Make Your Green Powerful

Ever got mad about the poor customer service you received from a company you spent your hard earned dollars with? Think of all the other business practices that upset you: poor green policy implementation, discriminatory employee standards, price gouging . . . the list can unfortunately be long. Now there's something you can do without having to go cold turkey on using retail therapy: The Better World Shopping Guide. Using 75 different categories, this book rates companies on their human rights, environment, animal protection, community involvement and social justice practices! And it's only $10 bucks!

So if you're committed to changing your environmental practices, make the places you endorse financially do the same. To paraphrase from the site: Money is power and corporations are not democratic--unless we use our money to vote!

The Good, the Bad, The Junk Mail

Years ago I read a book on decluttering and it suggested opening junk mail over the trash. That way, it never makes it further into your house and into piles that taunt to organize them when you really just want to catch up on episodes of Grey's Anatomy on your Tivo. Since it's junk any, the idea went, just trash it right away. Like so many other very solid practices we may have made habits, this one is just not good enough anymore. Why wait till trees are cut down, energy resources are put into printing and mailing, and then more landfill material is created?

Do a simple Google search on "junk mail opt out." You'll find a few zillion services that will help you stop junk mail coming to your home. You only need one. Any one. Once your name is off the mailable list in about 2-4 weeks, that's one less mailer/coupon that will get produce and mailed in your name.

There are lots of important statistics about the damage junk mail can cost, but this one you might not have heard before: On average, Americans spend about 8 months opening junk mail in their lifetime. That's two whole seasons of Grey's . . !

Take a Breath

Nelson Mandela:
Where people of goodwill get together and transcend their differences for the common good, peaceful and just solutions can be found even for those problems which seem most intractable.

It’s Always the Little Things

When I came across an article about parallel parking, I really did laugh out loud. And the face of one of my dear friends—who will remain nameless—came to mind. The author's tongue-in-cheek report on the emissions emitted by those who circle around and around looking for parking spots because they don't know how to park is funny. But true. Can we save the earth by taking the first spot we see every time? Should we force friends like mine into parallel parking anonymous therapy groups? No, but what stood out for me is that little things do matter. And we often take a lot of those little things for granted.

So whether it's parking further from the mall so you drive less, combine your errands into one trip so you're on the road only once, or yes, increase your parallel parking confidence so you can fit into smaller spots, commit to a couple of these little things and we'll add them all up together.

And if you are like my friend and need a little more than a pat on the back when it comes to parallel parking, there are Smart Parking systems out there obviously just for you!

Neighbor Goodies

I love going to the farmer's market. And it's not just because I can make a meal out of all the great samples they give away. There's just always a great vibe, beautiful displays of produce, and vendors and customers always wear a smile. But apart from the aesthetics and munchies, there are some great reasons to add shopping at the farmer's market to your standard routine.

It sounds simple and it is: food produced locally use less energy from the farm to your table. Think about the transportation and storage costs involved in shipping lettuce from California (where 95% of the US's lettuce is produced) to Connecticut. The benefit for the environment is obvious. And don't forget the benefit to you: fresher and often cheaper products. Also, sold to you by someone with real pride in the item.

And if that hasn’t swayed you, think of this: I know your big chain grocery store manager won't let you try every type of orange before you buy one!

Take a Breath . . .

Desiderius Erasmus: 
A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit.

They Never Come With Batteries

If you live in a household like mine, a good battery is hard to find. Wii and XBox 360 controllers and wireless computer mouse and keyboard are the main culprits thanks to excessive usage by an 11-year-old and his buddies on their many missions to slay evil creatures set to invade Earth. It's clearly a noble mission they take on, but my wallet struggles to continue funding my household's Earth Defense Battery Budget. And the used batteries are doing no one any good if we throw them in the trash.

Americans purchase nearly 3 billion drycell batteries every year—I think my son purchases 1 billion of them. If you've got kids who get noisy, plastic toys for holiday and birthday gifts, I know your shopping list too often reads: juice, bread, batteries . . . Aside from the cost, the problem is heavy metals from batteries are bad for the environment when they seep into soil, air and groundwater from landfills. Recycling them can prevent that and save resources because the recovered plastic and metals from used batteries can be used to make new ones.

So, here's the first thing I suggest if you're going to try and be a better battery consumer. Definitely don't throw batteries in the trash. I keep a bag of all my Earth Defender's used batteries. Then:
- Some stores with battery recycling drop-off areas have admitted trashing the batteries they collect. Though this is no recycling guarantee, if this is your only option, it's still better odds than throwing them in your trash. In my city I have dropped batteries off at Rite Aid and Staples.
- An actual city/town recycling center will properly dispose of the batteries. Check online for drop off areas in your town.

Your Kid Knows Her Green

Look, they already think they're smarter than us. And in some ways they are. Many schools have recycling education programs. Some of the programs are very involved. Some have recycling events frequently. That means that the little details we try to keep straight in our heads (along with remembering to make car payments, pick up milk, and reschedule doctor's appointments) about recycling basics are already things they know offhand.

Exchanges like this are often heard in my household:
Me: What plastic bottles can be recycled again . . . ?
My son: One and two. Seven's nonrecyclable.

All without him looking up from his video game. So since we've spent most of our brain cells raising them anyway, why not use theirs to help us grow a little greener at home!

Take a Breath

Joan Wallach Scott:
Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history. 

Water Bottles are Like Cockroaches

Does this concern you as much as it concerns me: Plastic bottles take 700 years before they begin to decompose in a landfill*


*from Earth911.com

Water

March's water saver:

Compost food scraps instead of using your garbage disposal.