As you probably know, a big part of living a greener life (and saving money) is cutting down on your water usage. Great ways to accomplish both goals includes not leaving the faucet running when brushing your teeth (a no brainer), washing your clothes and dishes on the lightest cycle possible, and using things like a rain barrel to collect water so that when you give your gardens a drink, you’re reusing water.

Because everyone showers you can make a huge dent in your water usage by changing how you wash yourself each day. I guess a grody way to help would be showering every other day, but I’d rather not smell that first hand.

Of course, you can save a lot of water if you take shorter showers–something I’m trying to convince my 10-year-old daughter to do. She thinks that it’s perfectly normal and acceptable to expect her shower to last as long as an iTunes playlist.

Another way to affect change in the shower is to change out your shower head. Did you know that the average shower head pushes out 2.5 gallons of water per minute? That means that in one, 10-minute shower, you’ve washed 25 gallons of water down the drain and, really, what do you have to show for it?

One of the biggest trends in greening your shower head is to switch to a low-flow kind. This is exactly what it sounds like–a shower head that has the water flowing out at a lower per-gallon rate. But if you’ve ever used one of these, then you know that your shower experience will never be the same again. I mean, it isn’t hard to keep your shower on the super-short side when the water pressure coming out of your shower head sucks so much that you don’t even want to bother getting wet. But you do–and it’s in, shampoo and soap up, rinse off and you’re out. That may be good for the earth but that’s just no fun.

Recently, I received an email from a reader of this blog who was wondering what she could do to find a happy medium between a great shower and a low-flow shower head. Here’s what she wrote:

“We have two showers in my house, one with a low flow shower head and one with a regular flow shower head. I have been hesitant to give up the regular flow one because it’s powerful and it seems to be easier and faster to rinse my hair with it. Do you have any recommendations for low flow showerheads with some power to them?”

Turns out I do have some recommendations so that you can have both a water-efficient shower and a pleasant bathing experience, too.

I did a little research, and here’s what you want to look for in a low-flow shower head. The trick is to find one of these low-flow shower heads that mix in air or have another way of delivering the water so that even if the water is coming out at 1.6 or 1.7 gallons per minute, on your head and the rest of your body, the water pressure still feels like it’s at that water-guzzling 2.5 gallons per minute.

Here are some details on a few specific shower heads that fit this criteria:

* Delta’s Low-Flower Shower Head with H2Okinetic Technology
It uses 36% less water (1.6 gallons per minute) while delivering a shower that feels like 2.5 gallons per minute. How does it do this? Larger droplets provide more water coverage, creating a more saturating, drenching experience; droplets are delivered at a higher velocity; and a dense spray pattern provides more complete water coverage.

* Hansgrohe Shower Head with EcoAIR technology
It creates a stronger water feel by pulling surrounding air into the shower head. There, it mixes with water to create thousands of drops rather than a “noodle” spray. The drops are bigger overall and feel like a natural rain. With this technology, the 1.7 gallon per minute shower head saves 30% on water usage, yet the feel you get is the same as you would get from a shower head delivering 2.5 gallons per minute.

* Moen’s Water Saving Shower Heads
Like other shower heads, this flow of 1.75 gallons per minute allows you to enjoy a one-third reduction in the water used during each shower. The shower head features a so-called “optimized” spray pattern to preserve the powerful stream that consumers are accustomed to from full-flow shower heads, making it feel the same as a 2.5 gallon per minute shower head.

* American Standard FloWise Shower Head
A small turbine inside this shower head is what allows the water stream to feel much the same as standard 2.5 gallons per minute shower head, although FloWise uses only 1.5 gallons per minute. That’s 40 percent less water used than with a standard shower head.

I’ve still got some Lowe’s gift cards left over from Christmas. Looks like I’m going out this weekend and treating myself to one of these low-flow shower heads. And I think I’ll sneak one into my daughter’s bathroom as well. This way, even if I can’t win the battle over shorter showers, I will have won the war over excessive water use.

One of my newest stories to hit newsstands is all about how airports are greening their day-to-day operations. This story appears in the March 2008 issue of Executive Travel magazine, and some of its highlights include:

* Single-sort recycling at Maine’s Portland Jetport.
Working with EcoMaine, the state’s recycling company, passengers passing through this southern Maine airport needn’t worry about sorting their paper, plastic and metal into separate recycling bins. They can place them all in one of EcoMaine’s single-sort receptacles. Hey, the fact that you can recycle in a airport is great–I rarely see those telltale green or blue bins inside the terminal. But the fact that you can recycle via single sort in Portland’s airport is just awesome!

* Turning human food scraps into pig slop
Over in Germany, Munich Airport isn’t just tossing out food scraps as regular garbage. Instead, it ships this “waste” to nearby pig farms to be used as food. That’s no hog wash. (Many colleges and universities also ship food scraps to pig farms, as do supermarkets in Massachusetts.)

* Soaking up the sun’s power
If there’s one given about airports, it’s that there usually isn’t a lot of shady trees around, mostly because air traffic controllers and pilots need good sight distances for clear sailing. So it goes without saying that most airports are pretty sunny places and therefore ripe for harnessing the sun’s energy. One U.S. airport doing just that is San Francisco International Airport, which powers one of its terminals fully via solar energy.

* Composting at Sea-Tac
The Clean Airport Partnership recently took its hat off to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for its clever recycling of food waste from inside the terminal. This includes composting coffee grounds (important considering how much in love Seattle is with its coffee) and turning used cooking oil into bio-diesel fuel.

I’m wondering if any of the bio-diesel fuel used in the recent news-making Virgin Atlantic flight was from Seattle. Actually, it was from the Amazon–the region in South America, that is, not the gigantic online bookseller.

In case you didn’t hear, Virgin flew a 747 from London to Amsterdam as the first ever airline to use hybrid fuel. According to a Sustainable Life Media article, “One of the plane’s four fuel tanks contained a blend of 80% conventional jet fuel and 20% biofuel composed of coconut and babassu nut oils from the Amazonian rainforest.”

Other airlines are looking for ways to cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions while green ing their operations overall. These include; Continental Airlines, which employs 13 full-time environmentalists; and Southwest Airlines, which is investigating bio-diesel options like Virgin is.

How long until taxiing airplanes smell like yummy French fries?

You know that I covered the notion of going green with your gifts and celebrations on Valentine’s Day, and I think I came up with some pretty clever gift ideas. I mean, who knew that you could order organic flowers via the Internet? And I think some of the other notions mentioned for Valentine’s Day would go over well with Mom.

So, if you were going to give your mother a green Mother’s Day gift, what would it be?

I would definitely start with flowers from Organic Bouquet, if I were going to send flowers. (Three out of 10 Americans do send flowers, adding up to more than $2 billion spent on flowers for Mom.) I mean flowers=Mom and organic=green, so put them together and you’ve got the perfect green Mother’s Day gift, right?

I would also consider taking my mother out for a meal at restaurant that serves a sustainable menu, including locally grown wines. Visiting a website like the Sustainable Table would help me in this respect.

If I wanted to get her jewelry, the #2 gift selection for Mom, according to the National Retail Federation, I would find jewelry made from recycled resources. I’m thinking about the goodies that Uncommon Goods sells, though you can also find awesome housewares and other nifty recycled items here, too. Also, Smart Glass Jewelry sells gorgeous, high-end jewelry made from recycled glass

A lot of sons and daughters like to pamper mom with a gift certificate to a spa, so it would make perfect sense to find a spa that offers organic treatments on its menu for your gift for Mom. For example, if you visit SpaWish.com, you can search for a spa near mom (using either her zip code or state), and then you can search within those results for organic-oriented spas.

A popular way to tell Mom you love her on Mother’s Day is with a call, so says a T-Mobile survey. Does that mean that giving mom a cellphone–and offering to recycle her old one–so you can stay in touch is a good green gift? I’m not so sure, but maybe I’m on to something here. Could you give her a cell phone case made from organic materials or something such? Does something like that even exist?

Given my love for reusable totes for grocery shopping, maybe you can fill a canvas tote bag with all kinds of green goodies, such as organic spa products, and make that your gift. Or even a cool tote on its own might be the perfect green gift. I love the bags made from recycled tee shirts at Baggy Shirts! Do you think your Mom might like one too?

What about sustainable housewares? I just found out that Crate & Barrel is stocking a bunch of furniture and other furnishings that are made from renewable and/or recycled materials. They even have a set of salt and pepper shakers made from recycled paper. What would your Mom say about a green gift like this?

What else can you suggest for green Mother’s Day gifts? I can’t wait to hear your ideas.

Green Boot Camp: Week Ten and a Half? Review Part II and Mea Culpa

Over at Green Boot Camp we’re doing a quick review of the first nine weeks of habit changes we’ve made on our way to living a greener life. Check it out if you need a refresher course on going green.

Green Boot Camp: Week Ten–Time for a Review

My husband and I have our annual appointment with our tax guy this week, which means we’re spending the next few days poring over our spending from the previous year, including bank and credit-card statements. I always find this to be a cathartic experience, because, inevitably, we discover some way to fix our money habits in a way that benefits us financially.

Last year, we discovered that Weight Watchers Online was charging us monthly for access to its online site, something I’d signed up for a few years ago. This website is handy, to be sure, for counting points, but I could just as easily count points with a pen and paper–and save a couple hundred dollars each year.

The year before that we discovered, much to our dismay, that we’d paid out a couple of late charges on credit card bills because we hadn’t been doing a good job of sending payments in on time. After that discovery we switched all of our bill paying to paperless billing, automatic debit and electronic payments through out bank. That stopped late charges in their tracks. Good thing, too: late charges could have led our credit card companies to raise our interest rates. Ouch!

Just this morning we discovered that we’d been paying $12 a month for an online gaming website that was all the rage with my kids last year but which they hadn’t logged onto since before the school year started. It was a no-brainer to get rid of that expense.

With tax appointments coming up for most Americans–even those that file for extensions–now is an excellent time to do an early spring cleaning of your expenses and spending. Think of it like your employer’s open enrollment period, when you get to rethink your insurance choices and see if they still make sense for you, both in terms of coverage and how much they cost.

Maybe you’ll stumble upon some automatic monthly charge that your eyes have just glanced right over each month when you’re reviewing your bills. Perhaps you’ll take the time to review your phone expenses for the entire year (cellular and landline), along with your Internet charges, and see if your current plan still makes sense for you. If it doesn’t shop around for something that will meet your needs and fit your budget, too.

One caveat, though: I’m a big believer in NOT putting all of your service eggs in one basket. In other words while it may be slightly cheaper to have one company providing phone, Internet and TV service, if the sevice goes out on one, it usually goes out on all. That’s why I think it’s smart to avoid these kinds of monopolies, even if it means spending a few extra bucks a month. Sure, you might save money, but in the long run, how much will these kinds of hassles “cost” you? Perhaps you don’t agree with this approach, but it’s what works for me and gives me peace of mind.

Finally, if you haven’t made the move towards automatic bill-pay options, why not do that this year? A recent study from the American Banking Association and Dove Consulting showed that 52% of Americans are now using automatic payments for handling bills and 39% have made the switch, like I have, to paying bills online through their bank. Not only do these methods ensure that you can streamline your bill paying but also that your payments are sent out on time.

And you know what some of the added benefits of paying your bills online and on time are?

* You’re saving paper and remaining true to your green mission

* You’re avoiding paying late charges

* You’re improving your credit–or at least that’s what happened for us.

I’m curious to hear from you, if and when you do a spring cleaning of your expenses, if you come up with any significant savings like we did by stopping paying for that online video game my kids no longer play and my online subscription to Weight Watchers. Together, those added up to about $500 a year in savings. What about you?

I know that choosing organic foods is important for good health, but making that choice isn’t always good for a frugal budget. Money aside, I just discovered that there are certain foods that you should always err on the organic side.

You see over at my other blog, Green Boot Camp, this week we’re discussing adding organics to your menu as a way of living a greener life. And in researching today’s posting, organic chef Leslie Cerier got in touch to let me know about the Environmental Working Group. This not-for-profit, environmental research organization has a list on its website of foods most likely to absorb pesticides. So, when choosing these items, you should tend to err on the organic side.

I thought you’d want to know what the Top 20 are, just in case you’re going grocery shopping any time soon.

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes (imported)
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes
13. Carrots
14. Green beans
15. Hot peppers
16. Cucumbers
17. Raspberries
18. Plums
19. Oranges
20. Grapes (domestic)

Right now I’ve got a bag of organic potatoes in my kitchen, and they didn’t cost that much more than the “regular” kind. And I’ve got a bag of organic baby carrots in the fridge. But the rest of my produce, well, not so organic. I’ll have to rethink those choices the next time I go food shopping.

Forget red on Valentine’s Day. This year I think you should go green for Valentine’s Day. Here are four ways that you can green your Valentine’s Day gift ideas and/or your celebration plans.

1. Choose Organic or Locally Grown Flowers

A rose is a rose is a rose, but on Valentine’s Day, you can expect about 214 million roses to be the flower gift of choice. In fact, according to the Society of American Florists, fresh flowers are the number one gift choice for Valentine’s Day. But if you’d like to give a green floral gift, try to choose either locally grown flowers or those that are grown organically. If you live in a warmer climate, where farmer’s markets are still up and running (not so much in the northern half of the United States), buy your flowers this way.

“Organic flowers are easy to find online and often at boutique flower shops in large cities,” suggest Courtney Hamilton, a spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC). “Why buy jet-lagged flowers at the cost of the environment or the health of workers, when you can get fresher cleaner ones down the street?” I just heard of a new organic florist and gift shop in New York City called Gardenia Organic, and I’m sure other major cities have similar kinds of shops. I’ll bet you can find locally grown flowers in small towns, too. Where I live there is a shop that has its own greenhouse that operates year-round, meaning that I can get locally grown orchids and hydrangeas whenever I want. As far as online options for organic flowers, check out Organic Bouquet.

2. Share a Sustainable Meal Together

By now you’ve heard about the 100-mile diet and folks who eat locally grown foods and call themselves locavores. This Valentine’s Day, why not take a page from their culinary book and share a sustainable meal together. You can cook this meal at home or dine out at a nearby restaurant known for its local and/or organic fare.

One such restaurant in Philadelphia is the White Dog Cafe. Its commitment to the Earth and to good causes is exemplary-the restaurant buys from local, organic farmers, uses alternative energy and recycles religiously. Is there a restaurant like this near you? Make a reservation for Valentine’s Day dinner there–and walk or take public transportation to get there, if you can.

3. Raise a Glass to a Local Spirit

These days you can get great wines from places other than California and France. If your goal is to enjoy a fine, green wine, try looking in your own backyard (or at least a nearby state) for your spirit of choice. Local wines “don’t travel as far, from grape to table,” says the NRDC’s Hamilton. A hot trend in wine growing is doing so organically (no surprise there). “Organic wines don’t cost much more, particularly in the era of discount wine markets,” Hamilton adds. “As an added bonus, organic wines are made without added sulfites, which makes them more friendly to people with asthma and those who are allergic to the common vino additive.” Google “organic wine” and the area where you live, and see what you come up with. I’m confident you will find lots of local options. Once you find a great bottle of local wine, remember: after you’ve enjoyed it, don’t forget to recycle the bottle.

4. Green Your Jewelry Gift

I’m not talking about giving a ring that turns your finger green. No, this year why not shop for jewelry in a consignment or antique shop? This would totally qualify as reusing and recycling. Or how about purchasing jewelry made from recycled materials? One of my favorite companies is Uncommon Goods, which sells a ton of jewelry made from recycled materials. How cool is that?

I’m still waiting for more information on organic chocolate options, since chocolate is a favorite go-to gift for Valentine’s Day. Once I’ve got my research complete, I’ll post more about that. In the meantime, if you’ve got resources to share on green chocolate–or any other green ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day–post a comment and let me know.

Valentine’s Day probably can’t hold a candlelit dinner to Christmas’ buying draw, but nonetheless it’s a pretty big present holiday for Americans. (Just think about all of the pink and red that has overwhelmed stores since the New Year!)

According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2008 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average consumer plans to spend $122.98 on Valentine’s Day, and total spending on Valentine’s Day is expected to reach $17.02 billion this year. (Total Christmas spending in 2007 was projected to reach $474.5 billion by comparison.)

While Valentine’s Day spend is up from last year’s $119.67 per-person average, it’s not up by much. In fact, one might say that sales will be relatively flat, which is probably why the NRF is spinning VD2008 as a “quality time” holiday for this year: “Consumers Opt for Quality Time with Loved Ones Over Traditional Gifts This Valentine’s Day,” reads the headline of the NRF’s latest press release.

In my opinion if retailers were to promote a green angle with their Valentine’s Day gifts, I think they’d see a spike in sales. Here’s why I think that.

I just completed a survey of gift choices and found that most people like gifts that are good for earth. In fact, the people that took my survey like any gift that benefits a good cause but especially if it supports a green cause.

Here are some more findings from that survey:

* On average folks buy between 21 and 35 gifts per year.

* When it comes to gifts that benefit a good cause, 81% of folks buy them, and more than half (55.8%) of these gift buyers choose a gift that benefits the environment.

* In fact, this past holiday season (Christmas, Chanukah), three-quarters of survey takers (75.5%) gave gifts that they qualified as “good for the earth or the environment.”

* Shoppers were thinking outside of the gift box for their “green” gifts:
– More than half (53.7%) choose eco-friendly wrapping
– Nearly 49% gave a homemade gift or one made from recycled materials
– Four out of 10 (41.5%) shopped at an environmentally friendly store

* The next time these gift givers are in the market for a present, nearly nine out of 10 of them (88.7%) are likely to choose a good-for-the-earth present.

If you’re wondering just who these folks were who took my survey, well they were predominantly female (94.3%), between the ages of 25 and 45 (75%) and practice green habits on a regular basis, including recycling (94.3%), using reusable bags for shopping (84.9%), paying bills online (73.6%), choosing organic or local foods (67.9%), and composting (47.2%).

Given this fondness for green gifts, in the next few days I’ll be posting some ideas for green Valentine’s Day gifts.

As you may well know, I write magazine articles and books for a living (since writing blogs really doesn’t pay the bills). Thankfully, my newfound green passion has started paying off, now that I’ve been getting lots of magazine assignments related to green topics.

Just out is a piece on “greener packaging,” and it appears in the February 2008 issue of Continental Magazine, the in-flight publication of Continental Airlines.

Next up will be pieces in All You about greening every room in your home (and saving money in the process) and Executive Travel Magazine, on what airports are doing to green their operations. I’ll post links as soon a those stories go live.

Stay tuned!