Community Answers

1. 

   1-6-09

   OBSESSED TWILIGHTER!!!!! says:

   Here is a website:

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2. 

   1-7-09

   M J says:

   you could reuse things, don’t buy paper plates, cups,etc, you could use less water every day. that’s all i could think of. hope it helps

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3. 

   1-10-09

   alexandra says:

   My mom makes baby food like yams, chicken, and peas. It saves a lot of money for her granddaughter and helps the enviorment. Its not as hard or time consuming as it seems. Washable diapers hung on a line are good as well. They are less expensive and better for the enviorment. Turn your heater down and wear more clothes. Wash your clothes on cold water. Taking packed lunches in reusable containers, carpooling with other kids, or riding bikes to school if possible, Reuse all of your containers, start a compost pile for all of your nonmeat waste, go vegetarian, recycle at a paying center to earn some money back. Start a garden-you can grow stuff in summer and winter. It saves a ton of money. It’s a start. You need to look around at how your family lives, and ask what can you reuse, what can you use less of, and what can you do with out.

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4. 

   1-14-09

   pldhippie says:

   Well a big money save would be to not put the rest of the kids in Catholic School. In fact, if the two in Catholic school are sociable enough to handle a switch, put them in public school. You can still raise them Catholic, but a public school is much much cheaper, and in many cases the public school provides a better education.

   As for the home, if you live in a cold climate, double-pane windows do wonders at keeping heat in the home. Buy energy efficient light bulbs. If you don’t want to buy things to help your “greenness” simple things like turning off lights, tvs, computers, etc when not in use will save you a bundle. Turn down the thermostat and use blankets. Take shorter showers (water heating can be quite costly). Eat at home as much as possible (grocery shopping is much cheaper and greener than eating out all the time). Make your next car a hybrid to save on gas.

   In the yard: MULCH MULCH MULCH!! instead of bagging and throwing away leaves, just run the mower over them. This will clean up the look of the yard, while leaving the organic matter in your mini ecosystem. Your grass will be greener and you will not need to buy expensive fertilizer (plus you don’t fill up the landfill with leaves).

   If you happen to be re-roofing, get white shingles instead of black. This will keep your house much cooler in the summer, and save you money on AC. (Only do this if you are re-roofing, however, because doing it just to do it is quite expensive).

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5. 

   1-14-09

   coolwhip h says:

   Learn about Solar power and Wind power. You can build your own power generators. Possibly even get the power company to pay you for your power!

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6. 

   1-17-09

   whsgreenmom says:

   Going green is easy, there are so many great resources about the subject. My personal favorite is “The Green Book” which has parts of its book online as well at.

   As I have been striving to “Go Green” I realize it is like stepping back in time without getting rid of my modern conveniences. I’m doing many things I learned as a child, like line drying my clothes, sweeping instead of vacuuming, opening the windows in the morning to catch the cool breeze, only buying what I need instead of everything that looks cool, growing some of my own food, and canning what I can’t eat now.

   To me “going Green” is a frame of mind. Do what fits your lifestyle and do the easy things first, it is a process and like dieting if you go to radical to soon, you are more likely to go back to bad habits. I also believe there are good, better, best choices in most things. If you aren’t ready to start a home garden, then try finding a farmers market, until you locate one look for produce grown as close to home as possible and go organic when available.

   Many people think “going green” is expensive, I disagree. Some changes may take an initial investment, but they usually have a short payoff time. Things like weatherstiping and insulation cost, but the energy savings will add up quickly. You may need to purchase reusable bags, but most stores give you a 5 or 10 cent credit, so you are paid back within a few months.

   My top tips are make your home more energy efficient, that also means using natural light, cooling and heating.

   Reduce your packaging, if you eat more fresh food you will generally reduce packaging, it’s the same thing they tell dieters, shop the perimiter, that is where all the meat, dairy and produce are located. Only buy what you will use, many Americans throw away a lot of unused food. Buy in bulk, that doesn’t just mean large packages, but that area with the bins that you buy only what you plan on using.

   Replace disposable items with durable items, if you eat outside often and use disposable paper or plastic plates, it is a wise investment to purchase a set of reusable plastic plates. Replace disposable razors, diapers and cleaning products like swiffer. Avoid bottled water, get a home filter like Pur or Brita.

   Recycle, will help you locate the nearest recycle center. I try to only purchase plastics that are #1 or #2, they are more easily recycled. I also buy recycled products when available, that includes paper towels, napkings, toilet paper, tissue, school/office supplies and clothing.

   Detox your cleaning, vinegar and baking soda clean almost anything, they can even losen a hair clog. Seventh Generation and Method are a couple mainstream brands that are very earth friendly.

   Just start small and build from there, don’t get overwhelmed.

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