Planet Friendly Weekly Tips
Short
and sweet...
LIVE GREEN, LIVE SAFER
The EPA recently came out with an alarming statistic: in a typical American
home, indoor air is two to five times more polluted than the air outside.
That’s a scary thought. What can you do to make a difference?
MAKE ECOFRIENDLY CHOICES when using cleaning products. A mixture of vinegar
and water can work just as well as more toxic cleansers.
USE LOW OR NOVOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND (VOC) PAINTS. These paints use pollutants into the air. The VOC’s in paint emit gas as long as the paint is on the wall.
LOOK FOR FSC CERTIFICATION. Purchase furniture certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), an organization that promotes products manufactured sustainable (with little environmental impact) or furniture made from reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood comes from old structures (abandoned buildings, barns or houses, railroads, etc.)
REVAMP USED FURNITURE. Refinish, paint or reupholster used furniture that has been handed down from a family friend or relative. Or find bargains at auctions, flea markets, garage sales or thrift stores.
LOOK FOR CRADLE-TO-CRADLE RECYCLED PRODUCTS. This means that after a product’s useful life is over, it is broken down into its raw building blocks, and an identical product is produced over and over again, without a reduction in performance or aesthetic qualities.
AVOID DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS. Reuse and repurpose are two words you want in your vocabulary. For example, use rechargeable batteries.
* * * * * * * * * *
Use professional wet cleaning instead of dry cleaning. Most dry cleaners use perchloroethylene (PERC) to clean clothes and it is toxic. Wet cleaning has been used on fabrics such as wool, linen, silk and rayon with excellent results, and wet cleaning prices are the same as for dry cleaning.
At work, before you recycle paper, turn it blank side up (if it has one) and place it in a skinny three-ring binder or on a clip board. Use this, instead of a new pad, for all note taking.
Reuse packing boxes, envelopes and use shredder strips for padding instead of that ultimate evil – styrofoam.
THINK PLANET FRIENDLY AND RECYCLE!
Above information from Planet Friendly, Inc.