Like Magic, dozens of Green Action Plans took shape on Practically Green this morning.
Curious to know the most popular healthy improvements people have in mind for 2011? Here are the Top 20:
- Install smart power strip to turn off TVs and computers completely (10 points)
- Turn off the lights when you leave a room (20 points)
- Drive on a short trip (<400 miles) versus fly (20 points)
- Use a live Christmas Tree (20 points)
- Unplug cell phone chargers and other appliances when not in use (20 points)
- Sign up for green power from my utility (200 points)
- Install one low-flow faucet (10 points)
- Replace soda with fizzy all-natural juices or sodas (10 points)
- Get an energy audit (10 points)
- Insulate & seal my ductwork (20 points)
- Weather strip my windows (20 points)
- Upgrade my vehicle’s fuel-economy by 5 MPG (50 points)
- Switch to LED holiday lights (20 points)
- Find out what food I buy regularly that contains high-fructose corn syrup (5 points)
- Find out what food I buy regularly that contains artificial sweeteners (5 points)
- Send e-cards for holiday (15 points)
- Join Meat Free Mondays (eat vegetarian once a week) (20 points)
- Buy meat that is raised using sustainable farming methods (50 points)
- Give away something on Freecycle (5 points)
- Track my trash for one week (5 points)
Why wait?! Click here for details on how to make your Green Action Plan, and please don’t forget to share with your Facebook friends!
{Photo credit: PaperlessPost.com}
“I took the quiz for fun and I did okay. I looked at the suggestions I got afterwards and I thought, I do that (and I checked it off) and I do that (checked it off) – and pretty soon my score shot up. I said Now, that’s better! I really like the suggestions, I like that they’re practical and pragmatic. It’s not like, you must sell all your worldly possessions!” — Carrie Rimes
It’s that time again: a fresh start with January 1st! Why not take advantage of Practically Green’s Action Plan? This way you’re organized and ready with next steps that make sense to you.
Here’s how to create your Plan:
1) Go to Practically Green and take the Quiz. (If you’ve already taken it, go to step 2.) See how Green you already are and get your Score — which may be higher than you expected!
2) Register and arrive at your Dashboard, which is already populated with personalized next steps. Check off the actions you’ve already done.
3) Share Practically Green with your Facebook friends. This part is optional, but I highly recommend it. See my friends all lined up on my dashboard?!
4) Below the pictures of your Facebook friends, you’ll see “Your Plan for Living Healthier and Greener.” Choose a handful of actions that interest you, and which you’d like to commit for 2011. There are over 400 of these ideas on Practically Green, little things like Use an all-natural nail polish (see it right there on my list, above) and BIG things like Take Public transportation to work regularly – Woo-hoo!! 150 points! Click “Add to my plan” on Your Action Status at the top of every action page:
Easy, right?
I just added four more actions to my Plan:
5) Now the fun begins! Click on any one of your Facebook friends to find out what THEIR Green Action Plan is. Presto! Everyone’s sharing ideas and taking steps to live healthy and eco-friendly!
One more thing: Do you see the Practically Green logo with the little orange word ‘Beta’?
That Beta means we’re still young and eager for your input and support. Please send any feedback straight in to sarah@practicallygreen.com and I’ll share it with the team. And, if you feel like sharing this with everyone you know, we’d love it!
Thanks. We’re working to make Practically Green the best possible resource for your personal green journey in the New Year!
Think of three common denominators to describe Jeffrey Hollender and Lexy Zissu? The words creative, passionate, and thorough come to mind. So it’s no surprise that their brand-new book, Planet Home, is a must for those who desire change-making inspiration and practical advice on making “Conscious Choices for Cleaning and Greening the World You Care About Most.” We’ll have excerpts and insights from Planet Home in the weeks to come — and we know you’ll come to Practically Green for follow-through motivation to make these positive changes for yourself and your family!
PG: What made you want to do *this* book — on this subject, with this approach?
Jeffrey: We live in a world where many people are passionate about living more sustainable and responsible lives for the health of the planet and the safety of their families – but often don’t know who to trust, what will really make a difference, and how to connect the dots between all the issues they face. Planet Home aspires to be the best solution to these challenges. It’s clear and concise, helps in every room of the house and almost every part of your life.
Search Google for “green living tips” and you’ll find 134,000 entries, search just “green living” and the number jumps up to 31 million. There’s no shortage of information. The challenge we all face is what actions really matter? … If I can only do 5 things, which 5 should I do?
Over 25 years ago I wrote How to Make the World a Better Place: A Beginners Guide, and 23 years ago I started Seventh Generation. I’ve spent most of my life helping to educate millions of Americans make tens of millions of green-product choices. I’ve analyzed thousands of products and hundreds of chemicals. Planet Home is the first time I’ve gathered all that information and insight into one place.
Lexy: I had spent about six years prior to meeting Jeffrey greening my own life (beyond food) and writing books about this process. As I progressed I realized that suggesting individuals green their own lives and create green bubbles wasn’t quite enough. Jeffrey says there is no such thing as a green bubble. And I was trying to figure out how to broaden my message and to simply explain that exact sentiment: we share air, we share water; in urban apartment buildings we share hallways and boilers! We. Are. Not. Alone. Jeffrey’s easy, comprehensive way of describing to me what I was already feeling and having trouble explaining in my own work was like a (LED) lightbulb. His words throughout our interviews unstuck me, and I hope they will unstick many others as they attempt to green their lives in a more systematic way, to see how a household is part of a much larger system. There are many thoughtful tips on ways to green and clean your home throughout the book, and they’re all described through this lens of understanding that even in our own homes, our everyday actions have far-reaching impacts…. My favorite chapter is 11 — The Big Picture: Protecting Your Home and Your Planet, which is all about effecting broad change outside your home once you’ve greened it.
PG: Why is Now the right time for the book?
Jeffrey: Well actually yesterday was the best day to get started. The planet needs us now more than ever. While we’ve been raising our children, looking for work, trying to figure out who to vote for and
getting ready for the next holiday – the planet has been crying out for our help. As the planet slowly heats up, fresh water gets polluted, forests are cut down and we lose species diversity – everything that ails the planet comes to ail us too…. We’re all part of one giant home, we all share the same planet, breathe the same air and ultimately drink the same water. Highly carcinogenic chemicals like dioxin that escape into the air and water when we bleach paper with chlorine, burn plastic, or manufacture PVC circle the globe, ending up in the fatty tissue of polar bears, whales in the Antarctic, fish off the coast of Finland and in the breast milk of mothers all over the planet. There is no “away.” We all in the same home and it’s time to stop throwing our garbage out the window because it will always end up in our own back yard.
Lexy: There are many people, like me, who have been slowly progressing in their journey to green. This is the logical next step. But if you’re just going green, to incorporate this big picture from the get-go is a true gift and gives a great sense of purpose and motivation. I wish I had seen the bigger picture more clearly when I began six years ago. It would have made the process faster. I also think for people who have been reluctant to go green, who might be naturally broader thinkers, Planet Home will be just what they need. In order for true change to happen, we need an army of educated conscious consumers. And this doesn’t only mean people who buy organic milk or bathroom cleaner (though those are great first steps), but people who take a more comprehensive approach. Planet Home will get them up to speed…. I’ve noticed there’s often a divide between people who go green for the environment and people who go green for personal health. I appreciate how Planet Home manages to address and attempt to marry these two. The time feels long overdue for that.
PG: The design is wonderful — how did it develop? Tell us about the concept and the resulting functionality.
Jeffrey: It’s often been said that I am a man of many words. Usually that’s way too many words. One of the best parts of working with Lexy is her amazing ability to take all those words and ideas and pare them down to their essence. With ideas, suggestions and tips crystallized. We worked with Melcher Media who created the design for the book. They used design to improve what we were working to communicate. The result is a book that will engage you, help you find exactly what you’re looking for – quickly — and gives you both the simple ideas and the larger systems context.
Lexy: I’m the word girl. And I love the design too! I think it’s functional and draws people in and that it makes it easier to read about the hazards of mold when the (sometimes scary) text is sitting on a drawing of mold. It’s less off-putting and very accessible. I had read the manuscript many times, but when they laid it out with the art, it really flew for me.
PG: Making healthy green changes in one’s personal life can be overwhelming. How does Planet Home help?
Lexy: It has it all. Big, small, broad, narrow. It’s a reference book with a heart — it’s dotted with conscious rituals: it can help you set up a nursery, clean your attic, or become a community activist. Along the way, there’s even advice on kids’ allowance. There’s something for everyone here no matter where they are on their journey to green and clean their own planet homes. There’s no judgment, only a constant invitation to join in. And it has a personality – if you read the cleaning time lines, they’re pretty laid back. Which is a relief. Germs aren’t the enemy (on page 195 we help people come to terms with germs…); harsh unnecessary chemicals are.
PG: What’s your advice to people who are just beginning to take eco-friendly actions in their personal lives? What are the first steps? How to keep going? What motivates people?
Lexy: What motivates people really varies. There are a lot of people who feel motivated by pregnancy (that’s when I got hooked), or by meeting their babies. Others feel motivated by hormone-disrupting chemicals feminizing wild male fish in our waterways, or by oil spills, or by joining forces with organizations working to protect our environment. It’s all good. Focusing on what motivates you personally will help keep you going. I find making small changes empowering, but think spreading the word — to neighbors, friends, schools — feels even more empowering. Small changes done by large amounts of people add up. So does getting politically active. Obviously some things have greater impact than others. Make changes that make sense to you and don’t feel overwhelming, and it ripples from there. Change your cleaning products to greener versions to drastically reduce air pollution indoor and out. Take off your shoes before you walk in your home; it’s the public health equivalent of washing your hands, and you won’t be tracking in pesticide residue or car exhaust. How hard are either of these things? Not very. Then keep going. Jeffrey has broader suggestions. I’m still stuck in home minutiae!
Jeffrey: Well let me try and complement Lexy here…. We all get stuck in the minutiae, and yet it is critical to try and maintain a holistic, systems-level perspective. First we need to believe that we can make a difference. As Margaret Mead said, “Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Fear and cynicism that what we do won’t matter is often the greatest enemy we face…. When choosing something to do, start with what you’re already passionate about. If you love food, start by exploring the locally grown, organic options at your local farmers market. If you’re into travel, check out the options for eco-vacations. There is no “right” place to begin, but starting with the things you care about the most will generate the types of positive experiences that are most likely to propel you to do more.
Why not Think Big for the New Year! Our guest blogger is Janelle Sorensen, the Chief Communications Office for Healthy Child Healthy World. In the course of interviewing Janelle last month, we invited her to write us a blue-sky post. She just sent it in, and we’re thrilled to share it with you here!
If You Had a Magic Wand…
I have to admit, it sounds like something you’d write for an elementary school English assignment, but I was recently asked what I would do if I had a magic wand and could change three things.
Hmmmm. I had to pause. What an interesting question.
Quite frankly, it’s a rather refreshing decision-making process we aren’t often encouraged to do once we become adults. When was the last time you stopped to daydream? And I mean really intentionally — not like your average spacing out and dreaming of chocolate or a good night’s sleep. (I know I just totally nailed myself into the stereotype of a mom of young children, but you understand, right?)
Dreaming is wonderful. Setting your mind free from the constraints of reality can inspire you to do amazing things. Harriet Tubman said, “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and to change the world.”
What did I dream my magic wand would do? Let the magic begin…
1) Ting! With the first wave of my wand I have eliminated the use of fossil fuels and the chemicals derived from them (that was a really powerful spell!). I have fundamentally transformed all of our modern conveniences. Now, everything we design and create is based on green chemistry, bio-mimicry, sustainability, and Cradle-to-Cradle models. No pollution. No waste. And I can quit spending so much time researching toxic chemicals, reading product labels in search of safer products, and calling my elected officials begging for safer policies.
2) Poof! The lingering legacy of pollution created by fossil fuels and the chemicals derived from them has also disappeared. No more Superfund Sites (and similar dumping grounds) quietly releasing their poisons on unknowing, unfortunate families. No more babies being born pre-polluted with industrial chemicals. No more climate change.
3) Swoosh! Gender equity is the global norm. You didn’t expect that one did you? Well, I had essentially eradicated everything I battle every day and I pondered and pondered and pondered all the other global problems – and this was my final pick. I’m not going into the details why (that’s fodder for many books). Just know it’s very important and would improve global conditions significantly.
One unanticipated result of my magic is that I’m now unemployed. Oops. I guess I have plenty more time for dreaming now!
What would you do with your magic wand?
“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why…I dream of things as they never were and ask why not?” Robert Francis Kennedy
Join HCHW on Facebook — and follow them on Twitter @healthy_child.
We hope this doesn’t sound Scroogish, but we’re dreading the aftermath. A nasty trash pile is ahead: holiday wrapping, packaging, and other tinsely refuse.
What to do?
First, go to Practically Green for six holiday-centric ideas.
Second, ask Santa for a deluxe home recycling center, such as this amazing one featured on the EcoNesting blog today:
Third, get expert advice!
Sarah Kite is Director of Recycling Services for the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, where she oversees the progress of the statewide municipal recycling program and manages the general operations of the state’s Materials Recycling Facility. She writes a popular column called “Trash Tutorial” for the Providence Journal. And, she’s a proud mom to daughter Katie, age 17 and son Robbie, age 7: “My son says he ‘loves recycling’ because he gets to practice his jump shot by throwing bottles and cans into the recycling bin.”
Sarah gives her blessing to Practically Green’s dozens of recycling ideas – from low-impact actions such as Wrap a gift in recycled paper (5 points) to to hugely impactful, e.g. Buy a pre-owned vehicle (100 points). We’re thrilled to introduce her as a resource!
It definitely makes sense to be thinking about this before the great unveiling, but you don’t have to go crazy trying to figure out a recycling system for Christmas morning.
The easiest way to capture all that great paper from the frenzy is to use a big paper shopping bag (think Old Navy, Williams-Sonoma, Macy’s, etc.) and put all the wrapping paper and gift tags in it. Boxes can be flattened and placed in the same bag as the paper. Bows and ribbons should be tossed in the trash if they can’t be reused. Plastic twist-ties, molded containers, and plastic restraints used to hold toys in place in their boxes can all be thrown away (although the twist-ties come in handy to keep Christmas lights tidy).
Then, after Christmas morning subsides, set the bag aside. Use it throughout the week to round up all the holiday catalogues, greeting cards, envelopes, and unneeded receipts. Stuff as much as possible in the bag to help prevent paper from flying out. When it’s full, recycle the entire bag and the contents.
More about Sarah: she’s a committed organic gardener and an avid composter. She has extensive “progressively responsible experience in environmental protection and solid waste management, including public policy and program design, grassroots environmental advocacy, solid waste contract management, recycling program implementation and analysis, composting education, and monitoring legislative processes.” She says that these experiences have led her to believe that green living is possible for all, and can be achieved on a variety of levels, but only with active cooperation and collaboration among the community as a whole.
Thank you, Sarah!
I’m an intern at Practically Green, and grew up in San Diego. New England winters are shocking to say the least. But one thing I love is the cooking that goes along with the season: apple pies, pumpkin pies, pumpkin cookies, gingerbread, pumpkin, pecan pies, gingerbread cookies, pumpkin and more pumpkin. Oh, and I guess candy canes too. As you can probably tell, I’m fairly enthusiastic about all the yummy foods the winter season has to offer. So without further ado, here are some recipes that are bound to be holiday favorites at your parties or family gatherings!
Here’s a wintry twist on a breakfast favorite: pumpkin biscuits. These delicious biscuits turn out light and fluffy, with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor — nothing too strong. They make a wonderful addition to any dinner or a fun treat at breakfast.
If you’re looking for a crowd pleaser at a holiday party or family gathering, these melt-in-your-mouth delicious Soft Apple Ginger Spice cookies will be perfect!
Gingerbread men and women are a holiday classic. Not only are they delicious to eat, but they are fun to make and decorate with your kids. Here’s a good stand-by recipe from Real Simple. For decorating, you can use icing to outline your gingerbread men or to draw on clothes and faces. If you want to add eyes and buttons, just dab a little icing on your cookie and stick on gumdrops, raisins, cinnamon candies or chocolate chips. A thin layer of icing will also allow you to cover your gingerbread man with sprinkles or colored sugar.
Your cookies will also make a sweet and heartfelt present. Why not wrap them up in plates or bowls made out of recycled materials: to-do! You’ve created an eco-friendly gift! Now you can earn up to 25 Practically Green Points! Thrift shops are also great places to find glass canisters for your cookies.
These recipes all share a lot of the same basic ingredients, which makes it a little easier to try all of them. Most of the ingredients are available in organic version, which makes your yummy treats even more appealing.
So whether your winter travels bring you to a snowy get-away or to a relative’s house, we hope you have a fantastic and green holiday season!
Pictures from Starbucks, Squidoo, and Amazing Moms.
Lindsey O'Connor
News Picks:
Great gifts for energy geeks: This great list of energy saving products was recommended straight from our founder, Susan Hunt Stevens. Susan couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw this list, it’s pretty much the exact replica of her Christmas wish list! From LEDs, to smart power strips, watt-meters and solar-and wind-powered chargers. The list curators probably put it best, when giving these energy smart gifts: “If they grumble, tell them they won’t need to change it until Christmas 2027.” Get PG points for saving energy.
A Healthier, Happier, Non-Stuff Holiday: In this blog post from Healthy Child, Healthy World, Practically Green’s own Sarah Finnie Robinson has a holiday revelation. Why do we need so much stuff over the holidays? Try some of her great gift options, such as an experiential gift, toys that get kids active, and homemade cards and CDs.
Greening high fashion: Stella McCartney, one of the celebrities behind Meat Free Mondays is sharing her eco-side on her website with a new “Green Me” section. Here is gives environmental tips, shares what her company is doing to stay eco-friendly, and charities she supports.
Multi-Media Pick:
Urban farming on the rise: As more people want local food as close as they can get it, it makes sense that farms are popping up in urban areas — like this one in Los Angeles. This farm has composting toilets, solar-powered showers, and gives workshops on sustainability for adults and children alike. Visit TreeHugger to watch the video, and get PG points for eating local.
New and Cool Pick:
Takeya tea maker: As seen on Treehugger, this tea maker is perfect for brewing a cup or two in the cold winter months. If your tea kettle is on its way out, you should consider investing in this tea maker, made of acrylic “AcraGlass,” which is sturdy and BPA free. It also comes with a little jacket, to help keep your beverage hot or cold for hours.
We love it when this happens: Practically Green follower gets thinking about how to be eco-friendly and efficient during the holiday season, scribbles a list of ideas, and submits it to us as a blog post! We accepted the following piece, but we’d never met the author. We politely told him we’d really like to talk with him a bit so we could introduce him properly to Practically Green’s followers.
It turns out this unknown author is in fact an incredibly modest green marketing guru. He’s the vice president of marketing at Marvell Semiconductor, which Forbes magazine recently called out for successful innovation: “as found in places like Tom Hayes’ Marvell Semiconductor, the greenest chip company on the planet.”
Tom Hayes
Today’s unassuming blog author IS Tom Hayes. In another account, on the SHFT website, Tom is referred to as “the head of marketing for one of the most forward thinking companies in Silicon Valley – Marvell Semiconductor”:
Marvell’s founders believe in efficiency and smart electronics. They make the most efficient computer chips around and they support the idea of smarter electronics throughout their industry to a worldwide market.
Bottom line: “If you’ve used a Blackberry, you’ve used a Marvell chip.”
We’re a scrappy start-up, so you can imagine we’re pretty thrilled to realize that this is the same Tom Hayes who modestly submitted the following recommendations earlier this week. He told us,
I noticed your site a while ago and made it one of my Favorites. I like reading real people’s tips on stuff you can do to be more energy-efficient. As the holidays came along I began thinking of things you can do to be green, and it isn’t easy. I started making a list of my ideas, and then I thought I’d send them in.
Without any more fuss:
12 Ways to have a Green Christmas
The Holidays are heading into the hectic home stretch, you’ve been shopping all day and your dogs are barking. Time to light a fire, kick back with a glass of wine and some noshes and start wrapping your hard-won booty. Here are 12 ways to be festive and green this Christmas season.
1. Clean Firelogs. Yes, Virginia, you can have a guilt-free fire blazing in the Holiday hearth thanks to 100% recycled firelogs from CleanFlame. Made from recycled food-grade, waxed cardboard boxes using closed-loop production methods, these nontoxic logs save trees, spare the air and are safe enough for the kids to roast marshmallows over. Available at most Safeway, Whole Foods and Raley’s locations.
2. Organic Wines. Enjoy award-winning organic wines from French Rabbit. Sustainably made from organic grapes grown in the sunny Languedoc Roussillion region of southern France, these wines are the real deal. French Rabbit leads the industry in biodynamic farming techniques, earth-friendly packaging and thorough environmental reporting.
3. Organic Bread and Cheese. What goes better with a glass of wine than a plate of cheese and a baguette? Perfect for your cutting board are cheeses from Organic Valley cooperative paired with organic, sustainably-produced breads from Rudi’s Bakery.
4. Green Toys. Green Toys Inc. makes an wonderful line of classic children’s toys constructed from recycled plastic and other environmentally friendly materials. Going green under the tree helps reduce fossil fuel use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the overall health and happiness of our planet.
5. Green Apparel. Green3Apparell offers a wide variety of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing as well as items for the home using natural organic yarns; organic cotton and organic wool and locally-harvested fabrics.
6. Green Trimmings. HolidayLEDS not only offer a full complement of energy efficient LED decorative Christmas lighting—including string lightings to adorn your live spruce, they run a novel Christmas light recycling program to collect and safely dispose of your old school lights.
7. Green Christmas Cards and Wrap. While sending ecards over the Internet is the greenest way to go, if you need to send your greetings via snail mail, you can opt for cards using 100% recycled paper from Greenfield Paper. Reusing newspaper and butcher block paper isn’t the only way to go green with wrapping paper—check out the 100% recycled offerings from Custom Paper.
8. Green Stocking stuffers. You can find tons of gadgets and goodies for the stocking at Envirogadget.com. Cool things made from recycled electronics to solar and energy efficient appliances and gag gifts.
9. Organic Sweets. Filling out the stockings and filling up the party bowls is easy with organic candies from the Natural Candy Store and chocolates from Sweetheart Chocolates.
10. Eco-Friendly Memories. These days it is clear that digital is the way to go. But to truly go paperless with your holiday memories, you’ll need to stock up on computer memory as well and an easy way to go is to upgrade with a Caviar Green hard drive from Western Digital. The energy efficient drive is cool, quiet and the 2 terabyte version will holds up to 400,000 digital photos, 500,000 MP3 files, and 240 hours of HD video.
11. Call Home. Staying off the highways and byways can save a lot of energy and pollution, so if you can’t be home for the holidays, don’t hesitate to call all your distant loved ones this year using the new Elm phone from Sony. Part of the company’s GreenHeart line, the Elm is made from recycled plastic, stores the manual inside the phone (to save paper), and is constructed without toxic chemicals.
12. Make a difference. Gift cards are an easy way to save time, money and resources, downloadable apps are even more eco-friendly and giving the gift of a donation to a green cause is best of all planets, so to speak. With an iTunes gift card your recipients can download an array of green apps to their Apple, BlackBerry or Android phones, and of you really want to be a holiday hero, gift the gift of environmental stewardship through the Sierra Club’s Wild Places program.
Thank you, Tom!
P.S. Tom lives in San Jose, “a progressive community – it’s the nation’s top recycler. People here are pretty aggressive. … We all have choices, and it’s up to us to use the power of the wallet.”
photo credit: style la-mimi.com
If you’re a woman who likes make-up and skin-care products – and if you’re intent on finding products that 1) perform well and 2) don’t have sketchy ingredients — you’ll love the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
Skin Deep contains information and online safety assessments for:
- 63,824 products
- 7,786 ingredients
- 2,748 brands
When you consider switching to healthier cosmetics and skin care at Practically Green, you’ll see a frequent recommendation to consult Skin Deep. Savvy and eco glamoristas rely on this resource, which ranks more than 60,000 products from zero (safe) to 10 (please avoid). Log in and search by product type, ingredient, or company. Presto! “It’s a quick tool that gives people an instant solution,” says Leeann Brown of the Environmental Working Group, headquarters for Skin Deep.
Nneka Leiba is on the team of six constantly updating the Skin Deep listings. A native of Jamaica, Nneka got a Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins in 2006.
I really wanted to work at a nonprofit that was trying to move mountains in this arena. EWG was a good fit. We’re toxicologists, chemists, public health professionals, and database managers. We’re always updating it, adding more toxicology profiles. We use more than 50 regulatory or academic databases; we’re an aggregator of all the info. We look at the broad spectrum of health effects ranging from irritation to cancer.
How influential is Skin Deep?
Very.
With the strong voice of the consumers, many companies have reformulated their products. We’ve seen a lot of movement in the market toward safer products. … For example, we have a sunscreen report that we release every year, and we’ve noticed that many companies have moved away from the harmful chemicals as active ingredients.
Nneka’s advice on how to start making sure that your cosmetics bag is healthy:
Don’t get overwhelmed! When you look at the back of a shampoo to read the label, there are a lot of long chemical names. Don’t overhaul everything at once. Go for little things at a time.For instance, you might decide to avoid synthetic fragrances — and that’s a plus! Identify the ten ingredients you want to avoid most, and start there.
Enjoy discovering which of your favorite beauty secrets are also healthy to use. And when you commit to switching to all-natural products, have fun racking up the points at Practically Green!
1,859 companies
Like you, we’ve been thinking about low-impact holiday presents that exude special meaning. As December roars along, there are always a few gift anxieties — what to get for someone who gave you something unexpectedly; what to give someone who defies the usual present; what to give that will make a lasting impression.
Here’s an idea: A House Plant.
Jasmine
Why?
1) They’re beautiful.
2) They usually don’t break the bank.
3) They’re fun to take care of.
4) Some of them smell great.
5) They change!
6) They improve your indoor air quality. (Did you know that spider plants can filter Formaldehyde? See this report on the health benefits of plants from NASA.)
7) Even if the plant dies, it’s still useful in the compost heap!
Clivia
Consider giving a plant that can go outside now or later — depending on where you live – to beautify the surroundings and suck up Co2. Your local nursery will have lots of choices, including the predictable poinsettia (no offense of you surround yourself with them). Venture further along the botanical range and have a look at cyclamen, christmas cactus, potted palm, fragrant jasmine, or clivia. If you prefer, shop online from a reputable source, such as White Flower Farm or Gardener’s Supply.
Make a homemade card to go with this thoughtful gift, and you’ve created a fantastic memory!
For more ideas on Giving Experiential Holiday Gifts, click here! It’s one of Practically Green’s freshest green actions, and we’re delighted to share it with you.
News Picks:
The National Christmas Tree goes green: Energy-efficient LED lights are the stars of this year’s luminous creation by GE, which has designed the last 49 National Christmas Trees. GE shares three reasons why switching to LED is smart:
- LED strings will last up to 10 times longer than traditional lights
- they’re more cost-effective in just one season of use
- break-resistant, cold-loving LED light sets are sturdier than incandescent light sets.
We’re sold! Get PG points for switching to LED.
Are your gifts giving back? Check out this post from a Practically Green favorite, Healthy Child, Healthy World. Several great products are showcased, like a home-cleaning ionator and Giggle baby store, which uses exclusively non-toxic and allergy-free products. Each of these products will donate a portion of your purchase to Healthy Child.
Holistic Moms Network: Going Greener, Practically: Check out this great post featuring our Founder, Susan Hunt Stevens. Every once in a while, it’s nice to be reminded how Practically Green got started, to really inspire change for the better! One of our favorite quotes: “Does living green have to be hard? Maybe not, if you have simple, practical steps that you can take to make small changes, one at a time.” Rev your journey by taking the quiz!
Multi-Media Pick:
Great gardening tools for women: Even though Jack Frost may be nipping at your nose, take a look at this great little video from Rodale, with some gorgeous and crave-worthy gardening tools made with women in mind. Green Heron Tools has some great gadgets, and even if it’s too cold to use them right now, they are perfect items for your holiday wish list! Feel free to send husbands and children this post for a holiday hint. Get PG points for your garden here.
New and Cool Pick:
CFL’s get an elegant make-over: You won’t need a dust-collecting shade for these beautiful bulbs. CFL designer Plumen has decided to combine energy efficiency and beauty to prove that the two can coexist successfully. (Pssst… you can get PG points for installing CFLS in one light, ten lights, all outdoor lights, or most indoor lights)
Do you love your home the same way you love your bones, your skin, and your organs? Do you get excited about a new insulating foam tape that expands in a few hours to 15 times its packaged thickness? Are you up on the latest in LED lighting? Do you worry about the estimated 100 million birds that die each year when they crash into high-rise buildings?
If you already subscribe to Alex Wilson’s blog at Building Green, you know about these and other late-breaking issues and innovations in energy-efficient and environmentally friendly construction techniques. At the tender age of 58, Alex is the grandfather of the green building industry, having founded Environmental Building News, considered by most to be the bible in that space.
Accolades on the occasion of winning the prestigious Hanley Award this year:
by all accounts, through his humble yet constant resolve, he has made the kind of significant and widespread impact on the housing industry few can claim….
“Alex Wilson has quietly and methodically gone about the business of changing the way we build by defining green building product standards, promoting performance-based thresholds for projects, and challenging all sectors of the industry to become active and honest brokers in advancing environmental building,” says Michael J. Hanley, founder of The Hanley Foundation and creator of the award. “In the process, because of his objective and clear analysis, tireless and courageous leadership, and insightful long-range vision, Alex Wilson’s voice is trusted throughout the industry, and we are thrilled to name him as our 2010 recipient.”
Alex is generous with his advice — on his blog , at Building Green, and with Practically Green — and we wanted to share more of his wisdom with you as winter sets in.
**Speaking of settling in, as you settle into using Practically Green as your guide to healthy and eco-friendly living, you’ll notice hundreds of earnable points for doing exactly what Alex prescribes. We’ll note relevant PG actions and point values in bold below. You will quickly see that Alex’s corner of the world = big scores at Practically Green!**
1) Improve the insulation in your attic. (100 Points) “This can be very effective and can be added to an attic pretty cheaply. Fiberglass insulation can be rolled out, or cellulose insulation can be blown in. Fiberglass insulation is not considered a carcinogen, but it is still irritable to our respiratory systems. Still, I tend not to worry about as much as others do. You don’t want fiberglass exposed to the air, but it’s fine in a sealed wall cavity. Cellulose is cheaper, greener — and more labor-intensive.”
2) Improve your windows. (10 to 100 points) “If you’re thinking of replacing yours, find out what it would cost to upgrade to a high-performance window. Chances are it will be well worth the expense. Look for at minimum a low-E coating, argon-fill, and two layers of insulated glass. Triple glazing and two low-E coatings are very effective but hard to justify in an existing house.”
3) Check cabinet materials. (50 points) “If there’s any renovation to be done, avoid kitchen or bathroom cabinets made of ureaformaldehyde. Ureaform emits high levels of formaldehyde into the air. Because of the new California law,” Alex says, “retailers like Ikea and Home Depot will be changing so they won’t offer these any more. Most of the national mass retailers and resellers will be switching to either solid wood or a plywood product.”
4) Use low or zero-VOC paint. (50 points) “These are very good today; only five years ago, they weren’t!”
5) Properly deal with waste products. “Disposing is a big issue. Look for hazardous waste-disposal days. We’ve got to stop making this stuff….”
See our previous post about Alex for four more of his tips:
1) Get an energy audit (10 points)
2) Replace your incandescent bulbs with CFLs (10 to 50 points)
3) Install Programmable thermostats – and use them! (20 to 150 points)
4) Replace old showerheads (50 points)
Building Green is on Facebook here. Alex can be found on Twitter @atwilson. He is the author of Your Green Home.
Real tree vs. fake tree? How about a live potted tree that you can plant on your property, or donate to have planted by your parks department? Fortunately, our local nursery offers wonderful 5-6’ plump trees in red or green pots, and we inaugurated our own Christmas tree glade three years ago. Granted these trees are not towering, but our family has become quite accustomed to the idea of a smaller tree that will give us pleasure for years to come – and help us suck up any Co2 that might be floating around the area. Plus, you get 10 PG points for planting a tree!
How to do it? Call your local nursery and you will likely find a source nearby. More practical advice from Don Tapio, Master Gardener, in the Washington State Chinook Observer:
Although digging up a tree sounds reasonable, in most cases it will prove to be unsuccessful…. A far better option for obtaining a live Christmas tree is to visit a local nursery or garden center and choose a potted tree or ornamental conifer that has a growth habit suitable for inclusion in your landscape. These plants are most often sold as ‘balled and burlapped’ or in containers. In both instances, the plant root systems have been sufficiently pruned during the growing process to allow for successful transplanting.
As soon as you get the tree home, water it immediately. From this time on, until the tree is transplanted, it is essential that the soil be kept moist. Do not overwater!
The sooner after Christmas you can move the tree back into a cooler location, the better off the tree will be. If the temperatures outside are freezing, delay transplanting until warmer conditions prevail.
When you plant your tree, be sure to plant it at the same depth it was grown at the nursery and be sure to remove the tree from the container or burlap prior to planting. Loosen and re-direct outside roots, which may have wrapped around the soil mix, so they will grow out away from the tree. Adding a three-inch layer of mulch around the tree will help keep the soil and roots moist. With proper care, your live Christmas tree should become a valuable addition to your landscape.
Here are examples of some regional live-tree vendors we found.
- San Diego, California: Adopt a Christmas Tree
Have you ever stopped to think about the environmental impact of the estimated 32 million Christmas trees sold in America each year? Dying trees release greenhouse gasses when they decompose and overcrowd our landfills. Most of California’s cut trees are trucked in from Oregon or Washington which also wastes fuel and emits CO2.
Would you like for your family to share the fragrant smell and festive look of a live tree in your living room–without feeling guilty? So do we.
**We currently only serve San Diego, BUT we’re excited to announce that we’re now offering the opportunity for you to run your own Adopt-A-Christmas-Tree in your hometown for the 2011 holiday season. Please contact us through email to inquire or call 619-876-0001.
- The Original Living Christmas Tree in Portland, Oregon:
We deliver full size potted Christmas trees. After Christmas our clients Christmas trees are planted for them around schools, churches, in parks and waterhseds all over the Northwest. 2010 is our nineteenth year in a row.
Keep your tree cool, man. Choose a spot in your home away from heat vents and turn heat down when you’re not home to 60 degrees. (If you like a 72 degree home always or if you have a woodstove please don’t order- the tree will dry out.)
- Near Cincinnati? Don’t miss Marvin’s Organic Gardens. From their Facebook page today (facebook.com/marvinsorganicgardens):
We have some of the MOST beautiful LIVE Christmas trees now available – up to 6 feet tall! If you are still in need of a tree, stop out and get one from us. After the holidays are over, you can take it outside and plant it! A lasting memory!
Happy Holidays, and please stay tuned for more ideas on a merry green season!
Ever since Lynn Colwell of Celebrate Green suggested using old shirts as wrapping paper, possibilities for gift-wrap are endless. And when Walla of Seventh Generation Nation posted a bunch more eco-brilliant ideas, we had to share them with you pronto.
Here you go! But not before we remind you that wrapping a present using used gift paper/boxes/bows/ribbons earns you Five points at Practically Green!
Please click here for the Seventh Generation blog, where you’ll find lots more submissions by that thriving community — including a recent confessional by yours truly called “A New Way to Go Green.”
The Seventh Generation Repurposer Takes on Gift Wrap
A show of hands: Who writes their shopping list on the back of their phone bill? Saves the rind from a heel of parmesan to flavor soup? Uses a hole-y sock to dust furniture? Puts dried out herbs in mesh bags and throws them in her underwear drawer as a cheapo alternative to sachet? (Okay, that one might just be me.)
In this day and age, though, haven’t we all become just a little bit savvier about wringing every possible use from the things we have around the house? Like an egg shell carton? Anyone with kids can tell you 42 entertaining ways of using one on a rainy afternoon. Along those lines, is it still a secret that instead of the toys themselves, most babies prefer playing with the boxes that they come in?
Since the holidays are fast upon us, today’s installment in the Adventures of the Repurposer is, ta-da, wrapping paper. Wrapping paper is my nemesis and our High Noon is Christmas. Those of us who relentlessly recycle can have a trying time during the holidays. All that beautiful shiny or sparkly or hand-made paper ripped to shreds. Why should something so pretty be tossed away without a second thought? I wouldn’t be the Re-purposer if I didn’t squeeze at least one more use out of all that paper. And if anyone says I’m being cheap, I toss my hair, turn up my nose, and say, “At least I care about the environment. Not like some people I know.”
Photo: Mike Green
Anyway, I know I’m not the only Re-purposer around (Kudos to my friend Cynthia who used her kids’ doodles to wrap my birthday present) but for those who have yet to exercise their own powers of holiday paper recycling, here are some ideas:
- Wrapping paper is pretty easy. First, (hard as it might be) try to resist grabbing the gift from a child’s hands. But once you’ve secured the paper, you can put wax or parchment paper over it and iron gently. A bit of steam helps. This should remove the creases. If you can’t salvage the whole paper, cut out shapes or a strip to wrap around plain paper like a ribbon.
- If you’re giving DVDs, why not wrap them in take-out menus from your friends’ neighborhood? Nothing says snuggle under the covers like a movie and pizza delivery. For the budding impresario, a gift wrapped in old sheet music is perfect. (Trust me, if you haven’t mastered “Chopsticks” by now, it’s never going to happen.)
- Your favorite recipes photocopied onto paper can wrap cookware for the baker in the family. Someone who’s a big reader? Why not use several fonts on your computer to print out some beautiful poems or quotes to gussy up plain, recycled paper. (And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous — tea stain it to make it appear old.) Food color works with tissue paper (use an eye dropper for interesting batik-like effects.)
- Newspaper always works but it can leave you with inky fingers. A trick: Iron it with wax paper which will seal the ink. (To add a little joie de vivre, buy a foreign newspaper from your local newsstand then, for example, wrap French perfume in a French-language paper. You get the idea.)
- My mother makes fabric bags — some remnants quickly whip-stitched together. (Time not on your side? Iron-on tape is brilliant. Then tied on top like a pouch.) My mom then embroiders or beads the bags which makes them beautiful and unique. The fabric idea is great, if time-consuming, because they then become a keepsake in and of themselves. (And, the work required keeps my retired mother out of trouble.)
- Another suggestion: wallpaper. Some stores are willing to give you samples of discontinued designs. (Also works with upholstery stores.)
- And don’t forget your garden. A dried flower, twig or leaf makes anything prettier.
Thank you, Walla
Okay, that should get you all started exploring your own re-purposing power; This superhero needs a bit of recycling herself. Or what her friends like to call “a nap.”
News Picks:
Greening one of the country’s most popular gift lists: Over at Celebrate Green, Cory and Lynn took Oprah’s favorite things and gave each item an eco-twist. For example, Oprah’s pick: Andre Walker hair care products. Their greener pick: Hair care products from all-natural Hamadi Beauty. Get PG points for giving a green gift!
USA’s biggest city acts to cut down on waste: With over 8 million people, NYC must accumulate a lot of waste. NYC.gov recently redesigned their website dedicated to helping New Yorkers recycle more and waste less in the city, appropriately titled “NYCWasteLess.” The site also helps you get rid of stuff and compost stuff.
The world’s most beautiful ecolodges: You don’t have to take a trip to Kenya, South Africa, China, or Indonesia to look at these spectacular ecolodges. (Though wouldn’t we all love to!) This gorgeous book, perfect for the green architect or coffee table in your life, describes ecolodges as “low-impact, nature-based accommodations of five to seventy-five rooms that protect the surrounding environment; benefit the local community; and are designed, constructed and operated in an environmentally and socially sensitive manner.” We can’t wait to visit one!
Multi-Media Pick:
One man’s green school dream: This off-the-grid school even has a water vortex that provides it with power. John Hardy describes the steps he took to build this eco-friendly school made from all-natural and recyclable materials. The school, located in Bali, teaches sustainability and even grows its own garden. It has also inspired a neighborhood of green houses and businesses to pop up in its vicinity! Here is some information on how you can make your child’s school greener by starting or joining a Green Team.
New and Cool:
Back to basics: This nifty bottle helps support one of Food and Water Watch ‘ s missions – to take back the tap. This holiday season it won’t hurt to have a friendly reminder of the basics, such as switch to a reusable water bottle: so easy!
Phew, that’s 85 points in this one post alone! Not sure what we’re talking about? Start by taking the quiz.
We heard about an amazing holiday lights swap: you can send in your tired old tangle of twinkle lights and get a set of energy-efficient LEDs at a discount. Win-win! Our friend Diane MacEarchen of Big Green Purse is all over this. Here’s an excerpt. Thank you, Diane! Click here for 4 bright ideas and Practically Green guidance on swapping the archaic lightbulbs in your house for green ones.
Holiday lights brighten up everything except your electricity bill. They’re so twinkly and tiny, you probably string them up without giving much if any thought to how much energy they use.
Turns out, the energy they use is A LOT. That’s because standard holiday lights are just mini incandescents, one of the most ineffecient ways we light our homes today.
These little lights are annoying for a couple of other reasons. They break very easily; and if one bulb burns out, you often have to throw away the whole strand.
The alternative? LEDs.
Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are exceptionally energy efficient; depending on the design, LEDs may use up to 90% less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light.
For example, the amount of electricity consumed by just one 7-watt incandescent bulb could power 140 LEDs — enough to light two 24-foot (7.3-meter) strings.
LED Features & Benefits • Use 80% – 90% less energy than traditional incandescent holiday lights • ENERGY STAR® qualified models help consumers choose efficient lights • Can last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent lights • Cool to the touch, reducing the risk of fire • No filaments or glass, so they are much more durable and shock resistant than other lights
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if all decorative light strings sold in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save over 700 million kWh of electricity per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 100,000 cars!
Like several other appliances, energy-efficient LEDs are somewhat more expensive to buy than their energy-wasting counterparts, a fact you might find hard to over look even though you’ll make up the extra costs over time on your energy bill. To help ease the pain, several companies are offering discount coupons that encourage you to recycle your existing, energy-wasting bulbs and replace them with LEDs.
Send your old lights to HolidayLEDs, and they’ll not only recycle them for you but send you a coupon good for 25% off any purchase of LED Christmas lights at HolidayLEDs.com. This program works. In 2009-2010, people like you sent in more than 10,000 pounds of old lights for recycling.
The recycling program is open all year round.
If you wanted to participate in the Home Depot light recycling program and were unable to redeem your coupon or would simply like to purchase your lights from HolidayLEDs.com instead, you may exchange your Home Depot coupon for a HolidayLEDs.com coupon by completing this form.
You may elect to receive 1 coupon good for 25% off your entire order at HolidayLEDs.com or 1 coupon good for $3.00 off any 1 LED Christmas light set for each Home Depot coupon you exchange up to five. All coupons will expire on December 31, 2011.
In case you’re curious about how the incandescent lights are recycled, here’s the scoop: they’re put through a commercial shredder, which chops the lights up into little pieces. The pieces are then further processed and sorted into the various components that make up the lights (pvc, glass, copper.) The materials are separated and transported to a region center for further processing.
Here’s how to pack up your lights before you send them to: HolidayLEDs.com Attn: Recycling Program 118 Rosehill Dr. Suite 1 Jackson, MI 49202
Include your name and email address, since all coupons will be emailed.
Christmas Light Source will also recycle your lights, and give you a 10% discount towards the purchase of new LEDs. This program makes money from selling the recycled components, and uses all proceeds to purchase Usborne books that they donate to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
Since Usborne Books offers a 50% match on donations, for every $100 in proceeds from Christmas lights recycling, $150 in educational children’s books will be purchased and donated to the Dallas/Fort Worth Marine Toys for Tots center.
The company asks that you box up broken lights and send them ”the cheapest and slowest way” possible to:
Christmas Light Source Recycling Program 1923 6th Avenue Fort Worth, TX 76110
Please include your name, address and email address (mandatory if you want the discount code) and you’ll receive an emailed code good for 10% off a single order of Christmas lights (one rebate coupon per household).
It’s great that we know how to reduce paper bills, junk mail and catalogues, and get points for it at Practically Green! But a content-management issue remains. Everyone’s email inbox is clogged these days, with newsletters, coupons, blogs. If you’re interested in kids, health, and family life, here’s one we recommend you get – in addition to this one, of course! (Click here to activate!). Healthy Child Healthy World has a marvelous outbox. In the past week we’ve received dispatches on toxic chemicals, safe gifts, vegetarian babies, and cough remedies. Today’s post, “Five Easy and Free Tips for a Healthy Home,” is back to basics, a welcome guide at this time of the year. We have permission to reprint it here. Enjoy.
People always ask us how they can make their home healthier and safer without spending a lot of money. Here are our top tips, one for each of the 5 Easy Steps:
1. Take your shoes off at the door and wash your hands after playing outdoors.
You’ll reduce the pesticides and lead brought into your home, not to mention dirt! Traces of pesticide residues can cling to the bottoms of your shoes and then rub off on your carpet and rugs. Once there, they linger on because they’re not exposed to the conditions that typically cause them to break down (sunlight, rain, soil microbes, etc). These residues become sources of repeated exposures to children and pets who play on the floor. (Step 1: Manage Pests Safely)
2. Ditch the chlorine bleach, ammonia, lye and other harsh cleaners and buy safer cleaning products
(we recommend our Trusted Partners EcoStore and Seventh Generation) or make your own! Get our recipes for safer homemade cleaners. Wood floors will shine with white vinegar and water, you can clean tile with water because it’s not porous but the vinegar/water mixture will work on tougher spots. Pretty much every else can be cleaned with castile soap. Cleaning is just a matter of lifting the dirt and microbes, then rinsing or wiping them away. General cleaning chores don’t usually require heavy-duty chemicals. Many modern concoctions, products of an inventive chemical industry and aggressively marketed by their advertisers, are overkill; sometimes they are significantly more dangerous solutions than the problem. The chemicals we’re relying upon to keep our families safe are often the same chemicals that contribute to indoor air pollution and child poisonings. (Step 2: Use Nontoxic Products)
3. Open your windows daily, even if for a few minutes because there’s more air pollution indoors than outside.
(Also, ditch the synthetic air fresheners – they’re adding to the indoor pollution). Air pollution is obvious when you’re caught in a plume of fumes from a diesel truck or when the wind blows smoke in your face from a camp fire or grill, but even when you can’t see the air, it can still be heavily contaminated. Even more importantly, the worst air is generally inside, where most people spend roughly 90% of their time. (Step 3: Clean Up Indoor Air)
4. The easiest way to eat healthier is to start making your food instead of buying prepared food and warming it.
Buying whole foods reduces your exposure to the many synthetic additives found in processed foods. If you are a novice chef, the idea of preparing your own foods from scratch can seem daunting and too time consuming. However once you start doing it, you’ll see how easy (and cheaper) cooking at home really is. Also, involving your children in the process will foster healthy habits. Kids are more likely to eat new foods if they are involved in choosing, buying, and preparing. (Step 4: Eat Healthy)
5. Buy and store food in glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers.
The easiest and cheapest way to make this switch is by re-using spaghetti sauce and salsa jars. If using plastic storage containers, make sure hot food items have cooled before placing them in the container. And keep in mind that fatty and acidic foods promote leaching, so you may want to, at the very least, choose glass for those types of foods. When reheating food in the microwave, transfer food to a ceramic or glass dish first (even if the plastic container says it’s microwave-safe). Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects. More than 50 known or suspected endocrine disrupters currently are legally used in food packaging materials. (Step 5: Be Wise with Plastics)
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