[EmilyD]

I have been trying to live a greener and more frugal life for the last two years. I want to try to step it up a notch this year. Anyone care to join me??

What I am doing now:
Using almost all CFL's through the house
Composting through summer months (too cold here in winter)
Stopped most junk mail
Use water filters on faucet and in pitcher, no plastic bottles
Both shower heads are low flow and faucets aerated
Bring my own bags to store
Covered windows with plastic
Heat set to 65 degrees
Shut down computer at night

Want to:
Plant some fruit trees
Recycle cans again

More to come

 

[harmonSmith]

Good work. Best of luck

 

[MRAHoffman]

May I please join?

I TOO want to be more environmentally friendly. I'm pretty much doing the above, but would like to do some others. I would like to check out rain barrels...I'm sorry, the brain is still sleepy, will have to get back later Take care and God bless.

 

[homesteadmamma]

I'm glad someone started this challenge. We don't have anyone here who truly wants to live a greener lifestyle. Anytime we mention it, we get odd looks and some ridiculous comments.

I'll be joining this challenge right along with you.

I'll be back later too.

 

[Debbie-cat]

I would like to join as well. Add another to my long list!! I feel that we have to learn how to live greener to save our planet for future generations.:winter:

I will check back weekly and add what I have done that is 'greener'.

I like the idea of rainbarrels and I want to check up with that on the web for ideas that don't cost money.:winter:

 

[EmilyD]

Free idea for rain barrels:

dh brought home 10 empty plastic barrels from work. They are heavy industrial grade barrels with tight fitting lids that clamp down.

We filled all of them with rain/snow water last year and then watered the outside plants with it through the summer. Worked great, no bugs with the lids, and no one can "fall" in with the clamping lids.

 

[iida]

I think we are quite green compared to many people we know. Still, we could do better.
I was thinking about eating more vegetarian meals and less meat.

We already recycle bio waste, paper, cardboard, bottles and sodacans, clothes plus of course batteries and such. But I would like to start recycling plastic and class as well. Actually we have a class recycling point nearby, so it is not a problem. We have just been lazy not doing it.

One thing I would like to do, is reconstructing clothes and using fabric from old clothes, sheets etc. to something new. maybe shopping bags, toys and such.

We could also eat more seasonal domestic berries, fruit and vegetables and mushrooms. We have a lot of forests here with plenty of berries nobody picks, because it is easier to buy bananas and oranges that come from faraway countries with aeroplanes. Not very green. But we have a short summer and only fruits that grow here are apples and plums. Or rhubarb, is it a fruit? But blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, cranberries and rasberries and so on are free to pick for anyone.

We could also order green electricity. I have to check that out and see if it is much more expensive than normal electricity. They use windpower.

Yes, I would like to join you.

 

[homesteadmamma]

I wanted to make a list of what we do and then what we want to do.

~we have energy efficient lightbulbs
~we have rainbarrels (we got ours from a cheese factory that was closed. You can often pick them up at yard sales too.
~we compost
~we have our heat turned down during day and very low at night
~we use the sun to heat our home by opening blinds during the day time
~I use cloth bags
~we've insulated most of our home
~we don't use plastic bottles either
~we shut off the computer at night

What we'd like to do:
~I do use cloth bags, however I want to use them more. I often forget the bring them with me
~When an appliance is needed, it needs to be an energy efficient one
~we want to use less water (tough one here)

 

[EmilyD]

Another thing I do is use only rechargable batteries. They are a little more expensive initially but save a lot of batteries from the dump. I use them in all my clocks, medical equipment, remote controls. I then take them to recycle.

I am also planning a garden this next year. Last year I had 2 tomato plants. I want to get a couple of kids swimming pools and plant one with strawberries and rhubarb and one with veggies.

 

[Yart]

Changed all lightbulbs to CFL's
Compost
Use my own bags at the stores
Recycle paper, plastic, tin, glass
I have the heat down to 64
All of my windows have blankets on them
1 window has plastic

I am looking to have solar heaters installed once I get the money
I would also like to put in a solar water heater
Also a wind turbine would be great.... I live in the city so that kind of limits the amount of stuff I can do.

 

[ri*smom]

I think we do pretty well, but there is always room for improvement!

Doing:

Full Spectrum CFLs
Recycle cans, plastic and paper via curbside
Recycle batteries, chemicals, etc via recycling center
Turn theromstat down in winter/up in summer
Installed thermal drapes (on all but two windows--just need to find hardware on sale)--plastic won't work for us w/ little fingers to break seal
Grow organic lasagna garden: aspargus, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, black currants, apples, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs (I have some others that change from year to year, but the ones I listed I always have)
Try not to buy new--look at thrift/garage sale/ebay possibilities first
Try to repurpose old items into new
Use Diva/mama cloth
(Cloth diapered/made own baby wipes for 1.5 years, but am taking a break from that)
Try to buy local (we were in a CSA, but they stopped make deliveries to our area and the drive is too far to the farm)
Use reusable bags for shopping/toting
Use resuable sandwich wraps (Wrap-n-Mat) for dh's lunch or bento box (Laptop Lunch)

Would like to do this year:

Vermicomposting
Install at least one rain barrel
Using beneficial insects (the Japanese beetles and other critters gave me a run for my money last year . . . I need reinforcements!)

 

[EmilyD]

1 Jan 2009

Today I :
Used cloth bags for groceries
Bought eco friendly laundry soap
Full load in dishwasher

 

[homesteadmamma]

Today:

~when I took the printer out of the box, I put all cardboard into the recycling box. We have a wonderful recycling place in our small town.
~printer turned off when not in use
~dd is using material to make Barbie clothes that was sent to her. It was material leftover from sewing skating outfits.

 

[Debbie-cat]

When I went to the grocery store today, I used brown paper bags instead of plastic. I am going to use them for wrapping gifts (Christmas, birthday) and decorate the plain brown outside with stickers, stamp pads (with different patterns) etc. I need to start this now so I have enough when Christmas 2009 comes.

 

[homesteadmamma]

-instead of throwing out old pots, going to keep them and use for making soap in the spring.

 

[Debbie-cat]

Good idea homesteadmamma! I have a ton too in storage. I will use mine for that too! Thanks!

 

[homesteadmamma]

-using rechargable batteries for our digital camera
-using rechargable batteries for my mouse
-decided to empty the fish tank (less electricity for heater and light and less water, it evaporated so quickly)
-using cold water for laundry
-using biodegradable laundry soap

 

[Mamaw]

*did a load of laundry in cold
*used white vinegar in dishwasher instead of a rinse aid
*Putting kitchen scraps to compost pile. hope this works!
*Not turning up heat
*Using cloth napkins and cloth rags to clean with
*passing on magazines that I read to others
*washed out a jar and prescription bottle to reuse for other items

 

[Minner77]

We try to live as green as we possibly can. We do a lot of what you all do... let's see if I can remember some...

-reduce, reuse, recycle, freecyle, don't buy in the first place
-buy things with minimum packaging
-refuse to buy things because of excess packaging
-use CFLs wherever possible
-use reuseable bags for groceries and now, other shopping
-wash in cold, hang to dry whenever possible
-use reuseable food storage containers
-use scratch paper as much as possible, even running back through printer
-use refurbished toner cartridges
-have a geothermal heated/cooled home
-use cloth napkins
-use refillable water bottles
-carry our own coffee mugs to coffee joints
-are planting our first garden (!)
-drive a fuel-efficient car
-diligently combine errands in town
-compost
-turn off computers at night
-turn off power switches when electronics aren't being used
-have Energy Star appliances

That's all I can think of now! It's great to meat like-minded people, isn't it?

~Mary

 

[Ganyssa]

We are working on being greener this year as well. So far:

*Turn off unused lights - this is hard. DD is 7 and she forgets
*Recycle all packaging that we can find a place to take it
*Buy the larger size, including no snack packs, etc.
*Cloth napkins, cotton rags, hankies instead of kleenex
*Turn off the computer and peripherals - I admit, this is me
*All new appliances are Energy Star
*Cleaning products are environmentally-friendly - this was a lucky two-fer. I bought them for no animal testing
*Refillable water bottles and coffee cups
*No paper plates, paper towels, or paper napkins
*Reusable grocery bags