Everybody likes brand new goodies, but the majority of the staples that children must have at the beginning of each school year are practically the same as the previous year. The only thing that really changes is the way in which manufacturing companies package and design their supplies, ensuring the ongoing cycle of purchasing and purging.

Before you head off to the office supply store or big box retailer this year, dig through your closets to see what basic materials you already have on hand. Chances are pretty good that amid the recycled gift bags and other items that you’ve stashed there for a rainy day, you’ll be able to unearth many of the requisite notebooks, writing implements and other materials itemized on your child’s school list.

Recycle already-used materials.

It’s not uncommon for students to blow through multiple notebooks in the course of a school year, which inevitably leads to the age-old quandary about what to do with their partially used remnants. You know, spiral binders with just 20 out of 150 pages written on, chewed-up pencils that may not be cosmetically pleasing but still have a good two months left in them and erasers that have plenty of bounce remaining despite their haggard Keith Richards appearance. Rather than chucking them in the closest garbage can, give these still-valuable school supplies a sense of renewed purpose instead.

Try adding used notebook pages to your newspaper collection bin and spruce up any battered, mangled covers with strategically placed stickers or artfully applied duct tape (in contrasting colors). The same DIY mentality can be applied to folders, loose-leaf binders and other supplies that are still functional despite their slightly worse-for-the-wear condition. Be sure to enlist your children in this exciting customization project, and if they’re skeptical, keep a big smile plastered on your face while whipping out the items they’ll need to turn their school supply trash into one-of-a-kind treasures.

Purchase high-quality, durable items that will take a licking but keep on ticking.

With the U.S. economy still putting the crunch on most people’s wallets, it can be incredibly tempting to fulfill your child’s back-to-school supply list by buying the absolute cheapest materials possible. But, when they come home from school 35 days later with a folder that looks like it has been regurgitated by a small songbird, you might rue the day you were ever motivated by the lowest price tag.

If at all possible, seek out well-made supplies that will stand the test of time (not to mention the probing and highly destructive fingers of miniature human beings). In the event that this is an entirely cost-prohibitive option, you can always go the cheap route and reinforce your purchases by hand with a little (or a lot of) DIY ingenuity.

Precycle your back-to-school list!

If you have no other choice but to buy new, then commit to purchasing items that are made exclusively with recyclable, planet-friendly materials rather than buying anything made with plastic. Yes, that’s a tall order, especially when it comes to supplies manufactured for the younger set, but it’s not impossible, particularly if you consult the Back to School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies.

Many feel that TerraCycle paved the way for the currently robust eco-friendly school supply market, which is now teeming with diverse green options such as 100% recycled cardboard folders and sugar cane/banana fiber paper and notebooks. Pay attention to labels and channel your hard-earned dollars toward products that help rather than harm our environment. If you do end up buying conventional items, stick with paper-based materials and recycle them when they are obliterated beyond reason!

Host a trade/swap event with parents in your area.

As children mature and move onto the next grade, supplies that were once imperative for their educational experience (such as crayons and glue) are suddenly banished in favor of ho-hum materials such as plain-Jane loose-leaf paper and protractors. The cycle continues on and on until they move out of the house and you’re left with enough odds and ends to open up your own mini Office Max.

Every parent within a 50-mile radius of you will experience a similar dilemma: “What should I do with this pile of __?” whether it’s colored pencils, binders or notebooks. Why spend one solitary penny on new supplies when you can trade no-longer-needed items with fellow parents who happen to have exactly the goods that your child needs? Turn the event into a potluck, and you’ll be the hero, fiscal savior and resident greenie of your entire school district!

It hasn’t been all that long since I went off to college (well, OK, a decade, but who’s counting?) and yet the lives of college students are so different now, especially when it comes to technology. Facebook has revolutionized the way students interact, digital archives have changed the way they do research and now e-textbooks are changing the way they study.

In my day, textbooks sometimes came with CD-ROM companion guides, but e-readers like the iPad, Kindle and Nook hadn’t been invented yet, so it was impractical, if not impossible, to exclusively use a digital version of a textbook. (iPods hadn’t even been invented yet when I went to college. Boy, do I feel old right now.)

Over the past few years, as e-readers have become more available and affordable, digital textbooks have started to really take off. They’re a great money saver for students, since there are no printing costs involved; they’re much easier to carry around than those huge tomes most of us had to schlep; and, most importantly, for our purposes today, they’re better for the environment.

There has been some amount of skepticism about whether e-readers, with all of their hard-to-recycle electronic parts, are better for the environment than traditional books for the public at large, since most people only read a book or two a month and often buy used books or check them out from the library rather than buying new. But college students aren’t the public at large. Think about how many textbooks you hauled with you to your first apartment after college; if you were anything like me, you had a lot, and most of them you bought new because textbooks often get updated every year or two. Replacing the dozens upon dozens of books one student accrues in his or her college career with one e-reader would make a pretty significant dent in the worldwide production of paper.

If you’re curious about where to find e-textbooks, you can look at online stores like Zinio, iChapters and eCampus, or download a tool like the recently launched NOOKstudy app, which allows students to browse and search multiple books and write annotations, among other functions.

d-CON Mary (detail), 2008. All images used with permission of Jason Clay Lewis.

It’s often said that you’re never more than 8 feet from a rat in London, and in the even more densely populated urban sprawl of New York, lordy those scuttling vermin must be within touching distance — and you may not even know it.

Perhaps it was thoughts like these that first drove Jason Clay Lewis to reach for the rat poison. But then somewhere along the line, the Big Apple-based artist decided on an alternative use for this deadly means of pest control — repurposing both the poison and its packaging as the very materials from which to create his next sculptural works: portrayals of religious icons, at once beautiful and strangely repellent.

Among the diverse pieces of art that make up Lewis’ Renewal Series are various iconographic reproductions covered with d-CON rat poison packaging. Towering above the others, both in scale and in notoriety, is a 5-foot-tall sculpture of the Virgin Mary — the lurid yellow of the layered poison packs that form the skin of this life-size Madonna a stark reminder of art’s capacity to shock and unnerve, particularly in a still strongly Christian country like America.

d-CON Mary

As with any artist, the medium within which Lewis works is fundamental to the meaning of his pieces and some of the aesthetic ideas with which he is playing, such as the relationship between pleasure and disgust. However, we were also curious as to how he first discovered and settled upon these specific materials, and how the concept of recycling — or at least reuse or repurposing — figures in his work. Lewis told 1-800-RECYCLING:

“I am a very tactile person, so I am drawn to materials that are slightly odd or have the potential for having double meanings. It has been a long transition, as I have used so many different materials. I try to push my work, so the poison pieces came about because it just seemed like the craziest thing to use for a sculpture. By using the d-CON boxes — with their prominently displayed bar codes — I believe it pushes the idea of what religious symbols can be, and questions not only the innocuousness of religion, but also the commercialization of religious iconography.”

Poison Christ, 2008

The phantom of the afterlife and instruments of death pervade Lewis’ body of work in a variety of forms (“The Black Death,” engraved bullets). What’s more, he does not stop at using the packaging of poison, just as he does not restrict himself to the representation of Christian religious icons. His statues of Christ and Buddha are composed of rat poison itself — the former, part of the “Drop Dead Gorgeous” series that spawned d-CON Mary, standing over 6 feet tall.

What are we to make of the use of “found substances” that would normally spell death for vermin having artistic life breathed into them by Lewis’ hands and mind? It certainly makes us ponder when that which would exterminate the lowliest of animals assumes an exalted status in the image of our most revered and recognizable religious forms.

The statement accompanying a recent exhibition explained: “The poison pieces reference empathy: As we go up the food chain, our empathy increases until we reach the ultimate form represented by the crucifixion. Lewis’ fascination with religious topoi — seen throughout his work — this time focuses on semiotic ambivalence of Christian iconography.”

Poison Buddha

But, as mentioned, the icons of other world religions are not exempt from Lewis’ critical gaze. Buddha puts in an appearance at the party — the enlightened one also awakened in the blue-green hues of rat poison. Shedding some light on this uneasy balance between repurposed form and recycled content, Lewis told 1-800-RECYCLING:

“My work is at its most powerful when I place extreme opposites together, such as good and bad or positive and negative. This is highlighted most profoundly when I use my favorite topic of life out of death and the cycle of life. By juxtaposing the spiritual iconography with poison, I hope it brings about in the strongest way possible the idea of the fragility of life and how religious icons are used as representations of the afterlife.”

Poison Easter Bunny

Lewis’ challenges to the perceived order of things — questioning concepts such as beauty, passion, life, death and creation — do not always have such a sober incarnation. His Poison Easter Bunny references a character that is only part of Christian folklore in its broadest sense. Yet even beneath the toxic surface of this more playful and not strictly religious icon, there lurks a serious intent from an artist for whom art is:

“A matter of life and death, where one senses the only response to death is art. Without glossing over the violence of the natural world I ask questions about man’s suicidal folly, the one we call progress, a merger into a religion of commerce and profit, of false façades… ”

Through his unique choice of media, his reuse of dark and sometimes dangerous materials, Lewis is an artist who seeks to go beyond the limits imposed by culture and tradition, all the while exploring his ideas of “attraction verses repulsion.” Could the scratching of rats be music to your ears? Doesn’t poison and d-CON packaging almost look good enough to eat?

Special thanks to Jason Clay Lewis for answering our questions and for permission to use the images from his website.

There is no denying the “freshman 15” claim — the first time a teenager is away from home and in the midst of such a bountiful array of food selections, it is physically impossible to resist the allure of all that edible goodness. Mealtime becomes an exercise in insanity as you continually try to challenge yourself to eat more! More!! MORE!!! before finally making the transformation into human squirrel entirely complete.

Up until quite recently, colleges typically made trays available to their eager diners, but contending with the extensive food waste became an escalating fiscal and ecological concern. It’s estimated that students end up wasting roughly 5 ounces of food at each meal, which may not seem like much, but that ends up being the equivalent of $250,000 of food annually.

This chronic issue prompted universities to devise an incredibly simple yet brilliant solution: Make it somewhat inconvenient for students to pig out. Apparently, those who are forced to take only what they can fit on their plate are less likely to nibble and chuck.

By ditching handy plastic trays altogether and offering standard plates instead, universities across the country have been able to conserve a significant amount of water while also reducing their overall volume of food waste, some by as much as 50%.

Educational establishments that are currently tray-free and choosing to compost leftover food scraps include the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Maine’s College of the Atlantic, Georgia Tech, North Park University and many, many others. In fact, it’s predicted that the majority of the learning institutes across the country will follow suit within the next several years because, “You can’t be economically sustainable unless you’re environmentally sustainable.”

Purdue University is taking it one step further by converting its dining court’s leftover grease into biodiesel and also creating electricity for its local wastewater plant using the methane generated from food scraps (currently estimated to be 20 tons per month). Even Lewiston, ME’s Bates College recycles its kitchen grease into biodiesel and diverts 82% of its food waste to a local pig farmer.

If you wonder whether students are in favor of the tray-free approach in their dining halls, the main supplier of university cafeteria food, Aramark, claims that 79% of 92,000 students surveyed support the planet-friendly move. Without the old familiar plastic standby, university officials are finding that the waste generated per meal per student is now hovering between the 2- to 3-ounce range, which is certainly an improvement.

To eat or not to eat… that is the question for countless university students. For America’s higher learning facilities, the answer is that they’d rather not take any chances. For a greener bottom line (and conveniently, a greener planet), tray-free dining is the way to go for a drastic reduction in waste.

In the year 2010, the mere mention of the phrase “back to school” can sometimes send today’s parents into a fit of hysteria, and not just because they’re forced to battle insane Christmas Eve-like crowds at the store. If they haven’t already secured a second job to bankroll the entire school supply kit and kaboodle, there’s always household liquidation and/or selling pints of blood to pull it all off.

Education is big business. We’re talking about a brave new world in which kiddies drag wheeled Samsonite luggage behind them (clocking in at twice their body weight) in order to accommodate the scads of electronic devices, textbooks and organizational systems necessary for modern day academic success. Peruse your child’s school supply list and if you take a quick tally, you’ll be lucky to escape the stores without plunking down at least one or two crisp new Benjamins.

However, no matter the decade, the one constant for students has and will probably always be paper. Loose leaf, notepads, spiral-bound notebooks, sticky notes — name your tree pulp poison! Even with all of the laptops and iPads in the world, paper is sheer academic currency, and let’s face it: Students will always want to scribble something down when their batteries croak.

With a greater awareness of how tapping forests beyond sustainable levels compromises our natural environment, manufacturers are now producing a more diverse variety of alternative paper supplies that are easier on Mother Nature. If you ever wondered of a simple step you could take to green your child’s back-to-school supplies list, purchasing eco-friendly paper alternatives would be it.

If for any reason you or your children are paper purists, one of the most intriguing options on the market today is Michael Roger’s Decomposition Books (modeled after traditional composition-style notebooks), because even though they are composed of 100% tree goodness, it’s entirely of the post-consumer waste kind. To up the green ante, this eco-darling is produced using biogas, printed with soy ink and processed with no chlorine. Even better, comprehensive details about the planetary impact of each notebook are emblazoned for all to read on the inside front and back covers.

Fancy going tree-free? Then you have multiple unique options to choose from, such as sanitized elephant dung fiber paper and agro-industrial waste paper using banana plant fibers — all readily available at major retailers such as Target, Office Max, Office Depot and Staples.

Staples even offers something that you don’t see every day: standard-sized composition books, one-subject notebooks, writing pads and sticky notes made with 80% sugarcane waste (also called bagasse), printed with environmentally friendly water- and vegetable-based inks. Taking notes on a blank, paper-free canvas is not just a small step for tree-kind — it’s also a simple way to make a huge eco-statement that with enough consumer backing will hopefully make virgin pulp a thing of the past.

That being said, the vast majority of people share the fond memories of escaping from the summer heat into a giant, refreshing pool. For many, that pool may happen to have manmade waves, a lazy river and countless snack shacks. When the standard community or above-ground swimming hole gets too mundane, that’s when boardshort- and bikini-clad citizens flock to the local water park.

Image courtesy of Wet 'n' Wild Water World

Thousands of people choose to frolic in these liquid forms of respite from May until September and since many portions of the United States are unbearable due to tortuous heat, such parks serve as a heavenly oasis. Water parks are great as is, but throw in some eco-friendly initiatives like one liquid theme park from Down Under, and earth-saving entertainment is a new summertime activity!

Wet ’n’ Wild Water World of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, has taken the challenge of being a little more eco-friendly to heart — not what you’d expect from a business that makes its profits on excessive amounts of the earth’s greatest resource. But what the heck, we’ll give them an “A” for effort.  This feat becomes even more impressive when one learns from the debatably trustworthy Wikipedia that Wet ’n’ Wild is not only Australia’s largest water park, but also the third largest in the world.

Now imagine if we could combine the tangible pleasures of splashing happily in the heart of summer with fond feelings of environmental stewardship. Wouldn’t that be dandy? Sliding down slides, snacking on pizza and, oh yeah, why not do something nice for the planet in the meantime? Fortunately, this fantastical summer escape is real (in part). According to the Australian website sustainabilitymatters.net.au, this water park Down Under has recently introduced “a public recycling initiative that will see more than 1,000 bottles diverted from landfill each day.” The initiative, which debuted earlier this year, has been, excuse the pun, making waves.

The following statement from the park’s general manager illustrates the impressive scope of this project:

“With more than 1 million people visiting our park annually, the new recycling bins and the Queensland Government’s ‘Do the Right Thing, Use the Right Bin’ recycling message will have a significant impact on the environment. We’ve now implemented two recycling streams at the park: beverage packaging and cardboard. The recycling bins at Wet ’n’ Wild will have the potential to divert 6 tonnes of waste from landfill annually, reducing our carbon footprint by 34 tonnes every year.”

These estimates on annual weights are based on the implementation of 50 recycling bins scattered throughout the park. This way, in between grabbing some refreshments and hitting the inner tubes on the dinosaur’s tail water slide, patrons can take a second to make sure their planet is a little nicer. This is particularly good since, I’m sure, they would want to make sure that this world is a place where water parks can exist for their own children, and their children’s children, and so on.

“The Scream” by Edvard Munch is one of the most iconic paintings in history. Presenting a simple, striking image, it is immediately recognizable in whatever form it takes — which is perhaps why it has inspired so many people to rework it, reimagining the picture in new media or liberating its solitary central figure in new contexts. However, just as the image is recycled, so, sometimes, are the materials in which it is recreated!

8.Bernard Pras, Assemblage image

Assemblage image by Bernard Pras

Bernard Pras reworks well-known pictures using huge quantities and varieties of objects. He positions them in his studio so that when viewed from a specific angle they produce a final, complete image, forming an exquisite reconstruction of the original “template.” In his version of ‘The Scream,” the background is formed by swarming toy animals, while the sky is made from red and yellow wires. Perhaps most interestingly, the face of the figure consists of a mask reminiscent of that seen in the Scream films — which were, themselves, inspired by Munch’s painting.

7. Glass

Image used by permission of Brazenjane

This stunning rendition is made from stained glass, breaking the painting up into smaller frames, and then coloring them to give them depth and vitality. The image exhibits an astonishing range of colors, moving from bright luminescent areas, to long, sinister shadows. According to Munch, the original painting was inspired by a moment when, while walking with friends at sunset, he was suddenly struck with the notion that the sky was filled with blood and fire — as if there was “an infinite scream passing through nature.” There can be no doubt that this reconceptualization of the image perfectly evokes that sentiment.

6. Lego blocks

Image used by permission of SuperBagel

This amazing image can be found at LEGOLAND California. Munch’s masterpiece has been brilliantly reconstructed using only tiny Lego bricks, emphasizing quite how versatile the toy building blocks can be.

Looking like a slightly pixelated version of the original, it vividly captures the tone and expression of the original — recycling the spirit of the work.

5. Cathy Cole, Neon lights

Image used by permission of Cathy Cole

This piece, “I Scream You Scream,” was created by artist Cathy Cole in the early 1980s, in reaction to the city of Glendale, CA, enacting a law that prohibited the use of neon lighting. She learned her skills on a course at the Museum of Neon Art — and did everything here, bar bending the tubes. In her “Scream,” the lights have been used to reconstruct a rough outline of the original image, while the spaces between the lamps are colored by the illumination that they throw off.

4.Melissa Rachel Black, Gummi bears

Gummi bear painting by Melissa Rachel Black

Can you improve artwork by making it delicious? Perhaps so. Melissa Rachel Black has reconstructed “The Scream” using only gummi bears (and some acrylic paint), using an array of the different colors in which the sweets come to reflect the original masterpiece. Black’s other gummi creations include a copy of the American flag and portraits of Lady GaGa and President Obama. Some of her works have been allowed to melt, creating a horrifying kaleidoscope of rainbow colors as the sweets stream downward. Perhaps Black owes a debt to Francis Bacon’s techniques, as well as to Edvard Munch?

3. Mixed recycled materials

Image used by permission of spacetimecurvature

This amazing work of art takes the form of a three-dimensional collage made from reclaimed scraps of wood, with each layer consisting of an independent piece slotted into place. While it might simplify elements of the original, the multiple layers add vibrancy to the piece, while the rough edges used in the upper half of the portrait add texture and detail.

2. Mark Lawrence, Tiles

Image used by permission of Mark Lawrence

This copy of “The Scream” pixelates the image using tiles, simplifying the classic painting into single-color squares while retaining the dynamics and focus of the original. Created by self-taught artist Mark Lawrence, this reworking uses over 1,000 individually hand-painted tiles to capture the essence of Munch’s masterpiece.

1.Mark Langan, Cardboard boxes

Cardboard box sculpture by Mark Langan

It’s natural that Mark Langan’s version of “The Scream” should be made out of finely worked cardboard — he is an artist who specializes in working with reclaimed packaging to create amazing three-dimensional sculptures. His green artwork can now be found in boardrooms across the country. Here, the different colors in Munch’s painting are achieved by using a variety of textures, whether that means using rough or corrugated sheets, or using a side view of reinforced cardboard to create lines across the image. In any case, it’s a stunning image!

Defining animal fabrics

Wool and silk clothes share one thing in common, along with their shrinking and tightening factors: the many varieties and bulk of use beg for some recycling options.

Wool can be common hair from a goat or sheep, or as outlandish as hair or fur made from alpaca wool. Then there is the more expensive cashmere, hair from the Indian cashmere goat, known for its luxurious softness.

Reusing wool or silk requires little more than creativity. Though there is no mass way to recycle these fabrics, reusing them is so common that there are many resources readily available. From pillowcases to vests, sites like fabrics.net give great suggestions for fun projects.

Cashmere has such high value that eBay or Craigslist might garner some extra cash for the items.

Identifying the most popular plant fabric

Perhaps cotton really is the fabric of our lives — it can be reused over and over with proper care.

The most common plant fabric is cotton, and yes, maybe those “Cotton, the Fabric of Our Lives” commercials continue to help that. But, the most likely reason for its continued popularity is price — it’s generally cheaper than any other type of fabric.

Cotton is so easy to reuse that listings for the stuff can be found on several sites, including recycle.net. Browse from hundreds of people wanting those old cotton T-shirts, socks and more.

Donating used clothes in bulk is a quick option as well. Find places accepting clothing right here on 1-800-RECYCLING.com.

Examining what is in synthetic fabrics

Nylon and polyester are popular materials in any type of clothing that can use shine or stretch. Some might blame Britney Spears for the mass return of these options, but unfortunately, all synthetic fibers are manufactured using chemicals that can pollute and are not biodegradable.

These water-resistant materials can thank compounds such as sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide for their durability. The only offsetting value of these clothes is that they tend to last a long, long time.

There are many reuse options; no matter what the fabric of the clothing, there are several groups that will appreciate the donation of these items. Churches, charitable organizations such as Goodwill, consignment shops and friends — the possibilities are endless.

Remember, your hand-me-downs are free to the receiver — and that is usually a welcomed gift.

St. Andrews Country Club, Boca Raton, FL

This upscale golf course was not afraid to put its money where its stated intentions were. Earlier this year, the club completed a $1.2-million reclaimed water project. Teaming up with the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department, the club now boasts reusable, sustainable irrigation for its two 18-hole courses and the surrounding landscaping.

St. Andrews Country Club in Florida is one country club concerned with its footprint.

Saving irrigation water for farming and other needs was priority number one, according to a statement made by Roy Schwedelson, President of the club’s board of governors, to EP Online earlier this year.

“Implementation of reclaimed water throughout St. Andrews ensures the availability of irrigation water, especially facing the prospect of even harsher use restrictions being imposed in the future,” Schwedelson said. “Reclaimed water, which is freely usable regardless of other watering restrictions, also enables us to help our community and our neighbors by conserving water.”

But, while this country club just recently implemented sustainability practices, others have been at it for much longer.

Glenn Dale Country Club, Glenn Dale, MD

A recycling program run at Glenn Dale Country Club has a rate of reuse and recycling at 64% annually. After factoring in the practices of visitors for the last 20 years, the high percentage of recovered materials suggests that when a business cares, so do its employees and patrons. Since 1991, when the club was granted a Prince George’s County grant, recycling bins have been placed at all teeing areas, the driving range, the swimming pool, equipment areas, the clubhouse, the snack bar, common grounds areas and at the three private residences.

The materials recycled include: corrugated cardboard, glass bottles, tin/steel cans, aluminum can, No. 1 and 2 plastic containers, paper and yard waste. The longevity of the program suggests that sustainability can be continual.

Country clubs might have the organization and, in many cases, the money to make a big difference in the world of golf. But, individual golfers can make a big difference too, according to some etiquette pointers from pros as a part of the 2010 PGA sustainability campaign. The suggestions fit sustainability needs to a tee:

• Re-green your game: Practice good etiquette, like repairing ball marks and divots. This process helps heal the grass much faster and reduces the chance of insects, weeds or diseases affecting the grass in that area. Healthy grass requires fewer chemicals, less water and less work to maintain, which is good for the game and the environment.
• Respect the wildlife: Golf is a shared experience with nature. You need to respect the wildlife habitat on the course and recognize the link between golf and nature. So, before stepping onto the green, examine course maps to identify areas that may be home to wildlife and should be left undisturbed during the game.
• Lead by example: Sustainability starts at home. Trade in plastic water bottles for reusable and refillable bottles that can be used and washed time and time again. Drinking something other than water? Make it a point to recycle empty cans and bottles at the end of your round.

While the green movements of country clubs and their patrons have come a long way, it seems that a hole-in-one may still be in the works. Will clubs settle for a birdie? To be continued…

There was some concern at the outset about Toby because he is a huge dog and appears to be all or mostly pit bull, and with our garden projects we weren’t sure having a big pit bull in the house would be conducive to gardening, or yoga for that matter.

Chuck and Toby

Boy, are we happy we let Toby in. He’s the coolest dog I’ve ever seen, and what’s more, he’s a real eco-hero. I sat down with Chuck and asked about some of the ways he’s helped make Toby a green dog, and here is what I learned:

Toby is a raw foodist. Chuck feeds Toby raw meat bones, such as turkey legs, turkey and chicken backs and turkey necks. He also asks the butcher for marrow bones. Chuck says marrow bones are cheap and nutritious; as for the raw meat bones, they’re not processed or heated, and there is no extra packaging or transportation necessary.

I grew up hearing you can’t give a dog chicken or turkey bones, but in fact it’s only when meat is cooked that the bones become brittle. Raw bones are completely safe for an animal to chew, as they won’t splinter like cooked bones.

Chuck has asked all of us at Yoga House to allow Toby to clean the food residue/waste from our dishes and recyclable containers. Most containers need to be rinsed out before recycling anyway, and we don’t have a garbage disposal in our sink, so when Toby cleans the plates before we wash them, it’s a win-win. Of course, use supervision with recyclable containers, or your dog might eat the plastic!

Sticks, branches, grass and dirt are all normal for dogs to eat and chew on, and Chuck finds sticks and branches for Toby on every walk. Chewing branches and sticks promotes good oral hygiene and digestion. Just make sure it’s clean, meaning dirt from the earth only.

I’ve never really known dogs that love eating vegetables, but Toby sure does. I have seen him refuse some veggies, but he can’t get enough of others, such as carrots and broccoli stalks. Chuck suggests seeing if you can start introducing more vegetables into your dog’s diet. He says it’s common for dogs to refuse veggies at first, so what he did with Toby initially was to do a quick stir fry with a little oil and a dash of salt or seasoning. Eventually, Toby started begging for carrots, apples, bananas, berries, squash or whatever else is good. Some dogs don’t like greens, so experiment and see what yours might enjoy.

In the garden, you can use the old bowl water to keep plants alive. Spread the love and make sure to water according to the type of plant, but there’s no reason just to dump out your dog’s water bowl into the sink as long as there are plants that could use it.

Now, about giving Fido a green makeover, Chuck says, “Dig, dig, dig, walk, walk, walk.” Keep your dog’s nails cut short and manageable; you shouldn’t need clippers or an expensive grooming bill. Besides, what better way is there to show love for a dog than taking him or her on long walks? Both digging and walking help calm the dog by reducing stress and releasing pent-up energy.

Watch where you walk your dog, however, and always opt for dirt over concrete. Don’t let your dog run around on the concrete. Chuck says it can lead to injury, and later in life, bad arthritis and pain. Natural ground is always better for Fido than anything man made!

Finally, Chuck advises to brown bag it!

“Forget the plastic,” he says. “Use brown paper bags to pick up dog waste. It’s better for the earth, and your wallet.”

Anyone who downloads, rates and reviews the app using a functioning e-mail address and fills out a short contest form will be eligible to win the free iPad. The winner will be selected randomly from all eligible entries received between July 14 and September 1.

“Our free app is a perfect addition to the selection of tools we are providing through 1-800-RECYCLING.com to make the recycling process easier,” said John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s leading recycler of electronics and e-waste, and parent company of 1-800-RECYCLING.com. “And what better way to encourage people to take part in the recycling process than to offer as incentive a chance to win an Apple iPad?”

Shegerian added that the winner will be announced via email and Facebook on September 2.

The first fully comprehensive “all items, all ZIP codes” recycling app designed for the iPhone, My Recycle List is now available at the Apple App store and enables the user to quickly find recycling locations nearby that accept items the user selects from a list. The app enables the user to easily organize locations by adding them to a personalized list — like an intuitive grocery list for recyclers.

1-800-RECYCLING.com provides users with nationwide outreach to help users find recycling locations nearest to them (every ZIP code in the country is covered) for whatever it is they wish to recycle. The new app, 1-800-RECYCLING.com and the 1-800-RECYCLING phone service all direct users to responsible recyclers of electronics, tires, oil, paint, glass, plastic, wood, mattresses, carpet, junk — nearly anything that can be recycled.

Whether you are a DIY maven or you prefer to rely on the convenience of store-bought supplies, the good news is that the majority of your pet’s needs can be fulfilled in an eco-friendly manner without compromising their health or quality of life.

Bedding

It can be really tempting to purchase a $10 pet bed from Costco, but have you ever taken note of the pungent odor continuously emanating from the exterior fibers? In many cases, pet cushions are synthetic and derived from oil rather than plant-based materials and then saturated with a final coat of stain-proofing chemicals. In the rare cases that they’re actually made of cotton, it’s generally the conventional, genetically modified type — a very thirsty crop that consumes 25% of our global agricultural chemicals. Why not make a far safer, customized DIY version instead that utilizes clothing weaned from your own closet or create a repurposed version that makes the most of materials we might otherwise dismiss?

Toys

Squeaky vinyl toys: So cute and noisy, yet oh so dangerous when you realize that your pet is absorbing the chemicals straight through their saliva. Think about how easily they’re entertained — will they really miss chewing on cartoon faces? Probably not. In fact, they’ll probably be equally as enthusiastic about playing catch with several recycled, hole-ridden socks tied up in a tight knot, a feather gleaned from the corner of your yard or oh yeah, a real, genuine stick!

Food

The infamous pet food recall of 2007, due to the discovery of a rodent poison called aminopterin along with melamine and cyanuric acid (both can cause renal failure in pets), resulted in the unfortunate death of 8,500 animals. This put the majority of pet owners on alert, prompting them to pay more attention to the ingredients they were feeding them. However, today’s mainstream, highly processed commercial diets are typically laden with grain and rendered animal byproducts, both of which compromise the health of dogs and cats, often triggering diabetes and other chronic ailments.

Natural and/or organic alternatives produced by Wysong, Timber Wolf Organics, Instinct, Kumpi, Evo, Nature’s Logic, Honest Kitchen and Halo or raw diets manufactured by Bravo, Northwest Naturals and Raw Advantage are far more beneficial to carnivorous pets since they effectively address their dietary needs compared to mass-produced (albeit dirt cheap) offerings. A less costly yet equally reasonable option is to make your own pet food, which will be free of extraneous packaging, locally sourced and jam-packed full of nutrients.

Dishware

If Bisphenol A-impregnated plastic is bad for us, it’s probably not a good idea to allow our beloved pet family members to consume their meals and water out of it, either, no matter how appealing the design. Rigid plastic generally contains endocrine-disrupting chemicals that trigger an elaborate array of ailments in humans (including reproductive issues, various cancers, heart disease and even Alzheimer’s) and with soaring rates of pet health illnesses that mimic what humans generally suffer, why tempt fate? This is a quick fix that’s as easy as swapping out their old plastic dishware for glazed enamel or stainless steel versions.

Cleaning supplies

If you’re still convinced that the bracing scent of chemicals wafting through your personal environment is indicative of germ-free cleanliness, then it’s high time that you revise your approach and get in touch with your natural side. Pets, like human babies, are incredibly sensitive to synthetic chemicals and more often than not smell, touch and lick everything within their reach. Purging your home of all chemicals and instead opting to use 100% natural alternatives isn’t just great for the planet, it’s also a sound investment in your personal health as well as that of every other family member under your roof (dogs, cats and various other pets included). Here are a few green cleaning tips for pet households:

Create a homemade stain/odor solution in a spray bottle by mixing together 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoon of baking soda (which naturally deodorizes) and one-half teaspoon of dish soap. Spray the affected area liberally, scrub thoroughly and allow to air dry. To boost the formula, feel free to add several tablespoons of white vinegar to the mix.

Address vomit stains by removing any solid material, applying a Borax solution (2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of Borax) and if all else fails, coat the offending area with foamy shaving cream, which truly does work in mysterious ways due to its stain-lifting surfactants.

Personal care products

Anything that comes into contact with your pet’s skin (shampoo, conditioner, flea repellent, etc.) should be as natural as possible — we’re talking about their body’s largest organ, after all. If you scan the list of ingredients found in conventional products, however, there are far too many unpronounceable elements that were likely cooked up in a lab. Bear in mind that there is always a green alternative to what is typically sold in mainstream stores, and if you are daunted by the price (which is understandable), it’s relatively easy to whip up a budget-friendly version that will address your pet’s needs in a much gentler yet equally effective manner. From homemade lavender oil-infused flea repellent and apple cider-based shampoo to four-ingredient pet toothpaste, the sky is the limit, and your pets will thank you for your commitment to their health and well being by spending far less time at the veterinarian’s office.