From the category archives:

Voluntary Simplicity

Eco-Tip Tuesday: Message in a Bottle

February 1, 2010 Eco-Friendly Living
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I guess I thought that using a reusable bottle was as common as recycling at this point, but as I watched dozens of people roll out of Target with discounted cases of bottled water this past weekend, I discovered that perhaps the message has clearly not reached everyone. Did you know that approximately 1.5 million [...]

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Eco-Tip Tuesday: Get Caught Holding the Bag

January 25, 2010 Eco-Friendly Living
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I just got back from visiting my hometown of Washington, D.C., which recently passed a bag tax wherein retailers citywide charge $.05 for each plastic or paper shopping bag you require. More and more cities are passing similar legislation against disposable shopping bags, particularly because it is increasingly common for U.S. seashores and riverbanks to [...]

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Firm Decisions for 2010…

December 31, 2009 Eco-Friendly Living
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“People are so worried about what they consume between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they consume between the New Year and Christmas.” —Unknown

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Eco-Tip Tuesday: Small Footprint Holidays

December 22, 2009 Eco-Friendly Living
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Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans throw away a million extra tons of garbage each week, including holiday wrapping and packaging, according to Robert Lilienfeld. Lilienfield is co-author of the book Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are. Here are eight ways to reduce your environmental footprint this holiday season. 

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Eco-Tip Tuesday: Keep It Simple, Silly

December 8, 2009 Eco-Friendly Living
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When the continuous operation of a system relies on a long and complex chain of crucial suppliers and resources, all running smoothly, that’s pretty much a textbook example of an unsustainable system. Put another way, the systems we take for granted to deliver everything from plasma-screen TV sets to store-bought apple pie are more vulnerable [...]

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Eco-Tip Tuesday: Waste Not, Want Not

December 1, 2009 Eco-Friendly Living
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There are consequences to our national habit of sending food to landfills. American food waste has significant environmental, economic, and cultural ramifications. On average, Americans waste 40 percent of our food supply, which is more than 1400 calories of food per person per day, reports a new study by a team of National Institute of [...]

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