A Green New Year

New Year’s resolutions are easy to keep when you go green with some of these easy to implement environmental ideas.

Catch a bucket

Place a bucket where it can catch rainwater. Use this to water your plants or wash your car instead of the hose. Recycled water is great-pour fish bowl water on your plants. Bathe the dog in the yard. Rinse dishes in 1/2 sink full of soapy water, then place in dishwasher. Use the water to wash the sink.

Sort it out

Sorting your trash reaps big environmental rewards. Here are just a few statistics to help you keep the resolution:

Trash Recycling with Disposal Containers

Sort by recyclable material.

  • Composting vegetable waste makes natural fertilizer- reusing, reducing and recycling in one pile. This is better for the environment than a garbage disposal and requires no water.
  • Sort all plastic out. Bottles, packing plastic and shopping bags are all recyclable and reduce production energy up to 67% and air pollution emissions more than 25%. Recycling one plastic bottle conserves enough energy to fuel a 60 watt light bulb for almost six hours.
  • Crush those cans.
  1. English: Everett, Wash. (May 31, 2005) - Firem...

    Steel is the number one recycled material in the United States. Of the 100,000,000 steel and tin cans used in America everyday, enough cans are thrown away to build all of the cars in America.

  2. Make aluminum a contender: Recycling of one ton of cans will conserve 12,725 kilowatt hours, equal to the amount of the electricity used in the average American home in 10 years. This energy is the equivalent to 2,350 gallons of gasoline, or enough to drive a new car 82,250 miles. Recycling one saves enough gasoline to fill it half full.
  • Read the paper online. Of the 62,000,000 newspapers printed today, 44,000,000 will be thrown away- 30,000,000 trees. Recycling one ton of paper conserves 4,077 kilowatt hours of energy or enough to heat and cool an average American home for 6 months.
  • See through the waste. Recycling one glass bottle will light a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours.

Turn it off.

Sleep mode requires energy. Turn off the computer, DVD, shredder, satellite converter, TiVo, lights, television, every appliance.

Down the drain

Water dropping from a tap.

Image via Wikipedia

  • Turn off the water while you brush your teeth (save more water than some humans get in a whole day), install low-flow shower heads, turn off the hose at the faucet.
  • Turn off the water while you shampoo and condition- that’s 50 gallons a week.
  • Take a short shower- 5 minutes less will save about 1,000 gallons a year.
  • Front loading washing machines: If you cannot afford one, wash only full loads of clothes. If you cannot do that, use the correct water height and the coldest water temperature. Line dry- uses less electricity and naturally humidifies the air.
  • Sweep the driveway: Save 80 gallons of water, and burn some calories.
  • Cut the grass higher. More shade + better roots = less water.
  • Don’t plant grass on a steep incline. More water washes away that gets to the grass.
  • Weed regularly. Don’t support them.
  • No plumbers! Put food coloring in the toilet tank. If color is in the bowl in 30 minutes, it leaks.
  • Low capacity flush toilets: If you cannot install one, place a weighted 2 liter bottle in your tank.
  • Turn off water at the meter and note the reading. If after an hour it changed, call the plumber.
  • Know where the main shut-off valve is. If a pipe bursts, save those gallons! Faucet drips waste 140 gallons per week.
  • Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the water until it is cool. Skip the water and ice in the refrigerator door.
  • Rinse fruits and veggies in a bowl or sink instead of under running water.
  • Smaller pet bowls. Give your pets a smaller amount of water more times per day.
  • Use one glass per day to drink.
  • Run the dishwasher only when it is full. Never Rinse and Hold- in the sink it takes 5% the water.

Whether you are in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry or the yard, you can save environmental resources and money with these easy ways to go green…and keep the Earth blue!

~~~~~~~~~~

What resolution did you make for the conservation of the planet or natural resources? Will it save you money?


(c) Ann Marie Dwyer 2012
Reblogging of this or any other post on Momma’s Money Matters is expressly forbidden.
Copyright and Privacy Policy available in The Office.Β 
Next Post
Leave a comment

27 Comments

  1. I think it’s important to be the one at work who makes sure the printer cartridges get recycled (I take ours to the elementary school since they get money for them) and that cans, plastic bottles, paper, etc. get recycled. We have an employee in another branch who has a greenhouse business who uses the shredded white paper for mulch.

    Reply
    • What an excellent thing! I do not have use of much in the way of shreds, but I have always used newspaper as mulch. Works wonderfully! And work is the environment most people forget can make a huge impact. Thanks for stopping by to comment and have a joyous New Year! Red.

      Reply
  2. We recycle here in the UK – we have special bins for recyclables – but people don’t always use them and we have problems with the recycling teams because they won’t empty bins they consider ‘contaminated’, including a bin full of cardboard they won’t remove because the bin is supposed to contain bottles and cans… πŸ™

    Thanks for the best wishes hun! πŸ™‚

    Love and hugs!

    Prenin.

    Reply
    • How wretched.I despise when people refuse to do the job for which they are paid. *Grr* I am glad for all of those who are at least trying to do their part of maintaining the environment for my great grandchildren! {HUGZ} Red.

      Reply
  3. I think I will need to print these out to share with the family. We just started recycling about a year ago and honestly…it was thanks to the kids. Really good tips here, including many I had never thought of, but could do all the time.

    Reply
    • Part of the homeschool thing. It is a lesson in both science and social science. My little ones love to sort the recycling and will actually fight over some of it. And if the children are on board…they will guilt you into compliance. They learn that lesson far too early. *sigh*

      Reply
  4. We mulch our huge garden COMPLETELY with old hay. Between the plants, pathways, beds, every square inch. Saves watering over and over..and produces TONS more vegetables! Almost eliminates weeding. The old hay rots down into the soil feeding the soil, feeding the earthworms, which promotes aeration AND fertilizes the soil with worm castings–saves adding fertilizer to the garden . Result? Uses up old hay that would have to be burned or disposed of. Saves water, thousands of gallons. Eliminates weeds, better vegetable production, better TASTING vegetables, happy earthworms, happy birds, and a healthy garden = healthy gardeners! Saves money on groceries, provides vegetables to sell, saves electricity to pump water, ultra-beneficial to the environment.
    HNY Red!

    Reply
    • Sounds like you have been exposed to some of Glory’s good advice! I love gardening and am looking forward to a garden this year. HNY!

      Reply
  5. My dryer hasn’t worked in about two years, I never missed it. The only time I used it was when I did laundry late at night, now I have to do it every morning in the summer to hang out before it gets too hot and I have an indoor clothes line for winter. The recycling that sells I take to the center, what doesn’t I drop off in the bins for the city. (We haven’t evolved to city wide pick-up yet). I have a view of the landfill, I have lots of motivation.

    Reply
    • We have not even evolved to garbage pick-up. When we take the trash there are receptacles for some of the other things, but often, I have to drive to two different centers to dispose of all the recyclables. I love line-dried clothing. I cannot wait to have my line back up πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • I lived in an area without garbage pick up once, it hadn’t even evolved to having recycling within a hundred mile radius yet.

        Reply
  6. Bear

     /  January 1, 2012

    Here’s some energy-saving advice, in the summer, if you use AC, close the curtains or blinds on the hot side of the home. Your AC will run less, saving you money. In the winter, make sure you open the curtains or blinds on the hot side of the house. The sun will help warm your home.

    Reply
    • Thanks for that. Always good advice.

      Reply
      • Air Conditioning must be wonderful,
        of course here in the UK it is mostly
        cold and rainy with a hint of cloud, a
        bit of Sun here and there but nothing
        too hot…

        Yes I know…
        Wittering on again Red πŸ™‚

        Androgoth XXx

        Reply
        • Here, it is January, and for the XXXth day in a row, I have the air conditioning chilling it so we can go to bed. I have days where we heat in the morning and by lunch need the AC. And this is not nearly as brutal as home…where shorts are the dress for Christmas. Last year, my children swum in the lake on Thanksgiving. Temperance is a good thing! Red.

          Reply
  7. Thanks for coming to visit my site! Nice to ‘meet’ you. You have lots of really interesting post to read and I will be back soon.
    Happy New Year, all the best for 2012.
    http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u205/nh07/4ny2012.jpg

    Reply
    • Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a lovely gift! Pull up a rocker, grab a cuppa and leave a link to your blog in the Green Room! Have a happy and prosperous New Year! Red.

      Reply
  8. I have enjoyed reading this one Red, here in the UK there are many areas that collect recyclables, indeed I am always sorting it out ready to pop into the dustbin, well every little helps I guess? πŸ™‚

    I think a lot of what you have mentioned can be achieved with some common sense, but what about everyone showering together, now that will definitely save a lot of time and water too, actually it could be a lot of fun… A sort of ‘H2O and Go’ type of thing…

    Okay so I am just being a tad wicked but you are certainly getting me thinking about it, noooo not the combined showering, I mean saving on the planet resources, and that has got to be worthwhile Red πŸ™‚

    Thank you for adding such a thought inducing posting Red πŸ™‚

    Androgoth XXx

    Reply
    • I am a dual shower advocate from way back! Kiddles in the tub together is standard fare here, too. Glad to get your brain perking! Fab results on your year end review! I am looking forward to my first one next year…already! Have a glorious rest of the New Year’s Day, Andro. Red.

      Reply
      • Thank you Red I have gained many hits
        since moving out of my Private haven, but
        I am not too bothered about the statistics
        as long as I have some very nice friends
        that visit my Space, and you are certainly
        one of those my great friend πŸ™‚

        Have a wonderful rest of evening πŸ™‚

        Androgoth XXx

        Reply
        • And some lovely friends you do have, too. I have met many lovely bloggers in your realm. Have a restful sleep and a chilling dawn, my friend! Red.

          Reply
  9. We do our part (recycle…) but I have issues with people who want to push green down our throats (not you) so I sometimes like to mess with them πŸ™‚ Anyway, good list, valuable ideas.

    Reply
    • I toss out the ideas I know pay dual dividends…good for the planet and the wallet πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  10. Unfortunately, living in Canada we have to buy our own recycle boxes – guess what happens on recycle day if you let them out of your sight? Charging for recycling is a way to recoup costs, but at what cost? Only in major cities, and even then only in certain districts do they have more than one or two different recycle boxes; a LOT more needs to be done, they want the landfills to last longer yet do little but make campaign promises.

    Time for some reaction on the inaction of the recycling action. Smaller cities don’t even have a recycling center to drop stuff off at – what, we should drive an hour to and back from a major city to help the environment? The gas consumption more than makes up for the recycling!

    Sorry, Canada’s running out of money, or intelligent politicians… one or the other (maybe both?)

    Reply
    • Actually, no it does not. If you have sufficient recycling, it is worth the trip. Especially, if you carpool your recyclables with someone else, it is even better. And intelligent politicians…that is an oxymoron. πŸ˜‰

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.