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Featured Article #1

Just How Much Rainwater Can You Collect Off Your Roof?

When we watch the evening news, the weatherperson will oftentimes say things like “X city received an inch of rain today”, which does not really sound like all that much. We imagine a single inch of rain in a small puddle somewhere it seems rather insignificant. But what if you knew that a single inch of rain could allow you to collect hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water, if not more?

david | August 25th, 2008 | Continued

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Featured Article #2

The Little Things DO Matter, So Don’t Think Otherwise.

Oftentimes we hear reports about how changing a light bulb will not make a bit of a difference in the fight against climate change and that everyone must make huge sacrifices in order to have any effect. However, you should do what you can and what you feel comfortable with; if you feel fine moving into an earthship and living off the grid, then by all means please do! But if you only feel like you can change a light bulb and maybe buy organic bananas, then please…do that as well and do not feel guilty about it.

david | August 5th, 2008 | Continued

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Featured Article #3

Greening Our New Home - So Far, So Good…Mostly.

So here we are in week #4 in our new home, 1000 miles away from our old home. Back in California, we had our “green-ness” down pat - we knew where the good stores were, we knew how much water we were using, we watched our energy usage and knew what to expect when the utility bills showed up. But now it’s a different story as we have to re-learn the different ways we can be green here in Taos, NM. Starting over is both very exciting…and a lot of work at the same time.

david | July 22nd, 2008 | Continued

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Featured Article #4

Rising Gasoline Prices And The Demise Of The Small Town.

While I don’t particularly mind the rise in gasoline costs, as I believe it will be a good thing for the environment, driving 1/3 of the way across the country last week reminded me of one of the dangers of rising gasoline prices - the demise of small town America. I am not talking about [...]

david | July 7th, 2008 | Continued

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Featured Article #5

Our Experience Staying In A Rental Earthship Home In Taos.

The home is in a subdivision of earthships west of town, where every home is off the grid and catches their own rainwater. There are no utilities out here - no power lines, no wells, no gas lines - the homes have propane tanks for cooking with, they use solar or wind energy to power the entire house, from the water filtration system to the television set, and every drop of water in the house is from the cisterns that are part of the home’s design.

david | May 8th, 2008 | Continued

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Featured Article #6

How To Choose A Safe Reusable Water Bottle.

Aside from staying home and drinking tap water out of a washable glass, the best way to be “green” while on the go is choosing your water bottle wisely. From the lowly single-use-only plastic water bottle you can buy at your local gas station to the stainless steel and aluminum options, making the right [...]

david | March 17th, 2008 | Continued

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Featured Article #7

35 Low-Cost Ways To Green Your Lifestyle.

#1. Line dry your clothes. Dryers don’t even come with an “Energy Star” rating - that’s how bad they are in terms of energy consumption. Line or rack drying your clothes saves a ton of energy and thus CO2 from going into the environment. Cost: $20 or less.

david | October 30th, 2007 | Continued

About this Site

Rio Grande, Taos, NM
The Good Human was born out of my idea for a website that can encourage people to be better humans..whether through working to clean up the environment, being active in political issues that mean a lot to you or just being more aware of your life and surroundings. Started back in [...]

All Posts Tagged With: "landfill"

Eco-Cell: Keep Old Cellphones & Accessories Out Of Our Landfills.

June 20th, 2008 • david • 0 comments • Related • Filed Under

In response to my post about the amount of cellphones discarded in this country each day, Paige from The Budget Ecoist wrote to me about a cellphone recycling service she came across called Eco-Cell. I am so glad she let me know about this because it is so important that our used phones get recycled or reused correctly rather than ending up in landfills! Here is what Eco-Cell’s website says that they do:

ECO-CELL runs a strict NO LANDFILL Program! ALL items received by ECO-CELL, including batteries, accessories, and phones with no resale value, will be recycled using the best demonstrated technologies for recycling e-waste.

  • Reuse: Through our innovative program approximately 80% of the phones collected will be refurbished and reused by first-time users abroad or by selected local organizations, such as Hospital patients for emergency 911 calls.

  • Recycle: All unusable cell phones and accessories will be recycled under strict EPA guidelines by certified recyclers.

    • These guys also allow you to have fundraisers collecting old phones for recycling, and they take all working and non-working phones of any shape, size or age. Check them out if you are in need of somewhere to recycle your phone, and thanks to Paige for letting me know about them!

    25 Ways To Reuse Everyday Items Instead Of Throwing Them Away.

    June 17th, 2008 • david • 22 comments • Related • Filed Under

    With the economy the way it is and the growing concern about the environment, people are looking for more ways to save money and reduce the amount of trash they throw away. Well, if you look hard enough, there are a ton of things that come into our houses that we can reuse for multiple purposes! Here are 25 that I came up with; what would you add to the list?

    Milk jugs (gallon or 1/2 gallon plastic) - Clothespin holder after you cut the top off and hang from your clothesline.

    Plastic soda or water bottles - Can be used as kids banks after a nice paint job; a cold pack to be stored in the freezer; with some small holes in it, fill with bird seed and you have a nice bird feeder.

    Spaghetti jars - small planters for around the home.

    Film canister - Cut a slit in the side and you have a holder for a roll of stamps.

    Beer bottle caps - You could pick up some small magnets and some glue at a craft store and make custom refrigerator magnets.

    Glass bottles - pick up a light bulb fixture and you have a new lamp; can be used for vases, decorative grass holders.

    Old t-shirts - rags for cleaning up around the house; sew a couple of your favorites into a pillow.

    Shoe and delivery boxes - storage containers, file boxes, etc - no need to waste money on plastic containers from the container store. Every box in my closet is a reused cardboard one!

    Toilet paper roll - extension cord organizer; stuff with paper and some alcohol to make a fire starter.

    Sunday comics - wrapping paper. You would never have to buy wrapping paper again if you saved this all year!

    An old garden hose - make a soaker hose - poke holes throughout, seal off other end, lay in garden; bucket handle,

    Baby jars - votive candle holders; storing spices or seeds.

    Toothbrushes - bathroom scrubbers; clothing stain scrubbers.

    Mailing tubes - cut several of them to the same length, assemble into a wine rack.

    Wine corks - soaked in alcohol, they make a good fire-starter.

    CD’s - one-of-a-kind drink coasters (paint, cover with paper, etc).

    Altoids tins - These tins are the perfect size to make small emergency kits for camping or to keep in your car; basic sewing kits for college kids.

    Shredded paper - Makes great packing material for shipping gifts; also makes good packing material for when you are moving.

    Old jeans - cut up and sew into squares full of padding to make pot holders.

    Tires - build an earthship! Or, maybe just a tire swing.

    Old shoes - send to Nike so the rubber can be turned into new playgrounds.

    Bath mat - folded just right, can be used as a new floor mop!

    Shower curtain - drop cloth for painting; cover the air conditioner during winter?

    Mason canning jars - canning, obviously, but they also make great drinking glasses.

    Paper - Be sure to use both sides of paper in the house. Just cut up “once used” paper and make notepads with the blank sides!

    So what would you add?