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Living Green: What's Your One Green Thing Today?

2011-03-30T00:40:00.001-07:00

It's spring: time to refresh and revive this blog by hearing from you, the GreenerPenny community! In the comment section below, please share the green things you are doing in your everyday life. My book, Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices, is a year old this month! You can read about it on my home page and click through to shopping lists and blog/articles at GreenerPenny.com If you like, sign up for our free monthly newsletter filled with enviro news and healthy eco lifestyle tips.

If you have trouble posting your one green things below, email me at GreenerPenny@gmail.com with what you'd like to say, and I'll post it for you.

Thanks so much--I'm excited to hear from you!

Nontoxic Ant Traps

2010-11-22T01:25:00.000-08:00

They work! Punched holes in metal jar lids with hammer & nail (ice pick would be simpler, but didn't have one). Mixed paste of powdered sugar and boric acid, a little water, in bottom of each jar. It's working! Ants are crawling in the jars and not up my legs, which are now bite-free.

LED lighting comes indoors

2010-04-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

My one green thing today: Replaced a conventional lightbulb with an energy efficient model, and how! We easily screwed an LED light bulb, which uses 80% less energy than an incandescent one, into the lovely old green glass leaf pendant hanging in the stairwell. Its warm light many tiny light efficient diode cells gives it the look of a glowing golden beehive. It uses only 8 watts to shine as strong as the 75 watt incandescent we replaced, and, with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 3000K (kelvins), it produces the same warm glow. With a lifetime of 50,000 hours, our LED will last 10 years if it burns 12 hours a day, and we use it for about half that much time.

In the 20 years of use we can expect from it, we'd save about $200, so the $70 (gulp!) bulb should pay for itself at least three times over, given Hawaii's energy costs, which, at 26.71 cents per kilowatt-hour, are the highest in the nation, nearly treble the national average of 10.54 cents per kwh.

Oh, and it burns at room temperature, so it won't heat the house, and it's mercury-free.

For more about energy saving lightbulbs, electronics, and appliances, and healthy green living tips and choices for food, water, home cleaning and decorating, recycling, personal care,apparel and transportation, see my new book, Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices.

For more seasonal green living news and shopping lists, see my home page, GreenerPenny.com. Ask me questions there, or in a comment to this blog. I will respond!

To find the kilowatt hour cost in your state, go to http://eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html

Our Array Lighting Par 30 LED from Nexxus was a gift from our son, who does energy research. Its casing is made from recycled plastic.

Natural Laundry Brighteners

2010-04-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

My One Green Thing Today: Wearing gloves, presoaked stained dish towels in washing soda, a natural mineral powder, mixed with cold water. Why gloves? While far gentler than chlorine bleach on our bodies and the environment, washing soda is naturally caustic. Or wear reef shoes!

choose certified organic bamboo

2010-04-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Why feel bad about bamboo?

Finally, the FTC says it’s going to start regulating green marketing claims. The agency is publishing a series of Green Guides on the topic. http://urlwww--greencleancertified--com.reachlocal.net/green-cleaning-health/green-watch/FTC-Reviews-Guidelines-for-Green-Claims/. But why the across-the-boad crackdown on fabric labeled bamboo? FTC says it carries the false implication that the product is green, when in reality the processing is highly polluting. The resulting rayon fabric, FTC says, contains no trace of bamboo, so the label is doubly misleading.

True, green labels continue to proliferate to a dizzying degree as companies large and small in every sector jump on the natural products bandwagon. Greenwashing companies charge green premium prices without having to pay for third-party-certified ingredients or production methods. To date there’s been little oversight of these claims beyond USDA certified organic food, fiber and plant-based cosmetics, the EPA’s Energy Star, Water Sense and Design for the Environment (DfE) labels, and stringent private non-profit certifications such as Forest Stewardship Council and Rainforest Alliance.

As almost everyone knows by now, “natural,” “nontoxic,” “eco friendly” and so on are meaningless, per Consumer Union’s Greener Choices excellent ecolabels.org. But at the consumer level there’s been a long-term love affair with bamboo anything, from flooring to furniture to apparel. It’s gotten to the point where the word “bamboo” itself on a clothing label implies green provenance. The rationale was admittedly vague for bamboo, as for hemp. “Bamboo is a grass that doesn’t require pesticides, fertilizers or lots of water,” many company websites say. But they don't verify that their bamboo is actually grown sustainably, much less processed without a toxic footprint. This has bothered me for years.

Now that it’s officially bothering the FTC, I’m reconsidering, especially since the message of their “Don’t be Bamboozled” campaign is so blatantly self-congratulatory. Yes, the processing's toxic and what you end up with is plain old rayon that could have come from any cellulose source. But if you're going to make rayon anyway, isn't it better to encourage bamboo cultivation and harvesting, rather than cutting forests? When it comes to forest products, such as flooring, furniture and paper, “There is FSC-certified bamboo that has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, although it’s a very tiny amount,” says Abby Ray of Rainforest Alliance.

“Keep in mind that bamboo is an especially fast-growing tree and water efficient, certainly in comparison to cotton,” says Ben Block of the Worldwatch Institute.

Indeed.

Some bamboo is certified organically grown, and the clothing is made in the U.S. with the approval seal of Green America, formerly Co-op America, which requires fair labor standards. This is certainly a step up from rayon made of cellulose taken from trees, causing deforestation. There are now some certified organic bamboo products from conscientious companies, which are also cleaning up the production process, using less toxic solvents. Bamboosa, for one, is remarkably transparent about its sourcing and processing. http://www.bamboosa.com/index.phphttps://www.bamboosa.com/checklist.php?PID=63
.

While I welcome the FTC’s more vigilant stance it needs more clarification. At a time when consumers are trying to make greener, healthier choices by demanding transparency about the source of food and other products, from farm, forest or mine through processing and delivery, see Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles for instance, for FTC not to allow companies to say that a fiber made from bamboo is no longer bamboo is facetious.

I say, bamboo feels good and it should. Choose certified organic bamboo fabric and wear with pride and comfort.

For more information:

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100203-713618.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704576204574529730229551324.html

http://www.greenliving.ws/shopping/

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt160.shtm

Bamboo helps save forests per Mangrove Action in Indonesia, reported by Worldwatch http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4363 Here’s a document that explains the certification of bamboo: http://www.fsc.org/fileadmin/web-data/public/document_center/international_FSC_policies/advice_notes/FSC_ADV_30_502_EN_Certification_of_bamboo_2004_05_13.pdf

http://sgp.undp.org/web/projects/4572/developing_the_model_promoting_sustainable_use_of_indigenous_bamboo_forest_in_nguyet_an_commune_ngoc.html
China http://www.cfm2009.org/es/programapost/resumenes/uploads/conservation%20management%20to%20bamboo%20forest_FD.pdf
http://www.inbar.int/Upfiles/200822152754121.pdf
Worldwatch Flushing Forests, bamboo fiber used for “washi” toilet paper in Japan http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6403

Recycled, FSC certified office paper

2010-04-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Bought 30% recycled printer paper, certified sustainably sourced by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) at Office Max. A ream is 25% off for Earth Week! Definitely affordable, especially when you print and copy on both sides to save paper.

Green nontoxic silver and CD cleaner

2010-04-02T02:01:00.000-07:00

My One Green Thing Today: Cleaned deep dark tarnish off Civil-War-era silver with old toothpaste, and repaired a beloved but lightly scratched jazz CD. Silver filled the cracks, and I smoothed with a soft cloth. Now the antique is sumptuous and bright, Bill Evans Trio plays uninterrupted, and there was no trauma to my respiratory tract or skin from solvent fumes or corrosive ingredients.

For more info on corrosive metal polishes, see Washington Toxics Coalition, http://watoxics.org/healthy-homes-gardens-1/cleaning-products

Draw the Curtains!

2010-03-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

My One Green Thing Today: Drawing curtains and shades when it's hot or cold instead of turning on fans, air conditioners or heat. In pre-spring changeable weather, energy-saving flexibility.

For more tips on window treatments, see the U.S. DOE web page here.

What to look for in "green" housecleaning services

2010-03-02T01:28:00.000-08:00

My One Green Thing, one day last week, was to hire a housecleaning service that claimed to be green. Normally, as a fan of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickeled and Dimed, I do my own cleaning and expect family members to pitch in, or else!

But there are limits. My husband and I are asthmatic, and highly allergic to dust and soot particles and the dustmites that inhabit them. In the house we've recently moved in to, which has been in my family for generations, there was one small bedroom that hadn't been cleaned in...well, I hate to think. Our son refused to sleep in it out of fear of bugs. Asthmatics are allergic to, well, cockroaches, too.

Out of desperation, I called the one housekeeping service in town that billed itself as certified green. In retrospect and nearly $300 poorer, I should have investigated more.

The good news: The cleaners didn't use ammonia or chlorine, as far as I could tell. That's because there was no noticeable odor, except for a hint of Murphy's soap, after they cleaned two bathrooms and the kitchen and living room floors. Because I didn't speak the 3-woman team's language, nor they mine, I couldn't get specifics on what ingredients exactly they were using.

With an industrial-strength back pack vacuum cleaner reminiscent of Ghost Busters, they did suck up the dust out of the bedroom carpet. They damp wiped the walls and ceilings and removed the thick coating of dust on the blades of the ceiling fan.

The bad news: When they left, I had to clean up after them. Despite the company's claims of effective mold and mildew removal, they left mold and mildew in the shower, large patches of dust on the living room wood floor (I guess they also didn't wash under that rocking chair!) and a dirty closet floor off the small bedroom. And they said I owed $278 for the job, which was $48 higher than the estimate given me over the phone before I booked them.

I paid without complaining until today, when their office called and said I actually owed another $20. Would I pay it? I'm sure that you can guess the answer. I'd been greenwashed!

Refrigerator Energy Efficiency

2009-12-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

My One Green Thing Today: Resisted urge to wrap fridge & freezer in blanket after hearing rumor that added insulation would keep it colder with less electricity. .

"Placing a blanket over or around a Refrigerator or freezer unit is not advisable. Proper air flow around the unit is necessary for maintaining performance and energy efficiency of the unit," says Jill Notini, vice president for communications and marketing at the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, which has many energy saving tips.

Also removed that basket of bread & chips & clutter that had been accumulating on top of unit

On the other hand, an insulating jacket made for that purpose on a hot water heater can save significant energy, per the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy's consumer tips. Invest in their excellent book, A Consumer's Guide to Home Energy Savings.

Want more simple green living tips? Subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletter at GreenerPenny.com. Follow us at Twitter.com/Greenerpenny and become a fan on GreenerPenny’s Facebook page.
Thanks!
Mindy

Last-minute green gifts for bakers, bathers, film buffs, tasters

2008-12-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

Last-minute green gifting? It doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. If you’ve still got a few people left to shop for, here are a few ideas:

The baker: With the economy tanking, more people are cooking at home. Outfit your budding chef with healthy cookware (for risks of conventional nonstick coatings, click here). Uncoated aluminum and stainless baking sheets are sold at nearly all home and big-box (i.e. Target and Wal-Mart) stores. Or go high-tech with Todd English’s GreenPan line of PFOA-free, ceramic non-stick bakeware. The nano-ceramic coating is durable, and it won’t chip and flake like standard, chemical (and carcinogenic) nonstick finishes. A 3-piece bakeware set (including a pizza pan, cooking sheet and roasting pan) sells for $59.90; you have until Dec. 16th for Christmas Eve delivery.

The niece or nephew living in a dorm or just starting out in the world: As much as we love to encourage you to buy local, Wal-Mart, with all of its new green offerings, is everywhere—good if you’re in need of a gift and a long way from home. Their organic cotton bath towels are thirsty, plush, made in the U.S. and a thrifty $14.88/set (see Walmart.com for store locations).

The movie buff: Everyone and their brother seems to have discovered Netflix, but for those few who haven’t, consider a gift subscription that allows you to have rented DVDs shipped or downloaded. Plans start at $4.99/month (you can gift however many months you want).

The person who has everything: In these cases, my favorite gift to give is food. Visit your local health food store and compile a set of Fair Trade Certified teas or coffees, or get a little more creative with local, organic beers and wines. You can even “go local” with liquor: Here in New York, Tuthill Town Spirits makes “Spirit of the Hudson Vodka” with Hudson Valley apples and “Old Gristmill Authentic American Corn Whisky” from New York-grown corn.

by Green Shopper

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Thanks!

Handmade soap

2008-12-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

If you don’t have a local handmade soap vendor at your farmers’ market, or even if you do, you can't go wrong giving Healdsburg Soap Company's vegetable-based squares, and keeping at least one to get you through the holidays. The artisanal soaps, made in the food and wine country of Sonoma, California, are $6.50 each, and produce a lovely soft cleansing lather. Lavender soap is flecked with bits of flower hulls; there's also pear/oatmeal, Sonoma rose, sauvignon blanc, and more. Unlike many vegetable soaps, these solid squares didn’t melt away but held their shape till the end (on a soap saver, of course).

Healdsburg also makes a liquid castile soap in lemon, rosemary or natural, $14, and shea butter lotion in many scents--in the spirit of the season, we’ll take the fig, please, $18.

You can choose your own selection among the products and have them sent in a wooden gift box. Hurry to Healdsburg Soap!

Want more simple green living tips? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter by emailing Greenerpenny@gmail.com

Thanks!
Mindy

Green gadget: Pushbutton PC savings

2008-12-14T09:08:00.002-08:00

Every home office slave needs a cute little useful desk companion that reminds you to be thrifty. Save up to $50 a year with the Eco-button, which puts your PC into energy-saving hibernation every time you press the button and wander away. Yes, all those coffee, lunch and bathroom breaks add up to squandered energy!

You plug it into your computer's U.S.B. port (Universal Serial Bus) where you plug in modem, mice, or DSL cables. Coming soon for Macs. This feature on Eco-button's website helps you calculate how much you'll save. At least, at a cost of $21.99 with shipping, the button will more than pay for itself in less than a year. Available until dec 24, according to their website.

Want more simple green living and product tips? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter by emailing GreenerPenny@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Mindy

Real organic hand cream without phthalates

2008-12-14T09:08:00.001-08:00

Hands are hard workers. You want to keep them clean, and soothe them with lotion when they get dry and chapped, but it’s not only babies and children who live hand to mouth, and I’d rather not transfer residues of petrochemicals to the food I prepare. Recently I discovered Organic Essence shea cream for hands & bodies, which is one of those rare USDA Organic and Fairly Traded certified personal care products. It's an instant soother for winter dryness and itches. Another great plus: It's wrapped in a Forest Stewardship Council certified label, and packaged in a tub of biodegradable cardboard with a lift-top that resembles those little single-serving cartons of ice cream.

Note: I have used the lemongrass mint and pink grapefruit for months with great success; it also comes in lavender. The fragranced creams (with organic essential oils) smoothe on easily. But the pure shea lotion is rather hard and waxy, and needs to be warmed and softened before you can apply.

With certified organic, you know a product can't be hiding synthetic fragrance spiked with phthalates, those pesky, hormone-disrupting plasticizers that disrupt male reproductive development in humans as well as animals, according to a study published this autumn in Environmental Health Perspectives. See Greenerpenny’s updated list of phthalate-free personal care product brands.

Want more simple green living and product tips? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter by emailing GreenerPenny@gmail.com.

Thanks!
Mindy

light jewelry in every way

2008-12-14T09:05:00.001-08:00

All that glitters is not gold...and that's a good thing for the environment! Recycled metal has a much lighter footprint than newly mined aluminum, silver or gold, and recycled aluminum is light on the wearer and, in this case, gentle to the pocketbook as well. Timeless gilt chains and links are especially cool this fall, and Jillery's jewelry is so stylish, in its natural color or anodized to create a shimmering gold tone, that it will truly make your season bright. And did we mention affordable? Big "gold" dangling disk earrings, "36. Gold disk pendant, $26. Bracelet, $68. There are necklaces, too, from $68. Move over, Chanel!

Orders are shipped within 1-7 days. Jillery also designs and makes candlesticks, glass and barware, utensils, menorahs, all sorts of unique, happy gifts.

Want more simple green living tips? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter by emailing GreenerPenny@gmail.com.

Thanks!
Mindy

What, no Kindles?

2008-12-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Alas, dear readers, it’s true. The Kindle, the Amazon wireless e-book downloading and reading device we recommended in October, has sold out for the second straight holiday season, and won’t be available until late February 2009. The Wall Street Journal reports that e-book sales rose 77.8% between September 2007 and 2008. Nice to know that some of us are escaping from recession worries between virtual covers, while others are left flipping through old-fashioned paper pages that killed trees.

For the un-Kindled, this is both good news and bad news. Bad because we can’t get or give it in time for the holidays. Good, because we won’t be tempted to spend the money that’s in, er, short supply right now ($359, which may always seem too high after Oprah’s $50 coupon offering tipped the sales scales and then expired Nov. 1). If we wait (and we have no choice), the price may drop, the way it did from $400 in 2007 to $359 in 2008.

Open to substitutes? Enter the Sony PRS-505 digital reader (pictured above), now on sale for $274.95 T Amazon.com. But not so fast! It looks like a Kindle, but it's not wireless, so you need a cable connected to your computer in order to download e-pubs. The Sony Style online e-book store has 57,000 titles, compared with Amazon’s 200,000. But in its favor, the Sony reader weighs only 9 ounces versus the Kindle’s 10.3 ounces. That leaves room for a lipstick in our carry-on bag.

We’ll think about it. Oh, you can also download books from a list of 40,000 titles for free with your Apple iPhone, and even try to read them on the tiny screen. If you have one. We don’t.

For us, the Kindle illustrates the value of delayed gratification, known to some as procrastination. If we decide to give one, it’ll be with a handmade I.O.U. tucked into a traditional book, and the understanding that the recipient can wait till February for a Kindle, select a Sony reader instead, or up to $350 towards an iPhone, provided they recycle their old cell phone. To find a drop-off place, type in your zip code at Earth 911.

What green eye shadows you have!

2008-12-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

This “secretly green” gift may not solve the world’s environmental woes, but it is better for the health of the women who use it. Mineral cosmetics, made literally from ingredients pulled from the earth and very little else, are great for overly sensitive, pore-clogged skin. And the eye shadows in this “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” kit from Jane Iredale actually feel good—undoubtedly thanks to the minerals and anti-inflammatory pomegranate extract used to make them. Aside from being good for your skin, mineral cosmetics don’t need hazardous preservatives, like parabens or formaldehyde-containing urea, since they don’t have any water or oil that may grow bacteria. This also means they have a longer shelf life than cream or liquid eye cosmetics, so that $46 price tag will last you a while. janeiredaledirect.com.

For a smaller price tag ($7.49), you can give one of the eyeshadows in Almay's new Pure Blends line, which come in colors like stone, sage, cocoa and orchid (yes!) and and are silica-free (no chance of grit getting in your eyes, or, worse, lungs). Almay's shadows are also free of phthalates and parabens and, so far as we can tell, petrochemicals, period.

Green drugstore divas know to love Physicians Formula new Organic Wear mineral eyeshadows in round cardboard compacts with mirrored lids; each contains two shades of brown, green or blue, and 15.9% certified organic ingredients. Organic Wear is certifed by Ecocert, a respected French organization that also vets food, mostly in Europe, and requires that all packaging be recyclable. Regularly $7.95, now only $4.77 at Drugstore.com . Take care not to confuse with the regular Physicians Formula line, including eye shadows, which contain parabens.

Good value in green apparel

2008-11-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

For her, we couldn't resist telling you about this lacy, light but warm alpaca investment for $29, marked down 80% from $149 at Viva Terra.

He'll be a soft touch in the organic hemp/flax jersey longsleeve crewneck sweater in natural ($56) or natural dye colors ($64), including manly oak and licorice black (yum) at Rawganique.

Green gifts for presidential pets

2008-11-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

History in the making: the first African-American president, the first non-Southern Democrat president since JFK, and news that the soon-to-be first family is getting a puppy—which has so many news anchors and bloggers speculating about the breed that we’ve nearly forgotten about the dismal state of our economy.

Despite plummeting stocks, it appears that all pets will be getting extra attention this season, according to a new Consumer Reports survey. Fifty-nine percent of polled respondents said that they plan on giving fewer gifts this season, but only 23 percent said they’d give fewer gifts to their pets. So how are you going to make your pup feel presidential? I’d suggest some Eco Bones from West Paw Design ($9.50 each). These colorful, nontoxic squeaky toys are made from the company’s trademarked fiber, ItelliLoft, which is a polyester made from recycled-plastic soda bottles. And if cats are your fancy, West Paw uses its Intelliloft in toy pumpkins, fish, flowers and turtles stuffed with certified-organic catnip ($5 and up).

For more info, see http://www.westpawdesign.com/. And as far as my vote for the Obamas’ dog of choice, I’m casting my ballot for a Shih Tzu, although in his first press conference after the election , Barack Obama, who incidentally graduated from Punahou, the top green Hawaiian school, he was leaning towards a mongrel, which in Hawaii is called a poi dog.

Affordable green warmth: throws

2008-11-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

Something new: Certified organic Vermont merino "O" wool throws, colored with heavy-metal-free dyes, are marked down to $99 from $130 at BlanketsnMore.

Something recycled: A one-of-a-kind Welsh plaid for $29! These gorgeous 45 x 60" throws for picnic, child's bed or couch (or wrapped around shoulders, as Dickensian shawls) are made by Tweedmill Textiles in Wales, and sales benefit Britain's non-profit National Trust, which conserves all those drafty castles and heritage gardens.

Made from recycled wool that's re-spun and woven with random colors (so no two are alike), this is a gift to warm the heart (and toes) of everyone on your list, including, should he be so lucky, the green-minded Prince of Wales. From Royal-oak.org.

Something itch-free: Green (or blue or pink) Eco-fleece throws, made of 50% post-consumer-recycled soda bottles, are made in Costa Rica with fair trade standards under the auspices of the Fair Indigo Foundation. $34.

Green Gridiron Gift

2008-11-12T06:49:00.001-08:00

Any non-sports greenies with die-hard, football-fan relatives know how difficult said relatives can be to shop for come birthdays and holidays. This year, however, I found salvation in a small publisher out of Delaware called Asgard Press that prints reproductions of vintage college football programs on notecards and calendars. AND they do it on 100-percent recycled paper with soy-based inks! They have most of the big sports schools covered—Auburn (my brother-in-law’s reason for being), Michigan, Army, Nebraska—as well as the Pac 10 and Ivy League. Classic rivalries such as Stanford/UC Berkeley and Harvard/Yale are also depicted.

Asgard also prints vintage Marvel Comic and Mad Magazine covers. The reproductions are such good quality that the calendar pages are frame-worthy once the year is over. Calendars are $18.95 and a set of 20 notecards (4 different images) is $19.95 at http://www.asgardpress.com/.

By Green Shopper

Green gifts 2008: The Kindle

2008-10-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was making my holiday travel arrangements, when it dawned on me that the holiday shopping season will officially gear up next Saturday—probably at 12:01 when Halloween is officially over. I’ve never been much of a planner when it comes to the holidays, but this year, with the economy in the tanker, I’m trying to get a head start so I don’t get a single massive bill in January.

Which leads me to my next few weeks’ posts—ideas for green gift-givers that don’t come across as preachy or judgmental but can still lead the giftee down a greener path. Honestly, who wants another compact fluorescent bulb, reusable shopping bag or travel mug silently reminding them that they’re not as green as they could be?

My first pick is an expensive but super-cool techie gift that I already bought for myself—the Amazon Kindle. Designed as an e-book reader, this gadget also has a wireless connection that allows you to download not just books but newspapers, magazines and blogs as well. I bought mine for superficial reasons (I love to read the newspaper but hate lugging it around and getting black ink all over myself, my bag and anything else the paper rubs up against). And the Kindle's pretty light; I'd say it weighs the same, if not less than, a paperback. Then, after purchasing it, I read a report that wirelessly downloading a year’s worth of newspapers saves 520 pounds of paper, or about 3 trees every year. And the device has a removable battery, so when it dies, you can replace the battery alone—not the entire thing (ahem, Apple, you could learn a thing or two…)

If you’ve got an obsessive reader on your list who’s leery of ditching the comfort of print for something so cold as electronic ink, you can stress the money savings: If she buys a new book every two weeks at $20 a piece (easy to do if you love hardcovers), she’ll save $250 a year, since Amazon sells all their e-books for $10. And that $50-a-month New York Times subscription is a mere $14.

Plus, the cool factor is unbeatable. Even Oprah’s jumped on board.

Kindles sell for $359 on amazon.com.

Have a Healthy Mattress for Less $

2008-10-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

An affordable green mattress? That seems like a contradiction in terms, when most natural latex, wool or organic cotton mattresses start in the $2,000 range. But it looks like everyone’s favorite furniture bargain basement, Ikea, has gotten into the game.

Their new Sultan Heidal mattress is part of a new collection of greenish mattresses stuffed with a mix of 85% natural and 15% synthetic latex, corn-based synthetic fibers and wool. They use an “eco-cotton” wrap, which according to company reps, is organically grown and treated with a salt-based flame retardant, free of health problems associated with other flame retardants such as boric acid and melamine.
The nice thing about these, particularly in this economic climate, is that they start at $499 for a twin and top out at $999 for kings. For more info, see Ikea.com.

Shower Power

2008-10-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

Small economies can add up to significant savings, particularly when it comes to energy: turning lights off, plugging electronics into smart power strips, and water-efficient showerheads. I tried the latter after the eco-guilt of my addictively long, hot wintertime showers. Since it’s getting to be that season again, I thought I’d pass along my pick for the best, Delta’s H2O Kinetics 1.6 gallon-per-minute showerhead.

It uses about one-third less water per minute than the federal government requires, but it’s designed so that water droplets are larger and therefore retain more heat. At $56 a showerhead, I was convinced this was just marketing speak that wouldn’t live up to Delta’s promises, but oh, my friends, was I so delightfully wrong. These showerheads are magnificently efficient and even boosted my pitifully weak 4th-floor water pressure. Get one now before winter sets in, and you might not feel so guilty about lingering in the shower on cold, frosty mornings.

There’s not much apartment renters like me can do to green their dwellings, aside from keeping their (landlord’s) refrigerators well maintained and running efficiently, using air conditioners (if you have one) as little as possible in summer, and keeping the heat down as low as possible in the winter (provided you can actually control the temperature of your own apartment). So a showerhead that saves water, as well as the electricity that heats it, just feels good, all around.

H2O Kinetics 1.6 gpm showerheads retail for $56.85; find a store near you at Delta's website.

By Green Shopper

Portable glass food containers

2008-09-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

Plastics aren’t all bad. Those numbered 1, 2, 4 or 5 are perfectly fine and don’t leach chemicals, but all this talk about hormone disruptors in plastics (like bisphenol A, which the FDA mind-bogglingly insists is safe despite numerous studies suggesting otherwise) has me rediscovering the reassuring safety of glass.

A few weeks ago at Zabar’s in New York City, I stumbled onto these cool glass “Frigoverre Plus” containers made by an Italian company called Bormioli Rocco. The lids, made of non-leaching polypropylene, or PP (#5 recycling code) have special vents that make the containers airtight so your food stays fresh, just like it does wrapped in petroleum-based plastic only without the plastic-y taste. The glass is microwave-safe. And they’re leak-proof; speaking from personal experience, even the runniest soups stay inside after sloshing around in a shoulder bag.

A set of 3 Frigoverre Plus containers goes for $37.95 at amazon.com.

Little luxuries: Organic socks and PJs

2008-04-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Running is a breeze in Maggie's Organics' 82%certified-organic-cotton, 15% Coolmax, 3% Lycra terry sports socks, the comfiest I've ever worn. And though they're low cut, they stay up over your heels. $9 a pair.

And while you're there, check out the pretty easy camisole and shorts set, now on sale for $28.

Timberland's Green Shoes Walk the Talk

2007-10-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

Trekkers and stylers, you can leave a lighter bootprint starting now! Timberland, which has pledged to go carbon-neutral by 2010, raises the bar for environmentally sounder footwear with its environmentally-sounder Earthkeepers Collection, which goes on sale October 15th. The waterproof men's and women's boots are made with organic cotton canvas, and partially recycled linings and outsoles.

Available now, several fall styles have linings made with 70% recycled PET bottle plastic. For Men: Groovy laceless Caliburn ($90), lace-up Mount Keenan ($80) and smooth Martlar T Toe oxfords, swift Scoll sportsters ($90). For Women: Ever-chic Baldaci Ballerinas ($75) in a fall pallette, or suede/leather loafers or oxfords (all, $80).

Timberland is using 15-100% organic cotton in its sweaters, too.

Bonus: Get a recycled tote bag with a purchase of $100 or more (alas, not difficult to spend if you throw in a trendy and practical Smartwool newsboy cap, $33).

Check it all out at Timberland.com

Sustainable Surf Chic

2007-05-23T10:34:00.001-07:00

New for the Surf Set

Cruising Honolulu for surf, stopped by Local Motion in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center. Asked if they had any organic cotton garments, and they pointed us to Quiksilver's certified organic logo shirts in earth brown, beyond-the-reef blue and other shades. "Feel real soft, eh?" the salesperson said admiringly. And they did, no doubt because they're also free of artificial dyes, as the label says.

Best part: Quiksilver's organic Ts, at $20, cost the same as their conventional cotton versions.

Check 'em out at www.quiksilver.com or ask for 'em at your local surf shop or clothing store.

We Want it Nau!

2007-05-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Green like a fox: Time to bare some shoulders and turn some heads. New this season from Nau the organic cotton/ spandex, sleeveless “Motion” dress has a strappy, not gappy bodice with shelf bra built in. The below-the-knee hem is lightened up by a diagonal cut reminiscent of a sail, and it comes in either sea blue or dark carbon. Modernist design and pesticide-free credentials for only $85. https://www.nau.com/homepage/index.jsp#xml/shopnau/products/107W713&4

Organic Performance Polo for Her

2007-04-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Patagonia's hip new Gal-Fer shirt, $45, delivers Burberry looks at half the price, in a versatile, green performance blend of 70% organic cotton and 30% recycled polyester. www.patagonia.com

Not only is the fabric durable and breathable, this shirt’s a multitasker, combining sport and style with an open polo collar and girly puffed sleeves. We couldn’t resist this hot look which will keep you cool while bouldering, biking or lounging.

In blackberry, pink, blue or gold with subtle chest stripes.Check out Patagonia’s garment takeback/recycling program, too.

Eco Chic and Cheap

2007-04-19T00:45:00.000-07:00

Every big design house is doing pendants on black silk cords, and then of course there’s the charm thing. But who knows where and how the costly things were made? Enter these perfectly stylish, understated and absurdly underpriced charm necklaces with a patrician green lineage.
Kanthi silver pendants in traditional shapes–spades, for instance, delicately engraved with crescent moons and stars–alternate with beads and wire wrapping on adjustable black cords.

They’re made at home by craftswomen of the Barefoot College, in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India. The college was founded 30 years ago to help poor rural communities support themselves while preserving their culture and environment. In the Barefoot villages, rainwater is collected and all electricity is generated by solar panels. Artisans and builders recycle and reuse agricultural waste, paper, scrap metal and cloth.

A single necklace is $5, and you can get and give three for $12, or 10 for $20. Plus, the non-profit Friends of Tilonia is offering free shipping to Greenerpenny readers. Who can resist? I couldn’t. My necklace is light and bright and makes me feel like a wild swan.
Go to
http://store.tilonia.com/tikasine.html and enter the code Penny07 for free shipping.