Welcome to the Essere Organics December Newsletter.

In this Issue

	Top Five “Little” Green Resolutions
	How to Recycle Your Larger Items

In Other News

BEESWAX is an all natural renewable resource that is organic in nature. Beeswax candles actually clean the air when burned. The negative ions produced circulate in the room and attract pollutants. Dust, odours, moulds, bacteria, viruses, and other toxins are captured and neutralized. As the candle burns, the dust and toxins are convected through the flame. Beeswax candles burn cleaner, hotter, brighter, longer than other candles, and freshen the room with the sweet scent of honey.
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Top Five “Little” Green Resolutions

The new year is coming up and it is time to write up another list of New Year Resolutions. This year, you can start your green resolutions small but the results will be great. Check out what a little green activity for a year adds up to be!

1. Bring a mug to work. Whether you buy your coffee at a café or pour it into a free Styrofoam cup at work, you are adding to non-biodegradable waste. People who drink out of styrene every day add close to 23 pounds of waste per year. So carry a coffee mug to the office and you will be doing your part. Also, you might save money! Ask your local coffee provider if you get a discount for bringing your own mug to the counter.
2. Wear that shirt one more time. Many people wash clothes more often than they need to. Depending on where you live, that’s a lot of energy and water. The average American washing machine uses 15 gallons per load with an average load being 16 items. European machines use only 4 gallons but take up three times more energy as they have longer wash cycles. Either way, hang clothes right after you wear them and let them air out before putting them in the closet. If you give your daily wear an extra day to wear, you can do about 20 fewer loads a year. If you’re an American, that’s 300 gallons you have saved annually. And when you do laundry, make sure you save on landfill and chemical use by using concentrated toxin-free laundry cleaners.
3. Get that tote bag for your groceries. We threaten to do it every time we go to the produce store, but getting a shopping tote is one of the simplest and yet still often procrastinated ways to go green. If you use two plastic bags per shopping trip and shop once a week, you can keep 104 plastic bags out of the landfills per year. It may seem like a drop in the ocean of over a billion a day (that’s right, one billion plastic bags every day!), but the fate of a single plastic bag can have many consequences. One single bag can poison our wildlife that mistake it for food, and one single bag releases toxins into the soil or water in the 1,000 years it takes to degrade. So keep a couple totes by the door or in your car so you don’t forget. On the days you forget, be sure to re-use that plastic by using it as a lunch box or as a car commuter trash bag. Or still skip the plastic at the store and opt for the paper hidden away at the bagger’s feet.
4. Slow down in the fast lane. Environmental Defense in New York says that moderate driving can save gas and save your life. Revving and braking to weave through traffic can cost you 125 gallons per year and going over the speed limit can also hinder fuel economy. To make it even better, you can turn off your car instead of letting it idle and use your air conditioner as little as possible. The only way to save more on fuel is to go hybrid or electric, which is also a great New Year idea. The Boston Globe reported that a vehicle that travels 12,000 miles per year with 12 miles per gallon uses 200 more gallons of gas, produces 4,000 more pounds of carbon dioxide, and costs $600 more to operate each year than a car that gets 15 miles per gallon. Imagine that savings with cars that get twice the distance per gallon.
5. Do the other projects on your New Year resolutions list as green as possible. If you plan to clean your house clutter, recycle and donate as much as you can. Old clothes and linens you wouldn’t wish on a human being you can donate to an animal shelter for bedding.

Start the New Year clean with Essere Organics laundry cleaners!

How to Recycle Your Larger Items

As the holidays wrap up, there are likely many items you are replacing. It can be very confusing trying to find the easiest way to dispose of old furniture and appliances. No matter where you live, there are ways to find your best recycling bet.

One man’s trash is another man’s new appliance. Most larger items can be donated to the poor through local donation centers. Some centers offer a pick up service, so check that out before you pack up your car. The great thing about donating your old stuff is that you are extending the holiday gift giving to others less fortunate while being green. If your item is rejected by the donation centers for the poor, consider other charities. Animal shelters often need linens and blankets and sometimes they have a use for that old refrigerator or couch. As a last donation resort, you may find a local experimental artist with a wish list of unique items for their next 3D art installation.

For those items that cannot be donated at all, the internet is our friend. Many of us can find a local recycler by going to our favorite internet search engine and entering the word “recycle,” the item we are disposing and our city. If that does not work, the city often provides a large item trash pick up.

Still stuck with that old mattress because Santa forgot to drop off the organic mattress you wanted? Check out mattresses and more in Essere’s organic bedding section