WHAT I'M DOING TO BE EARTH FRIENDLY
As of 2007, I've been going through this stage of trying to do more to
prevent waste. I guess it stems from me wanting to clear out my house of junk and noticing how much products I
use once and then throw away or just pile up....from toy packaging, fast food kid's meal toys, to sandwich bags and plastic
bags you get when you go shopping. People might think I'm going psycho or cheap but I just want to make a difference
so that I don't feel guilty contributing to the wastefulness we've come to getting use to.
So below is a list of little things I've been trying to do on a regular
basis that I know a lot of you (my readers) can do as well.
1) Bring your own bag...or
pass on the shopping bag all together. Notice how you go to the store to buy one item and in return you get the item
plus a big or small plastic bag to carry it out in. I was noticing those plastic bags were piling up in my home and not being
reused fast enough. So I found myself passing on the shopping bag if I can carry the product out myself or actually
bringing my own bag to stuff it in. I've done it so far at Old Navy, Fred Meyer, Target, and the mall. I was surprised
one day on a trip to the Fred Meyer (my grocery store), how I actually got a bag refund when I brought and reused my brown
grocery bags. Now they offer Fred Meyer logo bags for purchase which I now bring and use every time I go to the grocery
store. (I was told I don't get a bag refund when I use those but at least I know I'm helping.)
2) Bring your own cup. Every Monday morning
my company has our weekly meetings at Starbucks. If I ever buy a drink, I actually bring my own Starbucks Coffee tumbler
(is that what you call those things) for them to put my drink in. This is the only place I've brought my own cup.
Come to think of it maybe I carry my own cup when I order water at fast food restaurants where the drinks are fill-your-own.
I'm not sure about doing that for soda...'cause don't they still charge for small/medium/large????
3) Reusing paper twice. When possible I do
try to use the other side of paper when ever possible.
4) Recycling. I recycle pretty much everything
that I can. Unfortunatley not everything is accepted by recycling programs.
5) Use food containers and your own utensils.
Since I bring my lunch at work, I put everything in tupperware and bring my own utensils. No other option really.
6) Using actual plates, utensils, and cups for group gatherings.
(I went to a family party of a coworker and they used actual dishes. It was a nice touch and this way I can use the extra
plates I have stashed in our cabinet). Now I haven't quite put this into effect since I don't do much hosting but
for future gatherings (since it's not a huge party), I intend to use my own silverware, plates, and glasses and just put them
in the dishwasher. I figure some adults don't like "Barbie" plateware or pink utensils as much as the girls do.
I'll just buy character paper plateware for the kids when it's a theme party.
7) Buying a rain bucket to water plants. This
too is something I intend to do but have not yet bought the thing. Makes sense to get one of these and use to water
our potted plants, etc. Hopefully this summer I'll get one of these.
8) Little things we already do:
-Signed up to get our yard waste picked up. With the service they
accept food scraps and paper napkins/plates.
- Bought a push mower to clip our grass of our small yard.
- Carpool to/from work.
- Turn off engine when I'm waiting in the car.
9) Things I'd like to implement soon:
-Using environmentally safe or homemade house cleaners (ie. baking
soda).
-Buying organic food. Still got to get
over the price difference but at least I'm thinking about it.
-Buying recyclable gift wrap, make your own, or reusable gift wrap.
-Using cold water to do laundry. This
is more to save on the electric bill I guess. They make a detergent for cold water but do they make a cold water detergent
for high efficiency washers??? I'll have to read up on this. Is just having a high efficiency washer good enough??
Maybe?
- Using cloth diapers. It doesn't hurt to try.
-Using cloth napkins. This is a fairly recent thought. Maybe
I can use it just for immediate family. Will it add to the washing bill?? Definitely, a thought to ponder.
-Plant your own garden. Problem is, we don't get enough sun in our
backyard and the local ROA charge a fee to use their pea patch. Will I actually keep up with maintenance?
