Recycling, as you probably know, is the reprocessing of materials into new products. This saves energy and virgin or raw materials, and decreases water and air pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Although these days everyone seems to be talking about it, there is still much confusion about what to recycle and what not to recycle, so here is a quick review:

• Check out the general guidelines for conventional recycling below. Before applying, however, be sure to contact your municipality for local rules. Some municipalities may recycle items in the “shouldn’t” category below. For example, the City of Pasadena recycles Styrofoam and plastic bags, while other cities do not.

** Some grocery stores recycle clean plastic bags even if your municipality does not, so check your local stores!

• Drop off toxic items such as rechargeable batteries, some household cleaners (read the label), and paint at a hazardous waste site near you. Alkaline batteries may be thrown in with regular trash, but again, double-check with your state or municipality!

• And what about your iPod, cell phone, and computer, you ask? Many manufacturers have a take-back policy. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition is a great resource that lists some large manufacturers’ policies. In addition, there are groups that coordinate recycling of cell phones, such as the Wireless Alliance.

• Make recycling easy by placing containers in accessible areas. No more excuses like “it’s too far away” or “it’s too much effort!” If you are tight on space, consider a space-saving recycling device such as the EcoPod or if you drink lots of soda, you can get a (much) cheaper can crusher.

Still want more info? Go to Obviously.com or general recycling info and Rethink for e-cycling.

The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and the days are getting longer. It’s that time of year again - spring cleaning (for those of you who rarely clean, this is the time to pick up the mop or sponge!). This is the perfect time to change your cleaning habits and make them healthier:

• Switch to non-toxic cleaners: I’ve said it before, but like many things, it’s worth repeating: conventional household cleaners have many chemicals that affect our health - you don’t want to use them if you can help it. Non-toxic cleaners are available at health food stores and at regular drugstores, as well as on the Internet. You can also make your own with ingredients such as lemon juice, borax, baking soda and vinegar. It’s actually not too hard, even for people like me, who don’t follow recipes too well.
• Put away the broom: Sweeping scatters dust while vacuuming removes it. According to the American Lung Association, household dust and pet dander can trigger asthma attacks. Even for the rest of us, it’s better to not inhale the stuff. Use a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter, which removes at least 99.97% of allergens and contaminants. The IQAir air purifier was rated as the best by the Allergy Buyers Club (from $649), though there are other less expensive vacuums on the market that can be just as effective for individuals without sensitivities.
• Get rid of clutter: Do the one-year test - if you haven’t used it in the past year, get rid of it. Clutter accumulates more dust and takes up space (not to mention it can make the house into an obstacle course). Give your items away to a happy home using freecycle or donate them to a local charity. You can also use those old shirts as rags to clean with instead of using synthetic sponges. Dispose of items such as batteries and conventional paints at a hazardous waste site, and set your books free or donate them to the local library. And straighten out and organize the rest of your things!
• Open the windows: Fresh air is great for ventilating the house, and the air outside is fresher than indoor air, that’s for sure. In case you weren’t aware, indoor air is 3 to 5 times as polluted as outdoor air according to the EPA. This is due to the pollutants from furniture and materials in the house, as well as to human activities.

Now you can take a deep breath - feels great, doesn’t it? If you’ve got other healthy spring cleaning tips, do share!

It was about 10:30 and the end of day one in San Ignacio just a few nights ago. The revelry had died down and we are all going to sleep. I wrote this but had no way of sending it, so I am posting it now. I took just a minute to tell you about what an amazing day it had been there.

We had flown down from Santa Monica in about 3 1/2 hours, landing on a dusty strip in the middle of nowhere. But that is how we like it - keep this place remote and undeveloped. It is the last refuge left in the world for Gray Whales on their spring migration. When we arrived the weather was perfect and we were greeted by Serge from Wild Coast. A dedicated and visionary fellow conservationist, he is committed to saving this refuge from the greed of the world and so far he has done a great job. He had arranged for us to go out on the water and we were greeted by the most incredible whale experience even he had ever seen. Calves and mothers were all over the place. They came right up to the boat, and several pairs stayed with us for the entire afternoon. One enormous mother kept rolling on her back waiting for belly scratches and even came up under the boat and lifted us effortlessly about one-third out of the water.

It was magic, not only because of the amazing care and time the whales gave to us, but because I was here, in Baja filming Gray Whales just like my father and mother had 40 years ago. Just like they were then, the whales are still in trouble now, and today the threat isn’t just development and fishing, but climate change. We live in a global world, and the Grays are the canary in the coal mine for the effects of climate change. They spend three to four months out of the year here, mating and giving birth, and then the rest of the year they head north to the Bering and Chukchi Seas, where they gorge themselves on small invertebrates living in the sand at the bottom. As the ocean warms, these traditional food sources are either moving further north or disappearing, and the whales are having difficulty adapting. Who knows what the future holds.

While whaling is no longer a threat to these goliaths, man is still promising to wipe them from the face of the earth. Yet, being there amongst so many people who are dedicated to their survival, I can’t help but have hope. After the film shoot we spent the evening signing songs and eating fantastic Mexican food, and yes, drinking a little tequila. The crew and the local fishermen and whale guides sharing a common passion that bridged any language or cultural barrier, and for a few hours we were all family. The experience today is one I won’t ever forget, I just hope that such an experience will be here for our children to see for themselves.

Well, I am off on the first of my trips to film for Springwatch. We are filming Gray Whales in Laguna San Ignacio, and right about now I am flying over San Diego in a single engine puddle jumper. I can’t say the size of this thing has inspired much confidence (you couldn’t swing a dead cat in here), but our pilot is awesome and, though we’re joking about it, the ride is great. Beats driving (15 hours offroad from San Diego).

We’ll be in the Bay for about three days and I must say I’m looking forward to it. This is where my father filmed Gray Whales almost 40 years ago and to go back is going to be pretty amazing. A lot has changed in 40 years, and most of it for the worse.

Time to go to work. You get up, have some breakfast (or not), brush your teeth and…walk ten feet to your desk. If you telecommute, have a home-based business, or have a home office for any other reason, it’s time to think about making it a healthier place in which to work. Take your pick of the steps below, or do them all. Your boss will thank you for it (that’s you, in case you’re looking around):

1. Recycle paper: First things first…recycling is something that should be a given by now. Since about 1/3 of the waste stream that goes to landfills is paper, you’ll be helping to save a lot of landfill space by recycling. In case you’re wondering how long you can keep it from the landfill, paper can be recycled about five times before the fibers weaken.
2. Save paper: Stop more trees from getting cut down: a) Use “print preview” on your computer to review, edit, or format a doc instead of printing it out; b) Email or e-fax docs instead of printing them out (and if you do fax docs, make sure the fax doesn’t use thermal paper; c)Use the duplexing (double-sided printing) functionality when printing and copying; and d) Save paper that is blank on one side to use as scrap paper.
3. Ok, not just paper: Recycling doesn’t just apply to paper. Don’t forget about that can of Coke (not too healthy, I might add) or bottle of juice (better!). Aside from the obvious, some things that might be overlooked include electronics, toner, and office equipment, which you can donate instead of throwing out. There are many sites out there for toner and electronics recycling, so take a look at some that fit your needs.
4. Save energy: Working from home means your energy bills will be higher, so be mindful, for your pocket and the planet. Electronics still consume energy even they are turned off, not to mention that EMFs (electro-magnetic fields) are not too good for you.
5. So: a) Turn off the laptop, printer or fax when you’re done, and unplug any electronics that are not in use (you can also get a SmartStrip and let it do the work for you); b) Turn off the lights when you’re not in the room; c) Replace incandescent lights with CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) and use task-oriented lights when overhead lights aren’t needed; d) Enable energy saving features on your computer, printer and photocopier; and e) Adjust the temperature in the room (higher temps in the summer, lower in the winter).
6. Save toner: Use less toner by selecting “draft” printouts when using the “print” command on your computer; this can also be set as the default. And when you get the “toner low” light on the printer, you may not necessarily need to replace it yet. Just take it out, shake it gently, and put it back in. When it really needs replacing, the toner light will stay on even after you’ve done that.
7. Reuse supplies: This includes binders, envelopes, refill pens, tape dispensers, file indexes, and anything else you can think of. This also means sharing - so if you’re sharing a home office with a significant other or a colleague, share whatever can be shared instead of buying two of everything (by that, I don’t mean use one pen between the two of you or share a laptop, but you get the idea).
8. Buy recycled: Buy reusable and durable supplies and materials, and paper that is unbleached and de-inked. This goes for your marketing materials as well, so use a printer that uses recycled paper and soy-based inks (EarthEcho has their business cards printed by Tulip Graphics). Check out supplies offered through the Green Earth Office Supplies, Sustainable Group, and Green Home. And with everything you buy, keep the packaging to a minimum.
9. Food & drinks: Here you are, ready to start the day. You turn on your computer and take a sip of your Starbucks coffee, which you just picked up across the street. Not very sustainable, unless you’re using a reusable mug. Same goes for the take-out from down the block.
10. Transportation: You’re ahead of most people since you’re not using your car to commute to work. Now take it one step further and be mindful when you run errands or go to appointments. Either take public transportation, walk, or group errands so that you don’t have to make multiple trips.
11. Buy Energy Star electronics: Buy printers with stand-by or sleep features and faxes and printers with energy-saving features. Invest in an “all-in-one” machine that combines printing, faxing, copying, and more, which can be more efficient than powering multiple devices.

We’d love to hear what you’ve done to make your home office green, so don’t be shy!

Last week I had the chance to help out a fellow non-profit group by lending my voice. Defenders of Wildlife, a DC-based organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities, is producing radio and print ads to encourage Californians to support sea otter research and conservation through a donation on their tax forms.

Sea otters are a part of my family’s heritage. I grew up with images of my father romping with the otters in “The Unsinkable Sea Otter,” one of the many episodes he filmed for “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.” Unfortunately, the California sea otter has been listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act since 1977. Why is saving the sea otter so crucial? Because it is a “keystone species,” within its ecosystem. Their feeding habits affect animals lower in the food chain and they play an important role in maintaining the health of the kelp ecosystem. One of the sea otter’s main food sources is shellfish; by limiting the numbers of shellfish that feed on kelp, the sea otter promotes the development of kelp forests, which in turn provide habitat for fish and other invertebrate species.

In light of recent news that global fisheries could collapse within the next forty years, it is IMPERATIVE that we take action to ensure the continued existence of fish stocks. Believe it or not, that means protecting the California sea otter—another example of how we are all upstream from one another…

So if you live in California, please do your part this tax season and click the Sea Otter box on your state income tax form. To learn more about the sea otter, visit Defenders of Wildlife.

It was a GREEN night at the Oscars and, in my opinion, a big night for empowering Americans to act!

It started with Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio announcing that, for the first time, the Oscar’s went GREEN.

Then, after An Inconvenient Truth won for best Documentary Feature, Al Gore said, “My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It’s not a political issue, it’s a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started with the possible exception of the will to act. That’s a renewable resource. Let’s renew it.”

What strikes me about this impressive feat at such a glamorous event is that Hollywood is often leading cultural change. The key is, as Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at NRDC who managed the greening effort eloquently said, “We hope viewers will come away with an understanding that environmental change can be achieved through a series of deliberate, but relatively simple first steps.”

“By advocating environmental responsibility and encouraging action against global warming and to protect intact forests, from the world’s best known stage, we hope to promote positive changes in the way businesses and individuals think about our Earth, and, especially, how they act,” said Hershkowitz.

Alexandra and I want to challenge each of you to think about your earth echo. Consider the many actions that made this a “green” event, and think about how this might translate into simple first steps in your own life:

• Hybrid vehicle transportation provided for presenters and staff.
• Comprehensive recycling system instituted for event waste.
• Crew meals and craft services included reusable service materials and accessories, post-consumer tissue products, and biodegradable dishware.
• Governors’ Ball menu featured organic and environmentally-friendly food, including seafood, dairy, produce, and even the large chocolate Oscar.
• Left-over Governor’s Ball food donated to Angel Harvest.
• Use of ecologically superior paper for telecast and non-telecast event materials such as nomination ballots, envelopes, press materials, programs, invitations, and certificates.
• Energy audit of Kodak Theatre; efficiency plan and recommendations.
• Renewable energy credits were purchased from Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset carbon emissions from pre-show, red-carpet event, Oscar telecast, and Governor’s Ball.

Everything you do makes a difference… What’s your earthecho?