Reuse Your Christmas Tree as a Garden Insulator

Reuse Your Christmas Tree as a Garden Insulator
If you haven't already recycled or curbed your holiday tree, This Old House has some crafty ideas on getting some use out of its broken-down parts. If your winter involves snow, for instance, its parts make great garden boosters.

There are a few non-garden uses suggested among the 10 uses, arranged in a lightly aggravating gallery format. Assuming you don't think of a tree trunk slice as an ideal coaster, you'll be mostly interested in how any tree can be broken down into pieces that arrange and protect an outdoor garden:

Insulate Perennials: Cut off boughs and lay them over perennial beds to protect them from snow and reduce frost heaving.
Edge Your Borders: Cut the trunk into 2-inch discs and set them into the soil to edge flower beds or walkways.
How have you put a spruce, fir, or other holiday tree to good use after its intended time is done? Share the recycling tips in the comments.

10 Uses for Your Christmas Tree [This Old House]

National Suit Drive - Men's Wearhouse

At Men's Wearhouse, we know that not being dressed appropriately can affect employment opportunities. Although we donate millions of dollars of our slow-moving merchandise, we are not able to provide professional attire for many men across the nation. That's why we have started hosting an annual National Suit Drive during the month of September. We partner with over 200 nonprofit organizations across the country to distribute the gently used, professional clothing items we collect to men transitioning into the workforce. For many of these men in crisis, the clothing they receive will give them a first confident step towards a second chance, while the nonprofit services provided will help transform them on their road to self-sufficiency. We are confident that the impact made by helping these men become independent will positively affect their families and their communities. In order to assist the thousands of men that are unemployed at this time, we also partner with businesses and community organizations by encouraging their employees and members to donate their gently used professional clothing. Members of Congress and the American League of Lobbyists kick off the spirit of giving the suits off their backs at the Annual Capitol PurSuit Drive event on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Learn more about ourcommunity partner relationships. Participate in our National Suit Drive and donate your clothing. If you are a nonprofit or know of a nonprofit organization that would be interested in receiving clothing from the Suit Drive, click here.

Need Clothes, Lack Cash...Try Swapping!

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The Dangers of FreeCycling...

CURBSIDE AND FIRST-COME OFFERS

Hi everyone,

Thanks for participating in our Freecycle(TM) group.

This is just to let you know that we enforce the guideline that "spotted at the curb or in an alley", and "first-come first-served" (or similar posts) will be deleted.

If you're an unmoderated member, and you post these, you risk being put back on moderation. If you would like to offer an item you spotted to group members, then go and get the item off of the curb yourself and then repost it as an OFFER. We STRONGLY suggest speaking to the previous owner though, as there may be safety concerns that you may not know about (eg a child's car seat could have been in an accident, rendering it unsafe even if there is no visible damage, the item could be soiled by pets, etc.).

If it is your property, and it needs to go NOW, then haul it out to your curb, and put a sign on it that says TAKE ME, I'M FREE. It will be gone quickly, and if it's not worth picking up, the trash truck will haul it away for you.

"Spotteds" and "First-come" offers don't reflect the grassroots movement that The Freecycle Network stands for. By posting items in this manner, it is possible several people will try to claim the item(s), (often arriving when all the "stuff" is gone). Not only does this add harmful emissions into our air and contribute to traffic congestion, there have been reports of people fighting over items when they arrive at the same time.

In one town, the police were called when Freecycle members descended to pick up items on the sidewalk outside a warehouse. The site was being cleaned and the items were placed outside temporarily. Some well-meaning person spotted them and posted to the local Freecycle group. Items were taken before the police arrived. Additionally, sometimes people are evicted from their residence and everything they own is thrown out on the curb. Before they can come back with any sort of vehicle to collect their belongings, people have picked through their clothing, furniture, and keepsakes. Not a pretty scene! And definitely not in the spirit of Freecycle.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,

Your group moderators

Frugal Uses For Food Jars

Baby food jars (especially the ones for meat) work perfect for tealights. 

I like to nestle them in my plants (either indoor or on my patio) for little candles. 

Larger glass jars work for that same purpose. 

Add some sand or those pretty little marble like things in the bottom and you get even more shine. 

Frugal Uses for Glass Jars

Reusing Baby Jars and Other Glass Jars


BABY JAR USES:


Use them in the garage or basement to collect nails, screws, washers,
and other loose materials.

You could also use them to store small paint samples when you repaint
a room and have just a little bit of paint left in the can.

Keep a couple on a dresser to toss in loose change or stray buttons.

In the kitchen, use them for storing spices ? use one for each type
of spice.

Make snow globes. A snowman made from polymer clay (available at
craft stores) and some glitter make for a cute wintertime scene.

Root plants. Cut a branch off of a plant, then place it in a jar
filled with
water. In a few weeks, roots will grow and a new plant will be
started.


READ MORE:
http://frugalniftytips.blogspot.com/

Be Creative Today Day

This is what I did today...I cleaned out my emails. It wasn't the most fun thing in the world, but I have been putting it off for, well, ever. 24,845 emails in the trash, 2932 spam emails in the spam folder and 2854 emails still to go through. But still, I joined in Be Creative Today Day. What did you do?

Be Creative Today
Sunday February 8, 2009
All Day
(This event repeats every year.)

Notes:
Today is your creative day, this is the time that you would think of something special as finding a new recipe, or baking a certain cake, or anything creative and give it a try. If you have always wanted to can apple butter , then do that, if you have wanted to learn about flower gardening, well now would be a great time. Something special, meaningful and personal that you enjoy. You know something you have been putting off because your too busy to slow down and enjoy life a little. Do it today!

The growing trend of "Ecycling"

The use of electronic products has grown substantially over the past two decades. Many computer manufacturers, TV manufacturers, and electronics retailers offer some kind of take back program or sponsor recycling events.

Even state legislation is picking up the trend, passing bills to manage dead electronics.

Recycling electronics recovers valuable materials, such as precious metals, copper, and engineered plastics, and results in lower environmental emissions (including greenhouse gases).

Recycling 1 million desktop computers prevents the release of greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual emissions of over 17,000 passenger cars. Recycling 1 million cell phones saves enough energy to power more than 19,000 U.S. households with electricity for an entire year.

There are places near you to ecycle. The Best Buy in Hadley will pick up old electronics when they deliver its new replacement. In the store, they take in cell phones, various batteries, and ink cartridges, but there are a growing number of locations taking in computers.

For more information on ecycling, you can call waste management at (877) 439-2795, or go to www.earth911.com.

Local business helps children in need

Stockbridge company donates 65 computers

Having a computer as a school-age child is critical to their education, but not everyone is so fortunate. Brendan Kenny, a teacher atForest Park Middle School in Springfield, has been reaching out to local businesses asking for them to donate their old computers. He received his biggest donation yet, 65 computers from Kripalu Center in Stockbridge. "Those computers are often thrown or recycled but in each case the company has to pay for them to be removed or destroyed to a garbage disposal facility," said Kenny.

Before a computer goes home with a student he clears the hard drive of all sensitive information. If you own a business and want to donate some computers to get a tax break and help these youngsters email: mrcomputertutor@gmail.com

10 Gallon Challenge: Ten ways to save 10 gallons of water every day.

I'm up for the challenge. I can't guarantee that all these will work for me, but some of the ideas are great! I especially like the pet water idea for the plants, I always do full loads of laundry and we never water the lawn.One of the hardest ones for me will be to turn off the water while brushing my teeth. I'm not sure if it is an OCD thing, but my teeth feel cleaner when I have the water running to readily rinse my mouth or toothbrush. So instead to make up for that, I brush my teeth while I am in the shower. I am not sure if this saves any money, but somehow in my head, I think it does.

Last week Kathleen Shecter witnessed a crime scene. There was no blood or dead body. The crime was a crime against her community and future generations. Kathleen saw an older man power washing his driveway.

“Unless it’s a murder scene and you are the chief suspect and therefore washing away evidence against you,” Kathleen joked, “there is no reason to wash a dirty driveway.”

Only 1% of all the water on Earth is usable. The rest is salt water or frozen. The average family of 4 uses 400 gallons of water a day. That is about the same as taking 10 baths.

The nation’s water supplies and distribution systems are increasingly stressed by the public demand for water. A recent government survey showed at least 36 states are anticipating water shortages by 2013. By using water more efficiently, we can help preserve water supplies for future generations.

Kathleen, who is my green guru, offers the following helpful suggestions on simple ways to decrease water consumption on a daily basis:

1. Install a low flow showerhead for each bathroom. Most showerheads use twice the water needed for a thorough shower. Every day 3 billion gallons of water flow through showerheads in the United States.

2. Turn water off when brushing teeth. Why do we feel the need to leave it running? Water savings: 8 gallons per day.

3. Use the “old” water from pet bowls to water plants. Hey, the plants don’t care!

4. Make sure every load of laundry is a full one. Don’t wash partial loads. Water savings: 15 gallons.

5. Don’t rinse dishes. Just scrape the food off and then load. Run only full loads. Water savings: 2 gallons of water per day.

6. Use run off water. When I rinse produce in my salad spinner I remove the basket, dump the water into my watering can for later plant watering or dump it into plants right then. And then I spin.

7. Don’t wash your car at home. I wash my car at one of those self-wash places that recycle the water. It goes down a drain in the carport and gets recycled. No washing the car in the driveway for me. Water savings: 25 gallons.

8. Don’t power wash sidewalks, driveways, or decks. The number of gallons of water used in those high pressure gadgets is alarming. Instead I get out the stiff bristle broom, some good biodegradable soap and scrub with a bucket of water. Then you can use the regular hose to rinse. Hey, who needs the gym? Great upper body workout, and the calories burned……wow! Water savings: 22 gallons per week.

9. Don’t use the toilet as a “trash can”. This can save you 1.6 gallons daily. Be sure the toilet you DO have is low flush one. They use half the water for each flush. If you can’t afford to replace (though it pays for itself in the long run), put a brick in the tank. Does the same thing, low-tech. Water savings: 8 gallons at 4 flushes daily.

10. Don’t water the lawn or other landscaping at the peak of the day. I see so many sprinklers going off at noon! Water before 6am or after 8pm when the temperature is cooler. Be sure all sprinklers are in working order and that you aren’t watering the sidewalk! If it’s running down the gutter you are wasting water (and your money - be prepared for a rise in your water bill - it’s coming.) Water savings: 20 gallons per day.

This week for our Monday mitzvah join me in taking the 10 Gallon Challenge and shave 10 gallons off of your daily water consumption. What other ways have you found to save water?

Reuse-A-Shoe Program

See how the Reuse-A-Shoe program takes your worn-out kicks and turns them into Nike Grind, a material used in sports surfaces, playgrounds and even new Nike products.

So you think you destroyed those shoes out on the track, the court or the field? See what happens when Nike takes your worn-out kicks a step further - shredding them into Nike Grind. Here's how it all works:

1. Drop 'em off.

   Just bring your worn-out athletic shoes to any Reuse-A-Shoe collection center or shoe drive event. We can accept any brand of shoes, but remember - our equipment isn't yet able to process cleats, dress shoes or shoes with metal pieces. Make sure your shoes are dry and free of any mud or dirt. You can find your nearest drop-off location with the map on the right, or learn more about getting involved.

2. Ship 'em out.

   Once we've collected a large number of shoes, we ship them to one of our processing centers - located in Meerhout, Belgium and Wilsonville, Oregon. We also look for the most carbon-efficient shipping methods possible, such as reaching the maximum capacity for shipments. Find out more about our shipping methods.

3. Grind 'em up.

   At our recycling facilities, your old kicks - as well as pre-consumer materials, such as manufacturing scrap and shoes with manufacturing flaws - are sorted and processed into three types of raw material: rubber from the outsole, foam from the midsole and fabric fibers from the upper. We call these materials Nike Grind. See the recycling process in action.

4. Put 'em back in the game.

   If you thought your kicks had seen their last play, think again. As Nike Grind, they could become part of a basketball court, track, field or playground - and pre-consumer material could even get used in new shoes and apparel. No matter what, Nike Grind gives your old athletic shoes another chance at a winning season. Learn more about products made with Nike Grind.

It all starts with you - and your old kicks. Find out how you can get involved.

Save A Blade

Save A Blade Is
As Easy As 1, 2, 3

Step 1:

Insert your razor into Save A Blade.

Step 2:

Press the activating button.

Step 3:

Enjoy a smooth shave.

Save A Blade incorporates a precision Silicone Carbide sharpening member that sharpens multi-blade cartridges and disposable razors in seconds.

The secret is our patented Micro-Honing technology that sweeps across the blade at up to 3,000 revolutions per minute to sharpen and renew your blade in one simple step!