reduce waste

Feature

  • Planet-friendly Parties

    You love entertaining friends and family, but what about all the energy parties require and the waste they produce? These easy changes can give your next event -- whether it's an intimate dinner or a big celebration -- a significant eco-upgrade.

  • Turn Something Old Into Something New

    Upcycling -- the process of breathing new life into unused objects -- makes a great family project and is more doable than you may think. The best part? You’ll be going green while creating something beautiful and functional at the same time.

  • Green Your Kid: Trade Screen Time for Together Time

    This summer was fairly relaxing and unstructured for my brood. With the exception of a couple of weekends away, we opted for a home-improvement-themed "staycation" instead of a big trip.

  • Getting Wise(r) About Waste

    You try to avoid single-use packaging and carry a reusable tote to the grocery store, but did you know there are other ways to create less waste in your life? Try these easy tips for cutting down.

  • Everyday Chores Get Greener

    Give your daily tasks an eco-upgrade with these easy changes that make a big difference

  • Clear the Clutter for a Healthy Home

    Follow these 5 easy steps to organize your way to well-being.

  • The Planet-Friendly Kitchen

    Without a doubt, the kitchen is the most popular room in my house. From meal prep to mealtime, homework to crafts, it’s the center of our family life -- and the ultimate candidate for a recent eco-makeover.

  • What’s My Carbon Footprint?

    Greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide emissions, fossil fuels … unless you're an environmental policy wonk, an earth activist or an ecosexual (a new breed of online singles looking for sustainably committed partners -- seriously!), it’s hard to keep all of today’s green-minded jargon straight.

  • Transform Your Trash

    Think twice before tossing out that paper towel tube! Check out these simple ways to get more life out of old items.

  • Perfecting the (Green) Picnic

    As soon as the frost fades, I itch to dine alfresco, preferably in the grass, preferably with bare toes.

  • The Eco-friendly Office

    Apart from a desk-side recycling bin, my at-home work space was seriously lacking in green features up until recently. So for help in creating a more eco-conscious office, I turned to Kim Carlson, author of Green Your Work.

  • Reusing and Recycling 101

    Reduce, reuse, recycle: We all know the phrase. While reducing what you use is one thing, understanding the difference between reusing and recycling is another.

  • Green Glossary: Sustainable Manufacturing

    Purchasing products that have been produced in a sustainable manner is an eco-wise choice to make. But why is that, exactly?

  • How to Reduce Waste at Outdoor Parties

    Summer is the perfect time to get together outdoors. Here, eco-expert Emily Anderson shares tips for greening your al fresco summer events.

  • Where Does Garbage Go?

    Where does your waste end up after you toss it in the garbage can?

  • The (Air) Drying Chronicles

    Several years ago, in an effort to reduce my ever-increasing electric bill, I challenged myself to break a bad habit. Instead of dropping my laundry in the energy-guzzling dryer, I would become an air-dryer.

  • Reduce Waste at Work

    When you’re a working mama, you may have to dig through Matchbox cars in your purse to find the files you need. But once you get down to business, it’s good to know there are easy steps you can take to ensure that the way you work not only gets the job done, but also creates the least amount of waste possible.

  • That’s a Lot of Water!

    Want to cut back on your water consumption? It's easy! Try these everyday ways to conserve one of the planet's most precious resources.

  • Top Tips From Eco-experts

    These easy eco-tips from experts make going green at home a snap!

  • Green Your Kid: Getting Wise About Waste

    These easy trash-reducing tips will have the whole family going green and having fun.

  • Start Recharging

    I love all holidays, big or small: Thanksgiving, Christmas ... even Arbor Day! So it was with great enthusiasm that I discovered National Battery Day (February 18).

  • You Made That Detergent Bottle Into a What?

    I know that reusing is a key component of the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). I've turned my old jelly jars into coin collectors, my ripped jeans into stylish summer shorts, and my tired T-shirts into rags for household cleaning.

  • New Year’s Resolutions for Every Room

    Get 2011 off to a green start by focusing your new year's resolutions on your home.

  • Green Glossary: "Biodegradable"

    Throwing anything out the car window isn’t a great idea. But if something is going to get tossed, an apple core is a significantly better choice than a plastic water bottle, a calculator or an iPod.

  • Give Your Office a Boost

    You've made some green tweaks in your home -- but what about your office? Here's how to take the first steps.

  • Give a Better Gift

    This season, try these simple ideas that will minimize waste -- and maximize holiday fun.

  • Beyond Bottles: A Better Way to Hydrate

    Ditching bottled water is one of the easiest ways to protect the planet and slash your spending. Often sold at a 4,000 percent markup, bottled water accounts for about 2 million tons of landfill waste annually -- and its production and shipping guzzle enough fuel to power 250,000 homes for a year!

  • Baby Goes Vintage

    What you need to know before choosing previously loved items for your little one.

  • Eco-eating: Jam

    The sweet-sour burst of berries is no longer limited to summer. Take the sustainable route by preserving fruit at the peak of their seasonal flavor, and you'll be spreading blueberries and raspberries across your toast all winter.

  • Eco-eating: How to Pickle

    Ever found yourself with pounds of beets from a CSA surplus? Or knee-deep in cucumbers from a buying spree at the farmers market? That extra produce no longer has to suffer a rotten fate. Waste less by learning how to pickle like a pro.

  • Turn Your Old Clothes Into Something New

    Every season I make sure to do a closet cleanout -- out with the old and in with the new, as they say. But why not take the old and make it new again?

  • How Does It Work? Composting

    I've always known my plants could benefit from the fertilizing effects of my family's cooking scraps, but for me, the idea of composting usually conjured up images of stinky containers bulging with fermenting cucumbers and rotten tomatoes.

Blog

  • Green Glossary: Sustainable Manufacturing

    Purchasing products that have been produced in a sustainable manner is an eco-wise choice to make. But why is that, exactly?

  • Eco-eating: How to Pickle

    Ever found yourself with pounds of beets from a CSA surplus? Or knee-deep in cucumbers from a buying spree at the farmers market? That extra produce no longer has to suffer a rotten fate. Waste less by learning how to pickle like a pro.

  • The Planet-Friendly Kitchen

    Without a doubt, the kitchen is the most popular room in my house. From meal prep to mealtime, homework to crafts, it’s the center of our family life -- and the ultimate candidate for a recent eco-makeover.

  • Turn Your Old Clothes Into Something New

    Every season I make sure to do a closet cleanout -- out with the old and in with the new, as they say. But why not take the old and make it new again?

  • Green Your Kid: Trade Screen Time for Together Time

    This summer was fairly relaxing and unstructured for my brood. With the exception of a couple of weekends away, we opted for a home-improvement-themed "staycation" instead of a big trip.

  • Junk Drawer No More

    Does your peace of mind go out the window when you can’t find what you need? Here’s how to organize your junk drawer -- or drawers! -- once and for all.

  • You Made That Detergent Bottle Into a What?

    I know that reusing is a key component of the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). I've turned my old jelly jars into coin collectors, my ripped jeans into stylish summer shorts, and my tired T-shirts into rags for household cleaning.

  • Beyond Bottles: A Better Way to Hydrate

    Ditching bottled water is one of the easiest ways to protect the planet and slash your spending. Often sold at a 4,000 percent markup, bottled water accounts for about 2 million tons of landfill waste annually -- and its production and shipping guzzle enough fuel to power 250,000 homes for a year!

  • How Does It Work? Composting

    I've always known my plants could benefit from the fertilizing effects of my family's cooking scraps, but for me, the idea of composting usually conjured up images of stinky containers bulging with fermenting cucumbers and rotten tomatoes.

  • What’s My Carbon Footprint?

    Greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide emissions, fossil fuels … unless you're an environmental policy wonk, an earth activist or an ecosexual (a new breed of online singles looking for sustainably committed partners -- seriously!), it’s hard to keep all of today’s green-minded jargon straight.

  • Give Your Office a Boost

    You've made some green tweaks in your home -- but what about your office? Here's how to take the first steps.

  • Three Days to a Greener Home

    Sure, eco-awareness doesn't happen overnight. But it can happen over three days.

  • Start Recharging

    I love all holidays, big or small: Thanksgiving, Christmas ... even Arbor Day! So it was with great enthusiasm that I discovered National Battery Day (February 18).

  • 3 Eco-resolutions Any Family Can Keep

    Make your New Year's resolutions really count by going green in small but meaningful ways.

  • Ready, Set, Reuse! Halloween Edition

    Looking for ways to repurpose Halloween goods after the spooky season? These tips make it easy.

  • 5 Easy Ways to Green Your Home

    As a couple, my husband and I were naturals to become part of the green movement. But it was the birth of our daughter that deepened our commitment to making easy household changes.

  • The Eco-friendly Office

    Apart from a desk-side recycling bin, my at-home work space was seriously lacking in green features up until recently. So for help in creating a more eco-conscious office, I turned to Kim Carlson, author of Green Your Work.

  • Perfecting the (Green) Picnic

    As soon as the frost fades, I itch to dine alfresco, preferably in the grass, preferably with bare toes.

  • The (Air) Drying Chronicles

    Several years ago, in an effort to reduce my ever-increasing electric bill, I challenged myself to break a bad habit. Instead of dropping my laundry in the energy-guzzling dryer, I would become an air-dryer.

  • Reduce Waste at Work

    When you’re a working mama, you may have to dig through Matchbox cars in your purse to find the files you need. But once you get down to business, it’s good to know there are easy steps you can take to ensure that the way you work not only gets the job done, but also creates the least amount of waste possible.

  • Top Tips From Eco-experts

    These easy eco-tips from experts make going green at home a snap!

  • Greener Living 101

    Sure, you want to run a greener household. But with dishes, laundry and all-over cleaning, who wants to add another task to the to-do list? Here, super-easy ways to go green.

  • New Year’s Resolutions for Every Room

    Get 2011 off to a green start by focusing your new year's resolutions on your home.

  • Green Glossary: "Biodegradable"

    Throwing anything out the car window isn’t a great idea. But if something is going to get tossed, an apple core is a significantly better choice than a plastic water bottle, a calculator or an iPod.

  • Eco-eating: Jam

    The sweet-sour burst of berries is no longer limited to summer. Take the sustainable route by preserving fruit at the peak of their seasonal flavor, and you'll be spreading blueberries and raspberries across your toast all winter.

Simple Steps

  • Quiz: How Well Do You Reuse?

    Reusing is a key component of the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle). But how well do you do it? Take this quiz to find out if you’re a single-use junkie, a quick-tosser or a savvy re-user who breathes new life into everything that crosses your path!

  • Throw a Green Birthday Party

    Birthday parties are an essential part of childhood, but they can also be a major source of waste. Fortunately, there are ways to celebrate without skimping on the fun. Make these simple shifts to your party planning and give the kids a day they won’t forget.

  • Pack a Greener Lunch

    Whether you’re putting together a midday meal for the office or sending your kids off to school with nutritious lunchtime goodies, it’s easy to pack a greener lunch:

  • What’s Your Green IQ?

    You’ve taken some huge green steps, but how does your green knowledge measure up? Take our quiz to gauge your Green IQ and pick up some conservation cues along the way!

  • Surprising Ways to Save Water

    Water may not seem like a precious resource -- you just turn on the tap and out it flows -- but green-living experts like Crissy Trask, founder of GreenMatters.com and author of It’s Easy Being Green, will tell you otherwise. Here, four creative ways to save water.

  • Have a Green Night out

    Whether it’s an evening out with the girls or a date night with your honey, dinner followed by dancing or drinks is a great way to blow off some steam. But even the most eco-savvy cook (or bartender!) can fall into some very sticky situations when away from home. Here are the top five traps to avoid as you head out for a green night on the town.

  • Did You Know? 4 Surprising Eco-facts

    Get your family thinking with these four head-scratching green questions -- and the interesting answers behind them.

  • 5 Easy Ways to Green Your Holidays

    Try these quick tips to add an eco-element to your holiday celebrations.


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