It's Easy Being Green!

Many people have asked me lately what to do at home to "be Green" so I thought I would share some of the things we do at my house to reduce waste, recycle and conserve water and energy (reducing our carbon footprint). All of these changes have been pretty easy to implement so I encourage you to pick a few to start with and add more as time goes by.

Besides curbside recycling with 2 bins, we save our newspapers for the ABITIBI bin in our neighborhood. You might have seen these large dumpster looking bins that collect newspapers for recycling and give back to non-profit agencies and schools in the process. Did you know that recycling 1 ton of paper will save 17 trees and 3000 gallons of water?

Most weeks we have only one small bag of trash to take to the curb. This sure will come in handy when the city starts charging per bag and/or reduces pick up to every other week. It will happen sooner or later!

We also compost all kitchen scraps, leaves, dead plants and dryer lint among other things (never compost meat, fish, bones or dog waste). This compost "magically" turns in to the richest, most nutritious soil amendment you've ever seen. Your plants and lawn will love it!

Speaking of lawns...I stopped using ground water polluting pesticides several years ago. Only organic amendments are needed and are safer for the environment, children and dogs (and available at Lowes). I have a "rain garden" at the side of my house that catches the rainwater from my roof on one side of the house and filters it through instead of sending it out to the street sewer system.

We have beautiful native drought tolerant plants that never need any more water than what they get from the rain and downspouts, even during weeks with no rain. I have installed "rain barrels" on the other side of the house that catch rain water from the downspouts for me to use on the lawn, potted plants and keeping the compost bins moist (do NOT use roof water on vegetable gardens). As an added bonus, these measures stopped the small leak in the corner of the basement when it rains.

We use reusable bags at the grocery, of course, but also have a small basket of hand towels next to the sink instead of paper towels.

We have power strips that shut off the "phantom" power to the microwave, toaster and coffee maker, computers, etc. you can puchase special power strips that shut off the TV, but leave the satellite receiver on. Just turn the power switch off. Never leave the cell phone chargers plugged in...some use the same amount of phantom power whether charging or not!

We use CFL bulbs and LED bulbs when possible. The yard is lit with solar lights and instead of staying on all night, the porch light is motion activated.

Of course, I have a programmable thermostat, but we didn't have to turn on the furnace until Thanksgiving. An infared heater is highly efficient for any room, you need to heat. When you do turn the furnace on, be sure to keep the filter clean, especially if you have pets. A dirty filter affects the efficiency of the furnace.

The A/C can get a rest in your home too if you figure out which windows to open and blinds to pull in the heat of summer. Don't get me wrong, that A/C was on this past summer at times, but supplemented with ceiling fans that cost pennies to run.

The hot water heater is set on low which still allows for hot showers and hot water for the dishwasher. Most laundry is done in cold water. It will get your clothes clean! Of course I have been using a clothes line for years, just like my Mom always did. If you don't like the feel of your clothes, throw them in the dryer for 3 or 4 minutes to soften.

We turn the water off when brushing our teeth. Why let water run down the drain when you are busy brushing? You can also reduce water usage by placing a litre bottle filled with pebbles and rocks in your toilet tank. This will decrease the amount of water needed per flush.

Our dishes get sparkly clean and dry without the heat dry setting on the dishwasher and we run it at night when there is less community demand for energy.

Of course, we will use all "green" cleaning supplies. Mostly baking soda, vinegar, lemon, borax and peroxide. You have to really read the label to see what you are getting with all the 'green' products that have hit the market. This green designation is not regulated, so companies are appealing to the "want to be green" consumer. If you look closely though, the ingredients are still toxic and/or bad for the environment.

There's a few more things we do around the house but this gives you a good idea of where you can start. The bottom line is that the greenest products are made from natural, not maufactured ingredients that are made locally and not transported in trucks and trains that pollute the environment. That's what being "green" is all about.

If you have questions about any or all of these green efforts, just let me know! Keep those questions coming!