I'm going to use Earth Day, as my jumping off point to getting more green.. I'm going to try and make a few changes around my house... I spent a few bucks but I think its worth it...

I bought a dozen 'restaraunt' quality linen napkins, won't buy paper napkins.

I bought 10 new dish towels, I was grabbing paper towels to dry 'a few glasses or whatever... I do have a severe paper towel addiction . I'm going to cut back to one good quality roll a week...

I bought a Brita water filter pitcher.... the jury is still out on that... since I'm a big bottled water drinker... and was buying a couple cases a week... that is a lot of plastic...

Great ideas!

Maybe we can use this thread to share additional ideas?

Thrift stores are often great places to buy cloth towels and napkins.

Stainless steel water containers are the BEST!!!

Buying local, organic and sustainable foods is optimal.

Buying ONLY what one needs so there is less waste is a goal to shoot for.

Thank you SoulBliss... I'd love it if a lot of people shared on this thread... the more info I/we have the better....

Cool!

I know that if we all make small changes, EVEN one at a time, it will add up. Some people (like you ) choose to do more and that is awesome!!!

Another thing that goes in line with the things I listed above is joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) project near you if there is one. I highly recommend doing it! Just do a search for your area online!

Almost all of our light bulbs have been switched over to fluorescent. We just changed out three ceiling fixtures last week that took bulbs of an odd size that weren't available in fluorescent. The new ones take the twisty bulbs.

I have a lot of dishtowels and we reach for those first. I buy large packs of handi-wipes and wash and reuse them for the kitchen.

I want to set up worm-composting, but I have to convince my husband as he's opposed to setting it up in the house.

I've got two Earth boxes set up on the back patio and I'm growing peppers, herbs, tomatoes and cucumbers. Most other veggies are bought at a vegetable stand. They buy them at the farmer's market so I'm thinking I'm getting local produce. The CSA's in the county are so far away, the fuel I'd burn would more than make up for any green benefit of subscribing.

Added: I forgot, I've got four of the reusable grocery bags. Love them!

I'm making more of an effort to do my part too.

I just received 4 beautiful grocery bags and a SIGG water bottle from reusablebags.com - which, I think, was recommended by someone from this site...thank you!!

The bags are great! I bought two for me and I'm using two as b-day presents for two of my girl friends (gave one away yesterday).

DH liked my water bottle so much that he said he'd like one too.

I'm also committed to visiting our 2 local farmers markets regularly this year. I thought about the CSA but am not ready to commit to that yet.

I'm an awful paper napkin user at the cafeterias on campus, I feel a little better when the naps are made with recycled paper (the brown ones), but not all of them are. Recently I ordered some bras from decentexposures.com, they also make washcloths of their nice thick cotton material and I ordered a dozen-pack to use as napkins in my lunch bags

Im pretty crunchy. We use cloth towels for paper towels. I never use paper towels on anything except my windows. We have cloth napkins and tissues (for our noses) as well. He is potty trained now, but I cloth diapred my son Dalton. Not your mommas pins and flats, but the new all in one cloth diapers. I recycle. All our lights are the new energy saver ones. I could go on and on.

Oh and if your looking to buy Earth Friendly stuff.. Hyenacart is a great place

Where did you find a stainless steel water bottle? I HATE plastic water bottles - the Aquafina type OR the reusable type. We've tried reusing the Aquafina type (we only use these outside the house; we have a water filter on the sink and fill a 1 gallon water jug 2x/day -- we drink alot of water!) but they taste funny after a few washes. I've looked for glass as well but with no luck. Thanks for any info.

Watch out if you drop one of these and they break. DO NOT pick it up as there is mercury in these bulbs. Check online on how to properly clean up a broken one and to dispose of these bulbs. They last a long time but eventually need to be replaced. Don't just throw it in the trash or even recycle due to the mercury, as it may just end up in a landfill causing more problems.

My husband wants to set up a composting bin too; we're just not sure if there w/be any 'smell' (they say if you do it right there won't be but . . . ??)


Hey, didja ever try a squeegy on windows? WOW they are GREAT!!!. I used to use paper towels too but bought an extendable squeegy and am very, very pleased w/how clean they get the windows and how much more quickly they work. I also used to use Windex or Cinch but have gone back to the best glass cleaner -- hot water mixed w/some vinegar and alcohol. FANTASTIC!


We are going to get some rain barrels to reduce the use of water in the summer for all the plants. I've priced them out and they are ridiculously expensive. $120 for a 50 gal one. Yikes!! We are going to start w/two and make them ourselves. Google "how to make a rain barrel" -- TONS of links. Not hard to do either.

I have always 'combined' my trips/errands, waaaay before it was popular and gas prices soared. I did it to save my time but it also saves gas.

Great thread!!

And another thing...because of this thread I got to thinking {danger, danger}

I had 8 cloth napkins I no longer used for guests because our dining room colors have changed. Well, they would work FINE for DH and me. So paper napkins are banished!

Next time I buy paper towel, it's the undied, recycled paper towels too.

And HatTrick - I found my SIGG water bottles at www.reusablebags.com

Angeline - thanks for the link. The water bottle is great except for one thing -- it's too small for us! Know of any that hold 24 oz?

I just thought of other green things I do. Now that the weather is nice, I hang wash outside whenever I can. I can't use fabric softener (allergic) so the towels get a bit scratchy. After they're dried on the line I throw them in the dryer for 5 min on high, which reduces the scratchiness considerably. Fringe benefit - I'm moving more by hanging the clothes out so I'm burning more cals!!

I have a small container that I put all used batteries in. When it's full I take them to Staples to have them recycled.

I just orderd a dvd from Amazon and in the packaging was an envelope for used cell phones. It's called 'cell phones for soldiers' to help w/recycling the phones so our soldiers can phone home. Great idea!

I rarely use paper towels but I do keep them in the kitchen.

This may be TMI for some but this morning I was reading the box of my Glad Rags (http://www.gladrags.com/) - which I use as panty liners for my Diva cup(http://www.divacup.com/). A few years ago, I didn't even know these products existed and it was a big step for me to rid myself of tampons and kotex but I am glad I did.

Here are some of the things that we do at our house:

~We buy unbleached coffee filters. They are the same price, just brown, not white. The chlorination process in all of the paper products out there affects not only the earth, but quite possibly US.

~When we do use paper towels, we buy the unbleached, recycled ones.

~I use more earth friendly baby wipes on my kids. I either use Seventh Generation, which are unbleached, or I use the organic ones.

~I use eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. There are many different brands such as Seventh Generation, and even Palmolive has a new one. It leaves less harmful chemicals in the rivers and streams.

~We switched most of our bulbs out to the energy saving flourescent ones.

~In the winter, we set our heat a couple degrees lower than comfortable, and wear sweatshirts, and an extra blanket on the bed.

~Breastfeed! Not only is it healthier for your infant, but there are no plastic bottles to wash/buy/throw away, but no formula to buy/containers to throw away-nothing to end up in landfills.

~Buy organic whenever possible/available. Not only fruit and vegetables, but fabrics, coffee, etc.

~My husband has a Harley, and he drives it to work whenever the weather allows. It is MUCH more gas efficient than his car. He can fill it up for $8 a week vs. $40 a week for his car.

~We buy produce from local farmer's markets, etc. when possible.

~I don't throw away items I don't want, if they are still usable and in decent shape. I have garage sales, donate clothing and items to Goodwill, and I also donate baby items/clothing/maternity clothing to Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

~We donate all of the little tabs off our soda cans to the Ronald McDonald house.

~FREECYCLE (Google it...)

OK ~ So I have a house full of squiggly mercury filled light bulbs now. I was 16 for the first earth day so I have always conserved water...you know..."if it's yellow it's mellow" ...washed my face in cold water too many times! I recycle everything...takes me forever to sort my trash...but Angie went to Costco the other day without me and Ladies I draw the line here...

NO MORE RECYCLED TOILET PAPER!!

OUCH!!!