Green Living
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How green are you? How long did it take?
What changes have you made to become green, and how long did it take you to convert?
We have several plans, but we haven't started some of it yet. I can't imagine that complete "green-ness" is going to happen immediately.
This week's plans: Change out our lightbulbs that aren't CFL's, make my own laundry detergent, and try the No 'Poo hair care method.
Re: How green are you? How long did it take?
I'm honestly not as green as I could be. I do what I can though.
H and I walk or bike rather than drive when ever possible.
We live in a small house to keep energy use down.
We own scooters that we take in the summer.
We try to buy local and organic when cost and availability permits, we shop at the farmers market in the summer.
I've worked really hard at reducing my paper towel use. I've cut my usage by 75%.
I also try to use green cleaners when ever possible.
We're getting there.
I use only SLS free shampoo and conditioner (Naked Naturals - Target) plus olive oil and honey for my hair.
We've stopped buying paper napkins and are using cloth exclusively.
We've stopped buying bottled water and each have reusable BPA free bottles now.
I freecycled all of our cleaning supplies and am now only using baking soda, vinegar, ef dish soap, and other natural products.
I switched to ef laundry detergent.
We changed our thermostat to a programmable to save energy.
I have reusable shopping bags for grocery shopping.
We shop at the Farmer's Market whenever we can.
I'm sure there's more but that's what I can think of right now.
When I actively started being green I realized we already had a lot of green elements in our house. As a new construction in SoCal I guess they had that in mind when they built. Mainly double paned windows and CFLs!
Then we started changing how we buy our food (locally grown and organic, sticking with the perimeter of a grocery store and only going on the inside for a few items on a list). Then I converted to family cloth which was probably my biggest change, but so far the easiest for me! Switching to EF cleaners was the funnest change I've made- I love getting to know new companies and products! Also learning to make my own stuff has been really fun for me and very easy.
A lot of the things I want to do in our home I can't because it's a rental so I'm sort of limited in that sense. But really right now I'm just working on making eco-friendly choices in my every day life and being aware of how I'm impacting the environment.
Best sound ever: baby's heartbeat! (Heard @ 10w1d)
I have been making slow changes over the past year, I know that I cannot change everything, but I will change what I can.
Switched to homemade EF laundry detergent
Switched to homemade EF dish washer detergent
Switched to Vinegar and baking soda for the majority of my cleaning supplies
Switched to a EF shampoo and conditioner option, and am working on switching over other beauty products.
Have and use reuseable bags for shopping
We already had a programmable thermostat
Try to carpool when can to work
I am try to not use ziplock bags in my lunches and use reusable containers
No bottled water etc.
Slowly making changes and hope to keep going. I need to start working on food..
Thanks for the tips everyone! We actually already have the programmable thermostat and double pane windows.
We are trying to start composting. I want to go to farmer's markets, but they're kind of far away, and my husband works on Saturdays when they are open. I kind of want to go with him. I keep meaning to go by myself but never do.
We try to use green bags, but sometimes we don't remember. I usually repurpose the plastic bags or take them to the recycling thing at the store.
Our recycling system sucks a little because they don't take paper when it's raining (which seems like it's every week lately), and they don't take cardboard of any kind, even cereal boxes. So, I'm trying to start saving those things to take to a more extensive recycling center.
Recycle
programmable thermostat
use reusable bags
bring reusable containers for food for lunch
Use reusable containers at home
EF laundry soap
organic foods
grow a garden
We are starting a compost pile this summer (yay!)
I drive alone to school three times a week. I feel bad b/c I get a free bus pass. But it would tack on 4 HOURS to my day. Sorry earth.
I'm horrible about leaving the lights on.
Honestly, I was first inspired by this board. In the last 6-8 months we have accomplished the following:
Stopped using paper towels and napkins, exchanging them for cloth
Buy recycled TP
Make my own EF laundry and dishwasher detergent
Use vinegar and baking soda for cleaning
Allow my dishes to air dry instead of heat dry, wash most all clothes in cold water, program the thermostat and keep it low in the winter/higher in summer
Only buy CFLs when our light bulbs need replaced
Recycle everything possible
Use reusable shopping bags and produce bags
Use reusable water bottles
Shop fruits and veggies according to the "clean 15, dirty dozen"
Found local suppliers of eggs, and antibiotic/hormone free chicken, pork, and grass fed bison
Buy local, antiobitic/hormone free milk
I've become much more conscience of my purchases and I donate much more than I ever have before
Goals for this spring: start composting and replace siding/insulation to improve energy efficiency
We're really green with some things and not so green with others. It's been a work in process over a few years.
We sold our car when we moved to the city in fall 2007. DH started biking every where immediately, but I found out that I was pregnant pretty much as soon as we were settled in. I walked or took public transportation up until DD was a year old and then started biking with her. I bike as much as possible now because the transit system here blows.
We just started composting last month.
We started recycling a few months ago when our city got their act together and put together a proper program. So between that and our compost, we really only take out one bag of trash per week.
A neighborhood co-op that is a five minute walk from our apartment opened in December, so we shop there as much as possible. Lots of local and organic dairy, meat/poultry, fruit and veg, etc. It's awesome. We also shop at the farmer's markets as much as possible. There is one that is a ten minute walk from us. It's much nicer in the spring/summer/fall months, so we don't go as much in the winter.
But we do still shop at a main stream grocery occasionally.
I try to make as much from scratch as I can to avoid processed foods. We still are far from perfect in this area. Crackers, dried fruits, cereal bars, etc. are just so convenient when you have a toddler.
Soda is another biggie. Still working on this a lot. HFCS is nasty, but it is addicting. DH and I still indulge in Coca Cola occasionally. We also buy soda without HFCS, which still isn't good.
We no longer use bleach or any other similar cleaners and make them all using vinegar, Borax, baking soda, and Dr. Bronner's.
I could do a lot better in the hair product department - I still use products with a lot of chemicals. I have curly hair, and the natural products just don't work on my hair. It turns into a frizzy, nasty mess.
DH and I both still use chemical-laden deodorant and Crest Pro-Health toothpaste. Our DD uses Tom's of Maine with no fluoride, at least.
We use CFLs, conserve as much heat and energy as possible, air dry clothes as much as possible, wash clothes in cold water, use reusable water bottles, use cloth napkins, use FreeCycle to get rid of things, use reusable shopping bags, shop at thrift stores for clothes and such, use a greener dish soap and clothes detergent, no longer use Ziplock bags, etc.
Fairly green, I'd say ...
We recycle almost everything. We only have one bag of waste for trash pickup each week.
I clean my home with steam - the floors, the bathrooms, the kitchen, etc - no harmful chemicals for me Thanks
We have a programmable thermostat and shutters on our windows.
I installed a low flow faucet in the kitchen and plan to do the bathrooms next.
We don't use can or bottles anymore
And our home and most of our appliances are rated Energy Star
I switched my laundry detergent to Vaska this week and love it so far.
I'm starting to write about all these changes on my blog, you can see my Master List of changes here
I have always been green...as far back as I can remember. Some of it has to do with how my parents raised me. Also I went to school for the environment before it was the "cool" thing to do.
I know I could be more green if money was no object. But in the real world I try to do the best I can within our budget. I think my biggest impact is in what I have done in my career, so I try to keep that in mind whenever I think I should be doing more but know it is unrealistic right now (like living off the grid).
We've always been interested in being green, but due to lack of education I think we talked the talk more than we walked the walk. But we've really stepped things up recently-
we've always recycled, we've used cfl bulbs for years, we use plastic bins instead of grocery bags (and when we do get bags for whatever reason we reuse them as garbage bags), we've always kept the heat cooler than many do, I've always driven a more fuel-efficient vehicle, we've always washed clothes in cold water and never used paper towels or hair care products. We live in a smaller home outfitted entirely with energy star appliances. I bought a Diva Cup when I was pregnant with my son (planning ahead), and I used cloth diapers for the first year. We put extra insulation around our doors in the winter.
I just started making my own bread, making my own laundry and dish soap, shampooing and bathing with baking soda, honey and vinegar, cleaning with baking soda and vinegar instead of cleaning products, using recycled TP, letting our dishes airdry, using a worm composter, and buying used when possible/practical. Buying used took the biggest shift in ideology; I've always been somewhat materialistic and buying used seemed like a failure, somehow. But the other day I calculated how much we've saved over the past year by buying used, and I came up with $1000+, and that was just the things that came to me off the top of my head. That made me a true convert and now I'm really looking forward to garage sale season
Ooh! Also, when renovating our house, we were really conscious of buying used/damaged when we could. We bought underlay for our flooring and insulation for our walls from Habitat for Humanity's local store, where they sell the donated odds and ends from their projects to raise money, and we got a damaged sheet of drywall that was going to be discarded due to damage. We only needed a small amount of drywall so we were able to use the undamaged end of the sheet. Those three things also saved us over $100. We were only doing a small reno (removing a gas fireplace) so we easily made do with smaller chunks of insulation and underlay, when we would have had to purchase bigger amounts if we bought new. This experience also taught me the importance of donating extra building materials!
In the future I would like to own even more fuel efficient cars, dry clothes on a drying line, have a productive garden. I'm intrigued by the idea of natural deodorant but I sweat like a pig so I'm very reluctant to make the switch.
ETA: I've also been vegetarian since I was 11 and my husband eats very little meat.
I'd say we're pretty green. We haven't done any of the big green house changes, like new windows, insulation, or efficient big appliances like a new heater, because we're not in our forever home. I see no point in pouring a lot of money to live green in our TH for a few years then have to do it again in our forever home. Other than that, it took us about 5 years to get to where we are. Here's what I can think of off the top of my head:
Transportation: I drive a hybrid (Prius) and DH drives a motorcycle. While motorcycles don't have as stringent emissions standards as cars, its gas mileage is twice as good as mine. We walk to our local shopping center for most of our needs.
Home: CFL bulbs, energy star appliances and computers, compost, recycle, conserve water (like don't have it running while brushing teeth), wash clothes in cold water, down to 1 roll of PT (for pet messes) a month, cut TP use in half by DH using hankies instead.
Food: Vegetarian, eat local and organic, do a top-notch job on reducing packaging IMHO, no single serving anything (no water or soda bottles, chips, etc..) backyard garden, make a lot of our own food (dried beans instead of canned, bread, red wine vinegar, hard cider, yogurt, and cheese soon).
Shopping: Reuseable shopping and produce bags, do the majority of food shopping at the Farmer's Market, buy used if possible.
Personal Care: Green or homemade cleaning products, cosmetics are a 3 or lower on Cosmetic's Database, use a Diva Cup, green hair and tooth care products.
I think being green is a life long adventure where you will always be growing and improving and learning new things.
DH and I are a lovely light green right now. We work hard, and have made significant changes but aren't quite there yet.
95% of our food is organic.
Order grass-fed beef and wild-caught Atlantic shrimp.
Drink grass-fed milk and eat cage-free eggs.
All our cleaning products, except for an Oxiclean-like laundry stain remover, are organic.
All our beauty products are organic.
No plastic wrap, no plastic bottles for water, juices, anything. Only aluminum foil or unbleached parchment paper. Reusable stainless stain Klean Kanteen bottles.
Almost no plastic in my kitchen. Stainless steel or glass.
Try and buy responsibly and where applicable green toys--wood or recycled plastic.
Use chorline-free diapers and wipes.
Use Natracare feminine pads.
It's been a gradual process and started with food and food and water containers and once I was pregnant with my son started to affect my choices with everything else I bought/did.
DH and I are very far from being green. I'm trying and DH is slowly coming around. Right now he calls me the "recycling nazi" because it is SO easy for us to recycle (curbside with free bins and we don't have to sort ANYTHING).
A few things that we've adopted:
-I attended a landscaping class on using native plants and water efficient plants
-we only water on certain days and before 9AM. I'm working on improving the efficiency of our watering (considering investing in a soil moisture detector to accompany our automated sprinkler system)
-use primarily organic products
-try to use less paper towels (DH LOVES paper towels--I'm trying to break him of that)
-not doing any dishes or laundry unless it's full loads
-use organic soaps and cleaning products as much as possible
-cloth grocery bags (need to be better about keeping these in the car so we always have them)
-CFL light bulbs--i think I didn't do these for a long time because I had always heard how expensive they are---but they are definitely nowhere near what I thought they would be!
-We are having an energy consultant come to our house (this is provided free from the city) and they do a consultation about energy efficiency. They will also provide free services such as: wrapping your water heater, installing low flow devices to faucets and toilets, etc...
-am contemplating starting to compost
-going to start growing my own veggies and herbs (going to make a raised planter bed soon)
We still have a long, long way to go and are still figuring things out, but I'm really trying to be much more aware. So it's a start.
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