Name: Janel
Location: Chicago
Profession: AT Editor
Don't get me wrong, I'm far from a green expert but (thankfully) that is not required to be part of our Green@Home giveaway - our goal for July is to gather and share some of the small steps that we have all taken to move to a greener place at home. As we all know, the little things really do add up and seeing what everyone is up to should be interesting and inspirational.
So, to help kick things off and (hopefully) inspire some of you to send us in info on how you live green@home, here are some of the small green "moves" my family has implemented at home...
Green Move #1: Buying and eating organic and local whenever possible -it's easy to do in our neighborhood with Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Stanleys and the (seasonal) Greenmarket and Farmers Market all in walking distance.
Green Move #2: No more imported bubbly (at least not the non-alcoholic kind) - we use a soda siphon to make bubbly water from our...
Green Move #3:...filtered tap water. We made the move to a zero tolerance policy on bottled water and the filtered stuff is delish!
Green Move #4: No more shopping bags - we installed easy access hooks in the kitchen to hold our bags and use them for every trip to the market.
Green Move #5: No more cars - we've been a bike-only family for 8 years now.
Our next challenge: getting our condo a better recycling system - it is in the works...
Please send us photos and info on how you live green@home. This is not a contest, just a way to build up an AT inspirational database of sorts on how real folks are living greener at home.
Simple, straightforward ideas are welcome, like how you deal with your recycling bin in a small kitchen, and so are ambitious projects - like your amazing green roof. We hope to have a big archive of ideas to inspire us all by the end of the month.
In exchange for sharing your green@home ideas, Ecover is giving the first 100 of you that we post a thank you gift from their line of green products.
The submission form and all the details are here - hope to hear from you today.
Originally posted by Janel on AT:Chicago.
I applaud you for building a database of simple, easy-to-do tips for greening our homes. It's essential to show people that the green movement doesn't mean making costly, impractical changes - in fact, in many cases, our wallets will benefit!
Green Move #3 in particular can be one of the easiest eco-friendly changes to make that saves quite a bit of cash. The average American could save over $300 a year could save over $300 a year by switching from bottled water to tap water and a filter. Greenzer's Face-off details benefits to both our wallets and the environment but making such a small change.
view natalie@greenzer.com's profile
Where I live "Whole Foods" has been nicknamed "Whole Paycheck". I can't afford to buy my groceries there and living in the north east the local organic farm is only useful during the late spring and summer.
We installed a water filtration system in our home 8 years ago and don't drink bottled water.
We bring our own shopping bags ( which we bought at the grocery store ) each time we shop.
#5 is not practical for us. Me, the wife and two elemetary school kids on a bike? Nope.
view Khurt Williams's profile
For me, the biggest challenge I am dealing with at the moment is trying to stop this insane consumption we've found ourselves in. I am trying to limit what I buy, buy used/vintage, etc, as much as possible, pass on the things we have and do not need, and reorganize what I do keep in order to be as functional as possible. A coworker who lives in my neighborhood and I are carpooling the 7 miles to work, which really helps since I had to get rid of my Honda Civic and go to an SUV with the birth of my twins. I'm still in the early phases of my environmental changes, but I agree that even the smallest step is a step in the right direction.
view design.is.good's profile
Khurt---As a 5th grade teacher, I'd be curious to know what ideas/suggestions your children have about going green.
view scootergirl's profile
I was thinking green before it became the "thing to do." Over 20 years ago, I had my new semi-earth bermed house designed for passive solar with an airlock entry. We have recycled for years; use cloth bags for groceries; use low-flow shower heads; replaced furnace and water heater with more efficient models as well as kitchen/laundry appliances; replaced exterior doors and windows with more efficient ones; get news via media, not paper; and use CFLs. We do not use water for lawn; we try to make doctors appointments on the same day so save trips to the city. My next green project is to try some vegetarian recipes. Hard to do since I'm strictly a carnivore.
view williamsweyr's profile
@scootergirl: My 9 year old son reminds he to turn the car off while waiting for his mother to come out of the store. Both my kids ( my daughter is 7 ) made the case for recycling soda cans.
I still haven't convinced them to turn the lights off when leaving a room. LOL.
view Khurt Williams's profile