Remain a Green Queen

Get a recycled pet!

One of the great misconceptions about getting an animal from a shelter is that they are “damaged goods”. Sure, some of the animals have been physically or emotionally scarred; but there’s no guarantee that an animal you buy from a breeder won’t be. Some of the puppy mills around keep animals in horrid conditions. Regardless of where you get an animal from; there’s always a risk of neuroticism or other behavior disturbances – but a good home and caring owners often do wonders for a neglected animal. In the case of dogs, they just want to be part of a pack – and will seek your acceptance by behaving appropriately with a little training and time.

I can’t really think of a more environmentally friendly way of acquiring a pet than one that’s been tossed aside by another thoughtless human. When you obtain a pet via these means, you’re not only cutting down on the demand for “new” pets to be bred, but you’ll also be saving a life of another animal.

Before you throw something away, think about if someone else might need it. Either donate to a charitable organization or post it on a web site designed to connect people and things, such as Freecycle.org.

I like to check w/ friends first to see if they need what I’m donating. My good friend has taken clothes for her daughter, toys for her nephews and another friend has picked up boxes of clothes to take to Mexico to give to the needy on the way, that they often see while driving down roads.

Instead, eat at home or at a sit-down restaurant. Fast food restaurants are one of the worst polluters of the environment, both in the massive amounts of beef they must raise, in the wasted packaging, and in the energy they use in so many ways. And they’re tremendously unhealthy.

In the last few months, I’ve been really good about this. Not to mention IT IS unhealthy. A woman I work with gave up fast food for one month and lost a lil over 10 pounds.

The big secret: you can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.

Stock up on a few safe, simple ingredients that can be used in most cleaning situations. Soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, borax, and a coarse scrubbing sponge can take care of most household cleaning needs.

Instead of using a standard drain cleaner, which likely contains lye, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid, try pouring a quarter cup of baking soda down the clogged drain, followed by a half cup of vinegar. Close the drain tightly until fizzing stops, then flush with boiling water.

For an effective glass cleaner, use a mixture of half white vinegar and half water.

Baking soda and cornstarch are both good carpet deodorizers.

To clean up mildew and mold, use a mixture of lemon juice or white vinegar and salt.

A paste of baking soda, salt, and hot water makes a great oven cleaner.

In the rare instance you need to use a hazardous product, use as little as possible and dispose of it in a way that will cause minimum harm.

Turn off the lights and turn on your partner. Lighting accounts for 15 percent of electricity used in the home…that’s $285 a year in the average household! A no-lights night is a simple way to save your energy for, um, more satisfying endeavors.

Now for me…I’m a watcher. I like to see what’s going on. I just use the beautiful moonlight as my lighting or you can also light a candle (:

Answering machines use energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And when they break, they’re just one more thing that goes into the landfill. If all answering machines in U.S. homes were eventually replaced by voice mail services, the annual energy savings would total nearly two billion kilowatt-hours.

Just picked up some of these this weekend (:

Every spring tons of plastic pots hit the landfill. Here’s a tip, search out Bonnie plants in biodegradable peat pots. Bonnie claims that their pots save over a million pounds of plastic a year.

Each plant sinks its roots into its pot, which is planted directly in the ground, so there is no transplant shock. As each pot gently biodegrades during the season, it adds a little organic matter to your soil.
Bonnie sells herbs, flowers and vegetables.

If you must water your lawn, do it early in the morning before any moisture is lost to evaporation. Have a few weeds? Spot treat them with vinegar. Not sure if you should rake? Normal clippings act as a natural fertilizer, let them be. If you’ve waited too long, rake by hand — it’s excellent exercise.

The average cell phone lasts around 18 months, which means 130 million phones will be retired each year. If they go into landfills, the phones and their batteries introduce toxic substances into our environment. There are plenty of reputable programs where you can recycle your phone, many which benefit noble causes.

The company I work for does this. Every month I have several employees give me their unwanted cell phones. It’s really a good feeling to know that we all can do our part, while keeping it simple (:

Most lighters are made out of plastic and filled with butane fuel, both petroleum products. Since most lighters are considered “disposable,” over 1.5 billion end up in landfills each year. When choosing matches, pick cardboard over wood. Wood matches come from trees, whereas most cardboard matches are made from recycled paper.