Here’s a post from July 12, 2008.   I’m reposting this one because it was the inspiration for my syndicated newspaper column “Do Just One Thing,” which runs in papers across the country.

Every day, “Do Just One Thing” shares an easy eco tip that’s economical, ecological and easy.  The three E’s!    They are never tips like “install solar panels on house!” or “buy a new hybrid car!” but more along the lines of less-than-a-minute to do type tips that also make you go Who Knew!

This one is my favorite: using a dishwasher to clean a baseball cap, all while retaining it’s shape.   An update: You can also throw baseball caps in the freezer overnight to detox them as well.  Not as thorough as a dishwasher, but in a jiffy, it works.

The other day, I was thinking, “How on Earth do you wash a baseball cap?”

Putting it in the washing machine would just tumble it to bits and take the shape out of it completely.  And scrubbing it by hand would be too arduous and probably do a not-so-good job.

So, I did a little research online and found out in some usergroups that running your baseball caps in the dishwasher was the solution.   Just run it on a regular cycle (without detergent) and then let air dry when it’s done.

I did this with my baseball caps and found it worked!   I did run it in my clothes dryer on the drying rack so it didn’t tumble.  It came out smelling fresh and looked just like new.

Something that took me a while to figure out, but I swear it works: wash your baseball caps in the dishwasher. Watch the video to learn how to do it right. It works!

My friend Amanda Leesburg owns a public relations agency in Atlanta, GA and invited me to swing by a preview of designers (many eco minded) in midtown Manhattan the other night to check out what they’re working on.   I was exhausted, having done a 14 hour work day, but realized I made a promise and in my world, a promise is a promise.   So, I ran to the curb to hail a taxi and failed.   Luckily a pedi-taxi was coming down 6th Avenue and I was able to get to my meeting and do it totally carbon-neutral.  Yeah, for that!

Other than guest editing the green issue of “Elle” magazine two years ago, I haven’t had a need to find eco-friendly jewelry for stories.  But with the amazing finds I saw at this showcase, I thought I’d share them with you!      Designer Mickey Lynn uses natural gemstones (like this sliced agate) to make colorful and organic pieces that really look amazing. 

Here are some simply designed rings that let the minerals and gemstone shine.

Designer Mark Edgeuses environmentally friendly materials like reclaimed metal, wood and unclaimed stock chains to make his boho-chic designs.  I love the charm bracelets a lot and thought they were the strongest ones in the grouping.   I’ve been collecting vintage charms from flea markets recently to use them in a treasure candle making project, so obviously I gravitated towards them all.

A really great Mark Edge piece with different textures and shapes and sizes.   Really works.

The innovation award goes to designer Kathleen Plate and her “SmartGlass”recycled jewelry line.    She finds old bottles—wine, water, liquor–and somehow slices them into rings, heats them up to strengthen them, and polishes them into bangle bracelets.   The more you wear, the more the individual colors play off each other.   Really, this photo doesn’t do them justice and it’s such a fun, eco and “who knew” product. 

Kudos to Kathleen on this one.

A very very long time ago, I met with a very famous fashion designer for a meeting and commented that one day I hoped I would be able to design and sell my own products and that they would be manufactured in the USA. He said, “that’s impossible. There’s no way you’re going to make any money by hiring American workers.” Flash forward 10 years later, and I’ve got a mattress line that’s made in multiple factories around the USA and a USDA-certified bath and beauty line manufactured in the USA, too. So, Mr. Famous Designer, take that.

A press release that came in my inbox intrigued me.  It was from  New Balance, the athletic sneaker company, tauting the fact they are the ONLY athletic company that still makes all their sneakers right here in the USA.    They just released a documentary video (above) that shows all the workers who make the shoes from start to finish in one of five factories in the Boston area. Keep in mind not all New Balance shoes are made in the USA—many are still made in China—but there are many models of both men’s and women’s sneakers of all types that are manufactured here.   The New Balance website does point out which models are made in the USA.

I never even thought about my sneakers (other than how to recycle them) until recently.  But now I’m more inclined to buy my next pair of sneakers from New Balance knowing they are American made and manufactured not too far from where I live!    In a tougher economic climate, there’s something refreshing about knowing the products I’m purchasing for myself and my home can also be helping Americans stay employed.    I know it’s impossible to buy everything made in the USA, but it doesn’t mean we can’t try and we can’t support those brands that are made right here. 

You can learn more about New Balance and their American success story here:  http://www.newbalance.com/USA/

Go, Gayle, Go!     Here’s the editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens kicking off a denim drive in Des Moines, IA.   We’re collecting jeans to be recycled into eco-friendly insulation for homes. 

If you picked up the June issue of Better Homes and Gardens, you’ll notice my monthly column changed a bit to answer actual reader questions.  I’m hoping to help solve more dilemmas in future issues, because if you’re trying to figure out an eco-problem, I am sure there are countless others who are thinking the same thing, too.

Here’s the denim dilemma I solved for June:

Hi Danny,
I have a 6 and almost 4 year old boys who constantly get holes in their jeans. I have been setting all “holey” jeans in my linen closet hoping I can find a way to recycle them without throwing them away. Since these are all jeans with holes, I don’t want to take them to Goodwill. Is there a place you can mail them off to? I have heard about the denim insulation and wondered if there was a place that I could send them for making that? Any other ideas? Pretty soon they will be taking up too much space and I will have to decide what to do with them, and I’d rather not throw them away. Thanks! -Pam Ekker (Billings, MT)

First, don’t be afraid to donate ripped and worn-out clothes to Goodwill.  Clothing the charity is unable to sell in their retail stores are bundled together and sold to textile recyclers who then make them into industrial rags; either way, Goodwill makes money.    Another option is to recycle jeans into eco-friendly insulation.   The National Geographic Kids magazine is working to set a Guinness World Record for largest collection of clothes for recycling.  Send old jeans—any size and brand—to be recycled through the Cotton Inc. from  Blue to Green program,  which shreds the jeans into insulation and then donates it to families in need.   Send your denim (until June 30^th) to: NG Kids / Set a Guinness World Record, P.O. Box 98001, Washington, D.C. 20090-8001