Oil Gone

Many dishwashing detergents contain petroleum products, an unnecessary use of oil. A vegetable-based dish soap is a greener alternative widely available in natural food stores and even many supermarkets.

do your part: If every American household replaced just one 28-ounce bottle of petroleum-based dishwashing liquid with a vegetable-based product, the savings would amount to 82,000 barrels of oil.

Seventh Generation Products has one, learn more about it here

Keepin it Green Thursday

This St. Patrick's day, resist the impulse to open the oven door and sneak a look—and then another—at how your corned beef and cabbage is doing. Every peek causes a 25- to 50-degree drop in temperature, which wastes energy as the oven struggles to regain its setting.





Walking into the bar, Mike said to Charlie the bartender, "Pour me a stiff one - just had another fight with the little woman."
"Oh yeah?" said Charlie, "And how did this one end?"
"When it was over," Mike replied, "She came to me on her hands and knees.
"Really," said Charles, "Now that's a switch! What did she say?"
She said, "Come out from under the bed, you little chicken."

Uncorked!

Yemm & Hart, a company that finds innovative uses for recycled products, is soliciting wine bottle corks for a unique initiative. When the company has amassed six tons, they’ll begin converting the corks into coasters, clipboards, and flooring. Contributors will be eligible for discounts on the finished products.

you can do your part: Mail wine and champagne corks to Wine Cork Recycling, Yemm & Hart Ltd., 610 S. Chamber Drive, Fredericktown, MO 63645

Did you know?

Coffee was once grown mostly in shaded areas; today many growers are producing higher-yielding “sun coffee.” This practice requires extra pesticides and herbicides, can promote soil erosion, and reduces the habitat available to migratory songbirds including wood thrushes, tanagers, flycatchers, and Honduras orioles.

do your part: To support growers who use sound farming and harvesting practices, look for the USDA Organic and Bird Friendly symbols on the coffee package, or for a clear statement that the coffee is shade-grown.

Interested in more info? click here

P.S. Coffee is the second largest U.S. import after oil. Coffee drinkers have the potential to make a huge impact on the environment and economies of coffee growing nations.

Tap those savings

There’s no benefit in letting the water run while you shave, brush your teeth, or wash your hands. Turn off the tap when you don’t need the water and save ten gallons or more each morning.

Leaking faucets as small as 1/16 inch can drip away one hundred gallons very quickly. Replace worn washers and valve seals.

AND, if you keep your shower under five minutes you can save up to one thousand gallons a month. (Hey if you keep it under 5 mins and shower with a friend you've just doubled your savings and your fun.)

Plastic or Paper?

bag that question
Duck the decision altogether by bringing your own reusable basket or mesh bags to the supermarket. If you go grocery shopping once a week, in five years you’ll have kept anywhere from 250 to 1,000 grocery bags out of our landfills.
check out these bags from envirosax