When it’s time to clean your aquarium at home, never throw the old water down the drain. Water from freshwater aquariums is nutrient-dense from rotting fish food, fish excrement and other organic matter. Use this nutrient-rich water to fertilize your houseplants, or give seedlings a good start by saturating their growing medium with the old aquarium water. One note: Don’t water plants using old saltwater aquarium water! The salt will dry out and kill plants.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Bamboo is a wonderful eco-friendly material that can be used for a great variety of things, but bamboo cookware may not be the best option for your green kitchen. Since bamboo spatulas and large spoons are glued together in strips, overheating them in bubbly pots of sauce or boiling water could actually cause the glue to melt and seep into your food. Instead of bamboo, invest in solid wood or metal kitchen tools that are intact and free of glues.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Often you will see a neighborhood dry cleaner with the words “organic dry-cleaning” in the window. While organic fruits and veggies may be good for the planet, organic dry-cleaning is not so much. The reality is they are simply boasting that the chemicals they use are organic. It’s important to keep in mind that even chemicals like petroleum are considered organic. The standards are not the same in organic dry-cleaning as in growing organic produce. The greenest cleaners are “wet” cleaners who use PERC-chemical-free methods.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION