Recycle, Reuse

 Check out this article from the NY TIMES:

Junkyard Architecture

By ALISON GREGOR

Published: December 16, 2010 

Laura Dante Photography

A shipping container is lowered to the roof of 25 Carroll Street in Brooklyn.

How about a bay window made of an old truck body, or a closet made of red wine barrels? Or even a home framed in steel from melted-down submarines. That time may be fast approaching.

Click to read complete article.

Thanks for visiting. Be Fancy. Be Green.

Recycle = Reuse

 My neighbor got a new stove, and gave me her old one!  That's the best way to recycle -- keep a useful item in use!

Thanks for visiting. Be Fancy. Be Green.

"Lower Emissions, Raise Your Voice"

More from San Francisco Greenfest:
Learned about The Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), a non-profit org "dedicated to educating America's high school students about the science behind climate change and inspiring them to do something about it—while having fun along the way."

I think their message and tips apply to all of us. I've copied some of their energy-reduction tips here:

1.Use compact florescent light bulbs - they use 1/4 the energy and last 10 times longer.
2.Unplug lamps and electronics when not in use. Even when turned off they use energy. Do this and reduce your carbon output by 1000 lbs.
3.Buy eco-friendly products.
4.Stop buying things you don't need.
5.Reuse, reuse, reuse. Shop at thrift stores, garage sales, etc.
6.Recycle.
7.Stop buying bottled water. Fill up at home and carry your own in an eco-friendly bottle made out of stainless steel.

How many of these things are you doing?

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Buy Used

It's great to support companies that make earth-friendly products, but there are other ways to be green. Next time you need a new desk or bed or couch or kitchen table, check out craigslist. I found a cool hand-made stainless steel Room & Board platform frame for under $300!! It was just what I was looking for -- and in excellent shape.

Also, check the free furniture section. Sometimes people just want to get rid of their stuff fast. Furnish your office or cabin with freebies that you can refinish or paint.

In Seattle we have Second Use and the Restore, both salvage shops that sell a variety of items that have been salvaged from schools, hotels, old buildings, and homes. You might find a gymnasium floor or a funky purple booth from a night club or old lockers (my personal favs). I'm taking in my bathroom sink to trade in for someone else's used bathroom sink. Recycle by reusing. It's fun, it's good for the planet, and you might just find some one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture.

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Day Planning

I like to keep it simple. And elegant. I'd rather use my fun gadgets for fun, and keep my days planned on paper. There's something about penning in a tea date with friend that's just more intimate than keeping track of my appointments with a little electronic device. I like the option of ticking off each meeting, doctor's appointment, and errand. I like writing down important deadlines with my red pen. I like not wasting resources by using a day planner with refillable pages. I love crossing out events I decided not to attend because I chose to take care of me and spend an evening relaxing. I like that if I drop my Filofax it doesn't break and I'm not out $300.

If you haven't heard of Filofax, it's because you're just not very fancy. That's ok. There's time to learn. Filofax is a British company that makes cool leather day planners of all styles and sizes. I'm a big fan of the classic Slimline collection, having used my first one (black, of course) for nearly 15 years before replacing it (I still use it as a notebook). I also have an orange mini - for travel. Men use them. Women use them. They come in black, red, pink, purple, and even flower print.

You can organize your planner however you choose. I'm a "week to a page" gal; keeps my Filofax slim enough to toss into whatever bag or pack I'm carrying. In the back, I have alphabet divider pages, in between which I keep a short-list address book. One of my favorite Filofax products - the computer printable pages. I don't have to hand write long lists (such as my contact info for the colleagues, friends, doctors, massage therapists, and other important people in my life) just to keep in touch. I can print them out on special Filofax paper that even has the holes punched in it. Makes updating a snap.


Naturally, I also keep a supply of Filofax note paper, which also comes in a variety of colors, for "notes to self," driving directions, and "to do" lists.

So maybe I'm stretching to label Filofax products as eco items, but there are these facts: I don't have to charge my Filofax (energy saving), I can recycle the pages at the end of each year, and I burn a few calories writing by hand.

Be Fancy, Get a Filofax.

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Recycle Inkjet Cartridges

There's nothing worse than having my inkjet cartridge poop out on me in the middle of printing my final manuscript. I want to throw it into the garbage in anger. Then I get mad at myself for not keeping 3 or 4 on hand, but I can't do that because I hate buying in bulk. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll die, and my tiny condo closets will be filled with rolls of toilet paper, inkjet cartridges from all the printers I had to get rid of because they didn't work so I never even opened the cartridges, all the inkjet cartridges for my current printer, and dozens of bars of Dr. Bronner's soap. And can I trust my survivors to use these items? Yes, if my friends find me. No way if the people in my building find me -- they'll just toss it all in the garbage. I could never rest in peace knowing that my death contributed to my local landfill (or worse, my garbage gets transported to an out of state landfill).

So, back on topic. I hate when that happens. So does my boyfriend because when we have to circle the Office Depot store five times before we can find a place to park, I yell at him for telling me how to drive. Then I pull over and yell at him some more.

Anyway, long story short -- don't just toss your spent cartridges. Visit our web site to find where you can drop them off or mail them in to be recycled. If you have more ideas than we do, please share!

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