Let yourself be heard

I just got done e-mailing a couple of companies, asking them to switch to a recyclable package. I'm about to write to the gas station on the corner, to ask them to put out a bin for cans and bottles, which now go in their garbage. From time to time I do this: e-mail or write to companies asking them to change their policies to be more environmentally friendly -- or praising them for being so. I think it's really important that if you see something you want changed, you let businesses and companies know. They really do care what we think because we're their customers, their clients. Most companies have contact info on their web sites, so it's really easy to send a note to them. So, speak up!

When washing dishes and clothes, waste less water, soap and energy

I thought this article, entitled "For the dishwasher's sake, go easy on the detergent," in the New York Times was very helpful.

Here's just a taste of what the story has to offer: “Most people use 10 to 15 times the amount of soap they need, and they’re pouring money down the drain,” Mr. Schmidt said.

"Too much soap is also a problem in dishwashers and can cause dishes and glasses to look filmy. Again, check the detergent container for recommended amounts — you definitely don’t have to fill up the entire soap container in the dishwasher."

I tip my hat to Frito-Lay

Are Sun Chips delicious? Yes. Did they come in a very un-green plastic unrecyclable bag with a foil-y coating? Yes. Do they now come in a 100% compostable chip package? Yes!! Hooray for Frito-Lay for starting something that hopefully will catch on among other chip-makers!

The airline industry sucks at recycling

A report by Green America details the sorry state of recycling among airlines: "The average airline passenger generates 1.3 pounds of waste per flight. This might not seem like a large amount, but in 2008 there were 678 million airline passenger trips in the United States alone, which generated over 881 million pounds of waste. Approximately 50 percent of this waste is generated on flights. Nearly 75 percent of this waste is recyclable. However only about 20 percent is recycled."

Read the full report, and then e-mail this letter to tell them you want change!