Thursday, April 22, 2010

Kermit, it is easy being green!

Kermit came out of the toy basket to celebrate Earth Day!

To celebrate Earth Day, I'll be sharing some green living tips that we practice. More than "living a green lifestyle", I believe it's important to be a good steward of God's creation and what He has given us.

Stephanie wrote an awesome post today on why they celebrate Earth Day from a biblical perspective. Well worth the read!

When I stop and think about it, most of my "green" practices originated out of frugality and have progressed to more of an awareness of living sustainably. And so far, everything has been pretty easy to implement! 

Simple ways that we reduce, reuse and recycle:

1. Buy beef and milk from local farmers.
2. Buy groceries in bulk rather than tiny packages.
4. Wash and reuse Ziploc bags.
5. Make many of my own cleaners using vinegar and baking soda.
6. Line dry laundry. In addition to this drying rack, we also have an outdoor clothesline.
7. Clean with cloth rags, rather than paper towels. 
8. Use newspapers for washing windows. 
9. Think of ways to recycle old t-shirts
10. Use cloth napkins at mealtime. Mine are stored in a basket for accessibility.

11. Shop thrift stores and yard sales.
12. Use reusable grocery bags. 
13. Use plastic grocery bags for trash can liners. 
14. Share one vehicle. 
15. Use a Brita filter and reusable water bottles instead of buying bottled water.
16. Use reusable lunch bags and containers.
17. Take steps to reduce energy consumption. We recently stuffed insulation up inside the chimney and covered the fireplace opening with a piece of plywood cut to fit snugly in the opening. We've already seen a  big difference in our heating and cooling bills. (Not a working fireplace.) 
18. Repurpose used and thrifted clothes.
This placemat and napkin were made from old jeans and scrap fabrics.
19. Repurpose food containers
20. Make my own storage containers instead of purchasing new.

What are some ways that you practice good stewardship? 

**This post is part of Frugal Fridays!



3 comments:

~katie~ said...

Ok, I love your gingham and polka dot cloth napkins...did you purchase those or make them...so fun!

Love all your *green* ideas here. I've been inspired by many like-minded blogs about being a better steward of God's creation.

I like to repurpose things around the house....tin cans, glass jars, containers, etc...and I try to recycle as much as I can.

Thanks for all of your great ideas!

Blessings,
Katie

Mary Ann said...

Katie,

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment!

I made the napkins out of scrap fabrics. They're bright and fun!

I use glass jars for a lot of things, too. I try to repurpose as much as I can but end up recycling a lot too, since I just don't have space to keep all the cans and cute containers. I've seen so many cute ideas for recyclables that it's hard not to keep everything, because I know I'd be able to use it someday.:-)

Niki Jolene said...

Hi there...just stopping by from Frugal Friday.

I enjoyed your post. I really want to switch to cloth napkins but haven't found them cheap enough yet.

Stop by and see me sometime over at Free 2 Be Frugal.