LIVING ROOM: Books Borrowed and Bought

A discussion with my good friend Gioia in Washington Heights (NYC) sparked this entry to The Green Apartment. Gioia is very proud about her consumption of used books, and for good cause! As with most shopping habits, trying to be a responsible consumer of the printed word is tied to using as little resources as possible. Below are resources you can use to feed your need -happy hunting!

Libraries. The U.S. public library system is an easy, free, and generally familiar way to take advantage of used books. Before going back to school, I must admit that it had been quite a while since I had stepped into a library branch. Gioia, too, claimed that she was not within a reasonable distance from a branch. She was wrong - sorry G! There is one just six "short-blocks" away from her apartment!

The nicest thing about libraries these days? Most library systems, including the New York Public Library and my Boston Public Library, allow you to reserve and renew books online, and you can even request for them to be delivered from other branches. That way you know before you head out that you're not wasting a trip to pick up your literature of choice! Not sure where your nearest public library branch is? Check out this handy library search!

Book Exchanges. My problem (or one of them, anyways) is that I am overly attached to my books. Even as a child, I always treated them with great care, and I loathed to give them up, even temporarily, for fear that they will come back with pages folded back and stained or spines cracked from improper storage. While I've gotten more trusting in my book-lending habits, I still love my growing collection. If you, like me, are looking for free books to keep for your very own, or if you are looking to unload some that are taking too much space in your Green Apartment, here are some websites that might put you on the right track:

• Freecycle.org - A network of gift-givers. People post items they want to find or to get rid of, and their fellow freecyclers respond in kind. Everything is exchanged for free. Very cool.
  
• Craigslist - While most of you Apartmenters have probably checked out CL to find roommates, buy a guitar, or search for jobs, perhaps you haven't checked out two of their handy sections: Free, and Books. Often you can find books for almost nothing!

Bricks and Clicks. There are many fine purveyors of used books scattered across every city I've lived in. These range from those selling rare antique volumes to those in a dollar-bin jumble. My current favorites in the Boston area include Brookline Booksmith and Boston Book Annex, and in Minnesota, Half Price Books, mostly because I'd much rather support an independent book-seller than the alternative. Plus, you have to love the Boston Book Annex's feline shop-keepers. You can find your nearest used book seller (and lots of other independent businesses) on Yelp.com.

There are many online used book sellers, including Abe Books, and Half.com (a branch of eBay). Though somewhat obvious, Amazon.com hosts an impressively robust selection of used books from sellers worldwide. I've always had good luck through them for both text and personal books, though I generally check out the seller's rating before making my purchases.

Where do you get your used books? Leave a comment telling where it is and why you're a fan!

LIVING ROOM: Organic Flower Delivery

Organic Flower Delivery. I have always found some way to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. This year, however, with the cost of oil dramatically affecting travel prices, and my job search affecting my own travel budget, it doesn't look like I'll be able to make it back home. So while I will be making my own delicious meal (try making this yummy pumpkin bread recipe using organic ingredients), I'm going to make sure that my family has a little treat of their own.

My big plan? I'm going to send them an edible organic Six Herb Wreath from Organic Bouquet. I've sent flowers and plants from Organic Bouquet in the past, and they always arrive as ordered, on time, and their products cost about the same as those of other flower delivery services. Many of their Charitable Bouquets even benefit nonprofit organizations such as The Nature Conservancy.

Of course, delivery uses its own share of fuel, but shopping from sustainable companies supports the entire green market, and as the supply grows, it should bring down prices.

LIVING ROOM: CFL Light Bulbs

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs. This is one product that's been big in the media lately. CFL's are well known as an energy-saving lighting alternative. In February of 2007, Australia went so far as to announce a national phase-out of traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2009. According to Energy Star, each CFL uses 75% less energy than its traditional counterpart, and can save thirty dollars or more over its lifetime. This far outweighs its higher purchase price.

The reason I had not included this product before now is that I felt uneasy recommending a light bulb that I know contains mercury, and as of yet does not have a widely-accessible recycling system. I consulted with some friends who graduated from an environmental program at Duke. They gave me some insight:

Retailers are already beginning to establish CFL Recycling Drop-offs, such as Ikea's impressive national recycling program, and the CFL Recycling event hosted by Walmart on June 23rd. Because residential CFL's are guaranteed for last at least two years, and on average last ten times longer than incandescents, by the time most of my CFL's die, such programs will have had years to be fully-established.

LIVING ROOM: Window Insulation

3M Indoor Window Insulator Kit. The first winter I lived in Boston, many evenings were spent huddled on the couch in layers upon layers of sweaters, blankets, scarves and winter hats. And while I'm all for adding layers instead of cranking up the thermostat, the brisk wind rushing past my head was not a welcome guest. Enough was enough. I threw on my boots (I was already wearing my jacket) and headed up to the local hardware store.

Less than twenty dollars and just over an hour later, the windows in my living room - including one extremely old and leaky five by six foot window - were sealed shut. And it was easy! I cut the rolls of clear film (like saran wrap but without the cling) into rectangles to fit my windows, ran double-stick tape around the edges of my windows, and attached the film to the tape. To fully-seal the edges and remove all of the wrinkles and waves in the film, I used my hair blow-dryer - from one upper-corner to the opposite lower-corner. The result was a crystal-clear layer of plastic across each of my windows.

Of course, this means I'm using additional petroleum-based plastic, but i think that the energy-savings and added comfort attained without adding additional heat sources makes up for that, especially since I'm renting, and cannot replace the windows with newer, more energy-efficient ones.

I got my kit at Model Hardware, an Allston branch of the Ace Hardware chain that supports local nonprofits through the Boston Community Change network. This type of product is probably made by other brands, but I'm originally a Minnesota girl, and 3M just joined the Clinton Climate initiative! Check out the Clinton Foundation's work to green the C40 - the world's largest forty cities!This product has made a world of difference in my apartment!