Healthy and Green Living » Reduce, Recycle & Reuse

10 Ways to Use Chopsticks

Ronnie Citron-Fink — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:20:48 +0000

I am almost embarrassed to mention that one of my kitchen drawers is dedicated to disposable chopsticks. Let me explain: the collection was fodder for a fabulous reuse project that I made with many, many school kids. Handmade knitting needles was the project. While I still knit with the handmade knitting needles, I don’t need [...]

A Year’s Worth of Trash at the Museum of Trash

Dave Chameides — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:01:34 +0000

It’s not everyday that a guy like me has something of his installed in a museum. It’s an even rarer occasion when a guy like me has a year’s worth of his trash installed in a museum. But come Saturday, that’s exactly what will be happening at The Museum of Trash in Hartford, Ct. For those [...]

Have a Lonesome Glove? Give it Some Love!

Ronnie Citron-Fink — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:14:21 +0000

Have you recently pulled the cold weather clothes out of hibernation? Are the stray gloves looking for mates? Much like socks, gloves have a tendency to lose their other halves. The environmental group Green Thing has launched a venture that pairs up single gloves and sells them to new owners. Matched [...]

Carpets Can Stink. So, Make Your Own!

Ronnie Citron-Fink — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:15:34 +0000

Have you ever seen a tag on a carpet that said it contained “unknown man-made fibers.” Are you scared of the “unknown?” If it’s hanging off a carpet or rug, you should be. “Unknown” carpet or rug fibers are generally made from a cocktail of synthetic fibers such as nylon, acrylic, polyester, or polypropylene. [...]

Time Banking: A Totally Cool Concept For a Better World

Dave Chameides — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:01:57 +0000

We all have talents. No matter who you are, where you live, or what socio-economic group you live in, every one of us has something to offer. Sadly however, not everyone has the ability to treat their talents as a commodity. Thankfully, that’s where time banking comes in. Time banking is a concept [...]

Google Maps Has Walking Directions? Who Knew?

Dave Chameides — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:01:29 +0000

Today’s post is not only a shorty, but, in the interests of full disclosure, entirely stolen from an article I read on Terrapass. Ok, stolen may not be the right word because this info is out there, but Terrapass is where I read about it, and is a cool site to check out in [...]

Make a Reusable Shopping Bag from an Old T-Shirt

Megan, selected from Green Options — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:09:33 +0000

I’m always on the lookout for creative uses for t-shirts. We have a bunch collecting dust in our closets and they are readily available at resale shops.Martha Stewart has a fabulous idea for making a reusable shopping tote out of t-shirts. What a fun way to reuse all those souvenir and college tees. This [...]

Homes Haunted by Power Vampires

Annie B. Bond — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:01:22 +0000

Your home is most likely haunted by power vampires. Most of us have 10 to 30 power vampires, or power leeches�electrical devices that continuously draw power from your power outlets, even when not supplying any useful service. As a simple rule, the more gadgets in your home, the more power vampires. How many of these sneaky, insidious vampires haunt your home?

TapIt: Finding Drinking Water On The Go, Made Easy

Dave Chameides — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:02:22 +0000

OK, you’ve read all the info and recognize how bad bottled water truly is for the environment. You’ve done your research and found a reusable bottle that you want to use (or better yet are reusing something you already had). And now you are ready to once and for all kick your plastic water bottle [...]

Charitable Recycling: Eyeglasses, Printer Cartridges and Mobile Phones

Melissa Breyer — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:01:23 +0000

Who doesn't keep old eyeglasses as a backup when they get a new pair&#151and end up with an overflowing drawer of dated glasses we wouldn't be caught dead in now. If you find yourself in a drawer-cleaning frenzy, you might turn to our favorite recycling guide for advice on what to do with that pile of old glasses. We also stumbled across what to do with printer cartridges (also in a drawer) and mobile phones (yes, they usually have a drawer too). Read here for tips on how to recycle eyeglasses, printer cartridges and mobile phones&#151those junk drawer items it just doesn't feel right to throw away&#151and learn how to contribute to charity at the same time.