Spring is here and that means spring cleaning!

We have all become accustomed to using a variety of cleaners for numerous cleaning tasks around the house. They get the job done, but we know they may not be environmentally friendly. Why not try some “home-made” products that have been proven to work just as well as more expensive brand name products.

Two hard-working ingredients found in most homes:

Vinegar - a mild acid that dissolves scale and scum and inhibits mold
Baking Soda - slightly abrasive and a natural deodorizer

These two common household items when combined with some other simple ingredients are the foundation for creating effective, alternative cleaning solutions.

continue reading "Simple Green Idea #5 - Alternative Cleaning Products"

If you keep up with Doug Green, you’ll have read his recent post on Earth Hour. I’m doing my part by signing up and passing the word.

Australia got the ball rolling in 2007 and in the relatively short span of a year, Earth Hour has become a global movement.

Canada, along with many other countries around the world will be participating in this year’s Earth Hour on March 29, 2008. At 8:00 pm - throw the switch. Turn off your lights, tv, computer, everything for one hour. Hell, turn off your main circuit breaker. One hour without power will certainly not harm the contents of your fridge or freezer or your electricity bill.

I challenge you to sign up and join the movement!

Doesn’t it drive you nuts when you go to read your favorite magazine and as soon as you pick it up all those annoying subscription cards fall out! Not just one card and not just two cards, but often three or four. What is the point? We get it magazine publishers - you want us to subscribe, but wouldn’t one card suffice? Do you really need to bombard us with all that extra paper? The amount of paper used for subscription cards is one thing - the amount of paper used for the magazines themselves is something else entirely. Think about how many magazines are published, printed and distributed over the course of a year (each with those bothersome cards). That is a huge amount of paper.

In the very first SGI, my mom talked about how she had made it her goal to reduce the amount of plastic bags she brought home from the grocery store. Well, my goal is to reduce the amount of paper I bring into the home. Here’s how we can all do it:

continue reading "Simple Green Idea #4 - Get Magazines Digitally"

Hey, I’ve been doing something green for over a year without realizing it! When I ordered my laptop computer last year I was so excited I walked around for several weeks saying “Dude, I’m getting a Dell!”. Now I’m excited because that Dell (which I love, BTW) uses less power than a desktop - on average about 50 watts versus 120.

Thank you to STYLE AT HOME magazine’s April 2008 issue for pointing that out.

An extra thank you goes to Style At Home for providing references to multiple websites that we can all use to research before we buy new electronic purchases and other consumer products.

continue reading "Simple Green Idea #3 - Green Electronics"

Look what I found at the Dollar store! I remember my grandma used these kind of covers for storing leftovers in the fridge fifty years ago. I try to use containers that have their own matching lids, but sometimes you just can’t. In my efforts to not use plastic wrap or foil that will have to be discarded after use, I think these might just be the answer.

continue reading "Simple Green Idea #2"

We hear it everyday - the environment needs our help! Our governments are dealing with environmental issues in various ways and with varying degrees of success, but don’t you often wonder what you could do to help? I do. So, in an attempt to do my part, I gave myself a goal this year - to reduce the number of plastic bags I brought home from the grocery store. It’s a small step, but if more of us took these small steps, we could begin to make a big difference. It is my hope that some ’simple green ideas’ will remind us all to reduce, reuse and recycle. With that hope in mind, here is Simple Green Idea #1.

continue reading "Simple Green Ideas"