No Brainer

Libraries, people! Libraries!

It's books for free. What else is there to say? Sure you have to give them back in the end, but how many books do you read more than once anyway? Save trees, save money...go get a library card.

Also, the excuse that "they never have what I'm looking for" is no longer valid. Most libraries now allow online book reservation, and you are notified by email when your request shows up at your local branch. I picked up two last night that were available a mere five days after I posted my requests (though a third is going to take a while to show up, but it's a new release). In the meantime, I'll keep myself busy with less popular but equally as satisfying oldies but goodies.

My Favorite Kind of Recycling

Raise your hand if you love Craigslist...my hand is most definitely raised (and even waving around a little bit. You know, like that brown-noser from your freshman econ class?). Having spent the last few weekends trying to furnish my new apartment in both the cheapest and greenest way possible, I've realized that "recycling" used furniture is most definitely the way to go. Not only do you save large pieces of wood/metal/plastic from going to the landfill, but you can find some really great stuff for almost nothing. We got a giant, wooden, and very attractive bookcase/shelving unit for $43 because the previous owner had to get rid of it immediately (if not sooner). I also ended up with a great futon-type-thing that was originally $400 at Cost Plus...guess what I got it for? $60!!! Not only did I save $340, but I avoided consuming virgin materials. Not bad, eh? So next time you're looking for new end tables or a bed frame, don't head to Ikea. Hop online and with a little persistence, I promise you won't be disappointed.

PS I tried hard to find things at garage/estate sales here in SF, but speaking from experience, it's pretty much 100% junk at those things. I haven't tried any of the flea markets yet though.

Just Say NO to Plastic Bags

A battle is underway in California’s San Francisco Bay area and it’s the latest front in the nationwide effort to ban the plastic bag.

The bag’s got some powerful allies in the plastic industry who have been suing Bay Area residents to stop these bans.

Check out this 2 minute video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSD21zp89zM - and learn how you can take action to say no to the plastic bag industry.

San Francisco wins!

Yet again, I'm proud to be a San Franciscan. Why? Well, because the US News and World Report had the following to say about a study that came out last week (as well as a few other recent studies):

In news that surprised absolutely no one San Francisco was declared America's Least Wasteful City in a study sponsored by reusable water bottle maker Nalgene. Indeed, five of the top 10 cities on the list are on the West Coast, mirroring trends in nearly every city-ranking green study that's come out recently. Witness:

• America's Most Walkable City: San Fransicso, joined in the top 10 by Seattle, Long Beach, Calif., Portland, Ore.
• America's 50 Greenest Cities: Portland, Ore., joined by #2 San Francisco, #4 Oakland, Calif. #5 Eugene, Ore., #7 Berkeley, Calif., and #8 Seattle.
• SustainLane's Greenest Cities: mirrors the list above, except Seattle is moved up to third place, Oakland is ninth, and Eugene and Berkeley are knocked out of the top 10.
• America's Greenest Economic Cities puts Sacramento, Calif, in first place, followed by all of the usual suspects.
• America's Top 10 Energy Star Cities put Los Angeles , and San Francisco in first and second place, respectively.

You get the idea. (Find the full list of least wasteful cities here.)

Southern cities consistently rank towards the bottom of these lists, due to lack of public transportation, inadequate recycling, and energy usage, among other factors. What do you think: could Houston, Orlando or Birmingham, Ala. ever be as green as San Francisco? Or are these cities just too fundamentally different?

Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Like I Tweeted last night, I have an hand-me-down hand-me-down mattress that was originally owned by my aunt circa 1956. Needless to say, it sucks. It is currently make somewhat bearable by the pillow top that I randomly inherited from my best friend's ex-boyfriend after college...but even with a few pillowly inches of synthetic cotton, I need a "ticket to a better night's sleep."

There are two green options for a nice but affordable mattress (cause a decent bed is expensive! and mattresses are resource intensive). Either you can look on Craigslist, or the like, for a lightly (and hopefully cleanly...ew) used mattress, thus avoiding both the consumption of resources and paying full price. Alternately, you can get a new, green mattress from Keesta without breaking the bank. According to the company, "Keetsa is committed to presenting a line of sleep products that has a minimum impact on your pocketbook and on the environment." They also get GREAT reviews on Yelp. Using organic and recycled materials, Keesta mattresses start as low as $439. Heck, and if you can get a nicely used Keesta mattress...well, then you're really in business.

I know where I'm headed this weekend.

Another NYT Article: About Urine (and #2)

If you haven't figured it out yet, I love the New York Times.  While perusing it this morning, I happened upon another article that I just HAD to share.  This amazingly interesting article talks about a way to solve the following problems:  human waste, fertilizer production, water consumption, and even energy creation/use.  As I read it, I kept thinking "wow, this is brilliant...and WHY has no one implemented this before?"  Well, I guess there are good reasons why, and those reasons will keep this technology away from the US for a while to come...but it's definitely worth a read.

Follow up to "Plastic Kills"

In case you aren't all reading the (5) fabulous comments left by my millions (and by millions I mean a few hundred) readers, I wanted to share a link from my friend, Kevin. Apparently, the next generation's high school science projects are going to deliver us from our evil consumption. Click here to read about 16-year-old Daniel Burd's science project. I'm very, very impressed.

Plastic Kills

A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Lotti, sent a great email out to her friends and family, and I was a lucky recipient.  It was such a great, heartfelt email that I want to share it with everyone else out there in the e-world:

"Dear Friends and Family,

The other day I was browsing the web for some plastics pollution information for a project I'm working on for the SF chapter of Surfrider Foundation (here is their website if you want to check it out: http://www.surfrider.org/).

Then I came across this article and it really shocked me. (http://killedbyplastic.blogspot.com/2008/01/greenpeace-article.html) Its called Killed By Plastic and was written on Jan. 3rd, '09 by Green Peace. It pretty much sums up exactly why I am such a recycle Nazi. Everyone is human and can't be a super recycler, but it is so important to try to do the little that we can. Just wanted to pass on some info so we can all understand why we should recycle (and compost).

For most of you, I am preaching to the choir, but I find it important to remind ourselves of why we take responsilibty of our actions, and our trash. Since it does not only affect us but so many other animals on Earth. Happy recycling and have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Lotti

P.S. There is a graphic photo of a dead bird in the front, so if you're a little queezy with dead things, maybe you should keep a trashcan near by, or make sure you're near a bathroom..."

Lotti is very right...every little bit counts.  So the next time you finish up your bottle of water (which you know you shouldn't be drinking anyway, right?), don't be lazy and toss it into the nearest trash can.  Stick it in your pocket or purse until you find a recycle bin.  It's worth it.