Living Green

Living Green Section--Yeah! Post By Paula W (Guest Post) (12/06/2004) Dear Lois Ann from New York, I'm with you 100% To me, being thrifty and living green go hand in hand. I feel that many people that read this newsletter agree. In my heartfelt opinion, being wasteful (unthrifty) is not only thoughtless, but shows great disrespect for our environment. YES!!! Let's hear more "green" tips. BTW, not only do I grow an organic garden and make compost, in addition my family recycles paper, plastic, glass, metal, aluminum----and many things left over are just waiting in my craft room for a future life as an art "happening." But I really believe there are many ThriftyFun members out there who can give me some tips I've never even thought of. I'm with Lois--I would like to see a section of Thrifty Fun dedicated to this worthwhile and rewarding lifestyle. RE: Living Green Post By Mystiscdream44 (Guest Post) (12/04/2004) Here in my state of Kentucky and in other states we have a site I go to call Freecycle. You can go into Yahoo and hit groups, you should be able to see what cities or county are doing the freecycle. The idea is that if you have something you don't need but don't want it to become landfill, you offer it on the freecycle site and then if someone wants it they come get it, but it has to be completely free. People offer everything from firewood to coupons. Its a great way for stuff that you don't want, need or can't use to stay out of the landfills, and help someone else at the same time. RE: Living Green Post by Princess Frogee (67) | (12/01/2004) Contact Some stores will give you a discount from your total on your groceries if you bring in your own bags. I know that Fred Meyer is one of those stores. RE: Living Green Post by pookster (27) | (11/30/2004) Contact stop using and throwing away paper towels and napkins. Use rags or cloth for cleaning, rinse and reuse for next time when you're finished. Next time you eat wings or something else equally messy, don't just go through the entire roll of paper towel to wipe your or your kids' faces. wet a clean towel and set on the table for hand and face wiping. When you go to a restaurant and they insist on laying extra napkins on the table, take them home with you if they're unused by the end of the meal. The restaurant will just throw them out so take them and put them to use. Lay out when having guests over or stick in the car for emergencies. When you're at work, look around the office printer for a paper bin. People often throw unwanted printouts or paper in there. Take them home and use the reverse for your printer. When I was growing up, my parents taught me to respect the environment and ALL paper products. The rule for toilet paper when going to the bathroom was 4 squares for #1 and 8 squares for #2. Obviously there are times when more is necessary without trying to get too graphic :) Spend the extra in getting thick strong toilet papers so you can teach your kids (and yourselves) to use less! As tempting as buying a real Christmas tree may be this season, try to talk yourself into buying and reusing a fake. If you're just buying it for the scent, try getting air freshners with the same smell instead. When I was growing up, I always bugged my mom to get us a real tree. She would look at me and say "Now you wouldn't like it if somebody came to our house, uprooted you from your home, chopped your head off and stuck you upside down on your neck in their living room with ropes of light around your body would you?" Morbid? Yes Effective? Definitly! Save a tree! Buy a fake! LOL I'm a HUGE tree hugger/environmentalist so it shows in everything I do in life. Above are just a few examples of how I try to do my little part in life. Oh and go buy a hybrid!! :) RE: Living Green Post By Shirley (Guest Post) (11/29/2004) I buy baking soda from Costco and use it for everything in the kitchen. It removes grease and safely scours everything from dishes to sinks to stovetops. I also use it to clean bathtubs, basins, and toilets. It is so gentle that I don't need gloves to clean, and I don't worry about toxic fumes in the house or bad stuff polluting our water supply. I clean the kitchen and bathroom floors with one part vinegar and two parts water. Also, I've been bringing my own grocery bags to the store for 15 years. I keep a supply in the trunk of the car and one or two in my purse for those unexpected shopping stops. To store a plastic bag in your purse, just fold a plastic bag lengthwise until it's a narrow strip about two inches wide, then roll up the strip tightly and secure with a rubberband. Living Green--bleach Post By Lois Ann from New York (Guest Post) (11/28/2004) Ordinary bleach...sodium hypochlorite releases chlorine oxides into the atmosphere. Chlorine is rarely found in the natural environment. It is extremely toxic, is very reactive. Chlorine combines and breaksdown the ozone molecules, therefore harming the protective ozone layer. Instead of bleach, use vinegar! It is cheap, effective and healthier for you and the planet. I use it combined with baking soda for cleaning, use vinegar in the laundry as well. I don't have to worry about how my cleaning is affecting my natural environment with its use. For soaps...grated soap, borax and washing soda do teh job. It is far less expensive than the store bought stuff. We are allergic to many, many products and this is what I've found to work the best.