tapu's tips for turning green

I'll tell you up front:  Tapu's Green Tips are small in scale while being a little far out there. I wasn't aware of how far out until I told a few people, and by their reactions it was clear that they found my tips, well, pretty far out there.

I won't apologize for these ideas, though. I do promise that they have merit and aren't that difficult to buy into if you just focus on the practical side and not on the humor you may find in them. Ahem.

First of all, suppress the damn last page. You know, on your printer and on every printer in the office that you see print an extra blank page at the end of the document. I cannot take seriously the heavenly concept and promised land of the paperless office when no one has questioned cranking out a blank sheet every minute. Check your program software. Look for "suppress blank pages." A paperless office will not happen in one fell swoop.

Wash out your Ziploc bags. I know a lot of people do this already (maybe .00001% of the U.S.). I picked it up living in México. I surmise that many more people would do this if someone suggested it.

All you have to do is put a tiny drop of dish soap in a dirty bag. (Now how dirty could it be? It held–what–three Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies?) Fill with water and shake. Turn inside out to rinse. You can hang them on anything to dry, as shown here.


Bear with me on this one. It is the most highly ridiculed among tapu's constant flow of ideas and innovations....  Here it is: Instead of using full-size bath towels, use large, quality hand towels to dry after a shower.

If that flips you out, consider trying it just in the summer, when you won't miss that huge, warm towel quite so much. At least have young children downsize. (When I moved my small son into it, he said, Frankly, Mama, I prefer it. It was more manageable for him.)

Among the three tips here, this would be the most valuable green idea, on the personal and the global level. Think of the wash water saved. Think of the electricity and dryer time. (Of course, you could hang them on a line, even better.)

Extending this idea, take bath towels to the beach and store those preposterously large beach towels they sell now. Use a washcloth for a hand towel. Use a fabric swatch for a washcloth.... Heh, heh. Okay, I guess there's a limit.