Greening Your Home, Frugally

Many people associate going green with expensive purchases scattered throughout their living space, but living a greener lifestyle is more often about what you don’t buy and don’t have in your home.

A quick, and frugal way to improve the health of your home is to remove the toxic items. You may be thinking, “Who lives with toxic items? What, do people have piles of radioactive waste in their living rooms? If so, I’m a better housekeeper than I thought!” With toys and books currently littering way too many surfaces in our home, I’m clearly not qualified to judge anyone’s housekeeping abilities, but I can tell you the odds are high that items you have in your home today are toxic. Read more

Going Green Can Save You Green on…Insurance?

I’ve got to admit that insurance was not one of the first items on my mental list of ways to save green while going green. In fact, it didn’t even make my top ten.

But it turns out that insurance companies are realizing that many green choices are cost-effective over the long-term. that means many companies are offering lower insurance rates for both people and businesses making green choices including driving a hybrid vehicle or owning a green building.

Some companies have even added environmentally-friendly incentives such lower rates for reduced driving. If you have already cut back on your driving or you plan to, it is worth a call to your insurance company to see if they offer discounts for driving reductions.

For more information, see the Wall Street Journal. (BTW, I love that this article was in their Wealth Manager series the day after Earth Day!)

New Energy Efficiency Standards Set

Yesterday President Obama signed a memorandum that ordered the U.S. Department of Energy to create new, more energy efficient standards for a variety of household appliances. The list includes commonly used items such as dishwashers, refrigerators, lamps, and ovens. The memorandum addresses a series of deadlines first set by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 that have been missed by previous administrations. Read more

Reflecting on 2008 and Looking Ahead to 2009

There has been a lot of discussion in our house about the new year. Many of the conversations involved things we changed during 2008 that made us happier. As we talked about those changes, it soon became clear almost all of them also made our lives greener. It was nice to see the two characteristics line up so nicely so I thought I would share!

First is an overview of the greening steps we made during 2008. Since I love hearing about other people’s resolutions, this is followed by the resolutions we have currently made for 2009. Read more

Protect Your Child, Your Wallet, and Your World with One Spin of the Dial

When I was pregnant with my first child, a colleague gave me a great piece of advice about labor: “Remember that you only have one contraction at a time.” I’ve since discovered that this advice has broad applications; I often remind myself of it when I become overwhelmed with parenting or fighting global warming. The end results I want in both arenas are really the culmination of many small actions, just as the birth of my daughter was the result of many (many!) contractions.

Global warming sounds so big (ginormous, as my youngest would say) that it is easy to feel overwhelmed or inconsequential. However, we can all make small changes, many of which benefit us directly. Collectively we can make a positive difference for the environment. As I remind my kids when we’re faced with a messy room, many hands make light work. None of us has to assume the mantle of responsibility for the entire world but we can all help to clean up the mess! Read more

Recycling Vision

During the holidays, many parents will be thrilled as they watch the eyes of their child light up with the wonder of the season. But for some parents, looking into their child’s eyes is a painful reminder of vision problems they cannot afford to address. If you have old eyeglasses or sunglasses sitting in a drawer, there are several organizations who would love to help you pass them along to someone who needs them. Read more

Storing Leftovers for Less

‘Tis the season… for leftovers. Leftovers are a life saver in our house, allowing us to cut our grocery bill, our food waste, and our prep time when the kids are ravenous. Storing them, however, had become a holly, jolly pain.

Like many families, we have been working to reduce the amount of plastic we use. This was particularly important for us when it came to plastic coming into contact with food our children would eat. (For a refreshingly clear discussion of plastics and food, visit The Smart Mama.) But what would we do without our plastic containers? And how could we store our leftovers safely without spending more money?

The answer came in a jar of jam. The Koala Sisters are big PB and J fans so Richard and I spend a lot of time with the jam jar. The jars are so pretty that I had saved several with no real plan. And then it hit me! We are already buying the perfect food storage containers; we just need to reuse them when the original contents had been consumed.

We started saving our glass jars to reuse for leftovers. Jam jars are perfect for small amounts of leftovers or for individual servings. We have several in our frig right now full of yummy mushroom soup. Jars from spaghetti sauce and peanut or almond butter are fabulous for larger amounts. All clean up easily and impart no harmful chemicals to our food – and in the end are totally recyclable!

This switch has also made us think about our food purchases in a new way. Now that we know the containers will be reused, they are a larger portion of our decision to make a purchase. Our last yogurt purchase was of yogurt in a glass rather than plastic container, in part because of its great jar. It was a tiny bit more expensive but quite delicious so this change is also helping us to expand our food horizons.

If you have questions about your plastic food storage containers, check out The Green Guide’s piece on the safety of different plastics by number. Or start your own jar collection!

Organic Linen Sale at Gaiam

I just received an email from Gaiam highlighting their current sale on selected organic cotton sheets and towels. The sale is for 20% off their (already good) prices on organic cotton items. To access the sale, visit their website at Gaiam and type “organic cotton” into their search bar. The items on sale have their sales prices marked. This sale ends November 24, 2008 so check it out now if interested.

In case you are in the midst of your holiday shopping, these would make good gifts! Gaiam is an earth-friendly company so even your greenest friends and family members would be excited to see a package from them. Gaiam was the first company to use a carbon-neutral shipping program, which they developed with The Conservation Fund. The program, called Go Zero, allows customers to add a small, tax-deductible donation at checkout. Each donation is used to plant trees, which offset the carbon dioxide emissions that result from shipping the order. Their mailing supplies are comprised of 100% recycled materials. Gaiam can also provide gift wrapping for your package. Read more

Love Your Local Library

We’ve been on the birthday party circuit lately and now more than ever conversations are turning to ways to save money. I’ve had several great discussions about how much we love our local library so wanted to bring the dialogue online.

We are true fans of public libraries. Our first trip out after our eldest was born was to our local library. (Really – we have pictures and everything!) Our eldest has a library card in her name and our youngest has been practicing writing her full name so she can obtain her own card. I cannot overstate how excited she is about this prospect!

Why are we such fans? Here is what our local library, which is quite small, has for us to checkout and enjoy at home:
•    Books for both children and grownups
•    Magazines
•    Audio books
•    Videos
•    CDs
•    Computer games and programs

Our family loves books. We like being able to enjoy stacks of new-to-us books every week without paying for them even more. Since the pulp and paper industry is the third largest industrial emitter of global warming pollution, we also love knowing that our reading habits aren’t harming the planet. (Check out the National Resources Defense Council’s page on the paper industry to learn more.)

As an added bonus, our library also hosts:
•    Story times
•    Puppet shows
•    Other children-friendly events such as children’s musicians
•    Book groups
•    Craft and hobby group meetings
•    Computers with online access

Visit your local library today to discover all the ways it can help your family go green while saving green.

Have you discovered other ways to save green while going green?  Please share your success stories here!

Coupon for Whole Foods

I just discovered Whole Foods has posted a coupon for $5 off any purchase of $25 or more on its website. The coupon is valid from 10/15/08 to 10/22/08. Visit Whole Foods for a link to the printable coupon. I hope you find something yummy!

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