Green Living Guide Spring 2010

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STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

2 ■ The Montana Standard

ONE SIMPLE STEP

GOING GREEN DOESN’T MEAN A COMPLETE LIFESTYLE the impact of those behaviors. good place to start is at the opposite CHANGE. IT STARTS BY FINDING THE ONE THING YOU end,“A” says Stephen Hren, co-author of “The Carbon-Free Home” (Chelsea Green, 20080) CAN DO – RIGHT NOW – TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

By DEBORAH DOUGLAS CTW FEATURES

F

or families who’ve fully embraced recycling and shopping for locally produced food at farmer’s markets, the call to be “green” is more than a notion.

When you think about it, it’s really a charge to save the world. And in an age of earthquakes, tsunamis and economic downturns, well, saving world can start to feel like quite the burden.

What can one person do to make a difference to cool off global warming? Can a person be greener without getting all crunchygranola about it? Well, according to people in the know, yes, it’s possible to up the ante

on committing to live a greener more ecofriendly life.

The place to start is by changing your mind. For that, take an audit of your living space and work out from there, the experts say.The Web has loads of carbon-footprint calculators that help families determine how much carbon they’re producing based on the energy sources they use at home, the type of groceries they buy, how much they travel annually and other measurements that provide a complete carbon dossier. Carbon calculators like the one at the Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org) calculate how much energy individuals use, how they compare with people in their state and country, and offer meaningful ways to offset

and blogger at www.thecarbonfreehome. com.“Buy one or two things locally or handmade to see how important the connection is when you know the person. When you see it is possible to make things and get things locally and it has this immediate reward, when you go to [the local big box chain store] you say ‘I’ve lost my personal connection with this item, and this is what I have lost in the process.’”

So, yes, a little homework is involved, but after that, building in new behaviors and a firmer commitment is pretty easy. And these eco-gurus can testify that individuals don’t have to give up style to reduce their carbon footprint and overall impact on the environment. With few changes, average people really do have the power to save the planet.

We asked: If you could do just one thing to leave a greener, more eco-friendly life, what would do you?

DO THE HOMEWORK “The biggest thing you can do right now is to get an understanding of the big picture,” says Marianne Cusato, an award-winning architect known for her work on Katrina cottages, which make the most of alternative energy sources.“My advice for that is reading ‘The Smart Growth Manual’ (McGraw-Hill, 2009).”

While the economy is slow and not much building is going on, Cusato encourages people to think about the impact of what they build and how they build it.They’ll be informed when buying a new home, renovating an old one or even contributing to local zoning rules on how cities should develop. Cusato urges everyone to be more civic-minded. Attend a town meeting and see what city fathers (and

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU mothers) are up to planning-wise, Cusato urges. She favors more mixed-used areas that make it easy to eschew cars and still have walkable access to shopping and services.

“To me, it’s fascinating to think about the impact of how and what we build,” says Cusato, who chose to live in Coral Gables, Fla., because of its walkability. “A lot of issues we’re dealing with right now are because we built the wrong things.

We’re spending all our time in cars.”

DO THE MATH Hren and his wife, Rebekah, who coauthored “The Carbon-Free Home,” practice and share what they preach at their blog.

People often know what to do, they just need help rationalizing why they should, Stephen says. So when Stephen advises families to take advantage of nature’s “solar clothes dryer” by drying laundry on a clothesline rather than plopping it in the dryer, he challenges individuals to think in terms of money – a language anyone can understand. Don’t think a certain eco-step is worth the effort? Price it out and compare the results.

“Using a ‘solar clothes dryer’ is the equivalent of installing $8,000 of solar panels on your house,” Hren says.“You can always rationalize things out in a monetary way: I’m saving X amount of money. Price it out. Often you see you’re making $20 or $30 an hour doing so.”

“It’s as simple as making better choices when we go buy consumer goods. Food is a good place to start. It impacts the world and directly impacts the health of your family.

“Buy more sustainable, more organic food,” Barnett says.“Not all at once, not a clean sweep at all.”

By buying locally, families reduce the amount of fuel used to transport food from grower to store shelf and the amount of preservatives and chemicals used to grow and maintain its quality, says Barnett. She offers a “Body Burden” calculator at her Web site (www.greengoeswitheverything.com) to help families rethink their commitment to things that harm the environment, like nonstick pans, dry cleaning and hair coloring.

FILL IT IN Domestic maven Martha Stewart’s trick is to use bags of ice to fill in the blank spots in her freezer.The ice helps cool the big, energysucking box, reducing its need to tap electricity to keep everything cold. After all, the refrigerator is the biggest energy user in a home, since it is constantly working. Remember, though, just fill it with bags of ice; don’t cram it full.Your freezer will work more effectively as a result.

© CTW Features

DO IT WITH STYLE “I’m a believer you don’t have to give up anything to do well by your planet,” says Sloan Barnett, a “Today”show contributor and author of “Green Goes With Everything” (Atria, 2008).

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The Montana Standard ■ 3

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STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

4 ■ The Montana Standard

SAVE NOW!

HOME ENERGY MISER Not all home energy savings projects require a budget of thousands and the mobile phone number of Norm Abrams, the friendly Mr. Fix-It on “This Old House.” Each of these steps can cost less than $20.

•

FLIP THE SWITCH. The energy you never consume is the cheapest. Turn off lights and electronics when they’re not in use.

•

HOW DO YOU RATE? TAME VAMPIRE DEVICES. Look for little red or green lights on the control panels of computers, TVs and appliances that are turned off. These lights indicate that the appliances are consuming small amounts of energy 24/7. Standby power accounts for about 5 percent of all residential energy use. Plug these devices into a smart strip; when the smart strip is switched off, vampire devices can’t suck power.

•

THE HOME ENERGY AUDIT ENERGY AUDITORS PUT HOMES THROUGH A SORT OF STRESS TEST TO DETERMINE WHAT LEAKS, WHERE IT SEEPS AND HOW A HOMEOWNER’S MONEY IS FLYING OUT THE DOOR. THE CHECKUPS AREN’T CHEAP – BUT THE UTILITY SAVINGS CAN BE HUGE.

By MELANIE WANZEK CTW FEATURES

ELIMINATE INCANDESCENTS. Replace an old-fashioned incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent lamp. An ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb – while using 75 percent less energy.

Besides, by law, incandescent bulbs will be phased out in the U.S. starting in 2012, and they’ll be gone by 2014.

A

sk most homeowners about the best way to save energy and cut their bills for heating and cooling and they’ll have a quick answer: Install new windows.

Trouble is, says Steve Luxton, most homeowners are wrong.

“By far and away, most home owners incor-

rectly think they need new windows,” says the national manager for residential energy audits for Maryland-based CMC Energy Services. In fact, says Luxton, unless a window is broken or structurally unsound, it may not be costeffective to replace it.

Hanging a heavy, insulated curtain over a problem window might suffice.To deliver long-term cost savings that would make a homeowner sit up and take notice requires a

serious, whole-house evaluation, he says.

That’s where a home energy audit comes into play. Luxton’s company is part of a growing number of private firms that provide homeowners with a detailed, measured prescription for how best to improve the energy efficiency of a home.Virtually unheard of 10 years ago, energy audit programs once were typically provided free to lower income homeowners, via subsidized government or utility programs.Today, driven by the Homestar national weatherization program (also known as “Cash for Caulkers”) that provides a $3,000 federal tax rebate to individual homeowners who undertake a whole house energy audit and achieve at least 20 percent in energy savings, the audit business is booming.

Energy auditors are a varied group, from one-person shops that conduct an occasional audit to big, fast-growing companies such as GreenHomes America in Irvine, Calif., which conducted nearly 2,000 audits in 2009.The Building Performance Institute, the national standards development and credentialing organization, estimates that around 53,000 home energy audits took place in 2009.This year, it estimates that as many as 178,000 could take place.

A professional audit can cost between $200 and $600, depending on the size of a home, and deliver savings of $200 to $500 per year in energy costs if a homeowner follows through on recommended upgrades.

“A typical home about 20 years old or older can most likely save at least 25 percent on their energy bill if they have an energy audit and carefully fulfill every prescribed measure,” Luxton says.“With an energy audit, there are no assumptions that new windows or adding more insulation ought to improve everything.

It really comes down to house-by-house situations.”

Energy audits can range in complexity and detail, depending on the interest and needs of a homeowner.“Anything from an online survey of energy usage and living style to a full diagnostic home performance assessment,” says Damien Flaherty, building analyst and envelope professional with Homestar. Of the 128 million homes in the U.S., 43 million need urgent improvement for energy efficiency, comfort and safety, according to consultant McKinsey & Co.

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU In a comprehensive energy audit, an auditor assesses the condition and efficiency of a home’s envelope, the structure of roof, walls, windows, doors and floors that protects inhabitants from the elements. Rather than calling a different specialist to assess each system in a home, such as the electricity or insulation, an energy audit provides the big picture of the entire system.

An energy auditor typically conducts a room-by-room examination of a residence and scrutinizes past utility bills.They may use equipment like furnace efficiency meters and surface thermometers to detect sources of energy loss.

Many audits will include a blower door test, using a powerful fan to measure how airtight the home is, and a thermographic scan, using infrared cameras to detect thermal defects and air leaks.

Auditors also perform safety checks for conditions that may affect the safety or health of an occupant, such as carbon monoxide contamination, poor moisture control, which can lead to mold formation, and natural gas leaks.

Finally, the data is analyzed to determine

the most cost-effective opportunities to address the home’s energy usage.

Fixing the issues unearthed in a professional audit can be costly, however.The average 20-year-old home may show need for $5,000 or more in upgrades, Luxton says. However, audits enable a homeowner to make informed decisions on retrofitting energy upgrades.Those who purchase an energy-efficient product or renewable energy system are eligible for a federal tax credit of as much as 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500. In addition, some states now offer tax deductions to homeowners who have a qualified energy audit and implement its recommendations.

“There is something that can be done to virtually all older homes to lower energy costs and improve comfort,” Luxton says.

“Quite often, the cost of the audit alone can be paid back in a year or less, and sometimes dissuading a customer from installing marginally cost-effective measures can save thousands of dollars.”

© CTW Features

The Montana Standard ■ 5 • BE A FOAM GASKET GURU. One best home insulation tips is one of the cheapest. Foam gaskets that cost about 10 cents each will help insulate your home envelope around light switches and plug outlets on exterior walls. Unscrew the switchplates and place the slim foam cutouts between the switchplate and the walls.

• GO LOW-FLOW. Save water and energy with a low-flow showerhead.

A 2.5-gallon-per-minute showerhead uses about 25 gallons of water during a 10-minute shower, saving about five gallons of water over a typical bath and about $145 each year on electricity, according to ENERGY STAR. • BE KIND TO THE FURNACE. Clean and change the air filter on your furnace to improve air quality and reduce the amount of energy the furnace consumes in order to make and distribute warm or cool air. There are 30-day filters and 3-month filters.

A filters MERV number (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) indicates its efficiency. Find the furnace, turn off the power, open the front casing, replace the old filter with the new one, and close it all back up tightly.

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STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

6 ■ The Montana Standard

LIFESTYLE EVALUATION

30 DAYS TO A GREENER YOU LATER FOR CARBON NEUTRALITY AND NET-ZERO WASTE GOALS. TODAY, DO JUST ONE THING TO WALK MORE LIGHTLY ON THE EARTH. TOMORROW, DO ANOTHER. GO GREEN, ONE SLIGHTLY CARBON-REDUCED FOOTSTEP AT A TIME

By JENNIFER PARISH CTW FEATURES

L

ooking to go green but don't know where to start? How about one step at a time?

Implement each of these daily suggestions and, in one month, you'll be leading a healthier, happier, more eco-friendly lifestyle.

DAY 1: INSPIRE YOURSELF! Read books by people who have succeeded in greening their lives to inspire you to take the plunge.Try Vanessa Farquharson's “Sleeping Naked is Green,” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009) or Mindy Pennybacker's “Do One Green Thing,” (St. Martin's Griffin/Thomas Dunne Books, 2010).

WEEK 1: CREATE LESS GARBAGE Reduce junk mail. Save paper and aggravation by reducing the amount of junk mail landing in your box.Visit stopjunkmail.org for a free, downloadable Stop Junk Mail Kit. Use cloth instead of paper towels. Use a dishcloth to wipe up your spills.

Compost - with worms! Let little red worms break down your food scraps into rich, fertile compost for your garden.You'll need a large container, worms and leftovers.

Pack reusable, stainless steel containers.These are perfect for school lunches and to use as doggy bags when dining out.

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU Recycle your shoes.Turn your old athletic SAVE NOW! shoes into sports surfaces such as tracks or courts with the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program.

Find a drop-off location near you at www. nikereuseashoe.com.

Trade for it. Is a child in your life pestering you for a new video game? Just have to own that movie you watched last night? Try swaptree.com and trade for what you want.

Stop e-waste before it starts. Buy refurbished rather than new cell phones, cameras and other electronics.

WEEK 2: SAVE ENERGY AND REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

The Montana Standard ■ 7

GREENER GROCERY SHOPPING Can't afford to go all organic, all the time? Mindy Pennyback, author of “Do One Green Thing,” (St. Martin's Griffin/Thomas Dunne Books, 2010) suggests taking a strategic approach when selecting organic produce.

CHOOSE IT. Buy non-organic in food you eat only once in a while, or those having the lowest pesticide residues.

The Tasty 13 listed here are generally low in pesticides and OK to buy non-organic.

Asparagus Pineapple << AVOCADOS Sweet corn Broccoli Sweet peas Cabbage Sweet potatoes Eggplant Tomatoes Mango Watermelon Onion *****

WEEK 4: IMPROVE YOUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY Volunteer for a local environmental organization and feel good knowing you're making your community a better place. You will make new friends and a difference.

Don't toss your meds. Studies show pills and powders can end up in your community's drinking water supply if not disposed of properly.

Return expired meds to your pharmacy.

Donate used sheets, blankets and towels to an animal shelter. Faded and stained fabrics can offer comfort to a homeless animal.

Avoid palm oil products. The Girl Scouts and Fox News agree, palm oil plantations in Southeast Asian are destroying rainforests and endangering species such as the orangutan.

Reuse produce bags. Disposable plastic produce bags often wind up in our waterways where they are mistakenly consumed by aquatic life. Bring reusable bags to the market for your fruits and vegetables.

Start a community garden. By working together with your neighbors and local elected officials, you can start a community garden project.These gardens offer a source of fresh produce and the opportunity to experience nature to everyone in your hometown.Visit the American Community Gardening Association at www.communitygarden.org for ideas on how to get started.

Use rain barrels.With many communities facing water shortages, collecting rainwater for use in irrigating your garden is one way to help prevent waste of our most precious resource.

Choose LCD TVs over plasma. In the market for a new television? LCDs use 40 percent *****Which had the very lowest number of pesticides? The lowly onion less power than plasmas, according to a study by the Florida Solar Energy Center.

Nectarines Apples Insulate switch plates to stop an air leak..

Peaches Carrots Unscrew your switch plates and install pre-cut Pears Celery insulation that fits over electrical sockets.

Install the NightBreeze night ventilation << CHERRIES Spinach cooling system in your attic and reduce your Kale Strawberries A/C usage.These nifty systems work nightly Lettuce Sweet bell peppers to exchange the warm air indoors with the cool air outside, helping keep home temperaLOSE IT. Buy the organic version of the produce you and your family eat the most. You may also want to buy tures comfortable all day long. organic in the following foods, which otherwise have the highest pesticide residues: Get a home energy audit.A professional © CTW Features energy auditor can offer valuable suggestions for reducing your energy consumption and Eat lower on the food chain once a week. Eating red meat lowering your monthly utility bills. adds an average of 5,000 lbs to your yearly carbon footGo tankless. On-demand water heaters can print.Try going veggie once a week. save the average family $100 a year on their gas bills, reports ENERGY STAR. over older models.

Eat lower on the food chain once a week.

Avoid smelly products.That odor emitted by Visit your local farmer's market. Get to know Eating red meat adds an average of 5,000 lbs to new products indicates they are releasing toxDAY 30: CELEBRATE THE NEW, GREENyour food and who grows it. Produce at your your yearly carbon footprint.Try going veggie ins into your home.Trust your nose. Choose local farmer's market is often organic and travels low-VOC carpeting, paints and sealers, formalde- ER YOU WITH A GLASS OF ORGANIC once a week.

BUBBLY. CHEERS! a shorter distance from farm to plate, leaving a Install a Solatube.These skylights are tubuhyde-free furniture and shower curtains made © CTW Features smaller carbon footprint. lar - and save energy! Cylindrically shaped without vinyl.

Choose less toxic personal care products.You Solatubes look and act much like recessed may be surprised by the number of harmful lights, so you can turn off your artificial lightchemicals in your personal care items. Learn ing and let the sunshine in! which are the safest for you and your family by WEEK 3: PROTECT visiting the Environmental Working Group's cosYOUR FAMILY'S HEALTH metic safety database at www.cosmeticsdataMake your own green cleaners. Many combase.com. mon household cleaning products are full of Green your pet. Even fido can go green with chemicals that may endanger your family's organic shampoos, digestible hemp rope toys health. Use baking soda, vinegar and lemon to and pet waste compost bins. make your own cleansers.

Install a whole-house water filter. Discover Invest in an EPA-rated wood burning firewhich toxins may be lurking in your tap water place. In addition to polluting the outdoors, fireby entering your zip code into the EWG's drinkplaces also release dangerous particulate matter ing water quality database: www.ewg.org/tap640 South Arizona, Butte • 723.3406 | 200 North Polk, Anaconda • 563.5229 back into the home.An EPA-approved fireplace water/home.Then, install a whole-house water can reduce these emissions by eight to 60 time filter to remove them.

AWARE Recycling Serving Anaconda & Butte

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU Recycle your shoes.Turn your old athletic SAVE NOW! shoes into sports surfaces such as tracks or courts with the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program.

Find a drop-off location near you at www. nikereuseashoe.com.

Trade for it. Is a child in your life pestering you for a new video game? Just have to own that movie you watched last night? Try swaptree.com and trade for what you want.

Stop e-waste before it starts. Buy refurbished rather than new cell phones, cameras and other electronics.

WEEK 2: SAVE ENERGY AND REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

The Montana Standard ■ 7

GREENER GROCERY SHOPPING Can't afford to go all organic, all the time? Mindy Pennyback, author of “Do One Green Thing,” (St. Martin's Griffin/Thomas Dunne Books, 2010) suggests taking a strategic approach when selecting organic produce.

CHOOSE IT. Buy non-organic in food you eat only once in a while, or those having the lowest pesticide residues.

The Tasty 13 listed here are generally low in pesticides and OK to buy non-organic.

Asparagus Pineapple << AVOCADOS Sweet corn Broccoli Sweet peas Cabbage Sweet potatoes Eggplant Tomatoes Mango Watermelon Onion *****

WEEK 4: IMPROVE YOUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY Volunteer for a local environmental organization and feel good knowing you're making your community a better place. You will make new friends and a difference.

Don't toss your meds. Studies show pills and powders can end up in your community's drinking water supply if not disposed of properly.

Return expired meds to your pharmacy.

Donate used sheets, blankets and towels to an animal shelter. Faded and stained fabrics can offer comfort to a homeless animal.

Avoid palm oil products. The Girl Scouts and Fox News agree, palm oil plantations in Southeast Asian are destroying rainforests and endangering species such as the orangutan.

Reuse produce bags. Disposable plastic produce bags often wind up in our waterways where they are mistakenly consumed by aquatic life. Bring reusable bags to the market for your fruits and vegetables.

Start a community garden. By working together with your neighbors and local elected officials, you can start a community garden project.These gardens offer a source of fresh produce and the opportunity to experience nature to everyone in your hometown.Visit the American Community Gardening Association at www.communitygarden.org for ideas on how to get started.

Use rain barrels.With many communities facing water shortages, collecting rainwater for use in irrigating your garden is one way to help prevent waste of our most precious resource.

Choose LCD TVs over plasma. In the market for a new television? LCDs use 40 percent *****Which had the very lowest number of pesticides? The lowly onion less power than plasmas, according to a study by the Florida Solar Energy Center.

Nectarines Apples Insulate switch plates to stop an air leak..

Peaches Carrots Unscrew your switch plates and install pre-cut Pears Celery insulation that fits over electrical sockets.

Install the NightBreeze night ventilation << CHERRIES Spinach cooling system in your attic and reduce your Kale Strawberries A/C usage.These nifty systems work nightly Lettuce Sweet bell peppers to exchange the warm air indoors with the cool air outside, helping keep home temperaLOSE IT. Buy the organic version of the produce you and your family eat the most. You may also want to buy tures comfortable all day long. organic in the following foods, which otherwise have the highest pesticide residues: Get a home energy audit.A professional © CTW Features energy auditor can offer valuable suggestions for reducing your energy consumption and Eat lower on the food chain once a week. Eating red meat lowering your monthly utility bills. adds an average of 5,000 lbs to your yearly carbon footGo tankless. On-demand water heaters can print.Try going veggie once a week. save the average family $100 a year on their gas bills, reports ENERGY STAR. over older models.

Eat lower on the food chain once a week.

Avoid smelly products.That odor emitted by Visit your local farmer's market. Get to know Eating red meat adds an average of 5,000 lbs to new products indicates they are releasing toxDAY 30: CELEBRATE THE NEW, GREENyour food and who grows it. Produce at your your yearly carbon footprint.Try going veggie ins into your home.Trust your nose. Choose local farmer's market is often organic and travels low-VOC carpeting, paints and sealers, formalde- ER YOU WITH A GLASS OF ORGANIC once a week.

BUBBLY. CHEERS! a shorter distance from farm to plate, leaving a Install a Solatube.These skylights are tubuhyde-free furniture and shower curtains made © CTW Features smaller carbon footprint. lar - and save energy! Cylindrically shaped without vinyl.

Choose less toxic personal care products.You Solatubes look and act much like recessed may be surprised by the number of harmful lights, so you can turn off your artificial lightchemicals in your personal care items. Learn ing and let the sunshine in! which are the safest for you and your family by WEEK 3: PROTECT visiting the Environmental Working Group's cosYOUR FAMILY'S HEALTH metic safety database at www.cosmeticsdataMake your own green cleaners. Many combase.com. mon household cleaning products are full of Green your pet. Even fido can go green with chemicals that may endanger your family's organic shampoos, digestible hemp rope toys health. Use baking soda, vinegar and lemon to and pet waste compost bins. make your own cleansers.

Install a whole-house water filter. Discover Invest in an EPA-rated wood burning firewhich toxins may be lurking in your tap water place. In addition to polluting the outdoors, fireby entering your zip code into the EWG's drinkplaces also release dangerous particulate matter ing water quality database: www.ewg.org/tap640 South Arizona, Butte • 723.3406 | 200 North Polk, Anaconda • 563.5229 back into the home.An EPA-approved fireplace water/home.Then, install a whole-house water can reduce these emissions by eight to 60 time filter to remove them.

AWARE Recycling Serving Anaconda & Butte

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

8 ■ The Montana Standard

By JEFF SCHNAUFFER CTW FEATURES

W

ith a new government program offering cash for old appliances, there’s never been a better time to get a new refrigerator, dishwasher or washing machine that can save money on energy bills while lending a helping hand to Mother Earth.

“There is a rapid growth in the number of appliances marketed as energy-efficient or green,” says Tony Napolitano, publisher of Portland, Maine-based Smart HomeOwner magazine.

“By introducing new energy-efficient appliances and methods into the home, families can reduce costs, and their associated environmental impact, by cutting down on the large portion of energy that is wasted,” adds Sean S. Miller, the director of education for the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit Earth Day Network.

Consumers may already be eligible to receive rebates for the purchase of new Energy Star-qualified appliances when they replace used appliances. Funded with $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, these rebates vary from state to state, but generally range from $50 to $250 on appliances including freezers, furnaces, refrigerators and dishwashers.The government also is offering tax credits of up to $1,500 for the purchase of water heaters and other energy-saving home improvements.

WASHING MACHINES While taking advantage of a sunny day by using your clothesline is the most eco-friendly way to dry clothes, beating your laundry with rocks by the river isn’t a throwback – energy efficient or not – that most people would embrace. But this week’s laundry still needs to be cleaned, doesn’t it?

ENERGY STAR-qualified washing machines use roughly 30 percent less energy and at least 50 percent less water than regular washers, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Many qualified models also have a greater capacity than conventional models, which translates into fewer loads of laundry.

“The biggest development in clothes washers is the demand for new front-loading models,” Napolitano says.“A number of manufacturers have released front loading washing machines, and they perform exceptionally well as a green product – requiring

YOU OUGHTA KNOW HOME APPLIANCE ENERGY-GLUTTONS HAVE GONE THE WAY OF THE HUMMER. HERE’S WHAT EVERY HOMEOWNER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT HIS ENERGY OPTIONS.

less water and energy than a traditional top loader and often reducing the amount of drying time needed.”

Miller says that ASKO washing machines are a solid contender for their energy efficiency and low water consumption.The Scandinavian company that started in 1950 also boasts that most of the parts in their

appliances can be recycled. Whirlpool’s latest Cabrio HE top load washers with the H2Low wash system use 75 percent less water and 65 percent less energy, says Warwick Stirling, global director of energy and sustainability for Whirlpool in Benton Harbor, Mich. He adds that over a 10-year lifespan, Whirlpool’s Duet front-load washer

can offer a savings of up to $1,000 in water and energy costs, compared to pre-2004 conventional washers. Napolitano notes the LG SteamWasher series as an energy-efficient combo.

REFRIGERATORS The refrigerator is the single biggest power-eater in most households, accounting for about 15 percent of residential electricity usage. In most households, it’s the one appliance that runs 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Replacing a refrigerator from the 1980s with an ENERGY STAR model will save more than $100 annually on utility bills, the DOE reports. Replace a 1970s fridge and save $200 each year. ENERGY STAR refrigerators are required by the DOE to use 20 percent less energy than uncertified models.

“ENERGY STAR models are a great starting point for any consumer looking to purchase a new refrigerator,” Napolitano says.“Most manufacturers offer ENERGY STAR models that are significantly more efficient than older models.” Fisher & Paykel’s DCS 36” Side by Side refrigerator uses 20 percent less energy than required by current federal standards.

Purchasing any refrigerator with a capacity of 25 cubic feet or less can add up to significant energy savings.

Those seeking a super-efficient model suitable for households run on solar, hydro or wind power, Sun Frost, an Arcata, Calif. firm, offers what it claims to be the world’s most energy-efficient refrigerators. In a conventional home, the Sun Frost refrigerators, several of which bear the ENERGY STAR label, cut energy costs by a factor of five, according to the company.

DISHWASHERS Dishwashers across the board are becoming more energy efficient.“An even more-exciting trend is the development of water conserving units,” Napolitano says. For example, the Evolution Series from Bosch is recognized as big water saver, using just 1.8 gallons of water per wash and beating ENERGY STAR standards.

The DOE estimates that a dishwasher built before 1994 wastes about 8 gallons of water per cycle compared to new ENERGY STAR models, and a pre-1994 model also costs an extra $40 a year to run.Whirlpool will be offering tall-tub dishwashers with an eco cycle, which cuts cycle time in almost half.

© CTW Features

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

The Montana Standard ■ 9

Y H W T I A W R THE FO

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E T A ST

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10 â&#x2013; The Montana Standard

TOP ENERGY SAVERS

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COOK IT TurboChefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Double Wall Speedcook Oven uses a microwave element that helps cut food preparation time, working 15 times faster than a conventional model.

CLEAN IT The Electrolux UltraSilencer Green is made of 55-percent recycled plastic and it runs on just 9 amps of power. The Eureka Envirovac offers an 8-amp motor that uses 33 percent less energy than a typical upright vacuum, with an allergen filter that can be washed and reused.

COOL IT Consumers interested in getting the most energy-efficient air conditioner should focus on the SEER [seasonal energy efficiency ratio] rating. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Higher SEER ratings equal more efficient units,â&#x20AC;? says Tony Napolitano, publisher of Smart HomeOwner magazine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a general rule, all new air conditioners are improving in efficiency as awareness and demand grows.â&#x20AC;?

HEAT IT GEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new GeoSpring Water Heater combines a compressor and an evaporator with traditional electronic heating elements to cut residential water heater energy costs by more than half.

DREAM IT On the drawing board: â&#x20AC;&#x153;smartâ&#x20AC;? appliances that can communicate with the local utility grid and time operations to use electricity when overall demand (and cost) for power is lowest.

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STEPS TO A GREENER YOU SAVE NOW!

REIN IN THE GLUTTONS Start conserving electricity through efficient appliance usage today. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are many opportunities for substantial energy savings through equipment replacement, but there are many ways we can change how we use the products we already own,â&#x20AC;? says Jennifer Thorne Amann, director of the buildings and equipment program at the American Council for an EnergyEfficient Economy and a specialist in residential energy efficiency. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Small improvements and minor behavior changes can yield cost savings right away.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘ SCRAPE, DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T RINSE. Studies show that most people pre-rinse dishes before loading them into the dishwasher, even though most dishwashers LGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SteamWasher & SteamDryer purchased within the last decade can adequately clean even heavily soiled dishes. If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t break the habit, try at least switching to cold water. â&#x20AC;˘ INSPECT DOOR SEALS. Check the door seals or gaskets on refrigerators and freezers. Try this test: Put a dollar bill in the door as you close it and see if it holds firmly in place. Or, put a bright flashlight inside the refrigerator and direct the light toward a section of the door seal. With the door closed and the room dark, inspect for light through the crack. â&#x20AC;˘ USE LOWER TEMPERATURE SETTINGS. Use cold water for the wash cycle instead of warm or hot (except when cleaning clothes with greasy stains), and use only cold water for the rinse cycle. Experiment with different laundry detergents to find one that works well with cooler water. â&#x20AC;˘ RELOCATE THE REFRIGERATOR. If a refrigerator is in the sunlight or next to a stove or dishwasher, it uses more energy to maintain cool temperatures. Move the fridge to a cooler spot and it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to work so hard. â&#x20AC;˘ SHINE UP THE STOVETOP. When burner pans turn black from heavy use, they can absorb a lot of heat, reducing burner efficiency. Shiny pans reflect heat up to the cookware.

Š CTW Features

KNOW YOUR PLANET

GRAB A RECYCLED PENCIL! IT'S TIME FOR AN EARTH DAY QUIZ 1. How much water (in gallons) does the average American household waste every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets and other household leaks? a. 1,000 b. 3,000 c. 7,000 d. 10,000

2. For every gallon of gasoline reduced by carpooling, walking, biking or using public transportation, how many pounds of carbon emissions are reduced? a. 5 b. 15 c. 20 d. 30

3. Using one ream of regular, nonrecycled copy paper generates how many pounds of greenhouse gases? a. 4 b. 13 c. 16 d.21

4. What percentage of the nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay comes from environmental deposition (acid rain)? a. 30 b. 50 c. 75 d. 100

5. Between 2003-2005, how many cell phones, in millions, were put into landfills? a. 61.3 b. 88.7 c. 104.9 d. 126.3

6. Of all newspapers printed in the U.S., what percentage is recycled each year? a. 31 b. 64 c. 73 d. 82

Happy 40th Earth Day! To learn more about Earth Day and connect with events taking place in your area, drop by www.earthday.net/search and search using the name of your state.

Matthew M.F. Miller Š CTW Features

Answers: 1 - d; 2 - c; 3 - b; 4 - c; 5 - d; 6 - c

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

The Montana Standard ■ 11

By TERESA ODLE CTW FEATURES

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enewable energy, resource management, recycling, green business, stewardship. These buzz words pop up as companies and governments go green. They’re also appearing on more résumés, as jobseekers try to hitch their wagons to the growing green economy.

There are plenty of green jobs, according to San Francisco green recruiting agency Bright Green Talent. But like in all industries, there are plenty of applicants.“The field is highly competitive,” says Nick Ellis, managing partner with the agency. Skill sets are important to make you stand out, and many employers are picky about degrees and experience.“You’d be amazed how many Harvard MBAs are looking for these jobs right now,” he says.

GROWING A GREEN PAYCHECK The definition of a green job is not clearcut. Basically, any job can be a green job.

Let’s say your employer has decided to reduce waste, not only to lessen its carbon footprint but to save money. The company may want to hire or promote a current employee to a new operations position focused on achieving this goal. With a green plan in place, the company also will want to broadcast successes to customers and the general public. It takes someone with a range of skills who understands and believes in these efforts to fit the bill.

“Green jobs tend to be more technically demanding,” says Alex Salkever, director of marketing communications for Picarro, a Sunnyvale, Calif., company that produces greenhouse gas analyzers. He says traditional chemistry jobs are switching to a green focus. And he adds that many high-tech professionals with skills in optics or semiconductors are shifting their focus to green industries, which seem to offer greater opportunities. Some other green jobs you might not consider? Ellis adds dairy industry consultant, solar installer, HVAC engineer and carbon trader. Experienced green professionals might become sustainability consultants.

WIND BENEATH MY BLADES The wind energy business is poised to create or re-create jobs. Renewable energy should continue to grow, especially after passage of the U.S. Recovery Act. Placing wind turbines out on the nation’s prairies requires more than a few specialized technicians. The work starts long before the truck hauling the 90-meter tower shows up. There are unique jobs to fill at every level, says J. Matthew Garran, supply chain manager at the American Wind Energy Association,“from manufacturing the parts, to moving them around, to preparing the site, to installing the turbines, to ongoing operation and maintenance.”

He says the installation of a wind turbine requires years of studies to determine the amount of energy the turbines can produce and the environmental impact in a given location. Biologists may have to consult on the impact to wildlife. Legal and title searches must be done. And installing a turbine involves construction crews.

WHO DOES GREEN SUIT? The green industry definitely favors the young, but just being a recent graduate who’s excited about the environment doesn’t guarantee anyone a green job. The best green résumés often include engineering degrees, stints at a nonprofit, experience in start-up companies (especially in the energy sector) and in companies that emphasize social and environmental goals.

Bright Green recommends internships or volunteer work with green nonprofits. To revamp skills, try local classes designed for those seeking a career change. Many offer training for environmentally focused jobs.

Simple resourcefulness is a big plus, he says.

“Listen for news reports about wind turbines going up in your area and find out which developer or construction company is putting them in,” he says.

“Do your homework,” Salkever adds.

“Understand where your skills may align with an existing or growing need in the green space.” He ought to know. Salkever, a former finance writer and programmer, studied the green industry then acted on his passion.“I feel very strongly that this is more than a job,” he says.“This is about leaving a better place for our kids.”

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

12 ■ The Montana Standard

TESLA ROADSTER

NISSAN LEAF

CAN'T RESIST IT … IT'S ELECTRIC

CHEVROLET VOLT

COULD YOUR NEXT RIDE NEED A PLUG-IN INSTEAD OF A FILL-UP? A NEW WAVE OF ELECTRIC-POWERED VEHICLES PROMISE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY OPERATION AND REASONABLY LOW OPERATING COSTS.

By JIM GORZELANY CTW FEATURES

I

t is a marvel of advanced automotive technology.A lithium-ion battery powers an emissions-free electric motor that swiftly and silently enables a motorist to reach 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds and drive up to 244 miles on a single charge.

It’s too bad the market for the low-slung Tesla Roadster, produced by a small Silicon Valley-based company, will likely never grow past a select audience of well-heeled environmentalists and auto enthusiasts.The sweet green ride seats just two passengers and carries a $109,000 sticker price.

Fortunately for fans of electric vehicles, the coming year will see the first mainstream models aimed at just folks since the General

Motors EV-1 ended its brief and controversial run in 1999.

Bowing this November will be the muchanticipated Volt from GM’s Chevrolet division.

Chevy calls the Volt an “extended-range electric vehicle.” It can run solely on electric power for about 40 miles on a charge. Once the onboard batteries have been depleted, a small gasoline engine runs a generator to power the car’s electric motor.While the gasrun generator adds complexity and cost to this futuristically designed midsize sedan, it makes the Volt practical for more than just shorter runs; the company recently said that a full electric-only version is in the works.

“Some people continue to think of GM as the company that killed the electric car,” says GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz.“Well, movie titles

to the contrary, the electric car is far from dead at GM.” Nissan and Mitsubishi are planning smaller pure-electric cars of their own for the 2011 model year, the Leaf and i-MiEV, respectively, both of which boast a maximum range of 100 miles. Ford is readying an electric version of its next-generation Focus compact car for release early next year.And a Chinese company, BYD, hopes to launch its e6 EV in the U.S. soon, a vehicle the company says will run for up to 205 miles on a charge.

Tesla is expected to introduce its second EV, the Model S luxury sedan, next year that promises a 300-mile range; another niche car builder, Fisker, is readying its four-door extended-range Karma EV for a 2011 release.

Depending on the model, a full battery

charge using 220-volt current could take up to eight hours, and much longer on a standard 110-volt circuit. Some sources peg the cost to charge an EV at about one-third to one-fourth the cost of gasoline to drive the same car the same distance. Many owners will be able to garner a discount for recharging their EVs overnight, when electric rates are typically at their lowest.Tesla says its Roadster costs about two cents a mile to operate, but this depends heavily on utility rates and the time of day during which the car is connected to the grid.

The first wave of EVs will likely be sold to environmentally minded consumers and those who are on a mission – whether philosophical or financial – to avoid fuel pumps

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU altogether. Businesses, especially those serving well-defined areas, could be the first to embrace electric vehicles purely for their cost savings. Ford will begin selling its new Transit Electric delivery van to commercial buyers later this year that promises an 80-mile range on a charge.

However, even the staunchest supporters admit that widespread acceptance of electric vehicles is likely a long way off, and for a variety of reasons. For starters, until manufacturing costs drop and battery technology becomes more efficient, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll remain costly compared to conventional models.The Chevrolet Volt, for example, is expected to sell for over $35,000, the Nissan Leaf will likely start in the upper$20,000 range and the Tesla Model S will carry a $49,900 base price. Fortunately, EV buyers will be able to take advantage of a one-time $7,500 federal income-tax credit to help offset the cost.

Plus, pure EVs have a finite range on a charge, which will vary significantly based on the ambient temperature, traffic and use of accessories like air conditioning.A maximum 100-mile range might be far less in certain circumstances, possibly stranding an unprepared

1

NEW

motorist with a depleted battery.Those looking to take longer-range trips and apartment dwellers with no access to electric outlets next to their parking spots will need ways to charge EV batteries.

To that end, several companies are building an infrastructure for remote electric car-charging stations.Already, Silicon Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coulomb Technologies has its ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations installed in public locations across 17 states, including supermarkets and at least one McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant.A ChargePoint iPhone app gives electric vehicle owners the means to locate charging stations and see in real time if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available, in use or out of service.

Encountering charging stations in places like supermarket parking lots â&#x20AC;&#x153;brings the reality of electric vehicles one step closer,â&#x20AC;? says company CEO Richard Lowenthal.

One of the keys to furthering EV use will be when 480-volt fast-charge stations just being developed become ubiquitous.They promise as much as an 80 percent charge in 30 minutes or less, about the time it takes grab a quick bite to eat while en route.

Š CTW Features

The Montana Standard â&#x2013; 13

SAVE NOW!

DRIVING GREEN Until the day you park and plug in an electronic vehicle in the driveway, be an energywise auto owner. â&#x20AC;˘ CHECK TIRE PRESSURE REGULARLY. Under-inflated tires are a drag. Proper inflation will improve gas mileage by about 3 percent. â&#x20AC;˘ AVOIDING JACKRABBIT STARTS AND STOPS can save more than $1 per gallon and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 33 percent â&#x20AC;˘ GET A TUNE-UP. A properly tuned engine will improve gas mileage by about 4 percent â&#x20AC;˘ OFFLOAD THE EXTRAS. Every 100 pounds of junk in the trunk reduces gas mileage by 2 percent. â&#x20AC;˘ SLOW DOWN. According to the EPA, every 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is equivalent to paying 20 extra cents per gallon of gas. Maintaining a highway speed of 60 mph can improve mileage from 7-24 percent. â&#x20AC;˘ DRIVING 10,000 MILES IN A YEAR USING CRUISE CONTROL could save you nearly $200 and more than 60 gallons of fuel (assuming $3 fuel, 20 mpg and 15,000 annual mileage) urce: EPA and Department of Transportation, drop by www.ecodrivingusa.com for more tips

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STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

14 ■ The Montana Standard

GREENER THAN YOU THINK

IT’S EASY TO BE ECO-CONSCIOUS. SO EASY, IN FACT, YOU MAY ALREADY BE TAKING SOME OF THE BEST POSSIBLE SUSTAINABLE STEPS.

By DEBORAH DOUGLAS CTW FEATURES

M

olly Sprengelmeyer doesn’t have a cell phone for a reason. If you need to talk to the 41-year-old Asheville, N.C., resident, you’ll have to make an appointment to speak to her on her landline, the oldfashioned way.

Sprengelmeyer’s way of slowing down, buying locally and only using the energy and products she really needs, harkens back to a time not very long ago. In fact, folks are likely a lot greener than they think if they stop to consider of some commonsense things they do – or used to. Increasing one’s commitment to sustainability doesn’t seem so daunting after realizing how

much comes naturally.

“Anything I can do to create a rhythm around it becomes really easy to do; it’s kind of second nature,” says Sprengelmeyer, who is working to create a creative reuse center in Asheville. She shares and barters so she can avoid new purchases and mends before seeking retail therapy.

That’s Sprengelmeyer’s recipe for curbing the madness of everyday living: slowing down, being scrappy, living simply.

She recalls last winter when things shut down on the East Coast:“Some crises really force us to adapt, like walking when we would normally drive to the store.We realize,‘Geez, I didn’t realize it was right there.’ If our car breaks

down and we ride the bus or our bike, in the process we see things about how the seasons change and talk to our neighbors, which increases our own resources.”And she wouldn’t dare eat a winter strawberry.

The carbon footprint of a winter berry versus a summer strawberry isn’t worth the cost in fuel used to buy it, she says.“I grow a certain percentage of my food,” Sprengelmeyer adds.“Eating fresh, homegrown tomatoes in the middle of December is like eating pure sunshine out of a jar.”

Not sure where you should start? Green gurus have plenty of suggestions for making a firm commitment to sustainability: BE A LITTLE SEEDY: Plant an herb kitchen gar-

den in containers that sit on your windowsill.

The freshness is unbeatable and the plants a cinch to maintain.

SKIP THE PRE-RINSE: Don't pre-rinse dishes before putting them in dishwasher.Today’s dishwashers work efficiently without a prerinse, saving about 20 gallons of water a day.

THROW A PARTY: Invite friends and neighbors over for a potluck featuring local, seasonal, organic, low-on-the-food-chain dishes, says Jill Zilligen, chief sustainability officer for Shaklee Corp. Local-heavy dishes bring out creativity that you can share on recipe cards. In addition, prioritizing produce over meat is a positive choice, reducing the environmental impact of meat processing.Vegetables are closer to their natural state than, say, a steak.

GET ENERGIZED: Whenever you have the choice of renewable energy, go for it. In some places, wind energy that goes unused in one home is stored in the electrical grid for use by others.

“In any given moment each and everyone of us can transform our lives,” Sprengelmeyer says.“I can only think of this on a micro level, focusing on what I can personally do, from my neighborhood association, my little town. It’s building from there.”

© CTW Features

The Outback may be uniquely designed for getting out there, but at Subaru, we put just as much emphasis on not leaving it out there. First, we build vehicles for maximum durability, because more time spent on the road is less time in a landfill. It’s why 94% of the vehicles we’ve built in the last 10 years are still on the road today.1 We also work diligently to cut waste before the car ever tools out of the factory. In 2004, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA) became the first manufacturing facility in the U.S. to zero landfill status — nothing from its manufacturing efforts ever goes into a landfill. Subaru facilities in Japan have achieved similar goals in reusing and recycling. And, because clear skies are just as important as clean landscapes, the Outback is one of the few SUV’s to achieve Partial Zero Emission Vehicle — PZEV2 — status and SmartWay®3 certification. It achieves such cleanliness and efficiency without the negative impact required to manufacture many vehicles with batterybased drive systems, and without compromising performance and versatility.

Find out more about our efforts to keep it cleaner and greener.

subaru.com/environment

2010 Subaru

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1. Based on R.L. Polk & Co. registration data in the U.S. 1998 to 2008. 2. Available on 2010 Ouback models certified as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) that are sold and registered in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. PZEV emissions warranty applies to only certain states. See your dealer for complete information on emissions and new car limited warranties. 3.

For all 2009 Forester, Legacy, and Outback non-turbo 2.5i-liter models certified as PZEV that are sold and registered in California and certain other sates. Visit www.epa.gov/greenvehicles for more information. Financing on approved credit, not all applicants will qualify for special rates, see dealer for details. Vehicles subject to prior sale. Photos for illustration only.

STEPS TO A GREENER YOU

The Montana Standard ■ 15

NATURAL SOLUTIONS

By DEBORAH DOUGLAS CTW FEATURES

A

t 32,Ajana Boone owns her own condo in the big city, has a carbon-friendly car and even manages to keep a small dog alive. But that doesn’t stop her mother, who lives hundreds of miles away in a small college town, from pestering her about the stuff she buys – namely, household cleaners “I’m very sensitive to chemicals and the smell of them,” says Boone, a Chicago marketing consultant whose mother is always chiding her to remember those sensitivities.“So for over a year now, I’ve been using nontoxic, environmentally friendly products. I don’t stick to certain brands, though, but I try to think green.”

Boone and others who have been thinking – and acting – green for a long time are called “Devoteds” by marketers of eco-friendly household cleaners.They’re the folks who can be depended on to invest first and consistently in nontoxic household products.Thanks to them, those who have been reluctant (whom marketers call, er, Reluctants) to buy products made with “less” are flocking to store shelves in search of natural products.

In 2008, green cleaners only made up about 3 percent of the household products market,

according to Mintel, the market research company. However, the company expects that number to reach 30 percent by 2013.

The brands Method and Seventh Generation are eco-friendly mainstays. SC Johnson (Nature’s Source) and Clorox (Green Works) offer natural cleaning products.

Shaklee’s Basic H2, yet another green cleaner, made Oprah’s Favorite Things list as an environmentally sound product.

In fact, as eco-friendly living goes, more consumers want their purchases to fall in line with their values.As a result, fair-trade product sales are up, and consumers are increasingly interested in sustainable, local, natural and humane products, according to SPINS, an industry tracker for natural products.

“The more people are interested in buying these products, the less expensive they’ll be,” says Terri Trespicio, editor of Body & Soul magazine.

DON’T BE FOOLED While Trespicio applauds homeowners who are concerned by research linking the use of harsh chemicals to skin reactions, asthma, among other conditions, she warns about buying anything labeled “natural,” which, she says, does not mean anything.

“Everyone is slipping in the word ‘natural’; it’s not a certified term,”Trespicio says.

FOR A CLEANER, GREENER HOME, CONSUMERS ARE LOOKING TO NONTOXIC, CHEMICAL-FREE PRODUCTS THAT ARE BETTER FOR THEM – AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

“Natural is a fake, fluffy word, and you cannot trust that.You might have a company that adds lavender, but the burden is on the consumer to really research what’s going on with these brands.”

For example,“unscented” doesn’t mean the absence of chemicals, she says. Chemicals actually may be added to negate the bad smell of ingredients used to make a cleaning product.And dazzling colorings – a sensory sales tool used to hook consumers – don’t make a cleaner better, either.

The addition of plants and herbs isn’t always a selling point, either, she says, because pets may have negative reactions to certain plants.

So how does one choose a workable cleaning product? Just know that “natural” should mean no synthetics, says Jill Zilligen, chief sustainability officer at Shaklee Corp, Pleasanton, Calif.

Aside from what is in the cleaning bottle, what it’s made of is important, too, because non-recyclable plastic will eventually end up clogging a landfill somewhere. For example, Seventh Generation’s packaging for its line of laundry liquid, dishwasher powder and disinfectants is made of recycled plastic where possible.This effort requires two-thirds less energy and is equal to taking nearly 40 million cars off the road, according to company

officials. Since not all plastic is recyclable, the company is aiming to have 75 percent of its offerings in recycled packaging. Martha Stewart’s new Clean line of plant- and mineral-based products also comes in recycled plastic packaging.

DON’T OVERDO IT Be assured that dialing it down and ridding homes of harsh chemicals does not mean giving in to dirt, experts say. Using so-called green cleaners doesn’t mean learning to accept that homes won’t be as clean as they would with the chemical-laden stuff.

“We don’t need to be using these superharsh products to wage war on dirt in your home.That’s overkill, and the tide is turning on that,”Trespicio says.

But green cleaners also need to live up to a performance test, the experts say. So those who are interested in testing out how well they work should audit their cupboards and phase out chemical cleaners while phasing in nontoxic ones.

“I like to tell people to think about function,” Zilligen says.“What are you trying to accomplish? You don’t have to have a counter cleaner, a tub cleaner and a sink cleaner.You can do all those things with a concentrated [green] cleaner.”

© CTW Features

DUMPSTER DAYS Saturday, June 5

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Saturday, June 5th 10:00 am to 2:00 pm The Montana Standard (parking lot off Quartz St.) Herbergerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (parking lot) â&#x20AC;˘ Walmart (parking lot)

A&S Metals will have recycling bins at all of these locations accepting the following items

Paper: Newspaper, magazines, envelopes, copy paper, shredded paper, phone books Cardboard: boxes such as cereal, etc.

Toilet Aluminum Paper Steel: Labels are OK, but they have Drive Too! to be rinsed out Donate to people in Plastic: #1 and #2 ONLY! need!

NO GLASS

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Help Your ! ! y t i n u m Com

Money recovered from the recyclables will be given to The United Way Campaign.

Please contribute and give to the people in need that live in our community!

United Way of Butte and Anaconda need your help and NOW is an ideal time to help put them over their 2009/2010 goal!

If 5,000 people donate just $ United W 5, ay will ach ieve its goal! !