Awhile back I shared a post about things I do to be more environmentally friendly in my daily life. I thought I would share some photos of things around my house that are part of my "green" lifestyle. I love sharing my ideas and hearing new ones from you as well. I am always looking for new ways to go green.
This is a pretty common one, I know. I remember when the CFL bulbs first came out and how expensive they were. No one wanted to buy them due to the cost. Our last house had so much lighting in it, that when we got our first utility bill we about had a heart attack. That is when we realized that we better consider the energy saving bulbs. It made a huge difference in our electrical bill cost. Also, I still have light bulbs that I used in the house back from 2007. The cost of the bulbs is totally worth it in the end. They aren't a just a gimmick.
Think about how many people you see daily holding a Starbucks paper cup? Even my tiny town has four Starbucks in it. I use this coffee mug when I go to work everyday and also when I treat myself to a cup of coffee while out running around. Starbucks will give you a discount on your drink if you bring your own cup. They also give you a free cup of coffee if you return a empty Starbucks coffee bag. They take them back so that they can recycle them.
The bowl I use for my pets water bowl.Buy secondhand and vintage items to use in your home. Even if they are being used as decoration. You are keeping things from ending up in landfills and new things from being mass produced. I love owning vintage items because to me they are a part of history. Sounds a bit cheesy I guess, but I tend to love things from the mid-century modern period. Also it's very rewarding to donate things that you don't currently use to your local thrift stores.
What do you do with all the plastic films and bags that products are sold in? In our kitchen we have a cabinet where we store all of this. Once we get a lot of it we take it to a recycling area. Our city doesn't pick up bags with the other recycling. This plastic is things like plastic that is as packaging around products, bread bags, bags that grapes come in, things that just can't be avoided when purchasing things at the store. The main large bag holding all the bags is a bag that was used to cover a pillow I purchased. It's hard to avoid getting all this plastic in our homes. It's used for everything.
I framed some old maps that were in my cars glove box. They also have special meaning to me because I picked them up during a cross country road trip. They are of Phoenix Arizona and L.A. California. It's nice to be creative using things you already own instead of going out and buying new stuff.
I've gotten really good about buying vintage furniture verses new stuff. Honestly as much as I move around, I need the old sturdy furniture. That's what I love about mid-century modern things. Its durable and lasts forever.
Since we recycle most of our trash we can get away with using smaller garbage bags now. These bags are actually less then $2.00 and we only use one a week. It works out really well for us and I'm keeping a lot of plastic trash bags out of the landfill. It feels good to make a difference. :)
We used to use paper every week to write out our grocery lists and meal plans. We bought a dry erase board for our fridge to eliminate that. I now type out my list on my cell phone. I find that I don't forget things at the store anymore since doing this. Once the list is completely cleared off on the phone I know I got everything. It's helped me out a lot. I always would forget something when I used my handwritten lists.
We all know that websites like Pinterest are flooded with ideas for making your own household products. I do make my own cleaner that I use mainly in my kitchen. It's pretty much half vinegar and half water with some scented oil added. I also make my own laundry detergent. Which seems to last forever and has worked out really well for us. I sure don't miss buying it! :)
I would love to hear some of your ideas as well. I've also just learned to not buy things that I don't need.
Here are some links to other posts I have done related to this topic:
Ways I have Gone Green
Bag It in a Reusable Bag Please!
Be Green at Starbucks
Netflix Must See: BAG IT
Why I Recycle & Hope You Will 2
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ReplyDeleteGreat post. It gave me so many ideas.
ReplyDeleteYay! I am glad you enjoyed it. :)
DeleteI like this post, it's a good way of showing small changes that everyone can apply themselves. We have recently upgraded all of our lightbulbs (well a couple of years ago) and I don't use plastic bags anymore. The only thing I'm still missing is a water bottle, I'm thinking of buying one to carry around when I'm traveling so I'll have to buy one soon haha :) xo
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how little changes do really make a difference. Especially the water bottle thing. :) I am so excited for you and your trip! I look forward to reading all about it.
DeleteWe recently switched to LEDs, which are even better than CFLs, because their price started to drop. I hope that more people switch to them. Looks like we do a lot of similar things, like the jars, and whatnot. We use our old kitty litter container as our trash, so we haven't used trash bags of any kind in years. I can't wait to share something like this of what we do.
ReplyDeleteWe found kitty litter in cardboard boxes and started buying it that way now. It's nice not having the kitty litter bins anymore. They do come in handy for other uses though. For awhile we used them as recycling bins. :)
DeleteWe plan to buy some LED bulbs for our kitchen. I don't mind the price really because I know that they are a great product. We just haven't had to replace anything really. I do look forward to trying them out in the kitchen soon.
I hear ya. We stopped buying regular clay kitty litter because it's not compostable or eco-friendly in the least. We've tried a variety of the "eco-friendly" kinds. We tried wheat, newspaper, the "world's best" but so far we are in looooove with the kind made out of walnuts. It's the best most eco litter we've found so far. It masks the smell and produces very little dust, so it's good for the kitties too. Since litter is the only trash we have (because all plastic/aluminum/paper is recycled, well we hope because I know not all types of plastic are even recyclable, and the we save all food scraps for making vegetable broth). :)
DeleteI have never seen the walnut litter. I hate buying clay stuff, but have always been skeptical of other types. I will have to see if I can find that kind. It's great being green. :) It makes me so happy and it's such a simple thing that anyone can do.
DeleteWhen I get around to doing a "this is how we green" type post, I'll share a picture. But it's by The Blue Buffalo Co. It's a blue and red bag and we only recommend the "quick clumping multi-cat" one because it clumps better and doesn't have much dust. But here's how it's even more eco-friendly. It's made in the USA (something, as I shared in my last post, that is very important to me), so less miles. We try to buy only made in the USA items and if we can find stuff made in Texas then we go for that. And it's made using renewable energy. Win win, right? It's a bit more expensive up front but it lasts a long time. Honestly, most litters last a long time but most people don't scoop every day. The more often you scoop (as you probably know) the longer you can make it last while still being fresh. It's also super great at odor control. But all of the major pet places sell it. We shop at Petco and one day they had a 20% off in the store deal so we bought 4 or 5 bags.
DeleteI had no idea that Starbuck's gives discounts for bringing your own cup in. Note to self! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it's good for us junkies! ;)
DeleteMan, you'd laugh at me Jessie because I recently got a $5 Starbucks gift card for taking a survey and haven't yet used it. I don't drink coffee and I feel like the tea there is a rip off, so I've been trying to figure out what the heck to use it on. ;) I've had it for months now in my wallet.
Deletehahaha Honestly I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all. We brew must of our coffee at home. It's wasteful going out for it. We see it as a treat. Especially since we never eat out anywhere. Maybe you could get a coffee mug or something. ;)
DeleteNa, I don't need more things (minimalist here). ;) What I could do is send it to you. How would you like that? :)
DeleteI think I'll just put it in part of an upcoming giveaway, since I haven't heard from ya. Cheers to you!
DeletePinterest is amazing for stuff like making your own household products! You've given me loads of ideas here on how to be more green
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I gave you some ideas! That's why I love posting about this stuff! :). Thanks for stopping by and leaving all your comments. I hope you are doing well!
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