Did you now that the library’s not the only place you can get free books? CCTV has a brief documentary about the Cambridge Recycling Center where you can learn this and other fun facts.

Eleven Cambridge companies were certified as “Sustainable Business Leaders” on Thursday April 1, 2010, for completing the Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP)—a program of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) that provides guidance, support and technical assistance to facilitate the “greening” of small and medium-sized businesses. The special certification ceremony, which was held at the Cambridge City Hall Annex, was co-sponsored by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Local First and the Cambridge Energy Alliance in partnership with the Sustainable Business Network.

The first Cambridge graduating class included:

Cambridge Naturals, 1369 Coffee House, Veggie Planet, Stone Hearth Pizza, Irving House, Greenward, Harvest Co-Op Markets, Harvard Bookstore, The Fishmonger, Cambridge Brewing Company and Economy Hardware.

Graduates earned their SBLP… [view entry]

Beginning on Earth Day, you can receive a rebate of up to $250 if you exchange your old refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer, or freezer for a new energy efficient model. However advanced registration required for these rebates will only be available for a two week period.  Start planning now if you want to take advantage of this offer and save you money on your utility bills for years to come.

Not “reading, writing and ‘rithmetic” but reduce, reuse and—most notably—recycling. The Boston Globe has an article reporting that Massachusetts recycling rates are stagnant, and relatively low. A rather timely report given the effort by numerous organizations to get Beacon Hill to update the bottle bill.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to give a little more attention to the other two R’s, especially purchasing products with post-consumer content which have been minimally downcycled. A fleece sweatshirt made of soda bottles is nicer than one made from Texas crude, but a bottle made from a bottle made from a bottle ad infitnitum is finer.

Sarah previously wrote about safe and ethical electronics recycling, and we follow up today with a little information about additional options.

Office supply stores like Staples often have recycling programs¹ for computers and peripherals, including cash back for ink and toner cartridges if you prefer not to bring them to a local refill business like InkTec Zone or Cartridge World franchise.

Staples is also offering $50 trade-in rebates on old printers through April 3. If you do opt for a new printer, be sure to look at reviews and specifications regarding durability, ink frugality, and power consumption.

^{1. The equipment is picked up and delivered to our recycling partner, Eco International, who disassembles the equipment into its component parts for environmentally responsible recycling in the}… [view entry]

Slate Magazine’s recent Green Lantern article responds to a question I’ve often faced as a college student living in an electronics-centric world: How can I safely and ethically recycle my old electronics?

According to the article, the Basel Action Network estimates that 80 percent of “e-waste” collected for recycling in the U.S. is actually shipped to developing countries such as China or Africa. Most of this waste ends up in informal salvage yards, where workers use methods like acid application and incineration to obtain metals and other useful components of the electronics.

The first goal of an environmentally-minded electronics consumer should be to start with long-lasting items that can be repaired. Unfortunately, it is more than likely that new computer parts, appliances, music players and mobile phones will… [view entry]

For people who use real Christmas trees, the question comes up each year—should they switch to artificial? Our general rule is that reusable is better than disposable, but in this case, it’s not that simple.

The consensus (based on at least one peer-reviewed study) is that real trees are the way to go.

Cross-posted on pragmaticenvironmentalism.com

On Monday, as another step in leading by example, the Obama administration initiated a government-wide suggestion box for ideas to green the executive branch. For two weeks federal employees will have the opportunity to submit and vote on ideas which will then be referred to committee.

The existing suggestions are available for perusal on GreenGov at right, below the video. They include (many copies) of the usual suspects, like occupation sensors for lights or double-sided printing, as well as gems such as:

Replace grass lawns that require mowing with wild flowers that do not. This will save on pollution from lawn mowers. —Kris, Bethesda

Good idea. That should also cut down on run-off and water used for irrigation, as well as providing useful habitat for wildlife Kris.

There… [view entry]

Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff is an oldie but goodie. In it she passionately illuminates the root of many environmental problems: consumption. That is, using and disposing of ever more raw material. The Story of Stuff re-frames “environmentalism” beyond energy use and makes us truly think about where all our widgets come from and where those doodads go when we’re done with them.

Reducing product consumption typically saves energy as well. For instance, you are probably aware that recycling an aluminum can saves approximately 95% of the energy it takes to produce a can from virgin material; as much as a soda can of gasoline. To quote Amory Lovins, “The cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use;” something he calls nega-watts. But more importantly, everything we buy or consume has an… [view entry]

From Canada comes the rather amazing story of Cansolair, a company that reuses soda cans to make solar panels. Once installed, this soda/solar unit can provide up to 30% of the heating for your house. All this in the cloudy, foggy Labrador region. All without adding another CO2 particle to the environment. Maybe Coke knew it was onto something when they introduced this new flavor last year.

Check out this video to see how it’s done.