Save the Earth and Some Money Too
Posted by Gail | Filed under Good ideas
With all the hullabaloo about Going Green, I started thinking about what I do and what I need to change. Going Green isn’t just a good idea environmentally, it often brings significant savings along with.
Some time ago I forewent bottled water. It was a combination of something PJ said and that great ad on TV: “one hour in a meeting, forever in a landfill.” So now the kids and I drink water from jugs or reusable bottles I keep in the fridge. Each day I have to wash and refill the bottles, but that beats the hell out of the bag of plastic bottles I used to haul to the curb. I live in Brighton, which means I don’t have to do anything to the water from my tap… yeah!
I’ve been an avid composter ever since I moved from the city to the bush. I compost about a garbage-bag’s worth of stuff every week. I know this because about several weeks ago my last composter (I had two) filled up and I had to resort to the garbage as I contemplated my next move. My garbage doubled! Yea gads! Part of my quandary was that with two composters already on my lot, I wondered where I was going to put the other five I would need before the first two broke down completely. Yup, I have a lot of compost. Hey, a cantaloupe and a pineapple and the bucket’s full! Never mind all the orange rinds if I make my chicken in orange sauce. When I was at my old house it wasn’t a big deal since we could just walk out to the pile in the Back 40. But now that I’m in a neighbourhood, I wonder how many composters I can put on my very small lot before the neighbours start stoning my house. I decided to start with two more, and managed to find a discrete place to put them. The township sold them to be for $36, which means they’ll pay for themselves in half a year (garbage bag tags divided into composters equal 26 weeks).
I recycle everything I can. Hey, with garbage tags at $2.75 a pop, recycling is not only environmentally sound it saves significant amounts of money. I usually have two bags of recycling… sometimes three if I have to throw away the laundry soap bottles! When are companies in Canada going to start selling their products in “refill” containers: tetra-packs and the like that use less plastic? They’d have my biz in a heartbeat.
I’ve long been a user of those compact fluorescent light bulbs. Every time I switch out an existing bulb, I replace it with a fluorescent. My friend Tasha refuses to use them because she says they burn out in no time flat. But mine have lasted as long as five years. Anyone else had experience with fluorescents that burn out fast?
I never use the dry cycle on my dishwasher. I leave the oven door open to let the heat into the room after I’m done baking or roasting. I usually wash in cold water. And I bought those nifty Loblaws shopping bags so long ago, mine have already paid for themselves. I can’t believe how much stuff they hold and how strong they are.
I’m one of the few people I know who hates line drying… no matter how much money I might save or how environmentally friendly it is, I’m not about to switch to scratchy sheets and towels. And I haaaaate putting on stiff clothes. I do hang-dry most of my good tops and anything Alex doesn’t want to shrink… and that saves about a load of drying a week. It also adds moisture to the air in the winter. In the summer our clothes are lighter and so the moisture build-up is less.
I won’t give up my paper towels. Yes, I have loads of cloth ones that I use regularly – I do a load of kitchen/cleaning towels a week — but there are some things a paper towel is good for (resting over a plate of food in the microwave, wiping up chicken goop, sopping up bacon grease) that I won’t give up the convenience. I guess I go through a small roll a week. How does that compare to you guys?
I’m not prepared to turn off my shower and freeze my buns off while I shampoo my hair. But I also don’t take more than a 12-minute shower. I know people who won’t flush their toilets more than once a day because it wastes water, but I draw the line at watching last night’s dinner float around the bowl.
I’m contemplating turning off my power bars at night. I’ll have to admit I’m not convinced of the value of this just yet. I do turn off the one for the kids’ desktop since it sometimes goes days without being used. But mine stays on… hmmm. Anyone ever done an analysis on how much electricity you actually save?
I live in an R2000 house now so I don’t know how much room there is to improve my energy efficiency. And no one in my house leaves a room without turning off the lights. But is there more a body can do to make their home less energy consuming?
I telecommute three days a week. On the other two days I more than make up for the time I wasn’t on the road as I drive, drive, drive to get to the people I work with. I think it balances out. I know this year will be more energy efficient than last because having moved to town I no longer need to commute 160 km a day to get the kids to and from school.
Okay, it’s your turn. How have you become more energy conscious over the past year? And how much money are you saving? What are you using that money for now?
June 3, 2009 at 7:12 am
I only dry towels and sheets in the dryer – my parents always dried them in the home, so that’s what I grew up with, and when I moved into res (and then later, started renting), drying things suddenly started to cost money!
Personally, I have better things to do with my money than spend $1.75 drying a load of clothes – I stick them on my hanging rack (I’ve had it for the last 6 years now) or hang them up over the bathtub, and they’re already prefolded/hung for me when they’re dry!
As for paper towels … I’ve had the same package for more than a year. However, we did get a roll when we moved into this apartment 7 months ago, and that roll is gone. When I buy them, I get the rolls with “1/2″ sheets, and only take one piece at a time – but I also change the dish cloths frequently, and use microfibre cloths (in different colours) for cleaning.
Other things – I use reusable pads and something called a diva cup instead of having to waste money monthly – I’ve had them for 4 or 5 years now, and all I can say is that the initial $40 for the cup sure beats out the cost of $10 a month on things!
Also, I use TTC and can get to work in 15 minutes (I could walk, and arrive in about 40 minutes, but I tend to be lazier in the mornings, and I get picked up and dropped off with door-to-door service!)
Sadly, living in an apartment building means there isn’t a green-bin program – I spoke to my super about it, but they said they couldn’t do anything for it (or rather, weren’t willing for the added expense to change it all over).
I also use reusable bags everywhere – Toronto merchants now charge 5cents a bag for things, so it’s good I’ve had that habit for awhile! On the same vein of that, there’s a “Grassroots” store near us that lets you bring your own bottles to refill for soap, laundry detergent, cleaners, etc – so they do in fact exist, Gail!
We don’t really have a lot of things using power, and turn lights off when they aren’t in need. We do have an A/C – being on the 20th storey facing west with no other apartments blocking you means there’s a significant amount of heat that comes into the apartment – great in the winter, sucky in the summer! So, we have a window box, but it only gets turned on after I get home from work, and we can turn it off with a timer for shortly after going to bed (though the fan will still blow).
Oh, I also use vinegar, baking soda and lemon for cleaning, and I think it’s much safer for me than using chemicals (and better for my nose too).
That’s all I can think of for now.
June 3, 2009 at 7:18 am
I hear you about the garbage! We live in Brighton too and at $2.75 a tag we only put out about a bag a month. Luckily we are just outside of town and have lots of room for compost. We also put out 2-3 large recycling bags a week. It drives me crazy when I go to my parents place, the amount of garbage they throw out – because it’s free!
We have moved to a water cooler too, instead of bottled water. (Unfortunately we are not on town water and our well isn’t great.) This has saved a ton of plastic over the last six months.
I try to never run half loads of laundry and once the summer comes and I am home (I am a teacher.) I will be drying the clothes outside.
I am curious to hear when the new electricity rates will kick in outside of Toronto and how that will affect consumption.
June 3, 2009 at 7:26 am
We switched to bullfrogpower.com jan . 2008. Almost all the lightbulbs are CFL in our home. We recycle religiously.
Paper towels are seldom used. Plastic bags for shopping have been out for a few years. Since we’ve been separating the organics in the recycle from the regular garbage, I was able to stop using plastic liners in the garbage. We take the TTC every day, we only use the car on the weekend. When I shop, I always take in consideration the packaging.
I’m trying to make Harmonia milk work for us, where you return the glass bottle just like a beer bottle, but didn’t manage to get it right yet.
But I still get a coffee every other morning in a disposable cup. I’ve been struggling with that one.
Don’t have a clothesline yet, but I’m planning to get one. I’ve been planning to get one for a few years.
June 3, 2009 at 7:29 am
Oh yes. I make sure that part of my RRSP and my son’s RESP is in green initiatives.
I read somewhere that out of all the actions that a private person can take in their own home, this one has by far the most impact.
June 3, 2009 at 7:48 am
Gail, composters aren’t supposed to multiply in your yard! After six months to a year you should be using the compost on your garden or lawn. Might want to check up on why your composters aren’t working properly. I have a nifty gadget that checks the amount of electricity each appliance uses, would be happy to lend it to you. I think you can also borrow one from your local power authority. You would be surprised about the electrical consumption of whats called “phantom load” , that the lectricity used when although whatever is turned “off” it still uses electricity.
June 3, 2009 at 7:59 am
We put in a clothesline, insulated the hot water heater and water pipes, keep our furnace on 18 during the day and 15 at night. We also live by the “when its yellow let it mellow” mantra, but do not feel guilty about flushing down the brown. lol. My husband takes transit to work (I am on maternity leave). We have city composting and recycling, so we only put out one small garbage bag a week. Plus we found these “kitchen compost” biodegradable plastic bags that work perfectly for garbage! The bag will eventually break down, hastening the breakdown of the other garbage, instead of entombing it in balck bags for life.
YAY Diva cup. I haven’t bought a menstrual product in 6 years. That’s a savings of over $700.00 for me. We also cloth diaper. Even with the extra water and energy used in washing them they are better than disposables. And they are surprisingly easy, and do not leak NEARLY as often as disposables. The money savings I shudder to think of the alternatives. We spent $350 on diapers. Disposables cost thousands before your kids are trained. Yikes. We don’t have that kind of money. Breastfeeding instead of using formula is also a big money and environment saver.
We tried the corn husk kitty litter, which is biodegradable, but one of our cats hated it, so litter is a big source of our garbage. Another problem we have is our city (Halifax) only recycles plastics 1 and 2, so things like yogurt containers go in the garbage, and my husband has been pretty resistant to getting one big one and taking a bit in a tupperware to work. Another problem is meat trays. I am trying to sneak in more vegetarian meals. Cheaper AND more environmentally friendly. I am also a lover of long hot showers, so we installed a watersaver shower head. I try to keep it under 15 minutes. Those are my vices!
Unfortunately, some green measures cost more money. The biodegradable kitty litter, environmentally-friendly detergents and cleaning products (I am not industrious enough to make my own), biodegradable garbage bags. Same with buying organic meats, and fruit (although we substitute with local foods and are trying to grow some of our own-i am not a natural green thumb).
June 3, 2009 at 8:04 am
Our biggest effort is not to recycle (yet we do) but to reduce. We buy very little food in cans primarily due to high salt content and fear of BPA. The bonus is very few cans to recycle. All our bills save 1 arrive electronically which reduces paper tremendously. We do not buy newspapers and I have dramatically reduced the number of magazines that I buy as I have found most of the info that I am interested in is on line.
We have only 1 television (egad! yes, we do exist
and only 1 car. We do without the expensive toys like bikes, boats, skidoos and trailers. Whenever the need to use them hit we just rent them instead. Ditto on the summer home also.
We are not clothes hogs nor are we slaves to fashion. Filling a walk-in closet that is the size of a small room is not a priority for us. We don’t smoke, rarely drink and never gamble. We have reduced eating out cause quite frankly it is too expensive and the food is of poor quality. We would rather stay at home and cook it ourselves. This means that our grocery bill has increased, but we still save money overall.
Like Gail we try and reduce our energy consumption. We do use the dryer though. Wash in cold water. We have a programmable thermostat and have an energy efficient home. All our appliances are energy efficient. I also enjoy the convenience of paper towels and have found that I use way less by buying the “select a size.” We do not have CFLs as I am not yet convinced that they are safe to use.
My biggest green gripe right now is home builders. I wish that we had a smaller house – one in which we used all the space that was available. But, builders aren’t building them and I am not yet ready to buy a 50 year old house and completely renovate it.
Oh, and before I forget, I am also trying to find creative ways to get rid of the lawn around my house. Talk about an energy hog. With all the fertilizing, weeding, watering and mowing! It’s gotta go.
June 3, 2009 at 8:25 am
I am impressed by some of the readers’ diligence!
For my small part, I do dry sheets and smaller stuff outside in the summer.
We installed a heat pump last fall and despite the large initial outlay, our gas bill was half!! I don’t like a/c, so the argument will be on as the summer heats up.
I do use my composter and all my outdoor flower pots this year were filled with my composted kitchen waste.
I never use papertowels and try to use natural cleaning products like vinegar for the windows and baking soda to clean my porcelain sink.
I have not had good luck with those new fangled lightbulbs, found they burned out very quickly.
In my neck of the woods hosing off sidewalks and driveways is a popular hobby. THAT makes my CRAZY!!! so I wish people would use a darn broom.
I do confess, I love my yard and my pond (which does have a pump) but convinced my husband not to use fertilizer/weed killer on it. So we did save a couple of hundred dollars with not using that service, but swapped it for a mowing service—haha. And the underground sprinklers save water and come on in the night so less evaporation.
I also would like to see less packaging in soaps and all manner of consumer products.
Nice to see so many people are trying to do their part!
June 3, 2009 at 8:41 am
I do dry my sheets/towels outside but my husband hates it, so we now compromise. I take them down dry and pop them in the dryer to ‘fluff up’ and it only takes about 5 minutes.
Anyone not sure what the Diva cup is, you need to search it. It has saved me about $10 / month for 5 years = $600 (less it’s initial $40 cost).
June 3, 2009 at 8:47 am
Nice column today Gail.
I’m not sure if any of my ‘green’ behaviour is saving me lots of money, but it sure is reducing the amount of garbage i have to drag to the curb on a weekly basis.
For years, we bought bottled water. I’m not sure why we started. The water where we live is fine.
A while ago, my job started sending me to the plants where they bottled the water. I began to see the actual toll on the environment regarding bottled water… At least how it appears in my eyes. Truck after truck driving all the way up to this remote location with empty bottles and other supplies… and then truck after truck driving up there to pick up loads of water… I have/had lots of time to sit and ‘watch the world go by’, and think, while I am waiting for my trailer to loaded or unloaded. I used to feel bad for the folks that lived in those small towns that had to listen to the sound of the trucks driving through at all hours of the day and night. I’m happy that I am not going there anymore. Ever since then, I stopped buying the water. Now I just fill a jug from my third line that goes through a filter, and store that in the fridge. No more lugging blue boxes of water bottles to the curb. I’m not condemning anyone that buys bottled water, I just don’t want to participate in that ‘cycle’ anymore.
When it comes to recycling, I try to put as much as I can into the blue boxes. And we are lucky to be in an area that is on the green bin program. We have been able to reduce our actual garbage to one bag every 3 weeks.
Only recently our area lifted the ‘ban’ on clotheslines. I still shake my head at how they were banned in the first place. I grew up with a clothesline, and I am looking forward at getting one put up in my yard this summer. That will put a big dent in our hydro bill, I know. Hanging your laundry out on a day when there is a breeze helps stop the stiffness, but I am like Gail when it comes to towels. They will always be dried in the dryer. Nothing worse than a scratchy towel.
On the paper towel question, we use about one roll of them every 4 – 6 weeks. But that varies.
The only time I ever turned off the shower when I soaped or shampooed was when my parents had a trailer. It had a handy little switch so that you didn’t waste time and water getting the right temperature again. At home, I just don’t take a long time to shower.
I’ve read about how your microwave, tv, and computer continue to draw power when not turned on. I don’t know how much you’d actually save from actually unplugging them. If I lived alone I might experiment, but I know I’d not get hubby onboard with it.
We have those CFL’s in a lot of our lights too. I have had a couple burn out quickly… but the rest have been going for some time. I can’t say they make much of a difference money wise for us. They may for some people, but they don’t for us. I do find though, that the ones in the main bath take a while to brighten up.
When it comes to home energy efficiency, we are like you Gail… In a fairly new home, so it’s pretty good. I do, however, see how much it costs my Dad extra being that he is in a 50yr+ old house.
I like using the reusable bags for my groceries. Keeping them in the car when they are empty helps me remember to use them when I go shopping too. I bought my Dad a couple of the ‘baskets’. He thinks they are great.
And finally, on the issue of commuting. We are fortunate that hubby and I work at the same place, and the same hours, and that we are only 15 minutes to work. We can easily stop for groceries after work on our way home too… provided we are done early enough and the store’s still open.
Kudos to everyone for doing what they can to lessen their impact on the environment. There’s still a long way to go though.
June 3, 2009 at 8:59 am
Wow, there’s some great tips here!
I’m a die-hard clothesline lady…. and, here’s my tip for my less die-hard husband, chuck anything you don’t want “stiff” in the dryer for 10 – 15 minutes. Air dry only works just fine (especially well in you have “dryer balls”, which help tumble your clothes, reduce static & reduce the drying time needed). That quick tumble will de-stiff your clothes wonderfully… I do it to my towels & denim all the time.
Also, another way to ‘boost’ your compost, might be to get some worms for it? Vermiculture is a great way to odour-free compost in your own home, so I would think chucking in some red-wigglers into your compost will help speed up the entire process.
For your friend, she should re-try the CFLs. Some first generation ones were prone to burning out (as are the “cheap” ones, now), but the technology’s come a long way. Give her one as a birthday present!
My next initiative is probably going to be the Diva cup…. if only I can work up the courage….
June 3, 2009 at 9:03 am
Hi Gail!
you are a mind reader, it’s so great that you blogged about this, ‘green’ and ‘money’ issues are on my mind a lot lately and how to ‘marry’ these too effectively.
we recycle as much as possible, i go into the bathroom garbage and pick out stuff my hubby puts in there that can be recycled, lol. we have used reuseable bags for grocery shopping for ages and have recently begun buying the biodegradable bags for our green bin.
since having my daughter a year ago, i’ve become a lot more conscious of what we are putting on our and her body’s (lotions, creams, etc) and have managed to tweak the budget to include more natural products. so in this sense, no money is saved, the cheaper way would be to use the old standby’s of J&J baby products, but what’s in them is a scarey thing.
i now use vinegar, water, lemon to wash the floors, clean the bathrooms, i buy natural toilet cleaner and dishsoap and laundry soap, again, often more expensive, but i shop sales and shop around, so that helps. also, you don’t need as much of this stuff to clean, so i think it’s lasting me a bit longer.
on weekends we try to walk places to run our errands, or at least combine the trips to cut back on driving.
we shop the farmers market all summer long and i freeze and preserve fruit and veggies to eat in the winter. there is nothing like fresh berries from the market, tastes so much better!
i planted tomato plants and a little herb garden this year, i’m testing my green thumb, we’ll see how it goes!
i hang dry pants and some shirts, and only wash with cold water, but admit that it’s mostly laziness that prevents me from hanging more, as i hate to iron and hanging usually means wrinkles and that means ironing, lol!
i use the library a lot, as i am a big reader and buying books all the time would send me to the poor house!
paper towels i have cut back on, but with a 1 year old, seem to be a necessary evil. i have howerver, started washing windows and glass with newspaper-does a much better job!
we replace our old lighbulbs with florescent as they burn out, and have never had any burn out on us.
i’m trying to strike a balance, knowing that i can’t do everything, but every little thing i do can help us as a family and the environment too. it’s more expensive to eat organic (some of the time) and it’s more expensive to buy all natural products, but i think we are really seeing a ‘green shift’ and the more consumers ask for and seek out these things, prices will go down. the bottom line is often our bottom line though, and i’ll do what i can within the confines of our budget, but certain things can not be done as we don’t have the funds for them. it’s amazing though that once you’ve ‘drank the koolaid’ you can find places in your budget to cut back to sqeeze in the purchases you think are important.
excellent post gail! i’d love to see more on this topic in the future.
Lori
June 3, 2009 at 9:03 am
Oops… sorry for the lengthy post. Got carried away.
P.S. – Colin… look into switching your lawn over to Eco-Lawn. I am in the process of that. It will take a few years, but the end result is no watering, no fertilizing, and no mowing, if you prefer. It only grows a certain height, and because of the depth that the roots grow to, it is a much better thing than regular grass. Weed by hand, and keep on top of them until the lawn thickens enough that the weeds don’t stand a chance. I’ve also found the Eco-Lawn to not be eaten by cinch bug.
- Diana… I agree with you regarding those that hose down their sidewalks and driveways. So wasteful.
- To the girls that have mentioned the Diva cup… while a great idea, it is not practical for my occupation. Good thing menopause is not too far off for me.
June 3, 2009 at 9:16 am
Here are two good ideas that work for me.
I was taught that anything that goes into the composter will decompose much more quickly if it’s cut into smaller pieces. I don’t always take the time to do it – but it makes a difference.
Also – I generally hang up clothes on clothes lines in the basement, but first they have a little spin in the dryer to get the wrinkles out. Shirts etc. are hung up on hangers, so they can go directly to the closet from there. This is great in the winter, because it helps to keep the humidity in the air. In the summer, there’s a dehumidifier down there, that runs as needed. It would run whether or not I dried clothes downstairs.
I LOVE the smell of sheets that have been dried out doors.
I agree – nice to see all the different efforts we’re making, and to learn from each other.
June 3, 2009 at 9:33 am
We used the eco-grant provided from both provincial and federal governments to make energy upgrades. We also switched to an on-demand water heater which saves us a lot of money over the year on natural gas consumption because our rental water heater is gone (more money saved $11.85/month) and is not being heated every 20 – 30 minutes The on-demand hot water only heats the water when you need it and in seconds so it also saves on water consumption (more money saved). I also try to hang as many clothes on the line as possible and wash in cold water only. Luckily our community has a fabulous compost and recycling program. Every little bit helps the wallet and the enviroment.
June 3, 2009 at 10:11 am
Good tips everyone! Here’s an interesting story I hear earlier this year on the morning news in T.O. It turns out the CFL bulbs are not necessarily saving us as much money as we’d hoped. As they do not give off the heat that regular bulbs do, we are turning up our heat to compensate. I can attest to this. I switched over all the lamps in the basement before the winter but noticed that it was much colder than before (realizing the weather this years was much colder too) so, yes, we were turning our heat up to compensate. I have sinced switched a couple of them back but thought that was very interesting.
June 3, 2009 at 10:20 am
In addition to the suggestions already made here, a big change that I have made is to buy more items at thrift stores, consignment stores, antique stores, and at garage sales. Simply buying less, or reducing, makes a big impact. I love knowing that what I buy is not creating to increased energy consumption and waste. If you don’t already thrift, you’re in for a treat. Thrift & antique stores and garage sales can yield some *amazing* finds. We are talking about great quality items that you just have to look for!Case in point: we just got a BRAND NEW Oster food processor for $10. I’m glad I didn’t spend the $200 that be required for a new one of this quality. It’s saving money AND one of the most environmentally friendly things you can do!
I also turn packaging into home organization supplies and repurpose whatever junk I can. On my blog I just wrote about how I turned an empty box of salt into a comic book holder and then attached the spout to a box of baking soda to reduce waste. Repurposing cans & bottles to hold homemade snacks or baking supplies bought in bulk means you can reduce how much packaging you buy! It’s cheap, and green – I love it!
In regards to the paper towels, Gail, it’s best to either stop buying them completely or buy them very rarely and you’ll find alternatives to almost every conundrum you mentioned. The only one I haven’t got figured out is the bacon grease. But chicken goop, etc? We simply use and wash our j-clothes until they are so old they disintegrate! When we go without, we usually find an alternative strategy to suit our needs.
June 3, 2009 at 10:32 am
HI Gail,
I’ve been a hanging-out-to-dry-girl my whole life. We’ve always had a clothes line. I can tell you that drying everything outside can be a bit of a pin sometimes but mostly due to laziness. We fluff our towels and sheets for five minutes in the dryer just before they are completely dried out so they are soft and pleasant when we use them. this also saves on ironing the sheets! We iron what needs to be, and in the winter – yes we hang out even in winter – our jeans are diving boards, and so are the shirts, but thawing on indoor lines, and giving them a ten minute short in the dryer for those fluff-necessary pieces once a week is a huge savings. Now that some of the new Energy efficient dryers come with an air fluff option, we might try that this winter to see.
The biggest trick to hanging outside is having someone who can get the clothes before they hit the baking stage – which is why outside hanging turns people off. if you forget the towels outside and they are scratchy when you retrieve them, spray them with a water spritzer and pop them in the dryer for five minutes. Instantly they get fluffy and soft, and retain their Real Spring Fresh smell. Trees in the backyard help for coloured items to shade them from fading, and windy days the laundry takes no time at all to dry. We did two loads of laundry washed and dried before lunch on Saturday – a hour wash cycle (heavy soiled loads) and hung to dry. Wind also helps keeps clothes soft.
Composting is one of those things you have to play with a bit – we have three in our backyard. Once a month my grandfather (he has time to putter) goes outside to run them, and add a layer of good earth with worms to them. We have a vegetable garden beside ours so he doesn’t have to go far for healthy earth and worms. And he has us on a rotation schedule for which composter gets the waste…this way each and every May and each and every October-ish he has good fertilized earth for our gardens and the crawly things that live in them. My mother-in-law does not add any earth or turn her composters, so this year when she dumped out the one she thought should be ready for spreading on her vegetable garden it was nothing more than a pile of non-decomposed organic material. Things we put in there last year had not yet broken down, and thus had to get buried into the garden to do any good – a long and backbreaking process I’m sure.
Perhaps, in your scheduling, you could schedule a morning on a Saturday to go out with your shovel and give the composter a couple of good turns, and a layer of much needed earth and worms from a section of a garden you may have. This way, you’ll be sure to get those organisms in action and feed them a little – plus the worms do a good job of breaking things down.
Also – we started unplugging all of the items we do not use on a regular basis – mom says it’s saving $10 per month so far – but she thinks we can probably save more here, since there are still things that are plugged in that don’t get used hardly ever.
Switched most of our lights to compact Fluorescents, and since we do not turn the lights on unless absolutely necessary, these last for quite some time. I have heard that those lights that are turned on and off quite frequently can burn or dim these lights quickly, but by placing them on a dimmer switch you can extend the life on these a little – for dinner rooms or bathrooms, or even basement lights this works great.
At the moment we compost everything we can, and organically recycle all the other items we can. We recycle everything our area will take, and often, for a family of 5, when everyone is home that is, put out one shopping bag of garbage for he household. here are times when this can get up to three, but that’s usually because someone was lazy with their organics! (That would be the size of a Sobey’s plastic grocery bag, or three) Our local garbage and recycling drivers comment that they know when we’ve cleaned a section of the house out – our garbage can actually makes it to the curb those days!
June 3, 2009 at 10:52 am
I rent in a condo so there that much we can do about certain things, like our floor to ceiling windows that let in so much heat in during the summer and suck out the heat during the winter. My roommates and I unnplug our small appliances in the kitchen and the lamps in the living room except for one lamp where the plug is behind the couch. Our common tv is also on a power bar that we turn off when we are done. I also have a power bar for my computer which has one plug “always on” but I can switch off the rest, so the printer and anything else plugged in goes off and I only turn it on when I need to print something, which isn’t often.
We recycle and re-use plastic bags and I bring cloth bags for groceries. I buy nature clean laundry detergent which can be refilled at the grassroots store here in Toronto, or I just noticed that they have a huge tetra-pack box thing – like wine in box but laundry instead! I will try that next. I hang many of my clothes to dry, but like Gail, I hate crunchy towels so those go in the dryer. Max shower time is 10 minutes (can’t say the same for my roommates unfortunately). Also, we turn off the heat/AC when we leave during the day.
There is one tip for everyone – clean your dryer vent behind the dryer. We had this professionally done (they stuck a hose into the entire vent system and cleaned it all out) and it was amazing how the drying time went down. It used to take 1 1/2 hours to dry, and it went down to 45 minutes! Now we clean just inside the opening of the vent ourselves every 2 months. And the difference on our hydro bill was astounding (keep in mind there are 3 of us here and we each do about 1 to 2 loads a week).
June 3, 2009 at 10:56 am
Best move I’ve made is a water heate blanket. They’re like a big silver wrap for your water heater to keep the heat in and sell for under $40 at any hardware store. They save a ton of money – about 8% of your gas bill for a gas water heater. I can’t believe this easy to install product isn’t advertised more.
June 3, 2009 at 11:40 am
CFL: they contain MERCURY gas. That is BAD! What happens when the seal on one of those bulbs break? The mercury goes into the air and you breathe it in. What happens to the bulbs in the garbage? When they break, mercury is mixed in the air. Some do not work outside in some parts of the country (-10 or -20 Celsius rating). Mixed blessings.
June 3, 2009 at 11:41 am
Don’t forget water aerators for your taps to reduce water consumption, a small inexpensive way to cut back.
Going green has been fairly easy at home but I try to be more mindful of the impact of my decisions at work, eating out/shopping, and travel.
June 3, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Gail I’m with you on the dryer thing.. I just don’t like hanging clothes outside except for big comforters.
However, I do compost, turn off the lights when not in use, try to unplug any item not in use, use the new light bulbs (although I always try to find the soft light bulbs.. I find the white lights too harsh. I also got rid of bottled water (what a waste that was!!) and switched to “Brita” water and a metal drinking container. I have cut out almost all processed foods from my diet and I’m learning how to grow a garden. We really try to reduce, reuse and of course recycle (in that order)
I’m going to try that water heater blanket – what a great tip Lyn! Also, I’ve been using the library again the last few years… I’m so impressed by how easy it is to place a hold on a book now online and it gets delivered to my local library location. Practically at my door! I’ve saved a ton not buying books and its good for the enviroment. There’s so many little things that can be done and it all adds up. A not so little thing though is we are looking at finally changing all our windows and will go with the best one we can afford. That will help heating costs. I wish solar panels were cheaper to install
someday, I would love to get them on my roof.
I’ve cut the use of paper towels WAY down… but haven’t givin it up altogether yet.. does anyone know anything about Shamwow? I was thinking of switching… is that any good?
As for the Diva cup – I looked into it and did not like the idea of it lol but I have switched to Natracare organic pads etc instead of using the usual ones with Latex. Better for me and again the enviroment… Keep the tips coming on this please!! I want to leave a better planet for my daughter and her children one day…
@ Saverqueen – I love your blog too! That’s where I learned about Natracare and being allergic to latex also it was a relief to find an alternative.
June 3, 2009 at 12:06 pm
For those suffering from hot apartments or houses in summer with south or west exosures try Energy Film. Keeps heat outside in summer and inside in the winter. I have it in my office/2nd bedroom and love it. Am about to install it in the living room now. It is not perfectly optically clear but it is darn close, to the point where I don’t give it a second thought when I look out my office window. Okay, granted, if you have a gorgeous view out massive picture windows you might not want to put it there because you will see some small striations in the plastic film, but overall it’s pretty amazing stuff. And you’ll save on electricity bills (less need for fans and A/C units).
June 3, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Just recently in my city, we now have organic bins and we can throw soiled paper products like paper towels and pizza boxes in them..not diapers of course.
I have always wanted a car but just can’t justify the expense so I take the bus. My life revolves around the # 6 bus…it takes me to both jobs and I grocery shop at the store I work in. Now, most grocery stores are charging for plastic bags so I have recyclable bags but I do wonder what people are going to do to pick up their doggie poo . I try not to buy products that are in unrecyclable containers – I look at the number on the bottom and if I can get something else in a recyclable container I will buy that product instead. I have told my children not to buy me ‘things’ because they will eventually end up in landfill if they can’t be sent to second hand stores. I buy boxed laundry soap rather than those in plastic containers and I don’t buy plastic bags with the zipper as they can’t be recycled in my city.
June 3, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Gail,
I recycle as much as I can. Thankfully in Winnipeg we have recycling in our apartment buildings. We don’t have garbage tags here, but who knows what will happen if we don’t defer out of the landfills.
I have CFLs and turn off my computer and TV power bars. My power bill has dropped by $10/month (out of an average of $40 before).
I don’t have the choice about the dryer. I live on the 19th floor and a clothes line would not be adviceable. So, for now, it’s $1 to dry a load.
My option are more limited with renting. Can’t change the showerheads, can’t compost, can’t grow a garden. Maybe in a few years.
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With respect to burning CFLs: The early bulbs (more than 5 years old) had flaws in them and they didn’t last very long at all. The lights have been redesigned and no longer burn so quickly. I don’t know what they did, but it’s fixed. Maybe your friend Tasha had one of these? Also, if you put a CFL in a high moisture room (ie. bathroom) or on a dimmer switch, it will burn out faster. They are not designed for that.
June 3, 2009 at 12:38 pm
A big expense that people are forgetting, is personal care.
You can actually make your own liquid or powdered laundry detergent. There are tons of recipies out there, that are actually better for the environment that commercial ones.
Fabric softner? White vinegar.
Line dry when you can, I don’t have “stiff” clothes, but I absolutely HATE hanging small things, like socks and undies, so those go in the dryer. Typically, out of 6 loads, I run one through the dryer.
Handsoap – in liquid, commercially bought form is actually bad for your skin, requiring you to purchase further body care products. When big companies make liquid soaps/body washes they remove the skin conditioning glycerin from the process and sell it to their sister companies – that sell lotions. Reaping double the profits. Almost all commercial products contain detergents and other ingredients (like SLS) that is very bad for the environment.
Go to your local farmers market and buy cold process soap (or hell, you likely have the ingredients to make a nice basic handsoap yourself). It will last longer, you’ll use MUCH less lotion or body butter over the long run (admittedly I do use a bit in the winter, but it beats never being able to be without, and applying it several times a day like I used too).
June 3, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I recently started line-drying clothes. If you throw them in the dryer on the no heat setting to fluff for 5 or 10 minutes it almost eliminates the scratchiness and it greatly reduces energy use.
I have stopped buying so much pre-packaged and highly processed food, and am doing more scratch cooking. It saves money, is healthier for me, and healthier for the earth. I’m on maternity leave so I have time on my hands, I might as well bake my own bread and cookies, and make my chicken nuggets from scratch.
And I’m cloth diapering. It’s expensive up front, but in the long run it will definitely save money. And it’s reduced the amount of garbage I produce by half over my first baby who was in disposables.
June 3, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Funny that your blog was about “how to save” on electricity Gail. I am in a pickle and very upset about my hydro bill. I have copied and pasted below a letter that I sent to my MPP, which pretty much spells out my problem. Everyone – CHECK YOUR HYDRO BILLS! Especially if you are with a retailer!!!
i signed a contract with Direct Energy in October of 2006 that locked in my electricity rate at 9.65KWh for a five year term. At the time, it was not explained to me that because I was exiting the Regulated Price Plan Rates (government regulated rates), I would be subject to the “Provincial Benefit” charge/credit.
I have researched what the “provincial benefit” is and found the following as per Mississauga Hydro (My bills come from Hydro One, but I found the Mississauga Hydro Website to be the best website to get information): The price of generation in Ontario is set by a competitive market. Certain generators receive payments through regulation or contract that differ from the market price. Your portion of the net adjustment arising from these different payments is now included in certain bills as the Provincial Benefit. The Provincial Benefit is calculated by multiplying the line loss adjusted Billed Usage kWh figure appearing on your bill by the rate(s) as posted on the IESO web site: http://www.ieso.ca.
In addition to the present Energy Rebate that appears quarterly on your bill, this initial Provincial Benefit calculation will be based on a varying daily adjustment rate determined actual volume of electricity distributed to each customer each day using by the applicable daily IESO rate*, with exception of those customers not measured by an interval meter where a weighted average adjustment rate will apply.
*Each month the IESO will take into account the amount of each type of regulated or contracted generation injected into the IMO-controlled grid, the regulated price or contract costs for that generation, and any offsetting market revenues. The total global adjustment for the month is then applied to the settlement statement for the last trade day of the month for all market participants who have withdrawn energy from the grid during the month (except exporters).
What I don’t understand is the following:
1. I am currently paying 9.65 cents per KWh. The current Regulated Price Plan Rate (Effective May 1, 2009) is 5.7 cents for the first 750 KWh and 6.6 cents for the remaining Kwh used during the month. I understand that I am on a contract and took a gamble and so now I am paying MORE for my electricity than most people. So, if I am paying more than the regulated rates through my contract, why is the provincial benefit a CHARGE on my account? Shouldn’t it be a CREDIT (as I have learned it can sometimes be a credit, depending on the market). My provincial benefit charge has been as much as $115.00 in a month.
2. How do I determine which “generator(s)” my electricity retailer (Direct Energy) is purchasing from? Direct Energy call centre reps cannot answer this question for me.
3. How do I determine how much Direct Energy is paying these “generators” for the electricity they are supplying to me? Do electricity retailers traditionally pay more for electricity than Hydro companies?
4. I have never received an “Energy Rebate” on my quarterly bill. Can you explain to me what this rebate entails and how one would qualify for it?
June 3, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I don’t remember ever not recycling, but I was absolutely disgusted when I moved into an apartment in an older building in Toronto at the number of people who chose not to. There was no composting either (yet… there was rumours that it was coming). We were across the street from a grocery store, and yet I hardly ever saw neighbours carrying cloth bags.
Now I live in a smaller community. We cannot have composting bins or curbside pickup because of the bears. We recycle as much as we can, and they are building a composting site where you can drop off your composting. It seems a little bassackwards to drive to a composting site, and we haven’t figured out yet how to transport it. Small trips = more driving, but big bins = stinky car.
If you use water bottles I strongly suggest you look into alternatives. Especially if you live somewhere with drinkable tap water – you know those taxes you pay for clean water? Get your money’s worth! We use a Brita because of the taste in our building sometimes, but it seems like a waste not to drink tap water. Toronto has banned water bottles in civic buildings (and vending machines). I love my Kleen Canteen bottle – there are a lot of options out there! I learned a lot from the documentary “Blue Gold: World Water Wars.”
I walk or bike to work, but am fortunate to live somewhere where that is an option. In Toronto I car pooled or took transit (no car – rented when I needed one for a weekend), and unplugged my tv when it wasn’t in use (but also didn’t have cable, so I only had it on when I was watching movies).
We wash on cold and hang about half of our laundry to dry in our apartment. It smells so good, and dries really quickly. Sometimes we’ll do a load of sheets and towels on hot, and they go in the dryer because we don’t have room to dry them.
We started making our own cleaning solution (water, vinegar, tee tree oil, lavender oil) about a month ago, and love it.
I am proud of what we do, but I also know there is room for improvement.
I am looking forward to our new townhouse for late 2010 – it has in-floor and wall mount radiant heating system that uses emissions from the city’s waste water treatment plant, and is one of only 20 Canadian developments designated as a pilot project for LEED-ND standards.
June 3, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Lots of great ideas here.
Just wanted to answer Wanda about the doggie poo. I have a dog and a couple of years ago I was feeling really bad about the idea of my dog’s poo spending hundreds of years in non-biodegradable grocery store bags. So that’s when I decided to make the switch: reusable bags for groceries, and I started buying biodegradable poo bags. They’re really not very expensive, and within a few months, they’re all gone… It’s a little bit more money, but I feel much, much better about it.
June 3, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I just googled the “Diva Cup”. Kudos to those women using them. I just cannot imagine myself using them. I wish their website had diagrams on exactly how they work. Seems messy to me.
June 3, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Living on a farm, I am very aware about water.
My hairstylist advises that shampooing daily is bad for your hair and unecessary (except after strenuous sports , of course). My hair is highlighted and very healthy…I have follwoed her advice and wash it only evry third day…less water, less shampoo down the drain and nicer hair! In addition, I strongly suggest that you can save money and planet by buying better quality biodegradable shampoo and conditioners (including those from the drug store) and using very small amounts diluted with water. It works equally well and wastes less. My HD recommends that condition be applied sparingly to ends only because near the scalp just forces us to shampoo more often.
My eco warrior daughter tells me that bottled lotion soaps and shower gels are wasteful because of packaging…can’t argue there, but I wonder about the waste caused by bar soap that melts and glops and becomes distasteful to use…any opinions about balancing these questions?
My other green bandwagon that I hope I can convince fellow readers of is the possibilities for economy and sustainability in the laundry room. For those of you who don’t dry on a line because of lack of access or dislike of the feel of air dried towels, or in my family’s case allergies to pollens–balance this requirement by only using a front loading machine—they use less water and detergent and their spin cycle is so fast that much more water is removed: resulting in shorter drying times—Add to this, the fact that front loaders are easier on your clothes –snowballing savings.
Use concentrated detergent. Use 2/3 to 1/2 of the recommended amount. HE formulations are supposed to suds less (better when using less water) but their is debate in consumer blogs about whether we are being conned about the properties…ie. there may not be any difference! Cold water works JUST as well as warm, and HOT is almost never necessary unless you are trying to sterilize things like diapers and kitchen cloths. With a reasonable supply, you can limit the HOT loads to once every 2 weeks or so for everything but diapers. And if germ killing is the goal, then you really should try to hang outside because UV radiation kills most viruses.
If you have a garden, Dr. Lauren Ross of Glenrose Engineering, a firm that helped remediate toxin-drenched soils in post-Katrina New Orleans says get a rain barrel: nothing is as healthy for your plants and as good for your soil as rainwater.
Wish the energy grants included grey water systems!
June 3, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Alright!
Everyone has terrific ideas and suggestions.
The best book I ever read (especially as a the mom of the family) was “The Complete Tightwad Gazette”, tonnes of really great ideas (as well as some extremely frugal ones) compiled by Amy Dacyczyn… try to find it at your library.
I use the Diva too. It is a bit messy if you need to use public restrooms often, but excellent when you are at home (I just replaced my natural rubber “Keeper” that was 10 years old with a new “Diva cup”) They have saved me tonnes of money on disposable products!
I am fairly new at composting, but so far so good.
I love line drying my clothes (I have a short retractable line), and just toss the scratchy items in the dryer on air fluff for a couple minutes with a few tennis balls.
The recycling program here is kind of limited, but I do what I can.
And I never leave home without my shopping list and cloth bags!
I also conserve gas by plotting my outings in a circuit all in one day, maximizing fuel savings by trying to stay close to home as possible.
I’ve never been a fan of bottled water, so that’s not an issue for our house.
I really want a rain barrel! If only my husband would agree….
June 3, 2009 at 2:15 pm
For those of you trying to find a replacement for paper towel, a good alternative is cloth towels made from diaper flannel. You can cut them any size you want for kitchen use, household cleaning, garage or outdoor use. No need to even hem them because the flannel doesn’t unravel. I wash mine weekly with a little bleach and they last for years if you get good quality flannel.
June 3, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Re: CFL bulbs – years ago I switched my whole house to CFL bulbs, whenever an incandescent would burn out I’d replace it with a CFL. Only ever had a problem with 2. The first one burnt out within a couple of days and of course it was the most inconvenient to change (hall light on the 2nd floor above the staircase). The other was an indoor light that I used outdoors, but it did last quite a long time before burning out.
Other than that, I have them on dimmers, I read by them, and have had no other problems at all.
June 3, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I live in an apartment. One day, as I was heading to go downstairs with my recyclables in hand (in Winnipeg, apartment units will have giant blue bins for recycleables) I saw my neighbour – an older gentleman in his 60’s or so. Struck up some small chat and noticed that he was going to the garbage chute to drop a few cardboard boxes from cookies or what not. Being the “young whipper-snapper” I offered to put his about-to-be discarded packaging in with my recycleables…and he declined!! After that, I don’t hold as much respect for him as before. Disappointing.
For everyone else, I recommend SaverQueen’s blog. She often talks about being frugal with benefits to the environment as well. It’s great! (SQ, my pleasure to promote your blog!
)
http://www.saverqueen.com
For the ladies with interest about the Diva cup, I’ll refer you to another blogger (FabulouslyBroke) who did an insightful review (even for a guy..LOL)
http://www.fabulouslybroke.com/2009/04/review-diva-cup.html
June 3, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I cut my electricity bill in half (yes half) last year when I turned off my cable. Plus with no cable staying inside is alot less appealing.
check out the CMHC website for tons of info on making your home and apartment more energy efficient. http://www.cmhc.ca
For home owners there are grants available for some “green” improvements you do to your home.
June 3, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Lise – There’s a film you can buy to put on windows that helps repel the heat in the summer. Fairly cheap at home depot.
To all the renters out there, there is a ton of things you can do in your place. Why not change the shower head and switch it back to the old one when you move?
Better yet talk to your landlord they may be willing to pay for some of the suggested changes – especially if it saves them money in the long run. You never know if you don’t try.
June 3, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Thanks for saying that you like my blog, Didi! So happy that you are enjoying it!
Makes my day to know that it supplied some helpful info! 
June 3, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Wow, lots of great initiatives from everyone, and some new ideas I’d like to try.
Our backyard is not suitable for a clothesline, so I have 4 of the Ikea FROST drying racks that I place on our back deck. They fold flat when not in use, so I can lean them against a wall. I’ve been looking for a rainy-day/winter solution (we live in Vancouver, BC) and have just found this: http://laundrylift.com/index.php, which I’m interested in trying out.
I breast-fed and cloth-diapered our daughter, who is now 2, and here’s a tip: we received dozens of those tiny faceclothes, some printed and some solid coloured. Instead of using them for bath-time, I used the solid ones as bum wipes (all you need is warm water), and the printed ones for all the food-related messes that babies and toddlers make. The “bum ones” went into the diaper-pail with the diapers, and the “face ones” got washed with the kitchen towels and cloths.
I have been very fortunate to receive a lot of hand-me-down clothes, and buy at consignment and thrift stores whenever possible. When I do buy retail, I shop the sales and splurge on good-quality clothing that will still have some hand-me-down life in it when we’ve outgrown it. I find that a lot of the cheap clothes out there, although super cute, are not made to last.
I read somewhere about buying rags to use as hankerchiefs, instead of buying and throwing away kleenex, and although the idea has some merit, I don’t think I could go that far. However, in lieu of kitchen paper towels, I bought a bunch of dishtowels at one of those liquidation places, and just toss them in the laundry after they’ve been used. We use the natural dishsoap and laundry soap, and a combination of vinegar, baking soda, borax, 90% rubbing alcohol (ethanol anhydrous) and essential oils for everything else. The latter two, mixed with some water in a spray bottle, make an excellent alternative to air fresheners.
My next step would be to save up
and upgrade our existing laundry appliances to front-loaders, for the water and energy savings.
We have invested in Tupperware containers for the kitchen and pantry. At first, my hubby balked at the cost, but when we looked at how much we were spending on ziplock, aluminium foil and cling wrap in a year, these were more cost-efficient in the long run. If you look on craigslist or kijiji, you can always find someone selling Tupperware and the stuff is built to last forever. I’m a celiac, and make a lot of my food from scratch to save money. The specialty flours can be purchased in bulk, but they are still expensive, hence my investment in good quality airtight pantry containers.
On a final note, I agree with Saver Queen that you can find some excellent bargains at thrift stores. I haven’t had her luck but whenever we need something, I look on craigslist first, and I have also sold a lot of things there too. My latest find, after our hand-me-down crockpot died, was a barely-used Hamilton Beech one for $20!
June 3, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Gale,
Come on. Join the dark side and get rid of paper towels. I have not used these since I had a guest come stay with me and used 1/2 roll to clean a mess he did. I love my small towels I use and I love not wasting the paper. You had some great tips in there. ( I live in a condo and I still manage to compost).
Thanks.
June 3, 2009 at 4:42 pm
My biggest green change was moving to a city with good public transportation so I could get rid of my car. I also got top of the line front-loader washing and drying machines to use less water/soap/drying time. I try never to use the air conditioning, but the SO whines when he is too hot at night – I am going to install a ceiling fan for him this summer, presumably this will use less electricity?
June 3, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Hi
About a year ago, I switched out all my regular lighbulbs for the new CFL bulbs – I spent a lot of money to switch them over, but was sorry I did. When I read a 12 step process you had to comply with to clean up a broken CFL lightbulb (like a toxic cloud) – I got scared. Then I saw a program on TV where people were talking about the health effects they were experiencing as a result of these bulbs, and I had one of the ones a woman was describing. Blurry vision – I promptly took them all out and replaced them with new old bulbs! Blurry vision gone – no more worries about a toxic mess with a broken bulb. I see now, (I bought one to try it) new CFL bulbs that have the typical dome type glass cover, like regular bulbs on top of the curly part, I hope that will prevent the effects that the mercury have on your health. Don’t know if I will be convinced though, if you break one ….
Anyone else have any comments on this?
June 3, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Okay there is something I don’t understand in the blog today. Does Gail mean she pays $2.75 to buy a bag to use for garbage? Or she pays $2.75 for the council or authority, to pick up the garbage???
Surely no-one pays for garbage pick up?
June 3, 2009 at 7:05 pm
For Brighton:
“Residents may place up to, but no more than, 3 bags of household garbage at the curb for weekly collection. Each of the three bags must be tagged with a garbage tag, valued at $2.75 each.”
You have to pay for garbage pickup where I live as well, but it is more restrictive than that.
June 3, 2009 at 7:14 pm
We recycle, we compost, we have an on demand water heater, we keep our heat down in the winter and only use the central ac when really necessary (i prefer fans – and yes, ceiling fans are more economical – especially if you buy an energy star one).
I always turn off the lights when we leave a room and try to unplug unnecessary appliances when not in use though i admit i leave my computer on all the time – its old and takes too long to boot up though I do turn the monitor off.
I wash most items in cold water in my high efficiency front load washer though i draw the line at poop covered baby sleepers. i’m sorry but cold water just does not do it for really dirty stuff like poop and puree’d sweet potatoe.
I also line dry a lot of items but do pop them in the dryer before they are completely dry to fluff and soften them up.
We use CFL’s and have only had problems with them burning out when we used them with dimmable light fixtures but they now make dimmable CFLs. As for the mercury concerns you can drop them off at any Home Depot or IKEA for recycling and I doubt accidentally breaking one bulb is going to cause mercury poisoning.
We were also buying green cleaning products but then realized that good ole vinegar and baking soda work for most things are are much cheaper and probably greener.
We also have a low flow shower head in our ensuite and a low flow attachment in our kitchen sink. Our toilets are old 13 ltr ones but we hope to replace them within the year (some cities offer rebates so check it out) in the meantime we sort of operte by a flush every second or third time rule except of course for the brown stuff or if we have company over. Some people think this is gross but i grew up in the bush and therefore on a well and septic system.
I use disposable diapers but use baby washclothes instead of wipes (except on road trips). I do use paper towels, but i have definitely cut down and use micro-fibre clothes for most cleaning jobs. i also use the half size sheets.
i also take public transit to work.
i’m not fanatical but i do try to do my part.
June 3, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I’m more of an ‘accidental’ enviromentalist. I waited till there was a free light bulb promo to switch to CFLs and did it only in the rooms where I use the lights for extended periods (basically, the living room when I have guests). Otherwise, I sit in the dark at night in front of the tv/computer
I don’t have A/C, instead, I open the windows at night and close the drapes in the day – it works for all but the hottest of days. Done this way, my electricity and water come to about 60 bucks per month. I noticed that even if I’m away for the month, the electricity bill is about the same, so I think I’m hitting the minimum charge.
Likewise, I waited for a good promo to buy a water filter pitcher. I -was- going to just buy bottles of water… my budget can accommodate 5 bucks a month. But the filter is still cheaper AND better for the environment so…
June 3, 2009 at 8:58 pm
1000 cheers for DIVA CUP. They are awesome! I guarantee that if any woman tries it for two months (it does take a little practice) her only regret will be why the heck she didn’t use one sooner. Seriously, they are a bloody miracle! (hehe) Amazing for your health (no bleach, chemicals, toxic shock concerns) and the environment.
Check out this post from a fellow Canadian personal finance blogger – 10 Reasons Why the Diva Cup can Change your Life – http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/06/13/10-reasons-the-diva-cup-can-change-your-life/
June 3, 2009 at 9:05 pm
i am sooooooooo loving all of this.
i was raised by old world italian immigrant parents who taught me how to save money and just about everything else. they grew up knowing what it’s like to ‘do without’ and ‘make do’ with what was available.
self-sufficiency wasn’t the fashionable thing to do…it was the only thing to do.
it’s so interesting to see how ‘everything old is new again’……..and that our parents were right. lol
June 3, 2009 at 10:52 pm
For Gail on the CFLs–
Your friend might be installing them in light fixtures that allow the light to be dimmable or are motion-sensored. If that is the case, then the CFL bulbs would burn out in 3 months or less with regular use. There are CFL bulbs that are designed for use in dimmable light fixtures but they cost a little bit more upfront than normal CFL bulbs.
On reusable menstrual products–
For the people who are a little intimidated by the Diva cup, consider cloth menstrual pads. They’re less messy than tampons and smell way better than disposable pads.
They’re less messy because the cloth absorbs everything are better at absorbing. They are odourless because they’re breathable (since it’s usually out of layers of cotton, bamboo fleece, and water-resistant polyester fleece), so there is no bacteria build up.
They are super easy to take care of too. They just need maybe a minute of rinsing at the sink, then throw them with the darks, wash on cold, then hang dry. They don’t stain your other laundry or anything.
Cloth pads are pretty inconspicuous. I’ve worn my american apparel leggings on my period and the cloth pads don’t show through at all. They may be 4-6 layers of cloth, but since they’re sewn together so tightly, they’re just the same thickness as disposables or not much thicker.
The Diva cup is cheaper than cloth pads as you pay maybe $50 upfront for a diva cup, whereas a set of cloth pads would range between $100-200. Cloth is still cheaper than disposables long-term wise, since cloth pads last between 5-8 years. You break even in the 2nd year, and spend nothing at all in the next 3-6.
If anyone is interested in cloth pads, there are plenty of online retailers at etsy.com.
June 4, 2009 at 3:25 am
Re: shampoo
You can use baking soda or apple cider vinegar instead of shampoo. The proportions are 1 tablespoon of either soda or vinegar to a cup of water.
June 4, 2009 at 7:59 am
Loving all of these tips. I clean just about everything with vinegar, and it is a great “smell remover” in the laundry…
For Wanda:
I called my city’s waste department and asked about the zipper bags, because I wondered why they can’t be recycled – they seemed to me to be the same plastic. I was told that it is just the actual “hard” zipper top that can’t be recycled, so when I have one (some items I buy have a resealable top) I rip the zipper off the top and put the rest of the bag in the recycle bin.
June 4, 2009 at 11:52 am
About the power bars at night, it’s fairly easy to calculate how much any of your machines use on standby. Most public libraries lend Kill-a-Watts and you literally just plug it into the wall, then plug your machine to it. It’ll give an exact measurement. Multiply that wattage by hours then divide by 1000 to get kWh, which is the way the power company measures your use.
When I did it, I was surprised to find that my TV (which admittedly is old) draws nothing when it’s “off” but the DVD player draws 12 Watts.
Also – about the Diva Cup and cloth pads. I have both, and find the Diva Cup way easier than cloth pads. I’ve got almost every girl at my book club using it too, and they all love it. … And it’s a big money saver!
June 4, 2009 at 1:42 pm
We
- gather and re-use rain water via rain barrels
- use our programmable thermostate
- share one car – although this doesn’t work for everyone
- shop only with cloth bags, done this for awhile now
- purchase local produce from our farmers market
- put most of our bookcases on outside walls, we find they help keep the heat in
- use a white board for notes and numbers
- print double sided
- switched out our lighting fixtures for ones that provide better coverage so we need less lights on for any given task
- downsized our fridge, our house came with a huge vintage refridgerator (remember harvest gold?) and downsized to something more energy efficient and smaller to better fit our needs
- invested in new windows, and door sweepers
June 4, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Last year my new years resolution was to change over all of the batteries in our house to rechargeable batteries. Costco came out with a package that contains C and D holders that you slide the aa battery into. It was an expensive investment if I would tally it all up, but I did it gradually turning them over. Plus I claimed them for my daycare since most of the batteries were for their discmans (to listen to stories), globes etc.
I have also had a hard time with the composting thing. We have a composter, but our yard is sooo small and I have a hard time remembering to dump the bucket before it gets moldy…Ottawa is supposed to have a green program coming out next year, and we will be so thankful because then they could use all the compost that we don’t in our tiny backyard.
June 4, 2009 at 4:38 pm
It’s possible to save on dryer use and still have soft clothes. Once a load goes into the dryer, I run it for a couple of minutes to fluff everything and remove lint, then hang it to dry – works beautifully and saves a ton of electricity.
My husband and I also commute to work on our bikes (26 k/day for me) and go grocery shopping with our bike trailer – we even brought our potting soil and bedding plants home that way when we planted last weekend!
June 4, 2009 at 5:40 pm
it’s all about the diva cup, cycling to work, and not buying what you don’t need. I recycle all my jokes too…
June 4, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Whoops! Just noticed the fluff-in-the-dryer idea has been mentioned several times further upthread (must not post when tired, must not post when tired….) I didn’t mention, though, that we live in an apartment, and our laundry, sheets included, is hung year-round on folding racks. The limited drying space means we have to plan our laundry days a little more carefully, but that’s not a huge issue. Since we live in a region where the air is always very dry, hanging laundry is a very effective humidifier. And the cats love hiding in their “tents”.
Putting the TV and computers on power bars seems to have an effect. Our latest power bill is the lowest it’s ever been.
June 5, 2009 at 7:12 am
I don’t believe in recycling anymore as I think that there is still too much waste for municipalities to manage. There is a limit to the number of time you can recycle paper and there is a huge environmental cost associated with the recycling process itself.
Like others, when I buy stuff or use energy, I choose the option that costs less environmentally-wise. But most importantly, I believe in giving a second, third or fourth life to most of the stuff I have. Let’s be creative! And, of course, I believe in growing my own vegetables.
June 6, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Here in Sudbury, the city is rolling out curbside composting with the greenbins. I live in a 12 unit building and according to the rules, I will be excluded from getting one as they are only distributing to single dwellings and buildings with 6 or less units. I was highly disappointed with this rule. Voiced my concern, and hopefully I will get one. We recycle 2 boxes a week and only put 1 bag of garbage in the dumpster/week. If we get the composter, we will probably only have 1 bag of garbage every 2-4 weeks. If I don’t get a bin, I’ll be calling to request one. Plenty of people in town won’t use the ones they get. so unfair!
June 8, 2009 at 8:17 am
I also find CFL bulbs burn out very quickly and I don’t have any motion/dimmer lights in my house. After my disappointing use of CFL’s, I’m back to the regular bulbs….I just make sure my lights are turned off if I’m not using a room like I did before. On resuable feminine products…sorry, thats just gross.
June 10, 2009 at 9:40 am
I have the CFL bulbs in every fixture in my home for over a year now and love them. My comment is about turning off the power bars every night. I do turn the puter ones off, but in my LR, I have a PVR, TV, etc plugged into one. If I turn it off, I lose all my settings and have to reset daily. It is very time consuming, so I have stopped. I wish they could make them so the settings are saved and I would gladly turn them off nightly. I use cloth bags for shopping, take short showers and do what I can…..living in an apt. does not allow for composting, but we do recycle what we are allowed.
June 27, 2009 at 11:51 am
Your ‘crunchy’ air-dried clothes may just be caused by a combination of your washing machine type and using too much detergent…
The new front-loading horizontal drum washing machines not only use less water, but they do not need hot water at all. Actually modern detergents are made to work in cold water.
And the new frontloading washers spin the clothes SO FAST that they come out almost dry! Then just put those ‘almost dry’ clothes on a clothes drying rack like this one that is set up under a ceiling fan and you will have saved a ton of energy by not using the clothes dryer at all. With a rack you can dry clothes for free outside when it’s dry out and inside when it’s cold or damp.
August 11, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I save on paper towel by using microfiber cloths with sliver imbedded, so I also save on cleaners. After using the cloth you wring out the water which gets rid of any bacteria the cloth picked up and if there is any bacteria left on the cloth the silver with destroy it. I am saving on both paper towel, cleaners and have a virtually chemically free home. These cloths initally are about $16.99 each but it is well worth it in the long run because they will last up to 10 years! They are called Norwex Microfiber cloths, fantastic!!!!
August 12, 2009 at 11:49 am
I have been pondering the bacon grease issue for some time now as I too use paper towels to clean out the frying pan. I haven’t tried it but am wondering if it would possibly be effective to use a piece of crumpled newspaper or an old brown paper bag to remove the bacon grease from a frying pan. The other thing I thought of is the fact that bacon grease can be used to feed birds especially during the winter. It can be stored in an old coffee can in the refrigerator and then smeared on pinecones which can then be rolled in bird seed and hung from trees. (could be a fun activity to do with kids). I found a few other suggestions for using bacon grease for feeding the birds just by doing a google search.
The other thing is this – whey are we eating bacon in the first place? (I do eat it sometimes, nothing like a good BLT) but it has to be one of the most unhealthy foods on the planet. A heart attack surely can’t be all that environmentally or financially friendly.
I too love the Tightwad Gazette – probably available at the library. Lots of great ideas.
One other book I wish everyone would read is Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things by William McDonough & Michael Braungart. It just may change the way we think about many important environmental issues.
August 17, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I can count on one hand the number of times we have bacon in a year and it normally happens when we have overnight weekend guests. We use a good quality non stick pan and then using a spatula scrape the grease and bits into a can we keep in the fridge until it’s full. If you scrape well with the spatula the pan can go straight into hot soapy water – no paper towel necessary. We do use 1 sheet on the plate where we place the cooked bacon to absorb any extra. Dealing with hamburger grease is a more frequent issue. When the ground beef is cooked we scoop it from the pan into a strainer over the grease can and let it drain. Use the spatula on the stuff in the pan, and return the drained meat to the pan to finish the recipe. We buy the paper towels that have the 1/2 sheets so you only use what you need – we might use a roll every 2 months? When I rewarm leftovers for my lunch I cover with a 1/2 sheet and if it’s not too messy I use it as my napkin, then use it to wipe the empty plate before it goes in the dishwasher. Our family of 4 recycles and composts and we put out 1 bag of garbage per week. Our neighbours with 2 teens and a live in mother in law put out 4 or 5 giant rubbermaid garbage cans every week and NO recycling. It makes me nuts. Ottawa currently allows 5 bags/containers a week doesn’t charge for tags – maybe that would smarten them up.
January 21, 2010 at 5:34 pm
I have composting worms gail and they are awesome they eat all the “green” food waste and you dont have to wait for it to rot. They are in a bucket in my basement. you dig a small hole in the dirt then deposit your “garbage” cover it fully in about a week its all gone depending on the amount of worms you have and composting stuff you have and the worms reproduce really fast!!!
March 28, 2010 at 9:23 am
One of the other benefits of line drying your clothes is that the sun will sterilize them, so it eliminates the need to wash in hot water. Whites turn out so much whiter outside on a line, and if you’re worried about the colours fading, wash and dry inside out. All of my clothes are now brighter on the outside, as they should be, than on the inside! I even notice this difference on my winter clothes, which are line-dried indoors — I think that the detergents must fade them as well, so not only dry them inside out, but wash them inside out too. My clothes seem to last longer as well.
Someone posted:
I buy boxed laundry soap rather than those in plastic containers
We had someone come out and do a ‘water audit’ for our property. This was a free service in our area, and it has really helped us in our landscape planning, and possibly avoid costly mistakes. She told us that using the liquid laundry detergent is much better for the environment than the powdered box detergent, due to all of its fillers, which can also clog up your septic system. (We live in the country.) She also told us to keep our gravel driveway as it helps filter water as well.
I have to say that we are not good at composting. We never seemed to ‘get it right’, as nothing seemed to be breaking down. We also tried it at work one year, and, being close to the river, ended up with rats… didn’t go over well.
We do use only reusable containers for lunches… this does cause our dishwasher to run a lot more often though, all of those little containers for 4 people take up the entire top rack.
We don’t have air conditioning… something that we keep debating about, whether it’s really worthwhile for those few days in the summer that the ceiling fans just don’t cut it, and when even the basement feels hot… we do have a trailer that we go to that has air conditioning and the electricity is included in our campground fees, so if it’s really hot, we can go there for the night. (We did do that one night last year when it seemed especially unbearable and we were all really crabby!) We don’t have a pool anymore, but, again, there is the lake at the campground which requires no electricity.
Most of my kids clothes are hand-me-downs, except for my daughter’s uniforms (they just aren’t available second-hand). Not only does it save me money, but it teaches them to work with the styles that they have and be more creative in their dressing — my 13 year old is known as the ‘fashion queen’ by her friends — of course, the discards that she gets are of a quality that most of her friends don’t buy. (Helps to have a friend whose daughter is very fashion conscious and models!)
For those of you who are coffee addicts and stop for your regular coffee, but get it in a disposable cup, ask about the savings if you bring your own… the store that I go to will sell it to me as a medium, when it is really a large to fill.
March 30, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Your idea is definitely a breath of fresh air when compared to the typical junk I read on solar energy. There are numerous frauds on the market. Thank you for helping me out.
June 1, 2011 at 8:43 am
Some excellent ideas and tips! Thanks for sharing.