Greener Living
With the economy in the shape that it is in and with more and more people becoming concerned with shrinking resources, it is time for you to take a moment and see how going green can put more money back in your pocket!
There are many people out there who feel that going green is too much effort for too little reward, but the truth of the matter is that going green can be good for your wallet as well as being good for the earth! Take a look at just a few methods that will allow you both be kinder to the environment and to save up a little bit of cash as well. One of the top ways that you can save money when you want to go green is to start taking public transport.
With more and more people working from home, think about whether you really need your car. Take some time and really consider what your options are going to be for getting around without it. A city with a good bus route, a car pool or a car share can make getting around very straightforward, and with that in mind, you are going to be able to stop paying for car insurance, gas and car maintenance as well.
Consider how to save power in your home. It can range from something a simple as turning the lights in your home off when they are not in use, to using a clothesline to dry your clothes. If you want to get more technologically savvy, give up incandescent lighting in favour of new LED technology or Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL).
These are all great ways to give you a bit more cash and to shrink your power bill a little. Another good way to save cash while helping the environment is to look at your water bill. There are lots of ways to save water, and while some require a bit of cash, others do not. One investment that will pay for itself is the use of water conservative shower heads. You may not notice, but when you take a shower, you are consuming as much water as you would for a bath.
A shower head that is meant to save water can halve the amount of water you use without making an appreciable difference in your showering experience. Leave a bucket in the shower with you and use it to water your plants. Also consider how you clean your house. Not only are most cleaners bad for you, they can get into the groundwater supply. Instead, check out traditional and highly effective methods of cleaning your home and appliances.
One great stain remover is baking soda, which will help you lift stains off harsh surfaces as an abrasive, while another terrific cleansing material is white vinegar, which you can leave to soak. Saving money is not difficult if you put your mind to it, but do see how you can integrate saving the planet as well; it is easier than you think!
Easy Ways to Make your Home More Eco-Friendly
We all want to do our part to protect the environment, but without a large paycheck, that can be seem difficult, if not impossible. But doing your part doesn’t have to be hard. Small steps add up to a big difference, you just have to know which ones to take.
Use less water.
Saving water is all about small steps, here are a few that will help save big.
- Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
- Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
- Only flush the toilet when you need to
- Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
- Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.
Use less energy.
If you don’t have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes.
- Buy energy efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
- Unplug chargers when you’re not using them. Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there’s nothing attached to them.
- Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when you’re not using them. These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
- Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
- Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy.
When it comes to saving energy and water, it’s a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water. You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.
Reuse.
Most of us know the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your home that can be reused – toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strip to make plant labels. Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.
Use environmentally friendly products. When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more “natural” or “eco friendly” products every time. There are generally two big problems with these products: 1. Just because they’re more natural than regular products, doesn’t mean they’re entirely natural. 2, They’re often expensive.
If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself. Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner. Some quick searching online will lead you to hundreds of other natural safe home-made cleaning products.
We all knowing that going green means better for the environment, but it’s also better for you. Conserving resources also helps save you money, which is something most of us are happy to live with.
Nature – The Ultimate Playground for Kids
Every year parents spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on toys and activities for their kids. While many of things are great for keeping young minds and bodies active, many of them are unnecessary. Sure kids need structured play, but they also need “free” plan and this is easy to do when the world’s largest playground is right outside your back door. Why not let them play outside?
Every toy, book, and TV show that comes out has been designed and redesigned several times in order to make it educational and entertaining for children. The great thing about nature is that, while being entertaining and stimulating to the imagination, it’s also educational. Nature can teach children the basics of science, economics, and creativity.
It’s cheap. Depending on where you live, exploring nature is usually pretty inexpensive, if not free. It may mean going out in your backyard, local park, or perhaps going to the local nature center or state park (which usually have low cost fees or memberships). This way, you don’t have to pay for expensive toys, jungle gyms, or memberships to expensive entertainment centers, but you still get the benefit of stimulating and educational play.
It makes them think. Lately there’s been a trend in education towards inquiry based learning. Researchers have found that if students explore and experiment to figure out answers on their own, they’re going to learn better, and retain more information. It also helps them develop skills to be able to learn things on their own later. What better environment to learn things than out in nature. There are lessons for kids of all ages to discover about the world around them.
It may help the world. Everyone these days is trying to be more green and more environmentally conscious. What better way to help do your part than to get your children interested in their own planet than right now when they’re young and impressionable? What might be a fun time for them now, might be a future hobby, career, or world saving invention.
It’s fun. While it’s easy to forget, childhood isn’t just for learning about how to be an adult, it’s also about having fun. Nature gives kids a chance to use their imagination and be free to just be kids.
While unstructured play outside is great for kids, you can also find a lot of places offering structured classes and learning sessions for kids that focus on the natural world. Check your local park, zoo, or museum. There’s a good chance they have classes you can sign up for, and since many of these places are not for profit, they’re usually affordable as well as informative.
Across the world, there are millions of dollars being spent to help promote sending your kids outside to learn from nature. That’s because spending time in the outside world is so important for developing minds. It can also be a great escape for you as well.