I love take-out.  In fact, during a two year stretch in New York City, I think I had take-out every night that I wasn’t dining out.  It’s now 18 years later and I still get gifts from people saying things like “Keep a Clean Kitchen–Dine Out” and “My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations.”  You get the point.

Unfortunately, take-out is just so not green. The plastic and styrofoam containers, plastic forks, and napkin piles are brutal.  But there are ways to make it GREENER and here are some good tips from GristTV.

Got any other tips for greening take out? Share away–they will go to good use.

As you know, I gave up paper towels–at least until Easter.  I was doing fine with regular dish cloths until I decided that the glass shower wall needed a good scrub.  And suddenly, the dish clothes were just not cutting it.  At all.  I pondered whether it would be possible to go until Easter without washing the glass wall and decided that was just gross.  So while my original intent was to prove that you could go with just regular towels and sponges, I decided that glass cleaning without paper towels would be a great test case.

I found, bought, tried & love “Twist” sponge cloths.  They are much more absorbent than fiber cloths, but unlike regular sponges, they don’t streak or leave fuzz which makes them good for glass.  The shower wall looks great—as do the tables, counters, windows, popcorn maker and stainless steel composter (I went a little overboard testing it out).  They aren’t outrageous ($5.99 for 3 cloths).  You can wash them in the dishwasher.   But most importantly, each cloth can be used over 1,000 times (according to them.  I’m up to about 35) which saves about 17 rolls of paper towels and if I can do math today–$69– assuming $1.50 per roll for the recycled ones.

So the glass issue is resolved.  Now I just need a good idea for draining bacon…

Twitter Analysis for Lent

I’ve never been very good at giving things up for Lent. I think I tried chocolate once. Cookies another year. And swearing.  (That one was tough!).  A few people I know give up wine, but since my birthday is always during Lent–no *&^? way!

This year, the Natural Resources Defense Council has provided a simple and easy list of 9 things to give up for Lent and this time, I think I have found something that makes sense AND I haven’t done yet. Give up paper towels. I’ve cut back and gone all recycled materials. But never totally eliminated.  This seems highly doable!

At least until Easter.

Any of these strike your fancy?  Anyone want to join me on the green Lent challenge?

Valentine’s Day is this weekend and you either forgot, hate it anyway, or are wistfully hoping that somehow, someway you can put a little fun and romance back into the holiday without giving in to the typical not-so-green roses and cards.

For romantics like me out there, it is a formal day for love, so here are three stress-free, low-cost and green ways to celebrate St. Valentine and show your better half how much you care.

Reduce Stuff:  Say “I Love You” with a card made from things you already have

This can actually be fairly easy without looking like your 4 year-old made it. First, start with a piece of construction paper (or try to use a recycled piece of paper or even recycle a card you received from the holidays by covering the pictures and words). Second, fold the paper the way you like then start thinking of what it is you want the card to say (if you are having trouble thinking of what to write, think back to what you said in your wedding vows or use a quote from my favorite romance poet, Maya Angelou). Next, write it all down (I like handwritten cards, but you can type it if you want). Finally, add some beauty to the card by pasting a picture of you and your love, pasting pictures or designs from magazines or old cards, pasting scraps of used wrapping paper to decorate, or if you are artistic, draw something.

Improve Health/Reduce Energy:  Eat at home or dine green on the town

What can be more romantic than cooking a meal for your love and dining in the comfort of your own home? Nothing, in my perspective.  You can green your meal by selecting locally grown or organic foods, planning the courses ahead of time and being conscious of water and energy use while cooking. All that is left to do is set the table and dim the lights!

However, if cooking just isn’t your thing, you can still dine green.  Check out Dine Green for Certified Green Restaurants near you.  To be certified, these restaurants must earn good scores in categories such as water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, energy, and sustainable foods.

Save Energy/Improve Health:  Going Outside is Green

If you are able to keep your sitter for a few extra hours, plan an outing or activity that would be fun for you and your spouse. Take a walk down the beach, to the park or down a scenic road and bring along hot chocolate or cider in a thermos. Window shop or take your spouse to a location that has meaning to you as a couple (where you went on your first date, where you were proposed too, etc.).

If you are coordinated and live up north, try ice skating at an outdoor rink or pond (only if it is deemed safe!). Here in Boston, one of my favorite places is Frog Pond ice skating rink in the Boston Common. It is cheap, fun, uses less energy than an indoor rink and the park is beautifully lit at night.

If you live in warmer areas, try searching for eco-friendly indoor rinks or indoor/outdoor “hybrid ice rinks” that use recyclable plastic panels rather than ice and do not need refrigeration devices, water or electricity.

Ultimately, enjoy love in any way that seems practical to you (and if you are being green in the process, then you are showing love to our planet too!)

How about you? Do you have any ideas on how to “green” Valentine’s Day? Share the love!

Photo Credit

It’s Superbowl Weekend, right?  I don’t know too many moms who get a full three hours to actually watch the game, but it is still a great excuse for a party, even if it’s just you and the kids watching the funny ads and a few downs in between bathtime and loads of laundry.  But if you do get to throw a party, it’s actually pretty easy to green the game. Here are three practical, simple ways to do it:

1.  Save Energy:  serve a local beer

There are over 1,500 breweries in the US so one of them has to be near you.  In Boston, that’s Harpoon Brewery and yes, Sam Adams still brews a little bit in Jamaica Plain.  In San Francisco, Anchor Steam is found pretty easily. In NYC, Brooklyn Beer is the most popular.  Here’s a site where you can find local breweries and brewpubs by zip.

2.  Improve health:  choose healthier, but still delicious chips & dips

I love Fritos.  But they are so not healthy, scoring a 2.3 in health from the GoodGuide (but we knew that already). But there are some tasty and healthy options that don’t taste like a side of cardboard with some salt. Trader Joe’s soy & flaxseed tortilla chips scored a perfect 10 in health.  We’re also fans of Green Mountain Gringo and Wild Harvest Organic Tortilla chips for the big people and Newman’s Own pretzels for the little ones.  In terms of dips, Whole Foods has a really good store-branded organic jarred salsa and  black bean dip.  I also loved this recipe for sour cream & onion dip that gets rid of the MSG and other nasty stuff from the packaged onion powders without tasting bland.

3.  Reduce Stuff:  Use recycled plastic or biodegradable serving ware

Preserve Products makes fun and colorful tableware that has all the benefits of plasticware (no breakage), but can be reused hundreds of times and is made from 100% recycled plastic.  You can find them at Target, Trader Joe’s & Whole Foods.  If you don’t want to go the reusable route, new disposable plates, cups and utensils made of cornstarch or sugar cane fibers can biodegrade in 180 days.  These are a bit harder to find offline, but one of our local Whole Foods has carried them.  If you know of where to get them nationally–let us know!  And last, but not least–use reusable napkins, or at least recycled paper ones.

Do you have other ways you are greening the game?  Let us know!  (And also, here’s a cheer to the underdog–Go Saints!)

Danny Seo’s blog entry today was devoted to the topic of laundry and had some truly stunning statistics about how much time and money is devoted to laundry (and a some good tips too).

The Environmental Protection Agency says the average family washes nearly 400 loads of laundry a year — more than load a day — and Americans spend more than $3 billion on detergent.

Who knew?  Well, you did.  Because you likely do some, if not all, of that laundry.  So why does going green with laundry matter?  Four possible reasons:  you can save energy and water, reduce stuff, and improve health.  And by greening your laundry, you can make green strides in all these areas.

1.  Switch to an eco-friendly detergent:  improve your health and your planet’s health

A typical laundry detergent contains a number of chemicals, some of which have negative environmental and health effects.  The most direct negative impact is due to chemicals in the waste water harming plants and fish, although some chemicals, particularly phthalates, can aggravate or trigger chemical sensitivities, are being found in breast milk, and research is showing some impact of exposure to phthalates on infant development.

2.  Turn to cold water and line dry (or at least clean your filter and throw in a towel!):  save energy

The majority of energy used in laundry is heating the water.  By switching to cold water, you will reduce nearly 90% of the energy used versus washing in hot.  According to the Green Book, if every house switched even to warm-cold, the US would reduce oil usage by 100,000 barrels A DAY.  The other energy hog is your dryer.  Line drying is obviously super green, but not always practical, particularly in the cold weather parts of the country.  You can save drying time, and thus energy by making sure your filter is clean and throwing in a dry towel to speed drying times.

3.  Switch to a front-loading washer–and/or wash with the washer full:  save water

An Energy Star model uses 50% less water than a standard model, and there are “Tier 3″ models that cut down an additional 40% of water usage.  You want to look for a “Water Factor” score that is under 4.5 for the most water efficient models.  And if you haven’t switched over yet, the new Cash for Appliances rebate program is either already in effect, or will be in effect, in your state this year.  But if switching just isn’t in the cards, the most water efficient thing to do is make sure the washer is full before you run it and reduce overall quantity of loads.

4.  Buy concentrated green detergent in smaller packaging:  reduce stuff

Walmart actually drove the downsizing of laundry packaging several years ago by insisting that every manufacturer double concentration.  We are now entering the era of tinier and tinier bottles–just make sure you don’t over use the detergent or it defeats the purpose.  Yes, it requires a 15 minute “laundry primer” for anyone else who might help you–kids, cleaning person, babysitter, and the spouse.  But it will cut down on packaging significantly.  And of course, recycle the bottle if you can.

Most importantly, is green laundry clean laundry?  For us, yes.  Granted, we are not working construction, but we do have lots of grass-stains and as my family and co-workers can attest,  I spill wine, coffee, balsamic vinaigrette, and Indian food on myself a decent amount.  We are fans of both Costco’s Environmentally Friendly Detergent and Seventh Generation Free & Clear.  Here also is a fun road “test” of six different detergents from Grist.org.

It’s a bit long.  It gets political.  But if you want a very friendly and easy to understand explanation for how many green issues have to do with stuff—and how we make it, transport it, consume it, and throw it—it’s really worth watching.  Some parts are funny.  Some of what you learn is maddening.  And be prepared to never look at all your stuff in quite the same way.

Did you know the average baby uses 3,500 diapers in it’s lifetime, that diapers are the third largest source of solid waste in our landfills and take up to 500 years to decompose?  So of course, this green mom switched to cloth, right?

Ummm…not quite.  I just couldn’t take the plunge for a whole host of reasons….and admittedly, some excuses. But the thought of all those diapers piling up was bothering me so last year, when my daughter came home from Vietnam, we tried gDiapers.

gDiapers have a cloth outer in cool bright colors, an interior plastic liner, and what looks like a giant maxi-pad that you tuck inside (cotton inserts are also available).  When it’s soiled, you can tear down the side and shake it into the toilet, but don’t do this if you’re on septic.  The pad is biodegradable and if only urine is on it, can be composted although I can’t quite bring myself to compost the diapers yet.  My favorite bonus feature is that her room doesn’t smell nearly as bad as my son’s did.

A few negatives:  They don’t work for us at night—and they will sometimes leak onto the outer lining.  But we’ve never had problems with major leaks or blow-outs.   After shaking them into the toilet, we also let them sit and wait for the opportunity to join in with another flush and that seems to prevent both the extra water usage and the problem of clogging we had early on.

The cost is higher than regular diapers by about .14 cents per diaper, which definitely is a turn off for some.  Our nearest Whole Foods doesn’t stock them, so we have to buy them by the case and have them shipped.

In terms of green, G-diapers are Cradle-to-Cradle certified and have gotten a decent number of good reviews from other green moms online.   While I am pretty sure in a full life cycle assessment, cloth diapers might be better overall for the environment,  this green mom feels that gdiapers are a practically green solution for busy families.   Overall, we are fans.

Landfills are one of two ways to bury trash. A landfill is a carefully designed isolated structure built on top of or into the ground where municipal trash can be dumped.

The danger in using landfills is that leachate (the water from rain, snow, dew, and natural precipitation that passes through the layers of trash) can leak into local water supplies. Methane gas can build up and cause fires or explosions, however, new technology can be used to trap the released methane gas and use it for energy.

To learn more, go to:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/landfill3.htm

http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/0111.html

Compost is a soil-like material created by the transformation of organic material (such as food waste and plant matter) through decomposition. Insects, earthworms, bacteria, and fungi help the material break down into compost through the decomposition process.

Composting is a natural form of recycling that can be completed by a household and can eliminate 700lbs of waste per household per year. The nutrients in compost make it a natural and highly effective fertilizer.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.howtocompost.org/info/info_composting.asp

Cradle to Cradle certification is a mark companies can earn for a product from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDG) that indicates it is designed and manufactured in an environmentally friendly way.  The evaluation looks at whether they use environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reuse, such as recycling or composting; use renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and institute strategies for social responsibility.

The mark looks like this:

Learn more, including a full list of products certified: http://www.mbdc.com/c2c/

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently implemented new laws mandating the use of ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD). ULSD is 97% cleaner and more refined than the previous diesel fuel standard.

ULSD contains less sulphur, which is a natural part of the crude oil from which diesel fuel comes from. Sulphur creates particulates or soot in the exhaust (which is why diesel fumes typically are black) which are then expelled in the diesel exhaust fumes and is one of the main contributors to air pollution.

Previous diesel fuel standard exhaust is a known carcinogen and is especially dangerous to children.

To learn more, go to:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/how-clean-diesel-fuel-works1.htm
http://www.hybridcars.com/related-technologies/clean-diesel.html

Car sharing is an alternative to owning a car. As a member of a car sharing network, one has access to a fleet of cars, vans and trucks which can be reserved by phone and ready to ‘rent’ for a short period of time (an hour or a week). It is less costly than owning a car because members pay-per-trip and there is no commitment. Since there are many members sharing a limited amount of vehicles, car sharing reduces the amount of pollution released from transportation.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.carsharing.net/
http://www.zipcar.com/

Biofuels can be directly or indirectly produced from living organisms or from biomass (commonly produced from plants, animals, microorganisms, and organic and food waste products). Biofuels may be solid, liquid or gaseous, however, a true biofuel must contain over 80% renewable materials.

Biofuels are typically classified by generations:

• First-generation biofuels are derived from basic feedstock and plants still used to feed humans and animals. (Examples include: bioethanol, biodiesel, vegetable oil, and biogas)
• Second-generation biofuels are produced from non-food sources. (Examples include: biohydrogen, biomethanol, biohydrogen diesel and mixed alcohols)
• Third-generation biofuels are typically produced from non-food sources. (Examples include: algae fuel and alcohols like bio-propanol or bio-butanol)

To learn more, go to:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/abcs_biofuels.html
http://www.unep.fr/scp/rpanel/pdf/Assessing_Biofuels_Full_Report.pdf

A carbon offset is an alternative to reducing your carbon footprint because it balances out the emissions you cannot reduce. It involves paying an offset company to reduce carbon emissions elsewhere, such as funding a reforestation project or renewable energy project.

To learn more, go to:

http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/how_it_works

Biodegradable items are capable of being broken down into more basic components by the action of living things and processes. Biodegradable items are usually broken down by bacteria, fungi, and other simple organisms (microorganisms). Think: biodegradable bags.

When considering biodegradable items, the amount of time it takes for the item to break down and what basic elements it breaks down into are very important. The easier to break down, and the more harmless the resulting basic components, the more effective the item is as a biodegradable product.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/BIODEGRADABLE
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/organicsol.htm 

Reuse is the recovery of products and materials for the same or a similar usage. Reuse typically involves collection and redistribution of goods and requires even less energy than recycling because reused materials usually stay in their original form and condition.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.consumersunion.org/other/zero-waste/reuse.html