Dear Geralin,
I’m not a tree hugger but I want to do my part to save the planet. Do you have any eco-friendly organizing hints for an average, SUV-driving mom living inside the belt line (i.e. inside the city limits)?
PS: Your “Master a Disaster” article was a lifesaver for me – thanks!
Molly in Raleigh
Good Golly Ms. Molly in Raleigh!
I have a black belt in shopping and am not a granola type of gal, so I am far from being an expert on this topic! I, too, am trying to go green but I have a disclaimer: When it comes to being green, I’m playing checkers while others are playing chess!
I’m like Kermit; it isn’t easy being green!
Maybe I’ll just tell you about my personal 12-step eco-program and, hopefully, it will inspire you.
SPOILER ALERT: Stop reading now if you are a hard core Queen of Green, because you won’t be impressed!
- Trash panache. Eco-friendly fashion is not an oxymoron. Look for stylish products such as the hand-crocheted hand bags made from recycled aluminum pull tabs, made by a women’s co-op in Brazil. (www.Escama.com) Better yet, check out www.thehandmademarket.com for a unique shopping experience UNLIKE anything you’d find at the mall. Everything is unique and handcrafted by real, live, designers.
- Idling in the carpool lane is the devil’s playground. Turn off your engine while you’re waiting in line to help the air quality and save money on gas.
- That’s the way I roll. Stop mindlessly using massive amounts of paper towels and paper napkins. This one was hard for me, but I have to say, my whole family is getting used to using dishcloths, dish towels, and cloth napkins, and it gets easier after the first few days. Think twice before grabbing zillions of napkins at your favorite fast food restaurant, too.
- Lighten up. Buy energy efficient light bulbs but take care and dispose of them properly because they contain mercury.
- Junk the junk. Get off junk mailing lists. Switch to online billing. You can help save tons of paper annually. www.greendimes.com can help too.
- Be so cool and so hot! Change your thermostat: Only 2 degrees up in the summer and 2 degrees down in the winter is all it takes to reduce CO2.
- Freshen up. Change your air filters often.
- Your family – Unplugged! Plug appliances and electronic devices and equipment into power strips and turn them off at night. The treadmill, the coffee maker, the toaster oven, the printer and computer, the stereo, phone chargers, etc. It’s a HUGE savings!
- Bag it. Use reusable lunch bags made from recycled materials (be sure they don’t contain lead). Or, use a lunch box and stock it with plastic containers that can be reused. Be hip with your favorite cartoon character lunch box! (Is your husband a Superman? Are you a Barbie doll? Are your kids “curious” or do they say “hello” to little kitties?)
- Paper or plastic? I use paper bags simply because my grocery store is using 100% recycled bags. Plus, the bags hold more stuff. (See, I told you I’m not there 100%. Did I mention I like to shop?) On the other hand, when I go to the bookstore and buy one book or magazine I say, “No thanks” to the bag. Better yet, take your own reusable cloth bags or totes to the store, and proudly display the last conference you attended, airlines you flew, school your kids attend, or pharmaceutical products you have bought in the past ten years.
- Bottle it up. Use a refillable water bottle instead of buying bottled water; just fill it at home (it’s cheap and efficient to install a water filter on your kitchen faucet) and refill it at water fountains (yes, that’s perfectly clean water). Also, don’t buy drinks in Styrofoam cups. Ask for coffee to be put into your own travel mug or cup.
- Hand it over. Recycle your batteries and ink-toner cartridges at office supply stores.
By Geralin Thomas on 10/25/07 in An Organized Life, Columns, OH! Organizing Hints
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October 26th, 2007 at 11:50 am
GreenDimes here,
Hey, thanks for the mention. Yeah, I like the idea of the powerstrips. Do you turn off the powerstrip or unplug the powerstrip.
October 26th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Hello Sanjiv,
First let me say, thanks for reading my column and posting. You must have “Google Alert” activated; I’m impressed with your quick response.
To answer your question: I do not unplug the power strip I only flip the “off” switch. Your question is making me wonder…is it better to unplug?
If anyone can answer that question, please post.
Also, don’t be shy; please post any tips you have for being a little cleaner, leaner and greener.
November 6th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Hello! Great blog! I have a similar list of these green ideas now that I’ve moved to NYC. Pretty handy. It makes you feel like you’re helping out by doing little things, just in case you don’t have time to save the world everyday.
I also came across a little feature on julib.com (Los Angeles edition)about an eco-friendly new baby/kid store called The Little Seed. It’s online as well, so it’s ok that we’re not in LA. There are sure to be more ideas and products for the “clever” families out there.
November 7th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Greetings Christina in NYC,
Thanks a bunch for reading, commenting and leading us to a gorgeous website, The Little Seed. I like the fact that the store even uses eco-friendly paint in the store!
The photography is beautiful too.
Please post any other clever ideas that you have.
I saw this (below) and thought it was interesting and inspirational: http://www.thegreenparent.co.uk/ecoliving.htm
Enjoy!
November 11th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Hi Geralin,
I’m a grandmother of 3 and read this post with interest. I try to teach my grandchildren to take quick showers and turn the water off when washing dishes.
Another tip is to quit buying everything in plastic containers. Young Americans are wasteful; why not go back to bars of soap and laundry detergent in boxes? Bottled water/soft drinks/fruit juices and milk containers add up quickly. All that plastic is wasteful.
Keep making small changes!
November 11th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
I am 11 years old and is very interested in the environment. The tip I would like to share is to limit your shower time and water pressure. I also try to turn off lights when i leave a room.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Dear Allison,
Thank you for reading and posting.
I am convinced that people your age are going to continue growing and become increasingly motivated to change the way we consume things.
If you are interested, have your family tune into National Public Radio’s show, Marketplace, this week. Here is a link: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/ The segment is called, “Consumerism” and if nothing else, it will make us more aware of how alarming our wasteful trends are.
Regarding Water Pressure and Quickly Showering:
Students @ UNC & NC State (here in NC) are holding a water conservation contest to see who can reduce their water consumption the most. Isn’t that a great idea?
November 12th, 2007 at 9:40 am
@ Mary Margaret
Thank you for posting. I love the fact that you are reminding your grandchildren to be conscientious about our resources.
Your post reminded me of something I started doing recently. I’m trying to buy things grown locally and seasonally. After checking the ingredients on a cereal box it dawned on me that most of the ingredients were flown in/shipped in/grown half way around the world, assembled, boxed and shipped to a grocery store in my neighborhood. What a waste of energy–all for a bowl of cereal.
A SFO Bay Area colleague, Amanda Kovattana puts it best. Kovattana suggested the following categories for those of us trying to be green. She suggests:
A. beginner, veteran, hardcore
B. “low hanging fruit”, “needs a stepladder”, “high climber” and finally
C. “green”, “greener”, “greenest”
Isn’t that clever?
I’m putting myself in the “low hanging fruit” category for now; how about you?
November 14th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Hi Geralin! What a wonderful post filled with great ideas!! I’m a low-hanging fruit person too!
One way I organize “greener” is to reuse product packaging instead of purchasing organizing containers as often as possible. I have a shelf in my closet and in my garage that holds all my reusable packaging and I take them with me to client jobs as well as use them in my own home. My clients love the way I get them organized repurposing and reusing everything we can find around their house, too. Empty jewelry boxes, tissue boxes, stationary boxes, shoe boxes, even tea boxes make great drawer organizers.
Shoe boxes (without the lids) are wonderful drawer dividers for kids clothing or for underwear or separating socks by color, for example. I always tell them this is temporary and they can buy prettier containers later if they want and they never do! They become repurposers too! It’s amazing how pretty a lot of packaging is these days.
When we do have to buy containers, I always try to get natural materials such as sustainably harvested wood, bamboo, woven baskets, cardboard etc. It’s not always possible but we try.
Love your column here! Can’t wait to read more!
November 14th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Well hello Ariane (fellow NAPO member from the NJ area)
Thank you for stopping in and posting! What a great surprise.
Your ideas are very clever and I especially like that you are keeping usable items out of the landfills!
December 21st, 2007 at 11:25 am
Well… I am a capitalist, I like a high standard of living…including health…So this is how I achieve better living.
1. I recycle and reuse shipping materials.
2. Non-disposable pens. (they are softer on the hands). Keep records digital too.
3. I buy antique desks/tables, and eco friendly chairs and shelves. I keep them chic and basic so redecorating is not necessary. (I rather spend my time at the cafe)
4. I use treehugger (an eco-chic site) as a guide
http://www.treehugger.com/gogreen.php
5. Low flow shower heads, duel flush toilets, cloth towels, corn starch compostable eating ware when needed, but metal forks/spoons and mugs kept in the office.
6. I reclaimed an almost demolished building for my world headquarters. I started a renewable energy technology development company, & production plants that have no waste. No water consumption either.
7. extreme energy saver appliances, and power strips. We also turn our computers off. (my husband owns a video game development company- all the servers are low energy consumers)
8. pay employees higher salaries and benefits to keep them healthy and that means less wasteful too.
9. I only buy European made toys like Haba. They have zero tolerance for toxic chemicals. Where the U.S. often doesn’t even have laws for things like lead in plastic toys, only for lead in paint. Lead can cause a child to loss up to 7 IQ points and 50 points on an SAT. (My sister is a leading Pediatric Nerotoxicity MD, PHd, DO in the US.)
10. paper products and binders that have post consumer waste or recycled materials.
11. We live near all the cafes, boutiques, art galleries and science center, etc. So we don’t need a car. We put that saved money in the kid’s college, travel & retirement fund. And I love free tele-conferencing available on line.
12. I like Chanel but second hand stores kick butt too.
13. I own a Victorian house that is a registered Green building and we live in one of the flats. The house is green and pays for itself.
Well that is a start…I love Green, whether it is trees or capital.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Hi Tara,
Wow! You are *varsity* and your ideas are awesome.
Thank you for the inspiration and details. I checked out Haba toys and the tree hugger website–both are very cool.
I must admit, I’m now on a mission to find the corn starch compostable paper plates you mentioned.
And, finally, DUH! It didn’t occur to me to quite buying those pens and pencils that get tossed away. That is a great tip for someone like me who helps people set up their offices and kid’s homework centers.
Again, thank you for taking time to post; your tips are very helpful.