Cookware That’s Good for You and the Environment

If you’re planning to replace your cookware, think carefully about it. Before you rush off to buy the next hot item, consider alternatives that are healthy not just for you but for the environment.

Jennifer Schwab, director of sustainability for the Sierra Club Green Home,  discussed some of the healthy alternatives:

Stainless steel. Schwab used nonstick cooking pans for years, until she discovered that the nonstick coating could release harmful chemicals into food.

Stainless steel pans are a great option, she said. Not only are they stylish, but they don’t contain the potentially harmful chemicals that are found in Teflon-coated or other nonstick pans, she said.

Stainless steel cookware, which is preferred by many top chefs, is also more durable than other pans, and are wholly recyclable once their usefulness is over, she noted.

Read more here.

Use Natural Exfoliants, and Help the Oceans

You may not have thought about the connection, but all-natural exfoliants are better for you and the oceans.

You’ve heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a floating island of largely plastic debris that threatens wildlife. It’s full of discarded bottles, bags, bits of nylon rope and other rubbish, both seen and unseen. The good news is that we can all make choices that reduce the accumulation. One example you may not have thought of may be lurking in your bathroom: conventional exfoliants.

Read it all here.

The average U.S. household spends $375 on air conditioning. Here’s one smart way to slash your bill.

Winter is typically the time most homeowners think about energy bills, as cold snaps and high heating oil and natural gas prices send monthly bills soaring. But, increasingly, summer cuts deeply into our wallets, too, since nearly 85% of U.S. homes are equipped with air conditioning systems that cost, on average, about $375 in electricity annually — more than 15% of the average home’s annual energy bill!

Read it all here.

Save a Tree (and a Bird). Buy Recycled Paper

You may be surprised to learn about this connection.

Even if recycled toilet paper rubs you wrong, at least choose recycled napkins, paper towels, office paper and other paper products. (Reusable towels and napkins are even better!)

It’s been calculated that Americans toss so much office paper that a year’s worth would stretch from Los Angeles to New York and stand 12 feet tall.

Considering that logging of the boreal forest in Canada and Siberia is happening at a lightning-quick pace that is proving too speedy for many songbirds that live there. The feathered friend at the feeder can serve as an everyday reminder of the importance of the simple choice — recycled paper, please.

Read it all here.

3 Reasons to Shop Your Local Farmers’ Market

It’s now easy to search for your local farmers’ market, and enjoy the benefits of eating locally produced foods.

Why settle for a bland supermarket tomato when there are more than 6,000 farmers’ markets in the United States filled with heirloom varieties that make your taste buds soar? For little more effort than it takes you to drive to the grocery store, you could be eating a ripe red tomato harvested that very same day. Or a perfect peach. Or savory herbs. Or artisanal breads and cheeses made by hand by food craftspeople. Or any number of other fresh produce and locally made foods.

Read it all here.

Don’t Close-Crop Your Lawn

One secret to a greener lawn? Let it grow longer.

Forget trying to make your lawn look like a golf putting green, and keep your grass longer.

Longer blades discourage weeds and pest insects, which means you are under less pressure to apply toxic pesticides and herbicides. Longer grass also shades the roots more, and helps prevent the soil from drying out. It tends to lead to healthier roots, so your green carpet will be hardier, and should require less water in the long run.

Read it all here.

Choose Shade-Grown Coffee, and Preserve 2 Square Feet of Trees Per Cup

With Arbor Day coming Friday, here’s something simple you can do to preserve trees every morning: Drink shade-grown coffee.

When it comes to coffee, there are several labels you can look for: organic, Fair Trade, bird friendly or shade-grown. Each label is third-party verified and means something slightly different.

Read it all here. 

Plant a Tree, Pocket $57,000

We often underestimate the value — to the environment and to our pocketbooks — of trees. Spring is a great time to plant a new tree.

Planting trees is one of the most basic of environmental acts. It embraces the beauty of nature, helps clean the environment from the moment of planting forward, and sets one’s mind on the well-being of future generations.

It also happens to be a smart economic decision. Studies show that trees increase property values and can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs if placed carefully. They also help to reduce air pollution, improve soil and water quality and shield living areas from noisy neighbors — whether those neighbors are people, school playgrounds or highways.

Read it all here.

Download Your Software

Saves time and materials, and cuts down on office clutter. Brilliant!

Instead of shopping for software at the store, simply download what you need directly from those clever folks on the Internets. You’ll save resources, as well as time and fuel.

Read it all here.

Plant a Backyard Wildlife Garden

With Spring settling in, thoughts turn to gardening and the return of wildlife, like birds, bees and butterflies. Here are four tips for keeping those colorful critters coming to your backyard.

With the rapid suburbanization of the American landscape that has taken place since World War II (including the recent spurt during the housing bubble) thousands of square miles of open land, farms and forests was built on, displacing wildlife. No matter if you live in the country, suburbs or even the city, you can provide food, shelter and a nontoxic environment for wildlife, restoring some of the lost landscape. It’s not only good for the environment, by supporting a healthy and diverse local ecosystem, but by following a few of these tips, you could watch all the wildlife you want right in your backyard!

Read all about it here.