DAILY DANNY

Office Detox

I am totally in awe of something I'm a bit ashamed to admit: SkyMall.

It's that in-flight catalog in the backseat pockets in airplanes full of TOTALLY random "things" for sale like The Lord of the Rings replica rings and swords.... 22K gold dipped real roses... to wall-size posters of crosswords puzzles you can spend weeks trying to figure out.

But one item that caught my eye was a cell-phone looking device called the Zadro Nano-UV Disinfection Light.  You flip it open, press a button, and an ultraviolet light inside kills 99.9% of all the harmful germs and bacteria on things like phones, keyboards, toothbrushes, etc.  Whatever you want to disinfect, you just wave the whole thing over it for 10 seconds and VOILA!   Disinfected without harmful chemicals.

So, I bought one.   And have been trying it out.

I recently brought it along to the offices of some magazines in NYC to meet editors and help them naturally detox their offices.  It was part of my work with the nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, which collects old cell phones and old rechargeable batteries (from cordless products) for free recycling.  We were reminding editors that you could drop off old phones/batteries at stores like Duane Reade, Lowe's, Home Depot, Circuit City and Best Buy.

But I also gave tips on how to DETOX their offices too and thought I'd share 'em:

1.  Use rubbing alcohol to disinfect your telephone.  Over time, germs and bacteria can collect, causing break-outs on your face.  Just use alcohol to truly disinfect it.

2.  Place a newspaper on the floor where you rest your feet.   Your shoes drag in 80% of outside dirt, pesticides and other harmful chemicals.  Newspaper will naturally absorb it; you can then recycle the newspaper.

3.  Wipe down the desk using Method microfiber towels and their dye and perfume-free Go Naked spray.  Spray, wipe and go.   The microfiber literally grips onto dirt and bacteria and it's machine washable!

4.  Keep an LL Bean boat and tote bag by your desk.  The rubber lined bag stands upright, even when empty.  Fill it with recyclable cans and bottles for recycling.  If there are spills, it can wiped up easily with the microfiber towel.

5.  And for fun: grab those extra sugar and lemon juice packets and rub the sugar and lemon juice together in your hands.  The sugar exfoliates and the lemon disinfects!

Huff Post: Green House Effect

I've recently begun blogging for the prestigious HuffingtonPost.   

In my first entry, titled The Green House Effect, I just introduce who I am, what I do and what my overall philosophy and take is on green living.      Over the next few months, I'll be doing a regular weekly blog for them that will detail the eco renovations of my newest Bucks County, PA home (and I'll post ideas and tips on this blog daily, too).    

When you share the same birthday as Earth Day, you can't help but notice your birth date is celebrated on a "holiday" that reminds people that rainforests are burning, whales are being harpooned, and the ozone layer is disappearing. So, imagine me on my 12th birthday, eager to open presents, and seeing nothing but gloom and doom in the newspaper about the planet. We're dying, I thought. I decided to start an environmental group right then and there, and used my birthday money (all $23) to launch Earth 2000. It was 1989, and I thought by the time I doubled in age, it would be the new millennium. So how hard could it be to save the entire planet by the year 2000?

You can continue by reading here.

-danny

Will Style Save Us?

I did an interview with StyleWillSaveUs recently and it's recently been posted up live.

I like this website to find out the latest in stylish green and gorgeous goodies for the home, for fashion, skin care and much more.     It's definitely worth bookmarking and checking out often for greatest and latest.

Anyway, this interview with StyleWillSaveUS focuses on my work with Country Home magazine, including a fun project involving simple ways to recycle old wineglasses and other chipped glassware into new warm and inviting candles. 

Here's a sneak peek:

Is the Fax Machine Obsolete?

About once a month, I go through the house with a very large shopping bag and fill it up with old clothes, books, dishware and other items I no longer need and donate it to Goodwill.    It's not a lot of stuff each month, but I find it's an effective way to keep my home clutter-free and manageable.    I guess it's in response to those organization shows on HGTV where you see people's homes in total disarray.   S-C-A-R-Y.

Anyway, I recently decided to donate my fax machine.    It's been holed up in the closet in the guest room ever since I moved into my house.   I realized I have never used it and never needed it.

In the past, I used my fax machine all the time: sign contracts, fax them over.    Review paper, mark changes, fax it over.    Fax layouts.   Receive faxes.   It never ended.

Then I did everything online.    Created PDFs of everything and even had electronic signatures to sign contracts.   People PREFERRED it this way.    Pretty soon, I never used the fax.  In fact, if someone ever needed to fax me something, I just gave them my EFax number which works like a traditional fax but transits the document to my email account.

So, I ask: Is the fax machine obsolete?    What good is it when everything can be done online via e-mail?   

Haystack Screensaver

I'm not the most technologically-savvy person out there.   So, I don't change the backdrop artwork on my laptop often.  Actually, I think I've only done it once.

But here is a digital shot of some haystacks that I shot on a visit in California about a year ago.   It was on an all-organic dairy farm where they made the most exquisite cheeses.   I just loved the height of the haystacks, the swing placed in front, the old car positioned just say to the left.  You'd think Ralph Lauren styled this himself!

But everytime I'm stuck on a plane to who-knows-where and I have to buckle down and work, it's kinda nice to see this pop up on the screen.   So, click on the image, right click save and feel free to make it your own, too.

Ipod Repair

I recently had problems with my Ipod.   Suddenly, early morning in Miami as I woke up early to go for a run on the beach, my Ipod decided to act up.   The sound would only come out of the right headphone and not the left.   Annoying.     So I assumed it was the headphones.   New pair, same problem.   Something was up.

I'm a big believer in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and REPAIR.   So I headed to apple.com and researched a bit how I could get my IPOD repaired.    Go visit a genius at the Apple store to fix the problem. So I made an online appointment, got myself to the store 30 minutes early, and then waited an hour after my appointed time.

"We can't fix this.  In fact, we don't fix anything," the IPOD genius told me.

"Is it fixable?   You can't fix it?   I'll pay to have someone fix it," I protested.

"Apple doesn't fix Ipods...we replace them.   If you have nothing else that needs help, I would suggest you buy a new one and get 10% off your purchase by handing in your old one."

But I was determined.  How hard could it be to fix it?     With a bit of online research, I found a whole world of techno people who gave tips and advice how to fix IPODS.   Turns out, my problem was not so difficult: the pressure from the headphones being ALWAYS plugged into the jack pushed the inside mechanicisms astray.  It just needed to be readjusted.

I took a blunt credit card, pryed open the IPOD, used the eraser part of a pencil to push the jack back into place, and voila!   Fixed!   Yippee!   

Money saved and totally repaired.     Now, I'm sure I should put a disclaimer her that fixing your own IPOD voids the warranty and it could crack the case and blah, blah, blah.   But since I had nothing to lose (not to mention this very old IPOD was definitely not under warranty), I figured what did I have to lose. 

Hmm... now I'm looking at that Dyson vacuum I've had for years.  There's a hole in the extender arm that needs repairing.   Let me google vacuum repair now...

TV, VCR, Computer Recycling

I think the #1 question I've been getting lately is "how do I recycle my VCR?"  or "How do I recycle my old TV?"  with the occasional computer or battery recycling questions thrown in the mix.

In the past, if you wanted to recycle your electronics, you needed to contact your local sanitation department or find an out-of-the-way recycling center that didn't really cater to consumers.    But things are a changin'! 

In SF, there's a growing chain of drop off centers called GREEN CITIZEN where you can drop off just about anything electronic to be taken apart and recycled.    There are lots of metals and bits and parts in things from your inkjet printer to laser disc player (what were you thinking?).   Many items they'll take free of charge, and some have a nominal fee to process it.

Considering how much electronic waste there is in the world, this is clearly the right thing to do.  Here's to hoping more Green Citizen shops will open soon. If you're in SF, well... aren't you lucky!