Earth, Wind & Power Blogazine

Recycle? We Didn't Have the Green Thing Back in Our Day

by a Selfish Old Person to a Smartass Kid

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days." The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the 'green  thing' in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So, they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling and doodles. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.

But too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.

[Click Here for Full Revelation]

How to Redesign a Room More Earth Friendly

Want to freshen up a room in your home by infusing a seasonal summery vibe? It’s a weekend project that’s both easy and eco-friendly, when you do it right. Recently, I spent some time perking up my bedroom with a fresh coat of paint, a bit of rearranging and some creative re-using of furniture I already had on hand. The result? A pretty boudoir for a pretty penny!

If you’re eager to energize a space in your home, take a moment to jot down a list of what you’d like to see, then sketch it out to scale on a sheet of paper, just in case you need to rethink any particular pieces.

Brighten walls with a fresh coat of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint to avoid the more than 10,000 chemicals found in typical interior paint cans. (Read more on choosing low-VOC here.) By choosing a paint and primer in one, you’ll save yourself a can of paint, but you’ll likely shell out a few dollars more to start.

Instead of buying new a fancy, new headboard for a bedroom consider painting a faux headboard—like I did—and dressing it up with a stack of organic fabric pillows. It will save you time and money, and promises a truly custom solution. Unique paint treatments can be used all through the house, behind a bunch of framed photos in your hallway or living room, or even as a faux rug on your patio floor.

Reuse old furniture by giving it new life with a coat of paint. Remove old drawers from a chest and replace with baskets or replace the legs on a nightstand to create a new place for plants in a sunroom.

Spicen up a room with new linens—natural jute rugs or organic cotton pillows—or recycle some of your existing fabrics by turning them into new pieces. A fabric shower curtain that you love but that doesn’t match your bathroom? Try turning the durable fabric into new, outdoor pillows.

Switch your lights to whiter compact fluorescent lighting, which offers a brighter glow and cheaper electricity bills. Or, take down stuffy, dusty drapes and let the light shine in. Hello, Vitamin D!

With only a few simple changes, you can have a cool, clean space in your home that better reflects you, your lifestyle and your commitment to the environment.

What's Old is New: The Green, Money-Saving Amish Lifestyle

 

We sometimes think that going green, making our lifestyle more environmentally conscious, requires spending: buying compact fluorescent bulbs or even solar panels, maybe even trading in the old gas guzzler for a new hybrid or electric car. In our consumer culture, our default mode is to think we have to buy something in order to do something.

The truth is, you don’t have to spend the green to go green. In fact, if you start with the intent of being thrifty, you’ll probably end up making “green” choices that actually help the environment. One of the best examples of "un-consumer lifestyle" can be seen in today's Amish families, who save money—and are gloriously green—but incidentally so, with frugality a common thread in the Amish community.

 

Every product that we buy new not only costs us money, but it also has a carbon footprint: the fuel used in manufacturing it, getting it to the store, getting us to the store to buy it, and so on. Every time you decide to reuse something you already have—even if it is a yogurt container—you’re not just helping your budget, you’re helping the planet.

When it comes to greening up, why not take a cue from the Amish lifestyle? 

 

Repurpose: Find a new use for an old thing, rather than just throwing it away, to keep it out of a landfill and also cut costs. Save empty glass jars for storage, use the good fabric in worn clothing in craft projects, be creative!

 

Recycle: If your town has a recycling program, participate! But also consider recycling yourself: clean out plastic containers to reuse for food storage, swap tired-of children's toys with friends or neighbors, donate old books to the local library.

 

Garden: Like the Amish, plant a garden and put a dent in your summer grocery bill, reduce your carbon footprint, and make the world a little greener—literally. If you don’t have a green thumb, but still want to be green, buy from a local farm or farmer’s market.

 

Hand-Down: Small children don’t stay small for long, so they typically outgrow their clothes before they wear them out so consider reusing them for the next child. Most Amish families have at least half a dozen kids, so they naturally clothe the younger ones with hand-me-downs.  If your family is slightly smaller, find other families you can trade with, or at the very least, donate used clothing to charity instead of them hitting the landfill.

The Amish often say, “use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without,” to describe their thrifty lifestyle. Who knew that doing just that would also help the environment?  

Source: Money Secrets of the Amish

 

Green Cleaning with Garage Sales

When it comes to cleaning house, there's no more eco-friendly way to pare down than with a garage sale. The "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra really rings true here, and allows you to get rid of some of your own self-declared junk while snagging a few extra bucks along the way. What could be better?

If you're feeling pinched under the amount of "stuff" in your home, consider organizing a summer weekend garage sale - or team up with your neighbors to peddle your unwantables in a block sale. (The more the merrier!) 

For a lesson in Garage Sales 101, we turned to pro-marketer and garage-sale diva Ava Seavey, author of Ava's Guide to Garage Sale Gold, who offered up the following easy tips:

• Have clear, simple signs. They should be double-sided, have arrows and clearly state the date and time.
• Put an ad in your local paper.
• Write everything down. (Just like dieting.) Do this before, during and after the sale. 
• Tag everything, unless they're grouped with other things likely to sell at a set price. (You want to be focused on exchanging money during hte sale, not haggling.)
• Put everyting on tables, laid out neatly, if possible.
• Categorize like items together.
• Feel empowered when you negotiate - don't be afraid to say no. Don't feel intimidated; maintain prices that reflect a product's real worth.

Inexpensive Paper Carrier Bags

In this century the major problem faced by all humanity is environment sustainability. The growing gap between demand and supply of energy calls for environment friendly alternatives. In the past the major issues were concerned with the carry bags that were not all environment friendly. Hence this gave rise to recycled bags that are made out of sturdy materials posing no threat to the environment.

The recycling process helps in transforming the used parts into fresh products. This is a great way that creates awareness among citizens towards conservation of energy. By recycling the products such as paper bags, it is possible to minimize the waste diversion to the landfill sites. By adopting the environment friendly carrier bags, the human society is assured about good quality of life on a sustainable basis. The paper carrier bags fulfill all the shopping needs thus helping to avoid the problems contributing towards creating pollution.

These recycled paper bags are now easily available with the leading online suppliers at a great price. Available in variety of colours, shape and size, they are uniquely processed to boost their durability. Even paper bags with lamination are also available. Carrying the full-colour images and logos, they appear very attractive and may even help in advertising campaign. Another flexible option in terms of bags for life is the canvas bag. With the online suppliers they are inexpensive, decorative and made from the natural fibers that are biodegradable. These canvas bags are perfect giveaways to fulfill the promotional requirements of any business organization or campaign. Such bags often come in natural colours and the consumers can even improve its look by adding beads, threads, stickers to it at any time. They can hold the valuable goods up to a certain weight hence commonly used in gift stores, boutiques and clothing outlets.

The environment friendly carrier bags are more reliable to forms that add no toxic chemicals in the landfills. Available in bright, funky and imaginative designs they are excellent way to create brand visibility. As the plastic bag brings the risk of asphyxiation, with the paper carrier bags the shoppers feel more safe especially those having kids who love to play with the bags. The paper bags have now become very stronger these days and therefore people find it easy to use when they need to lift a reasonable weight of grocery items. To send a message loud and clear, the paper bags give the opportunity to express through them.

Breaking the trends of plastic bags that are harmful, the paper carrier bags are regarded as a revolution in the retail market. The tailor made designs of these paper bags reflects a powerful impression and making the customers happy indeed. Serving as an inevitable part of promotional strategy these bags are quite capable of withstanding any form of pressure. Hence it is advisable to go with the nature by switching over to the recycled bags available with the online suppliers.

Resources:

Jeffrey B. Oliver is the author of this article on Paper Bags.
Find more information about Paper Carrier Bags here.