Bliss to Bean: recycle

Saturday, January 28, 2012

One of my goals this year is to be more mindful of the environment.

I'm usually fairly conscientious, but I have implemented a few extra

everyday tricks to help out Mother Nature.

Obvious tips I've been doing all along:

turn off lights when we're not in the room {even if you don't pay for your electric, don't be wasteful!}
Recycling all things, paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, etc. {I overfill 2 bins each week!}
Don't leave water running while brushing teeth OR doing dishes
Purchase & use re-useable grocery bags
Re-use plastic grocery bags if you forgot your 'green tote'
Bike or walk {library, store, etc}
Carpool with friends/family {I pick my MIL up for lunch--bonus--we get to chat to and from lunch, saves her on gas & only one vehicle on the road!}
Try to use my nook or hubs Ipad for magazines books, but if I don't I'll always recycle them with friends!
Buy from local farmers {preferably organic}

New Green Tips:

I read a disturbing statement about how many toilet paper rolls end up in landfills because they don't get recycled. I realized I wasn't recycling ANY of my bathroom products; they just got tossed in the garbage! I know keep an extra bag under the counter to catch all the recyclable items and then toss them into the recycling bin come trash day.

We gave up buying the small plastic water bottles and we only use ones that we can re-fill. The husband prefers glass, so I bought some VOSS water at Marshalls, and throw them in the dishwasher and use like we would any other glass. I fill them and keep them in the fridge so we can grab & go!

If I am in the kitchen {which I usually am} I love having the Food Network on. Joe suggested I turn off the TV and just leave the sound running through the system. It works well, since I'm not actually watching, just listening!
For Christmas I purchased a few coffee cozies as prizes for my cookie party {and one for myself!!} and whenever possible, I use this instead of the cardboard one that usually ends up in the garbage.

We only use cloth napkins. I don't even have paper ones! I have paper towels, but everyday we use cloth napkins. I love Target, Pier One, Kohls for those goodies! It adds some sophistication to your meal and there's nothing to throw away!

On days off, hubs gets breakfast in bed. =D

And of course when possible, we buy Organic foods...but that's really an entire post {or several} on its own!!

We usually eat in. Like I've shared before, it's better to know where your food is coming from, what's going into it, and it tends to taste a lot better! Try making pizzas at home. No delivery charge, no wasted cardboard box. Tastes way better too!