january
from the heart.
American and British consumers purchase approximately 9 billion greeting cards each year, enough to stretch around the world 54 times laid end-to-end. While some greeting card manufacturers try to use recycled paper and non-toxic ink, they are the exception. Most cards are produced using virgin paper, toxic printer inks and fixing agents. Add in the ……
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best dressed.
Is there somebody naked in your house? Someone who makes your showers fantastic each and every time? We’re talking about your water heater, of course! And if he’s (we’re going with a male water heater here, folks) naked, there’s something you should do about it: dress him up. When you wrap your water heater in ……
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out of the closet.
If you have been contemplating getting rid of a bit of “the old” from your closet, now is the time to do it. Several organizations, such as the Haiti Charity Hope Foundation, have made it easy to donate your old favorites to earthquake victims in Haiti. You might even have several local stores in your ……
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dirty dozen.
If you’re like us, you’d love to be able to buy everything in the organic section of the market, but going exclusively organic comes with one hefty price tag. Since switching over 100% is out of the question for most of us, focus on the produce most vulnerable to pesticides and are highest in additives ……
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tastes great/less (land)filling.
According to the National Recycling Coalition, Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour, most of which get thrown away. You might be a habitual recycler, but up the ante by flexing your spending power by opting out of plastic bottles whenever you can. Plastic is made with petroleum (oil) and takes a lot of energy ……
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scrape your way into shape.
You may know by now that washing dishes in a dishwasher uses less water than washing them by hand, but regardless of your preferred method, remember Dish 101: scrape your dirty dishes clean before you put them in the dishwasher or begin washing them. You’ll save on rinsing water and get a little arm toning ……
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unclog from catalogs.
Each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers, using 3.6 million tons of paper from 53 million trees. To create that much paper, 38 trillion BTUs are used — enough to power 1.2 million homes per year, which contributes 5.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, equal to the annual ……
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green is sexy… not guilty.
It’s not about feeling guilty for what you don’t do. It’s about feeling good for what you do.
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sock it to ‘em.
Cold weather creeping inside? Turning up your heat may be a quick-fix to chilly nights spent on the couch, but it uses energy and costs money. Why not throw on a sweater, some thick socks and snuggle up with a blanket? Keeping warm in your home is an important part of being comfortable, but you ……
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alch accoutrement.
There’s nothing like a good dram on a cold day. And have you noticed a lot of those tasty bourbons and whiskeys come in rather hip containers? Instead of going straight to the recycle bin once the delectable contents have been consumed, why not try to find other household uses for the glass? Dress up ……
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