Think Green Rewards Earned
82,918,592
Total LBs of WMRA Recycled
55,621,185
Recovered by Greenopolis
28,761,763

recyclemania's blog

Green Code & Cheaper Green Homes

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The state of California adopted a green building code. The rest of the states should follow suit.

The new standards will call for a 20% improvement in water use
efficiency for both residential and commercial plumbing fixtures as
well as target a 50% increase in conservation for water used in
landscaping.

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Activity for children: Paper Making

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Here is an activity that my children and I did over the weekend. I hadn't done it since I was a child myself, but it turned out pretty well. My children made a birthday card for their father with the paper they made.

 

How to Make Your Own Paper

What you need:

Bits of scrap paper (printing paper, newspaper, construction paper)

A frame (old picture frames work well)

Nylon screen or Wire Mesh

Staples or Tacks 

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Going Back to School in Green Style

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With it almost being August, my children are already are getting excited, even though its a month away. Their favorite time of year is when we get to go school shopping for what ever supplies they will need that year.

Here is a list of things you can buy your children when heading back to school, and remain green at the same time!

 

Notebooks: When looking for notebooks, or filler paper for binders buy the brand that has the highest amount of post consumer waste percentage.

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Why Aren't We Solar?

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 Why aren't we solar yet?  It's a question that I want awnsered.

The government, locally or federally, could pass laws requiring newer homes, and newly built homes to have solar panels (in areas where this would be efficient). So why haven't they done so?

Here is a look at some reasons why:

Cost

Solar panels are expensive . . . for now. Isn't everything expensive when its new and only so many people are manufacturing it?

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Gardening Without Breaking Your Back

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As I was flipping through the channels the other day, I saw an infomercial for a product that allowed you to vertically (and upside down) grow tomatoes. I had heard about vertical as well as hydroponic gardening before, but the infomercial really peaked my interest.

 

Vertical Gardening

Vertical gardening is a great solution for people who have small areas, back problems or unsightly structures they would rather have covered.

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Things You Should Buy (Green)

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Things that You Should Buy Green

 Since I got a big response on products you shouldn't buy, I thought I would compile a list of things that you should buy . . . on the green side that is.

 

Paper  - As in printing paper or notebooks, not paper towels and paper plates. What ever paper products you do buy, make sure they have a high post-consumer recycled content.

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Mineral Make Up -Better for You?

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Mineral Make up has been around since the mid 70s, and is thought to be a natural environmentally and skin friendly alternative to traditional make up. Today it is on the rise in popular make up. In fact, many main stream companies are coming out with mineral lines of their own.

How good is mineral make up? What ingredients are in them?

Is it really better better for your skin and the environment?

Read on to learn all about the hype. 

 

The Mystery of Mineral Makeup Revealed

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How to Make the Green Shopping Choice

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Want to buy "greener" products, and make sure you are getting what you paid for? Follow these tips:

 

Beware of Wording - It might say that its "green," "nontoxic," and "all natural,"etc etc but these terms are vague and there are no government regulations monitoring these products and words to make sure that they are really offering what they are promising. The company could easily add in an environmentally friendly factor and still have harmful toxins in it.

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LEDs the super energy efficient bulb

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LEDs, or Light Emitting Diode bulbs are small, but extremely energy efficient. In the past LEDs were expensive therefore limited to single use items such as outdoor and indoor string lights. You may not know it, but many of the items in your home already contain them. Things such as alarm clocks (the numbers), remote controls (used to transmit information), light up watches, on/off light indicators on appliances, and sometimes mega sized television screens.

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CFLs the Good and the Bad

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Compact Fluorescent Lamps, better known as CFLs use 1/3 less energy, making them four times more energy efficient and they last ten times longer than regular incandescent bulbs. However, there are many issues that surround these light bulbs other than just their energy efficiency.

The Good

Its a simple change that anyone can do.

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Green Cleaning

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Making your own green cleaning products is super simple! Not to mention cheaper, better for the environment, and safer for use around children. There simple to make because all the cleaners you can make consist of a list of basic ingredients that most people have in their kitchen cabinets. If
not then you can easily pick them up at the supermarket or drugstore. You can
make everything from multipurpose cleaner to laundry detergent.

 

Here is the list of ingredients:

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Things You Should Never buy

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When you go to the store you have a list or an idea in your head of what you need and are looking for. Normally these are things that you want. However, I propose that you should always have this list on hand . . .

Things that you shouldn't buy. Ever.

Styrofoam Cups - Styrofoam is reuseable, but not really recyclable. A better alternative is reuseable cups (plastic, ceramic, glass etc).

Paper Towels - A waste all over the map.

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Green Your Swimming Pool!

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10 Things You Can Do To Green Your Swiming Pool

1.) Install a pool cover. As much as 70 percent of
a pool’s heat loss is caused by evaporation. It also will keep your
pool or spa cleaner and reduce the need to add chemicals.

2.) Reduce your pool’s water temperature and the number of months you heat your pool. This lower energy use will reduce your carbon footprint and cut your bill down to size.

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Ways to Make Your Beach Trip Green!

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The Beach Boys said it best:

“If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody’d be surfin’
Like Californi-a”

For those with ocean access, summer time is beach time. Before you
get out your boogie board and picnic basket, here’s a few ways to keep
the environment in mind while you’re “hanging ten” and “soaking up the
sun.”

1. Know Before You Go

Like it or not, beaches close for a variety of reasons.

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Ways to get your family to eat healthier

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At our house we have Meatless Mondays and Fish Fridays. The kids like it because it seems as if it is a special day of the week. Meatless Mondays is a national campaign and they have a website  that has some really great recipes. The idea behind the campaign for a healthier America and the prevent of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer - four of the leading causes of death in America.

Everyother meal during the week does not necessarily contain meat, but I make it a point to single out these days and to use it as a way to educate my children as well. 

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