Be the greenest family on your block

Compared to most of the families on our block, we do a good job with our recycling. While most of our neighbor’s garbage cans are overflowing, ours is not. Instead, we have two to four bins of recyclables at the curb most weeks. (No we don’t drink a lot of beer. It’s mostly the weekly remains of two newspapers, a dozen magazine subscriptions, too much junk mail, boxes we get in the mail, milk jugs, and food and soda cans.)

The kids are very good about putting their trash in the recycling bin. If anything, they think everything goes into it and I have to explain only paper, cardboard, glass, cans and #1/#2 plastics.

I get frustrated when we can’t recycle a plastic because it’s not the right type. I literally feel a tinge of guilt when I throw an empty #5 yogurt container in the trash. Unfortunately, there’s no local recycling place that I can take those containers to - the nearest one is in the next county. Since it’s a 1 hour round trip, the gas we’d be using wouldn’t make it worth it.

Recycline Preserve toothbrushes for clean teeth and a green earth

That’s why I was excited to receive two Recycline Preserve toothbrushes to review. Available in seven vivid colors, the handle is made from recycled plastic like Stonyfield Farm® yogurt cups. They come in a reusable travel case and are available at Target stores nationwide for only $2.04. (There’s kid sized toothbrushes, Preserve Jr., too.)

When it is time to replace your toothbrush, you send the toothbrush and case back to Preserve using their postage-paid label to be re-processed into plastic lumber for picnic tables, boardwalks and decks.

Recycline also makes razors, toothpicks, tongue cleaners (!), tableware, and kitchenware. Preserve products are available at Target, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods Market. Preserve Kitchen is carried exclusively at Whole Foods Market.

Click here to save $1 on the purchase of 2 Preserve or Preserve Jr. Toothbrushes.

Go green with some children’s books

Here are some eco-friendly books from Simon & Schuster:

• I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and Easy to Be Green: Simple Activities You Can Do to Save the Earth - for ages four to six, Simon & Schuster’s Little Green Books educate children on what they can do to be more eco-friendly. The books in this line are made from recycled materials, and the storylines cover subjects such as improving the environment, learning about endangered animals, recycling, and much more. (To be released September 2009.)
• SpongeBob Goes Green!: An Earth-Friendly Adventure - for ages four to eight. Can SpongeBob reverse Global Warming and save the Bikini Bottom environment? This green-themed book is printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy ink. The paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization devoted to making sure that paper comes from forests that are well managed, maintained, replenished, and where soil and waterways are protected. (To be released January 2009.) 
• Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life - for ages 12 and up. Teens are already texting friends or chat with them online, downloading music to their iPods, and tossing bottles and papers into recycling bins. Generation Green explains global warming and overflowing landfills and offers dozens of tips on how to shop, dress, eat, and travel the green way. It also shows that being environmentally conscious can be a natural part of your life - and your generation’s contribution to turning things around.

Originally posted on my blog, My Readable Feast on June 28, 2008 - Be the greenest family on your block.