Eco Friendly Homes

Series Summary

With global warming and other environmental issues constantly in the news these days, you may be wondering how to do your part to save the planet. In this series of free videos, our conservation expert Nili Nathan interviews Anne Reichman, director of the popular Earth 911 website. They demonstrate several very basic steps you can take in your home and home office to reduce your footprint on our environment. These steps include using eco-friendly inks and papers, low energy light bulbs and canvas bags at the grocery store. Reichman also demonstrates how to conserve water while washing dishes, how to reuse cleaning rags and cloth napkins and how to determine what garbage can be recycled.

The basic ideas of conservation around your home are best summed up with what Reichman calls "The Hierarchy of Waste." The first level in this hierarchy is to REDUCE your amount of waste from the source, i.e. buy only what you need. The second level is to REUSE products when you have the opportunity. Last of all, RECYCLE, and you will be well on your way to a green home. Let our eco-friendly experts on show you how!

Video Transcript

"Nili:So we're at the computer and we have the http//:www.Earth911.org website up for everybody to see and Ann help me with this so, where do I type in this part right here Ann: Well basically on the top is the locater mechanism so you can find out where to reuse or recycle different items that you have within your home and so you would put what item your interested in recycling or if you've got a curb side program you're wanting information on you write curb side and then you can also put your area your city, state, or your zip code this system is very community specific. So, we have information from coordinators all over the country that are inputting their local program information so residence can find it first hand and able to find out what they can and can not recycle or properly handle different types of materials. Nili:Excellent! alright so lets see if, my sleeve Burbank. Alright, so what does this tell me? Anna: Okay, and lets see here (points to an area on the screen); Nili:Oh, we'll do Burbank, Washington, I'm going to put my zip code in that's probably better. Anna: If you put in your zip code it will be very specific because if you don't put a state association it will come up with a variety of different choices based on different cities that have that similar name. So, for example you have a private company that will accept recyclables in your area which if you wanted to take them down and say recycle your aluminum cans and get paid that would be a good option or the City of Burbank Curb side Recycling Program which would be the City Organization."