is ruling out courtesy flushes in order to save water just being too anal?
this might be taking water conservation a bit too far, but i am weaning myself off of courtesy flushes from now on. is it me or are they a complete fraud? i’ve met people who swear by them, but it seems like, if anything, they just confirm the fact that you are dropping the kids off at the pool. they’re not quite as obvious as people who blow their nose though – creative, but not very effective at all. i wonder how difficult/wasteful it would be for us to implement toilet noise machines like they have in japan.
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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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check yourself before you wreck yourself: the neutrogena wave exfoliator
our country is probably the easiest country in the world to sell things to. why? americans are naturally innovative, and need to have the newest contraptions to make life simpler and easier. we have a love affair with shopping, and even use it as a form of therapy - do you remember that scene in clueless where cher and di go shopping to cheer themselves up after a bad day? i’ve lived that scene too many times.
in many cases, frugality is not seen as a positive thing like it is in other cultures. for example, one of my former colleagues was horrified when my other colleague (of chinese descent) asked for her leftovers to-go after a business lunch. “you just don’t do that,” she said. i agreed that it probably wasn’t the norm for most businesspeople, but wondered why. as people who understand business, shouldn’t we try to be more frugal than anyone? why is it such a faux pas for a cfo or other person who is in charge of saving a company money to take home half of a $50 steak? the richest people i know are relentlessly thrifty and not ashamed of it at all (insert warren buffett comment here).
that being said, the check yourself before you wreck yourself series will focus on examining products that are on the market that you probably don’t really need. i like pretty packaging as much as the next piggy, but i’ve had to throw away my fair share of junk (damn you, mix n’ chop!), and am looking to be more selective with what i spend my hard earned buckage on.
this week, we examine the neutrogena wave power-cleanser.
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according to reviews, this thing makes your skin feel silky smooth and, in the words of one youtuber, eliminates the need to wash your face because “it does all the work for you.” i don’t know about you, but i never found that moving my hands up and down my face was all that strenuous. or could it be the lathering part that is so labor-intensive? i’m lost.
other than turning our nation’s teens (who this product appears to be marketed towards) into muscle-less, noodle armed wimps, there is another major problem with the wave. it comes with disposable pads that you stick onto the electronic base and are supposed to be disposed of once a day (or as said youtuber recommends “two times a day because i don’t like leftover oil and dirt in the morning). that means that you use 7 pads a week if you follow the instructions on the pack. sounds like a lotta cashmoney and waste to me.
my solution for someone who wants the exfoliating power of the wave, but doesn’t want to shell out the loot or create the waste? if you have an electronic toothbrush like the oral-b professional care 8950
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dutch beat the swiss to it with a font that is holier than thou
i am weightless, but you can see me. put me in a bucket, and i’ll make it lighter. what am i?
okay, i probably made that riddle a little too easy - unless you can’t read. and if so, here is a little something to keep you amused:
(q\_/p) /. .\ __ ,__ =\_t_/= .'o O'-. ) / \ / O o_.-`| _ _ ( (( )) /O_.-' O | (q\_/p) \ /\) (/\ | o o o| /. .\.-"""""-. ___, `-\ Y / |o o O.-` =\_t_/= / `\ ( nn^nn | O _.-' )\ ))__ __\ |___) '--` (/-(/` `nn---'
for those of you who can read, the answer to my riddle above is “a hole.”
that’s right, sometimes the negative space, or what is not there, is just as important as what is.
for example, check out the fedex logo:
see anything interesting in the negative or white space?
making things lighter by putting holes in them (and therefore making them more efficient to ship) has been a mantra of the green community for quite some time now. but the folks over at spranq creative communications, a dutch firm, have taken that concept to the next level by cooking up ecofont:
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printing docs typed using ecofont use up to 20% less ink, which we all know is 20% better for the environment.
sorry switzerland - you had your moment in the sun when you cranked out your eponymous cheese and helvetica. gouda’s good too ya’know!
grab ecofont for free here.
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last minute no effort green gifts
if you’re in a jam today with no stores open and relatives on the way, here are a couple suggestions for no waste, no (or very little) effort presents on the fly:
- rebate completer: if you’ve ever had to fill out a rebate form, make copies of receipts, and mail them in, you know how appreciative someone would be if you present them with a homemade (a piece of paper folded in half) card offering your rebate completion services. this gift is great for your older relatives who you’ve spent hours trying to differentiate the “x, the square and the line” on your browser’s window to.
- pre-mixed bottle of their favorite booze: you have booze and you have a bottle. i know you do. if you don’t, there are plenty of liquor stores open on x-mas day in my hood. check out your nabe’s regulations here. gin & tonic, vodka cranberry and bailey’s irish cream are always crowd-pleasers. please drive responsibly.
- labeling services: this is a great one if you have a labelmaker. i relish the time that i spend with mine, so making labels for my friends who desperately need them, but either do not own a p-touch or just don’t like making labels is easy and rewarding. you can either make the labels for them in advance if you know what kind they need, or present them with a “card for 20 labels” which then can then redeem either on the spot (fun holiday activity), or in the future.
- recycling or compost setup: a lot of people out there want to recycle or compost, but are just too lazy/busy to set things up. present them with the necessary objects if you have any around the house, or a card offering your services at their own home.
- charity/event marketing or public relations: if you’re a marketing guru, public relations expert, or just someone that a lot of people listen to, give a friend the gift of free promotion for their next charity cause or event! don’t forget to remind them how much you usually charge for your services by giving them a giftcard for $1000 worth of marketing, and running out after a one-hour consultation (just kiddin’).
- you know it wouldn’t be christmas if i didn’t give a shoutout to my own charity cause: http://www.charitywater.org/pages/yukayoneda/
please donate if you have a chance! 100% of your money goes to repairing a well in a village where people don’t even have clean water for christmas. thank you and have an awesome holiday!
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what to do with all those leftovers
i ☆ this idea from danielle spencer’s turkey-shaped jell-o® mold competition, but it’s just as easy to do without a turkey shaped mold.
just layer all of your leftovers in your favorite rectangular or round baking pan, sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese between each layer to bind them all and bake covered with foil at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. you can even cut your meta-turkey into single servings and freeze them - homemade tv dinner!
other winners for your viewing enjoyment:
bubby’s matzoh turkey
kimchi turkey
califurkey roll
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beauty and brains: eco towers abu dhabi
eco towers will be the first mixed use leed platinum certified skyscrapers in the middle east. the 23-story towers flaunt such earth friendly features such as:
air purification systems, renewable energy, toxic-free materials, dual glaze windows, water efficiency and waste reduction, not to mention breathtaking curves.
images courtesy of www.igreenspot.com
fyi: leed stands for leadership in energy and environmental design and provides standards for environmentally sustainable construction.
take a gander at the rating system when you have a chance. it will no doubt help you impress people at the next green cocktail party you attend.
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carbon rally
carbonrally is an easy way to motivate yourself and others to reduce waste and carbon. you can take challenges and actually see how much carbon you’ve reduced!
my first challenge is to make my lunch waste-free. no, that doesn’t mean that i’ll scarf down every crumb because i do that already. it means that when i’m done eating, there will be very few materials, like paper bags, wrapping and utensils, to throw away.
according to carbonrally, by packing waste-free lunches for one month, you will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 44.6 lbs!
thanks for the link dave!
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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
