Keep It Closed

 

My brother is away at college and not home for most of the winter. In order to save energy when heating the house we close his door. This prevents us from needing to heat that room. It is getting colder, so if you have any unused rooms turn its heat off and close the door. This will make your furnace more efficient when heating your home (because it is only going where you need it). 

Looking on The Bright Side

Obviously hurricanes and power outages are no joke, but from an environmental perspective they have some benefits! On Monday travel was significantly lessened. No cars on the road and no planes in the air for 24 hours could mean a great decrease in emissions. If entire areas lose power, that's a huge region that is no longer putting a demand on nature. It is an odd way to look at things, but I would guess that this week is a nice break for mother nature. It may be hard on us, but if we stay positive it doesn't seem as bad.

Stormin' Sandy

Storms can be scary and power-outages can be rough, but there is no reason to go crazy. During storms people like to stock up on bottled water. This makes sense if you do not have town water and instead rely on a well, but if this is not you - don't buy bottled water! Even if you do rely on an outside water source there are alternatives to store-bought bottled water. For example: fill up a pitcher of water ahead of time and store it in your fridge.

It is good to have things like flashlights and extra batteries around: those items make sense.  Be prepared, but be smart. Get only what you really need and don't be wasteful.

New or Used?

 

Buying a new, high efficiency car may sound better than using an old, lower efficiency car, but that is not always the case. If you are driving a car that gets lower to mid 20's MPG and are looking into a new car that gets lower to mid 30's MPG, it is better the keep driving your old car. If you're a young person buying their first car, get a used car! Why is this?

The manufacturing of a new car produces enormous amounts of CO2 (almost a third of all CO2 the car will produce in its lifetime), and trashing your old car only results in more waste piled around. Check out this article for more information: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=when-used-cars-are-more-ecofriendly

Skeptical Science

 

Skeptical Science is a really cool app that gives quick statistics and facts disproving global warming skeptics. If you were having an intense dinner conversation with someone who couldn't stop yelling about how the temperature record is unreliable, you could whip out your Skeptical Science app, click on "temp record is unreliable" and read a whole page disproving that theory. Or, if you are that skeptic, maybe you'd be interested in perusing the app yourself. Education is always a great tool, and this kind of app can help with that. Enjoy!

Treehugging

 

Treehugger is an app that gives a continuous feed of short and sweet news articles related to green technology and events. The articles are mostly very easy and quick to read - just the way I like them! It is a good and simple way to get some news and read about cool things! If you can't get the app, Treehugger.com  is the corresponding website. Check it out!

Make Up

 

Don't buy new make up until your old one is as completely used as possible! With things like powder it is easy to get annoyed and just throw the whole thing out (especially when the middle wears through and there is just a ring). But think, if you combined all of those make up containers with just that ring left, that could add up to a lot of make up. Don't consume and waste more than you need! Make sure you get your money's worth, and maybe you will save some money by not buying so much. Be patient!

Cardboard Bicycle...Yes Cardboard!

 If this bike looks a little strange to you, it should! This bike is (hopefully) the bike of the future. It is made of 100% recycled materials; 95% recycled cardboard (that's right...cardboard!) and 5% recycled car tires/plastic bottles. That is only $9.00 worth of materials, and no metal! The cardboard is treated with organic chemicals so that it is strong, water-proof, and fire resistant so you don't need to worry about safety. Check out this video for more information:

http://specials.msn.com/msnvideo/video?videoid=954bc2ba-1ebf-4665-8403-71f6b28e9afc&from=en-us_msnhpvidmod

How bizarre but totally cool is that?! 

Shifting With The Seasons

 

So the weather is getting colder and it is not really practical to try to compost anything at all outdoors in the winter (in New England anyways). Luckily we are not quite there yet, but for when we do get frosty here is a tip for your veggie scraps! Make a nice vegetable broth out of them! According to The Moosewood Cookbook, the skins and innards of fruits and veggies make a great soup when boiled and simmered for about an hour. You can put the scraps in the fridge or freezer (pictured above) until you are ready to make the broth. How wintery!

Here is a list of good fruits and veggies to include (or not include):

To Use:

• onions
• apples
• garlic
• potatoes
• carrots
• pears
• pineapples
• melons
• bell peppers
• zucchini tips
• parsley stems
• tomato tops and bottoms
• pea pods
• scallion tips
• spinach stems
• evacuated corn cobs
• lettuce
• green bean strings
• beet parts

NOT to use:

• cabbage and celery should be used sparingly due to strong flavor
• eggplants cause broth to be bitter

Snacking On The Go

 

Snacks on the go are great, and I love having them around! Unfortunately, these snacks tend to come with a lot of packaging, and a lot of packaging means a lot of trash. If you can, try to avoid this problem by making your own snacks to go. One thing I've done recently is put almond butter in a small Tupperware container. This kind of almond butter does come in portable, one serving packets...but I don't need those every day! I good swatch of almond butter in a little plastic (or glass) container is just fine!