The Eco Agent

Drought-Resistant Plants for This Spring

2010-03-09T09:39:00.006-05:00

Marigold

Orange, yellow, white, mahogany, maroon, or creamy yellow flowers; grows 6 to 36 inches high; prefers full sun or afternoon shade in hot areas and well-drained soil; hardy to +10 degrees F

Stonecrop

Small perennial with clumped pink buds that bloom in summer; grows 2 to 4 inches; likes full sun; dry soil; hardy to -20 degrees F

Rosemary
Highly aromatic with pine-needlelike leaves; grows to 5 feet tall; prefers full sun and well-drained soil; hardy to 10 degrees F

Choosing plants that are drought resistant can mean easier care through out the summer months. That week at the shore won't be as painful when you return.

Be Green-

The Eco Agent

5 Uses for Newspaper

2010-02-04T17:15:00.003-05:00

1. Eat odors. Work boots smelly? Stuff ’em with newsprint. The odor disappears.

2. Make animal bedding. It’s warm and healthier than sawdust or straw, since it inherently resists bacteria and is nontoxic if eaten.

3. Get rolling. If the car’s stuck in mud, sand, or snow, a hefty section of the thick Sunday edition, slipped under the drive wheel, lends enough traction to move you on.

4. Wrap presents. The sports section makes a great gift wrap for that new cordless drill Dad’s getting on Father’s Day.

5. Make a dry workshop funnel. After sorting through fasteners spilled out on a section, roll it up and let the hardware slide back into your coffee can storage.

Recycling, now that's good news!

Remember there is no planet "B"

Be Green-

Rob

Uses for Your Christmas Tree

2010-01-06T08:49:00.007-05:00

Mulch With Needles

Pine needles dry quickly and decompose slowly, making them an excellent moisture- and mold-free mulch for ground-covering crops, such as strawberries, to rest on.

Create a Bird Sanctuary

Place your tree in its stand outdoors. Fill bird feeders and hang them from the boughs, or drape the tree with a swag of pinecones coated with peanut butter

Insulate Perennials

Cut off boughs and lay them over perennial beds to protect them from snow and reduce frost heaving.

Shelter Fish

If you live near a lake or have a pond, and your tree's chemical-free, toss branches into the water to provide sheltering habitat for overwintering fish. (Get permission from town officials if needed.)

As we go through our daily routines, we can easily look around and find ways of turning yesterday's trash, into tomorrow's future.
Remember there is no planet "B"

Be Green-

Simple Green Tip of The Month September 2009

2009-09-07T03:20:00.005-04:00

More than 130 years ago, tailor Jacob Davis convinced a Gold Rush merchant named Levi Strauss to help him sell work pants reinforced with copper rivets. Now, jeans cost as much as a used car. So it pays to recycle ’em.

1. Make a nail pouch. Cut away the pant seat but leave it attached to the waistband. Hold the seat to your waist and fasten the waistband in the back. Fill pockets with nails.

2. Hold Your Pencils. Cut out one back pocket and nail or glue it to the side of your shop cabinet as a pencil holder.

3. Repair a Rust Spot. Got a hole in the floor of your old beater? Buy a quart of liquid fiberglass, dip a swatch of denim in it, then smooth it over the hole. Once it cures, the fabric will become a rigid patch.

4. Bolster insulation. To close small gaps around framing, soak cut-up jeans in a mixture of borax and water. It will dry into fire-retardant, mildew-resistant, insect-repelling insulation.

5. Make a shop weight. Cut off one pant leg and sew up the bottom end. Fill with sand, and then sew the top end closed to make a sandbag that can steady a workpiece.

Blue jeans never go out of style, nor does the earth. They are both just cool!
Remember there is no planet "B".

Be Green-

Simple Green Tip Of The Month August 2009

2009-07-23T15:40:00.015-04:00

White Lightning

Forget about salad dressing. This inexpensive kitchen staple—the distilled white kind, that is—can multitask in any room of the house. Here are 5 smart ways to use it.

1. Peel off Wallpaper. Using a sponge or spray bottle, saturate wallpaper with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Let stand for several minutes, then start scraping. The paper should come off easily.

2. Revive Old Paintbrushes. Soak gunked-up nylon brushes in hot vinegar for up to 30 minutes to remove paint and soften the bristles. Afterward, wash them in hot, soapy water, brushing off paint as needed, then rinse and let dry—good as new.

3. Remove Mineral Deposits from Showerheads. Pour ½ cup of warm vinegar into a resealable plastic bag. Drop in the showerhead, making sure the holes are submerged, and seal the bag. Let sit for 1 hour. Rinse and wipe clean, then reattach.

4. Keep Paint from Peeling. Before painting galvanized metal or concrete, wipe down the object or surface with vinegar, using a sponge or lint-free cloth. This little trick will help your paint job last longer.

5. Banish Decals and Stickers. Dab vinegar onto stubborn price tags and stickers affixed to glass, plastic, or wood. Scrape the surface clean, then rub the area with more vinegar to remove any sticky residue.

Forget about expensive cleaners that are toxic to your family and the environment.
Remember there is no planet "B".

Be Green-

Simple Green Tip of the Month July 2009

2009-07-07T14:16:00.004-04:00

Your racket may be gathering dust in the attic, but don’t throw away its partners in crime. Here’s how to use tennis balls without ever hitting the court.

1. Erase scuff marks. With a utility knife, cut an X in a tennis ball and slip it over the end of an old broom handle. Rub the ball over scuff marks on your wood floors; they’ll come right off.

2. Protect a padlock. Cut a slit in a tennis ball with a utility knife and slip it over an outdoor padlock to prevent water from getting into it and freezing.

3. Remove a broken lightbulb. The bulb broke off in the socket? No problem. Carefully clear away any shards of broken glass, then gently push a tennis ball against the light socket and twist it to remove the bulb’s embedded stem.

4. Cushion the blow. Cut an X in a tennis ball and slip it over the head of a hammer so you don’t ding up walls, wood, or other fragile materials while you’re pounding away.

5. Install a parking guide. Hang a tennis ball from a string from the ceiling of your garage so that the ball touches the top left corner of the windshield when your car is properly parked. Now you’ll know how far to pull in each time you come home.

Everything you place in a trash can ends up in a landfill. Be creative and reuse products.
Remember there is no planet "B".

Be Green-

Simple Green Tip Of The Month June 2009

2009-06-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

Uses for Carpet Scraps

1. Move Heavy Furniture

Slide pieces of carpet pile-side down under-neath the legs of a bureau, bed, or dresser, then push it across the floor—much easier than lifting.

2. Get Your Mower Going

Does your riding mower get mired in the spring mud? No problem. Wedge scraps of carpet under the front edge of the trapped wheel, which will provide traction to dislodge it.

3. Cushion Your Knees When Gardening

Roll up a scrap of carpet and kneel on it when spreading mulch, planting flowers, or weeding.

4. Scrub Window Screens

Dip a clean piece of carpet into warm, sudsy water, and rub the pile side onto screens to get rid of gunk, dust, and buildup.

5. Muffle Your Washer and Dryer

Place scraps of carpet underneath the feet of laundry machines to dampen thumping noises.

Coming Next Month! Great Uses For Old Tennis Balls.
Remember there is no planet "B"

Be Green-

The Eco Agent Volume 2

2009-03-10T16:53:00.000-04:00

Simple Green Tip of The Month

•Reuse paper. Hold onto one-sided printouts and use them as notepaper. If you subscribe to magazines or printed newsletters, consider donating them to your local library or passing them on to a local salon or dentist's office when you're through with them.

The Great Bottled Water DeBoggle

A lot of people are not aware that bottled water was introduced in the 70's. Experts all agreed that nobody would pay for something they could get for free. And they were right. As quick as bottled water hit the shelf it was "out of business". You may ask why am I talking about bottled water? Well, recycling has also been around for a while and like bottle water it's "time needed to come". Enter the present, bottle water sells more units than all other bottled drinks combined. Hopefully conservation's "time has come". Whether it was the recent scare at the gas pump or the catchy slogan "going green", people and companies alike are recognizing the importance of going green and conservation. Hopefully this time around the message will be heard. Remember there is no planet B.

Be Green-

The Eco Agent Volume 1

2009-02-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

The Simple Green Tip of The Month: Tip #1- Power Outlet vs. Power Strip: Plugging your TV and DVD player into a power strip rather than an outlet will save you about 2% on your annual electric bill. Even when you turn off these appliances they continually leak up to 15 watts of electricity if they are plugged into an outlet. When plugged into a power strip, however, these appliances only leak about 1 to 3 watts.

Afraid of Change

With all the talk of "Going Green" everyone's initial reaction is, "How much will this cost me?" or " I live in an old home, there is nothing I can do." The fact is everyone can do something with little or no cost. Encourage people about going green. Even using a power strip (tip #1 above) which most of us already do anyway, can save both money and energy. In fact you are going green right now! Yep instead of reading this information on paper print, which destroys our forests, you are reading it on the Internet.

HOT TIP OF THE MONTH

By replacing all of the "fixture" lights in your home with energy efficient light bulbs, you can now advertise the home as "energy efficient lighting that will save you money on your utility bills". In a tough market, offering real savings and appealing to a wider audience may be just the thing to get your home sold. For an investment of less then $100 dollars, in most cases, you may realize a quicker home sale and avoid discounting the price of your home. Ask yourself, "How many sellers are doing this?" and you will have your answer. Stand out in the crowd!

Be Green-

The Eco Agent

Drought-Resistant Plants for This Spring

Marigold

Orange, yellow, white, mahogany, maroon, or creamy yellow flowers; grows 6 to 36 inches high; prefers full sun or afternoon shade in hot areas and well-drained soil; hardy to +10 degrees F

RosemaryHighly aromatic with pine-needlelike leaves; grows to 5 feet tall; prefers full sun and well-drained soil; hardy to 10 degrees F

5 Uses for Newspaper

Uses for Your Christmas Tree

Mulch With Needles

Create a Bird Sanctuary

Insulate Perennials

Shelter Fish

Simple Green Tip of The Month September 2009

Simple Green Tip Of The Month August 2009

1. Peel off Wallpaper. Using a sponge or spray bottle, saturate wallpaper with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Let stand for several minutes, then start scraping. The paper should come off easily.

2. Revive Old Paintbrushes. Soak gunked-up nylon brushes in hot vinegar for up to 30 minutes to remove paint and soften the bristles. Afterward, wash them in hot, soapy water, brushing off paint as needed, then rinse and let dry—good as new.

3. Remove Mineral Deposits from Showerheads. Pour ½ cup of warm vinegar into a resealable plastic bag. Drop in the showerhead, making sure the holes are submerged, and seal the bag. Let sit for 1 hour. Rinse and wipe clean, then reattach.

4. Keep Paint from Peeling. Before painting galvanized metal or concrete, wipe down the object or surface with vinegar, using a sponge or lint-free cloth. This little trick will help your paint job last longer.

5. Banish Decals and Stickers. Dab vinegar onto stubborn price tags and stickers affixed to glass, plastic, or wood. Scrape the surface clean, then rub the area with more vinegar to remove any sticky residue.

Simple Green Tip of the Month July 2009

Simple Green Tip Of The Month June 2009

Uses for Carpet Scraps

1. Move Heavy Furniture

2. Get Your Mower Going

3. Cushion Your Knees When Gardening

4. Scrub Window Screens

5. Muffle Your Washer and Dryer

The Eco Agent Volume 2

The Eco Agent Volume 1

Rosemary
Highly aromatic with pine-needlelike leaves; grows to 5 feet tall; prefers full sun and well-drained soil; hardy to 10 degrees F