Good Green Fun!!

Backgammon good low tech fun.

Want to have fun without even pluggin' in or turning anything on? Try board games. There fun and better yet there green. Not only is this old school technology that doesn't cost a thing, it's green. That's right no electricity to run this, no controls to mess with. Just good green fun, with the added bonus that this and other board games help keep your mind sharp. Instead of mindless gaming, this actually helps your mind and social skills. It's interactive. Lots of laughing and chatting will ensue as soon as you set up a game. So try it. It's green.

Greening up the Laundry

Here's a green tip from "What did you do that was Green today?"
Laundry 1, 2, 3.
1.Wash in cold/cold water using a biodegradable detergent like this (see pics below)....Remember to do a full load or adjust water height as needed.
2.Hang Dry....it's that simple. Hang your laundry to dry. That's right. I use a wooden and a metal laundry rack. These inexpensive racks can hold a lot of laundry. You need to plan ahead for your laundry, as drying times can vary (as little as 24 hours) depending on the temperature.Try to use a warm room or outdoors on a line. If it's winter obviously that may not work, drying racks are a great alternative. In the winter I use a small fan to blow on the clothes, just like nature. This is much less expensive than running the dryer.  
3. Have fun. Taking time out to hang your clothes gives you time to breath in your busy day.

Use Cold/Cold Setting

Biokleen this is an excellent product

Clean laundry hanging with small fan below

March 23, 2011

I know this isn't really "green" but boy was it good and there is avocado in it  and that may make it count. (Hubby treated me to dinner tonight).Yummy.......

What I did that was green today.......I walked to the credit union and then a little extra just for exercise.

This saves on gas and gave me the added benefit of exercise. I used my reusable bags again for groceries (just call me a bag lady). See previous post for picture of me with my many bags. I recycled what I could out of the office garbage. I reused an old box for something I needed to ship. I save a few of the nicer ones I get for shipping my own stuff in. Saving resources and reusing a perfectly good item. Using items more than once is green. Not putting things into the garbage/recycle flow and reusing them makes sense. Try it. It's GREEN.

What did you do that was green today?

Here I am with one of my many reusable grocery bags.

What I did green today is I used my reusable mug for my coffee today. I used both sides of the paper for printing today. I recycled what I could from the trash at work. I reused a plastic cup today for drinking while I was on the road. I also used a ceramic mug for much of my day today and rewashed it when I was done. I used my reusable plastic bags today for groceries and I bought an organic and local tomato at my local mom and pop store Speer's (this is the store I often refer to as having lots of organic and local veggies) It's a wonderful local resource. It feels good to be green. You should try it....What did you do that was green today/

Using Green Techniques on Mom's New Place...

My mother in law has been staying with us for the last 42 days (but who's counting?). Anyway, we found her a wonderful apartment near us in this darling complex right in our little town in northern California. We feel really good about the setting and amenities, everything is in close walking distance, there are beautiful views of the river and lovely grounds. We were anxiously awaiting moms move to her new place. Unfortunately her things are in storage and we had run into some snags about getting the things out. This has delayed her move in day dramatically. Did I mention she has been paying rent for nearly a month and not living there. After a particularly bad storm and power outage at our house we decided that mom should move into her place anyway, after all it is in town and there was heat and electricity a bed and she surely would be more comfortable than at our house in the cold and dark. She didn't take much convincing, that heat and light would probably be better. I didn't know exactly what I should do about getting her the things she would need to get her started there. I laid in bed all morning thinking about how I would need to run here and there picking up the things she needed. This wasn't a very exciting idea as there was a good amount of storm damage on the roads, so I decided to "Go Shopping" at our house and quickly found the necessary items she would need. Extra sheets, blankets, comforter, towels, dishes, lamps etc....We had just enough extra stuff to outfit mom until she is ready to deal with her storage stuff. I also picked up some hangers at the local "junk store"(used items store).   I feel good that we were able to launch mom into her new place and provide her with things from our house and not buy new stuff. Reusing and re-purposing what you already have is a great green technique. That way your not adding to consumerism by buying new stuff that uses our precious resources. Let's face it we all ready have so much stuff. The energy and resources needed to make more doesn't seem worth it. Please try to reuse what you have, it feels good to be green. P.S I also used my reusable shopping bags to pick up a few things for mom and myself. I also walked to the store saving a trip in the car and gas. I bought organic greens too. I cleaned up the storm debris and put in in the compost bin, it will make great soil someday. What did you do that was green today?

March 18, 2011

What I did that was green today...
I recycled printing paper using both sides to print. I combined errands today to save gas. I used my reusable shopping bags for groceries. I picked up shoes that I had being repaired by a local cobbler instead of throwing them out and buying new ones, they turned out fantastic! What a great thing to do...save shoes you love. I wore them to a party later that night. I recycled what I could from the garbage's from work, I turned down the heater in our office suite before I left to save energy and money while we're not there . I hung up the clothes I was wearing for work instead of throwing them into the laundry. I feel good being green. You should too!