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RUGreen
• September 23, 2008 -- Green your Gadgets - Extend battery life: Lithium-ion batteries, one of the most common types used in laptops and mobile devices, last longer when kept from running below a 40-percent charge. If you have an iPod, you'll get the most bang for your battery buck (make that bucks--at least 49 of them for a replacement battery) if you take it out of the case before charging. Carrying cases can trap heat and compromise battery capacity. That means plugging in more often and using up the limited number of charges more quickly. For any device, it's a good idea to keep batteries away from extreme temperatures, allow plenty of circulation, shut off juice-draining non-essential functions, and use a low-power mode whenever possible. • September 15, 2008 -- Green your shopping trip - Reusable bags: Whether you've made your own sacks from recycled t-shirts or purchased totes that support a good cause, the reusable bag is a shopping must-have. Amassing a collection of eco-friendly bags is the easy part--remembering to bring them every time you go to the store can be tricky. Be prepared for spur-of-the-moment sprees by storing extra canvas or hemp bags in your bike basket, office cubicle, and the trunk of your car. Stash a small reusable produce bag in your purse or briefcase so that if you decide to swing by the farmers' market on your lunch hour, you won't have to juggle your fruit to avoid the ol' plastic bag. • September 2, 2008 -- Eco-Fashion: The environmental impact of an item of clothing lasts long after the fibers have been harvested, woven, dyed and shipped. So without making a single new purchase, you can begin to green your fashion by reducing the energy used to clean and maintain your current wardrobe. First step? Rethink your laundry. Heating water accounts for 90 percent of the energy used to wash a typical load. Yet with the exception of bed linens and grease-stained fabrics, most items don't need to be washed in simmering hot temperatures and too-hot water can reduce their longevity. To cut back on energy use, consider choosing clothes labeled for washing in cold water, turning your water heater down to 120 degrees, and using the cold setting whenever possible. If you're not ready to go whole hog, you can cut energy use in half by simply switching the temperature setting from hot to warm. • August 26, 2008 -- Green Your Drink: Stock up on the cold stuff. The dog days of summer call for ice by the bucket. But relying on a refrigerator's automatic ice maker—which uses heaters and extra energy—can supersize the environmental impact of your drinks. Making ice in trays, on the other hand, requires only the energy already being used to drop the freezer's temperature. Of course, letting chilled air tumble out of the freezer when you open the door to grab cubes can also waste energy, but it uses less energy in the long run than auto ice makers, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. To minimize energy use and keep the convenience of ready-made ice, make several trays of ice before a party and keep the cubes in an ice bucket on the counter as you serve up drinks. • August 21, 2008 -- Beat the Heat: Ban Hot Appliances. It sounds simple, but it's easy to forget that many household appliances create heat. Make sure you've unplugged all of your vampire appliances and avoid using heat producers such as the oven and the dryer.
Need to use a hot appliance? Close the door and switch the window fan to reverse mode to draw the hot air outside. • August 11, 2008 -- Green Your Hike: Dress Smart, Spray Less. While some hikers fight bites and stings with plant oils, other sweet-blooded adventurers wouldn't dare step into mosquito country without packing a gallon of the hard stuff. Wherever you fall on the bugs-begone spectrum, you can boost your nature-induced buzz and fear not the biting masses with simple clothing choices. Long sleeves, closed-toe shoes, and hats equipped with mosquito netting can help you keep biters at bay. Since mosquitoes are attracted to darker colors and warmer bodies and they can bite through tight-fitting fabrics, opt for light colors and loose fits. • August 6, 2008 -- Green Your Date: Green dating shouldn't break your bank. Woo a new crush or surprise your steady with these three inexpensive, earth-friendly date ideas.
• July 28, 2008 -- Green your Meal with Seasonal Foods: You don't have to be Popeye to enjoy a green meal. Whether you’re sweltering in the nation’s capital or keeping cool in the Windy City this summer, try recipes based on local, seasonal ingredients to keep the environmental impact of your grub to a minimum. This doesn't mean you have to give up on favorite dishes that call for ingredients from far away places. Rather, you can whip them up with a little creativity and substitutes from local harvests. Don't know where to begin? Start with foods available at a nearby farmers market or raid the produce aisle for basil, bell peppers, green beans, summer squash, and tomatoes—all in season during July and August. • July 22, 2008 -- Green Your Pool: Splashing around in a pool can be a guilty pleasure this time of year. Sure, there's a drought, but it's hot! If you don't have a pool at home, share the eco-pool love with someone who does.
• July 7, 2008 -- Green Your Wedding Invitations: Getting hitched? Congrats! Look for recycled paper and eco-friendly inks. Skip the response cards. You don't need to clear an entire forest to let your guests know when and where your wedding will be. Choose invitations that use minimal paper (recycled, when possible) and soy- or vegetable-based inks. Allow guests to RSVP online to save paper on response cards and envelopes. • July 1, 2008 -- Green Your Grill: Roughly 60 million Americans will celebrate the Fourth of July by flipping burgers over a charcoal-fueled flame. (How many do you suppose don "world's greatest chef" aprons?) While a single barbecue won't destroy the planet, millions of 'em do have an impact. With a few minor adjustments to this summer ritual, grilling can go green. Easy Green: Opt for an electric or a propane grill, because charcoal emits more carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and soot. If you can't sacrifice the traditional smoky taste, hybrid grills rely primarily on electric power, while a small amount of charcoal or wood imparts flavor. • June 23, 2008 -- Five Ways to Green Your Workout: Inspired by eco-minded Olympians? Add a little green action to your next workout session with these tips:
• June 12, 2008 -- Turn your wash green: While you're awaiting the arrival of the waterless washing machine, make a few adjustments to your laundry routine to save energy. Wash a full load, opt for a cold rinse, and hang clothes on the line to dry. For dry-clean-only clothes, choose greener options like wet cleaning or liquid CO2 dry cleaning. • June 3, 2008 -- Garden With Used Coffee Grounds: Used coffee grounds make a great fertilizer for plants that thrive in acidic soil, like rhododendrons or azaleas. Sprinkle coffee grounds and eggshells around the base of plants to repel ants, snails, and slugs. • May 20, 2008 -- Clean Your (Smaller) Plate: Americans churn out 30 million tons of food waste per year, reports The New York Times in a recent article. That wasted food often ends up in landfills, producing methane--a greenhouse gas--as it decomposes. How can you reduce your food footprint without increasing your waistline? Dish out smaller portions (a good trick for keeping portion size in check is to use smaller plates) and save your leftovers for a second meal. When you're eating at a restaurant, stick to tapas, or appetizers, and skip the main course. If modest portions aren't available, split an entree with a friend or bring your own carryout container to avoid plastic and styrofoam. For more tips, visit wastedfood.com. • May 12, 2008 -- Old News: Love getting the Sunday paper and looking for some creative ways to re-use all of that old news? Apartment Therapy has featured a list of 20 household uses for old papers, from warming up your house to cleaning your fridge and even a way to entertain people at a party! For all twenty ideas, check out their post here. • April 29, 2008 -- Slow Down! With gas prices reaching $4/gallon, there is an easy way for you to save money at the pump if you simply must drive. The San Francisco Chronicle did some reseach and concluded that "how much you stand to save depends on a lot of factors. With gas at $4 a gallon, a driver with a long commute - 400 miles a week - and a gas-guzzling vehicle getting only 20 mpg would save $18.74 a week by slowing down dramatically from 75 to 55 mph, extrapolating from the government's most recent figures on the subject. Even a more moderate deceleration - from 70 to 60 mph - would save that driver $11.74 a week." • April 24, 2008 -- Every day in the United States, we throw away over 200 million pounds of trash, 15% of which comes from kitchen and yard waste, and all of which ends up in our over-taxed and limited landfill space. Ever wondered how much of your waste you could re-use and recycle in your very own backyard? You might be surprised to learn that almost all of it can be turned into fertilizer by composting! You might also be surprised to learn that you can start your own composting operation in a few simple steps. Let the Sierra Club's Owen Bailey show you how you can start a compost pile in your backyard! • April 23, 2008 -- Most Americans take to walking like ducks to asphalt. But it's not always our fault. Many of us live in communities where walking to the store is dangerous, impossible, or both. Now walkscore.com has launched a website that lets you get a sense for how "walkable" any neighborhood really is -- based on the proximity of stores and other services. Do you live in a "walker's paradise" (score of 90-100)? Find out for yourself. • March 11, 2008 -- Oil Change Changeup: Quicky oil-change shops may urge us to change the oil in our vehicles every 3,000 miles. But most cars nowadays don’t need changing that often. In fact, most manufacturers say you can go 7,000 miles without a problem. Ditto for that SUV—unless you really are starring in one of those TV ads and driving it hard and long over dusty roads. What difference does it make? Consider this: each year California alone generates about 153 million gallons of used oil. Change less often and it really can save your engine and the planet. • March 4, 2008 -- Now You're Cookin': They say a watched pot never boils, but a covered one boils extra quickly, saving cooking time--and energy. Using smaller appliances, like a microwave, toaster oven, rice cooker, or crock pot when appropriate to the task; choosing the right size pan and burner for meals prepared on the stove; and keeping the oven door closed while baking are other great ways to conserve energy in the kitchen. It also doesn't take as much energy to reheat food as it does to cook it in the first place, so make enough for leftovers! • February 13, 2008 -- Tips for an environmentally friendly Valentines Day:
• February 4, 2008 -- The PB&J Campaign: Livestock create a beefy portion of all greenhouse-gas emissions: 18 percent, according to the United Nations. Could the answer be as simple as two slices of bread and a slathering of peanut butter and jelly? Perhaps. Compared with a burger, this classic sandwich saves as much as 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide, 280 gallons of water, and 50 square feet of land--even more if you wash it down with a glass of soy milk. "You don't have to change your whole diet to change the world," says the PB&J Campaign. "Just start with lunch." • January 23, 2008 -- Do you bring a 6 ounce container of yogurt to work in the mornings for breakfast? To reduce your impact, instead try buying the larger 32 ounce yogurt containers and scooping your daily portion of yogurt into a reusable container. That reusable container could even be the old 6 ounce yogurt containers that you used to buy. You'll be reminded everyday of the waste you are preventing! • December 14, 2007 -- Ditch the disposables and use cloth handchiefs and dish towels instead. At the very least, look for paper products made from recycled content. According to manufacturer Seventh Generation, if every household in the United States replaced just one box of 85 sheet virgin fiber facial tissues with 100 percent recycled ones, we’d save 87,700 trees and 31 million gallons of water. • December 5, 2007 -- Beautiful, ecofriendly gift wrapping is a snap if you use creativity rather than cash:
• December 3, 2007 -- O Christmas Tree...Here are some things to keep in mind when decking your halls:
• November 26, 2007 -- Get with the times and download new music instead of buying it on CDs. The "jewel cases" that CDs come in are usually made from polyvinyl chloride, a dangerous material that cannot readily be recycled. Downloading will also help cut down on the production costs and energy used to create the discs themselves. And many record labels (to use a quaint term) are making those clever liner notes available online. • November 20, 2007 -- Planning a vacation? Skip the plane tickets and take a train instead. A transcontinental airplane flight that's 80 percent full can generate 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. And we don't have to tell you how bad driving is. Depending on the type of train and the length of your trip, train travel creates just 4 to 15 percent of the CO2 emissions, per passenger, than going by plane. Plus it's a great, safe, and unique way to see the country. • November 13, 2007 -- It might seem like a no-brainer to most of you, but if you aren't already, bring a reusable tote bag when you go shopping. Making disposable plastic bags requires energy equal to 4 million barrels of oil a year, while paper bags use up 14 million trees annually. • November 5, 2007 -- When it comes to clearing the air, you should can the artificial sprays, gels, and plug-ins: Not only is the packaging wasteful, scientists now say many air fresheners can aggravate asthma and pose other health risks, including developmental problems in babies. Most fragrance products, including ones labeled "all natural," contain dangerous chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, and phthalates. For a green alternative:
• November 1, 2007 -- If you're already bringing your own mug to your favorite cafe, take the next step and encourage them to switch to organic or fair trade coffee and tea. As for the other meals of the day, eat in if you have time so you can use the restaurant's glassware and silverware. If you have to take it to go, bring along your own carton and reusable silverware, limit the use of paper napkins, and say "no thanks" to bags to carry food in. • October 23, 2007 -- Green Jeans: Americans tend to toss their outdated jeans as styles change, but old pairs can be cut into shorts, made into book covers or bags, used as cleaning rags, worn for yard work, tied in a knot and used as a doggie chew toy, or kept around for another 10 years when they’ll be in style again. The possibilities for reuse are endless. • October 3, 2007 -- Avoid products that are packaged for single use (i.e., drinks, school lunches, candy, cat and dog food, etc.). Instead, buy in bulk and transfer the products to your own reusable containers. Many health food stores have bulk bins where they sell everything from grains to cereal to cleaning products. • October 1, 2007 -- Paper towels or electric dryer? There's no contest. Did you know electric dryers are twice as energy-efficient as paper towels, even towels made from recycled paper? Although the production of the electricity that powers electric dryers generates greenhouse gases, the production of paper towels is twice as energy-intensive and creates more greenhouse gases overall. Also, the manufacture of paper towels emits pollutants, including chlorine, and many paper towels are made from virgin wood rather than recycled material. Your small choice can make a big difference. • September 20, 2007 -- How many parts of your outfit could be green? Nylon and polyester suck up fossil fuel during their manufacture and that makes them a fashion DON'T. Opt instead for clothes made of recycled polyester or alternative fabrics like bamboo or hemp. Now check out your kicks. Shoes made of organic materials like canvas or cotton lessen the environmental impact during production and break down eventually when the're discarded. But don't to that just yet. Try getting footwear resoled when you can instead of buying new. • August 24, 2007 -- When shopping, consider what goes into producing the products you buy and the impact of their production on the environment. Do you really need another coffee mug? • August 22, 2007 -- Americans use 400 million miles of toilet paper each year. Look for recycled rolls with at least 20 percent post-consumer content. • August 17, 2007 -- Back to School Cool: 3.4 million tons of paper are purchased during back-to-school season. If every student used 100 percent recycled paper--available now at Staples and most other major retailers--we could save millions of trees. More than 14 billion pencils are produced every year--enough to circle the globe 62 times. Consider buying refillable pencils that can be used for years, or EarthWrite recycled pencils. • August 9, 2007 -- Turn off your computer - and the power strip it's plugged into - when you leave for the day. During the day, setting your computer to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by as much as 70 percent. And remember... screen savers don't save energy.
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