likeminded people, food and bands on a boat for free!
in honor of the 400th anniversary of good old henry hudson finding that big flowy thingie that separates us from the armpit of america, ecoventions is hosting a green business cruise on the queen of hearts!
i’ve always been a bit wary about these “green drinks” type events, but this one seems like it will be a merry time - and it’s free! my hope is that it will attract folks who are not already in the green scene because a lot of similar events tend to involve the same people over and over and while it’s always important to brainstorm together, it’s also seems kind of fruitless to constantly preach to the converted.
details…
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FREECYCLE FRIDAY: post your best ecotip to score this sweet tweed dress for free!
this week’s freecycled goodie is a pretty tweed plenty by tracy reese dress (size 6).
it’s got a few smudges around the collar, but nothing that can’t be washed off.
if you think you can give it a good home, comment on this post with your favorite eco-tip or product.
the comment with the most votes by friday the 27th (your friends can vote by commenting with your name) will score this purty dress for free!!!
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good luck!
do you have stuff to freecycle to the best ecotip? send an email to swyyne[at]swyyne.com to donate it to the most worthy tip!
other stuff for urban piggies
new yorkers - did you know that you can switch to wind energy?
a universal green charger cuts down on waste and annoyance
recraft your papers into cute hermes birkin valentines
lust: greenaid grenade-shaped eco-bag
laid off? recycle your business cards for waste free catharsis
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freecycle friday: post your best eco-tips to score this ipod for free!
note: since last week’s freecycle friday for this pretty pink and tan nova plaid stadium coat is deadlocked, you still have a chance to score it here.
now back to business - in honor of last friday’s phenomenal greener gadgets conference, this week’s freecycled goodie is a well-loved chase special edition ipod nano.
if you think you can give it a good home, comment on this post with your favorite eco-tip or product.
the comment with the most votes by friday (your friends can vote by commenting with your name) will score the nano for free!!!
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more stuff for urban piggies
recycle your credit cards into namerings
new yorkers - did you know that you can switch to wind energy?
a universal green charger cuts down on waste and annoyance
recraft your papers into cute hermes birkin valentines
lust: greenaid grenade-shaped eco-bag
laid off? recycle your business cards for waste free catharsis
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freecycle friday: post your best eco-tip to score this pink & tan nova check plaid coat for free!
hurry and score this coat for free!
this week’s freecycled goodie is a pink & tan nova plaid stadium coat with toggle buttons (size l).
if you think you can give it a good home, comment on this post with your favorite eco-tip or product.
the comment with the most votes by friday the 27th (your friends can vote by commenting with your name) will score this purty coat for free!!!
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good luck!
do you have stuff to freecycle to the best ecotip? send an email to swyyne[at]swyyne.com to donate it to the most worthy tip!
other stuff for urban piggies
new yorkers - did you know that you can switch to wind energy?
a universal green charger cuts down on waste and annoyance
recraft your papers into cute hermes birkin valentines
lust: greenaid grenade-shaped eco-bag
laid off? recycle your business cards for waste free catharsis
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how to recycle one of your totes into a hacked snowboard bag!
what’s a girl to do when she needs a snowboard bag and can only afford to spend $28 a week?
why, hack one, of course!
this army-colored oversized tote that the c.l.a.s.s. eco-materials showroom gave away to guests at their nyc launch party was the perfect size. you can use a similar bag or even sew two small duffel bags together.
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first, i cut away the bottom of the bag to create two extra pieces that would form the sides of the snowboard bag.
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cleo matches my board!
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then, i just sewed the two extra pieces to either side of the remaining portion of the bag, et voila!
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total cost: $0
total energy used: a little to power the sewing machine, but not nearly as much as it would take to make a brand new snowboard bag
other useful hacks:
check yourself before you wreck yourself: how to recycle those padded inserts that come with your bra
turn your plastic bag into a sewing machine cover
need a new laptop bag? make one out of a recycled t shirt!
laid off? recycle your business cards for waste free catharsis
make your old tank tops into reusable totebags/scarves
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freecycle friday winner 2 sunny!
congratulations to the winner freecycle friday #2 - sunny!
here are sunny’s fabulous eco-tips:
1. one can donate his or her old clothes, shoes, household items (i.e. bedding, kitchen supplies) etc. to the Salvation Army or a nearby Goodwill.
2. another option for trading not only books but also clothes is http://rehashclothes.com/
if you have some clothes that you believe might find a better home than via salvation army or goodwill, you can trade your dear item for another, newer, exciting item as well as post what you are looking for so that others can possibly provide a similar item which they were looking to get rid of anyway!
3. if you place a ‘no junk mail’ note on your mail box, you’ll receive less junk mail! thus saving more paper.
4. it’s easy to use the back of printed paper for notes and lists. make a pile for scrap paper and start today!
5. old appliances such as radios, toasters, modems, etc. can be taken apart and used for parts. one can sell them to a local repair/electrical shop instead of discarding them.
6. you can go to http://www.rbrc.org/consumer/ to check out where to find out where to drop off your rechargeable batteries from cell phones, cameras, laptops, etc.
7. if you have a puppy, or a doggy, let them play with plastic bottles and roll around with them! my puppy loves playing with empty soda bottles and generally crushes them for me so that when they are ready for disposal, more bottles can fit in the bin. aluminum cans can also be crushed before placing in the recycling bin/bag/box. Plastic, reusable bins are the preferred container of course.
8. you can donate various paper products, beans, beads, fabric scraps, ribbons, used paper clips, and trinkets, to kindergartens for craft-making
9. one can re-use [washed] meat trays from the super market as paint palettes!
10. old dried up flowers excrete great color when squeezed onto paper with warm water! one can use these old flowers for ‘paint’ before simply throwing them out.
11. i’m sure someone else has already said this, but if you use an aluminum water bottle it saves a lot of plastic waste every time your mouth is parched and you’re not at home.
12. use plastic lead pencils (or pens) instead of the old #2 style pencils. save some trees.
13. try to use electric stoves, grills, or ovens and microwaves over gas stoves.
14. use dishcloths for cleaning instead of paper towels.
check out our lovely runner up nina’s eco-tip here.
see more free stuff here.
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freecycle friday: post your best eco-tip to score this north face jacket
it’s finally friday!
this week’s freecycled goodie is a women’s powder blue north face outer (size l).
comment on this post with your favorite eco-tip or product.
the comment with the most votes (your friends can vote by commenting with your name) will score this purty north face.
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good luck!
check out more free stuff here and remember to check back on monday for next week’s freecycle friday giveaway. i promise it will be a good one.
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lendaround.com: like netflix meets facebook!
lendaround.com, a new web service that allows users to swap dvds with their friends in an organized manner, is the manifestation of the brilliant idea you had 7 months ago while eating cereal in bed but were too lazy to do anything about. the only difference is that tim jackson, the founder of lendaround, wasn’t eating cereal when the idea popped into his mind - he was in africa:
“coming back from rwanda or lesotho and looking around my home, i was struck by how much stuff we all own and take for granted,” he said. wouldn’t it be great if instead of leaving things to gather dust on shelves, we could lend them to our friends?”
tim’s simple idea could not have come at a more appropriate time. not only does lendaround speak to environmentalists and people who are just plain tired of consuming so much junk, it makes sense to those who are looking to save a buck (or $4.99) in a rough economy. by harnessing the power of users’ own dvd libraries, lendaround can offer their service for a song! that means free for anyone who was confused, although plans are underway to extend lendaround’s scope past dvds to include anything from cds to lawnmowers.
besides saving the energy, plastic, labor, money and other resources that go into making a dvd, lendaround saves fuel too. early data shows that about half of lendaround users walk their dvds over to their friends’ places. it’s a lot more conducive to socializing than netflix too. by helping out friends, lenders feel like they are doing something to brighten up someone else’s day.
so what about selection? true, netflix probably has a more expansive collection of titles, but if you’re friends with someone, chances are that you like some of the same movies that they do. and the cool thing is that when someone in your circle gets a new dvd, you can “keep it in the family” as if your shared lendaround library was your virtual media cabinet.
want to try? lendaround’s private beta is currently full, but swyyne readers have priority access! just email swyyne@lendaround.com with a list of your favorite movies to check it out.
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freecycle friday: north face snowboarding jacket
i know, i know. it’s not friday today, but i thought i’d move freecycle friday to monday because there are already so many reasons to love friday, and monday really gets no love.
this week’s oldie but goodie is a women’s powder blue north face outer that i used to rock on the slopes (size l). if you think you can give it a good home,
comment on this post with your favorite eco-tip or product.
the best tips will be re-capped at the end of the week, and the one with the most reader votes by 6pm on friday will score this purty north face.
remember - pics of you demonstrating your tip get extra credit!
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good luck!
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free gmail stickers courtesy of google!
true, these stickers are made out of paper (i’ve contacted google to see if they’re recycled), but email reduces SO much of our paper use that we can afford to pay a little homage to it.
i am such a sucker for unicorns…
send your self-addressed stamped envelope (along with a note if you’re so inclined) to:
Send me some Gmail stickers already
P.O. Box 391420
Mountain View, CA 94039-1420
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lean mean free green dry clean deal
madisonclean dry cleaners is offering new clients $10 towards their next order with a new account signup. the signup is free as well! check out the deal here.
madisonclean is one of many “green” dry cleaners that you may have seen popping up on the scene. but what exactly makes one dry cleaner greener than another?
the traditional method of dry cleaning, strangely enough, uses a liquid solvent called tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene, or perc. here is what the environmental protection agency says about perc:
the main effects of tetrachloroethylene [perc] in humans are neurological, liver, and kidney effects following acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) inhalation exposure. adverse reproductive effects, such as spontaneous abortions, have been reported from occupational exposure to tetrachloroethylene; however, no definite conclusions can be made because of the limitations of the studies. results from epidemiological studies of dry-cleaners occupationally exposed to tetrachloroethylene suggest increased risks for several types of cancer.
in light of the above knowledge, you really want to ask your dry cleaner 2 questions in order to decide whether or not they really are green:
1. do you use perc to dry clean clothing?
2. if not, what alternative methods are used?
so how did madisonclean fare? here are their answers:
1. while perc is currently still used to clean our clothing, we offer a green option (only $1 extra per garment) that is advertised on every counter.
2. we use wet cleaning and CO2 cleaning as alternatives to using perc.
although 100% perc free is ideal, i applaud madisonclean for taking the initiative to evolve. some other changes they are in the process of making are using biodegradable plastic bags and re-usable garment bags as well as offering promotions via email only as opposed to paper.
but wait - upon further research, i saw that madisonclean is actually located in long island and differentiates itself from other dry cleaners by offering free pickup and delivery from anywhere in nyc and long island. problem: “green” and driving around all over the city daily don’t really go hand in hand. i wondered what steps, if any, they were taking to reduce their carbon footprint in terms driving, and am awaiting comment via email or perhaps even on this post if we’re lucky.
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free green literature on zinio.com
the folks over at zinio have done it again.
now you can read classics like don quixote, the decameron, great expectations and the three musketeers for free and without wasting any paper. digital classics by zinio labs has a lovely, leathery interface that makes you feel like you’re actually perusing your bookshelf for the perfect book to snuggle up with.
there’s an added bonus if you (like most human beings with backs) want to lighten up your luggage on your next trip. all you need is your laptop to access a whole library of your favorite books and magazines without buying one of those pricey e-readers.
look how pretty!
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check it out here.
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free stuff: pink motorola razr
if you think you can give it a new home, please post a comment describing what you’ll be doing for the holidays to make the world a greener, better place.
bonus: send me a pic showing what you’ll be doing (whether it be helping out at a soup kitchen, recycling more, using less water, wrapping your gifts with newspaper instead of buying giftwrap, greenifying your home by switching to CFL lightbulbs, etc.).
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details:
verizon cdma network
gently used with just a few tiny scratches
in box with charger
good luck!
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save the planet and make $
there have been so many times when i thought to myself that the only way to get people to start recycling, conserving and, basically, changing their ways was to pay them!
well, the founders of savetheplanetandwin.com had the same idea, and have thought of a simple way to actually pay you to reduce your carbon footprint. of course, they can’t actually see whether or not you are taking shorter showers, walking or biking more, or using less electricity, so the program is really based on the honor system. but the idea is that by clicking on sponsor links and shopping for green products, you will be able to educate yourself about the smarter and greener choices that are available to you.
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now that more people are strapped for cash than ever, i really hope that getting people to see the green light, even if it means having to pay them, will be easier. like i’ve written in past posts, some people make a living out of recycling on a daily basis, even though they have no intention of saving the environment at all. they just do it because they need the money. seems like there is a constant debate in the green space about what it means to really be “green.” what if you’re just doing it for the money, like some manufacturers do in order to attract eco-savvy customers? is it about intent or outcome? personally, i think a homeless woman who collects and recycles cans in order to make an extra buck to grab a slice of pizza is doing her part just as much as i am when i recycle my newspapers.
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urban outfitters luxe soldier coat steel blue size s - free
the styling of this coat by luxe is so original: soldier-style brushed silver buttons and furry hood. the first person to comment on this post about what they will do this holiday season to move our country toward a greener and more sustainable future or help others who are less fortunate gets this coat for free.
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good luck!
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why is this a site?
swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.
look for stuff
feed yourself
