My last post was about how baby sales are green, but garage sales are just as green and obviously appeal to a much wider audience.

And with the weather warming up, they are about to get into full swing. Garage sales are a great way to get rid of clutter — things you don’t use — and make a little money. They are also great places to find unique, well-priced items.

I’ve been realizing lately that there’s a whole lot of wisdom in the clutter = stress articles that I keep seeing everywhere. We have small piles of stuff in every room. I sold some at our local baby sale and have put the rest outside for an upcoming garage sale. Just getting rid of those piles has made me much happier. The rooms don’t look as cluttered, I don’t have to sweep around piles, or keep little hands out of the piles. It’s easier.

While it will be good to make a little money with a garage sale, it’s a lot better to keep this stuff out of landfills. We live in an older home. There were lots of extra doors in our home, and we replaced all of the windows with energy-efficient upgrades when we moved in. I’ve been able to sell some of the windows on craigslist, but we have lots left. While these windows aren’t very energy efficient, they are very appealing to local artists.

I’m thinking that people can probably make use of our extra doors, old glass light globes, cabinet doors, etc. These are just taking up space in our storage room, but I’m hoping that someone in our area can actually make use of them.

Once we finish with our yard sale, then I’m sure I’ll be ready to hit other people’s and find more “treasures” to put in our home. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stick with things that we actually need and will use.

Do you like garage sales? Prefer to donate everything? Or have a swap with friends?

It’s hard to believe, but more than 28.3 billion pounds of clothing and textiles make their way to U.S. trash heaps annually. In Santa Barbara alone, more than 11 million pounds of usable clothing and household textiles end up in the landfill every year. The good news is that people are starting to take notice!

Forming a new partnership, Levi Strauss and Goodwill announced this week a new label – the Care Tag for Our Planet, a new initiative that aims to put billions of pounds of unwanted clothing to good use instead of into landfill.  Beginning in January 2010, the Levi’s® brand will be the first major retailer to include messaging on product care tags that encourages people to donate unwanted clothing.

Donating your clothes should be the first option when deciding what to do with clothes you no longer want. Even worn out clothes can be donated because many thrift stores and homeless shelters work in close partnership with textile recyclers who will take items which are no longer suitable to be worn. Donating makes a significant difference in the amount of clothes entering our landfills. The 166 community-based Goodwills in the United States and Canada collectively divert more than 1.5 billion pounds of clothing and textiles every year from landfill by recovering the value in people’s unwanted material goods.

You can make donating easy by keeping a paper shopping bag in your closet so that when you have a piece of clothing you no longer want, you can store it until there are enough pieces to make the trip to your local thrift shop or homeless shelter. In my closet, I actually keep a couple of bags – one for clothes ready for donation and another for clothes that I no longer want but is in near excellent shape so I can make a few bucks selling them to our local upscale thrift shop. Whatever the shop won’t take, goes right into the other bags destined for the homeless shelter.

With Levi and Goodwill getting in the act to remind you and I to donate the clothes when we are through with them, millions of pounds will be diverted from the landfill – clothing thousands more people and adding to the stream of recycled raw materials available.

This is not the first green minded action for Levi Strauss. For years, they have been a leader in encouraging environmentally friendly practices, from water quality guidelines to restrictions on the substances that can be used to make its clothes. Embracing the cradle to cradle concept of their product, the company conducted studies which showed that they greatest impact their clothing has on the environment is actually after the pair of jeans leaves the store to go home with the customer. For this reason, Levi encourages their customers to wash their clothes in cold water and line dry when possible – a significant savings the energy needed to warm the water and dry the clothes.

With the help of company initiatives like Goodwill and Levi, consumers are being given the reminders and opportunities they need to do right by nature. Have more great ways to utilize old clothing or ideas for how to give your clothes a new lease on life? Let us know in the comments below.

What do you do with your old magazines?

I am a magazine junkie. Currently, my husband and I get about 5 subscriptions in the mail each month. Those don’t include the ones my mother gives me that she subscribes to.

For the longest time, I saved my old magazines and tried to give them away to people who might be interested. But no one was interested. Not even when I offered them up on Craigslist.com.

Some magazines should go well on Craigslist.com. If you get a subscription to a magazine dedicated to something niche and specific (guitar playing, woodworking, knitting, etc.), there very well could be an audience.

My fashion and home magazines have not garnered any interest. I ended up recycling all of the magazines just to clear out some space in our garage.

But I feel like there were so many better things I could have done with my magazines.

Here are some of my ideas for the next stockpile:

• Donate them to a local hospital, med serve or doctor’s office. These places can always use some new (er) reading materials. You can usually just drop them off in the lobby of your local hospital. You might want to call first to make sure they will accept used magazines.
• If the magazines are in pristine condition, many libraries will accept them for resale. Our library will accept any magazines except for Smithsonian and National Geographic. (I’m assuming certain adult magazines would also fall into the not-accept category.)
• Many pre-schools and after-school programs would probably welcome the magazines, and could use them for numerous different craft projects.
• Know of an artist who makes collages or works in multi-media? That person might also want your old  magazines.
• You could also save the magazines to do craft projects at home if your kids are crafty (mine is not.) Or if you are crafty. Magazine pictures are great for decoupage.
• If you live near a fashion school, and have several fashion magazines, students at the school might be interested in your magazines.
• If you have a shredder, you could shred them and use them as pretty filler in boxes, in place of Styrofoam nerdles.
• Or wrap small packages with them.
• Maybe even collage some pieces on a plain box to dress it up?

What about you? Any other good ideas to recycle used magazines?

Who doesn’t have at least one or two (maybe 20?) VHS tapes hanging around? Even if you only have a DVD player, I’m sure there’s still a tape lingering around somewhere.

Our excuse for keeping all of the old tapes is that we hate to just throw them in a landfill.

While you can’t just toss those old tapes into the recycle bin, there are lots of other ways to recycle them.

If you’d like to help out a worthy cause while cutting back on your clutter, you can donate your old VHS tapes to the Alternative Community Training (ACT) organization.

This Missouri based organization provides work for disabled individuals. They currently have more than 55 employees erasing and repacking donated VHS tapes and floppy disks. This program brings in about $500,000 annually.

ACT accepts several types of old media for recycling. If you would like to send them your old VHS tapes, fill out this form.

You can also submit your old tapes (and other old technology) to GreenDisk for proper disposal. You can fill out an address label, and depending on where you live, FedEx will come by and pick up your “techno trash.”

Kind of crafty?

There are lots of creative ways for you to re-use old VHS tapes. If you like to knit or crochet, you should check out My Recycled Bags.

If knitting isn’t your thing, check out these ideas from craftstylish. There are several different suggestions, but I like the bookends using old VHS tapes and Cds the best.

Recently, I read in a magazine that certain artists like to work with old VHS tapes. I didn’t save the article and couldn’t find any artists currently searching for old tapes. But this also sounds like a great option. Maybe you know an artist who might be interested or live near a school with an arts program that might accept your old tapes?

If you’re short on time, here are some other easy ways to recycle your old tapes:

Give them away on craigslist or freecycle.
Donate them to your local library or thrift store.
Give them away or sell them at your next garage sale.
Sell them on eBay or amazon.

How have you recycled your old VHS tapes?

Real Christmas trees benefit the environment by providing greenscape, absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off fresh oxygen. But, with more than 25 million real trees sold in America each holiday season, its important that we look at the end game of all where all these trees go once the glitter of Christmas wears off. It shouldn’t be news to you that simply throwing out your live Christmas tree is a clear environmental faux pas – but what should you do with it? The answer may depend on available programs near you, but most everyone should be able to find at least one eco-friendly option which suits their needs.

Every year, millions of Christmas trees are sent to landfills or dumped on public property in America.

Decorate for the Birds

Prepare for your tree for its environmentally-sound end by decorating with compostable decorations such as popcorn garlands. Using compostable décor on your tree means that you don’t have to undecorate the tree before putting it in your compost pile, sending it to your community’s compost facility, or (and I think this is the best idea!) putting the tree outside to be a feeder for the birds. That’s right, simply put your compostable, decorated tree in your backyard and enjoy your natural bird feeder.

Community Composting for Xmas Trees

There are more than 4,000 Christmas tree recycling programs in the Unites States. Go to your community’s municipal webpage or contact your local trash pickup service to inquire about composting programs they offer. Still can’t find a local resource? Go to Earth911 and type “Christmas tree” and your location into their search to find local programs. Many services offer curbside pick up. Considering that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 24% of landfilled waste is yard clippings and compostable, doing your part to utilize your local programs can make a big dent in your personal contribution.

Still can’t find a local program in your area? Start your own Christmas tree recycling program and give the gift that lasts… less waste in our landfills.

For next year, use the buy local, buy organic rule for the purchase of your next real Christmas tree. Check out Local Harvest to find one of the more than 5,000 choose and cut Christmas Tree farms in the U.S.

And, if you are looking to the next step in low-impact living, consider purchasing a potted, living Christmas tree next year. Then, plant the tree in your yard after the holiday or consider donating it to a local arbor organization dedicated to greening your community. For those of you in the ever environmentally chic San Francisco, next year, rent a tree which will be picked up from you after the holidays and planted in the city.

Hope you had a happy holiday!

Image by Flickr user BowBrick used under a Creative Commons License.

Millions of new TVs are being purchased all the time, especially with the digital conversion coming up.  Safe disposal of the old ones is not easy to find, and you can’t just throw these suckers away!  They are toxic!

Wouldn’t it be nice if the TV manufacturers took back their old products and recycled them for FREE?  Well, Sony, LG and Samsung do.

Check out this zany zombie video put out by the Electronics TakeBack Coalition.  Sign the petition at the end to tell Panasonic and Sharp to take back my TV!

Watch the video here.

Wait! Don’t stop reading because you don’t have kids! All the advice to be green while getting ready to go back to school could be applied for adults at work! Read on!

• Bookbags/purses/briefcases: One way to go green is to look for a bookbag that is made of recycled materials. There are really creative things out there, such as bags even made from old seat belts! If you don’t have access to these “different” possibilities, and you want to make things simple, buy a Jansport bookbag. Why Jansport? Well, they will take back and repair your backpack FOR LIFE. And if they cannot repair it, they’ll send you a new one! I recently sent one back that I had traveled with for 15 years! This is also true of many other labels, such as Coach, although there maybe other fees that apply. Check out the policy of your fine bag manufacturer!
• Lunch: Did you know that the average school lunch generates 67 pounds of waste a year? I’m sure the average “work lunch” does too! So how can you combat that? Using reuseable containers, such as Tupperware, Gladware, or old food containers. It will help cut costs too to buy a larger quantity and break it down! And water bottles? Don’t even think about it! Unless you are refilling them!
• School/office supplies: The biggest name of the game here is recycled materials. They are readily available now – at Target you can find recycled notepaper, notebooks, etc. You can find pens and pencils online that are made of recycled material, and buy refillable whenever possible. What about that box of tissues you’re supposed to send in? Seventh Generation or other recycled brands are all over the place. Remember – buy “recycled” and “reycleable.”
• Transportation: Did you know if you left your car at home 2 days a week, you would reduce green house gases by 1,600 lbs/year? If the prices at the pump aren’t enough to get you on a bike or public transportation, who knows what would be! Another way for you and the kids is to carpool! (and for those of us around metro areas, check out the slug lines! This is not recommended for sending the kids to school)
• A Green Attitude: Ok, so you may not want to walk to work, or reuse your baggies, but take a “green attitude” with you…ask your teacher what the school is doing regarding recycling and what your class can do to help. Or perhaps you could create a clean-up day for the neighborhood! Or talk to your office manager about buying recycled copier paper from Staple next time…you’d be surprised how infectious it can be!

What other ideas do you have?

Sometimes when people get inspired, they can overdo things (with good intentions, of course). If you go on a recycling rampage, you might find yourself trying to recycle things that are not recycleable. That is not only a not good thing, it can be a downright bad thing. If certain plastics find their way into a batch of recycling, it could ruin the whole batch. Plastic bags can get stuck in the machinery and cause much delay and frustration at the recycling plant. So, what should you NOT recycle?

DO NOT PUT THESE ITEMS IN THE RECYCLING BIN:

• dirty, food covered anything
• broken ceramics, light bulbs or mirrors
• plastic bags, dirt, water, anything contaminated
• rubber bands
• spray cans
• cans filled with paint or other potentially hazardous materials
• stickers
• napkins
• laminated paper
• Plastics with #3,#4, #5 and especially #7; or those plastics with nothing at all. (check in your area – some areas will accept #3-5)
• milk cartons or any type of “waxed” paper
• any metals that are attracted to magnets
• batteries
• tires
• any electronics

Find out from your municipality what is recycleable in your area…not all capacities are the same!! Thanks to obviously.com’s World’s Shortest Comprehensive Recycling Guide for the tips!

Did you know that according to the EPA in 2006, homes, business and institutions produced 251 million tons of solid waste?  This translates to approximately 4.6 pounds waste per person,  per day. Work is the place where people recycle the least. It is easy to let your efforts slip at work, because commonly the structures aren’t set up, and there are more people involved. So how can you at least do your part?

scrap paper: Can’t print on both sides? Save the paper and use it for notes. If you are more of a creative type – cut them down, and replace your post-its!

printing: Do you think before you print? Try to cut down on what you print. And have a conversation with your office manager and make sure your copier paper has recycled content!

coffee cups: Do you buy your coffee from Starbucks or another local? Bring a reuseable cup! Just imagine, if you would save over 200 paper cups!

computer: Make sure you turn it off at night!

lights: In many big offices, people leave the lights on, assuming that they’ll just be turned off by the cleaning crew. Well, they are capable people…they can turn them back on! You turn off your lights at home when you leave the room, why not at work?

You have heard it over and over again…

“Reduce, Reuse then Recycle” but it isn’t always obvious just how to do that, is it? Well, here’s the tip for you – and it will save you money!

Plastic Wrap, sandwich baggies..all plastic that is thrown away. The least you can do to keep some of that plastic out of the landfill, is to buy the reuseable containers. Go long term with more durable pieces, or short term with the GladWare, Rubbermaid TakeAway stuff.

Aluminum foil is recycleable. make sure it’s clean.

You want to make the biggest impact? AND save money? Use the containers you already have!

Use the empty Cool Whip containers for leftover mashed potatoes, the glass spaghetti jars for soup, the empty Chinese food containers for almost everything! These containers were not meant to be used long term, so you may find they do split after a couple of washes. Have no fear, throw them in the recycling bin for guilt free recycling…you have reduced (you are causing less production of plastic film and baggies), reused (that is self explanatory), and recycled!