USE RECYCLED / BUY RECYCLED

You can take old yogurt container and old jars and turn them into pots to grow herbs or small shrubs.

The picture to the left is a vase made with the following...

• Old milk jar
• Hemp string
• Hot glue gun
• Craft paint in your favorite color
• Any variety of flowers that suit your fancy

Use the hot glue gun to wrap the jar with the hemp string. If you don't like the color of the string then you can paint the string (after you have glued it on the jar). Fill the jar with water and put your favorite flower in it. If your jar has a wider opening then you can put some fertilizer and herb seeds. Once the herbs grow you can use then for cooking.

The US Federal Trade Commission explains terms you will see when shopping for recycled products.

• If a label says "Recycled," the package must also tell you exactly how much of the product is recycled unless the product contains 100 percent recycled materials.
• "Recycled" products are made from materials that have been recovered from discarded items. These items are then (1) melted down; (2) pulverized, crushed, or ground up; or (3) rebuilt, reconditioned, or remanufactured. Items such as glass, metal, newspaper, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans typically fit into (1) or (2). Items such as used auto parts, printer cartridges, and some appliances fit into category (3). Products in the (3) category must state that their recycled content came from rebuilt, reconditioned, or remanufactured parts if it is not obvious that it contains used parts.
• "Post-consumer" material comes from previously used consumer or business products, such as plastic bottles, glass containers, aluminum cans, and newspapers. Therefore, if you buy copy paper that ways "50% post-consumer material," you know that half of the content is from recycled substances.
• "Pre-consumer" material is manufacturing waste. A plastic bottle manufacturer, for example, may collect and recycle the pieces of plastic trimmed off during manufacturing and recycle them into making other bottles.
• Product labels that claim the item or packaging uses less material or has less waste is only meaningful if exact information is provided. For example, "uses 35 percent less waste than our previous package" tells you much more than "35 percent less waste."
• Claims on product labels that say "environmentally friendly," "eco-safe," or similar statements are too vague to be meaningful. You need specific information on how or why the product is good for the environment and how to evaluate the claims.
• When you do buy products, make sure you buy those that are in containers or packaging that you can recycle in your area. A product label may say "recyclable," but if the item is not collected in your area or you have no way to recycle it, then it is not "recyclable" for you.

Other ways to green your life...

• Buy earth friendly garden products.
• Use earth friendly cleaning products, recycled toilet paper, napkins etc.
• Buy fruits and vegetables from farms or farmers markets and organic foods.
• Buy body, face and hair products that are organic (vegan friendly).
• Buy office paper made with recycled content.
• Buy organic cotton clothes and bed sheets.
• If you are going to buy promotional business products why not buy green.