Got envirotips?

[creativecat]

All of these things are great if you're also lazy and cheap!

Fluorescent light bulbs instead of regular. Not having to change light bulbs is awesome! I don't even know why they sell the regular kind anymore.

Gold-tone coffee filter. It tastes much better than even the unbleached paper and you never have to worry about running out of filters since it's reusable.

No paper towels/napkins. I use cloth napkins, hand towels, and rags for everything I used to use paper towels for. Rags can be reusable or disposable depending on what you're using them for. Either way, the rags used to be clothing.

Drive stick-shift (if you drive). They cost less to buy and are more fuel-efficient. You have more control over how the car drives. If your battery/starter dies, there's no need for jumper cables. The transmission is cheaper and easier to fix if it breaks.

[PurpleDoor]

I posted this over in the "check your credit score" thread a week or so ago, but just in case people missed it....

If you live in the US, you can cut down on the amount of credit card offers you receive in the mail by opting out of prescreened credit card offers. There is a website here with a link to the opt-out program (there is also a link at the bottom to opt-out of direct mail offers):

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/prescreen.htm

It won't necessarily get rid of all your junk mail woes, but it'll sure reduce them!

Less junk mail to you==less trees being cut down, less paper having to be recycled/dumped in the landfill, AND less crap in your mailbox!
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and now I have a food blog

[creativecat]

This idea applies more to businesses than to individuals, but I really think anyone interested in environmentalism should check out Cradle to Cradle. At the very least, supporting companies who practice cradle to cradle instead of the usual cradle to grave is a great way to help the environment.

Other tips I just thought about:

Reusable menstrual supplies: Diva Cup, the Keeper, cloth pads, etc. These fall under my "great for the cheap and lazy" category. I love not having to run to the store for tampons! Not to mention, I was really grossed out when I discovered that tampons and pads are not sterile.

Save all of your one-sided paper. Rather than waste a piece of "nice" paper for something stupid like a grocery list, I just write it on the back of something else. I don't go through quite as much paper this way.

Wash out glass jars and plastic containers with lids. They make great leftover containers.

Newsprint is much better than paper towels for cleaning glass.

ETA: Some friends of ours set up their washing machine to drain into a hose for their yard. It's great for gardens too.

[cassiejane]

PurpleDoor--that is great! i just completed the opt-out...I hate getting all that junk mail that just goes into recycling. I do reuse the envelopes though-I'm a preschool teacher, so all envelopes i don't use that come with mail (bills, junk mail, etc) i bring to school for the kids to "mail" their "letters" in. :)
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[go-fish]

cloth everything. napkins, totes, dishtowels, dish scrubbie (you'd be surprised how well they scrub!) It is fun to make napkins from old or thrifted clothes/fabric for friends.
(cloth everything includes for shark week. My pads are cut up old cotton clothes.)
pee rags, we've all heard about those...

don't get me started about work recycling! I am a janitor, so I get to see how much everyone throws away, and I have taken to calling americans "The Garbage People."
Anyhoo, what to do with it all? Cardboard boxes can be put on the garden as mulch, so can old cotton or wool clothes. Cut out zippers et al, and poly parts. (I pull long strands of thread out of the soil all the time, though.) First you want to mow, though, than lay down your boxes/cloth, then over that layer straw. Actually I use manure-y animal bedding, but I don't know how you city gals will manage that. There needs to be nitrogen to help break down all the carbon in the boxes/cloth as well as to attract worms. Also, the stuff needs to be thouroghly wet before you put the top layer on. To read more about this search 'lasagne gardening.'
learn about some basic herbal medicine. You can avoid a lot of sort of topical medico panic... whatever that means I just made it up ...if you know how to handle basic medical situations without doctors. a good salve replaces all my neosporin needs. There is usually a local salve maker that would love your business if you don't make it yourself. Here's a page that has the ingredients and constiuents of the salve that I use, made by friends of ours in Cally. (Butch balm)
consider adjusting the temp on your water heater. Also, consider getting a water heater timer to turn it off when you are at work or sleeping, and then get it going again in time for your shower.
choose your vehicle for fuel economy, not vanity.
oh here's a big one. buy products that are made from recycled materials. recycling is only the first step, we have to close the loop by using that stuff once it has been repurposed. Look for stuff that is made from post consumer waste.
and you can get recycled razors and toothbrushes and party plates from preserve (and, when you are done with your razor/toothbrush, you can mail it back to them and they will recycle it again I believe) (also you can get a subscription with them)
I don't get any junk mail anymore except credit card offers, I do get those. No catalogs. I go through the post office recycling when I want a catalog fix.
The big thing for us westerners if we want to reduce our footprints is we have to wean ourselves from the immediate gratification thing. We don't have to do everything from scratch/be self-sustaining but we can train ourselves out of our impulsive shopping habits. Americans have so many clothes, but how many clothes can you actually wear? Why do we have these?
I read once that 20% of US income was spent on duplicate purchases. I don't know if it's true, but what is up with that?
I doubt this is a cohesive post, I just rambled on and on, so you will have to seive through it, and I am sure there is more to say, but I have to go poop in a hole now.
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flickr *blogging again!
environment as instrument embodied

[Scooter]

I scrubbed my rusty toilet bowl with a pumice stone and a lot of elbow grease.
It sparkles beautifully and it didn't scratch the porcelain.
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I was down South I walked into this restaurant and this white waitress came up to me and said, "We don't serve colored people here." I said, "That's all right. I don't eat colored people."

[eggnut]

On office recycling: if you live near the N.C. Research Triangle, there's The Scrap Exchange in Durham : http://www.scrapexchange.org/

They collect "stuff" from workplaces and individuals and sell the stuff very cheaply for kids & adults to make into art/craft projects, or whatever...it's a very fun place to visit, and was the perfect destination for those 300 empty microfilm reels my workplace was going to throw out that I took home for the Scrap Exchange instead. If you can find a similar place in your community, and are willing to get the word out, sooner or later your co-workers will know you as "that nut who will take home 300 microfilm reels" and they will bring the stuff to you.

Also, when you are ready to buy a house, of course there are al kinds of energy efficient things you can do with a house (involving windows, insulation, appliances, etc.) but a big one is choosing to live near your workplace or other heavily-frequented destination. Or living on a public transit route. It might be worth giving up some house or yard space to buy a home that will incur fewer commuting costs for you.

[loomis]

[rhizome]

i have been living virtually paper towel-free for a year now (the sole exception being the roll i keep under the bathroom sink for that rare occasion when when of the doggies has to barf... something about cleaning barf up with a rag grosses me OUT eeeeee - so i've probably used five sheets in a year)

i have ordered the Wonder Wash someone (who? sorry!) recently posted about to cut way down on laundry-related waste. it comes tomorrow and i'm freaking excited...

i also use rags when i'm on my rag.

cigarettes are bad for the environment... but if someone smokes, is there a way to make it a little less bad? i would assume rolling your own would be better, because the filters end up in landfills and probably don't break down well...right? hmm.

when you need stuff, get it used. say you need a thirty foot DSL cord. post on craigslist, check freecycle, check ebay. reduce the production of new stuff.

not being in control of the recycling at work, or the heat/water heater in my building, drives me crazy. they have the heat *so high* in the winter.

i also buy enviro-friendly, no animal testing/products cleaning supplies, laundry detergent.

factory farming has an enormously destructive effect on the environment, so ceasing partially, mostly, or completely to contribute to that industry is a simple (it is simple) way to make a big impact. avoid companies that test on animals. help in the efforts to find homeless or abused pets homes and better homes. donate and volunteer with wildlife and ecological diversity protection groups. it should go without saying that animals make up a large part of our environment. without them, we're screwed, so let's treat them with some respect, shall we? hell, let's love them.

just learning about where your food comes from, how it's made, just being more informed will open up new and often easy options for you... i need to find some good books about this?

i just called and cancelled the delivery of a huge amt of paper to my building in the form of the "Shop Local" circular. it's huge and four of them show up every day, it's insane! they get sent to everyone in the city!!! there's a number at the bottom of the front page to cancel. bastards!

when i think of more, i'll post...

eta - i try to make most of the 'beauty' products i use i make from this book....

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Beauty-Home-Recipes-Revised/dp/0805070222/ref=sr_1_4/002-1363798-2596840?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175979143&sr=8-4

[costumekitten]

Oooh! Lots of good tips as usual!

Here is a picture of my cute fabric napkins. I get lots of compliments on them when we have guests. I have more, but I just keep about a week's worth rolled up in a glass on the counter:


+ View larger

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[Sainte Eph]

Can anyone recommend some good books on green living? My boy and I will be getting our own place this year and I'd really like to get as green as possible!

-Stephanie
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No fork left behind!

[PurpleDoor]

[madgeylou]

buy your food locally -- less transport = less trucks = less emissions and also much yummier food.

when you can choose to purchase something with less packaging or more, go with less (i.e., baby spinach in a plastic clamshell vs a bunch of spinach; downloaded album vs. CD, bar of soap instead plastic bottle of body wash, etc).

rhizome i'm glad you mentioned eating less meat. meat production uses an ENORMOUS amount of water and results in a lot of topsoil being lost.

eat organic when you can. if you shop farmers' markets and seasonally, it's really not any more expensive than conventionally farmed produce. sure, organic strawberries are really expensive in NYC in january, but theyre cheap right now so i'm chowing down on them. in january i ate more apples.

drive less. organize yourself so you can conduct all of your errands at one time instead of multiple trips. carpool, even if it's a little less convenient. next time you move, consider moving closer to work and/or walkable grocery shopping/post office/etc.

give gifts of nature (flowers, trees), food, or experiences like plays and concerts instead of more junk which barely anyone needs.

when you need something shop at home first. procrastinate and lots of times your purchase lust will stop.

calm down, get some sleep, and take care of yourself. when you're feeling relaxed and well-rested, and you have plenty of time to get things accomplished, you can be more creative and flexible and make better choices for yourself and the planet.

[knitting_pretty]

I'd like to plug my friend Sarah's blog, Say No To Trash. She and her partner Kyle went over a month without producing a single piece of garbage! Her site is full of ecotips, and if you live in Toronto (some of you do, right?) there's a list of eco-friendly businesses in the city.

She's my eco-hero!

http://nomoregarbage.wordpress.com/

[BlueJedi]