Easy Greensy » Reuse

Freshen Up Your Fridge With This Natural Scent

Mike — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:58:14 +0000

Instead of buying a box of baking soda to stick in the fridge (which some scientists have argued doesn’t even work that well), just toss your citrus peels in there instead. The peels absorb strong odors while releasing some natural fragrances.

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Plastic Bag… Bag

Mike — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:44:38 +0000

If you haven’t picked up one, or a few reusable shopping bags yet, that probably means you’ve got a large collection of plastic bags piling up waiting to be reused to pick up pet waste, or for some other task. Well, I found this great way to reuse your plastic bags over at Go Green.

If you know how to crochet, or would be interested in learning, plasticbagbag.com has instructions and patterns for making unique reusable items out of plastic grocery bags.

I don’t know if I’d personably be skilled enough to even try a project like this, but if I ever stumbled across a large collection of plastic bags that needed saving from a landfill, it may be worth the time to try and learn. In the meantime I strongly encourage everyone to pick a few reusable bags from the EasyGreensy Store, and start cutting down on all those wasted bags.

If you do decide to try making one of these bags please share your results with us below. If you’d like to share photos of your finished project with other readers, please feel free to contact me via the contact page.

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A Simple Green Way to Reuse Your NetFlix Envelope

Mike — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:59:11 +0000

Hacking NetFlix recently shared with us a fun way to reuse the advertising flap of your Netflix envelope. Why just throw this piece of paper away? Get some use out of it and make yourself some toys. Who says being green can’t be fun too?

Netflix Origami shows you how to fold the ad flap into origami animals, airplanes, and other cool shapes.

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Share Spare Water with Pets and Plants – thedailygreen.com

Mike — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:35:51 +0000

This is an amazingly simple tip that will help in water conservation:

Share Spare Water with Pets and Plants – Water Conservation Tips – thedailygreen.com
When I run the kitchen faucet waiting for hot water to reach the tap, I stick an empty milk bottle under it rather than letting the water run down the drain. I use the water I’ve collected to fill the cat bowl and water my plants.

On the same note, I recently had a discussion with a neighbor about water conservation. His side was that in our rural environment we don’t need to save water because our homes are supplied by wells and water is discharged through septic systems. It took some convincing to make him realize that more and more wells are running dry, and new wells are being drilled much deeper than in the past.

Water conservation is not just for municipal systems. Everyone should try to conserve. This is a case where you are directly affecting your future in addition to others who may get water from the same watershed.

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Say Goodbye to Paper Towels

Mike — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:31:52 +0000

How many paper towels do you use? Have you ever thought about how many trees are being cut down to make those towels? What happens when you are done with them? Paper towels with food or cleaning products on them aren’t recycled.

Try picking up a few sets of dishtowels to replace your addiction to the paper variety. For a very small investment you can supply your home with enough wiping power to last several years. Make sure you have enough so that when your towel gets dirty you can dump it in the wash and start fresh with another.

You can use a dishtowel to clean up just about any mess in your home. Forget about which paper product picks up quicker, or absorbs more. A cloth towel will always do a better job.

Tips

Consider darker or patterned towels to hide stains.
Dishtowels are great for cleaning stubborn surfaces. They won’t tear and shred.
Use a clean towel on stainless steel and windows. Any grease will leave streaks.
You’ll be amazed at how much one dishtowel can wipe and clean.

I will admit there’s one reason to keep paper towels in your home. If you have pets you my want to consider a roll, but make sure you and your family know that cleaning up “accidents” is the only time they are acceptable. And please make sure the paper towels you keep around the house are made from recycled materials.

By switching to cloth towels you’ll save yourself money, wasted trees, additional landfill usage, and all the energy needed to produce paper.

I’ve even added some affordable, and decorative dishtowels and recycled paper towels to the EasyGreensy Store.Similar Posts:

Simple Tip: Buying Eggs

Mike — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:20:12 +0000

How much thought do you put into purchasing eggs? The most important thing that was ever on my mind when I purchased eggs in a store was how big they were, and if they were all intact.

Next time you are at your local grocery store pick the eggs that come in a cardboard (paper) package. These are often made from recycled material, and can be recycled again. Compared to a Styrofoam container that last many years in a landfill, this is a quick easy option with no negative impact on you.

Want to take it one step further? Reuse those egg containers.

Use containers to start seedlings for your garden.
Sort and organize small hardware (nuts, bolts, screws and nails)
More ideas from the Alberta (Canada) Egg Producers website.

If you are not reusing the container be sure to recycle it.

What ideas do you have for reusing an egg container?

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Paper or Plastic? Try Reusable

Mike — Sun, 18 May 2008 23:02:23 +0000

Reusable grocery bags not only help the environment, but they can save you money too! Many grocery stores are now offing a credit for each reusable bag you use to pack out your purchase. It may only be a few cents per bag, but if you shop once a week you can easily pay back the purchase price within a few months. In addition, in time the lower overhead for stores in could be a benefit to the cost of your goods.

Bringing your own sack to the store can provide numerous “green credits:” reduction of air pollution; consumption in the manufacture and transport of “disposable bags;” reduced landfill; and reduced litter.

So get yourself a few totes and start saving today!

Grocery Bags @ the EasyGreensy Shop

Reusable Bag Tips:

· Consider starting small – Purchase one or two reusable bags at a time. Each time you have a need for more bags add to your stock.

· Prepare to be surprised – You will be surprised how much you can fit into a reusable bag. Being made of stronger materials you can carry larger heavier loads (and make few trips unloading the car!)

· Start the habit immediately – After you empty your bags put them back in your vehicle immediately so they are ready for the next trip. Keep the bags where they are visible. It’s very easy to forget your bags in the trunk of a car.

· If your local grocery store does not offer a credit for reusable bags, ask the manager. Remind them that they will benefit from decreased expenses!

· Even if you “occasionally” reuse a plastic bag or two, the sad truth is the majority usually end up discarded as most households acquire many more bags than they can use.

Environmental Impacts of Standard Paper or Plastic:

· Plastic bag manufacturing requires petroleum thus adding to our dependency and demand for oil production.

· Manufacturing and transportation of disposable bags uses resources and creates pollution.

· Plastic bags may take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill.

· Eight billon pounds of plastic bags are thrown away every year in the US. Taking up much needed space in landfills or polluting the air with toxins if they are incinerated.

· In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce paper grocery bags in the US.

· The production of paper for paper bags requires large amounts of heat and chemicals. Further adding to pollution and consumption of resources.

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