Tristin and Tyler LOVE books. Big books, small books, superhero books, fairytale books, you name it, they love it! Their first, and now favorite, green/eco book is called THINK GREEN! by Jeanine Behr Getz. Jeanine self-published the book via her company Kids Think Big. In this episode of Tristin and Tyler's Tales from the City! the boys learn that they too can impact the earth, even though they are little guys!... read more
Although I've never been one much for "New Year's Resolutions," this year, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my way of "green living" and am dedicated to step it up a notch in 2012. Since leaving the ranch and the idyllic Montana country girl life I grew up with and transitioning over the last 7 or 8 years to apartment life and city dwelling, there have been many aspects of what I deemed green living that I simply gave up on or didn't think to see if they were feasible. The biggest is gardening. Without endless acres at my fingertips, and in fact, not a blade of grass that I can put my name to, I sadly simply stopped thinking of growing green things, of watering tender plants and plucking stubborn weeds. Composting followed shortly behind it. I grew up with a large "compost pile" just over the fence and down the hill and that seemed natural and easy enough, but how could I compost in an apartment, and even more, why would I compost in an apartment? Turns out, I don't need to give up either one of those, and in 2012, I don't plan to any longer!. Here's what I plan to do in "Phase 1" of my Green Up.... read more
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been seeing the term upcycling all over the place lately, despite not being quite sure why the new trendy word.In fact, it wasn’t until just recently when I finally searched the definition that it started to make sense, and I kinda got really excited about it!(And since we’re talking upcycling pumpkins here, I thought you might like to know what it is too…)Upcycling, at its basic core: is to reuse something in a way that cretes something of higher value or quality than what it started as.Oooh!Snazzy!Instead of getting rid of something in a better way (recyling), here’s to a creating a whole new and improved item!Love it.So, since it’s October and we here in the U.S. are about to burn through approximately 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin, I thought it only appropriate to offer you some UPcycling ideas.(Otherwise that’s a whole lotta pumpkin sitting in landfills…)... read more
Here's a painless way to reduce one of your monthly bills and encourage a less waste-producing lifestyle: downsize your garbage can.
A couple years ago our city introduced three sizes of garbage cans, with corresponding reduced prices. The first is the standard size that we're all used to: 68 gallons. When we were using disposable diapers for our daughter (I know, I know, so-not-green!), we needed this full-sized can, so we had to pay full price on our garbage bill ($55.84/month). But once she was potty trained, we noticed we were only filling the can 1/2 way each week. ... read more
An independent study conducted in June found San Francisco to be the “greenest” city in the United States and Canada. This doesn't come as much of a surprise – the city has made headlines for leading the way with policies such as mandatory composting and a grocery store plastic bag ban.... read more
Based on recent EPA estimates, over one billion cell phones are sitting around houses nationwide, unused. Most will probably be thrown in the trash and end up in landfills, instead of being reused or recycled.
Back in May, the United Nations Environment Programme put out a report on recycling metals. It concluded that less than one-third of 60 metals studied have an end-of-life recycling rate above 50% and 34 are under 1%. The UN recommended boost waste management in developing economies and cease keeping old cell phones and other antiquated electronics lying around the house. Read the report here.... read more
I'm sure if you're reading the Keen for Green website you are very familiar with the mantra, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." In my experience, recycling is the only part of that trifecta that gets any significant attention in terms of our daily habits. So, today I'm paying tribute to the concept of "Reusing." And my tribute involves the most mundane of objects... socks. But don't worry, this gets more interesting, so read on...... read more
My family's gotten into the recycling routine at home- we recycle paper, plastic, cans, plastic bags, and yard trimmings. It's hardly a feat to be proud of because it's so easy- our city's recycling service picks up all of these materials from our curb each week, with minimal sorting required of us. Reusing materials (the more environmentally friendly alternative, since it avoids the energy consumption involved in recycling) has not been our strength, and I'm trying to work on that. Reusing obviously takes a little more effort and creativity that simply tossing an empty soda can into a recycling bin. Here are three simple ways to reuse old paper such as old bills, draft documents we don't need anymore, and credit card offer letters:... read more
No need to have the summertime blues this year -- let's have the summertime greens! There are plenty of excellent ways to keep your summer KEEN and GREEN!
With Earth Day quickly approaching (April 22), I am reminded to think about where I am in the world and where in the world my food is. I am in Canada and most of our food is not.
We are not far enough into spring to plant an outdoor garden and the Farmer's Market has not yet opened. Everything comes from the grocery store. I bought a beautiful bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Well, at least they were fresh when they were picked and hopefully just as fresh when they were packed.... read more
Based on recent EPA estimates, over one billion cell phones are sitting around houses nationwide, unused. Most will probably be thrown in the trash and end up in landfills, instead of being reused or recycled.
I'm sure if you're reading the Keen for Green website you are very familiar with the mantra, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." In my experience, recycling is the only part of that trifecta that gets any significant attention in terms of our daily habits. So, today I'm paying tribute to the concept of "Reusing." And my tribute involves the most mundane of objects... socks. But don't worry, this gets more interesting, so read on...
