By Bridget

I loathe how much waste comes from gift wrapping (especially from Crate & Barrel!!!), so I try to put gifts in a basket or other reusable container and just add a bow or some ribbon.

By Barbara

Remember how mom wrapped your school lunch sandwich in waxed paper? This was back in the 60’s. We all thought it was so cool when some kids brought their sandwiches to school in little plastic bags. So, recently I ran out of plastic wrap and wrapped my sandwich in the waxed paper in the utility drawer. I had forgotten how easy it is to use! Fold it, crease it, it stays put. It is far more biodegradable than any plastic.

AND now I am ready for preserving any wonderfully colored leaves that come my way in October.

By Mercia Tapping

We give a lot of used clothing and bedding to charity each year, but from time to time we know that items have gone beyond where someone would even say thank you. So, we cut up old towels or sheets for cleaning rags and avoid paper towels. It is a simple thing to do and they work much better than wasteful paper towels, anyway.

By Mercia Tapping

After visiting Africa last year, where most places we visited the population did not have running water, I became more conscious about how wasteful we were being at home. For example, when we did something as simple as brushing our teeth, we left the tap running while we did so. Now, I turn the tap off as I brush my teeth. It is a simple little thing, but I know that I am saving a tremendous amount of water by doing so.

By Mercia Tapping

My husband and I have got the age where we can be relied on to get up during the night for a bathroom visit. So the family secret is that we do not flush during the night but do so first thing in the morning. This way we do not disturb each other and we have cut way down on our water consumption.

By Richard

My wife and I have repainted our entire home with VOC free paint as well as removed all of the carpeting from the house. We are also going to be using a cloth diaper service. We also use a vapor steam cleaner exclusively to clean the house. No chemicals in the house whatsoever.

By Randy

I just started to recycle my empty spring water bottles and was startled by the amount of bottles that I collected in the recycling bin. Then I looked into making my own clean water and learned how simple it was to do with this water purifier. I even make my own pure ice cubes that easily fit in my sport bottle and would never have fit in the ones I had to recycle. So now I save over $75 a month from not buying bottled water and I don’t have a pile of plastic to recycle. Not only was it easy to do and better for the environment, I’m actually saving money!

By Mary Jo

I use the water from my dehumidifier to water my special plants especially during our town’s odd/even water ban. With the recent humid weather in the Northeast my morning glories, daylilies and petunias are still thriving.

I purchased bigger plastic wide mouthed water bottles for my kids to use for sports instead of disposable water or Gatorade bottles. Each child has their own colored bottle which is easy to distinguish from the other team members.

I encouraged my tennis team members to use reusable water bottles or jugs vs. disposable water bottles.

I have become more conscious of opportunities to carpool to meetings or sporting events. It saves gas, reduces emissions and gives us a chance to catch up socally before the events.

Our town is looking at instituting a policy where our trash bins will not be picked up unless we also put out a recycling bin(s) as well.

Trying to get more news online instead of buying a traditional newspaper during the week days.

Using the library more instead of buying books at the local chain bookstore.

Using less paper plates and disposable cups than usual at home during the summer.

It’s about time we saved the trees. The recycled paper towels arrive, and our merchandising team member celebrates the moment.

Walter

On Father’s Day, my wife and I enjoyed our first celebration of this day by picnicking with our one year old son, Jackson.  While I tried to eat my lunch and keep Jack from treating the potato salad like Play-doh, she calmly informed me that we would have two reasons to celebrate this time next year.  Filled with surprise and excitement, I hugged her and we reminisced about all the ups and downs of that tumultuous, yet terrific first year with Jack.

Many wonderful things came to mind on that outing.  It wasn’t until a few days later that I remembered some of the less noteworthy tasks I took sole responsibility for whilst my wife began her own journey toward motherhood.  One such task was changing the litter box for our little feline friend, Oatsie.  Don’t ask; he was an adopted cat, and I assumed he would listen to me even less than he does already, if I was so bold as to change his name.

Admittedly, I tried everything to make this chore less odious (yes, pun is intended) than it already was.  In my research, I inadvertently learned the process that is involved in making most cat litters.  Turns out, the clay used to make the litter is strip-mined, which causes obvious damage to our planet.  As if this was not enough, I further learned that clay like litter can cause damage to a cat’s respiratory tract from the harmful dust.  Further, while your cat may be innocently removing the litter and debris out of their paws with that innocuous tongue cleansing, they are quietly ingesting the litter which can eventually block their digestive tract faster than you can say, “hairball”. Lastly, I thought, if this can do damage to my cat’s respiratory system, what might it do to my own, while I labor over cleaning it? 

I have since switched to a pine chip based litter.  It is better for the cats in every way, and still does the same job just as effectively as those clay derivatives.  Also, it is better for the environment since it is a natural by product, and does not needlessly strip the earth of its resources.  As a bonus, the pine litter actually has a clean, woodsy odor, which stays fresh even after multiple uses.  And I don’t worry about what it does to my or my cat’s health. 

I would look into this if you have an Oatsie of your own.  It’s the one time I can say litter is good for the environment.