Here is my list of what I think going green means, and I want to know what things I am missing.1. Reduce, reuse, recycle! a. Reuse butter jars for say lunch food, until they are all out of shape, or give old clothes to good will. b. Recycle pop cans if for nothing more than the 10cents. Yes, I live in MI where that happens.2. Turn off lights.3. Use the squiggly lights.4. Only turn on things like AC when they are needed.5. Walk to anything possible as often as possible.6. Own a 4 banger can and not a V-8!7. Choose paper bags at the grocery store or better yet buy the cloth ones that every store now sells for about $1.Yea, so is the top of my head list complete?
Great list! Here's what I would add. Re - #4 I would add - not only should you only turn them on as needed but as needed needs to be defined a bit more strictly. What I Mean is, in the winter, put on a sweater instead of turn up the heat. For summer, try installing a ceiling fan or insulating shades you can shut during the heat of the day. In addition to passing on clothes you don't wear anymore to thrift shops, you might also shop there. Great way to reuse clothing - which is often made quite suspiciously and usually involves chemicals (polyester for example) or a ton of pesticides (cotton). Your money though wouldn't go to supporting that, instead, your money would go to whatever charity or person (consignment shops, yard sales) the second hand store was supporting. And yes, cloth bags are a great investment. Take them to more than the grocery store though. Take them into the 5 and dime, the clothing store, etcand, if you do get bags - you can recycle the plastic ones, and I use them as garbage can liners for the smaller cans, or to carry things in sometimes). Paper isn't always better - just depends on your situation. Also - think about switching to other cloth products you can reuse. For example, ditch your paper towels and use cloth rags instead. Napkins too - easy to switch to cloth. There's tons more you can do too, but, it's best to take it one step at a time so these lifestyle changes can really take hold.
good for you - I'm trying to do the same and here are some things that I've done. it has happened over months, so that I don't disrupt our routines too much all at once. The other day someone asked me how I had time to do that, and since I've done one step at a time, I really haven't noticed it being a burden. Try to get rid of plastic in your life. I buy in bulk and put food in mason jars, brown sugar, pasta, nuts, raisins, rice. The less packaging you buy the better. Store food in glass containers, not plastic containers. You can get glass storage containers (plastic lids) at Sears. use paper bags for your garbage. It doesn't help to put items that can decompose in a plastic bag that cannot decompose in the landfill. use fewer chemicals for gardening and cleaning. check out cleaning solutions using vinegar and baking soda instead of store-bought cleaners. check out brands like Bright Green for toilet paper and paper towels. Use oxygen bleach instead of chlorine bleach. freeze in wax paper and freezer paper, not plastic bags Use wax paper sandwich bags. Lots more, but this is plenty to get started - just do what seems easiest and keep going!
The first thing I would add is to start a compost bin. you start with soil, and mix in biodegradable items like food scraps. Many companies are creating biodegradable packaging, so you could put that in there too. It makes great rich soil for gardening. Also, try to buy things locally, like at a farmer's market, or even grow your own fruits and vegetables. If you can, buy organic. Transportation wise, bike, walk, carpool, or use public transportation. Buying from second-hand stores and purchasing organic clothing is good as well. Remember when recycling bottles to not recycle the cap, or sometimes that bottle may not get completely recycled I hope that I helped :)
