Share your earth-friendly tips

[burythehatchet]

One that I found by accident - household cleaners. I used to use the standard chemicals for household cleaning. Then I found that if I used Borax mixed with lemon juice and a little dishwashing detergent, the result is far better than using formula 409 or something. Its effective as a cleaner, disinfectant and it smelss great.

I think we have all found little things like this and I believe we shouldshare our idead and use them.

Love your planet!

on edit - you can replace the Borax with baking soda.

[MountainLaurel]

1. Plan and combine trips

To minimize those little runs to the store once or twice or 10 times a day: If you're on your way home from work, think for a minute if there's anything you need from the grocery store on the way. Can you pick up the dry cleaning tomorrow, when you'll be going to the farmer's market, the bakery, and the pharmacy anyway?

Eat locally. A tomato that was picked a couple days ago is going to taste so much better than one picked a month ago unripe and be healthier than a variety bred to sit in a box in a warehouse for months.

Don't water your lawn.

About household cleaners, my ex's mom gave me a book from the 70s about making your own products, from household cleaners to facial creams. Wish I could remember the name.

Use the sun to heat and cool your house: Draw your drapes during the day to keep the house cooler. In the winter, keep 'em open.

[blondeatlast]

2. Bicycle, bucycle, bicycle. I just got a new bike after 15 years of

not having one and I love it!

[burythehatchet]

5. my son went to spend a semester

in Austria and I snagged his GT5000 mountain bike. At least I'll have it for a couple of months.

[jeffreyi]

3. If you're thinking about having a bunch of kids...Don't. nt

[Ellen Forradalom]

23. I'm happily below replacement rate

One gorgeous child. Quality, not quantity.

[Kali]

4. shop local for food, and at the least shop the "outside" aisles of the grocery store

avoid things in extravagant packaging.

Grow some of your own food. Try not to drive. Turn the goddamn lights off! (in your Father's voice)

[EFerrari]

17. I'm changinig out my lightbulbs one at a time, hoping to get used

to the other ones slowly and maybe avoid the headaches.

[EFerrari]

6. Don't spray for aphids. Use ladybugs instead.

You put them out on the plants at night so they won't fly away. They feast on aphids and you're not disseminating poison.

[burythehatchet]

7. WOW, I never realized that. Good tip.

[OneBlueSky]

8. start a vegetable garden and/or shop at local farmers markets . . .

good exercise, supports local businesses, better quality food . . .

if you're really ambitious, learn how to can and/or freeze produce, make jams and jellies, etc. . . I remember that my grandmother used to raise grapes and raspberries, and there was a room in the basement (away from the coal bin) just full jars of jams and jellies sealed with parafin wax . . . most delicious stuff I've ever eaten . . .

[kestrel91316]

15. In the summer, put up your own peaches and tomatoes, or ones

you buy at the farmer's market. In the fall, put up applesauce.

http://www.homecanning.com/usa/ALOrder.asp?P=2576

[Annces]

9. Don't buy leather goods

The leather mostly comes from India, and the way the cattle are treated makes you want to cry for a week.

http://www.meatiswhack.com/fur.htm

[kestrel91316]

16. Um, cattle are sacred in India. We kill LOTS of cattle in the US and use

THEIR leather.

[likesmountains 52]

10. Buy a clothes line or indoor drying rack..

[Kali]

22. oh yeah

shoot the dryer.


and the television.

[zeemike]

11. Their are all kinds of little things you can do

And we should all do them when we can.
But my greatest interest is in getting people to stop building houses with wood.
There are so many better things that can be used that are much better on the planet than wood.
with wood you must protect it from termites with strong poisons and they burn down so easily.

[mod mom]

12. No chemicals on the lawn and use a push mower, compost, ....

*cloth or recycled pop bottle bags for shopping,
*pieces of fabric and ribbon (saved and re-used from year to year)
*have your child choose a charity to support in lieu of gifts for special occasions (mine save Northern Right Whales and Rhinos)
*buy local
*consider packaging and environmental effects when making purchases.
*buy the most energy efficient car in your price range when purchasing.
*keep air pressure in tires at recommended levels
*use a clothes line to reduce reliance on energy consumers.

One big thing we do is how we avoid air conditioning. We are lucky to have large shade trees around our house. We open windows & skylights in the evening, and close them by ~ 8 am. Then we use fans, including a restaurant ventilation fan, upstairs during the day to circulate the cool air. Our house really remains cool. We live in central Ohio where we've have several days above 90 and have lived very comfortably and have NOT used air conditioning this year.

[AlGore-08.com]

13. Bring your own (cloth) bag to the grocery store

Buy vintage, used and/or antique when you can
Take showers instead of baths
If you can afford it, buy a hybrid car
Bank and pay your bills online

[JitterbugPerfume]

14. reduce, reuse recycle

I reuse grocery bags as trash bags . Those plastic bags work great as bathroom trash can liners.

When not in use ,unplug things that have those glow-y little lights. THEY are energy vampires.


Do large loads of laundry at night when usage is low. Hang it up to dry ( I use the rail of my deck) . If it is "stiff" tumble it in the dryer for a few minutes.


Vinegar , baking soda and hydrogen peroxide will clean about anything , and not harm the earth.

make your yard an insecticide and herbicide free zone. If you must use chemicals , use something that is biodegradable


get some energy saver light bulbs .

Avoid wal-mart . Shop at farmers markets, goodwill stores , flea markets etc. It is not only more earth friendly , it is more fun!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. Ideas for pest control

You can control pests in and around your home without the use of chemicals.

1. If you have a pest, identify what it is. If it is a sudden infestation, find out why.
Examples:
Earwigs, ants, and spiders often come into a home situation because of sickly plants. Check any new plants in your home or yard to make sure that they aren't harboring these critters. If they are, re-pot them or remove them.

Cockroaches can come into a home not only from grocery sacks but from garage sales. Check any small appliances you are tempted to buy at such a sale, because roaches like to hide out in them. Just to be safe, wrap the small appliance up and stick it in the freezer overnight. This will kill any roaches hiding in them.

The location of your house and changes in the area around it can cause an influx of bugs. Boxelder trees and maple trees are home to boxelder bugs, which swarm around in the spring. These bugs are a nuisance more than anything else, and the only way to truly get rid of them would be to chop down all the trees for about a mile radius from your house. Since this is impractical as well as environmentally unfriendly, go to step 2:

2. Make sure your house is a barrier to pests. You do this by caulking small holes, putting screens on windows and porches, adding sweeps to the bottom of doors, and cleaning up clutter and food. If you are concerned about meal moths, keep flour products in the freezer or refrigerator.

3. Your vacuum cleaner is your friend when it comes to pests. You can use the long thin attachment to reach behind and beneath heavy furniture. Don't forget to clean the coils on your refrigerator as well--the refrigerator motor is a favorite hiding place for roaches. The best way to keep spiders at bay, especially brown recluse, is to vacuum and pick up clutter.

4. If you have to resort to controls, use traps and organic materials. There are any number of glue traps to be had that can be used to monitor insect populations. Diatemaceous earth is a white powder made from ground up seashell fossils that causes any insects walking into it to mess up their exoskeletons so they die. You can get it food grade from the health food store. Since it is lime, it is usually good for yards, which tend to be acidic. You can put it on pets to keep down fleas.

5. Consider pets to help you--cats being the best example. Get a cat whose mother is a good mouser. There is a kind of lizard that eats cockroaches--a Taegu--from South Africa that is about the size of a house cat and which dines on cockroaches. But I'd only have one of these if I lived in South Africa, as I frown on keeping exotic pets.

[Vinca]

19. Use white vinegar for all kinds of things including cleaning,

wallpaper removal and weed killer (works well on poison ivy). A great ant killer is Borax and confectioner's sugar mixed about 50/50. Deer repellant for the garden: blend a combination of a few eggs with water and any or all of the follow - milk, hot sauce, garlic, dishwashing liquid, veg. oil - and spray it on the plants. It seems to keep the bad bug population down as well.

[Le Taz Hot]

20. I was JUST about to post

something like this. Glad I checked first. Lots of great suggestions but here's a couple more:

If your city has a decent transit system, use public transportation as often as possible.

Here's a non-toxic cure for ants:
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. borax.

Combine the above ingredients in a lidded container and shake vigorously. Place in a shallow container (I use plastic yogurt lids) and put in the ant path. You may have to re-apply a few times but eventually, the trail will dry up.

[burythehatchet]

21. I'm discovering that Borax is an essential for a lot of things.

[qanda]

24. I've cut down on my usage of household cleaning products

By using a steam cleaner. I know it uses electricity but it's amazing how well it cleans the bathroom and kitchen. For me it's a big start, because I used to love my toxic cleaning stuff. I am slowly weaning myself off of them-- better for me, my family and the environment.

[burythehatchet]

25. splah lemon juice around when you steam clean. great disinfectant

[Coexist]

26. don't just recycle - please make sure you PURCHASE recycled products

I can only find recycled toilet tissue at Publix around here. Yes, it is not as soft or absorbent - but so what. Think about it - cutting down forests to wipe our asses.

That is obscene.

[JitterbugPerfume]

27. Good Tip FLD!

I don't think I have ever seen recycled TP!

[AlCzervik]

28. laundry det., you only need to use about half of what it is recommended.

and Costco is having excellent deals on CFL's, i got 12 of them for 6 dollars.

[JitterbugPerfume]

29. scent free laundry products

have less crap in them, and do just as well. Fresh air is the best "smell" anyway