Green in One Year--Start Now and Ramp Up in 12 Months
Make lasting changes with New Year's Resolutions that you can start now and gradually ramp up over the next 12 months, increase your health and the health of the planet.
One Person Can Make a Difference
Alexandra Underhill
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The Art of Xan
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How can just one person change the world around her? Alexandra Underhill, also known as Xan, is definately influencing everyone who meets her. She is a fascinating individual, fiercely creative, and passionate about recycling. Her talent, her passio...
Start With Simple Green Footsteps Today
One day at a time
Instead of having lunch delivered to your office, walk to a nearby restaurant and save take-out containers by dining in. Or bring your own container to the restaurant and have it filled there. At the very least, bring a set of your own silverware and a bottle of your favorite condiment to the office so you can skip the plastic utensils and the little packets of salt, pepper, ketchup and soy sauce.
Transportation
Start making a note of each car trip you take. "Changing your car habits is one of the most dramatic ways to reduce your environmental impact, "says Jodi Helmer, author of The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference
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The Green Year:
365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference
Energy
Get a baseline of your current carbon footprint using the reliable online calculators at either safeclimate.com or lowimpactliving.com. Set a goal fo how much you'd like to reduce your impact over the coming year--10 percent is a good start.
To make it more fun, find a group of friends to compete with. Send them and email inviting them to join the year long challenge.
Everyday Purchases
Buy a calendar and a notebook made out of a recycled paper so you can track your consumption throughout the year. In the coming months, you'll be noting each of the following on your calendar:
*the highest and lowest temperatures at which you set your thermostat each day
*the number of kilowatt hours of electricity your household uses each month (it should be on your bill)
*the quantity of fuel you buy for home heating each month, whether it's natural gas or oil
*how many gallons you buy at each trip to the gas station
In the notebook, create tally pages for car trips, trips made by public transportation, and self-powered (walking, biking, etc.) trips. Another page can be for waste, especially if your're going to compare your progress with friends and neighbors. Divide this page into "recycled" and "not recycled" columns, and tally the things you dispose of and the things you recycle--plastic bags, drink containers, etc.--week by week.
Green Products to Use Everyday
Vote for Your Favorite
Do you have a product that you love and it's not on this list? Well, add it then!
Fridge Balls Easier to Use Than Green Bags
Keep your produce fresher, longer Quit tossing away the produce you just bought and toss a Fridge Ball into your refrigerators crisper!
Fridge Balls are the easy way to keep your produce fresher, longer! How Fridge Balls Work As fruits and vegetables age they create gasses that cause them to spoil prematurely.
Supermarkets and grocers know this so they use potassium minerals to absorb these gasses in order to prolong the life of their produce and now you can too! Each Fridge Ball contains a pa...0 points
Refresh'n Dryer Towel - Save $365 in Dry Cleaning Costs! The Chemical Free , Eco-Friendly, Recyclable Version of "Dryel" or "Dry Cleaner's Secret". Stop Washing Clothes Needlessly...Refresh'n and Rewear in just 10 minutes. For Dry Clean and Wash & Wear Cl
ONE REFFRESH'N DRYER TOWEL WILL SAVE YOU:
* $365 on your dry cleaning costs!
*Apx. 700 gallons of water and 90 kwh of electricity on wash & wear items.
The Refresh'n Dryer Towel will clean, revive, reshape and freshen undesirable, previously worn, slightly dirty, odorized, lifeless, wrinkled clothing into freshly laundered, ready to wear articles in a matter of 10-15 minutes without the need for washing. Non-toxic, chemical free, and reusable up to 25 times, recyclable.
Don't throw clothes in...0 points
Debbie Meyer Green Bags
20 Count, Debbie Meyer GreenBags For Fruits & Vegetables, Keeps All Types Of Fruits & Vegetables Fresh Longer, Even Cut Flowers, Made With A Natural Mineral "Oya" That Extends The Life Of Produce By Absorbing And Removing The Ethylene Gasses That Cause Normal Deterioration, Reusable Up To 10 Times, Contains 10 Large: 17"L x 12"W & 10 Medium: 15"L x 9"W, Made In USA With FDA, G.R.A.S. (Recognized As Safe) Ingredients & FDA Recognized Food Grade P.E. Plastic.0 points
Organic Cotton Booties (nb-3m,Green Tea and Pistachio)
Super soft organic cotton. Great for protecting little feet and giving them room to move!0 points
Green Concept's Reusable Shopping Grocery Tote Bag - Collection of 4
Did you know that over 1 million plastic bags are being consumed every minute? Some of the plastic bags will end up in our landfills and eventually break down into tiny toxic bits polluting our soil, river, lakes and oceans. If get disposed improperly, these plastic bags will be harmful to our widelife. For example, over 100,000 birds, seals, turtles and whales are killed by plastic rubbish every year. Help saving the environment by purchasing the Green Concept's reusable tote bags. Our tote bag...0 points
Seventh Generation Bathroom Tissue, 2-Ply Sheets, 500-Sheet Rolls (Pack of 48)
Seventh Generation Bathroom Tissue is made from 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 80% post-consumer materials. Whitened with an environmentally safe process--never with chlorine bleach--this tissue is the healthy choice for your family and your environment.
Made from 100% Recycled Chlorine-Free Paper
By choosing Seventh Bathroom Tissue, you'll be making an important environmental difference immediately. These paper towels are not whitened with chlorine and are made from 100% recycled pap...
Then Take These Steps In The Next Week
Start keeping records
Over the next year, your goal is to educate yourself from food--where it comes from, how it's packaged and transported, and what happens to the waste--so you can make better choices for every meal.
This week, start at the end: Research your composting options. Throwing food scraps in the garbage may seem harmless, but decomposing food not only clogs landfills, it also releases methane--a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And encasing food scraps in a plastic bag or landfill keeps fruits and vegetables from replenishing the soil.
Buy the All Food Recycling Compost Kit with Bokashi
Transportation
Vow to take two fewer car trips over the next seven days, replacing them with walking, biking, or public transportation. Keep tracking each car trip in your notebook, and start writing down how many gallons of gas you're buying each time you fill up. And for each cart trip you do without, note any other benefits you reap beyond saving gas--such as fresh air, exercise, community interaction or reading time--so you can see the full spectrum of ways that driving less impacts your daily life.
Schedule an energy audit to get a list of suggestions for reducing your home's energy use. You can get a free audit from your local utility. This is the best choice if you rent since their suggestions tend to be smaller scale projects, like weatherstripping. Or you can get an assessment from an energy professional. The second choice is better if you own your home, since they specialize in large projects such as helping you choose efficient heating and cooling systems.
A professional assessment can run $300 to $500, but will likely pay for itself in energy savings if you end up making a major improvement. To find a certified building energy rater, visit resnet.org. "An energy audit will help you focus on the top one or two purchases that will have the biggest impact on your home energy use, "says Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living.
The Lazy Environmentalist:
Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living
Open a savings account devoted to green home improvements. Look at your budget and see what you can set aside toward a new efficient appliance, hot water heater or furnace. Even if it takes time to get there, it pays off in the long run.
Everyday Purchases
Create your own personal "Going Green" kit. Small purchases that can add up to a big impact include:
* reusable tote bags
* stainless steel water bottle
* travel coffee mug
* bring your own lunch supplies--an insulated carrier, utensils and wax paper or aluminum foil (instead of plastic wrap)
* compact fluorescent light bulbs
The Organic Food Shopper's Guide
Amazon Price: $13.45 (as of 07/10/2009)
List Price: $14.95
Cox, a former editor at Organic Gardening magazine, has been promoting organics since long before it was fashionable. Using his 30 years of organics knowledge in this guide-cum-cookbook, he attempts to untangle, for the average consumer, the confusing mess of what to eat. Readers will find concrete advice in this basic primer: the science of organic farming is followed by a product-by-product guide to organically farmed foods that can be found in the market. Organized by food group (vegetables, fruits, protein, etc.), each food is broken down by season-how to shop for it, the reason to buy the organic version, and a simple recipe or two that showcases the strength of the main ingredient. The best answer for the health of humans and the health of the planet is to buy everything organic, and the eventual redundancy of the "organic advantage" paragraph on each food reveals just that; there are only so many ways to explain that the product tastes better and that the farming method doesn't destroy the soil. The best parts of the book are the informational inset boxes; Cox is knowledgeable about all the food issues facing consumers and these boxes-including information on mad cow, local agriculture, fair trade and food labeling-showcase his expertise.
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Going Forward in the Next Month
Make small steady changes
Buy Green Guide Magazine for U.S. Delivery
Food
Switch one staple of your diet from conventional to organic: eggs this month, milk the next. For the greatest impact, choose something you buy all the time, not something that's an occasional purchase, and don't challenge your budget by going all organic at once.
Also, this month, find a farmer's market near you where you can start buying food that's produced within a few hundred miles of your home, further reducing the carbon footprint of your diet by requiring less fuel for transport.
Transportation
Strategize and commit to a green commute one day a week. Either clear it with your boss to work from home, or carpool, take public transportation, walk, or ride your bike to your office.
Buy an air pressure gauge and make a monthly habit of checking the air pressure in your tires. Properly filled tires increase gas mileage by about 3 percent. The best time to check your tires is in the morning when the tires are cold.
Set aside a weekend "green the house" day. Enlist the help of your fellow household members to tackle the simplest suggestions from your energy audit, such as wrapping your hot water heater or installing a programmable thermostat.
Everyday Purchases
As you use up conventional products, replace them with more environmentally friendly options--household cleansers that use essential oils for fragrance, laundry detergents formulated for cold water, cloth napkins to replace disposable ones.
Besides saving on trash and chemicals, you will send a message to manufacturers to produce more environmentally friendly products. "When you vote with your dollars, corporations listen,"--Trish Riley, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living
(Complete Idiot's Guide to)
During the Year Ahead
Continue to focus on small steady changes
Audit your grocery cart each time you shop, assessing whether you're choosing products with less packaging, buying only food that you know that you'll eat, and selecting foods that were grown in healthy ways.
Close the loop on your composted scraps and reap the benefits of the soil you're helping to replenish by planting a small garden.
Transportation
Analyze your gas usage trends to see how much your recordkeeping has changed your consumption. Put the money you saved into your green savings account.
Speed Queen CTSA7AWN 27" Stacked Electric Washer/Dryer with 8 Wash Cycles, 3 Dry Cycles, Automatic Dry Cycles, Extra Rinse, Quiet Efficient Blower & ENERGY STAR
Speed Queen offers solutions to you laundry needs saving you space and time with an ENERGY STAR Qualified stack washer/dryer. This unit saves you a lot of space, because the stack unit fits into the floor space of a single washer and it has the same extra large capacity as a front load washer and dryer. Because it has a one-piece heavy-duty stack design, no special installation required. Offering you energy saving features, all Speed Queen front load washers are ENERGY STAR qualified. Products that earn the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. ENERGY STAR Qualified Offering you energy saving features, all Speed Queen front load washers are ENERGY STAR qualified. Products that earn the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Extra Rinse Switch Put too much soap? Are your clothes extra dirty? To help get more soap, dirt and odors out of clothing, Speed Queen offers an Extra Rinse Switch! Variable Speed Induction Motor Using the latest technology the heavy-duty drive system provides greater wash action flexibility and increased durability. High Speed Water Extraction Spend less time doing laundry. Speed Queen front load washers offer a high extraction speed of 300 G-Force that gets more water out of clothing, reducing the dry time. Quiet, Efficient Blower System Constructed with a quiet, efficient blower system, Speed Queen dryers offer a superior airflow of 220 cu. ft. per minute for fast drying. Extra-large 7.0 cu. ft. Capacity Cylinder Large loads aren't a problem with Speed Queen dryers. Featuring a 7.0 cu. ft. cylinder, the increase in size means superior tumble action. Automatic Dry Cycles For excellent mixed load drying, Speed Queen dryers are manufactured with an automatic dry cycle that automatically times each load and shuts off to prevent over drying. Durable Galvanized Steel Cylinder Constructed with a galvanized steel interior, Speed Queen dryers won't corrode, chip or crack in normal use. (Limited Life-time Warranty.)
Energy
Check your green bank balance and see if you're ready for a larger purchase--a more efficient refrigerator or a tankless water heater.
Everyday Purchases
Gather the friends who embarked on the green year challenge with you and have them bring their notebooks along. Whoever consumed the least or reduced their carbon footprint the most should win a case of organic wine.
To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: What You Need to Know to Choose the Healthiest, Safest, Most Earth-Friendly Food
Amazon Price: $11.66 (as of 07/10/2009)
List Price: $14.95
"A slim, handy guide to how our food is produced and how to choose what to buy." -- Culinate.com, 6/8/07
I've been hesitant to question the organic label because it offers such an easy answer, and I've worried that if I begin to tug on that string, pretty soon my whole natural fiber sweater will be unraveled and I won't have a dominant food doctrine to blindly follow...Burke, who is a journalist and former chef, seeks to answer that question by delving into the politics behind the certified organic label and by defining terms, such as organic, local, sustainable and grass-fed. -- Liz Kohman, "The Versatile Vegetarian: Got questions about 'organic'? Book offers answers", The Courier News
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Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability
"The world is ready for this book." -- Robert Edson Swain, Green Architect
Living Green:
A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability
Product Description
Over 85% of Americans today express concern about health and the environment, but only a small fraction say they know where to begin. Whether you are concerned about climate change, personal health, or just want to live more lightly on the planet, this book is for you. It helps you get past the worry and take positive action to improve both your health and the health of our environment.
Based on a lifetime of research and practice, this practical guide for living green offers advice and solutions you can easily put into practice, like:
*The 10 foods you should always eat organic to avoid pesticides, herbicides, hormones and antibiotics. *Affordable and practical ways to offset your "carbon footprint" and neutralize your personal impact on global warming. *The most chemically-intensive personal care, household cleaning and lawn care products, and their effective natural alternatives. *How soft plastic water bottles hurt your health, your pocket book and our environment, with a simple and refreshing alternative. *How a simple carbon filter can dramatically improve your everyday health and potentially add years to your life. *The truth about hybrids and flex fuels. *Why an organic mattress is the most important health investment you can make. Foreword by Jordan Rubin, New York Times best-selling author of The Maker's Diet.
Where Do You Stand on Reducing Your Carbon Footprint?
Post Your Experiences Here
What Do You Do to Improve Your Environment?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byI am really working hard to reduce my carbon footprint.
Mortira says:
I've always recycled, turned off lights and used little water. Recently, I rearranged all the cords in our living room so that I can switch off unused electronics at night.
Posted March 11, 2009
TheGreenerMe says:
I recycle everything I can, plan out my trips so I use the least amount of gas possible, use reusable bags, eat as much locally grown produce as possible, but I need to conserve more water, so that's one thing I'm working on in '09.
Posted January 04, 2009
I eat organic food as much as possible.
Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying
David Bach
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"Yet another powerful reason to go green! Thankfully for our species, going green can also mean saving some green. Go Green, Live Rich shows you exactly how a lot of small steps added together can change your life in more ways than one."
- Graham Hill, TreeHugger.com and PlanetGreen.com
"I LOVE IT. LOVE IT. LOVE IT. This is just what the world needs. Not a bunch of touchy feely, mumbo jumbo, but real world solutions that show why going green is just plain smart. Fantastic."
- Steve Fleischli, President, Waterkeeper Alliance
"David Bach has done it again! As a green affordable housing developer, I enthusiastically recommend Go Green, Live Rich! Packed with tips and tools, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to make their home--and their life--more eco-friendly."
- Josh Lockwood, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity - New York City
Go Green, Live Rich:
50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying
Bach (The Automatic Millionaire; Start Late, Finish Rich) offers a multitude of suggestions for conserving the planet-and your money-in this attractive and accessible guide. A few of Bach's tips require making a serious commitment (growing your own vegetables, using recyclable energy, trading in your car for a fuel-efficient model); others such as unplugging unused appliances, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and eating less meat are simple-if familiar-ways to go green. Bach also advocates making environmental consciousness a family value (spending more family time in nature, taking volunteer vacations), greening holidays by using recycled wrapping paper, sending e-cards and tree-cycling. Bach clarifies how the most conservative changes in lifestyle can yield radical results: If every U.S. computer and monitor were turned off at night, the nation could shut eight large power stations and avoid emitting 7 million tons of CO2 every year. In the Finish Rich section, Bach turns his attention from going green to getting green-investing the money you save in eco-friendly businesses. A winning and wise guide, this book-printed on recycled paper with proceeds going to a green advocacy group-will find a large audience.
More Lenses on Green Topics
Green Your Parties, Your Office and more
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Weddings Gone Green
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Join the hottest revolution, and plan a green wedding! Here are some tips, ideas, and links to resources on how to do just that. Creating a green wedding is easy, and fun to do. Impress your guests with your green know-how, and keep your wedding hi...
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Eco-Chic Green Fashion
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Are you aware that GREEN is the new BLACK? And when I say Green, I do not mean the color Green, but Eco Clothes--Eco-Friendly Clothing! The fashion industry is becoming greener every day, and the more we demand organic and eco-clothes, the better an...
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Green Gifts--Become Part of This Hot Trend
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Green gifts are in for lots of occasions, green wedding gifts, green party favors, green housewarming gifts, even eco-friendly clothing and birthday gifts. But it is not always easy to find them, or find gifts that people actually need. So this lens...
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Vegetarian Comfort Foods
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There are lots of great comfort foods that don't involve meat, the most notable is macaroni and cheese. However, with healthy eating and vegetarian food becoming more of a way of life to many, it is great to know that vegetarian comfort food goes way...
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Green Baby Gifts
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Babies are so precious. They are tiny and helpless. It is our job to nurture them so they can grow up in a wholesome and healthy environment. How better to create this environment, than to teach our children to live a green life from the start. This...
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Shopping For House Plants -Tips
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Don't buy expensive plants at a variety shop, supermarket or department store-purchase your plants from professional people who grow and sell plants, and nothing else. They usually know the most about house plants, and are both able and willing to an...
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Caring for an Orchid - . Fragile. Elegant. Exotic.
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For many, the sheer nature and beauty of an orchid scares them away from the idea of having an orchid as a houseplant. Orchids are one of the largest plant families and the many varieties make for some very fussy plants. But the truth is that there...
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Green Wedding Showers
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Green is in, and it is healthy for us and the earth. Everywhere you look, companies are offering green services and products. So why not start out your married life right, and throw a green shower. Tell your friends and relatives that a green bridal...
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Green is Not Just Earth Friendly, It's Good Business
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Recycling had become the standard to meet not just at home, but in business. And many businesses are finding that recycling is not just the right thing to do to save the world, it is also good for business. How can you save money with recycling and e...
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Keeping It Green--Recycled Art in Cleveland, Ohio
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It may surprise you that Cleveland, Ohio is one of the best places to find incredible recycled art. Being green in Cleveland, Ohio has extended to the art world, and is well supported by the green movement in Cleveland in general. .! This lens is jus...
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Green Wedding Gifts
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Going green is in and its healthy for all of us including Mother Earth. And there are so many resources for becoming more and more green. This lens is a companion to my Weddings Gone Green and Green Wedding Showers. Here are some great green gifts f...
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Deby Cowdin--Turning Trash into Functional Art
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Deby Cowdin is a close friend of mine and fellow entrepreneur. She has built a business called From The Blue Bag, based on recycling used alcohol bottles from local bars and restaurants and turning them into practical and beautiful serving dishes, tr...
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Greening Your Business
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Has your business jumped on the green bandwagon? It is no longer just a fad to become green, but good business sense in many ways. Customers are looking for companies that are working to become green, and often recycling can save your company money....
Green Starter Kit- Get Started Toolkit
Amazon Price: $59.95 (as of 07/10/2009)
Little things make a big difference. This kit will help you down the path to greener living with simple things you can do to save energy, natural resources and reduce carbon emissions. Take a step in the right direction and put these everyday products to use in your home and office. Each product in the collection is labeled with an explanation of it's environmental benefit to help you on your way.
Buy Energy Efficient Small Appliances
Save money and the earth at the same time
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Under The Nile Organic Cotton Fruit Tote
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
* We all know how babies love to put things in their mouth, why not start them off with organic vegetables and fruits?
* Veggie toys are fun and hands-on, encouraging children to develop a positive attitude towards vegetables. These toys are safe, non-toxic and certified organic.
* Organic Egyptian Cotton and stuffed with 100% organic cotton so no need to worry about baby putting these toys (organic fruit, yum) in their mouths.
* 100% ORGANIC, 100% Egyptian. The natural cotton assures you that absolutely no pesticides or chemicals have been used through the entire production process.
* Includes organic Egyptian cotton basket with watermelon, pear, small banana and grapes. Under the Nile. Machine wash and dry.
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Got More Green Ideas?
Post your green ideas here
Mortira wrote...
Wonderful lens with lots of great tips. It really is easy to be green if you think ahead. I'm featuring this on my new Earth Hour lens! * * * * *
Posted March 11, 2009
aj2008 wrote...
This is a great collection of info for anyone wanting help to "green" their lives. Lensrolled to my Green lenses & will be featured on some as well.
Posted January 10, 2009
Reggie_Marigold wrote...
Excellent resource (more lenses on green topics). I already do what this lens outlines and have done pretty much since I was little. Back then it was called living frugally or maube 'growing up poor' ;)? However, it's a great lens for those that are just starting and I can use as a resource for other areas of green that I haven't considered before. Thank you.
Posted January 05, 2009
TheGreenerMe wrote...
Good luck to everyone with their green resolutions for 2009! Welcome to the Million Ways to Go Green!
Posted January 05, 2009
