Being Green
- tip of the day
- Water is our most precious resource, help conserve it.
- green your routine
- When you take small steps to help the environment–along with your community and even your family’s health–those tiny changes make a huge difference. So, what if you adopted a small green practice for the next 30 days? Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Reduce: Shave 5 minutes off your shower.
- Reuse: Use a reusable water bottle and refill it from the tap.
- Recycle: Recycle the dish washer rinse water.
- the impact
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- Reduce: If 10,000 Americans reduced their shower times by 5 minutes, in about a month we’d have saved enough water to fill about 10 Olympic-size swimming pools.
- Reuse: In 2006, it took more than 17 million barrels of oil (excluding the oil used in transporting the plastic) to produce plastic bottles.
- Recycle: Even better, do this along with installing a water saving device, which regulated water used for grinding and can reduce total water use by up to 70%.
- more info
- For more tips on green living, visit http://www.simplesteps.org/.
- tip of the day
- You’ve been to Whoville, eaten those green eggs and ham with a side of bread buttered upside down, and certainly know how the Grinch Stole Christmas. Did you know…
- the bite
- Oh, the places you’ll go when you read The Lorax!
- the benefits
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- The Lorax, originally published in 1971, teaches children and people of all ages the importance of preserving nature. The message the book sends completely rings true today.
- It’s a Dr. Seuss book! His classic tales woven with colorful pictures and whimsical writing have had a profound impact on so many children’s lives.
- personally speaking
- Long before Ideal Bite was even a seedling, we were out to dinner one night comparing tales of our childhoods. It’s not surprising to learn that we both have worn, dog-eared copies of The Lorax.
- wanna try?
- Pick up a used copy at your local bookshop, Amazon or AbeBooks. Then, check out these sites for more children’s activities beyond the book:
- tip of the day
- Does reincarnation apply to only living things?
- the bite
- Not at all – just take a look-see at the high-design, recycled works of art we dug up. They’re not only easy on the eyes, but also by averting waste, these reclaimed gems pack good karma.
- the benefits
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- Smaller dumps. Creatively incorporating everything from seatbelts to circuit boards, designers are leaving no trash unturned.
- One-of-a-kind looks. Feels good being the only one to own it, don’t it?
- Refined aesthetics. Think your scratched-CD coaster’s sassy? Get a load of these objets d’art…
- personally speaking
- Jenifer’s fave item is the J. Persing seatbelt loveseat. It’s out of her budget at the mo, so she’s gonna have a go at making her own seatbelt purse in the meantime.
- wanna try?
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- tip of the day
- Use less hot water
- got a minute?
- Set your water heater to 120 degrees or less. It’ll keep your water hot without wasting energy.
- got a morning?
- Replace old showerheads with new water-saving designs and install low-flow aerators on your faucets.
- got a month?
- Add insulation to your water heater and hot water pipes. A fitted water heater blanket can pay for itself.
- more info
- For more tips on saving water, visit http://www.simplesteps.org/.
- tip of the day
- What happens to ill-equipped athletes?
- the bite
- It’s called the bench. Whether you’re a boy or girl Biter, kit up with recycled (read: used) and fair-trade sports gear before hitting the fields, and up your chances of getting picked first (well, on our team at least).
- the benefits
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- Scoring cash. Gently used equipment wins in the game of keeping costs low – at a used gear shop, you can expect to pay 50% less than what you’d spend on new.
- Points for resourcefulness. Used equipment means fewer resources needed for the creation, transport, and marketing of new equipment. Plus you don’t have to waste any time breaking it in.
- personally speaking
- We have mad love for all sports where balls fly at your (well, someone else’s) face at high speeds, but with baseball season approaching and the stadium 5 min from SF HQ, we’re not looking forward to the lack of parking near the office.
- wanna try?
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- Play It Again Sports – nationwide used sports equipment chain.
- Craigslist and Freecycle – swap and buy used gear online, no matter where you live.
- Fair Trade Sports – when buying new, check into fair-trade basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, rugby balls, and volleyballs – comparable in quality to anything from the big sports-gear companies; made with FSC-certified natural rubber linings ($15-$30).
- tip of the day
- Did Earth Week’s festivities leave you yearning for more?
- the bite
- Help ingrain the “Earth Day, Every Day” mantra of the Biters with a feel-good tool of the trade – volunteerism. No matter your schedule, skills or savvy, there are hundreds of environmental organizations waiting for someone like you.
- the benefits
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- Keep it local… and beautiful. Give back to the community with neighborhood park clean ups – a great way to spend the day outside.
- Channel your inner activist. Take action on environmental issues that matter to you, from preserving ocean wildlife to stopping global warming.
- Work with children and teens by joining local organizations, which work to educate the public on organic food growing and environmental issues.
- All the cool kids are doing it. Earth Day Networks estimates that 500 million people from 4,500 organizations in 180 countries will participate in Earth Day events during the month of April.
- personally speaking
- Aside from the obvious, our mothers always preached to us one great benefit of participating in volunteer opportunities: the chance to meet quality men. (Of course the validity of that theory has yet to be proven).
- wanna try?
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- Stop Global Warming – the easiest way we’ve found to be heard. Join the virtual march – if we get enough of you Biters to sign up, Laurie David will hand Leonardo DiCaprio a Biter tee…
- The Nature Conservancy – search for volunteer opportunities in your neck of thewoods.
- NRDC – help the Natural Resources Defense Council in their efforts to save streams, species and trees.
- Environmental Defense – contact politicians and decision makers on a variety of issues that matter to you.
- Idealist – create profiles based on your schedule, interest and skills to find your perfect volunteer opportunity.
- CSA Resources – all the tools you need to participate in community supported agriculture.
- tip of the day
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Go green when looking for a new home
- Got a minute?
- When looking for realtors, see how much they know about green topics such as energy efficiency and other environmental issues.
- Got a morning?
- Check your house for proper insulation and heating. Check if the windows are single or double-paned. Check if there’s a draft coming from the doors. Make sure the heating and cooling systems are in good condition.
- Got a month?
- Research possible energy alternatives. Check to see if alternative energy sources make sense based on where you live, determining how much energy you can draw out of these sources as well as any incentives your state may provide.
- more info
- For more tips on how not just to go green, but live green, visit http://planetgreen.discovery.com/.
- tip of the day
- What’s underneath your trench coat?
- the bite
- Besides your birthday suit. Answer: gizmos that put Inspector Gadget to shame. Here are our energy-saving, waste-reducing green gadget picks. Now go-go gadget eco-tip!
- the benefits
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- Getting a clue about sustainability. Geeks (including girl geeks) love being on the cutting edge – and green technology that combines recycled and sustainable materials with usefulness is the newest wave of gadgetry.
- Wowsers! These contraptions won over the gizmo-nerds on the Bite team.
- personally speaking
- Brett, who bikes to work on his tricked-out Surly Karate Monkey (even through the MT snow), mounted a HYmini on his bike and uses it to charge his cell phone.
- wanna try?
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- HYmini – a portable charger for your cell or mp3 player that powers up using solar and/or wind energy ($60).
- Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player – video and MP3 player, radio, flashlight, and cell-phone charger all in one wind-up gadget (£130/$259).
- Vers iPod Dock – 15-watt speaker with remote that amplifies music from your iPod or iPhone; made using sustainable wood and packaged in recycled materials ($180).
- USBCell AA Batteries – batteries you can recharge hundreds of times using your computer’s USB ports ($18/2).
- Dynamo Illuminator Flashlight – get a forearm workout and a lotta light with this wind-up flashlight ($10).
- Make – DIY instructions for making everything from furniture to an LED bike helmet.
- tip of the day
- What’s on your feet this weekend?
- the bite
- You talk the talk but now it’s time to walk the walk (or maybe we should say “run the run?” OK, maybe not). Whether you prefer to run in the NYC Marathon or just to the corner store, your old shoes can do a world of good. So, pass on or recycle your used sneaks!
- the benefits
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- Turn your shoes into a football field. Nearly 16 million pairs of shoes have been recycled to date through recycling programs.
- Minimize the impact that your shoes would have if thrown into a landfill. Over 1.3 million pounds of rubber alone has been avoiding the landfill each year due to shoe recycling.
- Help people. Gently-worn shoes can be shipped to needy recipients in Africa.
- personally speaking
- We have donated every single pair of shoes we’ve ever had to Goodwill. So that leaves about another 30 pairs leftover. Hey, we like our shoes.
- wanna try?
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