TheGoGreenBlog.com

Everyone is now promoting compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, as a way to save energy and go green. However, improper disposal of the bulbs creates a hazard, due to the small amounts of mercury each bulb contain.

Don’t worry, things are getting easier!

Home Depot now offers a recycling program for taking back your old CFLs in all of its 1,973 U.S. stores, and will accept any maker’s bulbs.

So don’t worry, it’s okay to greenify your home with CFLs, because you can now recycle them conveniently at your local Home Depot Store.

Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap water to cool it for drinking. This has the potential to save 200 to 300 gallons of water per month.

If you eat a lot of pasta, like I do, you always have lots of glass jars in your recycle bin or trash can from all the red sauce. I like to keep my glass containers out of the landfill by reusing.

Here are my top 5 ways to reuse glass jars:
1- Vase: Glass jars make great vases and you can decorate them to match any decor.

2- Paint Container: Just fill with a little paint and away you go. Glass is great for this because it last longer than plastic, and it doesn’t stain.

3- Piggy Bank: Jars make great banks. Simply cut a slot in the lid to put change in, and before you know it, it will be full and time to go to the bank to cash in. You can also decorate your new penny saver to match any decor.

4- Planter: Put pebbles in the bottom of a small jar, then fill with potting soil and a small plant.

5- Candleholder: This is a great project for any size glass jar. Use glass paint to create a stained glass look, then place a soy candle at the bottom for a great glow.

Not all plastics are the same. That’s why there’s a number code on the bottom for recycling.

Below is a breakdown on the plastic recycling codes, including what types of products are usually produced with that plastic in its first life, how to recycle it, and what it can be recycled into for its second life.

Number 1 Plastics - PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

1st Life: Soda, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; etc.
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs.
2nd Life: Polar fleece fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, and occasionally made into new plastic containers

Number 2 Plastics - HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)

1st Life: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; some trash and shopping bags; motor oil bottles; cereal box liners; etc.
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs.
2nd Life: Detergent bottles, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, benches, picnic tables, fencing

Number 3 Plastics - PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

1st Life: Window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, clear food packaging, wire jacketing, medical equipment, siding, windows, piping; etc.
Recycling: Rarely recycled because collecting it for recycling is cost-prohibitive. There are not enough items made from the material to warrant factories to recycle it into new products; however some plastic lumber makers will now accept it.
2nd Life: Decks, paneling, mud flaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats

Number 4 Plastics - LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)

1st Life: Squeezable bottles; bread, dry cleaning and shopping bags; tote bags; carpet; etc.
Recycling: Rarely picked up through curbside programs, however some stores will accept plastic shopping bags for recycling.
2nd Life: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, floor tile

Number 5 Plastics - PP (Polypropylene)

1st Life: Syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws, medicine bottles, diapers; etc.
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs.
2nd Life: Battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins

Number 6 Plastics - PS (Polystyrene)

1st Life: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases; etc.
Recycling: Picked up through some curbside recycling programs.
2nd Life: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers

Number 7 Plastics - Other

1st Life: 3 and 5 gallon water bottles, ‘bullet-proof’ materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, nylon; etc.
Recycling: Not traditionally recycled, however some curbside programs now take them.
2nd Life: Plastic lumber, custom-made products

For some reason I always have extra socks and can’t find the matching pair. Instead of just tossing those extra socks out, I reuse them.

Here are my top 5 ways to reuse socks:
1- Pet Toy: Get creative & make new toys for your dog by turning your old socks into tugging toys.

2- Dusting: Put one sock over your hand, add some eco-friendly cleaner and dust furniture or window blinds.

3- Cold Compress: Cover a bag of ice to make it more comfortable.

4- Hot Compress: Fill sock with rice, heat in microwave & applied to the body to help relieve pain.

5- Sock Monkey: This is a really fun activity for those rainy days.

Are you shopping for a new washing machine? Consider buying the front-loading style. Front-loading washing machines use 40 percent less water, 50 percent less energy, and less detergent than the traditional top-loading washing machines. Plus they spin more water out of the laundry, which means drying time is cut and in turn even less energy is used. So, greenify your wash by buying and using a front-loading washing machine instead of the traditional top-loading machines.

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.

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.

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!