Donate Your Unused Winter Coats

Although temperatures here in New York City have remained mild thus far, there was a surprising nip in the air a couple of days ago that reminded me of how unpleasant winter can be when you aren’t dressed warmly enough.

A charity called New York Cares collects nearly 70,000 gently used winter coats each December and distributes them to thousands of men, women, and children who would otherwise be cold.  This includes not only homeless people, but the thousands of New Yorkers who must make the choice each year between buying a winter coat or meeting other basic survival needs such as putting food on the table.

If you have any winter outerwear that you or your family aren’t wearing anymore, do yourself a favor by creating space in your closet and getting those coats into the hands of people who need them.

There are collection sites all over the city, including during the morning rush hours at Grand Central Station, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, as well as anytime at police stations, Janovic Plaza stores, Time Warner Cable stores, and others.   See this site for a list of locations.

The coat drive runs from December 1st through 30th.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas

Did you know that 25% of all personal spending in the U.S. occurs between Thanksgiving and Christmas?  Before you get started on your holiday gift list, consider contributing to charity instead of contributing to clutter.  Here are some charities that my readers have suggested.

World Wildlife Foundation (http://www.worldwildlife.org), the multinational organization dedicated to the conservation of nature, offers a symbolic adoption of an animal species to help protect some of the world’s most endangered animals from extinction.  For a donation of $25, your gift recipient will receive a formal “adoption certificate” of the species you’ve chosen, along with a 5 x 7 color photo and a species fact sheet.  Increase the donation to $50, and your recipient will also get an adorable stuffed version of your selected animal.   To access the gift catalog on-line, go to this web page:  http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/wwf/giftcatalog-winter0910/#/0

Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org) aims “to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.”  Your contribution will pay for a gift animal in an underdeveloped country to help families and communities achieve self-reliance.  This link will take you directly to the on-line catalog of animals: http://www.heifer.org/catalog.

World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org) is “dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice”.  Go to their gift catalog (http://tinyurl.com/yc3n6vg) to select from their extensive list of giving opportunities.  For a $25 donation, your gift can receive a stuffed toy: Gertie the Goat, or Pluma the Plush Chick, along with a card explaining the impact of the donation.

Seva Foundation (http://www.seva.org) works in the U.S. and nine other countries to provide financial resources and technical expertise to help communities build sustainable solutions to poverty and disease.  To give a “Gift of Service”, select the Seva program you would like to support (see http://www.seva.org/giftsofservice).  Seva will then send you a beautiful card to give to your recipient, stating what the gift will achieve.

Kiva (http://kiva.org) is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, enabling individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.  For a donation of only $25, you can select a specific person somewhere in the world who will use your gift to fund his/her livelihood.  Your loan will be repaid over time, and you can use it to finance another entrepreneur, or you can withdraw your funds.

Gifts like these capture the true spirit of the holiday season . . . and, unlike most holiday gifts, they won’t end up in a landfill someday.

Got Paper? Come to the Shred-A-Thon!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about some electronics recycling events.  This weekend, there’s another recycling event you should know about, this time involving paper.

Upper Green Side — a non-profit organization promoting awareness and action on local environmental issues in the Upper East and Upper West Sides of Manhattan – is sponsoring a Shred-A-Thon, offering industrial, security-grade paper shredding.  They will shred and recycle any paper you want to get rid of, at no charge.

Here are the details:

What:  Shred-A-Thon
When: Saturday, November 21st, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: 82nd Street Greenmarket, between First and York Avenues, Manhattan
Who:  Shredding services very generously donated ProShred

Take advantage of this great opportunity to get rid of your unwanted paper.  Spend some time this week cleaning out your file cabinet, or going through the piles on your desk.

* * * * *

Here’s a reminder of the electronics recycling event also going on this weekend:

What:  Electronics Recycling
When: Sunday, November 22, 2009, from 8am -  3pm
Where: Isaacs/Holmes Parking Lot, 93rd Street and First Avenue (east side of First), Manhattan
Who:  Sponsored by Gracie Point Community Council and Upper Green Side

Accepted items include: 
• cell phones, iPods, PDAs, and digital cameras
• computers, laptops, monitors, keyboards, computer mice, printers, and modems
• copiers, fax machines, and typewriters
• stereos, radio equipment, speakers, televisions, VCRs, and DVD players
• telephones and telephone equipment

All e-waste collected will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner in the U.S.

Setting Up Your Desk Area

Once they have gotten rid of piles of paper and rediscovered the tops of their desks, clients often ask me what is the best way to set up their desk areas.

Sit down at your desk and spread out your arms in all directions.  Any part of your desk that is at your fingertips is what I refer to as “prime real estate”.  Prime real estate should be reserved for those items that you use constantly.

Make a list of the major activities you do at your desk, and list the supplies that you need.  Make sure that you have all of those supplies within your prime real estate.

Keep your desktop free of anything that doesn’t need to be there.  Photographs should be put on shelves or a credenza, not on the desk itself.  Ditto with whimsical items, knick knacks, or souvenirs.

If there are papers that you access frequently, set up a vertical file folder on top of your desk.

If you do writing or bill paying at your desk, then you need a pen and pencil jar.   Resist the urge to put EVERY writing implement you own into it.  Instead, just add one or two of each type of implement you actually use, and keep the rest of them in your desk. 

Do you open mail at your desk?  If so, then add a letter opener to your pen jar.  I also suggest you stand up a scissors in your pen jar so that you always have one handy. 

If you create mail at your desk, you’ll need a place for stamps, envelopes, and return address labels.  Keep these in the top drawer of your desk, or in a vertical file folder.

Put a small pad of paper on your desk for jotting down quick notes or phone messages.  If you prefer Post-its®, consider a pop-up note dispenser.  Keep the refills inside the desk.

Do you use tape, staples, or paper clips every time you sit at your desk?  If so, then arrange the tape dispenser, stapler, and a small paper clip holder in a neat row along the back of your desk so that they are easy to reach but not in the way.  If you don’t use them frequently, then put them in the top drawer of your desk.

Any frequently used item that is too bulky or too unattractive to live on your desk (or too personal, such as your checkbook) should be in the most easily reached drawers of your desk.  Items that aren’t used frequently can be stored in the areas that you can’t reach without standing up or walking.

Electronics Recycling Days in November

If you’ve got electronics that you are ready to dispose of, you’ll want to know about two recycling events taking place in November.  All e-waste collected will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner in the U.S. 

On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, from 11 am -7 pm, come to the Church of the Heavenly Rest (90th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan).  This event is sponsored by Carnegie Hill Neighbors.  For more information, call (212) 996-5520.

If a weekday isn’t convenient for you, then here’s a weekend option.

On Sunday, November 22, 2009, from 8am -  3pm, come to Isaacs/Holmes Parking Lot (93rd Street and First Avenue on the East side of First).  Sponsored by Gracie Point Community Council and Upper Green Side.  For more information call (212) 759-6895.

At both events, accepted items include:

• cell phones
• computers and laptops
• copiers and fax machines
• digital cameras
• iPods and PDAs
• monitors, keyboards, and mice
• printers and modems
• stereos, radio equipment, and speakers
• telephones and telephone equipment
• televisions, VCRs, and DVD players
• typewriters.

Take advantage of this great opportunity to rid yourself of clutter!

Disposing of Household Sharps

Last week, I told you the best way to dispose of unwanted or expired medication.  This week, I’d like to give you information on the best way to dispose of Household Sharps.

Sharps, Inc.  explains, “Sharps is the term used to describe any item that is capable of puncturing the skin such as syringes, needles, lancets, broken glass with blood on it, scalpels, etc.  Because these ’sharps’ potentially have disease-carrying blood or other potentially infectious materials on them, they are capable of ‘injecting’ that blood or fluid into anyone who comes in contact with them.”

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation adds, “The best way to protect trash handlers and sewage treatment workers against disease or injury and avoid attracting drug abusers looking for syringes to reuse is to follow these guidelines for containment and disposal of sharps.”

New York State has produced a publication called “How to Safely Dispose of Household Sharps”, which you can download here.

To contain the sharps safely at home:

• You can purchase a sharps container at a drug store or from the company who provides your injectable medicine.
• Alternatively, use a puncture-proof plastic container with a tight-fitting screw top, such as a plastic soda bottle or bleach bottle.  Don’t use glass because it can break.  (Coffee cans are not recommended because the plastic lids come off too easily.)
• Label the container by writing “Contains Sharps” with a waterproof marker directly on the container or on masking tape on the container.
• Once you have used a syringe or lancet, immediately put it into your container and screw on the top.  Don’t clip, bend or recap the needles because you could injure yourself.
  Keep the container away from children.
• When the container is full, screw on the cap tightly. Seal it with heavy-duty tape to be extra safe.
• Bring it to any hospital or nursing home in New York State.  Call first to find out specifically when and where you can bring used sharps.

To find a location near you, go this site and click on the name of your county. 

Sharps, Inc. also offers the Sharps Disposal by Mail System® , which includes a sharps container in a choice of sizes along with postage prepaid return shipping.

An important thing to remember is: do not put sharps containers out with the recyclable plastics.  Sharps are not recyclable.

Disposing of Old Medications

What is the proper way to dispose of unwanted or expired medications, either prescription or over the counter?

Although common wisdom has been to flush them down the toilet, it is now considered hazardous to our oceans and to ocean wildlife to do so.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is now advising that we dispose of them along with the rest of our household trash, but taking these precautions to prevent avoid accidental or intentional misuse:

• Mix your unwanted medications — liquids and pills – in a sealable bag, box, or plastic tub.
• Add water to further dilute or dissolve them.
• Add an undesirable substance such as ashes, dirt, cat litter, or coffee grounds.

To learn more about the DEC’s recommendations, see http://www.dontflushyourdrugs.net/.

To see a video demonstration, go to http://www.smarxtdisposal.net/.   (The video recommends crushing the pills as well).

You might also ask your local pharmacy if they have a take-back program.

Schedule a Meeting with Doodle®

Have you ever tried to schedule a meeting with a group of people?  It can take a lot of e-mails or phone calls to see a consensus forming, and then one person’s response can scuttle the whole endeavor and send you back to square one.  Here’s a better alternative.

Doodle® is a free website that enables you to set up possible dates and times for an event and then send it to a list of e-mail addresses.  Each of your attendees goes to your poll and indicates his or availability for the time slots you listed.   Check back a day or two later, and you’ll be able to see everyone’s availability laid out in one place.  Invitees can also add comments.  If you like, you can have Doodle e-mail you each time somebody answers the poll.

You can also use Doodle® to take polls on other things besides schedules.  Use it to decide on a movie, take a vote on a question, or select toppings for pizza!

Try it out and see how easy it is.

Cold Weather Transition

The New York City weather has been confusing lately – 50’s one day, 70’s the next – but have no doubt, it will be cold before you know it.  Although we would like to continue going out in shirtsleeves, those days are numbered.

Get Your Winter Gear Ready

Now is the time to remind yourself what your winter outerwear looks like!  Did you clean your winter coat at the end of the season?  If not, take care of that now.  Make any necessary repairs, such as reattaching buttons or fixing torn pockets.

Gather up all of your hats, gloves, and scarves.  Make sure that every family member has at least one pair of matching gloves or mittens, and discard any singletons.  Check the knits to make sure there are no moth holes – if so, repair or discard.  Launder everything now before that first cold snap sneaks up on us.

If you’ve got kids, have them try on all of their coats and jackets to make sure the sleeves are still long enough.  If they’ve outgrown something, pass it on to your younger children or bag it up for donation.

Dig out your sweaters, turtlenecks, and winter pants, and put them through the moth check mentioned above.  Give a hearty “welcome back” to all these clothes that you haven’t seen in six months or more, and pull out your favorites.  Then look at the rest of them.  If they are not your favorites, do you still want to devote precious closet and drawer space to them for another year?  Or are you ready to get rid of them to make way for some new favorites?

Say Goodbye to Your Summer Gear

You’ll be ignoring your shorts and bathing suits for the next eight months or so.  While the summer is still fresh in your mind, review  your clothes and identify anything you didn’t wear all season.  Add those to the charity donation bag. 

If anything is stained, take care of that now, as it will be much harder to remove those stains later. 

Don’t forget to stock up on hot chocolate!

You’ll Flip Over These Lids!

For the last few months, I have been trying out Rubbermaid’s new storage containers with the Easy Find Lids™, and I must admit – I’m hooked!

Although I’ve always been a fan of Rubbermaid products, these new containers seem custom-made for us New Yorkers with our limited cabinet space.

Here is what I love about these products:

They nest inside each other.  Stacking up four containers takes not much more room than one.

They snap to their lids, and the lids snap to each other.  You can snap the lids onto the bottom of the containers.  No more searching for lids!

They are beautifully transparent.  You can see right away what is stored in them, taking away all the guesswork.

There are different types to suit your different storage needs.   In addition to the basic Easy Find Lids containers for general use (pictured), there are three others:

Produce Saver™ keeps fruits and vegetables fresher and crisper due to a vented lid and a slotted tray that sits at the bottom of the container.  I emptied my bag of baby carrots into one of these, and every time I open the refrigerator, I have a healthy snack staring me in the face.

Lock-Its™ features four locking tabs for an extra secure lid seal.  This is great for storing soups, stews, and other heavy contents, as well as for anything you take on the go, as we New Yorkers are known to do.

Premier™ are stain and odor resistant.  Use these for tomato sauce and other staining foods.  I love that the Premier lids are transparent, further removing the guesswork of storing leftovers and such.

You can mix and match the containers and the lids.   Despite the four different types, any of the lids will fit any container of that size.  That appeals to us New Yorkers for don’t have the room to store specialized items.

Find out more about Easy Find Lids™ at this helpful website.

Try them and let me know what you think.