Posted on May 29th, 2008
dunk it in milk. If Grandma's heirloom china is starting to crack, give it a facelift with good, old fashioned Vitamin D. Place the plate in a pan and cover with milk (powdered or fresh or a little less than fresh but before the chunks set in) and bring to a boil. Once it hits boiling point, lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. The protein should mend most fine cracks and the dish can keep on dishing.
Posted on April 24th, 2008
Do you wish your favorite market labeled its local produce, that compost was accepted at your curb that your local pub offered organic beer? All you have to do is ask...and maybe ask again. It sounds a bit simplistic but a good company will give the customer what they want. It worked on Enterprise Rent-A-Car. A recent ride with one of Enterprise's managers led to an interesting conversation. Mr. Rent-A-Car admitted the company had been holding out on adding the hybrid to its fleet of available vehicles in hopes that the car was nothing more than a trend, a fad, a passing fancy. No such luck - he was plagued with requests to ...
Posted on April 8th, 2008
What’s black and white and red all over? You guessed it, your daily delivered newspaper. Though well read and a staple at the breakfast table, this comforting activity is not necessarily a green way to stay in touch. The average newspaper can cost up to 6 ounces in carbon emissions when you factor in logging, production and delivery. The wood pulping required is a pretty dirty business giving petroleum, coal and primary metals industries a run for their money and more often than not, that stack of info has come from a very old tree opposed to a new one. While the verdict is still out as to whether on line ...
Posted on April 7th, 2008
Attending a formal occasion this Spring? Make prom (or whatever) memories last by taking digital pictures and skipping the traditional film. In addition to using less energy and fewer resources, digital photography doesn’t require all those nasty chemicals to develop the photos. Another benefit? Digital pics are easier to weed through and share with your friends post-event. Say cheese!
Photo by Larry Bethurum.
Posted on March 27th, 2008
Reducing the amount of
beef you consume is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, but if beef is what’s for dinner, try to buy meat from grass fed cows. Grass fed animals, including cattle, bison, goats and sheep have eaten nothing but their mother’s milk and fresh grass or grass-type hay from birth to harvest – all their lives. Grass fed animal products have been shown to be higher in beta carotene (Vitamin A), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important in reducing cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and other life threatening diseases. These products are lower in fat, cholesterol and calories. In addition, the risk ...
Posted on March 26th, 2008
Lately, we’ve gotten into using a film projector to watch our favorite movies on walls, white sheets and the occasional screen. We like the size and picture quality that a projector gives us, and love the energy savings even more! According to a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC), size does matter when talking about tv and the energy it uses. Using a two-minute clip of the same film, one 50-inch plasma high-definition TV (HDTV) was estimated to use 679 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. A 32-inch liquid-crystal display with HDTV capability was pegged at 387 kWh per year. By contrast, an older analog 34-inch TV was estimated to use just 209 kWh per ...
Posted on March 17th, 2008
It's St. Patrick's Day, and if you're in the "21 and up" demographic, you might be throwing a party. If you're a fan of the larger events, consider planning ahead and reserving a keg. Instead of consuming several cardboard boxes full of bottles or cans, you'll have less recycling and clean up do the next morning. And let's just face it: it's just more fun to have a keg.
Feeling really sexy? Take your responsible drinking to the next step and provide keg cups made out of compostible plastics. Made for drinks under 110 degrees (a.k.a. your cold beers), compostible cups are made from corn, which means they degrade into water, carbon dioxide, and organic material ...
Posted on December 15th, 2007
With family and friends stopping in for the Holidays, it’s more important than ever that your pet elicits an “aww!” from your guests, not an “ew.” Let’s face it: pet beds can be stinky, and the last thing you need when company is coming is a clinging pet funk. A great way to freshen up pet beds is to sprinkle dried used green tea leaves on your pet’s favorite pillow, bed or anywhere troublesome pet odors occur. The tea leaves absorb unwanted smells and leave Bingo’s bed smelling fresh and clean. While smell-zapping sprays are cheap and easy, they’re packed full of chemicals that can hurt your furry friends and the Earth.
Thanks to Rebecca ...
Posted on December 11th, 2007
While flowers are pretty, the flower industry is not. Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouses where underpaid, non-unionized workers spray them heavily with pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides, including those that are banned in the US, like DDT and methyl-bromide. These nasty performance-enhancers and bug-chasers wreak havoc on the health of flower industry workers and on the planet. If you’re going to buy flowers, consider buying organic, or at least locally grown varieties (think of the fuel used to ship flowers from their homeland!). Organic flowers are certified as such when their growing practices aims to improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimize damage to ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and ...
Posted on December 7th, 2007
If you solved your tree dilemma by not getting a tree all together and using a well loved plant or tree you already own, kudos to you! Whatever your tree choice, now it's time to decorate the green way!
Challenge yourself to completely decorate your tree without having to buy anything. String popcorn or cranberries, or use tinsel left over from years past. Cut used paper into snowflakes to hang. Give your old glass ornaments a makeover by painting them with new patterns (we recommend the green lips, of course!).
Trim it up!
