Posts Tagged ‘reuse’

The Three R’s of greener living…

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Tips for a Greener 2010

Global warming, climate change, carbon footprint, sustainability… we all know the buzzwords and if you are reading this post it means you want to live a greener life.  But the question for most people is where do I begin?  Saving the planet is not an easy task, but the road begins with small steps.  Therefore, I present to you a list of some small steps that you can take to make your life a little greener in 2010.

Reduce your energy consumption. It seems pretty simple because it is.  Turn off the lights when you leave the room.  Wash your slothes in cold water.  Turn down your thermostat in the winter by a couple of degrees and put on a sweater.  Get a programmable thermostat.  The easiest thing you can do is change out your traditional light bulbs for CFL (Compact Flourescent) bulbs. For every incandescent bulb that you replace, you will save about $30 a year in energy costs. If everyone in a city the size of Chicago replaced just one main light bulb with a CFL bulb, we would save the greenhouse gas emissions of about 200,000 cars on the road. If everyone in the country did it, we would save enough energy to light 2.5 million homes for a year and it equates to the emissions of over 3/4 of a million cars.  Replacing just 16 bulbs is like not driving your car for a year.  Trade out one in four bulbs in your house and the amount you spend on lighting will be cut in half.  Only 10% of electricity used in an incandescent bulb is given off as light, the rest is heat:  a big waste on a hot summer night!

Reduce your packaging consuption. Packaging amounts to a huge portion of a products carbon footprint.  If you think about all the things that you buy, they come in packages.  The more the packaging, the more the waste that mostly goes to landfill.  Ideally, we would all be able to buy in bulk and have relatively little impact.  Unfortunately, most of us do not have that option.  But with some simple planning and thought, all of us can reduce our packaging consumption.  Buy in the biggest package available that works for you.  Avoid small individually packaged items.  Things like snack packs have a ton of packaging.  But buying in a large package and breaking down into small tupperware that is reusable can have realatively small amounts of packaging.  Buy products that are concentrated.  A concentrated detergent has less packaging than the same washing amount of less concentrated liquid.  Look at your purchases for packaging that ahs recycled content.  Who cares if the cereal that you buy comes in a box made from recycled paper or virgin materials-only Mother Earth.

Reuse everything that you can.  Can that jar be used for something else?  They make a fine vase.  Save those margarine containers for use as a food container.  Wash out your ziplock bags and use them again.  Instead of buying individual hand soap containers, buy a bulk package and refill the small one.  Paper sacks with handles are an instant gift bag.  Newspapers make fine gift wrap.  Write on the back of scrap paper, or print on the back side of all the things you print.  Try sewing a small hole in clothing or invest in a good stain fighter to reuse clothes that you thought were not salvagable.  Still can’t save them?  Try making a wuilt or cut into smaller pieces for dust cloths.  By using everything at least twice, you can cut your consumption of virgin materials significantly.

Recycle. If you are reducing and reusing, then your need to recycle is dramatically lessened.  Still, recycling can have the biggest impact on the environment in that everyone can do it while having the least impact on their everyday life.  If you do not have a curbside recycling program available, make the extra effort to take your old goods to a drop off location.  Recycle all your jars.  Glass is one of the easiest things to recycle and making recycled glass uses 40% less energy than making glass from virgin materials.  Remove your lids and rinse your jars.  When it comes to plastics, all containers have a universal recycling number on the bottom.  While there are not uses for all the numbers so far, emerging technologies are finding ways to make new polymers and diesel fuels from assorted plastics.  In the meantime, Amricans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour and most (estimates are about 65-70%) end up in the landfill.  Remove your lids when recycling bottles as they are generally a different type of plastic than the bottle and in some cash strapped communities, it is cheaper to toss bottles with a lid still on than to pay someone to sort and remove lids.  Paper accounts for half of the waste we send to landfill.  If Americans reycled half of that, we would save 125 million trees every year.  Over 48 % of the Earth’s surface was once covered with forests.  Half of those forests are gone and only 1/5 of native forests are left.  Making a ton of paper from recycled stock saves 50% of water used and 17 trees.  For every 38,000 bills paid online, 5,058 pounds of greenhouse gases are avoided and two tons of trees are preserved.  Stop your junk mail!  17.8 tons of junk mail is delivered every year by the postal service.  44% of that goes unopened and less than 25% is recycled.  Recycle all your metals.  All steel has some recycled content.  It is generally at least 25% recycled content minimum, so the systems are all in place already.  Aluminum is easily recycled, and aluminum cans will make it back to the shelf in as little as 90 days.  But it isn’t just cans; foil counts too-even the foil on the 20 million Hershey’s kisses that are produced every year.

The road to a greener life is a long one.  But the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  What is your next step?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Green | 2 Comments »

Give me hopes…seven of them.

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

One of the problems in the world is the lack of some peoples to make a living. We all know that most of the goods imported from countries in Eastern Asia are made in sweat shops. People of all ages, children to adults work long hours in horrible conditions, so that we Westerners can have cheap t-shirts and running shoes. We like being able to buy inexpensive coffee, so we support a system where peoples along the equator harvest coffee beans for pennies a day. I could go on a soap box and talk all day about how the world is exploiting so many less developed countries while destroying much of our own economy and the environment along the way. If you are bracing yourself for the usual rant, hang on, as I am going to spare you. Instead, I wanted to talk about a company that is doing a lot to change this system for the better. It gives me hope that we can truly change things.  The company is called Seven Hopes United.  Their mission is clear:  help make the world better by supporting efforts to help impoverished peoples on all 7 continents by selling handmade goods of artisans who earn a living wage, all with the least impact on the environment.  Their website is very informative and tells more about their efforts, but here is a lead in:

Seven Hopes United aspires to enrich the lives of communities worldwide through providing a means to a living wage for thousands of artisans and their families, while moving forward to build an alternative market based on the dignity and worth of all people. Seven Hopes United specializes in marketing fairly-traded handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor and personal accessories from producers around the globe. Seven Hopes United supports a trading partnership aimed at obtaining sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers by operating according to fair trade criteria, and investing a portion of our proceeds back into their communities.

At Seven Hopes United, we believe that above all else, our business should be based on respect:

  • Respectful of ourselves and our own personal commitment to integrity.
  • Respectful of basic human rights and the dignity and worth of all people.
  • Respectful to our environment by reducing our carbon footprint, and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.
  • Respectful of our commitment to invest in disadvantaged communities, and provide a living wage to our employees and producers.

I am a big believer in fair trade as a way to help promote world peace. I think more can be done to stabilize the planet’s governments and economies by eradicating poverty and disease than can ever be done with guns and ammo. If no one had to worry about food, shelter, or medicines, why would there be radical uprisings? I also believe that we should start now to show countries that are following us into the modern global market place that there is away to support themselves without destroying the planet or its peoples. So how can you help? Think clearly about the products that you buy and support Fair Trade products. Companies like Seven Hopes United have done all the hard work.  By buying from their site you can be assured that you are doing the right thing and you can buy some unique gifts!  For example…

You can buy hand carved wooden figures from Africa.  These help support local artisans who hand carve these goods and make a decent living doing it.  The wood they use is harvested in a sustainable manner and the money raised helps support conservation efforts, either directly or by giving locals another means to make a living other than by poaching gorillas or destroying the natural habitats of endangered animals.

Many of their products are made using common recycled goods.  These programs encourage the collection of waste products and trash and help keep their environment litter free.  These goods come from around the globe from places like Nepal and Kenya, and are made from common goods like plastic wrappers and pop cans that otherwise would be tossed out.

 I encourage you to check out the Seven Hopes United website to see more of the cool goods that can be purchased to help make the world a better place.  You can even start a gift registry, so your next wedding can do wonders to help the world (how many blenders do you really want anyway?) You can find things like carvings, baskets, jewelry…like these cool bracelets.  They’re made from flip flops.  Ever wonder what happens when you leave a flip flop on the beach?  Many of them float back up on other beaches around the world.  In Kenya, a unique combination of currents drives thousands of flip flops from around the world onto the beach.  What a better way to use them, than by making attractive jewelry out of them?  Those folks who collect this “garbage” are paid a living wage and the beach benefits from their efforts.  I LOVE this idea. The next time you are giving a gift, think about giving a gift of hope along with something physical.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Arts & Culture, Cleveland, Green | No Comments »

Ways to make the holidays greener in 2010…

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

The winter holidays are almost completely over. As we round out the year, I am thinking about next year. I made a stand this year and sent no paper cards this year. While I enjoy hearing form all my family and friends, I just can’t justify the paper trail the holidays leave behind. My mother always saved the bows and usable paper from the gifts. This was to save money, but little did we kids realize how sustainable she was being. Every year the world creates this huge spike in trash around the holidays. Check out this video by Ed Byrne. He is funny, but makes some good points:

So how do you make an impact, without losing all the fun and magic of the season?

  1. Shop smarter. Instead of buying stuff that is funny or cute, but will end up in the bin on December 26, shop smarter.  Buy gifts that are usable and lasting.  If you are the kind of person that finds gift buying difficult or exhausting, try buying gift cards.  If you think that that is too impersonal, then be sure to buy something that can easily be returned or donated-and include a gift receipt with every gift.  While you may think that Christmas sweater with the snowman is delightful, the receiver may not.  Allow them the opportunity to return it for something they will use, rather than have an ugly sweater in the bottom drawer that will only see the light of day when they meet up with you next year.
  2. Make gifts and cards from salvaged materials. For those of you that are creative, this is not a difficult task.  It can be fun to make a nice bracelet by weaving old Christmas tree light strands together, or stringing that cool doodad on a leather strap to make a unique necklace.  You can make your own cards by reusing the fronts of cards that are glued onto simple construction paper that is folded in half or quarters.  Some can even become holiday postcards by simply cutting off the front.  Wrap your gifts in old magazine pages or newsprint, and make bows from interesting doodads, fried flowers from your yard or a freshly clipped pine branch.
  3. Use less materials that will be thrown away. Why use wrapping paper from virgin materials when there are so many other options available?  I wrap gifts in things I find in my travels.  Vintage (or even brand new) dishtowels make great wrap, as do pillow cases and table cloths.  Pick them up cheap at flea markets and garage sales throughout the year.  Skip the ribbons and use raffia that will bio-degrade, sea grass, or clipped and dried flowers from your garden that are saved throughout the year.  Hydrangea blooms and baby’s breath are both ideal gift garnishes.  Or try some pressed fall leaves as gift tags.
  4. Don’t use a cut tree.  Sure most trees are made of chemicals, but properly taken care of, and a fake tree can be used and decorated easily year after year, saving tons of CO2 emissions in the cutting, hauling and disposal that comes with a cut live tree.  If you must have a live tree try using a tree that is truly alive and potted.  Water it and it will survive nicely and can be planted in your own yard or donated to a local church or other charity to beautify a green space.  There are plenty of other alternatives as well, and now that Christmas is over, you can scan the internet for a great deal.  I ran across trees made of cardboard that fold up flat that I thought were ingenious. My buddy Jim Fish even made his own “tree” from materials that he salvaged.
  5. Send e-cards. While there is something nostalgic and fun about having a real Christmas card in hand, it is a tradition that we need to start phasing out.  E-cards can be sent from a variety of sources for free or for cheap.  You can create your own form templates, so it can be truly personal.  Or if you like, make your own Christmas ecard that can be saved as an attachment and sent out from your email client.  Want a card that is truly personal?  Create a card that is made from pictures of your family from throughout the year.  Even better, dust off that video camera and capture all the moments of your life and edit it into a video that you can post to a site like YouTube.  send the link to your family and friends.  For our business, I have vowed to create a video card for 2010 that will be fun to watch.  Who knows, maybe it will go viral….
  6. Donate to charity. Giving a gift in the name of someone you live can be touching and personal, without adding to your carbon footprint.  For those who have lost loved ones due to illness, donate to a foundation that is searching for a cure to that illness.  There are charities for animal lovers, for treehuggers, for the young and the old.  This is really the true meaning of giving anyway, isn’t it?
  7. At the very least recycle! There are plenty of ways to reuse some of that wrap, those bows, and cardboard boxes.  But if you don’t, at the very least make that trip to the recycle center to divert them from the landfill.  Even that Christmas tree can be recycled.  Most areas have a boy scout troop of other charity that will recycle your tree.  In Cleveland, I am told, the city will grind the trees put out on the curb into mulch that is free to residents in the spring-just get it out there before Jan 30.  You can put it in your yard to give cover for birds and insects, and it will decompose at its own rate.  Here is one more video to give you more helpful hints:

Being greener and making a difference is not easy.  But with plenty of thought, you can make your next holiday season one that is greener and cleaner.  And if you think about it all year long while you are out and about, you can enjoy the holidays all year long!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Cleveland, Green | 4 Comments »

Art and giving back collide…

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

I love glass art. I am working on some of my own designs right now! But there is one company who is doing great designs from recycled glass bottles that is really cool. The company is From the Blue Bag. Taking waste out of both the waste AND recycle stream, this company creates cool glass art that is functional. Check them out to see some cool stuff. Upcycling is the purest form of reuse, keeping trash out of the landfill. This company’s products are also great, because after being used for another purpose, they can still be recycled at the end of their second life. They are making a great product, and can be seen in a slew of retail outlets.

They recently moved to their new location at 2085 W. 114th Street in Cleveland, and as a grand opening celebration, they are having a “GIVE BACK” Party on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This is not just a cool party and celebration, this company is doing even more good. A portion of all sales for the evening will benefit E-CITY—a non-profit that teaches students entrepreneurial, business and life skills to enable economic independence. Given the new world economy that we are in, this is a great cause that is sorely needed, especially in Cleveland. This is an open house, so you can see their cool new digs, and do a little shopping, while doing a little good of your own. Remember, that by buying these eco friendly gift items, you are promoting the local economy as well. Why do you shopping at the last minute, when you could do it here and benefit a good cause, support an environmentally sound company, and have a beverage while you are at it. But do a little giving back of your own, and bring some non-perishable food items to help those who are in need.

Make your holidays Green!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Arts & Culture, Cleveland, Green | No Comments »

Your Reply Requested

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

While watching a television show the other day, I was thrilled to see a chair featured that was made from recycled plywood. A simple design, the REPLY chair is a simple use of left over scrap, or reclaimed plywood.
andrew_reesor
The idea is to think outside the box and find a way to reuse old scrap, rather than throw it away. The site has all the plans that you might need to make your own, and encourages you to build the chair, then send them images for the online gallery. One builder added arms to make their own Adirondack version. You can find the plans here.

I am always thrilled to see adaptive re use of materials. In fact, that is why I got involved in Wastipedia. The plan for the Wastipedia center is to bring thinkers together with ideas like this, then give them a location to work collaboratively and a location to help sell and promote their wares. In a town that has suffered from the foreclosure crisis, when someone buys a distressed property they get the raw materials to furnish it as well. Those boards on the windows and doors could become the reply chairs inside. Do you have your own ideas? I am sure that any ideas for this site would be welcome.

Tags: ,
Posted in Cleveland, Green | 2 Comments »

Reducing waste begins with what you buy!

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

So you bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store.  Great.  You recycle.  Excellent.  But the effort doesn’t stop there.  If you really want to make an impact on the waste stream, you need to start rethinking what you buy.

If you are going to buy toilet paper, and I hope that you are, then you should make sure that it is made with recycled paper.  Not just recycled paper, but post consumer recycled content.  It is always important to look at post consumer content, because if we do not provide an economic outlet for recycled content, then collecting these materials end up being a waste of time.  Stories are often circulating around stock piles of plastics and other recyclables that have no home.  By looking for products that are made from these materials, we create an incentive for the concept of recycling and a market for those foods.

Okay, so you are buying products with recycled content.  Now what?  How much packaging do the products that you buy have in the first place?  By choosing products that feature less packaging, you reduce your impact by requiring less raw materials in the first place.

The mantra of the new economy is reduce, reuse, recycle.  The key to making this mantra meaningful is the priority we give each step.  By reducing what we buy, we lower our need for resources.  You can make it even easier by buying product with less packaging.  For example, I buy a brand of shaving cream that has a small cap that covers only the push top.  By choosing this brand, I use less plastic with every can I buy.  Over a lifetime that can really add up.  I buy toothpast that has the smallest or no box.  Next I try to find a secondary use for all the products that I buy.  Margarine containers hold leftovers.  Jars hold buttons.  A chipped mug holds my pens.  By finding a secondary use for these products, we divert utems from the waste strem as well as reduce our need for raw materials.  Last comes recycle.  We all need to recycle as much as humanly possible, but to really make a difference we need to close the loop and buy products that use the recycled materials.

To reduce waste, we need to look at what we buy first, before we figure out how to dispose of it.  For more  great ideas check out http://42explore.com/recycle.htm

Tags: , ,
Posted in Green | 1 Comment »

Habitat for Humanity and AIA

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Last night we attended a meeting for the AIA ( American Institute of Architects) Cleveland Chapter. The evening was held at the Habitat for Humanity location on W. 110th. Despite the sudden downpour and clapping of thunder (the lights even went out at one point for a second) the air in the room was upbeat and friendly. It was no surprise that everyone was so upbeat, they had great things to say. The AIA is launching a new contest that is open to newer architects. It is the Affordable Green Home Design Competition. The idea is to submit a design for a green home at one of 3 different locations around the state. Easy, right? Not so fast…these homes have to be affordable and reach certain green levels. Basically the homes are going to be built by Habitat for Humanity and will be a great way to get newer architects to think outside the box. It will require the focus necessary to reduce waste and build properly, so that the homes can be built for about $100,000. The winners will be chosen by fall and awards given in December. The plans will then be used to build these green homes and further used as prototypes for future home building by Habitat for Humanity. I was thrilled to hear all the things that were talked about over the course of the evening. Joshua Lloyd, of Phillip Markwood Architects, was there to kick off the program. As he explained, these homes are for people who most need the energy savings and will aid in helping families to save on utilities. Bruce Jackson of Square One Architects explained how the Cleveland location was infill in the Fairfax neighborhood. He talked about all the great things that were going on to help residents and future development for this under served area of our city. The entire talk was fascinating and gave me hope for an area of town that is often overlooked. The talk was finished up by the head builder from Habitat for Humanity in Cleveland, Thomas Meyer. His knowledge was boundless and he was fascinating to listen to. He spoke of the energy efficiency of the homes they are currently building and how as they move forward, their goals for increased efficiency and sustainability. He also pointed out how much work goes into the planning of a HforH home, as the need for exact guidelines is essential-remember many of the volunteers that build these homes barely know what a hammer even is! The evening was concluded by a tour of the ReStore.092-color-single-line-logo

I have mentioned the ReStore before, but little did I know just what was in store for me when I got there. Not only was there a great selection of used cabinets and light fixtures, there was furniture, tools, great doors, tiles, adhesives, even monster cables. The store is open to the public on Fridays (10-5) and Saturdays (9-1) at 2110 West 110th Street, Cleveland. Stop here first before heading to Home Depot down the road. You may just find the spindles, sink or even the counter top for a huge discount. I know that the idea conjures up images of Goodwill or Salvation Army, but nothing could be farther from the truth. There was a great granite counter top for under $300 bucks! Polished, finished, and ready to install! While the tools may be gently used, they may be brand new and the amount of building products in their original packaging was astounding! But it is more than just buying, bring them your old tools and building materials. If they can use them to build their homes, they will. If not, they will sell them and use the money to build houses. This is recycling with a purpose. Of course they are always taking monetary donations as well, but I am always concerned with the toilet by the curb that is going into landfill. Why not drop it off so it can help these guys do their good works? Visit the Restore site for information on donating. The tool drive is on now! This is from Jeffrey Bowen, the Executive Director:

The attached link provides all of the information that one requires to get a tool drive going, provides posters, fliers, and includes multiple releases as well: http://www.clevelandhabitat.org/Restore/ToolKit.html

I will also be happy to answer any questions.

One individual drives are completed, we urge groups to assemble volunteers to deliver the donations to Habitat during our normal drop-off hours on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. If they end up with larger items such as cabinets, sinks, etc. and do not have access to a truck, folks can contact us to schedule a pick-up.

Please see our website for details: http://www.clevelandhabitat.org/Restore/Donate.html

Thank you, again, for helping us to help others…



Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Cleveland, Green | 2 Comments »

10 easy things you can do to help save the planet

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

As we all know, we are in a difficult time for the environment. How difficult, we don’t really know. It all depends on who you talk to. If you are old enough to remember, we went through much of this hype and hysteria in the 70′s. That is when many people tried to save Mother Earth, live off the grid, build efficient houses and install solar panels. Enter cheaper oil prices of the 80′s and all that effort was forgotten. So are we worse or better off than we were 30+ years ago? I don’t think anyone can really answer that question. We can model future weather patterns and expand predictions of energy use and carbon output all we want, but the truth is that there are simply too many variables to make any of this theoretical research much more than speculation. Does that mean that we should ignore it, continue to use resources at a terrible rate and hope we end up okay? I say no. I hope that our current situation is not nearly as dire as some predict, because that means we have more time to fix things. It is clear that we are using up the planets natural resources. It is clear that we are polluting the air and water. The rising cost of simple things like fish are testimony that we are consuming them faster than they can replenish. Furthermore, the rising levels of toxins in our environment are evidence that we have not been living very smartly so far. But what is one to do? Can any of us really do anything right now that can change the direction we are heading in? Absolutely! We need to start thinking in a different way. We need to start recycling more and better. We need to use less, buy products with less packaging, be less of a throw away society. But with a problem so big, where does one start? Here are 10 simple things that you can do to start you on your way. Put a few of these ideas into practice. You will see that it isn’t difficult. Add a few more, and soon you will start to see new ways that you can live just a little bit lighter on the planet. Add all of us together and you can make quite an impact!

PUR filter

PUR filter

1. Drink tap water: Studies are showing that tap water is just as clean and healthy as bottled water. Your tax dollars are going to pay to clean up the water, so take advantage of it. Plastic bottles are recyclable, but the vast majority of them end up in the landfill anyhow. Cut out the middleman. Drink from the tap. If you find that your water at home has an odd taste, buy a Brita or similar filter. They filter vast amounts of water before needing replacing, and will save you money as well as plastic. We use a Pur filter that fits on our kitchen tap and we can filter whenever we like. With new options, like being able to add flavorings to your water, it is really a chic way to go. Besides the plastic, think of all the carbon eliminated by transporting water from all around the country or as far away as France. Even Perrier is no longer cool.

2. Take your lunch to work or school: Taking lunch at least once a week to work or school will save you money. It allows you to buy at better pricing. Take out containers and paper wrappers are a huge problem for the environment. Invest in a good reusable lunch bag and a few containers, and you can reduce the need for several trees a year. Besides, fast food eaten at your desk is not nearly as good for you. Take the extra time that you would have spent waiting in line at McDonalds and take a short walk after eating. Trust me, you will feel better about yourself and the environment.

3. Stop using plastic shopping bags: Invest in a couple of reusable totes for your shopping trips. Keep them in the car and they are always handy. After you put away your groceries, simply hang them on the doorknob and when you next go out to the car, throw them back in the trunk. It has taken me a while to get into the groove, but I bring home less than one bag a month now, when I used to bring home dozens per trip. Now I get to bag my groceries the way I like, too. The trick I used in making myself remember to use them, was to keep extras in the trunk. If I forgot to take them inside, I took my groceries without any bags at all and bagged them at the car. It didn’t take long to get into the habit.

4. Use the car less: Think about where you are going, when you are driving somewhere. Try to combine trips. When we started counting business miles for taxes, I began to see how quickly they add up. So, if you are going to run out to pick up a few things, look around and see what else you need and make the trip more efficient. Less trips means less gas, carbon emissions, and more money on your pocket. Walk to the corner store for that one item-the amount extra you pay for that one thing will be made up for in the gallon of gas you spent driving to the market. Try to take alternative transportation to work once a week, or at least twice a month. That means hop on a bus, ride your bike, walk, or at least ride share with someone. Once a week is not as difficult as you might think.

s10935465. Cash in your change: The US Treasury spends a lot of money and resources every year on making new coins. Do the government and yourself a favor by cashing in your coins. The more coins in circulation, the less needed to be minted and fewer resources mined and spent in the mining process. Over 10 billion coins were minted in 2008. How many are in a jar in your bedroom?

6. Buy Local: I know, if you live in Cleveland, there aren’t many choices in the middle of winter. Still, when ever you can, buy local. There are plenty of egg farms nearby, why buy eggs that are trucked in from Texas? Even if you can’t always buy local, make the effort to look. Is that chicken being processed and shipped from Arkansas, or is it from an Amish farm or local producer? Buying local means keeping your money in the local economy. Buying local groceries means that food is fresher. Less travel by products means less gas used in shipping it. Even when at the West Side Market, take the time to ask where your produce comes from. With all the local apple orchards, you will be surprised how many of the local vendors are selling fruit shipped from Australia. Support local vendors and make your local economy stronger.

7. Flush less: I know that some of you think this is disgusting, but think about it. We are one of the only countries who use almost exclusively drinking water to flush toilets. Every flush uses anywhere from 1 to 3 gallons of water. Most toilets use about 2. Every time you flush, you use more water than some families in third world countries have to drink for the day. Use the “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” rule-at least some of the time. Be conscious of the amount of clean drinking water you are literally flushing down the drain. If this idea makes you squirm, try replacing with a dual flush or low flow toilet. Low flow toilets use much less water than standard fixtures to do the same job, and dual flush toilets have two buttons, one for liquid only flushing (using tiny amounts of water) and one for solids. Want a cheap alternative? Put a brick in your toilet tank. You will use about a quart less of water with every flush.

images8. Get your next book from the library: With the current economy, libraries are becoming cool again. Why spend $15 or more on a book that you will likely read once, when it could be free from the local library? Libraries are getting modern and easy to use now as well. At many, you can check the availability of a book on line, reserve it, even recheck it out if you aren’t done with it yet. If you live in Cleveland, there is likely a branch within walking distance. While you are there, check out the other programs that they offer-some branches have child programs, some offer classes, some have internet or wi-fi. Make use of the public service that you are paying for, rather than spending money on a book and having to recycle or resell it. If you fall in love with a book that you check out, you can always buy it later-or check it out again.

9. Buy less: I read a quote somewhere that said the best green product, is the one you didn’t buy. Wear that pair of jeans a couple more months before buying a new pair. Do you really need one more pair of shoes? Can you get that appliance fixed instead of replacing it? The more we replace, the more resources we use, and the more end up in landfill. While it is better to recycle than to throw away, it is even better to reduce your demand by reusing what has already been made.

10. Replace your bulbs: Compact Fluorescent bulbs and LED bulbs are widely available now. While they may cost more per unit to purchase, they last so much longer and use so much less energy, they are significantly cheaper in the long run.

There you go. All simple ideas that could have a big impact. More importantly, they take a small effort, but that is why they are so important. One little effort will make you stop and think: can I wait to go shopping until I need more stuff? Can I use up the quarters in my purse, instead of tossing them in a jar at home? Can I get this book at the library instead of buying it new? These simple practices will start you down the road to thinking a little more about how you are impacting the planet.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Green | 3 Comments »

A guide to recycling in Cleveland

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

500px-recycling_symbolsvgWhen we lived in Portland, we had a comprehensive recycling program. It was a huge success. Part of the reason it was so successful, was that garbage service was not part of our taxes, it was a separate utility. In the 90′s, a resident had to pay $35 month for a single large garbage can. More garbage than that and you were charged for overages. With that can you got free curbside recycling pick up. If you wanted to get rid of a couch or clean out that storage unit, you had to take that garbage to the dump. It made one creative when it came to reuse and recycling. If you had old doors, windows, or furniture it cost to throw them away, but free to donate to charity. You could even get paid for some things at resale shops or salvage yards. This system also allowed for inexpensive ways to find building materials or used products that were of a higher quality. That is why I like Cleveland’s new garbage and recycling program, if they would just finish the roll out! As I have mentioned, they are in the process now of deciding how long it will take to roll out this program city wide. I urge you to call or email your councilperson and let them know that you support the city wide program and insist it rolls out sooner, rather than later. be sure to send a note to the mayor’s office and the waste disposal department as well.

Okay. Now that we have the politics out of the way, let’s talk about recycling and how our local program works. If you are lucky enough to already be a participant in the pilot program, then you know that you have two garbage cans. These garbage cans hold the equivalent amount of several regular garbage cans. One is for recycling and one is for trash. If you aren’t a part of this program, then you need to find a recycling dumpster near you. These dumpsters are located throughout the city.

Now, what to recycle. Cleveland recycles quite a lot, but not as much as it could (in my opinion.) Here is the lowdown:
Paper-Most normal paper and corrugated cardboard can be recycled. This means all your office paper, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, cardboard boxes, posterboard, and boxes. There are exceptions. Any box that is waxed (like the kind frozen foods often come in, or some produce boxes), boxes that are contaminated by food and grease (like pizza boxes), and detergent boxes all need to go into the garbage. Phone books need to be recycled separately. Save them for the annual phone book drive, or drop them off at the zoo. There is a phone book recycling drop off in the parking lot.
Metal-Cleveland recycles most steel, aluminum and tin. Rinse out your cans, but the label doesn’t need to come off. (I remember the old days when you had to cut off the tops and bottoms and flatten them!) Do not recycle hangers, car parts, aerosol cans, appliances or things with circuitry (like stereos and cell phones.) Things like cookware need to go to a scrap metal place. I usually leave them on the tree lawn in summer the day before garbage pick up and they are always gone before the garbage men come.
Plastic-The general rule is if it has a number on the bottom inside a recycle symbol, it can be recycled. Plastics are numbered 1-7 and do not have to be separated. Things like plastic lawn furniture, PVC pipes, and vinyl siding are purely landfill fodder though.
Glass-Bottles should be rinsed and do not have to be separated. Do NOT recycle window glass, light bulbs or glass ware.

What about some of the other more difficult items? There are answer! Motor oil, transmission fluid, oil filters, car batteries and the like are recycled at most auto parts stores or oil changing places (like lube stop). Check with your favorite auto parts stores first-you may find that will have a new favorite! If you can’t find a spot, these items and things like paints and stains, chemical cleaners and such can be disposed of via the Hazardous Waste Program. Tires can be dropped off at the dump, but try places like Goodyear first, as they are mosre likely to retread or recycle them. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs contain mercury and should be disposed of safely. Most Home Depot stores and Ace Hardware stores are recycling them now. Products with complex circuitry, like computers and cell phones, are loaded with heavy metals. They can be recycled at many electronics stores. Cleveland also has a Computer Round Up program annually. Better yet, cell phones and computers can be donated to schools and other charities. Check out your local firehouse for a drop off box for cell phones, and for computers, find your favorite program from this list.

That about covers it. But remember that recycling does little good if you do not close the loop. Look for products that you purchase that have a content of recycled materials. Reduce the amount of packaging and materials that you consume. Reuse things if you can, before throwing them out or recycling. Why buy canisters if you are recycling perfectly good jars? Why buy tupperware and throw out perfectly good plastic containers. If an item is broken, consider repairing it before replacing it.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Cleveland, Green | 7 Comments »

Paper Made from Poo! Saving the Elephants-One Dungball at a Time!

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

While visiting Bizarre Bazaar, one vendor was selling this great product. It was paper made from elephant dung. No, it didn’t stink and it wasn’t crappy-let’s get those jokes out of the way up front. The product is by a company called Mr. Ellie Pooh. They feature paper products like cards and journals that are 100% handmade. The content is 75% recycled elephant dung.  The products are all natural, made from 100% recycled content, use no toxic chemicals and are naturally colored using water soluable salt dyes.  They don’t make all their own products, some of the more exotic selections come from a company called Maximus.  Maximus uses the same environmental friendly processes as Mr. Ellie Pooh, but they use some other fun recycled materials like cinnamon bark and rice paddy straw.  While the papers themselves are cool, and the final products are nice, it is the overall story that I love here.

Mr. Ellie Pooh products

Mr. Ellie Pooh products

First, they are recycling.  This is a subject that is important to me, especially without having curbside recycling (get on the ball Cleveland).  There is plenty of recycled paper out there, but this is true innovation at work.  Who first thought up the idea of using elephant poop?  What about other animals?  Since it is natural, it is bio-degradable too.

Second is supporting workers in underdeveloped countries.  These companies are located in Sri Lanka, not a country that springs to mind when speaking of a robust economy.  Making these papers gives jobs to people who might find it difficult making a living.  By supporting these types of companies we are also telling emerging economies that the environment should play a big role in their future development, a story America hasn’t been so quick to tell.

Mr. Ellie Pooh also has programs that allow groups to sell their products to raise money.  Now organizations can sell real crap to fund band camp or get shiny new uniforms.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather buy elephant pooh paper than another overpriced chocolate bar!

Lastly is the story of the elephant and the land.  In a time when forests are being wiped out to make room for cattle, companies like Makimus and Ellie Pooh are trying to preserve the land in order to support the elephants.  The story of this majestic mammal is becoming a modern day tragedy.  First hunted for their ivory, now poached for many uses, the elephant has been driven to the brink of extinction.  Even if elephant hunting were to miraculously stop overnight, their natural habitat is rapidly diminishing.  Some elephants in the wild are so terrified by humans, that they will starve rather than cross a road.  By using the dung to produce paper, companies like these help to support orphanages and reserves for these beautiful creatures.  In a country that has nearly 10% of the Asian elephant population, these efforts can make a rather large impact.  In addition, the long term plans of these companies are to expand and harvest wild elephant dung, an effort that could employ more people and make preserving the natural habitat in Sri Lanka a priority.  Money talks, too.  So they make a profit on the goods that they manufacture.  This means that this is no charity.  Profit is king, and who knows, perhaps a profitable venture like this could spread the idea to other parts of the globe and jump start efforts for other elephant populations like India and Africa.  In fact, I just discovered that it is already being done in Thailand!  Who came first, I don’t know, but it could be an elephant dung explosion!

This product is available at local zoos and across the country.  Check out the website and see where.  Save the elphants, buy some poo!  If you are organizing a fundraiser, then sell some poo and make a difference!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Green | 2 Comments »