Archive for February, 2011

Be Mine, Valentine

February 7, 2011 · Filed under Events, Green at Home

I love Valentines Day.  I love it.  I love candy, flowers, romance and unabashed displays of affection.  I love chocolate, champagne, and hugs and kisses.  Get my drift?

Since this is the holiday for love, I think it’s the perfect time to show your love for Mother Earth.  Here are a few things we can all do to make Valentines Day greener:

1) Give the animals a break. Make a local, vegetarian meal for your honey.  You’ll reduce your carbon footprint and support family farms.

2) Use what you’ve got. Do you need to buy new valentines? Or can you use what you already have to make cards? Try to reduce what you consume as much as possible.  Reuse and recycle items.  And if you need to buy Valentines, check out our recycled paper valentines!

This Earth-friendly Valentine Card Making Kit comes with everything you need to make 25 sustainable valentine cards, along with a recycled paper “In-Box” to decorate.

 

3) Send organic flowers. Freshly cut flowers are one of my favorite indulgences.  But this time of year, they come from far away lands and usually are grown with conventional pesticides and fertilizers.  Ask your local florist for a more sustainable option, or check out OrganicBouquet.com.

So, here are three quick tips for a greener V-Day.  Do you have other ideas?  Please share with us!

 

 

 

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Want to Kill A Watt?

February 4, 2011 · Filed under Energy, Green at Home

Thanks to the good folks at SCARCE (www.s-c-a-r-c-e.org) for this great tip:

Kill A Watt is a great device to measure how much electricity any power device is consuming.  Simply plug in your device to the Kill A Watt and instantly discover the amount of electricity consumed.  You’ll be amazed that even when turned off, many devices are still using energy.

Now, instead of buying one, you can rent one from many local libraries.

Libraries in DuPage County with a Kill A Watt to check out include:

Addison                  Bartlett                    Bloomingdale

Carol Stream           Clarendon Hills         Indian Prairie

Downers Grove        Elmhurst                  Glen Ellyn

Glenside                 Lisle                        Roselle

Villa Park                Westmont               Wheaton

Winfield                  Wood Dale

Forest Park Library rents them out too.  Does anyone know if Oak Park Libraries do?

 

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