Conserve: Water in the Laundry Room

There are not quite as many ways to save water in the laundry room as there are ways to save energy, but I still felt that the subject deserved to be explored.

1. Run the washer only with a full load
• It might mean that you have to go out and buy a few more packs of panties to make it through the month without doing your laundry every week, but if I can do it, you can too!
  
2. Adjust your settings to accurately reflect the size of your load
• If you have a smaller load (like your delicates) make sure that you adjust the load size thingy on your washer.
• Do you really need to fill up the whole washer for a load of three sweaters? I don't think so.
3. Wear your duds more than once before tossing them in the hamper
• Most of the time your clothes are just fine to get folded and worn a few more times before they are really dirty (or smelly) enough to warrant a washing.
• My personal rule is that everything (with the exception of pants which get worn for a few weeks) gets worn at least 3 times before it gets washed.
4. If you're in the market for a new washer, consider this ...
• Front load washers use a lot less water than top loaders (why? I'm not really sure.)
• Getting a front load washer that has an energy star label? You are going above and beyond my friend.

Conserve: Electricty in the Laundry Room

Now that you aren't using your dryer anymore and are getting the maximum usage of your drying line (you are, aren't you?) in the backyard before you move the operation indoors for the winter, I think it's high time to talk about how you can save energy in your washing machine.

If you go to Google and type in "wash in cold" the first page that comes up is one from Carbon Conscious Consumer and I can tell you that every page after that pretty much will tell you the same thing (and then tell you that they got it from this page). It pretty much says that heating water uses a ton of energy nationwide and that you really don't need to wash in hot water to get your clothes clean.

And I can attest to that. I have been washing my clothes in the cold/cold cycle for so long that I can't even remember when I started. I do know that the reason I started was that I found out that washing in cold means that when you wash that new red shirt in a load of whites (yes, I am speaking from experience here), everything comes out the same color it was when it went in.

If you're worried about the nasties in your clothes stop and think about it. How dirty do you really get during the day? If you aren't a toddler, I bet the answer is not very. I throw a little bit of color safe bleach with every load anyway to make sure that my clothes are genuinely clean.

If you need to wash something in hot water there are still a few things that you can do to cut down on your energy consumption. Use the warm option instead of hot and be sure to use cold in the rinse cycle (it's the warm/cold setting on your washer).

And of course, using an Energy Star washer will save you even more.

Conserve: Paper

Did you know that the average American uses 749 pounds of paper a year? That's a lot of paper. I don't know about you, but when I read that number it made me want to work hard to make my number much smaller. So what can you do to make your usage number smaller? Here are a bunch of good tips that I've found.

1. Go paperless when you can
• I already have been receiving paperless statements from my credit card companies. I've also heard that there are lots of banks that are now offering paperless accounts.
• Pay your bills online. Not only will you be saving paper, you'll save money on checks and postage.
• Instead of printing off your receipts online, consider downloading a Cute PDF writer that will take a screen shot of your computer and put it into a PDF file for you to keep forever, sans paper.
  
2. Recycle it when you're done
• This is a no brainer for you all, but I felt it was worth reiterating (need to know where to take your paper? Check out this post on recycling).
  
3. Make the most of what you have
• When you are printing things that aren't that important, think about printing them on the back of paper that has already been printed on. This is how I used to print off my notes for my college classes.
• You can also set your printer to print on both sides of the paper.
  
4. Consider using paper made from materials other than trees
• The Kenaf plant is gaining popularity for being a fast growing crop (versus trees that can take 70 years to mature).
• You can get it from Vision Paper. Talk to your employer to see if maybe you can switch from plain old recycled paper to awesome new tree-free paper.
  
5. Just avoid it
• When you give a presentation at work, keep it in Power Point and only print off hard copies for the people who really need them (like your boss). Offer to email it to anyone who wants a copy.
• Send emails instead of paper memos (but I don't think it's wise to skip sending that birthday card to your niece).
• Before you hit the print button think about if you really need a hard copy. Can it be saved as a PDF instead?
• Or you can follow in the footsteps of one intrepid artist and stop using paper altogether.
  

Keep in mind that these ideas can be applied in the office and at home. Now, go forth greenies, and save a tree (or plant a tree if you are feeling really Earth friendly).

I got my information from the NY Times, Guampdn.com, and Ecology.com.

Drive Without AC? I Do It.

The most common response I get when I tell people that I don't drive with AC unless I'm on the high way is a very surprised look followed by, "Why in the world would you do that to yourself?" I just smile because, yes it is hot sometimes, but for the most part I really enjoy doing it. And I'm one of those weirdos who likes to be warm - or hot - so unless it's really hot I'm usually not all that bothered.

Yes, you might get a little sweaty, but think of how wonderful it is to feel the wind blowing through your hair during your morning commute. Or you could be like me and use it instead of your blow dryer (I think my air looks better overall when I let it air dry instead of subjecting it the heat of the dryer everyday).

Here are my tips to drive with the windows down and still be pretty and not smelly when you get to the office:

• Get a good deodorant.
• I am in love with my Kiss My Face deodorant. It won't stop you from sweating, but it will block any and all smells from exiting your armpit.
• My mother swears by baby powder and it's ability to soak up your sweat whether it be on your feet or under your arms.
  
• Wait to put on your make-up.
• I have ridiculously oily skin, which means that foundation has a tendency to turn orange and streak down my face when I get sweaty.
• Waiting until you get to the office means that you can have the chance to wash your face and give your make-up a chance to stay on your face without streaking.
  
• Keep a hairbrush in the car at all times.
• If you drive with your windows down, your hair will probably need to be brushed when you get to where you're going (if you have long hair, that is).
• Find a small hairbrush to keep in your glove box or in your purse.
  

And here are some positive aspects of driving with your windows down that you may not have thought of before:

• You can make friends with the people in the cars that you sit next to you at long stoplights.
• You could stumble upon your next favorite band thanks to the guy that's playing his music really loudly.
• You could have a stoplight dance party to the music that the guy next to you is playing really loud (yes, I have done this before)
• If you sing along to your music in the morning, you might find yourself next to a record producer at a stop light you will hear your lovely vocal stylings and will sign you on the spot for a million billion dollar contract. How about them apples?

You also might want to stop and consider the fact that you will be saving gas when you shy away from using the AC when you're running your errands around town. By own calculations, my 4-door sedan usually gets 200 miles to a half tank. The last time I filled up I payed close attention to my AC usage (as well as some other hypermileing tricks which you can read up on here) and managed to get an extra 40 to my half tank of gas. 40 miles! I have to say, I am willing to get a little sweaty if I can get that many more miles a gallon overall.

If you really can't bring yourself to endure the heat of the afternoon, which I understand (it's 93 degrees here today), then consider just doing for your morning commute. Usually at the time that you're driving to work it's just starting to get warm out which means that the breeze from your windows should still be kind of cool. If you look a little wind-blown when you get to the office, brush your hair and you should be good to go. I bet you'll see an increase in your gas mileage too. Even if it ends up only being a small jump, a little is better than nothing!

Online Shopping vs. The Mall

I know that I provide you with a lot of links that take you to websites where you can purchase things to help you green up your life ... but have you ever wondered weather or not online shopping is better or worse for the environment? It's something that I've been thinking about lately. Sure, I could buy all of my 7th Generation products from Amazon but I know that I can also get them at some grocery stores. Is it worth purchasing everything online? I decided that I wanted to find out.

There is no getting around the fact that in order to get anything you need you'll probably have to burn some gas to get it. Unless you have a big basket on your bike and live fairly close to the store and you have the leg power to get you there and back (if you do, you are my hero). But if you consider the distances and the number of trips it takes for you to get the item that you're looking for, you will probably find that online shopping is better suited for some products while physically going to the store is better for others.

The Grocery Store
A typical trip to the grocery store for me has two legs: I drive there and then I drive home. As long as I know that you will find everything on my list in one store, I figure it can't hurt to drive there. But you can get your groceries delivered to your door if you would rather. You can read an article about it here and you might want to look at companies like Netgrocer and Dinewise if your local grocer doesn't have their shopping site online yet. Personally, I like to get out of my house every now and then and I think grocery shopping is something that you don't have to take online if you don't want to.

If you want to be a little greener about it (and have more fun at the same time), ask your neighbor if they want to go along with you. You'll save gas when you carpool and it will be great bonding time for the two, or maybe three, or you. If you're scared to ask your neighbor to go with you because you've never talked to them before, you can start the conversation by making them a batch of cookies just to be nice.

The Mall
This was quite interesting to read about online when I was doing my research for this article. There are several things that malls are doing these days to green up the way they run business. This includes providing recycling options for retailers when they are disposing of their cardboard stock boxes to putting a garden on the roof! However, this doesn't make up for the fact that these sprawling malls take up a ton of land space, space that probably was a farm at one time, and covers it with tons of asphalt. This alters the landscape and can cause all sorts of drainage problems when rain water can't be absorbed into the ground like normal. You can read about all the different problems that can come from paving large areas in this article from Florida.

But again, you can make a mall trip only have two legs: one to get there and one to get back. And usually when I go to the mall I go with another person so I carpool too. But depending on where you live, your mall could be very far away (it takes me 20-30 minutes to get to mine) and the traffic could be terrible on the drive over. My mall is in the middle of a commercial area with tons of apartments and neighborhoods around it which means that there is always traffic and there are tons of stoplights.

Shopping Online
There are many benefits to taking your recreational shopping habits online rather than to the mall.

1. You save gas, time and energy.
• You save money on gas because you don't have to drive to get to your computer, hopefully.
  
• You save time because you don't have to drive anywhere and you can find websites with the wares you want in 5 minutes with a Google search.
• You save energy in two forms: it costs less and does less harm to the earth when you run an internet search than it does for you to drive to the mall and back home. Also, you don't have to wear yourself out walking around the mall to go to every store that you need to.
  
2. You can shop and compare from multiple stores at once, in the same browser.
• The next time you're at the mall and you see a pair of pants you like but you want to compare them to the pants that they have in the store down the hall, you have no way of doing that without getting tackled by a security guard in the end.
• Using the internet you can read reveiws and compare your pants to any other pants your little heart may desire without the fear of getting any shoplifting charges added to your rap sheet.
  
3. You can find exactly what you want instead of settling for something close.
• There are lots of times when I go shopping I have a picture of something in my mind but I can't find it anywhere and I end up settling for something that's close but may be something that I don't necessarily want.
• You may have trouble finding all the eco-friendly products that you need at a store near you. Rather than drive all around town, you can check around online and find exactly what you want.

I found a couple articles that are worth reading about the benefits of shopping online, for you and the environment. This EcoIQ article sums it up very well and while this New York Times article may not be about online shopping, it talks about how shopping malls affect our environment. Quite interesting.

The bottom line is, if you can get everything in one trip at the same store without spending a bundle to get there, then shopping in the real world is the way to go. If you know that what you want is going to be hard to find then I think that online shopping is the way to go. Use your head, be smart, and shop on my greenie friends.

Conserve: Water in the Garden

So now that you've got your shower bucket catching all the water that you were wasting before, and you have your nifty container garden started, it's time to talk about how you can use the water your saving more effectively.

• This little snippet talks about conserving water in your container garden. It's important to keep in mind that your container plants have limited root systems, which means that they don't get watered as much as plants in the ground do.
  
• Watering in the morning means that more of your water will be absorbed in the soil instead of evaporating into the air. Watering at night can invite pests into your garden, which is not something that you do not want to do.
• Adding some organic matter, like compost or peat moss, is almost like adding a sponge to your soil. It will help retain water, which means that you can water less often.
• Water by the roots. It's where the water is needed and it avoids getting the leaves wet, which can lead to fungal diseases.
• Be sure not to over water your veggie plants! Looking for signs that your plants need water, like wilted leaves, is a good sign that it's time to water.
• This fact sheet from the University of Georgia is quite helpful and easy to read and neatly summarizes everything I've read about how to conserve water in the garden.
• Here are a few last tips from eHow.com on how to save water in the garden. I found their idea on how to clean your garden tools without water quite helpful.

Digging a Little Deeper into Composting

Every now and then I like to go back through my old posts to hunt for ideas for my newer posts and I discovered that while I do have some helpful links for you on how to start your own compost box (or pile), I didn't provide much beyond that. So today I decided that I would spend some time exploring the lovely world of compost.

There are a few different ways that you can compost.

• A pile out in the yard (the old school way)
• Vermicomposting - a bucket is filled with stuff and red worms are added to the mix to break down all the stuff you throw in.
• Bokashi - similar to vermicomposting but instead of worms you mix up some wood shavings and microbes that break everything down.

From everything I've read, vermicomposting is the way to go if you're short on space and it produces a better end product than bokashi composting does. So I will be looking mainly at it.

If you clicked on the click above you may already know everything that I will be writing about because The Compost Guy's website is so awesome it almost hurts. So, let's talk worms and trash.

The first thing that you're going to need is a bin with a lid. From everything I've read it's best to get one that about 10 gallons of softer plastic (like a Rubbermaid Tub) and you need to make sure that it's a solid color. The worms are light sensitive and if you have a clear bucket you will cause them unnecessary stress and make your new pets very unhappy.

Next you'll need to drill holes in your bin to make sure that your worms and your compost can get the air that they will need. I would recommend that you watch the video that is posted on the compost guy's vermicomposting page (click the link up above to access it). He builds a deluxe worm habitat, but once the movie is over with you have the option of watching other videos that he has posted and several of them are all about making smaller and simpler worm homes.

Once you have your holes drilled, you will need some bedding. Tear up some newspaper and cardboard (the compost guy's favorite because it allows for more air to get into the mix) and spray it down until it's damp. Once your bedding is in and damp, add your food scraps. Now comes a very important question that must be answered.

What exactly can I put into my vermicomposting bin?

Well, according to this list I found on Red Worm Composting (the Compost Guy's other site) here is a basic list of what is good and bad in a worm bin:

Good

• Veggie and Fruit waste (but at citrus in moderation)
• Starchy Materials like Bread, Potatoes, Rice, Pasta
• Aged animal manures
• Shredded newspapers, cardboard, and used paper towels
• Rinsed out and crushed up eggshells
• Coffee Grounds
• Tea Bags

Bad

• Human/Pet Waste
• Non-Biodegradable Materials
• Dairy/Meat
• Oils/Grease
• Harsh Chemicals

And then the last thing that you will need are, of course, your worms. You can toss them right in and they should get to work right away. According to a few other sites I've looked at (including the ones in my old post) you might want to think about keeping your scraps in the fridge for about a week and then putting them all in at once so that you don't disturb your worms quite as often. Your dirt should be ready to harvest in about 3 months.

If you want more information I would high recommend either looking at either of the compost guys' websites. They are both wonderfully informative and easy to navigate. He also sells the worms that you will need to purchase to really get your compost box on the move!

I am going to be starting my own worm bin in the coming weeks so that I can have some soil ready for when I start my container garden next spring. I will be sure to post pictures and updates as I go along!

Conserve: Water in the Kitchen

Since I recently looked at the many ways that you can conserve water in your bathroom, I thought I might look into conserving water in the kitchen. And when you look at conserving water in the kitchen you can't help but stumble upon the question that everyone is asking ...

Is it better to hand-wash dishes or use the dishwasher?

Well, I am here to tell you that every website I looked at said the same thing. Dishwashers use less water overall than you would if you were hand-washing your dishes. Especially if you have a energy star dishwasher. There was even a study that proves that using a dishwasher is better for the environment than if you were to wash your dishes by hand. This is a link to an article on Tree Hugger than also has a link to the study.

So now that we have that figured out, are there any other ways to save conserve water in the kitchen? You bet there is.

1. Make sure the dishwasher is FULL before you run it.
• It not only saves water, it saves you money and the time that you would spend putting away those 5 loads that could have all gone in at the same time.
  
2. Don't let water run down the drain.
• Don't defrost meat by running water on it. Plan ahead and let it thaw in the fridge or use the defrost feature on your microwave.
  
• When you rise your veggies, do it in a plugged sink or in a bowl of cool water.
• Consider keeping a jug of tap water in the fridge so that it's just the right level of chilly so that you don't have to wait for the tap to get really cold.
• Save all the grey water you can! You can use it to water the garden or anything else you can think of.
3. Use your garbage disposal sparingly.
• You will save quite a bit of money by not running the water to wash all the nasties down your sink.
  
• What is your other option? Start your own compost bin! Save water and make your own dirt for your garden.
  
4. Get an aerator for your kitchen sink.
• By these work like a low flow shower head and can significantly cut down on the amount of water you use.
  
5. Be sure to have any leaks fixed.
• Leaks = wasted water (and a higher utility bill).

I found these and other fabulous tips at the Queensland Government site, Savewater.co.au, and The Town of Cary site.

My First Self Challenge

Yes that's right, a challenge. And even though it says SELF challenge up there in the subject line I would like to think that you, loyal read and like minded person, would also like to challenge yourself to make less of an impact on your earth and do something to better yourself. My first self challenge is one that I came up with while I was cleaning my room last night. I had clothes everywhere and I couldn't help but think about what a pain it was to have so many things to find homes for. And that's when it hit me ... are you ready for it? Drum roll please ...

I am challenging myself to go 365 days without purchasing a new article of clothing.

Now, this may seem daunting to some of you out there, but don't be afraid. I know that when I stop and think about it, 9 times out of 10 when I go shopping I buy things that I know (or think I know) I will wear even if I don't really need it. My favorite jeans are holding up just fine, but that didn't stop me from buying another pair in a different color last week. I wanted them, I don't need them. And unless you're a kid and either out growing or destroying all of your clothes then odds are what you have now is sturdy enough to see you until the end of the year.

If a year seems like a few months too long to go without purchasing another pair of jeans then that's fine. You can shorten it however much you would like. A month, 2 months, 6months ... whatever feels right to you.

And, if you were curious, there are a few exceptions to this challenge.

1. If I get pregnant and need to get some maternity clothes (doubtful)
2. If I am asked to stand in someone's wedding and need to buy a bridesmaid dress (also doubtful)
3. If my apartment should catch fire and all of my closet is burned (very, very doubtful. I hope.)

I think that this challenge will do a few things for me. I think that I will be able to better appreciate what I have, which is something that a lot of Americans could benefit from. I don't need to constantly add to my closet in order to be happy. I think that it will fun to talk about with other people. I can finally really figure out what I don't wear and send it to a charity or make something out of it. Plus, think of all the money I'm going to save!

Did you know that on average Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothes per person per year? 68 pounds! These are textiles that could probably be mended, given to a charity, or recycled into something new. If you are curious to read more about the environmental impact of the clothing industry you can click on the link and it will take you to an article from the Environmental Health Perspectives website which I found very interesting and really helped me become more motivated to stay out of the mall for the next year.

And there you have it. My self challenge. Are you going to do it with me? Post a comment and let me know!

Conserve: Water in the Bathroom

If you want to take your water conservation out of the shower and into your bathroom as a whole, I found some great tips and ideas for that too! Below are the best 4 that I found.

1. Watch your toilet bowl!
   
• If you have the money and the desire, go to your nearest home improvement store and buy a new low flow toilet to replace the water guzzler you have now.
  
• If you don't have the cash to replace all your pottys don't fret, you can put a bottle or bag of rocks in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water you use when you flush.
• While it may make you think of college boys being lazy, you might want to consider this rhyme: "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down". Not flushing every time can save water and money for you. Just make sure that you don't let it sit forever because that's gross and it'll probably start to smell. And any house guests you might have will probably be a little put off if they were to discover it.
2. Get an aerator for your sink faucet.
• They act like a low flow shower head and mix a little bit of air with your water so that you end up using less water overall. Check out this little beauty on Green Feet.com
  
3. Check for leaks and get them fixed.
• A leaking facet or toilet can waste a ton of water and cost you more on your utility bill.
• By finding and fixing leaks, you can save yourself from wasting around 400 gallons a month.
• To find a leak in your toilet, just drop some food coloring into the tank. If it ends up in the bowl without a flush involved, you've got a leak.
  
4. Don't let the water run!
• Now I'm sure that once in childhood you were reminded not to let the water run while you brush your teeth, and you really shouldn't.
  
• While it may not save you a ton of water, you can still save about 3 gallons a day by just turning off the water when you aren't using it.

Keep working to save water and save the planet!

Conserve: Water in the Shower

I am all about greening up my life style, but I am not about to suggest that we all stop showering or something. I want a clean Earth, not a smelly one. So I decided that I would go out onto the world wide web and bring back for you the best water conservation tips I could find about saving water in the shower.

#1. The number one most important tip to saving water in your shower is to install a low flow shower head. You can find them at The Shower Head Store, Evolve Shower Heads, or you might even head over to your local Home Depot or Lowe's to see what they have if you don't feel like ordering your stuff online.

#2. The next thing you should consider doing is using a bucket to catch the water that runs before your water warms up. You can use this water for any number of things like watering your container garden or flushing your toilet. Personally, I'm going to use it to water the garden ... when I get it started.

#3. Also, consider shortening your shower as much as your can. Even a minute or two will help. Some ideas to shorten your time under the water are ...

1. Cut out the conditioner.
   
1. I've stopped using it in the shower and just use a pray on when I get out. It works great and I don't have to wait two minutes before I rise it out.
2. Shave out of the shower.
   
1. This might not be a problem for you guys out there, but when I shave my legs in the shower I usually end up adding 5-6 minutes to my overall shower time. Use some of the water you collect in your shower bucket for your shaving. You can warm it up on the stove and off you go!
3. Multi task when you can.
   
1. I put on my body wash and then put on my face wash while I'm rising off my back. It works great and saves me a little time.
4. Don't mess around.
   
1. When I was a kid I could take 45 minute showers because I wanted to play in the warm water. If you want to enjoy the water and take your time, consider taking a bath instead. At least that way you're using a fixed amount of water instead of having a running flow the whole time.
   

I use these tips myself and I can say that I have cut my shower time down by about 4 minutes. It's great in the mornings because I hate getting up early. So the faster I can shower, the later I can sleep. It's incentive enough for me!

Want more ways to conserve water in the bathroom? Check out my next article where we take conservation bathroom wide!