Buy "Local" Books Online

O.K., by now you know I don't really like to shop.  (Oh, if my teenaged self could see me now!)  When I have to get something, I try to find it used.  Buying used usually means that it takes a lot more time to find.  That is unless you're looking to buy used books!  Amazon.com has made it so easy.  In fact, it's so easy that there's almost no point in buying one new anymore.  (Almost!)  Here's a simple little tip for greening your used book buying, which is inherently green already.  Find the one that's closest to where you live. Obviously, if there's a used book store in your town, you've already found the one that's the most local.  If you're not so lucky or they are out of what you want, here's an example for buying one of my favorite books on amazon:

In the third column (Seller Information) it lists specifically where the book ships from so all I need to do is figure out which state (in this case Utah, Oregon, Maryland, or Virginia) is closest to where I live and buy that one because the price and condition of each are all similar.  Ebay and Etsy also list where your goods will ship from.  

The shorter the distance the book has to travel/ship, the less gas it will take to get to me, Yeah for a smaller carbon footprint!

That's it.  Easy enough, huh?  Happy shopping! 
Peace,
Stacey

Bringing Home My Recyclables

I have a confession.  I bring home as many recyclable things as I can.  I pick up recycling around town and I bring it home from vacation when I can't find anywhere to recycle it.  And this is why:

When we were in Wyoming over the summer, there was this great public building with bathrooms and big bins for all types of recycling in pristine Jackson.  Chicago has recycling and solar powered compacting trash bins all over the city.  But our last two trips were harder.  Miami was difficult with the seemingly endless stream of plastic cups but Aruba was impossible!  

After several failed attempts to locate anywhere I could take plastic, glass, or paper for recycling, I finally made room in my backpack and come home with this:

We try to travel light by each taking a single travel backpack, so I wasn't able to bring home much of my nemesis, plastic, but I did manage to bring back and recycle all the paper we (somehow) accumulated.

You might be wondering why this is a confession.  It's not a secret that I recycle.  But bringing it home on an airplane?!  I know.  I know!  I have a problem.  I can't even bear to figure out if it's a net energy loss since I'm flying it home.  (My guess is that, yes, it is.  I told you I have a problem!)  It's just so disheartening watching the trash can fill.

Seriously, I can't stop.  I'd already put this in our car before we discovered that beach in the first picture.

Let me explain.  Not my own habits but the reason the beach looks like that.  Arubans are not going around throwing plastic on their beaches.  (Well, probably some are.)  No, that beach looks like that from people like us.  Trash that doesn't make it into a landfill, more often than not, ends up in the water somewhere.  And things that end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans end up on a beach or in an animal - including humans!  This book gives a wonderful explanation about the whole waste/water/gyre cycle.  I'm glad I read it before seeing this beach.

At least then I knew not to tut-tut the friendly people of Aruba.  That didn't do much for my growing "obsession" with picking up after others though...

Peace,

Stacey

The "New" Vapor-Shield-Free Gas Nozzle

What's wrong with this picture?

Can you smell the gas just by looking at it?

Where's the vapor shield?  Aren't two (poison) recovery systems better than one?  Or is all about the money?  Thanks, EPA.

What do you think?

Peace,

Stacey

Recycle Those Batteries... when you can

I have a friend who dreads this time of the year.  It's not the shopping.  It's not all the yummy desserts.  It's not even the caroling.  It's the batteries that make her fret!  Last year she told me that she was actually losing sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about all the batteries (from ALL those plastic toys) that would eventually get chucked into a landfill or, worse yet, incinerated! 

I had kind of forgotten about her worrying until I witnessed a coworker toss dozens of batteries into the trash!  She just couldn't figure out why everyone else would "save" all the old ones.  When I told her we had a collection site for recycling in town, she said she had no idea that batteries should be recycled.  She sincerely looked concerned and asked what we could do with them.  Now that's a great question!

Apparently, it's getting harder and harder to recycle alkaline batteries because mercury has been regulated out of use in single-use alkaline batteries in the U.S. (thankfully!) and because there is no cost effective method to remove and therefore reuse the heavy metals contained within them.  With that being said, there are still places that will take them.  Look for a Big Green Box at places like Whole Foods, take them to a big box store, or check with your local municipality.

I recycled these used batteries from work at my local library

Rechargeable and button types do not fall under this15 year old regulation and should definitely still be recycled!

I guess my friend and I can both rest a little better... but only a little.  There are still all those other metals in them that one day (when they start to become scarcer) are going to be valued and they'll be tons of them sitting in landfill's all around the world.  In the U.S. alone 2.9 billion batteries are thown away each year.  And what about that acid that leaks out over time?  That can't be good...

Reducing our consumption of batteries is probably the biggest thing we could do.  Think before you buy.  (I know you're tired of listening to that toy drone on and on anyway!)

So there you go.  A truely little thing.  Recycle alkaline batteries when you can but try not to lose sleep over it when you can't.  

Where can you use fewer batteries in your life?

Peace,

Stacey

Do You Carbon Offset Your Travel?

As we wrap up the biggest travel week/weekend of the year in the U.S., it reminds me about what we do to "offset" the environmental costs of our travel.

We are very nontraditional in the way we do this.  We typically donate to a charity that plants trees like The Nature Conservancy's Plant A Billion Trees program or Heifer International's Trees Are A Treasure program.  The Plant A Billion Trees campaign is planting trees in Brazil's Atlantic Forest in order to restore/preserve 30 million acres of rainforest in the next 2 years.  How awesome is that?!?  And The Trees Are A Treasure program often plants fruit trees not only to preserve topsoil but also give nutritious food to families providing for themselves.  (The vegetarian in me loves this part!)

If you'd like to go a more traditional route to offset greenhouse gases produced through travel, you may prefer The Conservation Fund.  It even provides a "Go Zero" calculator.  (Very eye-opening!)  Another one that I've heard great things about (but never used) is Carbon Fund.  I love that it has a whole section devoted to reducing our impacts listed before the offset section.

Which others am I missing?

Peace,

Stacey

How We Installed Our Reclaimed Floors

Last weekend was quite productive around here.  Check, check, check it out:

The finished reclaimed tobacco barn wood floor

I know!  They're beautiful... but they took a lot of work.  It all started late Friday night.  Mr. Green Stuff and I put on our work gloves and jumped right in to our pile of splintery wood.  For us the real beauty of this wood is that it came from those old barns in Pennsylvania but that also gave us our own set of problems.  The splinters were the worst for me.  (And by "the worst for me" I don't mean to imply that I ended up with the most splinters because I didn't. I am the only one still whining about them though.)  I just mean the other issues like a few warped boards and figuring out the layout were easier to work around.

When the flooring came from Olde Wood Limited we received four different widths of boards.  I didn't really think it was a big deal because we had roughly (pun intended) 25% of each of the 3", 4", 5", and 6" widths.  I figured we would pick out the boards as we worked our way across the room and it would be fine.  I'm not sure what I was thinking!  I should have known that Mr. Green Stuff would never go for that.  But I digress.... back to Friday night!  We laid out our floor.  There is no particular pattern but we did arrange it so our favorite boards are in the middle of the room. 

Hmm... decisions, decisions

After we had our design arranged, we wanted a "map" of where each board would go.  With this plan Saturday could be all about installing rather than about thinking or planning.  We labeled the back of each piece of wood with a permanent marker.  I wanted this to be as simple as possible (remember I originally wanted to "wing" it) so I naturally called the first row "Row 1" and then each board was given a letter with A being the one to the far left of the room, then B, C, etc.  On the boards that needed trimmed to fit, I put an "X" on the end that I wanted removed.  Confused?  Here's an example: the eighteenth row needed four boards to span the room so we had boards labeled 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18D. 18C needed the right end cut in order to fit so there was an X on the back of it where it would be shortened. We also wrote down (on the map) that they were 3" wide.

As we labeled them, I stacked them on the far side of the room with the last row (28 if you're curious) on the bottom. Once they were in the correct order all we really needed to do during installation was to grab the ones on top and make sure we used A first. (O.K., maybe I'm totally into organization, too.)

All stacked up and ready to go.

Saturday morning while I was teaching yoga, Mr. Green (with a little help) began installing the floor.  Other than being so loud that we had to open the windows and wear ear plugs, it went remarkably well... aside from a few more splinters.  It worked out well.  From our Friday night design, we only needed to substitute one board because the original was warped and replace another one due to a miss-cut.  The whole floor was installed in time for a late lunch.

Ask around before purchasing tools. My brother-in-law let us borrow this "gun."

After our break, the treads were installed on the stairs and the landing was redesigned (we stole our replacement boards from here) and installed.

I love the look of the white paint with the natural floors.

Some friends stopped by to see our progress, which led to some Dark and Stormies, which in turn led to a later-than-anticipated night.  We didn't want them to leave because we knew something else that was "dark and stormy" was looming; the polyurethane was calling our names.  I was dreading this because my mom had warned me about how stinky polyurethane is.  I tried to find one with very few VOCs but it's not easy.  I found a water-based one (rather than oil) but it still had "less than 275 grams per liter."

Guess what?  It turns out that it's not that hard to seal a floor and the polyurethane we found wasn't stinky.  In fact, the smell was almost unnoticeable.  We wanted to get two coats on before we went to bed so around midnight we watched the documentary Bag It while we waited for the first coat to dry.  (I'm pretty sure I saw about 90% of it. From what I saw, I think it is definitely worth a watch!  Plus, the friend I borrowed it from highly recommends it.) Then we applied the second coat.

What?  Everyone else doesn't scavenge for danger tape?

Sunday morning we loved the way the floors looked but some of the really big scratches and knotholes were still rough, which made me fear splinters.  In order to avoid them, we decided to apply another coat.  I sanded the floors with an orbital sander using 220 grit paper.  This barely even dulled the sheen but it was enough to get the next coat to adhere.   And the next coat!  After the fourth coat, we were ready to call it quits.  And not just because the polyurethane was starting to stink.  The floor looked great but there were two spots that were still a bit raised.  It wasn't enough for me to notice with my hand but I could feel my socks snagging on it SO we sanded one more time and applied our final coat of poly!  (We're officially on a nickname basis, poly and I, after all the time we've spent together.)

Now they look and feel gorgeous.  I'm loving our "new" floor.  I'm going to need to keep an eye one Mr. Green Stuff though.  He crazily mentioned how great it would look in the dining room.  I'm just going to ignore that comment for now.

Have you ever started a project like this where you assumed you could figure it out but had no real knowledge about the process when you started?  I didn't even know what an orbital sander was before this!

Peace,

Stacey

Zero VOC Paint

Today is another painting day in our kitchen.  The floors are being installed tomorrow and the risers on the stairs coming from the back door needed to be painted first. How did those get overlooked?!?  

It's like one of those M.C. Escher optical illusion pictures.

Anyway, I thought I should say something about VOCs.

What are VOCs, you ask?  The short answer is that volatile organic compounds are what make new paint smell.  Stinky things are usually high in VOCs. (A high "chemically" smell is often a good indication but not always.)  The problem with those smells is that they lead to potentially dangerous indoor air pollution.  

If you want to really delve in deep, here's a great article from the Minnesota Department of Health about VOCs.  It covers common types of VOCs (like formaldehyde), where they come from (couches, carpets, cosmetics, etc.), health effects (anything from headaches to cancer), and most importantly how to reduce our exposure (removal or containment) and more.  I think it's worth the read if you have a few minutes.

So like I mentioned before, we picked a (very affordable) paint with zero VOCs.

This is one of my favorite songs that talks about VOCs. Thanks, Train, for this line:
I wanna buy you everything except cologne 'cause it's poison.

Have a non-stinky day!

Peace,

Stacey

31 Days of Green Little Things: Phantom Loads Are No Treat

It's Day 31 of my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  Day 31!  DAY THIRTY-ONE!  The last day of this series!  Can you believe it?!  Day 31!

Did you know that most of us are living with about 20 phantoms every day?  Not just on Halloween either.

No, I don't mean poltergeists.  I mean electronic devices that use energy even when they're not turned on.  The energy that is consumed when devices are not being used is called a "phantom load." 

For me the easiest way to think about it is anything in "standby mode" or with a little light that remains on draws this (wasted) energy.  The devices are also referred to as "energy vampires" because they continue to suck/draw energy (like blood) even when they are turned off.  

Some of the typical vampires/phantoms are TVs, stereos, DVRs, game systems, chargers (cell phones, laptops, electric razors, etc.), garage door openers, desktop computers, cordless phones, coffee makers, appliances with clocks (stoves, microwaves, etc.), electric toothbrushes, and, well, you get the point.

One of the easiest things we do to reduce our phantom load is unplugging things we aren't using.  The coffee pot is an easy example.  I don't drink coffee and Mr. Green Stuff only makes coffee at home on the weekends so it's unplugged almost all the time.  Another easy thing we do is use power strips.  Our TV and DVD player are plugged into a power strip.  We rarely watch TV and we don't have a DVR so this simple for is.  There's no rebouting to wait for so it's no hassle at all.  When we had a desktop computer it was plugged into a surge-protected power strip along with the printer.  We rarely print anything anymore so we simply unplug our printer now.  

Whether they're called phantom loads, energy vampires, or standby loads, they are scary.  Just like Halloween.  Except they're real!  And a real big waste!

My friend's kid wore this as his Halloween costume last year.

I know! What a great costume!  It has all my favorite qualities: simple, reusable, and clever.  Plus, those cube-shaped plugs are some of the most inefficient ones out there.  She probably already knew that!  I didn't.  Did you?
Come back tomorrow (or maybe the next day if I'm feeling lazy) for a recap of this series. :)

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined.

31 Days of Green Little Things: Laundry Day Part 2 (Drying Racks)

Whoa, it's the final week of my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Like I said last week, Sunday is usually laundry day around the Green Stuff house so today I want to talk about my drying rack.

I use a drying rack so I can consume less energy doing laundry.  Seriously, dryers are energy hogs.  Since I end up putting fewer things in the dryer when I use my drying rack, my clothes spend less time in the dryer and I can dry on a lower temperature setting.

When I need to hang more, I just use more hangers.

The added bonus of using my drying rack is that my cloth napkins and handkerchiefs end up looking like they've been ironed.  O.K., they're not perfect but they're way better than when they come out of the dryer!  And, you and I both know that I'm never going to iron my napkins. (Unlike what the link about suggests, my iron does NOT use $22 worth of energy a year... maybe not even in a decade!)

Oh, and don't forget to clean the lint filter after every load to improve air circulation in the dryer.  This will save energy and also helps prevent fires.  (Lint is highly flammable.) It can even be composted.

Remember, saving energy saves money.

Do you use a drying rack?  What about a clothes line?

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined. (Please.)

31 Days of Green Little Things: Laundry Day (The Cold Water Cycle)

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Sunday is usually laundry day around the Green Stuff house, which reminded me that I haven’t talked about washing in cold water yet.

Back when we were washing diapers, we switched to a front-loading washing machine, which uses less water, and learned about the power of washing with cold water when we could. (Of course, we never washed diapers in cold!)  When someone’s sick, we still use hot water but, other than that, we use cold water almost exclusively.  This saves a lot of energy since most of the energy used by the washing machine is to heat the water. The detergent we use says it is appropriate to use with any water setting and there are many cold water detergents out there today. If you’re wondering, we haven’t noticed that our clothes are any less clean either. 

We buy our concentrated detergent by the case from our local health food store.  We started doing this so we could get one that was powdered without fragrances.  It is packaged in cardboard boxes rather than plastic jugs. "Fragrances" are usually made from petroleum and can be irritating to the skin and respiratory system.  Plus, I don't like how the ingredients are not disclosed. (It seems like the company is trying to hide more than just trade secrets... but I could be wrong.)

Remember, saving energy also saves money.

Give it a try.  If you’re nervous, start with your dark loads then work your way up to whites or sheets and towels.

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined. (Please.)

31 Days of Green Little Things: Make Fewer Trips

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is my place to talk about the little things that I do to help the environment.

Now that we’ve all quit idling, we’re going back to the car for today’s green little thing.  I try to fit as many errands into one trip as I can.  The easiest way that I’ve found is to make a list and then map it out in my head.  I map it so I’m not retracing my tracks between all my stops.  I usually go to the place that’s furthest away first.  I like to do this because then I feel like I’m on my way home the whole time.   

This also helps save gas! Saving gas and time; what could be better?

Earlier this week I picked saving gas and time over comfort.  I was chaperoning a trip and ended up with an hour to kill before it started.  I could have driven home and spent some time writing this post but I wanted to be more efficient with my time and gas.  I would have only had about 25 minutes at home anyway.  

Before I left I gathered up all the things I thought I might like to have with me during that hour.  I made myself a drink, packed a book and my computer, changed purses (since mine needs repaired), and headed out the door.  A few miles from my house, I realized I’d forgotten my phone… and my drink!  I could have used that extra hour to drive home and get those forgotten things but I decided they weren’t important enough.  Other moms would have their phones if I needed one.  I can survive a few hours without my watered-down juice.  I would be fine, not completely comfortable, but fine.  And I was!

Do you think you can combine a couple trips this week? Hit the grocery store on your way home from the home improvement store.  It’s quicker than making two trips.  Another bonus that I've noticed is that I usually spend less money on impulse buys because I’m ready to be finished.

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party.  Thanks for the motivation to join this year.
I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined.