go green

lets save the world!

And I’ll put entries under that topic.

Ok. I’m ready to start. What’s first? I have the Internet to help me learn and hopefully teach my family why it’s important. I have a few books on various subjects. One is mine and the kids have a few that I haven’t read to them yet. They don’t seem too interested. Now if Thomas the Tank Engine would go green – but stay blue, lol – then the kids would be interested. Anyway. I got the cloth grocery bags down. And a couple times I’ve refused straws at fast food drive throughs. Once we had a wrapped straw hanging out in the car so I used that. And today I got some water from McDonalds for the kids and they don’t use straws.

Should I pick one and go from there? Yeah. I love asking opinions but that just takes time and sometimes I need to think for myself. Energy? Water? Refuse more straws? (plastic. How much do straws affect the environment?) I’ll let you know what I decide.

Some tips for people who want to go green!

1. Shop with a plan

When you bring an article of clothing into your life, it’s kind of like adopting a dog or cat. That cute little number has to have a place in your wardrobe, and you’re agreeing to provide for and give it the longest possible life with you. Abandoning the impulse buy may sound boring, but how exciting is a closet full of stuff that doesn’t work? In the long run, knowing what you’re looking for before you shop will save time and eliminate clutter. You’ll get more use out of a piece that looks and feels great: What colors work for you? What fits work the best? How will the piece get along with everything else in the closet? If the answer to “Will I still want to wear this rhinestone-studded bustier in two years?” or “Can I eventually find a way to use it in a craft project?” is no, skip it.

2. Love your duds

Whatever you’ve chosen, take good care of it. When you get home, change out of work gear and into your famous dressing gown or leisure suit. Don’t cook or check the tire pressure in clothes you want to wear in public. Learn how to sew a button back on, or how to coax a nimble friend into doing it for you. Get the name of a local tailor or seamstress for major repairs or alterations.

3. Don’t go dry

Though the industry has improved much since 1992, there is still a high likelihood that your trusty corner cleaner uses perc (tetrachloroethylene), a known carcinogen. See if there is a local green cleaner employing “wet cleaning” or liquid CO2 techniques. Many articles whose tags ask for the dry clean treatment can actually be hand washed, especially silk, wool and linen.

4. Buy vintage or used

People unload clothes for all types of reasons, and you know that adage about trash and treasure. From Oscar-worthy vintage dresses to Freecycled denim, you can likely find the piece you’re looking for second hand. You’ll be giving a cast-off garment a second life, and possibly supporting charitable work in the process.

5. Wash well

Washing wreaks the most havoc of all. It requires lots of water and energy, so only do it when you absolutely need to and have a full laundry load. Turn articles inside out and use the lowest temp possible. If you know you glowed all over a piece, make a thin salt paste and soak the affected fabric for a half hour before washing. Choose phosphate-free and biodegradable detergents and line dry as much as possible. Treat stains quickly with nontoxic removers. If you’re buying a new washing machine, look for one with an Energy Star label.

6. Wear organic

Though cotton is marketed as clean, fresh, and natural, conventional varieties are anything but. It takes a third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to produce the cotton for one T-shirt! That means lots of direct, unhealthy exposure for farmers and nearby wildlife, and heaps of unnecessary pollution. Ick. Luckily, organic cotton is becoming easier and easier to find. As mega-stores get into the game, however, it’s important to stay vigilant about what organic means, so you know you’re really getting clean clothes. Also know that though the cotton may have been organic to start with, your T may be full of processing chemicals and metal-laden dyes.

If you want to go Green you might want to check out the bags at http://www.igotgreend.com They’re stylish and fashionable, and the concept is really interesting.. It’s meant to be a gift for friends and family that you’re interested in converting to go Green. It’s by a startup company, and the idea works just like a game of tag..

If you’ve gone Green and want to spread the lifestyle, you can get the bag for your friends. It’s a stylish and fashionable bag that they can use over and over again (as the back design says) for groceries, the beach, etc. Your friends get Green’d, and they go and Green someone else… Before you know it, more people have gone Green and Mother Earth is happy! Again, the URL is

http://www.igotgreend.com

Good luck people!

the earth is not ours; we’re from the earth. why do we destroy what sustains us?

Somehow, I’m not sure how, I want to do my part to stop global warming. I want a green planet for my children (in the future).

I can always make improvements

I hope to make my home as green as possible. Although this take money and time, I know it can be accomplished. So if anyones has any tips let me know.

ive already started recycling, but i think i need a better recycle bin.. and we have the lightbulbs.. but i want to do more.
i can start by:
being sure to recycle
taking shorter showers
trying not to buy bottled water
and unsubscribing from some magazine subscriptions
..its not much, but ill start with that.
o and ive already started taking my own bag with me when
i go shopping.

I am at the point where I am ready to stop saying I’ll make a change and actually do it. Now, I’m a reasonable person and I know that I can’t make drastic changes over night. However I am ready to make a change even if they are tiny changes over a period of time. I’ve come up with a list of things I can do to help myself “go green”
1. unplug my appliances when I’m not using them
2. Wash my clothes in cold water
3. Use a clothes line to dry my clothes- it’s summer, it’s hot outside, why not??
4. Walk and bike more- the only vehicle I use is a SUV and it’s a beast of a environment killer. I’ll be sure to stay out of that vehicle whenever I can just bike somewhere
5. Eat less meat- it’s said even cutting down one meat filled meal a week helps
6. Buy local foods
7. Buy big reusable water bottles so I’m not constantly recycling the little ones.
8. Buy secondhand products for furniture and the like- this one is especially nice since I’m moving soon and may need new furniture.
9. Borrow instead of buying (such as library books) this will help the earth and me financially.

I think I have a good basic idea on how to start my goal of going green. If anyone has any other thoughts/ideas/comments feel free to send em my way!

Good luck!

well, i’ve always recycled the majority of our plastic, glass, and aluminum… but our recycling co. only takes #1 and #2 plastics. So, i have started to buy only items that are packaged in containers i can recycle. I no longer use disposable paper/plastic grocery bags and now use only reusable canvas bags. i changed all of my lightbulbs over. I no longer use napkins or paper towels. I switched over to fabric napkins and rags made out of my children’s stained up, torn clothing. I started a compost bin in my backyard and now compost all of our food scraps and grass clippings. i have been really focused on using less electric thru out the house… keeping the a/c as high as i can w/o sweating to death and doing less laundry… basically, i’m turning my family into stinky, sweaty pigs, LOL… i’ve been trying to bring more organic, natural, locally grown food into our home. I have been switching to organic or natural cleaners in my home and did away with all aerosol cans.
The biggest hurdle is my gas guzzling car which i am strapped to b/c of the car payment. I drive it very MINIMALLY though(maybe about 80-100 miles/wk), and am hoping to be in a position to get rid of it in the next 5 months.
so, off to a good start in just a few months… i just really need to get rid of that car!!!