The green fairy’s on hiatus this week, ladies. See you after Labor Day!
Archive for Uncategorized
Reduce, reuse …
Hello friends,
We’ve been talking this week about how some materials—glass and metal, for example—are more recyclable than others, like plastics.
But when we talk about recycling, we often leave out the two most important parts of the process. You’ve surely heard the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Well, there’s a reason “recycle” is the last word in the phrase—it’s supposed to be your last resort.
Yes indeed, I am telling you that recycling alone isn’t good enough. You have to actively reduce the amount of waste you produce: buy items with less packaging, buy in bulk, only use a bag if you need it, and don’t buy “disposable” anything, if you can help it. Next, reuse what you already have: old plastic bags, plastic sour cream containers, etc. I’m sure you know someone—a grandparent or parent—who lived through the Depression and had to make everything last as long as it could. Following our elders’ example is one of the most Earth-friendly things we can do.
Viva the old people!
Love, The Green Fairy
It’s all about the packaging
Hi friends!
Have you ever stood in the grocery aisle, trying to decide between two very similar products? They both have the same volume, the same price, the same ingredients—which do you choose?
I’m going to offer one more criterion you should consider when buying anything: packaging. Which one has less packaging overall? Sometimes—say, when you’re buying cookies—they’ll come packaged in a box, but inside the box they’re contained within little plastic trays. Or sometimes, they’ll even be individually wrapped.
You might say “Yeah, but all that packaging can be recycled, Green Fairy!” Ah, there’s the catch. Plastic recycling is unlike aluminum recycling or steel recycling. You can’t turn an old plastic bag into a new plastic bag. You can turn it into a park bench, but what do you do when the park bench breaks? It goes into the landfill.
This cycle is called “downcycling,” and it’s what happens when you put plastics in the recycling bin.
So when you’re deciding between two products, and one is swathed in more plastic than the other, the choice should be simple!
Love, The Green Fairy
How high to inflate your tires?
The Green Fairy’s co-worker Heidi made a good point the other day about inflating your tires.
(Remember, as we’ve discussed, keeping your tires properly inflated is a good way to up your gas mileage. If you don’t believe me, try bicycling with underinflated tires, and then with fully inflated ones. It’s a lot more work the first way.)
Anyway, Heidi pointed out that it’s tough to know exactly how high your tire pressure should be. There’s a number listed on the inside of the drivers’ side door, but there’s also a number on the tire itself. Which is correct?
Always go by the number on the tire itself. That’s the number the tire manufacturer has determined will provide optimum performance. The number on the car door is put there by the car’s manufacturer. And the car’s manufacturer’s number will almost always be lower than the tire manufacturer’s, because less-inflated tires give you a cushier ride. And the car manufacturers think you want comfort over efficiency.
That’s so 1990s.
Have a good day! Love, The Green Fairy
Put away the hose!
Sorry I neglected you yesterday, my friends! Sometimes the world just conspires against the Green Fairy.
Anyway, we’re wratpping up a week of discussing water conservation, and I promised to give you the secret to knowing when your lawn needs water. It’s pretty easy: just walk across the grass. If it springs back immediately, don’t water. If you can look back across the lawn and see where you walked, it’s time to turn on the sprinklers.
A few more yard-related water conservation tips:
- Always water at night (after 6 p.m.) or in the morning (before 10 p.m.). When you water during the heat of the day, a significant portion of the moisture is lost to evaporation.
- Don’t use your hose to wash down your sidewalks and driveway. A broom will do the same job with perhaps hundreds of gallons in savings.
- Don’t forget to deeply water your trees. The Green Fairy sees lots of yards across the valley that are landscaped for low water use, and their trees are suffering. Better to use some gallons of water on the tree (which provides shade and helps reduce evaporation from your yard) than to lose it.
Have a good dry weekend!
Water down the drain
Hi friends, today we’re talking about saving water in the bathroom. We already talked about shutting off the water when you lather up while washing your hands. Here are some more tips:
- We all hang out in the shower for an extra minute or two sometimes, but keep in mind that most showers spray 2.5 gallons per minute.
- Speaking of showers, you might try shutting it off while you shave your legs, or while you’re lathering up. (This is easier to do now, when it’s warm outside, and the Green Fairy understands).
- If you have an older model toilet, fill up a two-liter bottle with water, and put it in the tank. It’ll save you two liters every time you flush, with no change in performance. (The Green Fairy managed to fit three liters in hers.)
- It should be common sense, but make sure you turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the yard, and I’ll give you the secret to knowing if your lawn needs water.
Love, The Green Fairy
No post today.
The dog ate it.
Or rather, my fairy-computer did.
In any case, I wrote a great little post for you today, but somehow it’s been lost.
We’ll have to pick up the conversation tomorrow.
Love, The Green Fairy
Did you hear that?
Hi friends!
Um, I just want to make sure what we talked about yesterday fully sinks in: for every five miles you drive over 55 miles per hour, you use ten percent more fuel. Which means that going 75 miles per hour is FORTY PERCENT less efficient than driving at 55.
Just think: if you could cut out 40 percent of your work week, you could take Thursdays and Fridays off.
Or think of it this way. Say you’re driving from Salt Lake to St. George. The average car in the U.S. gets 20 miles per gallon. It’s about 300 miles to St George. If you drive the whole distance at 60 miles per hour (because I know nobody’s actually going to do 55 on the highway), it’d take 15 gallons of gas, or $60, at $4 a gallon. But if you drive 80 mph (because I know everybody actually does 80 on that stretch of I-15), it’d take 21 gallons of gas, or $84.
Admittedly, it’d take you about an hour longer. Of course. You’re driving slower. But if you’re the patient type, like the Green Fairy is, you might consider making the tradeoff.
Unlike the Green Fairy’s ex-boyfriend, who routinely drove that stretch at upwards of 90 mph. (He not only wasted gas money, but paid a lot of speeding tickets, too.)
Much love, The Green Fairy
Welcome!
It all started when Rocky Mountain Power sent a Yellow PowerForward alert to its customers, asking that they reduce their energy usage during peak hours. The Green Fairy sat in her office chair and pondered: How could she pass the message along to others?
“Give them something to read while they pee,” she thought. “Everybody likes to read something when they’re on the toilet.”
And so began The Green Fairy updates in the ladies room on the third floor of the Murdock Building.
But apparently, some of the Green Fairy’s officemates like to read when they’re at their computers. So she started this blog. Look for archived Green Fairy updates here this weekend, in case you’ve missed a day, and look for daily updates during the week.
Of course, you’ll still get The Green Fairy in the bathroom stall, too. But this is a little more genteel. Please feel free to leave comments and to send me your burning sustainability questions. I’ll do my best to keep up!
Love, The Green Fairy
