living green in an apartment

[Sativarain1]

I am really interested in learning more about ways to live green, while living in a rented apartment. I also have very little money, to make big changes but every little bit helps so if you have ideas please share.

I already:

bring my own reusable bags to reuse at the grocery store

buy environmentally friendly cleaners'soaps

and make my own scrub from baking soda/ vinegar and essential oils to clean sinks/tub

energy efficient lightbulbs

garden in pots on my patio during the summer

Our small township does not recycle, I really miss recycling. I do sometimes save up and take it to the nearest city near me which is a very short 10-15 minute drive but I don't like clutter and having it accumulate discourages me.

[woodchick]

You could work to reduce the amount of recyclables that go in the trash: buy in bulk, buy the products with the least amount of packaging, reuse packaging ...

Reduce the amount of paper/disposable products you use: washcloths and cloth napkins in the kitchen instead of paper towels and napkins,  hankerchiefs instead of tissues, family cloth wipes instead of toilet paper.  (you reduce the packaging AND the product!)

Find creative ways to cut down and reuse: envelopes for notepaper, to do lists on a chalkboard/whiteboard instead of paper...

[Auntie Sapphire]

Do your laundry in cold water and hang it to dry. I live in an apartment too - the dryer here costs $1.50/load. The dryinig rack paid for itself in 2 months!

[yeahwhat]

You are living green by living in an apartment.  The amount of energy required to heat or cool you individual residence is much smaller than if you had the exact same sized house with no attached neighbours, and most houses are bigger than most apartments, making the energy savings even greater.

Other things to add to your list:

chose items with less packaging when shopping

reuse packaging eg. I own no tupperware or similar, I just reuse sour cream, yogurt, etc containers

buy second hand items when possible

walk, bike, or use communal transportation

minimize car trips/combine errands

[Sativarain1]

good tips!

Does washing clothing in cold water really get them clean? I only do bedding and towels in hot water, but for clothing I always chose warm because I thought the heat cleaned them better. Just like when you do dishes you use hot water, it always seemed to make sense.

[Auntie Sapphire]

I've been washing clothes in cold water only for almost 20 years. They're fine! 

I do use only liquid detergent though, as I found the powdered kind didn't always dissolve fully in cold.

[woodchick]

We wash everything on cold- clothes, towels, diapers...  No issues here.

[marimara]

We downsized from a single family home to an apartment last year.  I have found that is a lot harder to live "green" and "eco friendly" and "nontoxic" in the apartment by far.  Things out of my control are: outside pesticide/herbicide spraying, home modifications, neighbors smoking, line drying, outdoor composting.  We didn't have recycling here when I first moved in, I called the town and complained and they brought a recycling container.  Now it IS a pain the butt, to save up a bucket full of recyclables and bring them out though because we don't have a lot of room for "garbage" sitting around.  About the bulk purchases, I don't have a lot of room (being an apartment and all) to store all the extras.  If you have a spare closet somewhere you could dedicate to bulk storage that that is possibly an option.  Also in apartment, you can have your thermostat usually lower than in a sfh because you are surrounded by other buildings so the place stays warmer in the winter.

Things I do have control over:  

nontoxic household cleaners/laundry soaps and body products

houseplants for cleaner indoor air

air filter for cleaner indoor air

lower thermostat to save electricity

smaller home so lower electric expenses in general, though I run the lights more often than in a house because of the lack of windows

LED or CFL lightbulbs

you could have indoor composting if you had a space to do that