Pet Peeve of the Day

I was traveling home from Toronto and stopped at a rest stop with a Tim Horton's. I'm not a fan of their coffee, but decided to buy a steeped tea. I always bring my travel mug with me when I go to Starbucks so I did the same at Timmy's and asked for a small steeped tea.

The young man server turned to his coworker with a puzzled look.

He was told to fill up a small Timmy's cup with the tea and pour it into my travel mug.

I KNEW what was going to happen next -- I could just sense it.

The dude poured my tea into my mug and then threw away the paper cup.

I said to the young man... "Do you know why most people bring a travel mug?"

He looked scared and didn't reply.

I said, "I bring a travel cup to prevent waste - to prevent garbage. You just threw that cup in the garbage"

I told him that perhaps it was time to discuss this practice with the manager. Kind of counter-productive don't you think?

UGH. SO frustrating.

For Girls Only.........

Check out the DIVA CUP!

[click on the title link]

Wish I knew about this 35 years ago!!!

Spring Cleaning Tips

Another great article from Green Living that I'd like to share. Just click on the link, below:

SPRING INTO A GREENER HOME

I'm happy to find out that I DO follow all these tips.

We are presently preparing to paint our kitchen cupboards and we are choosing NO and LOW V.O.C. paint!

Today my project is to gather things from closets and drawers that I don't want any more and I will donate the items to a local church for their annual flea market where proceeds go to needy causes and the excess items get donated to local charities.

I don't have little kids any more, but I still make crafts with things I find lying around the house and at yard sales, etc!

Can't wait for the snow to go so I can start hanging my clothes on the line again!

BBQ season is just about here and I'm anxious for that first char-grilled meal!

I seldom get any paper mail that isn't wanted or needed.

Paper vs Cloth Napkins

I switched to cloth napkins a few months ago. I feel really good about my decision. We still use the non-bleached, eco-friendly paper kind for a few uses.

Decide for youself.......

PAPER vs CLOTH

I Love Gadgets..

Here's a cool gadget that I can't wait to get. [They were all out at the Home Hardware I went to].
Last month I started unplugging my TVs, DVD player, computer, microwave and treadmill when not in use. I am determined to keep this up for a year to see if I notice a change on our electrical bill, and how much.



From the Kill-a-Watt website, they say:
Simply connect these appliances to the Kill A Watt™, and it will assess how efficient they really are. Large LCD display will count consumption by the Killowatt-hour, same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, even an entire year. Also check the quality of your power by monitoring Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor. Now you´ll know if it is time for a new refrigerator or if that old air conditioner is still saving you money. With the amazing Kill A Watt™ you´ll know “Watts” killing you.

If you have tried one, please let me know what you think!

eco-mistakes

On Green Living blog, I found an interesting post on common eco-mistakes. Here's a basic re-cap. You can check out the entire article here.

At the end of each mistake I have answered with MY REPLY!

COMMON ECO-MISTAKES

• Inconsistent recycling: Do you have blue box bins and trash cans in all rooms, not just the kitchen? [yes]
• Lint build-up: Do you remove the lint from your dryer's lint trap before/after each dryler load? [yes]
• Level heated: Do you keep your thermostat controlled based on the weather/time of day? [yes]
• Forgetting phantom load: Do you leave electronic devices plugged in all the time? [yes and no. I have recently begun to change my habits and I am trying real hard to remember to unplug the kettle, coffee pot, etc. I have to work on remembering the TV, computer, etc. I really want to work on this.]
• Forgetting the fabric: Do you use reusable shopping bags? [yes, all the time. I have been for over 25 years!]
• Discarding dangerous substances: Do you throw away electronic and hazardous waste? [no. I use the HHW depot and try to avoid hazardous products in the first place]
• Wasting Paper: Do you waste paper at your printer, at home or at the office? [no - I rarely waste paper at all!]
• Leaving your eco-conscience at the door: Do you follow green rules at home and forget them at work and elsewhere? [never -- really!!]
  

Looks like I'm doing a pretty good job at not making many eco-mistakes. How did you do??

Biodegradable Products

The jury isn't in yet, but I just started used Tuff Guy biodegradable garbage bags for my kitchen bin. The plastic looks and feels just like the regular kitchen catchers I've used before, but these are supposed to biodegrade in 3 years instead of the usual 300!! I found them at Dollarama [great price!]. And MADE IN CANADA too!!

If you find out more about them or discover any cons or negatives about them, please leave a comment!

In the meantime, I'm going to test them out!

Tuff Guy bags and products

Bottle Returns

Just a reminder...........

You can take your bottles, cans and Tetra Paks to the Beer Store for cash!

CF Bulbs - safe or not?

Like many people today, I have done my part for the environment by replacing my old incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs! In 2012, Canada will have implemented a ban on all incandescents! But, with new data and research there are reports that the CFBs are causing health problems for some people - skin rashes, migraines and some other chronic symptoms.

Safe or not? Check out the report by Global TVs 16:9 and decide for yourself:

Rays of Rash

Dirty Energy


Makes me wonder if I've made the right decision in replacing the bulbs. I will definitely be doing more research and watching for updates on these issues.

Cool Products

It always bothered me to have to throw away toothbrushes and disposable razors. Toothbrushes should be changed every three months. That's a LOT of toothbrushes that end up in the landfill. In the U.S., that's over 50 million pounds!! 50 million pounds!!!!!! [not sure what the Canadian statistics are.]

I used to use a straight razor... you know, the ones your dad used to use with the double edged flat razor blade. But after one too many nasty cuts and a creepiness I can't explain when handling the blades [too many horror shows] I switched to the disposable blades. I used an electric razor for the in-between shaves, but still felt guilty each time I tossed away a used blade. The worst ones are the razors that don't have the detachable blades and you have to throw out the whole razor. Yikes!

I recently came across two great products. A wee bit more pricey than your average toothbrush and razor, but with no guilt attached! These are made with recycled yogurt containers and are a #5 plastic which is completely recyclable here in Sudbury. They are made by Recycline. I ordered mine from Home Depot online and they were delivered to my house the very next day!

RAZOR

TOOTHBRUSH