Making the transition to being "eco-friendly" can be expensive and hard. If you are finding yourself struggling to make a difference, you are not alone.

Going Green is a process you should approach one step at a time. If you try to change at least one thing you do for the sake of the planet, eventually being green will become second nature.

A helpful hint is to try doing things the "Natural Way". For example if you need to clean your home and you run out of the usual cleaning products, try googling alternative ways to clean without using harmful chemicals. I ran across this dilemma last night when taking a shower and realized my drain was clogged, which brought me to my GREEN TIP OF THE DAY: PLUMBER CRACK IS WACK!!

Avoid the plumber (unless he is cute, of course!) and skip the Drano by choosing this alternative way to unclog sinks and drains.

FIRST- Put the DRY baking soda down the drain. I use about 3/4 of a cup.

SECOND- Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain after the baking soda. Be sure to cover the drain immediately afterwards with a rag or plug, filling the hole completely so nothing can escape. This is because the interaction of
the two will cause a “mini volcano” that will want to come up and out of the drain...you want to keep it down there.

THIRD- Leave this concoction in the drain for about 30 minutes. While you are waiting, boil a tea kettle full of water.

LASTLY - After 30 minutes, remove the plug and slowly pour the HOT water down the drain.

This works, I also use this method when my kitchen sink starts to reek! Try it, and you will be on your way to a greener you!

STAY GREEN YO!!!

Ranked 23rd best company to work for by Fortune Magazine, where can we go next? Well, other than that number one spot! Zappos is slowly making a effort to green this company.

You have to start somewhere when changing a company, and I think Zappos is off to a good start. Just yesterday, with a mere $30 zollars, I purchased a stainless steel water bottle and Utensil set from the Zappos Zollar Store.

Taking it to the next level, Zappos is encouraging its employees to stop using plastic water bottles and plastic forks and spoons. It seems like yesterday when Zappos announced they would no longer provide the water bottle service that came almost once a week to fill our lunchroom with cases and cases of plastic water bottles. (I feel that was a huge step in the right direction, Kudos Zappos!!!!)

To encourage saving on plastics, Zappos provided free Zappos logo water bottles to every employee.

So, as part of the green tip of the day, I will keep you posted on all of Zappos's Green Efforts!

STAY GREEN, YO!

So if your on your way to WSA, MAGIC, FFANY, Project, whatever show you head off to, try to use your badge holder from last year! (If you don't own a badge holder, Please save the one you do receive)

Trade Shows produce 10 MILLION pounds of waste.

I browsed a couple websites for info and found the energy consumed by trade shows is MASSIVE!!!

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Trade Shows and Conventions represent the second most wasteful industry in the United States".

So help the environment and Re-Use your badge this year and for the years to follow!

Stay Aware and Stay Green, YO!.

I'm sure you all have your friends that are Anti-Coffee, and Im sure they are always telling you that coffee is not good for you. You know those rumors you hear that it stunts your growth, etc, etc... Well, next time you get into a tiff about your cup of Joe, tell your friend to hit the road, Jack!

A study from the University of Madrid found that coffee does not lead to a early death, even drinking 6 cups a day!

The study found that patients experienced lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses because of the antioxidants that coffee contains.

So now you know that drinking coffee can be a good thing, here is how to Green your Coffee:

Select Organic: Its a little more pricey but organic coffee beans eliminate your exposure to hazardous pesticides

Look for Shade Grown Beans: Coffee is a shade loving plant and provides homes to many important birds who are not threatened.

Look for Fair Trade Certification: When you buy coffee that is fair-trade certified, you are insuring that the farmers who grew the beans are paid fair price and giving them assistance to transition to organic growing.

And of course bring your own mug to work :) STAY GREEN YO!

And we are looking for the FEW, THE PROUD, AND THE GREEN! to switch to Draft printing mode!

Did you know that before printing out something you can click on properties, then click the tab "color", and under color adjustments check the "TONER SAVE" box.

This is on most computers called "Draft Printing Mode".It will print out lighter than on the regular setting, but its readable and saves on cartridge ink.

And to save paper, simply print on both sides of the page when printing multiple pages.

Remember to think about the environment before printing and STAY GREEN YO!

She recycled it OF COURSE!!!!! :D

And so we all can live happily ever after like Cinderella we should do the same with all our glass products.

Green Tip of the Day: Recycle your glass products

Glass is a good item to recycle because there are so many different types of glass to choose from before it can no longer be recycled.

Make sure you separate different colored glass and don't include metal bottle tops or corks that can contaminate the process.

KEEP IT GLASSY!!!... AND STAY GREEN YO!!

Sooo.... Today I carpooled!! And honestly, it felt goooooood. Carpooling is something that I think we take for granted. Facts show that carpooling cuts down on carbon emissions, even by choosing to carpool once a week!

1 car = half the gas

OFFICE CARPOOL ANYONE??

GREEN TIP: SAVE GAS AND MONEY

Did you know that by keeping up with car maintenance can save you both gas and money? ...... YES WAY! According to Green Hacks, you can lose 1/2 mpg if your tires are not at their maximum pressure and keeping your oil changed when needed can give you 20 more mpg!

That's definitely going GREEN! STAY GREEN YO!!!!

Have you heard the craze going on about bringing your own bags (preferably canvas) to the grocery store to stop plastic bag waste? Well, let me break down the importance of B.Y.O.B (BRING YOUR OWN BAG!)

Green Tip: BAG THE BAGS

Plastic bags start as petrochemicals, which are transformed into polymers and are, in turn heated, shaped, cooled, flattened, sealed, punched, and printed on, all of which require energy (1001 Little Ways to Save the Planet)

Still, only 0.6% of plastic bags are recycled, with the USA alone throwing away 100 billion bags a year!

So before you consider "Paper or Plastic", try to bring your own canvas bag which now you can get anywhere for $1!

If you still cant pick up that trend, try recycling or reusing your plastic bags.

When it comes to the planet you have it in the BAG, STAY GREEN YO!