Going Green in Comfort

FreeRangeStock.com My iPhone 6s has had a few problems lately. The battery seems to run down a lot faster, and occasionally, the phone locks up and I have to reboot it. For now, those are both problems I can live with. But I have a feeling I might need to start thinking about getting a new one soon. I'm so glad to see that these days, there are tons of places to recycle a smartphone. That wasn't always the case. But now, I can drop a used phone off at Best Buy or other locations, or I can mail it to several websites for a little extra cash. There's even an ATM machine at our local mall that I can drop it in and get a like $15 back. I just love that so many places are making recycling outdated technology simpler!

Earlier this year, I wrote about going shampoo-free to reduce my use of chemicals and to eliminate plastic shampoo bottles in my garbage. My experiment lasted about a month, but I just could not figure out how to stop my hair from looking oily. My plan was to figure out the best way to go water-only, then teach my daughter and husband the same techniques. © Aleksask |  Dreamstime Stock Photos  &  Stock Free Images   But over time, as I struggled to figure out what tips and tricks might get that icky greasy look out of my hair, I’ve added regular old shampoo back into my morning routine. It started off small, just adding a few drops of my daughter’s shampoo onto my head and working it into a lather about once a week. Then it became every other day, and now I’m back to every day. So much for water-only. I might try it again someday, but in the meantime, I have another plan: Organic shampoo bars. I first learned they existed just this past weekend while ...

One day last week as I putting away my groceries, I learned a little something about Aldi . There, on the side of the bag I had purchased was a notice that the bag was made from 100 percent recycled material and is 100 percent recyclable. I’ve been using those bags for several months now, and that was the first time I had paid attention to what was written on it. It’s just one of many reasons I enjoy shopping at Aldi. About eight or nine years ago when the grocery chain opened its first location near me, I visited its website and learned a little about ways the chain tries to minimize its impact on the environment , from the way the stores are built to having LED lights at all locations and using solar energy at some. I don’t know a thing about the environmental policy of other major retailers I patronize, and it occurred to me recently that I probably should. So that’s on my to-do list: Find out which stores actively work to reduce their carbon footprint and make adjustm...

Plastic water bottle. (Photo by Sandra Trajkovska / FreeRangeStock.com ) Until recently, I thought the only things I have to worry about with plastic are its effect on the environment and that it might contain bisphenol A (BPA). So when I was shopping for baby products when I was pregnant with my daughter, I made sure to check that everything I bought for her was BPA-free. I didn't know why BPA was bad, but I knew I should avoid it. So I did. But, just last week a link to a 2014 Mother Jones article called, "The Scary New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics," came up in my Facebook feed. The article outlines why BPA is bad for your health — it mimics estrogen, which is a vital hormone in the right amounts, but in too big or too small of a dose can negatively effect development of the brain and other organs. Babies (including those in utero) and young children are especially susceptible to the problems of BPA because they're still developing. So, whew! Good t...

Computer keyboard (Photo by Chance Agrella / FreeRangeStock.com ) In January, I decided to get rid of some old computers and accessories the company my husband and I worked for had given to us and other employees following a major technology upgrade. I took our stuff and a computer my parents had been wanting to trash to a local e-recycling center and walked away with about $4 cash for all of it. I'd hoped for more than that, considering I'd given them three working (but terribly out-of-date) computers, but I was happy to get the $4 because it was a lot better deal than my husband and I got the first time we hauled away our e-waste. Back then, which was about 10 years ago, I had recently become aware of the dangers (leaking toxins) that come with leaving your e-waste at the curb along with the rest of your garbage, so I searched online to find a place within my hometown to take it. I came up with nothing. Not one business. Just as it was begi...