Let's Go Green for the Spring

Spring is right around the corner. Some of us have even seen Robins, in our yard already. With the fresh and warmer weather approaching, let's consider five ways to go green. These five ways will look at going environmentally green, through your household and personal life. Some, of these five suggestions, may affect both ways.

1. Stop using plastic bags. When you go to the grocery store, use a cloth bag or take some empty cardboard boxes with you. Many stores, like Walmart, have bins for plastic. If you have any at home, take them there and leave them in their bins. If you use them for trash, try going to recycled paper bags. You have to keep wet items from these bags. Wet coffee grounds can be used for compost as can other wet items. Think in terms of trying to recycled all plastics, including bags.

2. Wash your items in cold water and dry them outside or in a heat free dryer. You would be surprised, how fresh your items will smell, when you air dry them outside on a wash line. The cool breeze, of fresh air ,and warm sunshine makes a big difference. If you have a gas dryer, try drying your items with just the air from tumble dry without gas heat.

3. Start using a rain water barrel. You can easily set up a rain water barrel, to use for gardening, car washes and other cleaning chores. You can easily set up a rain barrel and run your down spouts into it. You can place a spigot in the bottom of it. Then, a simple garden hose will do the rest. Rain water is free and it is clear of chemicals. You not only save water, but you improve your gardening.

4. Organize a group to clean up along the highways or country roads in your area. Each year, more people in cars pollute our ditches and roadways. These areas need to be cleaned up. You can organize your local neighbors, church or social groups, to form a weekend clean up crew. Many Highway departments will provide you with yellow collection bags. Your group picks up and fills each bag. Tie them off and leave them beside the road to be picked up, by the highway department.

5. Start looking for alternative ways to use clean energy, like the Bloom Box Fuel Cell. Even though this isn't ready for homes yet, it may not be to far off in the future. There are small measures that can be done now, to go green on energy. New thermal windows, solar panels and heat pumps are ways to go green and save on energy and money.

Extra thoughts; Give up eating meat once or twice a week. Factory farms are big environmental polluters. Think about eating on the lower food chain, for a couple of days a week. Build a compost bin in your backyard. You can then use this for your gardening.

Going green, in simple small ways, is a way to improve your household. But, more important than that, it makes you a better environmental consumer.