FRIENDS & FAVES
BLOGS&SITES
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Welcome to a guest post by Julie Naylon of No Wire Hangers, an eco-friendly organizing service in Los Angeles. She helps her clients "streamline their lives and downsize their carbon footprint[s]." (Be sure to check out her list of facts about how clutter and our households impact the state of the planet.)
As a professional green organizer I see a lot of clutter, most of it in the form of paper.
In addition to reducing clutter, you can also make a huge environmental impact by paying bills online. According to Pay It Green, "In one year, by switching from paper to electronic billing, statements and payments, the average American household would save 6.6 pounds of paper."
And for those of you who are concerned about identity theft it's actually safer to be online. About 85% of identity theft cases are due to "offline" transactions such as lost checkbooks and stolen bills, statements, and check payments.
It's really easy to set up electronic billing; just collect your bills and register through your payee's website. Each month you'll receive your bill via email. I also recommend auto-pay so you will never have to pay a late fee again. If you need copies of your bills and statements for tax purposes you can download a pdf each month and save them on your computer. No more hassle of filing or spending hours shredding documents.
Get organized and simplify your life by paying your bills online.
Check out about's how to guide for setting up online billing with individual companies/utilities and your bank.
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m o r e (email sanity)
Maybe you're way ahead of me on this, but I took a step last week to decrease email bombardment and increase sanity and simplicity.
I've already taken great strides to combat my email addictive behaviors by a.) not checking it first thing in the morning and getting at least one project done first; b.) closing my email program for other stretches when I'm working on something that requires concentration; and c.) when it is up, setting it to only cruise for new messages every hour instead of every 5 or 15 or as they come in.
Not to mention getting away from my computer altogether for breaks.
But last week, I created a new email account, one that will only be used for personal or professional emails. That relegates all my mail from organizations, newsletters, blog maintenance, twitter alerts and the like to an already existing one.
What does that mean? It means I can be concerned only with checking the new one more frequently. The other one, I can leave for when I have the time and mental space to go through. This is cutting down on the emails I have to check and making my tech life simpler and more focused.
A couple other email tips: I delete them as soon as possible, funnel the ones I need to keep but don't want cluttering up my inbox into archives (I have one archivey folder labeled nice messages too, for momentous or kind notes I want to keep), and flag everything that needs attention at a later time.
zenhabits has a nice post on how to achieve Email Zen here.
And I love lifehacker's guide to Controlling Your Email.
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m or e (trees not trash)
This time of year brings a lot of direct mailers and, well, junk, to our mailboxes. I might even be interested in a coupon, but none of them are ever for sustainable products, so no thanks. And while I actually love real, live mail from friends, I can't say the same for fishing mailers from my letter drop just to direct it to the recycle bin.
So, here are some answers. A couple of junk mail stopping services have been reborn as Precycle. The whole idea is not to have to recycle the unwanted mail you get, but to preempt it ever showing up.
By signing up with Precycle and paying forty-odd bucks, it'll plant five trees, send you two CFLs and a reusable shopping bag, and will, more to the point, help stop your junk mail. It claims that in 90 days, you'll see a big difference. I haven't used it so far, but I'm thinking about it's worth the investment to have someone do it for you. Has anyone used it yet? Do tell.
You can also give it as a gift, the gift of decluttering and saving trees.
Then there's Catalog Choice, a free site where you sign up and choose which catalogs to stop getting (you can keep receiving the ones you want). Simple as that.
I've got some more tips for going paperless in your office or home office (like opting out of credit card offers and the DMA's free opt out of junk mail service--just know that having the company's names handy who send the mail is a must).
And let's not forget signing up for e-bills and using your bank's online banking tools. Or my favorite paperless, online financial service, mint.
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m o r e (salvaged and storybook homes for everyone)
I heard about Phoenix Commotion and the work of Dan Phillips from my friend A. in Indiana. But his project takes place neither there or in Phoenix but in Huntsville, Texas.
He's built 14 economical homes so far, for low-income families or single parents or artists out of stuff he finds, stuff that's considered trash in our times. 80% of his building materials are salvaged, be they crepe myrtle branches, bones, glass, tiles, wine corks, or discarded picture frame samples.
All that stuff adds up to truly original and charming houses that are affordable and add almost nothing to the wastestream (10% of said stream is often comprised of building materials). I mean who wouldn't want to live in a treehouse?
The other quality to set Phillips's abodes apart is that everybody helps build them. And one result is that workers get training during the construction, skills they can use elsewhere for more pay.
As this NY Times article mentions, it's hard to keep people in homes no matter how inspired or inexpensive they are, but he's a tenacious guy and is continuing the cause.
See what all the deserved commotion is about in these videos. If you live in or are traveling to East Texas, you may be able to get a tour and start a recycled building revolution of your own. Or you can always donate materials. Find out how to get involved.
There's something going on in Texas, as that's also the home of Tiny Texas Houses. They're also made of salvaged materials and what distinguishes them is how totally, yes, small they are--like 10 x 16. Learn more about these tiny, eco, uber affordable homes here.
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m o r e (non-toxic office items)
What's neoprene? It's that rubbery synthetic material most commonly found in wetsuits, mouse pads, electronic totes, shoes, and loads more. What's the problem? Neoprene was voted allergen of the year in 2009 joining the ranks of "fragrance" and some mysterious ingredient in hair dye. Just taking a whiff of neoprene is the first red flag that something funky this way comes (like VOCs, chlorine, and formaldehyde). 
GreenSmart's got an alternative. It's called neogreene. It's got all the good qualities of its doppelganger (stretchiness, elasticity) without some of the big baddies that are toxic for the world and the wearer. Neogreene uses a quarter less electricity and petroleum to produce and is PVC, chlorine, formaldehyde, and lead-free. It also shuns packaging to save trees.
GIVEAWAY:
Enter to win one laptop sleeve of any size. Just send an e-mail to danielle (at) lessismorebalanced (dot) com with how you plan to use it by Thursday at 9:00 p.m. PST. I'll pick a winner randomly and let him/her know.
Finally, here are other eco-friendly sleeves for your electronic best friend as you search for what best suits you:
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 m o r e (recycling for coin)
I've talked a plenty about e-waste (electronic waste). It's ba-aa--aa-d. But we all still use electronics, from our cell phones to laptops to alarm clocks. So now, when the inevitable end of life comes to your gadget, you have some choices.
Earth 911 is the comprehensive resource for all things recycling in your area.
And Collective Good is a great place to give back your cell phones for a good cause and a second life.
Now, there's Gazelle, which I was jazzed to hear about as well [via Rodale]. It gives you cash for your used contraptions.
Here's the skinny on Gazelle:
You have a digital camera you no longer need or, because you're an avid photographer, can justify the upgrade after yours has had a long, productive life. You send it/ sell it to Gazelle. The folks there give it a looksee and appraisal, send you an email, and then send you money for what it's worth.
Not a bad deal, right? It's like Craigslist, with a middleman who will show up when promised.
It's the three R's in action: reducing toxic trash in landfills, reusing existing electronics, recycling the rest.
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 m o r e (green school supplies)
Here are some tools to BUY or DIY your way to a conscious post-summer return to business as usual.
BUY
Lunch Skins, masterminded by Three Green Moms, are made from a food-safe, reusable German fabric (I'd like to know more, but I'll take their word for it) that you can actually throw in the dishwasher! The design offerings (in both lunch and snack sizes) are simple, bold and appropriate for break room or cafeteria.
I love these building blocks to inspire made from discarded wood bits in Paloma's Nest (aka her studio) [via Design Vagabond]. Just perfect to put on your desk to remind you to "live simply" or "smile big." Reminders I surely need sometimes.
If you want the coolest notebook around, put down ten bucks for Rowan Morrison's Found Paper Journal filled with an assortment of found, sometimes vintage papers bound with animal-free glue.
DIY
Germs abound at schools and places of work. Make your own alcohol sanitizer in a refillable glass bottle to tuck in your bag and spray when you need it most. I also like a mixture of witch hazel and a few drops of tea tree oil (watch out tea tree is strong stuff!) in a reusable glass spritzer for mid-day freshening when my natural deodorant isn't quite doing the full job.
Find out how to DIY your cleaning products for your dorm room or office space or kids' desk and then lobby for everyone else to do the same.
Be an activist! There are so many areas that you may care about that you can bring to your (or your child's) school or office:
Get a recycling program up and running.
Plant a garden.
Get a petition going to change something, anything you care about.
Make sure your college or university bookstore goes sweatshop-free for all its tees and sweatshirts.
Whether you BUY, DIY, or both, I wish you a satisfying journey back at it.
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 m o r e (tree-conscious)
For the paper you do use and need in hand, there are simple things to do to make it last:
*Use both sides *Preview before you print to make sure you only dish out what you need *Recycle it when you're done!
Other eco-office tools:
Printer cartridges:
I've been wondering if I could get a greener version of the cartridge ink I use for my HP printer and yes, there is! I can't vouch for it (yet), but Green Ink and Toner has a huge line of options, including mine! The ink is the same pretty toxic stuff, but it carries refills--so no more cartridges to recycle, just a syringe to shoot new ink into your existing one. The craziest part? These cartridges (made from recycled material) look to be cheaper than the conventional ones. And yes, you'll have to work a little harder to refill (which I hear can be a bit on the messy side), but I'd give almost anything to make fewer trips to a big box office store.
Refillable pens:
The Woody Pen from Goodkind is made from sustainable wood (furniture scraps) and is actually refillable (it's so hard to find pen refills at most generic stores!). The ink is non-toxic and you can send back the refill cartridges to be used again and again.
Binders and notebooks:
Office everything:
For other office accoutrements, I usually go The Green Office if I can't find it at a local mom and pop shop. It's got a huge selection of eco-rated options from binders to chairs. The shipping costs a bundle, but that's because it carbon offsets responsibly.
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 This guest article is written by Dan Harrison who writes about all kinds of energy saving gadgets and other interesting eco gadgets for EnviroGadget.com. Read on for his top green techie picks:
With the media, politicians and businesses focusing on being eco-friendly, there seems to have been an explosion in eco-friendly gadgets. I review eco-gadgets daily, so I've collected 5 of the most popular eco gadgets that I've reviewed on EnviroGadget in recent months.
1.) Starting with a piece of jewellery, the Pulsar Solar Watch is an example of a new craze of watches that get their power from sunlight. Rather than worry about expensive and potentially toxic watch batteries, solar watches contain an internal rechargable battery, charged using the solar cell on the face of the watch. What's impressive is that a fully charged watch can run for up to 6 months without needing another charge! The watches are not too expensive either, which means they make affordable gifts too.
2.) If you love your TV, you probably have anything between 2 and 5 remote controls. Perhaps a DVD player, TV, Satellite, PVR, Cable, Surround Sound unit, etc? Having lots of remote controls can get annoying, particularly as you need batteries for all of them. The Wind Up Universal Remote Control allows you to control up to 6 different devices with a single remote. What's even better, is that the remote control doesn't need batteries, since you just charge it up by turning the dial.
3.) So now something for outdoors. If you're out enjoying the summer weather with a family BBQ, you've probably got lots of insects pestering you. Solar-powered Insect Killers offer two eco-friendly benefits. Firstly, you're not using lots of electricity to control your garden insects since you're just using solar power. Secondly, by using the insect killers, you're not filling your garden with harmful chemicals and poisons. That means your garden remains safe for children, pets and other animals in the garden.
4.) If you love camping, the solar outdoor pocket shower is a simple device that allows you to wash in warm water rather than ice cold water! The black shower bag absorbs solar energy, warming the water inside. When it gets to be evening, you can enjoy a nice warm shower before bed! To make it really useful, the shower fits into your pocket as it rolls up into a 3 inch by 6 inch punch.
5.) Finally, one of my personal favourite gadgets is the Wind Up Emergency Torch, as just 1 minute of turning the crank handle will give you 30 minutes of light. I have two of these torches, one in the house, and another in the car, and they are very useful! You don't need to worry about running out of batteries, as you just wind up the torch a bit and carry on. Particularly useful if you're in the middle of nowhere with no spare batteries or street lights (as I recently discovered!).
I hope you enjoyed this review of popular eco gadgets. There are new eco gadgets being developed all the time, so be sure to stop by EnviroGadget if you want to hear about a few more green gizmos!
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 m o r e (women in balance)
Email me between now and tomorrow, Friday, August 7th at noon with Craving Balance in the subject line. Then tell me one arena in which you're craving some balance for a chance to win the workbook PDF. My email is: danielle (at) lessismorebalanced (dot) com.
I heard about the life-coaching, life-changing operation, Craving Balance and co-founder Lisa Gates over at Words on the Page. A post on cultivating the fine art of saying no surely had my attention.
And there's more.
Craving Balance (formed by the dynamic duo Lisa Gates and Beth Gordon) is on a mission to help women (moms and writers and artists and business-builders) find more balance in their lives so they can accomplish the everyday and the extraordinary with grace and courage. How do we do that? We make sure that everything we do is in alignment with our values, with what we really care about. We make choices that honor our values. We connect who we really are to what we do every minute. I love that!
How does that connect to sustainability? As one of their exercises says, "Busyness and avoidance are not sustainable. Something always breaks down--your relationships, your body. Your dreams."
I had a delightrul chat with Lisa Gates (the half of the team who focuses on harmonizing work and life) last week and give her two thumbs up--she's the perfect balance of wisdom and joy.
It's about more than time management. It's about figuring out your values, making declarations that flow from them, and making actionable goals to carry them out and carry you through.
Here's what CB offers:
*The signature balance workshop (the next one's in Santa Barbara in October and designed for mothers and daughers).
Plus, there's a workbook. I completed it one Sunday afternoon and came away with three value-affirming declarations and a whole bunch of goals and actions that are helping me find more balance in myself, my relationships, and my work.
You can win one too! Email me between now and tomorrow, Friday, August 7th at noon with Craving Balance in the subject line. Then tell me one arena in which you're craving some balance for a chance to win the workbook PDF. My email is: danielle (at) lessismorebalanced (dot) com.
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 m o r e (companies with a creed)
So I've been putting my money where my mouth is this summer. First, it was switching from AAA to Better World Club. Then, last month, it was switching to Credo Mobile, putting my green principles directly where my lips move--into my cell phone headset's microphone.
Here's the scoop on Credo:
It plants trees, uses recycled paper and soy-based inks, has donated over 100 million dollars to orgs like Greenpeace and the Ocean Conservancy through its members, and offers carbon free phones via offsets.
Speaking as a customer, I was impressed that along with my new phone, I got a pre-paid shipping label for my old one to go to Collective Good for responsible recycling. I've also been super impressed by the customer support. Hardly any wait and very happy, helpful people on the other end of the line. Honestly, it is a different kind of company.
I've also enjoyed going from an antiquated phone to one that makes text messaging possible without carpal tunnel or mental breakdown. Oh, and I'm really digging the peaceful koi pond on the screen. Ah.
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 m o r e (good mood inducing lighting)
Each is infused with essential oils targeted to enhance a certain chakra (chakras, according to Hindu philosophy are the seven energy centers of the body). From protection to healing to happiness, there's a tailored scent to suit you.
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 m o r e (health on the job)
I admit it, I have a desk job, albeit a desk job in my home office where I make my own hours. But still, I do sit at a desk for many of those hours everyday. And that takes its toll, no matter how much I like the work. So here's a rundown of my ongoing project: self-care while I work.
My body/sanity essentials for a computer workday:
*My backless yoga chair that promotes balance and an engaged core. As someone with a history of low back pain, I can speak truthfully here: this chair changed my life.
*Set the mood with perfect background music and natural (beeswax/essential oil/soy) candles. Lavender or other peaceful aromatherapeutic scents are great.
* Wrist warmers, of which I have two varieties. One is just a knit set of warmers from an etsy crafter that keep my pulse points warm, keeping me warm and keeping my circulation going in my typing fingers. The other is a wonderful warming variety that I slip in the microwave for a minute and then slip on my aching wrists as I work. They're even filled with lavender. See those wrist comforters here.
* Flex balls: this set of balls you can also warm up are designed for arthritis-sufferers. I warm one up before my evening walk and flex it as I go--it relieves pain and builds up those constantly flexing muscles. Great if you're watching a film or talking, too.
*Daily walks, sometimes more than one to get the blood pumping. For people with repetitive motion disorder, walks are crucial--big movements and blood flow really do help you heal from all those itty bitty motor movements.
*Balance board: this inexpensive exercise tool helps heal and prevent injury by doing what the name implies, increasing balance.
*My favorite heat pack of all time is the cherry stone version I've praised before. It is filled with natural cherry pits and can be perfectly draped over tense shoulders during work or during relaxation.
*Looking out the window helps a bundle, especially when you're lucky enough to have a killer view like I am. If not, a potted tree and pretty something or other hanging in it will help.
*An ergonomic set-up. I use a laptop but ended up setting it up like a desktop complete with two mice and an ergonomic keyboard. I recently found I was off to one side unknowingly--I'm remedying that right this second.
*Breaks to breathe. My computer alerts me to every fifteen minute that passes otherwise I'd forget to breathe. I try to get up every thirty or forty-five minutes to get water and/or do some quick stretches. A jaunt to the mailbox, some light cleaning, anything to stop the stagnancy. I'll hop on my exercise bike to pedal during a phone conversation for a change of position. It's so easy to forget to unhunch the shoulders, keep the tummy tight, and most of all, to take deep, relaxed breaths when caught up in a project.
*Regular massages. I've been treating myself to a monthly massage for a while now. If the money for that is a stretch, ask your partner (I do this often also!). If alone in the evening, you can massage your own feet with some sesame oil.
* Stretching! Qi gong has been my lifeline for a while now, but just circling the shoulders/arms and leaning from side to side a few times is a huge help for we desk-sitters.
*For the end of the day, I slather some sleep balm on my pulse points to help clear my mind and drift off. Magical stuff.
The name of the game is whatever works to make you feel better and be your best, most productive self on the job. It helps to remember that you're more valuable than your work, that you can't do it well unless you're feeling well.
 m o r e (greener gadgets)
For a techie who loves gadgets but wants to support cleaner technology, green innovation, and energy efficiency, Green Electronics is his/her new bookmark.
Then find out how to keep them going and going at the end of their life span, either by passing them on or recycling right. Check out its ReGreen your electronics for that.
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m o r e (intentional GTD)
I loved getting a recent DailyGood in my inbox about one mindful approach to getting things done. "How to Mitigate the Urgent to Focus on the Important" is all about distinguishing between what's "urgent" (we all know this one and is usually email) and what's actually "important" (the things that will further our dreams and goals).
I've certainly found myself sucked into a thousand little tasks that, when added together, eat up my whole day. Now I get morning email out of the way and then shut it down whenever I'm working on a project that's important enough to demand my whole, undivided attention and creativity.
My favorite suggestion Gina Trapani of lifehacker makes: "Choose three important tasks to complete each day."
One of those might be meditating or making time for a walk--the thing that will help you with every other task of the day. For me, it's those, along with working on a writing project that qualifies as a long-term goal of mine--writing it, revising it, sending it out, getting critique on it, attending a conference for it, researching it, what have you.
It could be anything like figuring out finances or how to take your business/career/sustainable living practices/family relationships to the next level. She also suggests checking in with yourself every week on how you're doing in this department.
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 m o r e (lovely and LEED)
They're made from 30 - 50% recycled metal and are totally recyclable at the end of their lives. They're also free of VOCs.
The coolest part is that each is designed by a swanky designer to represent and benefit a particular organization, from the Special Olympics to the Sierra Club.
Love, love, love the cut out designs and the charitable cause.
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 m o r e (green mood lighting)
I love me a beeswax candle to accompany my romantic dinner or my writing or my afternoon reading and tea.
For some real indoor fresh air, you definitely want to steer clear of those plug in air "fresheners" laden with crazy chemicals that are not so fresh for your well-being. Ditto for conventional candles that are made from paraffin, translate petroleum, and often have lead in their wicks. They actually make your mood (in terms of air quality atmosphere) worse.
My newest find at a green store in a neighborhood I visited: Bluecorn naturals. It makes 100% beeswax candles that are all-natural air cleaning and good feeling miracles. Plus, they're in different colors! Now that's new to me.
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 m o r e (queenly calm)
I love this cheeky poster. Not only is this the perfect message for our times, it's printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks, too.
I think it's almost large enough to actually register when I'm in the midst of bad news or major setback. A great reminder to breathe and keep on truckin in this diligent despite challenges year of the ox.
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 m o r e (putting back in the ground)
Your True Nature has a cool tool to find out how much paper a company uses and how to replant enough trees to compensate for that paper use (find it on the sidebar under "Planting Trees").
For individuals, it's about six trees a year--so we can all get planting that half a dozen.
For businesses, you can enter how many pounds of paper you use (one tree = 200 pounds of paper) in terms of envelopes, reams, newspaper subscriptions, direct mail pieces, packaging cartons and the like and then it will tell you how many trees your company can plant to declare yourself 100% replanted.
Love that! Sounds like a perfect spring company outing. (Or you can have Your True Nature do it for you.)
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 m o r e (consciousness in the cubicle)
Okay, so I don't work in a cubicle. But I did recently need to get some postcards printed just like any office worker might. My choice? Greener Printer. And satisfied I was.
These Berkeley-based folks did everything you'd expect from a professional, personal, online printing company like answer my endless questions, email me a proof to approve, and deliver a product of which I am proud. But beyond that, I got 200 postcards printed on 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper (its Everest uncoated option), and typed up with soy-based inks.
Yes, it cost about twenty dollars more than a generic place, but I can send my message and send a message about sustainability with my postcards.
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