AttemptGreen.com

Dave sent me a great link with information about solutions to some of the current environmental issues.  I was looking at the tire recycling solution available, which is genius.  Then I got to thinking what other things are going on that I can contribute to involving recycled tire rubber.

I stumbled into this company called Simple Shoes, making shoes out of materials like recycled tires, recycled plastic, organic cotton and hemp. As I read about the materials they used, business practices, and their factory charter, I realized I could feel good about the materials and the labor put into these shoes. All around, I was inspired by this company.

While this company is amazing in the simple concepts, their shoes still look pretty cool. What about price?  Yes, they are just a little bit more expensive than I would normally pay at local (chain) store, but honestly I can’t say it is that much more. Not only that, but shipping is free. So once I get the new shoes in a few weeks, if you see me around check out the soles.

So I recently received an email from Verizon offering me a brand new cell phone for free.  Well, that’s just the hook and they just want me to extend my contract again.  I don’t foresee not using Verizon since almost all my family and many of my friends are also on Verizon, making the majority of my calls free.  This provides me an opportunity to get a new cell phone for free.  As I contemplated this, as much as a new phone would be cool, what would I do with the old phone?

Most major cell phone service providers have nice donation/recycling programs.

• Verizon – HopeLine donates your old phone to support victims of domestic violence
• T-Mobile – will recycle or reuse old devices and all proceeds go to their charity programs
• Sprint – will recycle or reuse old phones and proceeds go to Internet Safety for Kids, they additionally have a buy-back program for old Sprint PCS or Nextel phones
• AT&T – is a complete recycling program for phones and accessories

As I was looking into other options, I found this article called 50 Ways to Leave Your Cell Phone with many other options. So for those of you that might have one (or 3) older phones that you don’t use (you know who you are), take that step and donate/recycle those devices.  One of the cool things about most of these donation options is that they will also take batteries, phone accessories, even PDAs.

My final decision on this whole new cell phone thing goes back to the three Rs.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  In this case, I’m choosing to reduce.  This means that I have decided to not get a new cell phone at this point in time.  My current cell phone works just fine and ultimately the newer cell phones don’t provide features that I can’t wait to get my hands (except the iPhone, but that won’t work with Verizon anyway).  So until there is some compelling reason for me to get a new phone, I’m sticking with what I have.

Maintaining your car is very important for keeping your car running, extending the life of your car, as well as for safety.  But as Eric pointed out, it is also important for your full economy and emissions.  I’ve looked at a variety of sources online that all provide varying information on things that effect fuel economy, but three things are consistently listed.

1. Tire pressure – many sources say that if your tires aren’t properly inflated, it can cause a 2-3% loss in fuel efficiency.  At $3/gallon of gas, that is essentially losing $0.09 for every gallon of gas you buy while your tires aren’t properly inflated.
2. Air filter – sources site that not having a clean air filter can cause up to a 30% loss in fuel efficiency!  I was most surprised at this, but thinking about it, it makes sense.  If then engine doesn’t have proper air flow getting to it, how could it run efficiently.
3. Lighten the load – the more weight that needs moved the more fuel it is going to consume.  One source even says for every 100 extra pounds in a car, there is 1-2% fuel efficiency is lost.

I drive a 2003 Civic Hybrid, which has this cool feature on the dashboard that allows me to see my instantaneous fuel economy.  While I don’t have any scientific evidence of this, I notice a much more considerable amount of effect on my gas mileage based on my tire pressure.  They say you should check your tires at least once a month, I would say more often if the weather changes frequently (like it does in Ohio this time of year).  Many of the sources have thorough instructions on how to check you tire pressure.

So with all this, there are three things to do:

1. Check the tire pressure for proper inflation.
2. Replace the air filter when recommended (most techs will check the filter for you when you get an oil change done).
3. Unload the car from shopping trips and any unnecessary items immediately.

Sources: NHTSA, AAA, FuelEconomy.gov