Turning your household green, one drop at a time

November 9th, 2009

Being green is certainly in vogue these days. Unlike some fashion trends, being green needs to become a way of life, and not go out of style. But like many things, becoming more environmentally friendly is overwhelming if taken to an extreme. So start out small. Take baby steps, just like we teach our children. Come up with small, simple goals, and try to reach them. Here are some ideas that are simple and easy to do:

1. Print on both sides of the paper: It takes a little patience, but just print page one, then put it back in right side up and print page 2. Simple.  I’ve been doing this for awhile and it is now second nature. Theoretically, this will cut my paper use in half, but I’m not totally diligent yet.
2. Rip paper towels in half: I admit it, I love using paper towels instead of sponges because of the germ factor. So, I just fold them and rip them in half for simple jobs. My kids are trained this way too.
3. Collect leftover drinking water: My kitchen is littered with cups filled with 1-2 inches of water. I pour them in an attractive pitcher by the sink and water potted plants with it.
4. Buy reusable water bottles and keep them accessible: That way, you are less likely to buy wasteful plastic disposable water bottles for convenience sake only. Reduce WaterWeek was designed exactly for this purpose and they work great for us.
5. Buy large boxes and bags of food: Instead of buying small packets of crackers and snacks, buy bigger containers and put in little baggies.

These are just five simple tips, but there are so many more simple and easy ideas out there. Do you have any eco-friendly tips you’d like to share? We’d love to hear.

 Rani Quirk, Marketing Manager

Entry Filed under: Blog, Go Green