Waste Not! Tag Sale

Waste Not! is finally here!!! YAY!

When: September 1, 3-5 pm (come early!)
Where: 190 High St and the corner of Church and High

BRITA + recycling?

(image via Take Back the Filter)

Last year, I emailed BRITA about recycling my water filter. Yes, I'm one of those people. They responded with a speech about how much BRITA cares about the environment, etc, but that the filters are not recyclable because they contain heavy metals. After that, I pretty much gave up and decided plain old tap water was easier anyway.

Today, however, this Ideal Bite tip brought back memories of those bygone efforts. Apparently, you can recycle BRITA filters in Europe! Now there's a petition you can sign about getting them refilled/recycled in the US. You can also write a letter to Clorox execs and/or send your used filters to the Take Back the Filter campaign. Since most of us preferred filtered water in EON's bottled water taste test last year, this might be something to do.

Links:

• Take Back the Filter Petition
• Take Back the Filter Letter Form
• Take Back the Filter Website
• Fake Plastic Fish (a blog about reducing the use of plastic products, run by the creator of Take Back the Filter)

Dorm Guide: Laundry

(cartoon by Dave Walker)

However frequently you do laundry (I realize this post may be theoretical for some, but bear with me), there are many ways to do it.

Machines
The washing machines at Wes are high efficiency machines. All you need is two tablespoons of detergent (that's about to line one of the detergent cap). In general, it's a good idea to do a large load of laundry rather than a small one. Just make sure not to overload the machine or your clothes will stay dirty.

Also, it's best to wash with cold water (whether you're washing whites or colors). If you have a nasty stain (...), you might want to do warm or hot...but for most of your washing cold is good (that's the "Bright Colors" setting on the washers).

In terms of dryers, it's better to use a drying rack. If you're using the dryer, though, you can take your clothes out early to save energy. The dryers run on 60 minute cycles and you don't need all of that time to dry your stuff.

Detergents and Fabric Softeners
Go for a phosphate-free detergent (phosphates cause algae blooms in waterways). There isn't really a concensus as to which is better: liquid or powder detergents. Some say powdered detergents are better for mud and related stains and that liquid is better for oily, food-type stains. I'm more interested in powdered detergent right now (well, as interested as I can be in that type of thing), because powdered detergent doesn't include water and you know, I'm trying not to waste that stuff. Treehugger also likes powdered detergent.

• Dropps: I haven't tried these yet, but I like the idea. They're little half-ounce packets of detergent that dissolve in the machine. They come in a pouch (not a bottle or a box).
• Ecover: this is what I currently use (detergent and fabric softener). The bottle and cap are both #1 plastic (which means they're recyclable in CT). They're good about disclosing all ingredients, but some are still vague (perfume...um, what kind of perfume?). Hmm. These products are available at the It's Only Natural Market on Main Street (herein referred to as ION).
• Soap Nuts: these are not detergent--they're nuts! Really. Buy some here online or I think I've seen them at ION. Here's a post on GroovyGreen about them. Bonus: you can compost them!
  
• Oxygen Bleaches: if you're going to bleach things, this is an alternative to chlorine bleach products. This website is extremely informative.
  

For more, see the ION website.

Sodium Lauryl Suflate
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a foaming agent present in lots of cleaners. Dangerous or not dangerous? According to Tom's (the toothpaste company now owned by Colgate) and the American Cancer Society, the answer is no. It's not cancer-causing, but it is a skin irritant. Still, there are a bunch of people out there who advocate against it. I think it's pretty hard to find a cleaner without it (it's what makes stuff sudsy). Note that when a product says a cleaning agent is "coconut derived" that probably means it's SLS (because SLS is derived from coconut oil).

Links:
Treehugger's Laundry How-To
It's Only Natural Market

Dorm Guide: Sleeping

(This is my room from freshman year. Though it may not look like it, this is my room in it's cleanest state)

Alrighty. This is the first in a series of posts about some of your options when it comes to living the green life at Wes. Whether you're arriving for the first time or the fourth, this should help you discover some alternative products and practices.

So, sleeping. Eco-friendly bedding is difficult to come by; you'll probably have to order it online. Also, it's expensive--not usually under $100. I've included mostly items that come in Twin XL (the size of the beds at school, which is 39x80 inches) with a couple of exceptions.

With that said, the Waste Not! Tag Sale is happening one week from today! You can get bedding there for super cheap. Otherwise, organic cotton and wool are good things to look for. Just so you know, modal, which is made from beech tree fibers, seems eco-friendly but is actually very chemically processed.

Sheets

• Hemstitch lace sheets from Lifekind
  
• ABC carpet and home (this place appears to stock organic sheets and such, but not online...the stores are in New York).
• Simply Organic sheets at Bed Bath and Beyond (not Twin XL, but cheaper)
  
• Organic Sheet set from Target (not Twin XL, but again, cheaper than most)
  
• Coyuchi Organic Percale Twin XL (there are also sateen, flannel, and lace percale styles available in Twin XL)
• Bamboo Twin XL sheets
  
• Clean Air Natural Twin XL sheet set (halfway down page; lots more stuff on this website).

Mattress pads

• Dax stores carries mattress pads made from wool and/or cotton.
  

Pillows

• Dax stores also has pillows (cotton, wool, buckwheat...doesn't a buckwheat pillow sound like fun?)
  

Blankets

• Dax stores carries a variety of organic cotton blankets.
  
• Heart of Vermont also stocks blankets and comforters made of organic wool and cotton.
  

Futons

• Heart of Vermont has an entire section devoted to futons.
  

DIY
Heart of Vermont has some DIY supplies (fabric, batting, pillow kits) so if you want to make your own bedding, you can!

• DIY bedding supplies

Here are some other guides to (relatively) earth-friendly fabrics you could use to make your own bedding:

• Green Guide's fabric breakdown
  
• Aurora Silk
• Near Sea Naturals
• Organic cotton at JoAnn Fabrics (there's one in Cromwell)
  

Links:
Dax Stores
The Green Guide (put out by National Geographic; this guide is indispensable)

CT Food Producers Student Forum

Ellie and Tressa are leading a student forum this semester on CT food producers:

In this forum, we will learn about food growers and producers in CT. We will take weekly fieldtrips to visit farms, dairies, restaurants, bakeries, and factories to develop an understanding and appreciation of Connecticut made foods and the processes in which they are produced. There will be readings each week relating to the places we visit and workshops about making bread, cheese, preserved foods, etc. The site visits and workshops will be a practical application of the assigned readings. Participants will also be required to help organize and run the weekly Wesleyan Farmers Market.

If you're interested, contact teaton at wesleyan.edu.

Pocket Shopping Guides

Just wanted to point you in the direction of this Ideal Bite tip about pocket guides to help you make more informed shopping choices. Very handy for those of us who need something written down if there's going to be any hope of remembering it (me).

Google's commitment to the environment

I knew Google was green or whatever, but hadn't looked into what that actually means until very recently. Here are some highlights:

1. RechargeIT: Google has been keeping track of how many MPG its fleet of hybrids and electric cars get and publishing the results. One goal is to demonstrate how plug-in hybrids work. Here's an excellent video on just that.
2. Solar Panels: the campus in Mountain View sports a 1.6 megawatt solar panel installation, apparently one of the largest corporate installations in the US (see here).

Links:
Google's green initiatives
Google.org (Google's philanthropic arm)

EDIT: This week, at the National Clean Energy Summit, Google announced its plans to finance research into EDS (Enhanced Geothermal Systems). It's touted as a reliable, consistent, global energy source (as compared to wind, which is intermittent and available in fewer places). Anyway, here's a Dot Earth post on the subject.

Website Review: Treehugger

(image from the Treehugger about page)

Treehugger (affiliated with the Discovery Channel and Planet Green) is an enormous resource for pretty much everything related to the environment. It can get extremely overwhelming (so much so that in the About section, there's a 12-step program to help you most effectively use the site...), but it's possible to narrow down the content with categories like Design + Architecture, Food + Health, Science + Technology, etc under the "Get Informed" section at the top. If your attention span is fully charged, this is a great resource for information from How to Green your Sex Life to the latest on ocean acidification. They also have a separate website called Hugg, which is a blog of "user-submitted green news."

I'll leave you with picture of Bill Nye the Science Guy (because we all know I think he's bomb):Here's an interview with him on Treehugger.

Ludacris vs. Tommy Lee

(image via Treehugger)

This August, TLC is showing reruns of the Planet Green (Discovery Channel's eco-network) show Battleground Earth, in which Ludacris and Tommy Lee "battle against the toxic forces destroying Mother Earth as they travel across the country on a 10-episode tour." Here is a not so glowing review of the show, but maybe it'll be one of those so bad I have to keep watching it shows. In any case, it airs every Thursday at 8 and 11 pm on TLC. According to Ecorazzi, Planet Green has said that the show is supposed to be entertaining and not preachy. I'm interested to see if this is an effective way of involving people who usually don't care, or if it trivializes/waters down the issues too much. I'd like to check out other shows on Planet Green, like Stuff Happens (which stars Bill Nye, because seriously, who doesn't have a soft spot for that guy??)

Links:
TLC's Battleground Earth airing schedule
Planet Green Website