We all have heard of traces of drugs in the water system. It is time to make sure no one contributes to this any more by flushing expired or unused medicine down the drain. Wastewater treatment facilities aren’t designed to remove pharmaceuticals but someday may need to be.

Many local police departments take medicine waste as do many pharmacies.

FDA has some guidelines, some of which seem outdated.

NoDrugsDownTheDrain.org has a locator to help you find places to properly dispose of medicine.

Chemicals from medicines have been even measured in water from sewage treatment plants.  Our waste has traces of these chemicals and chemicals from cosmetics wash off from our skin as we shower.  This will be hopefully someday addressed.

People are trying to save money by reducing or eliminating their Cable or Satellite TV bills.  Many people do not realize that all recent HDTVs have digital tuners built in designed to pull in Free TV signals with an antenna. The number of channels you will receive will vary by your location.  We use a simple indoor antenna to receive many local channels in HD.

AntennaWeb is an industry website designed to help you maximize your television reception.

We have covered the Digital TV Transition in the past, so if you  have an old TV, sign up for digital converter box coupons. These boxes use the same antennas to pickup free programming.

Most modern flat panel TVs have VGA computer inputs, so you can hook up your computer and view online broadcast sites like Hulu and nuke your monthly cable TV or satellite TV bills.

If you want to build your own antenna, check out this video.

Environmental Working Group continues their research and has issued a report on the safety of Cell Phone Radiation. It brings to light many possible health issues and calls for more research. We would rather err on the safe side rather than wait for a definitive study.

If you are buying a new phone, be sure to check out their 10 Best Phone list with lower emissions. The Samsung Impression (SGH-a877) (AT&T) is the best on the list. See how much radiation your phone emits.

It is interesting to see that some phone emit more when sitting in your pocket than when next to your head.   Cell phones are always on, even when you are not on the phone. They emit radiation while pinging cell phone towers.

Tips to minimize cell phone radiation exposure:

1. Using remote ear pieces would help keep the phone away from your body. Bluetooth headsets just add to the radiation mix. Airtube headsets may work best.  Using the speakerphone also helps.

2. When not using your phone, try to take it out of your pocket, handbag, or holster. Keep it away from your body.

3. Limit cell phone use to essential calls and do not gab endlessly because you have a lot of minutes.

4. Do not use cell phones in elevators or metal cages that may concentrate radiation.

GQ recently had an article about cell phone safety.

San Francisco now requires wireless retailers to post cell phone radiation levels. Other cities are moving in the same direction.

RFQF6F74RYC6 It is hard matching EPA estimates for any car, especially hybrids. I found some helpful Prius Mileage tips, some of which are counter intuitive.

“..rapid acceleration to speed followed by cruising is actually more efficient, though counterintuitive”

“, keeping the windows open is more economical. The rationale: Battery drain from air conditioning uses more gasoline than aerodynamic drag caused by open windows.”

This one will have everyone passing you: “Remember that for every mph above 55 in a Prius, you could lose up to one mpg, mostly due to atmospheric drag — even with its advanced aerodynamic body.”

“..motor-generators (MGs) reach their maximum rpm at about 42 mph, which forces the engine to run to prevent damage to the MGs. So at speeds above 42, the engine must run, which creates added friction. This must be compensated for to maintain speed, causing a reduction in fuel economy.”

The trend is to consider green practices when constructing a new building or when remodeling your kitchen, bathroom or home.  Here are some useful resources.

Build It Green has some very good guidelines and checklists for Green Construction, remodeling and building new homes.  They are a non-profit dedicated to help all of us out even though they focus on California.  They have extensive lists of building material recommendations and sources.

Advanced house framing techniques for new homes, require half the wood of the past.

Build it Green NYC has information on low cost salvage and surplus building materials.

Using salvaged or reclaimed items helps cut down on resource utilization.

Heritage Salvage in Petaluma sells reclaimed building materials.

Driftwood Salvage in Palo Alto sells surplus construction items.

Urban Ore in Berkeley sells surplus items.

List of other San Francisco Bay Area Salvage yards.

CalMAX – California Materials Exchange – One business’s trash is another business’s treasure.

Remember to donate your spare items after your remodel back to these salvage yards.