LIVE GREEN

Trade in your clunker and get cash off a new vehicle. Visit http://cars.gov/flow-chart.html

Last week, Greendimes.com changed to Tonic Mailstopper.  I just had to sign up today. If I get one more piece of junk mail from Vonage, I’ll go mad! WE HAVE NO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET IN OUR AREA. It’s just not available to us here. I’ve explained this to Vonage and the rep asked me what I would like for her to do. I let her know to pass the word on to Marketing, so we can stop being bombarded with junk mail.
To use the Vonage service, I’d first have to get high-speed internet, which meand I’d have to buy one of the satellite-based services and deal with their fair-access use policies and cut down a beautiful old tree to make way for the new dish. No way, it’s not gonna happen.

Go green with products made from wheat. This company’s goal is to reduce oil dependency and they supposedly have the world’s largest range of crop-based eco-friendly products. Check it out, especially if you’re stuck for a last-minute holiday gift idea.

Here are some ways you can care for your pets the green way and without the use of deadly chemicals found in most pet products for flea control.
I have read many horror stories of people who’s pets have suffered, even died due to toxins in flea shampoo, collars, and topical medications. Check out this site, for instance. It’s horrifying!

This is the time of year we really can’t hang our clothes out on the laundry line to dry anymore. You don’t have to let the heat from your clothes dryer go to waste, though. I just bought a deflector and hooked  it up to my clothes dryer. Now all that nice, warm humid air from my dryer helps to heat my home.

The dryer heat deflectors are available at home centers and hardware stores. I bought mine online for $11. Installation was relatively easy. You’ll probably have to go and get some more lengths of dryer venting material (looks like a large Slinky covered in tin foil) because what you have to do is hook up a length of vent coming out of the dryer and into the bottom of the deflector. Then, you’ll have to attach another piece of vent coming out of the top of the deflector and attach it to the area where the dryer originally vented to. After you install it, just flip the switch on the deflector and turn your dryer on. Now you’re ready to enjoy the nice warm humid air and have it help to heat your home. Remember to clean the lint screen both on your dryer AND the deflector after each use.

Here’s a picture of my installation. I mounted the deflector on the wall between the washer and dryer. I have to re-mount it so it’s straight. I just wanted to get it operational first, and worry about looks later.

One thing you might consider is to buy unscented fabric softener sheets or your house may end up smelling like a laundromat.

Like many folks, I made the switch to the Compact Fluorescent lighbulbs and I have grown increasingly upset with their performance and lifespan. They just don’t last that long unless you leave them running for long periods of time. Forget using them in bathrooms where you’re in and out of there quickly, as they seem to burn out fast under those types of conditions.
Plus, I’ve heard of them exploding and I can’t afford to hire a mercury cleanup crew if and when this happens.
I’m going back to standard bulbs and stocking up on them since CFL’s will be the only bulb type available by 2014. Unlike CFL’s, standard bulbs can be stored forever.

I’ve had this new number and fax machine for a little over a year now, and I just got my first junk fax today. Very annoying! You can report junk faxes to the FCC and there is also a helpful guide to combat these spammers.

Junk faxers waste time, paper, ink/toner and they must be stopped.

Here’s a company that takes in used boxes and sells them at great prices, all the while helping to keep all that material out of landfills. Three Cheers!!!
I came across them during my search for boxes and other packing materials that can be delivered to an APO address.

Check out America’s First Self-Service Public Bike Rental program of it’s kind! The program is currently running in DC and will progress to other cities if it’s a hit.

The fee is $40 per year. You sign up and then receive a card which you activate on the website.

There are ten Smartbike rental locations in the D.C. area.

BlogMad recently gave a nod to my little environmental blog in their Daily Top Voted Blogs section. Thanks for the write-up! And thanks to the readers who gave a thumbs-up vote!