apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'll start with a confession: I fell in love with the Swiffer a couple years ago. After shushing it along the floor I would stand amazed looking at the junk on it and gushing about it to anyone who would listen. But the wasted cloths bothered me. Just recently I bought microfiber cloths to use in place of the disposable ones and they work great. I still gush and stand amazed at all the junk on my floor, but now I just brush off some of the cat hair and throw it in the wash.

aw, I'm so glad that this was taken into account ! I'm hoping that people will be able to dish some of their great ideas. Something super easy, inspired by last night's take out from a local deli-- when ordering delivery OR picking up food, just ask them not to include silverware or napkins. They wont fight it, as its a saved expense on their part, and you're home with all your forks and knives and cloth napkins (I hope !) anyway.

(I'll one-up it next time by bringing along my own tupperware for them to stuff the food into... or try and avoid take-out altogether :( )

I keep a 2 gallon bucket in the tub, and I use it to catch the water as I'm waiting for the hot water for the shower. I then use it to water the plants or flush the toilet. With four people in the house and a lot of showers every week, it was such a waste to see those gallons of water disappear down the drain.

In my house, we instituted a policy that if someone is caught trashing a recyclable, they must pay a dollar fine. We keep the money in a jar in the kitchen by the recycling bin, and when it is full, we use the money to buy eco friendly goods we need for the house like cfl's and voc free paint.

What I love about being green is that in the long run it saves you money. For example if you are going away for the weekend go around the house and unplug everything -you'd be surprised at how much energy you save (plus do you really need your answering machine on while your away?).
JetSetBaby
2ciaos

i've made more of a conscious effort to bring my own bags and to turn off power strips when i leave a room. i haven't quantified my energy savings, but i have noticed that i tend to run out of plastic bags when cleaning out my cat's litter box.