A Press Democrat Blog

Living Green

Saving time and resources

My Favorite Recycling Center: The Legacy

Wednesday, at 12:10 by

Whenever I am in south Sebastopol, I take few minutes to see what’s happening at The Legacy. A volunteer based arts and crafts reuse center in the Southpoint Shopping Center near McDonald’s, they accept and resell fabric – by the pound!, as well as sewing notions, yarn, hobby supplies and books. Kid friendly, it is a great way to introduce children to low cost do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. My idea of heaven! It’s also a great spot for presents – for yourself… Read More »

American Idol Pulls Plug On Plastic Pollution PSA

Friday, at 2:05 by

UNDER PRESSURE FROM SPONSOR, AMERICAN IDOL PULLS PLUG ON PLASTIC PSA, Forbes Magazine, 11/8/11, Forbes reports that 11 contestants of American Idol Season 10 want you to REFUSE disposable plastic. A big time Idol sponsor – possibly Coca Cola, is objecting to the YouTube PSA. The two minute  short film created by Producer/Director Kate Miller with Mirror Films has a bit of song, a bit of humor and a big request for action – they are trying to raise $50,000. The… Read More »

Disposable Reading Pleasures, Part 2 – Magazines

Tuesday, at 9:30 by

Though I get a lot of pleasure from my big time reading habit, I seriously object to the large amount of waste the publishing industry and their advertisers create. Imagine if every periodical carried the following footer: “Please share and recycle!” and utilized recycled content paper and low impact inks. In particular, the magazine industry really gets my ire up. My 88-year old mom’s ever growing subscription list currently includes more than15 glossies – ladies magazines, health guides and cooking journals… Read More »

Disposable Reading Pleasures, Part I

Monday, at 2:41 by

Paper makes up 17.3% of California’s and 16.3% of Sonoma County’s discard stream. Much of it is single use reading materials – newspapers, magazines and books. We all take this mountain of short-term gratification for granted – but it doesn’t have to be so… mountainous. With a little effort we all can substantially reduce the impact of our reading pleasure – without reading less! Obviously the more readers per copy benefits the environment – but not the publishing industry. If… Read More »

Still Getting Credit Card Offers?

Friday, at 9:00 by

Opt out by visiting OptOutPrescreen.com, a centralized service that accepts and processes requests to “Opt-In” or “Opt-Out” of firm offers of credit or insurance. You can also call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). They will ask for your name, address, social security number and date of birth. If you are looking for a better credit card, take advantage of the credit card rating services like Credit.com. You can also do a web search on “credit card reviews” and “credit card comparisons” but read the fine print carefully.… Read More »

Northern California Recycling Update 2011

Wednesday, at 9:30 by

From Out-Of-Touch To Up-To-Date In One Day! Since 1996, the Northern California Recycling Association has been conducting annual one-day conferences that bring the best of what’s “new and different” in recycling and related fields. Considered one of the best conferences in the country, it often attracts more than 200 people from all over the region as well as folks from afar. Utilizing a turbo charged format, each speaker has 10 minutes to present and answer questions. During breaks and lunch there is plenty of time… Read More »

Buy Environmentally Friendly Checks

Saturday, at 1:19 by

Even if you use a debit card, autopay and on-line checks, I bet you still write a few paper checks a month. So the next time you order checks, please consider environmentally friendly checks.  First and foremost they send a “be more environmental” message to the banking industry. They also support increased use of recycled content paper- which saves water and energy, and often use less toxic or earth friendlier inks. Banks often charge more for checks then check printers. Even so, start this process by asking your… Read More »

Tomorrow is National Regifting Day!

Tuesday, at 2:01 by

In honor of office holiday parties, tomorrow, the Thursday before Christmas, is National Regifting Day. Money Management International (MMI) suggests that you turn your gift exchange into a regifting party. “In case you are hesitant to break tradition, you can rest assured that the majority (60%) of people think that regifting is becoming more accepted; the top two reasons are to save some green.”… Read More »

Wrapping For The Earth

Tuesday, at 11:43 by

A torturous form of delayed gratification, wrapped gifts cultivate excitement and wonder. Yet nowadays gift wrap can be quite pricey and is often made with non-recyclable plasticized or metallic paper. Careful unwrapping and reuse helps but ultimately it ends up in the landfill. If it is placed in the recycling it must be sorted out at the recycling center. I imagine the paper sorters dread Christmas. Can you imagine miles and miles of smushed wrapping paper mixed with plastic bags, rubber bands and tape?… Read More »