11 Ways to Reuse a Paperbag

- Reuse your bags at the market
- Line your planters/gardens with them. I hear they fend off them weeds!
- Use them as textbook covers (ohhhh flashbacks to my school gal day!)
- Wrap your gifts and packages in them! And if you are extra crafty, create your own nifty envelope for letters (eco-friendly mailing, folks!)
- Make hand puppets and create some elaborate scene with them then volunteer at a school or something, mayhaps, and act out your scene
- Transport cut flowers in them
- Brown-baggin' for lunch or use them as trick-or-treating bags on Halloween
- Line kitties litter box or tweety's birdcage
- Ripen your fruit in them. The closed bag traps ethylene, the natural gas released by the ripening fruit (while still allowing a little ventilation), which helps it ripen faster.
- Use as a placemat at dinner table and have kids draw or colour on them like in restaurants
- Create a paper bag suit (see above) or mark and attack! Attack!

stumped?

On my walk to my bus stop this morning, I notice that one of the apartment building gardens turned an old tree stump into a planter! A very great way to put an old stump to use again and you don't have to go out and buy a planter at the gardening stores.

Next time you come across a stump or have a stump of your own in your yard, hollow it out and start planting something wonderful! Definite garden show-stopper. People who walk by won't help but stop and admire your craftiness!

Other non-tree stump ideas? Why not beer kegs!


Or how about your old globes, eggshells, or snare drum? The possibilities are endless!

10 ways to reuse an old sock

1. Use the sock as a cleaning rag. Works great if you wear it on your hand and use to dust the blinds!
   
2. Make a sock puppet for a kid
3. Fill them up with your homemade potpourri and use them as drawer potpourri packets. Fill it with lavender!
   
4. Use as a makeshift strainer
5. Fill it with rice or wheat and use as a heat pad
6. Use as a cell phone or digital camera case
7. Use as jewelry container
8. Fill it with catnip and give it to kitty
9. Fill it with stones and use as a doorstop
10. Use it to hold your grains or small produce at the market instead of using plastic bags

cotton-less

I ran out of cotton balls a couple months ago but have been wary to purchase a new batch. I mainly use the stuff to apply toner to my face so I had to stop using that for a bit, too. Then I decided to just use a washcloth as a cottonball substitute. I mean, it's made of cotton, too, so why not? Plus, this means less trash when it comes to my toiletries and I can just wash and re-use the rags. So far it's been working well. I dab some toner on the cloth and dab it on my face. Refreshing indeed. Yes, I know I probably shouldn't be using the toner but I am going to finish what I have and find a substitute of sorts when it's time to cross that bridge.

I've also given up painting my nails due to my lack of cottonball action but I may just go full out and say no to polish all together. A few less chemicals for me to deal with, right?

ice, ice baby

Before you toss out those leftover ice cubes from your glass, conserve water and put those cubes to good use. Rather than toss them in the sink put them into your planters. No water waste and you'll be a good plant parent! Do the same with the leftover water from your glasses. Just pour it all out into your potted plants or your garden.

Basket Case

My friend and I want to start a new Sunday tradition -- Farmer's Market breakfasts! I was up early to take advantage of the carless streets in my neighbourhood (or minimal cars, rather) for a bike ride. Got a call from my friend so we decide to meet up for a little breakfast. Perfect timing because the Farmer's Market was all set up so we perused the tents to see what we wanted to eat. We eventually settled on organic strawberries. Rather than sleep in on Sundays like we usually do, we have now made a pact to wake up early and walk over to the Farmer's for Sunday morning eats! And on our next visit I will be returning my berry crates to the local farmer/vendors so that they can reuse them!


Shopping at your local Farmer's Market sometime soon? Make sure you bring back containers that you got from your last trip whether it be berry crates, egg cartons, or what have you. The vendors will appreciate it!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

Easter frills

Sad but true, come this Sunday evening and on there is a high chance of finding that fake plastic green grass from Easter baskets thrown out into the garbage. If you are still working on decorating Easter baskets why not reuse the paper you already have lying about your homes and make your own shredded grass strips! Take newspapers, magazines, or yellow phone books (do people still have those anymore) and line your baskets that way. It could actually be fun to start shredding paper (by hand - no machine shredders, it defeats the purpose) with your kids.

Once you're done with Easter fun just recycle your paper or reuse for other projects!

The #6

I always try to be conscious of what I purchase and its packaging, if any. I'll admit, I'm not perfect so the occasional Styrofoam take-out package or salmon fish tray slips into my possession. I know, I know. I should be better and avoid these products all together but when I find that I falter I do my best to recycle these plastics.

Did you know that you can recycle your Styrofoam material? From your coffee cups to meat trays to packing peanuts (and any other #6 polystyrene plastics for that matter) all are widely accepted by curbside recycling programs all over so don't throw them into the garbage! They can be made into cassette tapes and insulation. Or you can always reuse your packing peanuts or give them (along with your other Styrofoam material) to your local post office or shipping store so they can reuse/recycle them.

Check out the Earth 911 Website to make sure your curbside program accepts #6 plastics. If I'm going to have trash then I gotta be responsible about it, right?

I feel 'used'

I think I'm going to join a book club. I've been meaning to do it and now that I've found out a co-worker is part of one I may just hop on board. This month's book? Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I've got until April 27th to read the book so I better get on it! But before I can, I need to get a
copy!

I do my best to steer clear of big bookstores like Barnes & Noble and the like and make an effort to support local bookstores. Even better, they earn extra gold stars if they sell used books. If more people purchased used versions of books that have been around for many moons then it means less trees are turned into new books. Plus, I get to give my new-used book a new lease on its inanimate life. One can even find great deals on used reads (I find amazing books at thrift stores for a quarter!) Or I turn to BookMooch.com and swap out my old books (that I don't feel like keeping around) and get other used books in return for free (minus the cost of shipping). And then there is always the trusty library. It is definitely the best option except for the fact that I'm a bibliophile that loves building the ol' collection.

The next time you're fixin' to get a book, get it used. It will make me and the pound-puppy-esque book happy. Don't want them anymore? Donate them to the Goodwill, library, your local book program, give them as a gift, and even trade/Bookmooch them.

Run Responsibly

Spring is nipping on my heels and that means one thing: "Prep for Summer Body!"

I've been putting off/avoiding having to join a gym for a couple of reasons.
a.) I'd rather not spend X mount of dollars on a membership
b.) The amount of energy a gym uses is astronomical (powering equipment, keeping the A/C on, etc.)

So I opt for lifting weights and doing crunches at home, walking, taking the stairs, and I might even try to hula-hoop my way to fitness like this woman here.
Plus, running outdoors let's me enjoy the outdoors and I get to see my neighbours more often . And it's free and environmentally friendly!

Now I'm in need of new running shoes so I've been online trying to look for some made out of sustainable/recycled materials. It's easy to find sustainable sneakers but running shoes? So far I've come across "BioMoGo" from Brooks running shoes called Trance 8 shoes which feature a bioplastic midsole that will degrade in about 20 years (2% of the time traditional midsoles breakdown). The uppers will still feature traditional oil-based materials, though.
Unfortunately for me, the Trance 8 won't be out until July of this year! No instant gratification here.

Another cool shoe find that I've been ready alot about lately is from Nike and their Reuse-A-Shoe program. Nike doesn't have a sustainable shoe yet (I don't think) but they are taking in your old running shoes, turning them into "Nike Grind" and use this to make different parts of sport surfaces in communities around the world: cushion surfaces for basketball courts, synthetic soccer fields, tennis courts, running tracks, and even playgrounds for the little ones. Find a Reuse-A-Shoe recyling location near you here

If anyone knows about a sustainable/recycled material running shoe that's out now let me know. I'm on the hunt.