Can It: National America Recycles Day

Hey America, are you doing your green civic duty? Don’t worry if you haven’t started recycling yet, November 15 is the perfect day to start … it’s National America Recycles Day. Check out the dos and don’ts and how recycling actually works.

• Every community has different rules about what you can and can’t recycle. Check out your local government’s website or call for a list of the rules.
• Make sure your items are clean. We know it’s a pain but rinsing items first or ripping off soiled parts makes the recycling process easier. For example: a cereal box is great for recycling but a greasy pizza box isn’t.
• Separate your items in to paper and plastic. It’s also important to remove any parts of an item that can’t be recycled. For example, milk jugs can be recycled but some caps can’t.
• Read the bins. Most times they are labeled with what you can toss in.
• Good bets for recycling include steel cans, aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, plastic beverage bottles, milk jugs, glass bottles and jars, cereal boxes, other clean and dry cardboard boxes.
• Bad bets for recycling include plastic grocery bags, styrofoam, food-soiled paper, and wax paper.
See how recycling actually works!

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne
Photo by Google Images

No Kidding! 10 Ways to Go Green with Your Children

Aw … your kids are adorable but, ahem … they are leaving a big carbon footprint. And, the more you have, the bigger the impact is on the environment.  You may think your babies are too tiny to impact anything but think again. Under current conditions in the United States, for instance, each child ultimately adds about 9,441 metric tons of carbon dioxide to the carbon legacy of an average parent – about 5.7 times the lifetime emissions for which, on average, a person is responsible. Eek! But don’t disown your children yet! Follow these top 10 ways to green your children.

1.      Three Rs – Reduce, reuse, recycle.

2.      Use hand-me-downs for everything … toys, clothes, furniture, books.

3.      Monitor water time. Set an alarm for shower and brushing teeth time so they’re not wasting.

4.      Use eco-friendly cleaning products. After all, kids want to put everything in their mouths.

5.      If you must buy … clothes, toys, etc … pick ones that are organic, sustainable, and/or eco.

6.      Start walking. The earlier you walk places with your kids, the faster they’ll get used to ditching the car for a stroll. And when they get older, add in the bike.

7.      Be mindful of food. Kids like to pick at their food, push it around on their plates, and even throw it on the floor. Teach them not to be wasteful, only take what they are going to eat, and the importance of eating healthy and organically.

8.      Have an annual household donation. This will help them understand their consumption and what they really need and what they can do without

9.      Step away from the TV. Try other activities like reading, playing an instrument, running outside, or painting which has a substantially lower carbon footprint.

10.   Teach them! Show them the ways of saving the planet and they’ll be hooked. Remember to lead by example. Heck, they might even teach their friend’s about it too!

Written by Greenista Girl Shivani

Photo by CBS8

12 Ways to Reduce Pollution

Eco warriors, arm yourselves with reusable totes, bottles, and tableware and spread the word of recycling dos and don’ts … it’s Pollution Prevention Week. Pollution isn’t just in the air it lurks in every crevice of the environment. Remember to practice the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.  Every little bit does add up and no effort is too small. To get you started, the Greenista Girls came up with a list of easy tips to follow during Pollution Prevention Week … and for the rest of your life (hint, hint).

1. Reuse bags and containers. Gift bags are great for re-gifting or wrapping packages and covering books.
2. Try to create a new décor item out of something old you might have been ready to toss.
3. Avoid unnecessary car trips and if you must, carpool instead. This is one of the most helpful things you can do to prevent pollution.
4. Practice safe Take Out. Just say “no” to extra condiments, napkins, and plastic ware.
5. Wash out plastic containers and glass jars you buy food in and use them as Tupperware.
6. Paper or plastic? Neither! When grocery shopping, take your own reusable bag.
7. Turn off your computer, monitor, lights and all electronics if you’re not using them.
8. Do a double take. Save paper by making double sided copies.
9. Only print when absolutely necessary.
10. Minimize water use by purchasing efficient faucets and shower heads
11. Make your own cleaning supplies. Baking soda and water can be used instead of ammonia-based, all-purpose cleaners.
12. Go meat-free one night this week with veggies and yummy pasta.

Written by Greenista Girl Neha

Photos by Sacramento State

Breaking the Cycle: Recycling Dos and Don’ts

Stuck in a rut when it comes to recycling? We know it can be confusing. What can you toss and what gets recycled … it’s enough to drive you crazy. If you can’t pack reusable or biodegradable items like yesterday’s picnic items, you definitely want to be able to recycle it. Greenista Girl Brianne gives you the break down …

• Every community has different rules about what you can and can’t recycle. Check out your local government’s website or call for a list of the rules.

• Make sure your items are clean. We know it’s a pain but rinsing items first or ripping off soiled parts makes the recycling process easier. For example: a cereal box is great for recycling but a greasy pizza box isn’t.

• Separate your items in to paper and plastic. It’s also important to remove any parts of an item that can’t be recycled. For example, milk jugs can be recycled but some caps can’t.

• Read the bins. Most times they are labeled with what you can toss in.

• Good bets for recycling include steel cans, aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, plastic beverage bottles, milk jugs, glass bottles and jars, cereal boxes, other clean and dry cardboard boxes.

• Bad bets for recycling include plastic grocery bags, styrofoam, food-soiled paper, and wax paper.

• If we haven’t convinced you to do your part recycling wise, check out these stats that’ll change your mind.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by Conserve Energy Future

Wipey travel packs can be green! …and less expensive too!

If you are like me (and many other parents out there), you are probably easily persuaded to buy some nick nack or another that you see beautifully packaged in the stores.  It’s like a drug!  Well, one of the things that I always see people buying a ton of, is travel packs of wipes.  They are pretty handy since you can use the wipes for almost anything and they have resealable openings.   You can even find many different brands, including the “eco-friendly” brands like Earth’s Best, Seventh Generation etc.  But I have one big problem wit

h these: they are still small packs of wipes that are not easily refilled, and thus, end up creating more, unnecessary trash!

My solution: Make your own bag for travel wipes.

photo by: JAS Photography LLC at www.jasphotostudio.etsy.com

Here’s how: Get a quart sized resealable plastic bag (ziplock, glad – any brand works).  The zipper closure works better, longer than the press and seal type.  Then, take some wipes from your refill stash at home (you know, the big packs that you buy to refill your wipes at home) and put ‘em in the bag!  It’s that simple!  Fold the bag over and zip closed for an airtight seal that keeps the wipes fresh and  moist.  I use these EVERYWHERE.  I used to use this small hard box that I kept in my diaper bag, but it doesn’t fit that many wipes and it is not maleable when space is low in my diaper bag.  The plastic bag works great.    Even when I go on long vacations, I take a big pack of wipe refills from home, and keep refilling the plastic bag as I need.  I usually have a plastic grocery bag or two laying around somewhere, and I keep the open pack of wipe refills in there until I need them next.  They have never dried out on me.  I’ve been using the same plastic bag for several trips and on a day to day basis in my diaper bag without a problem!

Nothing comes for free: The one thing that is a little more difficult with this system, is taking out multiple wipes.  The store bought travel packs have a hard, small opening to take your wipes out of which keeps the rest of the wipes back and allows you to pull one wipe out at a time (keep in mind, this is more plastic that is wasted with each one you buy!).  The way I handle this is I take out 1 to 3 to whatever number of wipes I usually need before I get started, and then they are easy to access.  Makes me feel a lot better when I’m not throwing away those travel packs over and over again!  …and oh yeah…it’s a LOT cheaper too!

Any other ideas on how to save on resources?