Instead of wasting this valuable electricity, plug all of your electronic equipment and appliances into a smart strip!

A smart strip, or a power strip, is probably something you use already to protect your computer equipment from power surges. These power strips or surge protectors, also have off/on switch.

At the end of your work day at your office, or before you go to bed at home, simply turn the power strip to off. Or, use an electronic timer to automatically turn off the switch based on the set schedule.

Each year, you’ll save thousands of watts just with this simple and easy energy-saving tip.

Your water heater uses energy to keep your water hot for steam showers. Turn down the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees.

The water will still be hot enough for a steamy shower, yet save energy and money at home.

Bamboo flooring is a sustainable resource, with only taking 6 years for bamboo to grow to maturity. Other trees used to make hardwood flooring can take 15 to 100 years to grow to maturity.

Bamboo is also just as durable, if not more so than many other types of wood. In fact, horizontal or vertical bamboo flooring is harder than oak, which is the most popular material used for hardwood floors and strand woven bamboo flooring is harder than the most expensive hardwood, Brazilian Walnut. Bamboo flooring is also the most economical type of hardwood flooring, which starts around $2.00 per square foot. It also comes in a variety of colors from a light honey to a dark amber.

It is important to consider that all bamboo flooring products are not created equal. Vertical and horizontal grain bamboo flooring may contain urea formaldehyde as a binder, which will emit toxic substances and engineered bamboo may not be really made from bamboo at all. Grainless or strand bamboo may use a low emitting phenol-formaldehyde binder. When purchasing bamboo, it’s important to ask how the boards are bound to find out if you’re bringing a potentially toxic substance into your home or office. Not all manufacturers use this type of binding and there are safe options.

Finally, you may want to choose flooring that comes from a bamboo farm where it is raised specifically for this purpose rather than to choose bamboo, which is cut down in the forest.

Bamboo flooring is sustainable, durable, and will make a beautiful and eco-friendly choice for your home or office.

Here are the best eco-friendly kitchen counter tops to choose from:

Recycled Glass

Recycled glass countertops are gorgeous and can come in any colors you desire. It can be expensive at $50 to $55 per square foot. However recycle glass countertops are durable, beautiful and eco-friendly. Recycled glass countertops are made by mixing the glass into a cement, concrete or resin base.

Bamboo

Because bamboo grows so quickly (it matures in six years), it’s a very renewable and sustainable resource. You can make flooring, dinnerware, cookware, furniture and of course, kitchen counter tops from Bamboo. Bamboo is also an inexpensive alternative, costing around $20-$25 per square foot. However, bamboo counter tops can be dented and scratched. If you prefer this weathered look, you can seal the wood to prevent staining.

Recycled Aluminum

Stainless steel in the kitchen, including stainless steel countertops, is very popular. It’s looks sleek and modern, it’s durable and easy to clean, but it takes a lot of resources to create stainless steel, and therefore, not eco-friendly. Recycled aluminum offers the same sleek and durable look as stainless steel, but it’s made from recycled materials. The only main negative is the cost, about $100 per square foot. However, if you don’t need a custom install and can use a prefabricated piece of aluminum, the cost can a lot less expensive.

Concrete

Concrete countertops, has been featured in DIY TV shows and can be made into a gorgeous countertop for your kitchen. You can stain concrete or it can e designed to look like granite or other types of stone. Concrete is durable and easily sealed and the pricing can range from $65 to $135 per square foot.

Recycled Ceramic Tile

Recycled materials such as light bulbs, porcelain or bottles, can be made into ceramic tile. Ceramic tile is extremely cost effective, starting around $10 per square foot. It’s a great option for a DIY homeowner as it’s easy to install. It’s also durable when the grout is sealed and it comes in a large variety of colors.

They are many options for eco-friendly countertops to fit your style and budget and help conserve environmental resources.

Here are three easy tips to save energy and money for your office:

Smart Strips

Did you know that electronic equipment consume energy even when they’re not turned on? Everything from your office equipment to your break room appliances, still draw electricity. To save money and energy, use a smart strip either with an on/off switch or, even better, an on/off switch with a timer. Simply turn off the power strip at the end of the work day and your business will save thousands of watts each year.

Adjust the Thermostat

Adjust the office thermostat to five degrees lower in the winter and five degrees higher in the summer to save energy and reduce your electricity bill. If you don’t have one already, install a programmable thermostat, and schedule it adjust the temperature even more when the office is closed.

LED Office Lighting

Change your office lighting to LED’s. LED lighting consume 48% less energy than fluorescents lights. New LED products are coming into the market that produce the same amount of lumens per watt as the best fluorescent lights.

Office energy savings does not have to require a huge overhaul. Easy, cost-effective steps can save hundreds of dollars for your business every year AND help conserve our natural resources.

Whenever you get a new computer, gadget or TV, book a free e-waste San Francisco Bay Area pick-up. We are proud to be an approved e-waste Collector for the State of California and all electronic waste we collect is recycled within California.

When shopping or hiring for services, evaluate if the company is also doing their part to conserve energy and other resources. Look for the following:

• Does the business recycle their e-waste?
• Do they use recycled products?
• Do they use less packaging or is their package made from post-consumer recyclables?
• Do they use solar or wind energy?
• Do they invest in carbon offsets?

By choosing to do spend money with green businesses, you are also investing in a safer, greener world.

Here are three easy ways to reduce your “snail mail,” save trees and keep junk mail out of landfills:

Pay Bills Online

Are you receiving your bills in the mail? What happens when you open them? Most of us just want to see the amount and we pay the bill online anyway. How about getting your bills delivered to your email inbox?

Many utility companies and credit card companies have the option of paperless billing. You will get an email reminder each month that your bill is due and a link to the site to pay your bill. The landfills don’t need your bills to fill them up.

Online Banking

Sign up for electronic statements. This works best for two reasons. One, you avoid having to shred statements each month; and two, you can store them on your hard drive, USB drive, or back them up online for security reasons. You eliminate the paper clutter and you avoid the dangers of identity theft from someone sifting through your garbage.

National “Do Not Mail” Mailing List

Stop unwanted advertising mail being delivered to your home is getting your name off the mailing lists. To register on DirectMail.com’s National Do Not Mail List, start by filling out their form. >>

These easy steps can reduce waste, save trees and create a more productive & clutter-free business and home!

*Junk Mail Statistics

Photo: Sprint

The testing criteria for materials used, energy efficiency, sustainability and performance are developed by UL Environment, a product certification firm. Sprint is encouraging phone manufacturers to increase their use of modular design, which will improve both the repairability and recyclability of devices, to meet the testing criteria.

Sprint will also improve the its phones’ packaging by decreasing packaging material, eliminating plastic laminate, printing with vegetable-based or low-VOC (violate organic compound) inks, using water-based and/or eco-friendly adhesives, and using recycled fiber and post-consumer waste.

Read more about Sprint’s 2012 sustainability initiatives, visit the company’s corporate responsibility page or follow @SprintGreenNews on Twitter.

Unfortunately Ghana, like many underdeveloped countries, have no adequate infrastructure to deal with the hazardous waste. Most of it is obsolete and ends up being burned at dump-sites causing pollution and health problems.

The makeITfair project, the Basel Action Network (BAN), the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and the GoodElectronics Network called on the Environmental Council of the European Union to ensure that the current e-waste legislation, the WEEE Directive, is revised to stop these harmful practices.

Source: European e-waste damages health and environment in Ghana

Report: What a Waste

As an approved Collector for the state of California, eWaste Direct is passionate about protecting the environment. eWaste Direct recycles electronics at only California-approved facilities.