Blog Posts by The Conscious Consumer

Tap waterBy Lori Bongiorno

Many water experts say that tap water in the U.S. is perfectly safe to drink. Bottled water, they point out, is not necessarily any safer, and sometimes it's just tap water with a much higher price tag.

Yet those statements can be hard to believe if the water that flows from your tap smells funny, tastes bad, or is discolored. It can also be difficult to ignore reports of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other unwanted substances in water.

What do the experts say when you dig a little deeper? "The fact that it might have an off taste or odor may not appeal to the consumer, but it doesn't mean the water is unsafe," says Philip C. Singer, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of course, there are exceptions to this.

Read on for explanations to common water quality concerns.

Tastes metallic

For example, if your water tastes metallic it could be contaminated with lead

By Lori Bongiorno

Wondering what to do with all the old stuff now after you get a bunch of new things for the holidays?

Resist the urge to cram your closets with junk you'll never use again or send perfectly useful things to the landfill. Here's how you can donate, give away, recycle, sell, or trade old items.

Electronics

Most of us already have a stockpile of old electronics we don't know what to do with. Luckily, it's easier and easier to responsibly get rid of old gadgets. Don't forget to take your personal info off of cell phones and computers first.

• Many major consumer electronics manufacturers, such as Dell and Apple, will take back their old products.
• A growing number of retailers have extensive free recycling programs or trade-in options (where you get store credit when you bring in old electronics). Best Buy and Staples have in-store and online programs that are worth checking out.
• Donate old cell phones and computers directly to a charity in

Programmable thermostatBy Lori Bongiorno

Does turning your heat down when you go to sleep or leave the house for extended periods of time actually cost you money?

The answer is a resounding "no," according to experts at the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Ecos Consulting, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

However, there's still a common misconception that if you set the temperature of your thermostat back, then your furnace will have to work harder (and therefore cost you more money) to warm the space back up.

The truth is you aren't going to spend more in terms of energy or money by setting your thermostat back, says Ed Pollock, at the DOE. In fact, you'll always save money by setting back.

The real question is how much savings you'll get. The answer is very much dependent on several factors including where you live (how cold it gets outside), how efficient your furnace is (how long it takes to heat your house back up), and what kind of

Holiday recyclingBy Lori Bongiorno

Pretty soon, the holidays are over. It's time to get rid of your tree and figure out what to do with all the extra stuff accumulating in your home. Resist the temptation to just pile everything into big black garbage bags and send it to the dump.

Here are suggestions for post-holiday disposal that's light on the planet.

Recycle the Christmas tree

If, like 30 to 35 million American households, you bought a freshly cut, real tree for the holiday, you can easily recycle this renewable resource. Go to Earth 911, type in "Christmas tree," and then enter your ZIP code to find one of the 4,000 recycling programs around the U.S. Many communities have curbside pick-up for trees after Christmas, while other towns have drop-off locations.

Before you recycle the tree, make sure to prepare it correctly:

• Remove lights and decorations, including all strands of tinsel.
• Take the tree out of the stand.
• Be sure there is no metal attached to the tree.

By Lori Bongiorno

Whether you're hosting or on the guest list, chances are you'll be shopping for wine and beer this holiday season. Great taste and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.

Here are some suggestions for finding the most planet-friendly options.

Beer:

• Drink beer from local microbreweries to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used for shipping and support nearby businesses. Read the BeerAdvocate's directory for ratings of breweries, beer stores, and related establishments in your neighborhood
• Try organic beer. The barley used to brew organic beer is grown without synthetic pesticides, but there's no guarantee that the hops (a perennial plant that adds bitterness and aroma) will be grown organically. That's because the USDA allows producers to use conventionally grown hops if they can't find organic versions. Just a few brands to look for: Peak Organic Brewing Company, Butte Creek Brewing, and Bison Brewery.
• The greenest thing you can do is make

Custom-decorated cloth napkinsBy Lori Bongiorno

Using cloth napkins instead of paper is a great way to cut down on waste. The laundry can pile up, though, for a family that uses them at every meal. That's why I was thrilled when I unwrapped my friend Jill Bouratoglou's creative homemade gift.

Inside was a set of cloth napkins with a clever eco-friendly twist. A different image was screen-printed on each napkin. She told everyone in my family to choose the napkin with our favorite design and use it at every meal.

Now that we've all been "assigned" a napkin, I'm told I don't have to wash them after each use. That's the best part, of course (think about it: you don't wash a hand towel after every single use either). Although, it doesn't hurt that the napkins look like they were purchased in a stylish boutique.

Jill assures me that these are easy to make. (I'm still impressed.)

Here are directions she adapted from several sources:

1. Gather the following supplies: White cotton napkins, nontoxic fabric

Girl with holiday lights, Getty ImagesBy Lori Bongiorno

There's a lot of talk about upgrading to LED Christmas lights. So what should you do with your old incandescent lights? It's not likely that curbside recycling will take them, but that doesn't mean they're destined for the landfill. Check to see if there's going to be an event in your local community over the holidays.

Otherwise, take advantage of HolidayLEDs' free recycling program. You do have to be willing to pay postage, though, since it's a mail-in program. Still, it's a great option for those who would rather not throw their old holiday lights in the trash. An added benefit: The company will send you a coupon for a 25% discount off LED lights sold on its website (a particularly appealing prospect for those who haven't made the upgrade yet).

Earth911 has helpful suggestions for those who would rather donate or reuse decorative lights.

If you're in the market to buy LED Christmas lights, look for strings that have the Energy Star stamp of

By Lori Bongiorno

Worried about rising heat bills now that there's a chill in the air? There's plenty you can do to trim your costs if you're willing to take on a few simple home improvement projects.

It's worth it when you consider that heating accounts for about 28 percent of the average home's energy use. So even small improvements can add up to big savings (not to mention a big reduction in how much fossil fuels we use).

The order you tackle projects is important. Go for the cheap and easy fixes first so that you can get the most bang for your buck and then move onto the more involved changes.

The important thing for homeowners is to think through the improvements they want to make, says Lane Burt at the Natural Resources Defense Council. These are Burt's suggestions on what to think about before heading to the hardware store:

1. Concentrate first on sealing leaks and tightening up the building shell, so warm air isn't leaking out.
2. Then make sure your ducts are