Take Stock of What You Own

As anyone who's ever had a disorganized cabinet, closet, or home knows, one of the biggest frustrations is re-buying things you already own because you can't find them or didn't know they were there. And of course, over-buying is one of the least green things you can do! You end up with 10 sets of colored markers, 4 bottles of the same cleaning product, and countless holiday napkins - all of which are likely to get thrown away down the road.


As the holidays approach, we start thinking about parties, family gatherings, and gifts. This season, do yourself a huge favor and take stock of what you own before you hit the stores. Dig out your holiday supplies from wherever they may be hiding, consolidate them in one area, and sort like with like so you know what you have. You may discover you don't need to buy holiday cards, wrapping paper or lights for the next 10 years. And if you find you have way more than you need, now is the perfect time to donate such seasonal items to local charities or thrift stores. 


This principle should also apply to everything else in your home - not just holiday or seasonal items. At some point, you have to stop and take stock in order to break the cycle of over-buying. If you are overwhelmed and don't know where to start, take a look at the items that are used frequently in your house. For example, if your kids are into arts and crafts and you are buying duplicate supplies because what you have isn't organized or accessible, tackle this category first. Your pantry, cleaning supplies, or school supplies might be other smart places to start. I often say that organizing is like a puzzle, once you get even one piece in place, the rest becomes easier...little by little. 


Bottom Line: If you're buying things you already own out of disorganized desperation, take a little time to stop and take stock of what you have, starting with the priority areas for your family. You'll find things you've been looking for, stop over-buying what you've found so less is coming in, and gain some can-do momentum!


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Creative Re-purposing

When we talk about green organizing, one of the biggest principles we follow is re-purposing items you already own. They might not be working in their current role, but often, just giving an old item a new role gives it new life and helps to solve your organizing needs without spending any money, acquiring anything new, or getting rid of something old.

Here are some examples of re-purposing I've used with clients recently:

1) Taking a shoe shelf that wasn't being used in the closet and putting it by the front door where shoes were sprawled all over the floor (an example of simply relocating an item to where it's more useful).

2) Using an empty tissue box to corral a drawer full of empty plastic bags to be re-used. This example also saves lots of space. If you re-use plastic bags, containing them is very important and a tissue box works wonders to contain lots of bags in a small space.

3) Using rolling mesh bins being underutilized in a toy room to contain balls and other sporting goods in the garage. The rolling feature made them much more useful in the garage where they can be rolled out on the driveway for easy play. Their larger size also made them more useful for larger items like balls and water toys, rather than small items in a toy room.

Real Simple likes this idea of re-purposing so much that they have a regular feature in the magazine, a web page, and even a new book dedicated to New Uses for Old Things. Check it out for some creative solutions to common household issues. Some of the ideas I find a bit far-fetched, but some of them are absolutely brilliant...in any case, there's no doubt they will get you thinking!

Bottom Line: Next time you're re-organizing a space, think creatively about what you already own. You just might find you have what you needed all along. And don't be afraid to use things unconventionally - if it works for you, that's all that matters! What examples of re-purposing have you used recently?

Feel-Good Footwork

If you've been working on your fall closet switch or any closet de-cluttering project, you've no doubt uncovered some shoes you're not wearing and could be better used for another purpose rather than collecting dust in your closet. Usually, I send my gently used shoes along with other clothing donations to a local thrift store or Goodwill. However, it turns out there are other outlets for your unused kicks.

One of my favorite blogs, Unclutterer.com, recently mentioned a program called Soles4Souls. This organization, created after the tsunami in 2004, collects gently used shoes and distributes them to people in need all over the world. According to their web site, we (Americans) discarded more than 300 million pairs of shoes last year alone. So consider a green outlet for your under-used shoes, such as Soles4Souls. They have collection sites and events all over the country, so check out what's available in your area.

You may also have some well-worn athletic shoes kicking around your closet that you're wondering what to do with. The good news is, thanks to Nike's ReUse A Shoe program, they don't have to end up in the landfill either. This program accepts all brands of athletic shoes in any condition and re-purposes all parts of the shoes into material for athletic fields and courts...pretty cool! I was reminded of this program by an announcement for a community recycling event. The program routinely collects shoes at local events, but you can also check their web site for a drop-off location near you.

Bottom Line: Next time you uncover shoes that have been taking up space at the bottom of your closet, consider do-good donation options - it will leave you (and your closet) feeling good!

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What to Do With Your Untapped Crafty Inspirations

When it comes to decluttering your home, one category of items that often comes up is craft supplies that fall into the category of “seemed like a good idea at the time.” We all have projects we wanted to get to in an ideal world, but just don’t seem to get done. When you uncover unfinished projects and dormant hobbies as you clear your clutter, make a list and decide which ones actually fit into your current lifestyle. For each item on the list, either give yourself a short-term deadline to take action or cut yourself some slack and remove it from your list. Most people feel a huge sense of relief when they decide to take some projects and even fun hobbies off their mental to-list and clear the gear and supplies from their home.

When it comes to crafting, projects often come with piles and bins of creative supplies. For creative-types who had a vision for the ribbons, fabric, buttons and egg cartons, it can be hard to let these go into the dumpster. Re-Nest wrote a great post with five possible outlets for your excess crafting supplies. If you decide it’s time to part with supplies that are collecting dust rather than serving as your creative outlet, check out these options in your community. Some of the same programs may also want gear and equipment for your past or theoretical hobbies.

Bottom Line: Do yourself a favor by reclaiming space in your home and life for the activities that matter most to you now, while giving others in your community a chance to enjoy your unused crafty inspirations!

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Home Improvement You Can Feel Good About

If you have home improvement projects on your fall agenda, Habitat for Humanity’s Re-Stores may be a great resource to help you stay green and save some green! Re-Stores sell usable and surplus building materials to the public at a fraction of the retail price. This may include fixtures, appliances, building materials and even furniture.

On the other end of the equation, Re-Stores also accept donations of new or gently used items that can be re-sold to others. The proceeds help local Habitat affiliates build homes in their community.

Bottom line: For home improvement you can feel good about, check out the web site for local Re-Stores near you.

Refresh Your Nest with Re-Nest

While checking my e-mail today, I was introduced to an on-line resource for green design and living that I wanted to share - www.Re-Nest.com. Re-Nest is part of the Apartment Therapy family - I receive daily e-mails from Apartment Therapy and absolutely love to click through the daily House Tour photos - one of my favorite daily indulgences. I can’t believe I’d previously ignored Re-Nest...until now.

This simple site contains posts on a variety of useful and/or entertaining topics. I especially enjoyed 13 Products That Are Unnecessary and Wasteful. Looking at lists like this helps keep your shopping filter sharp and focused - do I really need this or do I already have something that can do that job...or does the ‘job’ even need to be done? This doesn’t mean these items don’t serve the purpose their makers intend them to, but most of us are better off adopting a ‘less is more’ philosophy when it comes to our homes.

The Re-Nest House Tours can also give you some great ideas to refresh home with furniture and other household items you already own. As we all know, not buying new stuff is one of the best ways to conserve resources.

Bottom Line: I hope you enjoy this site as much as I am. I just added it to my Google Reader so I can get a regular dose of great green ideas!

Lunch-to-Go: Green Style!

With the beginning of school upon us, now is a great time to think about how to go green with your family’s lunch routine. For kids and adults, taking lunch from home is a great way to save money and can also make it easier to stick to a healthy routine. Lunch from home can also easily be a green way to eat, especially when compared to day after day of take-out in disposable containers. Here are some great products to help you and your family reduce lunch-time waste.

One of my favorite discoveries are Lunch Skins made by 3 Green Moms. These super-cute, food-safe and dishwasher-safe snack and sandwich bags in various sizes and patterns completely eliminate the need for plastic baggies or aluminum foil in the lunch bag.

And speaking of lunch bags, while kids have always had a variety of lunch bag and box options, adults now have super-sleek and easy to-go options, such as BUILT’s line of lunch totes. These neoprene totes zip close and help insulate foods and can be thrown in the washing machine to keep them clean. No more brown bag lunches!

A great set of reusable food storage containers, such as Rubbermaid’s Easy Find Lids line can help round out your green lunch routine. You can also pick up some biodegradable, reusable cutlery and of course quench your thirst with reusable BPA-free water bottles, such as the WaterWeek bottles we highlighted in July.

Bottom Line: Do lunch-from-home in green style with great reusable products the whole family will love!

Photo Source: www.lunchskins.com

Recycling Gone Wrong

If you have ever wondered whether something should/could be recycled, you are not alone. While recycling can be a great way to conserve resources, it only works well when people a) understand their local recycling guidelines and b) follow them.

I live in a large condo building and we have a recycling system in place for both paper and plastic/metal containers. Unfortunately, it is very clear whenever I go to empty my bins into our larger dumpsters that the guidelines are not being followed by everyone, which always makes me wonder what happens to our recycling pick up - does it end up in the trash or is the trash sifted out of the mix? While I don’t know the answer for our recycling provider - something I could probably look into - I do know that becoming familiar with your local guidelines and making sure you and your family follow them is a great place to start. You can also make sure you do what you can to eliminate waste altogether from you home - recycled or not. Reduce your need for bags and take-out food or beverage containers by using reusable bags, water bottles and coffee mugs and buy items with less packaging whenever you can.

There are also some fairly common items that you may be surprised to learn are not good candidates for recycling. Earth911.com compiled them in their article What NOT to Put in the Bin. Check out the article and make sure you are not contributing to recycling confusion.

Bottom Line: Get to know your local recycling guidelines and make sure you’re playing by the rules.

Stay Cool in Style

Staying hydrated is a must-do in this sweltering summer heat! Don’t take the chance that water will be available wherever you’re going. Bring it with you in these stylin’, organized and green WaterWeek refillable water bottles available at The Container Store.

There are five 16 oz water bottles and a convenient tray to keep them lined up in your refrigerator. Fill them all up and hand one to each family member as they head out the door, or if it’s just you, you’re set for the week! The bottles are BPA-free and dishwasher safe. What more could you ask for?! This is an example of a great tool that can help you stay healthy, green and organized. Just remember to wash and refill your bottles pronto, so you’re always ready to go.

I don’t own this neat set yet, but it’s on my list for my next Container Store trip!

Photo Source: www.containerstore.com

Less Paper, Please

Lately, I have been helping several clients dig through files and piles of paper. The amount of paper that we are digging through and getting rid of (recycling and shredding) is mind-boggling. And what’s worse is that in many cases, it continues to come through the door on a daily basis…and no, it’s not really the mailman’s fault…a perfect use for ‘don’t shoot the messenger.’

Managing all of this paper is less than fun and definitely less than green. The good news is, there are things you can do to reduce the flow of new paper coming in the door, which will not only save trees, but also your time and sanity!

Just Say ‘No’ to Junk Mail – Most of us get mail we did not ask for and do not want. While it may seem overwhelming, tackling this issue at the root is much more effective and green than continuing to throw it in the recycling bin or shredder as it comes in. Fortunately, several groups have put together resources to help you tackle junk mail. Here are a few that I’ve found, and I’m sure there are many others:

‘Do it yourself' kits/instructions for removing yourself from major junk mail lists and reducing your junk mail overall (I have not used but they all have similar info and easy-to-follow instructions):

http://www.catalogchoice.org/

http://stopjunkmail.org/resident.htm

http://www.donotmail.org/form.php?id=50

http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm

This service charges a fee - I have used this and have definitely seen a reduction overall in my mail:
http://precycle.tonic.com/

Go Paperless – Another very effective tactic is to ‘go paperless’ (i.e. stop getting paper statements) for some or all of your accounts. If you have been reluctant to do this for fear of not having access to your information, missing a payment or simply losing track of your accounts, there are on-line solutions for account access and management.

You can check with your account institutions about access to old information if/when you need it. Newer information is easily accessible via secure online access (which you may already have even if you haven’t gone paperless). Personally, I prevent missed bills by enrolling in the auto-pay options for recurring bills. Email notifications when monthly on-line statements are ready prompt me to log-in to make sure all is well. We also use a money management software that downloads transactions – I check this on a weekly basis, so I feel pretty aware of what’s going on with my accounts.

Stop Subscribing to Magazines You Don’t Have Time to Read – Enough said…you will save money, time, and the guilt of recycling without reading (in addition to trees).

Regular Weeding - While those are the biggest things you can do to reduce paper flow into your home, regular weeding of your files is also an important part of the equation. This has several benefits including keeping you aware of what you have and where it is and making sure there is room to file new items that you do need to keep. If your files could use some purging, take a look at The Container Store’s record keeping guidelines (it’s best to check with your accountant for financial paperwork).

Be Selective – Last but not least, I always remind clients that every new account they have is something they will have to manage, paperless or not. Whenever possible, keep it simple by minimizing the number of bank, credit, store, and rewards accounts. This is not to say you shouldn’t sign up for things that make sense for you, just think before you act and you’ll save yourself unnecessary work and paper!

Green(er) Moving

Let’s face it, moving is a lot of work and often generates a lot of waste – from unwanted items you leave behind, to packing materials, to new things for the new place and all the shopping bags and packaging that come with them. But there are simple things you can do cut down your moving footprint. Here are some steps to greener moving.

Plan ahead and make time to purge and de-clutter before you pack. This will allow you time to donate, sell, or give away items you don’t want to take with you so they don’t end up in the trash out of desperation on moving day.

Make use of used packing materials. First, if you still have the boxes/packing materials for some of your belongings (i.e. your precious flat screen), go ahead and use them! For everything else, you can get used moving boxes, either from a moving company, through on-line listings (i.e. Craigs List) or even from a store at reduced or no cost.

Get creative when packing. While you don’t want to skimp on packing materials and safety for some items (i.e. your dishes and glassware), other items can be nested to maximize space or used as packing containers themselves (think laundry baskets, drawers, suit cases, etc) – depending on how your things are travelling. You can also use older towels and bedding to protect items instead of packing material.

When you get to your new place, there are inevitably new furnishings you’ll want to get to fit the space and your needs. But before you hit the stores, be sure to check out on-line listings and/or thrift stores. I’ve seen some great furniture at Goodwill stores, especially in areas with high apartment turnover. Not only can you get a great deal, but you are also re-using instead of buying new.

When you hit the stores for supplies for the new place, be sure you grab your re-usable bags. The last thing I want to deal with is a mountain of plastic bags from the first few days of shopping!

Last but not least, put your moving boxes and packing supplies back where you found them! Some moving companies will pick up your used boxes or you can also list them for free on-line so someone else can use them. At the very least, learn the recycling rules at your new place and recycle what you can’t get rid of otherwise.

Summer is a busy season for moving. If that’s on your agenda, try out some of the above tips and add your own in the comments!

Refresh Your Closet with Consignment

I just bought my first item of clothing from a consignment store this weekend - a $14 pair of pants that fit me perfectly and filled a need in my closet. While I've been aware of the idea of consignment for some time, I feel like I've just opened a door to a whole new world...and closet!

As we've talked about before, some of the best ways to be green at home are to buy less stuff (or at least less new stuff) and to donate or recycle your unwanted items. Consignment is a great way to refresh your closet without buying brand new items and at the same time 'recycling' your gently used duds so someone else can enjoy them. The catch is that consignment stores can be pretty picky about what they will accept - usually less than 2-3 years old, must be in good or great condition and they may only accept certain brands. But shop around and you may find a store that will accept your items. Not only will you clear some real estate in your closet, but if your items sell, you will have some bonus funds to spend on some new used items. And while some consignment stores focus on high-end items, if you can find one that carries a selection of mid-range brands, you can score some great bargains while adding new life to your wardrobe.

Bottom line, if you'd like to refresh your closet regularly, but want to take it easy on your wallet and the planet, give consignment a try. Google stores in your area and check reviews to make sure clients and customers are happy with how they operate. Happy shopping!

Happy Earth Day!

I hope everyone enjoyed Earth Day 2010! It was a mostly lovely day here in the Boston area, with some late day scattered spring thunderstorms - kind of neat to hear the sound of thunder after a long winter.

In honor of Earth Day, I tried to put on my best green behavior! Much of what I did is now part of my normal routine, including traveling with my trusty reusable shopping bags. I did 3 errands today and only ended up with 1 plastic bag, which will be reused - I couldn't catch the cashier before he bagged my items, and then I decided to let it slide as we do use them routinely for pet clean up. I also took my homemade iced coffee 'to go' in a travel mug - I can proudly say my coffee cup consumption is almost down to nothing in the past few years. And I try not to leave home without 'straight from the tap' bottled water in my aluminum water bottle.

In addition to my usual habits, I tried to be a little more vigilant about power usage at home. We even dined by candlelight tonight! I also attempted to streamline my errands and jobs to minimize unnecessary driving, which is just plain good time management in general. And last but not least, I took time to look at and enjoy the beautiful world around me, including the brand new leaves - it seems they decided to make their appearance today - how fitting!

How did you celebrate Earth Day 2010?

Give a Little Greener

As invitations for spring parties - showers, birthday and graduation parties, weddings - start coming in the mail, it's a good time to think about how you can give a little greener this year. While gifts are always well-intentioned, the reality is that sometimes we give and get items that end up being unwanted...which instantly turns them into clutter in your home...and ultimately might land them in the trash. Nobody likes to be the giver or the receiver of such a gift - not to mention that it's not very green to purchase and accumulate unwanted things. It got me thinking about ways to avoid this the next time you give a gift. Here are some simple ideas...

1. Give a gift card to a retailer you know the recipient likes. Or if you are unsure, you can always give cash or something like a Visa gift card.
2. Buy from the gift registry. While some of the best and most memorable gifts for life's events are often off-registry, unless you have a special idea, it is safest to stick to the registry for events like showers and weddings. The gift recipients have already decided these are items they want! Just be sure to make sure your purchase is noted on the registry and always get gift receipts so items can be exchanged if need be.
3. Give consumable or usable items. This only works well if you know enough about the tastes of the recipient. Ideas for consumables might be a favorite bottle of wine or basket of fruit. Usable items could be anything from fun office supplies to a membership to a museum or tickets to an event.
4. Give gifts that help recipients go green, such as cute reusable shopping totes (http://www.envirosax.com/), an aluminum water bottle (http://mysigg.com/), or even a subscription to a junk mail reduction service (http://precycle.tonic.com/).
5. Make a donation to a meaningful charity on behalf of the recipient. This has become a popular replacement to traditional wedding favor trinkets.

Let us know if you've used these or other green gift giving strategies!

Recycling CDs and Other Technotrash

I recently decided to downsize my CD collection since it had been sitting untouched under my desk in one of those old giant CD 'binders' for years - the contents of this wooden CD crate are all that remain. But I was left wondering what to do with all my unwanted CDs. It turns out that there are a number of options for recycling your old CD/DVDs. I used a favorite green site, www.earth911.com, and discovered that my local Best Buy has recycling bins at the front of the store for CDs, batteries and cell phones - who knew?! On another note, I also recently brought an old desk top computer that was simply collecting dust to the Geek Squad desk at Best Buy where they happily took it all (I removed the hard drive first) off my hands to recycle. They charged a $10 fee for the monitor, but gave me a $10 gift card in return.

Back to the CDs, here are some other 'technotrash' recycling options I have recently seen recommended by other professional organizers.

http://cdrecyclingforfree.com/

http://www.greendisk.com/

I love GreenDisk's slogan: "because good planets are hard to find"

Here are some interesting CD/DVD tidbits from cdrecyclingforfree.com:

CD/DVD Recycling Facts

• A cd/dvd is considered a class 7 recyclable plastic
• To manufacture a pound of plastic (30 CDs per pound), it requires 300 cubic feet of natural gas, 2 cups of crude oil and 24 gallons of water
• It is estimated that AOL alone has distributed more than 2 billion CDs. That is the natural gas equivalent of heating 200,000 homes for 1 year
• It is estimated that it will take over 1 million years for a CD to completely decompose in a landfill

Think about what technotrash you have cluttering your home and office, check out the resources above and do something about it! And by all means, let us know if you have other recycling resources to share.

Simple Steps

While many people think of recycling their bottles, cans, and paper as simple steps to help the planet (and they are!), there are also simple ways to reduce your impact while you organize your home or office.

1) Buy less stuff! Sounds so simple, right? And it is! Think twice before each purchase you make - will the item enhance your life and contribute to the space you are trying to achieve? The less stuff you own, the less you have to maintain, clean, and get rid of down the road.

2) Donate, don't dumpster! I live in a large building and so often see large quantities of seemingly usable household items in the trash. While it's an organizing must to get rid of items that are no longer needed in your space, that doesn't mean someone else can't use them. There are lots of charities and thrift stores out there that will gladly accept gently used household items. Simply 'Google' charities or donation sites in your area to find out what they will take. Some will even pick items - bonus!

3) Get creative and reuse what you have! It can be expensive in addition to wasteful to buy new things every time you embark on an organizing adventure. See if there are new and creative ways to use items you already have. This doesn't mean you should keep things around that you don't love or need - just think outside the box. For example, two mesh filing crates I wasn't using have been repurposed as recycling bins in my house. And to think, I almost bought new recycling containers?!

These are just a few ideas - let us know your favorites!

Go Green While You Spring Clean

Would you like to green up your cleaning routine? Spring cleaning's a great time to make a few changes. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Green Cleaning Products
Fortunately, 'green' cleaning products are widely available these days so you have several options if you want to switch up some or all of the items under your sink. Here are just a few of many choices:

www.seventhgeneration.com/Green-Cleaning
www.simplegreen.com/products_family.php
www.greenworkscleaners.com/cleaners/

Green Cleaning Tools
You can also find cleaning tools like mops and buckets made from recycled materials. The Container Store carries a few such items.

Another great way to green your routine is to make use of tired household items for cleaning. For example, instead of using paper towels or cleaning wipes, try re-usable rags made from cut up old t-shirts – they’re great for dusting, cleaning glass and mirrors, and just about anything else that needs wiping. You can also make cleaning tools like sponges last longer by throwing them in the dishwasher to refresh them.

What are your favorite tips for green cleaning? Please share your suggestions in the comments!