As I was looking out into my yard this morning I noticed a carpet remnant had been dragged from the side of the house onto the lawn? Our dog was having a hay day pulling it around the yard. I was thinking I need to go throw it in the garbage bin but wondered if it could possibly be recycled. So I started looking around the Internet and found a site called CARE – Carpet America Recovery Effort.

Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a joint industry-government effort to increase the amount of recycling and reuse of post-consumer carpet and reduce the amount of waste carpet going to landfills.

How Can I Recycle My Old Carpet?(Adapted from CARE website)

There is no simple, routine method in place today to recycle old carpet. Each case is individual since there is no infrastructure to handle old carpet at this time. CARE is working to help put that infrastructure in place. If you are a residential home owner you might ask your dealer for suggestions. If you are in the commercial sector, call your mill representative or specifier and tell them you want your old carpet recycled and they can work with you to try and make this happen. Please keep in mind, recycling costs money; it is not free. Costs vary with location and available systems.

Keeping the above in mind, you do have options. The goal is to stop filling up the landfills by reusing our waist, which in turn is a huge help to the environment. To find Carpet Reclamation Partners in your area click here.

Making your own cleaning products is easier than it sounds. When you look at the prices on the organic cleaning products its enough to send you into shock. So the best way to get what you want and not have to pay those high prices is to make your own. The advantage to making your own is that you know the ingredients you are adding.

Common household items to use:

• Lemon
• Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Cornstarch
• Borax
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• Soap

Lemons work great for dissolving soap scum, hard water spots, cleaning brass and copper, freshening up the garbage disposal drain, and bleaching white linens.

Vinegar is used as a natural disinfectant, deodorizer, and great all purpose cleaner.

Baking soda is great as an abrasive cleaner, excellent for dissolving dirt, mildew and grease, and is a natural deodorizer.

Borax works well as a deodorizer, all purpose cleaner and disinfectant.

Cornstarch can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs.

Here are a few sites with cleaning product recipes -

Pioneer Thinking

Earth Notes

Eco Cycle

Setting up a recycling station in your office can be easier than it seems. I often look at what I am throwing away and see that a lot of it could be recycled. I have even taken items home to be recycled but this isn’t always convenient. So after doing a little research here is what I found:

First determine what materials you actual have need to recycle. Start with recycling the largest volume of waste materials being thrown away. In most offices that would be cardboard and paper.

Second decide what containers you want to use for recycling. Finding something that fits the needs of your recycling materials is not always easy. For recyclable papers, use a moving box or make your own Paper-Recycling Tote. Using trash bins to collect cans and bottles is a good start. Make sure and designate what the bin/container is for with a sign so as not to cause confusion.

Deciding where to place the bins/containers can be difficult due to the size they may need to be. Your best bet is to, wherever there is a garbage bin, place a recycling container next to it.

For more help on recycling at work check out these sites: Recycle at your Desk and How, Recycling at Work, or How to Encourage Recycling at Work.

What better way to help the environment than in a way that helps you save money also. Below are some tips to help you reduce your kitchen energy usage.

1. Keep appliances clean – Clean surfaces maximize the amount of energy reflected toward your food.
2. Keep liquids covered -The refrigerator has to work harder, using more energy to keep cool, when pitchers of juice or water, unfinished drinks and other liquid items are stored without lids.
3. Switch to copper-bottom pots and pans - They heat up faster than other types of pans, which means they require less energy from the stove.
4. Dont peek – Opening the oven door can lower the internal temperature as much as 25 degrees. Use a timer to set the cooking time, and be sure your oven window is clean enough for you to see how your dish is progressing.
5. Practice smart storage – Don’t overload the refrigerator. Food stored loosely helps cold air circulate better, maximizing efficiency. The freezer, on the other hand, uses less energy when packed tightly(add a bag of ice to help fill it up).
6. Place appliances strategically – If possible, keep the refrigerator away from the oven and the dishwasher. The latter two generate heat, which makes the refrigerator work harder and use more energy to stay cold.
7. Don’t preheat the oven – Unless the recipe calls for a preheated oven, dont preheat.

Its mid July and the temperature is heating up, making it a bit uncomfortable.  Here are some very green and practical ways to stay cool with or without your air conditioner.

Skip the drying cycle on the dishwasher – It gives off heat that can make your kitchen warmer.

Think cold when cooking – Using the stove or oven when cooking will also make your kitchen warmer.

Switch on the ceiling fan - When you just can’t avoid using the air conditioner, turning on a fan helps distribute cool air more evenly and quickly, so you can set the temperature on the AC a little higher.

Swap out your traditional air-conditioning – Instead, try an evaporate cooler, which uses a small fan to blow air through water-saturated pads and into your home. This type of machine costs half as much as a central-air system and uses only a quarter of the energy.

Plant trees near windows with air conditioners – A unit in the shade uses up to 10 percent less energy than one in the sun.

Keep the windows closed – While running your air conditioner try to keep the heat outdoors.

Thermostat setting – In summer, the thermostat should not be set any lower than 25 degrees Celsius or 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stay cool naturally – Drinking plenty of cool water will help keep you hydrated and give your body what it needs to cool itself. Wear loose, breathable clothing. Cotton is usually a good fabric for helping to keep your body cool.

Its summertime and fruit & veggies are abundant, many people are making their way to farmers markets to get the freshest of the fresh. But even with beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables available at every corner, its still tough to pick out the best if you don’t know how. Here are 7 tips to help you pick the perfect produce and get what you pay for.

1. Have a taste. If it tastes good than you know its good, so ask for a sample.

2. Take a sniff. Fruit should have a sweet aroma; veggies should smell fresh. If they are bad, certain vegetables like asparagus tips will have a foul odor.

3. Do the bend test. To make sure veggies are crisp and fresh, bend them. If anything is even slightly soft or pliable its past its prime. This works best with vegetables like green beans, celery, asparagus, or zucchini.

4. Give it a squeeze. The freshest, ripest stuff has a slight spring or squeeziness to it that older produce doesn’t.

5. Weigh it in your hand. In general the heavier the fruit feels when you pick it up or cradle it in your hand, the juicier it will taste. Especially helpful when picking pineapples, melons or citrus fruits.

6. Ask whats good. Always ask the produce clerk, or farmer for recommendations. Everyday is a new day with new items coming in, one day the melons may be good while the next batch may not be as good.

7. Return the bad ones. And sadly with some fruits and veggies there is no way of telling if its good or bad until you slice it open. So to make sure and not lose money on your purchases, take any produce that is not up to par back to the store/market. Most stores have money-back return policies.

Living green doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money, and in this economy, we are all looking for ways to save a buck. Here are some easy steps to take to become more Eco-friendly while not spending a lot of money.

1. Walk, Bike, Carpool or take public transportation to work whenever possible. You will lessen your carbon footprint and save money on gas, what could be better.

2. Lower your thermostat and water heater a few degrees. This saves energy and lowers your monthly electric bill.

3. Implement a recycling and composting program at your home and work. Educate yourself, your family and your employees about recycling, composting and waste reduction.

4. Check with your local government about properly disposing of toxins and chemicals such as motor oil, conventional household cleaners, paints, batteries, etc..

5. Choose to support green businesses whenever possible and if they are local green businesses that’s even better.

6. Purchase from local and organic sources. Local area farmers markets a lot of times have better prices than the grocery store and much fresher.

7. Seek out gently used items instead of buying new. This is a huge money saver and what you find most of the time is just as good as brand new and don’t forget the fact that buying used is very Eco-friendly.

Catching the natural rainfall to store for later use helps conserve water and energy. A water catchment system can be adequate enough to provide most of the water needs for a water-conserving household, outdoors as well as indoors, by simply catching what falls on the roof.

Catching Rain is not only for use in your garden and yards but can cut down on the need to rely on city and county water, reduce energy consumption as well as greatly reduce water bills. Rain barrels can easily be sized for the amount of use, beyond using them in a garden, and remain relatively easy for an owner/builder to install for household use.

Here is a video from HGTV- How to Build a Rain Barrel.

Below are some helpful websites to get you on your way to conserving water.

Clean Air Gardening

Rainwater Harvesting

Rain Barrel Guide

We all are on budgets these days with the prices of food and really the prices of everything going up. Eating sustainably grown food on a budget can not only be delicious and nourishing but it can also open up new ways to work with familiar foods.

Do-it-Yourself: Go back to making food from scratch. Buying a loaf of organic bread can run you upwards of $5 but spending that same $5 on ingredients to bake bread at home can make up to 3 loaves of bread.

Eat Whats in Season: Often, whats best for the planet is best for the wallet, which as far as food is concerned, means eating whats in season. Use canned organic fruits and veggies during the months those foods are not in season.

Buy in Bulk: The bulk food isle may seem overwhelming at first but the potential savings are worth learning to cook with dried legumes and grains. For help with cooking in bulk click here. Natural meats can also be purchased in bulk and they are better for you and the environment.

Grow Your Own: When possible grow your own fruits and vegetables.

Make Room for Leftovers: When cooking at home, save time in the kitchen by preparing foods that will keep well in the refrigerator and freezer. Plan ahead, like if you are browning 2lbs of ground beef, brown a few more lbs for later use. Making larger portions so that you have some for left overs to use on a day when you don’t have time to cook.

For more help with eating sustainably, check out sustainabletable.org.

Water conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce our demand for water. Not only will your water bill go down, but as you heat less water, your gas or energy bill will also decline. If your whole community conserves, you will also pay less fees for water-related services. Droughts, flooding, and other extreme weather events worsened by climate change are also making fresh water an increasingly scarce commodity.

Below are 11 helpful conservation tips:

1. Check every faucet and toilet for leaks. Even a slow drip wastes a lot of water each day.
2. Take short showers and shallow baths.
3. Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth or scraping the dishes or washing your hands.
4. Don’t use the toilet to flush away tissues, gum wrappers or any other small scraps. It is not a trash can.
5. Be careful to water the lawn, not the sidewalk or street.
6. Do not use a hose to clean off the driveway. A broom is better.
7. Keep a jug of drinking water in the refrigerator, then you won’t have to run water to cool it.
8. Use the washing machine and dishwasher only for full loads.
9. Landscape your yard with drought-resistant trees and plants.
10. Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors.
11. Take preventative measures to keep your pipes from freezing and breaking.