01/30/12

You can stop unwanted junk mail using a new app on your iPhone. Using Catalog Choice's MailStop Mobile app is as simple as taking a picture of your unwanted junk mail and uploading it. The company will do the rest to opt you out of mailing lists, so you don't have to send emails, fill out forms or call customer service lines. You can download the free app at catalogchoice.org, where the first five opt-outs are free.

01/29/2012

According to the Stanford University School of Earth Sciences, if every Starbucks customer used mugs instead of paper cups, it would save over 1 million tons of wood, 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide and 4 billion gallons of water every year. There are many styles of reusable coffee mugs that are sturdy and keep your latte piping hot, and many mimic the shape and feel of disposable cups. You can save money, too: bringing your own mug to Starbucks means a 10 cent discount each time you use it.

01/28/12

One way to feed wild birds during the winter months involves taking a piece of bread, like a stale bagel, and coating it in peanut butter and birdseed to hang from a tree. Top bird experts agree this practice should be avoided because the bread offers few nutrients to birds, since they need fat to survive, not carbohydrates. If you want to help, you can still coat natural peanut butter all over a pinecone, then roll it in seed to help our feathered friends during the winter months.