I think I prefer our plan

This guy saved all of his trash for a year to see how much is thrown out.

To be honest, I don’t remember how it came up or how it meandered its way to the concept of me attempting to save my trash for a year. Needless to say, it did. Two months later, on December 4, 2006, I started saving it in the closet of my kitchen.

My original goal was to get two 96 gallon bins from the local waste management company. They quickly informed me that it was illegal to keep trash in bins and not have it removed regularly. Gotta love the law!! I decided to simply keep it in my closet, and instead of stuffing it into two bins I decided to organize it by type, so it could be seen, felt and understood more clearly.

I have accomplished the goal with 99.9% accuracy. I have kept all of my trash, per the rules I set for myself, for 1 year.

Terms and Conditions: Food and Entertainment

So, Elliott doesn't see the point of limiting eating out and going out. I can't quite put my finger on why eating out seems to go against the spirit of the project--it just feels like an unnecessary indulgence, and isn't that what we are trying to cut out?
So I'm proposing a limit but not outright ban on eating out. Limits are:

(1) We are allowed one breakfast or lunch and one dinner out per week.
(2) Restaurants must be local to where we are-- no national chains.

As far as entertainment goes, 99% of the time this involves going to the movies. So new rule that I'm proposing: rentals only, no going to the movies. Although I'm willing to make an exception for this tiny one-screen indie theater near us...

Reuse Coffee Grounds

Green Daily provides tips for using old coffee grounds. Not sure I will be trying all of these, though I do generate a lot of used coffee grounds.

1. Soften and add shine to hair. When washing your hair, rub coffee grounds through wet hair and rinse. For brown hair, coffee grounds add highlights.
2. Use coffee grounds as an exfoliant for skin. Pat on skin, massage over skin, rinse.
3. Add coffee grounds to your skin mask beauty routine.
4. Make homemade tattoos (temporary) with henna and coffee grounds.
5. Fertilize plants. Old coffee grounds are nutrient-rich for plants that thrive in an acidic soil.
6. Add used coffee grounds to the pots of indoor plants.
7. Work used coffee grounds into your garden soil before seed planting. After your plants start to emerge, work in coffee grounds near the plants. Used coffee grounds are said to repel snails and slugs as well as adding nutrients to the soil.
8. Increase your carrot and radish harvest by mixing seeds with dry coffee grounds before planting the seeds.
9. Use coffee grounds to repel ants.
10. Keep cats from using your garden as a kitty box by spreading used coffee grounds and orange peels throughout flower beds.
11. Deodorize a freezer. Place a bowl with used coffee grounds in the freezer to remove unwanted odors. Add a few drops of vanilla to coffee grounds.
12. Grow mushrooms on old coffee grounds."

Top Ten Green Resolutions

According to Green Daily this is what you can do for the planet:

1. Buy less stuff.
2. Do not throw it away. Find new uses for the old.
3. Eat local. Whenever possible, purchase food from local farmers and vendors.
4. Drive less. Look into public transportation in your area. Drive less by consolidating trips.
5. Change those light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs save energy and money.
6. Use non-toxic household cleaners. Not only does it save money, non-toxic household cleaners prevent over-exposure to noxious chemicals.
7. Go organic. For lawn and garden care, avoid chemical pesticides. A healthy lawn and garden are pest resistant. There are natural alternatives to fighting those pesky pests.
8. Use less water.
9. Stop buying plastic bottled water. Invest in a reusable water bottle.
10. Go homemade and handmade. In January, ask friends and family if they are as interested as you are in going crafty this coming year for the next holiday gift giving season.

Just when you thought it was safe to buy fake fur

Faux fur may still be fur: "Be forewarned, many garments out there that are supposedly 'faux fur' may not be.

According to ecorazzi, the law governing fur labels has one big loophole; if it doesn't contain $150 worth of fur, it doesn't need to be labeled as such. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) sent a bunch of faux fur garments to the lab and found out that many of them were real fur, complete with skin inside. The HSUS reports that in at least 7 brands tested, the 'faux-fur' actually came from Chinese dogs (raccoon dogs), rabbits, and raccoons.

The HSUS asks that you report any suspected violators of the Fur Products Labeling Act to the FTC online or by phone: 1 (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357)."

Christmas, Made in China

I'm sure for most people with kids, buying Christmas presents is challenging enough without worrying about where they were made. The lead base paint problem had some people looking at this issue, but it is hard to find toys that are not made in China. Here are some of the gift from Christmas this year:

Because we can

It seems like a lot of times we go shopping just because they can. We may not really need something, but maybe we are just looking for something to do, so we go shopping. Sometimes we can't really afford the stuff we buy, but we don't think of that, because we have money in out pocket (or on the credit card). And sometimes the stuff we buy provides a profit for someone, but at the expense of poor working conditions and pollution for the workers, but we don't think of that either.