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Stolen from WC: How green are you? (or not?)
We also use reusable bags 99% of the time (and keep/resuse any plastic bags we do get)
We recycle anything we can.
We also have a composter, so we have very little that ends up in our actual trash (maybe one bag a week)
Have our own garden and buy local produce in the late spring/summer/early fall. We live in CO and the growing season is pretty short. but we buy local when we can, freeze anything we can to use through the winter.
Next fall we plan to get a rain barrel for our snowmelt off the roof, hoping it will help us save a little water when our super dry summers roll around.
we also pretty exclusively use resuable water bottles (maybe buy a case of water bottles once a year, for like camping or parties)
and line dry a lot of laundry (it's really dry here, makes it easy)
we have an evaporative cooler (aka, a swamp cooler) that we use instead of AC in the summer - a lot of CO does. It's like a big attic fan. It sucks up the air in the house, runs it thru water, then blows the cooler air back thru the house. it's like 1/6 of the cost/energy to run an AC and just as effective. The first time my parents were out in the summer, my dad just couldn't believe we didn't have AC, as it was so cool in the house.
Not so green:
not buying local produce in the late fall-early spring.
not great about using green cleaners. We need to work on this.
Our vehicles aren't so fuel friendly. But we both have very short commutes, so I guess that's better than a long commute?
Re: Stolen from WC: How green are you? (or not?)
Green:
I reuse bags and use reusable when we can.
We recycle 80% of the stuff that comes into our house.
Buy local/ from farmer's markets whenever possible.
I walk to work and Kirk takes public transport.
We only have 1 vehicle and it gets driven max 3 days/ week.
Reuse water bottles.
We have all LED lightbulbs in our lamps and fixtures, and have an LED tv.
Not Green:
We can't compost so all food waste goes into the trash.
Most fruit and vegetables can't be grown locally, so I have to buy them at the store.
Our a/c or heat runs year round because I'm allergic to everything here- our windows might as well be sealed shut.
Clorox wipes are my BFF of cleaning.
We have smaller than standard appliances so for some of them they have to run more frequently (I'm looking at you dishwasher).
Stand up for something you believe in.
ooh, good one! Most of ours are either LED or compact fluorescent.
I'm of the mindset that doing something is always better than doing nothing though. It's still something! I hate when people judge a lack of crazy green-ness. Not everyone can have a garden, composter and rainbarrels. Like seriously. Recycling and CF lightbulbs and whatnot are at least a start. Better than nothing!
Stand up for something you believe in.
Green:
reuse plastic bags and use reusable ones
Switched out all our appliances to energy star
also use LED light bulbs
recycle what we can
H uses public transportaion and I am a SAHM so I drive very little during the week.
Buy local produce when I can
Not Green:
We both drive SUV's..poor gas mileage, although we are in the process of trading mine in for a car with better gas mileage.
I don't use very green cleaning products
I feel like out dishwasher and washing machine/ dryer are always on.
probably more I just can't think
Sidenote: If anyone is considering an LED TV, I would strongly encourage the upgrade. Ours has cut our power bill by 1/3.
Stand up for something you believe in.
We also are not very green. We do recycle magazines & bottles/cans. We also reuse plastic grocery bags to pick up after our dogs and I image will also be using them for diapers as well.
ETA: J takes the train to work (walks to the station ) but I think that the fact that I drive an SUV negates his "green" efforts.
Dx: Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism After 2 years TTC & failed IUs,we have our IVF baby born 9/24/11
LO#2 aka 'Miracle Baby' Orig. EDD= 9/28 EDD moved to 10/3/13
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." -- Dale Carnegie
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." --Thomas A. Edison
Green:
Use canvas bags and reuse what little plastic bags we get
Buy local and organic as much as possible May-Sept (not so in winter)
Recycle
My car is very gas-friendly, though I have a long commute
Don't use paper products (paper plates, napkins, towels, etc)
Use green cleaners
LED lightbulbs
Not green:
Don't compost
Don't have hybrid cars- would love one though!
Don't have a rain barrel- would love one of these too
Could buy more organic and local, just cheap
Green:
Reuse plastic bags for litter box and doggy duty
Use reusable bags for most shopping trips (groceries and clothing)
Use CFL lightbulbs throughout the house (although I read one study that they output too much radiation...ugh)
Recycle all the plastic, cardboard, metal and paper we can
Recycle glass (that has to be separate from our regular recycle bin)
H and I are starting to carpool with each other (we just sold my car, but when we buy my new one, we still plan to carpool to work since H and I work within a mile of each other)
Use old rags when possible instead of paper towels to wipe up spills, then just wash them and reuse
Wash most clothes in cold water with HE washing machine
Will be using cloth diapers on Baby C (although some experts say the amount of warm water/electricity used to wash diapers all the time may actually negate some of the benefits of using cloth...go figure)
Not Green:
Probably not buying a car with the best gas mileage (Subaru Forester gets about 21 mpg in city and 27 on highway. I feel like I should buy a Prius instead.)
Don't compost. Don't always buy local produce.
I use a few "green/natural" cleaners, but I'm sorry, I feel better if I use bacteria-killing Lysol on my kitchen countertops and in my bathrooms. The green cleaners don't all kill germs. The ones with thymol do kill germs, but some of the ones I've used (Seventh Generation, Method) smell SO gross to me that I just can't stand it.
Use clumping clay kitty litter. Clay kitty litter isn't great for the earth at all, but my cats tracked the pine litter ALL over the house and the corn litter smelled terrible. I wish I could toilet train them so we didn't have to worry about litter boxes at all.
Up for Debate:
We keep the temperature in the house as warm as we can handle before letting the A/C come on. We have our ceiling fans in all upstairs bedrooms running 24 hours a day and keep the whole house fan on to circulate air so that the A/C is less necessary. However, the electricity needed to run the fans all day and night is probably negating some of our energy savings and/or the green factor of using less coolant for the A/c,
We are odd balls when it comes to this stuff- they charge a lot of money in Cincinnati to recycle and we cant seem to get over the cost- yet they do sort yard waste and cardboard when the trash comes for free- so we do separate those.
We waste very little food- we started a goal of using almost every part of things we purchase and since we purchase either from a butcher at the farmers market we can get exactly what we want.
We get eggs from my parents farm - almost all our veggies come from our garden in the summer or from those that are local (we like to support local farmers and actually trade produce with some of them since some items just dont grow well in our soil)
We compost at my parents house which includes the millions of weeds we pull from the gardens.
As for the house- we run our air as little as possible. We use fans to cycle the air but with the baby its a little harder. She hates being hot.
We use compact florescent lights everywhere (thank the Lord they have adjusted the color temperature to a soft light vs. the bright blue or white lights... they wouldnt work in our house. (yes this is the techie speak coming out - I actually went to lighting school so if you ever have any lighting questions let me know.)
We use very little water and try to collect rain water to water our plants here at the house.
Other than that- what we do that isnt so green -
I use quite a bit of electricity now that I am home all the time.
We use disposable diapers. I cannot imagine using cloth diapers with the messes this little girl makes
I do extra laundry when I forget to change it from the washer to dryer and have to rewash. I blame Charlotte but its just my stupid brain.
I sometimes use too much water- I am not used to paying for water yet, I volunteered to pay that bill to break my bad habits.
I use a TON of paper towels - I should use more regular towels but paper ones are a little easier sometimes.
Green:
We recycle pretty much everything. Our town gives us huge recycling containers so we put everything in.
We turn off electronics not in use.
I buy local when possible esp from farmer's markets. I buy free range chicken and eggs and grass fed beef.
I eat vegetarian twice per week.
I use reususable bags, water bottles, and a lunch bag.
I have a Prius.
I eat clean most of the time, which means less packaged foods.
Not so clean:
We use chemical cleaners.
DH has a pick-up truck.
Sometimes I forget my resusable bags.
We don't compost. Honestly, I am too lazy.