That’s (Eco)News To Me October 14, 2008

Did you know that scraping food off your plates into the garbage rather than pre-rinsing them uses up to 20 fewer gallons of water every time you use the dishwasher? Doing this will also save you about $40.00 per year. Of course, you save even more water and electricity by only running the dishwasher when it’s full.

Photo from Flickr by Anamoly23

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Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

That’s (eco) news to me – Run a more efficient car August 25, 2008

Did you know that if you remove the roof rack on your car or take out all the unnecessary stuff from the trunk (you know you’re guilty of this), you’ll help your car run more efficiently? The extra weight forces the car to work harder.

Keeping your windows closed also helps because it makes your care more aerodynmic. Consider giving this a try with the car’s air vents open. Every little bit counts these days when the price of gas is $3.70 a gallon.

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That’s (eco)news to me – recycling plastic bottle caps August 6, 2008

I just found out that not all recycling centers can take plastic bottle tops. This can cause them to end up as litter or floating in oceans and rivers. If you take them to any Aveda store, they will recycle them into shampoo caps. What a great idea!

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That’s (eco)news to me – take your shoes off August 4, 2008

Wearing you shoes from outdoors in your home doesn’t just track in dirt. Pesticides, lead and other chemicals can make their way in as well. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a study that showed that shoes tracking in pesticides were a major source of pesticide exposures, especially for young children who spend much of their time on the floor and who put things in their mouths. It also showed that indoor shoe-wearing was a larger cause of children’s pesticide exposures than consuming non-organic fruits and vegetables.

Even if you don’t use pesticides on your lawn, you can pick it up along with lead and other chemicals from your travels elsewhere. Consider putting a door mat just inside your front door or better yet, take your outdoor shoes off upon entering your home and change to “indoor shoes”.

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That’s (eco)news to me – online banking July 30, 2008

Did you know that if all Americans signed up for online banking to pay their bills, we’d save 16.5 million trees a year and cut 3.9 billion pounds of greenhouse gases? It’s such an easy change that saves you time and earth’s resources.

photo by: www.time.com (Stuart Franklin)

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