(Photo: Diego Cosenza / Wikimedia)

You
may do all the right things to green your home, but what about the place you
spend 40-50 hours a week — your desk? Whether or not your company makes efforts
to be environmentally friendly, there are ways you can green your time at the
office.

Drink
from reusable cups. Few companies realize that Styrofoam takes 100 years to
break down and plastic cups take 450 years to fall apart in landfills. Why do
that when it’s much more comforting to drink your hot drinks from a big
friendly cup you’ve brought from home?

This can also be a way to express your
personality, even in the most conservative office. Or have some fun with the
ceramic paper cup spoofer “I Am Not a Paper Cup” that looks like paper/plastic lid coffee-to-go model.
For water and cold drinks, you can’t go wrong with Sigg bottles or Kleen
Kanteens, available in different colors and designs.

Bring your lunch. You’ll never have to guess the source of the food in your
office cafeteria or surrounding eateries if you bring yours from home. You can
go as vegetarian and organic as you want to be, and you’ll be surprised the
money you save!

Instead of using plastic throwaway utensils, eat with your
own reusable cutlery like this portable
set made from bamboo. Dab away crumbs off your mouth with a cloth napkin
instead of reaching for a paper towel, such as the cheeky set embroidered with “I Am Not a Paper Towel.”

Breathe fresh. Purify the air around you and help avoid those nasty flu bugs by
putting a plant or two on your desk. The Peace Lily is one of the best oxygen-producing plants and is the perfect size for the cubicle desktop. It
features full green leaves and blooms a lovely white flower.

Dress
the part. No matter how casual or business-like your office is, you can
make a green fashion statement with what you wear. Shop at stores that
give clothes a second life — such as consignment shops where you can find suits
for half the price as new and vintage stores for some unique accent pieces. You’ll save some
of that hard-earned money you’re making too!

And
don’t forget that thing you use most on your desk — learn
how to enable power save on your computer.

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Coffee is a hot topic among health experts and java drinkers alike. Proponents of the brew claim it’s heart-healthy because coffee beans have antioxidants, can lower your risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, and help with headaches (along with a slew of other random health benefits being touted online).

But others argue that it messes with hormonal levels, increases cortisol levels (the “stress hormone” that can lead to weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes), can worsen insomnia, and let’s not forget how addictive it is!

Whatever your thoughts on coffee are, no one can argue that too much of it is a good thing. In general, I recommend keeping to one cup a day or less.

One surprising fact is that espresso is arguably better for you, more than drip coffee!

For one thing, a shot of espresso contains less caffeine than an 8 ounce cup of drip coffee (and in my opinion, it tastes a lot better, too!). A 2 ounce shot of espresso has 50 mg of caffeine, while an 8 ounce cup contains 135 mg — almost 3 times as much.

Another health benefit over drip coffee is that a shot of espresso still contains some of the natural oils found on the bean. Since espresso is made using a quick-extraction method, it still retains a lot of oils that get broken down during the drip method. That means that it’s less acidic to your body and more easily digested.

If you’re looking to decrease your caffeine consumption, try switching to espresso and keeping it to one shot a day. And don’t forget that milk and sweeteners can bring your cup of joe down a notch in healthiness, too.

Stick to organic milk or organic dairy-free options (such as almond or soy milk) and use natural sweeteners like maple syrup, agave, and honey in place of cane sugar.

More from ecomii.com

• Avoid Bleached Products
• Refill not Landfill
• Biodiesel Dissolves Polystyrene
• Five Tips for a Healthy Heart
• What to Drink While Pregnant

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Want to avoid blood, bone marrow, bladder, and stomach cancer? (Um, yes.) Try a vegetarian diet.

A new study published by the British Journal of Cancer and detailed by the BBC said there was a clear correlation between vegetarianism and a reduced cancer risk for those four cancers. Blood and lymph cancers were half as common, bone marrow cancer was 75% less common and stomach cancer 66% less common.

Vegetarianism isn’t a cure-all, though: Despite the roughage, a vegetarian diet does nothing to protect from bowel cancer, according to the study. Other interesting facts: While 33% of meat-eaters developed cancer, just 29% of those who avoid meat develop cancer.

Vegetarians who eat fish were also less likely than meat eaters, but less likely than strict vegetarians to develop cancer.

Previously, eating red and processed meats has been linked to increased stomach cancer risk — and increased risk of death overall, and a vegetable based diet that includes less meat helped with weight loss and decreased cardiovascular disease risk (though a strictly vegetarian diet only helped people lose weight, not improve their cardiovascular health).

Eating more vegetables and other plant-based foods and less meat is also the single biggest thing we can do in the dining room to help the environment. Raising meat requires much more land, water, chemicals and time than does growing plants.

More from The Daily Green

• Six Delicious Vegan Recipes
• Vegetarianism and Beyond: 18 Ways to Green Your Diet
• Three Delicious “Almost Meatless” Recipes
• The Real Food Diet: Superfood Nutrition!
• 10 Surprising Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc

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(Photo: manfredxy / iStockPhoto)

With the average American family of four spending almost ,000 per year on clothing, think of the money you can save by extending the life of your clothes and hanging onto them longer.

Here are some practical ways to do just that…

1. Zip up before you wash:
Metal zippers on jeans, jackets, and other apparel items are like tiny chainsaws in the washer and dryer, ripping away at other clothes the whole time unless you zip them up first.

2. Launder less often and only in cold water:
Many of us are guilty of over-laundering our clothes, which costs time and money and is usually unnecessary. Washing and drying is often actually harder on clothing fabric than wearing it! Consider wearing apparel items more than once between laundering (if it doesn’t look or smell dirty, a garment doesn’t need washing yet).

Then wash most clothing in cold water; this is hygienic and fine for everyday use. More and more detergents are labeled as working well in cold wash these days. Cold water costs less, is gentler on fabrics, and will get most clothes just as clean. 

3. Hold the bleach:
Bleach can cause clothing to disintegrate more quickly. If you need to brighten white clothes, try using baking soda and hot water instead. Line-drying (see below) also helps keep whites whiter.

4. It pays to get hung out to dry:
Electric- and gas-powered clothes dryers not only cost a pretty penny to own and operate, but they cook and beat the life out of your clothing too. Drying your clothes on a good old-fashioned clothesline can increase the lifespan of some garments by as much as 50 percent … plus your clothes will smell terrific.

5. Don’t let small problems become big ones:
Most rips and tears start out small, so check your clothes carefully after every washing to catch and mend snags while they’re still small and easy to fix.

6. Avoid soggy shoes:
The lifespan of footwear is often cut short by the effects of moisture, even more so than by pounding the pavement. To make your shoes last longer, don’t wear the same pair every day. Give each pair at least a day in between to dry out from the moisture they absorb from your body and the environment.

In humid or rainy weather, crumple up a couple of pieces of newspaper and stuff them in your shoes before you go to bed at night. By morning, the paper will have wicked-up the excess moisture. Frequently shining or sealing shoe leather helps protect it from moisture as well.

7. Remodel instead of throwing away:
Even if you’re challenged when it comes to needle and thread, there are a lot of simple, fun things you can do to customize and update clothes that you’re bored with or that are out of fashion.

Check out the book (from the library, of course) Sew Subversive (Taunton 2006) for some easy and creative clothes remodeling ideas. [Editor's note: Get more refashioning tips from Green Picks.]

8. Think “vintage” not “used”:
We’re getting rid of a lot of our threads before they’re threadbare. Only a small percentage of the clothing we throw away in the U.S. is truly “worn out.” Fortunately, some of those duds make an encore appearance at thrift stores, yard sales, and resale/consignment shops, where you’ll usually pay only 10 or 20 cents on the dollar compared to new/retail.

Also, form a clothes swapping club with friends and family members who wear similar sizes, so that when you get tired of a garment you can pass it along to someone who will wear it.

9. Organize and store what you have:
“I forgot I even had that in my closet!” How many times have we all said that? Store off-season clothes in plastic totes and add a couple cedar blocks for extra protection.

Keep a written inventory of your clothes, and make a “progressive shopping list” of new things you’ll need to buy in the near future. That way you can pick them up the next time you see them on sale.

10. Buy classics, not fads:
Build a wardrobe around just a few colors that look good on you and that combine well with one another, giving you diversity without needing to buy so many clothes. Look for classic styles, well-made garments, and durable fabrics, and don’t get suckered into trendy fashions and colors that will become outdated before you even get out of the store.

When it comes to paying top dollar for the latest designer fashions, remember what billionaire Warren Buffet once said: “I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on me.”

Learn more about how to save money and still dress green.

Jeff Yeager is the author of the book The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches. His website is www.UltimateCheapskate.com.

More from The Daily Green

• 30+ Ways to Save Money by Going Green
• Win Free Green Stuff!
• 10 Surprising Uses for Vodka
• 10 Simple Ways to Save Gas
• Six Smart Green Investments

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc

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Q. Dear Umbra,

I will be moving soon, and a friend suggested buying cheap but durable plastic storage bins with lids as an alternative to traditional moving boxes (or whatever empty boxes I can find from local stores). The idea is appealing, especially for a lot of stuff that I typically keep stored in closets or my basement, because I wouldn’t have to unpack when I get to my new home. But I’m sure there has to be an alternative to plastic when it comes to storage bins. What are the alternatives for lidded storage containers?

Thanks,
Jules

A. Dearest Jules,

Continuing on our moving theme, we hold back the tears as we think about boxes. As I mentioned earlier this week, quite a bit has changed in the three years since I last investigated green moving, so soon I will write about actual self-titled “green movers.” Boxes are thrilling, though, and get to be first.

There’s nothing wrong with the old box from a local store. It’s reuse, after all. Liquor boxes are about the same size as an officially purposed book box. As long as you don’t mind a colorful assortment in your closet or basement, you could still happily not-unpack them. The problem comes when you want any kind of larger box for equally large people to heft in to a moving truck.

With reuse in mind, I briefly scanned Craigslist, and turned up scads of free moving boxes proffered by folks who have done all their unpacking and either are generous or can’t deal with the recycling part. Other online classifieds should provide a similar pool of opportunity for reusing. If you are the last user of a box and the cardboard has been reduced to pulp, you can lay it on the lawn and plant a garden.

Plastic storage bins are a good option for moving and for storage. But they aren’t as cheap as cardboard boxes. The only free plastic lidded containers I can think of are the five-gallon food service buckets one can obtain from a restaurant or church retreat center kitchen. There are only so many objects one can pack into a cylinder.

I briefly looked for other lidded storage containers for you, but they seem few, far between, heavy, metal, and kind of silly. Cute canvas or steel containers are available, but too small for your needs. Wicker baskets seem too flimsy.  All the East Coast rain must be sogging my brain, because I’m going to say that plastic bins are a pretty good idea. Especially if (drumroll) you can rent them!

Leading me to the only potential revelation of today’s column. A few companies are making a go of renting plastic moving tubs. A few have a national profile; one I found is in southern California, one is more nationwide-ish. But I started looking more closely, and in several cities local moving firms were renting plastic tubs. Let your fingers do the walking. This may be a win-win solution. You get a durable crate, and so do 400 other people. You do still have to unpack at the end, but perhaps this will be a useful lesson in reducing what you own and owning what you need.

By the way, I also found cardboard boxes for rent, which is apparently also a fairly common offering. I’m not sure this is any better than Craigslist.

Best of luck, and lift with your knees.

Movingly,
Umbra

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Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed an order that set aside 676,000 acres of federal land out west for the possibility of developing solar projects.  Of the huge lot, 351,000 acres are located in the Mojave Desert with the rest located in areas in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

The land will be studied for the next two years and environmental reviews will be performed to determine the ability to safely develop large solar projects.  Protected lands are not being considered for these projects.  The proposed areas in California could generate 39,000 to 70,000 MW of electricity and serve millions of homes if fully developed.

This news follows promises by Obama and Salazar to have 10 percent of the nation’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2012 and to have 13 commercial-scale solar projects under construction by the end of 2010.  The two-year study will open up the areas to leasing by private companies and will cost about million.

via LA Times

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GreenWire: Some municipalities in Alaska are mulling plans to bring in small nuclear reactors in a bid to decrease energy prices.

Galena, a village on the Yukon River, has long been in talks with Toshiba about building such a power plant. Meanwhile, Fairbanks developer John Reeves has pitched an idea for a larger plant in his area that will be designed by New Mexico-based Hyperion Power Generation.

Both plants still need to apply for certification and then obtain a license to build and operate the plant, a process that can take years to complete, especially since both represent a new approach to nuclear. They involve small reactors that can be mass-produced, require little maintenance and are theoretically easier to obtain permits for and build.

A spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said both ideas are unusual enough that the certification process will be long, although neither company has applied for design certification yet.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said she supports the concept. “Absolutely I can see nuclear playing a role in our energy agenda,” Palin said. “Small-scale nuclear is an exciting prospect and fits with development of our more conventional sources of non-renewables” (Stefan Milkowski, New York Times, June 30).– JK

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AIDS in Africa is said to be killing more people than conflicts. It causes social disruption as children become orphaned. It affects already-struggling economies as workforces are reduced. As an enormous continent, various regions are seeing different results as they attempt to tackle the problem. Numerous local, regional and global initiatives are slowly helping, despite significant obstacles (such as poverty, local social and cultural norms/taboos, concerns from drug companies about providing affordable medicines, and limited health resources of many countries that are now also caught up in the global financial crisis). This update includes a couple of videos on different aspects off this issue as well as some further background information on how the issue is being addressed and what problems are being faced.Go to Source http://www.globalissues.org

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A handful of fruit companies dominate the global banana trade. Combined with supermarkets on the consumer side, both end up squeezing workers who are often exploited or work under terrible conditions. Fair trade offers promise of some relief, but an entire region such as the Caribbean has had an almost unhealthy reliance and dependency on banana exports. This update provides some additional background information and links.Go to Source http://www.globalissues.org

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The global financial crisis section has been updated to include more information about how Asian and African nations are faring and includes a new part on human rights and the effect this crisis has had on rights around the world. Such a crisis may also be an opportunity for reform, though those who benefit from the current system have typically resisted more fundamental reforms in the past. Brief updates have also been added to the sections that look at this aspect further.Go to Source http://www.globalissues.org

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