Springtime Green Living Ideas

Springtime is a season when you open the windows, do spring cleaning and experience the joy of nature once again. It is also a great time to start adding some new green living strategies to your life. There are many small changes to make that will eventually result in a much greener life style.

Distribute Cuttings from Shrubs

Springtime is a great time to be generous with giving away cuttings from bushes around the yard. Some bushes, like the lilac bush, will grow from a cutting into a fabulous, scented bush.

So tell friends to come over to get cuttings. You can also donate them to places you frequent, like in the staff lounge at work. Sharing cuttings is a good deed to help someone add some more bushes to their yard. This will help small animals have a place to find shelter.

Give Gift Baskets to Clean Toxins from Fabrics

Most homes are full of chemicals in the air from products created from non-natural fibers or materials. These toxins get into fabric items and linger.

Thus washing fabric items with white vinegar and baking soda helps keep the items free of toxins and makes the home healthier. Give out baskets of baking soda and white vinegar to encourage others to wash items such as sheets, pillows and curtains with them. This will remove volatile compounds from the fabrics, notes Martha Stewart.

Recycle Junk Mail to Distribute Seeds

Use envelopes and paper from junk mail to make packets to distribute dried flower seeds from your garden. This helps someone get a lovely springtime gift of your flower seeds to create a garden. This is good for the environment and also for the bees that will feed at the flowers.

Get a box to put junk mail in. This helps you to have paper always available to make packets for seeds or to use as scrap paper for any lists you make regularly.

Donate Packs of Seeds to Kids

The springtime is a wonderful opportunity to help kids learn how to garden. You could donate seed packs at schools or at religious places for parents to have to teach kids to garden.

I once visited a library that had a big basket of seed packs for anyone to take. This is a wonderful way to spread the joy of gardening to the younger generation.

Use Wood Scrap to Make Birdhouses

Many people have wood scrap hanging around in the garage or shed. Take some time to find it all during spring cleaning. Put it all in one place and get tools ready to use it for creating bird houses. You may want to ask neighbors if they have any scrap wood they'd like to donate to your project.

Many bird species are in crisis and possibly facing extinction. Thus putting scrap wood to use helps the birds tremendously. A bird house helps birds have safety from predators.

Sources:

Martha Stewart
Personal experience and ideas.