You to can be Green!!

[Jaydena]

The Green Ajah wishes you a  Happy Earth Day, as the Green ajah, we would like to encourage you to recycle, reuse, and reduce what you use. *G* Walk or bike where you can, turn the water off when you are brushing your teeth (which we hope you are doing  ;)) and don't use those waterbottles that you buy for a 1.25 a piece or so. There are so many things you can do to be Green too.

[Nephitess]

Sorry i did not see this sooner...

 

I hope everyone had a good earth day this past week. Trying to be eco-friendly is soooo important!!

[Loreina]

OK, this had to have been in the Twilight Zone, 'cause I just totally checked everything yesterday and didn't see it!  ::)

 

I bought three of the reusable shopping bags, but I keep forgetting to take them to the store with me. *lol*

 

But, we have replaced our old washer with one of the HE models, even though it cost us a lot more. We have replaced all three toilets with the water saver models. We keep the lights off during the day, unless we're reading. We set the thermostat at 80 in the summer and 68 in the winter. As soon as we get the money, we are going to put in point of use water heaters. I'd love to put solar panels in, but that may take a while now.  :)

 

 

[Taya]

Yeah, solar panels are the holy grail really, but I am not sure I know anyone who's been able to afford 'em *g* Or maybe I just don't know they have them. Hehe.

[Nephitess]

OOooo yes...I think if i ever have the house i want built..i'll have solar panels put in to. Such an awesome invention!

[Tynaal Consen]

I would totally bike everywhere if we didnt live so far away from everything  :-[

[Nephitess]

That kinda stinks Tynaal. I know how you feel. I take transit to work everyday. :(

[Bursius]

I have an old house built in 1915.  It is 2.5 stories, including the walk up attic.  All the walls have insulation, since it was rehabbed before I got it.  The natural gas furnace is new and greatly efficient.  I have one of those tankless hot water heaters that saves energy while serving a large household.  I have 4 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a rec room, a den, a library, and the full dry basement includes a laundry area.  All the rooms are underlaid by oak floors which are roughly the age of the house, though the entry, the kitchen and all 3 bathrooms have tile overlaying the wood.  All the windows are double hung and insulated to protect against heat loss, though the 8 stained glass windows that were added in 1932 are so pretty, I will live with them even if they prove to be drafty.  I can add a storm window to the outside so the stained glass look remains for those in the house.  The detached 2.5 car garage has solar panels on the roof which tie into a store of batteries, backed up by an electric heater so I can work out in the garage at night and do repairs if it is raining.  It is not perfect, though I keep getting ideas to further conserve each month in magazines and on tv. 

[Raeyn]

I bought three of the reusable shopping bags, but I keep forgetting to take them to the store with me. *lol*

 

It took us AGES to remember to take them... we felt pretty bad about it.  But my mother-in-law wrapped all the Christmas gifts in some to increase our stock, and after that, we got a lot better about remembering to use them. :)

 

It also helps that the bags at the store have decreased significantly in quality, so it's a real encouragement to -not- use them...

[Carwyn]

Recycling... CHECK!

 

Energy efficient light bulbs... no check. Only because they have Mercury in them and I am too paranoid with a set of two year old twins running rampant.

 

House set to 60 degrees... CHECK!

 

and reusable bags... CHECK!

 

hopefully doing my part to save the environment... PRICELESS!

[Jaydena]

Love the siggy!! One thing I was seeing the other day is that if we unplug things like our cellphone charger and put our comp, tv etc on a power strip that we shut off, it saves a ton of energy. Also it reduces our power bill, because those things draw power even when nothing is on or plugged into them. I am going to start doing that as we have most of our stuff on power stripes. Bur do you have pics of your house, it sounds lovely! I need to get some of the reusable bags, I keep looking at them and going, money is tight and diapers are more important. *G*

[Alanna]

I used to always forget to take my reuseable bags to the grocery store too :P  I always remember them now, though.  Not only are they green, they're actually way easier to carry groceries in ;D

 

Wow, I didn't know leaving things like your cell phone charger plugged in still uses power.  *takes our phone charger right now*  Good to know!

[Carwyn]

Good to know!

*clicks pen and lowers it*... sorry Girl, Interrupted moment... <_< >_> <_<

 

Oh yeah, and we run on natural gas.

 

Another tip. Even though it seems like a pain in the butt, making sure sinks and toilets aren't leaky can save a LOT of money. I know that we had a busted toilet in the basement and it made out utility bill outrageous! 

[Raeyn]

 

I, like many, cannot use the energy efficient lightbulbs.  I end up with a blazing headache in no time flat, and then I'm pretty darn useless.  My mother-in-law kindly found us a 100 watt bulb (seems they're not common here, and too bright for most people O_o) for our 'office' at work, and that keeps me from hurting too badly... most times.

 

But yes, leaving things plugged in or on standby mode sucks up the juice... the UK is very big on pointing that out.  *shrugs*

[Aidian]

Energy efficient light bulbs... no check. Only because they have Mercury in them and I am too paranoid with a set of two year old twins running rampant.

 

Yes, yes, Car your children would find SOME way to get a ladder and climb up to the ceiling and unscrew the bulbs and drop it. pft! Well, I suppose Jack would figure it out, but Alie is a princess.

[Bursius]

I would like to recommnd two magazines that have been out for a while and have both Green ideas, and do-it-yourself home improvement ideas so not only can you feel good being green, but your wallet can feel better too.  If you have a household emergency and already know how to fix things, you can be the family hero as well. 

 

1.  Mother Earth News - it is kind of hippie oriented, but it has matured as hippie types have bought their own places and encountered problems, and devised solutions to many of life's difficulties.  I learned to make solar panels using an article out of this mag  back in the day before there were many places to get solar panels.  The split level house I lived in in Herndon VA in the early 90s, used hot water all the time, which was heated using the solar panels.  The heating in the house was parially furnished off the solar collectors, which were basically free, just lots of elbow grease. 

 

Ever wonder how to repel bugs from your veggie plants without using costly and dangerous chemicals?  I found out.  Boil some onions for dinner, and keep the water after taking out the onions.  Put the water into a pump spray bottle and spray your veggie plants.  The pests HATE onion juice.  You get rid of pesky bugs and do the organic garden thing at the same time.

 

These and many other subjects are found in the current and back issues.  This mag has been out for well over 20 years.

 

2.  This Old House - This mag is related to the tv program of the same name.  It follows folks as they rehab/restore old houses and shows in sufficient detail how the solutions to house problems are done.  Ever want to build a brick patio, or want to build a border between the garden and garden path?  Ever need a handyperson to do a small chore around the house?  Find out how to do the chore for little or no money possibly.  I find lots of solutions to common problems.  Plumbing problems are covered, as are putting down new tile floors in kitchen/bathroom, turning a half bath into a full bath as a family grows and folks get tired of lining up for a bath in the morning.  Most importantly, if a job requires someone with certain skills, or the job might be dngerous, they recommend you call in some one who can do it - Electrician, plumber, carpender, pest control, etc.

 

They have online indexes so if you want to know if a back issue has an article on a thing you want to do, find out online.

 

I have a claw footed free standing bath tub which I took off the feet, created a frame around it, did caulking and wall tiling, and finally, installed a tub enclosure using info from this mag.  There are lots of green tips all throughout the mag.

 

Ever wonder how to control mosquitos in the back yard, but are not into spraying chemicals all over?  Try installing a koi pond (Gold fish).  The ponds have pumps which keep the water moving, and the fish eat the bugs and their larvae - presto - an organic solution to mosquito bites.

 

Both mags are found at walmart, and Barnes & Noble bookstores.  Try using these mag titles in a google search and see if the results give you more Green suggestions you can use.

[Guest Selene]

Can I really be Green? I love the Greens in the books! Are the Greens here like the Greens in the book?

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Can I really be Green? I love the Greens in the books! Are the Greens here like the Greens in the book?

 

Hey Selene,

 

First darlin welcome to the tower! Second of course you can be Green if you want to. You must wait to declare till you are an Accepted but if the Greens feel like home to you then yes of course. This thread is actually about Earth Day whose slogan this years was Green Generation, so that's one of the reason Jade put up this thread. When you can see the rest of the tower don't hesitate to stop by our boards we love visitors and would be happy to interact with you *snuggle*

[Guest Selene]

Happy Earth Day then!!

 

And I think I stopped by the Ajah already but i'll be sure to come back! *snuggles*

[Jaydena]

LOL anyone can be a Green, or a Blue, or a Brown, etc etc. You just have to want to get raised and get to know the people in it. I will look forward to you stopping by hun.