Wow. These people in San Francisco built an entire house using nothing but trash. They got all their material from junk yards or scrap yards, and ended up spending less than $3,000 on the whole house! Take a look at the video, it’s pretty impressive (and cool). It makes you think about all the stuff that we are constantly throwing away instead of finding a way to reuse.

Be sure to check out their site, especially their page on green building. All in all, I’m thinking these people are some eco-heroes.

How many razors do you go through in a year? Probably a lot. The deadly combination of debris in the blades and moisture causes the razor blades to dull. But here is how to only use one razor per year! This is the secret to making your razor immortal (or close to it).

Get a Good Razor

Remember, you will be using this razor for a year (or maybe even more). I went ahead and splurged on a Mach 3 Turbo, and if I can get it to last for years, it will have more than paid for itself.

Clean Your Razor

After you’re done shaving (I recommend shaving while taking a navy shower), clean out yo’ razor. Use an old toothbrush to scrub out any mess stuck between the blades, then let some water run over it for a second or two. And now, the big secret to turning your razor immortal…

Dry Your Razor

I use a towel to do this, but you can also use a hair dryer. Get it as dry as you can. When you put up your razor, don’t put one of those little plastic caps on it. Those hold moisture in. Put your razor somewhere where it will stay pretty dry until the next time you use it.

That’s all there is to it. I’ve been doing this since New Year’s day, ever since I learned about it through one o’ my co-workers. So far, so good. Hopefully when next year rolls around, I’ll still be using my same razor, thereby saving plastic, metal, and some o’ my money.

Update on the Immortal Razor (May)

Death of the Immortal Razor – not so immortal after all (July)

Congratulations to the Live Green, Live Smart people for becoming the first ever to get LEED Platinum status on a remodeled house.  LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum is the highest “green” rating that they give out, so EcoJoes is sending out a hearty “Huzzah” to them, and also making them an honorary Eco Hero.

I suggest you go check out their website and read all about the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this marvel of a mansion.

Just last night me and me woman put up our Christmas tree. As I was hanging up the millionth ornament, I started thinking about Christmas in terms of environmental impact. Just think of all the packaging thrown away every year. All the trees cut down, screaming their silent tree screams that only Captain Planet and other eco-heroes can hear. As I started to silently weep, I clenched my fist with the determination that I would find a way to “greenify” this savage winter holiday.

Eco-Friendly Christmas Tree

• Most natural Christmas trees come from tree farms, so there is only temporary deforestation from their harvest. Plus, recent studies from my alma mater have shown that if Christmas tree farmers choose their pesticides wisely (or use organic methods), they can have a negligible environmental impact. Of course, once Christmas is done, most trees are just thrown out on the curb to be taken to the landfill.
• Plastic Christmas trees have a higher embodied energy; basically all of them are made from polyvinyl chloride. But they do last forever, so they can be reused all the way until the Earth finally blows up.
• I’d recommend looking around the inside of your house for a tree (real or fake) that you already have, and just decorating that.

Green Christmas Presents

• Skimp on the packaging. If you must wrap a present, do so by reusing some magazine or newspaper pages. ‘Tis the present that counts, not the packaging.
• Give non-material presents. Perhaps coupons for a massage, yard work, or the gift of friendship, if you’re really cheap.
• Make some food for them. “Wrap” it in tupperware or a metal tin that they can reuse.
• Give a green present. Perchance a low-flow shower head, a solar roll, or a nice compost bin.

Green Traveling During Christmas

• Carpool if you’re going long distances. This will cut your gas price, and give you some company on that long holiday drive.
• Ride a bike. Throw on your coat and hop on your bike if you’re just going a short distance.
• Sled or ski. If there is snow on the ground and you only have to go downhill, this is the tip for you.
• Ride a moped. Save money, use less gas, and spread holiday cheer as people laugh at with you.
• Hitchhike. Maybe Santa Claus will pick you up in his sleigh. What a story that’d be!

Don’t forget to save energy and money this winter by following these simple tips.

After thinking up these ideas, my eco-tears finally stopped, and I was able to resume hanging ornaments on our tree. Merry Christmas to everybody, and please give a hoot, don’t pollute.

Wow, this seems like such a great way to reuse plastic bottles. Risha Sowa, an Englishman (and official EcoJoes Eco Hero), moved to Mexico back in the ’90s and built his own private island using around 250,000 plastic bottles and sand from local beaches. He had his own solar cooker, composting toilet, and lots of pets running around. Unfortunately, Spiral Island was beached during a hurricane, but Sowa is now building a new and improved version. Here’s a video of the original Spiral Island:

Bonus Fun Fact: The host of that video is none other than good ol’ Dave Lister (Craig Charles) from Red Dwarf, a great show if I do say so myself.For more information on Rishi’s past and present islands, I heartily suggest you check out his website: Spiral Islanders.

Next time you’re thinking about hopping in your car and driving somewhere, por favor consider riding a bike or taking the bus (if possible). Not only will you save money (it costs approximately 40 cents a mile to operate a car), but you’ll be polluting less AND helping to clear up congested roads. Plus, if you ride a bike, you’ll be getting swole at the same time from the exercise.

Here’s another example to make you think twice about skipping the bus and driving in yo’ car.

Welp, today I finally took the plunge and actually managed to have a cloth bag in my car when I went to the grocery store. As I entered the store with my reusable cloth bag in hand, little did I know the amazing experience that I was about to have…

No Shopping Cart, No Problem

I passed rotch by the shopping carts, and just went straight to filling my cloth bag with some groceries. This was good, since I just could go straight to the food. Of course, I wasn’t getting too much stuff, but if you are, you might want to use that shopping cart.

Durability

After buying the groceries, I stuffed most of the food inside the reusable cloth bag. I didn’t have to worry about it ripping (like a plastic or even paper bag might have), so I just stuffed food into it until it couldn’t hold no more. Luckily, the tote bag held quite a bit, mainly because it had

More Room than a Plastic or Paper Bag

I was downright dumbfounded when I dared to discern the depth of the dapper cloth bag. I fit pretty much all the groceries I bought into it, making it easier to carry them all to the car and into mi casa. The only groceries I didn’t put into the bag were the ones that already came in a bag (a bag o’ apples). So the reusable cloth bag’s big volume was a definite advantage over plastic or paper bags.

Lack o’ Clutter

I would’ve used two or three plastic or paper bags today, but instead I just used one reusable cloth bag. The paper or plastic bags would’ve ended up taking up more room inside my house, but Mr. Cloth Bag just sits in the car, awaiting another mission to the grocery store.

Ecological Impact

This is what causes most people to choose reusable cloth bags over flimsy, disposable paper or plastic bags. Yes, it took some ink (and chemicals) to make my cloth bag, but now that I am reusing it again and again, that can be a sunk cost. If I was to continue to use paper and plastic bags, each one would have a double environmental impact; the considerable chemicals used in their production, plus the impact of their disposal, whether it’s in a landfill, or disposed by burning it.

Using a reusable cloth bag seems to be the way to go. It’s a tiny difference that everyone can easily make, and instead of being a sacrifice they have to make, it’ll actually give them the same benefits that I enjoyed today. So be cool, and use (and reuse) that cloth bag with pride.

Oh yeah, I got my reusable cloth bag for free. So they’re not too expensive.