Water Footprint: Find out how much water some of your favorite products use! Did you know that the “Global Water Footprint” for a single apple is about 18 and a half gallons of water? Reduce *your* Water Footprint with these actions.

Fall is coming, is your garden ready? If you’re a gardening newbie and just planted a garden this summer, here are a couple tips to increase your garden’s longevity. The legendary gardening gurus at Rodale have tips on fall garden cleanup that will have you looking like a pro come spring.

The Happy Planet Index: Nic Marks discuses why we should measure success in terms of happiness in this 16-minute TED Talks video, tracking well-being against the amount of resources we use. Though the U.S. does quite well in terms of well-being, it is one of the countries that also uses the most resources. What country should we emulate? You may be surprised!

Multi-Media Pick:

Cafeteria Man: Chef Tony Geraci is on a mission to make-over Baltimore public schools’ cafeteria food. In this 2.5-minute trailer for the movie “Cafeteria Man,” students complain of “mystery meat” and tons of pizza, pizza, pizza. Geraci plans to swap unhealthy mystery food for local produce.

Get PG points for your healthy food actions!

New and Cool Pick:

DIY mini BBQ for Labor Day Weekend: Recycle a container of Altoids Sours into a mini BBQ. All you need besides the tin are some salvaged computer fan guards and a few nuts and bolts. The kids will marvel at making the little cooker, capable of cooking a full sized hot dog or small hamburger patty. The kids will love to use it for some yummy s’mores too! Don’t forget the organic chocolate.

Are you eyeball-deep in back-to-school stuff right now?

Welcome to our world.

Here at Practically Green headquarters, we’re working on a set of back-to-school actions that will make this transition easier and healthier: overall better and fun!

In case you haven’t had a chance to check out Practically Green yet, back-to-school is the perfect entree occasion. Would you like to Carpool to school one day a week? Green your kids’ after-school snack? Use eco-friendly school supplies?

You’ll see right away that each of these positive actions comes with info on why it’s green, and how to do it, when you Switch to a reusable lunchbox, Cover textbooks with a paper bag, or Join an eco-action team at your school. Whatever you decide to do, you can recommend your favorite products, share your stories, and rate your experience.

But that’s not all, because Practically Green is also a game.

Playing is a breeze: When you say Yes, you get points!

To get started, take the Quiz. (It’s one of those tests where you can’t possibly fail and can only benefit.) Get your score. Check off the green actions you’ve already taken, and consider new ones. Earn points. Earn more points! Move up!

If you don’t want to play, that’s fine. You can still enjoy Practically Green. Our goal is to help you take eco-friendly actions in your daily life. Big things, like making your home as energy-efficient as it can be, or creating a healthy and waste-free kitchen (We’ve got 21 ideas on how to accomplish that one, like Switching to Teflon-free cookware, Using recycled paper towels, and Upgrading to an ENERGY-Star dishwasher.)

So, whether you’re ready to investigate trying all-natural toothpaste or obsessed with insulating your roof, Practically Green can help you do it and enjoy the process!

I was selling real estate at the time. As I talked to my clients about nuts-and-bolts stuff like getting an energy audit and insulating the attic and the basement, I saw they wanted to do these things because they’re money-saving, but they didn’t know where to begin. There aren’t a lot of easy resources for information on how to do it. I realized it didn’t have to be so hard.

As Elmhurst’s first EcoBroker Certified sales agent, she’s “working on a shift from green real estate to green real-estate consulting. My niche is around home retrofit. I found I really wasn’t touching enough families in the one-to-one real estate approach. I’m putting the pieces in place and working it out so my children (4 & 6) don’t notice the shift, and I hope to launch officially in the fall.”

She’s already developed two programs for buyers and sellers: Ready, Set, Green Homes(SM) and the 5×10 Project Challenge:

I created The 5×10 Challenge to help any homeowner take five smart steps towards energy efficiency before the end of 2010.  I recommend a project budget of $5000 because it earns the maximum tax credit of $1500, so the project really only costs you $3500.

My niche is around the boring side of energy efficiency. That is what I call it. I have no problems if you want new windows, geo-thermal, solar, etc. But you have to do your homework first: get an audit, air seal, insulate, etc. It is expensive (even with tax break), so it’s not realistic for everyone. But if you can cut your energy bills by 20-30% by doing 5×10 you can stop there for now and feel great about the green you did do, instead of not doing anything because you don’t have the funds to do geo-thermal.

“I’m Impressively green on the Practically Green Quiz,” she told us. “Our remodel was very green, but it was insightful to see how much better we can do on daily purchases. To be honest, I’m always rushing at the store and never really thought about how easy recycled tissue, etc. would be.  So we’re one step greener now thanks to your site!”

Another fact about Laura: Ray hates air conditioning. Especially, he hates to sleep in it. Even in torrid conditions. “We definitely use the air but when we’ve tried everything else. When it is humid and above 83 or so we will turn on for the day. On some days we run only overnight if temps are not going to drop.” In the interest of a happy marriage, she recently investigated alternatives to not turning on the AC. Here’s an excerpt from the article she posted earlier this week:

The Spin on Fans

Temperatures are heating up for the next week.  With warm days and cool nights, the end of summer in Chicago is a unique opportunity to virtually eliminate your need for air conditioning – and it is easier than you may think!  I think being green is all about doing the most with the least. “Fan Season” (late spring and late summer) is an ideal time to do more with less!

All you need is a couple of fans and a quick check of the weather. My list below will tell you when to use which fan to slash your AC use.

Fan Options:

Ceiling fans - Consumer Reports found good options around $50-250.

1 window fan per bedroom – Window fans like this one recommended on Amazon run about $40 each.    Window fans can pay back in a season!

Fan unit on your AC equipment.

Paying a wee bit of attention to your local weather is key to getting the most out of your fans. Go to http://www.weather.com/, enter your zip code and hit “find weather,” then select the “hourly” forecast. Get a general idea of:

Local humidity

When night-time temperatures will start to drop and how low they will go.

If the winds are going to be breezy or calm.

Don’t forget to factor in neighborhood considerations. Open windows are not good for allergy sufferers or light sleepers!  Be sure to consider allergy levels and sound issues before switching over to fans.  Oh yes, and don’t forget to consider local wildlife too.  Skunk mating season does not work well for using fans, and you could end up discovering a family of sparrows at 4 am that you didn’t know were your neighbors!  If sound is an issue overnight, consider using fans with open windows at dusk and running on high for a few hours to cool the room completely.  Then shut the windows before you go to bed.

Excerpted with permission from Not Yet Green: Solutions for the Not YET Green Home. Click here for the rest of the story.

We haven’t even had our first meeting yet (it’s Wednesday), but I’ve already figured out these parents are WAY ahead of the curve.  Led by the dynamic duo of Jamie Scarborough Green and Sun Woo Khang and formed last year, the group has managed to achieve immediate results, including:

* switching from disposable to reusable cups for parent coffees, PTO meetings, etc. One thing I loved is that they asked the whole school to donate old coffee mugs to make this happen–what a great idea!

* switching to compostable disposables for large events ranging from the school fun run to graduation

* developed good relationships and support from Angino Farm (a community farm) and Whole Foods.  The school has a garden supported by students and parent volunteers and Whole Foods helps with composting.

* shared the results of the school’s energy efficiency audit and will assumedly lobby the city for improvements

* set up a Big Tent online community which has parental advice for things like earth-friendly school supplies.  It is also linked with the Greater Boston Green Schools community to share ideas and get inspiration. My personal favorite thing on the site was this video that the kids in the school made to encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The project plan for this year includes improving the quality of school lunch, tackling pesticides, greening over 15 events, pursuing lots of kid and parent education, and potentially joining in broader events like the Waste Free Wednesdays, Green School Days, and Litter Free lunches–and oh yes, finding a HEPA vacuum to be donated to the custodians.

What I noticed from this amazing, intensive project plan, however, is how many initiatives still need a point person.  If your school has a green team,  I am confident that Jamie and Sunwoo’s counterparts at your school are looking for foot soldiers who are willing to tackle a projects large and small. Imagine what would happen if 10-15 parents picked just one Green Team thing to help lead for their school–whether it’s a big thorny issue like pesticide use or being an event “Waste Warrior.”  That project plan would start having “done” next to lots of items.  And fast!  I’m looking at the list and can see several actions that fit my time, skills and interests, and I’m looking forward to checking my first item off the list.

If your school doesn’t have a green team, there are lots of online resources to help get you started, on sites like Greenschools or Eco-Schools.   If you need one more reason? You can get points on Practically Green for joining your school’s green team!

This post was submitted as part of the Green Moms Carnival.

Green marketers: How well do you know the “greenness” of your customer?

I can’t believe it. I’m only “fairly” friggin’ green, according to an online test I just took at PracticallyGreen.com.

That’s kind of embarrassing for a guy who writes a blog called,“Sustainable Storytelling.”

I admit it. I’m no treehugger. And chances are you’ll never find me strapped to a bulldozer, or flying across the bow of a whaling ship in a Zodiak. To be honest, I’m a middle-of-the-road green guy, arm-in-arm with the masses, because I believe that’s where the greatest incremental change in behavior can be made for the most significant impact on our planet.

I’m a practical green.

I promote water conservation, while still responsibly enjoying my Phoenix grass yard. I try to recycle everything, even the stuff that’s not supposed to go in the container; so points out my wife. I’ve switched to CFL’s wherever I can at home, except for my den ceiling fan where they throw about as much light as a Turkish prison cell (Ever watch “Locked Up Abroad”?).

I sweat like a Swede in a sauna if our house is over 78 degrees in the desert summer. I’ve got to have relief at 76 degrees (points off on the Practically Green scale).

We donate ALL of our unused stuff to Goodwill, and know we have more to give, but just can’t part with that “Hang Loose” muscle shirt I got 20 years ago.

Although I drive a fully combustible 6-cylinder Acura, my commute is just one mile each way from home to office, and has been for 15 years (Practically Green says I should ride my bike more). Michele drives a Highlander hybrid.

I eat red meat without giving a second thought to the cow flatulence I indirectly underwrite.

My point is that I work hard to be “practically green” in the consumer sense of the term, and probably not so much as an “activist.” Even so, I was surprised  to be found only “fairly” green. I’ve got work to do.

Have you taken the quiz?

If not, you should. Because it will not only help you understand where you are in the greening process. But you can help this green beta website perfect their scoring system. They’re looking for testers, and I’m gladly promoting their site and their cause.

Susan Hunt Stevens, CEO of PracticallyGreen.com, generously spent an hour on the phone with me last week getting acquainted. Although she hails from Boston, turns out we grew up around the corner from each other in the Seattle area. I asked Susan to sum up the concept of her website.

“What Trip Advisor is to travel, and Weight Watchers is to dieters, and Baby Center is to raising kids, Practically Green is to moms who want to live a more sustainable life for themselves and their families.”

What other description would you expect from the former head of Boston.com, the 5th largest newspaper site on the web, and past director of marketing for NYTimes.com. Susan knows her market, and she is delivering the green goods.

I actually think Practically Green is more like eHarmony.com. The site helps match your lifestyle and proclivity towards sustainability with healthy products and services to help you achieve your “greenness,” be it “Barely Green,” or the curve-breaking “Wickedly Green.”

“We are a really valuable matchmaker between consumers who want to live a healthier life with products and services that can help them.”

But they’re not just talking to consumers. They’ve refined it even more to moms. And not just all moms, but young moms with babies and toddlers. And there-in lies the brilliance of their business model. Practically Green creates a marketplace that makes it easy for this highly-niched, highly-chatty, and highly-active consumer group to make wise product  choices.

Practically Green doesn’t drive the market. Their customers do. And who wins? Everyone. From the mom’s making educated buying decisions, to the accountability of the companies, products and services on their site, to Practically Green for making it all happen.

It’s the ultimate business model that gains greater knowledge about their customer every time they help their customer gain greater knowledge about their healthy green buying decisions. Manufacturers don’t push product. They simply answer to an active consumer demand under the harrowing light of immediate accountability through this growing community of consumers.

Finally, I have to also give a nod to their “Mother Board.” This is Practically Green’s board of advisors, and I get a chuckle out of the name every time I think of it. They’re looking for more advisors, and if you’re interested, by all means contact Susan’s right arm: Sarah Finnie Robinson.

I dare you. Take the test, and let me know your shade of green.

Any washwater that has been used in the home, except water from toilets, is called grey water. Dish, shower, sink, and laundry water comprise 50-80% of residential “waste” water. This may be reused for other purposes, especially landscape irrigation. — http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/

Put simply, grey water is water that you can’t drink (non-potable) but you can use for watering your plants.

Laura Allen is one of the co-founders of the Greywater Action, one of the county’s first and foremost resources for training and information. She is also a founder of Greywater Alliance, which does policy work. Laura lives in Oakland, California.

This video is a great introduction to Laura’s beliefs and practices. Follow her as she patiently shows a friend how to divert washer to water plants in the yard:

I never wondered where the water came from until I got my first water bill, as a tenant, about eleven years ago. I was ashamed and shocked! I happened to be taking a plumbing class at the time. My roommates and I spent three days figuring out how to take the shower water and send it outside to the garden. The system we built was so dysfunctional! I’ve learned that the more simple the design, the less work it takes to maintain.

Typically the easiest source of grey water is the washing machine. Think of its location in relation to the landscape that you need to irrigate. You can access the grey water from the washer hose itself, which usually pumps into a standpipe anyway. Shower water can be difficult in a house that’s already built. But it all depends on the accessibility of the plumbing. Find a good plumber who is open-minded and trained!

Our organization offers a five-day training for people who want to be installers. Mostly California, but people come from all around the state and US and Canada.

We’ve grown little by little. Our first organization was very informal: me and Cleo and a couple of others. My day job was teaching elementary school.

We became involved in rewriting the state code, and we formed the Greywater Alliance. We participated in the state code rewrite and helped make simple, low tech, low cost systems legal.

We usually have half women in our classes — in a one-week training you can’t learn everything, but you can at least know who to partner with.

People should look at how they reduce consumption. Look at the size of your lawn.  Look at what you don’t need that wastes water — or exchange to a low-flow showerhead: easy!

As for my own green lifestyle: I bike everywhere. I do borrow a car sometimes.  I live with other people. We grow our own food and we buy from farmers in our community.

Bottom line: We don’t need to be irrigating with potable water; greywater is a great source for irrigation. You can plant water loving plants near the house where they can be irrigated with greywater, and then have drought tolerant landscaping in areas that aren’t accessible. Changing how water is used in our own homes is something that each of us can do, starting today. Most of these technologies are very simple and just require interest and commitment.

For more information about the greywater laws and other greywater tips check out: greywateraction.org. In 2009 Greywater Action joined with a water organization called A Single Drop to connect international clean-water work with US hands-on water conservation strategies (workshops on greywater reuse, rainwater harvesting, and composting toilet construction).

And for additional motivation on conserving water, visit Practically Green’s (rather amazing & substantial, if we do say so) Water section: 34 suggestions for actions you can take today on smart water usage, from tracking your monthly water usage to turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth!

Eco-friendly cook out: Here at PG, we enjoy a good summer cook-out. But the cook-out has always been one soirée that poses many green problems: paper plates are a must, the kids love hot dogs, and did we just see you reach for that lighter fluid? This article will help you with all of your green cook-out woes, and give you a piece of mind at your next backyard bash.

Green Innovation at its Finest: Freeaire is a refrigeration system that amazingly uses the greatest source of refrigeration ever created: winter. Developed by Richard Travers and based out of Vermont, this system helps save money, energy, and the earth. Brilliant. Check out Freeaire on the Science Channel here.

Multi-Media pick:

The Tip-Tank Game: First, we want to apologize for giving you another way to put off paying those bills/cleaning the kitchen/finishing that report. That being said, you MUST try this game from our new obsession, Water Use it Wisely! In the Tip-Tank Game, you must find all of the matching pictures before the water runs out, learning tips about saving water along the way.

New and Cool Pick:

Chemically Naked: A new line called Chemically Naked by Kaia House not only has all-natural nail polish that comes in a variety of chic colors, but also (drumroll please…….) all natural nail polish remover! A great way to get ten points on your Practically Green profile and fulfill your “use natural nail polish” action.

At Water Use It Wisely, you can download 100 Ways to Conserve, from

#2: When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water to

#108: When you have ice left in your cup from a take-out restaurant, don’t throw it in the trash, dump it on a plant.

Tip # 15 can be ordered in 22″ x 28″ poster size:

#15: Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.

“We want to promote popular, easily implementable water-saving tips,” Kathleen Orazio explains. “Often this is common sense. We live in the Phoenix area and there are lots of resorts and golf courses. You can imagine how much water they use to keep all that looking good! But here we are in the Sonoran Desert! So we created #15, to sweep your driveway instead of hosing it off. Really, it’s almost just stop and take two seconds to think about it.” Already the cities of Phoenix, Mesa, and Glendale, Arizona, have displayed it at bus stops, kiosks, and office locations.

Ready to make a few smart water-related decisions at your house? You’ll find plenty of great ideas on your personal dashboard at Practically Green. You can find out why installing a low-flow faucet (10 points) is so effective, and how to do it. You can decide to run the washing machine only when you have a full load (20 points). And, yes, you can get points for using a broom instead of a hose to clean the driveway!  Best of all, you’l learn how these simple actions all add up to significant health and savings for you and your family.

We’ve had a red, white, blue, and green holiday here, drawing the window shades (it’s a heat wave), using our new Skoy cloths, hanging laundry out to dry, and composting every last carrot shaving. I even detoxed my sponge in the microwave for the first time ever (high for 60 seconds).

On the whole, my delightful (and eco-obsessed) husband and I are in agreement on such household matters, but I am learning that there are certain actions that will never take seed in him.

For example, every time I go into our bedroom I see that the shades have been opened, even at noon in a heat wave. Who can blame him? He wants to see the view. I say nothing, simply close the shade again.

For another thing, he rinses every dinner dish so completely that there’s absolutely no need to then place it into the dishwasher. You can put his dishes right back in the cabinet. I have explained to him that his obsessive rinsing is not only unnecessary, it’s wasteful (of water, of the energy to heat the water, of washing the same dish twice, of his time), and he nods, and he keeps doing it his way.

Which brings me to my point: There will be times when your loved ones do not do what you want them to do, no matter what. They may have their reasons (e.g., the view; or maybe he’s solving the world’s problems while he’s rinsing those dishes) — or they may not. Regardless, it’s important to know where you draw the line. I do not wish to be a bossy nag, of course!! And probably you don’t either. But still.

Last week I caught up with our thoughtful friend Lisa Thomson, who writes the marvelous daily blog Mom’s Green Shopping List. Among other things, we talked about this very subject: where to draw the line with one’s spouse. Here’s Lisa’s story, which is about drawing the line and a whole lot more:

What I want to tell people is, you don’t have to change everything overnight. You can do it slowly, one thing at a time. My husband and I have a paper towel war. He wants paper towels. I stopped buying them. I wouldn’t get them. I said: Go buy them yourself! He hates going to the store. So for six or eight months we’ve been without paper towels. I have a basket of rags in the kitchen, another basket at the top of the basement stairs going down to the laundry. It’s fine, he’s used to it. So, I tried to get him to stop using Kleenex to blow his nose, but he won’t do that. Not happening. I stopped bugging him on that.

It took me eight years to get pregnant. Finally I got pregnant — and right away my husband was diagnosed with chronic leukemia. He was given five years to live. Our family doctor recommended a book called Foods That Fight Cancer. This book was amazing to me. I realized for the first time that foods affect your body: whatever you put in your body affects you. I completely changed how I eat, how I cook. Specifically, we eat a lot of blueberries. We use lots of spices – turmeric, cumin, ginger. We eat greens, broccoli, cauliflower. We avoid processed food and sugars. Sugars feed cancer.

I read labels on everything. I can spend a lot of doing this in a store – I get asked three times if I need help but No, I’m just reading the labels.  I like to read books, too. Right now I’m reading Building Green, Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls, 101 Ways You Can Help Save the Planet Before You’re 12! (It’s very good.) Global Warming for Dummies, Ecological Gardening.

My daughter Lydia, aged four, is so aware that if I leave a light on for an extra minute, she’s on me. We were walking the other day — Lydia, our dog Brutus, and me. She said, look, Mom, there’s a blue butterfly on Brutus’s nose! I said, Oh, I wonder where that came from. She replied, It flew down from Saturn because Saturn had to cut down all their trees to make toilet paper. She has the biggest imagination.

Lydia and a caterpillar

Visit Lisa’s website MomsShoppingList.com, visit her Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter @MomsGreenList.

Practically Green offers several relatively painless suggestions for saving your water – no-brainer stuff like turning it off when you don’t really need it on, or installing low-flow showerheads (which honestly don’t feel any different from the ones that use two or three times as many gallons of water per minute).

Our friend Ashley Adams English discovered her appreciation for H2o last winter when her power went out for five days, and along with it her potable water. This prompted her to write a lively tutorial on water conservation, preservation, and stewardship. For instance, here’s a water-saving tip we hadn’t thought of: “Consider taking a foot bath or having a mug of herbal tea for evening relaxation instead of taking a shower.” We liked the whole post so much, we’ll recycle part of it here.

Ashley Adams English

“I like to think that my relationship with water has been a pretty conscientious one ever since I became an adult. I’m mindful of running the dishwasher only when full, try my best to take quick showers, and water my garden judiciously. The relationship took a serious turn this past December, however. Following the first heavy snow, on December 19th, that dumped 17″ in one day, we lost power. As the forecast had only been for anywhere between 3-10″, we were left completely unprepared for the five days without electricity that would ensue.

“I live a mile down a dirt road, tucked into a forested cove that abuts a large parcel of undeveloped land. Rurally-situated folks like myself aren’t usually first on the list to have their power restored, as the general assumption, I suppose, is that we have the supplies, robust constitution, and wood stoves necessary to make do until power can be restored. While that is true (at least, it is in our home), what I hadn’t really considered, living remotely for the first time, was that without power, we wouldn’t have water. We have a well, and the well needs electricity to pump water up from the ground and into the house. And so it was that I came to learn the art of melting and gently warming snow. I used the melted snow to wash dishes, for bathing, and to provide my animals with water. The water’s scarcity augmented its importance. It is a resource that we absolutely cannot live without and one which we so often overlook. When you turn on the tap and no water comes out, everything changes.”

Read more on Ashley’s blog, “Small Measure” — and on DesignSpongeonline.com, where you’ll see her recommendations for “Acid Test,” a stunning film produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council; and Annie Leonard’s “The Story of Bottled Water.” Ashley also suggests two books to help you plant a drought-tolerant garden: Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, by Toby Hemenway: “for the gardener who wants to work with Mother Nature instead of against her” (Amazon); and Landscaping With Fruit: Strawberry ground covers, blueberry hedges, grape arbors, and 39 other luscious fruits to make your yard an edible paradise, by Lee Reich.

Top 12 Non-Toxic Sunscreens: The Environmental Working Group recently assessed 500 sunscreens–only 39 were deemed safe and effective! Did yours pass the test? Check yours on Yahoo!Green and look for affordable alternatives.

Save Water with Drought-Resistant Plants: This summer, save some much needed H2O by planting perennials that do not require watering. Gardening without the added effort? While conserving water and money? Sounds like a win-win to us!

Safer Hair Products for Curly Hair: This one is for curly-haired beauties! We understand that you want a product that works for your hair without all the toxins, so do we! Here are some great options…

Multimedia Clip:
Hanes Clothes ‘Future Green Generations’ Commercial: Okay, whether it might be greenwashing or not, this commercial is pretty funny. Today’s kids care about the environment–who doesn’t like that?!

New and Cool Pick:
Greenopia’s Greenest State Guide: A detailed and easy-to-use list to find out how your state ranks on air quality, recycling rates and renewable energy usage among other criteria. The greenest state? Washington. Least green? Louisiana.

Photo Credit: Screenshot of http://www.greenopia.com/NY/state_listing.aspx?ID=1&input=Name-or-product&Listpage=-1

5 Natural Summertime First-Aid Solutions: Whether it is sunburn or bee stings, these natural remedies will help sooth your summer ailments without loading on all the toxins. (Lauren here: I have tried the aloe plant remedy and it really works!)

Pesticides Linked to ADHD: A study shows there may be a possible link between pesticide exposure through consumption, inhalation or poor water quality and the occurance of attention-deficit disorder in children. Scary! The “persuasiveness” of a link makes us want to switch to organics for life…

Eco-friendly and Efficient Laundry Tricks: Okay, you may already use the Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent but these tips are easy and cheap, so why not try them?

Multimedia Clip:
We keep hearing great things about the Slow Food Movement which promotes “good, clean and fair food” and this video from the President of Slow Food International (Carlo Petrini) does a great job summing up why it is important. Plus, we love his humor and Italian accent!

New and Cool Pick:
Eco-Friendly Office Supplies: Lexon Design’s new line of eco-office supplies are so cute and still very functional. Maybe a great Father’s Day gift? Or maybe a nice splurge for yourself? We think so…

Photo Credit: http://inhabitat.com/2010/05/17/lexons-renewable-energy-office-products-made-from-bamboo/

60 Watt Incandescent Lightbulb Replaced by EnduraLED: This new lightbulb will last 25 times longer, use only 12 watts and will deliver up to 80% energy cost savings. The best part? It will produce a light similar to that of an incandescent. Whew! Finally a lightbulb that will make the switch easy on the eyes…

How to Wash and Replace Pillows to Reduce Allergens: Did you know that a 10 ounce pillow can double its weight in 3 years due to a buildup of dust mite remains? Oh yes, we thought it was super gross too. Here is some great advice on how to decrease asthma and allergy triggers that reside in your pillow.

The Onion’s “Are you Green Enough Quiz”: Ok, so we admit it. All of us here at Practically Green LOVE quizzes so when we saw this hysterical quiz made by those funny folks at The Onion, we couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Multimedia Link:
BP Oil Disaster Slideshow:We can’t believe its been three weeks since the oil leak began. Not only is it hard to keep up with all the news coming in about the issue, it is hard to fathom. This Big Picture slideshow from Boston.com is worth a thousand words.















New and Cool Pick:
PUMA’s New Packaging Project–The Clever Little Bag: PUMA spent almost two years developing a smarter way to package their shoes. We think it is more than just clever, it is genius!

At 9:25 am the phone rang with a blast call from the mayor’s office to say it’s okay to drink water again here in Boston. We’ve gone three days without it. We’ve gone without Starbucks, without ice cubes, without bubble baths. We’ve boiled our water so we could brush our teeth and rinse our lettuce. We’ve kept it from the mouths of our children. We’ve experimented with microscopic amounts of Clorox in the dishwasher. And now our little 21^st-century urban-suburban weekend of suffering is over: Just flush the water lines by turning on the faucets (one minute for cold, fifteen minutes for hot), the recording says, and we’re through this crisis.

I turn on all the faucets and showers in the house to flush the system as instructed. And onward we go, the same as before: another relatively minor and inconvenient situation behind us, like a transit strike, a blackout, or a blizzard.

But this time it’s different. This time we Bostonians adjusted to the temporary inconveniences of no potable water against the backdrop of two other water-related disasters in this country. And those other disasters are exponentially more serious than ours. If Boston’s water crisis is size Medium, Tennessee’s flooding is Large, and the Gulf’s oil spill is, well, XXXL. As the President said, the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is a “potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.”

We don’t usually write about disasters here at Practically Green. The volcano erupted in Iceland and the currency teeters in Greece. But we can’t ignore this one. I hope you don’t mind. We can’t quite ignore the millions of people, animals, and sea creatures that are affected by the oil spill, which one blogger describes as not a spill, but more of “a gush, like an underwater oil volcano”:

A hot column of oil and gas is spurting into freezing, black waters nearly a mile down, where the pressure nears a ton per inch, impossible for divers to endure. Experts call it a continuous, round-the-clock calamity, unlike a leaking tanker, which might empty in hours or days.”

Ever the optimist, I wonder if there’s a silver lining to this crisis. Just as the water crisis in Boston reminded us all to be more thoughtful about water use, for three days, maybe the BP crisis — however it is solved — will force fresh thoughts for the country. Maybe now we will all agree that we need to shun all toxic and harmful elements, whenever possible, for once and for all. “If the cost of spills like this one is too high to bear,” Ezra Klein writes, “then we have to wean ourselves off of oil, not simply get really upset about this spill.”

Not so fast, the denialists and the no-can-do-ers rise in their chorus: it’s complicated, it’s expensive, we don’t have to. We don’t want to. We won’t. No way.

How long does it take to form a healthy habit? I estimate it has taken me a year to switch to using cloth bags for grocery shopping 100% of the time, without a second thought. How many times did I spank myself and trudge back to the car to get the bags (“the walk of shame,” one friend calls it).

How do you tend to make improvements in your daily life?

What would it take for an entire country to commit to positive new way of living?

Meanwhile, we’re holding our breath, dreading each unfolding news broadcast from Louisiana — and hoping to go forward together. Please send your ideas, comments, recommendations, and stories to us at Practically Green.

This second installment in our How to Grow a Garden video series documents the process of mixing the soil, installing drip irrigation on a timer, but also has a great explanation of something I had never heard of before:  intensive growing methods.  This method basically covers how a 4×8 foot vegetable garden (which looks TEENY) has a shot of providing veggies for a family of 4.  The video is also a reinforcement that kids, particularly boys, LOVE dirt.  If you missed the first one, go here.

The Greenest Way to Wash Your Car: Forbes reveals reasons why it may be greener to go to a car wash than to wash your car at home.

Target Launches Nationwide Community Recycling Campaign: In honor of Earth Day, Target is providing storefront recycling stations where you can drop off everything from glass bottles to MP3 players.

Multimedia Link:
Is TV Really Going Green Too?: We found this interesting interview about how TV networks are inserting green trends and behaviors in their TV shows. We hope the “behavior placement” works!

New and Cool Pick:
DBA Biodegradable Pen: Made with 98% biodegradable materials, this sleek pen has non-toxic ink and is compostable!

Photo Credit: http://www.dba-co.com/pen#

The Aunties hosted and directed everything and (of course!) the party was gorgeous. It was actually pretty green, too. The Aunties had a budget and two different wedding themes to keep in mind, and being eco-friendly was probably not #1 on their “To Do” lists. What I learned, however, is that often the most cost-effective, easiest, and practical ways to plan a party are the greenest, too.

Here are some lessons learned from The Aunties… 

• It was a double wedding shower requiring only one set of invitations to send out and one trip for family members to make, which made it conveniently green!
• The Aunties asked each family to bring their own plates and wine glasses which looked cute and saved the party from being a disposable tableware mess. We all then chipped in at the end to wash and dry the dishes together which was fun and also saved energy.
• The Aunties set up trash cans AND recycling bins and enforced separation! 
• The centerpieces and main decorations were beautiful potted hydrangeas and daffodils, which were then given as favors for guests to take home and plant. 
• Each Auntie was in charge of making certain menu items, which saved the event from being catered (which uses extra energy because of the large vans and food reheating). Also, all of the food on the menu except one dish was served cold. It was delicious! Chicken salad, Mediterranean salad, shrimp cocktail, fresh fruit, and coleslaw. This saved them from using an oven to heat things up and subsequently saved energy. 
• The Aunties used decorations that they either already had or bought and intend to use for all future wedding showers and other future family gatherings, which reduced the amount of waste leftover from the event.

Here are a few more ideas I came up with…

• Everyone loves opening gifts, so wrapping the gifts is usually expected. Instead of buying wrapping paper, how about make your own? I found a bridal magazine and cut out cute pictures and taped them together on the box. Note: it is important to tape the pictures to one another and not the box or else the brides will spend 15 minutes peeling away pictures! I then used a leftover holiday ribbon to add decoration to the top. The result is a charming package, and the bride will know how much thought you put into it. Here is my wrapped present:

• Save some electricity and hold the shower during the day. Open the shades and let natural sunlight come in and leave the lamps to rest. 
• Forget paper invitations. Use Paperless Post, a great website that allows you to design and send fine stationary over the internet. Guests receive the invitation in an email that allows them to “open” an envelope and RSVP online. If they must, there is a ‘print’ option, although we think an email is good enough. 
• Use a standard theme for the party and ask guests to wear only clothes they already have. You could say, “We are following the tradition of ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’. Please contribute something old or borrowed by wearing an outfit you already have, borrowed from a friend or found pre-owned in a store.” You never know, it could be the beginning of a fun, quirky, green family tradition!

The shower was a hit and every guest had something to take home. By the time the guests left and cleanup was done, my Aunties smiled, elevated their swollen feet and agreed that although it was a lot of work and planning, being cheap, creative, and practical was the (green) way to go. Good job Aunties!

Have you been to a “green” shower? Was anything done differently? Did my Aunties and I forget any tips? We would love to know!

5 BPA-free, Eco-Friendly Baby Bottles: Protect your baby by using safe and stylish non-toxic bottles.

How To Build a Rain Barrel: Spring is here! Creating a rain barrel to collect those precious rain drops is a smart money/water saving strategy.

Top 7 Eco-Friendly Easter Gifts for Kids: Great gifts ideas ranging from toys to tees from Inhabitots.


Multimedia Link:
Keep your kids busy with fun green activities that allow them to learn AND play (isn’t that great?!).




New and Cool Pick:
Fiskar’s Momentum Reel Mower: Save some energy and fuel by using some good ole’ elbow grease. The smart mower stores energy to provide a little extra “oomph” when you need it.




Photo Credit: http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Yard-and-Garden/Reel-Mowers/Momentum-Reel-Mower

Google Maps Adds “Bike There” Feature: Now you can find the most direct route for a bike trek while avoiding hills and excessive traffic (we think it makes being green convenient!).

Road Test: Best All-Natural Toothpastes: Hoping to avoid the chemicals, additives, detergents and sweeteners in conventional toothpaste? Fortunately, there are healthy (and flavorful) options.

Save Money with Healthy Coupons: Sites that offer coupons for the natural and organic food you (probably) already buy.


Multimedia Link:
We already liked Annie and her Story of Stuff, but in this interview Steven Colbert does a great job of playfully challenging her and cracking a few jokes which makes us love her message even more.

New and Cool Pick:

Waterpebble Water-Saving Device: This cute device measures how much water you use while you shower then challenges you to shorten your bathing time the next time you step into the tub.
(Those of us who are known klutzes may not want to purchase one of these cool devices, but we will buy them for our coordinated friends!)


Photo credit: http://gizmodo.com/5487584/waterpebble-encourages-shorter-water+saving-showers

The Environmental Protection Agency says the average family washes nearly 400 loads of laundry a year–more than one 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.