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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http://www.SwitchYourHouse.com

Green Tax Savings

I have been doing some research while preparing my taxes and found some information I thought was worth passing along.
Here is a great article I found about tax savings on green upgrades to your home. Some of them are a little costly, but I know home improvement comes around sometimes whether we want it to or not and there are some interesting things to keep in mind.

Green Tax Savings: $500 Energy Tax Credits for Upgrade to Your Primary Residence

Certain eco-friendly upgrades to your home can qualify for federal tax credits through the end of this year. A credit is much more valuable to you than a standard tax deduction. A credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in your tax bill. A deduction’s value is based on your marginal tax bracket. For example, a $500 tax credit reduces your taxable income by $500. A $500 tax deduction for someone in the highest income tax bracket of 35% is only worth $175 ($500 x .35)
The maximum lifetime energy credit you can claim for upgrades to your primary residence is $500 total. Among the energy-efficient upgrades that qualify for the credit are:

New windows, storm windows, sky lights: credit on 10% of the cost up to $200 total for all windows.
New Exterior doors: credit on 10% of the cost up to $500.
Metal roofs: 10% of the cost up to $500.
Insulation. Credit on 10% of the cost up to $500.
Central air/heating: $300 credit.
New Furnace: $150.
Geo-Thermal Heat Pump: $300.
New Water Heater: $300

So keep these things in mind while doing home upgrades.

Have a great day,
Karen Pore
http://www.green4yourfamily.com/

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.

Do You Have A New Years Resolution?

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope your year has gotten off to a great start. Maybe we should put some thought in to how to get your year started out right! If you are like anyone else I'm sure you have heard all about other people's New Year's resolutions or you have already committed to your own. A lot of us set those resolutions that we put so much time and thinking in to only to find at the end of the year we forgot about them by February. I have a different idea for you!

Why don't you try setting your resolution for something that will help yourself and your household. Make yourself a green resolution for the year. I don't think that going green should take up a lot of time and money. There are so many simple and easy ways to start to transform your lifestyle and your home at little cost. Most of them involve replacing things you already have.

I have some simple ideas for you if you are not knowledgeable about them yourself. I won't go in to a great amount of detail right now because this email would go on forever! I will break each thing down in other newsletters if there are some things you want to know the cold, hard facts on. So take an idea, take two and make them a part of those New Years Resolutions.

Changing your light bulbs from standard bulbs to compact CFL light bulbs. If you choose to go as far as to throughout the year switch over all the bulbs in your house as I did last year know up front it can get a little costly. But these bulbs are not only less harmful but also last much longer. The regular CFL bulb lasts about 7 years. Also check the package for the voltage converter so you will know what type of bulb you need. I even got a larger bulb for my garage and outside lights.

Stop using paper or plastic---- Get cloth reusable bags. If you are a busy mom like me it can actually be hard to change over. I would always get to the store and not have the bags and of course I needed a lot of them for a family grocery trip. If that does every happen to you a lot of stores like Wal-Mart have a plastic bag recycling drop box at the front of the store. Be sure you bring them back.

Here is a link to a great 6 pack of bags Click Here

They also have a removable base so that makes them a lot more durable for cans and heavy things. If you are a single guy or gal you can find all sorts of stylish bags now. Even lunch bags if you carry the plastic bag in.

I sometimes find it helpful too to get a little bag that folds up or has a container that fits in my purse for little things I might need a bag for, not a big trip to the store. Click Here to check those out.

Changing your water supply! Stop buying bottled water ASAP! You can read my previous post for a lot of detail on why that is so important.Bottled water vs tap water isn't even a ? in my mind anymore. But my answer to the water problems is using a water pitcher that is eco friendly Click Here to check out the pitcher. And I put that water into. I like Klean Kanteen Click Here because they offer stainless steel water bottles in many sizes and even with a sippy cup lid too for the little ones.

These are just a few choices for you and I could give you lots more, but I will wait. This gives you some things to mull over and they aren't going to break the bank but make a HUGE difference.
Hope you had a great holiday season.

Until next time,
Karen Pore

http://www.SwitchYourHouse.com

The Tap Water & Bottle Water Question

I have been doing some research on the issue of bottled water vs tap water. I had always heard tap water was safer but you never really know so I thought I would read up on the two and see what I could find.

The Tap Water ?

When I started looking I found a lot of information and studies. I looked further into the Environmental Working Group, they conducted a study of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They wanted to look closer at the reports that the EPA has issued in recent years. They found that water utilities are 90% complaint with EPA standards....that's the good news.

Here is the bad news. There were actually 260 individual chemicals or contaminants in the water in those EPA reports. The EPA only had enforceable standards for 114 of them. That is half of them!

Here are some of the things found in those reports and samples: pesticides, chemicals from fertilizer & manure, pollutants from urban run off from water treatment plants and factory waste. The scariest thing about all of that is since there are no regulations on any of those 116 chemicals or contaminants they can be in any amount!!

You are probably thinking right now I have been drinking tap water forever and nothing has happened to me. For most of us that is true. But we know tap water is responsible for acute and chronic effects. Many researchers believe that intestinal flu comes from contaminants in tap water.

Some of the problems comes in in the way the system is set up. The EPA is a federal government organization. It sets the standards that tap water to, it is the state's responsibility to implement those standards. The states are required to submit reports each year to the EPA.

The long term effects of tap water are startling though. Of those 116 contaminants, again not regulated and can be found at any unlimited amount this is what has been found:

41 of them lead to reproductive toxicities

36 development toxicities

16 immune system damage

I want to be clear on this though. I am NOT saying tap water is dangerous. I am saying it can be and unless you have your own personal lab to test your water it's very hard to get a straight answer. You can contact your water supplier though. They are required by law to provide customers a report once a year of their findings in your water supply. Municipalities and water companies to provide customers with the best possible water supply they are able to.

The problem mostly lies with the EPA who is in charge of enforcing the Safe Drinking Water Act. They have fallen behind in establishing standards for more than 1/2 the contaminants it's own data shows!

Now I know what I have said about tap water can be a little scary, but PLEASE don't turn to bottled water. Lets see what we found on bottled water......

Bottled water is a huge environmental risk and a health problem. There is actually no evidence that shows bottled water is any better than tap water. There are actually fewer regulations on bottled water than tap water and it's been found that 1/4 of bottled water is actually tap water.

The Bottled Water

In 1999 the National Resources Defense Council released the results of their 4 year study analyzing bottled water. They tested 1,000 bottles of 103 major brands of bottled water. 1/3 of of them contained organic chemicals, bacteria and arsenic that exceeded the allowable limits under state and bottled water industry standards or guidelines. The FDA is in charge of assuring the safety of bottled water but it's not responsible for to water bought and sold in the same state. Also bottled water is tested far less frequently than tap water.

And the cost...well that's a big one I never thought of. The average bottle of water sells for $1.50 a liter depending on what snazy the bottle looks. That is more than a gallon of gas. And speaking of gas there's the cost of producing, bottling and shipping all the bottled water. 1/4 of bottled water is transported nationally. This means it is transported by boat, train and truck. That is a lot of gasoline! Even more most water bottles are made out of polyethylene terephthalate (that is a long one!!!), that is plastic made from crude oil. Did you know our demand for bottled water actually costs us 17 million barrels of oil a year that's enough oil to power over 1,000 cars in a year. .

The Container Recycling Institute also reports that only 20% of plastic water bottles are actually recycled. Most bottles are throw away and it can take up to 1,000 years to breakdown.

So now we have learned all this information about water. We have learned that tap water is probably the better for you health and the environment , not to mention the cheaper avenue. But we have also learned that a lot of the contaminants found in tap water are not regulated by the EPA. What do you do now??

A good avenue is filtering your water. There are many ways to go about doing that but you want to make sure those filters actually work and create a healthier drinking water. There are a couple of different ways to use a water filter. There are filters that are used at the point of entry (where the water enters your house) and others that are used at the point of usage (the tap). Of course filters at the point of entry would be great but a lot of those are very expensive and also it's not always a possibility if you live in an apartment of duplex.

Most people choose filtering your water at the point of usage. I use The Get Clean Pitcher click here.

Here Is Why.

• Filters 80 Gallons Of Water – double all the leading brands
  
• Only pitcher with a refillable carbon block filter (reducing waste in landfills)
• Only pitcher with an automatic meter so you know just how many gallons you have filtered.
  
• Only pitcher made with sustainable coconut shell using zero emissions process.
  

So we have found a solution to make sure we are all drinking healthy and saving ourselves some money by not buying bottled water anymore, but it's very important that you maintain your water filter system whatever it may be. The reason I prefer the Shaklee brand is because everything is made to be biodegradable ----not over 7 years either-- and made from recycled materials whenever possible.

So go out and get yourself a nice fresh drink of water.........