This is a great resource to get you started: http://www.jewcology.com/content/view/Do-It-Yourself-Body-Care-for-the-New-Year

I’m not blogging much lately due to certain matters going on in my life. Sorry, I know this is supposed to be a weekly post but life happens….

Anyway, here’s this week’s tip. This applies if you live in a place where there’s a central dumpster where people dump their garbage: When you take out the garbage, keep your eyes open for things that might not really be garbage but perhaps someone was just trying to get rid of the item without it occurring to them that maybe someone else could use it. If you find something useful, go ahead and take it home! For example, yesterday I “rescued” a chair that turned out to be still in decent condition, and comfortable, too. I recommend cleaning such finds before using them, as you don’t know where they’ve been….If you find something that could be useful for someone but not you, you can “rescue” it anyway and donate it to Goodwill or another organization of your preference that takes such things. (Another idea is to try putting it up for sale, say on Craigslist or eBay, but keep in mind that you can’t always be confident that you can accurately describe the condition of the item and again, you have no idea where it’s been….) That way you can help the environment while simultaneously helping an organization and also someone who could use the item in question!

If you see that there’s an ongoing problem of people leaving perfectly good items, you might want to call the problem to the attention of your building/apartment complex manager (or whoever else is in charge). I called mine today and left a message with the following ideas: 1. They could write a notice so people are aware that there’s a Goodwill nearby. (That applies to my situation; you could customize this for your own situation.) Have them point out that other people might be able to make use of the item, even if the current owner is done with it. 2. They could designate a place, apart from the dumpster(s), where people could leave stuff they don’t want that’s still good, and people could come and take what they want. I didn’t get a response yet but at least I tried.

Take two seconds to take action!

I received the following email from Environment America:

1.3 billion chickens. 62 million hogs. 18 million head of cattle. Those are just some of the animals living in factory farms in the U.S. And these animals create more waste each year than the top 100 American cities combined.
Help us clean up factory farms.
"Ticking time bombs of manure" — that’s the description Karen Hudson, a resident of Elmwood, Illinois, gave to factory farms when one spewed two million tons of raw, toxic manure near her home after a heavy rain.
This waste is revolting, and contaminates waterways nationwide — but the Obama administration has the authority to clean up these farms right now.
Sign our petition to President Obama to clean up these dirty operations today.
The simple truth is that millions of gallons of manure, microbes and antibiotics shouldn't be kept in open pits, just one heavy rainstorm away from contaminating nearby waterways.
Tell President Obama to clean up factory farms today to protect our waters tomorrow.
Yours,
Margie Alt
Executive Director

Note from me: Apologies for neglecting this blog. It's called "Environmental Tip of the Week" which implies I should be writing here weekly. I will try to do so, going forward.

I received the following email from Environment America:

1.3 billion chickens. 62 million hogs. 18 million head of cattle. Those are just some of the animals living in factory farms in the U.S. And these animals create more waste each year than the top 100 American cities combined.
Help us clean up factory farms.
"Ticking time bombs of manure" — that’s the description Karen Hudson, a resident of Elmwood, Illinois, gave to factory farms when one spewed two million tons of raw, toxic manure near her home after a heavy rain.
This waste is revolting, and contaminates waterways nationwide — but the Obama administration has the authority to clean up these farms right now.
Sign our petition to President Obama to clean up these dirty operations today.
The simple truth is that millions of gallons of manure, microbes and antibiotics shouldn't be kept in open pits, just one heavy rainstorm away from contaminating nearby waterways.
Tell President Obama to clean up factory farms today to protect our waters tomorrow.
Yours,
Margie Alt
Executive Director

Note from me: Apologies for neglecting this blog. It's called "Environmental Tip of the Week" which implies I should be writing here weekly. I will try to do so, going forward.

You probably know that you should turn the water off when you're brushing your teeth, but do you remember to do it? If you're not so careful with that, consider this: You could save a thousand gallons per year from just this one good habit!

Apology and a short tip for this week

Things have been crazy for me for awhile and I didn't post here!

Here's a short tip, as I'm running late now:

It's still a bit chilly at times here in Seattle. Next time you're tempted to turn up the thermostat, try grabbing a sweater instead. You'll save energy, and cut down your bill, too!

Environmental Tip of the Week

and Foodiscovery

I did not write this message; it's just the copied and pasted "email your friends" message from after signing a petition of sorts.

Dear Friend,

Methyl iodide is a nasty chemical. It is a known neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor, and scientists in labs handle only small amounts using special protective equipment because it is so toxic. But do you know where else it is used? As a pesticide on strawberries and other food crops.

The battle against methyl iodide is being fought on several fronts. Last summer, Washington state banned the use of the pesticide. Unfortunately, the pendulum swung the other way in California, when despite more than 53,000 public comments submitted by CREDO activists and our allies, the state's Department of Pesticide Regulation approved the chemical for agricultural use last December.

But the ultimate power to regulate pesticides lies with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has just decided to reconsider its approval of methyl iodide — approval that was granted during George W. Bush's administration.

I just submitted a public comment to the EPA, demanding that they ban the agricultural use of methyl iodide. If you care about keeping our food safe, you should do the same. Click below to take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/epa_block_methyl_iodide/?r_by=-3201717-Ic61f1x&rc=paste1

from Maxistentialism on Tumblr

So what happens to plastic utensils when you're done with them and you throw them out? "According to the Clean Air Council, enough paper and plastic utensils are thrown away every year to circle the equator 300 times. It is estimated that close to 40 billion individual plastic utensils—meaning 14 and 18 billion plastic spoons—are produced each year, and with such low rates of reuse and recycling, most of them end up in our landfills, beaches and oceans. They are likely to remain there for hundreds of thousands of years." ("Ending Take Out Waste")

Washing your spoon when you're done with it takes two seconds! Being out and about, going to work, etc. is no excuse: My husband takes one of our regular forks to work in his lunch bag every day. He brings it back home in his lunch bag and I stick it in the dishwasher. That's it. To me it sounds like that's less effort than if he had to find a garbage can.

What really gets me is when a plastic utensil gets thrown out without having been used because it fell on the floor.

If you must use disposable, such as a large dinner party where it would be impossible to wash that many utensils, there are eco-friendly options. Check out these, for example.

Yes, it tends to be more expensive but organic growing practices are much better for the environment, and for health as well. Of course, the environment and health are connected. Folks, I just learned that workers at non-organic ("conventional") farms have died due to constant exposure to chemicals! Have a look at this discussion on Facebook for more information, websites to look at, etc.

Where to buy organic food? A lot of regular grocery stores, like my QFC at University Village, now carry some. You can also check out Whole Foods if there's one near you. Don't forget to look around you for small, local organic stores. Google it if you can't find any organic food nearby just from browsing at your regular grocery store or walking (or riding) around outside. Look for specials if you can; sometimes an organic item will be marked down to the same price as a non-organic, or even lower.

What about kosher organic? A lot of packaged items that are marked organic also have kosher certification. Of course, fresh fruits and veggies are kosher in any case, though I know some people are very careful about lettuce and such. You might have trouble finding meat that's both kosher and organic. If there's none available where you live, you can order online. (They seem to be out of stock or almost out of stock for a number of items. People have probably placed their orders already for Passover. Also it's expensive, even before shipping costs are added on. But you don't have to eat meat every day!)

Sometimes you can reuse something you'd otherwise have to throw out! It can also save you from having to buy new stuff. For example, the nice little box my husband's iPhone came in was sitting in our closet, unused. Also sitting in our closet were random coins and dollar bills that were constantly falling on the floor. I'm now using that box to keep our spare change!

Just Google recycling policies [your city] and you should get relevant sites. I found a site with Seattle's recycling ordinance, for example, that apartment building landlords can put up as a sign. If you live in an apartment building, it's worth checking its policies against the local laws to make sure they comply.

You can provide financial support toward this goal and have a fun, educational experience at the same time by visiting an aquarium and paying the admission fee. My husband, baby Rena, father-in-law, and step-mother-in-law had a wonderful time on Sunday at the Seattle Aquarium. Rena got to hold a starfish and play with felt sea creatures. There were so many pretty fish, and the exhibits were arranged quite artistically! It's my favorite aquarium so far. If you're not in Seattle, check out a local aquarium. Israel has multiple aquariums, Chicago has the Shedd Aquarium and Cincinnati (really northern Kentucky) has the Newport Aquarium, for example. Hubby says the Seattle Aquarium was nothing compared to those he visited in Florida. I'll have to check them out if I can get there.

I've listed two items of organic clothing, just two of several items of organic clothing in my new online shop, http://www.cafepress.com/ButterflyHaiku

Stay green even when moving, part 4

I know those massive amounts of cardboard boxes lying around are annoying. I'm not asking you to keep them all in case you need them in the future, just please remember to recycle them when you're done unpacking them. Alternatively, you can have them reused by giving them away to a new neighbor who is moving out of your neighborhood soon. (Thank you to The FlyLady for sharing this advice on her page with moving tips.)

Stay green even when moving, parts 2 and 3 and announcement

part 2: If you're moving across the country with a baby, your baby can fly for free if you just hold her on your lap, and you can take up less room on the plane, too!

part 3: Try selling or donating stuff you don't want to take but is still usable, instead of throwing it out. Our moving sale is on Saturday night, January 29, 6-11 pm at 60 Thayer St. Apt. 4B, New York, NY 10040.

Announcement: Part 3 is for next week; I don't think I'm going to get to my blogs until after we move at the earliest.

Posted by Sarah Bedder at 10:23 AM 0 comments

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Saturday, January 15, 2011

Stay green even when moving- part 1

Next time you have to move, don't spend money on new boxes. Your local
supermarket will give you free boxes from deliveries they receive,
boxes that would otherwise be destroyed instead of reused.

Posted by Sarah Bedder at 8:34 PM 0 comments

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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Get leaks fixed ASAP!

Even a tiny leak can waste a lot of water! Recently our bathtub faucet
was leaking. Unfortunately we live in an apartment building in
Manhattan, where the super regularly skips his appointments to do
repairs, claiming he had an emergency. At one point before he showed
up to fix the leak, the drain got clogged because the baby had thrown
something into the tub that wasn't supposed to be there — and the
bathtub overflowed, flooding the entire bathroom floor, within a few
hours of the last time I'd checked on the leak! Moral of the story:
Even if you think it's just a tiny leak and it doesn't have to get
fixed, it does.

Posted by Sarah Bedder at 5:23 PM 0 comments

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Sunday, January 2, 2011

Say no to disposable water bottles!

Cross posted on Foodiscovery

These reusable water bottles by the FlyLady are expensive but worth
the price. Mine doesn't leak! Think about how much money you'll save
by not buying disposable bottles before you decide these are too
expensive. If you must buy a cheaper one, Bed Bath and Beyond is
ubiquitous and carries water bottles. If you're in New York,
Whole Foods has them, and I got two cheap plastic water bottles from
Modell's for about three or four bucks apiece (though plastic isn't
really the best choice for the environment or your health).
Don't want to drink tapwater? Try a Culligan water filtration system.
I don't own one but I once attempted to do door to door sales for the
company. Though many of their models are for businesses, they do have
smaller machines for use at home. Some other major brands have
similar systems; I recommend shopping around to get the features,
price, and service you want. Just fill your reusable bottle with your filtered
water, and you're good to go!

http://thedailyyay.blogspot.com/2011/01/butterflies.html

I just started this blog. When I headed the Environmental Club at Stern, I sent such tips by email weekly. Feel free to copy and use what I have here for personal or educational purposes, just please give me proper credit.

Also, check out these water bottles: http://flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_swb.asp . They're expensive for a water bottle but so worth it- it's the only water bottle I've ever had that doesn't sweat and also doesn't leak water if turned upside down. Also it keeps your water cold for hours!