Buy Fewer and Smaller Things

This one is easy for me because big stuff doesn't float my boat. However, I know that society puts pressure on us to buy big stuff and the thought is that the more stuff we have and the bigger it is the more successful we must be.

Here is another way to think of it; the more stuff you have the more work it is to maintain. Try simplifying and buying less. When you do buy, buy smaller. Consider a smaller home when you are ready to move. How much of your current house do you rarely use? For example, do you need a large bedroom if you only sleep in it?

Buy a smaller vehicle or consider having your second vehicle being a city only vehicle - something small and energy efficient. Maybe even try a scooter or motorcycle for city driving.

How many shoes or shirts do you really need? Do you really need to replace your furniture?

less stuff = less costs = more money = less work!

Soap and Garbage

A simple way to reduce the trash you create and the yuck you put down the sink is to use bar soap not soap in a bottle. With bar soap you will use less at a time, so less goes down the sink unused. Plus, you won't have the bottle to throw in the recycling all the time so no waste is generated. The extra bonus is that it is much cheaper than bottled soap.

Save electricity and money in your kitchen

There are several quick and easy ways to save electricity and money in your kitchen including:

Stove:

• Use flat bottom pots and pans that fully cover the burner
• turn the heat off before cooking is complete
• use your microwave and toaster oven rather than the oven (this also keeps the house cool)
• use a crock pot to precook or cook your food (you can also do this outside so that it doesn't heat the house in the summer)

Dishwasher

• rinse your dishes with grey water (reused water - I keep a bowl in the sink to capture water when I wash my hands or vegies and use that water to rinse my dishes). This saves water during rinsing and also means you have cleaner dishes in the dishwasher so don't need as much soap and as long a wash cycle
• make sure the dishwasher is full before you press start
• be very nice and start the dishwasher during non peak hours - don't run it in the morning or during dinner time
• open the dishwasher to let the dishes air dry instead of using power to heat dry (this also adds humidity to the house)

Save Water Outside

With summer gardening here, make sure your outside water system is running efficiently. If you use an automatic sprinkler system, have it tested. In Colorado you can get a free test at www.conservationcenter.org.

Consider installing a quick and easy drip or soaker system to water your garden.

Check your hose connections at the house and make sure there are no leaks. If you use a handheld device it might need new washers or even replacing. Make the change now and reap the benefits all summer.

Try planting some plants in pots instead of the ground. This is a very efficient use of water (especially if you buy a self watering pot) and many plants (such as tomatoes and herbs) thrive in pots.

Also, mulch mulch mulch your garden and cover your soaker hose so that you need less water, have fewer weeds, and the water does not evaporate so quickly.

Turn your water sprinkler system off if you don't need it. For example, if it is cool or raining you don't need as much water.

Only water twice a week and have your sprinkler rotate through three times in short bursts instead of long watering cycles.

Only water your lawn before 10:00 am or after 9 pm to avoid evaporation.

Spring Yard Clean Up

As thoughts to turn to spring and gardens we all imagine how magazine ready our gardens will look this year. Hope reigns eternal (I have a high gardening hope to reality ratio which keeps me very optimistic year after year!)

As you start your clean up, don't throw out your yard waste! This week in Thornton we have our free bulk pick up and I am astounded by the number of leaf bags and tree limbs I see out there - none of that is trash. Not only can it be composted, thus saving our landfills from piling up, but they are also too wonderful to toss. Leaf mulch makes some of the best compost.

The easiest way to compost leaves is to leave them on your grass (or put them there if they are in garden areas - I use a leaf blower to move them) and run your lawn mower over them. As soon as it is warm they will quickly compost (composting is a heat process). Once the grass starts growing they will disappear. For leaves not near grass I use a leaf vacuum that has a mulcher. It is easy to use and I can even use it over bark mulch. I simply suck up the leaves, which are mulched in the process, then dump them in my garden to compost. They are very rich in nutrients. So, save plastic garden bags, landfills (leaves and garden waste make up about 20$% of our landfills!), and fertilize your yard all in one easy step!


For garden limbs, many communities offer residents a fabulous service where you can drop off your tree limbs, etc for free and then pick up the mulched results for free.


Mulch can be used as compost or to keep your garden roots cool and moist during the hot dry summer. Save money on buying mulch from the stores and save our landfills!


Happy composting and happy gardening!

Save Water & Energy With Your Dishwasher

As previously discussed, washing dishes with a dishwasher uses about 1/10th the water that washing by hands uses.

A few very easy habits can optimize your dishwasher usage, save money, and help the environment:
1. Rinse dishes with grey water before loading them in the dishwasher
2. Fill the dishwasher before starting it - just a few more dishes each time can save several washes each year (saving water, power, and dishwashing detergent)
3. Open the door to let them air dry instead of using power to heat dry.

And, as always, compost - compost - compost!

Eat Locally - Really Really Locally

The farther our food travels to get to us, the worse it is for the environment. Read "Buy Local, Buy Fresh, Buy Beer" for more information on this.

The most local, least environmentally damaging food is that which you grow in your yard. Although it is too early in most North American climates to start planting, you can start preparing.

There are 2 major things that you can do right now to get ready for gardening season:
1. prepare your soil
2. create a water source

Without good soil it is impossible to have a productive garden. The best and cheapest way to get fabulous soil is to compost. It is almost effortless and it is cheap. You not only save on garbage pick up costs, but you also avoid buying soil (which also uses plastic bags). I am a lazy composter and just dig mine directly into my garden. Most things are gone within a month. Some things, like peanut shells and eggs shells take longer. (Peanut shells can be used as mulch instead if you don't want them in your soil. Egg shells take a long time but are a great nutrient, especially for tomato plants.)

To get a good balance between green and brown items in your compost, add leaves, grass, or mulched tree limbs. Many cities offer free or cheap mulch which can be added to your compost. I picked up 10 garden bags of free mulch last month. Check out the website of your local municapality or call them to find out about their program. For the City of Thornton, Colorado you can find the information for how to donate your garden wastes and pick up free mulch here.

Please send me links to your city's mulch program and I will post them.

The second thing that you can start on now is creating a water source. Having a garden is water intensive. If you are using household water not only is it expensive, but you are unneccasarily using treated water. Better than this is to build a rainbarrel. I just installed my first two and they filled up very quickly. I purchased previously used barrels from Pepsi as the main barrel. This was not only very cheap ($10 each) but reused plastic, so I wasn't creating more plastic.

Finally, start preparing now for your garden by reading "The Dirt Cheap Green Thumb" so that you can avoid the $64 tomato problem!

Happy Gardening and don't forget to compost!!

Being Green While Travelling

I was in Las Vegas last weekend for my daughter's soccer tournament. Although we didn't stay on the strip, what adult can resist at least one walk through sin central?

As a pro-environmental person who carefully watches everything that goes in my trash, it is frustrating to see that the number of "girls, girls, girls" flyers handed out hourly on the strip (and then left on the street) produces more trash than I produce in a year.

While there isn't anything I can do about that, I can still be green as possible when travelling. When I stay in hotels I don't like my towels changed daily. In fact, I can go several days without new towels. Many hotels offer a policy now where they will only change the towels you leave in the bathtub. However, my experience over the years is that it is impossible to stop maid service from replacing all used towels. My trick now is to leave the "do not disturb" sign up 24 x 7. I don't get maid service, but I don't need it. I am tidy enough and don't need my room vacuumed and cleaned every day. If I want more soap, I just grab it off the maid's trolley.

Another travel trick is to carry an empty water bottle with me that I can quickly fill and reuse instead of buying water and wasting water bottles on my trips.

So, happy travels while staying green!

Growing a Bird Garden

Although most of us still have snow on the ground and no immediate respite on the horizon, it is a good time to think about your yard and garden. Grass is generally a poor use of yard space and very demanding on the environment. We tend to water, fertilize, and cut (using electricity/gas as well as creating noise pollution) our grass very regularly. Most people spend hours more caring for their grass than they do ever enjoying it. Why not convert some of your grass area either into a vegetable garden or a bird garden?

MyBirdScape offers a quick and easy seed package to take the first easy steps towards creating a bird garden. It is easy to attract birds, provide them with more nutritious food, and have a beautiful landscape!

If you choose to convert some yard space into a bird garden sanctuary, you can even work towards having it certified as a wildlife habitat - how cool is that!

Save Water, Energy, and Money When Washing Clothes

Approximately 14% of our household water is used to wash clothes. To save water, time, and money, follow a few simple rules:

1. Try a shorter wash - the newer washing machines and detergent are so much more efficient than what most of us grew up. Most of us grew up with inefficient washers and expect that our current washer works the same. Old habits are hard to break! Try a shorter wash and see how it works!



2. Only wash full loads



3. When your washing machine dies, buy a new front loader - they are far more efficient

When washing clothes about 90% of the energy used is to heat the water. Reduce this by washing with cold water. Again, the washing machines and detergent are so improved over the last few years that warm/hot water is almost never needed anymore.

Finally, hang your clothes to dry. In dry climates, especially in winter, this doubles as a way to keep the air a bit more humid.

Reduce Your Heat Bill and Save Energy

With the coldest winter months upon us, now is the time to focus on reducing your heat bill and saving the amount of energy you use. Your heating bill can be one of your highest budget expenses this time of the year, or it can be very low.

The easiest way to reduce the heat you use is to use a programmable thermostat. If you don't already have a programmable thermostat, get one! If you have one, maximize its use. Programmable thermostats can help you lower your heat during the day when no one is at home and lower it over night, and still have the heat turned on before you need it. Also, if you are changing your schedule and will be out for several hours, turn the heat low again and have it set to come back on before you get home.

In our family we have two kids who do lots of sports so we are always out and about. Every day I reset the thermostat to suit the schedule for that day. Since we are often out for several hours there is no need having the heat running then.

Other ways to keep energy costs low:
- keep the blinds closed as much as possible, providing extra insulation around windows
- seal off leaking areas around doors, windows, etc.
- provide insulation behind exterior wall plug-ins and light switches
- keep the thermostat down a bit lower than you usually do - try it just one degree lower during the day and two degrees at night
- wear your slippers and a sweater to stay warm
- clean your furnace filter so that it operates optimally

Stay warm and save energy!

Saving Water in the Shower

On average, with a regular showerhead, we use 7-10 gallons/water for each minute we are in the shower. The average shower is 12-15 minutes. If you shower for 15 minutes using 10 gallons/water per minute that is 150 gallons of water - yikes! That is even more than a bath which uses 30-50 gallons of water (a whirlpool tub uses about 80 gallons of water). This is just the water usage - heating the water is a huge cost and energy drain as well.

Taking a bath, however, is not the answer. Instead, there are quick, easy and cost-saving changes you can make today to reduce your water used in the shower.

First, install a water saving shower head that uses 2-4 gallons of water/minute. These are not like they were 10 years ago, but now offer a very nice shower experience. This is a change that is so cheap and easy you should make it today. In Colorado, Excel Energy offers free showerheads to anyone who wants them, so take advantage!

Second, take a shorter shower. Bring your shower time down to 5-7 minutes. This can be done just by being more aware of your shower time - to do this, try the shower coach. Other tricks are not to shave in the shower. When I shave my legs I do it before I shower and use the water that I ran to heat up the shower. Also, save a lot of shower time by not washing your hair every time - this not only saves water but makes your hair healthier by allowing the natural oils to condition your hair. Wash your hair every 2-3 days, not every day.

Take a "captains" shower - only run the water when you need it. Buy a showerhead that has an easy off/on switch and then run the water, for example, to wet your hair, but stop it when you are sudsing. Very easy to do and probably reduces the water use by about 1/2 to 2/3.

Potty Talk

75% of the water we use in the house we use in the bathroom. Of that, 25% is used by your toilet!


A regular toilet uses about 3-5 gallons/flush whereas a low flo toilet uses 1-2 gallons. So, when you need a new toilet, buy an ultra low flush (6 L/flush) and save about 70% of your toilet water, and about 30% of your indoor water.


While your old toilet is still going strong there are several things you can do to reduce the water you use starting today and not spending much or anything at all:

1. Don't flush every time

2. Use "grey" (previously used) water to flush - we save the cold water that runs in the shower while waiting for the hot water by just having the cold water run into a bucket and using that to flush

3. Check for toilet leaks - very easy to do, just put a couple of drops of food coloring in your tank and check after 30 minutes to see if that water has run into the bowl. If yes, a quick and inexpensive fix should be done

4. Add a toilet tank bank or filled plastic water bottle to your tank to reduce the flow.

These fast changes can be made today so you can start saving money and the environment with almost no effort or investment!

Grey Water and Plants

I love plants in the house - they keep the air humid (important in Colorado) and clean, not to mention they cheer up the winter months.

However, the bigger the plants, the more water they require and I am one of the people who think that water is far more valuable to our planet than oil or gold, and so needs to be conserved.

There are two ways I water my indoor plants using
"grey" (reused) water instead of clean tap water:

1. Between sports and life, my family is always filling up water bottles but never emptying them. I dump the leftover water into my plants.

2. When running the shower none of us like to jump in when it is cold. We keep a bucket in the shower that we use to collect the cold water that runs before the warm water. I use that water to water plants or flush toilets.

Give this a try or let me know your ideas for conserving water for your plants!

Grey Water and Dishwashing

Using an EnergyStar dishwasher is more water efficient than washing dishes by hand.

This is good news for me as I think I could do without almost any appliance but not my dishwasher. Anytime my dishwasher breaks down my husband knows that fixing it quickly is Task A1. When we were first married we did not have a dishwasher and most of our arguments revolved around washing dishes. Just when we could finally afford a dishwasher the very bad news came out that using a dishwasher was a wasteful use of energy and water. I never gave up my dishwasher, but always felt guilty about it.

Recently, however, with the advent of EnergyStar dishwashers, I can lay my guilt to rest. An EnergyStar dishwasher typically uses 4 gallons of water per cycle compared to 6 gallons used by a regular dishwasher. An EnergyStar dishwasher saves an estimated 5,000 gallons of water each year compared to hand washing - woohoo! Of course, saving water means saving money - about $40/year.

In fact, the most water used by any dishwasher is the approximately 20 gallons used to prerinse your dishes. While I do not recommend stopping the prerinse - there are ways to do that without using any water:
1. Use a spatula instead of water - there is always a dirty spatula in my dishwasher that I can reuse for this job.
OR
2. Use "grey" water. Grey water is water you have already used for another purpose, but saved for a second use that doesn't require such clean water. In my kitchen sink I keep a bowl that collects water when we wash our hands, etc. Then I use this water and a dishwashing brush to rinse my dishes. Even if I am washing pots and pans, etc. I still collect that water to reuse to rinse dishes.

It is very easy to save that 20 gallons/day on rinsing dishes simply by making very small changes to your habits.