We recycle everything we can and donate everything we no longer need so it does not end up in a landfill. Also, planted lots of trees and plants around my home and have a sprinkler system. I have a programmable thermostat that lets my house get about ten degrees warmer during the spring and summer days when we are at work or school. We let the house get 10 degrees cooler in the winter. Keep our vehicles maintained as well.
We use baking soda and distilled white vinegar for cleaning counters, cupboards, etc. We have hardwood floors and use Bona products (which are really Earth-friendly.) We're big gardeners (as soon as Northeast Ohio defrosts enough for us to plan.) We reduce/reuse/recycle *everything* (for instance, fast food plastic drink containers are re-purposed for washing out paint brushes, etc.) Oh, and can't forget, cloth grocery bags.
I have found a wonderful website called www.freecycle.org where you can give things away so they don't go to the garbage. We also recycle everything and use no chemicals to clean.
This one is a no-brainer but takes a bit of effort, not gonna lie:
Preparing more fresh, homemade food. It really has helped us out a lot, but there are times when life is too hectic and it's easier to make kraft mac n cheese.
But overall, home cooking allows us no tin cans to throw away, no plastic wrappers or cardboard boxes in the trash. We've been recycling for years, and my family's heritage has always been that of home-cooked meals, so it's pretty simple and works for us.
Recycle, recycle, recycle ... order from arbor day foundation and plant about 30-50 saplings a year. Yes, some die, but a LOT don't. Use rags, instead of paper towels. Use a rain collection tank; hooked that up to my sprinklers and hose - never once used city water for garden or washing cars. Use an electric cook top, heat pump electric water heater, wood burning insert; disconnected gas to our house. Would love to install solar, but our stupid neighborhood covenants prohibit! Asshats - should be illegal (FCC made placement of dishes illegal, but nothing on solar from govt? Idiots). Definitely compost as much as possible ... Take my 1 large trash bag to dump myself (recycle center is there) once a week and don't use trash service. Drive a hybrid, when I have to, and I try to walk and conserve driving days, use a kindle, refuse mailers and catalogues, all billing online, use reusable market bags and have my own fruit trees and vegetable garden. Buy seasonal products ... and, yet, there is still so much that can be done ... and an uphill struggle. So much of our world does NOT support being green ... the lack of recycling at food establishments, customer loyalty cups and styrofom for take out - grrrrr
I'm with many of the others here - my main things are re-use and recycle. I live in NYC - there is almost no need to throw anything away (apart from basic trash). I donate, I use freecycle, I put stuff out on the street and someone else who needs it takes it, etc. I am a member of my local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) - local means better for everyone involved. I am also a member of our local food coop (Park Slope Food Coop). We use primarily green products, support green companies and efforts and stock mostly local, organic products (including humane and green animal products for those that are so inclined). As others have mentioned, homemade meals mean less processed foods (which means less trash but also less processing means less energy consumption); I feel like I could go on and on...
Recycle of course...and 90% of what we eat is organic - would like to get to 100%. Will not put another damn dime in Monsanto's greedy little pocket - oh...did I mention I am active in "Millions against Monsanto?" Thank Monsanto for GMOs, PCBs in farmed fish, cross pollination of organic crops, soybean allergies, "super" weeds, and oh...you can thank Tom Vilsack too for allowing this to go on. argh. don't get me started - just read up on it, get involved, and let's take back our planet!
Here's the latest tidbit: http://inteldaily.com/2011/02/scientists-warn-of-link-between-dangerous-new-pathogen-and-monsanto%E2%80%99s-roundup/
Thought of another major one! If you're like me and can't make it through a morning without copious amounts of coffee, Starbucks gives you a $.25 discount if you bring your own travel mug. I've saved tons of money and countless paper cups and sleeves this way :)
-use Brita instead of bottled water -recycle everything possible -our local liquor store has a bin where you can drop off used corks for neighbourhood kids to use for arts/crafts/projects etc. -biodegradable garbage bags -we walk/bike/use public transit and don't even own a car (but we live downtown so it's easier to go without one) -i always cut up those plastic rings that come around soda or beer -always being aware of the thermostat -we use Freecycle.com religiously (my bf even posted "bag of misc. wires" and it was claimed within an hour, lol)
I am the queen of composting. My favorite method is to dig a trench and throw in the compostable stuff and cover with dirt. I have the best worm collection in CO. And the composting materials heat up the dirt so seedlings can go into the ground earlier.
I have a bucket in my tub and when I am running the water for a shower, I collect it in the bucket and use it to flush the toilet. Is that too extreme?
We should take this as a reminder for ALL women... if you have to go back to your ex's apartment/house DON'T GO ALONE! Even if the ex- seems nice, you never know -exactly- what is going on in his mind.
So have a friend wait in the car while you go inside to get your stuff. You don't come out within X amount of time, Friend calls the police -- and maybe saves your life!
I don't recycle. I'm not a troll, I just don't believe the whole carbon footprint / global warming hoax. I recycle at work because I have to. Our planet has done well for billions of years, our little footprint is like a flea on its back. It will live on longer than we do. I use paper towels and am pissed because the greenies have removed the phosphates from my dishwash detergent and regulates my toilet bowl flush and my shower head flow. I can't buy a cheap topload washing machine because they aren't made anymore, and front load are twice as much and clean less. These new lightbulbs are toxic if they break and should be treated as a hazardous spill. Now the EPA wants to regulate CO2. Remember, to be green, energy prices should rightfully skyrocket. /politics at a gossip site is uncool. cool story, bro.
Hey, do you guys know you're not supposed to throw your batteries out in your household trash?
The batteries corrode in the landfills and the stuff inside (can't remember what it is) leaches down into groundwater.
Instead you're supposed to save all your old batteries in something like an emtpy milk jug. When the jug is full you can take it to your community's hazardous waste site. In our town, we have hazardous waste home pickups (like for leftover paint and household chemicals).
Not only do I believe that global warming exists--as do most scientists--I also believe that treating the Earth kindly is a matter of morals. It's not ours to abuse. We wouldn't walk into another person's house and just poop in their living room--we shouldn't do that to our own home, either.
That said, of course we recycle everything--cans, boxes, bottles. But we also PREcycle--I read an article years ago that plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose and there aren't enough things to use all the plastic that is recycled by us. So I no longer buy plastic containers of laundry detergent, for instance, but instead buy powder in cardboard, because cardboard DOES decompose and is easily used by recyclers. We buy milk in cardboard containers, not plastic jugs for the same reason. We also buy used things--clothing from thrift stores, used cars. By buying used, one can reduce the carbon footprint needed to produce new items.
I save soda cans and glass beer bottles to take to the recycling place. Once we made enough money to go see the Harry Potter film and have snacks for three people! But to be honest, the incentive was the $$, not thinking about saving the Earth.
However, I did recycle newspapers, boxes, plastic containers, etc. all the time when I lived in LA and they provided those gigantic blue containers.
Even if global warming doesn't exist and even if everything is "going to shit anyway", like my father in law says, to me, that is still NO EXCUSE for leading a wasteful life.
This is the one thing Bill O'Reilly and I agree on - EVERYONE benefits from a clean planet. EVERYONE.
I recycle what I can. I use reusable shopping bags. I turn the shower of while I lather. I turn the lights off when leaving a room. I don't litter. I bring my own cup to Starbucks (assuming I remember. Damnit, noone's perfect!) I don't drive everywhere or every day, mostly when I go for groceries or other things that require moving lots of stuff. Otherwise I walk.
There are so many little things you can do that don't really make your life complicated or difficult, but if we all did them, it really would make a difference.
"Not only do I believe that global warming exists--as do most lying or on the government payoff scientists, who have been proven to lie and manipulate data see "climategate""
/fixed
Even Al Gore admits that ethonol was a mistake and he only did it to get Iowa votes. stupid people vote stupidly.
I know no one is posting here anymore, but for the random couple of people who said they don't believe in global warming and they don't believe in the need to recycle, what drugs are you on? Seriously - whoever made the argument that 1,000's of years of people haven't recycled? Yes, you are right. Guess what? They didn't have plastic and non-biodegradable materials. So, there weren't massive landfills filled with corrosive and non-biodegradable crap. You are out of your head if you think that today we aren't producing mounds of crap that has no where to go. It's really infuriating to think people actually believe that there is no need to recycle and that the earth can just sustain itself with 6 billion people contributing loads of pollution and waste.
And how can you not "believe" in global warming? We are depleting the ozone layer, people. It's not something to believe in, it's a fact.
Okay. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
"And how can you not "believe" in global warming? We are depleting the ozone layer, people. It's not something to believe in, it's a fact."
It's not. it's a lie. It's all about redistributing the wealth. Do your own research. I won't do it for you. You are brainwashed. Here's a hint: google "climategate".
As for the amount of people on this earth, I agree. We need population control. Stop procreating.
Oh wow - brakewater... Thanks for enlightening me to a couple of emails that clearly spell out the fact that we aren't ruining our environment! Forget my previous posts, I'm going to stop recycling and start spraying the aerosol! I feel so liberated. Thanks for that!!
In other news... The ozone layer is still being depleted and morons like brakewater are unfortunately still super-sleuthing conspiracy theories.
Bring tupperwear to restaurants for your leftovers.
ReplyDeleteWe recycle everything we can and donate everything we no longer need so it does not end up in a landfill. Also, planted lots of trees and plants around my home and have a sprinkler system. I have a programmable thermostat that lets my house get about ten degrees warmer during the spring and summer days when we are at work or school. We let the house get 10 degrees cooler in the winter. Keep our vehicles maintained as well.
ReplyDeleteWe use baking soda and distilled white vinegar for cleaning counters, cupboards, etc. We have hardwood floors and use Bona products (which are really Earth-friendly.) We're big gardeners (as soon as Northeast Ohio defrosts enough for us to plan.) We reduce/reuse/recycle *everything* (for instance, fast food plastic drink containers are re-purposed for washing out paint brushes, etc.) Oh, and can't forget, cloth grocery bags.
ReplyDeleteI have found a wonderful website called www.freecycle.org where you can give things away so they don't go to the garbage. We also recycle everything and use no chemicals to clean.
ReplyDeleteThis one is a no-brainer but takes a bit of effort, not gonna lie:
ReplyDeletePreparing more fresh, homemade food. It really has helped us out a lot, but there are times when life is too hectic and it's easier to make kraft mac n cheese.
But overall, home cooking allows us no tin cans to throw away, no plastic wrappers or cardboard boxes in the trash. We've been recycling for years, and my family's heritage has always been that of home-cooked meals, so it's pretty simple and works for us.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42711922/42577822
ReplyDeleteNot only did the co-founder of Earth Day murder his girlfriend, he actually composted her.
as a light eater, I'm loving the tupperware containers for leftovers.
ReplyDeleteRecycle, recycle, recycle ... order from arbor day foundation and plant about 30-50 saplings a year. Yes, some die, but a LOT don't. Use rags, instead of paper towels. Use a rain collection tank; hooked that up to my sprinklers and hose - never once used city water for garden or washing cars. Use an electric cook top, heat pump electric water heater, wood burning insert; disconnected gas to our house. Would love to install solar, but our stupid neighborhood covenants prohibit! Asshats - should be illegal (FCC made placement of dishes illegal, but nothing on solar from govt? Idiots). Definitely compost as much as possible ... Take my 1 large trash bag to dump myself (recycle center is there) once a week and don't use trash service. Drive a hybrid, when I have to, and I try to walk and conserve driving days, use a kindle, refuse mailers and catalogues, all billing online, use reusable market bags and have my own fruit trees and vegetable garden. Buy seasonal products ... and, yet, there is still so much that can be done ... and an uphill struggle. So much of our world does NOT support being green ... the lack of recycling at food establishments, customer loyalty cups and styrofom for take out - grrrrr
ReplyDeleteI'm with many of the others here - my main things are re-use and recycle. I live in NYC - there is almost no need to throw anything away (apart from basic trash). I donate, I use freecycle, I put stuff out on the street and someone else who needs it takes it, etc. I am a member of my local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) - local means better for everyone involved. I am also a member of our local food coop (Park Slope Food Coop). We use primarily green products, support green companies and efforts and stock mostly local, organic products (including humane and green animal products for those that are so inclined). As others have mentioned, homemade meals mean less processed foods (which means less trash but also less processing means less energy consumption); I feel like I could go on and on...
ReplyDeleteHappy Earth Day, everyone!
You can reuse a McDonald's coffee cup over and over and over again. Just wash and go.
ReplyDeleteRecycle of course...and 90% of what we eat is organic - would like to get to 100%. Will not put another damn dime in Monsanto's greedy little pocket - oh...did I mention I am active in "Millions against Monsanto?" Thank Monsanto for GMOs, PCBs in farmed fish, cross pollination of organic crops, soybean allergies, "super" weeds, and oh...you can thank Tom Vilsack too for allowing this to go on. argh. don't get me started - just read up on it, get involved, and let's take back our planet!
ReplyDeleteHere's the latest tidbit: http://inteldaily.com/2011/02/scientists-warn-of-link-between-dangerous-new-pathogen-and-monsanto%E2%80%99s-roundup/
Thought of another major one! If you're like me and can't make it through a morning without copious amounts of coffee, Starbucks gives you a $.25 discount if you bring your own travel mug. I've saved tons of money and countless paper cups and sleeves this way :)
ReplyDeletei'm Dicaprio fan so like him, i only travels in private planes (ooops)
ReplyDeletein our home we:
ReplyDelete-use Brita instead of bottled water
-recycle everything possible
-our local liquor store has a bin where you can drop off used corks for neighbourhood kids to use for arts/crafts/projects etc.
-biodegradable garbage bags
-we walk/bike/use public transit and don't even own a car (but we live downtown so it's easier to go without one)
-i always cut up those plastic rings that come around soda or beer
-always being aware of the thermostat
-we use Freecycle.com religiously (my bf even posted "bag of misc. wires" and it was claimed within an hour, lol)
oh and we always bring our own cloth bags for shopping
ReplyDeleteInquiring minds must know...
ReplyDeleteIs CHUNK Enty all grown-up?
http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-jeff-cohen-24962471
I am the queen of composting. My favorite method is to dig a trench and throw in the compostable stuff and cover with dirt. I have the best worm collection in CO. And the composting materials heat up the dirt so seedlings can go into the ground earlier.
ReplyDeleteI have a bucket in my tub and when I am running the water for a shower, I collect it in the bucket and use it to flush the toilet. Is that too extreme?
great ideas everyone.
ReplyDeleteMoogy Baby -- oh that is sad! That poor girl!
ReplyDeleteWe should take this as a reminder for ALL women... if you have to go back to your ex's apartment/house DON'T GO ALONE! Even if the ex- seems nice, you never know -exactly- what is going on in his mind.
So have a friend wait in the car while you go inside to get your stuff. You don't come out within X amount of time, Friend calls the police -- and maybe saves your life!
I don't recycle. I'm not a troll, I just don't believe the whole carbon footprint / global warming hoax. I recycle at work because I have to. Our planet has done well for billions of years, our little footprint is like a flea on its back. It will live on longer than we do. I use paper towels and am pissed because the greenies have removed the phosphates from my dishwash detergent and regulates my toilet bowl flush and my shower head flow. I can't buy a cheap topload washing machine because they aren't made anymore, and front load are twice as much and clean less. These new lightbulbs are toxic if they break and should be treated as a hazardous spill. Now the EPA wants to regulate CO2. Remember, to be green, energy prices should rightfully skyrocket. /politics at a gossip site is uncool. cool story, bro.
ReplyDeleteHey, do you guys know you're not supposed to throw your batteries out in your household trash?
ReplyDeleteThe batteries corrode in the landfills and the stuff inside (can't remember what it is) leaches down into groundwater.
Instead you're supposed to save all your old batteries in something like an emtpy milk jug. When the jug is full you can take it to your community's hazardous waste site. In our town, we have hazardous waste home pickups (like for leftover paint and household chemicals).
Buzzkill Brakewater.
ReplyDeleteNot only do I believe that global warming exists--as do most scientists--I also believe that treating the Earth kindly is a matter of morals. It's not ours to abuse. We wouldn't walk into another person's house and just poop in their living room--we shouldn't do that to our own home, either.
That said, of course we recycle everything--cans, boxes, bottles. But we also PREcycle--I read an article years ago that plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose and there aren't enough things to use all the plastic that is recycled by us. So I no longer buy plastic containers of laundry detergent, for instance, but instead buy powder in cardboard, because cardboard DOES decompose and is easily used by recyclers. We buy milk in cardboard containers, not plastic jugs for the same reason. We also buy used things--clothing from thrift stores, used cars. By buying used, one can reduce the carbon footprint needed to produce new items.
I save soda cans and glass beer bottles to take to the recycling place. Once we made enough money to go see the Harry Potter film and have snacks for three people! But to be honest, the incentive was the $$, not thinking about saving the Earth.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I did recycle newspapers, boxes, plastic containers, etc. all the time when I lived in LA and they provided those gigantic blue containers.
I don't have a car. I walk or use the bus. I've been doing this since the 90's.
ReplyDeleteEven if global warming doesn't exist and even if everything is "going to shit anyway", like my father in law says, to me, that is still NO EXCUSE for leading a wasteful life.
ReplyDeleteThis is the one thing Bill O'Reilly and I agree on - EVERYONE benefits from a clean planet. EVERYONE.
I recycle what I can. I use reusable shopping bags. I turn the shower of while I lather. I turn the lights off when leaving a room. I don't litter. I bring my own cup to Starbucks (assuming I remember. Damnit, noone's perfect!)
I don't drive everywhere or every day, mostly when I go for groceries or other things that require moving lots of stuff. Otherwise I walk.
There are so many little things you can do that don't really make your life complicated or difficult, but if we all did them, it really would make a difference.
"Not only do I believe that global warming exists--as do most lying or on the government payoff scientists, who have been proven to lie and manipulate data see "climategate""
ReplyDelete/fixed
Even Al Gore admits that ethonol was a mistake and he only did it to get Iowa votes. stupid people vote stupidly.
I do absolutely nothing and have no intention of starting to do anything.
ReplyDeleteWhether you believe in global warming or not, we have a freaking island of floating garbage almost twice the size of Texas! Disgusting!
ReplyDeleteI know no one is posting here anymore, but for the random couple of people who said they don't believe in global warming and they don't believe in the need to recycle, what drugs are you on? Seriously - whoever made the argument that 1,000's of years of people haven't recycled? Yes, you are right. Guess what? They didn't have plastic and non-biodegradable materials. So, there weren't massive landfills filled with corrosive and non-biodegradable crap. You are out of your head if you think that today we aren't producing mounds of crap that has no where to go. It's really infuriating to think people actually believe that there is no need to recycle and that the earth can just sustain itself with 6 billion people contributing loads of pollution and waste.
ReplyDeleteAnd how can you not "believe" in global warming? We are depleting the ozone layer, people. It's not something to believe in, it's a fact.
Okay. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Recycle paper, plastic, and glass.
ReplyDeleteUse well water.
Hang clothes to dry.
Buy a lot of local produce.
Shop at thrift stores.
Also, I compost most of my trash to use in my garden.
ReplyDelete"And how can you not "believe" in global warming? We are depleting the ozone layer, people. It's not something to believe in, it's a fact."
ReplyDeleteIt's not. it's a lie. It's all about redistributing the wealth. Do your own research. I won't do it for you. You are brainwashed. Here's a hint: google "climategate".
As for the amount of people on this earth, I agree. We need population control. Stop procreating.
Oh wow - brakewater... Thanks for enlightening me to a couple of emails that clearly spell out the fact that we aren't ruining our environment! Forget my previous posts, I'm going to stop recycling and start spraying the aerosol! I feel so liberated. Thanks for that!!
ReplyDeleteIn other news... The ozone layer is still being depleted and morons like brakewater are unfortunately still super-sleuthing conspiracy theories.
Go veg. Honestly. It's the best thing you can do for the environment.
ReplyDelete