Going Green: What are you doing?

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AWFAN4EVER1975	Going Green: What are you doing?		Lead	[-]
Posts: 6616 Sat, Jun 7, 2008 03:38 PM	Tags : environment, green Are you doing anything to go green? Please share what you're doing. This is what we're doing: We swapped all our light bulbs out for more energy efficient ones. It really makes a difference. We did that about a year ago, haven't changed a light bulb in a very long time. We also make an effort to turn lights and other things off when not in use. I try to do less loads of wash to save water. That means putting all my clothes with special wash/dry instruction on them in with everything else. Which also means I do the wash. We've also begun to participate in a recycling program recently started in our area. I'm checking things when I buy them now to see if they can be recycled. I have switched some cleaners for the green products. Clorox has the "Green Works" cleaners now and I use a few of those. Those are just a few of the things we're doing. Every little bit helps. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, snoenk_y, Candence, and Carpe Diem Baby
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janielynn68		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3065 Sat, Jun 7, 2008 03:49 PM Admin	Here at the Anderson household, we are: 1. as the lightbulbs burn out, we are changing over to the squiggly bulbs 2. waiting until there is enough dishes to load into the dishwasher to make a full load before running it and running it at a normal load 3. keeping the air condition set at 79 to 80 degrees, running the ceiling fans, and keeping all the blinds closed to keep out the heat of the sun 4. wintertime, running the gas heat pump at no higher than 68 and wearing layers instead of bumping up the heat 5. consolidating mini trips into one big trip so as to save gas and time 6. cutting out the unnecessary just because I can drive trips 7. buying pool passes so we can enjoy the outdoors and helping out the local VFW 8. getting out and walking though we are not in an area where we can walk to about everything 9. only running the washer and dryer when there is enough laundry to make a full load 10. washing everything in cold water 11. no watering the lawn or washing the cars 12. switching over to concentrated laundry detergent Janie I have found life is like a softball game: Just when you think you have it ALL figured out, someone throws you a changup pitch. You then are left with Two choices: You can either throw your bat down and just walk away, or you can stand tall behind the plate and start swinging. Personally, I would rather go down swinging than give up the fight!!
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Wed, Jun 11, 2008 09:26 AM	That is wonderful Janie. We've only had one bag of trash going to the curb for two weeks now. That's how much of a difference recycling has made for us. I have two bags full of plastic to take to be recycled tomorrow. Our AC is also staying set on 78. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, snoenk_y, Candence, and Carpe Diem Baby
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janielynn68		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3065 Wed, Jun 11, 2008 09:34 PM Admin	Tish, have you thought about getting the reusable shopping bags? I have 5 and I used them everytime I can. You would be surprised just how much will fit in one of those bags. I think they hold enough for 3 plastic bags. I am also using them for the pool and for the beach. They will hold about 6 beach towels, a bunch of novels, keys, sunscreen, water bottles, and just about anything you can think of to take with you for a day in the sun. They are also useful in carrying a change of clothing with you and they fit so comfortably across your shoulder. They are not binding one bit. I have found life is like a softball game: Just when you think you have it ALL figured out, someone throws you a changup pitch. You then are left with Two choices: You can either throw your bat down and just walk away, or you can stand tall behind the plate and start swinging. Personally, I would rather go down swinging than give up the fight!!
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truffle04102		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 679 Thu, Jun 12, 2008 03:37 PM Admin	The city I live in has curbside recycling and I participate in that. I do my best to NOT drive into Portland anymore when I am not working. (35 miles RT) Unplug appliances when not in use. No air conditioner. Kept the house @ 61 all winter and wore layers, footies and used throws to stay warm. Recycle at work. Tami
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Sat, Jun 14, 2008 12:12 AM	janielynn68 wrote: Tish, have you thought about getting the reusable shopping bags? I have 5 and I used them everytime I can. You would be surprised just how much will fit in one of those bags. I think they hold enough for 3 plastic bags. I am also using them for the pool and for the beach. They will hold about 6 beach towels, a bunch of novels, keys, sunscreen, water bottles, and just about anything you can think of to take with you for a day in the sun. They are also useful in carrying a change of clothing with you and they fit so comfortably across your shoulder. They are not binding one bit. I found the reusable shopping bags. Got four for Winn Dixie and several for Wal-Mart. It was amazing what you could get in them. The plastic bags I have been holding onto can be put in with the plastic items to be recycled. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, snoenk_y, Candence, and Carpe Diem Baby
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Sat, Jun 14, 2008 12:16 AM	truffle04102 wrote: The city I live in has curbside recycling and I participate in that. I do my best to NOT drive into Portland anymore when I am not working. (35 miles RT) Unplug appliances when not in use. No air conditioner. Kept the house @ 61 all winter and wore layers, footies and used throws to stay warm. Recycle at work. I've started to recycle some at work too. Plan to start doing it more too. Things that can be trashed will begin going to the recycling bins to be recycled. There is talk of getting some bins for the kitchen area for staff to put plastic and cans in to be recycled. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, snoenk_y, Candence, and Carpe Diem Baby
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janielynn68		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3065 Sat, Jun 14, 2008 07:16 PM Admin	Some Walmarts have started saving their spoiled produce and deli items for composting. It is much cheaper to compost than it is to fill up the local landfill. Plus, you get the nutrient right dirt to boot. When I find the article about it, I will post it for all to see. Janie I have found life is like a softball game: Just when you think you have it ALL figured out, someone throws you a changup pitch. You then are left with Two choices: You can either throw your bat down and just walk away, or you can stand tall behind the plate and start swinging. Personally, I would rather go down swinging than give up the fight!!
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Carrie2073		#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7174 Thu, Jun 19, 2008 08:57 PM Admin	Good evening everyone. My mother and I have decided that we will not put in our air conditioner's unless we really need them in this summer. We have our fans in the living room, kitchen and bedroom that we use. I unplug all the fans when not in use and we set our timers on our TV's when we go to bed at night so we don't waste electricity. We need to change our lightbulbs to the more efficient ones as well. Got to talk my mother into that. We turned our heat down to about 55-60 degrees in the winter when we weren't home and we saved alot of money that way. It's amazing what can happen when you turn the heat down when you aren't home. We recycle in our town so we do that as well. We need to start using the reusable shopping bags too. I'll have to pick some up at WalMart or even Stop & Shop (our grocery store) next time I am there. They look pretty big so that is good. Enjoy the rest of the evening and I will talk to everyone later.
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Thu, Jun 19, 2008 11:22 PM	Carrie2073 wrote: Good evening everyone. My mother and I have decided that we will not put in our air conditioner's unless we really need them in this summer. We have our fans in the living room, kitchen and bedroom that we use. I unplug all the fans when not in use and we set our timers on our TV's when we go to bed at night so we don't waste electricity. We need to change our lightbulbs to the more efficient ones as well. Got to talk my mother into that. We turned our heat down to about 55-60 degrees in the winter when we weren't home and we saved alot of money that way. It's amazing what can happen when you turn the heat down when you aren't home. We recycle in our town so we do that as well. We need to start using the reusable shopping bags too. I'll have to pick some up at WalMart or even Stop & Shop (our grocery store) next time I am there. They look pretty big so that is good. Enjoy the rest of the evening and I will talk to everyone later. Carrie, Tell her it is well worth the money to switch to the more energy efficient light bulbs. They may seem expensive but the return on your electricity bill will be worth it. Ours is lower, we notice it more in the winter time because here we have no choice but to run the A/C. I don't think we've changed a light bulb in about a year. I have all these old light bulbs that are still good and I don't know what to do with them. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, snoenk_y, Candence, and Carpe Diem Baby
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janielynn68		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3065 Fri, Jun 20, 2008 08:03 AM Admin	Since we switched to a 'squiggly' bulb in the light fixture that is in the basement hallway, we haven't had to change it out and this has been almost a year now. The old candescent bulb also would heat up that enclosed section and make it unbearable when you would open the door to go to the basement. The child that resides down there has a horrible habit of not turning off this light switch whenever they would descend to their room, and we were going through a pack of bulbs every month or so. I am checking to see if they make the 'squiggly' bulbs for our recessed lighting in the living room, and I will be switching all the ceiling fan lights over as well. We are also going to install another ceiling fan in the house, this time in the room that used to be ours and now is Jess's. Keeping the fans running on low speeds also helps in keeping the air comfortable here and the A/C off. Here in the South, A/C is a necessity, but little things can still help you save even when you must run it. With washing dishes, we run the dishwasher at normal load. Washing clothing, I use cold water temps. It is the little things that will add up over time, and give a longer life to your personal possessions. I have found life is like a softball game: Just when you think you have it ALL figured out, someone throws you a changup pitch. You then are left with Two choices: You can either throw your bat down and just walk away, or you can stand tall behind the plate and start swinging. Personally, I would rather go down swinging than give up the fight!!
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Fri, Jun 20, 2008 09:35 AM	janielynn68 wrote: Since we switched to a 'squiggly' bulb in the light fixture that is in the basement hallway, we haven't had to change it out and this has been almost a year now. The old candescent bulb also would heat up that enclosed section and make it unbearable when you would open the door to go to the basement. The child that resides down there has a horrible habit of not turning off this light switch whenever they would descend to their room, and we were going through a pack of bulbs every month or so. I am checking to see if they make the 'squiggly' bulbs for our recessed lighting in the living room, and I will be switching all the ceiling fan lights over as well. We are also going to install another ceiling fan in the house, this time in the room that used to be ours and now is Jess's. Keeping the fans running on low speeds also helps in keeping the air comfortable here and the A/C off. Here in the South, A/C is a necessity, but little things can still help you save even when you must run it. With washing dishes, we run the dishwasher at normal load. Washing clothing, I use cold water temps. It is the little things that will add up over time, and give a longer life to your personal possessions. Our ceiling fan in the kitchen has them in it. They're the smaller 'squiggly' bulbs though. Ceiling fan in the living room has them too. Still waiting on my new ceiling fan to be installed. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, snoenk_y, Candence, and Carpe Diem Baby
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Carrie2073		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7174 Fri, Jun 20, 2008 12:58 PM Admin	Good afternoon Tish. Thanks. I will be sure to tell my mother that. I think it would cut down on our electricity bill too. I did notice that Nancy seems to have the squiggly bulbs in her recessed lights in the hallway upstairs so they probably do have them Janie. Check it out. At least they looked like the squiggly ones last night. We don't have a dishwasher so we don't have to worry about waiting for a full load. We wash our dishes by hand and my mother washes our laundry in cold water alot instead of hot water. Got to get back to work. Enjoy the rest of the day and I will talk to both of you later.
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truffle04102		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 679 Wed, Jul 2, 2008 01:23 PM Admin	I feel guilty about not buying the reusable bags, but I need the plastic ones. I use them everyday when I scoop the cats' litter boxes. I also use them to bring lunch, but then recycle the lunch bags by using them to put client's purchases in. Tami
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janielynn68		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3065 Thu, Jul 3, 2008 07:07 AM Admin	That's a great way to pass on your plastic bags, Tami. We use ours as garbage bags: it is a lot easier for Caleb to carry to the garbage can than a bulky trash bag. The reusable bags came in handy at the beach, they held alot of items and were so easy just to stash under or behind the chair and no one bothered them. Here's something else for one to consider: if you are like I am and have a horrible time remembering the day of the month that you last changed your air conditioner/heat pump filter, get a reusable one. You just wash it off, let it dry, and then reinstall. Some of these have a life of 5 years or more with proper care. Or, you can switch to filters that are guaranteed to last for 3 months before needing to be changed. I have found life is like a softball game: Just when you think you have it ALL figured out, someone throws you a changup pitch. You then are left with Two choices: You can either throw your bat down and just walk away, or you can stand tall behind the plate and start swinging. Personally, I would rather go down swinging than give up the fight!!
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Carrie2073		#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7174 Thu, Jul 3, 2008 07:22 AM Admin	Good morning everyone. The town of Westport where I live in Connecticut is trying to ban all plastic bags being used at all stores and companies here in Westport. There are people that are happy about it and then there are people that aren't happy about it. All stores include the grocery stores too! They were supposed to vote on it in July, but may not vote on it until September since alot of people are on vacation this summer and there wouldn't be enough people to vote on it. I'm one that isn't happy about the ban either, but it will be good for the environment so that is good. The RTM is who votes on it so I am anxious to see how it comes out. We use our plastic bags for garbage too and my grandmother does the same thing. It's easier for her to use plastic bags for her garbage instead of the big plastic garbage bags. She will empty the little ones into the big ones when they are full. I am still trying to convince my mother to change out light bulbs out for the more efficient ones. I'll convince her eventually! Have a great day and I will talk to everyone later.
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Sun, Jul 20, 2008 12:04 PM	janielynn68 wrote: Since we switched to a 'squiggly' bulb in the light fixture that is in the basement hallway, we haven't had to change it out and this has been almost a year now. The old candescent bulb also would heat up that enclosed section and make it unbearable when you would open the door to go to the basement. The child that resides down there has a horrible habit of not turning off this light switch whenever they would descend to their room, and we were going through a pack of bulbs every month or so. I am checking to see if they make the 'squiggly' bulbs for our recessed lighting in the living room, and I will be switching all the ceiling fan lights over as well. We are also going to install another ceiling fan in the house, this time in the room that used to be ours and now is Jess's. Keeping the fans running on low speeds also helps in keeping the air comfortable here and the A/C off. Here in the South, A/C is a necessity, but little things can still help you save even when you must run it. With washing dishes, we run the dishwasher at normal load. Washing clothing, I use cold water temps. It is the little things that will add up over time, and give a longer life to your personal possessions. Same goes for us! Haven't changed a light bulb in forever since switching. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, Sarah, cadence, and Carpe Diem Baby. Vote James Scott Adonis 2008 Check out my boards: SoapWorld Classic Soaps and Scott's Sirens ~ All about James Scott
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Sun, Jul 20, 2008 12:05 PM	truffle04102 wrote: I feel guilty about not buying the reusable bags, but I need the plastic ones. I use them everyday when I scoop the cats' litter boxes. I also use them to bring lunch, but then recycle the lunch bags by using them to put client's purchases in. Tami, I still get a few for that reason. The plastic bags can be recycled too. Lots of the extras I get with holes in them go in the recycling bin. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, Sarah, cadence, and Carpe Diem Baby. Vote James Scott Adonis 2008 Check out my boards: SoapWorld Classic Soaps and Scott's Sirens ~ All about James Scott
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Sun, Jul 20, 2008 12:08 PM	Carrie2073 wrote: Good morning everyone. The town of Westport where I live in Connecticut is trying to ban all plastic bags being used at all stores and companies here in Westport. There are people that are happy about it and then there are people that aren't happy about it. All stores include the grocery stores too! They were supposed to vote on it in July, but may not vote on it until September since alot of people are on vacation this summer and there wouldn't be enough people to vote on it. I'm one that isn't happy about the ban either, but it will be good for the environment so that is good. The RTM is who votes on it so I am anxious to see how it comes out. We use our plastic bags for garbage too and my grandmother does the same thing. It's easier for her to use plastic bags for her garbage instead of the big plastic garbage bags. She will empty the little ones into the big ones when they are full. I am still trying to convince my mother to change out light bulbs out for the more efficient ones. I'll convince her eventually! Have a great day and I will talk to everyone later. I think it is fine to use reusable bags but not everyone will want to do that. Also, the plastic bags CAN BE recycled. They go right in with all the other plastic stuff that can be recycled. That is what I do with the ones I do get that have holes in them. I recycle them. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, Sarah, cadence, and Carpe Diem Baby. Vote James Scott Adonis 2008 Check out my boards: SoapWorld Classic Soaps and Scott's Sirens ~ All about James Scott
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Carrie2073		#19	[url]	[-]
Posts: 7174 Sun, Jul 20, 2008 09:44 PM Admin	Good evening Tish. Nothing has happened about banning the plastic bags in my home town yet and don't know if it will come about or not. I reuse the plastic bags too. I think there will be alot of unhappy people in Westport if they do that! Have a great night.
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AWFAN4EVER1975		#20	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6616 Tue, Sep 9, 2008 12:17 PM	Got to report back. I'm absolutely amazed at the amount of plastic both me and my hubby use in a month. I take at least 3 thirteen gallon trash bags full of plastic to recycling each month. It just makes me think WOW, what a difference two people can make. There is that much less stuff going in a landfill somewhere. I've also begun saving all our cardboard. I even found a place that will recycling it (the local program here does not take cardboard). I'll even get a little cash back for it. I don't plan to keep the cash. I will donate it when I get enough of it. I have more to share but will do that later. Banners by babylawpup, SavvyGrl24, Sarah, cadence, and Carpe Diem Baby. Check out my boards: SoapWorld Classic Soaps and Scott's Sirens ~ All about James Scott
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