I have a long weekend coming up, thanks to America’s tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I’m not going to waste it. I like the idea of honoring Dr. King by doing some kind of service, and my service is cleaning my basement. Hey, it is still an important service!

I’ll be cleaning the place out, but I’m not looking to fill up my trash can. Here are some of the places where I’ll be sending stuff I don’t need in order to avoid the landfill.

• Clothes: DC Scout let me know next Saturday, January 22 is National Swap Day, and a great opportunity for ladies to get together and swap perfectly good clothes, shoes, handbags and such. So whatever clothes I’ve got that are still in good shape may be headed this way, also giving me a good opportunity to do some no-cost shopping.
• CDs: I have a pretty big music collection that I don’t want to part with, but there are some duplicates and CDs I received as review copies that I just don’t need to tote around any more. These I’m selling to used CD stores, like CD Cellar. I don’t get a lot for my money in cash, but I get credit toward new music!
• Books: I’m going to gather what I can and donate them to a school that’s holding a book sale later this year as a fundraiser. Used book stores like Wonderbook also buy used books.
• Old digital stuff: GreenDisk – I’ll probably use the Technotrash Pack-IT service for $6.95 to get rid of some old Zip disks, floppy disks, data CDs and maybe even some VHS tapes.
• Old Christmas lights: Holiday LEDs – They’ll send you back a coupon for 25% off new LED Christmas lights. – UNTIL FEB. 28, 2011
• Etcetera: Freecycle is always there for sharing things away to neighbors also interested in keeping things out of the landfill.

I’ll be honest, there is probably a good amount of old-fashioned recycling that will be going on as well. Lucky for me, Arlington County does take a very wide range of materials for recycling, and I’m going to be filling up our blue bin this week, too.

Have a great three-day weekend!

It’s now been more than a month since this oil rig exploded, killing 11 people and in my mind demonstrating clearly that even the best minds in energy science do not have the equipment or plan in place for responding to the worst-case scenarios in deep-water drilling.

We’re still having a hard time keeping coal mining safe, and that’s been going on for decades. I’m personally shocked that the government would provide permits for drilling in an area where even the government doesn’t have adequate underwater vehicles. It’s apparently just too darn deep.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

On Hardball with Chris Matthews, I saw Sylvia Earle of National Geographic say,

We (the USA) haven‘t made the investment to have a garage filled with submarines, a garage filled with remotely-operated systems, (nor in) the talent to be able to go down independently of industry and respond. (video above)

In other words, the oil industry HAS to fix it because they are the only ones that HAVE THE TOOLS.

That is petrifying.

I am furious because I feel so helpless. I have worked hard to live an environmentally friendly life. But a worse case scenario in the Gulf could potentially ruin my visit to a North Carolina beach. Do you see how huge this thing is? This is right in our backyard, DC. Not cool.

The truth is that together we could have prevented this, and we can prevent another incident like this if we all do our part to get out of the oil slick. Go green. Ask for alternative energies. A wind farm will never cause problems like this. Solar panels don’t even have to change the landscape of your neighborhood. Recycle. Buy from farmers’ markets. Use public transportation. Every little bit helps.

Above all, write your Representative and Senator in Congress and let them know that offshore drilling needs to stop now.

To celebrate Earth Day I’d like to share some of my favorite ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. These are tried and tested items, not just things that look pretty. I own and use these things every day, I promise!

1. English Retreads Large Model T Tote – This is one of my favorite tote bags. It’s absolutely indestructible, and polishes clean with Armor-All, as it’s made from the inner tubing of truck tires. HEAVY DUTY. Still 100% glamorous. I also have a smaller version for evenings.
2. Preserve Toothbrushes, Ultra Soft Bristles, 6-count package – These toothbrushes are made from those yogurt cups that many of us plow through every day. That plastic is harder to find a home for than other plastics, but this company has done wonders with it. These toothbrushes are fab, and colorful, too. Preserve will take them back when you’re done with them, too! Really. I buy them in dozens and give them to my family and friends at Christmas and Easter.
3. Real Deal Made in Brazil Tarp Hat – It’s recycled from Brazilian truck tarps, and made to last. Very durable, and hip for man or woman headed on a weekend camping trip or a month in the outback.
4. Washington, DC’s Metro system – This is my primary mode of transport, and it saves me about 84 miles of driving a week.

I hope you find these little things helpful. Perhaps you can weave them into your own life! Don’t want to spend any extra money? Just follow this link to the Rainforest Site where all you have to do is ‘Click to Give‘… Or join the Earth Day Network here. Thanks and happy Earth Day!

Three cheers to the three gals at TMI Weekly for a great redux on what to do with unwanted holiday gifts.

• FIRST – write a lovely thank you note about how thoughtful it was for your Aunt Flo to send you that fabulous sweater.
• SECOND – listen to Meghan and her friends run down all the ways you can find a way to find a happy home for the hideous thing.
• THIRD – give the sweater to someone who will wear it, and maybe you’ll end up with the video game you really wanted!

Check out this adorable episode and learn a thing or two about bartering!

TMI Weekly: Barter This

Three cheers to Penn State students working to ban the water bottle on campus.

If you’ve never been to Penn State’s main campus, let me assure you it’s a substantial operation. Making a change like this would make a significant impact. The campus is basically a small town of people under 25, supported by another small town of people interested in the University: professors, restaurants, bookstores, dorm-decorating shops, etc.

I’m really amazed by the extremes our culture has gone through with water. But the facts are out there. If you want super-filtered water, you can now easily filter it yourself with any number of products, and there’s no need to buy multiple individual bottles, which either need to be recycled, which costs money and energy; or which end up in landfills, which is flat-out pollution.

As a taxpayer, your money already goes to water purification plants, so there really should be more attention paid to how that water comes out and how the pipes are kept up.

More on the Penn State movement at Treehugger.

If you live in DC and are looking for green living resources, I’ve got a great place for you!

Eco-Green Living is jam-packed with resources for building and living green, especially if you are looking for ways to renovate your home. Stroll around downstairs and you’ll see natural paints and carpets, light bulbs, mattresses, even gifts and natural shampoos. But you’ll also notice there are samples of recycled tire flooring and maybe a few long boxes of bamboo flooring. This is just a hint.

Go on upstairs – you’ll find every color in the rainbow in sustainable countertops, flooring and tiles. Plus tankless hot water, eco-insulation, skylights and more.

These folks just keep taking in what they find to make it available for you, plus they have connections for installation services. It is really awesome to see how MUCH you can do, how many CHOICES you have while keeping green. Check it out.

Eco-Green Living is located a short walk from either the McPherson Square or U Street/Cardoza Metro stations, on Church Street between 14th & 15th Streets, one block over from the P Street Whole Foods.

http://eco-greenliving.com

This is such a great idea – Once Upon a Prom helps high school girls get prom dresses, and helps grown-ups clean out their closets.

Men may not understand that prom dresses are one of those items that can be especially hard to just ‘throw away,’ but they take up space in the closet or attic, and they are increasingly useless and depressing as a girl gets older and will never fit into that dress again.

Saving these dresses for our daughters is simply oppressive. The style will simply not be in fashion by the time our daughters are going to prom. (IF we have a daughter to pass the dress on to.) Okay, there is a slim chance, and if you have an immense closet, keep that dress. But if not, Once Upon a Prom will put your prom dress to immediate use for a girl that actually wants and NEEDS it NOW.

Check it out. Visit Urban Chic in D.C. & Baltimore, March 24-31

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/20/AR2008032002247.html