Movement Against the Phone Book

A friend passed this on to me and I wanted to share it with you. If you sign up on  YellowPagesGoesGreen.org, it will the make world we live in a greener planet.  It’s a movement against unsolicited phone delivery and it will allow you to remove your home and office number from receiving telephone directories.

All you need to do is provide your:

• Name
• Last Name
• Address
• City
• State
• Zip
• Email Address
• Opt out of: White Page and Yellow Pages

Remove your name from the printed Telephone Directory mailing list to save the trees and to go Green!

Green Tip of the Day

I was looking at my movie collection and realized most of my movies I’ve watched only once. After I finish reading a book, it sits on the shelf and collects dust. Now I have 2 items cluttering my house and they definitely are not recycle friendly.

I stumbled across this article on saving money from not buying media and it’s true. We spend so much money on movies and books, but once we are done they just sit there. Papers make up most of the landfills and DVDs are hard to recycle.

Libraries have great resources and a better collection than any book or movie store. If each of us took the time to cut down on buying  these products – we’d save hundreds of dollars and help eliminate the waste.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

5 Hot Spots in Downtown DC

We’ve all got our go-to restaurants and bars, but why not try something new? Here are five hip spots you’re sure to love:

Co Co. Sala
If you’re loco for cocoa, this chocolate lounge and boutique is the place for you. During the day, stop in to the shop for artisanal chocolates, house-made fresh gelato and locally-roasted espresso drinks. By night, Co Co. Sala morphs into an upscale lounge serving small bites, cocktails and fine desserts.

Plume at The Jefferson Hotel
Classic dishes with a contemporary flair are what you’ll find at this delicious new restaurant. The award-winning executive chef Damon Gordon prides himself on creating a seasonal menu inspired by the harvest from Jefferson’s gardens at Monticello.

CommonWealth
Opened in 2009, this Columbia Heights gastropub is the perfect place to kick back, relax and enjoy some good food and drinks. CommonWealth stays true to its British inspiration serving traditional English pub fare, honoring the “Sunday Roast” tradition and playing a selection of music from popular British bands.

Eola
This Dupont Circle eatery is fairly new to the DC restaurant scene, but it’s already receiving rave reviews. Choose from hearty dishes such as Tamworth Pork Jowl and Pan Roasted Hereford Beef on the a-la-carte menu or opt for the seven-course chef’s tasting menu for $75.

Farmers & Fishers
The sister restaurant of the much-loved Founding Farmers, this Georgetown Waterfront eatery is all about sustainable foods and a cozy farmhouse feel. You’ll enjoy a meal that’s both delicious and nutritious. The bar offers fun Tiki-inspired classics as well as traditional cocktail lounge favorites.

Be Green with Compost

Here’s a way to be green by creating your own compost pile. Compost is a soil conditioner that adds nutrients to the soil. WikiHow has a great article that shows you how to create your own compost system:

1. Have a worm bin: You can purchase one or build your own (rubber containers work best). To see how you can set up your own bin, read here.
2. Prep the box: Be sure to fill the bin with thin strips of shredded newspaper or dry grass. This keeps the bin ventilated for the worms, then soak the bin with water for a day before you add the worms.
3. Get the worms: Red Wigglers and European Night crawlers are the most common for a compost system.
4. Take care of your bin: Sprinkle water everyday in the bin to keep it moist and make sure the bin is not on the ground.
5. Harvest the compost:  There are 3 techniques here to choose from….
6. Apply the harvested compost to plants, or use it to make worm tea!

Save Your Eyes. Go Green.

How many hours do you spend at a computer? 150 million people sit at computer each day. 8 hours is the average time people spend looking at a computer screen.  To save your eyes and go green, you should use a LCD monitor.

LCD monitors are 66% more energy efficient than CRTs. They’re also 80% smaller in size and weight which definitely saves money on fuel cost and shipping. A LCD monitor is easier on your eyes and can help preserve professionals’ eyes who spend all day in front of the computer.  Thank you the Daily Green for saving on our eyes with tips on how to be green!

11.5 Billion!

No it’s not Virginia Lottery payout.  That is the amount that the U.S. pays out to keep littiering under control these days.   Not only can you get fined if you are caught littering, but even if you don’t get caught, it is still costing you money.  In a recent study, it was found that there are more than 51.2 billion pieces of litter that clutter our roadways.

Read here to see ow much littering cost the U.S.  Hopefully this will not only keep our roadways clean, but this should help you keep Eaton at Arlington Square clean.

Don’t Throw Away Your Cans

If you find yourself drowning in aluminum cans and you plan on recycling them at the nearest recycling center.  You should consider these eight ways to reuse your cans.

Do you have any other ideas for your cans?

Red Light, Yellow, GREEN LIGHT!

Do you remember that childhood game?

Though it is probably not the brightest thing in the world, this lamp (http://www.uxsight.com/product.html) runs off of free electricity running through your phone jack. The original article has some great points that the lamp is versatile because phone jacks are the most standard plug in the world and when the power is out, phone lines always work so theoretically so would your lamp.

Find out more here ( http://green.yahoo.com).

How Much Energy Do Televisions Use

Have you noticed the rise in flat-screen TV sales? I was in the dressing room the other day and literally saw 5 TVs. Why I need a TV in the dressing room, I’ll never know. But think about it, they’re in bars, airports, fitness centers, malls, everywhere.

“How much energy do these new LCD and plasma TVs really use?” Much to my surprise, there was virtually no public information available about their energy use or cost to operate. The only thing out there was the number on the back of the TV that indicates how much power a TV can safely draw before it becomes unsafe to operate.

Learn how much energy it uses here.