It's already the 2nd week of January 2008, and if you're like me, you're still thinking about your resolutions. I keep bugging my little ones to think about how they want to better themselves, but I haven't firmly commited to writing anything down. I think I'm still mulling over last year's resolutions, which have been firmly posted on the kitchen magnet board for 372 days now. Did we each achieve our goals? Did we try to change ourselves too much? Did we set the bar too low?
Well, enough is enough. Tomorrow is the day we're going to define our resolutions, and the first one is going to be "getting more green." I mean why not? We've already made good (not great) progress over the last 9 months, but I feel that we can do better - much better. First of all, it seems that not all of us are following this program. (Hello, husband?!) I honestly believe that this is something the entire family needs to commit to or it won't work - not at all.
For us to get greener, we have to believe in what we're doing and how it touches almost everything we do. Oh, and also that it's really not that tough. No more plastic water bottles for the gym. No more crazy conventionally-grown fruit from out of the country (and county), and no more long showers.
Gosh. Getting rid of those things is easy to do and shouldn't cause any problems. But, I think I'll write these "getting greener" resolutions in a more positive light so they seem readily achievable, and, well, positive!! Maybe, they will look like the following:
#1: Use water jugs/containers at the gym
#2: Buy organic fruits in season and from local farms
#3: Buy only food that we'll need and not waste
#4: Join an organization to help clean the beach
#5: Turn on lights only in rooms that need to be lit
#6: Get to the gym/outside exercise at least 4 times per week, etc.
(Okay, that last one is typically on my annual list of resolutions, but I've made it more specific.)
Don't worry, there will be more to come. The kids will be tasked with thinking of 3 each. And, I think I'm going to institute monthly resolutions, so they don't seem too grand or too unachievable.
And for those of you wondering... I'm not ready to compost yet. But, hey, it's only January.
Good luck and may your year be healthy, happy and more green.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
so many dishes to wash...
I don't know about you, but I'm not a huge fan of washing the dishes. This creates a problem, because I don't like having dirty dishes in the sink. A conundrum, one might say. I could have my kids do it, and they do, for the most part. (The little one has to learn a bit more patience so he can stop plunking the glass plates in the sink.) Or, I could just abandon plates entirely and have everyone eat directly off placemats (and, don't think that hasn't crossed my mind!).
Once I do rinse and load the dishes (which happens about 50 times a day), I don't love the "measure the detergent and/or rinse aid" part of the activity, because I typically overflow the little detergent opening and then have to wipe up excess powder, or the lid doesn't close and I have to fight with it, arggggghhhh. And, even though I have an Energy Star appliance, I always feel badly if it's not full full when I run it. But, if it's too full full, the dishes don't seem to get as dry as they should (especially those little tupperware-ish containers I use for the kids' lunches). I know you know what I'm talking about!
Dishwashing is one of those chores that just doesn't do it for me. Now, if we were talking about laundry... well, that's a whole other ballgame... I love that. But, I digress...
My girlfriend finally helped guide me to a kind of dish utopia when she recommended Ecover Dishwashing Tablets. No phosphates. No chemicals. These little individual tablets are fantastic. Just use one per load. It's the perfect eco-friendly detergent that really cleans the glasses and dishes. The Ecover Rinse-Aid also helps with spotty glassware and silverware.
I know what you're thinking-- "Modern Eco Mom... why are you creating more trash with the little tablet wrappers?" I answer by telling you that the wrappers are recylclable (ha!) and that the tablets help me not waste excess detergent (double ha!).
You can find Ecover at most major supermarkets, and I'd recommend buying 2 boxes at a time.
Happy dish cleaning.
Once I do rinse and load the dishes (which happens about 50 times a day), I don't love the "measure the detergent and/or rinse aid" part of the activity, because I typically overflow the little detergent opening and then have to wipe up excess powder, or the lid doesn't close and I have to fight with it, arggggghhhh. And, even though I have an Energy Star appliance, I always feel badly if it's not full full when I run it. But, if it's too full full, the dishes don't seem to get as dry as they should (especially those little tupperware-ish containers I use for the kids' lunches). I know you know what I'm talking about!
Dishwashing is one of those chores that just doesn't do it for me. Now, if we were talking about laundry... well, that's a whole other ballgame... I love that. But, I digress...
My girlfriend finally helped guide me to a kind of dish utopia when she recommended Ecover Dishwashing Tablets. No phosphates. No chemicals. These little individual tablets are fantastic. Just use one per load. It's the perfect eco-friendly detergent that really cleans the glasses and dishes. The Ecover Rinse-Aid also helps with spotty glassware and silverware.
I know what you're thinking-- "Modern Eco Mom... why are you creating more trash with the little tablet wrappers?" I answer by telling you that the wrappers are recylclable (ha!) and that the tablets help me not waste excess detergent (double ha!).
You can find Ecover at most major supermarkets, and I'd recommend buying 2 boxes at a time.
Happy dish cleaning.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
To wrap or not to wrap...
It's that time of the year again (where did 2007 go?) -- you know what I'm talking about. It's the time when we consume way too much food, buy way too many presents and create way too much trash. All in all, it's a crazy several weeks, and I'm already feeling stuffed.
To be honest, I'm struggling a bit this year with my holiday planning. I don't want to overspend, but I also don't want to disappoint. (I know, I know. The two are not mutually exclusive.) I want everyone to feel joy when they receive gifts from us. But, there is so much excess that occurs during this time of year. How can I be true to my sense of the holiday spirit and yet be environmentally and socially aware and not feel like a scrooge?
What's a modern eco mom to do?
Well, for starters, this mem is first going to work on her addiction to wrapping paper and greeting cards. (of course, that's "addiction" in it's most banal sense. I do not need an intervention... yet.) I mean, who doesn't love sending (or receiving) gifts wrapped in fabulously well-thought-out, designer-looking, handmade-looking paper with ribbons galore and a hilariously perfect card that it took a 1/2 hour to pick out taped on top? C'mon. You know it's cool when someone you know took that extra time to cover your amazing new gift with beautiful wrap and bow.
This year, I'm going wrap- and tissue paper-free. Wow. Just writing that took a lot of effort and created a bit of anxiety! I'm also going battery-free, plastic-free and will try my darndest to go drive-to-store-free for all purchases. Whew! I know these are lofty goals, but I have to start somewhere. Ooh. I almost forgot. I'm also going to try to go Hallmark card-free.
Going wrapping paper-free is going to be a lot easier than it seems, I think, and there are a few ways to do it. I can just skip any gift covering entirely (even foregoing newspaper comics, old shopping bags, etc.) or use recycled gift bags that will hopefully be re-gifted (so to speak).
Skipping the plastic, beeping toys shouldn't be too horrible. I know my kids will be a bit sad, but in the end, they will be happy we're all doing this. I'm not planning on surprising them with my new holiday strategy. They will be fully informed from the get-go.
In addition, we're starting a new tradition in our home. We decided that the kids are going to pick out an organization they would like to help, and we're going to donate somehow to that org - money, goods, food, whatever we all choose. Tonight, I asked my 6-year old what he loves, and besides the Padres and Chargers, he said food. So, we'll be donating money and canned goods to a local food pantry. My 3-year old loves dogs, so we're going to provide blankets, $ and other items to a local shelter. C'est magnifique. The true spirit of the holiday season. My kids may not fully understand why some people and animals need help, but by having the discussion at their young age, I hope that they will grow up to be responsible, giving and sharing adults.
The changes I make for the holiday season are going to have an impact throughout the year. Birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, you name it. This is a life change!!
Good luck and good happiness to all of you!
FYI - I'm going to tackle the dreadful Sally Foster wrapping paper school fundraisers at another date.
To be honest, I'm struggling a bit this year with my holiday planning. I don't want to overspend, but I also don't want to disappoint. (I know, I know. The two are not mutually exclusive.) I want everyone to feel joy when they receive gifts from us. But, there is so much excess that occurs during this time of year. How can I be true to my sense of the holiday spirit and yet be environmentally and socially aware and not feel like a scrooge?
What's a modern eco mom to do?
Well, for starters, this mem is first going to work on her addiction to wrapping paper and greeting cards. (of course, that's "addiction" in it's most banal sense. I do not need an intervention... yet.) I mean, who doesn't love sending (or receiving) gifts wrapped in fabulously well-thought-out, designer-looking, handmade-looking paper with ribbons galore and a hilariously perfect card that it took a 1/2 hour to pick out taped on top? C'mon. You know it's cool when someone you know took that extra time to cover your amazing new gift with beautiful wrap and bow.
This year, I'm going wrap- and tissue paper-free. Wow. Just writing that took a lot of effort and created a bit of anxiety! I'm also going battery-free, plastic-free and will try my darndest to go drive-to-store-free for all purchases. Whew! I know these are lofty goals, but I have to start somewhere. Ooh. I almost forgot. I'm also going to try to go Hallmark card-free.
Going wrapping paper-free is going to be a lot easier than it seems, I think, and there are a few ways to do it. I can just skip any gift covering entirely (even foregoing newspaper comics, old shopping bags, etc.) or use recycled gift bags that will hopefully be re-gifted (so to speak).
Skipping the plastic, beeping toys shouldn't be too horrible. I know my kids will be a bit sad, but in the end, they will be happy we're all doing this. I'm not planning on surprising them with my new holiday strategy. They will be fully informed from the get-go.
In addition, we're starting a new tradition in our home. We decided that the kids are going to pick out an organization they would like to help, and we're going to donate somehow to that org - money, goods, food, whatever we all choose. Tonight, I asked my 6-year old what he loves, and besides the Padres and Chargers, he said food. So, we'll be donating money and canned goods to a local food pantry. My 3-year old loves dogs, so we're going to provide blankets, $ and other items to a local shelter. C'est magnifique. The true spirit of the holiday season. My kids may not fully understand why some people and animals need help, but by having the discussion at their young age, I hope that they will grow up to be responsible, giving and sharing adults.
The changes I make for the holiday season are going to have an impact throughout the year. Birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, you name it. This is a life change!!
Good luck and good happiness to all of you!
FYI - I'm going to tackle the dreadful Sally Foster wrapping paper school fundraisers at another date.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Back in the saddle again...Fabkins!
I know it's been awhile... I've been down in the basement (as my fave sports radio host, Jim Rome, likes to say when he's on vacation) recharging my blogging mojo. Ha! In the time I was away, I hope you were able to bring some new, green ideas into your family life. Maybe you really recycled your newspapers or that amazon.com box? Maybe you stopped buying paper plates? Or, maybe you stopped driving around the mall parking lot for 20 minutes looking for a closer spot and settled in for a short, but healthy, walk from a spot a bit further away?
It doesn't matter. I believe you tried!!
For those of you new to this, I'm just a regular, busy mom who is trying to help out the planet and lead a healthier life. Now, don't get me wrong. I am no activist. I don't even play one on TV. I'm just trying to educate myself and my family about how we can be more responsible humans.
And, when I write about "being more green," I don't just mean in the sense of going "off the grid" and using wind solutions to power up my flat iron. I mean thinking about my family's health as well as that of the planet. Buying local and organic. Using safer glass products than Windex. That sort of thing.
And, for those of you wondering... I do drive an SUV. (I feel the need to come clean from the get go.) I'm not proud of it (even though I like my car), but I do shlep around a bunch of kids for carpool, and that keeps an extra emissions-spewing vehicle or 2 off the road). I buy things made out of state, and sometimes, gulp, out of the country. I bought 3 apples the other day from Washington State (organic and delicious, yes; responsible, no, but my 2-year old was eating the samples (skin included) like crazy and I couldn't say no).
But, here's the thing. Although there are zillions of trade-offs in life, I'm learning to make what I think are smarter choices - more often than not. Before I make a purchase, any purchase, I really, really DO think about where that product is made. (I fell off the wagon with those apples.) I almost never considered that before I started this blog. What, shoes made in Italy? Fabulous! Pears grown in Peru? How delicious! Not anymore. The environmental and economic impact is too important and must be thought through.
Oh my. I got WAY off track for a minute.
Back on topic - so, I'm thinking about pears now, which makes me think about chopping up some fresh fruit salad for the boys, which makes me think about my kids' sandwiches and the fact that I put them in the wrong (lead-free) lunch boxes today by accident, oy..are you still with me?-- and I thought I'd share with you some news about cloth napkins. Whew! Got there.
A special shout out goes to the fabulous moms at Fabkins.com. Their cloth napkins are the perfect addition to your kids' school lunch boxes (and your dinner table). The styles are adorable, and the napkins wash very well. (My boys fight over the sports-themed ones on a daily basis.) We've just started using them at home, and boy, it makes a HUGE difference in terms of trash. We're cleaner at mealtime, we're feeling better about it, and we don't miss the paper ones.
Don't freak out, though, that the napkins have to be shipped from the Bay Area. Think about the fact that you are going to eliminate so much waste! (Trade-offs are everywhere, man.)
Check out http://www.fabkins.com/.
Uh oh. Carpool time. Late!
It doesn't matter. I believe you tried!!
For those of you new to this, I'm just a regular, busy mom who is trying to help out the planet and lead a healthier life. Now, don't get me wrong. I am no activist. I don't even play one on TV. I'm just trying to educate myself and my family about how we can be more responsible humans.
And, when I write about "being more green," I don't just mean in the sense of going "off the grid" and using wind solutions to power up my flat iron. I mean thinking about my family's health as well as that of the planet. Buying local and organic. Using safer glass products than Windex. That sort of thing.
And, for those of you wondering... I do drive an SUV. (I feel the need to come clean from the get go.) I'm not proud of it (even though I like my car), but I do shlep around a bunch of kids for carpool, and that keeps an extra emissions-spewing vehicle or 2 off the road). I buy things made out of state, and sometimes, gulp, out of the country. I bought 3 apples the other day from Washington State (organic and delicious, yes; responsible, no, but my 2-year old was eating the samples (skin included) like crazy and I couldn't say no).
But, here's the thing. Although there are zillions of trade-offs in life, I'm learning to make what I think are smarter choices - more often than not. Before I make a purchase, any purchase, I really, really DO think about where that product is made. (I fell off the wagon with those apples.) I almost never considered that before I started this blog. What, shoes made in Italy? Fabulous! Pears grown in Peru? How delicious! Not anymore. The environmental and economic impact is too important and must be thought through.
Oh my. I got WAY off track for a minute.
Back on topic - so, I'm thinking about pears now, which makes me think about chopping up some fresh fruit salad for the boys, which makes me think about my kids' sandwiches and the fact that I put them in the wrong (lead-free) lunch boxes today by accident, oy..are you still with me?-- and I thought I'd share with you some news about cloth napkins. Whew! Got there.
A special shout out goes to the fabulous moms at Fabkins.com. Their cloth napkins are the perfect addition to your kids' school lunch boxes (and your dinner table). The styles are adorable, and the napkins wash very well. (My boys fight over the sports-themed ones on a daily basis.) We've just started using them at home, and boy, it makes a HUGE difference in terms of trash. We're cleaner at mealtime, we're feeling better about it, and we don't miss the paper ones.
Don't freak out, though, that the napkins have to be shipped from the Bay Area. Think about the fact that you are going to eliminate so much waste! (Trade-offs are everywhere, man.)
Check out http://www.fabkins.com/.
Uh oh. Carpool time. Late!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Keeping it clean - Challenge, Part I (glass)
What a month! Seems that all I have been doing is driving the kids all over town - from camp to swimming to the beach to camp again. I know all of this driving is not good for the environment, so I'm trying each day to park my car and walk in to get my kids so I don't idle for 15 minutes in the ridiculously long pick-up line. (Remember, idle = bad!)
I hope that you have spent some time incorporating green themes into your daily lives. As for me, I've been spending time evaluating "safe" cleaning products for my home. I've been testing out product lines such as Mrs. Meyer's, Ecover, Seventh Generation, Simple Green, 365 and a few others to see if they really get the job done. (I cannot comment as to whether or not they remove all bad bacteria from my tables, bathrooms and counters, but I can tell you if they a) smell good; b) leave smears and streaks and c) clean off debris and stuff from my dishes and clothing.)
My goal was to find cleaning products that are non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, dye-free, fume-free, cruelty-free, solvent-free, basically all the bad stuff FREE (like no VOCs, alcohol, etc.), but that do the job right. Actually, sometimes I like when there is a nice aromatherapeutic, fresh smell, like lavender, so the products I like may not be totally, totally free!
Before I share the results of my first Favorite Glass Cleaner test with you, I have to tell you that I do not have a lab in my house to scientifically test the products. Nor do I have the bankroll to purchase 25 different glass cleaners for the purpose of my experiments. However, I did test 5 products and used the same surface (my small, glass kitchen table) and the same white microfiber bar towels and paper towels.
The first products I tested were glass cleaners (you were thinking laundry detergent or dish soap, no?). Let me tell you why I decided to look at glass cleaners... Many years ago, I bought a cute little ironwrought table with a small round glass top and 3 cute little ironwrought chairs from the PierI warehouse for my first condo's kitchen. I figured that the table would last 5 years (I mean, who buys only 3 chairs for a table?!) and that we would buy a much bigger table when we had kids. Fast forward 14 years. The "little table that could" is still with us, but now we smush in a 4th chair! Even with placemats, my kids and husband leave sticky marks and food all over the glass top, and I need to clean it after every meal. Using Windex was starting to make my head spin, and not in a good way.
So, I started testing glass products and...drumroll please... the hands-down winner of the first ModernEcoMom Cleaning Product Challenge is: Seventh Generation's Free and Clear Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner. Yippee! Whooo whooo! You go, surface cleaner!!
This was no contest. Seventh Generation's Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner is the best. It rarely leaves a streak (if it does, it disappears in seconds), never leaves an odor, has absolutely NONE of the bad stuff mentioned above, and is sort of reasonably priced (about $4.69 or so). Please note that all "green" cleaning products are at least $.99 + higher than other more toxic ones.
My only problem is the packaging (yes, it is recyclable). The shape of the container looks like some of their other products (i.e. the shower cleaner), and I accidentally used the wrong one on my glass table. I noticed it right away, and now take the extra second to read the labels first before attacking my germy table.
You can find Seventh Generation products in many markets like Whole Foods and Henry's. Their web site, http://www.seventhgeneration.com/, has a store locator.
I will blog the results of more cleaning product challenges in the coming weeks. In the meantime, stay "glassy" my friends.
P.S. Check out Seventh Generation's fantastic book - "Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy Non-Toxic Cleaning" It's a great read.
P.P.S. For those Will Ferrell fans out their, my "stay glassy" comment comes right from Anchorman Ron Burgundy's newscast sign-off, "Stay classy, San Diego". Ha!
I hope that you have spent some time incorporating green themes into your daily lives. As for me, I've been spending time evaluating "safe" cleaning products for my home. I've been testing out product lines such as Mrs. Meyer's, Ecover, Seventh Generation, Simple Green, 365 and a few others to see if they really get the job done. (I cannot comment as to whether or not they remove all bad bacteria from my tables, bathrooms and counters, but I can tell you if they a) smell good; b) leave smears and streaks and c) clean off debris and stuff from my dishes and clothing.)
My goal was to find cleaning products that are non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, dye-free, fume-free, cruelty-free, solvent-free, basically all the bad stuff FREE (like no VOCs, alcohol, etc.), but that do the job right. Actually, sometimes I like when there is a nice aromatherapeutic, fresh smell, like lavender, so the products I like may not be totally, totally free!
Before I share the results of my first Favorite Glass Cleaner test with you, I have to tell you that I do not have a lab in my house to scientifically test the products. Nor do I have the bankroll to purchase 25 different glass cleaners for the purpose of my experiments. However, I did test 5 products and used the same surface (my small, glass kitchen table) and the same white microfiber bar towels and paper towels.
The first products I tested were glass cleaners (you were thinking laundry detergent or dish soap, no?). Let me tell you why I decided to look at glass cleaners... Many years ago, I bought a cute little ironwrought table with a small round glass top and 3 cute little ironwrought chairs from the PierI warehouse for my first condo's kitchen. I figured that the table would last 5 years (I mean, who buys only 3 chairs for a table?!) and that we would buy a much bigger table when we had kids. Fast forward 14 years. The "little table that could" is still with us, but now we smush in a 4th chair! Even with placemats, my kids and husband leave sticky marks and food all over the glass top, and I need to clean it after every meal. Using Windex was starting to make my head spin, and not in a good way.
So, I started testing glass products and...drumroll please... the hands-down winner of the first ModernEcoMom Cleaning Product Challenge is: Seventh Generation's Free and Clear Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner. Yippee! Whooo whooo! You go, surface cleaner!!
This was no contest. Seventh Generation's Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner is the best. It rarely leaves a streak (if it does, it disappears in seconds), never leaves an odor, has absolutely NONE of the bad stuff mentioned above, and is sort of reasonably priced (about $4.69 or so). Please note that all "green" cleaning products are at least $.99 + higher than other more toxic ones.
My only problem is the packaging (yes, it is recyclable). The shape of the container looks like some of their other products (i.e. the shower cleaner), and I accidentally used the wrong one on my glass table. I noticed it right away, and now take the extra second to read the labels first before attacking my germy table.
You can find Seventh Generation products in many markets like Whole Foods and Henry's. Their web site, http://www.seventhgeneration.com/, has a store locator.
I will blog the results of more cleaning product challenges in the coming weeks. In the meantime, stay "glassy" my friends.
P.S. Check out Seventh Generation's fantastic book - "Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy Non-Toxic Cleaning" It's a great read.
P.P.S. For those Will Ferrell fans out their, my "stay glassy" comment comes right from Anchorman Ron Burgundy's newscast sign-off, "Stay classy, San Diego". Ha!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Vacation time does NOT equal trash time
After a nice family vacation in the finest (okay, only) 50th state around, it's hard to get the family back to the normal grind. But, since it's the start of summer, it's really not that hard!
Vacations are great - you get to laze around, read more books and mags, and really play with the kids. What's not to like? But, vacations can also create laziness - the bad kind. While away from home, it's pretty darn easy to slip into "non green" mode. You know what I mean- you stay in a hotel so you don't care about excessive water or electricity usage. You run the A/C full blast even when you're not in your room. You let the kids use a billion napkins at the pool or you succumb to paper plates and plastic disposable cups and utensils if you're in a condo. You make a lot of trash, but hey, so what? It's not your problem, right?
So, this year on our vacation we really made an effort to follow the same living patterns that we do at home (but with the added bonus of a mai tai or two on the lanai some evenings!). Since we were staying in the same place as last year, I knew I could actually measure (well, not physically weigh the trash and recyclables!) whether or not we were sliding into the abyss.
After one week of high vacation living (and daily servings of shave ice!), we only took 1 can of trash to the curb. A miracle. Last year during the same period, we were so full of trash we had to sneak some into our neighbors cans. Victory! And, we didn't purchase a paper plate or plastic cup. Our water usage was minimal, and our A/C and fan usage was dramatically lower.
I was so proud of us, but the best part was that no one thought it was weird. It's just something that's become part of our lives. Even our snacks on the plane were packed in reusable storage containers (and just 2 baggies!).
So, take it from someone with experience. Just because you spend a summer vacation in someone else's house or a corporation's hotel, it doesn't mean that the planet will forgive you for being wasteful because you're "away from home". You've worked so hard to change the way you live - why wreck that by making a bigger mess?
Now, I'm not saying you have to spend your summer holiday in an eco pod somewhere in the Amazon. Enjoy your vacation - wherever you go. Just remember to show Mother Earth some love while you're lazing around.
Vacations are great - you get to laze around, read more books and mags, and really play with the kids. What's not to like? But, vacations can also create laziness - the bad kind. While away from home, it's pretty darn easy to slip into "non green" mode. You know what I mean- you stay in a hotel so you don't care about excessive water or electricity usage. You run the A/C full blast even when you're not in your room. You let the kids use a billion napkins at the pool or you succumb to paper plates and plastic disposable cups and utensils if you're in a condo. You make a lot of trash, but hey, so what? It's not your problem, right?
So, this year on our vacation we really made an effort to follow the same living patterns that we do at home (but with the added bonus of a mai tai or two on the lanai some evenings!). Since we were staying in the same place as last year, I knew I could actually measure (well, not physically weigh the trash and recyclables!) whether or not we were sliding into the abyss.
After one week of high vacation living (and daily servings of shave ice!), we only took 1 can of trash to the curb. A miracle. Last year during the same period, we were so full of trash we had to sneak some into our neighbors cans. Victory! And, we didn't purchase a paper plate or plastic cup. Our water usage was minimal, and our A/C and fan usage was dramatically lower.
I was so proud of us, but the best part was that no one thought it was weird. It's just something that's become part of our lives. Even our snacks on the plane were packed in reusable storage containers (and just 2 baggies!).
So, take it from someone with experience. Just because you spend a summer vacation in someone else's house or a corporation's hotel, it doesn't mean that the planet will forgive you for being wasteful because you're "away from home". You've worked so hard to change the way you live - why wreck that by making a bigger mess?
Now, I'm not saying you have to spend your summer holiday in an eco pod somewhere in the Amazon. Enjoy your vacation - wherever you go. Just remember to show Mother Earth some love while you're lazing around.
Monday, June 4, 2007
In the office - a mountain of paper
Whether you are working in an office away or at home, you probably spend a lot of time printing. A lot of you are starting to notice, if you haven't already, that you are producing an incredible amount of paper- a lot of it wasted. Maybe you need to print 100-page legal documents or new recipes or airline e-tickets. Doesn't matter. A staggering amount of trees have been chopped down in order to support our nasty habit of printing, printing, printing.
One solution is to print double-sided or to flip over and re-use old printed materials, and while this certainly helps ("way to go" for those of you doing this because it gets really annoying sometimes trying to figure out which way to re-insert the used document to make the printer print on the clean side, especially if you are in a hurry), there are still many pages printed unnecessarily.
I may have found a solution!
Modern Eco Mom idea: Use GreenPrint software
GreenPrint software (www.printgreener.com) lets you easily view documents so you do not print any blank pages. The license (yes, you have to purchase this program - about $35 or 40 for an individual- they offer volume discounts for corporate usage) also includes a .pdf writer which may save you from printing anything at all! You can trial it free for 30 days. I am loving it!
I believe it is only offered for PCs, but I'm sure that issue will be resolved shortly.
Check it out and save some trees!
One solution is to print double-sided or to flip over and re-use old printed materials, and while this certainly helps ("way to go" for those of you doing this because it gets really annoying sometimes trying to figure out which way to re-insert the used document to make the printer print on the clean side, especially if you are in a hurry), there are still many pages printed unnecessarily.
I may have found a solution!
Modern Eco Mom idea: Use GreenPrint software
GreenPrint software (www.printgreener.com) lets you easily view documents so you do not print any blank pages. The license (yes, you have to purchase this program - about $35 or 40 for an individual- they offer volume discounts for corporate usage) also includes a .pdf writer which may save you from printing anything at all! You can trial it free for 30 days. I am loving it!
I believe it is only offered for PCs, but I'm sure that issue will be resolved shortly.
Check it out and save some trees!
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