10/28/13

More than 11.1 million tons of textiles -- mostly clothes -- are thrown away every year and end up in landfills. Nearly 100 percent of clothing is recyclable and can be donated to charity; plus, many garments are repairable. Your local dry cleaner can do more than clean clothes -- many can replace or repair zippers on jackets, sweaters and your favorite pair of jeans. They can shorten shirtsleeves. And some can even re-dye faded sweaters and shirts so they look almost brand new. The best part? Repairs are inexpensive, fast and save you money in the long run.

10/27/13

When an electronic gadget or appliance breaks, most people simply toss it and buy a replacement. But what if you could try to repair it yourself first? A new website, ifixit.com, is an online community where people share tips, tricks and tutorials about how they fixed their electronics, and how you can, too. Whether it’s a smartphone, gaming device, computer or iPad, you can search the database of free repair manuals. If you're successful, you keep once-broken items out of the waste stream and save hundreds -- if not thousands -- of dollars fixing it yourself.

10/26/13

We’ve all done this: You drop someone off in front of a store so they can run and grab something quickly, so you sit there in the car and let it run idle. If the errand is less than 10 seconds, that’s fine, but any more than that, and you waste gas. That’s according to the Environmental Defense Fund, which says motorists who sit idle for more than 10 seconds waste more fuel and money than turning the engine off and on. Park your car and turn off the engine next time. And don't be tempted to "warm up" the car in the cold winter months -- you waste too much fuel.