Green Advices from "Living Green" IV

telecommuting
Telecommuters say they stay fresh on the job and save lots on commuting costs. They also produce a measurable reduction in each day’s accumulation of smog and greenhouse gases.
With just a tenth of the workforce telecommuting one day a week, more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel would be saved and more than 12,000 tons of pollution kept out of the air.

bad hair day
Many shampoos, including some billing themselves as “natural” or “organic,” contain suspect chemicals: parabens, coal tar, sodium laureth sulfate, and many others. Some of these substances are carcinogenic, and though their small doses may have been proven safe, the cumulative drainage is harmful. Look for shampoos that are genuinely free of these ingredients. Some sites to check out for shampoo: www.terressentials.com (no synthetic ingredients or detergents), www.burtsbees.com (a bar of rosemary-mint-scented hair wash is all natural and also eliminates bottle waste), and www.aubrey-organics.com.

dental hygiene
Choosing toothbrushes with replaceable heads is one more modest way to reduce solid waste headed for the landfill; you toss the head but keep the handle. Old toothbrushes are also worth hanging on to for small, intense scrubbing jobs around the house.
do your part: The manufacturer Radius offers a handle-recycling program for its Intelligent electric toothbrush, which uses one-fifth the material found in other models. The program also takes care of the brush’s batteries. See www.dentist.net for information.

where the rubber meets the road
Ask your mechanic about special tires with low rolling resistance to substantially improve your gas mileage. Auto makers put them on many cars as original equipment because the tires help them meet CAFE mileage standards. Find information (including a product list) at www.greenseal.org.On a Ford Focus, fuel-saving tires can cut gas consumption a cool two miles per gallon. In California alone, where 28 million replacement tires are purchased each year, a statewide switch would amount to an annual gas savings of 308 million gallons.

tune up
Regular tune-ups help your car perform at its best. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, usually listed in the owner’s manual, to get the frequency right. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an ill-tuned engine can impose a 20 percent energy penalty.

batts in the attic
Insulating your attic is probably the most important step you can take to reduce home energy use. Research the project before you start. Learn what’s best for your house and the local climate, considering such issues as type and thickness of insulation, proper moisture barrier, and ventilation methods.do your part: Visit the DOE website, www.eere.energy.gov, for useful information to get started. Even a house built as recently as five years ago is likely to be one of 46 million under-insulated American homes.

cradle-to-cradle
“Cradle-to-cradle” is a design paradigm that keeps products out of the landfill permanently. It’s great to buy furniture made of recycled materials, but in some ways it’s even better to buy furniture that can be recycled. The Celle work chair from Herman Miller, for example, is made up of 99 percent recyclable materials, and can be disassembled in less than five minutes.
do your part: At www.hermanmiller.com and www.steelcase.com, check out two furniture manufacturers who have embraced the cradle-to-cradle idea in much of their office furniture.

off early
Take advantage of the heat you’ve built up while cooking in the oven. Switch off the oven a couple of minutes early and your dish will continue to cook, with a small reduction in the energy expended.

bamboo underfoot
If you like the look of wood flooring, bamboo may be your answer. It’s widely available in planks that range from blond to caramel in color. And as it’s fast-growing—replenishing itself in less than five years—it’s an appealing alternative to resources like hardwoods.
do your part: The typical cost for bamboo flooring is four to eight dollars per square foot. If you’re laying it yourself, ask the retailer for formaldehyde-free adhesives. If not, look for an installer who uses greener glues.

dryer efficiency
Clothes dryers are more efficient if you clean the lint screen (a necessity for safe operation as well). Also clean and straighten the vent ducting twice annually.
do your part: The three dollars you’ll likely save in electricity costs by following these suggestions may not impress; what matters more is the 200 pounds of carbon dioxide you’ll keep out of the atmosphere.

seasonal eating
A bonus you get from savoring this season’s fresh fruit and vegetables is limited packaging—at most they’ll come in a reusable bag.

on closer inspection
With colder weather on the horizon, an energy audit is an important first step in discovering the many changes you can make to improve your home’s efficiency. Inspectors will examine old electric bills and comb through your house room by room. Many utility companies provide this service free or at low cost.
do your part: See www.hometuneup.com for an index of inspectors in your state, or call your local power utility for information.

the lunch gang
Get a crew together for lunch. If you and five of your coworkers order together, you’ll likely save three to four plastic bags. But delivery often means lots of disposable waste—so encourage the use of washable plates, napkins, and utensils, and save unused utensils and napkins for general office use.

wire service
If it seems like wire hangers are multiplying in the darkness of your closet, make a few calls to local cleaners to see if they can use them; many are glad to be spared the cost of buying new ones. Also check with your recycling authority—some will accept hangers along with other steel items.

home
If your hotel room has room thermostats, individually controlled heating and cooling units, or task and ambient lighting, manage it carefully when you go out—just as you would at home. Thermostats in empty rooms should be set from 80 to 85 degrees in the summer and 50 to 55 degrees in the winter and readjusted when you return.

plastic lumber
Developing markets for recycled goods is essential. Many varieties of lumber recycled from plastic consumer waste are suitable for home-improvement projects such as decks and garden borders. This material doesn’t rot, won’t need paint or stain, and doesn’t require treatment with toxic chemicals as wood can. Using it also means that fewer trees will be cut.
do your part: An Adirondack chair made of plastic lumber recycles more than 240 plastic milk jugs. See more at www.plasticsresource.org.

closing the gaps
Look for places around the house where pipes and ducts penetrate walls or attic floors. These are chronic spots for thermal leaks, and they’re often easy to fix—just pack the gaps tightly with flexible insulation.

inflated benefits
Many cars roll along on tires underinflated by as much as eight pounds, which increases resistance up to 5 percent and takes a toll on gas mileage. Use a tire gauge to check the pressure, and fill the tires as recommended by the manufacturer.

spreading the news
If your office publishes a newsletter, lobby to include a regular green-living tip—it’s a painless way to let your coworkers know about environmentally wise choices.

phosphate free
Phosphates in laundry detergents can easily find their way into waterways, where they promote algae growth. This flourishing plant life consumes the oxygen in the water, leaving none for other plants and animal life. Look for phosphate-free detergents and dishwasher soaps.

nature’s insulations
A range of natural insulations can help you tighten up your house without the use of synthetics, which may contain toxins such as dioxin. Cellulose fiber, wood fiberboard, loose-fill hemp, sheep’s wool felt, or vermiculite can provide good wall insulation. Many include fire-retardant and insect-repellent treatments and are reusable or biodegradable at the end of a building’s life.

nature’s insulations
A range of natural insulations can help you tighten up your house without the use of synthetics, which may contain toxins such as dioxin. Cellulose fiber, wood fiberboard, loose-fill hemp, sheep’s wool felt, or vermiculite can provide good wall insulation. Many include fire-retardant and insect-repellent treatments and are reusable or biodegradable at the end of a building’s life.

fire away
Warming and mellow though they may be, campfires are illegal in many places. They’re irresponsible when there’s a risk of wildfire, and they’re always a source of greenhouse gases. Try eating cold trail food in warm weather, or using a packable gas stove for cooking.do your part: The Snow Peak GigaPower Stove, widely available from online camping suppliers, has been praised by reviewers for its combination of light weight and quick heating.

dressing baby
In their first months, kids grow fast and usually move on to the next size long before they wear out their baby togs. Exchanging with friends, relatives, and coworkers and looking for secondhand bargains are great ways to keep good clothes from being thrown away. You’ll save money, and the wear will probably have softened the clothes nicely, too.

after the scoop
As a responsible dog owner, you’re careful to scoop up what your dog leaves behind. Follow through on that responsible behavior by flushing the waste down the toilet instead of dropping it in a garbage can so it can be properly treated by a sewage or septic system.

jet, not laser
In the office, you’ll save energy when you opt for ink-jet rather than laser printers. (Lasers use more energy to produce the heat and pressure that affix their toner to the page.)The difference is substantial: The ink-jet boasts an operating energy savings of 90 percent.

all aboard
Try to fill your dishwasher completely before you fire it up. Follow the manufacturer’s loading instructions to maximize effectiveness even when the machine is packed, and you’ll run it less often, saving water and energy.

the feeling is mutual
A number of mutual funds work to promote social responsibility while still earning investors returns that are at least respectable. Choosing such a fund can enable you to support responsible firms without the time and risk of making your own investments.do your part: Some funds to consider: Calvert (http://www.calvertgroup.com/), Domini (http://www.domini.com/), Green Century (http://www.greencentury.com/), and Walden (http://www.waldenassetmgmt.com/).

shut down
Turn off your car’s engine if you’ll be waiting for more than 30 seconds. Idling longer than that uses more fuel than restarting.

moderation
Keeping the water temperature at 130°F will do most jobs, killing bacteria while restraining energy consumption. The exception is your dishwasher, which probably has its own heater. For safety, keep that setting at 140°F.

your green voice
Americans go to the polls in about a month. Your vote influences decisions about the environment at the local, state, and federal levels—so it’s time to consider which candidates best represent a healthy planet.

sensory perception
Motion sensors installed in offices can switch the lights on when the room is occupied and off when it’s empty. Even in a small office, these gadgets, ranging in cost from $25 to $75 each, can reduce energy costs by $10 a day.Sensors in an elementary school in Pasco County, Florida, saved 10 percent of the school’s lighting energy and reduced the load on air-conditioning equipment, paying for themselves outright in five years.

rake off
Go to work on the season’s falling leaves with your trusty yard rake, and your emissions are limited to a little sweat. If you use a gas-powered leaf blower instead, you can spew out as much combustion emissions in an hour’s work as a car puts out while traveling 350 miles.What’s more, the car spreads pollution over a wide area—but the leaf blower puts it right in your yard.

no smoking
Health arguments against smoking are conclusive, but the environmental case is also strong. Tobacco, a disease-prone plant, is heavily dosed with highly toxic pesticides; it’s also laved in herbicides and fertilizers, all of which run off into groundwater, rivers, and lakes. Even worse: Tobacco grown in developing countries is estimated to account for the clear-cutting of 200,000 hectares of woodland. If you haven’t already, it’s time to quit.

discouraging termites
Once these damaging pests have colonized your house, it may take powerful chemicals to dislodge them. One low-tech precaution can keep them out: driving bait stations into the ground around your house. (Cheap pine or wet cardboard makes for delectable bait.) Check the stations regularly; if termites appear, salt the bait with a slow-killing, low-grade poison such as a dilute solution of boric acid. The bait is then carried back to the nest, where it does in the queen and all her subjects.

pencil sharpener
Tree Smart makes pencils directly out of old newspapers, without any mulching or chemicals. They wrap the paper around the graphite and bind it with an adhesive that dries hard as wood, so the pencil is easy to sharpen. Funky-looking, too.do your part: One sheet of recycled newsprint makes four pencils. More information is available at http://www.treesmart.com/.

no bagging, no burning
What to do with all those autumn leaves in the yard? You don’t want to burn them, which creates air pollution and risks wildfires in some regions. Dumping them clogs landfills needlessly. An easy answer: Go right over the leaves with a mulching mower, pulverizing them along with grass clippings for a compost-rich lawn feeding.According to the federal EPA, multiple leaf fires in any area can cause pollution similar to that from factories and motor vehicles.

savings afoot
Though not as common as they used to be, shoe repair shops still operate. You can take in your old pair for new heels, soles, or repairs to the uppers—inexpensive fixes that can keep serviceable shoes out of the landfill for months or even years.

feeling pressed
A typical clothes iron consumes as much power as ten 100-watt bulbs over the same period of use. Consider permanent-press clothing that doesn’t need ironing.

never fear
This Halloween, skip the one-shot costume that’s doomed to the trash bin in favor of a rental from a theatrical or costume shop—or better yet, recycle the clothes in the back of your closet. Cut an old sweater into a superhero cape, layer various pieces for a vagabond
look, or vamp it up with an assortment of scarves and sportswear.

compost commons
Many municipalities now pick up yard waste at curbside to compost it for use in municipal parks or for commercial sale. Ask your local government about such programs in your area.

losing weight
If you’re hauling around anything unnecessary in your car—tires or tools in the trunk, a bag in the backseat from your last airport run, a forgotten book under the seat—move it out. U.S. Department of Energy figures show that an extra hundred pounds of weight in your car can sap mileage by 1 to 2 percent.

squirreled away
Many gardeners and homeowners with bird feeders consider squirrels their arch enemies. Rather than resorting to poison or gunfire, purchase a humane live trap and transport the squirrel to the woods.do your part: Learn more about making this work at www.squirrels.org/trapping.html.

degraded
Plastic products such as trash bags that are advertised as biodegradable aren’t as green as they sound. With exposure to sunlight, they will break down, but in the dark depths of landfills, degradation of any product takes place very slowly. You’re better off reusing grocery bags as you can.

joe without dioxin
Dioxin is among the chemicals that go into making bleached coffee filters; a study from Ohio’s Wright State University shows that the chemical leaches into the coffee. Buy widely available unbleached filters, or sidestep paper altogether by going for cloth or gold-plated metal filters.

public spectacles
Your prescription may have changed, or maybe you couldn’t resist a new pair of fashion frames; in any case, you can avoid tossing and wasting your old glasses. Visit http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/vision_eyeglass_recycling.shtml for information about donations. The Lions clean the glasses, classify th
em by prescription, and pass them on to others.

cranking up
While hand-cranked clockwork generators on flashlights, radios, and other small appliances are great for emergencies, they also offer everyday environmental advantages. Use them and save a little wall current and/or the need to buy and dispose of chemical-based batteries. A minute or two of winding a radio will deliver 40 to 50 minutes of playing time.do your part: See http://www.freeplayenergy.com/ for more information, including the pioneering efforts of the Freeplay Energy Group to bring this simple technology to Third World users who lack regular supplies of electricity.

monthly report
Many tampons are bleached with chlorine, leaving enough traces of the chemical behind to worry some health-minded women. But the aggregate effect on our environment has gotten less press; tampons and pads create substantial paper or plastic waste, sending chlorinated compounds—including toxic dioxin—into the environment. Using chlorine-free tampons and pads eliminates this concern.do your part: You can go a step further and get rid of disposable waste altogether with reusable menstrual products. Find details at http://www.gladrags.com/, http://www.lunapads.com/, and many other suppliers’ sites.

green mooching
When you travel, staying with friends is not only cheap, it’s also ecologically responsible. (Be sure you tell them so.) After all, the additional impact of your presence is apt to be small—chances are you’ll be sharing rides, avoiding little toiletries and the waste they generate, not changing sheets every day, and so on. Fair’s fair though—take advantage of these savings when they visit you, too.

fending for themselves
Don’t throw your crumbs to the little duckies. They’ll grow dependent on handouts and cease to forage for their natural diet, which can weaken their survival skills. Eventually, no longer faced with the need to travel to warmer climates for natural food, migratory animals might forget their nomadic ways. And given too cushy an environment, they’re likely to overpopulate lakes, ponds, and streams, damaging the water quality.

in the bag
Lots of bags come your way as a consumer; repurpose them as trash bags and you’re eking out one more use before they go to the dump. Plastic grocery bags make good wastebasket liners (the paper ones are okay, too, as long as there’s nothing wet in the trash). Dog food sacks, made of strong paper and often lined with plastic, make serviceable heavy-duty trash bags.

driving with cooking oil
Unafraid of something really different? Biodiesel offers a chance to get 45 mpg on salvaged restaurant cooking oil. Start with a diesel car (you’ll still burn diesel part of the time). Install a conversion system with a stainless steel tank and heating element to warm the oil so it flows properly to the engine. And enjoy the mild scent of fried food as you drive.do your part: Find conversion kits at http://www.greasecar.com/ and http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com/. Cost: $800 to $1,000, not including installation labor.

no, thank you
Many restaurants have gotten past the wasteful reflex of filling every water glass on every table. (Remember, the glasses will be washed even if the water is untouched, producing a double waste of water.) If you don’t want water, let your waitperson or bus boy know.