Sierra Club Green Home

More than a quarter of landfill area is attributed to paper. While large printing and publishing companies are slowly makeing changes to reduce this number, Sierra Club Green Home readers can do their part by printing sustainably. Here are the basics: buy consciously, recycle properly, and reduce paper use. (Photo sourced from FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Plastic is a large expense in the beverage industry. The global price of oil directly affects the type of plastic being produced. In 2008, when the price of oil soared to more than $100 per barrel, companies began scrambling to find alternatives to plastics. Several companies have created bottles made from plant-based materials. (Photo courtesy of BioCor)

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — It may feel small, but I learned from reading the Laguna Beach Independent newspaper that “all of Laguna Beach’s hotel and lodging properties have agreed to recycle hygiene products to benefit children and families in need through the nonprofit Clean the World Global. When one looks at what the numbers could add up to and the impact, this recycling effort is not insignificant in the least, even for a little seaside town. (Photo by Casa Laguna Inn, courtesy of Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau)

Every year, 25 to 30 million live Christmas trees are sold in the United States. Their ornaments and decorations help brighten our holiday. But after the holiday, they end up curbside as trash or, in towns offering such services, as recycling. A sad fate for such a wonderful part of Christmas.

Around the country, a new tradition is growing: renting a living tree for the holidays. (Photo by Monica Hudson, RentALivingChristmasTree.com)

For more than a year, filmmakers have been laying the groundwork for Racing to Zero, a documentary on how Americans can reduce their waste to almost nothing. With initial fund-raising going well, production is set to start in January. The film will focus on solutions and involve supporters of the film throughout production. (Photo courtesy of Diana Fuller)

LOS ANGELES — Participants in Piece by Piece workshops recycle broken bits of glass, china, and more to create mosaic artwork. The art is sold to provide an income for the underserved and homeless participants. The organization also creates public mosaic art murals through commission jobs. (Photo courtesy of Piece by Piece)

PHILIPPINES — Millions of people in the Philippines live in relative darkness. With the cost of electricity beyond the means of many, residents of poorer communities resort to using candles or kerosene lamps, which pose serious health and fire hazards. But, there is an incredibly simple solution that is both greener and safer. (Photo courtesy of ALiterofLight.org)

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but free mulch is available almost everywhere, and it does grow on trees (and bushes and shrubs). Leaves combined with a small amount of grass clippings and chipped woody plants are the best thing you can spread around your plants to protect them during the winter. It’s important, however, not to just let the leaves lie where they fall, or to rake them into flower beds if you want to use this green gardening technique. (Photo © Jenifoto406 | Dreamstime.com)

SAN FRANCISCO — Waste management company Recology has hit a milestone: 1 million tons of composted materials in San Francisco. What’s more, Thanksgiving is the biggest food week of the year, and Recology is calling for all scraps to be composted. Read more about the company’s many programs, including art, education, and falcons. UPDATED: Take a video tour of its facilities.

Panasonic Eco Technology Center (PETEC) is an unusual recycling facility in many ways. Since it started operations in 2001, PETEC has recycled more than 8 million units of appliances. Take a look at how it does so and why Japan’s unique recycling law has helped PETEC earn its sucess.