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Great news, friends. If you care about something and voice your opinion, people in power listen. Although I must admit, I used to be a bit skeptical of individual actions towards political change.  I was a political science major in college, and one of the main takeaways was "Corporations lobbyists rule government."  The internets were raging over the past few days, as City Council bill 120917 would hurt community gardens.

Trying to get rid of that old computer, laptop, tablet, monitor or television? A new Pennsylvania state law, effective tomorrow, prevents you from throwing out electronics curbside with the rest of your garbage. (Not like you would, anyway...) Unless your municipality (Find out the 411 on this new rule, after the jump!)

Do you ever wonder if you really need to scrape that last bit of ketchup or maple syrup out of the jar before tossing it into the recycling container? Are clean recyclables key to an efficient and successful recycling process? The answer... well, it depends. Residue left on plastic or glass containers is typically flushed out with water at some point in the process. Goo and gunk  traces on steel and aluminum cans is most likely burned away during the recycling operation as well. Essentially there's no need to waste tons of water by running the faucet repeatedly over your recyclables—even if you were to get them pristine clean, they'd probably end up getting washed again. However, you do NOT want to throw half-full food items in the recycling bin as this can lead to mold, insects, vermin and other unsanitary conditions.

Yes we can... Again....  Back on a cool November night, my BFF and I sat on her couch as Brian Williams announced Mr. Barack Obama had been elected for a second term as President of the United States. Environmentalists were quick to bash the competition like the Sierra Club, mentioning "we" won over the corporate fossil fuel giants: Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars the fossil fuel industry dumped into this election to elect Mitt Romney, we proved that corporations are, in fact, not people. Obama's next four years in office are crucial to the environment as my 850-word election eve post begged. Although he still has to get buy in from Congress on sustainability initiatives, the momentum could bring some great changes. Since today is Obama's inauguration, here are my 10 green goals for President Obama's 2nd term:

We lead busy lives and with places like HipCityVeg, it's easy to grab a quick snack or meal out. But what about all those plastic utensils they give for free? Isn't there an alternative to more disposable crap? (Find out, after the jump!)

This salad accomplishes two lovely things: 1. It gets me eating raw greens in the dead of winter when I could easily live off comfort food like vegan hot cocoa and muffins. 2. It satisfies the sweet and salty combo that I adore. Kind of like my greatest treat-love dark chocolate covered pretzels do... only this salad is a bit healthier. I used a spinach base but you can easily mix it up with kale, arugula or any other salad greens. The pomegranate seeds provide a sweet bite balanced by the slightly salty sunflower seeds and crunchy edamame. And the dressing, my friends, is not to be underestimated. This salad dressing is so simple yet flavorful that you might want to make it a salad staple. An added bonus? There's plenty of health benefits going on in this simple dish.

Are you still staring at the wall, thinking you need to buy a new calendar for 2013? Do you love composting? The Ladies of Manure Calendar may just be the one... This calendar pledges to 'rethink all your waste, even your daily #1's and #2's. The Fertile Earth Foundation made a calendar full of beautiful women, with an end goal (as stated on their website):

After recently downsizing from a 1250 sq-foot trinity with a roommate to a 500 sq foot studio solo mi, I realized I had to make some changes. And not just the ‘there’s someone living with me and now there’s not” changes. From the luxury of having an entire living room, kitchen and ‘dining area’ to half the size, I too had to downsize. My dining room table was large enough to host Thanksgiving dinner. And two couches were more than enough for one of me. Step one was to start selling furniture that I didn't need. Although I wasn't looking to make a ‘profit’, how did I part with things that I could use 'someday'?

You know when you discover a new song, website, or life-hack iPhone app that seriously makes you feel like you've won the lottery? That's how I felt with Cardmunch. Even though I rarely print paper anymore, business cards are a necessity at networking events. I haven't met a 'green' friend who hasn't gone business-card free. It's difficult to remember someone's name, let alone company, etc., to look them up on LinkedIn the next day. Or what if the person isn't on social networks? (Find out my life hack secret, after the jump!)