green tips from domino staffers

I've become a maniac about bringing tote bags to the grocery store. I can sling one over my shoulder instead of doing the how-many-bags-can- I-carry-in-one-hand waltz.

I have totally given up paper napkins and paper towels—I only use cloth.

I use green web hosting for all of my sites.

I have a cute set of bamboo flatware I use for lunch every day, instead of disposables.

I sold 2 cars and a 3-bedroom house and moved to New York City, where I take public transportation or walk everywhere!

I am trying to phase out beauty products that contain bad chemicals for all-natural ones.

I drink out of a Sigg water bottle—no landfill-clogging Poland Spring for this green gal.

I did this thing called greendimes.com. You list the catalogues you don't want to get and they deal with canceling them and do something green with your $20, like plant trees.

I turn down the heat in my house before I go to bed and use a space heater by my bed. I have a great-looking one —DeLonghi SafeHeat Micathermic HHP1500.

My husband Geoff and I (and I credit him 100% for this because he got us doing it) use CFL bulbs and recycle them properly, which is important.

I bought plain soap dispensers and refill them with all-natural hand- and dish-soap at my local organic market. I also bring my lunch to work in a cute little Wrap-n-mat, to avoid plastic bags and excessive deli packaging.

I wear vintage clothes and decorate my home with thrift shop finds and furniture I inherited from my family. I also make art out of ephemera like broken dolls and movie ticket stubs. They call me Scrappy Girl, but I'm okay with that. In fact, I write a blog about it for this site.

The best product I've gotten is this great newspaper rack from the MOMA store. It's stylish enough to keep in my living room, so now I end up throwing any and every piece of unwanted paper (all my newspapers and magazines, but all my junk mail, cardboard boxes and packaging too) in it to be recycled. I'm definitely recycling more this way.

I've been re-using rubber bands in the kitchen in place of using new plastic wrap. For example, if I open a block of cheese, I'll cut and peel back the plastic, but leave enough of the original packaging in tact to wrap it up when I'm through, and fold it back secure it with a rubber band. It saves on zip lock bags and plastic wrap.

I tear used paper into quarters and clip it with a binder clip to make a memo pad. This is a family habit I learned from my father who learned it from his mother.

I buy local and organic produce at farmers' markets when the weather permits, and not just because when I lived in Brooklyn I would see Kerri Russell every Sunday buying parsnips and whatnot.

I save every single plastic bag I get (especially those little black ones from the deli). Every time I take my shih-tzu on a walk, I grab a bag or two to use as pooper-scoopers.

We use a green messenger service called Revolution Cargo Couriers at the office. They use fuel-free "cycle vans."