Category Archives: 3 Rs

Giving Greener & Healthier Classroom Valentine’s Day Treats

Posted on January 30, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Anyone with children understands that Valentine’s Day is really about the treats, not the declarations of affection.  When Enviro Girl was young, she always made a “mailbox” out of an old shoebox covered in glitter and paper doilies to set on her desk.  Each child would bring in paper cards to deliver to each of their classmates.  Enviro Girl recalls carefully choosing exactly the right Valentine for each of her classmates out of the box her mother bought at the dime store.   Occasionally someone would pass out tiny boxes of conversation hearts.  Times have definitely changed.  Fast forward to today’s school children.  Enviro Girl’s tribe comes home from school and DUMPS their bags out, covering the carpet with tiny cards and a heaping pile of treats.   Her sons bring home as much candy on Valentine’s Day as they do on Halloween!  Is there a way to make this holiday a bit healthier, a little bit greener, but still fun? Continue reading →

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays, eco kids, living green on a budget, school

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Clearing out

Posted on January 25, 2012 by | 6 Comments

Like so many other people this time of year, Recycla has been on a major cleaning, organizing, and decluttering frenzy in the last few weeks. She lives with three people who tend toward packrat tendencies, so decluttering is an ongoing, never-ending task for her.

So far, she has completely worked over her closet, just recently shoveled out her daughters’ toy room, and is plunging into the kitchen today, to be followed afterward by dealing with the mountain of papers in the family’s shared home office.

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Posted in 3 Rs, websites & blogs

What to do with those used gift cards

Posted on January 11, 2012 by | 4 Comments

Recycla’s daughters got a lot of plastic gift cards for Christmas, which is an easy gift for grandparents, aunts, and uncles to give two middle schoolers. After all those iTunes cards were entered into the girls’ iTunes accounts, what remained was a stack of plastic cards that needed to be disposed of in some way.

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Posted in 3 Rs

What To Do With Your Old Christmas Tree (hint: does NOT involve a garbage dumpster)

Posted on January 9, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Everywhere people are taking down their Christmas decorations and storing them for another year.  But what to do with that slightly dried-out Christmas tree in the corner of your living room?  Whatever you do, do NOT shove it in your garbage dumpster!  Your tree does NOT belong in a landfill–there are plenty of environmentally responsible ways to recycle or even extend the lift of that tree.

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays

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Ringing in the New Year With One Easy Eco-Resolution

Posted on January 2, 2012 by | 112 Comments

Everyone starts a new year with plans to improve–lose weight, save money, take a risk, accomplish a goal.  Enviro Girl thinks everyone should start the new year with an Eco-resolution, one small thing they can do to improve the environment.  The small things add up, as illustrated in this recent post over at Fake Plastic Fish.  Here are some free, incredibly convenient and easy Eco-resolutions for you and your friends to try:

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Posted in 3 Rs, fast facts, green around the world, issues, living green on a budget

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The Tricky Business of Re-Gifting

Posted on December 26, 2011 by | 1 Comment

We’ve all received on occasion a gift that we either cannot use or absolutely dislike.  Is it wrong to pass on a gift given to us as a gift for somebody else?  Enviro Girl argues that in most situations, re-gifting is perfectly acceptable, provided you are sensitive about it.  It’s silly to hold on to things you can’t use and don’t like, it’s so much better to pass them along to someone who will put them to good use.  What are the rules regarding re-gifting? Continue reading →

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays, living green on a budget

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Wrapping Up the Holidays

Posted on December 23, 2011 by | Leave a comment

It’s winding down to the last days of the holidays and we’re probably all giving a few gifts and tokens of affection. But…before you use more paper that will be ripped off the package, crumpled up into a big ball of waste and thrown into the trash, think reusable wrapping.

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays, Uncategorized

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Don’t Crumple Your Christmas

Posted on December 21, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Crumpling up paper is a satisfying thing. Squeezing the paper tight in your fist, tossing it into the trash–who hasn’t done that? The menfolk at Enviro Girl’s house take particular joy from the crumple and toss–especially when it comes to disposing of gift wrap and mail.  And since most gift wrap isn’t recyclable, it’s important to resist crumpling it before you toss it into the garbage.

A simple experiment will demonstrate exactly why the crumple contributes to the Trash Factor, taking up unnecessary room in our garbage bags and landfills. Continue reading →

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays, house stuff, in the office

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The Best Gifts Come in Envelopes: Christmas Gifts of Experience, Charity and Love

Posted on December 14, 2011 by | 2 Comments

You’ve cleaned out clutter by having a summer garage sale or donating the stuff to a local thrift store yet this month you find yourself headed to the mall to buy Christmas gifts for your loved ones… and you find… more clutter.  Stuff.  Things.  Widgets.  Gadgets.  Another tie for a man who has a rack of them in his closet.  Another puzzle for a girlfriend who has no time to enjoy the games she already owns.  Another toy for a grandchild or niece drowning in plastic parts and pieces.  You can’t bring yourself to spend your money on more stuff.

But according to all economic reports, you probably will.

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays

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DIY Holiday Wreaths

Posted on December 5, 2011 by | 3 Comments

It’s an easy thing to add a little handmade decorating to your house–and a wreath lends instant cheer to a door, window, bare wall, even laid flat as a tabletop arrangement with the center filled in with candles or a bowl of fresh fruit.  You don’t need to decorate using mass-produced store-bought knick knacks.  Skip the cheap plastic holly and ivy.  For pennies you can create your own wreaths out of a little wire and creativity.  Get your hot glue guns ready, readers!

Enviro Girl has seen wreaths made out of all nature of materials, from wrapped hard candy to glass ornaments to pinecones.  Below are some of her favorites, tutorials linked for your convenience. Continue reading →

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays, living green on a budget

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