Happy Earth Day! There are so many simple things you can do to celebrate Earth Day but for those that are not sure where to begin, here is a good place to start!
1. Practice the 4 R’s!
Renew, reuse, recycle and… REFUSE! Yes, refuse! Apply the 30 day rule to an item that you are thinking of purchasing. What this means is that you do not buy it and then return it but rather that you ask yourself in 30 days if you still really need this item. Is it really going to make life difficult if you do not buy it. When you do make a purchase, bring your own bags.
2. Start a compost bin!
Even if you have a small apartment, you can start a worm bin. Contact your local garden center , botanical garden or follow our handy .
3. Skip the harsh chemicals!
To get a home that is truly clean, rather than covered in toxic chemicals, try making your own non-toxic cleaners at home. It’s easy! Basic ingredients found in your kitchen can be used to make non-toxic cleaners for your different cleaning needs. Use White Vinegar, Lemon, Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda. Etc instead!
Recipes for Household Cleaners
Note: Save some extra money by reusing old bottles. You can store these cleaners by washing out an old glass bottle or simply reuse a plastic spray bottle.
Mix together the following ingredients:
1 tsp. liquid soap (Castile, peppermint)
1 tsp. borax
Squeeze of lemon
1 qt. warm water
OR
¼ c. baking soda
½ c. borax
½ c. vinegar
1 gallon of water
For surfaces that need scouring, try moist salt or baking soda and a green scouring pad.
Window Cleaner
Mix together the following ingredients:
- 2 tsp. vinegar
- 1 qt. warm water
- OR
- 2 tbsp. borax
- 3 cups water
Rub dry with newspaper to avoid streaking.
Disinfectant
Mix together the following ingredients:
- ¼ cup of borax
- 2 quarts of hot water
3. Shut off unused electric appliances and gadgets.
- Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.
- If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.
- Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.
- Set your refrigerator temperature at 36° to 38°and your freezer at 0° to 5°.
- When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use. This reduces the oven’s temperature by 25- 30% every time you open the door!
4. “Green up” your appliances !
Getting rid of that old refrigerator in the garage could save you as much as $150 a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Appliance use comprises about 18% of a typical home’s total energy bill, with the fridge being one of the biggest energy hogs. If any of your appliances are more than 10 years old, the EPA suggests replacing them with energy-efficient models that bear their “Energy Star” logo. Energy Star-qualified appliances use 10%-50% less energy and water than standard models. According to the Energy Star site, if just one in 10 homes used energy-efficient appliances, it would be equivalent to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees.
5. Shopping
Consider what you put IN that energy-efficient refrigerator!
Pesticides, transportation and packaging are all things to consider when stocking up. Buying locally grown organic and other merchandise cuts down on the fossil fuels burned to get the things you need to you.
Hey this is a great story. I’m going to email this to my buddies. I stumbled on this while googling for something else, I’ll be sure to visit regularly. thanks for sharing.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I have greened up my home office with many of your suggetions. I also have two dogs and much prefer the large Biobags because they have more room.
There has been a LOT of progress since Earth Day began 40 years ago! More education is still needed. Every day should be Earth Day! Go organic!
I used to use the blue bags on a roll. Now that Biobag has the bags on a roll, it is so much better without having to add to landfills. Great post!
Thanks for that refreshing post, its great to find similar minded people out there.
Your blog is inspirational and I really enjoyed reading it, we have started a “green directory” and would really appreciate and enjoy if you added your site to it at http://www.everygreenthing.net/green-business-blog-directory/ Thanks!
I found your website through Google searching for “eco-friendly”, I really like it!
Your recipes for household cleaners are great! I have pets in the house an dI try to use gentle cleaners for their health. Something I do is use hydrogen peroxide to cleen the floors. It’s harmless enough too. Thank you for all your information!
Your blog is great, looks nice and really reads well. We have a blog directory for “green” and Earth friendly blogs and websites. We would be really happy if you would add your site for free over at http://www.everygreenthing.net/green-business-blog-directory/
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