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LAURA’S TOP TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO GO GREEN
Use cloth bags for all shopping. Fold them small and keep them in your purse/car and USE them everywhere. You don’t need to purchase fancy ones – any old cloth/canvas/mesh tote will do. Some stores have them for cheap. Or just take your items without a bag at all. Do you need a plastic bag to carry a sack of apples in a plastic bag? Save and reuse the packaging you do receive.
Never buy another vinyl shower curtain. That smell that comes off the item when you open it are the toxins off-gassing. Cloth and other types are available.
Limit your driving. Carpool, bus or walk to work. Run multiple errands at on one trip. Drive more efficiently. When you buy a new car, consider one a hybrid car or one with excellent mileage.
Use natural cleaners. No air-fresheners, no vinyl shower curtains. Use your mother’s old-fashioned homemade cleaning techniques – like vinegar for windows and glass, baking soda for scrubbing. Women – use organic all-cotton personal products.
Recycle everything, and limit the things that need to be recycled. No plastic bags (use cloth bags), reduce junk mail by getting off the lists. Quit subscriptions that you don’t really read anymore – or read current issues at the library.
Buy high quality long lasting items. Clothing is an excellent example. It is better to pay twice as much for a jacket that lasts 10 years than a cheaper one that falls apart after one season. Try to get natural fabrics or even organic materials –cotton, linen, silk wool, hemp – rather than chemical fabrics. Do the same with your sheets and towels – don’t you want to spend 8 hours a night on a natural and non-toxic sheets?
Use cloth napkins and real dishes. Cut down or eliminate paper products, including napkins, paper-towels, plastic cups, and paper plates. Rags from old clothes can be used for cleaning. It is amazing how many trees this will save! Don’t take a big handful of napkins when eating out or grab plastic utensils that you don’t actually use and just toss in the trash. Reduce the paper towels you use to dry your hand – or opt for the air dryer.
Get a good travel mug (stainless steel interior) and use it for cold or hot beverages. This saves money from buying coffee – and reduces waste by eliminating paper and Styrofoam cups. Use an aluminum water bottle with water from home – one bottle of purchased water uses much more water to produce and creates waste! Plastic bottles can leach chemicals into the water. Spend the money on good quality water bottles and travel mugs – you will quickly see the savings and you’ll help reduce landfill waste.
Eat real food. Grow your own food, or shop local at farmer’s markets. Buy organic food.
Build and remodel using natural products. There are a lot of natural, eco-friendly & recycled materials available today. Maintain your home. Add insulation, caulking and seal up leaks and drafts. Build with alternative materials when building new – passive solar, straw bale construction, and other alternative heating solutions. Don’t over-build space that you don’t use – try to create multi-use spaces and be efficient with space use.
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