Reduce your daily impact
Discussions on how we can live responsibly and save the environmentArchive for Recycling
Whole Foods pays you back by bringing your own bag (BYOB)
Ok, they’re not giving you back THAT much, but it’s something! I must’ve been living under a rock since I didn’t know this, but last night I went to Whole Foods and saw on my receipt that they deducted $0.40 from my purchase for using my own green bags. Way to go, Whole Foods !
I wonder if/when mall retailers will follow?
Christmas tree dilemma
It’s that time of year to start putting your decorations, and perhaps the most important of them all is your Christmas tree. This year, I’ve been debating whether to put up our old fake tree or get a real, fresh pine tree. Growing up in San Francisco, we always had a real tree and I will never forget the wonderful pine smell that fills up the whole room. I’ve been researching on what would be the best green option and was surprised that many recommended getting a real tree (see here, and here).
Here’s the best reason to get a real tree – fake trees are not biodegradable, and will fill up landfills. Granted, most people will keep their fake trees for years, but eventually it will still be thrown out. Real Christmas trees, on the other hand, can be recycled, or replanted. Those that sell these trees will plant another tree to replace the ones they’ve cut down, making it a sustainable business.
In the end, I’ve decided to look for a potted pine tree, one that I can keep and take care for years to come. If you need help locating a Christmas tree lot, check out the National Christmas Tree Association web site at http://www.christmastree.org/home.cfm.
Can you recycle used cooking oil?
Last week I made a huge batch of egg rolls that left me with a lot of oil leftover. I reused some of that, but now I have no idea what to do with it. I did some research and only got information about restaurants recycling large amounts of used oil for biodiesel, but no information for regular consumers like myself. Unfortunately, my current location (Orlando) does not recycle used oil.
Any ideas on how I can repurpose leftover cooking oil?
