environmentally friendly? do you care about the earth? are you teaching your kids to take care of her?

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

I've posted this before, but dual flush toilets are the best! They are a little pricey, but greatly reduce water usage.

I use a laundry detergent without phosphates. DD has us turning off the water when we brush our teeth.

CFl (Compact Fluorescent?) bulbs, the curly ones, everywhere. They are inexpensive at Costco. Use less electricity and don't heat up the house.

My main source of green right now is changing some gnarly newborn diapers. Lots of green there......lol

LOL... That is cute! Enjoy your little one -- they grow up toooo fast!

When they burn out down the road, where do you dispose of them since they contain mercury.

They do? Yikes. I'll have to read up on that. That's not green. I'll see if I can find something and post it.

FACT SHEET: Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

http://www.nema.org/lamprecycle/epafactsheet-cfl.pdf

I found this too

What do I do with a CFL when it burns out? What is the proper disposal of a CFL bulb?
Follow these guidelines to dispose your CFL properly:

Like paint, batteries, thermostats, and other hazardous household items, CFLs should be disposed of properly. Do not throw CFLs away in your household garbage if better disposal options exist. To find out what to do first check Earth 911 » Environmental Recycling, Reuse & Renewal (where you can find disposal options by using your zip code) or call 1-877-EARTH911 for local disposal options. Another option is to check directly with your local waste management agency for recycling options and disposal guidelines in your community. Additional information is available at Lamp Recycle. Finally, IKEA stores take back used CFLs, and other retailers are currently exploring take back programs.
If your local waste management agency offers no other disposal options except your household garbage, place the CFL in a plastic bag and seal it before putting it in the trash. If your waste agency incinerates its garbage, you should search a wider geographic area for proper disposal options. Never send a CFL or other mercury containing product to an incinerator.
ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs have a two-year warranty. If the bulb fails within the warranty period, return it to your retailer.

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Thanks for the info.

Nanci, thank you for posting that.

The lightbulb package says lamprecycle.org or 1-800-326-BULB

We recycle everything we can (glass, cardboard, paper, tin, aluminum, plastic), got a front-load washer (uses a lot less water and detergent). I do less laundry (once worn clothes that are not dirty smell wonderful after a night outside). We also planted a lot of trees around the house to cut down on air conditioning.
Going grocery shopping, I take my canvas bags, big things I ask not to be baged (hard to understand for some baggers )
Coming from Europe I do a lot of things that people here find weird ...

- Recycle, freecycle, don't buy stuff if we can help it, and try to get a lot of things used. (Still have the first TV that I ever bought. It's from 1983!)
- Drive an energy-efficient car
- Live in a small house on a small piece of property
- Don't buy newspapers or magazines
- Try to get off of mailing lists
- Try to buy products that are grown/made locally
- Don't have central air and only use the window a/c when it's really hot
- Use the CFLs, but the town takes them when they're dead and sends them someplace where the mercury is extracted.
- Air dry a lot of clothes so we don't waste energy using the dryer
- Don't use the dishwasher
- Buy organic dairy, eggs, fuits, and veggies
- Only buy fruit and veggies in season, as much as possible
- Buy naturally raised meats
- Only buy wild-caught fish
- Don't buy food that comes in a lot of packaging
- Increased the insulation in our attic
- Replaced our really old leaky windows with energy-efficient ones


Oh, and I'm just getting my act together to buy into a "green" mutual fund!

That's all I can think of for now

I use these too.

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When you don`t know what to do-Walk fast and look worried.

I don't own a car but instead of asking for rides to the grocery store and other places I use the bus.

Keep my electric usage as low as possible. I sit in the dark a lot.

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Laura
Please visit my blog
http://mylifeinlaurasworld.blogspot.com/

*I recycle paper and cans.
*I ALWAYS find additional uses for items such as baggies, grocery bags, paper, containers,etc.
*No lights or unnecessary electricity usage during the day.
*In the winter, I allow the sunlight to assist in warming the house up.
*I do all my errands in one trip to town in a planned route to save gas & fumes and I also drive a compact car.
*Dispose of batteries, motor oil and the like appropriately.
*Grow my own fruits/veggies (to save on over-use of plastic containers, etc)
*Reuse junk mail envies for my own mailing supply.
*Air dry clothes so we don't waste energy using the dryer
* Only use dishwasher & washer on a full load
*use our own naturally raised meats
*Use bath towels twice before washing
*Use excess water for flowers & plants.
*Use our own raised wheat, etc for flour, corn meal, etc.

I am quite sure that there are others, just can't think of em at this moment.

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

We recycle and with my 56 Girl Scout troops we plant dune grass and clean the beaches, river, lakes and parks!! Plus recycle ink cartiridges!

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Carolyn
At the Jersey Shore

Only twice! We go a week. Yuck to some, I know... LOL. Pants/shorts do get worn twice before going in the wash (unless they are dirty).

We run the A/C but keep it set on 82 until noon, 80 until 5:00, 78 for the rest of the night. I love the programmable thermostat.

We have shade trees on the South and West sides of the house that lose their leaves in Winter (to help heat up the house in the afternoon) and leaf out fully in the Summer (to help shade the house in the PM).

Do you know that washing dishes in the dish washer uses less water than washing them by hand. My son said his water bill went down $30 a month when they got their dishwasher. Also it said on my new dish washer that it uses only 8 gallons of water per load.

I just watched a report about grocery store bags. Did you know that the plastic bag can take 1000 years to break down. Do you recycle your grocery bags? I am going to.

COMPOST!!! I'm so happy since I started this. I put everything out there - strawberry tops, corn cobs, even my coffee grounds.

I also am dying for a free standing clothes line. We'll see...

I think it depends on how you wash your dishes. If you keep the water running the whole time you are washing, then I suspect the dishwasher is more efficient. However, if you fill up a big bowl with soapy water and wash everything with the faucet off until it comes time to rinse, I suspect hand washing uses less water.

Forgot to add. We compost too! We aren't allowed to throw out leaves and grass clippings in the trash anyway, so we mix that together with the kitchen garbage and make our own dirt!