During the holiday season, many folks acquire new electronics as gift, or go shopping for new because the sales are good right now. If this is you, make sure you take steps to green your electronic situation. e-waste is a hard thing to recycle so adding more into the flow, may not be your best option.
Think carefully about upgrades: Do you really need to upgrade to a bigger, newer, more flashy version? Flashy new stuff is overrated, especially if your old equipment works well. If you think you need more space, say on an iPod, you may not. Don’t tell …read more

One thing that frustrates me about apartment living is that I don’t have control over things like choosing Energy Star-certified appliances. In this post, I’m talking about apartment renting. If you own your apartment or have a special arrangement with your landlord, you may have more flexibility.
Here are a few suggestions to help you live a greener apartment life:
•Make sure your air conditioning filter is getting changed regularly. Energy Star recommends checking monthly and changing at least every three months. Most apartments change them for you, but some (like mine) need to be reminded.
•Check to see if the outside dryer …read more

Probably nearly all of you out there have seen certification symbols (logos, icons, whatever you like to call them) for things like Fair Trade Certified and USDA Organic and Energy Star.
But do you know what it means if you see a leaping bunny symbol on a product? How about FSC with a tree drawing? VeriFlora — you may have heard of it, but do you know what it’s all about?

This week we’ll look at a few of the lesser-known eco symbols you might encounter. A really good thing about these symbols is that not just anyone can stick them on …read more

You weren’t expecting me to talk about televisions, were you? Well, I am. In fact, that photo moment is brought to you by my not watching TV.
According to Energy Star, TVs and related trimmings like DVD players make up around 10 percent of a household’s annual electricity bill.
How about trimming off a few dollars from your electricity bill? And help recharge the planet too.
You can do it simply by finding other alternatives, like dusting off that Scrabble game that’s been sitting in the closet all alone for three years. (Yeah, I’m talking about myself now.)
Try declaring a no-TV hour …read more