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Home&Garden green corner
Here are 30 no-brainer ways to live a greener lifestyle. By Felicia Russell
1. Shower like a soldier: Conserve water by turning off the water to lather, and then turn it on to rinse. 2. If it’s yellow, let it mellow: Conserve water by flushing the toilet less often. 3. Run a full load: Make sure you have a full load of dishes or laundry before turning on water-hogging dishwashers and washing machines. If you find you run out of glasses more often than dishes, consider investing in a two-drawer dishwasher that lets you run a single load of glasses in the top drawer. 4. Share a shower: If you have a touchy shower and don’t care to turn it off while lathering, let your significant other rinse while you wash and then switch. Oftentimes, two people can shower in the same amount of time as one person. This will save anywhere from 2.5 to 5 gallons of water per minute. 5. Douse the Daisies: When waiting for tap water to heat up, fill a bucket or watering can to use on houseplants and flower pots. 6. Wash it once, wear it twice: Save yourself time, money and water by wearing shorts, pants and sweaters two or three times before washing them. Just make sure to neatly hang or fold your clothes at the end of the day so they’re fresh and ready to wear the next time.
7. Hang clothes to dry: One of the wonderful things about our arid climate is wet things don’t stay that way for long. Hang a clothesline in your yard or across a balcony. Your clothes will dry in no time and smell fresh, too. 8. Go with the flow: Lower the amount of gas or electricity you use to heat and cool your home. In summer, open windows at night to let in cool air and close both windows and shades during the day to keep out heat. During winter, do the opposite. Open shades in the morning to capture sunlight and close them at night to retain the heat. 9. Stop scalding: Turn down the water heater thermostat to 130º F. 10. Switch bulbs: The next time a light bulb burns out, replace it with a compact fluorescent. You’ll save electricity and replace bulbs less frequently. 11. Get unplugged: Many electrical appliances, including video game boxes, cell phone chargers and VCRs, draw just as much electricity when they’re off as on. Plug all those cords behind the TV into a power strip and turn it off when you aren’t using those electronics. 12. Checkmate: Instead of turning on the TV in the evening, pull out your favorite board game or a deck of cards. You’ll save electricity, boost brainpower and build bonds between family and friends.
13. Stop junk mail: You can get rid of a large chunk of the junk by putting yourself on the Direct Marketing Association’s do not mail list. Fill out an online form at www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing or send a letter to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643, with your name, address, credit card information (there is a $1 fee) and your request. A separate request must be made for each person receiving mail. You can also stop most credit card offers by calling 1-888-5OPT-OUT. 14. Get rid of paper in the kitchen: Replace paper towels with dishtowels, sponges and rags. And use cloth napkins instead of paper ones. 15. Reuse plastic grocery bags: Give grocery sacks a second life as lunch bags, trashcan liners, packing material and dog poop bags. Or take them back to the store and use them again. Many grocery stores even take a couple cents off your grocery bill for every bag you bring from home. 16. Recycle: It sounds simple, but you’d be amazed at how easy it is to forget. Put two small buckets or garbage cans under the sink. Make one a paper bin and one a plastic/glass/metal bin. Not only will you save natural resources and landfill space, you’ll also have incentive to clean out that cupboard under the sink. 17. Tote your trash: If your apartment building doesn’t have recycling bins or your workplace is wanton with waste, take your recyclables to the nearest Eco-Cycle Drop-Off Center. To find one near you look online at www.ecocycle.org. 18. Collect the cabbage: Start a compost bin in your backyard for food and yard waste. For more information about how to get started check out www.ecocycle.org/compost/index.cfm.
19. Maintain your car: Low tires, dirty oil and loose belts makes your car flabby. Keep on top of car maintenance for good gas mileage and lower levels of ozone- and smog-producing emissions. 20. Go easy on the gas: Take the bus, bike or carpool to work at least once a week. You could lose weight, gain friends and breathe easier. 21. Bye-bye bleach: Indoor air pollution can take a toll on your health. Opt for less irritating alternatives like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and elbow grease. 22. Pill prescription: Flushing pills down the toilet was long considered a safe way to dispose of unused medications, but now scientists are finding fish and other aquatic animals with bizarre side effects. Check with your pharmacist or doctor to see if they take unused meds for disposal. Otherwise, Boulder County recommends that you fill the bottle with school glue and throw it in the trash. 23. Plant a tree or two: Plants take in carbon dioxide (the gas most often pegged for global warming) to grow. Plant a few trees or native grasses in your yard to help reduce your carbon footprint. 24. Get buggy: Consider non-chemical alternatives to control garden pests. For example, you could release a horde of predatory ladybugs when aphids overrun your roses. Your local greenhouse or garden center can point you in the right direction.
25. Eat with the seasons: Save money and resources by eating produce that’s in season. If you eat apples in April or asparagus in August, you’re eating them out of season and they will have sat in cold storage for months before they ever make it to the store or they’ve been shipped here from a long way away. 26. Take up Dumpster diving: If you live in an apartment or condo complex, your dumpster probably contains treasures. Take a look. You might find a great coffee table that just needs a coat of paint or a futon frame that’s missing a couple of bolts. (Note: Dumpster diving rarely requires that you actually get in the bin.) 27. Get thrifty: You know how the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Donate unwanted clothes and household items to a thrift shop, hold a yard sale or sell them online. Remember to buy thrifty, too. 28. Buy quality, not quantity: So many things have become disposable these days—diapers, dishes, cameras and cell phones. Consider buying more durable items. It may cost a bit more at first, but you won’t have to buy a new one next week. In the long run, you will save money and landfill space. 29. Fix it, don’t nix it: So the vacuum cleaner stopped working and your dishwasher is overflowing, but before you replace it try to fix it. Many times the offending appliance just needs a new belt, cord or filter to save it from the landfill. 30. Double duty: Be creative and give your trash a second chance before you throw it away. For example, you can turn an egg carton into a place to grow seedlings, or use it for fire starter, a junk-drawer organizer or packing material.
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