Something Shiny! - Green category

Napkin rings

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:31:54 GMT

As part of our ongoing quest to minimize our impact, John and I decided recently to do away with paper napkins and use cloth napkins instead. Even though you still use energy to clean the cloth napkins, we reasoned, at least you're not throwing them away after one use. After I spent a lot of time scouring the vast interwebs for suitable, serviceable napkins, I called my parents. I knew that they had a lot of cloth napkins that they didn't use, and I figured that if they were willing to part with some of them, that was better than bringing brand new napkins into the system. They readily agreed to send us some of their spares, but then came the question I didn't anticipate: "And you'll also need napkin rings, right?" I always thought that napkin rings were a bit too frou-frou for me, and we're not really frou-frou people, so I turned them down. "Oh, no," I said, feeling very down-to-earth, "I don't get into that." They should have laughed me off the phone, but they didn't. Napkin rings, my parents carefully explained, aren't just for show. The idea behind cloth napkins, they said, is that they can be used again and again over the course of a few days. Because they don't get very dirty, they don't need to be washed after every meal. The purpose of napkin rings, then, is so that you know which one is yours. I was astonished. Who knew?!? This is the kind of knowledge that's dying these days. This is the kind of knowledge that isn't getting used, much less passed on from generation to generation. And it kills me because this is the very kind of knowledge that would enable us to step a little lighter on the planet. Napkin rings. Who knew?

All the pretty flowers

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:49:03 GMT

Two weeks ago, we signed up to get a flower share from Rosie's Organic Farm, the same place where we get our weekly vegetable share. For just $25, we get five weeks of beautiful fresh flower bouquets that we pick up with our veggies every Saturday. And I can't tell you how lovely they are! It's like having a little bit of spring brought to our doorstep.

Dear Al Gore

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:29:39 GMT

Editor's Note: In honor of Earth Day this month, I've written several letters to Al Gore that address problems we've encountered as we try to go green. You can find the first one here, the second one here, and the third one here. Enjoy!

Okay, Al, last letter. This is something I really need your help on. See, here in Gainesville, we have curbside recycling. And it's great, don't get me wrong. We can recycle paper, newspapers, catalogs, corrugated cardboard, glass and plastic bottles, and aluminum. Recently, the city also began to accept plastic yogurt containers for recycling. Now, plastic recyclables are imprinted with a number, a resin identification code indicating their polymer type. (Betcha didn't think I knew that, huh?) In the case of yogurt containers, they're imprinted with the code number 5, meaning that they're comprised of polypropylene. So far, so good. However, yogurt containers aren't the only plastic food containers imprinted with the #5; in fact, many others are as well. But while you can put as many #5 yogurt containers as you want in the recycling bin, the city won't accept any other #5 containers. So what gives? Why one and not the others? What's the point of having the handy dandy numbering system if the city comes up with their own (illogical) rules for what they will and won't accept? And how do I, just one person, go about changing this? If you have any ideas, Al, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

Sincerely, Emily

I bought an ice cream cake for the party, but it melted in all the global warming

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:22:00 GMT

Happy Earth Day, everyone! In honor of Earth Day today, I thought I'd pull together a quick list of things everyone can do to help our planet. What makes these things even cooler is that they all do something to make our own lives a little better.

Recycling. I know that might seem like an obvious one because, hello, doesn't everyone recycle? Apparently not. Gainesville does curbside recycling, which is great, but fully half of the people in our neighborhood don't recycle. I routinely see people throwing away milk jugs, glass bottles, and cardboard boxes-- ALL things that the city will recycle if people take a little effort to drag them to the curb. When you recycle, not only do you ensure that landfills aren't being filled with perfectly recyclable items, but also you free up your trash can for legitimate trash. You know, like all those severed limbs you've got stashed in your deep freeze. (Kidding!)

Tired of junk mail? Sign up for Green Dimes! Green Dimes is a great service that allows you to cut back on your junk mail and save trees all at the same time. Since we signed up for Green Dimes last year, I've noticed a HUGE decrease in the amount of junk mail we get. Green Dimes also lets you pick and choose which catalogs you get. So if you're sick of getting horse supply catalogs (why do we get these? we don't have a horse!!!), you can tell Green Dimes you don't want to get them anymore. It couldn't be easier.

Take reusable cloth bags with you when you go shopping. It's all fine and dandy for places like Target to encourage customers to reuse those plastic bags as trash can liners. But they eventually end up in a landfill, right? So why not cut out the middle man? We bought ours here, but these days you can find them almost anywhere.

Plant a vegetable and herb garden. Why buy tomatoes from Chile and lettuce from Argentina when you can grow them yourself in your own backyard? Planting a vegetable garden will not only cut back on your grocery bill, but will also enable you to eat fresher foods.

If you don't have the time or the space to devote to a garden, patronize your local farmers! Go to Local Harvest, enter your zip code, and you'll get a list of all the farmer's markets, farms, and more in your area. Oftentimes you can sign up for a CSA, which is essentially a subscription that gives you fresh farm products on a regular basis. We signed up for two CSAs and now we get fresh chickens and eggs through Heirloom Country Farms, and fresh vegetables through Rosie's Organic Farm. It's a great way to get fresh produce, eat more healthily, and support local businesses all at the same time.

This is just a tiny sample of the things you can do to help the earth and make life a bit brighter, for everyone. If we all do things like this, we'll step a little lighter on the earth and hopefully leave something wonderful for future generations.