Going Green

[HerMommy28]

Hey there!! We have recently decided to do our best to go green and was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction. I was thinking maybe a site and books that could help with many ways to change to greener living. Thanks in advance

[utopia760]

why dont you just ask us here im sure we can give you tons of tips...

[tracyhos]

Reading these forums and asking questions here has helped me so much.

My advice, pick one thing/ area of your life to start with and do it one at a time. If you try to change everything over at once, it can be kind of overwhelming.

[HerMommy28]

Thanks. Well, I simply started by eliminating plastic bags. I've been using cloth for over a year but I still have a mesh bag FULL of plastic bags and have no clue what to do with them!! My SO uses them to change the litter box but there are just so many of them. I am in the works of changing to cloth diapering and my sister is passing down all the cloth diapers she has, to me. She gave me a few to try out and I love them, and I am sure the baby enjoyed them too I am on my way today, to get energy saver light bulbs. I would really like to know of ways to clean and disinfect my bathroom and kitchen without using harsh chemicals. I am also was looking for information on natural soaps and shampoos that are better for us.

[MacroMama]

Vinegar and baking soda are great for cleaning. Just search the internet for recipes.

I love the Jason products for soap and shampoo, but I'm sure there are better ones.

[HerMommy28]

I found a few recipes for cleaning, on the internet. My sister got me in to using Burt's Bees products and I love them for the baby but she is the only one that uses them right now. Well, I occasionally use the shampoo/body wash though. When it comes to shampoos and conditioner, I need something a lot stronger!!

[Doodlebugsmom]

Around here, the grocery stores have containers to leave the plastic bags for recycling. If you want to get rid of them, look into that.

[vm9799]

the biggest things that we've done so far on our family's road to more green living are:

*switched out our mainstream cleaning products to either natural commercial products (we like ecover and seventh generation), or ones that i've made myself from vinegar, baking soda, etc.

*cut out plastic bags completely (well, as completely as possible!)......i purchased 5 LARGE totes from reusablebags.com (LOVE this site!) and also purchased Kleen Kanteens for my kids to take in their lunches for school and a large one (40oz) for my husband to take iced tea to work in (i also purchased these at resuablebags.com).

*as we're needing to replace appliances, we are upgrading to all energy efficient models.

that's all i can think of off the top of my head. i'll try and add more if i think of any!

[brightonwoman]

Probably the biggest change I really made was to use cloth instead of disposable...diapers, menstrual pads, tissue (nose-blowing), cleaning, etc.

I took some old tee shirts that were getting holes and cut them into pieces about 6-8" and use them for nose-blowing tissues and quick little wipes. They're nice soft cotton and absorbant, and it's not like the tees were any good anymore! They make nice family cloth (TP) too if you're ready to take that leap!
I cut up old towels when they start to get raggy, and use them for cleaning rags (just cut them to about washcloth size and zig zag hem the edges). I hate paper towels!
The cloth diapers and pads I'm sure you're familiar with.
I have a set of washcloths that I use for kiddo faces/hands (rather than napkins).
Seriously, once I started using cloth, I discovered how much I hated paper! I hate paper napkins when we go out cuz they just don't work as well as a ncie damp washcloth!

I do cloth grocery bags and recycling and do a lot of cleaning with vinegar/baking soda and all those other things, but I go through cloth on a daily basis...so using cloth everything and getting an energy star washer I think is the BIGGEST green thing I do, kwim? I think it probably makes more difference.

[jadekat]

I use cloth bags at the grocery store. I've switched to all natural cleaners also. I'm also trying to go to mostly cloth except for family cloth (DH says no.) I try to conserve energy by leaving our lights off during the day. I'm still new to this also.

[janasmama]

you can get a free bi-weekly newsletter from the greenguide.com also. They have some excellent ideas and articles.

Another thing that makes a huge difference is trip-linking (making several stops while out only once) and meal plannning and writing out a grocery list so you don't find yourself at the grocery store every other day.

[ParisApril]

I am reading ECOHOLIC by Adria Vasil it is a fantastic book.

All of the following are great for the environment.

*I try and walk whenever possible. Bike ride for longer trips. We are looking into a bike trailer so I can ditch the backpack (It's hard to bike with a 2yo in the kiddy seat and a backpack on my back. Good thing we are downhill from the grocery store!)

*I have started to get an organic food box delivered to my house every week. Fresh fruits and veggies and I never have to leave the house. They deliver to town anyway so I am saving some CO2 there. You could see if you have something like it in your area.

*I use reusable cloth pads, diapers, breastpads, napkins, dishcloths, hankies, TP (DH refuses to use these so I buy him 100% recycled products)

*I have stared to look at my shampoos and cleaners like I look at my food purchases. Too many ingredients or ingredients I can't pronounce and I don't buy it.

*I line dry my laundry.

*I recycle, reuse a lot glass food containers for storing foods in my pantry and fridge and I compost.

*I don't eat meat.

*I use compact florescents to light my home.

*I bug the crap out of my husband running behind him TURNING THINGS OFF! Who needs bathroom lights on during the day when the window in there is South facing?!

I shall return.

My local stores take and reuse my plastic bags. You could try that.

[staceychev]

http://www.treehugger.com/gogreen.php

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/

http://greenoptions.com/

[HerMommy28]

So, many helpful hints!! Thanks guys It is nice to hear what everyone is doing to live greener!!

I am going to look in to the recycling of plastic bags at local stores, though I haven't found anywhere that does that yet. I think the Salvation Army is usually in need of bags so maybe they can take all these bags off my hands!!

We are installing a clothes line and I am stoked to get it. I love the smell of clothes dried on a line. Having the line in will definitely help with cloth diapering as we do not have a washer and dryer. I will probably hand wash them and hang them to dry.

There is one thing we are not all that keen on and that is "family cloth"!! I think I will be keeping my TP, we'll just be buying 100% recycled. I guess it just isn't for everyone!!