Green Daily

Wait! Don't just chuck that used envelope into the recycling bin! Ok, it's better than throwing it in the garbage, but try reusing it first.

Donna Freedman of Smartmoney writes about her past usage of those little writing pads that self-stick and how she realized that she could just use scrap paper for lists and the like.

Make it your goal to never write a to-do list on a fresh piece of paper!

For more paper reusing and recycling tips see Freedman's article here.

In the market for a new TV, but don't know what to do with your old one? If it's working, the most environmentally friendly thing you can do is probably to donate it to a friend, family member, charity, or thrift store so that someone else can use it. Preferably someone who doesn't watch much TV (thus saving energy).

But if you plan to recycle your TV, you can save some money on the purchase of a new one. Sony is offering $100 coupons toward the purchase of their Bravia line of TVs. All you have to is take your old TV to one of 79 Waste Management Inc recycling centers around the US to receive your coupon. Your old TV does not have to be Sony branded, but if you read the fine print, Waste Managment may charge you $25 to $50 to recycle non-Sony television sets. That still means you can save some money on a new Bravia, just not quite as much.

Of course, if you're not planning on buying a Sony TV, recycling your old non-working television is still the right thing to do. So if you've got a Sony TV, you might as well take advantage of the limited time free recycling offer at Waste Management locations. You know, assuming you don't have to drive a few hundred miles to get to the nearest location.

[via Gizmodo]

Here's some good news!

Three-quarters of Americans plan to be more environmentally responsible in the new year, by reducing their energy use or recycling more, according to a recent survey. Two-thirds plan to cut their use of household chemicals, while 42 percent said they plan to take reusable bags to the supermarket.

Rob Densen, chief executive of Tiller, the company that commissioned the survey, had this to say, "New Year's resolutions being what they are, let's hope that Americans are more successful at reducing waste and energy consumption than we are at reducing our waistlines."

Ouch! Ok, he might have a point. Let's hope that this resolution sticks.

Some great tips from Enviromom on random things that sort of look like they can be recycled, but can't (note, this applies to most cities and towns, Enviromom specifically refering to Portland):

• Pizza boxes: If stained, no go. If not, yes.
• Toothpaste tubes: Usually no, as they are made of various layers of materials.
• Starbucks coffee cups: Not recyclable.
• Frozen food boxes: Anything that can be stored in the freezer is not recyclable.

There are places where you can recycle some of the items mentioned above, but you want to make sure before you toss it in the recycling bin, since many places do not recycle them. When in doubt, throw it out!

Text your waste away.

This might make you feel a little better about the $80 you just dropped to have someone clip your stylishly cropped coiffure. It's highly possible that your former locks are being used to clean up ecological disasters.

At least that's how it works at the Atelier Salon in in San Jose (along with hundreds of thousands of other salons around the country). They keep all the hair they cut, and ship it off to a San Francisco-based organization called Matter of Trust. MoT then turns the hair into mats that are used in cleaning up oil spills. The human hair mats are incredibly effective -- they can be used up to 100 times, and even wrung out so some of the oil is salvaged.

Plus, this keeps about one pound per day per salon out of landfills. Genius!

[via Ecofriend]

I am personally invested in my recyclables. I didn't mean for it to get this way but because I spend so much time rinsing and sorting, I get to know the contents of my bin very well. Top this off with the fact that I have to pay extra every month for curbside service and you could say that I believe that I am making good environmental choices.

But what if all of my efforts are a waste of time and money? I have heard the argument before that there are more trees now than there were in 1920 and that most virgin pulp comes from tree farms. I hadn't given much consideration to the chemical process used to turn paper back into pulp and the residue it leaves behind. Although there is less paper in the landfills, the recycling process re-bleaches the paper leaving dioxins behind.The actual process of recycling paper can cost up to three times as much as simply bringing it to a landfill.

As the holiday cards start flowing through my mail slot I am taking mental notes on how best to reuse them once the new year arrives. I would rather store them for an entire year than toss them into the recycling bin. Here are some of the solutions I've come across:

1. Cut them into gift tags. The heavy paper used for cards is perfect for cutting into tags. A pair of scissors is all you need but you can always get a little fancier if you have scrapbook cutters on hand.
2. Create geodesic ornaments. With the help of scissors, glue and a jar lid, you can create some really beautiful ornaments to hang around the house. You don't have to be terribly crafty to do this though the result looks rather sophisticated.
3. Another craft that is good for all cards you may receive is to create a card box. These can be used to hold treasures or as gift boxes for jewelry.
4. Create a postcard by drawing a centerline on the back and adding a stamp.
5. Cut out shapes and use to decorate scrapbooks and packages or make a collage.

via two green chickens

We're full of tricks, tips, and ideas for making your holiday season as green as possible. Check out our Green Holiday Guide and have an eco-friendly season!

If you're looking to put some of your hard-earned money into a company that is trying to do right by the environment, the choices are a tad slim considering the sheer number of public companies available today.

The good news is that the top two discount retailers in the U.S. -- Wal-Mart and Target -- are indeed making headway in reducing environmental impacts while conserving energy and ensuring recapture of certain materials is a priority.

Wal-Mart instituted a program this year that requires vendors to make packaging smaller (way smaller) for certain items as an introduction to reducing the amount of waste customers will see when tossing those impossible-to-open gadget clamshells.

You know when you get really, really wasted, and normal, everyday tasks suddenly seem like insurmountable forces of evil? Like moving all the way to the bed instead of just passing out on the floor, or putting all those bottles into the recycling bin instead of just stacking them into a pyramid and calling it a Christmas tree? I imagine that conversation went something like this:

College student A: Dude. Dude. I am so wasted.
College student B: I love Christmas dude.
College student A: I wanna celebrate with you man.
College student B: I wanna celebrate with YOU.
College student A: (starts to cry a little bit) Merry Christmas, dude.

And then the beer bottle Christmas tree was born.

I know this oddball recycling effort probably isn't something you'll be incorporating into your holiday decorating scheme this season, but at least it's better than throwing those bottles in the trash. And to be honest, it looks pretty impressive. I'm just sayin'.

If you really want this project to be low-impact, use the Green Beer Guide to find out who makes the most eco-friendly brew.

Target Corp is testing sales of pre-owned electronics on it's website, according to Reuters, offering used and refurbished iPods, video game consoles and TVs.

Target says they began the test after realizing that many used electronics were being returned in "perfect working order."

Here is the link to Target's pre-owned website. One huge benefit is that you'll get the same 90-day return policy as a new item. It's only a test, but it would be a good thing if it worked out.

[Via PC World]

Getting rid of old stuff is a real pain -- simply throwing it in the trash is so easy, but also so wrong. So here are some other more responsible alternatives, some of which you may have already heard of, some of which you may not have, and others which you may have just not thought of in awhile!

• Recycling (of course)
• Swap parties (can be done with all kinds of things)
  
• Donate items to the Goodwill or a local thrift store
• Give old books to a library or donate them to soldiers via Books for Soldiers
• Sell stuff online using eBay or Craigslist (warning: can be a hassle!)
• Give your stuff away for free on Freecycle
• Project Night Light and Animals Beacons of Light are both set up take old stuffed animals for children in need
• For old electronic devices and equipment: Dell and Apple will both recycle your old computer for free if you're buying a new one from them, and Greendisk will take your old cds, dvds, cords, cables, etc. and CollectiveGood will take old PDAs and cell phones for recycling or refurbishing.

These are just a few of many options out there -- please add any of your own discoveries in the comments section!

Dead evergreens line many streets following Christmas. Here in Louisiana, they are collected and brought down to the wetlands to serve as a barrier and ward off future land loss. But what about those of you who don't live with the Gulf of Mexico lapping at your doorstep? There are plenty of ways to recycle that tree.

Earth 911 will tell you where you can take your tree by simply giving them your zip code. From there your tree will most likely be turned into wood chips, a fish habitat, or placed along a beach front, lake, or river to prevent erosion. Another option for those who aren't quite ready to part with their tree is to remove all ornaments and tinsel, place it in the back yard and hang suet and bird seed from the branches. Birds and other wildlife will enjoy their own special Christmas treat.

via TreeHugger

Great post on Heart of Green about the Recyclable sign, popping up on more and more bills and envelopes in the mail. What does it really mean? It kind of looks good at quick glance as you throw that mail on the table. But is it really good?

Here's the catch ... all paper is recyclable, that envelope and every other envelope. So as Heart of Green so eloquently puts it, "companies that are using the recyclable symbol are getting the benefit of seeming environmentally-friendly without really doing anything. These companies want us to do the work of recycling their envelope, but they are not yet willing to print green."

What could companies do to really make a difference? Using paper and envelopes with a high percentage of post-consumer content to begin with. "Let's turn that "able" into an "ed," says Heart of Green. It would be a nice touch, especially on all of those bills.

Remember that one time you and your frat buddies got really loaded and decided to put beer in the dog's water bowl? Dude! Bro! That was totally outrageous!

Just think of how awesome that'd be if you did it with a bunch of cows!

Of course I'm joking, so you can hold off on that tersely worded email to PETA. However, some UK farmers really are feeding beer to their cattle -- and apparently it's good for them.

The idea comes from Greene King, the brewery behind Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale. They've started recycling beer dregs (from the bottom of kegs and pint glasses) into alcoholic (yet somehow non-harmful) animal feed. That feed is then used by local farmers who've noticed "rather a lot of happy cows" out in the pasture.

Not only is this a novel way to cut back on waste, but I'm sure it has drastically reduced the never-ending boredom of bovine life. Everyone wins.

[Via Treehugger]