Starting a City Garden: What to Plant

With access to some outdoor space, spring’s the perfect time to start a (mini) city garden.

Here are some plants you can easily start growing in the city:

Quick Tip – Ditch the (Disposible) Razor

56% of women use disposable razors, according to Gillette.

Don’t do it! But just because you’re green doesn’t mean you have to stop shaving.

Here’s greener alternatives:

Quick Tip: Wash Clothes in Cold Water

Stop listening to the old wives tales: Wash your laundry in cold water.

A whopping 90% of energy used for washing clothes is heating the water (Planet Green). If you select that cold/cold option for 4 out of 5 cycles, you’ll save 72 LBs of carbon dioxide emissions this month alone! (It’s also good for your wallet – You’ll save $60-100 a year on energy bills too!)

Single (or Not) on Valentine's Day? Here's an idea for you…

Valentine’s Day could be the most controversial holidays – People either love celebrating who they love or deem the holiday a marketing scam.

Regardless of which side you’re on, here’s a phenom idea for those recently-single or coping with an ex-lover:

Quick Tip: Snail Mail and Receipts – Just say No

When it comes to saving paper … here’s an oldie but a goodie .

Say ‘no thanks’ to receipts from the ATM,  the coffee shop, cabs, drug stores – anywhere you can! I try to let the salesperson know I don’t need one before they ask – so they can forgo printing all together.

These days most of us are paying bills online. But, what about those catalogues you still receive that you don’t even glance at? Opt-out! Send customer service an email or give them a phone call. Your mailbox will be less cluttered and you’re passing on an important conservation message.

Posted by Beth

Quick Tip – Recycle your old iPod & MAC

Don’t throw out your ipod or MP3 player when it stops working – You can recycle it! Apple’s Recycling Program offers a 10% discount on your next purchase when you bring your old iPod in for recycling. You can also recycle old cell phones, old computer systems and Macs!

If you’re in the market to buy new electronics, Apple also sells refurbished iPods & MACs. Try buying a ‘reincarnated’ one over a new to save some green.

Beat the cold & save money

Brrr it’s cold outside! Stay toasty and reduce emissions this winter…

Keep energy costs at a minimum. It’s easier than you may guess. Simply insulate your windows with plastic window film (for example) to keep the cold out – even hanging heavy curtains helps to stay warm this time of year.

Posted by Beth

Alternative Green Gift Ideas

Want to limit the eco-impact from your gift-giving this year?

Instead of the typical gift ideas, give an ‘experience’ gift. Movies, concerts, restaurants, massages or cooking classes all are thoughtful alternatives of the typical stocking stuffers.

Another bonus: You can pick something you & the recipient both enjoy to spend time together!

Are you using Eco-friendly TP?

My friends, co-workers & family know I co-write “Green Philly Blog” and ask for green advice. While I often can assist, I occasionally don’t even know the answer… (Sorry to expose that fact.) As Beth & I have mentioned before, the green route isn’t always crystal-clear – especially with green imposters. When I was asked about eco-friendliness of toilet paper, I had to do a little research.

My old roomie & I were meant to be: As one visiting friend pointed out, we were huge fans of 1-ply toilet paper – not always found at mid-20, chick apartments. However, it turns out this mutual love of 1-ply is quite eco-friendly.

Want to know what to look for in TP purchases? Experts recommend:

Quick Tip – Cut That Excess

Need to cut some excess from your life?

While you may be familiar with Beth’s Paper Peeve and my co-workers apologize each time they print a doc… but no longer fear! An easy gesture such as shrinking your margins (I recommend .5″ on all sides ) on computer printouts will save your printer (and co-workers) pages.

Word 2007 even has an easy default:

• Go to the “Page Layout” ribbon
• Click the “Margins” dropdown
• Select “Narrow”.

You’ll be amazed at how much more info you can fit & trees you can save! (One study by Change the Margins says if you change your margins to .75″ on all sides, you can reduce paper by 4.75% – saving 1.14 trees per ton of paper. If the whole US changed their margins, we’d save 6,156,000 trees every year just by a small change.)