-Make sure that we turn off the lights when we leave a room
-Don't leave water running while brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc.
-Consolidate all of our errands into one trip
-Replace burned-out light bulbs with the energy efficient ones
-Give away things that someone else might want instead of throwing them away. We used the free section on Craigslist to give away all of our moving boxes. Believe me, alot of people will take anything that's free.
-I bought some cute cloth napkins at Walmart. I still use paper towels for realy messy meals, but the cloth napkins work for most meals.
-I have been buying some Method soaps and cleaning products. They are sold at Target and are supposed to be more environmentally friendly than other soaps. I have to recommend their "Sweet Water" scented handsoap. It smells SO good.
-Invest in some reusable shopping bags. I ordered "Chico Bags" from http://www.reusablebags.com/. It was under $30 for 7 of them. They are very durable and they have a variety of colors to choose from. Another good site is http://www.ecobags.com/. It can be hard to get into the habit of using them, but whenever I take them to the grocery store lots of people ask about them and seem interested in getting their own.
There are so many other changes we could make, but I think that these are good first steps.
6 comments:
That is so good. I've always wondered if the energy efficient bulbs are expensive. And I'm interested in that soap!
Hilari
We are doing the same thing! I also use the Method hand and dish soap. I have a few reusable bags too. One thing I love is the reusable freezer bag I found at Sam's. I take it into the store, and it keeps everything cold while I am shopping and on the way home. It is huge, but it folds up nicely.
I will chime in as I am a "professional tree hugger" according to my husband :) Let me recommend trying to remove cleaning chemicals. THis is one that I plan to try to do in the next year. Martha Stewart and Sara Snow both have "recipes" online. Removing these chemicals can help the environment in so many ways...and FYI, a "green" housekeeping plan is one of the things that is really emphasized in green building (construction). And, a lot of these things are toxic to kids and animals!!!
Oh, and CFL bulbs are about 3 times the cost of normal light bulbs, but save about $30 a year per light fixture on power and last for several years...and, if the laws stay as they are written, in about 3 years you won't be able to even buy a normal 60W light bulb in a 3 pack at walmart for 99 cents.
Wow....good for you! Those bags look great! I have a closet full of walmart sacks that will never get used. Thanks for the link!
I'm so proud! I try to be a little green myself. Wal-Mark and Kroger have reusable bags for a dollar each. Not nearly as cute as the ones in your pictures though. =)Thanks for putting those websites up. Hope all is well. Good luck with the new job.
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