bank the rest

Thanks Ecoki for this great post on reducing paper consumption in one easy step: internet banking. Get and pay your bills online to save paper, stamps, and envelopes, not to mention time.

Never miss a deadline with automatic payments, and stash away savings without doing anything with an automatic withdrawal program (hello compound interest)!

Ecoki also points us to PayItGreen's “financial paper footprint” calculator, which can tell you how many trees you'll save, and the equivalent savings of miles driven in your car.

Bank away!

damn you sticky note papers

Whilst tearing off a small canary yellow piece of paper from it's sticky home to apply to a document (with a thrilling "Please Approve" message for a colleague), I got to wondering just how many of these little sticky notes I waste per year.

So I did some calculating and concluded about 2080 pieces (100 sheets per pad x 1 pad every 2.5 weeks). I felt guilty, then found this reusable post-it idea at Halfbakery (with some pretty colorful comments); I started feeling really guilty, until this colossal waste of thousands of post-its made me feel better.

resisting the squeeze

Lays off, cut backs, bail outs. The list goes on, but business is still hanging on to green ... but for how long?

Trend-watcher eMarketer reports that polls from the American Marketing Association and Fleishman-Hillard show that companies are still investing in green projects and products—and they want their customers to know it. Yet, when asked if consumers would pay more for green products now, only 40% agreed.

As for them, over half surveyed said that sustainability is an essential element of their company’s reputation. What's worse, the survey showed that even popular sustainability programs, such as recycling and electric energy efficiency, were embraced by only a minority of businesses, 36% and 20%, respectively.

eMarketer's round up? Green marketing is good, but no one can be certain whether—under continuing pressure from the economy—it will wilt.

but where would the magnets go?

Could you live without a fridge? Torontonian Andrea Peloso turned hers into a storage cupboard two years ago.

And apparently she's not the only one. Do some searching online, and you'll find hundreds of blog posts and articles on the subject. Aside from the obvious energy savings, many fridge-free-ers report better eating habits (fresh produce, less processed junk), although some admitted that they ate out a lot more.

Eco-blogger Vanessa Farquharson talks about some unique solutions in this article from Eye Weekly, like storing wine bottles in the toilet tank, and switching to almond milk, which lasts unrefrigerated for 3 days.

"Greenpa" fancies himself as having lived "ultra"-green for the past 31 years. He uses solar electricity, a composting toilet, and hunts, gathers and gardens for food, and covers it all on his Little Blog In The Big Woods.

Greenpa points out that, while a lot of people are anti-anti-fridge, it's actually quite simple to live without one, particularly if you live in the city where it's easy to pop out for some meat or cold beer.

He raises a good point about the luxury foods we all keep around too, like ice cream and pop: "Would you be better off if they weren't so handy? If you're like me, if the ice cream is there- I'll eat it. Then buy more. How much of our obesity epidemic is due to having a handy supply of treats in the fridge- all the time?"

Why not unchain yourself from the thought that you have to have a full-size fridge, and downsize to a bar fridge, or unplug altogether. If you need more inspiration, check out the iGreen concept kitchen over at Apartment Therapy's re-nest. Awesome!

recycled denim insulation

Square One Shopping Centre will be collecting used denim during its Project Denim drive which runs from April 22nd til 25th in the Centre Court of the mall. The collected denim will then be recycled into home insulation for Mississauga's first Habitat for Humanity home, scheduled to begin construction later this month.

Those who donate denim will receive a $5 Square One gift certificate and receive a sample for an environmentally-friendly liquid laundry product.

More info here

a greener easter

Why is it that whenever a holiday comes around, we go into extreme buy / trash mode (I'm looking at you Christmas). This Easter, give Mother Nature a break with these alternatives.

*Tiffany over at NatureMomsBlog has some great tips, like making your own baskets (with real grass!) and dyeing your (free-range) eggs with food you already have around the house (blueberries, spinach).

*As for the hunt, who wants a yard - or house - full of cheap, sugary eggs? The kids do! If you don't want to give this tradition up, look for eggs that have the least amount of packaging. Try to find fair trade and/or organic if they're chocolate. Or get reusable eggs that open (I've seen ones made from bamboo!) and fill them with almonds, raisins, or coins.

*If you fancy yourself a crafty type, hop on over to our new favourite site This Recycled Life for some 'upcycled' decorating ideas.

*When family comes calling, serve local farmers' fare if possible. Easter is also a perfect time to start new traditions, like planting a tree or volunteering together.

*Last but not least, send a smile with Easter e-cards - green AND free!