Happy New Year from Green & Frugal Living: Fun Projects for 2013

The New Year can be the time to think about projects that can be beneficial to the environment and also help you to save money by repurposing items that can, with a little imagination, be found almost anywhere. Thrift stores, yard sales, rummage sales and even the junk pile can produce items that can be repainted, and reused. Get the children involved and see what kind of imagination they can display. You will not only be helping to save resources but developing the creativity of kids, our most valuable resource. 

Here are some common items that can be turned into useful and attractive items for your home or office:

* Office Paper Holders – I’m a frequent reader of Aunt Peaches – marvelous blog with lots of craft ideas. Those upright racks can be painted any color and used for dish drying, plate storage, shopping bag holders, periodical rack and so much more.

* Plastic Bottle Squirrel Guards – eHow has this amazing solution. Hang your bird feeders on a line from one point to another as with a clothes line. On either side thread the pre-drilled bottles and add a clothes pin to keep them from sliding away. When tightrope walking squirrel reach them they spin causing the invaders to fall. They will eventually give up.

* Glass Bottle Light Fixtures – I recently found this on the Oregon Live website. All you need is an interesting bottle and a way to cut off the bottom. You can get a tool for it or try this. Tie a piece of waxed dental floss tightly around the place you want to cut. Light it on fire. Let it burn as long as possible then tap the spot with a metal object like the back of a knife. The bottom should fall right off. Then all you need is to thread a socket and S cord through the bottle and add a canopy. Be sure to use an LED or compact fluorescent lamp to go greener. You can also create ice buckets from larger glass bottles from vodka or other beverages this way by cutting around the upper portion just below the taper.

* Personalized Recyclable iPhone Cases –Tiny Prints, a leading online printing company, offers custom iPhone cases that are made from recyclable material. You and the children can select from countless personal designs, colors, and patterns and even add your own photographs to these environmentally friendly products. I have a case with a photo collage of my two, adorable little girls that they helped create.

* Other Bottle and Jar Uses – Another phenomenal idea from Aunt Peaches. Glass containers that are unusual of antique have more reuse possibilities than any other household item. A jar mason jar can be filled with coarse salt and used to hold a candle. It can also make an interesting and fun way to serve a drink. Old decorative bottles make interesting soap dispensers for the bath. The possibilities are endless try to get the kids to come up with new ideas. There are countless ways to both recycle and save that are available to anyone who looks online. Pinterest members are pinning new possibilities everyday. I recently saw a wine rack made by cutting the end off of a freight pallet and hanging on the wall. In this writers kitchen there is a basket from the handlebar of an old bicycle that is now used to hold fruit on a farm table. With a little thought and the desire to be green anyone can create a new use for an old items.

TGIF: Best Green & Frugal Blog Posts of the Week

I'm not sure where exactly October went. It was a blur of a month. Here we are just two short months from the December holidays. *Gasp*

But there's always time for some great blog posts. Check out this round-up and feel free to add any I may have missed:

• 5 Ways to Recycle Light Bulbs

• How to Know if You Can Afford to Stay Home with the Kids

• 10 iPhone Apps for Tracking Kids Nutritional Needs (I personally use and love Fooducate. Even the kids get into it.

• 10 iPhone Applications That Teach Kids About Money

• 99 Life Hacks to Make Your Life Easier (If you read none of the links, you must check this out. Great tips and tricks -- all provided with photos

Let me know what you think, especially about the Life Hack blog post. Happy Friday!

Green and Frugal: 20 Ways to Improve the World...Even If You're Broke

One of my favorite blogs is The Simple Dollar. If you haven't read it, you should definitely check it out. Trent Hamm offers numerous tips and solid information on how to get out of debt, save money and enjoy life with less.

Below is one of his most recent posts, which I couldn't help but share. As a huge proponent of trying to use, reuse and recycle everything, this list covers just it all and then some...


Personal Philanthropy: Twenty Ways to Improve the World, Even If You’re Broke

So often, people assume that charity and philanthropy mean stretching an already-tight budget even further. “If I donated $100 to the food kitchen, I’d have to start using the food kitchen!” goes the common train of thought. (That’s not to say that donating money isn’t useful – it certainly is.)

Money can often be a very tight resource, but it’s far from the only resource you have. We all have so many things available to us to share with others that it only takes a moment of thought or effort to make a real difference in someone else’s life.

Here are twenty things anyone can donate to make the world a better place – and put a little bit of extra spring in their step – without blowing up their budget. Even better, many of these ideas will help you clean out your closets and declutter your home a bit. If you’re in need, this list might even help you find a charitable cause that can help you.

Donate your hair Locks of Love (http://www.locksoflove.org/) is a non-profit that provides hairpieces to disadvantaged children suffering from long term medical hair loss. It’s easy to donate – just grow your hair out to ten or more inches in length, cut it off, stick it in an envelope, and help out a kid that could really use a boost.

Donate your blood and/or plasma The Red Cross (http://www.redcrossblood.org/) runs blood drives in your community quite regularly, and many large communities have places where you can always donate. Keep an eye on your community calendar, then stop by and donate. It’s just a little prick on your arm, then you get a cookie and a drink and you’re on your way, while your blood is used to save someone’s life.

Similarly, donate your bone marrow Another renewable body resource you can donate is your bone marrow. The National Marrow Donor Program has a very detailed FAQ that discusses in detail the process of marrow donation.

Donate your vacation time Many workplaces make it possible to donate unused vacation time to people in dire need. Spend a day less at the beach next year and give that day to someone who is fighting a serious medical situation.

Donate your body space It’s all about the awareness for many charitable causes. Simply by having a band on your wrist or a ribbon on your lapel, you remind the people who see it of a charity and also let them know that there are people out there that passionately support the charity. Here’s a list of different charity awareness bracelets available.

Similarly, donate your bumper Get a big old bumper sticker describing your favorite charity and slap it right on the back bumper of your car. The next time you’re stuck in traffic, your car is increasing the mindshare of the charity you care about.

Donate your wedding dress Making Memories (http://www.makingmemories.org/) is an awesome charity that helps women with metastatic breast cancer live out their dreams. Many of the wishes granted by Making Memories involve weddings, so the charity makes great use of the wedding dress you’ve got hanging in your closet. Unused gowns are auctioned to earn more money for this charity’s work, so even if your dress doesn’t get used by a needful bride, it still can help them.

Donate your unused home repair supplies Did you buy too many shingles and now have a big pile of them just sitting in your garage? Got a few gallons of leftover paint from a job where the paint didn’t match or you overestimated your needs? Habitat for Humanity (http://www.habitat.org/) can put those resources to good use building homes for the needy instead of those supplies going to waste sitting in your garage.

Donate your flowers Got extra flowers after a wedding or other event? Donate them. Contact your local florist or local hospital and ask about giving the leftover flower arrangements to people who need them for other events or who could really use them to brighten their day. You can do the same if you have flowers that grow around your home.

Donate your nasty old shoes Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program (http://nikereuseashoe.com/) (check that site out – it has a great video explaining what they do in great detail) takes old, nasty running shoes and turns them into materials for public playgrounds and basketball courts. All you have to do is send ‘em in!

Donate your voice LibriVox (http://librivox.org/) creates free audiobooks for the public domain, which enables everyone to have access to great free listening materials. Such books are used as educational materials for the visually impaired, radio material for public stations, and countless other good uses. You can participate by volunteering to read and record a public domain book. You’ll learn something and make the world a better place.

Donate your old carpet Many animal shelters will accept donations of old, clean carpet for bedding for the sheltered pets. Contact your local shelter the next time you update your carpeting and see if they can put that old carpet to use.

Donate your cupboard excess or your extra garden vegetables If you’re anything like me, the next time you clean out your cupboards, you’ll find a bunch of items way in the back that will make you wonder if you can ever possibly use them before they expire. These are perfect items to donate to your local food pantry, where someone in need will have those items on their dinner table this week.

Donate your old computer Many charities would love to have that old computer of yours. It might not be up to snuff for watching downloaded high definition movies, but it’s perfectly good enough for a church to install Linux on and use for accounting purposes. Ask around at the local charities you support and, if you can’t find a home for it, ask TechSoup (http://home.techsoup.org/), which facilitates technology donations for nonprofit groups.

Donate your aluminum cans Our local high school has several groups that go through the neighborhoods once a year and ask for aluminum can and bottle donations. We simply store our used cans and bottles in a bin under the sink and when these groups come around, we gladly hand our cans and bottles over. If you don’t have such “to your door” service, many national groups facilitate the collection of cans and bottles – almost every Habitat for Humanity office will accept can and/or bottle donations.

Donate your used books Better World Books (http://www.betterworldbooks.com/) accepts donations of used books, which they then sell and give some of the proceeds in support of global literacy. If you have a bunch of books sitting around (and PaperBackSwap doesn’t excite you), this is a great way to turn a big box of used space into children who can read.

Donate the old stuff in your medicine cabinet Got medications you no longer need (especially sealed items that you never got around to using)? Got items to help you treat a condition that you’ve overcome? World Medical Relief (http://www.worldmedicalrelief.org/) will happily take those items and distribute them in a non-discriminatory fashion to people in real medical need.

Donate unwanted suits and business clothes Everyone has a suit or two in their closet that they rarely wear. Yet, at the same time, there are people out there beating the pavement, looking for work, and they can’t afford to dress for success and impress their potential employers. Two great charities, Dress for Success (http://www.dressforsuccess.org/) and Career Gear (http://careergear.org/), do exactly that, transforming the suit taking up space in your closet into opportunities for life-changing success for people who are reaching hard for that brass ring.

Donate your eyeglasses One of the best things (in my opinion) that the Lion’s Club (http://www.lionsclubs.org) does is run their eyeglasses donation program (http://donateglasses.org/). When your prescription changes, you’ll get new glasses and your old ones no longer have any use. Give them to your local Lion’s Club and they’ll help someone out there in need with vision impairment.

Donate your old magazines Once you’ve read that copy of The New Yorker, check and see if there isn’t a place in your area that could put the item to use. Senior citizen’s centers are almost always happy to receive magazine donations. If that doesn’t fit the bill, try hospitals and libraries in your area.

One final thought: donate your body When you pass on, your life has ended, but you have the ability to give the gift of life to others because of the life you left behind. Donate your organs and tissues to people who can use them. OrganDonor.gov (http://www.organdonor.gov/) provides everything you need to know about the need for organs and tissues and about how easy it is to be an organ donor.

The biggest lesson from this list is that we all have a lot of resources within us and around us that are of value and use to others. Sharing them, especially when it’s “no skin off our backs,” does nothing but make the world a better place. It makes you feel better, too.

I’ve collected these ideas from many different sources over the years. There are many great sources for ideas similar to (and overlapping with) these, including How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist by Nicole Bouchard Boles, The Generosity Plan by Kathy LeMay, and Give a Little by Wendy Smith. If these ideas excite you, dive into these books for more ideas than I could possibly share.

Green and Frugal -- Pay for Recycling?

There was an article in my local paper (The Record, 2/22/10) recently that touted an incentive program to increase recycling participation.  I thought it was really interesting, so here is an excerpt:

Put a 32-gallon recycling bin and a 10-inch stack of newspapers on the curb, and you could eventually ear $4 off at CVS when you spend $20 or more. Do that twice, and you could get a free cup of coffee or an ice cream cone at McDonald's.


One city has become the first in North Jersey to sign up with a recycling incentive program offered by a New York company, RecycleBank, that has partnered with towns in 20 states, providing residents points that can be redeemed online for retail goods or discounts.

Here's how it works:

Depending upon the existing recycling infrastructure, RecycleBank will use radio frequency identification (RFID) or global positioning satellite (GPS) technology to identify, track and record household recycling efforts.

1. Participating households receive a recycling cart equipped with an ID tag to link the cart to the household address and account number (the tag carries no other information).

2. On pick-up days, trucks retrofitted with RecycleBank technology identify the cart at pick-up. The weight of the recyclables is converted to points, which are then deposited into a household's account.

3. Redeeming points is just like shopping online with more than 20 categories to choose from, including food and grocery, sports and recreation, entertainment, restaurants, health and beauty and charitable donations.

4. Points can be redeemed at participating local and national partners, including major retailers and brands such a Coca-Cola, Kraft, Dick's Sporting Goods, CVS pharmacy and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I've never heard of RecycleBank, but here's a little about them:
RecycleBank serves over one million people in 20 states across the United States, and that number continues to increase every week. We will launch our service in Europe this summer. To date, the material recycled by the households we service has enabled RecycleBank to save cities tens of millions of dollars annually in landfill disposal fees, save over 1.5 million trees, and save millions of gallons of oil.

Do you currently have a recycling incentive program in your town? How does it work? Do you like it?

Green and Frugal -- Where to Donate Old Running Shoes

Another fabulous post from our friends at The Greenest Dollar...

I was browsing through Runner’s World today looking up training tips (half-marathon here I come!) when I stumbled onto an article about what to do with your old running shoes. EUREKA!

First, the Life of a Running Shoe…

Running shoes, unlike regular shoes, have a fairly limited shelf life if you run regularly. They’re good for about 300-400 miles. After that, support breaks down and the risk of injury goes up. So even if they look good on the outside, it might be time to send them packing.

This is always a tough thing, at least for me. I love running, and my shoes are like little friends. My current pair is getting close (if not over) the 400 mile mark. So it’s almost time to say goodbye. Sigh.

How do you know when your shoes need replacing?

• First, listen to your body. Do your joints hurt? Are you getting shin splints? Do your muscles ache? These are all signs that the support in your running shoes is growing thin.

• Do the twist test. Grab one of your shoes in both hands and twist. If the shoe feels firm, it’s probably still ok. If it twists easily, they need to be replaced.

• Check out your soles. The sole lasts much longer than cushioning and shock absorbency, so if the soles are worn then it’s definitely time for a new pair.

Donate Your Running Shoes!

Most organizations like Salvation Army will take “gently used” shoes. But if you’re a runner, then you know that often your shoes are much more than “gently used”.

The good news is that you can donate your old running shoes to organizations that either recycle them, or send them to people all over the world.

Here’s part of the list I found on Runner’s World:

Soles4Souls
Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear both new and used to those in need around the world. Soles4Souls has coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, netting over 1 Million pairs donated for these disasters.

Send your old running shoes to:
Alabama (Primary Warehouse Facility)
Soles4Souls, Inc.
315 Airport Road
Roanoke, AL 36274

Tennessee
Soles4Souls, Inc.
619 Old Hickory Blvd.
Old Hickory, TN 37138

Nevada
Soles4Souls, Inc.
Foreign Trade Zone #89
6620 Escondido Street
Las Vegas, Nevada 89119

For more information, go to www.soles4souls.org, call (615) 391-5723, or e-mail info@giveshoes.org.

Nike Reuse-A-Shoe

Grinds your old running shoes into material that makes athletics and playground surfaces.

Send your old running shoes to:
Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th Ave.
Wilsonville, OR 97070

For more information about Nike Reuse-A-Shoe, go to: nikereuseashoe.com or call 800-344-6453.

More Places To Donate Your Old Running Shoes…

The complete list, posted here at Runner’s World, is really comprehensive. Please visit their site to see all the options-they did a really great job covering all the bases. Thanks Runner’s World!

How to Recycle Your Flip Flops

As a flip-flop lover, I couldn't resist sharing this post from our friends at The Greenest Dollar...

How to Recycle Your Flip Flops
Now that it’s mid-July your flip flops, which showed show so much bright summer promise back in May, might be getting a little worse for wear. And if you’ve had your flip flops for a few years, they might be ready for retirement.

Well guess what? We can recycle our flip flops. Yippee!

Recycling Method #1: Unique Eco
The good news? Unique Eco Designs takes flip flops that wash up on beaches (and old pairs that you send in) and turns them into funky art. They provide much needed jobs to women and children, and help support the local economy.

They also donate 9% of the sale from your flip flops to charity.

The bad news? They’re in Kenya, which means we have to mail our flip flops half way around the world.

So, does mailing flip flops so far take away the goodness you’re doing by recycling them?

I’m not sure, and don’t even know how to calculate the impact of either choice.

Here’s the address if you want to send your flip flops in for recycling:

Unique Eco Designs

P.O. Box 15565-00503

Nairobi, Kenya

But keep reading if you’re here in the U.S., because I found a better way…

Recycling Method #2: Hansen’s Surf Shop
Hansen’s Surf Shop in San Diego, CA is collecting used flip flops to send to Unique Eco. So, sending them in bulk through Hansen’s would, I think, negate the environmental impact of all of us sending them one pair at a time.

Hansen’s has become an official collection site for Unique Eco Designs. Here’s what they have to say about it:

It seemed natural that we should become UniquEco’s first collection source in the U.S. After all, we are StyleSubstanceSole – oops, Soul. We’re all about doing good. And because we live in Southern California – the land of flip flops – what better place to make a real impact? We could actually help reduce landfills one flip flop at a time.

So if you have flip flops to recycle, send them to:

StyleSubstanceSoul
3525 Del Mar Heights Road #582
San Diego, CA 92130

Hansen’s, thanks for being so cool to send in our flip flops for us. You rock big time.

Last Word…
Do any of you know more places that take flip flops for recycling? Know some ingenious ways to reuse them at home?

Amazon has a great welcome mat made from recycled welcome flip flops!

Go Green: Recycle & Donate Bottle Caps

Since it's March of Dimes month at my children's school, there are a number of fundraisers that are taking place. One of these include a plastic bottle cap drive. This seems simple enough. I really liked this idea since it's both green and helps an important charity. I figured I'd do some research to see how I could continue to collect bottle caps. Interestingly enough, a number of scams came up during my search. What?!

Here's what I found:

• Recycle caps with Aveda -- this is strictly recycling. There is no charity involved.
  
  
  


• Ronald McDonald House collects aluminum pop tabs -- 400 million pop tabs = $4 million (Guess I should get to work on drinking some soda...)
  
  


• American Cancer Society had this to say. Interesting...

So now I'm curious to know where all of those plastic bottle caps are going? Does anybody know? I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts.

Go Green: Plastic Bag Tax?

As I was reading our local weekly paper, I came across this article -- "Township Council Proposes Municipal Tax on Bags." Basically, our town council is seeking state legislature's approval to permit the township to impose a municipal tax for businesses that dispense paper and plastic bags in our town.

I appreciate that our town is taking a proactive role in being green and protecting the environment. The statistics definitely support this type of action is both necessary and needed. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Census Bureau, The Reason Foundation, Envirosax (which has really cute reusable bags, by the way) and various other resources, more than 100 billion plastic shopping bags are used in the U.S. every year, and at least another 10 billion paper bags are used each year. Plus, 12 million barrels of oil are needed to make plastic bags and more than 14 million trees are destroyed in order to make paper bags.

The worst part is trying to properly dispose of both paper and plastic bags. While both can be recycled, the U.S. estimates that some 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of the ocean.

Based on our town alone, which has a population of approximately 24,000, we'd use 10.1 million bags every year based on the U.S. average. Imposing this tax would either greatly reduce plastic and paper bag usage or generate more than $100,000 in revenue. It seems like a win-win situation.

Interestingly enough, California already has a total ban on plastic and paper bags. Given the sheer size and population of that state, I'm sure it's made a major impact on conserving our environment. Additionally, New York City is also considering a five-cent bag tax.

Our town already has a very comprehensive recycling program that includes plastic, cardboard, aluminum, tin, and newspapers. Instituting a ban on plastic and paper bags would be a perfect fit. I hope the legislation does pass. I'd be interested to hear what other towns do -- or don't do -- to be environmentally conscious. What does your town currently have in place? A tax? A ban on all plastic and paper bags? Or something completely different?

Some portions of this blog contain excerpts from the article "Township Council Proposes Municipal Tax on Bags," The Villadom Times, March 11, 2009.

Be Green -- Recycle or Freecycle

When you think about it, you can recycle almost everything, from aluminum cans to cell phones. No matter what you need to get rid of, two comprehensive websites are Earth911.com and Freecycle.org.

Earth911.com
A great easy-to-use site where all you have to do is enter the item you'd like to recycle and your location. For example, I typed in "batteries" and the site returned a number of stores, such as Radio Shack, and service centers, such as Firestone. As always, the more specific you are, the better the results

Freecycle.org
If you can't recycle it, Freecycle it! This is a great forum, where you enroll by location. Then you can either post items you'd like to keep out of landfills or you can opt to search for items you're interested in. I've posted everything from a non-working treadmill to moving boxes. I've also received Freecycle items, including children's clothing and a working treadmill (to replace that non-working one).

Stay tuned for more ways to keep your stuff out of landfills...

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Valentine's Day: Lovin' Green While Saving Green

Valentine's Day is about spreading love, not spending money. Believe it or not, you can give beautiful gifts from the heart that cost almost nothing, yet are filled with meaning and keep Mother Earth feelin' the love, too.

The Card

Valentine's Day is the second biggest holiday for greeting card sales. Literally billions of cards are sent each year and most come from virgin trees. Making your own cards from recycled and or unconventional materials leaves trees standing and your sweetheart thanking the stars for your creatively thoughtful gesture.

And what to say inside a custom card?

You may not believe you are a writer, but honestly, can a professional truly express what is in your heart in a more meaningful way than you can? Even if you believe she can, just for the fun of it, why not give it a whirl? You (and your love) might be pleasantly surprised. Here are a few pointers for producing poetic prose:

• Five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables -- that's haiku, a simply beautiful form of poetry that you'll catch onto quickly. Read a few, then give it a try.
• Of course, a letter or free verse is always an option, or if you're really wanting to knock your partner's socks off, how about writing a sonnet?
• These sound too difficult? Here's an easier, but still romantic idea. Take each letter of the words "My Valentine," and next to it, write something about your beloved. Here's an example:

• M My heart

  Y You are the only one I'll ever love

  V Very best
  A Always my partner
  L Love you forever
  etc.

• If your words don't capture the exact tone you're looking for, remember that laughter is a gift -- even if it is unintentional.

And if you're feeling creative, how about making some seeded paper or thinking inside the box? Select a small box. Cover the outside with pictures of you and your honey or appropriate words cut from a magazine. Inside, place some stones on which you've stamped words of love, a small bag of beans with a tag that says, "I love how you've always BEAN there for me," or come up with a (much) better play on words and items to go with it.

The Gifts

Valentine's gifts usually include one or more of the following: flowers, candy (chocolate of course, is the hands down favorite), jewelry or lingerie. All are wonderful (and usually quite welcome), especially if you think green before purchasing them, (here's how). But even better, are gifts from the heart, those you make yourself. Now don't get all nervous, we've got simple ideas that cost next to nothing, and are oh so simple to pull off.

Before we give you the list, here's a hint. Gift making together can be daring and romantic. For instance, what could you be wearing -- or not -- while cutting out a couple of dozen paper hearts on which you write your feelings, then hang by thread above your bed -- or tape...somewhere else.

Think about making chocolate candy hearts (using organic, Fair Trade, shade grown chocolate of course -- check your local natural foods store for baking chocolate). What else could that chocolate be used for? Chocolate paint anyone? Getting the picture? Use your imagination to come up with a Valentine's gift making project that will bring you together in more ways than one!

In addition to the two gift projects above, here are a few other ideas. You may choose to purchase items listed or make do with something you already have:

1. A coupon book good for one massage a month for a year using organic massage oil, and starting on Valentine's Day.

2. An organic cotton pillow case on which you embroider your sentiments or glue on heart shaped pieces of felt (just for display).

3. Glue romantic words on to the backs of a deck of playing cards and type up instructions for strip poker.

4. Pack a small bag with silly and/or romantic everyday objects such as, a roll of toilet paper (be sure to recycle after use), cotton balls, soft brushes or feathers, and silky scarves. Be sure to include the directions: Decorate each other.

For more ideas for Valentine's Day and every holiday and celebration, visit www.CelebrateGreen.net