Stubble Free Sustainability

Legs, armpits, beards, "other" places... Most adults in modern Western society shave something on our bodies to remove unwanted hair.  And according to Wikipedia, we've been shaving in some way, shape, or form for a long time-- since the Bronze Age.
In 1895, the concept of the safety razor was conceived by King C. Gillette and the arduous (or artful) task of shaving was revolutionized.  Then came along Schick, Bic, and then the electric shavers all to add to the list of modern conveniences.  And, well, you know the rest.  Or do you?  What about all of those single-use plastic disposable razors that we use once or twice, then pitch into the garbage and landfills to remain in perpetuity?

Telecommuting Saves $10K Per Employee Yearly | Business | GreenBiz.com

Telecommuting Saves $10K Per Employee Yearly | Business | GreenBiz.com

SAN DIEGO, CA — Businesses that let 100 employees work half of their time from home can save more than $1 million a year according to Telework Research Network's (TRN) latest study of telework programs and their benefits.
TRN looked at more than 250 case studies, research papers and other documents on telework (also called telecommuting and workshifting), and combined that with interviews with companies, researchers and more to figure out how telecommuting benefits employers, employees, the environment and communities.

Let It All Hang Out: Why Line Drying is Better

In my part of the world, it is now officially summer.  And summer usually means sun-filled, warm days.  Those days are p-e-r-f-e-c-t for line drying your clothes.   Instead of firing up the dryer, why not harness the power of the sun and fresh air to dry your clothes?   While it may sound like a major inconvenience, I can attest that it really isn't.  Whenever possible, I hang our family's (clean) laundry out to dry.  Sure, I have a dryer like most modern households, and I use it (as little as possible), so I won't pretend like I don't.  It's kind of a philosophical thing with me, but I won't bore you with that.  Back to hanging up the clothes... It doesn't really take that long to hang them up, and if you do it right, there is no need for ironing (score!!) when you take them down and / or fold them!  So here are some reasons why line drying is better:

Lighten Up by Going Green

My last posts were pretty serious, and with good reason.  So I am going to lighten it up a bit for this installment.  After all, it’s March, the beginning of Spring, and we’re supposed to be thinking green.  We celebrate all things Irish, blossoms arrive on tree branches and grass begins to poke through the melting snow.  With that said, what are you doing to bring more green into your life?  What little changes could you make, or eco-steps could you take to make our world a greener place? 

On My Soapbox -- Fight Club Re-Run with a Twist

Faceoff:  Soap vs. Laundry Detergent  

Are we that much dirtier than we were 50-60 years ago?  (Keep those thoughts clean, I'm talking laundry here!)   And, do we really require industrial-strength, petroleum-based detergents and fabric softeners to get the grime out of our clothes?  Given that we've entered into the 21st century and much of our work is hardly strenuous, I would argue that most of us stay pretty clean on a day-to-day basis.  And, that relatively plain old soap and water can get our clothes clean just fine.

Why Eco-Steps Matter

It's no secret that the world population is increasing at alarming rates. As a human race, we consume resources to survive.  And, some of us consume more than others (far beyond what would be considered necessary for survival).

Just recently, I read an article addressing our consumption entitled, "What's Your Consumption Factor?" by Jared Diamond, author of "Collapse," and "Guns, Germs and Steel."  Some of the highlights of the article are that developed nations consume resources at a relative per capita consumption rate of 32 whereas the "rest" of the world consumes at a rate far lower than that-- somewhere around 1.  And, that the disparity in these resource consumption rates is at the root of many of the world's conflicts.  This article uses China as an example of where we are headed with our consumption.  In 2008, China's per capita consumption hovered somewhere around 11.  China has the world's fastest growing economy and four times the population of the United States.  If China's consumption rises to be on par with the US, oil consumption would increase by 106 percent, and world metal consumption would increase by 94 percent.  I don't mean to pick on China or single out any particular nation.  But, it is clear that we all need to start thinking a lot differently about how we consume. 

Let There Be Light-- Compact Fluorescent (CFL) Light, That Is!

Believe it or not, the light bulb is 131 years old!  In those 131 years, we have gone from horse and buggy to rocket trips to space and back.  The world's population has grown from less than 2 billion people to just under 7 billion-- and is still growing!  That's a lot of households, a lot of light bulbs (for those with electricity) and a lot of energy to power those light bulbs! 

Since the US consumes a large majority of the world's energy, it seems only fitting and fair that we should also be a leader in conservation and environmental stewardship.  How to do your part?  You can start by changing your light bulbs.

Fight Club - Make Your Own Laundry Soap

Yes, you can make your own laundry soap.  The formula is a bit different from the one in the movie, "Fight Club," and if you've seen it, you'll be glad that it is.  If you haven't, well, it's not for kids, but a good movie if you like Ed Norton and Brad Pitt.  I've been told it's a must-see for "intellectual hippies."

But I digress.  Back to the soap.  It's cheap, it's way easy, and it really works to get clothes clean.   I can't take credit for this recipe.  Credit goes to my cousin, Gen, who shared it with me.

Re-Run: Small Eco-Steps to Live Better, Preserve the Planet, Save Money and Be Happier

We hear it everyday: Reduce our carbon footprint, eat less meat, turn down the thermostat, put on a sweater, recycle, stop drinking bottled water. If we don't want to literally melt the Earth, we have to do all of these things, plus keep up with our jobs, our daily lives, running the kids here and there-- combining as many trips as possible to avoid emitting CO2. It can be overwhelming to mentally juggle all we already had on our daily plates, let alone throw some more "helpful" ideas to save our planet.

But does it need to be that hard? Well, in a nutshell, no. It does not. Let's face it, no matter where we fall on the "green" spectrum, there is always room for improvement! And that's where this Blog comes in. The objective here is to help people help themselves, help the planet and maybe get a little happier in doing so. So, here is a list of 10 small "eco" steps you can take to do your part for the environment. It's not long, and you can probably pick just one, maybe even two things for starters. But, if you're feeling bold, do them all. It can only help.