Yes, quite a mouthful—but believe me, your refined taste buds will thank you. Fortunately, the market is awash with delectable varieties of Fair Trade Organic Shade Grown coffees and this is such a simple way to live a little greener. You may pay $1 more per lb, but it is worth the price as your purchase supports farmers by providing fair wages and safe working environments and supports sustainable farming practices creating true stewards of the land. All with one purchase. Click to continue »

I cannot recall who first imparted these false words of wisdom upon me, but I am sure you have all heard something to this affect at some point: ‘It takes more energy to power down and reboot your computer than if you just left it in sleep mode, so you might as well just leave it on.’  Well, ENERGY STAR, has thoroughly debunked this myth. Here are some power saving tips direct from ENERGY STAR:

• At the end of your work, homework, or Internet session, be sure to turn your computer and monitor off. Contrary to what most people believe, turning computers and monitors off saves a lot of energy and will not hurt the equipment or waste energy by having to boot up again.

• Be careful with screen savers. They actually might be screen wasters as they may keep your monitor from powering down. Just make sure that your screen saver is not programmed to overlap your computer’s sleep mode, since then it won’t go to sleep but will instead stay on to run the screen saver.

• Use the ENERGY STAR power management settings on your computer and monitor so they go into power save mode when not in use. Also use a power strip as a central “turn off” point when you are not using equipment to completely disconnect the power supply.

There has been a much talk recently about the harmful chemicals present in everyday household cleaners. That ’oh-so-clean’ chemical smell associated with a spotless house is actually toxic and pollutes our air, soils, and water. Think about it, when you dispose of household cleaners, you are required to dispose of them as if they were hazardous waste, and that hazardous waste is what we are using to clean our homes? Sorry, but I just think that is crazy–crazy that we are comfortable wiping down our countertops with a cleaner that is treated as hazardous waste when disposed!! So what should you do?

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Who: Bluelounge Design; Pasadena, CA

What: Cool Feet

Where: Bluelounge, $12.95

Why: True to the name, most laptop users place their laptops on their laps, unknowingly blocking the air vents located on the bottom of the computer. This results not only in an overheating of your lap, but more critically, an overheating of the computer.

This forces the less powerful side and back vents to work in overdrive and use more energy in order to cool the computer down. If you notice that your laptop frequently powers down or freezes while the laptop is perched in your lap, overheating is likely the cause. Most of us, myself included, try to instantly power our laptop back up without letting it cool-this could ultimately lead to damage to the hardware or worse, the motherboard. Click to continue »

Such a ‘feel-good’ shopping experience walking into a boutique, knowing that each article of clothing and accessory for sale is certified organic and Fair Trade, all without compromising style. Say hello to envi!!! Each piece at envi is expertly and thoughtfully selected by owners, Callie and Ursula, turning out a collection of delightful must-have pieces. From ‘oh so soft’ yoga pants by Boston design company anjaly to the floaty dresses from sublet, to essential tees from C&C California, to the edgy Edun Line, envi is the envy of the eco-concious clothing world. I’d even buy their recycled cardboard hangers, if they would sell them to me!! See for yourself online or at their Newbury Street location: envi, 164 Newbury Street, Boston, MA

For your next DIY painting project try out low-VOC or zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. Not only will you avoid that initial heavy chemical fresh paint smell, but you will also avoid the harmful emissions release from the paint for years to come. These low level toxic emissions are one of the leader factors of poor indoor air quality, but they also contribute to outdoor air pollution and ozone depletion. The low-VOC and zero-VOC paints and finishes are comparable or superior to standard paints in terms of durability, scrubability and coverage. They are slightly more expensive, but consider that a small price to pay for the quality of your indoor air and, in the long run, for keeping contaminants out of our soil and water. And you don’t have to wait for the hazardous waste day to get rid of your old paint cans! Click to continue »

I recently had a friend lament that now that she brings her own cloth bags to the grocery store, she no longer has a stockpile of paper bags for sorting her recycling. Since many towns require that paper be separated from plastic and glass, not having paper bags around can be quite the dilemma as paper bags really were perfect for containing paper waste.

Here are some handy options to help organize your recyclables: Click to continue »

Hmmm, two tips in one:

1) Sign up for Ideal-Bite! lots of great tips about green products and ways to live a greener lifestyle.

2) Check out this Ideal-Bite tip about tried and true all-natural shampoos and conditioners that really work.

I know, you might say, recycled toilet paper would be scratchy compared to the cuddly softness of those teddy bear toilet papers, but I recently picked up some 100% recycled non-chlorine bleached toilet paper at Trader Joe’s and I must say, it is quite nice on the tush…….. After reading that if every household in the U.S. replaced 1 (yes, just one) 1000 sheet roll of toilet paper with a 100% recycled roll, we could save 155 million gallons of water, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 373,000 trees, I am a complete recycled bath tissue convert! Imagine how much could be saved if Americans made the complete switch to recycled tissue paper. Just another super easy way to go green and choosing 100% recycled paper guarantees that you can certainly ‘spare a square.’

According to the AAA, driving with under-inflated tires can cut down on your fuel efficiency by up to 2-3%. So to cut down on your carbon footprint (and our countries’ dependence on oil) keep your vehicle’s tires properly inflated. To do this you can follow the steps below or just have your dad do it for you like I did……

1. Find out the recommended air pressure or PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) reading for your car. This should be located on the inside of the driver’s side door or in your owner’s manual–unless you’ve got a ’98 Volkswagon, in which case the PSI is a mystery.
2. Unscrew the small plastic cap on your tire and use a tire gauge (are there really Obama tire gages our there??) to measure the current air pressure in your tires.
3. If under-inflated, add more air until you’ve reached the desired PSI. Most gas stations have air pumps for your convenience. Expect to pay a $1-a small price for better fuel-efficiency!

For a video tutorial watch the Alliance for Climate Protection’s “Pump My Ride.”