- Look for "Energy Star"-stickered appliances and gadgets..they HAVE been tested and DO save energy.
- Those cleaning bottles you have in your cabinet may not necessarily be good for the environment. Windex? Mr. Clean? Try switching to brands like Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer's. Whole Foods also stocks a great line of natural products that won't pollute the groundwater. They may be pricy, but try switching just one of your usual products up with one from a safe, better-for-the-earth line.
- Buy produce at local farmer's markets. I cannot even begin to stress how important "buying local" really is. It helps the local economy, local agriculture, and even helps discourage the subsidization of farms in poorer nations who are practically robbed from by big agribusiness.
- Don't let that faucet drip, make sure you turn off all knobs when you are finished showering or brushing your teeth. If your toilet runs, call a plumber. You will save on your utilities bill while decreasing the need for water.
- Write a congressional representative at: www.nrdc.org/action to support legislation to end global warming and improve the Earth's resources.
- Ask for brown paper bags instead of plastic at the grocery store, or carry your own duffel bags to save on plastic.
- buy recycled paper products and greeting cards...my philosophy is, if there is more of a market for these products, more companies will be forced to recycle!
- Limit your dry-cleaning use. Glamour reported that about 85% of cleaners use Perc, a chemical that has been linked to cancer and pollution. Useful alternatives can be found on: earth911.org and findco2.com.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
It's Glamour*ous to be green
As much as I enjoy reporting environmental concerns, finding fuel deals and ranting on current events, I *am* a young woman and *do* enjoy fashion. To my surprise, the April 2007 issue of Glamour magazine devoted about 15 pages to a "how to save the planet" guide. Not only was it jam-packed with great information, I even learned a few things! Here are some useful tips that Glamour suggested in order to stop that thing called global warming:
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2 comments:
I commend Glamour magazine for their green section in their April issue. I agree it is filled with extremely useful information on how to live more sustainably. However, Glamour magazine can take one step further and switch to recycled paper. They mention recycling Glamour magazines (and all other magazines too!), but they themselves are not a green publication. There are many quality recycled papers that Glamour magazine can choose from that fit their specifications. At the Magazine PAPER Project (www.magazinepaper.org), we are committed to providing FREE quality technical assistance and expertise to magazines interested in switching to recycled paper. Switching to recycled paper is THE number one thing a magazine can do to significantly reduce its negative environmental impact.
There are currently 18,000 magazine titles out there, and only 100 of them are using environmentally responsible paper. More than 95% of all magazines contain ZERO recycled content. Each year a land mass larger than the state of Florida is cleared each year for magazine paper. The harmful paper and production practices for magazines contribute significantly to global warming and habitat destruction.
Encourage your favorite magazines to go green, and to contact us at the PAPER Project to learn how they can get started!
Thanks for your post, Jennifer. I agree Glamour and other magazines should make the jump to total recycled paper. They mentioned in their article that there are such things as magazine recycle drop-offs for high-gloss paper, but I myself have never seen any..I think they should be more readily available.
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