Note About Phones

There are lots of products that are made better every year. There are new innovations all the time and technology has to keep up. Like Cadillac did with cars, Phone companys are doing with personal hand held devices. Every time one of these "New phones" come out lots of people run in to buy them. Even if you are not at all the type to run to the store for a "New phone," sooner or latter you have to go in and get an upgrade. This is cool and fun and totally acceptable if you think before you buy. Yes, Yes check out what you want in a phone before you go into the store. BUT also think about recycling the old phone, charger and any other phone related electric devices. Most every phone place takes old stuff for recycling. Not just the big guys, even the little place on down the street. They know like us that the plastic, resins and other chemicals used in the production of electrics are harmful and should be recycled properly. Not just in the trash or in a box next to your trash. There are other ways to give it away like Craiglist, freecycle, or a Really Really Free Market. BUT if you think before you buy. Take in the old equipment when you go in for the new one. Then its all done and off you brain. This mind set works on more levels. More and More stores are taking in the Old to sell you the New.

Street Books - Present at the Future Ira Flatow

Found- Ludlow and Stanton St. in the LES.

Picked up because - Ira Flatow is on NPR.
Ira Flatow is the heart of NPR's Science Friday. He has come out with a book to help us realize that we live in the future now. This book makes things like Cosmology and Nanotechnology look easy, well easy to explain anyway. He does us a favor by breaking down science principles in such a light hearted way. The first five chapters look inward to the mind. These are kind of a searching exercise for you brain. Then he moves out to space before coming home again to Global Warming. This look at the energy crises does not stop there. No Mr. Flatow dives deep into the types of energy we use and could be using in the future. One of the most eye opening chapters is about technology at its smallest, Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Before it all over he dabbles in the everyday science he likes to point out in a segment he calls "Beauty in the Details." In this book Ira Flatow shows us that the future is now so we are all "Present at the Future."

Some Green Tips for the Kitchen

Lets face facts most of the the waste in American house holds comes out of the kitchen. There are lots of new appliances and new green products to go out and buy, but there are some cheap tips to use in the kitchen too. You can start at the market where you buy your food. The place that you choose to shop at is key. Some are lucky to have farmers markets and organic groceries. Others live in neighborhoods with lots of small family owned stores to shop at. For those who have no choice and have to shop at mega stores with fluorescent lights and big air conditioners try to find one with a store brand you can trust. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are some of the greener supermarkets out there. Some supermarkets in the nation have joined GreenChill and reduced their emissions and are emitting fewer ozone-depleting refrigerants and greenhouse gases than their competitors. Its important to try new places all the time to find the right store for you. At the store there are decisions to make. Do they have a bulk section? Buying things in bulk or in bigger containers means less waste. When you check the packaging there is one or two things to look for. After checking out the Nutrition Facts look further to where the product was manufactured, most of the time one can find a local brand. The less traveling the food does to make it to the shelf the less impact it has on the environment. Then avoid individually packaged items and look for brands that minimize packaging. Look for you favorite foods in one package not two. You can find things that are not bagged and then boxed. If you buy stuff that comes in only one package then you are throwing out less. When at home you can cut down on waste too. Grow your own spices in your window or buy them fresh. Then right before they go bad dry them out in paper bags or hang them in a window to dry. If you saved the last basil container or a small glass jar you can refill your dried spices without throwing anything out. Same goes for bread crumbs, save the tin and when the last two slices or the end Pieces are left toast them and break up into the old bread crumb tin. You can also make your own croutons in the oven. Also if you save your extra pieces of vegetables that you don't use in traditional cooking in the freezer you can boil up some great for everything vegetable stock that will stay good is a glass jar for a week. Food and spices are not the only way to waste not-want not in the kitchen. We all should have stopped buying trash bags long ago and should be using the plastic bags that seem turn up (no matter how hard we try) inside our homes from purchases. There are easy ways to reuse these bags in an organized way. (see Plastic Bags Organized under label plastic) Taking paper bags whenever possible is better for the environment and you can save them too. In and around the sink can be taken care of in a green way. If you don't have a double sink make one by using a big bowl or pot for the soapy water. If you think you need all the harsh chemicals to clean you counter, stove, fridge or floor your wrong. You could go out and buy the new green cleaning products. Or by using house hold items like Backing Soda, Salt, Vinegar, Lemon even Water Softener and Toothpaste you can save the earth from all the weird chemicals in cleaners bought from the store.

GreenChill Stores:
http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/how-green-in-your-grocery-store/

Check out PBS's Cleaning Guru - Haley's Hints
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/haleys_cleaning.php
http://feministreview.blogspot.com/2009/05/haleys-hints-green-edition.html

Green Cleaning Tips:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/14-green-kitchen-cleaning-tips.htm

Lots of green Tips check out
Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Dishwasher Detergent
10 Tips for Using Apple Cider Vinegar
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/food-recipes/cooking-tips