Green Daily

Now that we've learned how to correctly spell Compact Fluorescent Light bulb, let's discuss what is dangerous about these bulbs.

They've got mercury in them. A teaspoon of mercury destroys Superman and all of his comic book friends. Dorothy and Toto get obliterated. The Lion can't save them. Mercury doesn't go in landfills--at least not when the landfill police are watching--and it doesn't go in the recycling bin. It's unsafe for both.

"Where oh where can the mercury go," you and your little friend Toto ask.

Just click your heels three times, Dorothy, and you'll find yourself in one of two places: The local hazardous material disposal station or at lightbulbrecycling.com.

The water calculator is a great way to see, on average, how much water you use per year in comparison to the rest of the country.

A few caveats, though:

a) The "quick" calculator option is fairly limiting and could have a high margin of error. For instance, because I entered "female" and "vegetarian" (no vegan option) into the system, the calculator assumed that, because I don't eat meat, I eat a comparatively higher amount of dairy and "cereal" (I think they mean carbs in general), which isn't true. Best to go with the "extended" version.

b)The site only allows you to enter your food consumption in kilograms, so if you're like me and don't know offhand how many kilograms of fruit you eat per week, convert it to pounds.

Again, as a warning, I'm not sure how accurate this is - but I'm somehow confident that our readers will be sure to let us know! The site does have some interesting stats and studies, which are worth checking out.

These days, it seems people want to live a greener life, but sometimes they draw the line at actually getting themselves dirty in the process, or just opting for convenience. Personally, I think this is a bit backwards, so I figured I should whip up this list to help you become closer to Mother Earth, literally. Most of these are no-brainers, but a few may inspire you.

1. Sweep your sidewalk/driveway. Don't spray it with the hose! It may be tempting to simply spray the dirt away, but you can help us all to conserve water by using it wisely.
2. Rake your leaves. Don't use a leaf blower. If you're physically able, there's no reason why you can't work off a ton of calories by raking the leaves from your yard. Human power is sustainable power.
3. Manually weed your garden. This one is easy for anyone even slightly environmentally-conscious. If you give your garden the attention it deserves by pulling weeds yourself, it will result in healthier plants and a healthier you. Plus, dumping any chemicals on the soil is just plain wrong.
4. Clean your sink's j-pipe when it gets clogged. Please, don't ever use a chemical drain cleaner. It's incredibly easy to simply remove your sink's j-pipe and clean out the clog from there. That's what that pipe is designed to do!
5. Pick some flowers to make your house smell nice. Resist the urge to use those aerosol sprays or plug-in scent-releasers to make your home smell "fresh". You can't get more fresh than flowers straight from your garden. Some of the most fragrant include Gardenias, Jasmine, Lavender, Michelia Alba and Sweet Olive.

We've gathered together the ten most commonly used excuses people give as to why they won't change their ways and go green, and then provide sound, reasoned arguments to refute each one (with a little humor and mocking thrown in for good measure). We also provide suggestions as to how to get started. One hint no matter who you are: Visit the Make Me Sustainable site. It'll not only tell you your current carbon footprint, but will tailor a 'go green' program for you based on your specific characteristics.

Sure, there will always be skeptics, but perhaps our arguments will convince a few people to give up the excuses they cling to, and make (however tiny) a move toward greener living.

The prettiest and most popular people among us are given precedence over the average-looking majority. We don't want to admit it, but it happens a lot, whether during the high school prom, in your typical business office, or even on the endangered species list.

Sure, most of us are pretty aware of the plight of the furry, adorable endangered animals (polar and panda bears immediately come to mind). But what about those not-so-furry but still really important, worthwhile species out there? They may not be as visually appealing or cuddly as the aforementioned, and therefore do not get as much attention. But they're still in bad shape, and they need to be known.

If the economy wasn't so bad this would be the best time of year to sell your home. Alas, the economy sucks. But, if you need to move, you need to move. Slump or no, you can still ready your home for sale with your health and the earth's in mind.

Consider using sustainable wood products as you finish the crown moldings or deck on your house. DIY host Brad Staggs is pitching for the Southern Pine Association. He says Southern Pine is sustainable, strong wood forested from healthy forests. If you prefer a tropical wood, check that it's been harvested sustainibly by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Looking for new items that might dress up a room? Or want to use salvaged wood? You have options, depending on where you live. In the UK the architectural and antique site Salvo could help you find pieces from libraries, hospitals and schools that could make beautiful moldings, frames, doors and furniture. In Chicago there's Island Girl Salvage.

Metro, Washington D.C.'s pub trans system, is donating four of its dirty emissions-spewing buses to a nonprofit that will turn them into biodiesel-propelled mobile teaching labs.

The nonprofit, Biodiesel University, turns the donated buses into biodiesel-burning powerhouses and drives them to local elementary, middle and high schools to teach students about energy and the environment, as well as encourage them to pursue careers in science. The lessons are hands-on, and include examples of biodiesel use (water cannons and jet engines), and a working oilseed press, which extracts oil from beans and seeds. (A WaPo blogger did an interview with Bio U's founder, Dan Goodman, here).

Perhaps the best part about this idea is that traveling classrooms are a great way to expose kids to environmental topics that they may not be aware of otherwise, especially if they live in an inner city. Even one day's worth of learning can make a huge impression on kids and have an impact on their habits. Plus, similar programs have shown that the best way to get through to parents - about nutrition, health, the environment, or otherwise - is through their kids, at school.

If you've got unused clothes, gadgets, or other items taking up space in your home there are plenty of ways to keep them out of a landfill. You can donate some stuff to charity or thrift stores. Other stuff you can give away on Freecycle or sell for a few bucks on Craigslist or eBay. And of course there's recycling. You may think you can only recycle things like bottles cans, and scrap paper. But recycling has come a long way in the last few years, and if a company makes a product, odds are there's another company out there willing to recycle it.

A few yeas ago E Magazine ran a cover story called "How to Recycle Practically Anything." The article includes tips for recycling everything from paper and foil juice boxes to wire hangers (yes, the list is arranged alphabetically).

Here are a few tips we might not have thought of.

• If you've got Styrofoam, you can probably break it up and use it as packing material. But if there's a Styrofoam manufacturer in your neighborhood, try contacting the company to see if they accept donations
• Smoke detectors can be sent back to their manufacturers.
• Many UPS stores will take donations of packing peanuts
• Old eyeglasses can be dropped off at many chain store that sell them.

[via Lifehacker]

If you're like me, you have a receptacle next to your dryer for lint and wadded up paper left in pockets that go through the spin cycle. Rather than send it to the landfill, here are five fabulous ways to reuse that gray, fibrous mass.

1. Fire starter. Use wads of lint to start a fire in a wood burning fireplace or to help along campfires.
   
2. Toy stuffing. Use lint to stuff home sewn toys but be cautious as it is extremely flammable (see #1).
   
3. Share with wildlife. Fill a netted bag (the kind that holds oranges or onions) with lint and hang from a nearby tree in order to encourage local birds to gather bits for their nests.
   
4. Compost. If your clothes are primarily made of cotton or other natural fibers such as hemp or silk, the lint can make a great addition to your compost pile.
   
5. Textiles. Spin it into yarn and knit some mittens.

You're washing dishes when one of your best ceramic plates slips from your grasp, bounces off the side of the sink, and - SMASH. You're up to your wrists in ceramic shards.

But before you kick those shards to the curb, check out all of these great ways to reuse them and make your house all pretty-like in the process:

• The obvious: make the shards into a mosaic - put it in a frame, or decorate a tabletop - it's easy and makes a great, funky addition to your house. You can make a mosaic on any solid surface, including wood, concrete, glass, plaster, and metal. eHow has a great tutorial on how to do a simple mosaic, as does wikiHow. The two major ingredients are adhesive - try epoxy or a PVA glue- and tile grout. Once you have those, you can go to town on your creative masterpiece.
  
• Place a few shards of the broken dish at the bottom of your flowerpots to cover the hole. The water won't seep out, and your plant will be pleased.
  
• Sand the edges of each piece carefully, and a hole in each and string a piece of ribbon through them - they make great Christmas ornaments (just make sure you're using a carbon-tipped drill bit when drilling into ceramics).
  
• Toss the shards into the bottom of a clear base, fill with water, and add a few strategically-placed stalks of bamboo. Voila - a classy centerpiece.
  
• Sterilize the pieces and sprinkle them at the base of a fish tank for some added color.

...and then send us the pictures of your fantastic creations.

So, we're starting this rockin' new daily feature where we'll list five ways to reuse everyday products that you'd normally chuck into the trash.

We're only going to list five tips per product, but chances are, there are a million ways to reuse these products, so we encourage you to list additional suggestions in the comments - what works, what hasn't - for the benefit of all our readers.

And, because I want to start out the feature with a bang, I decided to go with tattered linens. Okay, so it's not the most exciting reusable item in the world, but it's a serious issue in landfills. According to the EPA, over 11.8 million tons of textiles were produced in '06, which amounts to approximately 5 percent of all solid waste on landfills per year. And don't deny it: we all have old, worn sheets and blankets.

Instead of throwing them away, use them in one of the following ways.

I have a confession to make: I've been throwing most of my plastic containers into the recycling bin, regardless of their recycling number.

I've washed them and removed their labels. I've scraped off the warning that this prescription drug shouldn't be consumed with milk. I've done it all in my desperate fantasy that all the plastic I use can be recovered.

Should I go to the confessional? Do a few lashes with switches of birch?

Whatever. Here are the most commonly recycled plastics:

Number one and number two plastics are the most common and most easily recycled plastics. Number one plastics are items like soda bottles and the cute plastic container your seaweed salad came packaged in.

Number two plastics tend to be items like laundry detergents, milk and motor oil.

Number six is also widely accepted. That's Styrofoam, packaging peanuts and the like. I've read on Ask.com it can be made into insulation foam.

In my neck of the woods those are the only plastics that are accepted for recycling. None of my yogurt containers (#5), prescription bottles (#5) or plastic cups (#5) are recyclable. New York City has a similar policy. Seattle and Los Angeles are likewise limited.

If only I lived in Sonoma County, where every type of plastic can be recycled.

According to these cities' Web sites the effort needed to recycle a lot of our plastics just isn't worth it.

For now, maybe I'll send my plastic pill bottles and yogurt cups via jet to Sonoma. I'll save the landfills one private jet at a time!

In the latest issue, Philly's alt-weekly offered up some cheap, cool tricks for green design. The article tackles air sealing, wall design, furniture, flooring, and insulation.

The author mentions that if you have the money, you can try an energy audit, where an auditor will come over and electronically determine how much heat you are losing to air leaks. They might also use infrared cameras on your walls to determine where you have the least insulation.

If you don't have the money for an "energy audit?" Try the ultra-rudimentary 'candle test' - simply hold a lit candle near your doors and windows (ignore the jeers from your roommates and family members) and see if it goes out. If it does, well, you have an air leak.

Citypaper also makes suggestions on eco-friendly wall designs (recycled 3D wallpaper); furniture (buy used - duh - or turn stuff you already have into new DIY creations); and flooring (use recycled cork tiles or paint a faux wood finish on your floors). This last one does not mention it, but I'm assuming that the suggestion of painting your floor to look like wood is in place of using actual wood. In that case, you'd want to make sure you also purchase eco-friendly paint, which we talk about here).

Overall, the article was more about saving money and making your house look fly than it was about inherently green design. But the tips and tricks (and awesome new eco-conscious products) made it a worthwhile read.

Can't afford a new refrigerator? Rather tinker with your old one than dump a new one on the landfill? There are plenty of ways to make your old fridge (and freezer) as efficient as possible.

1. Keep your fridge and freezer as full as possible. An empty fridge will cycle more frequently than a full one. If you live alone or are a light eater, simply fill jugs with tap water and keep them in the fridge.
2. Allow foods to cool before putting them in the fridge. It takes more energy to cool hot food than cold.
3. Try to keep all foods and liquids covered. Uncovered food and drink means more moisture, and the appliance has to work harder to defrost itself.
4. Defrost the freezer regularly to remove frost build-up.
5. Disengage your automatic ice maker and freeze ice cubes in trays instead.
6. Clean the door gasket and replace the rubber sealing strip, preventing excess air from escaping
7. If you have it, turn on the power-saving/summer-winter switch.
8. Set the fridge temp between 35 F and 28 F, and your freezer between 10 F and 15 F, for optimal energy use. Don't rely on the fridge thermometer, though - go out and buy your own.
9. Once a year, move your fridge out from the wall and vacuum the condenser coils underneath, which will help the fridge to transport waste heat more quickly, resulting in shorter cycles.
   
10. Make sure your fridge is as far from the oven as possible. It will have to work harder if it's next to a heat-producing appliance.

If you're like most people, your refrigerator is the largest energy-generating appliance in your kitchen. If it was built before 1990, it's generating two to three times more energy than efficient models built today. (Annually, you could save up to $100). So when you're in the market for a new one, make sure you're buying the best one for your buck.

Why should I bother?

If your fridge isn't as energy-efficient as it could be, it's polluting the air with greenhouse gases, and it's costing you more money in the process. If it's really old, it probably ontains PCBs and mercury, which can leech into the air and ground, especially after you toss it.

Instead of tossing it, how do I dispose of my old fridge?

Up to 95% of most fridges can be recycled. Check out the Steel Recycling Institute's locator to find a location near you. Or, use the Earth 911 finder to help you. Then, make sure you check to see if any local state or government agencies or your electricity company offer rebates for trading in old models for new, energy-efficient fridges. These are sometimes referred to as "bounty programs."