My Green Products

I'm always looking for ways to make my lifestyle more energy-efficient and less wasteful (ways that don't cost too much, I should say). Here are some things that I have purchased in an effort to do that:

• Dishwashing tubs - I bought these tubs from Longs Drugs for about $4 each. It turns out that they both fit perfectly into my sink! One is for soapy soaking, and the other for rinsing. I can do about two loads of dishes by filling these tubs up only once (I found that it helps if you do a bit of rinsing of the really dirty dishes before you soak them).

• Terracycle - I love this company. It started with two Princeton University Students who took compost from the dining halls at school and used it in vermicomposting bins to create quality slow-release fertilizer ("worm poop"). Then they started a recycling program to collect 20 oz. bottles, they filled them with compost tea from the worm poop, repackaged them and sold them as Terracycle liquid fertilizer. The company is huge now and they have recycling programs all over the country at schools to collect these bottles (they refund the school, so the money goes straight to the kids). Check out the website, it's truly inspirational.

• Nalgene/Sigg/Nissan Thermos - This one's a no-brainer. Bring your own container to school/work to refill with the beverage of your choice instead of buying a plastic bottle of water or another coffee cup. Most coffee shops (at least out here) will give you a discount for filling your own cup.

• Mrs. Meyer's soap - This is a brand of biodegradable soaps, including dish soap and laundry detergent. I like the "geranium" scent, though it's really more of a rose scent. I've had this little bottle of dish soap for about six months now and it's only half empty. Unfortunately, the dish soap can be pretty harsh on your hands, so I would stick to the laundry detergent which leaves my clothes smelling like roses!

• Diva cup - This is a latex-free silicone cup that you use during your period. It's amazing, I haven't bought a package of pads or tampons in ages because I don't need to anymore! It's re-usable, so it cuts down on waste and money, and after you get used to it you forget it's even there.

• Bike - Davis, CA is the self-proclaimed #1 most bike-friendly city in the country. Driving your car downtown or to campus is almost impossibly hard (in terms of finding parking, plus it takes almost as long because of all the stop signs everywhere). I bike twenty minutes to campus every day and it feels like nothing now. In the first five months I lived here I refilled my gas tank once. Amazing. Plus, look at how cute my bike is!

• TerraPass - This is a carbon dioxide-offset program for your car, your home, plane flights, etc. You purchase a TerraPass (there are different levels, depending on how much carbon dioxide you produce) and the money goes to support renewable energy programs. It's a good way to reduce your "carbon footprint."

These are just the products that I have purchased myself, there are many many many other ways to reduce your impact on the world. The site Treehugger has an interesting set of articles entitled "How to Green Your (insert word here)" where you can learn how to make almost all of the aspects of your life a little more sustainable. And the blog Hippyshopper offers lots of examples of how to exercise "ethical consumerism." Do with this information what you will.