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Post by daylilydude on Apr 22, 2018 3:05:43 GMT -5
In honor of Earth Day have you tried to make your home or kitchen more eco friendly... what are your tricks?
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Post by paulf on Apr 22, 2018 8:42:51 GMT -5
Not much of an ecologist. We recycle what we are able, installed LED lighting almost everywhere, compost what is compostable, turn down the heat and up the air conditioning, caulked around windows and we are installing new energy efficient windows this year.
Most of what we do is to reduce costs but in a way is more ecologically sound, too. Our footprint is already pretty small for two old people.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 22, 2018 10:40:50 GMT -5
I've been doing these things for years - recycling, composting, growing organic, trying to use less electric and gas, etc. And I try to drive as little as possible. As Paul said, most of this is to save money! Looking around the house, about the only thing I could reduce is all the paper - books and magazines - but I simply do not like reading these things on a tablet, or, even worse, a cell phone.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Apr 22, 2018 11:29:53 GMT -5
I bought an already existing house rather than a new one. All appliances added have been energystar rated including front loaded washers. I have only had 4 cylinder vehicles since 1977, the infrastructure is not there for an electric vehicle around here just yet. I added insulation and in 2016 switched to a two stage 17 seer electric heating and cooling system. Low flow shower heads were an early purchase. My next goal is a heat reflecting metal roof. That might be awhile due to cost though.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 22, 2018 12:30:34 GMT -5
We do all of the energy efficient stuff, composting and growing organically but I am also constantly aware of my use of plastics. I cook from scratch every day for better taste and for our health but I am happy that it also eliminates the waste of a lot of packaging materials.
When I go a store and pick up some small item I always say "no bag" and when I am in the grocery store I either bring my own bags or make sure that they add enough items to each bag and never double bag.
I have a refrigerator with a water dispenser and I drink water in a glass from there rather than using bottled water and recycling water bottles unless I am away from home.
I plan meals around what I have in either the refrigerator or the garden at the time and we waste very little food.
We don't use disposable dishes at home unless we have a lot of people over.
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stone
Pro Member
Posts: 170
Zone:: 8
Favorite Vegetable:: Bambi
Joined: December 2011
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Post by stone on Apr 25, 2018 8:13:32 GMT -5
Every day is earth day, and there is plenty that we can do to reduce our impact.
Took a deer neck out of the freezer, and put it on the grill still frozen... Let it smoke and thaw at the same time on a wood fire,, eventually I added the meat to the pressure cooker and cooked that road kill to perfection. Added some sprouted potatoes and fresh picked kale, planted the potato sprouts that I cut off, fed the peelings to the cats.
I save electricity with rain barrows lined up under the roof.... Wash dishes and bathe in the rain water... Hand carry the water to the garden when transplanting. Don't waste drinking water flushing poop... Grey water goes on plants.
Try to avoid watering, instead mulch thickly with horse manure... No lawn... Saves on gass mower.
No air conditioning, I don't even run a fan... Open a window of my house if necessary.
No central heat... Burn wood in one room... Stove pipe stuck out a window....
Reckon not many people on this forum are ready to go to the lengths that I'm going to, but there are other forums where people discuss going even further!
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Post by guruofgardens on Apr 25, 2018 19:00:57 GMT -5
I wish more people would be conscious of keeping the planet a cleaner place to live. We try. Compost everything that comes from the ground, recycle all that the county allows us, use our own grocery bags, mulch the gardens with free leaves we've shredded.
We have energy efficient windows, a metal roof, but we do use air conditioning when the temps get way too high for comfort.
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