Where to Recycle Styrofoam in Houston & The Surrounding Areas

Styrofoam is such a tricky thing to recycle because it can't be recycled at most curbside recycling pickups by your local recycling companies. Here in Houston and surrounding areas there are various places where you can recycle styrofoam. 

Westpark Consumer Recycling Center

Precinct 3 Recycling Center

If you are looking to recycle packing peanuts, many local postal stores will take them or you can search Earth911.com for places in your area. 

You can go to Foam Facts and put in your zip code

Where do you recycle styrofoam?

Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels

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Made in the USA + Eco: Green Toys

Long before I ever had a baby, I would often gift friends kids Green Toys. They are eco-friendly toys made from recyclable materials. There is a wide selection of toys that you can choose from locally and online. If you're local toy store sells Green Toys, I highly recommend purchasing from those local toy shops because it helps support small businesses and stimulates the local economy. Besides being eco toys, I love that Green Toys are made in the USA. 

What are some of your favorite made in the USA and eco products?

Photo from Amazon.com

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Local Eco / Green Resource: The Woodlands GREEN

 

When I was online looking for the best places to recycle styrofoam, I came across The Woodlands GREEN (GrassRoots Environmental Education Network). It is a non-profit education organization that focuses on all environmental things. They are full of resources, events, and opportunities. You can even join as a member to support them. I highly recommend you checking out their website &/or their Facebook page for more information. 

Photo courtesy of: The Woodlands GREEN

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10 Simple Eco Changes You Can Make This Week

Since it is Earth Month here 10 simple, eco changes you can make this week. What are some eco changes you will be making this week? 

1. No driving
2. No dry cleaning
3. Use cloth napkins
4. Fewer towels
5. Use actual dishes
6. Replace plastic items with glass
7. Switch to eco cleaning supplies
8. Buy only what you need
9. Unsubscribe from mail
10. Try to limit disposable items

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Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy from Pexels

2021 Earth Day Events in Houston & Surrounding Areas

I love writing this post every year, but this year is a little different because the pandemic still going on & there are not very many Earth Day events happening. That is ok because you can celebrate Earth Day in so many other ways, but if you are up for venturing out since more people are now getting vaccinated here are some events that are happening in Houston and surrounding areas.

March 20th Earth Day GreenUp 2021 in The Woodlands

April 17th Earth Day at Houston Arboretum

April 17th Richwood Earth Day 2021

April 18th Earth Day at Discovery Green

April 22nd Painting with a Twist

April 22nd Earth Day Picnic at Smithers Park

April 22nd - 28th Earth Day at Houston Museum of Natural Science

Photo by Tara Winstead from Pexels

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Eco: Air Plants + Benefits

****I originally wrote and started this blogpost over 6 years ago and and am just now publishing it and trying to get old blogposts published. 

In 2014: I just recently discovered air plants. I had a friend who had some and then I saw them at the farmers market and decided to pick some up. They are super easy to take care of. You just let them sit in or on whatever you want and then you spritz them with water or leave them in a bowl of water for an hour every week or two. I have had them since the beginning of April and still have not killed them, so I consider that a success. 

Benefits of air plants:

• They are air purifying
• Easy to care for
• They are no mess
• Bring happiness and less stress because plants usually do!
• You can find them in nature or purchase them at places like Amazon and Etsy.

Image from Amazon

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Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

Photo by sheri silver on Unsplash

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15 Eco Things You can Do This Month & Always to Celebrate Earth Day

There are so many different things you can do on a regular basis to be eco and green. Since it is Earthy Month I thought I would highlight 15 easy things you can do to help your planet day-to-day.

1. Start a recycling program.
2. Make small eco changes like using reusable shopping bags, produce bags, sandwich bags, etc.
3. Donate or giveaway items you no longer need or want. 
4. Volunteer your time. 
5. Incorporate or use green beauty products. 
6. Use glass containers instead of plastic. 
7. Use eco cleaning products or make your own cleaning products.
8. Buy produce from your local farmers market.
9. Eat seasonally.
10. Compost.
11. Plant an herb garden.
12. Ride your bike where you can.
13. Organize a clean up day in your neighborhood. 
14. Buy from resale shops.
15. Use air purifying house plants.

Photo by Photo Boards on Unsplash

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5 Eco Things You Can Do During the COVID-19 Quarantine Time

If you are like most others right now, you are self quarantining or your city has a "shelter in place". Now is great time to start to make some eco changes.

Switch to cloth cleaning rags. Since there is limited paper goods at most stores right now, instead of using paper towels to clean, use cloth rags, old clothing, etc.

Start recycling. If you have never been much of a recycler now is a great time to start recycling and teaching kids to recycling.

Compost. A lot of people are at home and cooking much more than they did before, so now is the perfect time to start composting.

Do an energy audit. Call your electric company and do an energy audit to see where you are using the most energy in your house and how you can save on energy costs. Don't forget to turn off lights and electronics when you are not using them.

Ditch plastic disposable water bottles when you can. If you are at home start using reusable water bottles or actual glasses instead of grabbing for disposable water bottles if you have a good water source. It reduces on waste a TON.

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Photo by The Honest Company on Unsplash

Glass Recycling in Houston is Back!!

Did you hear the great news that the city of Houston brought back glass recycling? One of my concierge clients told me about it and I / many of my clients couldn't be happier. I don't know why more places don't offer recycling as an option. Does your city offer recycling?

Screenshot via City of Houston

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Eco Businesses in Houston: Baylor College of Medicine

There are so many companies throughout Houston that have various eco efforts. Some have more than others. Last year a friend reached out to me before Earth Day and said where she worked, at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), was doing an electronics recycle. Then this year a vendor and friend of EMC, Clean Moving Crates, said they were participating in the BCM Earth Day event. I then decided to research what they are doing at BCM and, oh man, it way more than I had expected. Tons of recycling efforts, water sustainability, energy sustainability and so much more. I was so happy to see this. Check out what they are doing here and how you can get involved.

Photo by Gary Chan on Unsplash

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Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! Go do something good for the planet we love.

Photo by Miriam Espacio on Unsplash

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5 Eco Changes you can Make this weekend

Since it is Earth Month I thought I would do another installment of 5 eco changes you make this weekend. You can view pasts posts here and here.

Don't run the water when you are not using it. I know you have heard this before, but if you are brushing your teeth or doing stuff in the kitchen, don't let the water just run. Turn it off and then back on when you need it.

Switch to green cleaning supplies. Instead of using so many chemical cleaners try switching your cleaning products to ones that don't use as many harsh chemicals.

Volunteer for an environmentally friendly organization. Give back to a worthy cause you love.

Adjust your thermostat setting. This helps save on energy.

Buy locally grown produce. You are supporting local farmers and reducing "your" footprint by buying produce that does not need to be transported as much.

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Fun Eco Activity for Kiddos Part 2

I am not sure if you remember from a while, but we included a fun eco activity for kids thanks to education.com and we are at it again for earth month 2019. "Incorporate some awareness for your young learners with this Earth day word search. For more fun and engaging educational activities, go to Education.com!" It's always great to have something fun and educational for kids to do. This is a great way to teach them about the importance of earth day today and always. 

Here is the word search legend:

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Made in the USA + Eco Cleaning Supplies: Branch Basics

I first got introduced to Branch Basics these products from a client. Then come to find out many of my clients use these products and some are even friends with the founders. I love that they are eco, made in the USA and a little goes a long way. I have been using them for a while now and really like them. They are unscented, but you can easily add high grade essential oils to the products if you want a certain scent. You get one large bottle of concentrate and all the other bottles are empty, except the oxygen boost. Each bottle tells you what to do, like where to fill the water to and then where to fill the concentrate to. Super easy and lasts a long time.

Have you tried these products yet?

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Eco Kid's Activity

I saw this kids recycle activity book when I was at at the dollar store and thought it was such a fun, great way to teach kids about recycling while doing a learning activity. Here is the exact one online as well. What are some eco activities you do with kids?

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Made in the USA + Eco: Puracy

I first discovered this Puracy body wash during the Amazon Prime Day sale and decided to give it a go. I love that it is eco, cruelty-free and made in the USA! Have you tried this one before and do you like it?

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NAPO Conference: Q Center Eco Practices

When I was attending the NAPO Conference this past year at the Q Center in Chicago, I was happy to see that they had a lot of eco practices.

• There were recycling stations everywhere that made it easy to recycle what I needed to. 
• There were water bottle refill stations. 
• The property is very walkable and you can go hiking straight from the property. 
• I reused my towels during my stay. 
• These are just a few things, but you can read more about their eco practices here. 

What are some eco practices you love seeing when you travel?

**the first photo is from my road trip to Chicago when I stopped off in Hot Springs, AR.

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Eco Program: Crayola ColorCycle

With back to school here, I wanted to share an eco program from Crayola. It is the Crayola ColorCycle program where schools and teachers collect used markers, put them in a box and Crayola pays for the shipping. Love that you can recycle your old markers and help the planet out. Here is more about Crayola's green initiatives.

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Made in the USA + Eco: Boulder Clean

When shopping at Kroger's here in Texas recently, I came across this new cleaning product called Boulder Clean. I was happy to see it was made in the USA, is eco by not having as many harsh chemicals and the bottle is made of partially recycled plastic, among many other things. Have you tried it yet?

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