Jan01

Written By

F. V. Trebe gives a fuck about the Oxford Comma. She is also passionate about writing the wrongs in the world.

Resolution: Live Green

TDA's Favorite Eco-Friendly Tips

Environment – A New Year is upon us and for those of you who have made resolutions to be more eco-friendly or greener in your home, we have put together a few tips and tricks by Michelle Kaufmann, renowned eco-designer, for you.

Happy Greening!

Even the most green-minded of us resort to take-out every once in a while, and when we do, the fastest, easiest thing is normally Chinese Food, complete with disposable chopsticks. If you’re like most people, the novelty of them quickly wears off when after twenty minutes when all you have had is three pieces of rice, and you eventually resort to stabbing the larger chunks, before turning to your trusty fork, and tossing the useless pieces of wood in the rubbish. But are they really useless?

There has been a lot of talk lately that the disposable chopstick craze contributes to deforestation which shouldn’t be surprising considering that Japan alone goes through 24 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks every year.

The easiest and smartest solution here is to buy a pair of re-useable chopsticks and forgo the disposable ones. But…that still leaves some people with a drawer full of wooden sticks and nothing to do with them.

There are some very creative ideas out there (at least 50 of them here) to re-purpose your old chopsticks, but we thought the birdfeeder was fun.

Have you ever wondered what to do with all that excess junk mail? This is a fun and creative way to give friends and family plantable cards!

Find yourself with a few dozen corks after the New Year’s party? Try making this eco-friendly mud mat and put them to good use!

Looking for a way to light your outdoor space? This is a great way to recycle glass jars and turn your patio into a romantic get-away!

Get rid of unsightly gutters and down spouts and create an amazing water display with a rain chain!

Do your old towels and t-shirts end up as rags before you throw them in the rubbish? Well, here is a fun and luxurious way to create an eco-friendly bath mat instead.

Create and decorate your home with solar art! It’s fun, inexpensive, and a way to show off your creative side!

Keep your outdoor area sting free by creating a non-toxic wasp catcher by using plastic bottles and fruit juice. Though if you live in Florida you may want to avoid this one, as the wasp is said to eat the white fly.

If you love the idea of a fire pit as much as the rest of us, but hate the idea of adding to the emissions, try this eco-friendly fire place for your backyard.

Because most candles contain an oil based product, they release carcinogens into the air. Make your own candles instead from renewable resources like beeswax and soy.

Water is becoming a precious commodity these days, and to save yourself some money on your water bill, make a beautiful water catchment system to re-use rainwater.