Made in China.  Oh, how those three words break my heart sometimes.  If you're a tool lover they might put a little dent in yours too.  Cheap knockoff tools having been slowly taking over the displays of (manly) toy stores from coast to coast.  Chinese knockoff tools might be easy on your pocketbook, but they're not so great for the planet.  They're shipped from halfway around the world, they're often made of second-rate materials, and in many cases they simply don't last very long.

So if you're planning a home improvement or renovation project, don't fill your tool box with shoddy no-name tools.  Here are a few alternatives:

1. Borrow tools from a handy friend!  I've done this before and a one-time payment of beer and pizza seems to be a standard fee.

2. Rent!  You can search for "tool rental" in your local yellow pages or just go to Home Depot!  They rent all sorts of excellent quality tools suitable for fancy home improvement jobs.

3. Look for estate sales.  There are a lot of old dudes out there with great tool collections and they croak every day!  (Too morbid?  Sorry, sorry...)  Seriously though, estate sales are a great way to kit yourself out with a full set of tools for a fraction of their retail cost.

4. Buy used online.  Good ol' eBay is a great place to hunt for previously loved tools but beware: tools are heavy and the shipping can be a nightmare.

5. Buy used from friends.  If you have any friends involved with trades or who just have a jam-packed garage, put the word out that you're looking to buy some used tools.  It's a win-win situation: you'll likely get a good deal from your friend and your friend has an excuse to buy new tools without his wife getting angry and taking his credit card away! (hehe)  Another bonus is that if your pal does construction work or is really into carpentry then chances are that his castoffs are of a much better quality than you would've bought yourself.

6. Be a tool MacGuyver and improvise!  Not having ther perfect tool on hand shouldn't prevent you from getting the job done.  With a little ingenuity you might be surprised at how few tools you need. 

7. Make your own equipment.  Do you really need four shiny plastic and aluminum folding sawhorses to complete your project?  A few two-by-fours and a handful of nails are all you need to throw together a simple workbench.

8. Remember that elbow grease is a renewable resource.  Hand tools are reliable.  They last.  They require skills.  It might be more fun (and dangerous!) to cut wood on a table saw, but for small home improvement jobs you really only need a hand saw in most cases.  Besides, if you can't swing a hammer you might as well get out of the toolshed.

9. Read the ingredients and test it out before buying.  Is it made of steel or titanium?  Does the plastic and rubber handle feel cheap?  Are the mechanisms solid or delicate?  Where were they made?  Don't let fancy metal finishes and gimmicky features distract you.  Read the fine print and see what you're really buying.  That way you'll know if it was build to last.

10. Wearing gloves does not make you a sissy.  If your handyman (or handygirl) duties consiste largely of unclogging toilets and changin lightbulbs then chances are the palms of your hands are like delicate rose petals and you'll be tempted to buy hand tools is big, chunky, soft rubbery grips to protect your delicate palms.  Don't!  All of the extra plastic junk on your tools will be the first thing to wear out.  Just buy regular tools with solid handles and pick up a good dpair of workgloves to protect your hands.  Replacing one pair of gloves is better than replacing a whole set of hand tools with ridiculous grips!

I know "ten" is the golden number when it comes to giving tips, but I have one more:

11. The common screwdriver is the best friend in your toolbox... and the most abused.  The common or "flat head" screwdriver can do so much more than turn screws.  They can serve as chisels, pry-bars, scrapers, knives... you name it.  They can be used for so many things that they tend to get damaged, beaten-up and lost more than any other tool you'll ever own.  So if you have a screwdriver set, put aside you best common screwdrivers on reserve for, you know, when you actually need them to turn a screw.  Keep a collection of old, rusty, battered, twisted common screwdrivers aside for your miscellaneous uses.  You'll get use out of otherwise useless tools, plus you'll be extending the life of your good tools.

Alright!  All this talk about tools makes me want to finish that project I started last week.  Now where is my screwdriver?

» Search for Craftsman on eBay

The official countdown to fourth of July celebrations across the U.S. has begun. Traditionally red, white and blue are the colors of the day, however if you've embraced the eco-friendly lifestyle you can easily add some green into the mix.

Drink Local
July 4 is a day of celebration and what celebration is complete without good beer? If you aren't sure what your options for locally brewed beer are, stop buy your local liquor store and ask the experts there to recommend a product made close to home. It travels far less miles to get to your store shelves and there's a good chance it will be fresher and less expensive than an import. Plus you can get that warm fuzzy feeling from knowing you've supported a local business (or from an alcohol-induced buzz, whichever you prefer). Alternatively if you know of a local brewpub in the area, find out if they sell six-packs of any of their products that you can enjoy from home.

Stay local
Speaking of home, stay as close there as you can. Fire up the grill (using our green grilling guide of course) and celebrate in your yard. If you have plans for the day that will take you away from your area, consider taking public transportation or car-pooling with friends heading in the same direction. Wherever you end up, if you'll be outdoors, make sure to protect yourself and your family with adequate sunscreen and insect repellent.

Eat local
If you'll be eating at home or going on a picnic, buy local produce and meat from a farmer's market or local butcher shop.

Ditch the disposables
If you are eating at home, use real plates, utensils and cups. If you'll be leaving the home, consider taking along your serve-ware or call up your local natural food market (if you have one) to see if they sell sugarcane-based biodegradable (compostable!) options. If not, consider sticking to finger food.

Recycle and Compost
Always recycle the leftovers from your celebration: beer cans or bottles, napkins, you name it, find a home other than a landfill for it. Put your composter to good use with any remaining food scraps.

» Wikipedia

We already know there are eco-friendly benefits of reducing food waste, which is a simple enough strategy to employ with strategic, smart planning. But what about the other items in your home that you may unnecessarily send to a landfill mainly because you simply weren't aware they could be recycled? The editors at Green America have not only composed a list of the 21 things you could (and should!) be recycling, they've also included the organizations you can contact to begin doing so.

See some of the items below and where you can recycle them, then hit the jump to visit Green America and view the entire list.

Appliances - Wondering what to do with your old stove or washing machine that is still in good working condition? Send them to Goodwill or the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them.

Batteries - As soon as the ones in your remote control die, don't stick them in the back of drawer - you'll inevitably mistake them for good working ones at some point and they're likely to end up in the trash. You can send rechargeable and single-use batteries to Battery Solutions.

CDs/DVDs/Game Disks - Unfortunatley even your favorite video game or CD will end up scratched at some point in its well-loved life. AuralTech can refinish these damaged goods and have them working again as if they were new. This applies to your favorite music, Nintendo or Playstation games. 

Eyeglasses - Check with your local chapter of the Lion’s Club or the place you orginally bought your glasses. You won't just save them from a landfill, you may also benefit someone in need of new lenses when your old ones are recycled.

Miscellaneous - If your unwanted item doesn't fit into any specific category, try selling it or giving it away via sites such as Freecycle or Craigslist. You could also hold a garage sale and see if there's anyone else who can make good use of your cast-offs (hint: you can do this in any season).

Phones - Just like batteries, don't toss these (or your old pager or PDA) in a random cupboard or drawer for later disposal. Someone in a developing country may be able to use it and Collective Good will help make sure it gets there. You can also assist victims of domestic violence by participating in the Call to Protect initiative, which reprograms cell phones to dial 911.

Sports equipment - Take it to any sports-equipment swapping location, including Play It Again Sports or Sport Swap if you live in Canada.

Tennis shoes - Nike will turn your old shoes into a new place to play with their Reuse-a-Shoe program or if they can still be worn comfortably, One World Running will send them to people in need in poor countries.

Toothbrushes and razors - Who knew you could actually do something useful with your disposable razor or worn-out toothbrush? Instead of stuffing them in the trash can, stick it in an envelope (hint: remove the sharp part of the razor first!) and send it to Recycline. They'll convert this waste into plastic lumber. They've also partnered with Stonyfield Farm to recycle the company's old yogurt containers.

Anything else - If you can't think of where to send old products, you can always try sending back to the manufacturer with a little note letting them know they need to responsibly handle their old products.

The best feature of this list is that not only are you doing something good for the environment, in many cases you may be donating items to organizations that will find people who desperately need the things you no longer do.

» Co-op America

Simply put, you should never leave a campsite with less than what you arrived with. The Leave No Trace website goes by the mantra "Good campsites are found, not made," meaning you should always take with you what you have brought and never leave a site with litter or garbage. Take bags with you that are specifically designated as garbage bags and try to store food in reusable or recyclable containers so that you won't be tempted to leave trash behind or throw away items made from plastic.

Also make sure you deal with the delicate issue of *ahem* human waste properly. Business should always be conducted at least 200 feet away from water sources (anywhere that your waste will not drain into water), trails or campsites and proper care should be taken to ensure it does not attract wildlife. You can click here to find out how to properly dispose of this type of waste or else consider taking along a handy camping device like the Phillips Environmental PETT Portable Toilet available at REI. The toilet uses biodegradable bags and something called Pooh-Powder (I kid you not) for disposal and allow this type of waste to put sent to landfills without harming the earth. Traveling with your own crapper strapped to your back probably doesn't exactly have you jumping out of your chair in excitement, but compare that to the alternative that involves carrying your waste with you in plastic Ziploc baggies where further "handling" is required and suddenly it doesn't seem so bad, now does it?

» REI

I have a bunch of books I'm never going to read again. I've often wondered what to do with them; throwing them away is no good for the environment, recycling them is obviously a waste, I could take them to a used book store for a little cash or not, but what would really be environmentally conscious is to trade them with someone for other books I want and haven't read.

Swaptree.com, an innovative new website, has provided an environment for all those dusty forgotten piles of used books, DVDs, CDs and video games to find a new home.

It's so simple!

1. Choose all the items you would like to part with, 'I Have List'.

2. Choose all the items you want, 'I Want List'.

3. Let Swaptree.com find any number of trade options for you.

The service is free; all you have to pay is shipping. Remember, finding a trading partner as close to home as possible will save shipping costs and carbon emissions. Hit the link to start swapping.

» Swaptree

If you've found yourself worrying about your financial situation lately, it's probably safe to say you aren't alone. In fact we're just waiting until "Economic Anxiety" becomes an officially recognized medical concern, joining the ranks of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessisve Compulsive Disorder. No matter how you choose to identify it or how severe your case is, there's no mistaking that it's afflicting millions and making life a little less enjoyable these days.

Wow, how's that for a pep talk? Have no fear, the goal in talking about this is not to drag you down further, but to get you thinking creatively about the things you can do in your own life to save some money without completely depriving yourself. In other words, hopefully finding some balance.

As it turns out, being economical goes hand-in-hand with being green. The idea in both cases is to conserve, preserve, re-purpose, recycle and a whole bunch of other earth-conscious catchphrases you're probably already familiar with. Any way you look at, consuming less is both kind to your wallet and to the environment. Over the next few weeks, we'll examine some of the ways you can do both. Some ideas will be lighter and more frivolous, because after all, we already assessed that balance is key. After all, finding fun projects and ways to use things around your home is equally important to saving money the next time you hit the grocery store!

In the meantime, we always want to hear your suggestions, so feel free to Send Us a Story and tell us what you're doing during these economic woes to save money and be environmentally aware.

» Ecollo