The Push and Pull

Did you know that one gas powered lawn mower emits as much exhaust as 40 idling cars in traffic (in an hour time span?) That is pretty shocking if you ask me! Go back to basics and opt for a push lawn-mower for your grass trimming needs. Modern reel mowers are:

- easier to push now
- light
- dust and exhaust-free
- quieter (goodbye mower noise-pollution that has woken me up many mornings)
- a great way to recycling your lawn trimmings into automatic mulch
- maintenance free
- better for your grass (I read somewhere that rotary mowers tear your grass while reel mowers cut the grass like scissors)

Here are some reel mower strategies:
1. Walk at a nice, comfy, and steady pace (Steady....steady now)
2. Overlap your rows b/c this will make it easier to maneuver through the grass
3. Don't let the grass grow too tall, don't want to overwhelm your new toy
4. Mow your lawn earlier or later in the day during warmer temperatures.
5. If you're a hot boy, mow shirtless...the ladies will love it! (meow)

Andrew Bird Bike Ride on CurrentTV

On my lunch break I decided to check out the happenings on Current.TV and found this bike ride interview with Andrew Bird, one of my favourite musicians. Along with talking about his music, he talks about different ways he has greened his tours and how he loves bike riding. It's really getting me even more pumped up about my future bike, all the things I'm going to see on my rides that I miss out on in a car. Makes me happy.

Travel Offsets

Starting to plan your summer trip but still want to factor in your greenness? Consider something more closer to home where you can easily and efficiently travel by car or have a train trip adventure!

I want to visit my sister...or have her come out to LA. The sistaXhood have been physically separated too long (and I'm sure our mother misses Z's face, too). Mother's Day? Memorial Day? As much as I love train trips, a train trip up north isn't worth it over a 3-day weekend. Boo. Same goes for a bus trip, if I ever decide to go that route. Driving is feasible but I hate having to deal with a car in SF. Plus, the reason I go up to SF is to enjoy their convenient public transport. Plane it is, as per usual, but it's definitely not the greenest option. But however you decide to travel, take the extra step in offsetting your carbon emissions via NativeEnergy

Along with scoping out airline ticket prices I've also been calculating how much carbon my trip would be emitting/contributing into the atmosphere.


Once on the site, click on "Travel Calculator" (the second box with that plane picture) and pick your travel method of choice. According to Native Energy my round-trip flight to SF would be about 696 miles total. My carbon emissions? 0.278 tons.
Cost to offset my carbon emissions? A mere $12. This will go towards funding renewable energy sources to counter your pollution like wind power, farm methane, or a combo of the two. Not too shabby a price to pay for carbon neutrality, if you ask me. I'd be paying double though, to offset on my mother's behalf if she were coming along.

It's really neat, convenient, and practical. You can even calculate your work commute, emissions your home energy, and general lifestyle! (Click the 'individual' tab).

Definitely use this for any of your travel plans and your everyday living! And if you're flying, some airlines have carbon emission offset programs of their own so check those out if they're available!

future cyclist in the house

I spent $40 to fill up my gas tank this weekend. $40! I have a Corolla and I shouldn't be paying this much for gas! Damn you high gas prices. This whole debacle makes my whole desire to get a bike to commute to work increase more and more!

Today was the first day driving to my new office. I did two things: scouted out my future bike route and scouted out the transit stops. I also looked our for fellow bikers who I can befriend in the future and cafes along the way. It's only about 5 miles so the biking won't be so bad. I just haven't ridden a bike in so long so it will take some getting used to again. And sadly, like many streets in LA, I did not see designated bike lanes.

The hunt for a used bike has been going on for a few weeks now to no avail. Maybe because I was scoping out new bikes a few weeks ago and the used bikes I've encountered so far have not come close to the new ones I've been lusting over.

First I was hesitant to just buy a new bike right off the bat. I am known for some compulsive purchases so I figured I would hold out and shop around for a bit. But I have found a bike shop in between my new office and home so I can easily get dropped off there and ride my bike home.
At the rate I'm paying for gas right now, the money that goes to my fill-ups can just go into my bike fund.

I'll keep you posted on my mission!

One Woman's Trash...

...is MY treasure!

A co-worker friend of mine is moving into a new place and has started packing up her stuff and cleaning out her closet. While sitting in her living room she drags in a bulging trash bag full of clothes she doesn't want. Rather than toss them out, she let us have first dibs on her cast-offs (the rest would go to charity) and boy did I find some goodies! I made out like a bandit and left with an armful of "new" clothes.


If you're clearing out your closet, call your friends over and let them have the pick of the litter! You'll save still-functional clothes from landfills and you'll be responsible for your friends updated wardrobe and fashion statement! More closet space for you and you're friends save some green!

Movin' On Up!

We're moving offices and I love that the coordinators of this move have done their best to make this as green of a move as possible! One aspect that takes up a major part of a move are boxing up our goods. Anyone who has moved to a new apartment/home knows all about getting your hands on cardboard boxes. We're moving an office so I faint at the thought of how many boxes we'd have had to get! Moving companies were researched and we were lucky enough to find one that utilises reusable crates for their packing and moving needs!We just pack 'em, snap 'em and go. We're also using used cardboard boxes that we have lying around.

If you happen to be moving anytime soon or in the future for that matter, do what I did and get yourself used cardboard boxes from your friends, any that aren't being used at your work, or look for free ones on Freecycle or Craigslist. Once you are done with them, pass them along to friends, strangers, put an ad on these sites offering up the boxes to anyone who will pass them on, too, and have them pass them on, until the boxes are worn to bits and the remains have to be recycled! Saving trees and energy from production resources, gotta love it.

If It's Yellow...

That's right, kiddies. If it's yellow, let it mellow! I live alone so it's easy for me to tinkle then "set it and forget it" for 2 or 3 rounds. Refraining from flushing saves gallons along the way and I drink alot of water so you can imagine how many times I'm flushing a day! I do flush at work, though, to spare my co-workers from the shock of coming into the bathroom and finding my pee in the bowl...and that's just weird. But I've got free reign at home so I'm all about the non-flush there.

(And yes, that is the Pink Floyd toilet seat I had made for our Pink Lloyd themed bathroom in our soon-to-be-former office. An hommage!)

Green In The Face

Even in my sickbed I still managed to practice my green ways as best I could. Normally one pictures a sickbed to be riddled with tissue paper. Thankfully I avoided that path and used a hanky instead! It's quite an old fashioned way to blow your nose but it helps you avoid the paper trail! I wasn't able to find handkerchief, per se, so I dug up an old t-shirt (not pictured) and a clean mini rag to alleviate my nasal congestion.

My mom was nice enough to come to the rescue bearing orange juice, medicine, and soup. She was quite upset when I told her I wanted to ride the fever out au naturale and plopped 2 bottles of flu medicine by my bedside. Luckily, she indirectly made a smarter choice and bought medicine out of bottles instead of pills I'd have to pop our of the plastic/foil combo. Although the plastic bottles aren't the "greenest" thing because they contain petroleum based plastic, they can be easily reused or recycled while the plastic/foil pill containers are an enviro mess! I had some of those pills leftover from when my sister was sick during her last visit and as much as I didn't want to have to use them due to the waste I would be creating I took then anyway. Why? Because they are still good and I didn't want to have to toss out the pills.

If you have push-out pills in your medicine cabinet don't throw them out! And definitely don't flush them! Doing either will lead to them seeping into the our water systems somehow. We don't want that happening now, do we? Save them for your next sickday. No use wasting good medicine for no good reason.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day Everyone! Going out to celebrate? Why not stay out longer and be a mooch! That's right -- be an energy mooch! If you've got dinner plans or just meeting someone for coffee later tonight might as well mooch off the communal energy at your restaurant or cafe!

This means less energy usage at your own home and you're using someone else's lights. You may even convince the restaurant or cafe to serve by candlelight in honour of today. C'est tres romantique, non? And while you're out, why not take an after dinner walk. You'll enjoy more time with your dinner buddy, get some leisurely exercising worked into your day, and you're enjoying the lovely outdoors!

Another celebratory idea is having your own energy-free/waste-free dinner at home. Invite friends over! Serve a nice hearty salad with some cheese and crackers over beeswax candlelight, serve yourself a glass of organic wine, user reusable plates and utensils, and opt for conversation (or read if you're alone).

Enjoy Earth Day!

In Sickness...

Sorry, readers. I've been plagued with the flu all weekend hence the lack of entries. I am getting better, slowly but surely, and am actually able to walk around my apartment without fumbling on my weak knees! You should get a green tip by tomorrow. Find out how I was green in sickness, as I am in health.

Good 'Til The Last Drop

This morning I told my friend and Green Du Jour reader, Jason, that I was trying to figure out how to talk about having a greener period but didn't know quite how to start, what title to go with, how to talk about the sitch. He proceeded to get squeamish at the thought so Jason, you can avert your eyes now *smile*

For those who are still with me, let's get down and dirty and to the point! I read somewhere that over 6 million tampons and over 13 billion sanitary pads (along with their packaging) end up in U.S landfills or sewers each year! That's pretty insane and to think I contribute to that pile. But no fear, ladies, because we have alternatives.

A few years ago my best friend, Karen, told me she visited a commune in Northern California where there was no waste. I thought about how cool that was then paused. "Well, what about the women and their periods?" That's when I found out about the menstrual cups like the Diva Cup. This palm sized cup is made of hypo-allergenic/ silicone and costs around $30 or so. These babies have been around since the 1930's, are economic, reusable, and environmentally friendly.

There is also The Keeper, made from natural gum rubber that can last up to 10 years if car. They also offer a silicone version called The Moon Cup. I have yet to try the cups but many women swear by them so I may have to see.


Not sure you want to jump right into the cup usage? Not to worry. You can always use Lunapads which are washable pads and are too cute! And look! Kitty! They also make padded panties. A money saver and stylish. I know you may be wondering about what to do about changing when you're not at home. Well, they come with a free nylon carrying purse for ladies on the go and I will leave it at that.

But ladies, if you are going to buy tampons or pads, make sure they are organic cotton , chlorine bleach-free, chem-free, and sans applicator. You can readily find these at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or similar stores.

Eco-periods mean not cramping landfills, and extra money in your pocket. Ain't no shame in that!

Billy the Kid

So I was walking over to the vegan restaurant today @ lunch and noticed a GOAT in the backseat of a parked KIA. Naturally it made my day! Thank goodness I had my camera on me to capture this splendid feat of randomness. I was thinking about how I could incorporate Billy the Kid over here into my GreenDuJo then bingo! I remembered the Goat Finder! Rent or own your own goat as an alternative to lawnmowers, weed-whackers, and pesticide weed killers! Put them on your grass and they will go to town! They'll eat everything, even poison ivy. They are herbicide/pesticide-free and that way you are less likely to be exposed to cancer-linked carcinogens. Goats are also quieter than loud lawnmowers. And they are cute! It may be a bit extreme for city-folk like me but it's a thought, right?


More lawn tips to come. For now, enjoy the goat!

Be Green, Eat Better!

Along with being stricter with my shopping habits I'm excited to get back to being stricter with my diet! Think about it. Many processed foods and ready made meals come in so much packaging whether it be plastic, paper, Styrofoam, glass, etc. These foods are often wrought with preservatives, additives, salt/sodium, refined sugars, fats, and the list goes on. Plus, consider how much energy is going into processing these processed foods.

Cutting back on processed and packaged foods means less sodas and sugary juices, less boxed instant sodium-filled foods, less junk foods, less starches and bad carbs, and more fresh fruits and veggies, foods whose ingredients you can control by using sea salt, fresh herbs, grains, etc.

It's great because I am taking the time to prepare my own meals, experiment with recipes, and having fun making things from scratch. More time getting creative when I get home rather than wasting away in front of the TV (which means more time for it to remain unplugged!). And if I wanted to cut down my energy use even more, I make raw meals like salads and enjoy fruit as a dessert! Then I can sit at my dining table with my deelish dinner and catch up on my reading of the latest GOOD magazine I got in the mail!

So start small and think about your next grocery list. What can you cut back on? What fresh foods can you throw into the mix? How can you get creative with radishes? (I just bought a bunch and have no idea how to prepare them yet).

Less packaging! Less processed foods! Less weight! (Healthy, of course)


[Photo from healthline.com]

Eating Out: B.Y.O.C

Eating out is fun but when you've had your fill and there's still a good amount of food left on your plate, the take-out packaging will be hard to swallow and stomach. Usually restaurants use Styrofoam packaging or something else that isn't great for landfills for your doggy-bag so why not try getting into the habit of bringing your own container with you? I try to be good and bring one along when I know I am going out to a restaurant. Or I try to keep a secret stash in my car if I dine out last minute. Your waiter may be taken aback but will hopefully appreciate the gesture. Plus, other patrons may see what you're doing and bring their own container the next time they dine out. Teach by example, I say!

(photo from tupperware.com)

adventures in grocery shopping

Grocery shopping is quite an ordeal for me. Not only do I like to thoroughly scope out every aisle for things I need but once I start making my way towards the store with my reusable bags in tow, I start to calculate how must more I can reduce my packaging consumption that trip. As you know, I've given up the produce bags because I find them ridiculous (although, I know the checkers find ME ridiculous). But I've been trying to up the ante by considering what type of packaging my potential food choice uses, if it is really necessary for me to have (find a non-packaged alternative), and if I do need packaging, is it readily recyclable/reusable?

I don't buy cookies or chips or candy so I'm good in that department. But what about my oh-so-convenient Lean Cuisines and its store-brand copy-cats? It's been really hard for me to let those go because they are so cheap and easy! But I am proud to say that I said 'nay' to them, just cold turkey, because since I've been monitoring my trash (even at work), I find myself tossing that black tray. So no more Lean Cuisines. My alternative for this week? Veggie sandwiches. I'm clear in the packaging front with veggies because I grab from the bulk bins and reach for unpackaged veggies in the produce section. But I faltered a bit in the bread department. Plastic!

It was annoying and moment like this I yearn for boulangeries so I can get my fresh baked bread from Mme. and slip it into my canvas bag. Sigh, indeed. But I figured I can just buy the packaged bread and reuse the bag for my next visit when I want to buy snowpeas! Yes, every trip I stare at the snowpeas, wanting to buy them to add into my delicious meals but knowing it would be a 'mess' at the checker because I forget to bring a smaller reusable plastic bag. So note to self: redeem myself by reusing that bread bag.

Faltered in the dairy department, too. Needed cream cheese to spread in my sandwiches and veggie cheese slices. I can easily reuse the cream cheese container as Tupperware. It's a "#5" plastic so a tough one to recycle. (Yes, don't get me started on the plastic types. You can definitely find me flipping over plastic containers to check for their number and hope for #1 or #2 plastics since they are readily accepted in curbside recycling programs). The plastic film on my veggie cheese slices, though, are a lost cause and will be noted in my personal trash monitoring.

Other purchases:

• cans of soup (I can recycle the cans)
• tofu (in #2 plastic -- readily recyclable)
  
• fake chicken nuggets and fake ground beef for my tacos (#7 plastic -- cringe -- but recyclable paper packaging)
• flour tortillas (I know, I know. Will have to visit a local tortilleria with my own packaging)
• pasta sauce (reusable & recyclable jar)

Did not do too bad for myself but definitely room for improvement.

My Company is a Closet Green Freak

Of all the days to leave my camera at home! I really wished I had my digi cam on me because I had 2 green-related moments (and maybe more) that brought a smile to my face.

Ok, so my company is moving to a new office and it's been refreshing to hear people pipe up in staff meetings asking how green our new office build-out is, demanding we have legit recycling, and the like. If time permitted I wish I convinced the overseers of the project to contact a green contractor of sorts to make sure everything from paint to carpeting to equipment to lighting was going to be eco-friendly. I have not gotten any official reports on how green things are going to be but during our little field trip over to the new space to check out the progress I noticed little stickers on some newly installed wood panels. Little FSC stickers were everywhere! FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization dealing with responsible forest management. You can read more about it on their site (linked here). That is one way we are being official about our green-ness. Now to shake them down to give me the details about our paint, for starters...


Next smile-worthy moment? My boss' shoes. As we all filed out into the parking I looked down and noticed that the CEO was not sporting his usual patent-business-casual-esque-shoes but was sporting some Keen Footwear. Keen shoes are amazing sustainable shoes with sustainable packaging and are just overall amazing! If I noticed correctly, my boss was wearing the Ventura shoe which are 100% Vegan. His wife worked with Live Earth and picked him up a pair from the event. He rocked them well!



Very excited for the new office and since we are starting fresh in a new space I've got some plans to wean my office off waste. More on my master plan later...

Bye Bye Bunny Ears

Yeah, I sport the bunny ears! But alas, come 2009 I will have to part from my babies because the powers that be are phasing out analog TV's and digital is taking over the scene! You can find out more about the switcharoo and converter boxes here

Thinking about moving on completely and getting yourself a fancy schmancy flat screen / digital TV? Be sure not to leave your old TV out in the cold or down in the dumps (literally!). Billions of pounds of e-waste like computers, televisions, VCRs and walkmen (you remember those, right?), cell phones, and printers are sent out to pasture. This creates a significant burden on landfills because the toxins leach into the soil and our groundwater. E-waste recycling also harvests resources like the glass, copper, plastic, and aluminum. I happened to catch a news segment last night about how facilities make beaucoup profit from harvesting the copper from old TVs AND that they even harvest gold in the materials! I think I heard them correctly and if so then that is pretty insane! The really mean it when they say "one man's trash in another man's treasure" don't they?

Properly dispose your electronics through e-waste programs and facilities in your cities. You can Google "e-waste recycling" and find sites like this that can help you track down a facility near you or you can investigate further by visiting Earth911.org for tips on how to recycle your specific electronic device. The page I link to gives a list of different companies like Apple, Dell, Samsung, etc. and their very own sponsored recycling programs. Pretty snazzy.

Wal-Mart's "Earth Month" Campaign

Ahhhh Ahhhh Ahhhh! I got the Promo Xtra email (a marketing newsletter) this morning in my work inbox, scrolled through the headlines to see what would catch my eye and saw the headline: Wal-Mart Goes Green with Earth Month Campaign


I had heard a bit about this but finally had time to digest it so I clicked on the accompanying article and started to have many mixed emotions about it. Main emotion? Aggravation.


Here's the jist: Wal-Mart has this month-long campaign this April (Earth Month) as part of its push to show their shoppers that dear ol' Wal -Mart cares about the environment and that shopping green can be affordable, too! As we all know, we normally have to pay slightly more for eco-products so Wal-Mart is doing a good thing, right?


The article goes on to say that they will be showcasing more than 50 green products in their stores (otherwise known as a cross-promotion of sorts for corporations) ranging from Ultra Tide's cold water detergent, Coca-Cola with their branded t-shirts made out of recycled plastic bottles, and will be offering Fair Trade organic products in order to offer income to small scale farmers. They will also be giving away 1 million custom made reusable bags on April 19th -- Earth Day eve -- which, by the by, I believe they should go a step further and ban plastic bags altogether!!

Wal-Mart's Earth Month Campaign. Sounds noble of them, right? But this all just doesn't rub me the right way!



I proceeded to IM my sister (who happens to work for a fair trade supporting non-profit org) and we both vented about this and agree that we are both on the fence about this whole thing.

Pros? Yes, Wal-Mart (a store we loathe with every fiber of our body) is making lower-income people not feel left out of the eco-loop by having them be able to purchase eco-friendly products at a low price. But it's still Wal-Mart! And this is all just some ploy to gloss over their evils!

Let's start off with the Tide coldwater detergent. Correct me if I am wrong but I have a hunch that is is NOT biodegradable so although it may help conserve energy it is still wrought full of harmful chemicals. (Just did a quick little dig on the product and people seem to have the same sentiments about its non-eco friendly ingredients).

How about the Coca-Cola t-shirts made with recycled plastic bottles? Nifty idea but...how about Coca-Cola's tie to human rights violations in Colombia? Abuse and murder, anyone?

Great, Wal-Mart wants to carry fair trade organic items in their stores to provide decent wages/income to small scale farmers but how about them not treating their own employees well enough?

So yeah, I dunno. I mean, I don't even like Wal-Mart anyway but should I just turn the other way and applaud them for their efforts even though I know it's all this sham? Plagues my mind...

Thoughts on this greenwashing?

Just Press No!

Rising gas prices making you cringe at the pump? I can't even watch the numbers tick away when I'm filling up anymore!

Next time you're at the pump just press NO when the machine asks if you want your receipt. You're going to crumple it up anyway once you get back into your car or forget about it when it's crammed in your wallet.

But if you encounter the inevitable receipt from restaurants or grocery stores be sure to reuse it as scrap paper and/or recycle it the first chance you get (after you shred the evidence, of course). Some merchants may use soy ink on their receipts. If so, you can toss that baby into the compost bin! And if you can, refuse the receipt altogether just like you refuse plastic bags at the store!

Left Coast Greenin'

Interested in attending some environmental panels? Well, you're in luck! Design Green Now is currently on a West Coast Tour. First stop was Western Washington University on April 1st and they make their way down to Portland, San Francisco, and Long Beach. Visit the site and register for one of the events in a city near you.

But wait, what is Design Green Now exactly? It's a lovely series of free panels discussing various ways to build a sustainable lifestyle and future! Panels range from green design to green products made of sustainable materials. (You might even get to meet the masterminds behind Nau sportswear!) I've been to a few green design events here in LA and they are really fun and interesting. Lovely to meet various vendors and have little Q&As. Definitely worthwhile and you'll meet others who are as passionate about the environment as you are. You'll definitely learn something new and feel totally inspired once you see how these people want to make an impact...or less of an impact...you know what I mean.

Register here

Shower Power!

Want to conserve water while showering? Turn off the water whilst lathering on the shampoo, soap, conditioner, shaving cream, and whatnots, and only turn the water on during your rinse sessions. Doing that can save gallons upon gallons of water while you get squeaky clean! Maybe about 50 gallons a week more or less so you're saving some bucks on your bills. You're also taking shorter showers! Oh the things you can do with that extra time in the morning!

Frock Swap

Got a closet full of clothes that you want to get rid of? I sure do. I would show you my actual clothes piles in my bedroom but I am too embarrassed! Rather than chucking your threads into the trash think about the pounds and pounds of clothing that is already in landfills! I read somewhere that clothing/textile waste makes up 4.5% of residential waste created. Each American is responsible for approximately 35 pounds, totaling 8.75 billion pounds per year. Crazy! Plus, many of our clothes are made of synthetic fibers derived from oil. Don't want that leaching into our ground now do we?

My natural impulse is to donate clothes to charities and 90% of my wardrobe was bought used. But why not mix it up a little and make a little event out of your former fashion?

On one of my flights to/from San Francisco I was lucky enough to watch a segment on Current TV about Swap-O-Rama, an event where you pay about $5 at the door, bring in your bag of old clothing, and swap with strangers. There are also sewing machines at these events brought in by volunteers so that you can create new clothes along the way. Cool idea right?

You can check out the site for any upcoming events near you or why not create your own little frock swap? Invite a few of your friends over, serve lovely organic refreshments, and have them bring a few items from their closet that they want to do away with. Set them out and rummage away! Accessories like bags, hats, belts and scarves are also perfect one-size-fits-all items! You're bound to leave with something new and you'll be giving garments a new lease on life!

It should be fun. Who can say no to a theme party! I am planning one in the near future so I will keep you posted for those friends in the area who are interested in stopping by.

Got leftovers from the party? You can donate the orphaned clothing to a charity of your choice!

Check out a video of some gals who partook in a frock swap of their own