St. Patricks day is a day of celebrating Irish Heritage, eating, drinking and everything green.  But how can you implement green into your St. Pattys day without having to wear it from head to toe?  Here are a few ideas…

WEAR GREEN – but on a smaller scale

• Wear green socks, no one may see them… but at least you’ve got spirit!
• Wear fashionable green jewelry, just an accent piece can be subtle and classy.
• Wear a scarf with green accents and patterns – scarfs are a great way to dress up any outfit.
• Wear green nail polish – it’s soo in right now, especially the darker hunter green colors that aren’t so bright.

EAT GREEN – eating green is always a good idea, but you can get especially creative for this holiday

• Green Mac n’ Cheese – use spinach or pesto in your sauce to get the green effect.
• Green cookies, brownies, cupcakes or ice cream – food coloring can make just about anything green.
• Get healthy with a green veggie platter, or slightly less healthy with fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, fried asparagus or fried green beans.  Dip all that in a green avocado dip and you’re good to go!
• Green Broccoli “Pattys” – they taste better than they sound I swear, even your kids will love them!  Take some frozen broccoli from the freezer, 1.5 cups of cheddar cheese, 1 cup of bread crumbs and 3 eggs.  Mix all ingredients together and form into pattys (also a good activity to do with the kids) and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.  They are cheesy, healthy and delicious!

LIVE GREEN – reduce, re-use, recycle, that’s what it’s all about

• Reduce your waste by using reusable coffee cups, water bottles and grocery bags whenever possible.
• Buy a house plant – they not only look good, but they provide clean air, increase humidity levels and help remove pollutants from the air.
• Save water with powder detergents – liquid laundry detergents are approximately 80% water and it costs energy and packaging to bring this water to the consumer.  Replace liquid detergents with powder detergents.
• Buy food in bulk and buy household products in bulk whenever you can to avoid excess packaging.

Stockngo.com not only offers the best prices on household goods but also offers BULK savings.  Buy in BULK, Live GREEN and SAVE more with Stockn’GO.com.

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The holidays are fast approaching, and you might be wondering how to make them a little greener. With just a few adjustments to your shopping (and your thinking), you can make your holiday environmentally friendly. It’s easy, and it’s fun.

Do It Yourself Holiday Cards: Make your own cards on recycled paper. Remember how much fun it used to be to make specialized cards for people when you were little? It’s still just as much fun, and they are so much more personal than a card bought from a store. Some ideas for your cards: Illustrations cut from an old Christmas story book, photos surrounded by glitter, or a poem written especially for the recipient.

Make your own decorations: It’s just as much fun making decorations as it is making cards. String together popcorn, paint or glitter (or both) nuts or pine cones, make wreaths from pine boughs or even old Christmas ornaments. The possibilities are endless. You can keep and use them again, year after year. That’s green, in and of itself.

Bake Your Gifts: Ditch the pre-packaged treats and make your own this year, and give them out as gifts. You might be surprised at the people who are happy at this kind of gift. It’s cheaper than purchasing gifts, there is less packaging waste, plus baking things especially for others is a thoughtful gift.

And don’t forget about buying in bulk! StocknGo offers discount hair products so buying in bulk makes sense. If you have a large family, lots of room-mates, or you have plenty of storage space, get a gift for yourself and use our ‘Buy the Case’ and enjoy the savings all year long.

Do you make your own gifts at the holidays? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

It’s almost back to school time! You’re going to need stuff. How can you balance a green life with back to school shopping? We’ve got some tips for you. Don’t worry – it’s easy.

Make a list.

Before you start your back to school shop, plan out what you really need. Do you have to have a new backpack? If it’s not too worn, don’t buy another. Do you really need a new lunchbox? Just because it is on the back to school list, it doesn’t mean you have to buy a new one. Reuse your old things as much as possible. Make a list and stick to it.

What are you writing with?

Try to buy greener choices in pens and pencils. Mechanical pencils are refillable, and are a better bet for the environment than the plain old number 2 kind. You (or your children) may need one small pack of regular yellow pencils for testing, but the bulk of your work can be done with the refillable kind. Go for refillable pens whenever possible, as well.

Watch your paper use.

On average, k-12 schools throw away enough paper to total about 750 trees a semester. If you have kids, you’re probably not going to be able to go paperless. It’s just a fact of school life. Most teachers won’t let them email their homework. Ditto for taking notes with a laptop or electronic notebook. That doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to cut down on your child’s paper consumption. Use both sides of the paper when you can and re-use everything that you can. Recycle all of it when you’re done.

If you’re in college, however, you can probably go almost paperless. When you can’t – use post consumer recycled paper. Make sure it’s processed chlorine free. Same rules go for using and re-using paper.

Buy in bulk

Especially when you have multiple children or you know you’ll be in school at least another year, buy products in bulk. Buy school supplies in larger quantities such as paper, pencils, and pens. But be careful what you’re buying in large amounts – if you’re not going to use it often, buying large quantities can be a waste of money.

Do you have any green tips for back to school? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.

When you have a home office, it has advantages. One of those advantages is that it’s way easier to green your work space. You don’t have to ask permission or nag anyone to go green. You just do it.

Another advantage is, of course, the money and energy you conserve commuting. It doesn’t take much energy to walk from the bedroom to your home office. (Unless you haven’t had enough coffee yet. )

The things you need to green in a home office are different than the things you’d think about working elsewhere. It’s pretty simple. A few simple habits can equal great energy conservation.

Light bulbs – replace all your light bulbs with compact fluorescents. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that by replacing just one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, Americans would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year.

Thermostat settings – set it low in the winter and high in the summer. Wear a sweater in the winter time if you get cold. Using a fan in the summer in combination with your ac uses far less energy than your air conditioning running all the time.

Turn off your lights – when you’re not using them, turn them off. I have a big window in my home office and I open the curtains during the daytime. That gives me plenty of lighting, so I work without using the lights at all.

Unplug your electronics at night. It doesn’t take that long to power up a computer in the morning, and you’ll save tons of energy by doing so. Your electronic devices draw power even when they’re switched off or not in use, just by being plugged in. You’ve probably got all the plugs in an electronic strip anyway. Just turn it off when you’re done for the day.

Recycle your paper. Or go paperless as much as possible. Just make sure that the paper you use is in that recycle bin on pick-up day.

Put a plant in your office. You’ll improve the air in your home office because plants absorb carbon dioxide and exude oxygen. Whether you think of it that way or not, this is going green. You’re improving air quality.

Do you have any tips or tricks for greening your home office? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.

Here’s a video on greening your home office I thought you might enjoy:

Recycling is the easiest way to go green.You just toss those items in the recycle bin, and they’re picked up curbside once or twice a week. But what, exactly, can you throw in there?

There are different rules in every city, so you’ll have to check with your local sanitation department to find out for sure what you can recycle. Most places, however, recycle the following items. Every town has different rules so you’ll need to check with your local waste or sanitation department to find out the specifics for your area.

Newspapers. This is pretty much a gimme, and you probably already knew this. If everyone in America recycled just 10% of their newspapers daily, we’d save 3 million trees yearly.

Phone books are recyclable. If like me you use the internet as a giant phone directory, you can choose not to have them delivered at all. If you do receive them, make sure you put them in the recycle bin when you get a new one.

Plastic bottles. Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator, not to mention saves us toxic fumes. We use a staggering amount of plastic bottles here in the U.S. – more than 2 million per hour. Make sure yours is recycled.

Aluminum cans. An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be recognizable as a can 500 years from now. Recycle them.

Aluminum foil is recyclable.

Glass containers or bottles. The energy saved when you recycle one glass bottle can power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.

Aerosol cans – empty ones. You’ll need to check on this one with your local sanitation department, but most places take empty cans. Make sure it’s empty first – if not, check with your city’s hazardous waste department and see if they’ll take it.

And just for a laugh, here’s a video from Rocko’s Modern Life about recycling.

Do you have any questions about what can be recycled? Ask me on twitter, facebook, or just leave me a message here on the blog.

Every single thing we do has an impact on our planet, either good or bad. You, as an individual, have power over your choices. Put simply, that means you can control the impact you make. As globalization makes the world smaller, your choices affect people around the world.

Why should you care? I’ll give you an example. Did you know that about a fourth of the medications we take come from plants in the Amazon? And that we’ve only tested less than 1% of those plants to get that ¼ of our medicines? The plight of the rain forest hits a lot closer to home now, doesn’t it?

There are easy things you can do to make an impact. They won’t cost you more money, and they won’t inconvenience you. Most of them are in your favor. You make the choice about the kind of difference you make. Think about those choices.

Don’t wait to go green. Buy locally raised or grown foods and vegetables when you can. When you purchase foods from local farmers, you keep money in your local economy. You also reduce energy use by eliminating shipping across states. Did you know that some of the fruits and vegetables you eat can even come from other countries? Not only do you save energy, but your food will taste better. And the way food is grown is regulated in the United States. Not so much in other countries. Do you remember the salmonella scare with green onions not too long ago? Those onions were grown in Mexico, and the contamination came from improper handling.

Don’t eat so much fast food. Here’s a short video from Youtube demonstrating that point:

Did you know that in the US, we spend more than 100 billion dollars each year on bottled water? More than 86% of those bottles end up in landfills. This video perfectly illustrates this point, and gives you some idea of what we’re up against.

Here at StocknGo, we take going green seriously. Do you think about your impact on the environment? Give me your opinion on Twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

It’s widely believed that going green can cost you money. That’s simply not true. Green living actually saves you money. Who couldn’t use some extra cash in their pocket? Let’s list some of the ways that you can go green and save money.

Household:

Lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer saves you money on energy bills. It also saves energy use.

Using cold water to wash clothing gets your clothing just as clean in most cases. It saves energy, and your energy bills will go down.

Unplugging your appliances and electronics at night reduces your energy use. Did you know that even when they’re not in use, an item that is plugged in still uses electricity? Yep. Unplug everything at night and watch your electricity bill go down.

Buying over the internet can be cheaper than buying in stores, and it can be green. Buy health and beauty products in bulk and save money, and save on energy use. How? Buy once, and ship once. Bulk prices are always cheaper than buying products one at a time, and conserves energy by reducing the amount of times you go to the store/have items shipped.

On the Go:

Packing a lunch in a reusable lunch bag or lunch box saves money and the environment. You cut down on the amount of waste you dispose of every day, and it’s cheaper than eating out for lunch. Pack it full of locally grown or produced foods and you’ll be even greener.

Reusable and refillable water bottles filled at home keeps plastic bottles out of landfills. There are billions of plastic bottles discarded every year in the U.S. Make sure to do your part to reduce this waste. Install a filter if you don’t think your water tastes great. There are several inexpensive types you can use.

Biking to work (when possible) or walking to the store can save you hundreds of dollars each month in fuel. One less car on the road = less emissions and less energy used.

None of these tips are earth-shattering or ground breaking, but they do help, and they do save you money. Just a little effort on your part keeps our landfills emptier and reduces energy use. What do you do to go green and save money? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Oh, and here’s some easy tips for going green from WatchMojo.

It’s summer time and you know you’re going to want to have a party one of these hot summer days. Whether it’s a barbecue or a picnic, there are ways you can make your summer party greener.

Don’t use charcoal. Switch to a gas grill. You’re going to release much less carbon dioxide into the air, and the lighter fluid you use with charcoal is toxic. Fast lighting charcoal is soaked in cancer causing chemicals as well. You don’t want to eat that, and you don’t want to feed it to your loved ones.

Eat local foods. Hit your local Farmer’s Market and enjoy fresh summer fruits and vegetables. Purchasing local foods is one of the best ways to ensure that you keep pesticides out of your food, and reduce energy consumption. If there’s no shipping, less fuel is used. And what tastes better than fresh vegetables?

Don’t use throwaway dishes and utensils. Don’t use plastic or paper plates, glasses, or utensils. It’s the easiest thing you can do to stay green. If you’re picnicking or barbecuing, avoiding those throwaway dishes and utensils keeps tons of trash out of landfills. And if you use washable napkins and tablecloths, you’ve just made your summer party even greener.

Compost your scraps. Take all that leftover food and corn cobs and make rich soil for your garden. It’s easy to make a compost heap. Keeping leftover food out of our landfills is a wonderful, easy way to go green. It also means much less methane gas released into the atmosphere.

Another handy green tip for summer parties:
If you’re having a party at home and your fold-up chairs are squeaky after being stored all winter, the WD-40 No Mess Pen is one of the best ways to lubricate and protect without waste.

We take green ideas seriously at StocknGo. That’s why we have the Buy in Bulk section. One large purchase instead of several small ones means less energy expended on fuel, and that’s a good thing. You’ll save money, too.

Do you have any green summer party tips? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or just leave me a comment here on the blog.

Small things you do in your life can have a big impact on the environment. There’s a reason why you hear reduce, reuse, and recycle repeated over and over when talking about the environment. It’s because these things work, and if we all do our part we can make a big difference.

Reducing:

Do you have a large family, or do you have plenty of storage space? Buy the case online. Don’t see how this helps? If you make one large purchase, it only ships once. That conserves fuel and cuts down on energy use.

Reusing:

When you go on trips (it is summer vacation, after all), do you buy sample bottles of things like shampoo and then throw them away? Save those bottles – or buy your own small ones – and buy shampoos in a larger size. You can refill the bottles any time you need them, and they won’t take up much space in your bathroom cabinet. Matrix Biolage Hydrating Shampoo comes in a 33.8 oz bottle, for example. You’ll save money that way, too: Typically, larger sizes cost less per ounce.

Recycling:

Do you have a junk drawer, filled with old cell phones and discarded electronics? I know I do. I didn’t know what to do with them, so I just stuffed them away and forgot about them. Throwing them out can mean leaching potentially toxic materials into landfills, so that was out, of course. I came across the drawer not too long ago, and stared at it in dismay. If I didn’t do something about these things soon, I was going to need another drawer to hold them all. I did some research and found Gazelle.com and SecureTradeIn.com, where you can sell your old cellphones and electronics.

You can also donate your old cell phones to charity:

• cellphonesforsoldiers.com
You can give your old cell phone to U.S. military personnel serving overseas and they can use them to call their families back home. That’s got to make you feel good. I donated my old cell phone to them.
• Collectivegood
They donate part of the money they receive from recycling your phone to the charity of your choice. One of their charities is the United Way, whose main focus is on resolving community issues. They tend to concentrate on education, income and health.

There are other ways to recycle, as well. Do you have any ideas for me? What are some ways you reduce, reuse, or recycle in your life? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Recently a friend asked me to come up with some ways to green up her work week. Like a lot of people, she leads a busy life and wanted some ideas for some simple things she could do that wouldn’t require a lot of effort on her part. These tips fit the bill; almost everyone can incorporate one or two into their schedule.

1. Put a green kit in your car. Fill up a bag – a reusable one, not a plastic bag – with some things you might need. Put in things like hand lotion and an Instant Cold Pack. The bag can do double duty: If you have to make a stop at the grocery store, you won’t have to use one of their plastic bags because you’ll have your own already on hand.

2. Ride your bike to work one day a week. Bring a change of clothes to work when you drive there on Monday morning. If feasible, ride your bike to work one day a week, and you’ll have clothing to change into when you get there. You don’t have to do it every day; commuting by bike just one day a week helps keep you and the air we breathe healthier. And don’t worry about showering after your ride; throwing some wipes or a wash cloth in your desk drawer will do the trick just as well.

3. Pack a lunch. Get a reusable lunch bag or box and make your own lunch. Use some of those containers you’ve got clogging up your cabinet – I know you’ve got some – and bring foods like fruit and a sandwich. Not only will you cut down on packaging waste, you’ll be eating healthier. And if you stuff your lunch box with locally grown fruit and produce, so much the better.

4. Brainstorm with a co-worker. Ask your co-workers for ideas for green living; maybe they’ll want to commute together, or they’ll join you on your bike ride to work. You never know until you ask.

5. Recycle at work. This can be as simple as making sure everyone has easy access to a recycle bin to throw items in when they’re finished with them. It’s a lot easier to use the recycle bin when you know where it is. Once I worked in an office that had their recycle bin hidden in the storage room; it was inconvenient to get to, and hardly anyone used it. When I moved it to the break room and made sure it was labeled prominently, everyone used it.

It’s easy to green up your work week; these things are not hard to do. Changing the way you do just one thing can help tremendously. Do you have any ideas for greening your work week? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or just leave a comment here.