The “Greener” Days of Summer.
I just love the extra-long days that summer brings. It seems that I am more energized and can accomplish a great deal more. Or, it may just give me a few more hours in the day to relax and catch up on what is truly important in my life. I am always amazed at how much more receptive my clients seem to be with the concept of the “greening” of their home in summer. Could it be that we are more “nature” influenced? Spending more time outdoors and observing the majesty that nature brings may inspire a greener lifestyle. Whatever the reason, my clients are very receptive to my 7 fave summer tips to get them started.
Here are my favorite 7 Summer jump-start green tips. Summer is the perfect time of year to get greener.
1. Keep your freezer full. Use bags of ice to fill the voids and your freezer won’t have to use as much energy to stay cold.
2. Cut back on your paper towel habit. Washable viscose cloths are far more absorbent than paper; they can soak up 10 times their weight in liquid. Trader Joes and Whole Foods carriy them.
3. Use glass containers for leftovers. They are safer to use in the microwave than plastic, which can leach chemicals. Bed Bath & Beyond, and Crate&Barrel offer great variety.
4. Lose your shoes. Wiping your feet on a doormat before you step inside is good, but removing your sneakers altogether is even better. So many studies suggest that we bring in an incredible amount of pesticides and chemicals into our homes on our shoes. Taking off your shoes is one of the easiest ways to keep those toxins from coming inside.
5. Dump the dryer…at least during the summer. Let Mother Nature dry your clothes instead of the electric or gas company. Did you know that you can save 4.4 pounds of carbon per load?
6. Summer time…and the mowers are humming…How about looking into a push-mower? No fuel, no emissions, no blaring roar and today’s model is not your father’s push model.
7. Summer time…and the Bar-B-Q is easy… Green your next party or picnic with a line of sturdy line of sugarcane-based tableware. Not only are these plates, bowls and cups fully biodegradable, their materials are thicker than traditional Styrofoam or paper based products and can be used for either hot or cold food. You can find them at www.branchhome.com
Featured website
My summer go-to wardrobe consists of tees and shorts or jeans. Period! Finding a tee that not only feels good, but one that I know contains no dye and that are made from recycled items can be a challenge. These tees are named for the recycled items from which they are made. Water Cooler Blue, Bottle Green and Beer Bottle Brown. And talk about soft… soft…soft! $22.00 each. Find them at www.playbackclothing.com
Walking The Talk
At the annual NAPO (National Assn. of Professional Organizers) conference last April, I had the wonderful experience of presenting conference speaker, KJ McCory.
KJ lives in Colorado and has been instrumental in that states "Green Awareness" for many years. Her list of accomplishments within this industry is just mind-blowing and I could on and on about her impact in the "green" arena.
During her presentation, she mentioned more than once a small start-up company in NYC called Green Irene. She stated that they offer certification and eco-makeovers. On the plane home, I began sifting though the myriad of options that conference always brings, but I put at the top of my list "Green Irene". It didn’t take me long to research this fabulous company.
After speaking with Green Irene’s owner PJ Stafford, I decided to join up and take their courses to become certified as an eco-consultant. You may have noticed more than a few mentions on my home page regarding Green Irene.
I strongly encourage you to take further notice of just how easy this company makes it to help you make simple, yet profound changes in your day-to-day living. These small changes will not only save you big bucks, but will help you save our planet in ways you haven’t even thought of.
Here’s the best part. As an organizer, it is vital that I offer high transference of skills at a reasonable cost. Green Irene operates with the same philosophy. Eco-makeovers are a very methodical. Each makeover can last 90 minutes discussing topics like energy and water conservation, toxic free living, indoor air quality, recycling, waste reduction, and emergency preparedness.
We also offer fun and informative eco-parties, but the best part is that all of this only costs the homeowner $99.00. With so much waste out there these days, I am thrilled beyond words to have found a company with which I hope to have a continued relationship for years to come.
Thank you PJ and Rosa Maria for having this vision for Green Irene.
Featured website:
http://www.greenirene.com/eileenstonybrook
1-888-212-GREEN
GET GREEN: Change the World...One Roll at a Time
(Excerpts taken from the magazine Body and Soul)
Buy Recycled TP
Believe it or not, recycled toilet paper can change the world. “If every household in the US bought just one, four-pack of 260-sheet recycled bath tissue, it would eliminate 60,600 pounds of chlorine pollution, preserve 356 million gallons of fresh water, and save 988,000 trees,” says Jeffery Hollender, whose company, Seventh Generation, offers a range of environmentally conscious consumer goods. Using recycled paper products saves manufacturers a trip into the forest and doesn’t require the energy needed to extract pulp from trees. Plus, a four-pack of the recycled kind cost about the same as conventional. You can effect change, Hollender insists, “one roll of toilet paper at a time.” 
Pass on the Paper Towels
No matter how you look at it, paper towels create waste--even if you stick to recycled brands. Danny Seo, green-living guru and author of the Simply Green series notes, “You use them once and throw them away. Most end up in landfills.” In his house, you’ll find only reusable micro-fiber towels, which grip dirt and dust like a magnet and don’t let go, even when wet. When you're finished, toss the towels in the wash and reuse. He says, “Paper towels just push dirt and bacteria around. Next time you wipe your counter or clean a mirror with a reusable micro-fiber towel you can think of the trees you’re saving.”
~Eileen Koff, CPO
GET GREEN: Decode your Carbon Footprint
When I first heard about carbon footprints I think I was listening to the radio. I was imagining little black footprints all over my floor, and you can’t imagine the horror I felt. Just when I thought eliminating my plastic water bottle consumption was enough...I learned about yet another fight against global warming.
What is your carbon footprint? 
It’s the amount (in tons) of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere as a result of your day-to-day activities...from driving a car to eating a turkey sandwich. The name refers to carbon dioxide, which accounts for about 84% of human-made greenhouse-gas emissions. "The word footprint describes the amount of carbon dioxide that you contribute to climate change," says Bill McKibben, author of Fight Global Warming Now.
So by ingesting that turkey sandwich, your carbon footprint includes the amount of pollutant produced by the tractor that harvested the corn that fed the turkey and the wheat that made the bread as well as the trucks that moved the turkey and the bread to the store and the car you took to the store and then home again. Wow! That’s a lot of miles for just one turkey sandwich.
You can calculate your carbon footprint by checking how many tons your household activities add to the atmosphere at: http://epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/calculator/ind_calculator.html.
The lower your number the better!
How do you reduce your emissions? You can help (through donations or time) organizations that fund clean energy or other projects that soak-up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Did you know that the U.S. ranks second among industrialized nations in greenhouse emissions? (Australia is first). I recently heard about an ice sheet the size of Connecticut that broke away from Antarctica. While global warming is certainly upon us, it’s not too late to take measures into downsizing your own footprint.
GET GREEN: How many light bulbs does it take to change a world?
You can fix a leaky facet, block the draft beneath the front door, and use higher efficiency light bulbs. These are such simple deeds that I bet you wouldn’t think twice about doing them. But, by taking “living green” to the next level, you can make an even larger impact; not only on your wallet, but for the planet. Here are two green-conscious things you can do right now that you might not have ever considered…
1)Junk Mail: Return to Sender
Here’s a BIG “beef” of mine. Everyday I find at least one or two credit card mailers from banks asking me to open up another credit card account. Here’s what I’ve started doing.
Inside the mailers are useless materials that don’t have your name or any of your ID information. There is also a return postage envelope. I stuff the envelope with the material that does not have any ID information and mail it back to the sender.
Remember: Do NOT put a return address sticker on the envelope. That way, the sender is then paying for their useless garbage. Now, I know it’s a VERY small protest, but if more people started dong it, I'd hope there would be less mailers.
Why is this in the "GET GREEN" section? At least 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail and 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce the paper. All of these resources are wasted to produce items many people don't even look at. About half of all junk mail is thrown out unopened or unread, and the rate of response to junk mail is less than 2 percent. The result is that more than 4 million tons of paper are wasted every year, according to the Native Forest Network (now known as the WildWest Institute).
Junk mail also has a direct negative economic impact as well. An estimated $320 million of local taxes are used to dispose of junk mail annually, and transportation of junk mail costs about $550 million per year, not to mention the air pollution generated during transport.
You can fight back. Read about effective ways to reduce and even eliminate junk mail.
But, better yet, stop the junk mail from coming into your home for GOOD! Go to: http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/junk-mail.htm.
2)You Don't Know What You Don't Know
If you’re like me, you don’t even know you’re paying for energy that you don’t know you’re using. Even if you hit the off switch on many appliances they continue to draw power. Anything that has an LED bulb that glows even after you turn it off will continue to suck energy. The TV, cell phones, computers, and printers are just a few vampires lurking in your home. 
It’s very easy to just unplug them from the wall sockets and plug them into a power strip instead. Then when you leave the room or go to bed just flip the switch and that will cut the flow to the appliances. The “glowing appliances” could be sucking the average home owner $200.00 a year. Now that’s worth knowing about!
To read more about what you can do, go to:http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fewhours/global-warming.htm.
~Eileen Koff, CPO
To The Next Level
