simple steps
Stainless Steel 411
Greg Peterson
Eco-Living expert for beYOUmag, online magazine, Michelle Barge, said it best in a March 25, 2008 article titled. “Lose the Plastic Water Bottle — Our Health is Paying for the Convenience.” She concluded, “I’ll take mine in stainless or glass, thank you.”
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Made in China ... Now What
Greg Peterson
I can’t tell you how many times I get emails from people that ask what I was thinking when I began selling a bottle or other products made in China. They would say, “How green can a product be that is shipped half way around the world from a country known for its shoddy workmanship?”
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Your (Garbage)-Free Lunch
Greg Peterson
Wait – maybe there is such a thing as a “Free Lunch” after all…pesticide-free, waste-free and guilt-free!
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Greening your Office
Greg Peterson
Working from home is a bonus for both our pocket books and the environment. By not driving our cars, we reduce the amount of pollutants that come out of our tail pipe, not to mention the amount of gas we buy—a real bonus in these times of high gas prices. One of my favorite commutes of the past was the commute from the breakfast table across the Arizona room to my office…a nice little building that sits at the house end of my driveway. And the biggest bonus was the dogs were with me at the office every day. But what else can you do to run a green-minded office?
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Community Preservation
Greg Peterson
I had an epiphany of sorts back in 1978 when we had a tree full of ripe peaches. I was only 17 at the time but my love of fresh fruit generated a deep desire to preserve the abundant peach harvest we were enjoying. As you might imagine, I had no idea where to begin. I mentioned to a friend’s mom that I was interested in learning how to can peaches and she immediately offered to “teach” me.
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I Have a Secret!
Stephanie Starks
I have a secret…I can’t park my car in my garage. I mean it’s not like I don’t have the driving skills, but in my new two-car garage, there just isn’t room for an automobile. Between my husband and me, we have accumulated so much stuff in our four years together that it has now taken over the garage. And I swore it would never be that way.
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Fighting the Economic Blues? Here are 8 Ways to Save Your Green
Kathleen Davidson & Stephanie Starks
Economic concerns have us all cutting corners, but did you know that staying green may be one of the most effective cost-cutters today? Here are eight fool-proof ways to stay green while saving you money.
1. Banish the bottles. You may not realize it, but the plastic bottle water craze is costing us some pretty pennies. According to Bottom Line Personal, the average bottled water user spends $1,400 a year to feed their plastic water bottle habit…and 95% of those bottles are not being recycled.
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Top 10 things Schools can do to Go Green
Sarita Douglas
Educate students! This is a school's number one role in going green: change the mindset and behavior of the next generation. Schools should teach students about global warming, climate change, renewable resources and all of the exciting technologies utilizing these, about recycling of solid wastes and water, and about green building.
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Have a Big Fat Green Wedding!
Kathleen Davidson
There are an estimated 2.5 million weddings celebrated in the United States each year which translates to a $70 to $125 billion industry depending on the wedding marketing sources you use. But whatever the actual figure may be, these sources agree that they are seeing more and more signs of eco-friendliness taking root in the wedding industry.
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High Tech Trash
Kathleen Davidson and Maura Yates
The technology boom has changed our way of life forever. As with most things this creates positives and negatives...
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Google Goes Greener
David Dibble,
Google Software Engineer
One of the better-known benefits of working for Google is the excellent, free food. At the corporate headquarters and a few other large facilities around the world, there are full time chefs, modern kitchens, and the directive to produce restaurant quality entrees -- including vegan and omnivorous options. In a smaller office, such as ours in Tempe, Arizona, we don't have the full time chef, but Google makes sure we are well provided for via a contract with a local food management company.
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Winter Green
Josie Garthwaite
We've got the best eco-friendly ways to clear snow, heat your house, defrost your windows, and much more this season!
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21 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle
Co-op America
Garbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when we need to be producing less. Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household, restaurant and consumer waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle.
That’s why the editors at Coop America spent the summer investigating the state of waste management in our country, and putting together this information for you, explaining how we can get serious about the three R’s - reducing, reusing, and recycling.
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The Low Down on Plastic Numbers
Maura Yates
Have you ever wondered what the different numbers mean on plastic items? The YourGuidetoGreen.com Team has, and this is what our researchers learned:
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Green Living and Giving
Greg Peterson
On Thanksgiving we eat. The day after we shop and we eat some more.
The malls are packed and the restaurants are full. We live in a culture of consumption and, from a free-market perspective, we have earned the right to consume which we seem to do voraciously.
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40 Simple Steps to a Better World
Amy Godfrey
Do you feel resigned and overwhelmed when you learn about the state of the environment? With problems so big, it's hard to imagine that one person can make a dent in any of them.
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Offsetting Emissions - So Easy!
Maura Yates
Lately I have been hearing more and more about neutralizing carbon emissions, emissions trading and offsetting emissions. In essence, they are all about the same thing--giving back in direct relationship to what you are ‘taking.’ Let me explain a little better...
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Reduce the Use
Greg Peterson
Did you know that Americans use an average of 1267 plastic bags per person per year? That’s just bags... What about all the bottles, cups, straws, lids, etc. that we use for less than an hour and toss? Fast food restaurants buy these items by the gross for customers who toss them in the trash. Then the restaurant wraps them all up in a bigger plastic bag and hauls them to the dumpster.
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Penelope Goes Green
Kristen Battafarano
Our friend, colleague and Green Landscaper extraordinaire, Kristen Battafarano, responded to ‘Yahoo Answers’ when Penelope Cruz asked, ‘What are some inexpensive tips to turn my house green? Her response was so well done we requested permission to share it with you!
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Red, White, Blue & Green Served Up as the 4th of July Approaches
Maura Yates & Kathleen Davidson
Summer in America conjures up images of outdoor fun and patriotic celebrations. Now we can add "Green" to the Red, White and Blue memories we make.
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Getting the "Big Picture" is vital to truly making a "Green" difference
Jerry Makower
Learn what it takes to lighten your
ecological footprint
Just a small percentage of people changing the way they shop and the way they live can be a powerful force to persuade politicians, move markets, and inspire fellow citizens to change.
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10 SIMPLE Things You Can Do For Earth Day
Addie Gross
Earth is the "third rock" from the sun and the only planet in the solar system known to harbor life. Our planet's rapid spin and molten nickel-iron core give rise to an extensive magnetic field, which, along with the atmosphere, dose us the favor of shielding us from nearly all of the harmful radiation coming from the sun and other stars.
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Give the Earth a Great Big Hug!
Maura Yates
The Earth gives us so many gifts, so how about we return the favor? From the earth we receive the natural resources to sustain our population, beautiful flora and fauna to tickle our senses, and wonderful land on which to live. Having given us so many fabulous things, it is time to give back and pamper the earth every day, but especially on April 22 - Earth Day. This international day is devoted to celebrating and honoring the planet on which we live.
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Looking Through 'Green' Colored Glass(es)
Maura Yates
Hundreds of thousands of glass bottles are being ‘saved’ each year from recycling centers and trash dumps and transformed into uniquely stunning glassware by Green Glass Inc. Simultaneously cleaning and beautifying the environment, Green Glass uses a patented process to help the world look at life through ‘green’ colored glasses!
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Move Over, Martha!
Greg Peterson
If you’re not recycling, you’re throwing it all away. Most everyone is familiar with the prevailing approach to avoiding waste: reduce, reuse, and recycle. But few know how to apply it in everyday life.
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Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs
Maura Yates
Lighting accounts for about 20 percent of all electricity use in the U.S. and about 25 percent of electricity use in U.S. homes according to Eartheasy. It is estimated that the typical household spends about $110 per year on lighting and most of this cost is lost in the form of waste from inefficient incandescent light bulbs. These bulbs are essentially heaters in disguise, converting about 90 percent of the electricity to heat and only about 10 percent to visible light.
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