8/31/13

How many times have you purchased a new lipstick or foundation and have it come with a whole bag of freebies? Are your bathroom drawers and cabinets stuffed with unopened bottles of body lotion, shampoo and other grooming essentials? You can unload the hoarded goodies and help someone in need by donating makeup, moisturizers and other beauty products to a local women's shelter. These shelters will pass them on to people in need, and you'll make sure these unopened and unused items find a good purpose. To find your closest shelter, visit womenshelters.org.

8/30/13

Is it greener to drink instant iced tea or brew it the old-fashioned way from bags? While powdered tea may seem greener since there's virtually no waste, there is a significant amount of energy used to turn regular tea into instant tea at the factory. Plus, the process removes up to 90 percent of the healthy antioxidants found in traditional brewed tea. The best bet? Brew from tea bags -- organic, whenever possible -- and compost the used bags in your backyard.

8/29/13

Ink cartridges for at-home inkjet printers can be very expensive. One way to conserve ink is to automatically set your printer default to draft mode when the overall quality of the printing really doesn't matter; this uses less ink and will help extend the life of the cartridge. Another way to go green and save money is to replace your inkjet cartridges with remanufactured cartridges. These are recycled cartridges that are refilled and resold at up to 60 percent less than new ones. Try the site carrotink.com to see the savings yourself.