Here are three ways that you can save cash by cutting waste.

1. Recycling

I am not talking about picking cans out of the trash and recycling them for $0.05 a piece (though you can do that, too). You can actually recycle bigger items you are no longer using for a decent chunk of change.

My Boneyard Recycle is one good example of a great recycling company. They take electronics such as cellphones, game consoles and media players. You select the type on their website and it will tell you how much you can get based on condition. It might be as little as $20 or as much as $200. This is then applied to a prepaid Visa card when you send in your item. Shipping it paid by the site with a prepaid shipping label you can download and print from home.

Freecycling

No, it isn’t riding a bike instead of driving a car (though that always helps)! It is finding people who have items they want to get rid of and taking those items off their hands. Everything is free – if you couldn’t tell by the name – and it will keep you from spending money and keep them from throwing it away. You can also get rid of your own stuff using this method.

Probably the largest and most popular site is Freecycle, which will help you find groups in your area. From there you can search for items.

Reducing Energy Use

Turning off lights when you leave a room, keeping the TV switched off when not watching it, using media players instead of radios, changing your computer settings to be more power efficient…these are all probably second nature to you by now. But there are a few others ways you can keep from wasting energy.

• Turn off all appliances at night. This doesn’t mean going through and unplugging everything in your home, which is a hassle most won’t bother with. Instead, you can put everything on large power strips and then switch that off at night, then on whenever you need them. Some might not even be switched back on for days!
• Do larger loads. Instead of separating all of your clothes, do as many as you can at once, This saves water and energy when you dry it. Hang what you can on clothes lines if you have the space, such as sheets and other linens that usually take several cycles to complete in a tumble dryer.
• Only switch off the lights if you are leaving the room for more than 15 minutes. This will actually save bulbs, which are more damaging that the energy spent to keep them on. Frequent switching on and off will burn them out faster.

Jessy is a sustainable blogger and stay at home mom who writes for Home Loan Finder, the free eco-friendly online mortgage broker. Check out our post on how buying old houses saves your money and the environment!

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by seannaber

I was an English teacher. How on earth could I live without paper?

And yet … and yet, I was the teacher who was constantly complaining about how much paper our students were wasting: printing out their Facebook timelines, printing pages and pages of song lyrics, printing out “information” that they would never look at when they wrote their “papers.” Yep, I was the teacher who kept harping on sustainability, so I was the one who should put my money where my mouth was.

Creating a Paperless Classroom

Image by e-magic

But paper-free classroom? Could it be done?

One paper-free year later, I am here to say that yes, it can be done.

In our high school, every student had a laptop. Without that scenario, the paper-free classroom would be more difficult. However, with adequate access to technology, paper-free seemed pretty simple.

First, you need a virtual classroom…

Your school might provide this without you even knowing it, so it’s worth asking. If your school does not have a virtual option, you can simply get a Moodle. Go to moodle.org and create your own classroom.

Have a rubric? Upload it to your Moodle. Have an assignment? Upload it to your Moodle. Have students email their assignments to you. Student work is automatically neater, and your desk stays more sanitary. You don’t end up needing to run to make photocopies because a student “lost” his copy of the rubric. You can just refer him to the virtual classroom. You don’t have to listen to a student say, “I never got this assignment.” You can tell her, “It was posted in virtual classroom.” Teachers can quickly imagine how much this transparency helps with teacher-parent conflicts. Invite parents to view your virtual classroom whenever they like.

If you’re the red pen, slash-and-dash type, you can always have students submit their work in a Word document, or an equivalent, and then use the “track changes” feature to make your corrections. I also found, much to my old-fashioned dismay, that students read my “electronic” comments more than they read the ones I used to write on their papers, those corrected papers that so often went straight into the recycling bin.

Of course, we still used books. We still read The Great Gatsby from actual books with actual paper, but if I’d had a student with a Kindle, I would have encouraged him or her to use it.

But I found myself needing far fewer photocopied poems and short stories. Nearly any poem I wanted to use was quickly accessible online. And I found myself discovering new and exciting work from contemporary writers because I was poking around online.

The system wasn’t perfect, and I’m not claiming that all of my students turned into earth-loving hippies. But one thing that kids today understand is the importance of technology. They understand that part, and 99% of the time, they were willing to cooperate.

This guest post was written by Robin Merrill, who can usually be found writing for Wisconsin Dells Hotels.

Whilst the hot water heater boiler scrappage scheme in England has now ended it has resulted in a large amount of people swapping out their old inefficient water heaters / boilers for new ones; and if you’re living in Scotland, you can still take part in the scheme.

Image by cogdogblog

The benefits of this scheme should not be underestimated as by switching to a new combi-boiler you could be £200 ($320) per year better off as they are so much more efficient than older boilers / water heaters.

A new boiler can have a massive impact on your life. A combi boiler as an example gives instant hot water, so no more waiting around for the hot water to heat up, and with no hot water tank you can now have endless hot water.

The boiler scrappage scheme applied to privately owned homes or those living in a privately rented homes, yet bizarrely it did not apply to housing associations or registered social landlords. This meant some of those in most need of a new boiler could not get the boiler scrappage scheme discount.

The boiler scrappage scheme allowed those who qualified to get a £400 ($640) discount voucher off of the government. However the voucher could not be used retrospectively, so if you had applied for a voucher but then had a boiler installed before it came, you could not claim back the £400 ($640), and this was a trap that many people fell into.

Yet today even though the government boiler scrappage scheme has ended you can still get similar discounts from the likes of British Gas and EAGA, although it should be noted that their boiler fitting prices may be higher than if you went to your local heating engineer to buy one. That said some independent heating engineers are also offering their own boiler scrappage schemes.

These boiler schemes really are well worth taking up as the fuel savings can be huge. My new boiler as an example is ninety percent more efficient than the old one, and it keeps my house warmer, yet uses far less gas to do so. In addition it gives a constant flow of hot water even if another tap or appliance such as a dishwasher, is turned on.

So what boilers were eligible for the scrappage scheme? Well all boilers classed as type “G” were eligible. In general any boiler with a pilot light constantly lit was a type “G” boiler, as was pretty much any boiler over 15 years old. So the vast majority of people could actually claim a voucher for a new boiler, however many people failed to do so.

Readers in the US might be interested in switching to a tankless water heater which we will cover in a future article

Seven Ways to Make Doing Your Laundry Greener

Well, you can! Here are seven tips to help get you started;

1. Use Cool Water

Most modern laundry detergents are designed to work in cool water, so there is really no need to wash at a higher temperature. If you do want to do a hot wash, you can still rinse the clothes in cold water.

2. Full Loads Are More Efficient

Every time you do a load, it uses energy. While most washers have a small load setting, a single full load uses less energy than two small loads. Make sure you don’t overfill the machine though, as clothes need to move freely in order to get them clean.

3. Dry Your Clothes Naturally

Drying your clothes on a washing line uses no energy at all, and your clothes will smell great as well! Of course, sometimes the weather just won’t cooperate, but even if you just air dry your clothes when the sun is shining, you will end up saving lots of energy.

4. Vinegar Is Your Friend

Vinegar is excellent for washing and is environmentally friendly. An equal mix of vinegar and water can be used to pre-treat stains, avoiding chemical sprays and saving money as well. A half cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle will soften your clothes, and will eliminate static cling.

5. Lemon Juice, Not Bleach

Bleach is a harsh chemical which pollutes the environment, but how else are you going to get your whites really white? The secret is lemon juice! If you add half a cup to your wash, the citric acid in the juice will whiten your wash, and the lemon will make your laundry smell wonderful.

6. Add Baking Soda to Your Wash

Baking soda can help to get your clothes cleaner! It is mildly alkaline, which helps to dissolve grease, and it will deodorize your clothes. Adding baking soda has another benefit; it softens the water and helps to prevent lime scale build-up. However, make sure you don’t mix baking soda and neat vinegar, or you will end up with a fountain of foam!

7. Detergent Alternatives

There are number of eco-friendly detergents on the market, but there are other natural alternatives. Soap flakes are kind to the environment, although you may need to do a warmer wash to get your clothes clean. Another option is to use soap nuts, which are actually the fruit of a small shrub. Soap nuts help to dissolve dirt and grease, and have been used for thousands of years in Asia and in the Americas. If you have time feel free to checkout our related article on Soap Nuts.

We hope you enjoyed this guest post by Christian, if you have any related ideas for making laundry greener we’d love to hear from you

1.       Seal before storing

One of the biggest problems for stored foods is improper packaging or sealing.  While most meats come in sealed packages that are suitable for long-term storage, it couldn’t hurt to reseal them yourself in airtight storage containers (such as biodegradable Green Genius freezer bags) for optimum freshness.  The same is true not only for fresh foods, but also leftovers (if you’ve left a pizza box in the fridge, you’ve likely noticed that its contents go stale within a couple of days…in a Green Genius biodegradable plastic bag it can last several days at least). There are now also inexpensive vacuum sealed bags available to boost your food storage muscle

The Green Genius Range of Bags

2.       Get the temperature right

The correct temperature setting for a refrigerator is 35-38 degrees Fahrenheit, while a freezer should be kept at (or slightly below) zero.  However, if you find that foods are spoiling quickly, or you want to ensure that they last a little longer, simply set your thermostat a couple of degrees lower in the fridge (crisper drawers for fruits and vegetables may also come with their own temperature control).

3.       Meats and animal products

Most meats can be stored in the freezer for several months or in the fridge for several days.  The notable exception is fish, which will stay good for about a month in the freezer or just a couple of days in the fridge (although placing it on a bed of ice in the fridge will keep it fresh for several days).  As for animal byproducts (eggs, dairy, etc.), they should be kept at the recommended refrigerator settings since colder temperatures could cause them to crystalize (especially milk).

4.       Produce

The best method of storage depends entirely upon the item in question, but by and large, produce should be kept in a cool environment and allowed to breathe (since a lack of moisture will almost certainly cause shriveling).  Tropical fruits can be left at room temperature while potatoes and onions (in the skins) should be stored in a cool, dry place (not the fridge).  As for leafy vegetables, which tend to wilt quickly, keep them in a sealed bag with a couple of ice cubes and they will remain wilt-free for up to a week (or possibly longer).

Storage Tips for Your Super Bowl Leftovers

Image by maceelaine

5.       Dry goods

You may think that simply putting dry goods in the pantry is enough, but exposure to air and insects can ruin them pretty quickly.  For this reason, it pays to store baking goods, breads, pasta, cereal, grains, and even crackers and cookies in sealed, airtight containers to ensure that they last longer and avoid infiltration by unwanted pests.

Sarah Danielson is a writer for DustPruf which specializes in food packaging equipment and water bottling equipment. DustProf puts an end to product debris and buildup.

Let us know your food storage tips, we’d love to hear from you…

Remember that line from Love Story?

"Love means never having to say you’re sorry"?

Sorry to rain on the parade of viewers who have sobbed through the movie, but what was that dude smoking? Ask just about any person who has been married or in a serious relationship for more than a week, and you’ll hear that love means saying you’re sorry over and over. And sometimes our pocketbooks suffer for those transgressions.

Times are tight, and few of us have incomes that allow us to spend frivolously. Sure, that apology is important, but it’s not necessary to:

• Spend $100 or more on a bouquet of silly helium balloons that only a 5-year-old could love.



• Blow a month’s salary by taking her to the most exclusive restaurant in town. That could end up requiring ANOTHER apology when she sees the bill!



• Or spend waaay too much on flowers. An inexpensive arrangement from your neighborhood grocery store will usually do the trick — at prices far below what a flower shop would charge.

Back to that apology stuff, why do you think flowers were invented? A whole industry has sprouted around the need to apologize. (Notes to the humor-impaired among you: Yes, I do know that flowers were not "invented." And I am also aware that flowers are used for occasions and purposes other than getting out of the doghouse. Carry on.)

No matter how perfect your love might be, misunderstandings happen and situations inevitably arise where, no matter how inadvertently, you must disappoint your partner. And what better way to say sorry than with a sweet-smelling bouquet accompanied by sweet words?

A healthy relationship with open communication may require only an occasional application of the flower-groveling procedure, perhaps every six months or so. But if you find yourself in the doghouse on more than an occasional basis, you might consider growing your own "apology bouquets" in your backyard.

Perhaps mature individuals shouldn’t require a tangible expression of remorse. Simply saying "I’m sorry" should be enough. But we’re all emotional as well as logical creatures (sometimes considerably more emotional than logical), and as crassly commercial as it may seem, "saying it with flowers" does add impact to your words.

Now, if you’re a jerk who blows it on a regular basis and counts on flowers to cover your tracks, forget it. Flowers are pretty and smell nice, but don’t count on them as magic get-out-of jail-free cards.

But what about those occasions where "I’m sorry," and even a gigantic bouquet tied with balloons (that you’ve blown up yourself to save money) isn’t enough? Say you have to break the news that you’ve been transferred. Your spouse is on the way up in a terrific job, and your transfer will mean that either your partner will have to change jobs or the two of you will have to live apart for a while.

This definitely calls for more than a "Sorry, babe." At the very least, you’ll want a nice sit-down dinner in a quiet spot where you can hash things out. Note to clueless types: Pick a place with tablecloths, preferably a place where you need a reservation.

But this important dinner is going to require a bit more cash, and, uh-oh, you don’t get paid until next week. Good thing you have a solid emergency cash source. Dinner: Eaten and enjoyed. Job situation: Pending. One step at a time. All is possible when you start with a sincere "I’m sorry."

This is a guest post by Annie

Upgrade to a Water Saving Toilet:

Toilets are a huge killer in the efficiency process; if your toilet hasn’t been upgraded in the last ten to twenty years then chances are it is using a lot more water per flush then it should be. Many older toilets can use 5 gallons of water per flush, while the newer more effective ones use 1 to 2 gallons per flush. This is a huge water saving technique that should only set your wallet back around 200 dollars per toilet.

Why Not Invest in a Low Flow Toilet?

image by Linda N

Try a Low Flow Showerhead:

Showerheads are another cheap and easy way to help with water efficiency. Most of the top manufacturers sell low flow shower heads that use an entire gallon less of water per minute, which can easily save you 10 to 15 gallons over the course of a shower. These low flow shower heads are cheap and easy to install and normally won’t run you more than 75 dollars.

Try an Inexpensive Low Flow Shower Nozzle

Light Your Home With Green Bulbs!

Lighting is another energy killer in the modern household. Most people are not aware that if they replace the old non efficient light bulbs with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light) they can save more than $40 over the life of the bulb in electricity cost. These light bulbs use around 75% less energy and are often less than ten dollars to purchase.

Consider a Switch to CFL Energy Efficient Bulbs

Seal Up Those Leaks:

Lastly, one of the cheapest things you can do to make your home more energy efficient is to invest in spray foam or caulk
and seal up any potential leaks in your house.  Small air leaks around windows and doors are one of the main reasons houses are hard to keep the correct temperature. Filling up those leaks will allow you to use less air conditioning and heating to keep your house the temperature you desire, thus allowing you to use less energy overall.

Seal Around Windows and Doors

These tips are only a start to all of the great things you can do to make your home more efficient. If you have some other great ideas, leave them in the comments.

Josh McNair is an avid blogger that is always trying to promote the green lifestyle. He currently works for home improvement retailer PlumberSurplus.com (http://www.plumbersurplus.com) and outdoor retailer OutdoorPros.com (http://www.outdoorpros.com).

I found the Method Smarty Dish tablets at our local hardware store, of all places, and thought it was worth a try. Each packet contains 20 dish-washing tablets which are non-toxic, phosphate free and bleach free.

Method Smarty Dish Tablets

The tablets are available in a variety of odors… I chose Pink Grapefruit, which was a tough decision seeing as I was in a hardware store, I figured the shopping cart full of tools would compensate!

The tablets are certified by the U.S. EPA Design for the Environment group which gives a reassurance that you are buying a truly green product, they are also never tested on animals which is great.

Each tablet contains the following ingredients;

• Mineral cleaning salts
• Naturally derived anti-spotting agents
• Starch and protein based cleaning enzymes
• Seaweed derived dispersing agent
• Fragrance oil blend

All of the above ingredients work together to provide a massive green cleaning punch in a small tablet;

Method Dishwasher Tablet

We have been using the Method Smarty Dish tablets for about a month now and we won’t be going back to any other dish-washing liquids, the Method tablets are awesome! They clean the dishes to a sparkling shine even on the economy wash setting and there is no white powdery residue any more.

Our glassware showed the biggest improvement, we now boast shiny spot-free glassware and they have never been cleaner…. or greener!

The Sparkling Results!

SO, if you are interested in trying the Method Smarty Dish tablets we suggest you get down to your local store and try to get hold of some, you can find out more information on the Method website;

Method Dish Cleaning Products

Now that I own an e-reader, I started to wonder if it is eco-friendly to use one of these or better to buy the books. Here is what I found out…

The current book ordering system in the U.S. encourages bookstores to order more books than they could every really sell. This certainly increases the number of published copies but it also creates more returns. You not only have all the resources that go into producing the book, as in the printing , packaging , shipping and the paper (from trees), you also have the cost of shipping, gas and packaging to return it back to the publisher. For some Publishers, it isn’t worth the expense for the bookstores to return the books, so they have the store strip the covers and return only that for credit, they then throw away the rest of the book. That leaves about a third of the mass market paperbacks that are printed being dumped in a landfill without ever being read!

Amazons Kindle Electronic Book Reader

Here’s an excerpt from an article about reading on a computer vs. printing out an article to read it;

“The contrast is quite convincing, one-tenth of a pound of greenhouse gas emissions from reading the document on the computer, versus almost one-quarter of a pound of greenhouse gas emissions for printing it out!”

Another article lays out the environmental impact of reading a newspaper on a reader and reading the New York Times on an e-reader. Their conclusion;

“Reading the physical version of the NY Times for a year uses 7300 MJ of energy and emits 700 kg of CO2. Reading it on a Kindle uses 100 MJ energy and emits 10kg of CO2.”

Are e-book readers the perfect answer? No, There are problems with energy consumption, the raw materials used to make them and the best way to dispose of an old e-reader, but the technology to reduce the “carbon footprint” that e-readers leave on the environment is improving. They may soon be considered “carbon neutral”…

There are various e-readers for sale and I would recommend Amazon.com to compare prices;

For those who love the feel of the paper and the smell of a new book, e-readers may not be for you, but as time goes on, the e-reader will become a more eco-friendly way to read the printed word. What do you think?

Green Resolutions for the New Year

1. Plant more plants in the yard, in the community, on the planet:

Trees are like the lungs of the planet. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Additionally, they provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Trees also absorb sound and reduce noise pollution. Check out this site if you don’t have space to plant a tree around your home:  Trees for the Future

2. Reduce my use of an automobile:

We have now become a one car family. With just my husband and I, it seems to be working out for us. We have found that we don’t need two cars. We also own two bikes and are in good health so walking is also an option. So far so good. There really is no need to drive short distances, I recommend getting a bike or if you have the money, an electric scooter.

3. I am absolutely going to start using my eco-friendly/reusable grocery bags:

I have them, they are in the car; I am going to take them into the store, I mean it!!

4. Any new appliances we buy will be the energy star variety:

As we get into the new year, any item we need to replace we will research and purchase the most energy efficient  item. First on the list, our electric can opener is near its end. My choice, an old fashion hand crank can opener. Not as quick but we just don’t use that many can goods, so I think it will work.

5. Recycle…. More!

Reduce our purchase of packaged products and buy more bulk with less extra wrap! Don’t forget to make lots of visits to Our Everyday Earth.com in 2010, we hope to make a difference in our lives and others by passing on as much earth friendly information and ways to simplify your life.

There you have it, my top 5. What about you? Leave a comment on any resolutions you think might help out planet.