Category Archives: environment

say bye-bye to extra refrigerators and freezers (especially if they’re from the ’80s or older) and save $

Posted on March 4, 2010 by

During an  energy audit today*, I was surprised to see the resident’s electricity usage on a recent utility bill. It was about “average” for a household in the area, but seemed  high for an elder one-person household. Most bulbs were … Continue reading →

Posted in energy efficiency, energy saving, environment, everyday, kitchen, utilities | Tagged , | 4 Comments

UPS delivers by bicycle!

Posted on December 11, 2009 by

I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for UPS since they supported the AIDS Ride (bike fundraiser from San Francisco to Los Angeles) that I did many years ago. THIS just makes me love them more. They are addressing … Continue reading →

Posted in bicycling, conservation, energy saving, environment, everyday, sustainable, transportation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What’s your cell phone radiation level? Is it safe?

Posted on September 18, 2009 by

Look it up with this tool: http://www.ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/Get-a-Safer-Phone My phone (Treo 650) has high radiation. In fact, among the Top 10 Worst PDA/Smartphones!  (The super-popular iPhone 3G is not among the top 10, but it’s a high-radiator, too.) What to do? Should … Continue reading →

Posted in efficiency, environment, health, recycle, sustainability, technology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Food, Inc. movie opens Friday (watch trailer)

Posted on June 12, 2009 by

Food, Inc., a new documentary about the US food supply opens today in NY, SF and LA. I wonder if it has anything new to say to those of us who have already read The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Fast Food … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, everyday, food, health, sustainability | Leave a comment

tetra pak: good or bad?

Posted on June 3, 2009 by

Every time I finish a box of soymilk, I sigh. Because I have to put it in the landfill-bound trash. But, according to this analysis of the sustainability of tetra pak, All in all, Tetra Pak figures that its packaging … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, everyday, food, packaging, recycle, sustainable, technology | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

kids after my creative-reuse heart

Posted on June 1, 2009 by

Alexandra Lehrer, 5, and her classmates at Beginnings Nursery School in New York are my kind of people! “I like building stuff,” she said. “If you throw everything away, there will be just a big pile of garbage, and you … Continue reading →

Posted in children, conservation, environment, everyday, recycle, reuse, second life, sustainability, sustainable | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

home green home (house cleaning)

Posted on May 28, 2009 by

The Seventh Generation newsletter recently shared this news about a new healthy house-cleaning service: We recently launched a new and innovative partnership to help you maintain a clean and healthy home called Home Green Home. We are working with our … Continue reading →

Posted in cleaning, environment, everyday, health, office, sustainable | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

cities -> economies of scale -> greener

Posted on May 20, 2009 by

Really enjoyed this New York Times column on Math and the City which uses mathematics to connect cities with organisms; i.e., cities are living things.  I especially liked this paragraph that describes how city size affects things like infrastructure, specifically gas stations. For … Continue reading →

Posted in community, environment, everyday, sustainable, urbanism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

10% water use reduction: what does that mean?

Posted on May 18, 2009 by

Here in drought-reality California, we’re being told to reduce our water usage, voluntarily. I’m all for water conservation, but what does a 10% reduction look like? My household of two uses 145 gallons per day*, so 10% means 14.5 gallons … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, environment, everyday, sustainable, utilities, water | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

are you biking (or walking) to work on Thursday?

Posted on May 12, 2009 by

Maybe you already ride your bike to work. If you do, you are a member of an elite group: 0.4% of commuters nationwide. If you live in Portland, Oregon, you’re part of a larger crowd–3.5%–, but you already know this. … Continue reading →

Posted in bicycling, energy saving, environment, everyday, health, sustainable | Tagged , | 2 Comments