Other Green Ideas
After posting about saving household items on Wednesday I got to thinking about other green tricks and tips for your home. Often these green ideas are not only environmentally friendly, but also easier on the pocketbook. And who couldn’t use that right about now? Here are a few I think would be easy and helpful to start in your home. Now you can be on your way to “going green”!
- Unplug electric items when not in use. Items like TVs, coffee pots, and cell phone chargers suck electricity even when not in use.
- Use less bottled water. Get a thermos to take with you when you go and get a Britta pitcher to refrigerate tap water for better taste.
- Get energy efficient light bulbs as each bulb burns out. Also, use more lamps than overhead lighting, it not only looks better, but saves energy.
- Make a rain barrel. These collect rain water to be used later to water plants, or clean your yard items or car. These have a net on top to keep mosquitoes out.
- Buy shampoos and other products in the bulk, family sized containers. Not only are these products cheaper for the amount you get, but you use up less plastic waste.
- Hang dry your clothes outside or on a line installed in your laundry area.
- Use cloth napkins and towels for cleaning instead of disposable, paper products.
- Pull your yard and garden weeds by hand instead of using chemicals.
Tomatoskin's photo "Go Green!!!" on Flickr.
Although these are only a few of the many ideas, these are all ideas that are easy enough to get you started in your quest to being more green and saving money. These are all ideas that we are currently trying, or are going to try this summer. Any more ideas?
Waste Not
Last night I stopped at my mom’s house and she was telling me about how my great-grandma used to save everything. She said that it their time people never wasted, and reused everything imaginable. I am pretty much a pack rat and always try to find new uses for old things too, but she had a couple of cool ideas I never thought of.
One no-brainer that she mentioned my great-grandma did was save her bread bags. She would shake or rinse them out and reuse them as baggies. Really? We use baggies for everything, so why had I never thought of this? You could use them as a cheaper alternative on dog walks, or even to bundle or store the items you normally use a baggy for! So simple, yet so green and effective!
She also mentioned that they often saved the same bread bags for making rugs. I have seen these in my grandparent’s old house. Here is a picture. Visit her site to see instructions for crocheting the round version here: http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2008/09/27/recycled-round-plarn-rug/
I think these could be really fun and funky. Now I need to learn how to crochet!
Other things that my great-grandma saved were more common, and things that we already frequently save, but still great reminders nonetheless. Cool-whip containers, coffee cans, other plastic, cardboard, or metal containers. These can be reused in so many different ways in the home. You can even recover or paint them to match! One more thing that she saved was the little plastic eggs her pantyhose came in. I had to laugh. My mom said she had tons of them. Hmm… what would you use those for?
Especially in hard economic times, but always to be healthier for our planet, its great practice to reuse such commonplace items. What other ideas do you have?
Bookend Project
I have said it before, but I love repurposing items. Especially in these times, finding new life for old items is the greenest option. Some things you hate to ruin by transforming them, but for the most part I believe that reusing old or obsolete items is a far better choice than letting them waste away in some one’s unloving basement, or worse yet, a landfill. Plus, repurposing is often much cheaper than buying new items, as well as healthier for the planet. So, when I get the chance to make a new addition to our home, and at the same time get a new project with old items, I jump on it!
In college I made bowls out of records as a dorm floor project. I still have mine in our office on the book shelf. The other day I saw a project online where book ends were being made out of old records, and decided that would be a perfect addition to the shelves, and even fit in with our music themed office.
I made a stop yesterday at the Salvation Army and picked up two records. They weren’t anything special, just old records in decent shape and with pretty labels. Last night we boiled some water and dumped it in the kitchen sink. The water softens the record and you use a utensil to bend it.
Overall the project was easy and turned out pretty cute!
Cooling off under a box.
And One More…
In my current color search I just found this image compilation of a wedding using peacock feathers. I thought that I was the creative one! Well, great minds think alike. And, it proves just how gorgeous this color and feather combo would be!
Make Mine Eclectic 
