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Going Green

Posted Tuesday, April 08, 2008 1:25 PM

So I have been addicted to home shows lately and finally everyone is jumping on the Green bandwagon.  Since we are renovating, we are looking into some more eco friendly options.  We are going to keep and reuse most of our kitchen cabinets, just refinish them.  We are also switching our super inefficient oil furnace out for a hybrid version (something the oil company was trying their hardest to talk me out of....sorry!).  We have changed out our lightbulbs as the old incandescent ones have died with CFL and I am working on making a compost bin out of materials I found shoved behind our backyard shed. 

We are, I know, far from perfect.  When projects get overwhelming, we throw out so many things that I don't feel like going through and recycling.  I wash my whites in hot water and instead of running outside, I get lazy and waste energy running on a treadmill, but I am a huge wimp when it comes to being outside in the cold.  Oh, and then there are those chemicals I sprayed all over my yard to keep the crabgrass from getting worse than it already is. 

I am always curious to hear what everyone else is doing to go green.  I'd love to hear what other nesties are doing and maybe we can get some great and easy ideas from each other. 

P.S. A composting toilet is out of the question Tongue Tied

Posted by lipp82
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re: Going Green

I reuse water like mad.  I keep a container in the kitchen and a container in the bathroom.  While waiting for the water to warm up for washing my face, taking a shower, or doing dishes, I collect the cold water coming out and reuse it when I need to boil water on the stove, fill up the washing machine, or brush my teeth.  It's saved us a ton on our water bill.  We are buying a compost machine this summer for $299 and will turn all our food scraps into soil, which we'll use to plant flowers and food.  And we recycle, use energy-efficient light bulbs, and have reusable grocery shopping bags so we aren't wasting plastic ones.

Posted by edmo    Tuesday, April 08, 2008 12:59 PM


re: Going Green

This makes me feel bad.  I should do a lot more.  I'm sure I will do a lot for the environment when I have my own home.  At least, I hope I will.  About the only thing I do now is pay bills online instead of getting any paper copies.  And I recycle.

Posted by MandyE-worth    Tuesday, April 08, 2008 2:03 PM


re: Going Green

Good idea with the water, I have never thought of that!  And don't feel bad MandyE-worth, when we were in our apartment we couldn't really do much either, just the recycling.  Hopefully we can get some new good ideas from each other :)

Posted by lipp82    Tuesday, April 08, 2008 4:51 PM


re: Going Green

I'm so glad you brought this up!!!  I've wanted to ask the same thing.  Lately I've found myself (and now hubby) more concerned about the environment.  Right now, we try to conserve on all of our utilities:  not leaving lights on in rooms that we're not in, using less water- even showering together (GOING GREEN IS FUN!), full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine, using less paper products, even reusing jars to start plants in.  I know these things don't top the charts, but every bit helps.  I just keep in mind that if everyone else was only doing what we're doing, how much that would help.  Our borough "recycles," but can you believe that they don't take plastic!  Isn't that the easiest to recycle?!?  We do what we can, and every time we do good we're inspired to do more.  Once we need more light bulbs, we'll switch to the coiled ones that use like 7w, we already have them in our most frequently used lamps.

I'm glad to see that we are all doing what we can to help!  If we find any other helpful tips, I'll be sure to post them.

Posted by jsilvis    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 7:34 AM


re: Going Green

Awesome job so far, every little bit counts!  Regarding the composting toilet comment - my husband's a plumber, so I happen to know about "Dual Flush" toilets.  If you pull up on the handle, you get less water volume than if you push down on the handle.  Up is for liquid-only waste, while down is for "other".  Since the majority of bathroom trips are liquid only, it can really save a lot of water!

We also use string bags from Reusablebags.com instead of plastic, we have BioBags for our doggie waste that are made out of cornstarch plastics that biodegrade really fast, and we use all CF bulbs.  We could do more, but it's a work in progress.

Posted by Miss Tina Claire    Thursday, April 10, 2008 7:33 AM


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About lipp82

Transplant to Harrisburg, PA from Rochester, NY. Becoming a DIY diva, and rockin the renovations with my DH by my side and my darling dog Dunkin, my heartbeat at my feet.


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