GOOD ENOUGH...TO BE INFORMED

A FEW TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS TO LIVING GREEN

• 90% of the energy used by your washing machine goes to heat water. *Try the cold cycle instead
• Producing and disposing all of the junk mail and extra catalogues you receive in the US each year releases as much CO2 as 2.8 million cars. A service like GreenDimes (www.greendimes.com) and Catalog Choice (from previous post) can help you cut off junk mail almost completely.
• If Americans used one less package of non-recycled paper napkins for every home in the country, it would save 1 million trees.
• Americans throw away about 40 billion disposable coffee cups each year. Buy yourself a reusable cup and help change the "on the go" look.
• Unplug chargers (cell phone chargers, iPod chargers, computer chargers, etc.) when they're not charging. This will reduce about 100 pounds of carbon emissions per year per charger.
• Many people love long hot showers. Its a luxury. Speed up your shower. By spending just two minutes less in the shower each day could prevent about 400 pounds of CO2 (in the form of energy used to heat and treat the water) from entering the atmosphere each year)
• Check your water heaters temperature. Hot water heaters are the third largest expense on your home. By lowering the thermostat to 120 degrees F, you will still maintain extremely warm water, just not factory setting temperatures!
• Plastic shopping bags can last up to over a thousand years in a land fill once disposed of. This might not seem to affect you, until you break it down. Once thrown away, they "decompose" into tiny, toxic particles that become part of the soil and water. Thankfully, cities and stores across the U.S. are banning the option of "Paper or Plastic." When you go out shopping (groceries, clothes, etc.) bring your own bag(s)! Many grocery stores are now selling for a low cost, great sturdy bags. Check out a previous post and buy a FEED bag!
  

GOOD ENOUGH...TO DINE OUT

DINE OUT. FIGHT AIDS.
Dining out for Life is an annual fund raising event in support of fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
If you live in Houston, this Thursday, April 24, 2008 you can participate in Dining out for Life and be a part of the fight to cure HIV/AIDS. Its simple. Go online to www.dininglifeforlife.com/houston and find out where you can eat breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. Each restaurant listed on the website will donate 33% of food bills all day long to Dining out for Life.

Check out online to see which other cities are participating in Dining out for Life and when you can participate in the fundraiser!

GOOD ENOUGH...TO BIKE

We've all had our own issues with traffic: sitting in a car on the highway stuck in bumper to bumper, anxious to get to where youre going; on the bus late to school; in a cab late to a meeting; the subway is too crowded to get on, etc. For now its inevitable and in cities where "on time" means ON TIME, we need a solution.
Thanks to Clear Channel and the District Department of Transportation, Washington D.C. will be the first self-service public bike rental program in the U.S. Structured to enhance the city's public transportation system,Smart Bike D.C. , located in the central business district, will have bike rental kiosks throughout the area.
By joining the bike share program, you have access to the 120 bikes provided in DC at 10 locations throughout the downtown area. The four-speed, one-size-fits-all bike are available for up to three hours, where you return the bike to any Smart Bike kiosk.
Bike share programs have flourished in European cities such as Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. Hopefully in the next few months we can see great progress with the Smart Bike D.C. and other cities will adapt to this new public transportation system!
to learn more click click on Smart Bike D.C. or go to www.smartbikedc.com