I'd love to have it since I know I need to be more eco-friendly, but I also do not do well with massive projects. A one step at a time approach is exactly the type of guide I need. (And I need all the help I can get!)

It is so ironic that there are 365 pieces of paper (that you will throw away) to help you be more "ecofriendly!"

I think that the odds are good that in a one-a-day approach there will be things a renter can apply. I find with a lot of eco-reccomendations, it's assumed you own where you live and get make all sorts of changes. But smaller things I am more likely to able to implement and I can always use more ideas!

CDC an JBG - I had to switch around the post because I didn't realize that Danny was taking suggestions. Take a look and see if you have a good one to add to the list.

Best, Maxwell

I have to agree with jbg- this seems like a really wasteful approach to "environmentalism"!

Coming up with a tip to be one of 365 tips is tough, because big-picture ideas are so much easier and more useful to implement. "Drive less" versus "use newspaper to wrap gifts" - even 365 little tips might not add up to the impact of a single larger (but no more difficult) change. But little self-contained ideas can spark big changes, so I'll submit:

Use an electric kettle to boil water for tea. It's more efficient than a stove-top whistler, which loses far more energy to the air and the kettle itself.

Sorry Maxwell! I am not reading carefully today.

Though Recycling is very important, the most important thing is to reduce the waste you create.

I cut old t-shirts into different sized strips and use them instead of paper towels. I also use old towels and washcloths for the same purpose. It saves money as well!

Rather than use harsh chemicals when cleaning, make your own green all-purpose cleanser: mix 1/2 teaspoon washing soda, 2 teaspoons borax, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap (like castille soap), and 2 cups hot water. Put in a spray bottle. Also, use lavender essential oil or tea tree oil mixed with water as an antibacterial spray and mold killer. These solutions are easy on the environment and your wallet!

Every day should alternate between "drive less" and "fly less". Anything else is just to make you feel good.

To reduce the amount of laundry we purchased a heavy weight canvas drop cloth for my daughter's bed. She is away at college and when she is gone the dogs sleep on her bed. She comes home most weekends, so that was causing a complete bed change weekly because the dogs would burrow under the covers. They can't move the drop cloth easily, so the bed linens are safe!

Also, instead of throwing away those calendar pages, use them for notes, lists, etc.

whitexb

I think that if this calendar is printed on 100% postconsumer recycled paper, and the contents help others to adopt eco-friendly behaviors, it is a good thing and not wasteful. There needs to be an increase in demand for 100% postconsumer recycled products.

My tip: replace as many car trips as possible with bicycle trips.

Since I no longer take home store plastic bags, I re-use plastic bags from packaged foods for scooped kitty litter: bags in cereal boxes, salad bags, chip bags, bread bags, etc. It's not super-duper green, but it is re-using what will get tossed anyway.

I currently have a tear-away calendar at the office. I re-use the blank back pages for notes instead of post-its. Or on bored occasions, they get made into origami.

I really wish I get that calendar cause I love calendars, and ecofriendly stuff, and most of all I love to get a gift. It has been a rough couple of weeks for me, and I could really use a little surprise, so I do not hesitate! Thank you so much. Maxell rocks, and I am a real AT ho'. xooxox smooch.

PS: oops. My best eco tip? It is a real AT tip. During Winter months, I have curtains that divide my 'social space' from 'private space' in my apartment, between the income hall and the 'night hall', so that only the 'social space', i.e. the income hall and the living room are heated.

how about this? don't buy something that means you throw out a sheet of paper each day! lol kinda hilarious. i mean, it'd be one thing if it were a planner that you could bring w/ you. this is just silly. it goes to show that going green has become a trend just like any other.

my best tip: buy vintage, sell your old stuff, & give your used books & mags to the library or friends.

but i don't want the cal.

My best eco tip: live in a city! We do not all need to live on our own few acres in an oversized home.

Seriously, I need this calendar. I used to be a much greener gal, then I had a baby and suddenly I'm using baby wipes, counter wipes, toilet seat wipes, Swiffers...if it makes the job quick, clean, and I can accomplish it when half-asleep, I'm on it. NOT very green.

Green things I still manage: I bring my own bag to the farmers market, I don't use cleaning products with phosphates, I don't buy convenience food (so I don't have lots of packaging to throw out), I recycle. I think that's Green 101. Give me a calendar and upgrade me to Green 102!

Use old newspapers for cleaning your mirrors and windows - it works just as well if not better than paper towels and allows you to save your cloth towels for other clean-ups

I just wanted to note that the calendar backing (the little stand thing) is also recyclable. Spoiler alert: I believe the last tip in the calendar = directions on recycling it.

My tip is inspired by my hippie turned educated-liberal parents. When I was growing up, we had a rule that our Christmas gifts to each other had to be either homemade or used. This resulted in many very special presents, like a miniature horse stables from my woodworking dad, a quilt from my mom, and a few great vintage finds. My dad built the stables from scraps of wood, just as my mom sewed the quilt from scraps of fabric. With parents like these, I had no idea we were living under the poverty line until we weren't.

Just one thing: Get politically involved.
Contact current lawmakers; get involved with progressive organizations which support more green candidates; vote and make sure your friends and family do too; volunteer with, and/or donate money to, groups doing important work to save our planet. Use your rights, your voice, and your power!

In my bedroom, I plug all electronics (laptop, printer, lamp, speakers, etc...) into one power strip. When I leave home or go to sleep I shut everything down and flip off the switch.

since most of us do our worst eco-offending at work, try bringing in one complete set of cutlery and dishware to your office/cubicle to use for as many meals as you can throughout the week.

I bring my own breakfast and lunch into work nearly every day.

I have my own bowl, small plate, mug, fork, knife, spoon, cloth napkin, and chopsticks in the center drawer of my desk.

breakfast: either cold cereal or hot oatmeal (w/walnuts & chopped banana - yum) in my bowl. lunch: i usually have a vegan veggie pot pie on my plate. snacks throughout the day like organic fruit bars or nuts. all in as little packaging as possible (stored in tupperware containers in my drawer as well).

have a corporate pantry or cafeteria with a water cooler or coffee machine? bring your own mug to fill instead of using the little dixie/poly cups! use your personal spoon to mix in the cream/sugar instead of the wooden or plastic stirrers! when getting water at the cooler i fill a big lidded water container (i never drink out of this container directly) and simply transfer the water into my desk mug. that way i'm not spreading or picking up anyone else's germs.

i know it sounds like a lot but once you get into the routine it's a breeze!

Oh, I have lots of tips. Here are a few~

-Use paper towels sparingly, instead, use wash clothes and kitchen towels to clean up messes

-wash your hands in cold water

-many cities allow you to put non-animal product food scraps in your yard waste. Have a small compost bin in your kitchen to empty regularly into your yard waste bin. This way, you don't have to maintain a compost pile, but still are reducing your garbage waste!

Shop local first!

The less an item travels to get to you, the less of a footprint it leaves on our earth. Shopping local also supports small businesses in the communities we live in (who are our neighbors and friends), thereby creating a more stable economic base which we all benefit from. So buy bread at the bakery down the street, soap from a local craftsperson, and apples from the good farmer at the farmers market.

my tip is to give friends and family green gifts and tell them why and let the world know that you choose to be green. Last year I gave everyone bags I knitted from recycled sweaters along with a small (about index card sized) info about how my bags were better than the plastic ones. For Halloween this year I am giving smencils to the kids. The rednecks at my work with their SUVs and pickup trucks (and they like being called rednecks) know that I am green and that I might make pay more money to get something that is cleverly designed and more efficient and they think it is cute. They get jealous when they find out how much money I pay for gas and utilities, and even thought they are not ready to change their whole life style just yet, some are still using my bags and asked for the pattern to make others (which is funny cuz they all came out different everytime).

In summation my hint would be to let the world know you are green, say it out loud.

I use old pages from magazines to wrap gifts instead of buying wrapping paper. I tape the pages together to make one big sheet and then fold me present.

Here are some eco tips I learned from my mother, the best recycler of all: keep a compost bucket on the countertop to empty out daily into your backyard composter; save seeds from your summer garden and trade these with others who do the same; pour out any unused water from your teakettle or water from boiling or washing vegetables into a watering can for either indoor or outdoor use; use a rain barrel; use washable cloths for cleaning instead of paper towels; recycle your old t-shirts for dusting (you can also cut them into pieces and place in your swiffer mop); wash and reuse all of those plastic containers from takeout (we take ours back to whole foods to refill again); keep a pitcher of water in the fridge to cut down on running your kitchen faucet to get the water cold enough to drink; and lastly, take canvas shopping bags with you, but if you forget and take a plastic bag, reuse it for a garbage bag.

I don't know why people are all up in arms about throwing one piece of paper away each day.

First, it can be recycled.
Second, is there a single day that goes by that someone doesn't use and discard of a piece of paper?

Come on - get real!

I love the calendar!

have a canvas bag for your groceries

This seems like a great giveaway. I never throw away things that I can learn from. Here are my tips.

Cut off lights in rooms that are not used.
Buy timers for each room...Set times for you to watch tv, cook, clean. The time you use for each task you can save energy.

Fill a empty two liter bottle full of marbles and put in your toilet tank. You will use less water.

Do an energy inspection every 6 months. You can see how you can save on your home heating and cooling.

Recyle everything if you can...If I get plastic, I have a plastic collection. Paper bags are use to house my newspapers and magazine for recyling. Aluminum cans are saved, you can get money for those.

Rather than using paper towels to dust, use thick athletic socks. They're easy to use - just slip them onto your hands. When you're done, toss them into the washer... but not before playing sock puppets.