“Look both ways before you cross the street.” That’s the Precautionary Principle in a nutshell. The Precautionary Principle was hammered out at the historic Wisconsin Wingspread conference in 1998 by scientists, researchers, and citizens. The principle is grounded in the simple belief that we should not wait to protect ourselves or the environment until we […]
Paint Your Home “Green” To Stay Healthy and Protect the Environment
Whether you’re redecorating your living room, covering up the screaming Pepto pink you once painted the bedroom, or just doing a little touch-up, there’s more at stake when you repaint your home than color, What you choose affects your health and the environment, too. Here’s how: Conventional paint contains toxic chemicals called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that […]
What is a CSA? Delicious Organic, Locally Grown Food
If you’re looking for delicious natural, organic food, consider signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. CSAs are a great way to enjoy fresh, seasonal produce all summer long while supporting your local farmers. If you’re interested, the time to sign up is now. Here’s how CSAs work: A farmer sells a certain […]
What Does “Natural” Mean?
Dictionary.com defines natural as “not artificial” or “having undergone little or no processing and containing no chemical additives.” When I think of “natural” I think of things “as Nature made them” – a tree, a flower, an apple, a bunch of carrots. I can recognize natural products in more or less their original form and can usually figure out […]
Ten Ways to Control Catalog Clutter
During the post-holiday season, retail catalogs begin swamping mailboxes as the stores where you shopped add your address to their mailing lists. The huge amount of paper and ink used to produce catalogs is an environmental no-no. Producing all these catalogs is a big waste of energy and resources, especially because most of the products and […]
Six Ways to Green Your Valentine’s Day
Here at Big Green Purse, we love love. So naturally, Valentine’s Day is one of our favorite days of the year. As it turns out, it also presents one of the best opportunities to shift your spending to greener goods. Of the billions of dollars spent on Valentine’s Day gifts every year, more than a third are spent […]
Green Tax Credits Can Help You Save Money
Buying energy-efficient home energy systems, appliances, and cars can save you loads of money by reducing your energy consumption. But the upfront cost of investing in efficient technologies can make ditching your old energy guzzlers for new energy sippers seem prohibitive. Federal and state tax credits help defray your purchase costs. Here’s how: Federal Energy Efficiency […]
Is the iPad just more e-waste?
When Apple debuted its much-awaited iPad on Wednesday in San Francisco, one of the first attributes founder Steve Jobs touted was the gadget’s eco-friendly specs. But how “green” can an electronic device like this really be? Greenpeace recently released its analysis of electronics manufacturers: Nokia and Sony Ericsson came out way ahead of the pack; Apple didn’t fare […]
