My jaw dropped a bit when I read that headline on an ad for citi.
And it seems the ad is based on a real person. She likes to shop and she doesn’t cook. So, heck, why not convert your entire kitchen (including oven) into a walk-in closet? Well, she did save room for a few dishes and one drawer for take-out menus.
It saddens me to think there are people like this who eat out constantly and buy so much that they feel a solution is converting the kitchen into storage for bags, shoes and sweaters.
I wonder how much Styrofoam is …read more

This week we’re talking about green auditing our schools. The lunchroom is a big part of this audit, because there are plenty of cafeteria areas that can usually be made more sustainable.
Our old green audit about your kitchen food pantry is a good place to start. Many of the questions you asked about your own home pantry can relate to your school, just on a grander scale.
Besides issues discussed in the pantry audit you’ll also want to look at…
Is the packaging used during lunch recycled?
Are students, teachers, and staff encouraged to recycle?
Are recycling bins located in various spots (near exits …read more

In case you haven’t been properly greeted this morning, I’ll say it again: Happy Valentine’s Day!
If you are looking for some ways to give a Valentine to the earth today, here are 14 ideas:

If you recycle, bring it up in conversation today. Say something like, “It’s so great how I have much less trash to throw out since I’m recycling.”

If you don’t recycle, check out the website of your local city services. Or give them a call to find out which items they accept.

Don’t take home a Styrofoam to-go box.

Go to www.catalogchoice.org to stop receiving unwanted catalogs.

If you don’t have …read more

Getting take-out from a restaurant is generally a very unfriendly thing for the planet. Unfortunately, there’s usually a lot of Styrofoam involved. And even if there’s no Styrofoam, there’s often lots of other packaging.
Restaurants in several cities like San Francisco are required to use recyclable, biodegradable or compostable containers instead of Styrofoam, but not my city.
Yet, take-out is sometimes a good thing, like when Michael and I were both sick with colds on Friday night. Neither of us wanted to cook. And nothing we had at home sounded good anyway.
So, take-out it was. And when I opened the bag, I …read more

Consumers have the ability to make a noticeable difference when it comes to how companies handle their business. In fact, as consumers we have the power to make all the difference but I’d settle for us trying hard to initiate a positive change.
Some businesses are obviously more eco-sensible than others. Some try to do all their company dealings in as green a way as possible while some places still love their Styrofoam.
The best companies to see are the up and comers. Maybe they didn’t used to do things green (or had no clue that they should or could) but they’re …read more