That's the buzz I keep hearing. So again, new year, new start.
Some ideas recently given to "go green".
- purchase a hybrid vehicle
- replace light bulbs with compact florescents
- compost
- wash clothes less often
- reuse plastic containers
- recycle
And now my responses:
- Do they make a hybrid 15 passenger van? At this point, I'd just be happy to get double digits in my gas mileage!
- Yuck! I need to do everything I can ta make my house warm and friendly and my aging skin to look good, and compact florescent lighting is not the answer!
- compost pile + dog + little boys = Huge Mess!
- Am I suppose to wear them with food and baby goo? Do this apply to a potty training child? What about the 6 & 9 year old boys that have forgotten what napkins are? Work-out clothes?
- You mean most people don't? I draw the line at cool-whip and margarine tubs!
- Do the pop cans that we turn in every three months for $6 count?
I think our push will be in turning lights off. that benefits the environment and my checkbook. Any other suggestions?
5 comments:
Hmmm...you make good points. My only suggestion is next time you're ready to buy a vehicle or washer/drier shop around for low mpg or a front loader/energy saver one. Little kids can help take rinsed out milk jugs to the garage to be thrown in a recycling bin. I think, as in everything, we're only accountable to do what we're able. Do what you're inspired to do. I'm always trying to be better about this too, some things stick, others (like washing out zip-lock bags) don't.
This friend has turned rather green I guess.
-We recycle all paper, glass, boxes, plastics and cans.
-We do have a compost bin and the 8 year old boy is in charge of it (but we dont have a dog!).
-We have changed most of our light bulbs for the energy bulbs, but in this country we have so little day light that we need maximum light to stay awake in the winter!!! Besides whos looking at my wrinkles? If they have time to sit and look at them then they need more chores! LOL!
-I don't think they even sell hybrid vehicles in the UK! But we do cut down on trips to town. And it is desil so we get better milage than the gas one did.
-We have a new rule that unless they have a major stain jeans get worn at least 2 sometimes 3 times before washing. Doesn't work for many other clothes though!
-We recycle the plastic containers so we don't reuse them much.
Ha! You didn't know I had gone so 'Green' did you?! Well, when you live on a small island for a country you have to think about these things more - we just don't have the space!
You could try turning appliances off of standby at night. TV,video,computer etc. That evidently saves alot of money, prevents fires and saves energy!
By the way, thanks for tipping off the world that my birthday was coming up - I was trying to forget it!! Thanks for the early wishes, and for coming over to visit. It meant alot to me that you even remembered it after all these years! :o)
Thank you for treating this volitile topic with a touch of humor. People get really passionate about what they think other people should or shouldn't do or what they should or shouldn't think. I just try to keep my mouth shut when the topic comes up, cause a lot of what would come out would not be said in love. I need to work on that.
I hear ya. We do try to do what we can, but it's generally little stuff. For example, we recycle pretty much all our paper (including magazines, junk mail that doesn't have personal info on it, etc.) We don't compost, but they actually have yard waste picked up separately here, so we do actually pack that up separately. I don't run errands unless I have at least three stops I need to make. I don't run the dishwasher or washing machine until it's full (never a problem here, and I can't imagine that's a tough requirement at your house!) I do reuse some butter tubs, etc. They're great for side dishes and misc fixings when I take a meal to someone (no way I'm buying containers specifically to throw away!) You just have to stick with what works for your family, though...
We do some small stuff, like not using the Heated Dry option on our dishwasher, which wastes a surprising amount of energy, and unplugging any electronics that draw electricity even when not on (like cell phone chargers). I'm also trying to use fewer Ziploc bags and more reusable containers, but that's coming along slowly.
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