15 "Green" Tips, Hints and Interesting Facts

Here are some miscellaneous "green" tips, hints and interesting facts:

1. According to the The Auto Channel, 147 million gallons of gas, each year, vaporize into the air due to loose, damaged or missing gas caps. Keep your fuel in the tank by making sure you screw the cap on tight.

2. It's time to get out those cosmetics and personal care products such as deodorants, shampoos, toothpastes and mouthwashes and check the labels. 1,4-Dioxane is a known eye and respiratory tract irritant. It is suspected of causing damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. The State of California, under proposition 65, listed 1,4-Dioxane as a chemical known to cause cancer on January 1, 1988. Like many solvents, it forms contamination plumes in groundwater when released to the environment. Groundwater supplies have been adversely impacted in several areas. But you won't find 1,4-Dioxane on the label ... instead look for names that include: myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth (and any other "eth"), PEG, polyethylene, polyoxyethylene or oxynol.

3. Here's another good reason to look for products made out of recycled materials. According to the executive director of the Zero Waste Alliance, recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing it from scratch. Recycling glass uses 31% less; newsprint, 45%; steel, 61%; and plastics, 57-71%.

4. Thinking of a new TV? Those with the Energy Star label are up to 30% more energy efficient than others.

5. Do you use flea collars on your pets? According to Pets for the Environment, they are a "source of constant toxic exposure for your pet and family. Instead, vacuum often and thoroughly, bathe your pet regularly, and ask your vet or local pet store about safer flea treatments and repellents." For more great Eco-friendly pet care tips, click HERE.

6. Pat yourselves on the back. Accordingly to a 16-month survey conducted in 2007 by the research firm Mintel, 36% of adults regularly buy green products. That's an improvement of 12% over previous studies.

7. Want to persuade your boss and co-workers to green up the office? Check out Ideal Bite's Top 10 Easiest Ways to Green your Office. They have a great list which can be printed out (on recycled paper, of course) and posted for all to see ... and hopefully act on.

8. Here's a great idea ... help our bird friends stay warm all winter. Instead of tossing out dryer lint, put it in your yard. Birds will collect it and use it to cozy up their nests.

9. Want to have a little fun? Host a green-cleaning party. Women's Voices for the Earth conceived the idea ... basically, people get together with glass jars and Eco-friendly ingredients and then ... they mix up everything from laundry detergent to furniture polish ... all environmentally safe. Check out their site womenandenvironment.org for information and party kits (which are for sale) ... or ... click HERE for their favorite recipes and design your own party.

10. Got the sniffles? Instead of using disposable tissues ... use a handkerchief.

11. According to the EPA, Americans toss out 2 million tons of "e-waste" each year. That includes approximately 130,000 computers. Instead of sending them to a landfill, consider these ideas:

• Donate computers and any peripherals to a nonprofit organization. Many will refurbish them for disadvantaged or disabled people.
• Check with stores like Staples for recycling programs ... some offer credit towards another purchase.
• Check with manufacturers ... some, like Dell and Apple, recycle their own brands for free. Others will take any brand when one of their own is purchased.
• Another idea ... turn them in to a local Computer Recycling shop where usable components will be turned into new products.

12. Each year, the average American throws away 68 pounds of clothing (from Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association). Think reduce, reuse and recycle instead.

13. Replace one outside incandescent light ... yearly CO2 savings: 210 pounds. Lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit ... yearly CO2 savings: 214 pounds. Wash clothes in cold water ... yearly CO2 savings: 327 pounds. Source: Rocky Mountain Institute.

14. Interested in watching a short "green film"? Click HERE to watch dozens of them ... for free.

15. Here's a unique recycling idea ... put your used green tea bags in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Use them as cleansing pads in the morning. The bag helps exfoliate skin gently and tea has anti-inflammatory properties which will help to reduce puffy skin on the face.

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

Soap

The more that I get into green living ... the more I see that it's about everything. It's about what we do and what we think ... it's about everything we touch and everything that touches us. That's good news because it means that there are all kinds of opportunities for each and every one of us to do something which will benefit the earth. It doesn't matter what one's economic situation is or where one lives ... regardless of which government, religion or lifestyle oversees one's life ... there is something ... big things and little things ...that each one of us can do to reduce our footprint. If we each do one little thing ... they will add up to become big things. And the earth will smile.

With all of that in mind, I started looking around at every little thing I touch. And that brought me to soap ... body soap.

There seems to be an endless variety of body soaps in the world today. There are bars, liquids, gels ... which come in various colors, fragrances and packages ... which contain ingredients professing to condition, soften and remove wrinkles. There are natural products ... there are not so natural products. There are expensive products ... cheap products ... products just for men ... products just for women. The choices seem endless.

While there are many environmental considerations (ingredients to name one), the aspect which I really started thinking about was bar soap versus liquid soap ... and which was kinder to the earth while still being effective. Here's how they stack up:

Both varieties of soap clean as well as kill germs. Liquid soap significantly reduces any exchange of germs between users, which is a plus. However, the risk of transmitting disease from bar soap is pretty remote. Studies have found that bar soap (even when you share it with others) keeps you just as clean as liquid. So, in terms of how well they do the job ... no clear winner.

How about the stuff that goes down the drain? Most mass produced soaps, bars as well as liquids, contain laboratory-generated chemicals and detergents. There are Eco-friendly soaps on the market which don't contribute any toxins to the waste stream and if those are available to you, I recommend them. But if your choice is one of the soaps in most retail stores, which is less toxic to the waste stream? Again ... no clear winner.

What about the stuff that sits on the shower shelf? Bar soap turns slimy or mushy in standing water (and most bar soap holders collect water) ... liquid soap sits nicely in a container and never gets mushy. The degraded bar soap represents a waste. The winner on this issue ... liquid soap.

Now here's one that I've never thought about ... liquid soap typically contains moisturizers which leave a residue that requires extra rinse time to remove (rinse time equals water used). Bar soap, on the other hand, typically does not contain moisturizers so there is less rinse time involved. The winner here ... bar soap.

While we're on the subject of water use, think about this: liquid soap requires a two-handed process of opening the cap to a container, inverting it, squeezing out the right amount of product, closing the cap, and then ... putting the container back on the shelf. Even the pump varieties seem to require two hands. Doesn't seem important ... except ... every minute spent working the dispenser is another 5 gallons of water down the drain. On the subject of water conservation ... the winner is bar soap.

Since liquid soaps come in a dispenser, it's often hard to tell if enough soap has been dispensed to do the job. With bar soap, it’s pretty easy to tell when you’ve got enough suds. Consequently, three 4-ounce bars will outlast a 12-ounce container of liquid. The economic winner ... bar soap.

Let's move on to packaging. Liquid soaps come in fancy bottles ... plastic containers with some kind of dispensing device. Even the bottles of refill soap are plastic. Bar soap typically comes in a paper or cardboard wrapper which is more easily recycled. The packaging winner ... bar soap.

Now ... the verdict? Bar soap is the environmental favorite.

Here are a few tips to maximize it's use:

• Use a wire dish to keep it from degrading in water.
• Worried about germ transmission (even in that rare case) ... give it a rinse before and after use.
• Try using natural, locally produced, environmentally friendly varieties.
  

As always ... I'd love to hear from you!

Powder vs. Liquid

I'm always searching the web for new and unusual ideas on how to live a greener life. Most searches net the same list of tips. They are valuable and worthy of our attention ... but I keep thinking ... is that it? Is that all we can do? I don't think so ... but finding those little jewels of knowledge is like trying to find that proverbial pin in a haystack.

Persistence, however, pays ... and that brings us to today's post.


I've never given laundry detergent much thought beyond whether or not it contains phosphates (which, by the way, are bad for the environment). But recently I came across an article which stated that powdered detergents are better for the environment than liquid varieties. This was news to me.

Liquid detergents (and this goes for dishwasher as well and laundry detergents) are 75% water. The concentrated varieties are bit better but not by much. Liquid detergents are usually packaged in plastic which is hard to recycle. Powdered detergents, on the other hand, contain no added water and are usually packaged in biodegradable boxes or bags.


Liquid varieties are heavier than the powdered ones and that's important when it comes to travel. Simply put ... the heavier the item, the higher the cost to haul it to your grocer's shelf.

So ... it turns out that using powdered laundry detergent is kinder to the environment.

That's my little "jewel" for today!

As always, I'd love to hear from you.