Here is a recap of a recent TV appearance I did sharing tips on getting rid of (or keeping ‘em away) those pesky mosquitoes that just want to eat you up during the summer months!

Mosquitoes only need one tablespoon of water to breed.   Mosquitoes need very little water to lay their eggs and they prefer still water.   Be vigilant about removing standing water in your backyard from collecting in bird baths, in saucers at the bottom of flower pots, inside tire swings, and anywhere else where water might pool after a storm.    If you have a bird bath, consider getting a small solar powered pump that keeps the water circulating; birds will get fresh water and it will keep the mosquitoes away.  

AVOID BUG ZAPPERS; USE A FAN INSTEAD.     Electric bug zappers are designed to attract mosquitoes to the glowing blue light at night, where they electrocute the bugs when they get too close to the light.  The problem?   Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon monoxide, or CO2, the gas humans emit when they breathe out.    So, when a bug zapper is turned on and you’re near it, the mosquitoes will head first to the light, sense CO2 emissions, and turn around to attack you.     Instead, plug in an electric fan where you’re sitting outdoors and turn it on; the breeze disrupts your CO2 emissions and keeps mosquitoes away. 

BURN CITRONELLA FROM THE GROUND UP.    Citronella candles do work in keeping mosquitoes away, since the natural citronella oil is a proven deterrent.    The problem?  Most people burn candles on the table, so the smoky repellant only works from the table and up, leaving you and your guests with bites all over your legs.  Instead, burn candles from the ground up so you’re protected feet to head. 

LOOK FOR NATURAL REPELLANTS FREE OF DEET.    Many mosquito sprays contain the chemical DEET, a highly effective way to keep mosquitoes away, but a very carcinogenic chemical that can be harmful to children and adults’ nervous system if used excessively.  New organic insect repellants use organic essential oils that have been proven to keep insects away.   Plants studied in nature that insects avoid were studied by EcoSmart and their natural repellent properties were replicated in their line of totally safe insect sprays.   It’s deadly to insects, but completely safe to humans because it effects the nervous system of insects completely differently from humans.  If you must use DEET products, spray it on your clothes and never on your skin.

USE FRAGRANCE FREE PRODUCTS: LOTIONS, DETERGENT, CLEANING PRODUCTS AROUND THE BACKYARD.    One of the #1 ways insects of all types are attracted to humans during the summer months is when we’re covered in artificial fragrances.   It makes sense to not wear perfume when spending time outdoors and to also avoid body lotions and cosmetics that have fragrance added to them.  Also, wash all clothes and towels in fragrance-free detergent.  

Yesterday, I ranted about five things I need to improve on to be a little greener, healthier, wiser and less wasteful. 

Today, that ranting continues!  Lucky you!     Here are 5 more things I need to work on:

1. Paper To Do Lists.    One of my Do Just One Thing tips I wrote about is this idea of emailing yourself your daily “to do” lists instead of printing them out on a piece of paper.   And yet here I am looking at my to-do list, printed out on paper.    It’s not that I don’t remember my own advice.   I just like looking at things on paper and crossing them off.  Blame it on my calendar: I use a Filofax.  Paper filofax that I write down dates, meetings, addresses and more on.   I can’t live off of Microsoft Outlook or whatever the hell those programs are.   For twenty years (yes, since I was 12) I’ve had a Filofax and I just can’t change.   And the satisfaction that comes from crossing off finished items from a to-do list is almost like a contact high.   I’m using 100% post-consumer recycled paper to print my lists out on at least…. that’s a start?
2. Lack of Organic Fiber Clothes.    I want to wear more eco-friendly fashion.  I really really do.   And the few pieces I have from Rogan, Loomstate, and even a few organic Ralph Lauren pieces are really part of my wardrobe staples.   But everything else I try on that’s “green” looks weird on me.  It’s either the fit, the color (er, lack of it is more like it) or just how it looks on me.    I don’t shop at stores that sell disposable clothes (think Old Navy or H&M) and I really look at clothes as long-term investment pieces.    So, I’m doing two things: one, I shop at a consignment store in Beverly Hills (go ahead, roll your eyes) where celebrities re-sell their once-worn designer clothes at a major discount.   There is some celebrity out there who is my exact same size because I’ve been buying all of his clothes; the Gucci tailored pants ($90; $900 retail), Prada zip cardigan ($100; retail probably $700+) and Libertine hand-printed dress shirt ($50; retail $500+).   I’m basically reusing really really expensive clothes at pretty decent prices.    Second, I buy the best I can afford in terms of shoes, jackets and suits.   I have pieces I’ve been wearing for years that look just as great today as they did the first day I wore them.
3. Stop Eating Seafood.    I became a vegetarian at age 12.   A vegan at age 16.   Then a vegetarian again at 21.   Then I started eating seafood at age 25.    That’s as far as I’ve gone and I will never, ever eat red meat, chicken, veal, pork or any other kind of land animal.     When I tell people I’m a seafood vegetarian, they often ask what’s the name for that kind of diet.  I often reaply “it’s called a hypocrite.”    With mercury levels rising in seafood, the industry itself really not as sustainable as we once thought, and the whole BP oil spill just raping our oceans, maybe I can stop eating seafood altogether.     One thing I have done is that I eat and cook 100% vegetarian in my own home and only eat seafood in restaurnants.    That type of diet is called “Denial.” 
4. Fedex Addiction.   If you come visit me at my house, there are three things that will happen everyday: a woodpecker will be banging the hell out of the side of my house to get whatever it is he’s after and the UPS and FedEX trucks will show up.   I am shipping things all over the country all the time.    Boxes of props for a TV appearance in Minneapolis…. a suitcase of clothes to meet me in San Francisco since I’m coming straight from a 2 week road tour…..legal documents that need to get to LA overnight or else!    Overnighting things is too easy and too wasteful.     One thing I have learned (a secret I guess) is if I ground ship on the East Coast from Pennsylvania, it will still arrive overnight in NYC since so much heads up there anyway via trucks.    So instead of using planes, wasting money on expensive overnight shipping, I can elect for ground and save money, too.    And I’m hiring local stylists in cities I’m visiting to pull all the props I need for TV segs, too, instead of shipping.   I’ve got to cut back…. just how?
5. Driving to the gym.  Enough said.   I live in a gorgeous part of Pennsylvania with running trails, preserved park land and forests as far as you can see.   Yet, here I am driving to a gym 10 minutes away to run on a treadmill.     I think the easy fix here is obvious: on cardio days, run outdoors.   On training days, use the gym.  

That said, I’ve made changes in my life that have been set for many years now.  I haven’t bought a roll of papertowels in 10 years.    Every light bulb in my house is a CFL or even one of those very efficient LED bulbs.   I drive a hybrid.    I’ve been pretty much on plant-based diet for 20 years.   All of my billing is paperless.  Every cleaning product in my house is green (and my housekeeper is an all-green company here called Harmony Clean).   Clorox Bleach is banned banned banned.   And all of my houses have been renovated using recycled, energy efficient and zero VOC products.     Oh yeah…. houses.    Plural.   

And #11 will have to be owning less than 2 houses.

The other day, I was sitting ona plane with my laptop writing my syndicated column “Do Just One Thing” that’s distributed by Universal Syndicate to newspapers across the country.    The moment was slightly ironic: here I am writing easy tips on how to go green….on a gas-guzzling plane flying across the country as I sip my beverage from a plastic cup the stewardess handed me.    I wasn’t being very green at that point in time.

So I decided to make a list of ten things I need to focus on to be less wasteful and more green.    Here’s my list:

1. Try to Fly Less.   In the last 3 weeks, I have flown to Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, Minneapolis and San Francisco.   Back and forth and back and forth.   It’s not fun and I do it out of necessity, whether it’s for work (99% of the time) or for personal reasons (my brother’s wedding in Napa).     I’ve heard stories of frequent fliers who will intentionally book a flight somewhere far—think Japan—at the end of the year just so they can maintain their elite status on their airline of choice.   That just stupid and wasteful.  But for me, getting from Point A to Point B is necessary for the line of work I’m in.    So to cut back on my cross-country tips a bit, I’ve outsourced some of my work by hiring a West Coast point person and a publicist in Atlanta to by eyes, ears and helpers so I don’t have to physically be there if I can help it.
2. Forgetful in Bringing my Thermos.   I have these Sigg hot water thermoses that do a great job at keeping coffee hot.    I forget them all the time and let’s be frank here: I need my morning coffee.   So, if I’m standing in line at Starbucks with my thermos, I just get my coffee-to-go in a paper cup and go on with my day.    My new rule?  If I forget my thermos, no coffee.   And if I really need it, I’ll have to go into a restaurant, sit down, order a cup in a mug, drink it, and then go.
3. Speaking of Coffee….  a few months ago, I got a gift basket with a free single-cup Dolce Gusto coffee maker.  It’s one of those machine you turn on, insert a plastic pod, flick a switch and presto!   Espresso or Cappuccino or whatever coffee drink you want!   Instant gratification!   The caveat?   The plastic pod gets tossed into the trash.     It seems wasteful and I want to stop… but it sure has made my coffee-making process like 99% easier.  
4. Plastic Caps.   I don’t always take the plastic caps off the plastic recyclables when I recycle.   And it’s not intentional; I just forget or someone in my home (a handyman, plumber, gardener, housekeeper) doesn’t know they are supposed to seperate them.   Even with Aveda’s easy caps recycling program, I just can’t see myself sorting through the recycling bin at 5Am when I bring it down to the curb.   It’s all sticky, smelly and…. sticky and smelly.   I need to be a bit more on top of this.
5. Using the Dryer.     I live on lots of land.  Lots of private land.    Land that could easily have a clothing line stretching in the backyard with clothes drying on it (especially today, a nice, sunny, hot day).     But here I am unloading freshly washed clothes (washed in eco detergent at least!) and all I have to do is throw it into the dryer that is right there next to the washer.   Sure, I have it on a sensor mode that turns off when the clothes are dry, but still…… I just line dry when I can.

Tomorow, Daily Danny therapy continues with my next 5 Things I Need to Work On!

I’m in Los Angeles for half this week for work and–of course–I am dealing with a difficult laptop/digital camera from uploading pics.  Technology can be slow!    So, as I sit here in the hotel lobby, I thought it would be fun to look at some celebrity tweets and see if I can give some short eco-advice how they can green their activities.    If you’re on twiter, you can also follow me @dannyjseo, too!

First up: @RyanSeacrest tweeted:

“My mom just made 9 layer dip for the game (I think it’s only 8 but she says 2 types of shredded cheese counts as 2) we are watching from LA”

I say:

@ryanseacrest: no need to worry if organic avocados aren’t available. They are not usually heavily treated with insecticides anyway & u don’t eat the skin, so it should be good to go.

Second up: @tomhanks says:

“ART DEPARTMENT added to Location Scouts makes for longer caravans. Guys, let’s car pool. Look for us in ANYTONE USA. Hanx “

I say:

@tomhanks, very cool idea to carpool.  Have you contacted the Environmental Media Association about “greening” your next film? They help film sets go green.

Next victim: @taylorswift13

“I just used a Sharpie as eye liner in the airplane bathroom.”

@TaylorSwift13 this is not a good idea at all.   Permanent markers are not designed for use on the skin, especially near the eye!  Our skin absorbs what we put on it, so please don’t try this again!

Now onto @theEllenShow who says:

“True story: I had a snowball fight in my office this morning.”

@TheEllenShow how fun! I like to fill a tupperware container with snow and have a surprise fight in the summer. If you have a freezer that isn’t full, why not fill it with a box full of snow?  A packed freezer is an efficient one since it uses less energy to keep everything frozen.

And finally, a tweet from my colleague @JCPenney, @CindyCrawford:

“My favorite new Starbucks drink–Grande nonfat green tea latte with only one pump of the sweetner–yummy! “

I say:

@CindyCrawford, I could not agree more (although I choose soy). Starbucks sells reusable iced coffee thermos and hot thermoses for regular coffee.  We need a reusable one they can use for lattes!  Let’s campaign Starbucks!

In 2005, when I was Special Projects Editor at Organic Style magazine, I pitched Jessica Seinfeld to be profiled in the pages of our magazine because she started a charity called Baby Buggy that collects lightly used baby gear and gives them to women in need in the greater NYC area.   Their motto?  “Love Recycled.”   How perfect.

We profiled Jessica as one of our Women of Organic Style, which highlighted extraordinary women all over the world doing extraordinary things to make a difference.     Her husband, funnyman Jerry Seinfeld, came along to support his wife and they could not have been more gracious or kind.

Flash forward 5 years later, and Baby Buggy is bigger, better and helping more women and babies than ever before.   So, with a new hat on as JCPenney’s Green Living Partner (and as a designer of the Simmons Natural Care mattress line that will soon include a crib mattress), I saw a chance to help.

Before the holiday break, JCPenney and Baby Buggy held a “Gear Drive” near the Highline Park in NYC where Baby Buggy supporters could come in and “shop” from our pop-up store from a variety of hand-selected essential items new moms desperately need.   While Baby Buggy accepts all sorts of baby essentials, it’s cribs, strollers, breast pumps, car seats and other essential gear that they desperately need.    So, this was a nice chance for people to embrace the holiday spirit and buy essential gear for Baby Buggy.

Additionally, people could bring their lightly used gear, clothing, and toys, too.    Here are volunteers sorting through donated items and using donated Method cleaning products to get them cleaned up.

At the end of the drive, tons of essentials were donated, lots of new gear were purchased and JCPenney made a sizeable financial contribution to Baby Buggy on top of it all.    If you’re in the NYC area and would like to donate lightly used baby gear and essentials, I encourage you to do so. 

The Stats:

www.babybuggy.org

Items In Need:

• Baby Monitors
• Back & Front Carriers
• Bassinets*
• Bath Towels
• Bibs
• Blankets
• Books
• Bottle Warmers
• Bouncers*
• Clothing
• Crib Bedding (NOT bumpers)
• Outerwear
• Swings
• Exersaucers

• Diaper Bags
• Diaper pails
• Liners
• Highchairs*
• Infant Tubs*
• Mobiles
• Walkers*
• Playpens*
• Safety Gates
• Shoes
• Strollers*
• Toys
• Bouncy Seats
• Toddler Beds**