with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

my question today is...

what, if any, large-scale "green/eco-friendly" thing are you planning to do /already doing?

i'm saving money to landscape/put in a deck in our new home... i'm going to be doing 100% native/drought resistant plants with very little grass to mow.

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

You know, I think about posting this same question quite often.

I don't do HUGE things, but I'd like to think I'm on the right track:

I ride my bike to work about half the time and public transportation the other.

I try not to leave the water running unnecessarily (like when I'm brushing my teeth)

I am constantly shutting off lights around the house!

I use my backpack and reusable bags when I go to the supermarket most of the time.

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

i can't say i have any major projects coming up, but little stuff i do:

always recycle anything that can be

i always get paper bags over plastic when i can -- they biodegrade easily and come from a renewable resource, unlike the plastic ones

when i have to use plastic - i bring them to the grocery store where they take them back

buy organic foods

buy recycled products

i'd love to do even more! so keep posting, i'd love more ideas

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

-energy saving light-bulbs
-recycle bags
-turn off lights

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

We are looking into solar tiles for our new roof. DH is also checking into the possibility of wind power (although I think on LI this is not going to happen). We are also re-insulating this year and getting the thermal/gas windows.

Other than that DH rides a 89 MPG scooter to work whenever he can

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

-we have switched from fossil fuel power
to wind and hydroelectric power

-walk instead of drive

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

I use mass transit/walk whenever possible. DH and I have both limited our driving to maybe one or two trips per month, especially in the warmer months.

I am going to buy hemp or some other type of reusable bags for my groceries.

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

We have vowed to buy quality & service, even if it's more expensive. We see way too many cheaper & poorly made products konk out and get sent to the landfill.

For example: The oven in our apartment (very cheap brand) was used for a whopping 1.5 years before the control panel fried. Repairing it would cost $400 and the oven only cost about $200 to begin with. I understand our landlords didn't want to put much money in the place but what's a couple hundred more to not need to replace an oven (and dispose of the old one) every 2 years?

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

I'm a recycling nutjob. All the plastics, cans, paper I can recycle, I do.

Reuse gift bags. Store them w/o crinkling the snot out of them, etc.

If I get plastic bags at the supermarket, I reuse them as garbage pail liners

Reuse ziplocks if I can (if they are not super-nasty).

I use up everything before I go buy more. Saves money and avoids waste.

Use energy efficient lightbulbs and open up windows, etc. in good weather instead of running fans, a/c's.

I try to grow organically at home when I can.

I'm recycling the boxes from work - instead of going into the trash, I'm using them to pack

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

I am using GE "green" lightbulbs. I also use Method cleaners they are eco friendly products and work really really well.

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

No big projects, but I think it's the little day-to-day things that add up more anyway:

We use energy efficient lightbulbs and turn off lights whenever we leave a room

Rarely, if ever, use air conditioning. We usually just open the windows at night

Return all the plastic bags to the supermarket, or use our cloth bags

DH drives the smaller car to work, I drive the SUV .45 miles to the train station and take public transportation

I reuse all plastic containers that come through our house

I only do laundry and the dishes when I have a full pile of clothes, or full pile of dishes

I don't let water run when I'm washing dishes or brushing my teeth

We don't eat meat, and buy mostly oganic, and have joined an organic farm co-op for 6 months of the year

We recycle glass, plastic, aluminum and paper

Message edited 4/23/2007 12:25:36 PM.

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

when we have our own house, I plan to:

-keep thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter
- using all compact flourecent bulbs
- using re-usable bags when grocery shopping
- where floors need to be replaced using bamboo or cork

Re: with all the GREEN talk going around lately...

we do a lot of little things...

-don't run water if we dont' need to
-turn off lights when we leave a room
-recycle EVERYTHING that we can
-ONLY run dishwasher or laundry if theres a FULL load ( we usually only run the dishwasher like once a week)
-we bought all new energy star appliances when we bought our house
-keep heat down low and use blankets in the winter
-for AC in the summer... we haev a small house, so we just bought a window AC unit and DH the engineer hooked it into the vents in our house... rather than a big central AC unit
- bought a house close to both our jobs, so neither of us has a far commute to work