ArcaMax

This week, "Do Just One Thing" has seven tips to help reduce your microplastic consumption. Here’s tip No. 5: Air-dry your synthetic fiber clothing. While it’s best to have a wardrobe filled with natural fibers like cotton, linen, hemp and wool, many of us own at least a few fleece pieces. The best practice for these items is to wash them in...Read more

This week, "Do Just One Thing" has seven tips to help reduce your microplastic consumption. Here’s tip No. 4: Opt for wooden cutting boards. Whether they're made from hardwood or bamboo, natural fiber cutting boards are far better than plastic boards. When you slice, dice and chop on plastic boards, small plastic particles come loose and can ...Read more

This week, "Do Just One Thing" has seven tips to help reduce your microplastic consumption. Here’s tip No. 3: Only drink filtered tap water. We know to avoid plastic water bottles, but unfiltered tap water can have microplastic pollution in it as well. The best type of filtration is called reverse osmosis, which is designed to remove ...Read more

This week, "Do Just One Thing" has seven tips to help reduce your microplastic consumption. Here’s tip No. 2: Never reheat food in plastic containers in the microwave. Whether you're reheating leftovers from a restaurant or warming up a cup of soup, transfer the food out of plastic and into ceramic or glass. This includes frozen meals that are...Read more

The shocking statistic that humans -- on average -- have enough microplastics in our bodies to make a small spoon is motivation enough to do anything to avoid ingesting them. Here’s tip No. 1 of seven this week to help reduce your microplastic consumption: Vacuum on a regular basis in your home. All home furnishing items made from synthetic ...Read more

Who would think that storing and sending PDF documents over email could place a significant strain on the environment? Image-heavy PDFs are large files, which puts a strain on servers storing documents in the cloud or sending them via email. So even though they’re paperless, they cause the consumption of a lot of energy. To help, always ...Read more

It’s obvious that kitchen scraps like vegetable peels and eggshells are best composted and turned into beneficial mulch. But for those who can’t compost, which is the better option: the garbage disposal or the trash? It depends on where you live. If you live in a community where water is scarce, opt to throw those scraps into the trash. But ...Read more

If you’re an avid composter, it may seem like a no-brainer to toss avocado skins and pits into the compost bin. And why not? They’re totally organic and biodegradable. But the reality is, avocado waste is very slow to decompose and can ruin your compost if you have too much rind in the mix. If you want to compost it, cut the peels into small...Read more

When you’re filling your vehicle’s gas tank, don’t “top off” the car when the pump stops. When you do, you’re not only wasting gas, but you’re wasting money. Adding that little bit of extra gas increases the chance that excess fuel will simply evaporate in the atmosphere. And if your car is newer, it may have something called an �...Read more

Did you know that nearly 15 billion single-use alkaline batteries are sold worldwide every year? When you're gifting an electronic item that needs a battery, consider upgrading to rechargeable. Unlike alkaline batteries, rechargeables can be reused up to 1,000 times before needing to be replaced. And these batteries often only take about 15 ...Read more

Many of us use a hard plastic water pitcher that has a replaceable water filter attachment. These are useful to help transform your tap water into cleaner drinking water, but there are steps you should take to maintain it for long-term use. First, never scrub the pitcher with a tough scouring sponge; the scratched areas can create a breeding ...Read more

Have you read the latest statistic that says humans may have enough microplastics in our bodies to equal that of a small spoon? It’s shocking, and it proves that plastics are everywhere. If you want to do one simple thing to significantly cut down on your consumption of microplastics, do this: Quit drinking from single-use plastic bottles. A ...Read more

What's one simple thing you can do to help your refrigerator work as efficiently as possible? Cover your food. When your leftovers or pitchers of water are inside your fridge, they release moisture, and that moisture forces the compressor in your fridge to work harder to keep everything else inside cool. Use food storage containers with lids or ...Read more

If you’re thinking of adopting a dog and really want to make sure you choose one that’s the best “climate friendly” breed, just look at their coat. Dogs with thick, heavy coats (think Siberian huskies) and those that have difficulty breathing with their short noses (like a French bulldog) do not do well in hot climates. Those with short ...Read more

If you’re fastidious about mowing your lawn, this tip might be challenging, but try it anyway: Let the last few weeks of the mowing season pass without that chore. Grasses, wildflowers and even weeds that grow wild produce seed heads, which are essential food for birds in the fall and winter months. When birds are making their annual ...Read more

It’s common knowledge that houseplants can help clean your indoor air. But did you know they can also “signal” for help? Aloe is an easy-care plant that can help purify the air inside your home, and it’s a powerhouse: It absorbs formaldehyde, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. However, when the toxicity of the air in your home is ...Read more

Modern-day paper shredders do an excellent job of finely cutting, dicing and obliterating important documents so they are impossible to piece back together. While these shredders are great for protecting your privacy, they are terrible for the environment. When paper is cut into small pieces, the fiber sizes are reduced to the point of being non...Read more

Are you a tea drinker? Your used tea leaves can give your plants a boost, too. Rip open tea bags and mix the leaves into potted and outdoor plants. They have nutrition like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Plus, they help aerate the soil, improve the pH balance and can even deter pests like slugs and snails from eating away at your plants.

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When it’s prom season in your community, you might remember some gowns, shoes and tuxedos that are stashed in your home. There are a lot of nonprofits that collect these items and distribute them to teenagers who otherwise could not afford them; search online to find them. You could also sell them online on sites like Poshmark for a reasonable...Read more

It can be hard to detect air leaks where cold air is blasting inside during the winter months, but the United States Department of Energy has two easy tips to find out if there are leaks in your house. First, turn off all the indoor and outdoor lights, and shine a flashlight on potential gaps inside the house. Have someone outside to observe the...Read more