Earth day - What do you do to help the planet?

[gardenmommy]

So in honor of Earth day lets share what we do in our homes/families/lives to benefit the earth.



*We recycle more paper, cans, metal, plastics and glass each week than we have garbage, in other words our recycyle can is bigger than our garbage can.

*We have a compost bin, and I'm hoping to get a worm bin at our new house.

*We refuse to use any plastic or styrofoam take out containers.

*All of the lightbulbs in our house are CFL's or halogens

*We have dimmers on most of our light switches.

*We use cloth diapers on our kids, and if we have to use something other than cloth we use 7th generation which have less chemicals

*I use Cloth shopping bags (I'm not perfect but I use them about 90% of the time)

*We have a water filtration system in our hosue rather than using bottled water.

*I wash most of our clothes in cold water to reduce energy consumption.

*We buy organic food as much as possible, and buy locally grown produce

*We use glass food storage containers rather than plastic and don't use zip lock bags.



We aren't perfect by any means and I'm looking into green cleaners, and ways to reduce our energy consumption all the time. I hope we can reduce our footprint a lot in the coming years. What do you do?

[Rosebud]

Well, today I drove my hybrid to the grocery store and used canvas bags to take home my groceries. Do I get a gold star? :D

I do all of the things on your list above except compost. That's a little hard with city living. Oh, and we don't have dimmers-- but we keep the lights off in rooms if we're not actually in them.

Was reading an article in the paper today about how our home computers are big energy wasters. For some reason, this hadn't really occurred to me. I'm totally guilty of leaving my laptop on all day. So, my resolution this Earth Day is to keep my computer turned off except when I really need to use it.

[boilermaker]

I breastfed DD :) Apparently, that is good for the earth.

To go along with Rosebud, leaving any appliance plugged in all day wastes enough eneergy to make a difference. We did put a lot of our stuff on a surge protector and turn that off when not using them.

[moderngal]

I do all of the things on your list above except compost. That's a little hard with city living.
No it's not.
http://www.cityfarmer.org/homecompost4.html
http://www.yougrowgirl.com/garden/urbancomposting.php
http://www.wisebread.com/urban-composting-it-can-be-done
http://aswecan.blogspot.com/2007/09/urban-composting.html

[karlatta]

No it's not.
http://www.cityfarmer.org/homecompost4.html
http://www.yougrowgirl.com/garden/urbancomposting.php
http://www.wisebread.com/urban-composting-it-can-be-done
http://aswecan.blogspot.com/2007/09/urban-composting.html

I live in an area where outdoor composting is prohibited. But I might have to look into seeing what I could do indoors. Thanks!

[gardenmommy]

Rosebud~ What kind of car do you drive?

And as far as electronics go, I've read a bunch about how your tv, microwave etc suck energy when off, but still plugged in...does anybody unplug everything at night?

[AmyE]

If the electronics have a 'standby' mode - anything with a remote, or a digital clock on them, etc, they will continue to suck energy even when not "on" or in use.

One way to minimize that, as a pp noted, is to put those appliances/electronics on a powerstrip or surge protector. Turn off the power strip when the stuff isn't in use, especially overnight. You don't have to unplug the power strip - the off button takes care of it for you. It might be annoying not to have the digital clocks on VCR/DVRs, microwaves, etc working, but really, how often do you use those at 3am? You will also have to walk over and physically turn on the TV the next day, when you want to use it, rather than hitting the remote button.

See - save energy and burn some calories at the same time!

My biggest problem right now is with CFC bulbs. We have them in our house, but there is no facility locally where we live for turning them in once they go out, or if they break. (And it's a nightmare to clean up a broken one, esp with 3 kids under 3 in the house.) We live overseas, FWIW. Right now I'm torn between saving the electricity and the potential damage to the river system and groundwater where we live of the old CFC bulbs - they just get thrown in the trash then the local dump. Our city doesn't even have a sewage treatment facility - the waste water is sent via canal into a marsh, which manages to clean it all up over time. I don't like thinking of all that mercury going into the marsh. Not sure what I'm going to do. (Besides turning off the lights as much as possible!)

[MichelleRenee]

* I work in environmental consulting so my education and career are both focused on environmental protection.
* I live in a county that sorts our trash for us after they collect it but I still keep most recyclables separate and take them in myself, just in case.
* I just started using cloth shopping bags. Before that I made sure that all of the plastic bags made it back to the store's plastic bag recycling bin.
* I do the basics at home - make sure all lights are off and that appliances aren't left plugged in if we don't use them.
* I make sure that ALL old prescription and non-prescription meds are taken to the pharmacy for disposal, and not thrown away/flushed.
* All laundry at our house is done in cold water, except for bed sheets and towels.
* We live in a small house that doesn't require too much energy to heat/cool.
* We try to grow as many veggies over the summer as we can.
* I try to pack trash free lunches every day. I purchased a couple of cloth sandwich wraps from here (http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/about-us-i-5.html) which are a wonderful alternative to plastic baggies.
* As DS (and future DC) grow up I will be sure that they are always aware of the importance of caring for the environment.

[boilermaker]

* I live in a county that sorts our trash for us after they collect it but I still keep most recyclables separate and take them in myself, just in case.


Since we live in the same county, I just count on them doing the recycling. Have you noticed a problem because I would be very upset if my recycables weren't being recycled. I figure I pay for it, I might as well use it. But I never minded recycling myself.

[MichelleRenee]

No, I've never noticed a problem. I just wonder how they can pick out all the paper if it is covered in other junk and gets wet and stuff, ya know? And the glass if it breaks into tiny pieces. I bring our paper into my office and just drop glass and cans at a nearby drop station. (We really don't use a lot of glass or cans though so it isn't really too much of a chore.)

[boilermaker]

Ah, that makes sense. I do seperate the glass, pop cans and most of the paper into individual bags (the plastic shopping bags from when i forget to use my reusable ones), then toss those into the trash. I think I remember reading that in the guide I got when we first moved here. For the paper, I would think they do some sort of pulping system but I never looked into it.
I will say, I think it is great that the county does this. It has to be better for the environment than counting on everyone to sort their own trash and while it isn't a job I would want, I guess it is a few extra jobs in the area.

[moderngal]

We have them in our house, but there is no facility locally where we live for turning them in once they go out, or if they break.
Do you have an Ikea nearby? Ikea will take them. Some Whole Foods Markets do, too. :)

[gardenmommy]

MichelleRenee~ Thanks for posting that link for the sandwich wraps...they look really interesting.

Moderngal~?Good thinking about Ikea...I've never had one break or go bad yet, but good to know for the future!

CFL bulbs~Our local dump has a hazardous waste collection where they will take in hazardous waste for free including CFL's.

[Ohana]

I still have a long way to go, but I'm trying!

DH, DDs, and I carpool to work/daycare most days.

Both DDs were BF'd

I combine all of my errands into one trip (and usually 1 store)

I buy in bulk, avoid convenience foods, and make many of our meals in bulk (if dinner's already made, it's less tempting to get takeout, which of course is so wasteful in its packaging)

75% of our family clothing comes from thrift/consignment stores

I try to use cloth shopping bags, and have even been known to take my cloth grocery bags into the thrift store or Target

I switched to the ultra concentrated detergent (less plastic to recycle, smaller lighter bottles to transport)

As often as possible, I wait to do laundry until I have enough clothes for a completely full machine

We recycle cans, glass, plastic, and paper. I also opted out of getting CC offers, which decreased the amount of junk mail we receive. Also, we switched to e-bill on everything we could and pay online. Less mail coming into the house, less paper to recycle!

I bought a compost bin at Costco the other day. Can't wait to set it up!

In the near future, I'd like to start swapping out old plastic food containers with glass, and DH has promised to build me some raised beds so I can have a vegetable garden. I also saw on Etsy the other day a seller who was selling reusable produce bags. I need some of those! I need to get DH on board with the power strip tip mentioned above. I can already see he won't like all the clocks being wrong!

[jennylou]

We have a fairly large veggie garden that we are expanding this year. This will enable us to make it through winter with our own, frozen veggies (green peppers, squash, etc) and spaghetti sauce (we ran out in Feb).

I need to get better about cloth bags at the store - we have enough, I forget to put them back in the car though!

We try to hang dry when possible - right now I have some CDs on the line, since it's finally warm enough!

I BF DD and will BF the new baby as well.

We're partial CDers. I wish that I could say full time, but if DD gets a rash (I'm starting to believe it's a micro-fleece allergy to the FB) :( I switch to disposables until it's gone.

We use CFLs in all our lights except those on dimmers (I know that people have told me they sell those now, but I can't find them!).

I've recently started composting.

I recycle cans. I'd do glass and plastic but despite emailing our township and county I can't find out where to take them.

[Yvangeline]

Does anyone have any recommendations for good cloth shopping bags? The ones I've seen around here are all either too small or too flimsy.

[jennylou]

I use a variety of them - some from tradeshows. I got great ones from the hospital after delivering DD - nice, strong and big. I've also made a few.

[gardenmommy]

Does anyone have any recommendations for good cloth shopping bags? The ones I've seen around here are all either too small or too flimsy.

Our are from a local store called Fred Meyer, they are owned by Kroger so they might have similar ones at a Kroger store?

I thought they might be a tad small at first but now I'm glad they aren't bigger because once you fill one they become quite heavy....so maybe small is good?

[laura]

Whole Foods has nice cloth shopping bags. I bought mine at Trader Joe's, and I have some Chico Bags that we also use for lunch sacks for work.

It's interesting to read some of the things people do, as some are things I have just done forever, or wouldn't think to not do - like washing less than a full load of laundry. But I'm just lazy in that case! :p

I think the best thing we do is we use our heads. We do things that (I feel) are common sense, like turning off lights in rooms when we leave a room, not leaving the heat running all day (moderate climate), recycling, reusable bags, not driving a gas guzzling/poor mpg car, using CFLs, taking public transportation or walking the majority of the time, etc. When we have a decision to make, we consider the environmental implications - like we are getting ready to purchase a new washer/dryer and we are most likely going to get a HE washer/dryer for the added environmental benefits. When we buy our next car, we will most likely buy a hybrid. That sort of thing.

[TracyDP]

Our are from a local store called Fred Meyer, they are owned by Kroger so they might have similar ones at a Kroger store?



Hi Gardenmommy! I just now realized that you are local. I'm in Eagle Creek and shop at the Freddies in Sandy. I also have some of their shopping bags, but only take 2 on each major shopping trip. We use the paper bags for our kitchen trash bags so I have to keep up some supply of them. Just FYI I don't know if you use organic jar baby food at all but it's $.50 a jar on sale right now. I make a lot of baby food, but there are some flavors DD really likes of the organic jar stuff, and it's nice to have around for travel or in a pinch when I don't want to heat up some from the freezer. Good for taking to Grandma's too.

What I do to help the environment:

> Reusable grocery bags, or paper that we recycle by using them as trash bags
> 7th generation detergent, dishwasher soap and cleaners, Planet dishsoap and only home-made organic bathsoap from the Saturday Market
> Dimmer switches on lights, energy efficient and really convenient with a baby
> Kept my old Honda Civic for DH's commuter car. It's a '98 and it gets 10 more miles a gallon than the new Civics :eek: (WTF? I mean, come on people...)
> 7th generation diapers until now, I just ordered a stash of cloth and have decided which ones I want more of. Will be on all cloth at home soon (still disposables traveling and at night/grandmas).
> All clothes washed in cold, even the diapers.
> No good location for a garden (too many trees around us, no sunny plot...seriously, maybe 1 hour of sun in any one spot), but I go weekly to the farmers market.
> Making most of my own baby food and buying organic for jar food.
> Replacing lightbulbs w/ florescents as they burn out
> Motion lights outside instead of ones constantly on
> Recycle everything we can. Oregon is good that way. Take newspapers/phone books/junk mail to the fund raiser bin for the local school.
> Living far from any retail centers I make sure to combine trips and only go into town 1-2 times a week. I try and hit places like Costco, Target, Kohls etc in one trip that I plan out on Sunday when I look at the ads :)

That's about all I can think of for now. I'm going to be moving from plastic leftover containers to glass soon, just waiting for the $$ to do so.

[AmyE]

Do you have an Ikea nearby? Ikea will take them. Some Whole Foods Markets do, too. :)

Actually, I don't live in the United States. I am currently in a small part of SE Asia, and there aren't any grocery stores even. (minimarts - like 7-11s - and the normal outdoor markets.) There are hardware stores, but nothing big like IKEA or such. The local "recycling" program is an old man or woman pushing a handcart who come and go through people's trash, separating out things they can sell to scrap dealers. DH and I have taken to putting our cans, glass, cardboard, and anything metal in a separate basket, so they don't need to open the trash bags. Although they usually do anyway, as it turns out.

[Kimberland30]

We don't do a whole lot, but we're on our way to helping as much as we can.

- Wash mainly in cold water, unless it's muddy clothes (yardwork) or towels. I only do full loads, and use the new ultra concentrated Tide with Downy so I don't use fabric softener anymore (less containers).

- We recycle what we can - glass, cardboard, cans, etc.

- We compost yard clippings. Right now we don't add food because we have a problem with rats and other critters...but we plan on trying it (maybe a covered compost bin) and see how it goes.

- I just finished building the block retaining wall around our garden area, and will fill it with a compost/topsoil blend as soon as the weather lets up. We plan on growing a lot of our own veggies and herbs.

- We don't use CFL's now, but I'm going to start buying them as our regular lightbulbs go out.

- We donate a lot of clothes and household items to thrift stores, and old appliances to them as well. We also just took 3 propane tanks from old grills to our local propane dealer to be recycled.

- As appliances break down, we look for the best energy efficient ones we can find within our budget.

- We also refill water bottles from our filtered water instead of throwing them in the recycle bin. I keep boxes to use for storage in our attic, or for wrapping presents.

[ks_piper]

* Replace all lightbulbs as they go out with CFLs.
* New fixtures will be LED (no mercury)
* Keep our thermostat at 63 in the winter and 78/80 in the summer.
* Use ceiling fans when in rooms to use less AC
* Wash all laundry on cold (warm for sheets when needed)
* No auto dry on dishwasher!
* consolidate errands
* Use reusable bags for 90% of shopping
* use SIGG bottles instead of water bottles
* recycle cans, paper and magazines
* BF both kids
* very mindful of turning off lights/computers/etc when not in use.

We can do more, and this year I've resolved to recycle every material we can. KS isn't the best state for recycling (there is no state or city intiative) but we've found places to take most of our stuff.

I do plan on frequenting farmer's market/local produce markets when able this spring/summer. Sometimes it is too expensive for our budget, but we do what we can!

[TracyDP]

- We compost yard clippings. Right now we don't add food because we have a problem with rats and other critters...but we plan on trying it (maybe a covered compost bin) and see how it goes.

We got a large covered compost bin from our local recycling center for about $35. It works great to keep the critters out (we have racoons, squirls, stray cats...all variety of woodland creatures). We did have to put a brick parimeter around it though (bricks on end about 6 inches into the dirt) to keep the racoons from digging under it to get at the good stuff.

- We donate a lot of clothes and household items to thrift stores, and old appliances to them as well.

I donate all of my old clothes as well, but usually I take them (along with baby clothes) to the local womens shelter instead of the Thrift Store. I take DH's old clothes to the homeless shelter down town. They also give out a donation receipt for taxes and I like the idea of the stuff going directly to those that need it most. The only large appliances we have had to get rid of were hauled away by the store we bought the new appliance from, and they take them to the recycle center or donate them if they are working.