August 31, 2010
“I really liked my old house cleaners — till they went ‘green,’ then I had to stop using them. They used vinegar, and I like coming home to the smell of clean.”
I do thoroughly enjoy my coworker, but we are very different people from very different backgrounds. For example, I overheard this conversation she had with one of our clients regarding the difficulty in finding a reliable new house cleaner. It was not my place to say, “Well, actually, your house is just as clean with these natural cleaners and a safer environment for your children,” so I kept my mouth shut and thought instead about how nice it is to be able to hire someone to clean your house.
Another example of our differences was the time I wanted to cut up an incredibly large t-shirt we received from a former client to make into cleaning rags for our conference tables. She assured me that there was enough in our budget to buy cleaning cloths. After trying the huge shirt for its original purpose, it is now in pieces in my kitchen cabinet. Like I said, we are very different people.
August 8, 2010
No, toilet paper is good. Paper towels are bad.
Hundreds of millions of tons of paper towels go into the trash every year. There are simple ways to reduce this number:
- Take fewer paper towels to dry your hands in public restrooms. Or, use the hand dryers instead, if available.
- Compost any unbleached, chlorine-free paper towels you might have.
- Hang an array of kitchen towels in your kitchen.
- Let your dishes air dry rather than drying them with a paper towel.
- Cut up an old shirt that otherwise might have been thrown away.
Because of their fundamental similarities, I also briefly researched toilet paper waste. I must admit that I was relieved that nothing jumped out at me to discount the importance of toilet paper, but I did find ways to conserve toilet paper.
- The obvious: Keep your children and pets away. Don’t let your kids dress up like a mummy. Buy your cats a scratching post.
- Use what you need.
- Restrain yourself from covering the entire seat. If you’re a healthy adult, you are very unlikely to catch disease from sitting on the bare porcelain.
- Before placing the roll on the holder, give it a squeeze to eliminate the propensity for excess spinning.
- Let the paper roll over rather than under. When rolled over, more friction is present, causing the toilet paper to remain in place when tearing the necessary sheets away.
You don’t have to buy a Sham-Wow (or dollar-store knockoff) to replace your absorbent paper towel roll. That XXXXL old team-building shirt you’ve managed to forget or felt too guilty to donate would make a great cleaning cloth. There are many ways to save money while reducing your paper product usage. Think before you reach: Is there another, more eco-friendly option?
by S. Ameri
August 5, 2010
An Eco Yuppie would not be as such without choosing a bike over a gasoline-powered vehicle, once in awhile.
I used to have this fancy, shiny mountain bike but I rarely rode it. I suppose it was not a very good fit, and it never felt enjoyable to ride. Unfortunate for me because I never realized there was an inner cyclist inside of me. I sold that fancy bike, which set me on a course towards my newest hobby.
If you are an urbanite like me, then you’ve likely seen the booming trend of vintage road bikes flooding the road ways. This intrigued me, so I decided to find one for myself. Bike shops. Ebay. Yard sales. Local Craigslist listings — bingo. And it was magic when my hands reached forward for those curved handlebars — I felt the lure of the road calling me onward. Laugh, you may, but there is nothing like finding a bicycle that suits your stature, body type, and personality.
You need a cup of sugar, neighbor? — I’m on it, I shall pedal to the market for you! Feeling guilty for that large cup of frozen yogurt? — No worries, let’s bike through the park!
Now, I am slightly obsessed with searching Craigslist for vintage steel ten speed bikes at reasonable prices. I am set on having an entire fleet of two-wheeled steeds for friends and guests to enjoy when embarking on mini adventures to local shops, bars, markets, and restaurants.
Plus,it is great fun to customize and quirk your ride. Browse the site Old Ten Speed Gallery for a glimpse into my obsession. Fair warning, you may catch the fever.
July 28, 2010
In an effort to save money when moving into a new apartment (and to enjoy something more modern than my 19-inch tube), my boyfriend and I took my dad’s broken flatscreen TV in an effort to fix it for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Not only would we save money, but we would help the environment by reusing. Well, several new tools, fuses, and online forums down the road, we realized that, of course, the most expensive and difficult-to-fix card in the television was the culprit. So we went to buy a new television only marginally more expensive than the cost of repair.
Over a year later, the giant 42-inch screen still sits as unnoticable as it can in a corner nook of my living room. Each new house guest asks why we have two TVs in one room (and usually also want to know why it is on the floor). Simple: my go-to cash-for-electronics recycling company seemed to have gone under or disappeared, the one affiliated by my work property management company is only for corporate technology (i.e., computers), the former service manager of my apartment complex who offered to take it off my hands is now “former,” and most places I researched required a large fee to recycle it. Not to mention that it wouldn’t fit in my arms or Volkswagen to take any matters into my own hands.
But today, empowered by a midsummer cleaning spree, I renewed my research to discover Best Buy’s e-cycle program. They recycle most every electronic or will help you find an alternative for what they can’t. They even have pick up programs for your larger TVs and appliances. Although many corporate retailers do have some sort of recycling program, what I particularly like about Best Buy’s is that although I will have a $10 fee, I will immediately receive a $10 Best Buy giftcard for a future purchase. If your television is a Best Buy brand (Dynex, Insignia), then your fee is waived. So while you might have to spend some cash, you receive the same amount back in hopes of further supporting a store that is contributing to environmental responsibility.
Here are a few resources for finding electronic recyclers in your area:
by S. Ameri
