What can I, as a middle-class consumer, do around my house to help "go green?"?

Question

I've been watching the Discovery Channel and History Channel and all things green-and earth aware- lately, and I really want to contribute. What are some things I can do around my house, like using less paper towels? It'll help me get started somewhere.

Answer 1

Yup- Less paper towels- use plates instead of paper plates- use washclothes and towels instead of paper. Also switch up your light bulbs- buy rechargeable batteries! And see if your town has curbside pickup or a center to bring your plastics/aluminum/glass/paper. It is really easy actually!!

Answer 2

1. Ride your bike if you're going somewhere alone. (reduce emissions from your car)

2. Stop eating meat, maybe even go vegan. (reduce methane emissions from ruminants)

3. Reduce the temperature you keep your house at in the winter. (reduce the natural gas burned in your heater)

4. Take shorter showers. (reduce natural gas burned)

5. Don't wash your jeans every time you wear them. (reduce natural gas used to heat water and electricity used to dry)

6. Hang dry your clothes.

7. Pay your energy company more to offset your electricity usage with wind power. (This is an option in Minnesota, and in most states experimenting with wind)

8. Enjoy hobbies that don't need electricity. (Biking, conversation, walking, woodworking, board games)

9. Use cloth towels instead of paper towels.

10. Reuse containers that food came in- put beans in peanut butter jars, etc. (Reduces plastic in landfills)

Answer 3

for house cleaning, i do almost everything with a vinegar / water mix. it has no smell once it dries and is really cost effective. baking soda for scouring, hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach in laundry. also, get a low flow shower head and you can reuse a plastic bottle by filling it with rocks or sand and placing it in your toilet tank, thereby reducing the water it takes to flush.

Answer 4

Make a compost. Nothing that has ever lived in the sense of walked, ran, swam......but all vegetable matter can be put in a hole in your back yard and used for gardening. If you have kids cut the tops of 2 or 3 liter bottles add the scraps, worm dirt, and worms and they have a viewable compost.

I also grow my own vegetables and fruits as much as possible.

Stopped shopping every two weeks and started going every one week, I seem to spend less and waste less.

I recycle every last thing possible....and am down to two garbage bags for a family of five with a baby.

Go with the old fashion close line in the summer.

Use hand me downs and give hand me downs freecycle.org give everything you can away. I just gave away a garbage bag full of packing peanuts and they didn't go to a land fill.....

Oh yes and no h2o bottles they are the worst. I just found out CT has one of the best drinking waters. Carry a reusable one! Or you can purify you own very easy look it up!

I could go on and on and on

Answer 5

AT HOME AND AT THE OFFICE:

1. Think REDUCE, then REUSE, then RECYCLE.  

It's wonderful to recycle, but if you don't use a product to begin with, it's even better.  Here are a few suggestions:

- Read email online instead of printing them.  If you absolutely need to print documents, print double-sided.



- Avoid using plastic and paper bags at the grocery store.  Use a reusable tote instead for groceries and other shopping.  You can get one at numerous places.  Keep it in your car or in your purse (some of them roll up and fit nicely in a purse), so that you always have it hand when running errands.  This site has lots of selection:

http://www.reusablebags.com/

- Find creative ways to reuse plastic bags (such as produce bags and cereal box liners).  I use produce bags as garbage bags for the bathroom and bedroom.  You can also reuse the bags inside cereal boxes to store produce in your fridge. You can find lots of other suggestions at:

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/blog/2007/1...

- Avoid using plastic water bottles. Instead, get a reusable bottle (SIGG has really nice aluminum ones, that are quite stylish too): http://www.reusablebags.com/ or http://www.mysigg.com/

2. Reduce your energy and water consumption.  For instance:

- Run the dishwasher only when it's full.

- Take shorter showers.

- Switch to eco-friendly light bulbs.

- Turn off lights, TV and other electronics when not in use. (I realized that I used to have the TV in the background way too much!)

- Unplug appliances that you do not use; even when turned off or in standby, these still consume energy.  

If you want to be green beyond your home, here are a few more suggestions to go the extra mile (!):

ON THE ROAD:

Try to reduce your carbon emission with better driving practices:

- Try to combine errands and plan your route so that you don't drive any unnecessary miles.

- Reduce your overall speed (I used to drive quite fast; and slowing down also helps my stress level!).

- Avoid letting your car idle (e.g. at drive-thru, when waiting for someone). You car produces less emissions if you shut it down and restart it than if you let it idle.

Here are just a few suggestions -- most of them quite feasible and easy to implement -- to start with.

Good luck!

Answer 6

I would first start with changing all light bulbs or light bulbs you use more often than others to compact florescent bulbs. Search for a local recycling facility in your area and start recycling!

Answer 7

They say that even using 1 less paper napkin per day will make a huge difference.  Of course, not using them at all is even better.

Use rags instead of paper towels whenever you can.

Use laundry detergents, dish washing soap (like Nature Clean, 7th Generation, etc.) that are NOT made from petroleum products and contain less toxic ingredients.  These are being put down the drain into your drinking water supply every day.  

Stop using personal body care products that contain hormone distrupters like parabens and phalates.  These are ubiquitous in your shampoo, body bars, deodorants, etc.

Answer 8

PLANT FLOWERS OR A GREEN GARDEN. THEY GIVE OUT OXYGEN.

Answer 9

two REALLY SIMPLE things.....

walk around your house and see how many 'standby power" lights are on...the microwave, the TV, the VCR. the DVD, the computer, printer, cell phone charger........you can look it up, but an MIT study suggested TEN PERCENT of America's electric use is for what they called "vampire power". Put all those devices on a power strip and turn it off when youre not actually using the device.

I manage a 75 unit condo complex. We replaced all the tank water heaters with 'demand draw" flash water heaters..Stiebel makes a good one. Now, instead of trying to keep 25 or 30 gallons of water at 105 degrees 24/7, electricity is only used when you open a hot water tap.

We dropped our power bill another 10% right there.

Answer 10

If you save aluminum cans, paper, and plastics. Just saving a 4ft stack of newspapers will save a 40ft   fir tree. You could also plant more flowers and such in your yard to create oxygen.

Answer 11

here are about a zillion ways to go green, and people don't realize how easy it is. You can start by doing things as simple as washing your dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher, adding plants to your backyard, changing your light bulbs, washing clothes in cold water, buying Earth-friendly beauty and cleaning supplies...the list is truly endless.

Visit http://www.greenyourdecor.com for eco-friendly home decor products and tips.