by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. Want to REALLY help out? Share this knowledge with your friends! If you share it with three friends (Pay It Forward style), and they each share it with three friends, how many iterations before we reach the entire globe (assuming no overlap)? 21....
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. Gift-giving can be a hassle for both you and the environment. Each year in the U.S., we throw away nearly 4 million tons of trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags. Further more, according to the Recycler’s Handbook, nearly half of the paper...
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. Each year, over 650,000 tons of phone books are left at the front door our America’s 100+ million households. According to the EPA, only about 20% of these phone books (117,000 tons) are recycled. It can cost between $50 and $75 to recycle each...
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. Got weeds? Don’t want to sprinkle poisons on your lawn? Give vinegar a try! The acetic acid in vinegar will help draw the moisture out of weeds. However, vinegar is a contact killer, and does not discriminate – carefully target the weeds...
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. Do you like cold showers? No? Well, your clothes don’t seem to mind. In fact, switching to cold water for your laundry can save you up to $100 per year. That is because 90% of the energy used by a washing machine goes towards heating the water....
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. If you are looking to save some cash while decreasing the demand for manufactured goods, take a peek at second-hand goods. Many of these items become much cheaper used, without taking a huge hit in quality. While there are some things that should be...
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. Do you enjoy wasting time and money, and polluting the environment? If not, then consider clustering your errands. Take a look at this diagram: Suppose you life at Point A. You have have four errands you need to run at Points B, C, D, and...
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. Downloading is not all bad! Just make sure you do it legally. More and more software providers are offering digital downloads of their products. Consider the humble CD: for each disc that is created, two pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted into the...
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. The US Department of Energy offers 3 tips for improving fuel efficiency through car maintenance. Keep your engine properly tuned – this can improve your gas mileage by an average of 4%, or about 13 cents per gallon. Keep tires properly inflated...
by dave | Jul 1, 2012 | Staff Column
Back to the tips. When blizzards strike, most of us turn to chemicals to melt the ice. While this makes our lives safer and less slippery, chemical de-icers may pose a hazard to our furry friends. When the salt is then washed into rivers and lakes, it can destroy...
