Green Tips: Small Changes that Make a Difference

[ellenmelon]

The university asked us to unplug our cell phone chargers and turn off our monitors at night.

I have those cloth bags, they are easy to pack into and carry and I even think can be washed so I need to remember to put them in the car with the two coolers I keep there for hot weather trips from the grocery store.

[leasmom]

Ellenmelon, I too have a cooler in my car. I was forgetting to put the green bags in the car but I figured I'd keep it in the cooler that way its there.

I just had to say, apparently things are rubbing off on my daughter Lea, because when we went to Walmart, she told me to buy the silk with the green caps-(which supports and uses wind power). ANd she helped me with my green bags and in buying new energy efficient light bulbs to replace the other ones.

And she also bought some Oreo's since Suseanne posted about Terracycle and I explained it to Lea so now she is excited aobut collecting the wrappers.

I'm surprised at how easy it is to change...

[kathymac]

Patrice, that is wonderful that Lea is so excited about collecting the wrappers and recycling them. You are teaching her well.

I planted my herbs in pots today - basil, oregano, chives and parsley. I still have to get some rosemary seeds. All of my seeds have sprouted except my peppers. I planted banana peppers, bell peppers and cayenne peppers. So far, none of them have come up.

Today I took full advantage of the warm sunny weather. I hung two loads of laundry outside to dry and another load inside on drying racks in front of sunny windows. I also made a gallon of sun tea.

I was able to turn the heat off today and opened all of the blinds on the sunny side of the house.

Kathy

[barbszy]

Kathy, how hard is it to grow rosemary? I'm thinking that if I get a plant, I could keep it inside and just pick off the leaves as I need them. BUT I'm a notorious plant-killer Couldn't even keep an aloe plant alive for 6 months.

[kathymac]

Barb, I don't exactly have a green thumb either. I tend to do better at keeping outside plants alive than inside ones. I have found that herbs are very easy to grow - pretty much like weeds. I have never grown them inside. I usually put them in the vegetable garden with the tomatoes. They like a lot of sun. I would definitely give it a try. What have you got to lose? Fresh rosemary is definitely my favorite seasoning!

Good luck!

Kathy

[leasmom]

I killed shamrocks and they are supposed to be unkillable, but I also have garden several times...I think the key is not to overwater...

Hey, I was just asking about gardening in the organic gardening section. You can talk about it there too.

[janet]

Small changes that makes a difference:

Refuse to buy products that are made of plastics or other materials that are not fully recyclable, look on the containers to see if they are recycable.

Some items that are not and end up in our landfill:

aerosol cans, made from several kinds of metals and plastics.
juice boxes, made from a combination of plastic, cardboard, and aluminum foil.
squeezable plastic ketchup (and mustard and other products) bottles, made from several different kinds of plastic molded together.

Look for the symbols.

Another way: If the product or package is made from cardboard, such as a box of cereal or crackers, there is an easy way to tell whether it has been recycled. Peak under the top flap. If the underside of the cardboard is gray or dark brown, the box is made from recycled material.

Whenever you have a choice, always choose the product made from recycled material.

Janet

[kathymac]

Janet, I have been buying products with less packaging. Not only do I RE-cycle, I PRE-cycle. That means not buying things that are not recyclable.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 19th, is National Hang Out Day. Hang your laundry outside to dry - weather permitting.

Kathy

[RobertaD]

My biggest pet peeve is all the over packaging in toys and audio items.

I tilled the garden up last night and made it longer by 2 feet. I plan on making it wider by about 3 feet but want to dig up the sod and place it around the yard filling in bare spots and low areas.

Roberta

[janet]

Kathymac for the difference you are making in Our Planet!!!

Hugs, Janet