Friday, March 28, 2008

It IS Easy Being Green!!

The great things about "Going Green":
1. It can be done in baby steps. It doesn't need to be done all at once.
2. It's not an all or nothing goal - some people will live less green than I, and some will live more green, but every little bit I do matters.
3. It really triggers my creativity and fun buttons to find ways to REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE. So I can feel good while I do good.
4. In many cases, the changes I make are money-saving.

Ways I'm already Living Green:
1. RECYCLING - we used to live in Fitchburg, one of the first communities in Wisconsin to mandate recycling, so it's been a habit for years.
2. Using canvas shopping bags - this is a work in progress, as I don't always remember to take them with me. When I need to use a store's bags, I get paper - then use them for collecting recyclable papers. I also use a canvas bag at the library.
3. I only do full loads of laundry whenever possible, and use cold water the majority of the time.
4. I use rags instead of paper towel whenever possible (cat puke warrants a paper towel).
5. I'm in the process of switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products - some purchased, some homemade (using vinegar, baking soda, borax, etc.).
6. I insulated the water heater.
7. My thermostat is never above 68 in the winter, and we installed a programmable thermostat so it's only working when we need it to.
8. I'm finding new ways to REUSE - tea bags and leftover tea are great for my plants, coffee grounds go around the rose bushes, old t-shirts & sheets become rags, etc.
9. I'm composting kitchen scraps.
10. I switched to rechargeable AA and AAA batteries (the two sizes we use most).
11. I donate whatever I can to the kindergarten class I work in or to art teachers - empty kleenex boxes, paper towel/toilet paper tubes, magazines & calendars with great pictures, unused wrapping paper, etc.)
12. I share magazine subscriptions with other family members, and we have a magazine exchange at work.
13. We switched to higher efficiency light bulbs.
14. I buy used when possible (and occasionally find what I need free through Freecycle.)
15. Any usable items I'm ready to part with are either donated or posted to Freecycle.
16. My husband changes the oil in both our cars and takes the used car to a local mechanic for recycling.
17. We try to remember to unplug and turn off items that are not in use.
18. For many years I sent leftover and received Christmas cards to St. Jude's Ranch for Children (http://www.stjudesranch.org/give/Recycled_Cards.php). They discontinued the program for awhile, and it will resume this Spring!
19. I try to purchase books secondhand or check them out from the library. I only purchase books I intend to read again, lend to others, or pass along to someone else.

Changes I intend to make in 2008:
1. Install a clothes line
2. Install motion sensors on light switches that tend to be left on (my 9-year-old is apparently untrainable in this respect).
3. Plant more trees - I just joined the Arbor Day Foundation (www.arborday.org), so I have TEN FREE TREES coming soon!
4. Switch to cloth napkins. Paper napkins will be reserved for special occasions - like barbecued ribs.
5. Switch to rechargeable batteries in other sizes.
6. Turn unplugging into a consistent habit.
7. Complete switch to ALL environment-friendly cleaning products.

I'm always looking for new ways to reduce, reuse, recycle, and save money, so let me know what you're doing!

2 comments:

Mamadelphia said...

These are great ideas, Anne! I'm doing quite a few of these, too, and you've given me some good ideas.

Tell me more about the composting -- this is something I'd like to begin doing, but I have no idea how and of course there's the "yuck" factor that keeps me from finding out more.

Anne said...

True composting involves collecting kitchen waste and storing it with yard waste in an outdoor compost bin, letting it allowing it to decompose. I'm just beginning this; here's a good guide:
http://www.epa.gov/compost/

Up until now, I've taken a 'compost lite' approach - coffee grounds and egg shells around my rosebushes (works amazingly well!), used tea bags in plant water, raked leaves over flower beds before first frost, etc.

We'll see if I can handle the "yuck" factor!