A row of discarded plastic items
On a recent walk along the local beach in Seal Beach, California, I was appalled at the trash strewn along the shore. Within a 100 yard span, there was enough rubbish to fill a couple of large black trash bags.
Where on earth had all this stuff come from? Piles of...
May
09
Photo by Charles Williams
It’s been a few months since the holidays, so you’ve probably dug out from all the snail-mail appeals for donations to various worthy organizations. I feel your paper cuts. And I have some very tedious, time-consuming tips to reduce them. Aren’t you lucky!
My hate...
Mar
06
A Musical Number for Inspiration!
There’s an old song that keeps popping up in my mind when I write these little eco tips. It’s from a musical called “The Pajama Game” that I probably saw once on television as a child, and never since. The movie starred Doris Day as a worker in a pajama...
Mar
01
I’m warning you now, this story is gonna get messy.
Back in my cigarette butt clean-up days, I came across endless amounts of dog crap. I didn’t touch it, even double-gloved, but I obsessed about it. As I read up about the problem, I learned way more than I ever wanted to. The facts are enough...
Feb
22
After all the dirty subjects of recent columns, I felt like a good cleaning was in order.
I lived in apartments for 20 years without a washing machine or dryer in the building. So I got used to my local laundromat and its radio station offering top 40 hits from the 50s. I also got used to my friend...
Feb
15
Because it’s the thought that counts
No, this isn’t about dating aliens. Yes, we all know the color of Valentine’s Day is red. Red roses, red hearts decorating greeting cards, red boxes of chocolate, red balloons. Except for that last one – has any woman in the history of the world been...
Feb
09
I set out to make amends for my past cigarette littering. And since no sin can be atoned without an internet accounting these days, here goes. Disclaimer: as I worked, I found many other tiny objects along with the butts, so I decided to pick up – and count – anything that would go down...
Feb
01
A few seasons back, I saw a Mad Men scene that seemed ridiculous. After a family picnic, Jon Hamm’s character casually shook out the picnic blanket, tossing paper plates, napkins, and assorted detritus to the wind. I thought oh, ha, the 60s, people were so ignorant. Less than 24 hours later, I...
Jan
25
