Brainstorming holiday presents? Here are a few gift options, all of which are kind to you, your budget, & the planet.
​Each idea also reduces clutter, either directly—like giving your used clothing to seasonal drives—or indirectly: e.g., event tickets don’t take up space or require gift wrapping.
Consider giving:

• ​Time. Offer to watch a friend’s kids or walk their dog, so your pal can have some “me” time without having to pay a babysitter. You could even make fun, personalized “gift certificates” for them to redeem.
• Electronic gift cards. Skip the plastic card and reduce environmental waste!
• Donations, perhaps in a loved one’s honor. Pick a charity the recipient would find meaningful and give an amount you can afford. You can request that the charity notify the recipient by email, rather than postal mail, to save paper.
• Gently used winter clothes & accessories, to charitable drives for low-income people. Gifts aren’t just for family, friends, and people you know personally!
• A shared experience with your loved one: support the arts by purchasing tickets to local dance, music, theatre, or other performances. If you’re not sure where to start, try the nearest community college: it likely has a performing arts department or group. Buy museum memberships and check out exhibits together. Contact the animal shelter to see what they need (food? beds?), buy it, and play with the animals when you drop it off!

Happy gifting!

The DC Department of Public Works has a brief, informative video on which take-out food containers are recyclable.
[Note: Unfortunately, this video lacks captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing viewers. If you’d like a transcript, I’m happy to prepare one (at no charge, of course): please contact me.]

Organizing your trash and recyclables may seem daunting, but it’s worth it: for the planet, for future generations, and for your own health!
Recycling electronics (vs. throwing them in a landfill) helps prevent toxic chemicals from leaching into our water and food.
​
If you’d like help designing a functional, unobtrusive, even stylish (!) recycling system, please get in touch!

Binder pencil cases are inexpensive all year round, but especially now, when back-to-school supplies are on clearance.
It’s a great time of year to stock up on cases for your home, office, car, gym bag... you name it!
The cases are perfectly sized for your:

• ​backup smartphone battery pack and wall charger
• swim cap, goggles, and combination lock for the pool
• keep-kids-occupied kit (ideal for unexpected delays during errands, at the doctor, etc.): game cards, stickers, finger puppets, crayons, origami paper
• & more!

Long time, no post, for the best of reasons: I've been busy with a fun and fascinating range of client projects!

So, if you're like many people, you have a Post-it/sticky note habit... which makes sense because they're just so handy. This is not judgment, but rather offering information so you can make the decisions that feel right for you.

Sticky notes:

• Usually cost you money, unless you get them for free from your job or a promo
• Definitely cost us trees
• Are frustrating when you can't find a specific note--or when it turns out the adhesive weakened and the note fell somewhere
• Also, did you know that sticky notes can damage your books and damage recycling equipment?!

If you want to save money, trees, and time spent on the floor searching for Post-its... you've come to the right place! 

Here are a few suggestions to reduce the eco-impact of sticky notes. These are roughly in order of increasing eco-friendliness:

• If you're buying stickies, get recycled ones that are also compatible with future recycling, like these (as always, no product endorsement implied: this is just an example).
• Use scrap paper for jotting notes or reminders
• Purchase a reusable, erasable board, ideally something glass instead of plastic
• Use a note-taking app on your phone: Apple also offers a proprietary Notes app, while Google has a Reminders function in Google Calendar. There are also many free options in app stores. 
  • Most of these programs are searchable and back up to the cloud, so you never have to worry about losing a specific note again!

I can install your home security technology.

Washington, DC residents: did you know that the DC government offers a big $$$ rebate for security cameras? You can get up to $500 back for cameras installed at your home, and $750 for cameras installed elsewhere.

In order to get the rebate, however, you need to be able to prove that the cameras are installed. Please contact me, and I'll help you get your rebate!

Official rebate program info is here.

Use the cameras for kindness! Monitor a pet who's outside during the day, check for delivery of medication and other important packages, ensure your child has arrived home from school safely, and more!

Don't worry about a minor bump to your bag resulting in a broken mouse.
​Instead, protect your tech on the go with this sturdy, transparent case... that you may already have in your pantry!

NOTE: Before you empty a folder, remember to double-check inside for any individual files you still want!
1) Empty your computer’s Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac)
2) Delete old bookmarks from your browser
3) Empty your browser’s Downloads folder
4) Close old browser tabs
5) Bonus Tip: Create a “Spare Time Reading” filter/folder in your email inbox for non-urgent items

Overwhelmed by tech peripherals?

• Unsure which cords and chargers to keep?
• Don't know which CDs, USB ("flash") drives, and external hard drives you need? 
• Want to retrieve info saved on floppy disks, but lack a floppy drive on your computer?

Please reach out! We do all of the above, and much more!
​

Zero Waste DC is a wonderful resource. Type in any unwanted items--e.g., hangers, old clothes, outdated electronics--and the site tells you how to dispose of them in a safe, eco-friendly way. The site even includes links to local charities that will accept your item(s)!

Zero Waste DC also provides a massive Google Docs spreadsheet, listing stores and nonprofits where you can shop for used items, donate them, or get items repaired.

Finally--and my personal favorite--you can even play a DC-specific, online computer game (no downloads or special gaming system required!) to learn more about disposing of unwanted items. This is a fun way to teach your children about recycling and being kind to the earth. Check out the screen capture below!

#CarbonDatingYourCarryon #DidYouKnow #OrganizationObservation

You can often make a pretty good guess about when a work/school bag was manufactured, based on what technology it was designed to hold. 

Does your bag have a pocket for a portable CD-ROM player ("Discman")? An iPod pocket? A laptop sleeve, tablet sleeve, both? A zip-up case for wireless headphones?

None of the above, because none of those technologies had been invented yet?

Older bags can still be useful: those padded Discman pockets are just right to prevent a sandwich from getting squished! :)

Ensure that every bag, regardless of its age, is meeting your or your child's current needs. 

A site like ebags.com or backpacks.com can help you get a sense of your options and filter bags by your exact preferences: everything from whether the bag includes a water bottle pocket to if it can fit your 17" laptop.* 

Can you find what you need in your bag, quickly and easily? Is your bag supporting you in staying organized?
If not, consider #donating the bag and re-evaluating what you actually carry.

I can help you think critically about both your possessions and options for transporting them.

[Your donated bag likely has the perfect number, size, and arrangement of compartments... for somebody else!]

*No endorsement of either site is implied.