Green Tips for the New Year

I try to do my part in being green. Granted I am not always perfect, for instance my love of elevators over the stairs, but I do try and do my part.

However, here are some tips that I have recently learned that may help you to go green for 2008.

The holidays are pretty much all over and people may be wondering what to do with your Christmas Tree. The website earth911.org has set up a link for "Treecycle 2007". It lists locations you can go to drop off your tree. It also lists if your city/town has a curb-side pick up of trees.

Every city or town has their own guidelines for tree disposal. The basic rules are that all lights, ornaments, and garland must be taken off the tree before you dispose of it. The City of Boston will collect Christmas trees for two weeks after the holidays and compost them. Boston residents are asked to dispose of their Christmas trees on their trash day between January 7th and 18th.

Now - what to do about your pet. LIPA USA Reports, “3.6 billion pounds of dog waste/year is produced in the United States alone, equaling 800 football fields, one foot high. This is a hidden health issue that no one wants to 'touch' as approximately 50 million registered dogs in the United States produces more than 5,000 tons of waste daily.” Now that's a lot of poop.

I recently became the owner of a rescue dog and like most responsible dog owners, my fiancee and I use plastic bags to dispose of her droppings (ewww!). The unfortunate part is plastic is not bio-degradable. Because of that, the poop is not allowed to compost. Have no fear, there is an earth-friendly solution! I just came across Bio-Bags, which are bio-degradable. At just $6.00 for 50 bio-degradable bags, the price is pretty reasonable. Using these bags will help reduce that 3.6 billion pounds of non-composing dog poop.

These are a few of my favorite green tips, and ones that I intend to incorporate into my New Year's resolutions. Do you have any green tips to share?