Earth Friendly Tips

Clean Green

2010-09-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

Not only is Green Cleaning a refreshing alternative to toxic cleaning products, but it saves you money. Instead of buying an endless array of chemicals from the store, get spotless floors, counter tops, porcelain and more the old-fashioned way, with vinegar, baking soda, borax and elbow grease.

Print on both sides of the paper

2010-09-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

Save dough and your local landfill. Print on both sides of the paper.

Check your toilet for leaks

2009-09-02T23:26:00.001-07:00

This is fairly simple: put some food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak, and could be wasting a lot of water over time (hundreds of gallons per month).

Check your toilet for leaks

2009-09-02T23:26:00.000-07:00

This is fairly simple: put some food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak, and could be wasting a lot of water over time (hundreds of gallons per month).

Insulate hot water pipes

2009-09-02T23:25:00.002-07:00

This will cause less heat loss of water as it travels from your hot water heater to the faucet.

Take shorter showers

2009-09-02T23:25:00.001-07:00

This tip is self explanatory. Sometimes it's hard to give up something like a long luxurious shower

Use a Crockpot

2009-09-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

Use a crock pot instead of simmering on the stove top, and save a ton of energy.

Turn the water off while you are brushing your teeth

2009-06-17T23:10:00.001-07:00

Fill up a small glass and rinse your mouth with that.

Ceiling fans

2009-06-17T23:09:00.002-07:00

Use ceiling fans to circulate cool air from air conditioning, and reverse the direction in the winter to recirculate hot air downwards.

Unplug appliances and chargers when not in use

2009-06-17T23:09:00.001-07:00

It's estimated that an average of 5% of your total household energy use is from appliances and chargers that are plugged in but not being used. Anything that has a little light or a little digital clock is drawing power. Unplug and save!

Sleep your PC

2009-06-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Don't leave your computer on -- put it to sleep. The resultant energy savings call really add up, plus it will prolong your monitor and cpu's lives.

Water heater: set to 120 degrees

2009-06-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

Set your hot water heater to no more than 120 degrees F.

Green your Bathroom

2009-04-29T18:30:00.002-07:00

Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, shower heads, and toilets.

Reuse your water bottles.

2009-04-29T18:30:00.001-07:00

Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.

Artificial air conditioning is a luxury

2009-04-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

Artificial air conditioning is a luxury

The human race survived relatively well before air conditioning was powered by electricity and complex manufactured systems. The arrival of modern artificial cooling is somewhat a blessing and a curse due to the large amounts of energy required to run these systems - we need to use it wisely and see it as a luxury and privilege.

If you do run an air conditioner, before switching the cool on, try just running the fan for while until things really start heating up - it can save substantial energy and water. Also remember that the aim is to stay cool so you can function, not to create a refrigerator type environment - experiment with thermostat settings and find the highest possible temperature before you start feeling too uncomfortable.

I've noticed some houses in my neighborhood run their air conditioning units 24/7 over much of summer; but don't bother closing curtains or taking other low/no-cost steps to minimize heat entering into their homes. It's annoying to hear the hum of all the motors of a night time and the practice consumes an incredible amount of electricity.

I think we all need to toughen up just a bit when it comes to our expectations of acceptable living comfort levels. Our planet now depends upon it.

Cell Phone Solar Panel Charger

2009-04-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

The iSun™ and iSun™ Sport solar chargers convert sunlight into an electrical current. How? Light particles (photons) penetrate the solar cell causing electrons to become agitated. This results in the flow of direct current (DC) electricity. The more sunshine, the more power the iSun™ will produce

Earth Friendly Disinfectant

2009-04-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

Store bought disinfectants used in cleaning can contain all sorts of nasty chemicals, some of which should really only be used in controlled settings such as hospitals.

The reason for this is that when used around the home inappropriately, they can actually help bacteria become resistant to the chemical, creating superbugs.

The heavy duty disinfectant artillery should be left to health professionals as a last line of defense. As has been noted in the case of staph, the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics has created super-strains which are now resistant to practically *all* antibiotics.

Some of the chemicals used in commercial preparations can also have a negative effect on aquatic life as water treatment facilities can't filter them out.

A chemical of particular concern is triclosan. Used in everything from bar soaps to toothpaste, it can also be found in some commercial disinfectants. According to Beyond Pesticides, researchers who added triclosan to river water and shined ultra violet light on the water found that between one and twelve percent of the triclosan was converted to dioxin.

In a U.S. Geological Survey study of 95 different organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, triclosan was one of the most frequently detected compounds.

Greener disinfecting alternatives

Making your own environmentally friendly disinfectant is very cheap and extremely quick to do using just eucalyptus oil and water.

Simply mix 1.6 oz of eucalyptus oil with a litre of water. Be sure to shake well before use and use as you would a store bought disinfectant.

Not only will you have a greener disinfectant, but by making your own, you're more likely to use the same container, therefore cutting down your plastic consumption.

Eucalyptus oil is amazing stuff and you'll see it mentioned regularly throughout this site. I've read that European doctors used to use eucalyptus oil to disinfect and sterilize their equipment. Do be careful when handling eucalyptus oil as it's quite potent and can cause skin irritation in it's undiluted form.

Here's another disinfectant recipe if you're not particularly fond of the smell of eucalyptus:

Grapefruit Seed Extract Disinfectant Spray

Ingredients:

1 gallon warm water
20 drops grapefruit seed extract
Mix and pour in a spray bottle

That's it!

Some other earth friendly disinfecting agents:

- Vinegar with a few drops of essential oil to mask the smell.

- 3% Hydrogen peroxide

- Grain alcohol mixed with 30% water to stop it from evaporating too quickly (or even cheap vodka!)

Earth friendly disinfectant
By Green Living Tips | Published 01/13/2009 | home , health , cleaning
Greener disinfecting agents

Recycle Pop Cans

2009-04-22T23:14:00.001-07:00

One aluminum can recycled saves the enough energy to run a TV or computer for three hours.

Recycle Plastic Garbage Bags

2009-04-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

Plastic bags can be recycled at many grocery stores, and paper bags can be recycled with other paper, but the recycling process and manufacture of new bags require much more energy—resulting in more greenhouse gas—than the production of reusable cloth bags. Bring cloth bags with you every time you shop (for groceries, clothes, and everything else). If you forget, put your purchases in as few bags as possible, and be sure to recycle the bags.

Recycle Electronics

2009-04-22T23:06:00.001-07:00

Some manufacturers, office-supply stores, and electronics retailers will accept an old item to recycle it without restrictions, while others require the purchase of a replacement product. Some stores will even give you a gift card when you drop off an old item.

Rechargeable Batteries

2009-04-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

Rechargeable Batteries

Once they're all used up, recycle your rechargeable batteries. Did you know more than 350 million rechargeable batteries are purchased annually in the United States? When these batteries no longer hold a charge and are thrown away, they can cause serious harm to human health and the environment. About 75 percent of municipal solid waste is either sent to a landfill or incinerated. Neither of these methods is suited for the disposal of rechargeable batteries.

The Zoo is a collection site for batteries, including those for cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. Just drop off your batteries at the front desk of the Visitor Center, and we will see that they are recycled. You can also take your rechargeable batteries to many large retailers, which will properly dispose of them. Find out where from click -- Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.