Wash Twice – Dry Once
Next time you need to do a load of laundry – Try washing ALL your clothes before turning on the dryer. The new front loading washing machines hold a great deal of clothing. The problem is – we still need to separate the colors during the wash cycle.
After each washing load – place the freshly washed load in the dryer without turning the dryer on.
Wash your second load. Then place this second load in the dryer with the first load. Then turn on the dryer.
It is often times not as critical to dry “separates” together – and you will save electricity by drying two loads with only one dryer cycle. Plus you will save money and the wear and tear on your dryer.
Talk about a WIN-WIN.
Styrofoam Recycling
Styrofoam cups are an item that we all know is harmful to the environment. Harmful chemicals are used in the production of this item – and once deposited in the land fill – it is there for a long time before it decomposes. We all want to reduce our use of this item. We have learned to stay away from the coffee shops that don’t offer the paper cups or the fast food franchise that will not cooperate with going green.
But sometimes, no matter what we do – on occasion we will get stuck with one of these styrofoam cups from a luncheon or a drive through.
Here is an easy way that you can reduce the use of your styrofoam cups that you use by 50%.
Once you finish drinking from the cup – bring it home with you and rinse it out for reuse. Keep it in the kitchen and use it for the next time you want to take coffee on the road with you – or simply reuse at home for your next morning’s coffee break. It will keep your coffee warm for quite a long time. Feeling brave? Rinse and reuse two… or three times!
It may not sound like much – but even if you used a styrofoam cup twice before recycling – instead of once – you could theoretically reduce your usage of this item by 50%.
Just think if everyone in the world did this – - Quite an impact!
The Truth about Lawn Mowers
You may wish to think about getting a different type of lawn mower for your organic yard. Those that
operate with the use of gas are placing pollutants into the air. If you have a very small lawn you may want to consider using a reel type. These are hand propelled and use sharp blades underneath to cut the grass. You can adjust the blades to accommodate how short you wish to cut the grass. They are very simple to use and don’t make much noise. That means you can be out there using this type of lawn mower any time of the day or day of the week without bothering your neighbors. You will also get some exercise as you walk around the yard cutting it.
If you don’t want to put your strength into using a reel mover you can look for an electric one. However, many of the older models require you to use an extension cord to get a power supply. This can be annoying as you will need to continually move the long cord out of your way as you move along cutting the grass. Many heavy duty extension cords are lost in this process due to being run over by the
sharp blades of the lawn mower.
A more modern mower however uses a small battery for its power source which you will find is extremely quiet and which helps with noise pollution. There are many models and sizes of electric lawn mowers that you can find on the market. They range in price depending on how much power you want and what size you wish to buy. Take a look around to see what is going to be the perfect match for your own lawn care needs.
Weeds – Are they Good or Bad?
Many people immediately reach for chemicals to kill off weeds that grow in their garden or their yard. Yet this isn’t the best solution to turn to.
First, find out what type of weeds are growing on your property. That will tell you what the problem may be in that area. Some weeds may actually be good for your lawn and you will want to leave them alone as they can serve as a natural organic fertilizer for your yard. The rest of them you will want to pull out by hand or to use tools to fully remove them. Make sure you get them from the roots up so they can’t re-grow as easily.
It is often a thought to just run them over and cut the weeds back with a lawn mower and be done with them.
Trust me, this will not work.
There are seeds within the weeds and when you simply cut them back they will spread further about your lawn – and your neighbor’s. That will result in your lawn having more weeds than before and in various locations spread throughout it.
Growing a Hardier Lawn
If you wish to spend time a fair amount of your time actually living and playing on your yard, you will want to establish your lawn organically. This way, your family and friends will be exposed to much fewer risks. When planning your lawn, seek out types of grasses that tend to thrive in your geographic area.
Not all grasses are universal in nature. Selecting the wrong type of grass will result in disappointment with the look and performance of your lawn. If you have children within your household, your selection criteria should also consider how well it will hold up to children walking and playing on it.
Remember, having a rich and beautiful yard becomes less inviting if you do not allow others to enjoy it.
Keeping Your Lawn Green
Using a purer grade of soil to place your grass seed on, will enable you grow a much healthier, greener lawn. Your grass will have longer roots which will ensure its survival. At the same time you will need to provide it with less water to stay green which will also help you cut back on your water bill.
With many areas being on water restriction in the summer months, you want to be able to get as much use out of it as possible. By having the soil properly prepared you can still have a lovely green lawn even when you are restrained to only allocating water for certain periods of time on specific days of the week.
To get the most out of the water you put on your grass you need to take care of it in the early morning hours. This will result in more of it getting into the soil and less being lost to the process of evaporation. Many individuals believe that they can get the same results if they water at night. However, a big problem is that this leaves your grass very susceptible to various types of fungus growing.
To ensure your garden is able to benefit from the water you provide, keep to ground level. You don’t want it to all run off and therefore not offer the items in your garden the water they need to thrive. A good option to think about is to place mulch in a nice layer over the top of the soil. This will prevent the water
from evaporating so your plants and flowers will get to retain more of it.
Using Natural Compost
Fertilizer for your home lawn has a great deal of chemicals in it. The two main chemicals found in that can be problematic are nitrates and phosphates. Since it takes several pounds of fertilizer to complete one typical homeowner’s yard you will be exposing
your family and pets to unnecessary problems.
Many homeowners do no realize it – but the use of these fertilizers have been known to trigger asthma, be linked to cancers, and even cause neurological problems for your small household pets and young children. These chemicals also get into the soil which can then run downstream into public water supplies.
Switching to natural compost is very easy and you can buy it or even make your own. The process of making your own isn’t very difficult at all. You simply get a compost container and you place food scraps, the droppings from your pets, and even the leaves from your yard into the container.
This will become the compost you get the nutrients from for your lawn and your garden. You want to save your materials all year long to make enough compost. This is because the amount you end up with will be significantly compact compared to the volume of materials that you start out with.
Hybrid Vehicles
There are some very good vehicles on the market that have been recognized as being environmentally friendly. Honda is a leader in this area with the Civic. They also have a hybrid model which we will talk more about in a moment. The Toyota Prius is also variable in a standard or hybrid model. This is one of the top selling hybrid vehicles in the world.
There are some compact cars that are very eco-friendly and at the same time you can save money on fuel. If you can get by comfortably with your lifestyle in a compact vehicle, then check out the Mini Cooper, Ford Focus, and Honda Fit. Knowing that the vehicle you are driving is very environmentally friendly should make you feel good each time you drive it.
The hybrid models are those that have an alternate fuel source in addition to gas. They either operate with the use of electricity or solar power. This is the fuel source that is used first before any gas is accessed. When those sources are depleted then the vehicle switches to gas.
As soon as you recharge the main energy source the use of gas is stopped and it goes back to that alternative. Even when you are relying upon the gas for power, it is going to burn in a way that is very good for the environment. Hybrids can be quite expensive though so even with so much to offer, many consumers have to pass them up.
Carpooling and Using Public Transportation
Interested in carpooling? Try placing a message on the bulletin board in the work lunch room, at your child’s dance class, and other such locations. This will be to inform other driver’s that you are interested in carpooling. In order for it to work though, everyone involved must be committed to being ready on time and to driving at their specified times.
There are also modes of public transportation in many areas. You can commute by taking a bus, subway or a train that many other people are on. This will save you the wear and tear on your vehicle as well. With the cost of gas these days it can prove to be more affordable for you too. If you have a lengthy commute, you can also use that time to get some work done or to enjoy a good book.
Taking Care of Your Car
It is critical that we all take proper care of our cars and trucks to help reduce the amount of pollution they produce.
Having a defective exhaust system on your vehicle can create a large amount of pollutants. Any time you have a problem such as this – or any other issue with your auto – it is important that you take it to your local mechanic sooner than later.
In addition to living a greener lifestyle; you will not only save the extra wear and tear on your auto, you will also save an almost certain added expense that comes with letting mechanical issues go unaddressed.
