Heather Wasserman writes

When in the kitchen, I try to get everything I'll need for the
meal from the fridge at one time. This way I don't have to keep going back
and opening and closing the fridge, which lets out the cool air and uses
more energy.

Chris Grissom: Let your oven heat your house...A little

Heres a little eco-tip. When its cold outside, choose meals that
are baked. There are two energy saving elements here. First the stove-top
often requires just as much energy if not more to run as the oven because
the oven conserves heat(energy) at a far greater rate than the stove-top.
Heres the second bonus kick, when your done, leave the door of the oven
cracked a bit and heat your house as well. Choose meals to match the weather
and conserve a little along the way. Cheers!

Sarah from British Columbia, Canada writes

-I ride my bike 7km to work and coordinated Bike to Work week at my
workplace

-I compost and feed food waste to my neighbour's cows and dogs

-I just grew 60 tomato plants with my class of fifth graders from seed

-my class and I adopted a local public beach and keep it clean from refuse

-my new goal is to try and support local growers and farmers as much as
possible

Laura From Anchorage Alaska writes

Greetings!

I like your website, links, and eco-blog! I haven't tried your socks yet, but I look forward to it in the near future (I just learned of them). As a trail-running and outdoor enthusiast I'm passionate about the environment and also about having good quality, durable gear, especially socks!

Some ideas for the eco-blog on clothing and fabric...and TP roll tubes!

Here's something simple I do to make use of old t-shirts or soft fabric too worn to donate. I cut out the usable fabric in handy shapes for use as handkerchiefs. They're great to tuck in a pack or pocket during a trail run or ski! Sew two together, if desired. This recycles the fabric and reduces paper waste. No more white dust, and no worries if you leave it in your pocket on laundry day! They also make great emergency bandages, mini-towels, etc...

If you like to sew, using clothing with fine fabric too worn to donate or fix, cut out neat squares and finish the edges for cloth napkins. Take a TP or papertowel tube and slice into smaller rings, cover with fabric and you have coordinating napkins and napkin rings!

Also, I choose to buy the majority of my clothing second-hand (not socks, of course). I find top-quality apparel for work as well as for my outdoor adventures (fleece-lined Pearl Izumi tights, Sugoi jerseys, Patagonia Capilene, to name a few) paying as little as 99 cents for some of them!

Cheers!

Laura

Demark Schulze writes

We've gone green at home and it's saved us so much green! We use
reusable canvas bags to carry our groceries (which are easier to carry than
the plastic bags anyway); unplug lights when not in use and turn off the heat before going
to work; recycle cans, bottles, etc.; We also set up a vermiculture system
for our food scraps. We live like kings and minimize our carbon
foot(sock)print at the same time! Try it!

Free Socks*Free Socks*Free Socks*Free Socks

Yes, you read correctly. We want to know what you do to make our planet a better place. Even the small things such as unplugging unused appliances make a huge difference. Each week we will highlight the best idea we receive in this blog and send the winner a free pair of socks! Submissions can be made to our our contact page and should include your name and a mailing address. We look forward to hearing about all the great things you are doing!

Sean Walker writes

I co-run a scouting venture crew which utilizes Leave No Trace principals into every trip we take. Whether it is carpooling to cut emissions, or carrying out all of our trash plus whatever else we find, we always leave the wilderness better than it was when we arrived. All of our members are proud to be guided by these principals and love to educate others about leaving no trace.

Jeff Mok's idea to save water with each flush.

Consume less water by putting a brick or a filled water bottle in
your toilet tank. That will save a bottle of water per flush!

Think about the savings in just a week!

Harriet Kuhn writes

Use regular old vinegar instead of Round-Up or other pesticides to
kill weeds in your yard. It has the same effect!!!

Laura C writes

Whenever I receive packing material (peanuts, bubble wrap, etc)
with a shipment, I take it to any UPS store for re-use. They gladly accept
it. And, of course, I recycle the cardboard box!

Debbie Cole writes

Whenever I come up with things I no longer need, but are still
useful, I 'freecycle' them to someone in my area (instead of filling the
local landfill.) And then, if there is something I need, I will look on
freecycle first! I also eat a plant based diet which I believe is easier on
the planet. Along with many other things, including using reusable cloth
bags for any shopping needs, I tell people wherever I go what I'm doing and
why (usually, they ask). Some people didn't know you can clean many things
with just baking soda, vinegar & water! It's less expensive and even young
children can help with the cleaning. '-D

Keira Wickliffe from Baltimore, MD writes

I live in the middle of downtown Baltimore and do not have the
option to do some of the greener things such as plant trees. Instead I've
turned my porch into a mini planted garden with strawberries, blueberries, a
small tree, and a number of other plants. One it's pretty, two now I have some
of my own fruits/veggies/herbs and don't have to run to the grocery store
(and they are organic), and it's the closest thing to planting a tree in the
city

Teko Sponsors Kite Boarder's trip across ND

Watch the video on the side bar to learn more about this new sport. Teko sponsored these brave athletes along their trek in North Dakota. Check out their website for more information: http://www.snowkiting.com/ToCrossTheMoon/

David Nichols writes

I work at a Starbucks four miles from my house and I ride my bicycle to and from work everyday.

Did I hear someone say free socks?

Yes, you read correctly. We want to know what you do to make our planet a better place. Even the small things such as unplugging unused appliances make a huge difference. Each week we will highlight the best idea we receive in this blog and send the winner a free pair of socks! Submissions can be made to our our contact page and should include your name and a mailing address. We look forward to hearing about all the great things you are doing!

Becky Hammond from Boulder, CO writes

Ideas to help the environment: Just replaced my Rav4 with a Prius;
we have a mantra at our house "try to use all things two times" so when we
wash lettuce we save the water for the shrubs, whenever we need to wash
anything off with a hose we do it over the driest part of the yard; all wood
or stone from landscape projects become new projects -- break up small
pieces of flagstone and use them to help the flower pots drain; use pieces
of 4x4 to raise up the pots on the deck; make a potting bench out of a
mixture of all the left over wood and don't worry that they don't match.

South American Trekkers sponsored by Teko Socks

How could we say no to a couple going to South America to hike close to 10,000 miles. Now that is an undertaking! Not only do Gregg and Deia send back great pictures to us, but they have been very valuable field testers as well.

Take a look at their photos by clicking on this link

http://www.granitegear.com/acrosstheandes/index.html

Teko Sponsored Adventure Race Team

Teko is the proud socks sponsor of the DART adventure racing team. Check out there website for more info: http://www.dirtworld.com/RACES/TEAM/dart/sponsors.asp

Teko Sponsored Athlete- Pete Tekada

Teko sponsors world-class climber Pete Tekada and his crew as they climb uncharted routes around the world. Follow Pete as he prepared for his next climb in Pakistan.

Website: http://www.petetakeda.com/

Junto Ventures take sustainability on the road

How often have we noticed that when we travel we suddenly end up consuming more fast food or junk food from fast food restaurants and convenience stores or notice backpackers who seem to be eco-conscious, but they end up purchasing gear that is not eco-friendly, and continue to drive 4x4 SUVs on their journeys?It is relatively easy integrating sustainable techniques in an established home setting, but we have observed that once a living situation has become mobile, the eco-friendliness seems to come to a halt.

Read more about the adventures at : http://juntoventure.org/nasjourney.php

Ground Truth Treking

Join Erin and Bretwood as they trek from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands, by human power(wearing Teko Socks) : Journey on the Wild Coast will be an unprecedented four-thousand-mile expedition along the northern edge of the Pacific Ocean, through some of the most rugged terrain in the world. No road or trail follows this steep and fragmented coastline. We'll be traveling through forests, between islands, around glaciers, and across the tundra - by foot, packraft, and skis. No one has done this before.

Check out their website here: http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/

and their blog: http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/blog/

Joel Webber from Foot Loose and Fancy in Lincoln, NE writes

We are quite pleased to have Teko socks at both of our store locations here in town. We love the fact that Teko places so much emphasis on sustainability and environmentally responsible conduct without sacrificing in terms of product quality or customer service. Hopefully, more and more companies will follow suit in reducing their harmful impacts on the world around them.
Our company began as a Birkenstock specialty store thirty-two years ago. Our home store is now the third oldest store in the country and our second location is going on three years strong as a provider of quality footwear and services in Lincoln, NE. Both of our brick-and-mortar locations operate in coordination with virtual store-fronts, which means we deal with a lot of shipping, both sending and receiving. Subsequently, we also deal with a large volume of shipping materials, such as; dozens of large cardboards boxes, packing tape and materials, labels, paperwork...you get the idea.
We do our very best to recycle and reuse these materials on a daily basis. We take large volumes of recyclable cardboard to the appropriate dumpster on a weekly basis. We re-use boxes for shipping to our customers, often shipping one brand of shoes in another brand's packaging. When it is time for a given box to be retired, he is taken to be recycled with the other items. Packing materials are stockpiled and reused as often as possible; otherwise, they are also taken to the recycling bin. Quite frequently we will recycle shoe boxes for our customers should they decide to wear a given shoe out of the store.
In addition to recycling, many of our employees are make attempts to use alternate modes of transportation. Whether it is an 8-10 block walk to the downtown store, or a six-mile bike ride to the south location, we try to encourage one another to be healthier and more efficient as often as possible. Thanks for everything!!
Sincerely,
Joel Webber

Raymond McConnell from Northern VA writes

I am a co-manager on a 450 acre farm in northern Virginia. We are
currently working towards making the farm a certified organic enterprise.
We use bio-diesel to power all of our vehicles, tractors, and other
equipment. All of our electric power, which covers our housing, barns,
dairy, and electric fences, is supplied through solar energy. Our natural
water sources are protected under conservation grants. The entire facility
recycles all of its trash. Overall, we work hard to protect the
environment, while using the environment to produce farm raised eggs, milk,
meat, wool, vegetables, and honey which we sell at local farmers markets.

Andrew Duncan from Worcester, MA writes

Instead of using gas guzzling cars and trucks, I choose to run. Not only does running save money (and the environment) but it will make you healthier too. I love wearing my Teko socks as I run around town!

Josh Garbarino from Philadelphia, PA writes

I Rescue Siberian Huskies and strive to make them the most eco-dogs
possible by:

--feeding them organic food

--giving them beds filled with recycled fleece

--using corn starch poop-bags

--taking them on hikes in the Adirondacks to pick up trash!