August 22, 2012
by Fredrica Rudell
21 Comments

Taming a Wasteful Spouse

By Fredrica Rudell

I have a mixed marriage.  Our differences are not racial, religious or ethnic, but rather they are ecological.  It has been said that men are from Mars and women from Venus.  In our case, I strive to reduce our carbon footprint here on Earth, while my husband seems to be floating in outer space.

To be clear, Mr. Right shares my progressive values and concern about global warming.  He takes pride in his car’s fuel efficiency, and favors strong environmental protections and policies.  However, while I’m busy reducing, reusing, refusing, repairing, and recycling, his day-to-day habits have not evolved.  The result is a constant battle of wits over waste.

Continue Reading →

November 12, 2012
by Jocelyn Deprez
20 Comments

Give Us This Day Your Stale-y Bread

Image Credit: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

I have always felt that bread was sacred, so all my life I have tried to save the scraps. When they get to be overwhelming, I simply cut them into cubes for croutons or make bread crumbs. To save stale bread, it’s best just to let it dry out in an unsealed container, like a paper bag, at room temperature.

The holidays will put pressure on you to produce all sorts of meals for family and guests. In my new book, The Refrigerator Files: Creative Makeovers for Your Leftovers I have a long list of scrumptious dishes where stale bread is called for, ranging from French toast to cream desserts with many tasty main dishes in between. Continue Reading →

November 8, 2012
by Miranda Farley
18 Comments

Green Burials: The Ultimate Way to “Go” Green

By Miranda Farley


So you bring your own bags to the store, host clothing swaps, and actively petition companies to reduce their packaging. But have you thought about how you might prevent waste after you die?

Last month my family had to deal with this rather grim subject when my grandfather passed away.  How best to deal with his remains?
Continue Reading →

September 27, 2012
by Miranda Farley
18 Comments

Finally, A Viable Alternative to Bottled Water

By Miranda Farley

A recent experience made me reconsider the convenience of bottled water — forever.  I spent the day riding my bike through lush green forests in Northern California far away from the city. For over two hours I pedaled through dense thickets without seeing another person. About halfway through my adventure, I stumbled upon a tucked away pool filled by a 20-foot high waterfall. I yearned for my camera. I wanted to capture the contrasting emerald greens of the leaves, the sapphire water, the slick chocolate-colored rocks and the gloomy thunderheads overtaking the sky.

Not so disposable now, are you?
Yet, as the initial awe began to wear off, I noticed that this pristine wilderness glittered. It sparkled not because of rain or dew left over from the morning’s drizzle, but because of litter. Hundreds of plastic bottles lay half-hidden either in the mud, intertwined with the plants, or floating in the dreamlike pool!
Continue Reading →

September 20, 2012
by Jacquie Ottman
7 Comments

How to Creatively Repurpose Your Soon-to-be-Obsolete iPhone Covers

By Jacquie Ottman and Michelle Cashen

Love the new iPhone 5 but hate the waste? Apple is notorious for releasing new versions of its products and accessories that loyal customers must buy to keep up.

In this case, the seemingly subtle design alterations of the iPhone 5 will lead to a massive — and expensive — overhaul of the entire iFamily, adding to the already 20-30 million tons of e-waste generated each year. However, with a little creative repurposing, we wastehaters can avert some of that trash. Here’s the scoop. Continue Reading →

October 18, 2012
by Jacquie Ottman
6 Comments

Showering Without My Buddy

By Jacquie Ottman

Less than 24 hours after I’d decided to write a post about showering with my Shower Buddy, Buddy died.  At some point during the day on Friday, Buddy’s suction cup slipped its grip on the tiled wall and crashed upon the bathtub floor.

Buddy broke into pieces — a bright blue round plastic shell emblazoned “5 Minute Shower. City of Durham Department of Water Resources” with suction cup still attached, plastic hourglass protector still in one piece, and the hourglass that nestled inside the shell shattered into tiny shards, white sand pointing toward the drain.

Continue Reading →

June 8, 2012
by Mark Eisen
13 Comments

How to Save $100 A Year By Using Your (Shower) Head

By Mark Eisen

For me, worse than wasting water is wasting water and money. Even worse is not using my head.

I live in Atlanta. It’s the largest city in the country served by the smallest water supply. Each year for the past two decades, they raised the water rates. Now the city has the dubious honor of having the highest rates in the country. Continue Reading →

November 21, 2012
by Jocelyn Deprez
6 Comments

Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwiches, Anyone?

Here you are, the day after Big Turkey Day, facing all those containers of leftovers stuffed into your refrigerator. Wastehater that you are, you resisted throwing half of them out last night. So now you’re stuck. Honor commands that you deal with them creatively, dazzling your family and friends with your ingenuity. But you’re tired, and you really don’t want to be bothered looking through piles of recipes. What better way than to fall back on two of the most basic procedures for easily rescuing leftovers: white béchamel sauce and homemade mayonnaise.

Continue Reading →