Originally published April 21, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified April 24, 2007 at 10:49 PM
EcoConsumer
Green resources you (and the Earth) can really use
If information alone could save the planet, we'd be sitting pretty right now. An astounding array of resources has become available to help...
Special to The Seattle Times
If information alone could save the planet, we'd be sitting pretty right now.
An astounding array of resources has become available to help us make better environmental choices. Many are free, just a click away on the Internet.
But to really become an EcoConsumer — someone who balances consuming and conserving — you have to actually find the specific information you need, and then use it.
For the 37th anniversary of Earth Day on Sunday, I've selected my favorite EcoConsumer resources. These can help reduce your environmental impact, save money and make your life better. Some may also inspire and entertain.
GreenerChoices
GreenerChoices is a project of Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. Unlike the magazine's regular Web site, which costs $26 a year for full access, this is a free site — an impartial, common-sense guide to green products and practices. Features include: calculators for energy savings and fuel consumption; green ratings for appliances, computers and lawn mowers; and a toxics search to learn which types of products contain materials such as mercury, lead and arsenic.
Grist
Grist is a free, nonprofit, independent online environmental magazine based in Seattle. It's a reliable Internet source of eco-news and commentary, and it's also the funniest and least self-righteous (although the humor has seemed a bit more forced lately). Recent articles: a critical look at Sen. Barack Obama's views on energy policy, an appreciation of vegetable gardening and an interview with Ikea's sustainability director. Twice-weekly highlight: the often-hysterical advice column "Ask Umbra."
Energy Star
Energystar is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It has a free Web site and is arguably the federal government's most useful consumer resource of any kind. It includes extensive listings of products — from appliances to home electronics to lighting — that have earned the Energy Star efficiency rating. For money-saving ideas on home-energy conservation, presented in an intuitive, "click-on-a-room" format, visit the "Energy Star @ Home" section.
ReadyMade
ReadyMade is a bimonthly print magazine ($19 for a one-year subscription) that takes the "Don't waste it — Reuse it!" ethic and makes it real. It's light-hearted and aimed at the under-40 crowd, but has wide appeal. Recent article: profile of a couple who turned an abandoned school into an artists' colony. Popular feature: The "MacGyver challenge" (after the 1985-92 TV series), which invites readers to make something useful from a common throwaway item, like a plastic berry basket from the grocery store.
![]()
What Do I Do With ... ?
www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/wdidw This is a free Web site provided by King County Solid Waste Division that lists recycling, reuse and proper disposal options for 98 categories of items, from propane tanks to paint to packing peanuts. For businesses as well as residents, it's indispensable when you've got something that's gotta go. It's useful even if you're not in King County, since many listed recyclers also have locations elsewhere. Tip: Click on "Advanced Search" to scroll through every category, not just the main ones.
"Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century"
www.worldchanging.com/book Sometimes only a book will do. This hardcover book (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., $37.50), edited by Seattle's Alex Steffen, is an ambitious, encyclopedic survey of environmental and social issues and activism, studded with hundreds of timely resources for green living. Editors wisely banned all charts and tables, instead relying on small, compelling color photos to break up the text. Ideal for the living-room end table, or the bathroom.
The monthly EcoConsumer column aims to help readers balance consuming and conserving. Tom Watson is project manager for King County's Recycling and Environmental Services. Reach him at tom.watson@metrokc.gov. Watch for more EcoConsumer resources from King County at www.KCecoconsumer.com.
Plant Talk | Cool new plants from England - check out Derry Watkins's seed list
NEW - 7:10 PM
Candice Tells All: Contemporary cultural design
NEW - 7:20 PM
How to survive a kitchen remodeling
NEW - 7:01 PM
Interiors: Carpet cleaning a must for healthy air
NEW - 7:47 PM
Modern quilters break the pattern

Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Electronics
just listed
***Stunning Akc POMERANIAN baby girl W/ FUL...
2007 Kubota BX24 Loader & Backhoe
2007 Ranger Z20 Comanche
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Proposal to link Market, aquarium may be too ambitious for Seattle
- Chilling 911 tapes reveal pleas for help to go to Josh Powell home
- UW's Shawn Kemp Jr. makes own way despite familiar name, number | Steve Kelley
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- NBA's David Stern open to league returning to Seattle
- Prosecutor: Powell's final act ends doubt he killed wife
- Was idea of court-ordered test too much for Josh Powell?
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- Local aerospace suppliers say they feel squeezed by Boeing
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
419 - Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looming
342 - Sheriff's office unhappy with 911 dispatcher in caseworker's call
281 - 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
232 - Source: NY, California to sign mortgage settlement
189 - Pac-12 picks ... including the UW game
135 - Lakewood cop accused of taking donations for slain officers' families
107 - Department of Justice owes the Seattle Police Department an apology
80 - Thursday morning links --- and a video!!!
64 - Scouting report: Oregon
57
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Here it is: The secret to stir-fried chicken | Taste
- Local aerospace suppliers say they feel squeezed by Boeing
- Dicks channeled federal money to Puget Sound project his son ran
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review
- Buttoned Up: Nine immutable laws of time management
- Happy Hour: French-accented charm at Gainsbourg
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
