Green Tips
Every Day is Earth Day!
By Ellen DeFrancesco
April 20, 2017
- Phantom Electric: This is not from an episode of Scooby Doo. It's the electric still being used when all your appliances are plugged in but not actually turned on. I unplug all my appliances when I'm not using them.
- Kitchen Towels: I use so much less paper towels now that I bought kitchen towels. It's amazing how much money I've saved and how fewer rolls I buy.
- Shower time: I'm not going to tell you not to bathe or to shut off the water when soaping up - that's not very realistic for most and I've tried it - you get cold pretty fast. So to help conserve water and energy you can install a low-flow shower head. We were initially worried we would lose water pressure or take away our soothing alone time experience BUT we bought them. My husband installed them and it's fantastic. My pressure is just as good and I bought one that you can bring the water down to a smaller amount so you don't get cold AND you can use less water when soaping up. It’s highly efficient and very affordable. And good for Mother Earth.
- No VOC Paint or Low VOC Paint: Painting is a quick and easy way to redecorate. When you start selecting colors, try to find low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) or no VOC paint. Avoid most latex and oil-based paints to eliminate toxins released into the air. For the past two years, we have have only used NO VOC paint. It's great because we can paint, there's no smell and the kids didn't have to spend the night out because of bad fumes. It's a win - win. It is more costly but it was worth it. Toxins are not only released when it's wet but your walls will continuously emit toxins.
- Water Pitcher: Next to my kitchen sink is a pitcher. Instead of wasting water (water my kids didn't drink or extra water I have in my measuring cup or pot that I didn't use) I put it in my pitcher and when it's full, I use it to water my plants.
- This one is easy - turn off the water while brushing your teeth or soaping up your hands. It's just wasting water and after awhile I promise you, you will do it automatically.
- Take shoes off at the front door - not tracking in dirt and debris you reduce indoor toxins and it helps to keep your floors clean - a bonus.
- Make your own ice pops. My kids love ice pops so I use my own juice (orange, lemonade and pomegranate) - this way I know what's in the ice pops they're eating and it's reusable (no extra packaging of buying store bought and no sticks to throw out).
- Turn off the darn lights. No joke - why do you have lights on during the day????? I ask myself this every time I habitually walk into a room and turn on a light.
- Keep heating and air conditioning contained to the spaces you use every day. If you have guest or storage rooms, close off the vents to help reduce costs and increase efficiency.
- If you have a choice between using sprinklers or a kiddie pool - go for the kiddie pool. You use less water and when the kids are done - you can reuse the water to water your plants/grass/garden.
- Instead of recycling items - try to reuse them. My husband stores all his loose nails in the garage in coffee cans. I bought big bottles of liquid soap and fill soap pumps from another soap company to create foam soap and reuse the bottles.
- Programmable thermostat...enough said.
- Reuse Packaging: If you don't reuse packing peanuts, bubble wrap or the boxes your packages come in then take them to a packaging store and they will be thrilled to reuse it.
- Recycle Hangers: Bring your extra hangers to a dry cleaner. I've never had a dry cleaner turn me down.
- Recycle Home Materials: When renovating your home, instead of throwing out your existing materials, donate them to Habitat for Humanity. You save space in the landfill, collect a charitable tax credit for the donation, and help a good cause. Visit Habitat to find an affiliate near you.
- Buy Earth Friendly cloths. I use them instead of sponges in the kitchen - they are very eco-friendly, easy to use but VERY easy to clean - I just throw them in the washing machine.
- Donate or Sell: Have stuff you no longer use/need/want - Ebay, Craigslist or donate it. No need to throw it out when someone else can enjoy it.
- Buy a battery tester. When you have a component that's not working and there are multiple batteries how do you know which one is bad? Battery tester - this way you don't get rid of (RECYCLE) perfectly good batteries.
- Recycle Items for Art Supplies: Donate paper towel rolls/toilet rolls/shoe boxes to schools for projects. My pre-school LOVED me as I supplied them with these much needed items which they reuse to make crafts. Ask your teacher, lots of them are thrilled to take them and you keep it out of the landfill.
- Pay bills online: Pay bills online (save money in stamps) and you can get your bills electronically rather than wasting paper.
- Rain Barrel: Collect rainwater to water your lawn and garden. My water bill shoots up in the months I put my sprinklers on - this can save you money AND is great for the Earth. Just look outside when it's raining and imagine all that water being put to use in your home and garden.
- Recycle Vases From Florists: My husband loves to buy me flowers but I already have a ton of vases. So when I have extra (the ones I get with the flowers) I bring them back to the florist. Cleans out my closet of vases I don't use anyway and they LOVE to get them back and use again.
- Cleaning Supplies: Use green, non-toxic cleaning supplies. Not only good for you, but can also save you money.
- Print on both sides of the paper. I keep a stack of already used paper by my printer and when I need to print something just for me - I slip in the old sheet and print on the blank side.
- Air dry your clothes if possible. I have a line hanging in my basement - uses less energy and I stopped shrinking my husband's clothes.
- Buy Local: Reduce your carbon footprint - I like to buy my fruits and veggies from local growers if possible. Less chemicals because the food doesn't have to travel and it's even getting easier to do. You can find local farmers on Local Harvest ( http://www.localharvest.org/).
- Reusable Lunch Bags: I'm always shocked to see brown paper bags used as snack and/or lunch bags at my kid's school in this day and age. There are a ton of reusable, cute, no BPA or other harmful toxins, ECONOMICAL snack/lunch bags.
- Cold Water Wash: Wash your clothes in cold water. Your clothes will be just as clean in cold laundry, but it will save you money on your energy bill; keep your clothes looking better, longer; and it helps the planet.
- Local Library: Go to your local library instead of buying new books.
- Use Less Product: I'm a girl so I understand. But do you really need 10 products to start your day? Simplify your life, save some money and reduce the total number of products you use daily. I've gotten my make-up down to eye liner, mascara, tinted mosturizer and blush. If it's a special day I'll add eye shadow. Less products = less chemicals. And the stuff I do use - I make sure it's as non-toxic as possible.
- Make Your Own Wrapping Paper: Here's a great opportunity to get creative and get help from the kids. Wrap presents with the comics section of a newspaper (I grew up using this to cover textbooks) or children's artwork (my girls LOVE this - it makes the gift more special). Or you can use a cloth item such as a scarf, attractive dish towel, bandana - something useful so even the wrapping can be part of the gift.
- Go Solar: I know, it's a big step. One we took last April and we LOVE it. My LIPA bill last month: a little over $9.00. Yes, you read that right and the month before it was a little over $5.00. (Note from Laura: This was written by our Long Island, NY, publisher-- if you know about this locally, leave a comment where we can get more information!)
- Turn Outside Lights Off: I can't sleep at night so I'm often up at 3am and I see my neighbors keep their outside lights on all night. I can't figure out why. If you like them on at night, turn them off before you go to bed or put them on a timer - saves energy and money on your bill.
- Recycle Holiday/Birthday Cards: Take this year's holiday/birthday cards and recycle them into gift tags. I've actually done this - I take the front picture of the card and write my message on the blank side and attach it to the gift with string from previous gifts.
- Less Packaging: Given a choice between 2 products I will always choose the one with less packaging. I still don't know why something needs to come in all that stuff.
- Reuse Bottle Caps: Click HERE for instructions on how to reuse a plastic bottle cap to seal bags. (This links to an old newsletter, so disregard the event listings there!)
- Make Your Own Laundry Detergent: Click HERE for a recipe on how to save money and the Earth by making your own detergent. (This links to an old newsletter, so disregard the event listings there!)
- Turn the Heat Off Your Dishwasher: Turn off the heat dry option on your dishwasher and let your dishes air dry. You can open the door a little to speed up the drying process.
- Use a Green Dry Cleaner: It's frightening how many chemicals and toxins are used in dry cleaning your clothes. Look for a green dry cleaner, or better yet, buy clothes you can wash yourself. Saves a ton of money in the end too.
- Meatless Mondays: You can reduce your carbon footprint AND save money by serving one meatless meal a week. Do it more than once a week...BONUS!
- Recycle Old Sneakers: You can take all your old sneakers (kids too) to the Nike store (there is one in Oshkosh) and there's a bin to drop them off. They recycle the bottoms for use in track surfaces, interlocking tiles and even playgrounds.
- Celebrate Earth Day: Do one thing that's good for the environment. Pick something on this list or just take the kids to play outside.
