.
Bispenol,A (BPA) is a type of plastic called Polycarbonate. Avoid it by using stainless steel or glass containers for your leftovers (Pyrex is coming out with some nice glass ones). If you use plastic, avoid plastics with #7 when possible, and as a good practice, do not microwave, or put hot liquids in any plastic containers.

#2 Avoid personal care products that list “fragrance” as an ingredient.
Phthalates are chemicals that can be absorbed through your skin. When you use personal care products, processed foods and time-released drugs, you are risking exposure to these chemicals. There are no requirements to show Phthalates on personal care ingredient lists, instead it will often be hidden as the word “Fragrance” on an ingredient list. Look for products that specifically list their ingredients and avoid the “Fragrance” ingredient. What’s scary is that I have 10 personal care products in my shower right now, and only ONE doesn’t have “fragrance” on the list. I need to change some shopping habits.

#3 Use Cast Iron Or Stainless Steel Cookware
PFOA -- Perfluorooctanoic acid (also called C8) is used to make Teflon and thousands of other nonstick and stain- and water-repellent clothing and furniture. It’s pretty much a guarantee you have PFOA in your blood right now. Use stainless steel or cast iron cookware to help reduce exposure to PFOA. If you are like me and have an expensive nonstick cookware set you don’t want to throw out, make sure not to overheat your pan, which causes toxic gases to release.

#4 Open Your Windows
Formaldehyde is found in pressed wood products such as particleboard, plywood, paneling, and fiberboard, and in glues, adhesives, and durable press fabrics like drapes. “Off-gassing” of these products is toxic to us. Aside from tearing down your house and living in a cave, the best thing you can do to reduce exposure is to increase ventilation in your house to help dissipate the gasses, and to lower humidity, and keep your house cool to reduce off-gassing.

#5 Dust
Polybrominated diethyl ethers (PBDE) are found in televisions, computers and wire insulation, and furniture foam. Over time, these products shed PBDEs, which accumulate in dust. That's right, household dust. No more excuses – time to get out that dust rag!

This list of five ways to reduce toxic chemicals in your life is easy to implement, and if it helps lower your risk of health problems, it is worth the extra trouble – and a cleaner house.

*Article posted on May 31 2010. on CNN.com, written by David S. Martin, Senior Medical Producer for CNN: Article Link

Hanging Myself Out To Dry

2010-05-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

I did it this year – with the help of a brother and nephew, I put up a simple, retractable clothesline. It is a single line strung up between two trees and it is easy to unhook the line and automatically real up. It was inexpensive with the line costing about $18 and my mom gave me some of her old wooden clothespins circa 1955, for free.

It is a bit of a weird feeling the first few times I hung clothes out to dry. I live in a residential neighborhood with a big yard and plenty of screening trees, however if a neighbor wants to look, they can see what I’m hanging out there.

Needless to say, I don’t hang everything out to dry, and there is NO dirty laundry hung out to see! It does mean anyone who cares, now knows the color of my bath towels and that I have little flowery things on my sheets. I’m OK with that because there are three really good reasons to use a clothesline.

#1 My laundry smells so GOOD! This originally took 2nd place to the environmental reasons I was putting out a line. Now it is by far the number one reason, although my #2 reason is still very important.

#2 I’m reducing my energy consumption. An average dryer load takes about 3.3 kWh, which translates to about 38 cents/load. Let’s just say your household dries 10 loads a week – that’s 33 kWh and costs $3.80. Over a year’s time, that is 1716 kWh. I’m not really sure what all that kWh stuff means, but it does convert into $197.60 in energy costs in one year. Hmmm, that could be a nice afternoon at the spa for me!

#3 I have less dryer wear & tear. I didn’t even think about this one until yesterday, but if I’m using my drying a lot less, it should last longer, saving money and reducing my manufacturing carbon footprint. That’s a nice perk too!

For more on everything it take to make a new dryer, go to: http://www.industryplayer.com/licenceinfo.php?licid=012542

Yes, I have let myself hang out to dry, and I think it is worth a few extra minutes in my day to reduce my dependency on energy and get a little extra fresh air, by using a clothesline.

Here is a link to a variety of clothes air-drying techniques – what can you do? http://www.tiptheplanet.com/index.php?title=Air_dry_washing

You Mean Plastic is Made from Oil??!!

2010-05-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in the chair of my new hairstylist talking about why I chose to try this saloon. It is convenient to my house and I can bike or walk to it. That started a conversation about the price of gasoline and moved on to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

This triggered my normal response on how we need to become less dependent on oil products. For example, I opt for paper boxes over plastic bottles for my laundry detergent. It is a simple change to a renewable material.

To my astonishment, my hair stylist stopped putting goop in my hair and said, “you mean plastic bottles are made from oil”??!! I looked at her reflection in the mirror thinking that she was joking. Nope. She was dead serious. She had no idea that many of the plastic bottles she used where made from oil.

Wow.

If you are surprised by this too, check out this site for more info: What Plastic Is Made Of: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_plastic_made_of

It is so easy to make little adjustments in our day-to-day lives to reduce our consumption of oil products. Next time you are in the store, look for one way you can reduce the amount of plastic packaging. A couple of ideas:

• Choose paper or glass instead of plastic. For example, try paper or glass containers for your milk and juice. Paper is renewable and compostable and recycled glass has a strong demand.
On a side note, a lot of plastic is recyclable, however today the supply of recycled plastic is much higher than the demand, which means the plastic is sitting in warehouses waiting for buyers, which brings us to the next point.

• Look for post-consumer recycled materials on packaging for your cleaning supplies (this means the manufacturer used some of that stockpiled recycled plastic to make their new bottles.) This is called closed-loop recycling and is better than using new plastic.

• And… the one you have all heard before – use cloth bags instead of paper or plastic. If you forget the cloth bags at home, make sure to ask the cashier for paper bags, since that is a compostable, recyclable, and renewable material, and isn’t made up of oil.

My hairstylist got the goop rinsed out of my hair (my hair looks good) and she has committed to trying a few simple things to use less plastic (oil) in her household. How about you?