I’d like to applaud you if you’re making 2011 New Year’s Resolutions to live a greener life, I really would. But how many “resolutions” have you made over the years? And – be honest, now – how many have you actually kept? The truth is,resolutions are as easy to abandon as they are to embrace. […]
Author Archive | Diane
How to Keep Drinking Water Safe for You and Your Family (Bottled Water is Not the Answer)
7.8kviewsBeing able to get clean, safe drinking water straight from the tap is a right we’re all entitled to. Yet today’s news stories report, once again, that the water we drink every day may contain dangerous chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses. This time, the chemical in question is a compound called […]
What’s Been Your Biggest, Coolest, Eco-Friendliest Change This Year?
Did you finally give up using paper towels? Did you switch out all the incandescent bulbs in your house to LEDs? Maybe you gave away your car and bought a bike. Or planted a huge organic garden to grow more of your own food. Started raising chickens in the back yard? (Free range, of course!) […]
One Way to Solve Climate Change: Clean Cookstoves
Can a simple stove help solve something as complex as climate change? The United Nations Foundation and its partners at the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other institutions and organizations think so – at least, in part, which is why they’ve launched the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. This new partnership between […]
Holiday Traditions that Mean the Most to Me: Family, Friends, Food!
This weekend begins a chain of holiday traditions I’ve been building with my family for twenty years. Early Saturday morning, I’ll climb up in the attic and pull down the holiday lights, bunting, evergreen trim, and ribbons and bows we use to decorate our house for Christmas every year. I’ll tap my “inner Martha Stewart” as I […]
Ten “Buy/Don’t Buy” Rules for Green Shopping
Make green shopping easier this holiday season by following the ten straightforward rules below. 1) Don’t buy anything that requires a throwaway battery. Batteries leak cadmium, lead and other heavy metals when they’re thrown away. They usually come wrapped in plastic and cardboard, creating more trash as soon as you buy them. Plus, you have to keep […]
Turn ‘America Recycles Day’ into Zero Waste Day and Re-Use It Week
Recycling is great, but it’s not enough. We need to reduce the amount of stuff we buy even if it is recycled. And we need to stop feeling like throwing all that stuff away is ok, just because it can be recycled. (Lloyd Alter makes the argument more clearly than I over at Treehugger.com. ) So today, […]
Recycle Holiday Lights and Replace with Discounted Energy-Saving LEDs
5.7kviewsHoliday lights brighten up everything except your electricity bill. They’re so twinkly and tiny, you probably string them up without giving much if any thought to how much energy they use. Turns out, the energy they use is A LOT. That’s because standard holiday lights are just mini incandescents, one of the most ineffecient ways we light […]