Green Options

Editor's note: Yes, if you've got school-aged children, they're probably on summer vacation right now. Still, we thought Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind's article on incorporating sustainability into your child's classroom was a good one to get parents thinking about the upcoming school year. This article was originally published on May 8, 2007. Perhaps the only thing more important than making sustainability important in your own life is making sure it's important [...]

Editor's note: This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind takes a look at reasons not to buy or drink bottled water. This post was originally published on June 19, 2007.  Bottled water is healthy water — right?  That's what the marketers would have us believe. Just look at the labels or the bottled water ads: deep, pristine pools of spring water; majestic alpine peaks; healthy, active people gulping [...]

Editor's Note: Today, Chris Baskind editor at Lighter Footstep writes on the importance of keeping dryer sheets at bay from our pets. Well-meaning pet owners are using dryer sheets to control pet hair. Is this such a good idea? We love our pets — and they love us. Which is the main reason dog and cat dander seems to get everywhere: on the sofa, your clothes, and your carpet. Your [...]

Editor's note: This week, Lighter Footstep's Chris Baskind shares some tips for making your refrigerator run more efficiently. This post was originally published on May 30, 2007.So how old is your refrigerator? More than five years? If your fridge is similar to most, it uses about 40% more electricity than the ENERGY STAR certified units being sold today. And given the fact that your fridge is one of a typical home's biggest [...]

Editor's Note: This Week, Chris Baskind from Lighter Footstep explores going vegetarian and its impact upon the environment. You can check out the original post here. Want to help the environment? Consider cutting back on the amount of meat you consume — or go vegetarian altogether.It's not just a question of animal ethics. Meat production is humankind's least-efficient means of feeding itself. For every pound of meat that goes to the plate, [...]

Editor's note: This week, Chris Baskind from Lighter Footstep takes a look at overpackaged goods — and what you can do about them. This post was originally published on May 15, 2007.Maybe this has happened to you. A desk pen set which comes in shoebox-sized packaging. One aspirin, shrink-wrapped on a six-by-six inch card. A small electronic part that arrives wrapped in more plastic than the device itself. What a [...]

Mosquito biting human, by Matti Parkkonen : (Wikimedia Commons)Editor's note: This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind shares some ways to keep the mosquitoes at bay this summer. This post was originally published on May 10, 2007.With an unusually mild winter and record high spring temperatures across North America and Europe, 2007 is shaping up as a boom time for mosquitoes.Don't even [...]

Editor's note: Summer's coming, and our friend Chris Baskind, editor at Lighter Footstep, has put together a monster list of tips for staying cool… the green way. With summer officially around the corner and temperatures edging higher, the Lighter Footstep editors have put together a giant list of ways to keep your cool.We'll start with a quick apology to our readers in the Southern Hemisphere: we know you're there. Bookmark this and [...]