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The average Minnesotan generates more than seven pounds of waste per day and more than one ton annually! In fact, in the Twin Cities area alone, we generate enough waste to fill the Metrodome 11 times every year. Although Minnesota has one of the highest recycling rates in the country, we could be recycling more. Often the problem is not what you know that can be recycled, but what you don't know. Those items usually end up in the trash.

When looking for green products it helps to return to the ol' Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

When you cook and enjoy a meal at home, it reflects your values and the choices you make every day. You know where the food came from and how it was grown. You can compost your food scraps and store your leftovers in your energy-efficient fridge in reusable containers. But what about when you go out to eat? How can you make sure the restaurants you support are making the right choices for the environment and our community?

When you think "eco-friendly," bakeries might not be the first thing that come to mind; but Minneapolis and St. Paul each have their fair share of eco-friendly bakeries. Do It Green! Minnesota visited a selection of these bakeries in order to taste some of their delectable treats and find out just how delicious baking green can be.

The Wedge Natural Foods Co-Op

wedge.coop

There's an old saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without," which can be traced back to WWII days when people conserved in order to help the war effort. These days the saying is "reduce, reuse, recycle." Everybody knows to recycle their plastic, newspapers and glass, but what about clothing?

When you get a card in the mail, what do you normally do with it? Do you post it on the fridge? Maybe save your cards in a box? Or do you read it and throw it away (or recycle it)? In an effort to cut down on the amount of waste created by greeting cards, we would like to offer some ideas on ways to re-use your old greeting cards!

Some options include cutting the cards into strips to use as bookmarks or folding them into origami holiday ornaments or gift boxes. However, the option that we will illustrate is how to "make your own mini journal."

Have you found yourself holding onto a household item or package that you cannot recycle or compost (or get fixed for less than buying two new ones) and yet you just can't stand to "throw it away?" Are you an avid recycler and composter so now your trash can looks like a collection of plastics that are suitable for nothing except maybe a modern art piece? Sometimes it looks like these items really should be recyclable but those pesky recyclers just won't take it.

My business is based on the belief that we must value what is already here and the energy that was used to create it. I visits thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales to find things that are in need of a new life. By cleaning, fixing, and tearing them apart, I not only salvage unusable items from the landfill, but repair them to be functional and beautiful again.

How many lunch bags, sandwich bags, juice boxes and dessert packages did you throw away this year? All that packaging adds up. In fact, 30 percent of our trash is made up of packaging. A simple way to cut back on that waste is to pack a "no-waste lunch."

Here is what you need to get started:

• Reusable bag or box

• Reusable bottle

• Reusable containers

• Cloth napkin