A sharper focus

"What you think is mere coincidence in life is usually just a matter of a different focus."

Those insightful words came from my dad in an e-mail after he read my blog about my green Christmas gifts (reusable bags and for my mom, a SIGG aluminum water bottle). My dad said that after reading my blog, he noticed that one of the secretaries in his office had a reusable plastic water bottle on her desk, and they got into a conversation about it. "I never noticed this before. Coincidence? I think not. I was more focused."

I sometimes wonder why I'm blogging about my environmental efforts, but if reading one of my posts is the extra inspiration someone needs to make a change, then that's reason enough. I started a blog because as a former reporter and now editor, I saw blogging as a way to keep up with my writing. As for a topic, I decided to write about environmentalism because it was the most recurring issue on my mind. I was talking about it to my co-workers, trying to make changes to my lifestyle, seeing stories about it in the news and wanted to be part of it all. I see its purpose as informing others through my personal experiences. I don't know everything and I'm not perfect, but what I do know and what I have done, I'll tell you about. Since my family members are probably my only regular readers, it makes sense that they might be most influenced, or at least more focused on the issue. My sister also wrote to me that she saw a woman in the gym with a SIGG bottle.

I got another e-mail a few days later from my dad. After balking at my description of him as an old dog (commenting on the nylon grocery bag I got him, I wondered if you can "teach an old dog new tricks"), he said he wanted to buy a reusable water bottle but that he was confused between plastic and aluminum. He asked for my suggestion on what kind to buy. Since I want my blog to be informative (along with hopefully slightly entertaining), I'm reprinting what I told him. Like I said, I'm not an expert but whatever I've learned I'm happy to share.

"To be on the safe side, everyone is buying aluminum (SIGG) or stainless steel (Kleen Kanteen) bottles, which are proven to not leach anything bad into your water. Whole Foods sells SIGG water bottles in all sorts of colors and designs. Or you can buy one online at http://www.mysigg.com/ or http://www.kleankanteen.com/. But you may want to buy it from the store so you can see what size you want. And they have different tops. Some SIGGs come with a screw on cap, which to me seems like kind of a pain. Others have a rounded sports bottle-style top so you don't have to screw off the cap to drink out of it. Even if you don't buy a lot of bottled water, it's handy to have a water bottle because if you fill it up in the morning before leaving for work, you're more likely to drink water throughout the day. And you can bring it with you when you go golfing or out for a walk, etc."

So dad, if you're reading this, I'm sorry for calling you an old dog. And if you get an aluminum water bottle before I do, then I'll really have to grovel.

A year's worth of trash

The other day, I heard NPR's show Day to Day tease an upcoming story about a Los Angeles man named Dave Chameides who saved all his trash for one whole year. Yes, that's right, 365 days worth of trash and recycling. He did it to become more informed about how much he consumes and to learn how to minimize his waste (ya, figures he's from LA, land of the Prius). I remembered hearing something about him before. It turns out NPR did a story on him at the beginning of 2008 when he started the challenge, and then checked back in with him periodically. The story that I heard, which aired on Dec. 30, looked at the final tally of all the trash and recycling he'd collected in his basement.

My ears pricked up when he challenged others to try this for a week. I'm a sucker for challenges so I thought I should try it, especially considering I'm blogging about my environmental efforts. I've already cut back on my use of grocery bags, plastic baggies and disposable coffee cups. In fact, a few days before listening to the story, I was taking stock of how far I've come. That day I put the bread for my lunch in a plastic container instead of using a plastic bag, brought a mug when I got coffee at Coffee Bean, and then that night after I cooked I put leftovers in a plastic yogurt container I'd saved to reuse. Reduce, check. Reuse, check. But before I feel too high and mighty, I thought it would be interesting to do the challenge as a way of recognizing other ways I create waste without realizing it.

Day to Day had a blog about Dave's efforts. The coolest thing on it was a video of Dave explaining what he puts in a backpack he carries with him everywhere he goes. I liked his tone. It was friendly and informative without being holier than thou. He carries a SIGG bottle (eliminating the need to buy bottles of water) and a coffee mug. Before I could think, "OK Dave, tell me something I don't know," he started pulling out crazier stuff like utensils, a camping bowl that unfolds so it's flat when stored and a kitchen towel. I liked the towel idea. I don't use a lot of plastic utensils and bowls since I usually eat my lunch at work so that didn't seem as necessary. But I like the idea of cutting back on paper towels and napkins. I'm not sure if I'll start carrying a towel in my purse (seeing as how I don't carry around a backpack), but I have tried to use the kitchen towels at our office more instead of automatically reaching for a paper towel.

I've been too busy with other stuff to start my weeklong trash challenge, but I'll do it soon. And when I do, I'll let you know how it goes.

To read more about Dave's experiment, his blog is 365 Days Of Trash.
His current blog is Sustainable Dave.

SIGG alert

My mom's new water bottle. Isn't it cute?

I can't believe I forgot to write about the other green gift I got for my mom for Christmas. Besides reusable grocery bags, I got her a SIGG water bottle.

When I went home for Christmas I couldn't believe the woman was still buying cases of bottled water. They litter her spotless kitchen like red cups the day after a frat party. Hello, didn't we all stop buying water bottles like a year ago because all those plastic bottles are such a waste, even if you are recycling them? (I found this shocking stat online: Americans use 2.5 million bottles every hour. Hopefully that's now a little out of date).

For my birthday last March my sister got me a reusable plastic bottle from Henry's and I've been using it almost every day since (it probably could use a good washing). That's what I wanted to get my mom but they didn't have any at Whole Foods. All they had was aluminum water bottles, which have become the de rigeur way to transport your water. (It's supposed to be safer than plastic because there's no concern over leaching chemicals). I wasn't sure if my mom was an aluminum bottle type but I was swayed by the fact that SIGG is a Swiss company, and since my mom fell in love with Switzerland when she visited my sister when she lived there, I knew she'd like carrying around something Swiss.

I've gotta give it to the aluminum bottles, they're a lot more fun than my plain blue plastic bottle. My sister and I picked out a cute white bottle with a field and ladybug design. My mom was definitely surprised and up for ditching her disposable plastic water bottles. I felt better that she'd actually use it when it passed the test of fitting under the water dispenser on the fridge so she can fill it easily. She said she'd have to buy a new water filter, which I guess is partly why she was still buying bottled water (that and habit).

The only drawback to aluminum over reusable plastic bottles is the cost. Instead of being just a couple bucks, the SIGG bottle cost $25. I might have been able to find it cheaper online but since it was Christmas Eve I didn't have time for that. My co-worker bought his online from the SIGG website a while ago, but he was one of the first to get on the aluminum bottle bandwagon before they sold them in stores. With being green so hip these days, it only takes months for a trend to take hold. Now this stuff is everywhere. I think it's kind of funny that my mom, carting around her SIGG bottle, is now cooler than I am. I might have to break down and get one of my own.

At treehugger.com, I read that the results of independent tests conducted by SIGG show that the bottles don't leach BPA. The study found:

• Polycarbonate #7 plastic bottles – 71 ppb (parts per billion) were leached into the water.
• Chinese-made aluminum water bottles – 19 ppb
• New SIGG bottles – no detectable BPA
• Used SIGG bottles (2 years old) – no detectable BPA

No more catalogs

Yesterday in the mail I got just what I've been really wanting ... a catalog of window coverings. True, that might have come in handy in my old house where we didn't cover any of the large windows (yes our neighbors had a full view of what we were watching on TV). But it was unfortunate timing on smith+noble's part because I've kinda got that whole naked window thing taken care of in my new apartment. So I really, really don't need a catalog full of fancy woven shades and wooden blinds.

A while ago on the radio I heard about Catalog Choice, a website where you can opt out of receiving those annoying catalogs you somehow got signed up for (Pottery Barn and all its related companies is the worst). Smith+noble begrudgingly in hand, I finally got to use it. And I'm definitely a fan. It's free and took only a few minutes. After you sign up, you can search for a catalog by name and then change your mail preference to opt out of receiving the catalog. After I hit submit I got this message: "We'll take it from here. Please allow at least twelve weeks for your request to be processed." They contact the catalog for you and that's it. That's good because if I flip through a catalog long enough, I start wanting the pretty things inside. I admit that the vintage patterns in their fabric collection did catch my eye. Good thing I won't be tempted by another catalog from them. Because really, who needs shades that cost $39 a yard.

The link for Catalog Choice is: https://www.catalogchoice.org/dashboard

Green Christmas, Part II

This is the 99 cent bag I got my sister.

I said that I'd write about my other environmental gifts after Christmas, and now that it's ahem, quite a few days after Christmas, I'd better get to it.

In my last post I wrote about the travel mug I gave my co-worker for when he buys coffee (thus saving a paper cup). For my family, I decided to buy them the most common green habit change of the last year or so. Reusable grocery bags for my mom, dad and younger sister. I wondered if any of them already had some. I would have guessed that maybe my younger sister did since she shops at Trader Joe's and they heavily promote theirs, but I kinda doubted my parents had jumped on that train. Kudos to Mom because I was wrong about her.

I bought a cute bag with elephants on it (and the slogan "Don't forget: reuse") from Whole Foods for $4. That one I decided to give to my dad. Since my sister shops at TJ's, I bought her two white bags made from recycled plastic bottles. The design was simple and not as obnoxious as other TJ bags. And only $1 each. When I got to Vegas for Christmas I still hadn't found bags I liked for my mom. So I stopped by her local grocery store, a placed called Sunflower that's a lower-cost Whole Foods, and bought two bags for only $1 each. Then later that day I found myself back in Sunflower with my mom and sister so we could get food for our Christmas Eve dinner. As we waited in line, my mom ruined everything when she said in the checkout line, "I have bags in my car. I'll go get them." She returned with two bags the same as the ones I bought her, except in a different color. She even turned to me and asked if I was proud of her for having reusable bags. I don't know if she noticed my lackluster approval. In retrospect, I am proud of her but at that moment I was selfishly disappointed that my present was redundant.

On Christmas Day I gave Mom the bags anyway, figuring that the more she had, the better chance she'd remember to use them. Even if she went grocery shopping and left a pair at home, the next time she went to the store she'd still have another pair in her car. My sister liked her bags -- I just hope she remembers to use them. I know from experience that when you first buy your own bags they get forgotten in the back seat or trunk when you go into a store. But after a while it becomes a habit. I hardly forget mine anymore. My dad was surprised by his bag. I explained why I gave it to him but did wonder if you can teach an old dog new tricks (the man likes his habits).

That was pretty much the extent of my environmental Christmas. I did use wrapping paper because I'd bought some on sale after Christmas last year and figured I might as well use it. And of course buying new stuff contributes to creating more waste, but I don't feel too bad because I really needed new work pants (and those skinny jeans, really I did).

Spreading good cheer and environmentalism

This mug not only saves a paper coffee cup, it's also biodegradable!

I had to wait to write this post because it's about giving environmentally- friendly Christmas gifts. Now that I've given the gift, I can write about it.

The good thing about environmentalism having become so hip is that the things you do to create less waste don't get a strange look anymore. The checkout people at the grocery store just grab my reusable bags and start filling them up without as much as a second glance, then swipe the bar code that gives me a whopping 5 cent discount for bringing my own bags. I remember just two years ago how I felt embarrassed to bring my cotton West Palm Beach Farmer's Market bag to Trader Joe's, not wanting the cashiers to think I was, god forbid, uncool. Another coworker, who didn't care about things like that, had been taking a bag when she walked down to Trader Joe's, so now that I look back on it she was ahead of the trends.

But I digress. For my Secret Santa gift at work, I got my co-worker (hi Mike!) a coffee travel mug. He doesn't need one for his car since he doesn't make coffee at home. But he does occassionally (like all of us) get coffee from the Coffee Bean conventiently (or dangerously) located next door to our office. I figured he could bring the travel mug and have his caramel lattes put in that instead of wasting a cup that can't be recycled. I've sometimes had them put my drink in a big coffee cup I grabbed from the office but it's not ideal for walking back to the office. I haven't spilled coffee all down the front of me yet but I have dripped a cocoa-colored trail up three flights of stairs. I've since realized that it's easier to bring a travel mug so that is what inspired his gift. And I knew he wouldn't get weird looks because, as with bringing your own bag, bringing your own container is cool now.

(PS-After Christmas I can write about more of my eco-friendly gift giving -- hi family!)

Do you have a sandwich container?

I've been remiss in posting because I knew I wanted to mention my new way of cutting back on using plastic sandwich bags, but it's a fairly minor thing so I kept putting it off. So finally, here it is. A few weeks ago I was at Ralph's and they had plastic sandwich containers made by Wonder Bread hanging in one of the aisles. OK, I haven't eaten Wonder Bread since I was still losing baby teeth, but this was kinda cute. I bought one for about $4. So now when I bring a sandwich to work, or just some bread to eat with a salad, etc., I'm not wasting a plastic bag. Woo-hoo!

I thought these were pretty common but when my coworker saw it he was jealous. He subsequently bought ones from Target made by Rubbermaid (he humored me and modeled it for me). He reported later that he had seen the Wonder Bread sandwich containers in the chips aisle at Albertson's. So now two out of three editors in my office own one of these handy containers. That's two-thirds of the editorial staff in one office. Wow! They're taking over the world!

Cruising along at 65 mph

My younger sister noted recently that I’m a slow driver. Me? No. Slow drivers are boring follow-the-rules, over-the-hill types. Yet it was true. I hadn’t felt like I was driving slow because I was used to driving 65 mph but to her it felt like she was driving with our mother, who I would silently will to drive faster when I was late for soccer practice as a teen (sorry mom, I see your wisdom now).

I had picked up my sister from the Ontario airport and we were driving 50 miles to my older sister’s house. I had set the cruise control to 65 to get better fuel efficiency, which I’ve been doing since the spring when gas prices shot through the roof and I was trying to save on gas and do something good for the environment. She hadn’t heard that the slower you go, the better gas mileage you get so realizing I had an engaged (or trapped, depending on how you look at it) audience, I told her about my efforts to drive 65 mph and how it had increased my fuel efficiency. Instead of filling up after four 60-mile round-trip work days, I could get through the five-day work week without filling up. And if I didn’t drive a lot on the weekend I could go a whole week on one tank of gas.

I wrote about this when I first made the discovery but hadn’t returned to it since. Then I read an article from Saturday’s LA Times Business section, "Memories of a road trip, driven by the price of gas," about how the writer saved on gas during a cross-country trip in his minivan. He got 26 mpg instead of the 19 mpg it should get according to the EPA. He and his wife swore by the "under 65" strategy and only used AC when it was completely necessary. His main point: "... on my road trip I discovered there’s more to fuel economy than the numbers on a window sticker might imply, that even with gas prices creeping steadily downward, saving gas is a good idea, and that there are more rational ways to deal with volatile fuel costs than borrowing from your 401(k) to buy a Prius."

For those of us (myself included) who can’t justify the extra costs of a Prius, we can still do good for the environment by changing our habits, which doesn’t cost a dime (and even saves money), and is a simple and effective way to decrease our impact on the environment. Instead of saying "Well I’m not installing solar panels or buying a hybrid so oh well," it’s a reminder that small changes add up.

I liked the statistics the writer, Ken Bensinger, included in his article:
–Driving at 65 mph burns up 10% more gas than at 55. That jumps to 25% at 75 mph. Also, reaching 65 mph from a standstill requires 40% more energy than getting to 5 mph, so driving at a constant speed is much more efficient than starting and stopping.
– We’ve all heard of rolling down windows on surface streets and using the AC on the highway but the AC isn’t as much of a gas guzzler as you’d think. With the AC on, their fuel economy dropped by only slightly more than 1 mpg. "On particularly aerodynamic cars, opening windows can result in as much as a 20% drop in fuel efficiency, compared with only a 5% to 10% penalty for using the AC."
–Most interestingly, gas containing ethanol gets worse fuel economy than regular unleaded, another drawback to ethanol. Gas with 10% ethanol decreased his fuel efficiency by 9%.

Sure, it’s not possible to drive a slow 65 mph or less all the time but I’ve found that I can use cruise control for at least half my commute to work, after a get on the freeway and before traffic tightens near downtown. It may feel like you’re driving slowly at first, but once you start noticing that it does save gas, maybe more people will do it.