It’s the little things in life…that add up. When ordering food to go, how many times were you given a pile of extra plasticware and napkins? This is not to mention those pesky clamshell food containers themselves. In the ongoing shift away from petroleum-based plastic products, you may have noticed some plastic items now have “Compostable” printed on them. Learn about how to differentiate between biodegradable and compostable, and consider choosing bioplastics and other earth-friendly tableware and food packaging.  More...

Thanks to companies like Credo Mobile (formerly Working Assets) and recyclers like CollectiveGood.com, environmentally conscious consumers have long been able to choose a socially responsible cell phone plan and recycle their phones when they’re ready for a new one.

But consider that worldwide cell phone subscriptions surpassed 3.3 billion last year (equivalent to about half the world’s population). That’s a lot of cell phone handsets. And when you think about how often people upgrade their phones without recycling that’s a lot of handsets heading to the trash. In fact, more than half a billion cell phones are already in landfills.So it’s a relief to hear that Nokia, the world’s largest maker of cell phone handsets, is trying to create a greener cell phone. At last weeks Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (nirvana for any tech junkies like me), Nokia debuted a non-working prototype of the Eco Sensor Concept they announced last year. The concept is a hybrid of eco friendly materials, energy efficiency and - get this – “a wearable sensor unit which can sense and analyze your environment, health, and local weather conditions.” Now that’s allotta phone. More...

I love to eat out and trying new foods is so exciting for me that I often end up with leftovers because I order so much. But this leaves me with a pretty big energy-use dilemma. I can't waste the food, but I also don't want to contribute to the waste stream if I can help it. After all, recycling uses plenty of energy and so many restaurants still use Stryofoam (amazingly) that taking home the leftovers seems almost as bad as leaving food behind sometimes.

So what do I do with that left-over food?

One night, shortly after moving into my present apartment, a trick for finding answers I learned in Peru helped answer that question. While staying in Ollantaytambo, I repeated the town's name over and over in my head, like a mantra. I liked the sound of it and it's rhythm just matched the pace of life in that small, dirt poor town perched at the base of a magnificent Incan temple. It also brought me some clarity and let me find some answers I'd been needing. More...

The hazardous cleaning products that may be in your cabinets are also in the air — and they may release toxins long after you’ve finished scrubbing. Before your next cleaning spree look for natural cleaners and avoid products with labels reading “danger”, “warning”, or “caution”. Non-toxic brands Method and Seventh Generation are widely available. It’s also easy to make your own effective cleaners with ingredients like white vinegar, peroxide, and baking soda, and best of all you can scent them to your liking. More...