Category: Green Living

Humans contribute approximately 2.6 million tons of waste each year, which wreaks havoc on the planet. If we don’t learn to protect the environment around us, it can mean severe consequences for us all in the future.

If you’re looking to take and stand and do something to save our beloved planet, continue reading. There are tons of things that you can do to help preserve and improve the present state of the world.

1. Volunteer

When you’re looking for a way to help the planet by using environmentally friendly clothing and check out places near you that allow you to volunteer. Volunteering means that you’ll be helping raise awareness about the condition of the earth by participating in clean up days.

Various organizations allow volunteers to sign up for one of the many clean up days they offer throughout the calendar year.

2. Limit Water Usage

Have you ever left the water on while brushing your teeth or doing the dishes? All of us have contributed to water waste at one time, but if we want to improve then conserve the amount of water you use.

This may mean that your family takes shorter showers and turn the faucet off until you’ve finished tasks like brushing your teeth.

3. Use Reusable Shopping Bags

People use 26.8 million plastic bags each year, mainly when we visit the grocery store. Instead of using plastic when you go to the grocery store, opt for reusable plastic bags.

This will limit the amount of plastic bags that end up in landfills, and you don’t have to worry about filling your garbage can with the bags because you can reuse them. There are bags for every personality in various colors and patterns.

4. Educate Yourself and Others

One of the best ways to save the planet is to educate yourself about the causes of harm. When you educate yourself and your family members, you can then begin making better decisions.

There are many times when people aren’t able to do better because they don’t have the knowledge to improve their behaviors.

5. Plant Trees

This may seem like such a simple solution, and it is, but it’s also a solution that carries a high impact. When you plant trees, you’re providing the environment with crucial oxygen that it and you need.

Not only do trees provide oxygen, but they also help to stabilize the changing climate, improve the air quality around us, and save energy. Therefore it’s recommended that you take some time to plant a few trees.

Some organizations set aside days to go out into the community and plant trees.

Protect The Environment

If we all do our part, we can protect the environment. When we take care of the environment, it will do its part and take care of us.

We appreciate you taking the time to read this article, and if you’d like to read some of the other items we’ve published, visit our blog section.

Did you now that your washer and dryer habits could be wreaking havoc on the environment?

We may not realize it, but even the smallest habits and choices can add up to large effects on the health of the planet.

Are you wondering how you can lessen your impact on the environment by changing the way you get a common household chore done?

Keep reading to learn about how your laundry times affect the environment.

Wait Until You Have a Full Load

If you want to wear a certain outfit, you might be tempted to do laundry with half a load or less, but this can be extremely wasteful.

To save energy, you should remember that the best time to do laundry is when you have a full load that needs cleaning. If you need to, you can combine your clothes with your kids’ clothes, for instance.

It also helps if you invest in an energy-efficient washer and dryer.

Use Cold Water in Most Cases

One way to save energy and money is by setting your washing machine to a cold water setting. If you have an energy-efficient machine, it might even have an ‘eco warm’ setting that will also help a lot. This will allow you to avoid using the heater which ends up using an abundance of energy.

It might sound counterproductive to use cold water but, in most cases, clothes can get clean just fine without hot water. If you have really tough stains to get out of your clothes, such as those that come from grease, then that’s when you should use hot water.

By keeping this in mind, you can significantly reduce the number of times that you’ll need to use hot water to clean your clothes.

Hang Dry More Often

While having energy efficiency washers can help a lot, you can do even more by switching to hang drying instead of using a machine dryer. This isn’t a common practice in America, but it should be.

Not only do machine dryers use a lot of energy but they can actually heat up your house as you use them. This often causes people to turn on their air conditioner, which wastes even more energy.

Hang drying is simpler and easier than most people probably think. All you need is a clothesline or pins. To make it even easier, you can simply hang clothes on hangers outside.

You can learn more about how to have greener habits when you keep up to date with the Climate Leadership Council, which was founded by Ted Halstead.

Ready to Change Your Laundry Times?

Now that you’ve learned all about how your laundry times affect the environment, you can do your best to minimize your impact on it. You can also begin to change other habits for the betterment of yourself, the environment, and the planet as a whole.

Do you want to stay up to date on all things related to health, travel, relationships, and more? Bookmark our website so that you can always stay informed.

Ready for cooler temps, but not quite ready for your power bill to increase? As your systems kick into full gear to heat your home, you may be dreading that inevitable spike in your monthly expenses.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that home heating and cooling accounts for almost half (48%) of your household’s total energy use. Yet, reducing that amount and lowering your bill might not be as difficult as you think — and you won’t have to forego your beloved heat for mounds of heavy blankets to do so.

In fact, there are many environmentally friendly ways you can save money on heating.

Ready to learn more? Keep reading!

1. Check Your Weather Stripping

When air leaks through your windows and doors, you can easily lose heat. In fact, experts estimate that 10% of a home’s heat loss is attributed to poorly sealed windows, and 11% from leaky doors.

If you’re constantly dialing up the thermostat to stay comfortable, consider checking the weather stripping around your entryways and windows. If it’s worn down or torn, replace it and fortify the seal with indoor caulk.

This simple step can help reduce drafts and conserve energy, saving you money on home heating and keeping you warmer.

2. Replace Old Windows

Though repairing your weather stripping will help conserve heat, the reality is that if your windows are outdated, they may not be optimized to prevent heat loss.

If your budget allows, consider making the switch to energy-efficient windows.

These are often multi-pane, with an insulating layer of air between the two panes. This design offers valuable heat and energy savings over traditional single-paned options.

Not ready to invest in new windows? Try covering your doors and windows with clear, transparent film. Available at home supply stores, this film allows you to better retain heat in your home and can easily be peeled off as required.

3. Better Insulate Your Attic

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates homeowners can save around 15% on their home heating and cooling costs just by sealing leaks and upgrading the insulation in their attic.

Evaluate if there are any areas in your attic that may require extra insulation. Often, though the space itself may be well-insulated, there may be heat loss around the access door.

If yours needs attention, fiberglass batt insulation affixed to the attic side of the door can make a huge difference.

4. Fine-Tune Your Home Heating Systems

What’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to maximize your home’s heat retention? Ensure your heating and air conditioning systems are clean and routinely maintained.

It takes more energy (and costs more money) to push air through a dirty system filled with debris. Sticking to a regular cleaning and upkeep schedule can keep yours working at an ideal setting.

Not sure where to start? A professional company skilled at boiler and heating system installation and repair, such as Diamond Gas & Heating, can provide the care your systems need.

5. Invest in a Smart Thermostat

You already know that keeping the temperature cooler in your home can save you money on your power bills. Yet, chances are you don’t want to be uncomfortable in your own home, buried under layers, all winter long.

As an alternative, consider investing in a smart, programmable thermostat. You can set these systems to automatically lower your home’s temperature by 10 to 15 degrees for around eight hours, ideally while you sleep or are away during the day.

This way, you’re not paying to heat your home to full capacity when there’s no one there, or when you’re not awake to enjoy it. Talk about smart savings!

Save Big and Live Bigger: Easy Ways to Start

Are you looking to cut costs without cutting corners? Are you interested in learning more household tips that can preserve your sanity while protecting your bank account?

If so, you’ve come to the right place!

From deals and freebies to tips on frugal living, I provide it all — helping you live easier and save smarter every day.

Feel free to contact me for more information and let’s talk thrifty!

Wanting a fun and festive Memorial Day DIY? Look no further! This super affordable craft can be painted with different colors to match your decor or holidays! Below you will find the simple and easy to follow directions:

Materials:
*4 cinder blocks
*Red Spray Paint (i would find one with a primer in it)
*2 pieces of wood (cut to the correct width of cinder blocks and how over long you want)
*Blue latex paint

Directions:
-thoroughly spray pain the cinder blocks. You might need a few coats as the cinder blocks do absorb some paint. Make sure you lay card board or a cloth down if you want to protect ANYTHING from the spray pain! Let dry completely! While the cinder blocks are drying go ahead and paint both pieces of the wood! You might want to do 2 coats on them! Once everything is dry, it is time to assemble! Place 2 cinder blocks where you want them, add a shelf, and repeat until finished! Add some colorful flower pots and decorations and you are DONE!

If you loved this DIY, check out our others! Remember to give it a personal touch and most importantly, have fun!

I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting, on behalf of Cottonelle, and received product samples and a promotional item to facilitate my party. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was thrilled to receive this wonderful package of  Johnathan Adler Cottonelle Tissue Roll Covers. I hosted a fun party where I invited several friends and their children yesterday. We made easy and fun crafts repurposing Cottonelle bath tissue paper tubes for both the kids and the adults. The kids mostly wanted to make binoculars out of the toilet paper roll tubes. It’s a very inexpensive craft for the kids to do, and adults make sure to punch the holes so the kids can tie the yarn. These are great projects to teach the kids about recycling just in time for Earth Day.

I also wanted something for the ladies to be able to do instead of just children centered crafts. We made pencil holders out of the toilet paper tubes. I bought a couple of packs of scrapbook paper which was very inexpensive at 99 cents a pack! I also purchased card stock to use for the bottom. I did not want to use acrylic paint as it would take too long to dry. At first we used a marker to color the inside top portion, but then one of my friends suggested we use a piece of card stock to reinforce the inside of the tubes. It worked perfectly.
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Next we cut out the strips in half to roll the tube with and used craft glue. Slowly roll the tube and make sure to keep it smoothed while rolling so it doesn’t create bubbles.

At the end of the rolling, you will need to reinforce the ends. I used some more craft glue and wiped off the excess. There isn’t any glue after it dried. It was much cheaper than using mod podge.

Next we cut out a circle of blue cardstock. You want the circle to slightly larger than the tube. My friend is gluing on the bottom to the tube. We also used purple card stock and rolled it up in the inside of the tube.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the inside and it was very strong after we let them dry.

Here is the finished product. Each lady made a different one. It was a lot of fun.

Each lady left with a Johnathan Adler Cottonelle Tissue Roll Cover. One of the ladies is using hers to store her daughter’s hairbows and ribbons. Another one is using hers to store her cotton balls. The uses for these great and colorful roll covers are endless.

What will you make by repurposing toilet paper roll tubes?