Category Archives: sustainable

UPS delivers by bicycle!

Posted on December 11, 2009 by wako

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

how to get extra life from a printer toner cartridge: black tape

Posted on July 30, 2009 by wako

Don’t you hate having to replace the toner cartridge, especially when the printing seems to be fine? Surely, there must be more life in the toner. Well, here’s a workaround in the spirit of responsible consumption: use up what you … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, efficiency, energy saving, everyday, office, paper, sustainability, sustainable | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

how much plastic trash waste in a week?

Posted on July 13, 2009 by wako

Take the Plastic Trash Challenge to find out. I’m starting today.  I don’t think I generate much plastic trash, but actually, I have no idea how much. Similar to guessing how long I shower, I had only a vague notion … Continue reading →

Posted in everyday, packaging, plastic, shopping, sustainable | Tagged | 2 Comments

could you wear the same dress for one year?

Posted on June 15, 2009 by wako

Sheena Matheiken is! 1 dress. 365 days. But then she has a strong creative sense of fashion, and an apparently bottomless collection of accessories in her closet to make it work. Not only is this a creative experiment and inspiration, … Continue reading →

Posted in clothing, design, everyday, recycle, reuse, shopping, sustainability, sustainable | Leave a comment

tetra pak: good or bad?

Posted on June 3, 2009 by wako

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 wako

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 wako

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

when was the last time you vacuumed your refrigerator?

Posted on May 22, 2009 by wako

NEVER, probably. At least that was true for me until recently, when I cleaned the heat-exchange condenser coils, which are what cool your refrigerator by releasing heat. If the coils are covered in a blanket of dust, the refrigerator has … Continue reading →

Posted in cleaning, energy saving, everyday, food, health, kitchen, sustainability, sustainable, utilities | Leave a comment

Google, please map my bike route!

Posted on May 21, 2009 by wako

SIGN THIS PETITION if you, too, want Google Maps to add a “Bike There” option to their maps. 47,000 people already have. I wonder how may they need to be convinced? Or maybe they’re already working on it…?  I’m excited … Continue reading →

Posted in bicycling, energy saving, sustainable, transportation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

cities -> economies of scale -> greener

Posted on May 20, 2009 by wako

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