Image by vagawi 

Whenever you have tires that just don’t have any tread left on them it’s time to get rid of them.  But what happens to tires that are worn down or no longer able to be used effectively?  Is there a biofriendly way to recycle them?  What kinds of things can be made by recycling tires?

First of all, before I go into tire recycling, let me mention a few tips to improve the life of your tires.  Make sure you rotate your tires regularly and keep them properly inflated.  Keeping your car tuned up (regular oil changes, using a proven fuel additive, tuning up your brakes, etc), driving on paved roads, ensuring your car isn’t weighed down with heavy items and even car-pooling are also steps that can help improve the life of your tires.  

But, when the time has come time to trade in those worn tires and get new ones, make sure you take your tires to a company that will recycle them.  Recycled tires can be used for a wide variety of products and with approximately 290 million tires discarded every year, recycling them is vital. 

For example, Vulcana® has a leather alternative (RubbRe™), which is made using recycled rubber from tires that were dumped in landfills.  Recycled tires can be used as planters in gardens or for that all-important tire swing in the backyard.  There are even companies who make tire mulch for use in gardens and playgrounds.  Mats, runners and truck bed liners are also common uses for recycled tires.   Another great use is as a fuel supplement for power plants, steel mills, etc.

Needless to say, there is no reason to fill up landfills with “used” tires when there are so many products that can be made by recycling tires.  Additionally, biofriendly tire advances continue to be made, like the researchers at Oregon State figuring out a way to “insert cellulosic plant material into tires, thereby cutting down the amount of dirty carbon black needed to make tires“.   Their cellulosic tires are not only more biofriendly, but have better traction on wet surfaces and are less affected by the heat.  Sounds like a winner all around!

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I’m not sure what your weather has been like, but where I am, we’ve been hitting temperatures in the 90-100+ range. (It was 105 a few weeks ago, with the inside temperature already at 82 before 7am.)  So obviously, one of the things I worry about is our energy/electric bill.  I need to ensure it doesn’t get too warm in the house for my two kids and our dog, but I can’t afford to be wasting money either.

Now, I know basic steps to ensure I keep my energy costs down and I’m sure you do too.  You could go out and invest in solar panels or a wind turbine…both good things to do…but let me start with some of the simpler steps each of us can take to cut down on our energy costs right away:

• If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, get one! I usually set ours to around 80-81 degrees, so the A/C won’t click on until then.  This way I don’t have to constantly check the temperature in our house and I cut down electricity costs by not running the A/C all day. (Did you know that for every degree you raise your thermostat, it will save you about 3-4% on your energy bill?)
• If you have east/west facing windows, be sure to keep the blinds closed during the time of the day when the sun is shining directly in the windows.  This will help keep the heat out.  Why make your A/C work overtime when it doesn’t need to?
• Since north and south facing windows don’t usually get direct sunlight, opening the blinds will help let in some natural light.  This will help brighten your house during the day and save costs on lighting.  No need to have the lights on inside when you get some light from the beautiful outdoors.
• When you leave the house, to enjoy some time outside, ensure you turn off the A/C. Don’t keep it running when nobody is in the house. Believe it or not, the inside temperature won’t go up that much while you are gone.
• If you have ceiling fans, use them.  They don’t cost very much to run.  Besides if it is a nice day and you have a house that has a relatively open floor plan, you can always open your windows and let the cross-breezes flow through your house to help cool it down.  This also usually brings in a fresh, clean smell.
• Make sure you replace or clean your air filter regularly.  We do ours usually every 3 months or when we notice it is getting clogged up.  Doing this helps ensure your A/C doesn’t have to work harder to deliver the same amount of cool air.
• If you have an older refrigerator, you may want to look at trading it in for a new one as it is probably using a lot of electricity.  Many stores will take your old one (when you buy a new one) and recycle it.  One area’s utility company even set up a “Cash for Clunkers” trade-in program for old refrigerators.
• Make sure the seals on your fridge/freezer are tight.  We had a fridge that had a broken seal.  It wouldn’t fully close and so whenever we came back into the kitchen, we would see the refrigerator light on.  We solved it by putting a child lock on the refrigerator door (which we needed anyway for our toddler).  This kept the door fully closed.
• Make sure you do only full loads in your dishwasher or washing machine.  Don’t overstuff them, but make sure they are full – doing that will save energy.  Plus washing dishes or clothes in the evening hours or early morning, when it is cooler, helps as well.
• Hang your clothes out to dry.  It gets you time outside and will save on dryer costs.  If you do use the dryer, make sure you clean the lint trap after every use, so it doesn’t work overtime. 
• Did you know that electronic devices such as computers and stereos can sometimes account for up to 25% of a typical household’s electricity use?  When you aren’t using them, turn them off and unplug them.  Power strips work great for this as you can plug everything into the power strip then turn it off when not in use.

Anyway, by following these simple tips you are pretty much guaranteed to save on your energy bills.  So before you start pulling your hair out or deciding that you have to leave your A/C off all day, try following these tips first.  What steps do you take to lower your energy costs?

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One of the things I always see are articles covering biofriendly cleaning tips for around the home.  What I haven’t seen much of are tips for cleaning your car.  Since most people spend hours a day in their car, you’d think they’d want to ensure their car was clean, smelled fresh and wasn’t full of toxic odors.

Many cleaners, and especially car cleaners, contain chemicals that while they might “clean” your dashboard, seats, console, etc., they don’t do anything for the environment or for the air you are breathing.  Besides, unless you have a convertible, you are going to spend your drive in the confined space of your car, breathing in the chemicals you cleaned with.  Personally, I can’t stand the smell of store-bought car cleaners or air fresheners, convertible or not.  I mean really, who needs a “pine tree” air freshener hanging from their rear-view mirror?

So, here are some biofriendly tips for cleaning your car:

• Rather than using a store-bought cleaner for the leather inside your car, try linseed oil.  It is a great natural cleaner and helps protect the leather.  If you want to get a store-bought cleaner, try organic leather cleaners.
• Some people like to wash their own car rather than taking it to a car wash (NOTE: Many car washes are designed to recycle and reuse the soapy water so it doesn’t just run into the nearest storm drain.)  If you want to wash your car, remember to turn the water off when you aren’t using it.  Then use an environmentally-friendly car soap such as No Rinse™ Wash & Shine, which they say requires only 1-2 gallons of water to wash your entire car.
• For an air freshener, make your own. Here is a good tip from Planet Green on how to do that.  The nice thing about home-made fresheners is you can make one to match a scent you like and it doesn’t have the chemicals other air fresheners have.
• Then don’t forget to clean the inside of your car’s engine by using an effective fuel additive.  An effective fuel additive will help create a more complete burn of the fuel you are putting into your car.  This way you won’t end up with as much sludge.  Instead, you’ll increase fuel efficiency and generate less harmful emissions.  Good for you and your car.

Choosing to use biofriendly cleaning products for your car is a personal choice.  But why bother spending the money on costly cleaners full of chemicals when natural cleaners will do the trick, without the harm to you or the environment.  What are your biofriendly car cleaning tips?