Going Green!
I know that there are mix emotions about going "Green"... And until we moved here to be honest I didn't think about it as much. But, when buying supplies I noticed I have been looking for the "Green" symbol on things. Today I had to buy legal printing paper and bought the "Green" symbol type. Although it's only 53% recycle paper I thought that is better than nothing at all. I wish our apartment complex had a recycle option, but as of right now they don't. We do save our cans and turn them in. We try to walk to the closer places (video store, library, post office, if we are only buying a few items we will walk to the local store). We even have started to watch how much laundry we do to save on the water consumption and pollution the water with more chemicals from the soap. I even have started to buy "Green" cleaners. I did it due to my oldest son has allergic problems and we wanted to see if it would help him from sneezing less. It did and we are doing something at least about the chemicals. We try to not run the dish washer due to it uses more water than just washing the dishes (at least I hope I am write on that).
What do you do to be "Green"? I would love to hear more examples to see what else my family and I can do.
we do
My husband rides his bike to work sometimes and he did the week of ride your bike to work week. We also changed all of our bulbs and we recycle everything! Sometimes they recycler throws out things and we kept putting them in, since the program has expended and they take so much more. We rarely fill our trash bin all the way. Every once in a while I'll buy organic soaps but really only because I hate smells. There are lots of websites that give tips no matter how small for being a little more green.
Dishwasher
I just got this information in my "Everyday Cheapskate" newsletter today about using the dishwasher.
It may surprise you that running your dishwasher actually costs less than doing a load of dishes by hand in the sink, according to the Department of Energy. You might also find it surprising that when you wash your dishes in the dishwasher, 80 percent of your energy costs are associated with heating the water, while only 20 percent are from actual machine energy usage. And because hand-washing your dishes can consume 9 to 24 gallons of water each time you wash whereas your dishwasher only uses 6 to 10 gallons, you can actually save energy, money and time by using the dishwasher. Just make sure you only run the dishwasher when it’s fully loaded and you’ll use even less water.
dishwasher
I also try to think of all the time it would take to wash by hand and dry everything, plus an entire dishwasher load of dishes on my kitchen counter would drive me nuts!
Even if the dishwasher cost more to run, I would still do it. When I empty my dishwasher, I know everything is SUPER clean :)
Jessica
~ Mommy to Luke and Shawn
wish I had one
I have to hand wash my dishes and yes, it sucks most of the time, but I get them done everyday... I absolutely detest dirty dishes in the sink and on my counters! Our next house will have one, that's for sure!
Recycling in an apartment
Even though your apt complex doesn't offer recycling, you can still recycle. I lived in an apt with a similar situation and I took my recycling to Meijer or Wal-mart, they had recycle dumpsters in the parking lot. I'm not sure where you live, but you could look for these or ask around.
Monica
Some Great Thoughts
Them are some great thoughts for sure! I know we are always looking for new ways to do our part!
Joni Lochtefeld
Unique Creations
Photos, Photo Montages,
Day Care Cameras
www.uniquecreationsvideo.com
we try
I recycle everything, onplug electrics, do my one cleaning products (dishwasher and clothing soap) and will start my own "windex", Lysol etc... soon as my bottles are finished. Next year I will have a garden so I will start to recycle the food rest also. I am always open to learn more about "green" things.