Maureen Wise

There are so many things we touch every day without really thinking about their end of life. For example, what happens when you've squeezed out the last of your toothpaste? Can you recycle toothpaste tubes, or should they go in the trash?
Most recycling drop-off or curbside programs accept paper, metal, glass, cardboard, and plastics specific to their area. But knowing how to recycle toothpaste tubes and other items, such as cartons and to-go cups, is important to making sure your recycling p...

For many people who make an effort to live sustainability, it's equally important that the end of their lives are environmentally conscious as well. But what is a green funeral? The Conservation Burial Alliance defines it as "a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat."

Eggshells that might otherwise get thrown in your kitchen trash can—and end up in a landfill—can be used to benefit both plants and animals in your backyard. How to use eggshells in the garden depends on if you are a veggie gardener, a birder, or a flower gardener.

Unless you live in an area that has banned single-use plastic shopping bags, you likely can't avoid them. From the grocery store to take-out orders at your favorite Chinese food place, plastic bags are everywhere. Your local group might even hand over some of their locally grown produce in plastic bags.

Look around your bathroom and you'll likely find a lot of plastic that can't be recycled, including toothbrushes, floss containers and floss itself, feminine products, deodorant containers, and toothpaste tubes. The latter of these tends to be especially confounding to recycle because it's hard to tell what materials are even used to make these tubes.
So, are toothpaste tubes recyclable, and can they go anywhere beyond the landfill once they're empty?

If you've committed yourself to caring for the planet, you're faced with the challenge of balancing your drive to live sustainably and your desire to explore all the incredible wonders our world has to offer. We have some tips on how to minimize the environmental impact of your travels to help you plan a truly green vacation.

If you're an avid reader, you probably have a bookshelf bursting with books . . . and stacks of books that don't fit on that bookshelf . . . and probably a few out on loan from your local library. That's great! The power of literature has been scientifically studied—though a good story's full mental and emotional impact likely touches us in ways we will never fully understand.

In general, plants need sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow. Certainly, there are exceptions, and plants can grow in dark places without a lot of water—but they won't thrive. When gardeners want their plants to really flourish, they'll add in fertilizer for extra nutrients.

Water use may not be the first area you think to tackle when it comes to reducing your personal waste. But reusing water can go a long way toward lessening your personal environmental footprint, as clean water is a limited resource. If you want to know how to recycle water at home, there are two major kinds of water to reuse: greywater and rainwater.

Even if you are committed to using a reusable water bottle for your daily water intake while on the go, there still may be times you find yourself drinking from a single-use plastic water bottle at an event or an unplanned thirsty moment. But once that water bottle is empty, how do you go about recycling it properly?

We all know climate change is a critical issue in our world, but with both the environment and global politics changing minute by minute, it can be difficult to understand all the nuances of this concerning phenomenon. But with a little background knowledge, we all have the power to make small adjustments to some daily behaviors to help counteract climate change on an individual and family level. Together, we can make a difference.

Choosing to take a bath over a shower or vice versa often depends on what kind of mood you're in and what you're setting out to accomplish—whether you need to quickly clean yourself up or just want to soak and relax. But what if there's more to consider when choosing between the two—specifically, which one is better for the environment? Let's settle the bath vs. shower water usage debate.

Choosing a renewable power source to heat your home lessens your environmental footprint. Renewable energy (such as solar and wind power) is nearly infinite, while nonrenewable (burning coal or natural gas) will become depleted and generally creates more pollution. Today, we're talking about geothermal home heating and cooling.

These days, CDs are a thing of the past—most of us are using music streaming services. So what do you do with all those old relics stashed in your basement or attic? If you're looking for how to recycle CDs or use them for upcycling crafts, we've got answers!
CDs can be trickier than other items to recycle, and sending them to landfills is discouraged.

Between used floss strands, empty shampoo bottles, and spent loofahs, the products we all use in our bathrooms create significant waste. Let's talk about eco-friendly bathroom products and how to make our bathrooms and their contents greener.