5 easy things you can do to "go green"

[Horse with no Name]

Was reading a magazine today and these seemed to be the easiest 5 that ANYONE could do with very little effort.

1. Return wire hangers to the dry cleaners BECAUSE more than 3.5 billion hangers reach the landfill each year amounting to 200 million tons of steel that could be put to a new use.

2. Tighten your gas cap until it clicks 3 times BECAUSE in the US each year, 147 million gallons of gasoline literally evaporate into the atmosphere because of loose, damaged or missing caps.

3. Eat meat-free once a week BECAUSE producing a pound of beef consumes 145 times more fossil fuels than a pound of potatoes.

4. Leave a bar of soap by the sink instead of a bottle of liquid soap BECAUSE substituting one bottle with one bar in each household would keep 2.5 million pounds of plastic out of landfills.

5. Put cloth napkins on the table BECAUSE eliminating paper napkins would eliminate 500,000 tons of paper-based trash out of landfills each year.

If you want to read about the other 25 tips to save energy and resources, I copied this out of the April issue of Country Living.

[NMDemDist2]

1. i've tried some of these

my dry cleaner won't accept the hangers back
my plastic soap dispenser is over 8 years old and is still working great, re-fill after re-fill
cloth is nice, but it takes water and soap to wash, my paper napkins are great in my compost heap


the other two work for me

:hi:

[Warpy]

8. I use wire hangers for too many things

like snaking electronics wires in through inaccessible places. Most of them have clothing on them, but when I need a quick tool, that's where I go first.

As for the soap dispenser, I like the pump dispensers. I buy liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's) in bulk at the food co op and refill the bottles.

I don't like the cloth napkins because of the grease removal problem. I'll use half a paper towel if I'm eating something sloppy with my fingers or I'll just wait until I'm done and wash my hands. Using the pump dispensed soap.

The rest of the suggestions were good but most of my meals are meatless.

[hendo]

63. I buy Bronner's too

and have it in a foaming dispenser. I am not even 1/4 through a 1 gallon jug after 9 months of using it for 3 seperate pump dispensers.

It truly is great stuff.

[step up]

66. Which kind do you use? I am an old pro of that brand and here's another tip:

Dr. Bonner's comes in a cleaning product called Sal Suds and it's wonderful because it can be used for all sorts of general cleaning. I have been using it as a dishwashing liquid. Funny--I find that it's milder than the varieties used specifically for washing...Even with the addition of hemp, sometimes it feels a little harsh against my skin.

[hendo]

73. I use pepermint, I love the way it smells. NT

[tammywammy]

58. Have you checked with another dry cleaners?

Someone else maybe more than happy to take them off your hands. I can't imagine someone not taking them back, I would think that would lower their overall cost, with a few less to purchase.

[NMDemDist2]

60. there's only one dry cleaner in this town

:hi:

[tammywammy]

62. Oh, too bad!

And it seems like there's one on every corner here!

Maybe try Goodwill or Salvation Army then.

[NMDemDist2]

65. none of those either

:cry:

[amitten]

2. Thank you! These are great and very easy ideas. n/t

[Barack_America]

3. Don't dry clean, don't drive, am vegetarian, refill my liquid soap dispensers, use cloth napkins.

Awesome, I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now!

Yea!

[LynzM]

7. Don't dry clean, eat veggie often, refill soap with bulk from co-op, and use cloth napkins, too!

Sometimes it's good to feel good about the things you *are* doing instead of dwelling on the ones you aren't! :D

[Bicoastal]

4. #6. Go to KFC and order a Chicken and Biscuit Famous Bowl.

That'll make you "go green" soon enough.

[Mira]

42. I don't know if I could ever be hungry enough......to even think about eating that

[Skidmore]

43. You are just so.....

twisted. :)

[Arugula Latte]

54. Just looking at that gave me a heart attack and a stroke.

x(

[bbernardini]

56. And here's Patton Oswalt's bit about the KFC Famous Bowl:

Thank you for giving me an excuse to post this. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfan5MacmsI

[Qanisqineq]

5. Excellent post!

I don't dry clean but that's a good idea.

My car is currently in storage (I'm overseas for teh past 3 years) but I always click-click-clicked it because I was obsessive-compulsive about forgetting to put it on altogether and I'd remember the clicking.

I have greatly cut down on the amount of meat I eat, especially red meat. My husband still eats meat most days but I have been able to cut out meat a couple days a week for him.

I use a refillable soap container but I have also bought homemade bars of soap recently.

Napkins? Isn't that why I am wearing pants, to wipe my hands on?? :D

[Horse with no Name]

9. You use your PANTS to wipe your hands on?????

Damn--I thought that was what long sleeves and tablecloths were for.:)

[Catshrink]

13. No silly. Those are for blowing your nose on.

[pipi_k]

40. Go green with dogs

They can lick the grease off your fingers, lick the floor clean, and lick the dishes clean too.

That alone can probably save about a thousand gallons of water a year, plus not pollute our waters with soaps and detergents and plastic bottles.

[step up]

69. I never have understood why it's considered gross to wipe one's CLEAN hands

on their clothes? I do it all the time; I don't use paper towels willy nilly. But please--it just doesn't make sense that people find it in poor taste or unsanitary to wipe your wet hands on your shirt or pants...

[1]

6. hey, i turned my lights out for one hour on saturday. i'm good until next year...

[ContinentalOp]

18. LOL.

Yeah, those threads really pissed me off. It took a lot of restraint for me not to post to them but I was thinking to myself, "hmm, I wonder how many of these people eat meat?"

[1]

24. i like you. you get jokes...

[defendandprotect]

10. #3 is something the world has to wake up to-!!!

And #2 is something I've never thought about . . . I'll check . ..

VEGAN here . . .

[dysfunctional press]

21. since you're a vegan- you eat meat-free seven days a week...

i'm calling 'dibs', so one of your extra days will balance out for me NOT giving up meat for one day a week.
with 5 to spare.

[defendandprotect]

39. If your conscience is so easily assuaged, go to it -- !!!

Isn't that the game we play with polluters -- letting them borrow pollution rights!?

But, I can only hope that this thread will get people thinking about the serious harm

to the planet -- and to the spirit -- that's involved with eating animals!

[dysfunctional press]

51. i only eat the animals that there are already too many of...

so many chickens, cows and pigs- and so little time.

[defendandprotect]

59. Already too many humans . . . you better get started ---!!!

As many say -- animals are our sisters and brothers on the planet --

[dysfunctional press]

61. i didn't mean to imply that i eat ALL the animals of which there are too many...

only that the ones that i do eat are.

except for cheetah.

you can't beat a good cheetah steak cooked just right.

[Psephos]

11. You might want to check that math...

200 million tons = 400 billion pounds

That would mean each hanger weighs about 114 lbs.


Also, how about using a refillable ceramic or metal liquid soap dispenser? No waste there, and no messy, slowly-liquifying bar of soap perched on your sink top.

Furthermore, how much water/detergent/energy are consumed to wash and dry cloth napkins? More than you might think. You'd need a considerable number of them, too, unless you plan to increase the number of washloads you run each week.


I definitely support the eat-no-meat idea. Even better, try a couple of times per week. Or all week long. :)

[Horse with no Name]

12. They aren't my figures--it isn't my article

I'm just the messenger.:hi:

[Psephos]

15. Don't worry, I did realize that

And I'm glad you took the time to post green suggestions. :)

[cherokeeprogressive]

67. About the refillable liquid soap dispenser, where does the liquid soap come from?

Does it not come in a plastic bottle?

[Psephos]

72. no, comes in a pouch that I can refill at the coop n/t

[tomreedtoon]

14. I make HDTV antennas out of wire hangers.

Neat little video on how to do it...and it works better than the stupid one I bought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

It's not like I have any clothes worth hanging up anyway.

[geegollygosh]

26. My old TV antenna used to be a wire hanger duct taped to an iron frying pan

worked like a charm :)

[Ms. Toad]

57. Gotta remember to do that...

June is just around the corner.

[NYC_SKP]

16. Turn you underwear inside out, saves on water and detergent..

...and eliminates dating expenses.

[cliffordu]

22. Which, I've heard are considerable with you.....

[NYC_SKP]

27. My Green Porno name is "Arabian Squaretail"

I am not kidding:

http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno/green-porno-name/

:rofl:

[cliffordu]

29. Ruh Ro......

Mine is Fuzz Star....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[NYC_SKP]

33. My furry sidekick?

How do they do that, how do they know our secret identities? :rofl:

[cliffordu]

46. XRAY VISION!!!!

:rofl:


They MUST have xray vision !!!

[blondeatlast]

38. Katy Did (love that) with my maiden name, Yellow Tang with my I'm not married anymore and am

trying to go back to my maiden but using my maiden now!

Katy Did--how perfect is that?

[NYC_SKP]

45. Katy Did! That's perfect.

Hey, blondeatlast!

Haven't seen you around, good to see ya. :hi:

So, did Katy?

Katy Did!!!! :P

[cliffordu]

47. Most Excellent...

:rofl:

[NYC_SKP]

17. 111 Ways to Save the Planet

Recycle aluminum and glass.
1.
Buy energy efficient appliances
2.
Run clothes washers only when fully loaded, but don't overload
3.
Plant a tree
4.
Do all ironing at one time
5.
Buy recycled paper
6.
Buy low wattage or compact fluorescent light bulbs
7.
Turn off lights that don't need to be on
8.
Use cold water instead of hot
9.
Use small ovens or stove-top cooking methods instead of your large oven
10.
Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store
11.
Write companies urging them to use paper rather than plastics and styrofoam
12.
Buy products that will last
13.
Support environmentally conscious businesses.
14.
Don't drive when air pollution is bad
15.
Teach your children about these ideas
16.
Avoid buying rainforest products
17.
Take the bus, walk or ride your bike to meetings
18.
Buy locally produced foods; avoid buying goods that must be trucked in
19.
Support or start local tree planting programs
20.
Recycle aluminum and glass
21.
Recycle newspapers
22.
Reuse glass containers
23.
Buy a house plant
24.
Plant a tree
25.
Copy this list and send it to ten friends
26.
Defrost your freezer
27.
Do all ironing at one time
28.
Buy environmentally safe products
29.
Run dishwashers only when fully loaded
30.
Request paper instead of styrofoam whenever possible
31.
Hang your laundry to dry
32.
Start a garden
33.
Carpool to go shopping
34.
101 Ways to Save the Planet
http://www.comevisit.com/slimy/101ways.htm (1 of 4) <5/7/1999 21:15:26>
Install water-efficient showerheads and faucets
35.
Turn down your water heater to 121 degrees
36.
Start a recycling program in your neighborhood
37.
Defrost your freezer
38.
Buy recycled paper
39.
Cook with quick-heating, copper-bottom pans to conserve energy
40.
Teach your children about these ideas
41.
Use your microwave instead of the oven
42.
Limit or eliminate using disposable items
43.
Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store
44.
Reuse your paper and plastic bags
45.
Write companies urging them to use paper rather than plastics and styrofoam
46.
Request paper instead of styrofoam whenever possible
47.
Use water-based paints whenever possible
48.
Buy products that will last
49.
Don't buy fire extinguishers containing halon
50.
Support environmentally conscious businesses
51.
Buy environmentally safe products
52.
Buy products that minimize packaging
53.
Avoid buying rainforest products
54.
Buy locally produced foods; avoid buying goods that must be trucked in
55.
Start a garden
56.
Support or start local tree planting programs
57.
Urge local and state government to buy recycled paper
At the Office . . .
58.
Schedule deliveries together
59.
Subsidize and sell employee bus passes in the office
60.
Encourage employees to phone first rather than driving
61.
Use teleconferencing instead of driving to meetings
62.
Take the bus, walk or ride your bike to meetings
63.
Offer employees incentives for not driving
64.
Buy gas-efficient or alternatively fueled vehicles for your fleet
65.
Put a carpool matching map in the office
66.
Buy a bike rack for your employees
67.
Buy an office bike for employee use
68.
Buy recycled paper for office use
69.
Start a paper recycling program
70.
Make two-sided copies whenever possible
71.
Put an aluminum can recycling bin next to the pop machine
72.
Bus, carpool, walk or bike to work
73.
Ask if you can work at home one or more days a week
74.
101 Ways to Save the Planet
http://www.comevisit.com/slimy/101ways.htm (2 of 4) <5/7/1999 21:15:26>
With Your Car . . .
Recycle motor oil and batteries
75.
Don't drive when air pollution is bad
76.
Call your local transit system for bus schedules
77.
Call your local carpool program or start one in your town
78.
Carpool the kids to their school events
79.
Carpool to the ski slopes
80.
Carpool to go shopping
81.
Eat lunch at the office instead of going out
82.
Call stores first to see if they have what you want
83.
Combine several small trips into one
84.
Shop by mail and catalogs
85.
Plan an evening at home with your kids
86.
Do errands on the way home from work
87.
Encourage your teens to walk or ride their bikes rather than taking the car, and do the same yourself
88.
Shop for a neighbor when going to the grocery store or form a neighborhood co-op
89.
Have your car's emissions tested regularly
90.
Tune-up your car, especially before winter
91.
Check for proper tire inflation when gassing up
92.
Don't repair your car's air conditioning yourself, have it serviced at a station that recycles CFC's
93.
Don't buy a car with air conditioning
94.
When buying a new car, let dealers know that fuel efficiency is important
95.
Park and go inside instead of idling at a drive-up window
96.
Remove unnecessary articles from your car; each 100 lbs. of weight decreases fuel efficiency by 1%
97.
Enjoy sports and activities that don't require gas or electricity
98.
Avoid accelerated starts to save gas
99.
Copy this list and send it to ten friends
100.
Think often about the future and how you would like the earth to be 100 years from now for your grandchildren and their grandchildren
101.
Sound good? If not, here are some
Alternative Ways for You to Save the Planet
Drink and swim
1.
Dive into shallow water
2.
Sky-dive until you achieve the objective
3.
Go to the zoo and pet the lions
4.
Become an elephant trainer
5.
Rent an aircraft with a fake license (At an airport in a sparsely populated area, please!)
6.
Volunteer to be launched into the sun
7.
Sunbathe in the Arctic Circle
8.
Commune with nature in a Colombian jungle
9.
Apply for a job at Chernobyl
10.
101 Ways to Save the Planet
http://www.comevisit.com/slimy/101ways.htm (3 of 4) <5/7/1999 21:15:26>

[tabbycat31]

35. I can think of an obvious that was not mentioned

use a drying rack (available for about $10) or clothesline instead of the dryer to dry your clothes. I haven't used my dryer in 1.5 years.

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. No one's chimed in with the washable fem napkins or toilet paper rags yet

I see those a lot on DU

[XemaSab]

75. Not to TMI all over this thread

but I have found that washcloths get the job done better than disposable napkins. :hide:

[cliffordu]

20. Ride a used bicycle everywhere.

[lonestarnot]

23. Thanks Horse 5 out of 5 here!

:applause:

[geegollygosh]

25. Are there people who really don't "go meatless" once a week?

The thought of trying to work meat into every single meal sounds pretty difficult.

[Cynical Guy]

28. I eat meat at lunch every weekday.

Well, it's fast food, so it may never have been meat.

I should take my lunch, but the drive gets me some air and some time away from my co-workers so I don't run amok and dismember them.

But dinner is usually meatless, breakfast is always meatless and weekends vary.

I know some people that have it 21 meals a week. They think that they're not providing a substantial enough meal if they only use a thick vegetable sauce on pasta, they have to add a pound of something. Never grilled cheese and soup, must be grilled ham&cheese and soup...

[geegollygosh]

30. Oh, I took it to mean just one meal per week meatless

[Cynical Guy]

32. I think you're right.

I think it should probably be meatless for a day a week. 3 would be better...

[pengillian101]

31. Ask Al Gore for suggestions.

This is a bit sarcastic as you can tell.

Why didn't Mr. environment/hypocrite turn off his own damn lights during Earth Hour the other night?

[fishwax]

41. He did

But it's cute that you took a shot at him: http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/03/30/al-gore-responds-earth-hour-accusations-disputes-johnson/

Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Al Gore, issued this statement in response to accusations that the Gore’s did not observe Earth Hour:

The Gores honored Earth Hour by shutting off the lights at their residence. The heating and air conditioning were turned off as well. But more importantly, the Gores live in a Gold LEED certified home, powered by geothermal power. They have undergone renovations to put solar panels on the roof and participate in all of the renewable power programs offered by their local utility. They aren’t perfect, no family is, but they do their best, year-round to try to make a difference at home and across the country to make a difference on the climate crisis.

[pengillian101]

52. It's cute you answered from the same source.

http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/03/30/gq-drew-stands-by-his-story-that-gores-house-was-lit-during-earth-hour/

GQ Drew Stands By His Story That Gore’s House Was Lit During Earth Hour

From the President of the Tennessee Center of Policy Research in response to Al Gore’s spokeswoman’s assertion that the Gore’s did observe Earth Hour to the letter:

I have time-stamped pictures of the floodlights illuminating Al Gore’s driveway entrance and several trees between 8:40-9:00pm during “Earth Hour,” which is certainly an inconvenient truth for Mr. Gore.

As I said to my friends on my Facebook page (how amusing is it that a Note on my Facebook page is making national news?), the floodlights that usually light up the outside of Mr. Gore’s mansion were dark and most of his inside lights appeared off. But many of his windows were lit with a blue-ish glow that is usually the result of a TV screen or computer monitor.

I understand that when you consume nearly 20 times more electricity than the average American, you can spend all day turning off your lights and still miss a few. I’m sure this was the case for Mr. Gore.

[fishwax]

53. lol

he has pictures of the floodlights, but not of the house itself. Earth Hour called for turning off non-essential lights, not all lights, and perhaps the Gores considered lights illuminating their address and entrance important for safety reasons. (That's if these pictures actually were taken during Earth Hour--he claims they're timestamped, but that doesn't appear in the photo and timestamps can, of course, be faked anyway.)

But the right-winger stands by his story, and if that's good enough for you then so be it. :shrug:

[XemaSab]

76. It's also possible that the lights are connected to individual solar cells

and not the house main, so they would be hard to turn off.

[Captain Hilts]

34. I do all these plus eat meatless a few more times. I don't use towels or hot air to dry hands...

in restrooms where the door pushes out to get out.

[cobalt1999]

36. Don't have any more children

#1 - #5 are issues because there are too many humans on this planet.

The FIRST thing on every "go green" list should be No more children.

1 child has more environmental impact than the above suggestions combined.

[Gregorian]

50. I'll be damned. Someone else knows what's going on.

These "screw a lightbulb" posts just irk me. They're meaningless without the discussion of the other factor in this equation.

It's X times Y equals our situation. X being modern lifestyle. Y being number of users.

Thanks Cobalt. It's nice to have even one or two among us. Sadly, the crash is going to just be a slow, ugly skidding to a halt. It could have been so much cleaner.

That wasn't said very well. I'm running around trying to start another day. But you get it.

[Ilsa]

37. In Texas, we have room for landfills, but we don't have enough

water for washing in some areas. I could make an argument for disposable diapers and paper serviettes here.

[Fumesucker]

44. Paper products take lots and lots of water to make..

So there may not be a net savings of water from using paper instead of reusable cloth.

[Ilsa]

48. Depends on where the diapers are made, I suppose, and how easily water could be

transported to dry areas. I agree that overall, cloth would be better, but alot of working moms have sitters/daycare that won't deal with cloth diapers.

Disposable diapers are a convenience, but they are also expensive. Alot of people will choose disposable diapers because of that. Even then, some parents use special disposable liners for the nasty stuff when they use cloth diapers.

[hugo_from_TN]

49. 3 clicks?

I defy anyone to explain how tightening your gas cap till it clicks 3 times saves more gasoline than clicking once.

[Arugula Latte]

55. Here is a tip I don't see mentioned much:

Put packaging to use. Plastic bags, plastic wrap, waxed bags (such as in cereal boxes), vegetable bags, etc. etc., we all have them pouring into our homes ... -- REUSE IT. I split open veggie bags to use as plastic wrap on leftovers, wrap my kid's sandwiches in leftover cereal box bags, etc. etc. Reusable containers are best, but sometimes stuff is messy and if you're going to throw something away anyway (if it's not going to get recycled), put it to use. There's really no need to buy baggies, etc., for everyday use once you start realizing how much perfectly good packaging we throw out.

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[step up]

68. Here are some others to consider:

Lose the gas cap altogether and give up that car, if it's feasible in your area! Some people get into the habit of driving to take care of errands they could easily do on a bicycle or by walking. And then they go to the gym to get their exercise...

Eat plant-only meals more than once a week--how about 4-5 times a week? And think of all the health benefits you will gain!

Visit thrift stores which are also charities, such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill. You can find gently-used clothing and other items and not contribute to more and more consumption.

[ensho]

70. thanks, I'm going to add bar soap to my green life

nt

[otohara]

71. I Just Got An Old Whisky Barrel For Composting

Home Depot has a whole bunch....

We also got this 2x2 laminated flooring piece as the cover. It covers most of the barrel, leaving just a few spaces for air - which the compost needs.

Layer of dirt...then scraps galore

I wanted a compost that wasn't plastic. The barrel will eventually rot out naturally as where plastic won't.

[margotb822]

74. Who needs cloth napkins when you have sleeves??

Haha, sorry, couldn't resist...