I want to start living green...need some help?

Question

I really want to start making a difference with all the c**p going on in the world and I will start by living green. For one thing I would like to start recycling but I have no idea what should be recycled and what shouldn't. I already turn the lights off in a room nobody is in and I try to use as little water as possible (turn off tap while brushing teeth, shortening showers). So can you guys please:

a) Tell me in detail how I should recycle properly (what and what not to recycle)

b) What can else can I do to help the environment?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Answer 1

if you garden or have houseplants, collect rainwater from downspouts in a bucket or barrel. if you elevate the barrel, you can use a hose (or spigot at bottom of barrel) to water outside by gravity.

you can compost ALL of your vegetable scraps,leaves,houseplant trimmings,shredded paper in a pile or a compost bin (i have made one from untreated pallets formed into a  4 sided box shape) when it turns to dirt,black gold i say, it is EXCELLENT for garden amendment.

if its on a much smaller scale it can be a large plastic barrel.

Answer 2

I can only tell you what i do to help, i have a large bucket  in the shower and collect the water while waiting for  it to run hot , this water I then use to water my pot plants, i also run a hose from my washing  machine out onto my garden and the rinsing water goes back to the earth. For the last six months I have turned my TV stereo and computer and kettle off at the power point when not in use and replaced all my light globes with the longlife low use ones,and have reduced my power bill by $15 every two months, I save every scrap of paper and reuse if possible, I shred  everything else and compost it , all cardboard tins and glass go in the yellow bin, all waste food scraps get cooked up for my daughters chooks. Hope this helps you get started in a small way.

Answer 3

well, whatever you do will probably be voided and offset by slothman since he sounds like he doesn't care at all -_-

But a few good ways to save energy is not using the dishwasher.

Try not to use the dryer for clothes. hang them outside when it's sunny and even somewhat warm. they'll smell better too!

Instead of using an air conditioner, put a fan in the window at night. Trust me, it gets the room even colder than an AC will.

unplug appliances when not in use, a lot of them draw power as long as they are plugged in, even if they are off. computers, stereos, cell phones.

Try to drive less, do your shopping on your way home from work instead of using a whole trip on the weekend.

as for recycling, I know that, today, almost anything can be recycled, even car batteries and junk electronics. You'll need to call the city officials to found out if there's pickup for them though.

Answer 4

Hi to all on here :)

as Maybug mentioned about reusing the Shower water, you really can save so much, and so much money too ! My water bill for 204 days was ..... 2.30p It's true !! OK there was a standing charge of some 55 pounds or so, but that's better than the normal cost. I have a water meter and more so I use a water butt connected via a filter to the gutter downpipe, The water Butt cost me 20 pounds and has saved me much more ! I have adequate water and find I could still cut back if required ! Try limiting yourself initially to check if a water meter might be for you, Good luck in your quest to be green.

Answer 5

All of the suggestions posted so far are excellent and necessary, but "being Green" is about far more than you're own lifestyle changes. Some people have suggested that the big changes need to be made by Government/Industry before anything major can happen. I agree with that and the only way to do that is to affect those in power by acting. Join the Green Party and other organisations that work hard to promote a truly green agenda far greater than local council rec-cycling policy (like the poxy tories). It's only by challenging the power of those in control that we can get on to a really green path - and it doesn't mean living like cavemen! Good luck.

Answer 6

We can all do our little bit, just like all the people here have already stated, but lets keep in mind that the biggest culprits are INDUSTRY so i think that if we can lobby large companies to be a little more green friendly we have a better chance of making it greener.

Answer 7

A very easy way is to use "Green starter kits". Just check the article about this by visiting the source link below.

Answer 8

believe

Looks like you have you eyes open. Can’t say that about to many people in society today. Most of us walk around with blinders until a catastrophe hits, then we wake up pretty quick. Unfortunately we go blind again a few months later…

Let me start off by saying we (my family and I) live 100% off of the grid and are completely self-sufficient with a 0% Carbon footprint. I believe this is the first step anyone can make “help the environment”. Once you convert your own life style to a greener more eco friendly route, you can start helping others.

Without getting to in depth here, Using alternative fuels in your vehicles and harnessing your own electricity from the sun, water, earth and wind are the 2 are key elements in making a green transition and erasing your carbon footprint.

I've been installing Solar panels. Solar stoves, Solar batch and inline hot water heaters. Solar radiant heating. Solar home heating and AC, along with home made wind gens and other alternative energy items for the last 3 years in apartments, homes and rentals.

You can even make the above projects on site with simple parts from the local hardware stores or auto stores or junk yards. For more info check out some guides I wrote / compiled on how to DIY agua-luna com

Again these projects can be accomplished anywhere by anyone.

if you absolutely can't do anything in your home at least you can put alternative fuels in your car. most major automotive manufacturers (Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors, etc) recommend the use of bio fuels, and nearly every car manufacturer in the world approves ethanol blends in their warranty coverage.

In fact your probably even driving an ethanol car and didn't even know it.

The trick is finding fuel.

I've been producing biofuel for about 3 years now, it's not extremely difficult. Basically you need general household ingredients, a processor (or still for ethanol) and some used oil. Blend it, let separate, screen and use. I complied a guide a while back to help walk you threw the process step by step, just email me or check out..

agua-luna com

as for recyling the best way i've found without taking money from your won pocket is to join a free freecycle group in your area or visit the habitat for humanity. see..

If you’d like help in making your self sufficient steps, feel free to contact me directly. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others “help the environment”.

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Retired Boeing Engineer now living 100% Off-the-Grid with my family, using Alternative Energy & loving every minute.

for more info visit agua-luna com or email me at

agua-luna com

Stop Global Warming, Receive a FREE Solar Panels Now!!!

Answer 9

Planting trees are best for helping the environment. It can also become a hobby to you. Planting is fun. Start planting some in your backyard.

Answer 10

Hi, you could compensate your CO2 emissions which seems to be the cause of global warming. The emissions are caused by cars and production of energy by fossil fuels.

There are many organizzations which plants for you trees for compensate your CO2 emissions, like: http://www.puretrust.org.uk/

I don't know your nationality but I know one italian too:

www.impattozero.it

In this way you can choose to do not have a negative impact on your environment, even if you have to use the car or warm your house (of course).

you could also to buy clean energy produced from clean soustainable sources if you find a company which sell that in your country (if you find it, could you please send me the link to mail email address?)

Furthemore, when you buy something you can choose to buy "green". for example, clothes without artificial fibers, to avoid plastic bags, chose products without a plastic case, to buy things from "green" companies. If you need to build a new house chose a bio-architect who pay attention to materials and to how much your new house waste energy, chose a little instead of a huge car, etc

Thank you

Answer 11

hipppy

Answer 12

Stop using a dryer to dry your laundry and switch to a clothesline.

Do all your cooking with a microwave oven instead of a conventional oven and range.

Answer 13

There's a lot of thing that you can do such as having separate bucket in your house for clear  bottles, colered bottles, papers, aluminum, plastics etc.

If you can afford the most important thing you can do is buy solar panels and hopefully be self sustained. It pays off in 10 years and from there on it's like profit. And if you make more energy than you can use you can actually sell it back to the electric company that serves your area. Not to mention tx breaks incentives and the peace of mind that you're doing something so great for the environment.

Did you know that there's enough solarv energy in one day to supply the whole courtry fo a whole year!!!!?? All we need to do is harvest that!! Everydoby must do their share!

Also, try to carpool often. Cheaper on gas, lighter on the environment and on your vehicle, and you get to have company when in traffic!

Hope I helped

Answer 14

There isn't much I can tell you about recycling. Generally, don't recycle any products contaminated with food. If there is food on plastic, just rinse it a bit and put it in a bag to be recycled. From there, take your to-be-recycled products to a local recycling area. Also, paper cups coated with wax can't be recycled.

I'm sorry that I can't give you all the information about recycling (it depends on the county you live in) but I could tell you some other things, too.

Solar panels are a good idea, but they're very pricey. If you want to go green without spending lots of money, vegetarianism is an option. If that's too hard, just stop eating red meat. That means no more beef or pork or fowl other than chicken. If you're going to eat fish, be very picky. Here's a handy thing to carry around with you when you buy fish:

http://www.environmentaldefense.org/docu...

Also, beware of what you buy! Before you buy anything, ask yourself if it's sustainable, fair trade, recycled, or organic. (FYI, lots of cosmetic products are packed with toxins, so make sure you buy either organic products or mineral makeup that are not tested on animals and with no animal by-products.) But in general, buy less. Your wallet will thank you, too.

If you feel the urge to turn up the heat, don't do it unless it's like 60 degrees F. Just wear a jacket indoors and you'll save a lot of energy as well as a lot of money.  

Another heat-reducing trick is to buy less white clothing, because they are normally washed with hot water. Dark clothes turn out to be really eco-friendly. Not only do you use cold water, which doesn't use energy for heat, but you can wear dark clothing more than once (they don't get dirty as easily), so you wouldn't have to wash them as much. In conclusion, dark clothing saves heat and water.

Very important: make sure you're not tossing anything that can be reused! I found this great organization called Freecycle. It's a give-and-be-given program. You give people stuff for free, but you can also get stuff for free. This way, the good stuff stays out of the landfills.

For more information, check out the website in my sources. If you have more questions, feel free to email me!

Glad you're going green ;)  Good luck!

Answer 15

alot of good tips here on "going green".  There is one big thing that people are missing.  What you eat.  

Think about all the hundreds of miles that your food has to travel to get to your grocery store, or worse yet, into a bottle or can or box, then to a warehouse then to the store..  We live in an age where no one thinks twice about what season it is when we are biting into a fruit or veggie.  Where did it come from?  How much fossil fuel was used to get it to you?  Buy local, find your farmer's markets.   Check the labels on produce in your store, if its not marked it should be, so ask the produce manager.

If the very least you do is prepare your own meals and cut back on fast food or box/frozen/bagged/prepared foods, and be aware and try to buy fruits and veggies that are local (or at least US grown if ur in the US), you can make a difference in the local economy and "going green" at the same time.  Become more of a "locavore"!

Read this book:  "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver.   It was the best Christmas gift I got this past year.  Visit the website for links and great recipies too.

ALSO, on yahoo you can join freecycle.org.  List things in your area for free you want to get rid of (kinda like Craigs List) and someone else can benefit instead of filling up our landfills!

Answer 16

We do several things which we think makes for a good start. I walk or cycle to work, 8 miles a day, so the car is hardly ever used. We use low energy bulbs, recycle all plastics and glass, card and paper. Some card and paper goes in the compost bin, makes for a great compost and saves money having to buy it.

Our electricity supplier uses only wind power, there are lots of different eco energy suppliers around and it's worth looking at all of them to see what suits your views. Switching off everything at the power supply when not in use, really has saved us money and increases the battery life from over charging.

We also grow our own veg, it tastes so much better, gives you exercise and at least we know our food has no miles added from being shipped. We have found that we hardly ever use the supermarket know, buying the things we can't grow from small shops, helping to keep small tradesman in business.

Have a think about what suits you and what you can afford to change first. Lisa