Recycling Fabric to Save and Go Green
Next time you get ready to throw out a piece of clothes, linen or textiles consider recycling as alternative option. Often times, fabrics being thrown away could be reused for another purpose or given to somebody else to get further use out of. Not only can you save some real cash, but also reduce your environment impact.
Textile Recycling Industry
The textile industry in America is a massive industry. Just go to any mall or shopping center, you are bound to find tons of clothing stores or home good stores. In America alone, there 11.9 million tons of textiles or just under 5% of all waste ended up in landfills in 2007.
With this much waste every year, this really opened the doors for textile recycling industry. Every year, fabric recyclers are able to save approximately 2.5 billion pounds of textiles or a little more than 1% of all postconsumer textiles wasted every year. Some of the fabrics are used by the recyclers and the rest is sold to manufacturers that make materials with the used materials. Contrary to what you may think, used textiles have a fairly high value and all parties are able to at least recover all costs in the process. What’s neat that many types of fabrics can be recycled in some fashion including cotton, fleece, denim, linens and many more.
Reuse Fabrics
The easiest way to recycle those extra fabrics laying around the house is to reuse textiles. All you need is a good all around sewing machine and your good to go. Whether you make repairs to existing items or creating unique pieces out of several different types of fabrics, it’s easy to see how you can really make a huge impact. Think of all the money you spent on buying the particular item, why not get more use out of it? Even if you didn’t spend a lot of money, why contribute to overfilled landfills when there was no reason to throw it out. Some great ways you can reuse fabrics include:
Quilting
Quilting can be a wonderful idea for just about any type of fabric scraps laying around your house. Nothing is new about this concept, especially back in the days when there wasn’t a Jo-Ann fabric right down the street, along with many not living as lavishly as we do now. People had to be much more creative with what they had available. Try creating a new family tradition by finding clothing and other fabrics laying around the house and sew a quilt with your children. You can even make quilts or donate fabrics to make quilts for charity.
Repairs
Just because you lost a button or an item has a small tear, there is no reason to throw it out. People are so sensitive to wearing something that is not in perfect condition, but will buy clothes already ripped or faded? Save yourself some money and either make simple repairs by yourself or get somebody you know who is good with a sewing machine to make them for you.
Re-Purposing
One great example of re-purposing is in terms of under shirts that I wear. By the time I am done with them, they usually are stretched out and can’t be reused as a fabric in other purposes. I reuse them by cutting them up for use as a small towels to wipe things up around the house. I save money on paper towels and I don’t have to throw those old shirts out.
Donating
Another great way to recycle those extra fabrics you have laying around the house is to donate them. Donating them allows other people to have items that you no longer want either free or a very inexpensively. Many people clothing items just sitting in their closet that were only worn a few times, if at all. Why not donate those items and allow others to get use out of them. Some great places to donate those items are:
- Salvation Army
- Goodwill
- Purple Heart
- PlanetAid – They have bins all over the place to easily donate those old clothing items.
- Soles4Souls – Donate those old shoes.
- Used Clothing for Women
There are other ways to recoup some of the cost of those clothing, while still providing a way for people to buy quality clothes at an affordable price:
- Ebay – Auction off the items.
- Consignment shops
- Classified ads
Telsa Unveils Model S Highway Capable EV
Telsa Motors just announced that they are now taking orders for their new model, the Model S. This model is a series of all electric sedans that have a range of up to 300 miles on a full charge and can seat up to seven people.
Model S
Tesla’s new Model S is different from their well-know roadster in that it is a sedan and a much more practical car for daily use. The main differences are the body style and interior, its performance and the
price.
Body Style and Interior
The body style is a sleek and stylish body that is comparable to a car like the BMW 5 series. The interior is roomy as it holds a total of 5 adults comfortable along with 2 child seats. It actually has more trunk room than a traditional station wagon. It even has a trunk under the hood to provide more storage space. I actually think this vehicle looks better than the Roadster and many comparable cars on the market today.
Battery
The Model S will come with one of three battery options, a 160, 230 and 300 mile range. The batteries can be charge to full power in just around 4 hours and has a 45-minute quick charge option. It can be charge from just about any outlet type including a 120, 240 or 480 volt. The battery pack lifespan is expected to last approximately 7-10 years.
Price
Price is a huge factor as to why this vehicle may become extremely popular and make Tesla a much more prevalent automaker in America. The starting price for the Model S is at $57,400. It has the maximum tax credit for any vehicle at $7,500, reducing the car to a cost of just under $50k. Those prices are comparable to similar luxury cars like Audi’s or BMW, but is fully electric and has much lower maintainence costs over the lifetime of the vehicle.
Performance
It’s not as fast as the Roadster, but it still has a 0-6 in 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 120 miles per hour. Unlike gas cars, it only has two gears, drive and reverse. The ride in Tesla’s vehicles are much smoother as shifting is not required.
Overall, the new Model S seems like a viable option for people across the nation. If you are going to spend $50k on a luxury vehicle, why not get one that is fully electric. It will be available in late 2011 and you can reserve yours today. Let’s hope the efforts of Aptera and Tesla make a huge impact on the America auto-making industry.
Tesla Motors
Tesla History
Tesla Motors is the first automaker in America and Europe to manufacture highway-capable electric vehicles. The company is based out of Silicon Valley and is focused on manufacturing electric vehicles. Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning originally founded the company in 2003 and named the company after famous inventor and physicist Nikola Tesla. Tesla’s goal in producing their cars is to make electric automobiles a viable alternative. None of their models do not sacrifice quality or style and still maintain high performance. The first of their stores opened in April 2008 in Los Angelos, California and their currently have support centers in several states across the nation. They plan to build more in the coming years. They are expanding as we speak as they plan to have stores in every major city across America within the next few years.
Roadster
The Roadster is the first of Tesla Motors vehicles that was first unveiled to the public in April of 2006. It uses a lithium-ion battery pack that allows it to get up to 227 miles per charge. This sports car is extremely fast as it can go from 0-60 in about 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 125 miles per hour. They have a new Sports model that lowers that number to abou 3.7 seconds. Tesla Motors originally brought in Lotus Cars to help them design the body on the car, if you can’t tell from how it looks. Their vehicles are currently manufactured by Lotus in their England factory with a few parts shared from Lotus models, but many shipped in from California. This car is actually one of the least expensive cars with any entirely carbon fiber body. This allows for minimal weight while still maintaining a strong body.
The lithium ion battery packs in the Roadster maintain good driving performance for up to 5 years or 100,000 miles. Tesla will recycle the battery for you once it’s reached the end of it’s life. In 2007, it was estimated to cost about $20,000 to replace the battery system, but should have gone down since then. In the next 5 years, the technology will most likely be dramatically better and at a cheaper cost. The space if fairly limited in these cars and only can fit 2 people and approximately a golf bag in the trunk. Over 250 Roadsters have already been delivered and are becoming more and more popular. The currently list price on one of these cars is $109,000
Tesla’s electric vehicles are the first production ready and have already gotten great reviews. Let’s hope this company makes a huge impact by getting large car manufacturers to start developing electric cars that get more than 50 miles per charge. Maybe one day we will see charge stations all around the nation…
EcoSmart Natural Organic Insecticides Contest
I found a brand of natural, organic insecticides called EcoSmart. They are not a new company as they have been around for over 15 years now. All of their products are made from essential plant oils that are just as effective the harmful chemical counterparts. If you don’t want to make your products and want to ensure that you are not exposed to unnecessary toxins, this is the way to go.
It contains a patented technology combines plant oils that target and block a key neurotransmitter receptor site found only in invertebrates.
You can see if you check their site to see if they sell their products in a store near you or you can buy directly through them.
Contest
I am pleased to announce a new contest where you can win a variety of EcoSmart Products. The winner of this contest will receive any 4 of their organic insecticides of your choosing. I will also choose a second place winner to choose any 1 of their products. EcoSmart products include:
- Ant & Roach
- Flying Insect
- Fungicide
- Garden Insect
- Home Pest Control
- Insect Repellent
- Wasp & Hornet
- Weed & Grass
You can receive up to 2 entries in the contest by doing either or both of the following:
- Leave a comment here telling me which products you would be interested in.
- Subscribe to my RSS feed or email subscription and comment here to let me know you did so.
The contest will end on April 6th, 2009. I will randomly select on winner and second place winner the following day and contacting both. In order to enter, you must be a US resident.
Maryland Uses Federal Stimulus Money for the Environment
The Maryland government is almost $120 million of the money they are receiving from the American stimulus package toward environmental efforts in Maryland. This is on top of the billions of dollars being spent on renewable energy by the stimulus package. The biggest portion of the funds are being used to fund increasing the water quality of Maryland ’s drinking water, creating hundreds of new jobs and and contribute towards restoring the Chesapeake Bay. The Maryland Department of the Environment or MDE will be in control of distributing the remainder of their funds as described by MDE’s press secretary:
After receiving a flood of applications for this funding from around the state, we’ve worked to ensure that environmental benefits and job creation are maximized in every region of the state.
This money will really take some of the pressure off of local county governments in Maryland to provide money they really don’t have to fund water and sewer system upgrades. I just wanted to showcase this effort by Maryland to put more of the money received from the stimulus package towards local environmental efforts. I hope other states take similar actions to really take advantage of the funds by providing them to important efforts like the enviornment.
Natural Deodorants: Save and Go Green
There seems to always be a constant struggle with people to always be sweat free and smell like you just walked out of the shower. Whether it’s advertisers or just self-conscious people, people buy tons of deodorants every year just so that they can stay fresh under their arms. What most people don’t realize is that most deodorants contain ingredients with unknown side effects to your body. To top it off, most deodorants can be fairly pricey and not really be as effective as they claim.
Why are Deodorants used?
Deodorants were first created to eliminate the nasty odor that often builds up under your armpits. Sweat itself does not stink nor does it stain. Bacteria are the main reason that our under arms stink after sweat. They thrive in hot, humid places with high ph levels. The warmest part on our bodies in under our arms along with sweat accumulation to try cooling the area down. Both are breeding grounds for bacteria colonization. You underarm hair serves its purpose by wicking the moisture away from the skin and making it difficult for bacteria to live. Deodorants come into play by helping balance ph under your arms and trying to reduce moisture.
Deodorant Market
The current deodorant industry is a multi-million dollar industry every year. They sell tons of products based off of the fears by many that they might have horrible body odor or have sweaty armpits. All of the top companies do a great job in marketing their product to make it seem like you have to their deodorant or you will stink or constantly be sweating under your arms. They use terms like Antiperspirant, Fresh Scent and Long Lasting. All of these terms are great ways to cover up the fact that they are using ingredients that could be harmful for you health. Let’s go into some of the top ingredients that major deodorants brands have in them and how they could be affecting your health.
Aluminum
Aluminum is one of the top ingredients on many of the popular types of deodorants. Whenever you heard the term Antiperspirant, the product will most definitely contain an ingredient with aluminum in the name. Some deodorants contain as much as 35% of some form of aluminum in them. That’s a pretty scary figure, especially when you heard just how dangerous it can be when applied to your skin. The main purpose to adding aluminum to deodorants is to stop sweat. It does so by acting as a duct on your sweat glands to block any sweat from leaving your body. There are repercussions to use to many antiperspirants as it can cause problems related to your sweat glands. Do you really want to be using a product that is blocking our body’s natural function of sweating?
Besides just blocking your sweat glands, aluminum can be absorbed into the body and be extremely dangerous. Being a toxin that affects our nerve cells, it is shown to have adverse affects on DNA and has even been linked to one of the most infamous diseases in our country, Alzheimer’s. Anytime you see Aluminium chloride, aluminium chlorohydrate, and aluminium-zirconium compounds on a deodorant ingredient list, be sure to avoid buying the product.
Parabens
Another major ingredient that you will often find on deodorants are parabens. These chemicals add little to the actual function of deodorant, only as a preservative. On top of causing skin irritations and rashes to some, it even has a possible link to causing Breast Cancer. Even with the FDA believing that parabens are linked to cancer, they continue to allow it to be used in many major cosmetic products. Check the ingredient list of deodorant for any of the ingredients I listed in the Paraben article and be sure to check if it says paraben-free on the label.
Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol is another product that adds little function to how the deodorant works except to keep the product moist. There is no conclusive evidence of propylene glycol causing health issues to humans, but I would try to avoid using it at all costs. It is used in products like anti-freezes and deicers. Check the ingredient list of deodorant for any of the ingredients I listed in the Propylene Glycol article.
Natural Deodorants
There are alternative deodorants available on the market that work similarly to those with many of the harmful ingredients listed above, but contain all natural ingredients. It will be hard to find an antiperspirant with these types of products mostly because it should not be the job of a deodorant to prevent you from sweating. Sweat itself is not the reason we stink and in no way should we be preventing our bodies from functioning naturally.
Crystal Deodorant
Crystal sticks are becoming a more and more popular option for use as a deodorant. Ammonium Alum is the ingredient making up these crystal sticks. Don’t be fooled by the fact that these do in fact have aluminum sulfate in the chemical compound. The major difference between the aluminum found in these sticks and the ones I mentioned above is that it is a natural ingredient that purifies water. It’s composition is different in that it cannot be absorbed through our skin like the aluminum chemicals I mentioned above. Why so many people also switch to using a crystal rock still like these is that they can save you money over in the long term. Unlike traditional deodorants, you only have to buy one of these at most once every year. They also do a great job in reducing odor, while not containing any fragrances or ingredients I listed above.
Crystal is probably the most popular brand of these sticks, but just about any natural store, drug store and even some grocery stores carry them. They range anywhere from $5 – $10 and as I said above last at least a year. Just as with any deodorant, make sure to not use it too often. Regardless of how safe a product may be, it’s not good to use any of them too often.
Gel Natural Deodorants
There are many natural deodorants that still look and feel similar to traditional deodorant. Many of them substitute the harmful ingredients in a deodorant stick with more natural options. Things like natural herbs and plants as well as fruit and vegetables oils eliminate the odor causing bacteria just as well. My only reservation with many of these natural deodorants is that they claim to have all natural ingredients, but still contain substances like propylene glycol. Just check the ingredient list on a major natural deodorant manufacturer like Toms of Maine. I know there is no scientific evidence proving that this product is dangerous, but I am still skeptical until further research is done on it. A good thing is that they don’t use they normally don’t use the really harmful ingredients like aluminum and parabens.
As with the crystal sticks, you can find most natural deodorants stick at just about any store including online retailers. Make sure to read the ingredient list carefully to make sure that it is in fact natural and you are not putting something on your body that could be dangerous.
Homemade
I am a big advocate of making homemade products whenever possible and deodorants are no exception. This doesn’t mean that you have to make a stick of deodorant, but natural products can be used in place of a deodorant stick or roll that work just as well. Some of these products include:
- Corn Starch: Works to reduce moisture and does not have a smell.
- Vinegar and Baking Soda: Not just good cleaners. They also can balance the ph under your arm and eliminate odor.
- Aloe Vera
- Natural Oils
I found a really great recipe at Care2.com that combines baking soda and cornstarch:
Basic Deodorant Powder
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
(optional)A few drops essential oils such as lavender or cinnamon
No Deodorant At All!
The last way to really go natural with deodorants is to not use one at all 
You may end up smelling a little more at the end of the day, but you know that you are not putting anything unnatural into your body. You are allowing your body to function as it normally does.
How can you save?
There are many advantages to not using deodorant or homemade deodorants. One main reason is that I actually noticed I sweat less and don’t smell as bad. I use either a crystal stick, baking soda or nothing at all and I have noticed that I produce much less odor then when I was using a deodorant stick. I may not smell like the “fresh scents” they put in deodorants but I also don’t end up having bad body odor by the end of the day.
As always, I like to go into how it can save you money by going green. By not using a deodorant stick or using more natural methods, you can really save money on those expensive deodorant sticks. Say that a deodorant stick costs $4 and you buy one ever month. Over a year, you will be spending $48 just on deodorant sticks and over a 5 year period, it adds up to $240. That’s not a significant amount, but another thing to add to the list of ways to save money. A hidden cost you may not think about is you will not ruin your clothes as much. One thing that I have noticed is that when I sweat, my armpits are not stained like when using deodorants sticks. The aluminum and various harmful ingredients are not only bad for your body, but also product nasty stains on your clothes. This can really help save you clothes and spend less on under shirts.
2009 WWF Earth Hour
Earth Hour 2009 is coming this weekend, on March 28th, 2009 at 8:30 pm your local time, . The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is asking everyone throughout the world to make a statement and turn off their non-essential electrical items for 1 hour. Whether it be you as an individual, businesses or the government, we all need to take action to show that we want to make a difference and reduce our energy use.
Earth Hour History
The original Earth hour took place in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and showed just how much of a difference it can make for everybody to turn off energy sources for just one hour. After the success in Australia, it spread worldwide in 2008 and was a complete success. It was supported on every continent throughout the world. There were over 35 flagship cities supporting the event along with over 400 cities worldwide also supporting. What’s also amazing is that over 6.7 unique visitors went to their website during the week before Earth Hour. The event is believed to have drawn close to 50 million people to join in on the event during last year’s event.
Join In
The 2009 Earth Hour event hopes to be an even larger event than last years and I hope it continues to gain notoriety like it has. Check out all the cities that are planned to attend as well as college campuses across the country that are participating in this event. Also, make sure to spread the word whether it be sending email to all your friends, letting people know on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook or sending a letter to your business or local government informing them of the event. There are also some great tips for things you can do while all the lights and electricity are off. Let’s make a difference by taking this simple action to show that we are committed to fighting climate change.
Earth Hour a Success ( Updated 3/30)
Earth hour seems to have been a complete success this year. I joined in and it looks like the rest of the world has as well.
Please Share
Please share what you did during Earth Hour and how successful you believe this movement is going to be.
