Comments on: Going green, and I don’t know how to start?

By: Scott8684

Scott8684 — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:35:15 +0000

Thank you for your interest and willingness. There are many GREAT ideas listed but, don’t forget the basics: turn off lights when you leave a room, take shorter showers as mentioned (get in, get the job done and get out), when brushing your teeth turn off the water. Lastly, read and follow MANY of the simple items everyone has listed. One person can make a change and can help.

By: marissa m

marissa m — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:33:32 +0000

You should check out this site, it has some really great starter products and easy ways for you to start going green. Thanks for doing your part

By: whsgreenmom

whsgreenmom — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:46:40 +0000

There are many things you can do and many are pretty simple. Start with what you have control over, then move to items you may be able to influence. For the most part it is just about awareness. Think about what you are using, how it was made, how you are using it and what will happen to it when you are finished. Remember the 3 R’s and the order they are in Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and don’t forget to complete the cycle and buy recycled.
Maybe start with school supplies. You can reduce the amount of items you need to buy if you keep supplies in a single location. We have a drawer with paper, binders pencils etc. I look to see what we have befor I go school shopping. I also have my children empty their backpacks at the end of the semester and put back anything that can be reused. I only buy new backpacks when the old one is damaged and can’t be repaired. My son takes notes in class and rewrites or types them when he gets home, so he uses up the spiral notebooks from previous classes that still had paper in them. We have been able to get all school supplies made from recycled content and I still probably spent less than the average family, because I only bought what was needed. I avoid PVC binders and look for polypropylene made of recycled material and that are biodegradable. We use the ones with the pockets in the front so my son can put a picture or something in it to tell what class it is and he can pull it out and reuse the binder for other classes later. If you don’t take the bus, then walk or bike to school. If you have to be dropped off or picked up, carpool when possible and ask your driver not to sit with the engine on while waiting, ask to be dropped off 5-10 min. early and picked up 15 min. later, to avoid the crowd and reduce congestion and idling. Pack a waste free lunch. If you buy lunch ask them to leave off things you won’t eat. If you take lunch avoid all the preportioned foods and use reusable containers and lunch bag.

Clothes can be another area for change. Many people have way more than they need. Before you decide it is time to buy new spring clothes or school clothes. Go into your closet and count how many jeans, shirts etc. you have. Chances are you could go a whole month without needing to do laundry. It helps to choose a color scheme, so you get more variety. Before you shop decide what you need, and only buy those items. If you are at an age where you won’t be growing much, look for less trendy items that will last a few years. A good fitting pair of jeans are timeless. If you wan’t some extra flair, take a look at vintage, second hand and consignement shops, you may be surprised at what you can find. Consider renting a formal for prom instead of purchasing a dress you will likely only wear once. For less than the price of a department store dress you could get a designer dress for the weekend. Try not to wash clean clothes, many teens change a few times a day for various events, just because you put something on your body, doesn’t mean it needs to be washed. If you are the type to try on several out fits and leave them on the floor only to forget what is clean then consider getting a second hamper, when you try on a shirt and decide against it, put it in the clean hamper and hang it up later.

Conserve energy. Shorter shower, not letting the water run, not using the toilet as a garbage can etc. can help conserve water and the energy used to heat it. Turn things off when not in use. If you have electronics in your room, make sure they are shut all the way off before you go to bed and when you leave for school. I use powerstrips to stop standby energy for the tv,dvd, and gamesystem and another for the computer, printer, speakers, and monitor. Ipod docking stations use the as much energy when they are empty as they do to play music.

Some items you may have some influence on. Energy conservation in the home, adjusting the thermostat a degree or 2, only washing full loads in both the dishwasher and the clothes washer, hanging clothes to dry. Switching cleaning supplies to non toxic or natural. My personal favorites are vinegar, water and liquid soap for almost all surfaces. vinegar and water for stainless steel and windows and baking soda to deodorize and to scrub, great on soap scum. What and how you eat. Learn to use local in season fresh produce, it is usually cheaper and healthier, not to mention it taste way better.

If you want to learn more I suggest you read “The Green Book” it has lots of info on how your lifestyle impacts the world and how you can make better choices.

By: Lumidee

Lumidee — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:21:37 +0000

Buy refillable pens instead of the one-time use type of pen where you throw the whole pen away.

Buy notebooks that don’t have plastic covers. Don’t use plastic covers for your books or notebooks anymore.

Use both sides of every paper you use. When both sides are used, recycle. Keep a carton (or box made of paper) beside your trash bin where you could put all used papers no matter what size (this makes it easier to take to the recycling). Don’t throw away receipts. You can still use the back side for writing telephone messages or other stuff.

Bring a big bag whenever you go “malling”. You might end up buying some things. Practice saying “No Bag, Salamat!” to the bagger and put what you’ve purchased in your own bag instead. (Lessen/AVOID using plastic bags.)

Tell your parents and maids to bring a reusable bag when they go to the supermarket or wet market.

Buy and use rechargeable batteries for your clocks at home, remote controls, toys and other gadgets.

Get into gardening. Build your own garden. If you don’t have that much space, make potted plants.

Buy a water canister and bring this when you go out for errands or malling. (Instead of buying bottled water, drink from your water canister - save money, save the environment)

Clean your house without harming the environment.

Tell your mom or dad about the toilet tank trick:

Inform your mom and dad, relatives and friends about the Waste Market where you can sell old appliances and other recyclables.
SCHEDULE: 8am to 3pm
every 1st Friday of the month - Paseo de Magallanes, Makati City
every 2nd Friday of the month - Ayala Center, Makati (Goldcrest Car Park,Arnaiz Ave.)
every 2nd Saturday of every other month-The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
every 3rd Friday of the month - Alabang Town Center (near St. Jerome Parish)
every 4th Friday of the month - TriNoMa Mall, North Edsa, Quezon City
every 1st Saturday of the month - SM Supermalls nationwide; including Visayas, Mindanao & Central Luzon malls (8:00 am – 2:00 pm only)

Don’t throw away the things that you don’t like/want anymore. Post them at Freecycle or give them to your chosen charitable institution.

By: La sweet CHIKANA

La sweet CHIKANA — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:42:38 +0000

-Buy reusable bags!! I think this is one of the best ways to start, you’ll use so much less plastic bags.
-Use energy efficient light bulbs.
-Walk or ride your bike when you can.
-Take showers instead of baths, and don’t take long.
-When printing, print on both sides!
-Follow the Three Rs in everything you can.
Thanks for doing your part!!!!

By: snake

snake — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:49:06 +0000

oh gee. lets try, walking to school. smoking less, watch less tv. shower every other day.

By: Little Miss Strawberries ?

Little Miss Strawberries ? — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:02:06 +0000

-Take shorter showers and/or turn the water off when you’re shampooing, washing.or shaving. - Don’t flush the toilet unless it’s brown. -Get a shaver that can have the blade replaced instead of the whole shaver. -Turn lights off whenever you leave a room(unless you’re going back into the room within two minutes.) - Don’t turn the light on unless you need them or can’t see at all in the darkness.
-Try to use your hair dryer as little as possible - towel or air dry instead. - Try to find other ways to style your hair other then your ironers. -Walk or ride your bike instead of having someone drive you. -Unplug things that aren’t being used (chargers, nightlights, etc)
- Learn what types of materials and chemicals are bad for the environment(because of manufacturing, biodegradability, etc) and try to avoid buying them if you can. - Turn your computer on sleep mode whenever you’re away for a while, and check if it has a setting to do that automatically.
- I obviously don’t have to tell you to recycle but before you recycle something(or throw it away) try to find another way to re-use it. e.g. I use old partially used paper as scratch for doodles or notes.
- 17% of your heaters energy goes to just warming up water.
So turn the faucet on by the cold handle instead of the hot water handle(so the heater doesn’t go on for that) and get used to cool water instead of warm water.
- Keep a cloth in your purse to wipe your hands with in public bathrooms so you don’t have to use paper towels or the hand dryer. - Use a tote/canvas/cotton bag to use when you buy things so you don’t have to get their plastic/paper bags.

By: cielo346

cielo346 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:19:03 +0000

- Unplug phone chargers, etc, when you aren’t using them. These things continue to use power as long as they are plugged in.

- Use public transit

- Become a vegetarian. Environmentally and socially responsible. Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer estimates that reducing meat production by just 10 percent in the U.S. would free enough grain to feed 60 million people. Go to vegofwa.org for tips on making the transition.

- Don’t buy things that you’ll use once and throw away. No more paper towels, no more oatmeal in individual serving-sized packets. Buy in bulk whenever possible. We were even able to kick the toilet paper habit by buying a diaper sprayer from diaperpail.com and patting dry with cheap washcloths. I know it sounds gross, but we actually prefer it now and think that toilet paper is way grosser.

- Live in a city.

- Go for natural hairstyles, cosmetic styles, etc.

- Use thriftstores

- Use freecycle and Craigslist

- Support your local farmer’s market

- Look Danny Seo up on the internet. He’s not as hardcore about this stuff as I am.

By: ouchababy1

ouchababy1 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:57:42 +0000

The best way to indoctrinate yourself is to listen to Al Gore talk to these twelve year old kids. Be very open minded.

By: Don

Don — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:19:29 +0000

open the curtains and use natural light when possible. turn off all electronics when not in use. buy and use CFL light bulbs (compact flourescent) they use 2/3 less energy. Don’t leave water running. Carpool if you need to go somewhere. if you pick up groceries, use a cloth bag that you can re-use. etc etc