Wired For Noise

How many of you drink milk? Do you buy it in the big plastic jugs? What do you do when you’ve finished off the milk in the jug? You could just through it in the trash or you could recycle it into something new. Here are 5 things that you can do with your empty milk jugs to reduce the amount of trash your family is creating.

1. Make a bird feeder.  They’re not the prettiest, but they are functional. Cut out a small hole along the side, about an inch and a half above the bottom. Then fill the bottom with some bird seed and string it from the handle to a tree branch. The plastic can get hot so you’ll want to hang it in a shady spot, especially if you live in a warm weather area.
2. Use them in your garden. Cut the bottom off and stick the top half over young plants to act as small greenhouses. While you’re at it use the bottom part as a place to start your seedlings in. Or leave them intact, fill with water, punch a few small holes in the bottoms, and sit them in your garden for a slow trickle of water onto your plants. You can clean and store these easily during the winter months and pull them out again each spring.
3. Make a container. Cut the top off at an angle so that the handle is in place and you can use them to hold things in. Clothes pins, small toys, you can even use this in the kitchen to hold your scraps for composting. If you have animals that reguire a lot of food this can also be used to scoop up their feed.
4. Use the sides. Cut large circles out of the sides to use for freezing burgers. If you mike to make a lot of burgers and freeze them for future use you can stick the plastic circles in between. It’s better than wax paper as you can reuse them again and again.
5. Save water. Fill empty milk jugs with water and stick in the tank of your toliet. It will automatically become a low-flow toliet, using less water with each flush. Of course less water also means a lower water bill each month, that’s my favorite part.

I’m sure there are hundreds of other great ideas for reusing your empty milk jugs, but these are some great places to start. For other great tips gor check out the Works For Me Wednesday post this week.

Tags: recycling, reusing, milk jugs, works for me wednesday

OK, so I’ve shared planting trees for Valentine’s day, and I talked about buying eco-friendly and sustainable gifts. So now I want to share giving a big “I love you!” to someone who doesn’t often get love. Orangutans.

I received this email from Michelle Desilets of Save The Orangutan and wanted to pass it on before Valentine’s Day.

Valentines for Orangutans

Valentines Day is drawing closer, so why not forego the usual choice that is chocolates & flowers and show your loved one that the day can mean so much more and last throughout the year?

On adopting a pair of orangutans, you will receive two personalised certificates, two A4 photos and the biographies of both of the chosen orangutans (selected from our orangutans currently available for adoption).

An update on their progress will be made available later in the year.

Borneo has a heart….

The forests of the Heart of Borneo are some of the most biologically diverse habitats on the planet. These forests are currently large enough to maintain viable populations of critically endangered species including the Sumatran rhinoceros, Asian elephant, and orangutan. These species require large expanses of habitat and range widely for food resources.

BOS (and we are pretty sure the orangutans in our care do too!) dreams of a Borneo like this that extends far beyond its heart. For now, the stronghold of the orangutans in Nyaru Menteng is where our hearts lie and we will continue to do all we can to raise the much needed funds to maintain the sanctuary.

So why not help us work towards achieving that dream and at the same time, make Valentine’s Day extra special this year by adopting a pair of orangutans, one for you and one for that special significant other in your life?

**Adopt a pair of orangutans**

As a Valentine’s Special, BOS is offering for adoption a pair of orangutans for the month of February at the reduced price of £50. We will select one boy and one girl from our orangutans of the month for you and your significant other. So please adopt two of our orangutan orphans and spread the love to the Heart of Borneo!

Price: £50.00

Tags: orangutans, Valentine’s Day

For today’s Works For Me Wednesday I wanted to share something that is perfect for the tree huggers who are also cat owners. Like me.

Pet Ecology Perfect Litter is an eco-friendly cat litter actually works. It is biodegradable, 98% natural, reduces ordors, and has a special color change ingredient that changes colors when your cat has an UTI. We have 6 indoor cats. 6 cats people! You thought I was joking when I said a houseful of cats, but I wasn’t. So we use a lot of litter. We used to buy the cheap stuff because, well look how many we’re dealing with. But the cheap stuff never masked the smells and always made me feel guilty with how much nasty litter was being tossed out.

According to the Bureau of Waste Management, and other reliable sources, billions of pounds of spent cat litter is dumped into U.S. landfills every year – more than the amount of disposable diapers. Moreover, clay-based products swell to 15 times their original size via water absorption, thereby exacerbating landfill capacities and resources even further. Simply put, the clay-based cat litter products that dominate the market are heavy, bulky, smelly when soiled (despite product claims to the contrary), non-biodegradable, and hazardous to the environment.

That’s gross, right? Really, really gross. And it’s not just the dirty cat litter hurting the environment. The clay used in most cat litters is obtained through strip mining. Thousands of acres of land are destroyed permanently just to get to the clay underneath. That makes me want to cry.

If you’re intersted in changing your cat litter you can get a 2 week free trial of Perfect Litter. Free trails are good, very good. OK, so I’m just a sucker for free. You only have to pay shipping and handling, which is $3.95. It’s worth it to try Pet Ecology Perfect Litter for yourself.

Tags: cat litter, environment, waste, works for me wednesday

OK, so last week I talked about having a tree planted in someone’s name as an alternative and eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift. This week I wanted to share another resource to send eco-friendly gifts this Valentine’s Day..

Organic Style is an eco-friendly boutique that offers gifts, flowers, and more. But they are more than just pretty flowers and yummy chocolates. Their products are organic, sustainable, and fair trade. You’ll actually be making a difference shopping there.

At Organic Style, we are committed to our environmental and humanitarian values, carefully selecting our sources, sustainably producing our products, and donating a portion of our proceeds to dedicated charitable organizations. We obtain our products from companies who provide safe and just working conditions and a livable wage, and partner with artisans and farmers who re-invest in their communities and take pride in their craftsmanship.

OK, so we’re talking about Valentine’s Day. I know what you’re thinking “Get with the goodies!” Well, how about this: free chocolate with Valentine’s Day rose bouquet. Mmmmm, chocolate.

Of course if you’re not a roses type of gal or want your flowers to mean a little more you could order some of their charity bouquets. A percentage of each sale goes to a specific charity, so if there’s somethign that has your heart you can double the love. The
PETA Peruvian Lilies, National Wildlife Federation Daisies, or Global Fund for Women Rose Bouquet are just a few of the charity options you could choose from. Health, environment, women, children, animals, no matter what you love they have a bouquet for you.

Now, if I seemed like a bully last week telling you to plant trees instead of sending cards I hope this makes up for it. You can still have chcolates and flowers and all the traditional gifts of Vlanetine’s Day. But you can also be one of the good guys while doing it.

Tags: Valentine’s Day, gifts, roses, chocolates, flowers

Valentine’s Day is coming up and the tree hugger in me is quaking. Why? Because of the cards, and the envelopes, and flood of paper as everyone just has to send out 32 cards to each of their bestest friends. It’s enough to bring the most hardened environmentalist to tears.

This year, for Valentine’s Day instead of a mountain of cards send trees. That’s right, trees. OK not the actual trees themselves, but something to say how much you care for both the recipiant and the earth. Have a tree planted for your valentine!

TreeGivers plants trees as part of the reforestation efforts in all 50 states, to honor special individuals… on special occasions…by planting a tree in their name. Such as Birthdays, Weddings, Memorials, Funerals, Retirements, Mothers/Fathers Day, as Christmas gifts, Company incentives, Environmental gifts, etc. the gift includes: the tree planted in any state, we then send the recipient a 8″ x 10″ Certifiate of Planting along with a letter/hand written card to notify them of the planting and as a keepsake.

For nearly the same price as a dozen roses and a box of chocolates you’ll be giving a Valentine to both your sweatheart and to the earth! One that will last much longer than the roses and candy ever will, and with a bigger impact.

(Photo credit: Lynne Lancaster)

Tags: Valentine’s Day, trees, environment