Happy Earth Day all

In this post I’d like each of you to post a comment stating one move you plan to make in the coming year to get a little more green.

Hopefully this will inspire/encourage everyone to keep moving towards being a bit greener.

My goal in the next year will be to use my bus pass more. I currently use it to commute to work, but still log 100-200 miles in my car on the weekends. I want to go 50/50 car/bus in my non-work travels.

I look forward to hearing your goals.

More baby steps...

This baby-steps entry is gonna be short.

As there is nothing new that I am doing.

I am just making you Seattle residents aware of the changes that took place in the city’s recycling program.

Here is a link to the city recycling website.

The city is making it a bit easier to recycle more.

Just a couple highlights:
- No more separating glass from other recyclables! *This was especially a pain for a fella like me who enjoys a bottle of beer or 5, every now and again.
- The list of what is now acceptable as recyclable has gotten bigger, which is always a good thing.

Here's the link again for a breakdown of particulars.

And remember, every little bit helps.

Baby steps to getting green V

I finally took the plunge and invested in some rechargeable batteries. The initial investment is kinda steep, right around $50. But for that I now have 4 AAA and 8 AA batteries along with 2 chargers.

The 2^nd charger is pretty handy, as I keep it at work to juice-up the batteries for I use for my wireless keyboard and mouse. (I now feel much less guilty for using those.)

I went with Duracell, mostly because they were (nearly) giving away the chargers and they were reasonably priced.

I steered clear of Energizer because of bad reviews online. Duracell got decent reviews online, but Rayovac got higher marks. I saw all brands available at Target this weekend. Though I got the deal on the chargers at OfficeMax.

So far they are working very well. But having had them for just over a week I cannot give good 'real world' assessment as they haven't run outta juice yet.

However, the coolest realization I've come to in making this move, is that most of the stuff I use daily (cell phone, laptop, mp3 player) already utilize rechargeable batteries. Which is cool because the same can probably be said for you. So this really is a baby step and should be a pretty easy move to make.

About the only items I own that need 'traditional' batteries are my TV/home theater remotes and Wii-motes. So the $50 investment should last me for quite a long time. And the prospect of never buying batteries again is pretty sweet...they always seem to be the thing you forget to buy until you are half-way home from the store.

One note, I do still have some non-rechargeable batteries laying around (I said these were baby steps). But I recently discovered that my office collects dead batteries for recycling. So take a couple minutes and ask around at your office to see if your company participates in such a program. If so, truck them into the office monthly, I know it helps me feel a little better about prior portable power transgressions.

*While on the topic of green and energy I thought I'd direct you to this web site: http://www.earthhourus.org/main.php Save this date: March 28, 2009 8:30 PM as a gesture towards acknowledging energy consumption and it's affects on climate change, I am encouraging you to take part in Earth Hour. All you need to do is turn-off your lights from 8:30-9:30 PM on March 28^th. I'll be doing so...I just signed-up online and tossed the date into the scheduler on my cell phone. 

An update on ‘Being Green’

Instead of coming-up with another ‘baby-step’ idea this month, I am going to offer some reviews on some of the changes that I have made.

First-off, is commuting to work by bus…I am loving it! I’ve driven to the Eastside a couple times since getting my bus pass and experienced harsh reminders of how stressful/horrible traffic is. In fact, during the snow of the past couple weeks, I didn’t even touch my car. And shockingly, I didn’t miss it. In fact, the snow even got me to walk (the whole mile +) to and from the bus stop. So not only am I being greener, but also getting a lil exercise.

Next are the green cleaning supplies…and there is a stinker, literally.

Earth Friendly Products Ultra Dishmate- Natural Pear
This product is definitely not a stinker. It’s a serviceable dishwashing detergent. I use the same amount as I would of a non-green detergent and it simply gets the job done. It cuts grease and has a nice scent. It is supposedly pear, but I’d say it’s closer to vanilla.

Arm & Hammer Essentials- Mountain Rain
I have already reviewed this product and find it to not only be equal, but superior to any laundry detergent I have used. It’s pretty heavily scented, which I like, but seems to be quite a black mark among eco-Nazis. *I also still use cold water to wash my clothes, and have seen no ill-effects on the cleanliness of my clothes.

Bright Green Chlorine-Free Bleach
I am indifferent on this product. I cannot say if this product works or not. I have seen no benefits or hindrances to using it. It is twice the price of regular bleach, but is Non-toxic and Biodegradable. I don’t recommend it as it seems to be a non-factor.

Bright Green Toilet Bowl Cleaner- Lemon Scent
I highly recommend this product…if you want your toilet to smell worse than before you cleaned it. I am not sure who formulated this product, but the ‘Lemon Scent’ smells faintly of mold and stale urine. I am not sure about you, but in my book, nothing says clean like mold and stale urine. If you can get past the smell (I can’t) it really is a poor toilet bowl cleaner, as it did little to remove stains or any other of the things that would render a toilet bowl clean. I will note that this product is Biodegradable, which about the only good thing it has going for it.

Ah, I am glad I got that off of my chest.

Please feel free to add a comment recommending some of the better green products you’ve come across or warning against some of the bad ones.

Baby steps to getting green IV

It’s been a lil while since the last incarnation of my (self-proclaimed, yet unable to keep to the schedule) monthly series. But that doesn’t mean the getting green has ceased.

While I am starting to run short on ideas, (hint, hint- post comments with ideas) I do still have one more to toss-out in this edition.

This month’s step is: Changing to green cleaning products and ceasing to use anti-bacterial cleaners.

This is a big personal step. As I am a certified Neat Freak. I am willing to admit that the cleaning aisle of the store is more exciting for me than it should be.

But as I have done some research, I see the importance of using biodegradable products. And these products do just as good a job as the non-green products. In fact, most anti-bacterial products are no more effective at “anti-bacterializing” than regular cleaners. *This is due mostly to improper use and unreasonable expectations for use…who keeps their counter wet with cleaner for 60 seconds? The cleaner evaporates faster than that. All these anti-bacterial cleaners do, is give the illusion of cleanliness, which is pretty pointless. I give the illusion of being cool, but you see what that’s worth.

While green cleaners may cost a little more, think about the last time you bought glass cleaner…I’ll give you a sec…You can’t remember, can you? So what’s an extra $1-2, for something you buy once every blue moon?

I am also looking into a steam mop to replace my Swiffer Wet Jet. As the Swiffer, while good at its job, is pretty darn wasteful. Steam is a natural, highly effective cleaner, it both disinfects and cleans. And water is a hell of a lot cheaper than the Swiffer cleaning fluid.

*One caveat: I will still use Lysol in the bathroom. Just has to be done. (These are baby steps after all.)

Baby steps to getting green II

It’s time for yet another installment of my monthly series: Baby steps to getting green.

This month’s change wasn’t a very conscious one, so it’s shouldn’t be too hard to adopt.

I’m a neat-freak so it isn’t a surprise that this post will address cleaning or more expressly laundry.

I’ve changed my brand of detergent to Arm & Hammer Essentials. It’s a supposedly green version of the Arm & Hammer brand that I have been using for years. I said the change was an unconscious one because I bought the detergent because it was on sale, I only noticed it was green after I got it home.

I did some research (by research, I mean Googled it) and found that it is actually Phosphate-free and plant-derived, in the good way, not just for marketing reasons. It’s also double concentrated, so there is more product with less packaging. And they make a dye/scent-free version, for those who are sensitive to that…I found a lot of eco-freaks were really sensitive to dye/fragrances (wussies).

And to answer the common question, “Yeah, it’s green, but is it AS good?”

I can assure you that it is.

And here’s the kicker, it even works well in cold water. Which is the bigger change I have made with regards to laundry. I have quit using hot or even warm water, short of 1-2 loads a month (when using bleach on whites).

Something like 90% of the energy consumed by washing clothes is used in heating the water. I’ve been “going cold” for the past couple months and see no difference in the cleanliness of my clothes. So it makes no practical sense to use the heated water.

Again, I am not going to save the world by myself or by making these small steps. But every little bit helps, especially if we all begin making these changes.

*In that vein, I want to give a shout-out to one of my readers, who actually went out and bought a recycle mug after my last “baby steps” post. Thanks for reading and making the world a lil better place.

As always if you have any ideas or stories to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Here’s a link of 10 Free Ways to Save Energy on Laundry.

Baby steps to getting green

I normally post some long-winded rant or frilly epiphany that I have come to recently.

This is not going to be one of those posts.

I am going to start a monthly series: Baby Steps to getting green.

It's pretty simple.

I post (at least) one change I've made this month in an effort to be a little greener.

Hopefully you'll join me and post your changes as comments so that we can all encourage/educate each other in an effort to lessen all of our foot prints.

I wrote a previous post in this vein, but seeing as there is always room for improvement, I thought this would be a beneficial exercise.

This months "geenery" is: Buying a reusable travel coffee cup.

I go to Starbucks everyday for lunch. Using a paper cup, one of those "don't-burn-your-hand" sleeves and a plastic top. Seeing as I eat lunch 5 days a week, that equates to alot of paper cups, save-the-hand sleeves and plastic lids that go straight into the trash.

Buying this reusable cup will lessen my lunch-associated waste to nearly zero. Which is pretty cool. And a darn good return on my $10 investment.

See, it doesn't have to be anything too big, but every little bit helps.

Please pass along your ideas. Let's keep this going!

Bags, bags...They're everywhere!

So I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of plastic bags.

I am not a small man. I probably eat more than my fair share, which requires grocery shopping, which brings me back to the plastic bags.

I have a drawer in my kitchen dedicated to storing the 10+ bags I bring home weekly from the grocery store.

So last week, I decided I needed to do something about this bag issue. As much for my sanity as the environment. So I bought a couple of those reusable bags on my last trip to Safeway.

I must say, those things are pretty tough and hold a lot more than I expected…in short, they are a more than viable alternative to the hoards of bags I used to bring home on a weekly basis.

Now I am not calling myself the second coming of Al Gore, but I just shared that story to illustrate how simple it is to do something that benefits the environment. Even if it’s just a little bit.

So my idea with this post is to see if you folks want to share any ideas/tips to make the world just a little greener.

I am a lazy man, so many of the changes I’ve made are simple and easy to integrate into my routine. Hopefully your suggestions will fit that mold.

Here are a couple more things I’ve done:
- Convert all lamps that take regular bulbs to Compact Florescent. Costco had a jumbo pack of CFL bulbs on sale for <$10 last time I was there. They also last much longer than regular bulbs, so less changing of bulbs to boot…a perk for a movement-averse fella like myself.
- Do all fidgeting in your car BEFORE starting the engine. This includes putting on the stereo face, making sure your Bluetooth head set is working, etc. This may seem small, but if you get in and out of your car as often as I do (and most folks do) that is a lot of time where you could be saving gas instead of wasting it.
- Close the door of rooms in your house that do not need to be temperature controlled. I don’t need my bathroom to be air conditioned or toasty warm. Closing the door means I have 15% less space to be temperature controlled.
- Use six-strip outlets that can be turned-off. Many of the gadgets that we have come to know and love, continue to sip the juice even when we think they are “off.” Flipping-off the power strip keeps that from happening.

I am far from the Poster Boy for a Greener Planet, but I think that’s why this is so cool. If someone like ME can make these changes then just about anyone can.

I am not talking about drastic life changes, just some little things that may even save you some money in the long run:
- CFL bulbs use 75% less energy then regular bulbs, that’s savings you will see every month in your electric bill.
- And being more efficient with gas is always smart, since it is money you actually burn.

Please post some of your ideas in the comment section and hopefully you can pick a few ideas up as well.