Green Resolutions for the Year
Like most people, I see the opportunity in the new year to try to incorporate new habits and implement better practices in many areas, including in the financial and health realm. One of the things I really enjoyed last year was learning about environmentally sustainable practices and trying to integrate a green attitude into every day living. Here’s my list of things to try this year:
–Set the thermostat down one degree (in winter). While one degree may not seem like much, it will result in using less energy, and the house has been weatherized and checked for efficiency.
–Look for LED lights appropriate for switching over household lighting — one of the cool things in the green-tech or clean-tech movement is the constant innovation. The shift to larger scale production of LED light bulbs has meant that the cost for home use has come down considerably in the last 24 months. I look forward to shifting all of my lights at some point.
–Identify one additional source of water conservation — the top sources of water usage are washing machines, leaks (such as a non closing toilet valve), and watering the lawn. I will look to identify one source to add to last year’s progress.
–Shift one additional meal per week to vegetarian or almost meatless — the proportion of meat that I eat each day is down sharply from a few years ago. I will look to incorporate additional vegetarian dishes or near-vegetarian in the next year, like this Indian spiced chickpea recipe that is quickly becoming a staple.
–Experiment more with seasonal fruits and vegetables — we are fortunate to have easy access seasonal produce grown not too far away. I’m looking forward to trying new fruits and vegetables and being more experimental with new foods.
I would love to hear your suggestions for the green practices you recommend.
shared at this week’s Nourishing Gourmet and Works for Me Wednesday
Don’t forget to use a reusable tote!
Love your effective use of baby steps!
Heather, I love my reusable totes, especially the ones with long handles that I can carry over the shoulder instead of by hand.
Rachel R, that’s the key, having steps that are maintainable for the long-term.
Thanks for the comments.
One thing that has been both frugal and green for my family is switching from paper towels to hand towels. We only use paper towels for blotting sausage or bacon, but even with that I only bought 2 rolls for our entire family last year.
WOW Amanda, that’s pretty incredible! Two rolls of paper towels for the year?
As far as going green is concerned, I try to make my own laundry soap, (recipe on my blog, under laundry quandry) to cut back on the amount of plastic bottles I throw into the trash. I also make my own cleaner. Vinegar is the king for all kinds of green uses, and it’s SOOOOO cheap! (again, check out uses on my blog!)
Good luck to you!!!
Look for ways to use whatever comes your way. In addition to switching to cloth towels for most purposes like Amanda, you can fill some of your paper-towel needs by saving any extra paper napkins you get in restaurants, etc.; just stick them in a little box or basket until needed. I get a lot of useful stuff from junkmail: Paper that’s blank on one side can be used for shopping lists, phone messages, kid’s drawing, etc. Envelopes are good for storing small things. Return-address stickers (when I have more than I need for mail) can be looped to stick things, instead of tape. Larger stickers are excellent for removing lint from clothes!
Amanda, WOW, 2 rolls of paper towels for the year?? I’m impressed.
Amy, love the use of vinegar, I have been doing the same. I’m also looking for some nice stainless steel water containers to replace bottled water on trips and hikes.
Thanks for the suggestions.
We also use cloth napkins and rags instead of paper napkins, and when my daughter was in diapers we used cloth wipes for all except the really messy diapers (which also saved a lot of money!).
We’re trying to be more conscious of buying things with less plastic packaging, bringing cloth bags to stores and only using produce bags when necessary. We also shop at local farmer’s markets, use CFL lightbulbs and try to use recyclables and things destined for the garbage bin for kid’s craft projects.
We use a backyard composter for food scraps, which really cuts down on our garbage, and we’ve been cutting down on the amount of wrapping paper we use at Christmas, using gift bags, fabric and homemade gift wrap (kid’s art on recyclable plain newsprint).
There’s so much more that can be done, but baby steps make a difference! Good luck!
SkylarKD, some great points, I need to improve in the cloth/paper area.