Happy Independence!

As I have previously blogged, my schedule (like everyone else’s) does not always have room for posts like these. I thought today, now that I’ve been married for almost exactly 1 month, would be a good time to start things back to a little more regular of a schedule.

And how appropriate the 4th of July! As we celebrate the independence of the United States, it is also a great time to think about some independence from a few other things. This is a great time to think about how to gain independence from an unhealthy lifestyle, from bad habits that negatively affect the world around you, or from financial debt.

As you grill another turkey dog and wave those sparklers in the air, keep in the back of your mind a couple ideas on how to find your own independence. If you need some help, navigate to some of those tips pages at the top of this article and find some easy ways to get started down the right path.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Green, Fit, and Frugal Wedding Planning Challenges

Being of green, fit, and frugal mind, I am in the process of trying to plan a wedding with these factors playing a major role. Is it working? You be the judge.

As far as the fit part goes…well, let’s just say that the holidays and my wedding planning demands are currently very much in the way of me being in top shape for this grand event. However, I have five months, and I have never had more of a reason to act on some New Year’s Resolutions. (Perhaps I’ll do a post on this later…)

For the other two, I am having even more difficulty being both green and frugal.

In the wedding world, there is no such thing as “budget”. You might hear this term muttered by parents shelling out their life savings or brides and grooms forking over paycheck after paycheck, but I am starting to wonder how many brides actually stay within the budget they started out with. I sure haven’t. And guess what comes into play next? Sacrifice. Oh, and the green part.

I had every intention of making this an environmentally-conscious event. I wanted to use paper products that are all recycled/biodegradable materials with soy-based inks, use natural (if not living) items as favors, and choose organic and minimal carbon-footprint menu items. Guess what? Those are the things that drive up the cost of this whole thing.

How do I justify another $800 for special ink printing versus printing on my laser jet at home? Or another $3 per invitation for special recycled paper that only comes in white, off-white, and brown? I did contemplate using the seeded papers so everyone could plant flowers once the piece completed it’s role in my wedding…but you can’t read anything printed ON it so it still needed a blank piece of paper to accompany it in order for people to know who is getting married.

Mini-trees and seed packets for favors? It’s a nice idea, but not if 70% of your guests are from out of town and will need to lug those things on the plane. Assuming they even take it with them and it doesn’t get left on the table to be thrown out by the venue staff during cleanup.

And the menu – have you tried finding a location you are in love with that doesn’t require you to choose “menu option A, B, or C” that does not include anything locally grown or organic, let alone vegetarian? (“It comes with vegetables on the side, doesn’t that count?” No, it doesn’t.)

So far the FRUGAL is dominating my GREEN and FIT, and at this point I think I am doing a great job with several do-it-yourself type projects for centerpieces, invitations, etc.

Have you found any easy solutions to reach goals in any (or all!) of these categories? Suggestions welcome!

This is subject to change. Stay tuned!

Help A Planet Out

It should seem obvious that it would be very challenging for you to have great personal health if the environment around you is not in the same state. You are also probably excessively familiar with the millions of “Save the Earth” type of campaigns that have swept through society for as long as any breathing human can remember. These two occurrences are tied together – it is in our personal interest to do what we can to preserve what we have now in hopes for a better tomorrow.

This is not an informercial. Or a rally to support a special cause. This is a call to that place inside each of us that inspires you to do good. Depending on your situation, that may be done through financial donations to causes that are important to you. Others will do this through environmental behavior changes, such as recycling, to help preserve the health of the physical world.

Another option is through volunteering. Volunteering gives every capable human an opportunity to make a difference by helping someone or something in need. The best part about this option is all that is required is your time, so anyone can do this. The most rewarding part of this type of donation is getting the opportunity to see the immediate results from your time. My sister has a big heart for infants so her personal favorite is always volunteering to rock the newborns in her local hospital. I have a lot of love for all types of animals, so I have taken many an afternoon to walk dogs at shelters, help clean living conditions at zoos and shelters, and pick up trash along beaches to prevent damage to ocean life. I have several friends who have been able to continue their love for a sport through coaching and teaching children to cultivate their own talents.

The point is to find a cause you are passionate about and find a way to get involved with that cause. Please do not talk yourself out of volunteering by telling yourself you have no time. You do. Take an hour once a week – a month even – to walk dogs at a shelter near your office during your lunch hour. Ask your local community theater if they need volunteer ushers during shows. Knock on the door of your aging neighbor to see if they need anything on your trip to the grocery store. (You do know your neighbors, don’t you?) Visit websites like Volunteer Match to search by your area of professional expertise and find an organization that will be ecstatic for an hour of your time, saving them money they do not have to hire and train an employee.

The goal with volunteering is to pay it forward. Everyone needs someone else’s help at some point in life. Tomorrow it could be you. Help someone else today, and start generating some karma.

Salvage that Trash – and Your Sanity

The last thing I prefer to think about is my trash. There are probably at least twelve other things that should be on my mind before taking out the garbage, and only then do I think about it because it is overflowing enough to encourage my dog to ignore her years of obedience training.

However, lately I find myself wondering what I can do to put less in the trash and more in the recycle bin, for reasons other than just delaying the process of taking it out. I have been lugging the green bin out to the curb for several years, but I have also noticed that depending on where I’m living, what goes in that recycling bin varies from street to street. I decided to look into my recycling options, to make sure I am making the best of what I waste.

The best way to recycle is of course to help someone else recycle: reuse something they no longer need. Craigslist is my favorite place to get a great deal on just about everything. (Just remember to engage those bargaining skills – the bigger the item for sale, the more likely the seller just wants to throw it out for free but doesn’t have the energy to do it themselves. I know this because I have sold many pieces of furniture for this very reason.) This obviously will not work with everything…no one wants that tree stump in your backyard. (Though it would make great firewood.)

Below is your one-stop-shop for knowing what you can and can’t recycle, and how to do exactly that.

First – What the Numbers Mean

That mysterious single-digit inside those glamorous recycling arrows helps identify the type of plastic it is stamped on. It is also your key to determining how you should recycle it – and please do!

Type 1: PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)) – Soda & water containers, some waterproof packaging.

Type 2: HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) – Milk, detergent & oil bottles. Toys and plastic bags.

Type 3: V (Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)) – Food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packages.

Type 4: LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) – Many plastic bags.  Shrink wrap, garment bags.

Type 5: PP (Polypropylene) – Refrigerated containers, some bags, most bottle tops, some carpets, some food wrap.

Type 6: PS (Polystyrene) – Throwaway utensils, meat packing, protective packing.

Type 7: OTHER – Usually layered or mixed plastic. No recycling potential – must be landfilled.

Types of Materials That Can Be Recycled

Material	Details	How to recycle
Unbroken glass containers	Clear is the most valuable. Recycle lids with metal. Ceramics contaminate glass.	Sort by color. There is no need to remove labels or bands from cans and bottles. Clean only enough to prevent odors. Try to reuse as much as you can.
Clean, dry newspapers & newspaper inserts		Pack newspapers tightly in large brown grocery sacks or tie with natural twine. Keep dry.
Empty metal cans, caps, lids, bands & foil	Metals can be recycled again and again.
Plastic stamped with #1, #2 and perhaps a couple others*	Even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can ruin a melt. Much recycled plastic ends up as low grade plastic lumber. Much plastic collected for recycling is actually landfilled.	Try and reuse as much as you can. *Check with your local recycling department for which numbers they accept. #7 will never be collected.
Grocery bags, clear plastic bags		Try to reuse what you can; take the rest to your local grocery store.
Bubble wrap, bubble wrap envelopes
Mixed paper: junk mail, magazines, photocopies, computer printouts on white or colored paper, cereal boxes, shoe boxes, phone books	Paper fiber can be recycled about 7 times before it gets too small. Plastic window envelopes are ok. Staples are ok.	Check the inside of the phone book for recycling location information – glue types vary.
Corrugated cardboard		Break down flat. Some curbside pickup, otherwise try your local grocery store / high volume businesses.
Scrap aluminum (lawn chairs, pots, window frames)
Aseptic Packaging (Drink boxes, soy milk containers)	Made from complex layers of plastic, metal and paper. Recycling is expensive and awkward, with few locations. All milk cartons have plastic laminate on the inside.	Call Coca-Cola at 1-800-888-6488 for locations.
Motor oil	Never dump into storm drains. Never mix with anything. Never place in a container that has contained other chemicals.	Pour used oil into a plastic milk jug and clearly mark it “used motor oil.” Call your garbage company, local quick-lube, tire shop or call 1-800-MOTOROIL.
Tires	Improperly disposed tires tend to rise to the top of landfills, breed mosquitoes, transit disease when traded globally, and burn when stacked in large piles.	You normally must pay a fee ($1-5) but it is worth it.
Automotive and sealed led/gel batteries	Though many aren’t actually recycled, all should be collected and not thrown in the trash. Your old car battery may be worth money, if not, trade it in.	Take to an automotive or security dealer for recycling or trade in
Rechargeable batteries	Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable batteries contain toxins – do not throw these into regular trash.	Call 1-800-8BATTERY for information. Throw alkaline and heavy duty batteries in trash unless prohibited. Or try http://www.rbrc.com.
Laser/ink printer cartridges	Don’t bother with refill kits. They may save money, but they are messy, and you use as much plastic as a new cartridge.	Some forward-thinking companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, have been known to sell new cartridges with a postage paid mailer for returning the old one, especially for laser printers
Household chemicals (paint, oil, solvent, pesticides, cleaners)	The heaviest application of agricultural chemicals in the USA comes not from agribusiness, but rather from home gardeners. Indoor air pollution from household products is often found to exceed allowable federal outdoor quality rules. Do not dump into storm drains.	Call your garbage company for advice. Almost all areas have household toxics drop-off days or locations.
Computers, Eyeglasses, Household goods		Donate to charity. Give to a repair shop. Sell/donate via Craigslist.

What Cannot Be Recycled

Material	Details
Ceramics, pyrex, tablware, windows, lightbulbs, mirrors	Clear is the most valuable. Recycle lids with metal. Ceramics contaminate glass.
Newspapers or plastic bags with rubber bands, plastic bags, product samples, water, dirt, mold or other contamination
Full cans, spray cans unless instructed, cans with paint or hazardous waste.
Some plastic materials	Plastic types #7 and perhaps others – check to find out what is collected in your area. Caps are usually a different type from the bottle – toss if unmarked.
Stickers, napkins, tissues, waxed paper, milk cartons, carbon paper, laminated paper (fast food wraps, some food bags, drink boxes, foil), neon paper, thermal fax paper. Any wet or food stained paper.
Scrap metal with parts attracted to magnets. Non-metal parts.	Aluminum is not attracted to magnets.
Containers with traces of hazardous materials.
Compact discs, video tapes, computer disks	Mixed materials and cannot be recycled unless disassembled.