What Do Composting and Identity Theft Have in Common?

Hey Mr. Green,

We shred a lot of typical white paper at work because of confidentiality concerns. Is this paper safe to use in garden compost? I'd love to be able to use it but don't know about the chemicals in the paper or the printer ink.

--Katy in La Canada Flintridge, California

As any inmate of a cubicle can tell you, the paperless office has not arrived: we're using 4 million tons of copy paper a year.  The good news is that only a third of the material to make paper comes directly from trees. A third of it is from recycling and another third from sawmill waste, according to the EPA. 

It is indeed safe use this office paper in compost, according to the U.S. Composting Council and other sources. I have even come across studies that show that paper actually has lower levels of contaminants than typical yard waste—not that your typical yard waste is unsafe.  Paper helps absorb water, which can help prevent your compost from stalling into the saturated, odorous gunk that tends to trouble the fastidious composter. It also provides carbon, an essential ingredient in compost,  since a 30-to-1 ratio of carbon to nitrogen is ideal for happy production.

If mulching works in your garden (i.e., doesn't shelter slugs and snails), you could also use the frizzy paper for this purpose.

In general, however, the soundest use of this paper is simply to recycle it to make more paper. After all, paper can be recycled five to seven times before the fibers become too short to be resurrected into new paper.

Did Pesticide Whack My Birdies?

Hey Mr. Green,

I usually don't use herbicides or pesticides on my lawn, but I'm planning to sell the house and wanted to appeal to more buyers, so I used them. I noticed the robins were gone right away and didn't come back. Is this connection possible after one application?

--Maxine in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota

It is indeed possible that the pesticides whacked your robins. According to our friends at the Audubon Society, there are a dozen pesticides approved for home use that could kill birds. The roster of these toxic substances (some of which may also be harmful to humans) is at http://bit.ly/pesticidechart.

U.S. farmers take heat for their pesticide use, but the sad fact is that the country's home owners recklessly slather on the stuff in far greater concentrations. According to the EPA, households apply 85 million pounds to 17 million residential acres, or 5 pounds per acre, while farmers use about 1.4 pounds per acre on 815 million acres of crops and pasture.
We've already done enough harm to the birdies--like my beloved bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks, whose populations have dropped more than 50 percent over the past 40 years.

So let's hope and pray that the real estate crash doesn't prompt millions of panicked home owners to dump yet more pesticides on their lawns to regain property value. I'd hate to see birds become the latest victims of greedy banking schemes and derivative sharks.
It's easy to learn to care for gardens with minimal or no use of pesticides; check out http://bit.ly/lawncare.

Carpools vs. Crotch Rockets

Hey Mr. Green,

Do two people in a car produce fewer total emissions per person than one rider on a motorcycle?

--Jason in South Pasadena, California

Motorcycles, being much smaller than cars, can burn way less fuel, and therefore can emit less carbon dioxide. But not all crotch rockets are created equal, so two folks in a car could easily produce less CO2 than one motorcycle rider, depending on the bike's engine size. Honda's 1,832-cubic-centimeter Gold Wing, for instance, gets only an estimated 36 miles per gallon, while its little 108-cc Elite scooter buzzes along at 107 mpg.

Smaller models of many other brands also burn way less fuel than their big brothers.
Pollution-wise, however, many motorcycles are nowhere near as clean as cars, because they are allowed to emit higher levels of such pollutants as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. Even under the EPA's latest standards, a bike can legally gurgle out almost 20 times as much hydrocarbon as a midsize car, while some older bikes can produce 90 times as much. So, if solo commuters would get social and carpool, autos could handily beat many motorcycles.

That said, it's a shame so many Americans, unlike Europeans, still regard motorcycles not as modest, low-impact transportation, but instead as macho lifestyle statements--like Star Motorcycle's 1,700-cc VMAX, advertised as an "iconic beast" and the "ultimate muscle bike." That's the sort of hog the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson rode with Hell's Angel Sonny Barger at a velocity rivaling that achieved when they blasted Thompson's ashes out of a cannon at his funeral.

So motorcycles have an identity crisis similar to that of bicycles: Just as pedal-powered two-wheelers have yet to be fully liberated from the realm of recreational toys and taken seriously as transportation, motorcycles need to go beyond noise and testosterone to play a bigger role as earth-friendly transport.

A Question of Appliances

Hey Mr. Green,

Can I get a federal tax credit by upgrading the large appliances in my house, which are probably 20 years old? I mean the refrigerator, washer, dryer, and water heater. Even without a tax credit, I'd like to upgrade at least one of these energy hogs. If can't do them all at once, which would be the most cost- and energy-saving one to upgrade?

–Sam in Santa Fe, New Mexico

There are indeed federal tax credits available for some appliances, and for quite a number of other home improvements ranging from windows to roofs to geothermal heating setups. Given our perennial wailing about high taxes, it's a shame we don't hear more about such benefits. According to Energystar.gov, qualifying products purchased up until December 31, 2010 are eligible for a rebate of up to 30 percent of the product's price. And since you live in a sunny state, you might consider solar water heaters, some of which are eligible for a 30 percent credit with no limit on cost. But the water-heater credits (and some others) do expire at the end of this year, so don't procrastinate unless you're sure we can whip Congress into shape and get extensions soon. To find out more about eligibility, click here. Your tax dollars at work—cutting your taxes.

A variety of other rebates are available from utilities and manufacturers that partner with EPA's Energy Star program; click here for more information.

With regard to prioritizing your replacements, a lot depends on the actual condition of the appliances, but I'd start with the refrigerator or the clothes washer, because they use more energy than any other appliances, and huge improvements have been made in their efficiency. For example, a refrigerator made prior to 1993 can use twice as much power as a new model; replacing one that’s more than 10 years old can save you $135 per year. To get more precise savings estimates for appliances, see the EPA's online calculators here (fridge) and here (washing machine).

Next, look at the water heater. Efficient new ones can use 10 to 50 percent less energy than older models, but because it's easy to drastically cut hot water use, I'd make cuts first before getting a new water heater. Simply washing with cold water when feasible can work wonders. You can get further reductions by installing low-flow shower heads and filling the dishwasher completely before running it. Once you've got all that down, then look into new heaters. A tankless or on-demand model is often the most efficient (but expensive) choice, because it doesn't have to keep the water constantly heated.

Dryers get the lowest priority. They generally burn less energy than fridges or washing machines of the same age, and most of the time you don't even need 'em. “Solar drying” on a clothesline or indoor drying on a clothes rack is far more efficient.

The Enduring Diaper Question

Hey Mr. Green,

A comment rather than a question on your "Great Diaper Debate" answer in Sierra magazine. A benefit you didn't mention for cloth is that those same diapers work for the next kid too. After two kids, about half my supply of prefolded cloth diapers was still in good enough condition to give to an expecting friend, and the rest made great cleaning rags.

The non-prefolded kind are the world's best multipurpose cloth, especially for backpacking: You can use them as head coverings for sun or wind, emergency arm slings, tight wraps for a strained knee, face coverings for dusty trails, quick-drying bath towels, cleaning rags, and so on. My youngest is now 24 and I'm still using and enjoying a few of those diapers!

–Jan in Clovis, California

Thanks for advancing the cause of cloth diapers, in the best tradition of reduce, reuse, and recycle. I didn't have room to note this benefit, but reusability and immense longevity does go a long way toward offsetting the environmental stress caused by growing cotton for the diapers. Unless you're afflicted with empty-nest syndrome, there can be an inexpressible joy and a sense of release in deploying diapers on an outdoor recreational jaunt instead of on—a baby.

Some readers even advise doing away with diapers entirely, though they may be suggesting more "communication" with baby than many of us stay-at-home parents can handle. However, because there’s an obvious environmental upside in backside alternatives, we offer the following description of diaperless baby management from a reader who advocates it:

"All over the world, people employ knowledge and techniques that allow their babies to wear few or no diapers at all. This process of dealing hygienically with babies' waste is variously called 'elimination communication,' 'EC,' or 'infant potty-training' by people who are relearning this ancient art of baby care. Elimination communication involves observing a baby's signs and signals, providing cue sounds, and can be done with or without diaper use. Another bonus, besides reduced diaper costs and laundry: no potty-training necessary, since baby hasn't been diaper-trained in the first place! EC can be practiced full-time or just occasionally, started at birth or at 9 months or older. The best part: learning to communicate with your baby is fun, something that changing poopy diapers really isn't, whether they're plastic or cloth. For more information and resources, visit www.diaperfreebaby.org."