Monthly Archives: June 2007

Consumer Reports Looks at Global Warming

Wish I’d spotted this sooner. Consumer Reports has launched a site called GreenerChoices to help consumers make more environmentally friendly choices.

On the front page today, for example, was a link to a report on nonstick pans. Many people are concerned about the actual safety of these. I like their final advice on them:

Still, it’s sensible to take a few precautions with nonstick cookware. Use ventilation when cooking, don’t put empty pans over very high heat, and toss pans that have started to flake. Flaking can cause uneven heating that might accelerate emissions.

And then there’s my own take, which is that I want to get rid of my nonstick pans as they wear out (I hate getting rid of things I can still use), and replace them with iron pans. I have one iron pan already, and just love it! And it’s not going to wear out or need replacing every few years, which is another problem I have with nonstick pans. Continue reading →

I Just Love Watching Kids Start to “Get” It

My kids are pretty good about recycling. Even my 2 year old knows the difference between the garbage can and the recycle bin. He’s even good about guessing what goes where.

But lately my 5 year old has made it clear she’s getting the idea. At least so far as finding things she can reuse.

Yesterday it was the cup the ladybugs for our garden came in. She told her Daddy that she wanted him to save it so that she could use it for a project. No idea what she has in mind, but I’m all for it.

Then this morning she took a cardboard box that was waiting to be recycled and announced that she needed it to be a car. She talked about how she was recycling it. So now it’s in our garage, being crowded into by two children who consider it to be their car. Very cute.

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Don’t Forget “Reuse”!

In the cycle of trying to live a more environmentall friendly lifestyle, one of the easiest steps to forget is the part of “reuse”. Most people do it to a limited degree, but not as much as they could, yet this is probably the most affordable way to help the environment.

Much of this is actually my favorite way to shop. I love haunting used book stores. Libraries are fun as well, but I reread most of my books often enough to make ownership reasonable. I have several bookshelves full of books. My husband is the same way, and books stick around until they fall to pieces from reading. And yes, it does happen.

One of the things I need to get back into the habit of, though, is going through the resale shops, especially for the kids’ clothing. You know how fast children go through clothing. It’s harder to find good outfits for them at resale now than when they were infants, but I know it is still possible.

Between resale and handmedowns from relatives, we barely had to buy new baby clothes when the kids were small. I loved it and really need to get better at taking advantage of resale.

This is of course the kind of philosophy that encourages me to use our compost heap. If food scraps must be thrown out, far better that they become something useful whenever possible.

It’s a bit trickier with electronics, although you can get some good deals in used and refurbished models. It does help to remember to recycle your printer cartridges, which at least in my area is now offered by companies such as Office Depot. Very easy to recycle the old when you need new.

[tags]reuse,recycling,environment[tags/]