1-800-Recycling - Lauren Kelley

Lauren Kelley

Lauren Kelley is a New York City-based freelance writer and editor.

Born and raised in Texas, Lauren holds degrees in English and Political Science and has racked up nearly a decade of experience covering topics such as the environment/green living, the nonprofit sector and women’s rights and issues.

Lauren enjoys traveling, the arts and social activism, and is also a published writer of short fiction, a Twitterer, a very amateur photographer and a cupcake enthusiast. She lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend and a fat, grey cat named Herb.

December 21, 2009

This Year, Go with Eco-Friendly Party Invitations

If you’re dead set on avoiding e-vites this holiday season — or anytime, really — here are some ways to make your paper invitations a little better for the earth.
December 9, 2009

Building an Environmentally Friendly First Aid Kit

Not many companies are marketing first aid products to the eco-friendly consumer. If you had the choice though, wouldn’t you want to green that part of your home?
December 3, 2009

New Yorkers: Now You Can Recycle Your Cell Phone While Shopping for Organic Produce

The Council on the Environment of New York City has joined forces with the Call2Recycle program to offer cell phone and battery recycling pick-up locations at greenmarkets in New York.
November 10, 2009

Shopping for Toilet Paper? There’s an App for That

Tissue Guide serves a very specific purpose: to help shoppers choose environmentally friendly brands of toilet paper, napkins, paper towels and facial tissues.
November 4, 2009

The Three Ws of Green Office Furniture

I like the idea of going green with something so big and on display in my apartment, especially if it’s designed well.
September 25, 2009

Is Central Air More Energy Efficient Than Window Units?

My electric bill is slightly lower per square foot with central air than it was when I lived in an apartment with a window unit (which, I have to add, was a new Energy Star appliance).
September 18, 2009

Do You Have the SUV of the TV World?

My TV is great for watching movies and high-definition TV shows, but how much electricity is it taking just to run the thing? The answer is, probably a lot — but not as much as some TVs.
September 10, 2009

The ABCs of Solar Water Heaters

For anyone looking to green his or her home in a serious way, installing a solar water heater may be a good first step.
September 10, 2009

How a Writing Assignment Made Me Want to Buy a House So I Could Install a Chunk of Metal on the Roof: A True Solar Water Heater Tale

Solar water heaters offer tons of incentive to purchase. The prospect of paying essentially nothing to heat the water in my home is pretty thrilling, even if we weren’t in a recession.
September 9, 2009

From Shopping Bag to Handbag

There’s a new trend in recycled handbags that I’m really excited about: crocheted plastic shopping bags.
September 7, 2009

Recycled Handbags

What follows is a rundown of some of the trends in recycled handbags — some of which you may be familiar with and some of which may surprise you.
September 3, 2009

Riding Fry: Vegetable Oil-Powered Vehicles

Hybrid cars like the Prius are starting to become fairly ubiquitous, but I’ve always been interested in cars that are even more radical, like those that have been converted to run on vegetable oil.