I've always recycled and tried not to create too much garbage. Here in the country however I am finding that I want to do an even better job. We have to take our garbage to the dump personally, so laziness does play a role here. Let's be honest....more than one trip to the dump a month is just not going to happen. So....Here are things that I am doing to help the environment and our budget.
Some things I have done for a long time....some I am just starting.
Cloth Diapers ( Huge savings in the end)
Cloth Napkins ( I made some pretty cool ones)
Cloth Baby Wipes with a homemade soap solution
Cloth Boob Pads
Cloth Maxi Pads ( I know...but I'm doing laundy anyway.)
Oh...and I'm using natural Borax Bleach and Vinegars in my wash.
We compost all our organics and recycle everything we can. Especially fine paper
We reuse all our bags. Even milk bags.
I try not to buy products that contain too much packaging
I keep two bins and two cloth bags in our car for shopping.
I refuse bags at the store
I refuse those little bank receipts from the ATM
I use only enviro friendly dish soaps, and laundry soap. This is more expensive but since we are on a well I would rather watch what goes down my drain.
We use Ethanol Gas when we can and try to limit our trips to town
When we are in a drive through OR stopped at a stop light we turn off our ignition!!!!! Did you know that turning on your engine is equal to idling for 10secs?? So..if you are stopped for a minute turn off your engine!!!
We don't have an air conditioner.
In the winter we keep our home at 18C and wear sweaters.soon we are putting in an efficient wood burning stove.
We unplug everything when not in use. eg...computer screen, coffee maker. You would be surprised at the number of things with little lights that stay on when 'turned off'
We buy only energy efficient light bulbs. We bought a night light that lasts 100 000 hrs!!! That is 10 years! For 5 bucks that is a pretty good investment.
We try not to buy stuff that is mass produced in huge factories. Eg. Meat and plastic toys.
Any home improvements we try to do with environmentally friendly products or made from recycled materials. Again this one is not so good on the budget but worth it in the end.
Things I would do if we had the money
Run our home off Solar or Wind power
Own a Hybrid or Car that runs on vegetable oil
That's it. I'm sure I could come up with more. What are YOU doing for the environment and/or your budget?? Let me know!!
5 comments:
Alyson, I'm so glad I found your blog! I hope you'll visit mine too:
http://mommytojoel.blogspot.com
Vicky
Alyson, you put me to shame with all you guys do. But seriously, cloth maxi pads?!? You're a better woman than I!
Have a good week!
Alana
Well, Alyson. I can't say I do everything you do....but most. We do have A/C but I only run it on those stifling hot days. At the barn we use a plate cooler that uses cold water to cool the milk before it goes into the bulk tank. This saves using electricity to cool down the milk and then the cows drink the water that was used to cool it. Something we are considering if we ever build our new dream barn would be more natural lighting, natural ventilation and a biodigester. A biodigester is a contraption that uses methane gas (from cow poop) to generate electricity. It is a new thing and costs aprox. half a million dollars. I think eventually the government will offer some sort of grant for it to cover some of the costs. That's all I can think of!
Hey Mouse.
Good for you to be doing those things.
We were just down in the States, and for some reason they don't have recycling stations anywhere around stores and restaurants. You get so used to seeing those things here in Canada, that you only notice when they're gone.
By the way, don't worry about unplugging the coffee maker and things with little LED lights. The amount of power used is ridiculously small. It's the incandescent lights that are power hungry.
Hi Alyson!
In addition to what you have mentioned here are a few of our choices...
Jim and I have switched all of our toilets at home for Caroma dual flush low flow toilets.
We have also been using up our brand name cleaning products and as they run out switching to natural cleaning products such as vinegar and baking soda etc.
I have to say the cloth maxi pads won't ever make it into my list but good for you!!!
Sarah
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