POSTED ON November 26, 2008 BY Sam Davidson
Cool People Speak: Go Green Inside Your Home
Back in October, we featured a fun contest in order to give away an Eco-Me home starter kit (click here to read more about Eco-Me). The contest was simple. Just tell us what you do to go green at home and a random entry will be selected to receive the prize pack.
After several entries (and one winner), we’ll be sharing over the next few weeks what you shared with us. So get ready for some creativity, ideas and inspiration, from you to us to you! Here’s what you do to go green inside your home/apartment/condo/igloo:
Meg says: We use CFLs in all our lightfittings. It was a quick, easy and relatively painless way to make our house just that little bit greener! Oh – and we turn them off when we leave the room too!
Bettina reports: We have always recycled, and turned off the water while we are brushing our teeth, but I’ve finally got my husband convinced that cell phone chargers, etc. drain power and we unplug them now.
Mindy tells us: I recycle all my plastic, glass, cans and newspaper/magazines.
Cherl wrote us and said: We recycle EVERYTHING. We chose not to use curbside recycling because they only accept a few items. We keep large bins in the garage and take them to designated areas around town to recycle. We have also taught our 2 1/2 year old to recycle. I only wash laundry using the cold water. I encourage shorter showers with warm water, not steaming hot. We set our thermostats low and have them programmed with different temperatures at different times of the day.
Monie says: When I get the mail, I stand at the recycling bin and get rid of the junk mail first. We recycle everything we can: paper, cans, glass, clothing, etc., and we compost! We usually have one small bag of trash each week and we have three people in our house! I think composting is my favorite because I love being able to reuse the “trash” from preparing dinner, and seeing it develop into something so useful in the future!
Eileen shares: I gave up blow-drying my hair because that uses up way more energy than you would think everyday! I have reduced my carbon footprint by almost half since I measured it a year ago! We also use all green cleaning products in the house, and we have small household indoor plants to help absorb any bad chemicals that might be emitted while cleaning.
Janice says: My husband and I collect all our newspapers, cans, plastic and glass jars and bottles and cardboard and bring them to our local recycling drop-off area. We keep all our soda cans and bring them to our church where they are cashed in and the monies collected go to our Habitat for Humanity home builds.
Deborah declares: We use eco-friendly laundry products.
Amy articulates: I use all green products to clean my house whether it’s disinfectants for the counters in the bathroom or kitchen, the toilet, the bathtub and even on the hardwood floors. I am also using as much natural light as possible from the windows before even turning on a light.
Angie proclaims: I have traded many of the harsh cleaners for vinegar and water.
Laura writes: Recycling, trying to walk wherever possible, cutting down on packaged products, re using plastic bags, trying to use less heating and hot water, switching appliances off at the socket all help save the earth!
Susan states: By recycling paper and junk mail, paperboard and cardboard, plastic, glass and cans, we’ve gone from putting out a bag of trash every day (before recycling) to only two bags per week. Recycling really makes a difference!
Deborah posits: I reuse dry cleaner bags as trash bags as I empty all the trashcans in my house.
Kelley says: I do a lot of little stuff. I recycle everything I can. I reuse plastic Ziploc bags if they haven’t held raw meat or are really soiled. I use eco-friendly cleaning products.
Emily writes us: I recycle all of my plastics, cans, newspapers, magazine and glass bottles. I have even encouraged two other friends of mine to recycle!
Lorre tells us: We are unplugging appliances when we are not using them. I have started a trade group: people can trade services with each other- here or in other countries. For example, one person might need assistance on their website, another can run errands or edit a paper, one might be a photographer to trade for a backup singer and another and house swapping for a holiday.
Dawn declares: We use green cleaning products, recycle everything possible, have a rain barrel, and do all we can to weather prep our old house for winter.
Kathy says: We use a plastic pail to catch all the shower water during the “warming up” phase then transfer that water to a 5 gallon pail. Water that would have just gone down the drain is used to water houseplants or to re-fill the tank after a flush.
Sarah says: We separate recycling for all paper, aluminum, steel cans, #1 & 2 plastics and glass. We also have a programmable thermostat, replaced all our windows and doors to conserve energy, receive and pay our bills electronically, and use recycled and organic products whenever available.
Cassey replies: We do lots of the typical stuff, but here’s one I’ve never heard before: When I’m hand-washing dishes, I don’t fill up the sink (who needs that much water??). Instead, I grab the biggest bowl or pot that I have to wash and put a little soap and water in that. It’s still plenty of soapy water for all the dishes I have to do, and by the time I get to that last pot, it’s really easy to clean since it’s been soaking in hot, soapy water! And if I only have a thing or two to wash, I just use a little soap on a wet rag and use hardly any water at all.
Brandon is searching for brownie points by saying: I get the 5 Minutes of Caring email from
CoolPeopleCare.
Rebecca replies: I bring Tupperware with me if I go out to eat to take home the leftovers. Staying in the home, I recycle everything, often after reusing it. For example, a hummus container becomes a lunch Tupperware until it breaks, at which point it is recycled: Reuse, reduce (i.e., Brita, baby, no bottles of water) and recycle is my motto. I use natural light as long as possible and blankets before turning on the heat. I don’t use paper plates or cups.
Ginger says: I am trying to clean with vinegar as much as possible, and recycle all that I know can be recycled. The garbage can is never full now before they come collect it!
Rick reports: I turn lights out when not using them, I try to save water, and I turn the heat down! All of us can do are part and the little stuff makes a big thing to the world and future!
It’s clear to see that our collective intelligence is powerful, inspirational, and truly capable of saving the world. Keep the good (green) ideas coming!
Previous Articles in This Series: Go Green Outside the Home
