Green Living Resource Guide

You can find lots of helpful tips and ideas for living a green, sustainable life through my blogs Silly Goose Farm Eat Local (for the Times Union) From Scratch Club If you would like to learn a bit more about me, visit my personal website.

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The Daily Green Green Matters Forced Green EcoLife Greener Every Day About Green Living Green World 365 EcoLiteracy National Geographic Green Guide Whole Living Mother Nature Network Earth 911 Blue Egg Guide Me Green Grist Green Living Going Green Green Living Tips EcoGeek

Planet Green Save the Earth EcoRazzi Eco Chick Green America Sustainability

The Carbon Account CoZero Co2 Stats 3Degrees Carma Carbon Rally AltEnergy No Impact Man The Nature Conservancy

Find a Community Garden Near You: American Community Garden Association Capital District Community Gardens From Scratch Club Ideal Bite Local Harvest FarmieMarket Food in Jars Ball Home Preservation Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking

Join a Buying Club Find a CSA Program Near You Find a Farmers Market Near You

Yokohama Tire Company Do The Right Thing Sustainable Business Just Means Autoblog Green Environmental Working Group Planet Save Green Tech Buyer Taiga Company Blog

Green Living Earth Easy Evo Eco Monkey The Find (Green) Loving Eco EcoBunga Frugal For Life Bonafide Green Goods About Green Shopping Craigslists Etsy eBay Goodwill Salvation Army Consignment Shops

Search Amazon.com for sustainable products. Try using these keywords to find the best variety of products: Organic Food Organic Clothes Organic Gardening Organic Pet Sustainable Eco-Friendly Or visit Amazon’s Green Product Page

BEC Green Rate It Green Inhabitat Green Home Green Home Design About Green Home Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Greenopolis Recycle Bank Throw Place Living Plastic Free The Rubbish Diet FreeCycle Think Green Zero Waste Home Electronic Waste Recycling Programs Hazardous Waste Drop-Off

Ride Sharing and Carpooling: Road Sharing Pickup Pal Junk Mail and Catalog Cancellation: Catalog Choice Green Dimes 41 Pounds Stop the Junk Mail Travel: About Green Travel Responsible Travel Report Go Green Travel Independent Traveler Green Travel Hub Green Hotels

Apartment and City Living: Urban Homestead Green Renter EcoVian Sustainable City News Green Living Apartments

The following products should be bought as organic, fair-trade, sustainable, and local whenever possible:

• • • • • • • • • •

Thin-skinned fruit and veggies (berries, tree fruits, leafy greens, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, celery, carrots, herbs, grapes) Dairy products Meat and seafood Eggs Sugar Cotton Baby products Coffee Chocolate Mattresses and bedding

The following products are okay to buy conventional: • • • •

Thick-skinned fruits and veggies (avocadoes, onions, garlic, bananas, melons, corn, citrus) Grains and flours Glass and ceramics Alcohol

Check the produce stickers to see if you have conventional, organic, or genetically modified produce: • If the product code has FOUR numbers, it is a conventionally-grown product

• If the product code has FIVE numbers and begins with an EIGHT, it is a genetically-modified (GMO) product • If the product code has FIVE numbers and begins with a NINE, it is an organic product

Most companies offer single-stream recycling •

PET (1) – Soda bottles, plastic water bottles, cooking oil containers, polyester fibers, thermoformed sheets and strapping. Can leach chemicals with extended over-use. Widely accepted

•

HDPE (2) – Milk jugs, yogurt containers, plastic shopping bags.

Widely accepted

•

PVC (3) – ketchup and mustard bottles, plastic wrap. Contains carcinogens and BPA. Widely accepted

•

LDPE (4) – Produce bags, 6-pack holders, food storage containers.

One of the “safer” plastic options. Becoming more accepted

•

PP (5) – bags, ropes, food storage containers. Can leach chemicals when heated. Check first – only some programs take 5’s

•

PS (6) – Styrofoam products, plastic cutlery, CD cases. Growing in acceptance

•

O (7) – Other plastics, acrylic, nylon. Not generally accepted

•

Replace faucet with aerator (most news faucets will already have these)

•

Swap out paper towels for reusable cloth towels (I use cloth diapers!)

•

Make your own laundry soap with three easy ingredients

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Unplug appliances or use energy-saving switches and power strips

•

Buy a gallon of distilled white vinegar and a few squirt bottles

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Put a few plants on your windowsill

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Recycle and reuse items

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Call you energy company

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Buy LED light bulbs

•

Buy canvas shopping bags

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Fill your tires

•

Monitor the thermostat

•

Buy glass drinking container

½ cup Borax 1 cup Washing Soda 1 Fels-Naptha Bar (All ingredients can be found in the laundry care aisle of most supermarkets) Grate the Fels-Naptha bar with an old cheese grater. Mix the ingredients together in a covered container. Use 1 tablespoon for a regular load, and 2 tablespoons for a heavily soiled load. If you are using a front-loading washing machine, be sure to add this soap directly to the drum.

Yields 3 cups of soap, enough for approximately 30-40 loads You can also buy kits online to make your own laundry soap

We hope this resource guide is helpful as you engage in a sustainable lifestyle!

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Copyright Š 2012 by Silly Goose Farm