[GREEN]Tuesdays

Don Shelby, the former WCCO anchor we all know and love, is building a brand new energy-efficient home in Excelsior. Read about its green features, why he's building it, and about the "inukshuk" in the front yard at MinnPost.com.
Image via MinnPost.com


Excerpt:

Building a house that will consume a fraction of the fossil-fuel electricity and natural-gas heating is more expensive than a code-minimum house. There is the solar and geothermal and the triple-pane argon windows. There's the post-consumer plastic pavers made from recycled materials, and roof shingles made of recycled tires, and wood floors that came from buildings and barns where the lumber was cut from the forest 100 years ago. We will retain rainwater in a cistern, rain-gardens and a water retention sink below the driveway.

These Ditto clothes hangers caught our eye - they're made from 100% recycled paperboard, and their slim profile saves space in your closet! No plastic or metal, and they're strong enough to hold 20 pounds. Available in natural (unbleached) or black at either The Container Store or Bed Bath & Beyond. ($12.99 for 10) Also available in kids size. You could have a ton of fun customizing them by drawing your own artwork on them!

Seen at Remodelista.com.

This new solar phone charger has a unique feature: a suction cup that allows you to attach the charger to any window - on an airplane, in the car, or just at home. It also has a kickstand so that it can be stood up on any other surface, and a battery that holds enough power to fully charge a cell phone. How neat!

It can be pre-ordered for $39.99 at quirky.com.

Seen at AlternativeConsumer.com.

Hipcycle.com just launched this weekend, and it's a website that sells only upcycled products (products that are hand-crafted using waste items that would otherwise be thrown away). Check out what they have to offer!

Beer bottle business card holders:

Rain barrels made from food transport barrels:
Record coasters:
Traffic light kitchen bowls with brass stems: (!)
And a door mat made from reclaimed tires:

Frustrated with the city's limited recycling program? Two local companies are expanding their recycling services to help all of the Twin Cities. Starting in January, Minneapolis residents will be able to recycle ALL plastics, not just #'s 1 & 2. Here's the Star Tribune's article, "Metro area recyclers set to accept more plastics", for more info. (But remember, cutting down on plastic consumption is still the best way to reduce waste!)

And do you remember when we investigated the Eastside Co-op's Recycling Program this fall as one of our Morph Adventure Videos? As a recap, the Co-op has a plastic drop-off center two days a week where you can bring all plastics #'s 1-7 (except foam). Here's the video:

If you're into getting free stuff (or giving it away!), check out Twin Cities Free Market: a reuse program created by Eureka Recycling. It's along the lines of Freecycle.org and Craigslist's free section, with a user-friendly search and submission system. You can add photos to your listings, remain as anonymous as you wish, and easily browse the latest offerings. So don't forget to keep this great local resource in mind the next time you're in need of something free!

Here's a helpful video on how the whole system works, via their website:

If you haven't seen Wood From The Hood's name around town yet, here's a little bit about this great green company that's making a difference here in the Twin Cities...

Wood From The Hood is a custom milling and cabinetry company in Minneapolis that also makes other wood products like cutting boards, flooring, and custom furniture. But what makes this company unique is where all the wood for their projects comes from -- the streets of Minneapolis! Ever wonder what happens to those trees that are cut down because of disease, construction, or old age? Wood From The Hood collects these trees and uses their wood to make beautiful new products. They'll even tell you which neighborhood the tree came from!

So how can you get your hands on a one-of-a-kind urban tree cutting board? Their products are sold in some local food co-ops and hardware stores. Here's the full list. And if you want custom flooring, cabinets, or furniture - all you have to do is ask! They work with several local tree removal companies to harvest their wood, and if you just want to donate a tree without commissioning a project out of it, you can do that too.

The Alternative Consumer put together a nice little list of some of the best reusable lunch boxes and bags. Whether it's for back to school or just for the office, these are great alternatives to throw-away plastic baggies and take-out containers. Here are a couple of our favorites:

PlanetBox: A stainless steel clamshell version of the cafeteria tray, this lunch box can hold and separate all your food, and you can get additional leak-proof tubs for dips or soups. Starting at $34.95, dishwasher safe and recyclable.



LunchSkins Reusable Sandwich Bags: Never use a plastic baggie again! Made of cotton with a food-safe coating that holds in moisture, and closes with a velcro tab. $8.95 each, but you can wash them in the dishwasher, and they come in such cute colors!

More here.

What do you do to "green" your lunch? Leave us a comment on Facebook or Twitter.

MN Energy Challenge's Community Energy Savings program is now extended to all homeowners in Minneapolis! The program provides low cost (only $30!) energy reduction services designed to save the homeowner money, including a home energy audit, free installation of efficient fixtures like CFL's, low-flow showerheads and programmable thermostats, and personalized energy use feedback. It's open to owner-occupied, 1 to 4 unit properties in the city of Minneapolis, and has already helped 4,000 people save money on their energy bills so far. To get started in the program, all you have to do is attend a free workshop (held most Tuesday's & Thursday's at various schools around the city) to learn more and sign up for a home visit. What a great service for Minneapolis home owners!

If you thought eco-friendly electronics were an oxymoron, think again. Samsung's NC215S solar-powered netbook just might set the bar for the next generation of green gadgets. The custom solar panel in the cover can generate an hour's worth of power in two hours of sunlight, with a total battery life of up to 14 hours. Other specs include: 10.1 inch display, 1GB of RAM, a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor, and a suggested retail price of $399. It was supposed to hit the shelves in early July, but has since been rescheduled for late August.

While the solar panel in the cover probably wouldn't provide all the power you'd ever need, it would certainly help lighten the load on your electricity bill, even if you're just sitting near a window. And there's a power cord and supplemental battery pack included for those cloudy days.

What do you think? Would you buy a solar-powered laptop?