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.