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Save and reuse your water

September 14, 2009 in Water by Jennifer | No comments

Conserving and reusing water is essential. Water is not a never ending resource, even though it may seem like it. In reality, water is not technically becoming more scarce, but we are using more and more of it than ever before. As the demand goes up, there’s always a chance supplies could dwindle. For example, now when various areas experience a drought, the effects are more easily felt than when a drought occurred in the past.

You can save water easily by…

  • Pouring your cooking water into a jar – say you steam veggies – save that water.
  • Installing a rain barrel.
  • Placing a tub into the shower with you and letting it fill as you wash. Just don’t trip on the tub!

You can reuse water for all sorts of things such as…

  • Watering the garden or houseplants or lawn.
  • Washing a car.
  • Mopping the floors.
  • Cleaning windows.
  • Filling the kiddie pool – use the shower water for this one.
  • Cleaning off tools in the garage or muddy boots in the fall.
  • And more.

Lucky Earth: Wash your car with ZERO water

August 23, 2009 in Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home, On-the-Go by Jennifer | 2 comments

Each year people waste tons of excess water washing their car. As a home owner this not only raises your water costs but also runoff caused by the hose can allow chemicals from your car into your yard, driveway, and if you walk in that water, into your home via your shoes. One option that can keep your car clean without the negatives above is a waterless car wash. There are lots of waterless car wash brands on the market, but they’re not all the same. I recently tried Lucky Earth Waterless Car Wash and here’s the inside scoop…

Lucky Earth “Waterless” Car Wash is Lucky Earth’s signature car care product. It’s made with just water, natural surfactants (the cleaner) derived from coconut, and silicone. According to Lucky Earth, “The surfactants break up and lift the dirt from the vehicle’s surface, while the silicone allows the dirt to be easily whisked away without scratching.  The silicone leaves a smooth feel and glossy shine on automobiles, boats, and all types of motorsports and watercraft.” View the MSDS product sheet (pdf) which notes no toxic ingredients.

I reviewed the 32 oz. spray bottle of “Waterless” Car Wash which provides enough product to wash your car about 7-10 times. The wash doubles as an interior car cleaner, and can be used on the dashboard, leather seats, doors, and any other non-fabric surfaces. This product must be used with microfiber towels and I also got a set of those to review along with the wash.

What I think: Read the rest of this entry »

Are Hairy Legs Green?

August 8, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Water by Jennifer | No comments

Actually yeah they are. If you don’t mind going leg commando, hairy legs have smooth legs beat, at least on the eco-front. Some research notes that as many as 2 billion razors get tossed into the landfill yearly. Since, by now we all know that plastic razors won’t biodegrade, that sort of sucks a lot. Secondly, plenty of those shaving creams and gels contain icky chemicals and come in plastic bottles which some of us need to be better about recycling.

Still, I know some of us like to shave (even me). I went through a eco-feminist deal where I didn’t shave for years, but when I moved to New Mexico it was so damn hot I had to shave – I mean, as in so hot you want to shave not only your legs but maybe your head too. At that point I looked for eco-shaving options like…

  • Shaving less – you can shave, but the fewer times you shave the less resources you use.
  • Shave with the water off. Soak your legs as you scrub then turn the water off and shave.
  • Use an electric razor. Eco-destruction caused by plastic is far worse than the tiny amount of energy you’ll use with an electric razor
  • For the very brave, use an old school razor – you know, the type with a longer lasting metal and replaceable blade.
  • Buy recycled razors. Sadly there aren’t so many around. I LOVE the Preserve company. However, in my smack down, Eco vs. Conventional: the Preserve Razor faces the Gillette Razor, Gillette won for function. I’m still looking and considering giving Preserve another shot though.

Shaving cream:

There are so many good good natural, organic, non-toxic, and non aerosol shaving creams on the market today that it’s silly to use anything else. My favorite hands down is vedaDUDE Glide Organic Shave Gel. But you can also try checking Skin Deep for some excellent non-toxic shaving cream and gel choices. Your local natural foods store, co-op, or organic section of the grocery store will have lots more options as well.

Do you shave your legs? What products are your faves?

Sneaky bathroom water saving tips

August 7, 2009 in Water by Jennifer | 1 comment

The saving more water issue really isn’t all that complicated. In fact, you can sum it up in three little words – use less water. Wow. Right? However, for those of you who might like more substantial tips, here ya go…

  • Don’t assume showers save water: Yeah you may have heard this in the past, but know that there are major variables. For example,  according to the Environment Agency, “A 5-minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath. But remember that power showers can use more water than a bath in less than 5 minutes.“  Now, if my son takes a shower he messes around, takes forever and wastes a lot more water than he might in the bath. But a person who just jumps in and out may save more in the shower. It all depends. If you’re fast a shower is likely your best bet. If you lag, a bath could be more efficient.
  • Shower with a buddy: I couldn’t shower with my son when he was little because he was a hot water hog, but if you’ve got easy going kids or a willing partner, showering together may be more efficient.
  • Lower your time in the shower: You don’t need a daily shower. If you’re not working construction, how dirty are you really getting? Try taking a shower every other day or only washing your hair a couple of times a week.
  • When shaving your legs, scrubbing up, or applying hair treatments turn the water off.
  • Put all your kids in the tub at once.
  • I hate using timers for showers, but I don’t take long ones anyhow. If you do, a timer can really help you to save water.
  • Hot water is bad for your skin; it can dry your skin out. Plus cold water makes your hair shiny. With this in mind, turn the water temp down, which one, saves energy, and two, being that it’s cold you may get out sooner.
  • Place a reusable bin in the tub with you as you shower – be careful not to trip over it!). Collect shower water and use it to water house plants or outside plants or wash the car or mop the floor.

7 Ways To Conserve Water and Energy in the Bathroom

August 4, 2009 in Save Energy, Save Money, Water by Jennifer | 1 comment

Keep it green from the get-go. If you’re building or remodeling, invest in an earth-friendly tub. Diamond Spas and Durat both have eco-friendly options. Durat is especially cool making tubs of solid material with recycled plastics (see Durat tub example above). Check for water leaks: You can do this by checking your water meter say, at 8am. Wait two or three hours but run no water during that time. Re-check your meter and if it’s changed, there’s a leak.

Insulate hot water pipes for hotter water even after changing your heat to a lower setting.

Insulate the water heater tank: It only takes about a year to get back the money you save on this investment and you’ll conserve energy.

Water softeners may cost you: Only use if seriously necessary. According to American Water & Energy Savers, you can “Save water and salt by running the minimum amount of regenerations necessary to maintain water softness. Turn softeners off while on vacation.”

Install water-saving low-flow shower heads.

Take shorter showers – technically you should wash up and get out not linger.

Buy an inexpensive tank bank or float booster for your toilet. This alone could save you ten or more gallons of water per day.

Water Saving Laundry Tips

July 24, 2009 in Water by Jennifer | No comments

Laundry with kids is a pain – it’s never ending! Am I wrong? And I just have the one child; all you parents with 2, 3, and 4 + kiddos amaze me. Do you ever stop washing clothes? There are still ways to conserve water though, i.e. lessen the loads besides simply buying a more efficient washer…

Separating laundry is overrated: I’m not saying toss a red shirt into a load of white towels, but everyone is so darn picky about separating clothing, from bedding, from baby items, and so fourth. MOST of your stuff can be washed together with fine results. I know plenty of folks who will wash a half load or a not quite full load because they don’t have enough of one sort of item to fill the load. When you don’t fill the washer it wastes water and energy. Around here we have two sorts of loads – delicate and not delicate. That’s it. Mix it up – I swear the world won’t end. NOTE: on the rare occasions that I do have a red item, or some other maybe leaky color item, I wash it with the old cleaning rags – who cares what color they are.

Buy washable stuff: This sort of goes along with the above tip. If you buy hard to wash items, or items that do absolutely need to be washed alone, it’s going to waste water. When purchasing clothing, bedding, and other textiles, base part of your decision on ease o’ care.

Babies aren’t that sensitive: When Cedar was a babe, his pediatrician said we could wash his baby stuff with our adult stuff no problem. We used an eco-friendly, dye-free, fragrance-free detergent, but we used it for everything. The only time you actually need to wash your baby’s clothing in a separate load is if he happens to have seriously sensitive skin and you need to use more expensive baby wash, or if he’s a preemie, which may make him more sensitive (ask your pediatrician).

Hand washing can save water on super dedicates… but: Only if you fill a basin, or the sink, then turn the water off. Lots of folks tend to wash as the water runs, but it’s unnecessary.

Don’t be so fresh: Towels can be used a lot. Most clothing can be worn more than once. Cloth napkins in a fairly tidy meal environment can be used for the next meal too.

What else can you think of?

What is low-impact living?

July 23, 2009 in Green Your Home, Save Energy, Save Money by Jennifer | No comments

Low-impact living, in basic terms, is living lightly, or as lightly as you can on the planet. Everything we do, from the day we’re born, affects the planet. Your goal as someone who wants to live green and protect the planet is to lower your impact when you can. You can’t have a zero impact – it’s impossible, but you can take small and major steps to green all aspects of your life.

First of all, if you don’t know you’re impact you’re stumbling around in the dark. Calculate your own eco-impact using the new and improved Low Impact Living Environmental Impact Calculator. Once you enter your zipcode this powerful calculator will show you your personal carbon footprint along with the energy, water, wastewater, trash, and stormwater runoff footprints of your home and lifestyle. Additionally, it recommends projects based on your specific inputs that can save you money, reduce your environmental impact, or in many cases both at the same time.

Once you have your score the next step is decisions and research. It’s hard to lower all your impacts at once so you can choose a couple to work on, and once you get those impacts parred down, choose some more. You can make decisions based on a few factors:

  • Choose an impact that will save you money – i.e work on energy savings for the home.
  • Choose an impact you believe in – i.e. if you’re passionate about ocean life work on buying sustainable seafood and doing some beach clean-ups.
  • Choose an impact that affects many aspects of sustainability – i.e. choosing to work on your transport impact can save you money, help halt the effects of global warming, and make air quality better in your direct area.

Here are five common impacts we make on the planet and some tips for lowering your impact…

NEW Eco-Performance Kitchen Faucets from Moen

July 21, 2009 in Save Energy, Save Money, Water by Jennifer | No comments

Moen has just introduced a new line of green kitchen faucets. They’ve already been carrying other green faucets for a while but their new eco-performance line of kitchen faucets is being touted as the first real green water saving faucets for the kitchen. The new Lindley Eco-Performance kitchen faucet offers beautiful, traditional styling, consumer-preferred high-arc pulldown spout – and a multi-function spray wand featuring water-saving settings.

Kevin Campbell, director of retail marketing for Moen notes, “While homeowners are concerned about saving water, the thought of waiting at the kitchen sink to fill a pot or pitcher is not very appealing… We are so excited to be the first in the kitchen category to offer homeowners a water-saving kitchen faucet that still provides the exceptional performance they have come to expect from Moen.”

What makes these faucets eco-friendly?

Faucets offer three unique water-flow settings. For everyday tasks that require constant, yet low-water flow, such as washing dishes or preparing foods, homeowners can choose new eco-performance standard stream or aerated spray modes. These special setting help you save water and money by providing a reduced flow rate of 1.75 gallons per minute (gpm), which translates to a 32 percent water savings. For tasks that require a set amount of water, such as filling a pot or pitcher – you can switch your faucet to the fast-fill mode, which flows at the standard 2.2 gpm rate.

Other perks:

  • The pulldown wand offers an ergonomic design with a fiber hose and a ball joint at the end of the wand.
  • Lindley faucets offer Moen’s patented Hydrolock installation system which connects the faucet and supply lines together with a telltale “click” for a quick, easy and secure connection.
  • Lindley faucets are available in LifeShine Classic Stainless or in Moen’s new Mediterranean Bronze finish.

The faucets are available at Home Depot or through the Moen website.

Steam Mop to Cut Water and Chemical Use

June 22, 2009 in Green Cleaning by Jennifer | 1 comment

Regular mopping can waste a lot of water and because it’s hard to get a bucket of mop water hot enough to be super efficient, you may be inclined to use harsh cleaners in your mop water. An option beyond a typical mop is a steam cleaning mop. However, there are pros and cons.

Pros of steam cleaning mops:

  • Use less water than traditional mops.
  • Because the steamy water cleans well, you won’t need chemical cleaners. Just your mop and H2O.
  • No messy wringing out.
  • Can be used to clean tiles, wood, marble, slate, and more.

Cons of steam cleaning mops:

  • Take more resources to make than a small traditional mop.
  • Very few are made with recycled materials.
  • Most have ongoing costs – such as the replaceable pads that go on the mop’s end.

How to choose a more eco-friendly steam mop:

  1. Look for the lightest model you can without sacrificing strength (fewer materials). The steam mop should heat water in 60 seconds or less and have a good warranty.
  2. If you can, look for a steam mop made with eco-friendly or recycled materials and one that’s made by a company with eco-ethics. There are a few like this, see below.
  3. Skip the pads that most companies sell and use a reusable, washable microfiber cloth or other washable towel as the mop instead.

Steam mops to consider:

Eco-friendly car wash options and waterless car washing

June 14, 2009 in Water by Jennifer | 2 comments

While your car is not technically residing in your home, how you wash your car does affect your home costs related to water. Plus, if you use toxic chemicals to wash your car, those chemicals can run off into your yard.

How to wash your car at home:

If you wash at home, the biggest issue is water. According to the Washington Post, if you spend just 10 minutes spraying down your car with a typical five-eighths-inch garden hose you can easily use as much water as you would running seven loads in a dishwasher. Yikes. A better option is to do the following:

  1. Spray your car once (fast).
  2. Use a bucket and some soap plus elbow grease and soap up the car completely.
  3. Rinse fast.

It’s that continuous spraying that will drive up your water bill.

Take your car to a car wash:

Another option is to locate an eco-friendly car wash in your neighborhood. Not all areas have them, but they are popping up more and more. Look for a car wash place that uses non-toxic soaps and phosphate-free, biodegradable detergents cleaners plus one that recycles its wash water.

Go waterless:

Some companies have come out with waterless car wash cleaners. The biggest issue with these is the time involved. You’ll spend more time going over your car with a cloth and a waterless cleaner, but you will save water, and these cleaners are typically earth-friendly, although not all, so read the fine print. Some waterless car wash products include:

Green Lawn Watering for Summer

June 5, 2009 in Organic Gardening, Water by Jennifer | 2 comments

The other day I was at a friend’s apartment and all the ground sprinklers were running. It was bad news city. For one thing it was midday and secondly, almost all the sprinklers were running water not only in the grass but all over the sidewalks and street. Wow, what a good use of water! Not.

In any case, if you live in an apartment complex, let your manager know if this is an issue. There’s no reason to water the street – trust me, it’s not growing any faster. If you live in a house, make sure you follow these rules for eco-minded summer lawn watering:

  • Many lawns only need about one inch of water per week to thrive and in areas that see more rain (i.e. the Pacific NW) your lawn may need even less. Check with your local nursery or your local Cooperative Extension Office to learn about lawn water requirements in your area.
  • To make sure you are only watering your lawns as much as they need and not more, place a can or bowl in your yard, with an inch (or other level) marked off with a waterproof pen. Turn the sprinklers on, and see how long it takes to fill the can or bowl to the line. Now you know how long to water per session.
  • Timed sprinklers can help you water less and more efficiently.
  • Water in the morning, late afternoon, or in the evening. If you water midday, most of the water is evaporated by the hot sun, and can’t actually do its job. You’ll need more water for a healthy lawn.
  • Don’t water the streets and sidewalks. Set your sprinklers up to cover actual vegetation areas.
  • Use recycled water – easy if you have a rain barrel.
  • Use a hose or watering can for smaller areas vs. a sprinkler. When doing this water slowly which helps the roots to get the water they need.
  • Create an earth-friendly rain garden.
  • Water less by planting native plants and by eliminating lawn areas where possible.

Create an earth-friendly rain garden

May 26, 2009 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 3 comments

First of all a rain garden is not that much different from a traditional garden, it’s just a far more efficient garden. Rain gardens use rain and stormwater runoff to their advantage and contain smart plant selections.

Other key rain garden tips:

  • Rain gardens fare better when small rather than large.
  • Garden sites are usually located close to runoff sources.
  • Rain gardens are designed to withstand moisture extremes and can hold up even when exposed to nitrogen (found in runoff water). See a cool pdf poster that explains rain garden design.
  • There are two basic rain gardens – under-drained and self-contained.
  • Rain gardens are slightly depressed into the earth so that rain water may be better soaked up when it rains or storms.
  • Water-friendly plants, or at least plants that can stand a bit more water tend to be used.
  • Water in a rain garden is stored via design. I.e. your rain garden will save water from a storm and use it over a few days.
  • It helps to have slope to your land/yard for a proper rain garden, but it’s not a necessity. You can also make changes to your land plot.

To learn more about rain gardens see the following links:

Read an excellent FREE rain garden how-to guide and booklet. The previous guide is very good, but your local community extension office may have a booklet on rain gardens especially for your area, so I’d check.

In Faucet Water Filter for Green Homes

March 4, 2009 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | 3 comments

We look at water issues here often. Mainly, I think because water consumption is one extra easy place to make an eco-difference. A lot of water conservation consists of tiny steps to implement OR small actions on your part (i.e. turning off the sink while brushing or taking shorter showers). We’ve looked at drinking water before, and how to keep it green. Such as drinking from the tap or looking for filters with less packaging. Recently I saw these in-faucet filters that last way longer than typical faucet mounted filters, which could reduce the amount of waste filters can create.

Some ideas:

Moen Chateau Kitchen Faucet with ChoiceFlo Filtration in Chrome: This is an under the counter filtration system that looks like a normal faucet. There are two separate water channels which means you can get filtered and unfiltered water from the same faucet. PLUS the average filter lasts 6 months or for about 750 gallons of water. That’s better than most other filters which seem to last about 3 months or so.
Read the rest of this entry »

What Are Your Green Goals for 2009?

December 24, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

With New Year’s almost here, it’s likely you’re starting to think about your goals. Do you have some green household goals that you’d like to work on in the upcoming year? If you’re looking for ideas, here are some good ones:

Go green in 2009 by…

Ditching toxic household cleaners and chemical based home air fresheners.

Improving the air quality in your home.

Green your kitchen java for the entire year! Coffee is a great place to start if you’re looking to go green your lifestyle.

Drinking tap water, or at the very least buying a water filter over bottled water.

Starting a compost routine.

Only buying sustainable home furniture and decor.

Giving your baby a fresh green start in life.

Pledging to reduce, reuse, and recycle more at home.

Planting some trees around your house or in your neighborhood.

Taking shorter showers.

Conserving electricity around the house.

Do you have another green home goal? One I didn’t mention? Leave a comment about your green goals for 2009.

Oh, by the way, my green goals are as follows:

1) Recycle all the toilet paper tubes – this was actually my goal last year. I’m great at recycling everything but the tubes still sometimes end up in the bathroom trash vs. the recycling. I’ve improved since last year, but this is an ongoing goal.

2) Cook more. This last year was nuts (seriously) I bought more packaged foods than maybe ever in my entire life. That’s not great eco cooking. It’s much better to buy less packaging, and cook closer to the earth meals.

Quick Green Tip: Wash Less Laundry

December 13, 2008 in Quick Green Home & Garden Tips by Jennifer | No comments

Some of the laundry you may be washing, might be out of habit, rather than need.

  • For example, most clothing items can be worn twice before it’s grimy. (I’d think twice about undies and socks though!)
  • Bath and kitchen towels can be used for a week before washing.
  • Curtains, bedding, pillows, and other decorative items can be washed infrequently; not every week.
  • Cloth napkins that are barely used can be used at the next meal.

Consider what you toss into the wash, before you do the next laundry load. If it’s not dirty, why wash?

Six Steps to A Greener Laundry Room

October 20, 2008 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

There are several things you can do to green up the laundry room. If you’re new to green living, the laundry room is actually an easy place to start, because changes aren’t that tough to implement.

  1. Have an Energy Star washer and dryer.
  2. Wash all clothing on cold – seriously, no washer produces hot enough water to sterilize clothing. Cold cleans just as well, so why not save the energy.
  3. Use your dryer sparingly. You can hang clothing up outside in the summer, and in your bathroom during the winter.
  4. Use the right laundry products. Avoid harsh laundry soap, dryer sheets, and fabric softener. Things to avoid include chemical surfactants, chlorine, and chemical fragrances. One good green laundry soaps is Biokleen All Temperature Laundry Liquid.
  5. Skip the bleach.
  6. Wash the largest loads possible. Washing two shirts is a huge waste of water and energy.

What Uses Up the Most Water in Your House?

October 19, 2008 in Furniture & Appliances, Water by Jennifer | No comments

In most older houses the answer to this question is… The toilet.

Regular old toilets used to use a ton of water – up to seven gallons per flush. If you’ve remodeled your old house bathroom, or bought a brand new house it’s likely you have a new toilet, and that’s good news because newer toilets use far less water per flush (usually less than 2 gallons).

Options for older toilets… And by old, I do mean old. Models since the mid 90s have used less water. If you have a toilet older than say 1995 or so, that’s when you need to be concerned.

Replace it: Your best option, hands down is to replace your older toilet for a nice new model. You can upwards of 2000 gallons of water per year by changing out your toilet. Preferably you want to get a dual-flush model (available in the U.S. from Kohler and Caroma U.S.A), a water sense approved model, or an ultra low-flush. There are also some nice composting and waterless toilets available, which will save you even more money and water.

Besides water, there’s that additionally bonus that a water efficient toilet will save you lots of cash over the years. Costs to buy and install a new toilet (or 2 or 3) can seem high, but you’ll get back that money quickly. Visit Conserve Water Utah, to see a list of water efficient toilets.
Read the rest of this entry »

Build a rain barrel for your home

September 10, 2008 in Water by Jennifer | 4 comments

Rain barrels are very cool green home accessories. One simple rain barrel can save around 1,300 gallons of water in the summer months – so once you consider the year round savings, it’s pretty outstanding.

Other reasons to use a rain barrel?

  • Reduced water pollution because a rain barrel reduces stormwater runoff.
  • The water saved in a rain barrel can be used for a multitude of tasks.
  • Rain barrels are low cost to build and use.
  • Rainwater used for lawn and garden help to replenish groundwater – but naturally.

Once you build your rain barrel you can paint and decorate it anyway you choose, and children can be taught how to gather water for the garden from a rain barrel (a good lesson in early water conservation).

To see a video and a link to written instructions about how to make your own rain barrel read: Building & Installing a Rain Barrel.

[image and more information available from Pathway to Water Quality]

Is Hand Washing Your Dishes A Good Green Choice?

August 29, 2008 in Green Cleaning, Save Energy, Water by Jennifer | 1 comment

There’s usually a pretty large debate about hand washing vs. dish washing between green living folks. Each side has pros and cons that they feel strongly about.

save water at home

I’m on the side of dish washing being the best green choice. Dishwashers approved as energy efficient by the EPA can use a lot less water then conventional hand washing – in some cases, depending on how you wash, hand washing can waste up to 20 gallons more water than a dishwasher.

There are some other points to consider though.

Are you scrapping or rinsing your dishes? If you scrap then place your dishes in the dishwasher, it clears some food. A new dishwasher is powerful enough to get the rest of the food off. An older model dishwasher may require that you rinse dishes first, which of course wastes water.

If you use a soap that sucks (different dish washing soaps do work differently in different dishwashers) you may need to run your dishes twice – another water waste.

If you have hard water, you’ll need to use a rinse agent (vinegar can be substituted), or you’ll have to possibly run an extra rinse cycle to clear off soap residue.

If you live alone, and use maybe three dishes a day, hand washing responsibly is a better choice, because your dishwasher really should be full to be an efficient use of water.

For people on the side of hand washing is better, it can be, if you wash smart. Many people run water the entire time they wash, and that’s what wastes those 20 gallons. If you hand wash, use an easy rinse soap, run one sink full (or bin-full) of hot soapy water, and one sink (or bin-full) of warm or cool rinse water. Don’t just run the water like crazy.

What do you think – is hand washing or machine washing a better use of energy?

Quick Tip for Water Savings

August 16, 2008 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle, Save Energy, Water by Jennifer | No comments

Showers and baths use an insane amount of water. To conserve more water, cut five minutes off your daily shower. To double your efforts, try placing a small plastic bin in the tub as you shower. Use that water to water plants, wash the car, or mop the floors. The two easy steps above can save upwards of 375 gallons of water a month!

Get Your Kids Involved With Greening the House

August 11, 2008 in Children & Babies, Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 1 comment

tree hugger

Kids can be a valuable asset when it comes to going green. Where your home is concerned, kids can be really helpful because teaching them green steps early on means they’ll be more vigilant than you even.

My son always reminds me to turn off lights, and asks about recycling, so I know first hand that teaching your kids to be eco-friendly at home works.

Here are some easy green steps your kids can take at home:

Gardening: There’s no better way to learn about conserving than actually working with resources related to gardening. Your kids can learn about growth, organics, solar topics, seed saving (instead of buying new), composting, water use and conservation, and more. If you don’t have the yard space for a garden plot, these topics can easily be taught with a container garden.

Bathroom use: Lots of green opportunities occur in the bathroom. Even little kids can learn about turning the water off while brushing their teeth, not flushing everything yellow, and reusing a towel before washing.

Recycling: Get the kids involved in your home recycling. Kids can tell the difference between the recycling bins and the garbage can. Allow them to sort recycling and if they’re confused about bins, try this trick.

Clutter: Clutter and cleaning up said clutter is actually a cool way to teach eco-friendly objectives at home. Kids can learn that broken toys can be fixed, used toys and clothing can be given away vs. tossed, and more. As you clean the house make a point of talking to kids about these landfill reducing topics.

How do you get your kids involved with greening the house?

Green Audit Your Yard and Garden

July 21, 2008 in Green Audit, Organic Gardening by admin | No comments

This week we’ve been going over some easy green audits you can try at home. So far we’ve looked at

Tonight let’s look at our last green audit of the week – your yard. Following are some tips you can use when green auditing your yard and garden.

green yard audit

Do you use a green lawn mower.

Are you using smart water tactics?

  • Watering in the early morning or at night.
  • Keeping your water where it needs to go, not running off into the street.
  • Consider having less grass, and more bark, patio space, or soil.
  • Mulch plants and trees to conserve water.
  • Plant like with like – you don’t need to plant water loving plants among plants that conserve water. You’ll waste water when watering.

Are objects in your yard and garden recycled and sustainable – think about decorations and planters you may have.

Use recycled bags for clippings.

Toss out any toxic chemicals and pesticides and use natural fertilizer, weed control, and pest control options. To learn more read:

Reduce Your Fertilizer Use with Grasscycling

Natural Ways to Get Rid of Garden Pests

Plant organic seeds and organic plants.

A big part of proper green gardening and yard tactics has to do with where you live. There are general tips you can follow, but water conservation is going to be different in New Mexico vs. Oregon, so it pays to learn regional tactics. Visit the National Gardening Association and check out their regional site which will connect you with a regional newsletter and regional gardening blogs.

Visit Mother Earth’s Garden to learn all about green gardening.