Living Greener and Healthier – A $100 Giveaway!

148 Responses to Living Greener and Healthier – A $100 Giveaway!

1. Nan says:

   April 13, 2009 at 11:24 pm

   I have learned that you don’t have to sacrifice convenience to be greener. For example, using the dishwasher is fine but only run it when it’s FULL and well-organized!
2. Julie says:

   April 13, 2009 at 11:58 pm

   The biggest impact I’m making is being a vegetarian. Obviously I do it for other reasons too, but it’s a doozy. I recently read in an environmental magazine that a meat eater on a bicycle pollutes the earth more than a vegetarian driving a Hummer.

   I also use canvas bags for shopping, have a reusable aluminum water bottle, take public transportation, use cloth diapers, use only vinegar and water to clean, and even use a reusable menstrual cup (and am amazed at how much I like it better!).
3. Christie says:

   April 14, 2009 at 12:32 am

   I do a lot of the tips above. I started by using the re-usable grocery bags. I keep them in the car so I don’t forget to take them to the store.

   We also quit using the disposable plates (and forks/spoons – we used to be really bad).

   We bought some recycling bins and started recycling. We also started a composting pile and a garden outside.
4. erin says:

   April 14, 2009 at 3:39 am

   grocery bags, reusable (camelback) water bottles, no paper/plastic dishes, taking reusable containers to restaurants instead of using doggybags, using coffee grounds in my garden, I recycle.
5. Donna B says:

   April 14, 2009 at 5:53 am

   THe biggest thing I have done this year is to purchase cloth bags for $.99 each that I use for the local grocery stores to pack mt groceries in. Saves throwing out all those small plastic bags that seem to tear, and they even stand up in my trunk on the way home. THey are easier to un pack as well. If I do get extra bags at dept stores, I use then as trash bags lines in my waste baskets!
6. Amy H. says:

   April 14, 2009 at 7:53 am

   I bought the wonder bread sandwhich keeper. I use this instead of plastic bags to pack lunches. It works for sandwhiches, wrapes, and even breakfast casserole. It is small, compact, shaped like bread and reusable.
7. Christy says:

   April 14, 2009 at 8:10 am

   So many green people! Alright! Along with everyone else I have a refillable water bottle, canvas bags and recycle paper, plastic and glass (it is the law here in Germany). Also I have recently discovered a ‘green’ kitty litter. It is a saw dust based litter that is GREAT. It is good for the environment, smells great and costs less than regular litter. it is a win-win situation.
8. Emily says:

   April 14, 2009 at 8:24 am

   I always carry a reusable bag in my purse, one of those folded up ones … just in case!

   Here’s something a lot of people don’t do (yet) but I’m a firm believer of! Whenever i go out to a restaurant, I pack my own glass tupperware for the leftovers. Not only does this help the environment from yet *another* styrofoam container in the dump, but I automatically put half of my plate in there when I get my food. This helps my cal intake and portion control! We all know how crazy those restaurants can be with portions!

   out of sight – out of mind!
9. pam says:

   April 14, 2009 at 8:31 am

   Just wanted to point out that going green doesn’t mean eliminating meat from your diet…… Just like it doesn’t mean eliminating vegetables from your diet or clothing to wear. Find a local producer and a local butcher. You have practically no waste at all, and you are supporting your local growers, it is fresher, tastes better! There are ways that we can all go green without sacrificing nutrition, you just have to be creative. Sometimes it also means paying a little more. But if you really think of our ansestors and how they lived, they made their own clothes and washed them by hand, butchered their own meat and raised their own vegetables.
10. pam says:

    April 14, 2009 at 8:35 am

    I do want to point out that going green doesn’t mean eliminating meat from your diet…… Just like it doesn’t mean eliminating vegetables from your diet or clothing to wear (all can have a substantial packaging and carbon print). Find a local producer and a local butcher. You have practically no waste at all, and you are supporting your local growers, it is fresher, tastes better! There are ways that we can all go green without sacrificing nutrition, you just have to be creative. Sometimes it also means paying a little more. But if you really think of our ansestors and how they lived, they made their own clothes and washed them by hand, butchered their own meat and raised their own vegetables. We can all learn something from them. I just try to use my common sense and go back to basics.
11. rebekah says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:18 am

    a few families in our church have gotten together to plant a garden this year. we all will work on the garden…tilling, weeding, planting, picking….and we all reap from the benefits!
    its a great way to eat homegrown food, save money, and teach our little ones the importance of gardening!
12. Liz says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:32 am

    I use the reusable bags not just as the grocery store but at all different places. I’ve seen them sold at Target, Macy’s and other stores. Plus you can buy ones online that are very sturdy and good for lugging groceries (especially if you walk to the store like me!).

    Another thing that I think we forget when thinking about going green is clothing. You can buy a lot of great “green” clothing now in stores or go to vintage/thrift shops which is always fun. A lot of designers and companies are now realizing the importance of making their clothing more earth friendly so I think we should all take advantage of it!
13. Vickye says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:36 am

    I bring groceries home in brown paper bags at the grocery store and then shredd them in my shredder. The shreds are perfect mulch around the plants in my flower and vegetable gardens.
14. Tina says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:46 am

    As a teacher of toddlers I save ALL plastic containers, bottles, yogurt cups etc and we utilize them in activities or use them for art projects. My favorite is the peanut butter jars. We use them to hold items we find from outside (an empty birds nest) so that the children can look at the objects up close with magnifying glasses without damaging it or hurting themselves.
15. Bonnie says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:49 am

    Pur water filter and refill my own water bottles, re-use containers that I buy food in (for leftovers), save and bring my own bags back to Aldi’s, wash clothes in cold water, save newspapers, cardboard, soda boxes to help start burn pile fires, gardening, use Sham-Wow’s and microfiber towels instead of paper towels, use microfiber dust mop pads instead of Swiffer throw-aways, use warm water and a bit of ammonia with a scrub brush and white towels as a carpet cleaner (it works great and doesn’t leave an oil based residue that will attract more dirt later). Thanks for the chance at the $100 giveaway!!
16. Heidi says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:51 am

    This may seem like a small thing, but we no longer use our dishwasher! It has already saved me about $30 a month on my electricity bill.
17. lunzy says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:53 am

    I submitted a comment yesterday, but don’t see it. please count me in the contest.

    I’m going to start using my clothesline. It was already here when we moved in!
18. Kim says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:53 am

    I am trying to be greener myself. My biggest tips are put as much as possible into my recycling bin, and use the cloth bags at the grocery store. Also use organic cleaning products.
19. Tiger G says:

    April 14, 2009 at 10:25 am

    It’s not much, but I recycle cardboard. With a baby coming, we’ve had a TON of cardboard from baby gear. The little guy and I cut it up, load it into the car, and take it to the community recycling bins (our community doesn’t do curbside recycling and is very limited on what they do take, unfortunately.) It’s so cute to hear him say ‘Mama, recycle” whenever he sees cardboard. I really hate packaging from food, not because I’m a greenaholic, but because it fills my garbage can so much faster and I’m truly lazy about garbage. So that lead me to cook things in bulk and freeze them, such as my own version of hot pockets for the hubby (way more healthier!)
20. Julie says:

    April 14, 2009 at 10:29 am

    I walk to the grocery store (no gas fumes, good exercise) and use a cloth sack to just get a few things at a time (reduce plastic/paper bag waste).
21. Annette M says:

    April 14, 2009 at 10:57 am

    Like everyone else I have stopped buying bottled water and use my re-fillable container. I have also stopped buying paper plates, plastic cups, and plastic silverware at home. I unplug electronics when I am not using them. I have also been trying to limit how much water I use when washing dishes. I used to run the water practicaly the whole the time. I re-use containers constantly, bought energy efficient light bulbs, and wash my clothes in cold water. I look for locally grown produce when ever possible, which is not only greener, but tastes so much better. They are all small changes, but I’m slowly working on trying to live greener. I feel good that I am able to help the environment, and saving money on some of these things is a plus too. I’m also working on getting rid of the paper towels, but I haven’t completely broken the habit yet. I use my dishtowels more than I used to, but I still feel I need the paper ones for kitchen spills and messes, mabye one day.
    Thanks for the giveaway. I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s tips on living greener!
22. debby says:

    April 14, 2009 at 11:14 am

    I have chickens, and save almost all my leftovers for them!
23. Lis says:

    April 14, 2009 at 11:22 am

    turn the water off while you are brushing your teeth-saves water and cuts down on your water bill :)
24. Christin Banda says:

    April 14, 2009 at 12:35 pm

    I use green cleaners…its amazing what a little baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, etc can do to clean up a mess:) Thanks for an awesome giveaway!!
    christinbanda@yahoo.com
25. Cricket says:

    April 14, 2009 at 12:59 pm

    Like most of the others, we have give up paper plates and plastic cups that are not reusable. My neighborhood does not offer recycling at all so we save all of our plastic, glass and paper products in canvas washable bags and once a week we head to my best friends house and use her and her neighbors curb side containers. I have many canvas shopping bags that I keep in the car however 50% of the time I forget them till I am already checking out. I am forced to use the plastic bags however here we have many grocery stores that recycle plastic grocery sacks. I just save em up till I have a full sack of them and then take them right back to the store for recycle. I have cut back to running the dishwasher only twice a week, use only glass containers for leftovers, have changed all lightbulbs to the energy saver ones ….. next s the cleaning products. I am going to try making them ( like laundry soap, window cleaner, ect..) ….
26. deanna says:

    April 14, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    recycle everything… try not to use plastic bags and if so reuse, reuse reuse… also try to recylce all plastic containers from tylenol bottles to water bottles, and all inbetween. I am just starting the green living, althought it’s a challenge, it’s a learning experience that can be fun! I now have my five year old pointing out when people litter…and we are picking it up!
27. Jen C says:

    April 14, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    Use a regular coffee mug instead of paper cups at work
28. Dawn says:

    April 14, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    I’m sure most, if not all of what I’m going to write has already been used:

    No paper plates in the house

    Use towels to clean up messes from the dogs, or cleaning around the house.

    Turn off computer/printer/laptop when not in use. You can also unplug things like your microwave or lamps when not in use or put in a switch to prevent usused electricity from running up your bill (it can save you a bundle throughout the year).

    Canvas bags for grocery shopping.

    I’ve got a small garden which I hope to increase this year with a compost pile behind it (not only composting, but helping to raise back a low corner in the back of the property). I also keep a compost pail in the kitchen that I empty out once or twice a week to the back (plus it keeps the vermin out of the garbage cans since they’re already being fed in the back).

    We’ve got a well, but I know that a lot of people use water tubs to store water…especially during drought season or areas that have water restrictions.

    Plant butterfly and bird friendly plants and flowers…it helps not only beautify, but helps out your ecosystem as a whole.

    I save all cans from Loverboy’s Mountain Dew habit and take them to a cash recycling place so we get cash for the aluminum. Great for taking old car parts or copper too.

    I save all junk mail and paper that I’ve got in the house and look for those green recycling bins at the local libraries, schools and churches. They get cash per weight recycled, so it’s all going to a good use!

    I plan multiple errands so I only need to make one trip in the car. Also, keep track of the gas you use…some gas has more harmful chemicals than others, and certain gases, such as Shell, have additives to help get rid of the gunk in your car to help it run better, hence better emissions. Loverboy is a mechanic, and he won’t go anywhere else but Shell for gas.

    Buy in bulk, and bring your lunch with you to work…I’ve gotten in the habit of putting Loverboy’s lunch in his front seat of his car before I go to work so I know he won’t forget it (and if he does, I’ll need to smack him upside the head, who’d forget their lunch when it’s already in their car?).

    Again, if you’ve got stuff you don’t want to throw away, take it to a thrift store, call Amvets or Purple Heart, or post it up on Craigslist.com or Freecycle.com…one mans trash is another mans treasure.

    That’s my multiple sense…I love everyone’s ideas!!!
29. Dawn says:

    April 14, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    Oh, and we don’t have a recycling program in the area, but everytime I get a bunch of recyclables, I take it to the next town over. They have a Lion’s Club recycling program where you can drop off all your recyclables. It’s really convenient!
30. Inny says:

    April 14, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    I have a Brita water pitcher with which I filter tap water instead of buying bottled water an wasting more plastic bottles. The local grocery store has recently started selling draft water at a cheaper price if you bring your own water container.
31. Jill says:

    April 14, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    I have a lot of indoor plant to keep the air inside fresh and clean. Also we use reusable grocery bags, and take plastic bags off our neighbors hands and use them as poop-bags for our dogs.
32. Jim says:

    April 14, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    I recently started vermicomposting (worm composting). So far it has been a pretty fun experience. You dont need a huge bin in the back yard and it is a great way to dispose of fruit and vegetable waste. The worm castings are better than traditional compost. You can even make a tea out of the castings and spray it on plants.
33. Tracy Parrish says:

    April 14, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Every week I freeze leftovers and make refrigerator soup with all my expiring products,leftovers and produce. I’m always surprised when I pull out a freezer meal for my lunch :-) Sometimes I don’t write on the containers so that I will truly be surprised.
34. Jackie says:

    April 14, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    Keep more in your refrigerator! This means less of the cold air it has to make is wasted.
35. Sarah says:

    April 14, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    Like many others, I don’t use paper plates or commercial cleaning products. I hate chemicals on lawns and in cleaning products, so we use household staples whenever possible (vinegar goes a LONG way). We also hang-dry almost all of our clothes–more in the summer when they go outside. My mom hung clothes out even in the winter! We buy from farmers’ markets, and our meat comes from my dad’s farm. My Hubby and I ride to work together every day and only go out for lunch around once a month. We also recycle, use reusable water bottles, and I love pyrex!! I’ve tried to eliminate plastic from the kitchen.
36. Kathryn says:

    April 14, 2009 at 6:38 pm

    Wow, so many great ideas! Most of mine are the same as others.

    I replaced all my light bulbs with the energy saving ones. I try to buy most of my produce at the local farmer’s market or Trader Joes, and I try to use my own bags. I use a Brita filter system for my fridge instead of bottle water.
37. Carolyn G says:

    April 14, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    I have started to compost as well. I am starting small but hope that by summer we will have two big containers outisde, one green and one brown!
38. elle says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    I save all of the plastic bags I get and reuse them to bring my lunch to work or use them to line my bathroom and bedroom trash cans..perfect size!
39. Heather says:

    April 14, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    My best green tip would have to be this: reducing is better than reusing, reusing is better than recycling, recycling is better than throwing it in the trash. By buying local produce, reducing your consumption of processed foods (=more packaging) and stop using water bottles, you can reduce the amount of waste/trash you produce. But if that isn’t possible, reusing is better than nothing (i.e. reusing your glass nut butter jars, reusing plastic bags you get from the bulk bins, etc). And finally, recycling is better than throwing stuff away. Take a second glance at your magazines and see who you can donate them to, recycle catalogs that are sent to you (or better yet, get your name off the list) and so on. There are so many easy things people can do to reduce consumption and reuse every day items.
40. Krista S. says:

    April 15, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Roni…I really love this post. It’s so cheerful and helps me to see where I’ve taken baby steps, too. Sometimes that’s exactly what I need to keep my motivation up…to realize that all the little steps add up, whether it be weight loss or changing the way I do things in other areas of my life.
41. Carrie B says:

    April 15, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    My best green tip is to stop buying plastic water bottles. I bought the whole family Sigg water bottles. They come in different colors and patterns so everyone knows which is theirs.
42. Shelley says:

    April 15, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    We stopped using paper towels for “napkins” at dinner, & we use our cloth napkins! We use the same ones over & over till they need to be laundered, & it makes every meal feel “special” to use the cloth napkins! Plus, we’re spending less on paper towels & throwing less away :)
43. Peggy C says:

    April 15, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    I always have a mailbox full of unwanted mail. Instead of throwing the mountain of junk mail away, I use it to write my grocery list on. I also cut it into smaller pieces and put them near all phones to take messages on.
44. KK @ Running Through Life says:

    April 15, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    Best tip: Use a Sigg bottle for water. I take my 32 oz bottle everywhere I go! This way, I drink plenty of water and I help the environment by not buying plastic water bottles. Also, another great tip is to use natural or chemical free products for cleaning…I love Magic Erasers….gets things clean without any chemicals!
45. Jen Baerman says:

    April 16, 2009 at 12:05 pm

    I am saving all the yogurt and pudding cups to start seedlings for my garden.
46. Kimberly says:

    April 17, 2009 at 2:55 am

    We used to be big paper towel/plate/cup users.. this was all just laziness to avoid washing dishes… although we still use a paper plate now and again we have completely cut out the paper towels and plastic cups and have embraced (well, embraced may be a strong word, lol… how about accepted) the washing of dishes.
47. Lisa says:

    April 17, 2009 at 9:20 am

    Truth is, I’ve been wanting to recycle more and more. It’s one of those things you know you *should* do, and just don’t take the time and effort to do it. Before reading this post, the really only things I recycled were batteries and soda cans at work.

    The post inspired me to stop using plastic water bottles. Trying to live a healthy lifestyle, water is a huge part of my life. Yesterday I purchased a Brita pitcher for my fridge. :) I also purchased the Thermos mentioned above by a previous poster that has an awesome tight seal lid that doesn’t leak that I love!

    Once I’m in the habit of using the Brita pitcher and my new thermos, I will tackle other “green” habits. I’m so grateful for this post! :)
48. Nancy says:

    April 17, 2009 at 11:05 am

    I love all of the good ideas and some that I use! My contribution to a greener earth is using silk flowers in my front yard landscape. This way, I don’t have to use so much water each summer! The silk flowers don’t look bad, either