Go a Little GREENER
A thought-provoking action guide to turning your good eco-friendly intentions into everyday habits around the house. Here’s how to get started.
ou don’t have to be zero-waste to go green. “The goal is to simply start—and then do more,” says Laurie David, co-author of Imagine It!: A Handbook for a Happier Planet,
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A BETTER WIPE All that toilet paper we use is bad for forests, says David. Many tissue products are made from virgin or old-growth forest (15 billion trees are cut down each year, while only 4 billion are planted), meaning trees in ecologically important forests are being removed for
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solution: Check the Natural
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Toilet Paper Sustainability Scorecard next time you buy. It ranks brands based on percentage of postconsumer
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factors. Kick another wasteful habit: paper towels. One machine-washable Skoy Cloth
can absorb 15 times its own weight and is equivalent to 15 rolls of paper towels. $9
for four, containerstore.com 5
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A BETTER CUP OF COFFEE To make your morning coffee habit greener, bring a reusable mug to the coffee shop, swap K-Cups for reusable pods or replace
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CoffeeSock, a washable cotton option made in a variety of styles to suit different brewing methods. One CoffeeSock lasts the equivalent of 500 paper
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dry after each use. $13, coffeesock.com
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A BETTER SWAB on½Ì
send another cotton
ÃÜ>L Ìo Ìhi l>n`wll° LastSwab is a reusable and sustainable alternative
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use. $12, lastobject.com 4
A BETTER RIDE To reduce your personal carbon footprint, consider biking around town with standard or electric wheels (even eliminating one car ride a day makes a difference). The new battery-operated e-bikes, which have pedal assist and a throttle to help you power up hills and take longer rides, are a great way to run errands with less environmental damage. One we tried: the RadCity Step-Thru Electric Commuter Bike. $1,499, radpowerbikes.com
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A BETTER CLEAN For scrubbing heavy messes, try the Walnut Scouring Pad] ÜhĶVh Üon½Ì li>Vh microplastic debris down the drain and into our water. And for your suds, the Vegan Dish Block is a concenÌÀ>Ìi` `ĶÃhÜ>ÃhĶn} Ão>« Ìh>Ì `oiÃn½Ì require a plastic dispenser. $2.75 for four pads, publicgoods.com; $9, notoxlife.com
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A BETTER WRAP
Replace kitchen plastic wrap with reusable airtight silicone Food Huggers, perfect for saving fruits and veggies. $28 for an eightpiece set, food52.com
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A BETTER WASH
Using detergent capsules? David suggests
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wrapped in plastic, like
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gradable and fragrancefree Laundry Detergent Pods. Bonus Tip: Always wash in cold water. According to Energy Star, up to 90 percent of energy used goes toward
hi>ÌĶn} ÞoÕÀ Ü>ÃhiÀ½Ã water. $7 for 24,
publicgoods.com