Going Green With Rechargable Batteries

There are so many simple and cost effective things you can do to go green. Of course we all have heard reducing what we put in our trash cans can be one of the most important things that we all need to get through our heads. Of course it's great to recycle! Do not get me wrong. I do a ton of it myself, but recycling does produce chemicals in our air from the factories that have to do the recycling, it is much easier on our environment to reduce what we possibly can.

You will notice that I pointed out earlier this year to stop buying bottled water. Going to a water filter in your home, or a pitcher and reusable water bottles. I did that as a new years resolution and I would like to report my savings thus far this year. Taking the amount of money I would have spent on bottled water this year..and we are not even done with the summer. Subtracting out what I spent on my water pitcher and filters and then the reusable bottles (BPA free of course) so far I have saved myself roughly $55, and it's just over half way through the year!

Pretty cool. The great thing is not only is my pocketbook and the environment a little better off..but it is much healthier for my family. Even my doggies get their water in their bowl from my Best Water Pitcher. Click Here if you would like to learn more about the Best Water Pitcher. Of course made by a 100% green company:)

So...let's start reducing some more instead of recycling so much.

One very simple thing you can do to go green is starting using rechargeable batteries. Especially you parents out there. How many times do we change the batteries in those god forsaken toys:) Have a stash on hang that is already charged. You can get AA and AAA batteries that are rechargeable for a very reasonable price now and I have found the easiest way to do this is to keep some charged and keep them handy in a drawer or where you normally keep your batteries so then they are ready to go..then you are more likely to use them. The initial cost is a little bit more, but remember these batteries can be recharged hundreds of times. So it's a huge money saver in the long run.

Even if you don't have kids, think about all the little contraptions we have that take batteries. Our remotes. little gadgets..there are so many things and remember ever little bit helps:)

One other thing you might want to consider is you can also recycle batteries after they have been used instead of just junking them in the trash. But even the amount that you have to recycle goes down with the rechargeable batteries.

Top Myths Of About Going Green

Since it's April fools I thought it would be a great idea to go over some of the myths of going green. There are a lot of places out there that will try to tell you things that sometimes just simply aren't true and some that are open for debate. I thought it would something good for you to take and think about. So happy April!

1) You should recycle all paper

That is not always true. Though of course you want to recycle not everything you think can be recycled can be. There is a myth that you can use a paper plate, napkin, or even pizza box and throw in the recycle bin...and guess making you feel better that you are using paper vs regular plates and paper napkins vs cloth. If there is something on the paper such as oil it can actually cause more harm than good. In the paper recycling process it's different than plastic or glass, paper is broken down using water and as I am sure you have heard before oil and water don't mix. It can cause as much as 700 million dollars in contamination each year. Paper is put in huge vats and recycling plants can only catch so much. If paper is put in there it can contaminate huge batch.

Truth: Many papers can be recycled just be sure you know what you are throwing in there and check your local recycling rules.

2) Throw It Away It's Biodegradable

You have heard many companies switching to biodegradable packaging and that is great! You want to encourage that as much as possible but just because it's biodegradable doesn't make it disappear. That package still sits in a landfill while is breaking down. Also many people think food is the most bio gradable thing out there and that is not true either. In a study done by the University of Arizona found some very interesting things in landfills. They found hundreds of hot dogs, corn start and lettuce dating back to the 1960s. How did they know it was from the 1960s? Because it was mixed with newspapers that were still readable that were dated.

Truth: Recycle if it is possible, use that trash can as little as possible. Those bottles I was talking about most of those are recycle able. Compost if it is possible for you. It's a commitment but it's something that is becoming much more commercial and easier to do. Many places offer compost bins for a decent price and you can use what you compost to fertilize your garden next year.

3) The label says it's Eco friendly

When something becomes popular companies jump on the bandwagon to try to profit from it. While you can't blame them you also don't want to be suckered by them. A lot of people don't know their seals well enough to know if a company is telling you the truth or not. And even then you need to put some thought in to it. Here are some seals to watch for on products to know if it's really Eco friendly. There are pictures

Green Seal


With the Green Seal certification not only is the product safe and eco friendly the company that produces the product is too.


Energy Star

With the Energy Star seal of approval means that the product has been tested and is energy efficient compared to its counterparts.

Also coming soon:

We all remember the other Good Housekeeping seal, well now later this year there will be a green Good Housekeeping seal coming our way.

Truth: Think twice before you guy that cleaner that says Eco friendly or uses the work Green in the name. There could be a good chance there is nothing green about it.

4) Adjusting Your Thermostat Wastes Energy
Many people believe that if they power down your thermostat that it spends more energy to power it back up.

Truth: Actually according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy that is not true. It uses less energy to set your thermostat at a lower temperature than it does to have it set on one temperature. So if you are out of the house adjust the thermostat. If you can you can get a programable thermostat in your house also very reasonable now days.

5) Going Green Costs A Lot Of Money
While some products that are "green" do seem to be more expensive right now it's because the competition is low. As the consumer demand goes up the prices will drop. Companies charge what they can get away with. Think about how much the price of a hybrid used to cost. I'm not saying we can all go out and buy one tomorrow, but the cost has dropped a considerable amount than it was just a couple of years ago.
Truth: The truth is most green alternatives can be the same price or comparable and some even less...which is what my blog is about:). There are many ways you can go green and save money. Many experts have said some things you need to buy in bulk to save money..the green truth is some items you can buy in bulk and save the amount of packaging you use and the gas you would save! Anymore with the price of gas saving gas is just about going green, it's saving money too!

So I hope that gave you a fun turn on your April Fools day and some things to think about too. Don't be fooled by going green. There are many people and companies that have the best intentions, but others...not so much. Read between the lines and make sure you are getting the truth. You always have to wait for the federal regulations to catch up to the trends. Sometimes that can take a long time.

The Old Saying Save A Tree

Remember how we always used to talk about saving a tree. Now that so many people recycle you will notice there is a them to this blog.....reduce, just recycling is not enough.

So here is an idea for ya. Stop the notes! I am a horrible list maker, I leave a list laying around for everything so this one is soo hard for me. But take advantage of the digital alternatives you have. One your computer or laptop you can take notes there, or make your lists and the good thing is you problbuly won't loose them!

Most any cell phone has a preloaded note system on it. Even if you don't have a fancy phone it's usually still on there. Take advantage of that when your on the go or at home.

A great site I like is called www.jott.com . I like it because you keep all your to do lists, notes everything in one place. You can even call from your home or cell phone and add notes to your calender or lists. Best of all it's free and they even call you with reminders if you set it to do that.

So try it, no more post its, scratch paper. Try the digital transition:). Even though those sticky notes are so small did you know the average person uses the equivilant of a tree 100 ft high and 18 inches diameter every year.

Something to think about. Reduce, Reduce!

Happy St Patrick's Day

In honor of this green day I thought it was the perfect time to send you a quick little note and remind us all there are easy ways to go green! So here is a little list of 10 simple ways to go green.
1) Switch to a CFL bulb instead of a regular light bulb.

2) Watch your home energy. Monitor your thermostat, if it's in your budget for about $70 purchase a pre-set thermostat where you can set the temperature for the week, month season or however long you would like.

3) Unplug things you are not using. Get rid of phantom power. It can take up up to 20% of your utility bill.

4) Recycle. Most cities offer curb side recycling if you city does not there are many community areas to take your recycling. I have a link here on my blog to www.earth911.org and they have a list of community recycling areas. Check all boxes and bottles when you are cooking you would be surprised what can be recycled.

5) Recycle electronics. One person's trash is another person's treasure...remember that. There are many places that will take your old broken printer, cell phone, monitor. Whatever it may be and give you credit towards a new one. You can also visit http://www.electronicsrecycling.org for more information.

6) Stop using plastic bags!! Switch to whatever type of reusable plastic bags. There are cute ones now, practical ones, heck cheap ones. Here are my favorite Click Here because it's my favorite company of course and because of the size and I shop for a family of 4 so I would rather carry 6 bags vs 20 cute little ones.

7) Reduce-- cut down packaging by buying food in larger containers vs small 1 serving containers. That is less that needs to be put in the trash....which sometimes we forget leads to a landfill.

8) Stop buying water bottles!! Most of them end up in landfills and even if you recycle there is no reason you can't use a water bottle to refill. We all know that tap water is safer than bottled water anyway. So there isn't a health factor there.

9) Shop smart at the grocery store (source: Green Daily). One way to do this is to look for the USDA Organic label, which certifies food hasn’t been exposed to things such as pesticides or synthetic fertilizers or growth hormones and that the soil where they were grown is free of these, as well. They may be more expensive but they are much healthier. So you have to decide what is more important.

10) Use less water. Shorten showers if possible. Even if it's one a week every little bit helps. A lot of people have started collecting rain water also for use in their lawns throughout the summer.

Now these may all seem overwhelming but don't get discouraged! Take them a little bit at a time. Maybe switch one bulb at a time, or pick one things you know you can do full time and most of these actually save you money. And in these tough economic times, who can't use that.

Happy St Patty's Day,
Karen
www.KarenPore.com

Are You Having A Party Soon??

Do you have any parties coming up at your home? Try something different this time. If your party is a manageable size don't use plastic or paper plates. Break out the real stuff. Use regular plates and cups in place of those plastic ones. If you are having a child's birthday party and you really want to go with a theme they will want you can carry that theme with the cake or some decorations.

Yes, it may take you some extra time to wash those dishes (FYI you use less water with a dishwasher than with hand washing dishes) but you will save some trash along the way. You will also save yourself a little cash.
Talk with you soon,
Karen

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Trying To Go Green? This One Is Easy

If you have been trying to figure out what you can and can't give up to go green I have found an easy one for you. Most of us use our computers, phones all these electronics to find phone numbers anymore. Not the old phone books we used to end up using. Most of mine ended up in the recycle bin. An even better way to go green is rather than not ever using them and recycling them just sign up to opt out of getting them in the 1st place!!

A lot of people have chosen as one of their going green resolutions this year is to reduce junk mail and that sort of thing, it's a great idea!! I get WAY too much of it, but some of those services do cost you money. But this one is free and saves from something else cluttering your house and some paper too.

Visit http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/stop-yellow-pages/ to sign up today to stop receiving the yellow pages and/or white pages.