Lately I've been getting quite a few emails from friends and family who are looking for some ideas about conserving more resources/living more simply/becoming "greener". I thought I'd post some of the things we do on the blog in the hopes that we can all share more ideas about these things. John and I are feeling a bit stuck in some areas. It seems that some of the changes we can make in our lives cost quite a bit of money and we know eventually it will pay off (money-wise) and its important for the planet, we have to sustain our family financially as well. (No replacing our washing machine that works well with a front-loader.) Anyway, we can get some new ideas from your comments, and maybe you can get some new ideas as well.
It seems odd in wet western Oregon that we need to think about conserving water outdoors, but we get little to no rain in the summers - just when we're trying to raise veggies in the garden. One way we're trying to conserve water is by installing a drip line that we got from
dripworks.
Also, we try to gather as much water as we can that would normally go down the drain and water our plants with that. It's not much, (until we can legally collect our gray water) but its something. For example, we eat oatmeal almost every morning and we fill the empty pot with water to soak until we can wash the dishes. That water gets dumped on the apple tree. The water that our tofu swims in until we eat it gets dumped as well.
5 comments:
you asked for tips on what your readers do to conserve things... something I have done for 20 years or more... I save greeting cards & use the stock paper for writing grocery lists or notes. I used to dry our clothes on a clothes line, not sure why I got away from that. Leftover foods get used up somehow, someway. For my business, when I receive clothing in those non-tear shipping envelopes, I turn them inside out & use again for items I mail out to customers.
Glad you figured out how to comment, Aunt Deb! Thanks for all the tips.
Well, I think I'm a bit intimated responding to this considering the Green McQueen's are my hero's when it comes to this kinda thing. We have done a number of things over the past year all of which I have just kind learned. I think the most significant though is that we have made more of an effort to walk instead of drive and Adam even carpools into work as often as he can and when he is home!
Don't be intimidated! We're all in such different places about all this - literally & figuratively. Living here has a lot of advantages - local food sources, good public transportation, etc. We didn't have those options in Orlando. Carpooling is a great idea.
Here are some of the changes I have made recently to become more green:
We recycle as much as we can....plastic bottles, glass, cans, newspapers, paper and plastic bags.
I have been using less plastic water bottles and take water in a travel mug to work instead.
I use reusable bags when I go shopping or sometimes say I don't need a bag if I am only picking up one or two things.
I got rid of all toxic household cleaners and only use natural ones, such as baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice.
I use more rags and cloths to clean with around the house instead of paper towels.
I buy used items and give things away on freecycle.com.
It has been so fulfilling making these changes and I can't wait to make more!
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