TheGoGreenBlog.com

Like soup? What about all those cans? Keep those tin cans out of the landfill by reusing.

Here are the top 5 ways to reuse tin cans:
1- Pots for Plants: Punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage and fill with dirt & a small plant.
2- Tealight Candles Holders: Punch some holes in the sides & place a small soy candle at the bottom. This works best with smaller cans.
3- Pen, Pencil, Marker Holder: Decorate your can holders to match any office or studio decor.
4- Workshop Organizer: Drop all your extra nuts, bolts & screws in different cans and label them for easy finding.
5- Telephone: Punch a hole at the bottom of 2 cans, string together with string & presto! You got yourself a telephone toy.

Gas prices are more expensive today then ever before. By driving sensibly you can save on the amount of fuel your vehicle needs to run, which in turn equals extra money in your pocket.

Avoid aggressive driving, rapid acceleration and hard braking because you are just wasting gas. Quick starts will consume huge amounts of gas because the engine has to work much harder to get the car up to speed.

Also, observing the speed limit can also help with fuel efficiency. While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

The mkSolaire, pictured here, is an awesome prefab home from Michelle Kaufmann Designs and is part of the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit that opened May 8, 2008 at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (MSI).

“The mkSolaire has been designed to bring healthy living to the city. This open, spacious, loft-like home has been designed to offer healthy, clean and green city living and is perfect for an urban-infill lot, or anywhere a family might enjoy the luminous, loft-like feeling of this home. Through the use of strategically designed roofs and windows, the mkSolaire addresses the challenges of the standard row house by sculpting light and air into the center of the home.” - www.mkd-arc.com

I recommend checking it out if you are in the Chicago area. The mkSolaire is a full scale home that is fully functional and explores new directions in sustainable living and eco-friendly technology. The mkSolaire showcases the latest & greatest in eco-friendly technology including the following features:

• the most current eco-friendly materials
• high performance, energy efficient building systems
• a living roof
• a solar electric generation system
• a rain catchment system
• plus the latest innovations in home technology available

I don’t know about you…but I receive a new telephone book that is about 4 pounds every couple of months. I never asked for the books & never use them. I just wish I could just stop the waste.

Well now you can!

Yellow Pages Goes Green is this awesome new service that allows consumers to “opt out” of receiving the unsolicited telephone books. The organization will contact the publishers and inform them to stop delivering books to your address. They do this by working with state and local governments on ordinances concerning the delivery of unsolicited telephone books. And best of all…their service is FREE for all consumers.

Check out Cameron Diaz in the below video urging participation in Pangea Day — a four-hour film festival of “user-generated films and TED-style short talks from scientists, filmmakers, and global visionaries.” The event will air internationally May 10th, 2008 on television and online. For more information on how to take part, check out Pangea Day’s official website.

When defrosting frozen foods, either plan ahead by placing frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave rather then running them under warm water. By doing this, you have the potential to save 50 to 150 gallons of water per month.

Greenify your family’s dinner by planning ahead!