Green Project of the Day

Beautiful Anniversary card from my parents

I was doing some decluttering, and it was time to take down our anniversary cards (thank you for the cards, I'm sorry to say I do not save every card, I just can't justify the paper clutter that six of us would have), and I instinctively put them in the recycle bin.  Yeah good job! 

And then I was thinking how pretty the cards are, and that with a little bit of trimming that would make excellent gift tags :)  So I pulled out my trimmer and got to work!   

Trimming the card.  You can use scissors if you don't have a trimmer.

You can trim the gift tags/cards to any size you want.

And the end result, are cute little cards/gift tags that can be attached to a gift either with a bit of tape, or hole punching and adding a little bit of scrap ribbon.  Viola!    Of course it goes without saying, that I recycled all the scraps left after I was done trimming :)    

Greener Gifting isn't Grinchy

So as I wrap presents this year, I've vowed not to buy more wrapping paper...nope, I'm using up what was purchased at the after Christmas sale last year, and vowing not to buy more.  And ohhh, of course as I use up the wrapping paper, I'm recycling those cardboard tubes too!

Actually, I've already started using less wrapping paper.  This year, some family and friends will not receive gifts wrapped in paper, but instead, their wrapping will be more eco-friendly.  Their gift will either be "wrapped" in a reusable cloth bags made by moi, or reusable gift bags that I am recycling, or a fabric type garment that is also a gift in and of itself!  Even the ribbons I'm using to tie up these packages are being reused since I am reusing satin ribbons, wire ribbon, grosgrain, etc.from previous presents :)  Some gifts don't even need to be "wrapped" traditionally, and a pretty ribbon with a tag will suffice.  I think it's fun to be creative, use less paper, less tape, less curling ribbon, etc.

Although I must give credit to my mother who is amazing about recycling ALL the wrapping paper each Christmas, as well recycling bows, gift bags, cardboard boxes for clothing, and cardboard boxes from packaging.  She actually sifts through the "trash bags" of wrap, packaging, etc. to sort it for recycling.  I guess recycling is in my genetic makeup ;) which means I hopefully have passed it down to my children whether they like it or not!  I think that's one of the greenest gifts we can give our families, don't you?

Ohh Brother!

After replacing my P-touch label cartridge, I looked at the old cartridge which is made of plastic and wondered if it could be recycled like printer cartridges.  So I wrote Brother an email to ask.  They got back to me right away to let me know that they do have a program to recycle consumables. http://www.brother-usa.com/environment/TonerInkDisposal.aspx

They subscribe to the 5R Concept:

Refuse:  Avoid purchase of environmentally burdensome materials whenever possible
Reduce:  Reduce waste material
Reuse:  Reuse waste material without processing
Reform:  Reuse materials in a different form
Recycle:  Reuse materials as resources

Their program to dispose of toner, ink, and used consumables is very easy.  You print out a free prepaid shipping label, and ship back the toner, ink, or P-touch cartridge.  According to their site, some of the components are remanufactured, some are reused, and unusable items are processed through WTE (waste to energy).

 

As I like to say, it never hurts to ask :)

J is for JUNK

Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have JUNK.  And according to Marla Cilley, or  FlyLady as she is affectionately called, (www.flylady.net), you can't organize clutter, aka junk. As an on again, off again member of the Flylady website,  I've definitely learned some wonderful tidbits, you may want to check it out too!

But back to JUNK...we've all heard the saying, "One woman/man's junk is another woman/man's treasure"...so in order to keep "junk" out of the landfills, there are several options which basically feed into the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle message. 

1.  If we REDUCE what we consume, or rethink what we think we need, we'd all have less junk in our homes and lives to begin with!  Of course this is very difficult for those of us that enjoy "retail therapy", but I'm trying to retrain my brain to think...."do I need it, or want it", and if I do want it, how badly do I want it...badly enough to get rid of something else to free up space?  I'm trying to ingrain the thought, "Simplify" into my brain..."Simplify to Create Serenity" (ie. less junk!).  If I do make new purchases, I want to donate something else to free up space....which leads to number 2...

2.  Commit to finding re-uses for things.  Most of us already "reuse" clothes by handing them down to friends or family, and some people have yard sales, which helps keep many things out of the landfill (to me, yard sales are too much time and energy for me to bother with for the minimal yield.)  My preferred mode of re-using things is to donate them, or as Flylady says, "blessing others".  We donate books, clothes, tools, household items, furniture, etc via www. freecycle.org, local charities, and through our church.  I have to admit, that I'm often astounded at the items that people toss out to the curb when there are others who need and could use them.  I'm not sure if it comes down to disposal laziness, or not knowing where, or how to donate items, but it really couldn't be easier!  There are donation bins in tons of locations, and organizations such as Big Brother Big Sister that pick-up from your house, and when you Freecycling items, people pick up items from your doorstep.  There are many options to keep massive amounts of things out of landfills, and it feels great to help out others :)   http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/2010/04/recycle-reuse-reshare-with-big-bro-big.html   http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/2010/03/spring-cleaning-day-23-24.html
http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/2010/06/d-is-for-donate.html
http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/2010/05/closet-philanthropist.html


There are also young entrepreneurs, like those at TerraCycle who are thinking outside the box to reuse juice box pouches, corks, chip bags, cookie packaging, candy wrappers and much, much more.  I'm surprised that more companies have not followed in the green footsteps of TerraCycle to use waste to create products.  It's ingenious really, keeping waste out of the landfills; the waste becomes the raw material, and in the end, a product is made and sold.   TerraCycle also believes in number 3...

3.  Recycling - Hopefully by now everyone knows they should recycle their paper, glass, plastics, aluminum, etc.  And then there are those "15 Totally Recyclable Materials That Most of Us Keep Forgetting About"?
http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/2010/05/15-totally-recyclable-materials-that.html  
http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/2010/05/so-i-got-to-thinking.html 

But what peaks my interest is learning about companies that have come up with creative ways to recycle materials, and there are examples near and far.  On a recent vacation to St. John, we learned about The Art  Center (of Recycling) at Maho Bay Camps.  What a treat! Check out the beautiful, creative ways they recycle glass into beautiful, useful objects at http://www.maho.org/.  They also recycle old bed sheets by batiking them, and making them into table cloths, coasters, bags, table runners, etc.  But to date, one of the most interesting innovative eco-entrepreneurial companies that has captured my attention is Terracycle, based out of NJ because they keep multiple waste streams out of the landfills, work cooperatively with schools, and design great products http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/2010/08/terracycle-on-tv.html .


Junk aka clutter can either weigh us down, or we can set it free by reducing, reusing, or recycling.  I'm working on simplifying.....and looking forward to serenity and at the same time watching for creative companies that keep junk out of the landfills and instead up-cycle it to the next level via innovation.   

It's Official

It's Official!  I'm an eco-geek :)  We were out running some errands and we ended up eating dinner out at Panera; our lemonades came in plastic cups...sigh...At the end of the meal as we prepared to leave, I realized that the 6 plastic cups would end up in the trash.  So....I poured the ice into the bowls, and took the plastic cups home and put them in our recycle bins. Funny thing is, the kids didn't bat an eyelash!  I guess they've come to expect my zany eco-idiosyncrasies.

Happy 40th Earth Day!

What will you do to celebrate Earth Day?  You could take a walk in a park to enjoy the green-ness around you, sit still, watch and listen to the birds, do a craft of recycled materials, pledge to use only green cleaning products, choose an Earth-friendly product next time you shop, recycle everything you can, catch your rainwater and use for your garden, compost, turn off all unused gadgets, turn off the lights, switch to CFL bulbs (and recycle them properly when done), change to LED lights, the list goes on!  Whatever you choose to do will be one small green babystep in the right direction, and if we all make those babysteps it will add up big for ourselves and planet.  Enjoy the day!

Black Mush

Today I inadvertently found something neat while shopping for new shoes for the 4 kids.  Darn it their feet keep growing!  Well, as it turns out when shopping for shoes, I ended up looking too, and got a new pair that I think may become a favorite :)  They are Teva Mush sandals.  The black mush is so soft and cushy, it made me wonder if the rubber is recycled like the rubber on some tracks and courts.  

What I did find out was that the Teva parent company has some green roots!  I figured it out when I noticed an insert in the box (which would be used to hold the shoes up on a rack).  At first I thought uggh, how wasteful, but then I read it, and lo and behold, "this hanger is biodegradable"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I though, NO WAY!!!!  So then I checked out the shoe box that states that the box is "printed on recycled materials, 100% recyclable, please recycle all packaging"   The box also states that the company is also a supporter of Waterkeepers alliance that protects the Earth's waterways (www.waterkeeper.org). 

So, I went to the Teva website to learn more, and found that their parent company, Deckers  has done quite a nice job of  limiting their footprint!  AhhhHAHA, they should market themselves about their reduced carbon "footprint".  Get it?  :) You can check them out at  http://www.deckers.com/esc/distribution.aspx  Wouldn't it be great if all companies walked in their footsteps?

Elementree recycled printer paper

Even though we recycle paper to use in the printer (we print on the backside of school papers, printouts, or other previously used paper for drafts, or copies of bills, etc.) which cuts down on buying new printer paper, on occasion we do need to buy paper for school reports, letters, etc. Well hubby, being the Green Knight that he is, brought home Recycled Multipurpose Paper from Printworks. It contains 30% post consumer fiber, and is elemental chlorine free. The remaining 70% is from sustainable wood fiber, and the product is sustainable forestry initiative certified. He made my day when he brought home this ream of paper. Hopefully it will last us awhile since we do reuse paper, and I even recycle some used paper from work and print on the opposite side before recycling it.

Schools need to learn/teach more about recycling - Day 12

Ok, so it makes NO sense that in the kids' lunchrooms they do NOT have recycle bins! What kind of example is that? Why wouldn't they have bins? No one wants to empty them? I mean it would cut down on the amount of garbage, and that would save the schools money. They do recycle paper from the classrooms, so why not plastic bottles, yogurt containers, fruit cup containers, plastic spoons etc? I mean most families recycle in our town, so the kids already know the system, and if they DON'T recycle at home, they should....those that didn't already know about recycling could LEARN it at school and teach their families. Hmm I wonder how hard it would be to convince the schools to recycle?

Green Deeds - Day 7

So my good "green deed" of the day was to pass along info to my address book about an electronic and appliance recycling event.   Strangely, I hadn't seen the info posted anywhere or received any emails about it, but saw it on a large sandwich board when I was dropping the kids off at an afterschool activity.  I figured if I was just finding out about it, I'd better spread the good word!

The future is in their hands - Day 5

Today I inconvenienced Tiger-Lily and Rhody and had them watch an Inconvenient Truth.  Rhody astutely asked a few times if any solutions would be presented because he was only hearing about the problems.  "You and I are part of the solution," was my answer.  We read the ideas interspersed in the credits too, and I pointed out that every time he remembers to turn off the lights, pulls down the shades, and recycles he is part of the solution.   Now that the whole family has watched the movie I feel like maybe they realize WHY it is so important to protect the Earth for their future, and WHY we do so many green things to help reduce green house gases, and WHY I want them to be good stewards of the planet and HOW they can make a difference every day. 

An Inconvenient Truth - Day 3

Today, Hubby, Rosebud, Sweet Pea and I watched An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. At first the girls grumped a bit, but by the end the movie seemed to have made an impression. The information about the melting glaciers and rising sea levels was eye opening. The girls were sad about the plight of the polar bears, and also found ice cube analogy interesting. Now to get the other 1/3 to watch it with me :) Babysteps, babysteps!

baby step #1 - Day 2

For better or for worse, my awesome family will be taking this green journey with me :) With their help, I think we will all learn and grow along the way. It seems like only yesterday that our 4 children came into our lives, but just like flowers, they are growing, and blooming before our eyes. Within my blog I will fondly refer to my always encouraging and witty husband as "hubby", and I've lovingly nicknamed each of the children with a flower name. My oldest daughter, "Tiger-Lily" is 14, my second daughter, "Rosebud" is 13, my third daughter, "Sweet Pea" is 11, and my son, "Rhody" (short for Rhododendron) is 9.

Today Tiger-Lily and I took baby step #1 when we defrosted and unplugged our extra freezer! I can't wait to see the positive impact it has on our electric bill :)

Green Snowballs? - Day1

For as long as I can remember, my favorite color has been GREEN. I remember being asked why I liked the color green, and the answer was a simple one, "because I like green trees and grass".

Today, green is still one of my favorite colors, but it is more than just a color to me now. Of course I still love green grass and trees, but now the word green means much more to me. It means Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling, it means Respecting the environment, and it means teaching my kids Responsibility for taking care of our planet.

It might be a little bit geeky, but if my family and I can take some green "baby steps" to reduce our carbon "footprint", and encourage our family and friends to do the same, and if they in turn encouraged their family and friends to be greener, what a wonderfully green snowball we'd have rolling!