Archive for December, 2007
Next Entries »Update: Free Rice
Monday, December 17th, 2007In October, Jenn introduced us all to a very neat webpage Free Rice, wherein you can improve your vocabulary AND feed people all at the same time. This morning I was listening to NPR and heard a story on the origins of Free Rice, which was created as a SAT vocabulary builder. You can listen [...]
Weekend Tiny Choice: Transportation to Pittsburgh
Monday, December 17th, 2007I traveled this weekend to Pittsburgh, which is a short 6-hour drive west of here. There are other ways to get to Pittsburgh – a bus or a train come to mind first, followed by a short flight. But I usually drive. I usually travel with my friend Michelle (who you may know as our [...]
Tiny Choices Weekly Roundup
Sunday, December 16th, 2007Wherein we summarize all the fun and information from the previous week for your convenience! Last week on Tiny Choices: Monday: Karina discusses the innovative water conservation methods of Clayton County, Georgia Tuesday: Jenn asks Peets why they wrap their teabags in Mylar (plastic) pouches Wednesday: Karina discusses The New American Dream, and the toxic [...]
Easy Peasy Tip: Recycle Your Batteries!
Saturday, December 15th, 2007The irrefutable law of nature states that all batteries must die, alkaline and rechargables (NiCd and NiMH) alike. Mourn properly, then recycle properly– batteries tossed into a landfill will leach all kinds of nasty toxins into the soil, water table, and back into you. Battery recycling facilities & options vary greatly by location, so just [...]
Tiny Choices Survey: Rebekka Power
Friday, December 14th, 2007Vital statistics (name, age, location, link to website/blog)? Rebekka Power [on the right!], 32, Melbourne Australia How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)? Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain. I live with my partner Hugo, our Siamese cat Coco and our bunny, Kevin or Julia (it’s not certain whether [...]
Donate Old Packing Peanuts
Thursday, December 13th, 2007According to PlanetGreen.com, UPS and Mailbox Etc stores will accept used-but-clean packing peanuts, for reuse in their outgoing shipments. This effectively ends the agonizing guilt of throwing these things into the trash, while at the same time getting them out of the house. Sweet! [Image by ppdigital via Flickr]
Mountain Equipment Coop Stops Selling Bisphenol-A
Thursday, December 13th, 2007Mountain Equipment Co-op “is Canada’s leading supplier of outdoor clothing and equipment”, and is a vision to behold– I had the opportunity to visit the store in Vancouver, B.C. this past summer and, as a gearhead geek, I was left swooning by the block-long shop filled with outdoors equipment. Backpacks, stoves, sleeping bags, hiking boots, [...]
The New American Dream is here!
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007Have you seen the Center for the New American Dream? it’s a group dedicated to reframeing the concept of the American dream – or, from their mission statement: The Center for a New American Dream helps Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice. Right now they have [...]
Crafty Hazards: toxic fumes?
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007Back in September we highlighted some of the different pattens out there for reusable bags, including techniques for fusing plastic bags together to create a larger piece of plastic “fabric” for bag making purposes. not martha linked to a metafilter question asking if this process is toxic… it’s probably not good for you, no matter [...]
An Open Letter to Peets
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007Dear Peets– On a recent & cold pre-winter day here in New York City, I stopped in a deli to warm myself with a cup of your Masala Chai, brewed from a teabag in my reusable travel mug. The tea itself was delicious, but I was disappointed to find that you have made the decision [...]
Innovative Water Conservation
Monday, December 10th, 2007My good friend Rocco passed along a story about some innovative water management in drought-stricken Georgia that is really saving the day, and has potential to turn around many of the southeast’s current drought problems… Constructed wetlands! This isn’t a tiny choice, but it’s a great example of how non-traditional thinking when it comes to [...]
Tiny Choices Weekly Roundup
Sunday, December 9th, 2007Wherein we summarize all the fun and information from the previous week for your convenience! Last week on Tiny Choices: Monday: Karina talks about greening – and simplifying! holiday gifting. Tuesday: Jenn discusses an awesome method of cleaning up oil spills – mycoremediation! Wednesday: Karina gets steamed up over not being allowed to use her [...]
Easy Peasy Tip: Visit your local library!
Saturday, December 8th, 2007Have you been to your local library lately? If you haven’t, you might be surprised: libraries are cool again. Most libraries have, in addition to lots and lots of books, extensive video and music collections as well. Plus, many libraries have their catalogs on the internets and you can pick out books and request [...]
Tiny Choices Survey: Mickey Z
Friday, December 7th, 2007Vital statistics (name, age, location, link to website/blog)? Mickey Z., 47, Astoria, NY How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)? Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain. I live—by choice—with my wife Michele in a rent-stabilized one bedroom apartment, third floor walk-up in an 80-year-old building. The price and size [...]
Gifts Which Give Back
Thursday, December 6th, 2007In this season of Buy! Shop! Spend!, I thought it would be neat for us to share ideas on “alternative gifts”– those which might not come in a big box, but do come from a big heart. Be sure to share your favorite charities in the comments! Nothing But Nets: “Malaria, from the Medieval Italian [...]
Adventures with Travel Mugs: Part 2
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007Yeah, I know I keep talking about my recent trip to Atlanta. Here is another story from my travels! I had an early morning flight out of Newark on Thanksgiving, and I was kind of concerned about the delays, so I got to my gate with 1 1/2 hours to spare. I had backed my [...]
Pesky Oilspill? Grab a Hairmat!
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007So there’s this San Francisco non-profit called Matter of Trust, which, as one of its many projects, collects human hair from thousands of salons across the country and sends it to Georgia to be woven into mats. These mats are then used to absorb used motor oil. The used, oil-soaked mats are seeded with oyster [...]
Holiday Gifting
Monday, December 3rd, 2007In my family there are a bunch of sibs and step-sibs. There’s also a few significant others involved – and So for the last couple of years at Thanksgiving, we have picked names and done a Secret Snowflake swap. It’s so great! Now, I will be totally honest here: I am an awful procrastinator with [...]
Tiny Choices Weekly Roundup
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007Wherein we summarize all the fun and information from the previous week for your convenience! Last week on Tiny Choices: Monday: Can air travel be greened? Karina discusses carbon offsets. Tuesday: Jenn researches the stinky truth about perfumes; and gets historical about tangible gifts. Wednesday: Karina logs the many modes of transportation she used during [...]
Easy Peasy Tips: Put On A Sweater!
Saturday, December 1st, 2007In 1977 Jimmy Carter was roasted for appearing on national television in a cardigan and asking America to turn down the thermostat a few degrees to help save energy. America was facing a cold winter and an energy shortage. All of us must learn to waste less energy. Simply by keeping our thermostats, for instance, [...]
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