Tag Archives: recycle

Make Recycling Fun

Ah, Earth Day. One of the few things in life that’s older than me. Thank goodness for Earth Day. No longer an occasion celebrated solely by tree huggers, hippies and flower power people; Earth Day is now a mainstream event commemorated around the world with the hope of raising awareness about our planet’s needs and promoting the modern environmental movement. Translation:  Use the day to show your kids how recycling can be fun. Let’s face it; most of our homes are filled with junk. And by junk I mean items that sit around collecting dust until you can figure out … Continue reading →

Trash to Treasure

With Earth Day right around the corner, now is a good time to give items a second look before you toss them in the trash.  Could that empty plastic milk container be transformed into a pretty vase?  What about Junior’s ripped shirt?  Before you dump it, remove the buttons and repurpose them.  Buttons make great accents on scrapbook layouts and work wonders on craft projects. Just last week one of my favorite magnets broke.  It was a ceramic   Humuhumunukunukuapua’a—the state fish of Hawaii.  I got it the last time we were visiting my parents.  Unfortunately, the fish’s body shattered and … Continue reading →

Fun and Easy Ways to Go Green

Earth Day 2013 is less than a week away.  How are you planning to celebrate? Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of green to go green.  All you need is a little time and some motivation to recycle what you already own.  By repurposing materials you would otherwise toss in the trash, you are not only saving money and showing your kids simple ways to save the planet, but you’re also giving them an outlet to showcase their creative energy. Placemats:  Rather than spend cash on everyday placemats, consider making your own with poster board, old magazines and … Continue reading →

Adapting My Clothing

Since I have been losing weight, I have had to contend with clothing not fitting me quite right. Believe me, I am not complaining. I’d rather have loose clothing than tight clothing. But because of my limited wardrobe (yes, I am the mom who still has clothing she purchased 10 years ago), I’ve been having to adapt. Why don’t I just get new clothing? Well, for one thing, I am very frugal (notice the clothing from 10 years ago). We just don’t have a new wardrobe in the budget at the moment, especially with the holidays here. The other reason, … Continue reading →

The New “R” in Green Living

You may have heard about the three “Rs” in green living. These are easy to remember guides to practicing responsible consuming. These three points are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reduce means to consume less and produce less waste. Reuse means to get the most out of something, rather than discarding it and replacing it with something new. Recycle means you either repurpose something old that you don’t need into something new that you do need, or to recycle that product so it can be made into something new by someone else. There is a new “R” to add to our … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Reduce Your Packaging

Excess packaging is everywhere, and it has a hug impact. Just for one day, keep track of the amount of packaging you generate. Weekends are probably worse than weekdays. If you can fill a box in a couple of days of regular living, with all of your packaging, I wouldn’t be surprised. Reducing that packaging takes a little forethought, but it isn’t as hard to do as it might first seem to be. 1. Go for non-processed. Non-processed foods generally have little to no packaging. Think about produce, for example. Stay away from “bagged apples” for example and bring your … Continue reading →

Aiming for Zero Waste

So many of us think it is personal right to be able to generate and toss away garbage. But is it really? Why should added pollution and mess to the planet be a right of every world citizen? Here in my home town, we can simply fill up a large garbage can and have someone take it away twice a week. We can even overflow it or add an extra can. We pay our taxes or for a sanitation service, so we have every right, right? Instead, why don’t we look at having a responsibility to mess up the planet … Continue reading →

Make Your Own Paper from Old Newspaper

I saw on a kids show once how to make your own paper from old newspapers and I just thought it was the coolest thing to do. It may not be as easy as going to the store to buy paper, but you will save trees and have the satisfaction of knowing that you made your own paper – how cool is that? You will need a food processor or blender (you may want to use one you don’t plan to put food in anymore), an electric iron, a wire hanger, a pair of old pantyhose, white glue, water, a … Continue reading →

Quick and Easy Steps to Going Green

While the green way of living may seem more natural, many of us need to begin with baby steps. After all, we’ve been use to driving our gas guzzling SUVs everywhere, leaving lights on in the house, and running water like it was never ending. I believe some people are hesitant to go green because they think it will be difficult, but here are some easy ways to start going green: Use rechargeable batteries – the only thing is you will need to remember to charge them from time to time! Purchase energy-efficient florescent bulbs – not only are you … Continue reading →

Smaller Garbage Equals More Money

We have been smug. I admit it. When we look at all of the garbage that our neighbors have out, we tend to feel that we are on the right track. This is because we know that the smaller our garbage is then the less money we are spending. While the neighbors can have three or more extra large trash cans a week, we have trouble just filling up half of our can per week. Once we are past disposable diapers (we just don’t want to do cloth), we may even cut that little bit in half. There are so … Continue reading →