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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Question of the Day, Tue 5/20

GO GREEN! GO GREEN! GO GREEN! GO GREEN!

What does your family do to help save our planet?

18 comments:

joe albero said...

Shanie doesn't flush.

Anonymous said...

Years ago, I never recycled cans, newspapers, cardboard, etc etc. Now EVERYTHING in our household gets sorted out and taken to the recycle
bins that can be recycled. Have even taught my children how to recycle.

Anonymous said...

Acting like a capitalist. The cleanest environments are where a free market economy prevails.

joe albero said...

We have installed compact fluorescents almost everywhere inside and outside our home. Warm white fluorescent lamps resemble incandescent lamps, so you know. I hate those cool white lamps that give off the blue color.

We recycle everything, especially the Daily Times. It gets used at least twice and who knows, maybe one day we'll have a dog that gets on the Tonight Show because it can read while it poops?

We have definitely started using vehicles that get the best gas mileage.

Wymzie said...

We are growing a community garden where we are sharing the responsibility and God willing the harvest!
A couple of our girls friends have found a way to turn those awful walmart bags into a big permanent shopping bag, so we are going to start cutting them into strips and crochet them into a shopping bag that we take to the store with us.
We simply cannot bring home a dozen bags every time we go to the store.
It is ludicrous!
I think if write to the manufacturers and tell them we won't buy their products if they don't reduce their packaging is also a good idea; especially children's toys, there is just overkill on the packaging.

Anonymous said...

We've converted about a third of our yard to gardens, growing more of our own fruits and veggies each year. Our back yard is organic, no chemicals of any kind allowed back there! (the front unfortunately had to be Round-Upped to control the crabgrass)

Compost, compost, compost - a bin is only $40 at Sam's Club, or just make a pile in the back yard.

90% of our lights are fluorescent. Appliances are newer models, very energy efficient.

We have reusable bags (when we remember to take them with us to the store)

Heat/AC - 65/80

Vinegar works just as well as bleach for most cleaning/sanitizing needs.

And the most fun "green" solution...we bought motorcycles for getting around town. Will be a HUGE savings on gas!

Anonymous said...

To Wymzie: So what is your solution to the plastic Walmart bags? It would be hard to carry everything out in our arms and pockets. Certainly you can't get all the stuff in one homemade bag. I doubt Walmart checkout folks would like seeing us bring our own bags in as well.

I don't see a major problem here. We stuff them all into one bag and then give them to friends who have fruit and vegetable roadside stands. They love to get them for their customers.

joe albero said...

That's a great point. We try to reuse those plastic bags by bringing them to little league games and picking up the trash there. We recycle them and that's a great idea with the vegitable stands, we pass them regularly and could drop some off if they wanted them.

Anonymous said...

I make ALL of our skin care products, if it goes on the skin, I make it myself. I pour our own 100% natural wax candles in canning jars. Canning jars can be washed out and reused hundreds of times if care is taken with them. I clean with Borax, baking soda or vinegar depending on what is being cleaned. We grow almost all of our own veggies, haven't started on fruits yet. I make every trip in town count. If I don't NEED it, I don't go. If there is something I WANT, I order it on the internet, even locals with internet stores will ship, shipping is less expensive than the gas it takes to go and get it. We recycle or reuse everything. If you know me, you know I don't waste anything. Everything has a use you just have to be creative. We have compact fluorescents and the long fluorescents throughout the entire house. My outdoor lighting is solar. I just ordered an outdoor shower that hooks up to the garden hose and the water is solar heated. My next major investment will be photovoltaic solar panels tied into the grid. Delmarva Power can buy from me for a change.

joe albero said...

Donna,

I'd like to know where you ordered that "outdoor shower" and how much it cost?

Anonymous said...

Walmart will now sell you a reuseable bag for a buck. Save the buck and make your own. Most stores now sell reuseable bags with their logo on it. Forget the logo and make your own out of old clothing. A pillowcase makes a nice bag.

My mom shopped daily for meats and veggies, she pulled her cart with her everywhere she went. I still have her cart and use it when I go to the grocery store. I used an old bed sheet, doubled over to make a removeable liner. Just stack your items in the cart and roll it to your vehicle. It folds up nice and neat and fits in the trunk of your car perfectly. Even fits in these little foreign cars.

Anonymous said...

We recycle for starters. Everything that can be recycled is. We grow most of our own veggies at home. We have no paper towels in the house, we use rags for everything. We cloth diaper our 10 month old. We use also switched all of our light bulbs.

Anonymous said...

Wymzie,

great idea for community garden. Hope everyone does his fair share when the WEEDS start coming.

Let us know how it works out.

Anonymous said...

I ordered it from www.poolsupplies.com it cost $158 with shipping. You can find solar heated outdoor showers anywhere from any price. Being the frugal person that I am I opted for this one because it will only be used during summer months. If this one holds up and performs to expectations we'll invest in a better quality unit. My husband and I are well trained at taking sea showers, therefore the limited amount of heated water won't be a problem for us.

Anonymous said...

Switched to compact flourescent light bulbs, reuses plastic bags - even ziploc bags, do not buy newspapers - read online, I work for an Energy Star Home builder.

Anonymous said...

To Myndful who uses a chemical on crabgrass. WHAT is wrong with letting CRABGRASS grow? Someone greater than you put it there for us. Leave it alone. As it grows it's beauty will surprise you.

Anonymous said...

Wymzie,
Did you know you can cut those shopping bags into strips and crochet them into old fashoned type "rag" throw rugs that are great for getting sand and dirt off your shoes, can be shaken out or even washed in the machine (if not too worn), amd even bu used outside since the weather doesn't harm them. When they get too worn, then they can be recycled at the bins that stores like Food Lion have at the front door?

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:10 - *I* would have let it grow and treated it like any other grass...my husband's friend made fun of him for our freedom lawn, so he wanted it gone