Chopsticks

We used them so much in Asia and never put too much thought in it. Although I frown upon recycling them and reusing them again and again.

However, the good news is, there are some artists out there who are damn creative...do you know that recycled chopsticks can be used to make into a soap holder? A folding basket? Yes, you can...be amazed by these products at Uncommongoods

Paper Marche

I have this shredder in my room that I used to shred my confidential documents or reused papers and was wondering what to do with them.

Suddenly, I remember that I saw a bangle made from paper marche and it got me thinking.

I shall keep all the shredded paper and make some gifts out of them and distribute them for next X'mas...wish me luck

Tully

I had the chance to had coffee at Tully over 2 consecutive day.

Day 1 : Feeling kinda of cool because guess what? Their paper cups are 100% compostable...so they say...even their cup sleeve. Test the cashier on how long does it take for the cup to compose....after err err ahh ahh for a while, she said "a few days, won't be overnight" right..so i counter question "i know a few days, what i want to know is how many days?"...she gave me a blank look..oh whatever

Day 2 : Went in to grab a cup of chai tea latte...ask the cashier (not the same one as yesterday), "how do you dispose your paper cups if customers consume them in the cafe?"...no answer, so i gave her a hint "you throw them in with the garbage?" gal's face lit up and say "yes", probably thinking I give her a way out...but I rebuked and say "if you put that your cup is 100% compostable, why aren't you composting your cups and cup sleeves?" she stick her tongue out..as in guilty not angry at me.

Anyway I wash mine and brought it home, will try a miniature compost after CNY.

And here's a picture to show you what a load of crap it is...the green message that is.

Sping Cleaning

With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, I bet most of you are doing your annual spring cleaning.

If you have any unwanted items listed below and you want to donate or recycle it, contact these organizations. It's all for a good cause too.

- Old prescription glasses (Lion's Club but it is not available in all countries). Donated to those who need it but can't afford.
- Computers (National Cristina Foundation). Donated to schools.
- Inkjets/Cellphones, you can even get paid for this (Earth Tone Solutions). Money used to to help cure childhood cancer.
- CDs/DVDs (CD Recycling).
- Shoes (ShoeBank, Soles4Souls, Shoe4Africa). For kids who live in barefoot days.
- Old dresses/suits (Dress for success). For disadvantaged women.
- Prom dresses/Wedding dresses (Making Memories). For Breast Cancer Foundation
- Sports Equipment (SportsGift). For underprivileged children.
- Surplus building materials (Habitat ReStores). To sell and be resell.
- Everything else (Throwplace.com where you can donate your stuff online and others can pick it up and vice versa)

Alternatively, you may sell them on :

- Amazon.com
- eBay
- craigslist.org

Closer to home or available to locals :

- Nokia phones (Nokia)
- Motorola products (Motorola)
- Dell Computers (Dell)
- HP Hardware (HP Planet Partners)
- HP Supplies, include cartridges (HP Planet Partners)
- Canon cartridges (Canon)
- Brother cartridges (Brother). Win free gifts too!
- Donation Bins (Salvation Army). To be sold at their Vintage Store.
- Sell your good condition unwanted items (Cash Converters)
- Discard or acquire an item (SgFreecycle)
- Donate electronics (Passiton). For the less privilege families.
- Swopping items (You Swop)

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Green Tip for today

Today, I will advise how many homeowners can make full use of grey water in their households?

Greywater, also known as sullage, which is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dish washing, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater (Source : Wikipedia)

As per normal, such water will go down the drains into the sewage and head for the ocean or whatsoever. That's right, that's normal thinking. But most detergents/laundry powder we used are not biodegrable, meaning they cannot be broken down and therefore exist forever in our ecosystem. But biodegration is another topic altogether.

So back to grey water. What you can do to reuse the grey water.

1) Collect grey water from washing machines in pails and use them to flush the toilet after use. Normal flush is 6 litres of water per flush and 4 litres per half flush. However in our homes, not many toilet had been set up with half flush.

2) Use the same grey water from washing machines to clean your toilet floor, porch and your corridor, etc and clean it a 2nd round with tap water rather than 2 rounds of tap water.

3) Collect grey water from washing your hands and divert them to your cistern in the toilet for flushing (this takes a bit of engineering) or you can buy this model from Sinkpositive.

4) Or the water from washing your hands, if you just rinse or run your hands under the water without detergent, the grey water collected can be use to water your plants and your garden.

These are easy solutions you can try at home and do not take up much of your time but yet cost efficient and reusing your resource.

So give it a try today!

Guilty as charge

Wow, it takes a foreign blog entry to remind me that indeed there are green architecture in our sunny island.

We still have a longgggggg wayyyyyyyyy to go before we can call ourselves a pro-green city.

But as I said it in my first entry, baby steps...one step at a time and we will get there.

At the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the School of Art, Design and Media utilizes green roofing in a modern way. The green roof stretches across the five-story building, blending into its surrounding landscape, while providing several environmental advantages. It is as visually pleasing as it is functional. Green roofs are reported to absorb up to 70 percent of rain runoff, thereby preventing pollution of waterways. In addition, green roofs absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to reduce carbon emissions, and also provide natural insulation for the building, reducing energy costs. This innovative design combines modern architecture with green concepts, yielding a truly amazing setting for an art school.

CBTL

As I was preparing to write this entry, I kinda think it is inappropriate to use CBTL (can be translated to vulgar language) but heck lah, it is better than using their full name.

So CBTL is a coffee chain, not me cursing in a vulgar way. I patronize this place real often...I shudder to think of how much money I have spent on their lattes and coffee.

As the story goes, why are they worth this entry? The reason is I got piss with them. Cos when I was buying a cup of latte from them yesterday (sorry, in their wax paper cup rather than my own mug) I asked them a crucial question "Do you give discounts to customers who bring their own cup/mug?". The cashier looked at me, albeit a guilty face, "No, sorry, we don't". I said "Not even if they buy the mug from your own brand?" No was the answer in case you want to know.

What the heck? Now I know why nobody wants to bring their own cup/mug since it makes no difference. And a shoutout to the coffee chains, if a 50 cents discount so unaffordable to your business? And just a suggestion, even if you don't give a discount, you can upsize the customers based on their mug size. Duh.

I am already thinking of boycotting them after I finish using all the points I have in my stored value card. But first, I need to wean myself off their Moroccan Mint Lattes.

For those who think I am petty, let me just tell you one thing (in case, you are wondering why this entry is in this blog). The paper cups used by coffee chains or any other coffee place are not recycleable. Why is that so? The waxed used to ensure that the paper cup is waterproof also make it unrecycleable. There you have it.